A Flicker of Doubt - Tim Myers [22]
I hung up the telephone, and Markum asked, “What was that all about?”
“I found a phone number in Becka’s purse, so I dialed it. It was Runion.”
“The developer? Why would Becka have his number in her purse?”
I scratched my head, then laid the paper aside. “I’m not sure, but it’s something we need to look into.” I studied the contents of her purse for a few more minutes, then asked, “So what’s missing here?”
“I don’t know, I was hoping you would.”
“Her car keys aren’t here. Did you see her car anywhere near the overlook? She didn’t walk, that’s for sure; it’s too far from town.”
Markum nodded. “You’re right. There were no cars in the parking area when I went there to look around. Why don’t you call your buddy the sheriff and see if he’s looked for her car?”
At least it was something. “I’ll give it a shot, but I don’t know if he’ll tell me anything.”
“You’ve got a better chance of finding out than I do,” Markum said.
I dialed the sheriff’s office, and after going through the switchboard, I reached Morton himself. “This is Harrison Black. I need to ask you something.”
“Harrison, I’ve got a hit-and-run that’s driving me nuts. Some guy got mowed over by a car on the city limits boundary. Half of him is in Micah’s Ridge and the other half is on county property. They’re out there now trying to figure out where most of the man’s body is lying. Make it quick.”
“Where’s Becka’s car?” I asked.
“Come on, it was a suicide.”
“She didn’t walk from town, Sheriff. Becka wouldn’t do that So how did she get out there, and where’s her vehicle?”
He said curtly, ‘I’m going to tell you, but only because
of the day you’ve had. We found her vehicle at the overlook. The keys were in it and the engine was still running. I know Micah’s Ridge is a small town, but I’m still surprised nobody stole it Now will you drop this? She killed herself.”
I wanted to say something else when the telephone connection ended.
“What did he say?” Markum asked.
‘They found the car with the engine still running at the overlook.” •
Markum frowned. “I’m sure that just reinforces his belief that it was suicide.”
“Not for me, it doesn’t” I said. “Becka wouldn’t leave her car running like that. She used to give me grief about running my truck in the winter to warm it up. Over the last six months, she’d developed a real environmental conscience.”
“And if he’d stayed on the line long enough for you to tell him that I’m sure the sheriff would have said that she wasn’t in her right frame of mind, or she never would have killed herself in the first place. For every new bit of information we find, there’s a way he can turn it around on us. I’m not all that surprised that we’re not going to be getting any help from him.”
“So why do you believe me?” I asked.
It looked like he thought about it then said, “Your gut tells you it was murder. I’m going with that.”
“Good enough,” I said. “I’m not wrong about this.”
“I never thought you were. Now what are we going to do about it?”
I reached for the accordion folder and said, “We keep digging.”
Chapter 6
After an hour of searching through her personal papers, I was ready to call it a night “There’s nothing here that shouldn’t be,” I said.
Markum nodded. “I’ve got to agree with you about that So what did we miss?”
“I don’t follow you.”
“Those two suits weren’t at Becka’s searching for decorating tips. Is there anything we found that they might have been looking for?”
“What about the message on the answering machine?” I asked. “Could they be working for the guy we heard?”
Markum nodded. “You could be right So then who is our mystery man?”
“I don’t even have a guess. Have you talked to your friend about the tape?”
“He’s not going to be able to help after all,”