Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [521]
“No,” Gwen Patterson finally answered. “She’s not the type who would run off and leave her things. No, I don’t think she would do that.”
“I’m going to need your help, Gwen.” She hesitated again, making sure she had her friend’s attention. “Now’s not the time to be holding back any client-patient confidentiality.”
“No, of course not. No, I wouldn’t do that. Not if it was something that might help find her.”
“You said you had an e-mail from her that mentioned this man she may have been meeting. You said she called him Sonny, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Can you forward that e-mail to me?”
“Sure, I’ll do it as soon as I get off the phone with you.”
“I talked to Tully earlier. He’s going to see if he can get into Joan’s apartment.”
“Can he do that?”
“She’s been gone long enough to file a missing persons report. I want him to look around her place. Maybe see if she has a computer and if he can get into her e-mail. We need to find out if there’s anything more about Sonny. If possible, Tully’ll be going over later today. Would you be able to go over with him?”
More silence. Maggie waited. Had Gwen even heard her? Or had she asked too much?
“Yes,” she finally said, and this time her voice was strong again. “I can do that.”
“Gwen, one other thing.” Maggie examined the photo again. “Did Joan ever mention a man named Marley?”
“Marley? No. I don’t think so.”
“Okay. I’m just checking. Call me if you think of anything.”
“Maggie?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“Thank me when I find her. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
She barely clicked off and the phone started ringing. Gwen must have forgotten something.
“You remembered something?” Maggie said in place of a greeting.
“Agent O’Dell, why the hell am I seeing you on TV?”
It wasn’t Gwen. It was her boss, Assistant Director Kyle Cunningham. Damn!
“Good morning, sir.”
“It says a rock quarry in Connecticut. I thought you were supposed to be in your backyard and I see you’re profiling a case in Connecticut. A case I don’t remember assigning you to.”
“I’m here on personal business, sir. It was a mistake yesterday when Sheriff Watermeier said I was profiling this case.”
“Really? A mistake? But you were there at the quarry?”
“Yes. I stopped by to check on—”
“You just stopped by? O’Dell, this isn’t the first time you’ve just stopped by, but it better be the very last time. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir. But they may actually need a profiler. This certainly has all the signs of a serial—”
“Then they need to request a profiler. Perhaps their own FBI office has someone available.”
“I’m already familiar with—”
“I believe you’re on vacation, Agent O’Dell. If you have personal business in the area, that’s on your own time, but I better not see you on TV again. Do you understand, Agent O’Dell?”
“Yes, sir. I understand.” But there was already a dial tone.
Damn!
She paced the room, stopping to watch the morning traffic down on Pomeroy Avenue and Research Parkway. She checked her watch again. There was still time for one stop. She swung on her jacket, slipping her key card into the pocket, and grabbed her notebook with directions already scrawled inside. She started out the door when she hesitated. What would it hurt? She went back to her computer case, unzipped the pockets until she found it. Then without giving it any more thought she shoved the envelope into her notebook and left.
CHAPTER 34
Lillian did something that she had never done in all the years she had owned the bookstore—she called Rosie and told her she’d be late. Now as she sat in her car looking at the old house where she had grown up she couldn’t help wondering if this was a mistake.
The entire place looked worn and run-down, from the peeling paint on the other buildings to the rusted old cars deserted in the yard like some graveyard for unwanted vehicles. There were a few she didn’t recognize,