Creep - Jennifer Hillier [106]
Morris’s hand gripped the door handle as Jerry followed the guard’s instructions to get to Maple Lane. “And the driver?”
Jerry looked grim. “It wasn’t Wolfe. From what I could make out, he was darker, older, more heavyset. But he definitely fits the description of the man she was talking to at the SAA meeting and Tony’s Tavern. Same with the car. Big black SUV, just like Dennis Fisher said. Couldn’t make out the plate number.”
Morris frowned. “So Wolfe has a friend in SAA who picked her up and brought her here?”
“Don’t know. But she was here, and that’s what matters.”
“It could be Wolfe in disguise,” Morris said, thinking of Tom Young.
Jerry’s dark eyes flickered. “Doubtful. It would have to be a pretty elaborate disguise, which would suggest a whole other level of . . .” He didn’t finish his sentence. “Shit, I suppose anything’s possible.”
The streetlamps on Maple Lane were dim and it was difficult to read the house numbers. All the homes were dark, as most suburban neighborhoods would be at this time of night. Morris found the quiet unsettling.
Jerry slowed in front of 3513. Other than the porch light, the house was completely dark. The motorcycle was not in the driveway, which meant Wolfe had parked it inside the garage. Morris wondered if the black SUV was in there, too, but the garage doors didn’t have windows, so there was no way to check.
Jerry passed the house and continued down the street, looping around the block twice before stopping across the street from Wolfe’s place. He shut off the engine.
“Big-ass house,” he commented, looking at the sprawling rambler through the car window. “Must be nice to be young and rich.”
There was no movement on the street, though Morris thought he might have seen a curtain inside Wolfe’s house ruffle slightly. Impatient, he opened the passenger door. The car’s interior lights came on immediately.
In an instant, Jerry’s arm was on his. “Shut the door!” he hissed. “Are you stupid?”
Morris glared at him, closing the door as Jerry reached up and flicked the light switch off. “What the hell? We came all this way but we’re not going in?”
Jerry searched the street carefully before turning back to Morris. “What the hell were you gonna do, walk up to the front door and ring the bell at eleven o’clock at night?”
“Sounds good to me.” Morris’s face was hot. He kept one hand on the door handle. “Sheila’s in there. I need to talk to her. I need to see her face and make sure she’s okay.”
“And then what?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what if she is okay?” Jerry said. “It’s likely she’s in there because she wants to be, Morris. She wasn’t struggling on the tape. She was sleeping.”
“Or passed out from drugs or something.”
“That’s a stretch.” Jerry’s frown deepened. “You’re jumping to conclusions, my friend. For all we know, she and Wolfe are still having an affair. There’s nothing to suggest he hurt her. Or that he would hurt her. From what I could see, she wasn’t harmed.”
“Now who’s stupid?” Morris said, huffy. “You saw her on the tape going in. I haven’t heard from her in three weeks. What if that guy’s done something to her? Did you see her come back out?”
“No, but—”
Morris opened the door again. This time the car stayed dark.
“Morris, please.” The urgency in Jerry’s voice caused Morris to stop. “Listen to me for one second.” Jerry reached across and closed the passenger door firmly. “We can’t just bust in. You’re not thinking this through.”
“You’re a civilian. You don’t need a warrant.”
“I’m a civilian so I can’t get a warrant, blowhole.” Jerry was exasperated. “Which has nothing to do with anything. Whoever the guy is that drove her here, Sheila was seen talking to him. Flirting with him. I know you don’t want to hear that, but that’s what we know. You ring the bell and start harassing people, especially at this time of night, they’ll call the cops and arrest you. Do you get that?”
Morris gritted his teeth so hard his gums ached. “Jerry, every bone in my body is telling me that Sheila is