Just Take My Heart - Mary Higgins Clark [97]
The anchor continued: “A tip from a coworker sent police swarm?ing to his home where they discovered that he had apparently just fled. A canvas of the neighborhood led to the discovery of a break-in at eighty-two-year-old widow Madeline Kirk's home. Concerned for her safety, the police pushed in the door of her home and shortly thereafter found her body stuffed in the trunk of her car in her ga?rage.”
I knew it, Zach thought. Somebody at work saw the show and recognized me. Kirk recognized me. The jerk who checked me in here noticed that I looked like the guy in the composite. And what if he watches the news tonight? There's bound to be a lot more on about me, and a lot more in the newspapers tomorrow . . .
Zach's mouth went dry as the anchor indicated that after the commercial, he would display the same pictures and age-enhanced composites that had been on Fugitive Hunt.
I can't stay here, he thought. If that dope at the desk sees this, he's not going to be thinking about his brother-in-law. Before I get out of here, I've got to find out if the van is still safe to drive. And I've got to know if Henry Link has put two and two together and called the police.
Using one of his stash of prepaid phones, Zach dialed informa?tion to get Henry Link's telephone number. After buying the car, he had thrown away the ad with the number in it. Luckily it was listed. Nervously biting his lip, he waited for the connection to be made.
He had used the alias Doug Brown when he was with Henry Link. He had also been careful enough to wear sunglasses and a baseball cap all day Saturday when he was shopping for the car.
The connection went through. “Hello.” He recognized Henry's gravelly voice.
“Hello, Henry. This is Doug Brown. Just wanted to say that I took the paperwork to Motor Vehicles this morning. You should be get?ting everything in the mail in the next few days. The van's running great.”
Henry Link's voice did not sound friendly. “My son-in-law gave me a hard time about letting you do all the paperwork. He said that if you had an accident before the what-do-you-call-it, the title, was transferred, I could get sued blind. And what about the license plates? He says it's my job to turn them in. And he wondered why you would pay me in cash.”
Zach's nerves were raw. He felt as though a net were closing over him.
“Henry, I had no problem at Motor Vehicles this morning. I turned in the plates and they gave me a new title. You tell your son-in-law I thought I was being a nice guy. I had to go to Motor Vehicles anyway to register the car in my name and I was happy to help you out. I really felt bad that your wife was in a nursing home.”
Zach moistened his lips with his tongue. “Henry, I deliberately brought cash so there would be no problem. Do you know how many people won't take a check? Tell that son-in-law of yours that if he was so worried, he should have been there with you when you sold the van.”
“Doug, I'm really sorry,” Henry said, sounding upset. “I know you're a nice guy. The trouble is since Edith's been in the nursing home my daughter and her husband think I can't take care of my?self. We made a fair deal and you put yourself out by taking care of the paperwork and now even checking in with me. Most people aren't that considerate these days. And I'm going to give my son-in-law a piece of my mind.”
“Glad to help you, Henry. I'll call you in two or three days and make sure that the records came in the mail.”
I'm probably okay with the van for a couple of days, Zach thought as he snapped the cell phone shut. When the paperwork doesn't ar?rive, the son-in-law's going to go straight to the Motor Vehicles of?fice. And right after that, he's going to go to the police.
My luck may be running out. But before I get caught, if I do get caught, I'm going back to take care of Emily.
Just Take My Heart
66
Belle Garcia was desperately unhappy at the prospect of confront?ing Sal when he got home. The few times in their thirty-five-year marriage that they had had a serious argument, it had