“He worked for a building maintenance company. Cleaned offices at night.”
“Kind of hard to be certain he was at work then, right?”
“True,” Vincent said. “Most of the buildings he cleaned had security systems. It’s not impossible to leave a building if the alarm is turned off and come back in later, but here’s the reason we couldn’t make a case. Why would he leave work, drive twenty miles away, run down his ex-wife who he had no way of knowing would be drunk and out on the road that night, and then hightail it back to work and enter a building, just hoping no one would see him? And then keep his messed-up truck with him until he drove home the next morning . . . in daylight when everyone could see the damage? It’s not entirely impossible, but the idea has too many holes in it. We just couldn’t prove anything.”
“I understand.”
“I wish I could help you,” Vincent said, “but Tom couldn’t have taken April. He was dead when she went missing. I’m not saying he didn’t kill Cheryl, but unless you find new evidence, this case is pretty much a dead end.”
“Just two more quick questions?”
“Sure,” Vincent said. “Like I said, I’m retired. I have all the time in the world.”
“I read that before she died, Cheryl whispered the phrase three little piggies to the EMT who was with her. Do you have any idea why she would say that?”
“No, we couldn’t connect that to anything. In the end, we decided she was probably hallucinating. She had three times the legal limit of alcohol in her system.”
“This may sound really odd, but does the dogwood flower have anything to do with this case? I ask because it might be connected to two other deaths, both victims found near the side of the road.”
Vincent frowned. “No, I’m sorry. Nothing like that ever came up. No flowers were found on Ms. Armitage.” He shrugged. “I’m afraid this is a case that will never be solved. I really wanted to close it before I die. It’s a sad thing.”
“Yes, it is. I appreciate your time.”
Vincent stood. “Listen, if you run across anything that might shine a light on this case, will you contact me again?”
“I absolutely will. It may not seem like you’ve helped us, but you have. We obviously need to move on to something else. Thank you, Vincent.”
“You’re very welcome, River. And I hope you find April. I’d like to know about that too, if you don’t mind.”
“I’ll make sure to call you if that happens. Thank you again.” She held out her hand and he shook it.
After he left, she locked the door. Then she wrote down the details of their conversation. She was disappointed. Talking to Vincent hadn’t helped at all. She wondered how Tony was doing. So far, they didn’t seem to be making much progress.
The doorknob rattled. River looked up and saw the security guard. She got up and opened the door. “Just making sure you’re okay,” he said.
River smiled at him. “I’m fine. Sorry to put you out.”
“This is probably the most interesting thing that’s happened today,” he said. “Mr. St. Clair must care a lot about you.”
“Maybe a little too much.”
“Not sure anyone can care about you too much.” He nodded at her. “I’ll be back in a while.”
After he left, she locked the door again and went back to her notes. But the guard’s words echoed in her mind. Not sure anyone can care about you too much. Was that true? Because she wasn’t sure anyone could possibly care more about Tony than she did right now. Her feelings for him were so strong that sometimes she felt as if she could barely breathe.
CHAPTE
R
TWENTY-EIGHT
She was so cold. Audrey had told her not to move until she came back for her, but that had been hours ago. She gazed around the room. Where was she? Even though she hadn’t received the last shot, the effects of all the others were still messing with her mind. They’d gone out the back door and then walked to this place. Was it a storage shed? Audrey said she’d drive by and get her when she could. Should she leave? Try to find help? Or just wait the way Audrey had instructed? What if she’d been caught? If so, they’d soon be looking for her, too. She grabbed the edge of a nearby storage shelf and pulled herself up. Immediately, the room began to swim. She used her other hand to steady herself, praying that the world would stop spinning. Finally, when she felt steadier, she gazed around her. She could see the door they’d come through. She’d just decided to open it, so she could figure out where she was, when the doorknob began to turn. Panic set in and she tried to run, but she was too unsteady on her feet, and she fell to the hard floor. Pain exploded in her wrist, and she yelped. She attempted to pull herself along the floor using her other hand, but she couldn’t move quickly enough to hide. When someone put their hands on her, she cried out.
“Hush, it’s me. Be quiet or someone might hear you. My car’s outside. We need to leave before they realize you’re gone. I fixed your bed to make it look like you’re in it, and I marked your chart as if I’d given you your meds. But the next shift nurse will be checking on you before long. We don’t have much time.”
Although she tried to understand what Audrey was trying to tell her, nothing made much sense except that she was out of the hospital, and they were leaving. That was all that mattered.
Audrey helped her up, and she leaned on the kind nurse as they walked out of the building and hurried to Audrey’s car. When she got inside, the warm air surrounded her like a hug. She stared out the window. She’d dreamt about leaving before, only to be disappointed when she woke up and realized it was a dream. She began to cry and pray that this was real. That she really was on her way to freedom.
“Don’t cry,” Audrey said gently. “We’ll make it. I can’t take you to my place. They’ll look there. We’re going to a motel for a while. You need to get all that stuff out of your system. We also need to get you cleaned up. I brought some clothes that should fit you.”
It was then that she looked down and realized she was only wearing a hospital gown and the coat Audrey had given her. Her feet were still in those weird yellow booties the hospital kept on her feet. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn real shoes, and she wanted to. More than anything.
“I hope you didn’t break your wrist,” Audrey said. “We’ll stop at a drug store and get you something to support it. I can’t give you anything stronger than acetaminophen. I hope it will control your pain.”
She smiled and laid her head back on the seat. “I don’t care about that. I’m free. I’m finally free.” After that, she allowed herself to drift off, feeling warm, relaxed, and happier than she’d been in a very long time.
TED’S MOTHER WAS A FRAIL WOMAN who looked beaten down by life. Although she was moving slowly around her kitchen, a wheelchair sat in the corner. Besides dealing with physical issues, it was obvious that her son’s death had affected her greatly. Her small house showed neglect, as did she. It seemed as if she’d just stopped caring. Tony felt great empathy for her.
“Thank you for seeing me,” Tony told her after sitting down at her kitchen table.
Mrs. Piper carried a half-full carafe of coffee over to the table, holding onto the chairs with her other hand. She shakily poured the hot liquid into a cup faded by age. Although Tony didn’t want coffee, he thanked her. She put the carafe back on the old coffeemaker and then took the seat next to him.
“You’re welcome,” she said. “No one has asked about Ted for a while. I’m happy someone still cares about what happened to him.”
“My partner and I are trying to locate a missing woman who investigated cold cases. Your son’s case was one of them.”
“You think this woman’s disappearance has something to do with my Ted’s death?”
