Part 20 (2/2)
Frustrated, Meredith turned to the business of her practice. Lord knew she had been neglecting it.
”There's a call from another potential client on a divorce case,” Sarah said.
Meredith wanted to turn it down, but she had an office and two employees to support. ”Why don't you talk to her. Determine what she needs and whether she can wait a few weeks.” She planned to fly to Memphis on Thursday and interview neighbors of her aunt's and obstetricians who might have delivered the baby. After thirty-three years she thought it unlikely she'd find the right doctor, but maybe some records would still exist.
It was the longest of long shots, but...
She tried Lulu Starnes again. Not even an answering machine replied.
Well, she would try tomorrow.
The phone rang. Becky buzzed her.
It was Nan Fuller. Terror was in her voice.
”I saw him,” she said. ”He was watching me when I picked up the children from school.”
”Did he say anything to you?”
”No, but he wanted me to see him. He didn't try to hide.”
”Did he get within five hundred feet of you?”
”No. But his face ... It was scary.”
”I'll contact Detective Gaynor. He might be able to do something.”
”I'm thinking about moving out of town but I don't have any money, not until the divorce is settled ...”
Meredith knew the court had given Rick supervised visiting rights with the children. ”You will need a court order to leave unless you want to become a fugitive and give him more leverage against you.”
”I know. I had hoped to go home....” Nan said. She had been staying at the women's shelter with her two children. Neither Nan nor Meredith had any doubt that Rick knew exactly where it was, but she'd be safer there than in the house she'd shared with her husband.
”Let me see what I can do,” Meredith said. ”I'll call you back.”
Meredith sighed. Rick would only claim he wanted a glimpse of his children. He hadn't violated the protective order. There was precious little she could do at this moment. But she knew from Nan's voice that she was terrified.
She didn't want to call Gage Gaynor. She hadn't heard from him since that unfortunate kiss... that she still felt deep in her bones every time she allowed herself to think about it.
But if she did call him, and he talked to Fuller, would it even further enrage Nan's husband?
Had she underestimated the officer's anger? Had he been the one who destroyed her home?
Her hand went to Gaynor's card he'd left with her when he'd interviewed her, then reached for the phone. Hesitated. The detective disturbed her in more ways than she wanted to admit. She lost her disciplined composure with him. Darn it, she lost her wits.
'It's for Nan.'
She dialed Gage Gaynor's cell phone.
Gage sat back in a chair in his new office and looked at Wagner. ”Okay, what do we have?”
”Too much,” Wagner replied. ”I'm more than happy to have you here. I liked Tom, but he was really slowing up.” Wagner's old partner--one of the veterans in the department--had just retired.
”These are our active cases,” Wagner said, giving Gage several files. ”Most are routine. A domestic murder. A homeless man found dead in an alley. A robbery homicide.
”We have a confession in the first, but we need to do follow-up work on evidence and the perp's background. The homeless man ...” He shrugged. ”We have d.a.m.ned little there. Probably another homeless man. I have some snitches nosing around. The robbery? We think it's the same two men that have committed a series of robberies. The pattern and description is the same. Except they haven't killed before.”
”That's it?”
”The current ones.”
”Okay. Where do we start?”
”The robbery. Go back and interview all the other robbery victims. See if we can't get something new.”
”Car?”
”A dark sedan. One person got a license plate number, but the car turned out to be stolen. No prints. They're careful.”
”What kind of stores do they like?”
”Fast food, just before closing.”
”A lot of kids work those places.”
”That's probably why they choose them.”
”And the killing?”
”Older woman. A manager.”
Gage's cell phone rang. He took it out and pressed the talk b.u.t.ton. ”Gaynor.”
”Detective Gaynor, Meredith Rawson.”
He felt surprise. And a flicker of unexpected pleasure.
”What can I do for you, Counselor?”
”Nan Fuller.”
The pleasure died. ”What happened?”
”She saw Fuller watching her at the school. He's stalking her. She's terrified.”
”I talked to him. He didn't like it.”
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