Part 17 (2/2)
”Good. Go back to the airport and I will text you with your flight information. You can pick up your ticket at the counter.”
”Oh, thank you so much, Rebecca. I feel like such a fool.”
”It's going to be okay. But if you have enough money, you might want to buy a hat or windbreaker, or anything that will make you look different.”
”You think the killer will come after me?”
”Probably. So be careful.”
”Okay. Thank you.”
Gabby knew what Rebecca was about to ask. ”Yeah, I'll buy the ticket.”
”I'll pay you back.”
”I know.”
Gabby purchased the ticket on his smartphone and sent a text message to Megan with her flight information. ”There's something that's been bugging me.”
”What?”
”Calvin. We went by his garage this morning at around eleven o'clock. And Carly never made it home last night. So, why didn't Calvin say anything about it? When you asked to talk to her about cosmetics, he said she wasn't home. Shouldn't he have been worried about the fact that his wife had never come home last night? Or, was that something that she sometimes did?”
”No. As far as I know, she always went home. It would usually be after midnight. But she went home.”
”So, why did he act like everything was fine? Why did he casually say she wasn't home. He should have been saying that he didn't know where the h.e.l.l she was. Or at least appear to be worried about her. How do you explain his behavior?”
”I just chalked it up to him not caring what happened to her. Maybe he thought she fell asleep at the hotel after s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g her last john.”
”Is it possible that Calvin murdered Carly?”
”No, I don't think-”
”-what if somebody offered him enough money to buy that car he was drooling over, for example? You know-the one in the brochure.”
”Who would pay him money to kill his own wife?” She thought for a moment. ”Joey.”
”That's what I'm thinking.”
”But it looked as though Carly had been killed by some type of electrical device.”
”Right. And Calvin has all kinds of electrical testers and gadgets in his shop.”
”Like a battery charger or something?”
”Yeah. We should go back there.”
”Wait.” Rebecca reached into her pocket, pulled out a twenty dollar bill, and clicked on the dome light. ”I copied a phone number from Joey's desk and wrote it on this bill. It had the letters CC next to it. I wonder if it could be Calvin Cinaway's number?”
”Try it.”
Rebecca called the number. It went to voice mail: You have reached Calvin's Auto Shop. Our hours are eight to six. Please leave a message. Rebecca hung up. ”I think we're on to something. Let's get over there.”
Gabby pulled out of the McDonald's parking lot, and drove them to the spot where they had parked that morning-around the corner from Calvin's house. ”Any chance the police could be there waiting for us?”
”There's always a chance. I'll bet n.o.body's even discovered Big Bill's body yet. But I'm sure they're investigating Carly's death by now. And if Carly was carrying my business card in her purse-”
”-the police will be wanting to talk to you.”
”By tomorrow, it's going to be much harder to get around this city anonymously. We've got to figured out who killed who, and we've got to do it tonight.”
They stepped out of the car and took the sidewalk around to Calvin's garage. The doors were closed, but the lights were on. The only car in Calvin's driveway was his Buick. There were no cars in front of his house.
Rebecca pointed, and led the way to the side door, which faced the side of the house. She knocked.
They listened for a response. But the only thing they could hear inside was the giant fan.
”Maybe he didn't hear,” said Gabby.
Rebecca knocked louder.
Still no response.
She opened the door. ”Mr. Cinaway?”
At first, Gabby thought Calvin had fallen fell asleep under the hood of the car-until he saw the screwdriver handle. ”Oh, s.h.i.+t.” He hoped it was a stubby screwdriver. Their blades are only a couple of inches long-made for tight s.p.a.ces. But stubby screwdrivers had stubby handles. This handle was six inches long. Then he spotted the pool of blood under the car.
They rushed over for a closer look.
Rebecca leaned in under the hood for a side view. ”It went all the way through his body. We've got to get out of here.”
On the way out, Rebecca used the tail of her blouse to wipe her fingerprints off the doork.n.o.b.
CHAPTER 28 - Tuesday, 8:09 p.m.
The last stop of Mandibul's security rounds was the lab. He poked his head into Phillipa's office. ”Feeling h.o.r.n.y tonight?”
Phillipa stood up from her desk. ”Come in, Honey. I need to talk to you.”
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