The phone in her pocket rang, and Evie read the caller ID, said an absent-minded, “Hello, Ann.”
“You’re working, I recognize that distracted tone.”
“Thinking mostly. I’m glad you called. I chose a missing Brighton College girl as my case. Want to help out?”
“It’s actually why I called. Today and tomorrow are looking free.”
“I’d love your help canvassing the college area. Want to meet me at noon?”
“Sounds like fun. You’re buying lunch.”
“I like those kind of deals. I’ll text you a location. Thanks, Ann.” Evie pocketed the phone, pleased to have that arranged.
She finished getting ready, then gathered up Jenna’s journals and her notes, car keys. This was the sweet spot of a case as facts and theories began to bubble up in rapid succession. She had information to piece together, ideas to pursue. It felt like a good beginning to the second day.
Evie paused in the conference room doorway. David was reading what looked like one of Saul’s case files. “You like working early mornings.”
David glanced around, smiled. “Habit. I’m awake, I might as well go to work.”
“Had breakfast?”
“Very early.”
“I brought extra. Come join me.”
“Glad to.” He pushed back his chair and got to his feet, reached for his coffee mug. “I’ll get a refill for this. Want coffee this morning?”
“Sure.” She had chosen a desk not piled with her own case materials for a breakfast table. The carryout container she slid his direction held toast, bacon, and scrambled eggs.
“Nice.”
“I was hungry.” She opened a matching one for herself and shook her orange juice before opening it. “I read through Jenna’s journals last night. A normal life. She didn’t see it coming, whatever happened. She wasn’t worried about anyone, in a stressful relationship with someone, coming off a bad breakup, nothing about troubles at home. Life was good, in a routine of classes, studying, time with her boyfriend. Free time was music and concerts and hanging out with girlfriends. A normal college life.”
“Anyone else besides the boyfriend interested in her?”
“Nobody is standing out—not that she picked up on, anyway. I want the friend’s take on that. Who wanted to be noticed that Jenna was passing over?” Evie shifted the subject. “I’m dying to know—where did the murder case take you?”
David spread jelly on his toast. “It may be my answer to this. The client is Nathan Lewis, a businessman in the city, wealthy, happily married for seven years. His wife, Caroline, was murdered in a grocery-store parking lot, middle of the day.” David grimaced just saying it. “She’s loading groceries in her car, she’s stabbed once, she bleeds to death. Devastates the husband. Her purse was left at the scene, along with her wedding ring, expensive necklace and bracelet. So maybe a failed robbery and a panicked suspect, but it reads to me like robbery wasn’t the original intent.
“Freemont’s a middle-class neighborhood, a bit out of her normal geography, but she volunteered at a charity nearby and would often stop at the store to talk to an old family friend who worked for the in-store bakery.
“The cops looked at a lot of theories. Random crazy guy, random murder. Someone fleeing another crime tries to take her car, knifes her, then runs when it goes bad. Maybe a kidnapping attempt gone sour. Or it was even more personal, someone hates the husband, kills his wife, or hires someone to kill the wife? She’s a stay-at-home wife, charity work, law-abiding. She wasn’t one you’d think of as a target. The husband falling apart may have been the goal.
“Saul had been working the case about a month when he disappeared. He was looking for rumors in the neighborhood. Did someone see something, hear something, but not want to come forward to talk to the cops? Maybe my PI found the guy who murdered the wife and got himself killed in the process.”
“Going to talk to the husband?”
“He’s on my short list to interview today,” David confirmed. “His wife’s case is still open. But I want to do some research first, see if the cops have a person of interest before I talk to him. It’s been six and a half years, but I bet he still flinches when I say I have some questions about Caroline’s death. I’d rather not do that to a guy without first doing my homework.”
Evie could appreciate that. “Those open wounds don’t heal. I’d like to tag along when you do go see him.”
“Sure. I’ll find you.”
“Anything else looking hopeful?” she wondered.