She’d taped the page there to make sure she didn’t forget to tell him. “A bookie was murdered that weekend. And a domestic disturbance ended with a husband shooting his wife. There were three B&Es, two car thefts. Someone was eventually charged in every case. It might make sense to ask at least the B&E and car theft guys, ‘Did you see anything that night?’ They’re out of jail now and look to be living reformed lives. Who knows, but one of the car thieves might have taken Saul’s car. We’re looking for information only, and if we’re willing to pay to get it, maybe something helpful comes our way.”
“That’s a very good idea.”
“Great. I need to rebuild my hoard of good ideas. It’s been thin the last few days.”
David laughed. “I’m going to write up these notes, then I’ll help you work those ticket names.”
“Thanks.”
Later, he worked from the bottom of the list up while she went down from the top. They’d come up with eighteen names of interest when they brought the workday to a close just after eight p.m. “There are some strong candidates here,” he said. “We’ll spend tomorrow doing interviews, hopefully catch our man off-balance when we show up at his door.”
Evie nodded. “The fact it’s Maggie’s guy knocking on his door? There will be a reaction if he knows who you are.”
“It’s not going to be the guilty reaction you’re hoping for,” David cautioned. “Most, if not all, of the names on this list are going to know me on sight. I’m Maggie’s guy, and these are the ones buying multiple tickets because they like her music. They’ll not only recognize me, they can probably tell you all kinds of gossip about me.”
“Then we’ll look for someone who recognizes you and is also sweating because you’re a cop.”
David smiled. “I’ll take ‘fear of a cop’ as a good clue.”
Evie walked out with him to the parking lot, unlocked her car, and tossed her backpack on the passenger seat. “You interested in a movie? The new Fast and Furious sequel is playing.” It would do them good to stop thinking about work for a few hours.
“I’d normally take you up on that after a day like this, but I want to stop by Maggie’s house tonight, check security, make sure the furniture delivery and arrival of some of her things went smoothly. She’s due in Thursday midmorning.”
“You want company?” Evie asked, hopeful.
“Sure. Let me follow you back to the hotel, you can leave your car, and we’ll ride out to Maggie’s together.”
“Anything else surprising or interesting happen while I was gone?” Evie asked as they drove to Maggie’s place.
“I went to several open houses Sunday,” David replied.
“I’m glad. Tell me about them.”
He clicked his phone on and passed it over. “Check the photos I sent Maggie. There are a couple there that would work at the right price.”
“You’d like owning your own place.”
“I like the tinkering it lets me do. The tree I plant, the shrub I cut out, the projects like putting in new windows or building bookcases. A home of my own means hands-on—and there’s always something to do.”
“I can see how that can appeal if you’re into DIY projects.” Evie showed him a photo. “Tell me about this one.”
She got him talking about the different homes, the pros and cons of the properties, keeping him on a subject unrelated to work. She peppered him with questions, because he was likely to ask her a personal question in return, about Springfield or about Rob, and she’d rather avoid that tonight.
“You’re chatty this evening,” David mentioned.
“Yeah. I’m distracting us both with your home search.”
David laughed and slowed as he entered a rather pricey neighborhood in Barrington. “It’s not a gated community, but they have a neighborhood association, and a private security presence patrols these blocks. It’s staffed by a mix of retired cops and military guys. Response times average two minutes.”
“I hope she never needs them, but it’s good they’re here if she does.”
“They’re decent guys, solid skills, and they were all thoroughly vetted once Maggie decided on this place.”
Even in the darkness, Evie could appreciate the surroundings. The landscape had some roll to it, curves in the road. Mature oaks provided continuity and, even without their leaves, a sense of canopy above the roadways.
This was a community with some historic homes walled off and gated, other more recent ones with expansive snow-covered grounds sloping up to the house. Spacious, but not McMansions, many set within sight of one another. It was a neighborhood, if a wealthy one.