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Ke
Olivia tapped Ke
“He was at the condo fire. He came back”-Ke
“He was with Tracey Mullen,” Olivia said. “The girl who died.”
Ke
“What’s your friend’s name, son?” Noah asked, his face kind.
“Austin Dent.”
Oaks frowned. “Austin was suspended Monday morning. He was smoking in his dorm room. Now that makes sense. We sent him home.”
“Where is Austin’s home?” Olivia asked.
“Duluth.” Oaks fingerspelled it. “I’ll look up his address.”
Noah wrote it down. “At least our shooter doesn’t know where Austin lives.”
Ke
Noah was already on his feet. “I’ll call the state police. They can pick Austin up. If the guy drove directly there from here, he’s still two hours away.”
When Noah was gone, Olivia settled in her chair. “What did Austin tell you?”
“Sunday night, he was so upset. I didn’t know why. I didn’t know what he’d done.” Now that he’d started, Ke
“So Austin got suspended,” Olivia said. “And he never told you anything more?”
Ke
They were just scared kids. But if they’d said something, Kane might… She had to take a moment, let the tightness in her chest pass. “What did the letter say?”
“That he saw a man shoot that security guard. Then the man got in a boat that he’d tied to the dock and got away. That Austin was in the building when it started burning. He was with a girl. He thought she’d gotten out with him, but she didn’t. He couldn’t get back in. The door locked and he’d lost his key inside. He didn’t think you’d believe him.”
“All right,” Olivia murmured. “Ke
Ke
Olivia closed her eyes, needing a moment to control the sudden rush of fury. “You didn’t tell us because you were mad at your friend for meeting the girl you liked in the condo?” She spoke very slowly. Ke
“You said they had sex,” Ke
“So you never mailed the letter?” Olivia asked, still very slowly.
Ke
Am I in trouble? Kane was dead and all this kid cared about was his own skin. Self-centered, worthless, piece of- She made herself stop. He’s a teenager. He was angry and scared. He didn’t know this would happen. You can’t blame him. But she did.
“I don’t know.” She looked away, ran a shaking hand over her hair.
Noah sat beside her. “Breathe,” he murmured. He’d heard it all. He understood. “Ke
“Tall, with brown hair.”
“Old? Young?” Noah pushed gently.
“Not too old, like not as old as our parents. But older than us.” Ke
Noah drew a breath, let it out carefully. “Did he sound like he could be the man who grabbed you tonight?”
Ke
“I saw him,” Roger inserted. “He was maybe six feet tall, not really muscular, but not fat. He had a large nose.”
“We’ll have the two of you sit with a police artist,” Noah said. “Ke
“He had a summer job with a carpenter on the condo. That’s how he paid for camp.”
“Do you know the carpenter’s name?” Noah asked but Ke
Olivia frowned as a thought occurred to her. “Does Austin have dark hair?”
“It’s brown,” Ke
“Why?” she asked.
“His dad left them,” he signed. “Austin looks exactly like him and he knew it hurt his mom to look at him. So he changed his hair. It’s been red since he was twelve.”
Olivia drew a breath. That emotion she understood. Her own mother had hated Olivia’s face because she looked like the man who’d abandoned them. “All right. We’re going to leave a police officer outside the boys’ dorm until we’re sure it’s safe.”
Oaks nodded, relieved. “Thank you.”
When she and Noah reached her car, Olivia closed her eyes, drained. “Hell. I can’t believe that kid. Kane’s dead because Ke
“No, Liv. Kane’s dead because a sonofabitch shot him twice while trying to kidnap a kid. Ke
Olivia winced. “I said that yesterday. To that Crawford asshole.” When he’d lit into Lincoln Jefferson, who actually had done something wrong. “You’re right.”
“I know. So, where do we go from here?”
“Kane and I were going to track down Joel Fischer’s friends. And we need to find out what Austin saw, see if he knew Joel or any of his friends. And we need to find Val.”
“She may be dead.”
“I know. But what if she’s not? She said she was going to a sub sandwich place three blocks from here. We can start there in the morning, try to trace her last steps.”
Noah opened Olivia’s car door and waited for her to get in, crouching next to her. “How did this guy know about Val?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I guess he was following us.”
“I guess that’s possible. Go to sleep for a few hours. If you need me, call me.”
She nodded. Now that the conversation with Ke
She needed to sleep. She needed to be able to breathe again. She needed David.
She found her cell phone in her pocket. Saw that he’d called. That meant he was okay. That was good. Her shoulders relaxed a fraction, suddenly aware that some part of her mind had maintained a constant, nagging worry the words bad fire invoked. He was a good firefighter. He’d be careful.
Kane had been careful, too. And now he was dead.
She dialed David’s number but got his voice mail. She hung up, unable to form the words she wanted to say. I need you. Please come. Simple words, but they opened up a world of hurt. His pillow. She’d been able to smell him there. For tonight, that might have to be enough. She turned her car north and drove.
Wednesday, September 22, 3:20 a.m.
WELCOME TO DULUTH.
Passing the highway sign, he glanced down at his GPS. Only another ten miles and all his worries would be eliminated, along with Austin Dent.
Well, not all his worries. He thought about Mary and Albert’s conversation. She was right about their being able to claim he’d Photoshopped them into the video. If anything, the video showed there had been a fifth person there, who’d seen all. If she’d balked at the begi