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A
“I’ll be back in twenty minutes,” she said, holding up the envelope. “I’m going to give this to Mrs. McKinley.”
“What about a refund?” Jake asked. “It didn’t take us all that long.”
“We’ll see,” A
“Lincoln Investigations. This is A
“Ms. Lincoln. Hello. My name’s Teddy … Teddy White.”
A
“My wife was … killed yesterday. Murdered. I’ve talked to the detective several times. He said they have a suspect.”
“You would be better to let the police handle it, Mr. White. If they have enough evidence, they’ll make an arrest.”
Teddy White sighed and his voice shook as he talked. “The murderer has disappeared, and I don’t think they’re doing enough to find him. At first the detective wouldn’t tell me who it was, but I persisted, and he gave me the man’s name.”
A
“I’m sure they’re doing everything they can to find him,” A
“Perhaps they are,” Mr. White said. “But there’re only two detectives on the case and I don’t feel confident.” He paused. “Can you help me?”
“Was the detective you talked to named Hank Corning?”
“Yes. Detective Hank Corning. That’s what his card says.”
“He’s very capable,” A
“Nonetheless, can you help me? Are you too busy?”
Lincoln Investigations had nothing pressing at the moment, but she didn’t want to interfere when she knew Hank would have everything under control.
She hesitated, then said, “We’ll come and see you before we decide.” She jotted down Mr. White’s address, looked at her watch, and agreed to meet him at home by 2:30 that afternoon.
She told Jake about the call, then hurried out the door, making it to the cafe a few minutes late. Mrs. McKinley sat at a table on a small patio out front and A
“I’m afraid your suspicions were correct,” A
Mrs. McKinley opened the envelope and removed the photos, ru
“I’m sorry,” A
Mrs. McKinley smiled feebly. “Now I have to decide what to do with these.”
“The video is more of the same,” A
The woman nodded and tucked the photos back into the envelope.
“It didn’t take us more than a few hours,” A
Mrs. McKinley shook her head. “You earned it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She picked up her small Prada handbag and removed a twenty, tucked it under her coffee cup, then stood and picked up the envelope. “I have an appointment,” she said. “I must go. Thank you again.”
A
A
On the way to Teddy White’s house, she filled him in on her meeting with Mrs. McKinley. He didn’t say much, but A
The White residence was a beautiful, well-kept home in a middle-class subdivision. The immaculate lawn was framed by an abundance of flowers and colorful shrubs. Still more lined the front of the house and ran along the pathway toward the front door.
Jake rang the bell and waited. The man who answered the door a few moments later forced a weak smile, and after introductions, invited them into the front room.
Jake sat on one end of the couch, A
Mr. White dropped into a straight-backed chair with a sigh and leaned forward slightly. The smile had been replaced by a downcast expression, his voice quivering as he told them about his wife and how she had been killed. He paused often to look down and regain his composure before he was finished.
A
Mr. White’s lips tightened, anger in his eyes. “Adam Thorburn,” he said, almost spitting the name out. “And he’s run off somewhere. His mother, Virginia Thorburn, claims not to know where he is.”
“And you want us to help look for him?” Jake asked.
Mr. White nodded, his brow wrinkled. “Yes. I want him found. He’s a maniac, and if he hurts someone else, I couldn’t live with myself if I hadn’t done everything possible to stop him.”
A
“We’ll look into it,” she said.
Teddy sat back and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, a look of relief on his thin face. “Thank you. I expect you can reach me here at any time. I don’t have plans to go out in the near future.” He dropped his head. “At least, not until they release my wife’s body.”
“I’ll keep you up to date,” A
Mr. White nodded and didn’t answer. He stood. “I assume you’ll need a retainer.”
Jake nodded, stood, and followed the man to a small office.
A
The two men returned and Jake handed her a check. She tucked it into her handbag along with her notepad and turned to the grieving man. “We’ll look into this immediately. Please call if you have anything else that might help us.”
Mr. White promised he would, then thanked them and saw them out.
They went to the car and got in. Jake turned to A
“I think we’ll have to give Virginia Thorburn a visit,” A
Chapter 12
Tuesday, 2:44 p.m.
ADAM THORBURN walked with slumped shoulders, plodding down the sidewalk toward the place he had always called his home. His long afternoon walk had helped clear his head as he fought to make sense of his illness and why he was cursed with an unstable mind. Though he didn’t make any headway in understanding himself, he was more optimistic, ready to face another weary day.