Page 55

JOHN
The taste of his teacher’s strawberry ChapStick lingered on John’s lips as he pressed the button to open the garage door. Seeing rain hit the driveway as the door began to lift, he ran back inside to grab his jacket. When he returned, the door was fully raised, and he spotted his new nosy neighbor creeping slowly past his house in the station wagon that had been parked in her drive the last few days.
John stepped behind the hot water tank, wondering if she’d seen his English teacher leaving. He peered around the tank to see Holly had stopped in front of his driveway and was staring into his garage.Shit.
John stayed still until she accelerated down the street.He glanced in the direction of the house next door.I have got to be more careful.
He climbed into his dad’s spare car that would be John’s once he got his license. It wasn’t legal for him to be driving alone, but he wanted something else for lunch than what they had in the fridge. And with his dad at work while John was on spring break, he’d have to go to the store himself. But driving without alicense wasn’t what worried him about Holly Sparks spying into his garage.
At the start of the school year, he and his teacher had connected over their shared love of classic literature, but she’d been the one to come on to him. After that, things had heated up fast. While John knew it was wrong, he’d let the affair continue. But he needed to put a stop to it before someone found out.
From a young age, his father had instilled in him the belief that cops could not be trusted. But he should’ve taught John not to trust women either.
John started the Ford Fairmont’s engine and threw it into reverse. It had been a mistake letting his teacher come here. He couldn’t take the risk of someone seeing her again. Especially Holly Sparks.
When John got to the end of his street, he spotted Holly’s station wagon peeling out of their gated neighborhood onto the main road.
Where is she going in such a hurry? Wherever it is, it can’t be good,he thought as the station wagon disappeared from his view.
He eased his foot off the gas pedal, wanting to keep a good distance between his car and the crime writer’s. Rain splattered against the windshield as he drove through the opened gate.
As he drove toward Albertson’s, John tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, coming up with a plan to get Holly Sparks away from his dad for good.
Chapter 33
HOLLY
Holly did a double take when she spotted the car parked in Clint’s garage. He’d always kept his second car parked inside, so she hadn’t seen it before. She slowed her car, staring at the blue Ford Fairmont, braking to almost a full stop. But then she spotted movement in the corner of the garage and pressed her foot on the gas, not wanting Clint to catch her gawking at his vehicle.
Sally Hickman had been seen getting into a blue Ford Fairmont with a boy in the backseat. Thinking of John, she turned out of the cul-de-sac and stepped harder on the accelerator. Her mind raced. John was fifteen. That would’ve made him around nine in late 1984.
Driving a blue Ford and having a son didn’t make Clint a killer,she thought after she pulled out of the neighborhood gate. Still, she couldn’t purge the image of the car from her mind as she drove to the Major Crimes Unit. Statistically, Clint was one of thousands of people who owned a blue Ford Fairmont in the greater Seattle area alone. It was a coincidence. Plus, the prostitute who’d reported seeing Sally get into the car had beenhigh on meth at the time. Besides, what were the odds that she’d move next door to the man she suspected of killing her sister? Holly tried to put the car out of her mind as she drove, but it kept creeping back in.
When she passed the exit on I-5 that led to the road where she’d been forced off the bridge, she shuddered as her thoughts turned to Jared. Andy had never called her last night to say whether they’d confirmed Jared’s alibi with the bartender. Hopefully, he’d be at his office when she got there so she could ask him.
Fifteen minutes later, Holly gripped the plastic bag containing Jared’s note as she approached the front desk at the Major Crimes Unit. “I need to see Detective Harris.”
The young receptionist’s eyes brightened. “Hi, Holly. I absolutely loved your new book,” she gushed. “My mom’s reading it now.”
“Thanks. It’s urgent,” Holly added, leaning forward to get a glimpse inside Andy’s office. “Is he here?”
“Oh. Well, he is, but he’s had quite a busy morning.” She stood. “Let me just check if he can see you now.”
Holly shadowed her to Andy’s office. When Holly peered over the receptionist’s teased hair, she saw Andy standing behind his desk.
“Holly Sparks is here,” the receptionist said.
“Hey, Holly.” Andy met her gaze. “Come on in.” He pulled his suit jacket off the back of his desk chair and slung it over his shoulders, covering the holstered gun on his hip.
The receptionist stepped aside to make room for Holly to step through the doorway. “Nice to see you,” she said before retreating to her desk.
“You too,” Holly called over her shoulder. She held out the plastic bag. “Here’s the note.”
“Thanks.” Andy took it from her. “I’ll drop it by the latent print lab on my way out.”
“Did you talk to Detective O’Malley last night about Jared’s alibi?”
The detective shook his head. “I’m afraid not. O’Malley was struck in the arm by a stray bullet yesterday while responding to a domestic disturbance. He never spoke with the bartender to confirm Jared stayed at the bar the night you were driven off the bridge. I’m going to see if I can track the bartender down now.” His eyes searched hers. “You doing okay?” he asked, as if he could sense something was bothering her.