Page 61

After overhearing Laurie tell his dad that Holly’s ex-fiancé was staying with Tommy Reed, an ex-drug informant living in Federal Way, John had looked him up in the White Pages. Fortunately, there was only one Thomas Reed listed. John twisted the key in the ignition and followed them out of the suburban neighborhood, making sure to stay at a safe distance.
After fifteen minutes, the sedan turned into a DMV. John followed and parked in the rear corner of the parking lot. Craning his neck to watch the two men get out of the car, John instantly recognized ex-detective Jared Peretti. He’d gained some weight during his time in prison and looked even more muscular than when he’d shouted in John’s face after locking his dad out of the interview room. The afternoon light caught a speckle of gray in his jet-black hair.
John waited for the two of them to go inside the building before snatching his note and striding across the parking lot.John pulled his hood over his head and folded the notepaper in half as he walked. When he reached Jared’s ride, John tucked the note beneath the windshield wiper of the passenger side. He glanced at the patchy sky. There shouldn’t be any rain before they came out.
John strode back to his car with a spring in his step. Soon, his problems—and his father’s—would be over.
Chapter 38
HOLLY
Holly clenched the wheel, her knuckles pale, as she drove away from the Tacoma Police Department, heading for King County Major Crimes. Amanda had already left when Holly had emerged from the basement, but she’d left a note on Amanda’s desk asking her to call when she could. In the meantime, Andy needed to know what she’d discovered. He and Jared had suspected Clint enough in ’85 to question him about Sally Hickman’s murder and the other presumed Green River Killer victims. Andy would have more clout than she would getting Tacoma PD to reopen Diana’s case.
She lowered her visor to block the sun gleaming through the windshield. She also needed to know what Andy found at Jared’s storage unit. She passed a payphone on her right, its metal frame glinting from the afternoon sun beneath a towering billboard. Patrick Swayze encircled Demi Moore with his bare arms, their figures awash in a soft, ethereal glow.Ghost—COMING THIS SUMMER.
Holly stomped on her brakes and turned into the RadioShack parking lot, coming to a stop in front of the payphone. Shestepped inside the booth and inserted a quarter she found in Laurie’s center console before dialing Andy’s office. She didn’t want to make the nearly hour-long drive to the Major Crimes Unit only to learn Andy was out searching Jared’s storage unit.
Andy’s phone rang four times before going to his answering machine. Holly’s pulse spiked as she hung up.Maybe Andy is arresting Jared right now.Holly walked back to the station wagon and dug another quarter out of the center console to call the main line for Major Crimes. Tara answered on the second ring.
“King County Major Crimes, how may I direct your call?”
“Hi, Tara. This is Holly Sparks. I tried calling Andy just now, but he didn’t answer. Do you by chance know where he is?”
“Oh, hi, Holly.” The receptionist’s voice lifted. “How are you?”
Holly tapped her fingers on the payphone glass. “I’m good. Do you know where Detective Harris is?”
“Oh, yes. He got called to a crime scene early this morning. He hasn’t come back to the unit yet.”
Holly’s shoulders sagged. That would mean Andy probably hadn’t gone to Jared’s storage unit yet.
“How’s your new book coming?”
“What?”
“The new book you’re writing, aren’t you working on—”
“Oh. Right.”The book I’m supposed to send out in less than a week.“It’s great,” she lied. “Could you ask him to call me when he gets back?”
“Sure. I just started readingThe Last Broadcastyesterday. It’s so good! It kept me up until nearly two in the morning.”
“Thanks, Tara. Talk to you later.” Holly hung up before Tara could keep her on the line any longer.
She walked back to the car in a daze. She pulled out onto the road, wishing she would’ve asked Tara for more details on the crime scene Andy had gotten called to. Major Crimes handleda variety of things, including robberies, homicides, and severe assaults. But it could be something to do with the Green River Task Force. Andy could be tied up for several hours or a couple of weeks, depending on what it was.
A few miles up the road, she passed a self-storage facility, its chain-link fence topped with razor wire, the sign out front promisingSafe, Secure Storage—Month-to-Month Rentals.She recalled Jared’s storage unit address she’d seen on Andy’s desk: Mike’s Storage Units in Federal Way. She’d driven past it before and knew where it was.
Holly thought of Jared’s car sitting in that storage unit. Then of Clint getting away with Diana’s murder for all these years. What if Jared got his car fixed before Andy got to it?
She made a U-turn. A honk blared as she changed directions in an intersection. She held up a hand in apology as she sped toward Federal Way. She glanced at the dash. If the storage facility was where she remembered it being, she’d be there in twenty minutes.
***
Holly drove past unit #41 before parking by the front office of Mike’s Storage Units. There were no police vehicles in sight. Holly strode toward the office, making up a story in her head as she took in the building’s faded exterior. A bell chimed when she opened the door.
She assessed the older man behind the desk, who looked up from his book when she stepped inside. A mist of musty carpet and stale coffee lingered in the air.
“Can I help you?” The man lowered his book.