Page 37 of Cold as Hell

We don’t even get as far as that line. Thierry sees us and comes over at a lope, his face drawn with concern.

“Lynn hasn’t turned up?” he says when we draw near.

I shake my head and motion for him to join us. We walk around the building and find a sheltered spot to speak. Snow continues to swirl around us, still threatening a storm but not delivering on the promise.

“When did you last see her?” I ask. “I know you said yesterday, but you’ll need to be more specific.”

“At the store. When you were there.”

“Then I left, and Grant showed up.”

Thierry’s cheeks color. “Um, yes. He popped in to tell Lynn that he was going to the Roc that night with some guys, and he’d probably skip dinner. That was before the storm, of course.”

“Then he left?”

Thierry nods.

“Did Grant speak to you?”

More flushing. “No. He doesn’t, really. He’s…” Thierry shrugs. “That type, you know? Very high-school.”

I lift my brows. “High-school?”

“There are guys he talks to and guys he ignores. I’m one of the latter.”

I want to press, but I need to get back to the more important part of what he said.

“What time did you leave the store?”

“About… eleven forty-five?” he says. “I talked to Lynn for a bit and then I had lessons with the boys.”

“Did you see her again after that?”

He shakes his head.

“Are you sure?” I press.

That flush returns, but his tone is measured. “I’m sure. I heard someone apparently thought she was with me later, but she wasn’t. I left the store and went to Dana’s house to teach the boys. We were finishing up when the storm hit. I stayed with the boys until Dana came back. Then I headed out. I saw people closing shutters, and I offered to help, but they had it under control. I returned to my apartment.” He meets my gaze. “Alone.”

I hold his gaze. “And if someone says they saw you escorting Lynn from the store during the storm?”

He hesitates. Then he exhales, relaxing back in his seat. “Is that why someone thought she was with me? No. I did not escort anyone home. If I’d seen someone struggling, I’d havestopped to help, but by the time I made it to the residence, I could barely see two feet in front of me.”

“The last time you saw Lynn was at the store, hours before the storm started.”

“Yes.”

I ask more questions. I need to nail down Thierry’s timeline. The most important part is when he started giving the boys their lessons and when he stopped. That can be verified. I also ask who he saw closing shutters, and the answer is Brian and Anders. Again, easy to confirm. And after that? Did he see anyone from that moment on? In his residence building? Outside it?

No. After leaving Brian and Anders, he made his way through the whiteout and into his building. No one was in the halls. His apartment is on the second floor, right off the stairs. He went inside, where he remained until morning.

Under the circumstances, he did exactly what we’d want all our residents to do during a blizzard. He got someplace safe and stayed there. The problem, of course, is that it doesn’t provide him with an alibi.

Does heneedan alibi?

I hope not.

With this interview, the search changes. Lynn did not come home last night, and it’s past noon the next day. It’s still possible she’s lying low after spending the night with a man, but that’s seeming increasingly unlikely as time goes by.