Page 16

In the morning, I felt rejuvenated. My nose was fine, my cheek shades of blue and green, but not nearly as bad as I’d anticipated. The only signs Solomon had been home was that his side of the bed was warm when I awoke, the shower still damp, and a note on the mirror reading Good morning, sleepyhead . Smiling, I stuffed it into my nightstand drawer.

My phone was blank without any notices. Taking that as a bad omen, I headed into the office, eating toast in the car on the way, brushing crumbs from my thin denim jeans. On the passenger seat next to me lay my purse, my small gun inside. After yesterday, I was taking no chances.

For two hours, I puttered around the office, reading and rereading my case notes, texting Maddox for an update, making additional searches and doodling possibilities. Finally, Lucas shooed me out of his office, saying he would call when he had something to tell me.

Without any other clues to investigate, I called Lily and suggested brunch. When she proposed I join her and Ruby at the bar at opening time, I headed over there.

“You look sore,” said Lily, waving me in.

“I feel okay.”

“You also look fed up.”

“Not a single hit on Cass Temple.” I slid onto the stool and drummed my fingers on the bar. “Lucas and Maddox are both looking for her.”

“They’ll find her,” said Lily decisively as Ruby appeared at the bar, carrying three dishes on a tray.

She set it down, scents of hot tomatoes and enticing spices wafting up, saying, “Our new cook is testing out shakshuka so when Lily said you were coming over, I had her make some. We can eat and rant at the same time.”

“That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day,” I said.

“The day is still young,” remarked Lily and Ruby laughed.

“If I don’t find the thief and figure out what’s going on, I may never find that ring,” I said, “and time is ticking.”

“You had a rough break yesterday, but you did make a breakthrough,” Ruby reminded me. “You know who the thief is. That’s amazing.”

“Is it?” I wondered, “because all it seems to have resulted in are more questions.”

“Eat,” said Lily.

When I pushed my dish away, the taste on my tongue a glorious reminder of how nice the food at Lily’s Bar was, I was ready to give my compliments to the cook; but as I opened my mouth, my phone rang. “It’s Lucas,” I said, pressing the phone to my ear and crossing my fingers for good news. “Hey,” I said.

“I’ve followed the silver hatchback as far as I can,” he said, “and I have a rough location for you.”

I sat up straighter. “Shoot.”

“I lost it last night so I figured it didn’t leave the last known area. After a few false leads didn’t pan out, I’ve pinpointed where all the traffic cameras and local businesses’ cameras are, and I think you should search between the 800 and 1600 blocks on Century Street. I wish I could be more precise, but that’s what the data suggests and I couldn’t find any trace of the vehicle leaving Century after it was captured by the 800-block camera. Your thief’s vehicle is somewhere there.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Last night and it hasn’t been captured on any cameras since. When I realized the vehicle hadn’t gone through any of the major junctions, I felt sure it had stopped somewhere but it’s a fairly popular car so I figured maybe she switched plates and that threw up a bunch of false hits. I’m still monitoring the area although the lead might have gone dead already. She could have ditched it in a high traffic area, knowing if we figured out her vehicle, we’d waste time hunting for it while she switched vehicles or made off on foot. I’m sorry, it’s the best I can do.”

“You’re amazing,” I told him. “I’m heading there now.”

“Do you want me to update Solomon? He’s at Reynolds’, conferring with your dad on what the new security system needs.”

“No, don’t disturb them until I have something concrete. I’ll head over there, circle around, and see if I can find the vehicle. If the lead looks live, I’ll call for backup.”

“Got it,” said Lucas and disconnected.

“You have something,” said Lily. She rested her arms on the bar and looked across at me. “Tell me again Ben Rafferty isn’t back in town?”

“According to Maddox, he’s not but Lucas does have a lead on our ring thief. Lucas narrowed down where she might be. I’m going to head over there now while there’s still a slim chance of catching her.” I hopped off my tall stool and grabbed my purse, searching for my wallet so I could pay.

“Save your money,” said Lily, already unwrapping her bar apron. “I’ll get my purse.”

“You’re working,” I pointed out.

Lily glanced over at Ruby. “Can you cover the bar while I fight crime?” she asked.

“I was born for this,” said Ruby. “You go nail that… wait… who are you nailing?”

“No one except our respective husbands,” said Lily. “Right?” Under her breath, she added, “Words I never thought I’d say.”

“You don’t even need to ask! We’re going to catch a thief and hopefully nail her to the wall,” I said.

“Sounds painful,” said Ruby. She pointed to my face, saying, “But if she did that to you, she deserves it.”

“Let’s go.” I waved at Lily to hurry as she dashed to her office, the apron strings flapping in her hand. Less than a minute later, she was back, sliding around the bar, her purse slung over her shoulder, and racing past me to the door. I hightailed it after her, knowing that she wasn’t going to get far without the address.

Unfortunately, Lucas had picked the wrong day to send me to Century Street. The rush hour was subsiding but traffic was still building up thanks to a crew digging up pipes along three blocks, and a temporary signal system, leaving traffic crawling.

“We need to look out for a silver hatchback anywhere from now,” I said as we rolled through a junction.

“You take your side, I’ll take my side,” said Lily. “And if we don’t see it, pull a U-turn and we’ll check again.”

“This might be a fool’s errand. This stretch is a good place to abandon a vehicle and she could call an Uber, hop on a bus, or even walk. Maddox thinks she had an alternate plan in case she had to abandon her safe house.”

“Where would she go from here?” Lily’s head was turned away as she scanned the parking lot of the strip mall.

“The railway, or a bus station, or to another vehicle. Maddox thinks she might have a backup safe house.”

“My money’s on that. I bet she’s holed up, thinking her plan to throw you down the chute and run away was so awesome—which it was—that no one could track her here.”

“That too,” I said, liking Lily’s optimism. “Except the bit about throwing me down the chute.”

“Agreed. We hate her for that. There’s a silver hatchback,” said Lily, pointing. “Right there! In front of the 7-Eleven!”

I flipped the blinker on and pulled into the parking lot, inching past the vehicle. “Wrong vehicle,” I said, my shoulders dropping with disappointment at the older model. I pulled out onto Century Street and resumed our journey.

Three blocks, and two false calls later, we were still rolling when Lily jumped and bounced in her seat. “There!” she squeaked. “That’s it!”

I slowed, ignoring the honking from the car behind me, and stretched my neck. “That could be it!” I said, suddenly thrilled. I’d started to feel the search was a quest that couldn’t end but seeing the little, silver car parked between two large SUVs lifted my spirits. I drove to the end of the block, pulled in and circled back, crawling past the car. This section of the street had parking on both sides, as well as a large lot where one could easily lose their vehicle. I drove to the end of the section the hatchback was in before pulling into an empty space.

“The car looked empty,” said Lily.

“Unsurprisingly. She could be nearby,” I said hopefully as I scanned the buildings. There was a mini-mart, computer repair store, accountant office, dentist, kids’ clothes store, Italian diner, and a travel agency. There were also several bus stops, people crowding each one, with destinations that spanned the city. “There,” I said, pointing to the motel that took up nearly a third of the block. The L-shaped motel comprised three stories, the doors accessed via open corridors overlooking the street. The side wing occupying the end of the lot had balconies with views of the courtyard behind both wings. “She could be staying there.”

“It’s not exactly the kind of place a high-end jewel thief would stay,” said Lily. She wrinkled her nose. “How many stolen diamonds does it take to pay for a year here?”

“It’s exactly the kind of place a jewel thief would stay,” I countered. “It’s cheap, inconspicuous, and this section of the street is always busy. Plus, it’s got easy access links to the rest of town. The motel employees probably don’t ask too many questions. Let’s check it out. If there’s no luck there, we should try the travel agency next. She might have bought tickets to go somewhere else.”

Before we headed towards the motel, I insisted on stopping first at the hatchback. The plates were correct and so was the model. I tried the handles on the passenger side, finding they didn’t budge, and peered inside. Not a single scrap of litter had been left there. No bags, no leaflets, no packaging. She’d been careful but had she been careful enough? I touched the hood. Cold. She hadn’t returned to the vehicle since she parked. Rounding the vehicle, I tested the driver’s side and the door opened. I checked inside but all I found were the keys in the footwell, like they’d been dropped and forgotten.

“What are the odds she deliberately left the door unlocked and the keys on the mat?” I wondered.

“Dumb thing to do. This street is known for car thefts. She’s lucky she didn’t leave her purse.”

“I think she wanted the car to be stolen,” I said, looking around. Was it sheer luck that car thieves hadn’t discovered it during the night? Or was it my luck that we’d gotten here first? Was she brazen enough to drive to her next safe house, assuming the car would be stolen quickly and send us on a wild goose chase tracking it?

“She must be eating somewhere if she’s staying here,” said Lily, glancing toward the diner. “I don’t see any cameras.”

“Probably why she picked this area to dump the car. Or even if she is staying nearby, she wouldn’t eat too close to the car. She could have picked up groceries to keep in the room, especially if this motel has kitchenettes for guests.” We moved onto the sidewalk, resuming our path to the motel before we hit the travel agency.

The motel’s lobby was sparse but clean with tiled floors, a small seating area with wingback chairs, a large, fake, potted monstera, and a simple, wooden reception desk positioned in front of two doors with small, metal plates. One read “Employees Only” and the other read “Luggage Store”. On the counter were two terminals. Plexiglass stands had been set up on each end with neat stacks of pamphlets advertising things to do in town and day trips. A side door led outside onto a paved path with a sign indicating room numbers. A faint lemon scent hung in the air.

“How can I help you?” asked the desk clerk, adjusting her ponytail as she walked through the employee door.

I started to open my mouth, then realized I didn’t have a name to ask for. It was unlikely that Cass Temple would check in under her own name and she could reasonably assume her Sally Smith identity was burned.

“I wanted to inquire about room rates,” I said. “And availability for tonight.”

“You’re in luck. We do have some rooms available. We have a queen for eighty dollars and a deluxe room for ninety-five dollars.”

“What does the deluxe come with?” asked Lily.

“Two queen beds, a table and two chairs, a kitchenette with hotplate, microwave, mini fridge, and a small sink. Plus, all rooms have their own private bathrooms and showers with hairdryers. Would you like to make a booking?”

“I’m not sure. We were supposed to meet a friend and think she might have checked in yesterday. Perhaps you recognize her? She’s around my height and my age…” I stumbled to a stop. I couldn’t be sure about her hair or eye color or even the way she dressed. Just how many disguises did Cass Temple have? And how many names?

“Could you be more specific?” asked the clerk.

“Oh, sure. Her name is Sally Smith but she might be using her married name,” I added quickly, needing a name to give that I could easily alter.

The clerk didn’t reach for the computer keyboard. Instead, she said, “I’m sorry. We can’t confirm whether someone is or isn’t a guest at the motel. It’s against policy.”

“But can we leave a message?”

“Why don’t you call your friend?” said the clerk, tilting her head. Not quite a challenge but definitely suspicious.

“She hates telephones,” said Lily. “She’ll leave me hanging for days. She’s impossible.” Lily wearily shook her head and added, “I have unresolved trauma about rejection. I can’t face phoning her.”

“I’m sorry,” said the clerk, looking anything but.

“That’s okay. Thanks for your time,” said Lily.

“You can book online if you prefer,” said the clerk, the barest wisp of a smile reaching her mouth but not her eyes. “And have a great day!”

“How are we supposed to find her if we can’t even find out if she’s staying there?” said Lily. We stepped outside and I had to shield my eyes from the sun.

“The clerk didn’t say no one checked in yesterday,” I decided.

“She didn’t even check,” pointed out Lily.

“True.” I considered that as I pursed my lips in thought. There was no way I could verify a name or even what Cass Temple might have looked like yesterday, or even today but perhaps… I glanced at the hatchback and back toward the hotel, an idea forming in my head. What if the car hadn’t been abandoned? Cass might have intended for it to be stolen but what if she really was nearby and planned on using it again? Perhaps I could make her appear on my timeline, not hers. And if not… well, I had insurance. “I have an idea. Wait here.” I took off at a jog before Lily could ask me, dissuade me, or, even worse… encourage me.