Chapter Eighteen
On her way home, Jane stood at the end of the walk and again stared at Megan’s house. She called Andy, who surprised her by not picking up, and Alvarez, who surprised her because he did.
“Did you get the logs for the security system from Acme?” Jane asked.
“Hello to you too.” Alvarez honored their joke. “I got one night’s worth, last night, that’s it, and only by telling the woman there I believed her client was in danger.”
“You mean you got it by batting those long dark eyelashes at Agnes from Acme.”
“I got it by using the persuasive skills I’ve learned as a law enforcement professional.” He was in on the joke, not offended. “I got a buddy on the state police to look at what little I got.”
“Did the log show anyone manipulating Megan’s system?”
“No.” Alvarez paused. “It’s what the log didn’t show. Someone entered or left the house via the door from the garage at six-twenty p.m.”
“That was Megan, coming home from work.”
“Someone entered or left at six-thirty via the front door.”
“That was me,” Jane said. “Megan called as soon as she got home, and I went over for our meeting.”
“And someone entered or left via the front door at seven-seventeen.”
“Me again, after we met.”
“Ms. Larsen didn’t leave with you?”
“Heavens no. I would have said.”
“Because that’s it. No one enters or leaves again until Andy Bromfield shows up at eight-thirty a.m.”
“How can that be?”
“My buddy on the state police has three theories. One, the logging on Ms. Larsen’s security system works sporadically. Acme probably checks only to make sure the logs are there, not that they’re accurate.”
“Agnes from Acme told me they constantly monitor the logs.”
“A vendor lying about their service? I can’t imagine.” Alvarez ramped down the sarcasm. “My friend thinks this is the most likely explanation.”
Jane wasn’t buying it. “Or?”
“Or Mr. Bromfield is lying about what he found when he got to the house. He spent almost half an hour there before he called us.”
Jane stood on the hot sidewalk, absorbing what Detective Alvarez had said. “But if he’s the one who did something to Megan, why call you? Sure, someone would have figured out she was missing soon enough—her office, her father, her friends—but if he did something to her, he would have had hours more to cover his tracks if he hadn’t called you.” When Alvarez only grunted, Jane asked, “What’s your friend’s third theory?”
“That Ms. Larsen is still in the house.”
Jane stared at the solid brick building. “Oh my goodness.”
“Jane, she’s not in the house. We searched it, remember?”
“Does this mean you’ll open an investigation? You could come back and search again.”
“The most likely explanation is the system logs are off somehow, but I admit I’m less comfortable than I was. My next call will be to Larsen to see what he wants to do.”
They said their good-byes and ended the call. Jane looked at Megan’s house. If Wembly was in there, caught in some corner or behind a closed door, he would be thirsty and starving by now. And what if Megan was trapped somewhere inside, unconscious?
“The heck with it,” she said. “I’m going in.”