Laurel sat across from Aaron and Detective Schnall in the booth at the diner. The light slanting in from the big front window made tilted stripes across the table and on the faces of the men opposite her. She traced her finger along the pale wood, following the outline of light against dark and thought of caged zoo animals looking out at the world in striped sections, never seeing the whole picture clearly. Were Matt and David Adams doing business together at the bank? It hardly seemed likely, but Laurel didn’t know. It had to be a coincidence. A shudder went through her body at the thought that they could be connected.
The only way to find out the truth would be to talk to Matt face-to-face, and that would have to wait until she was back in the city. If she tried to contact him now, she ran the risk of Aaron catching her and wanting to know what she was up to.
She also had to talk to Jenna. Her message really shook Laurel. What had Malin told Jenna about Matt? The sooner she could find out the better. With Aaron sitting right across the table from her, she had to bluff it out for now.
Aaron’s eyes were on Laurel. “What do you make of that John Collier account at ZurichBank AG?” He emphasized the name of the bank. Laurel swallowed hard and tried to keep her face from showing her fear. Had her strange behavior led Aaron to a connection he wouldn’t otherwise have made?
Norm lifted his shaggy eyebrows. “We’re not sure yet. He could be setting up for almost anything, including skipping the country. We think he had help from one of the people he worked with, a woman named Karen Kelleher. She’s the office manager at the company, and he probably charmed her, as well.” Norm checked his watch. “One of my men is questioning her right now. We’ll see what he got from her when we get back to the station.”
Aaron nodded in agreement. “Scam artists like David Adams are usually adept at duping several women at once. Some women want love and affection so badly they fall for the sweet talk and once they’ve got it, they’ll do almost anything to keep it going.” He looked at Laurel.
She ignored him and cleared her throat. “Detective Schnall, do you think we could see the apartment where Anne and David lived?”
“Yes,” Norm said. “We’re treating it as a possible crime scene, but I thought Aaron might want to check it out.” He narrowed his eyes at Laurel. “Is there a reason you want to see it?”
Laurel hesitated. “I hoped it would give me a better insight into Anne, who she was, the things she liked. You know …”
“Well, not much is left in the place,” Norm said. “This David Adams, or whoever he is, cleaned it out pretty good. There’s some old furniture in the living room and bedroom, but that’s about it.” The detective shifted his bulk in the booth. “We think Anne Ellsworth had most of her personal things with her when she disappeared.” He checked his watch again and made a decision. “Yeah, we can stop there before we head to the station. It’s just a few blocks away. Let me get our check first.”
Laurel blanched at the detective’s use of the word “disappeared.” Thankfully, he hadn’t noticed, or pretended not to, but Aaron had. His eyes bore into hers.
“If you want to go all weepy with Norm Schnall, that’s fine.” He gestured with his chin to the quiet, sunny day on the other side of the window. “That won’t work on me. You will tell me the whole truth, and soon.”
Detective Schnall finished bantering with his diner friends and waited for Laurel and Aaron to join him at the door. “David Adams’ place is over on Broad Street, in a small garden apartment complex.” He shrugged. “From what we’ve gathered, it’s the usual story. Kept to himself, paid his rent on time, never caused any trouble. The neighbors who saw him coming and going thought he was a nice enough guy. They had no idea he moved out. No one saw or heard the moving truck.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Aaron conceded. “Guys like him are good at covering their tracks, getting in and out quickly. I’m sure he had a plausible story ready if anyone asked what was happening.”
“What about Anne? What did the neighbors think of her?” asked Laurel.
Norm seemed to consider before answering. “Most of them told me they hardly ever heard her in the apartment. In fact, a few of the folks didn’t even know a woman lived there.” He gazed down at Laurel. “I’m getting the distinct impression Anne did everything she could to remain unnoticed.” He shook his head. “I think she was just scared of life in general. Then, she met David Adams and believed it was going to get better. Unfortunately, it only got worse.”
Laurel swallowed hard. This was going to end badly no matter how much she wished it wouldn’t. She sneaked a look at Aaron, who seemed to be lost in thought again, and hoped she wasn’t the object of his ruminations. The three of them drove to the apartment complex in a squad car, Aaron and Norm chatting in the front and Laurel sitting in the back.
When they arrived and stepped out of the car, Detective Schnall pointed toward a path on their left. “This is the place.” As they approached, a doorway striped with bright yellow crime scene tape came into view, along with a police sign warning people to keep out. He broke the tape in one swift motion, then unlocked the door with a key from his pocket. Pushing open the door, he gestured for them to step inside. “Adams had the electricity turned off, so we’ll leave the door open to give us a little light.”
The detective’s cellphone rang. “Give me a minute,” he said and walked off a little ways. When he was done, he rejoined them in the entryway to the apartment.
When he didn’t enter, she asked, “Everything okay? Can we look around?”
“Why don’t you go ahead? There are a few things I need to go over with Aaron” He gestured toward the path in front of the apartment. “We’ll be right back.”
Laurel entered slowly, her eyes adjusting to the gloom in the tiny apartment. A small amount of light from the door behind her revealed a narrow entryway. She moved through and entered a combination living room and dining room. The detective was right. The only things left were a few pieces of worn furniture scattered on dingy beige wall-to-wall carpet. Laurel noticed a few colorful framed prints hanging crookedly on the wall. The police activity had probably disturbed them. The blinds were left open and their slats were making their own slanted stripes on the scarred furniture and carpeting. Like prison bars. Had Anne ever noticed the pattern or felt she was a captive in her own life?
Laurel steadied herself by the closed door at the end of the hallway. It had to be the entrance to the bedroom. Placing her fingertips on the wood, she pushed gently and the door opened. This room was sparsely furnished as well, and was as desolate and abandoned as the rest of the apartment. The one closet was open, and a wire hanger left behind on its bar swung back and forth in the breeze caused by Laurel’s entrance.
Laurel walked to the closet and stopped the hanger’s swaying. Just as she was leaving, her eye caught the glint of something shiny wedged between the floorboards and the wall. She bent down for a closer look and saw it was a tiny bit of a gold chain. Carefully working her fingers under the floor to loosen it, she freed the chain and held a small gold heart pendant in her hand.
Laurel heard Aaron and Detective Schnall call her name. Instinctively she wrapped her hand around the pendant and chain to conceal it, stuck her hands in her pockets and walked into the living room to meet them. Was it Anne’s? Had she searched frantically when she realized it was lost?
The two men reached her and looked at her somberly. “I’m afraid I have some bad news,” said Detective Schnall. Aaron walked to her side and took her arm as the detective spoke. “Anne Ellsworth has just been found.” He paused for a moment. “There’s no easy way to say this. She’s dead.”
The gold necklace, which once shimmered with life from the warmth of Anne’s skin, went icy cold in Laurel’s hand. “Oh, God, I knew it,” she cried out, looking at Aaron and clutching the pendant so tightly it left a heart-shaped mark deep in her palm.