CHAPTER XX

“Let’s go over everything one more time,” Gail said. “There must be something we’re missing here.”

Damon shook his head to clear the cobwebs, stood up and stretched, then walked over to the window to gaze out, once more, at the somber sky. Even the weather seemed to echo his miserable thoughts.

“I’m all tapped out, Gail,” he said. “I’ve been over everything so many times now, I feel like I could recite it all forwards and backwards.”

“I know, Damon,” she said, getting up to join him at the window. “But you know as well as anyone, there is always something new, some little detail no one else has thought of. Please, just humor me. I know there must be something else we’re missing.”

Damon rejoined the group at the table. He felt like he had been sitting there so long he must have left a permanent dent in the chair. Resolutely, he picked up where he had left off:

“That day was like any other in our lives. I can’t remember anything different at all. We both had classes that day, but we went in separately because our schedules were slightly different. The one thing I remember most of all, is planning to have an early dinner together, just to catch up on things. We tried to do that as much as possible, just because we were both so busy….”

His voice cracked and he looked away quickly, to hide his tears.

Hugo spoke up. “You say you went in separately to school? I know you drove your car, but how about Marilyn? Did she drive her own car or take public transportation? I seem to recall you saying she went back to Hal’s office at some point?”

“Why, yes, she did,” Damon said, looking up. “But she didn’t drive herself. She carpooled. There was another student whose schedule was similar. They agreed at the beginning of the term to take turns driving in. I believe that person must have dropped her off at Hal’s office after their last class.”

“And then she went home with her father?”

“Yes. I had arranged to pick her up at their house when I got out of class. Then we went to dinner, just as I said before.”

“Did she mention this person’s name? The person she was carpooling with? Male or female?”

“It was another girl, about Marilyn’s age, I think. She was from out of town, so I didn’t know her. I know she mentioned her name…Hal would know….” He broke off abruptly.

“Think, Damon,” Connie broke in. “This might be very important. You said she mentioned she had the feeling someone might have been following her. Do you think it could be this person?”

“No, I don’t think so. I got the impression it was someone she didn’t know…something like that.”

Hugo had been glancing at his phone and got up abruptly. “Excuse me a minute. I’ve got people reviewing the CRT tapes we’ve gotten from several different sources. They’re telling me they might have an important lead.” He left the room.

“Did you ever see this other driver?” Gail asked. “Do you know what she looked like?”

“Not that I recall,” Damon said. “But I know at one time she kind of laughed about it, and called the other girl her birthday ‘twin.’ Seems they were born just a day apart, so they had made a little joke about it. Damn…why didn’t I think of all this before?”

“It’s all right,” Gail said. “It probably doesn’t mean a thing to our investigation. But I’m glad you remembered this, all the same. If we can find the girl, she might be able to add another piece to the puzzle. Maybe she noticed this person following Gail as well.”

The intercom buzzed and Hugo’s voice came over.

“Get down to my office,” he said. “All of you, now. I think we might have uncovered something that will help.”

Silently, the four at the table, Connie and Gail, Damon and Charles, rose and hurried out of the office and down to Hugo’s domain.

What had Hugo’s people discovered? And would it help or hurt their case?