12

 

Conrad unlocked the door and held it open for Zink.

“What a gentleman. Any woman would be pleased to have you. Even the pretty flower lady.”

“Not likely, now that we’re breaking into her house.”

“We are not breaking in. We have permission.”

“I doubt if Veronica will see it that way—or a judge, for that matter.” He stepped inside the apartment and closed the door. The apartment had a barren, empty feeling.

“Probable cause, partner. The guy down the hall says she stole his car.”

“Sure, Zink. Sure. If you’re expecting us to find the car in the living room.”

“Besides, it’s the truth. I am worried about her. My radar’s going off again. Something isn’t right.”

“I agree, but I’m not sure it has anything to do with Emily Most.”

“Why would she and her kid disappear at the same time as Emily? Not a flair for home decor, considering the woman owns a flower shop,” Zink said. “No family pictures. Nothing homey here.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

“Almost as if she didn’t expect to be here all that long.”

Words defending Veronica jumped to his mind, but he kept them off his lips.

Zink was right, as much as he hated to admit it. He moved out into the kitchen. “This is odd.”

“What’s that?” Zink’s voice carried from the other room.

“Come and see.”

The refrigerator had been shoved away from the wall. A small door behind it hung open. He knelt down and peered inside. It was too dark to see anything.

“Did you move that?” Zink asked.

“Nope. It was already like that.” He pulled out his flashlight and peered into the tiny cubicle. “It’s empty.”

Zink’s fingers tapped against each other—a sure sign her mind was working overtime. “What do you think?”

“I’m thinking Veronica Minor had something important she needed to hide. Wonder what it was.” He dusted off his pants as he stood. Not that the floor was dirty. In fact, it was immaculate. He’d hate to see what the floor looked like behind his refrigerator. Probably time to clean it—one of these days. “Find anything else?”

“As a matter of fact, I did. Their luggage.”

“And...”

“And if she was going on a trip, why wouldn’t they pack clothes? Checked their drawers. It didn’t look as if anything was gone.”

“Maybe she kept extra suitcases in there.” He pointed at the cubicle.

“Yeah, maybe.” Zink shrugged. “And another thing. I went through her desk and couldn’t find an address book or a list of phone numbers. Nothing personal. Nothing that indicated she had plane reservations, either.”

“Maybe, she didn’t. Ricky said it was an emergency. So, maybe her plan was to go to the airport and fly standby.”

“With a child?”

“It’s possible.”

“It’s also possible she lied to Ricky.”

 

****

 

In the cruiser, Zink called the airport. It took three people, but she finally found the right person. After she hung up, she looked over at Conrad. “Security’s checking the lots for his car. So, what are you thinking?”

He slipped the key into the ignition. “If they find the car, then maybe she had a legitimate emergency like she told him, and it was simply a coincidence that it happened on the day Emily went missing. Not everything is part of a conspiracy, you know.”

“And if they don’t find his car?”

He started the car and put it into gear before answering. “Could be a problem for Veronica Minor. Either way, I think we should go back to the station and see what we can find out about her.”