She picked up.
“Hey, Lorna. It’s Savannah.”
“Hey yourself. I was just thinking about you. You’re not canceling on me tomorrow, are you?”
“Not a chance. I’m looking forward to it. I have a quick question, though.”
“Fire away.”
“We know you were friends with Hank Tristan, but when exactly did you meet Cindy Glass?”
“Who?”
“The other murder victim.”
There was dead silence on the other end of the phone. “What are you talking about? Who said I knew her?”
“Zach doesn’t like me to reveal his sources,” I said, and my husband gave me a thumbs-up signal. I couldn’t let that go without a comment. I told Lorna, “You know how men can be like little children sometimes.”
“You don’t have to tell me. Does he really suspect me?”
“Well he wants to cover all of his bases. I’m looking at your name on the board at the task force headquarters right now,” I said, a full and blatant lie.
“I didn’t realize anyone knew,” she said softly. I wasn’t even sure she knew that she’d said it aloud.
“Charlotte may look like a big city to an outsider, but it’s really not all that big. People talk.”
“It was nothing. We met at a seminar two years ago. I barely remembered her until I saw her picture in the paper. You’ve got to convince Zach that I didn’t really know her at all.”
“I’ll try, but once he makes up his mind about something, it’s tough to get him to back down. He’s sure there’s a connection here somewhere.”
“You have to at least try, Savannah. Promise me.”
If her tone of voice was any indication, she was more worried about Zach’s theories than she wanted me to know. “I’ll do my best.”
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay?”
“Fine. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me, too. And Savannah?”
“Yes?”
“I didn’t kill either one of them. I’m not a murderer.”
“I’ll tell him that, too,” I said, and then I hung up.
“Wow, that worked better than I’d hoped.”
“What did she say?” Zach asked me.
“Lorna met Cindy at a seminar two years ago, so they have a history together. How did you suspect that?”
“I didn’t, but sometimes it’s fun to guess, isn’t it?”
I looked around the room, and then I asked, “What do we do now?”
“I don’t know about you, but there’s something that’s been bugging me, and I’m going to dig through the files until I find it.”
“Can I help?”
He shook his head. “No, this is a solo job. You can work on the clue segments, if you really want to help.”
“You know I do.”
AN HOUR LATER, NEITHER ONE OF US HAD MADE AN ounce worth of progress. The numbers and letters still meant nothing to me, and the more I stared at them and moved the sequences around, the more confused I got.
Zach looked over at me, and then shrugged. “Whatever it was I just had, I lost it.”
“At least you had it to begin with. I keep staring at these sequences like they’re Martian cookbook ingredients.”
He walked over and touched my shoulder. “I know I gave you the worst possible job in all of this. The more we get into it, the more I think the codes were made up just to frustrate us.”
“Then I’d say it was a roaring success. How about you?”
“I’m stumped, and I’m not afraid who knows it,” he said.
“Is there any reason we can’t move our think tank back to the hotel? I know you’ve got copies of just about everything here. Could you pack up a few boxes and take them with us? That way you’d have access to the information without having to live here around the clock.”
“I suppose I could,” he said reluctantly. “But what if there’s something here I miss?”
“Would it be the first time that happened to you? In fact, it might help shake up your thought processes a bit.”
“How do you get that?”
“Sometimes with my puzzles, what’s not there is more significant than what is.”
“Would you care to clarify that for me?”
“I wish I could explain. Come on. Let’s do it.”
Zach took an empty box, and I started collecting my random notes as he collected copies of his documents. By the time he was finished, I’d been standing impatiently by the door for a good ten minutes.
“I’m coming,” he said. “Just give me one more minute.”
“Take all the time you need,” I said. “I’ll just take a little nap while I’m waiting.”
I pretended to snore, and then I heard my husband laugh. “You’re good for me, Savannah; I’ve told you that lately, haven’t I?”
“Sure, but a girl can never get tired of hearing it. Or a woman, either.”
“Then I’ll try to say it more often,” he said. He looked around the room again, and then nodded. “That should do it.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to have to come back here tonight.”
“Maybe you’re right. Give me one more minute.”
Me and my big mouth. I should have known better than to tease him.
He stuffed a few more copies into his box, and then he smiled at me. “You were right. I’m finished.”
I was about to ask him if he was sure about that, but I knew better. “Then let’s get out of here.”
We walked out the door, and as we were locking it behind us, Davis came out of the elevator with a heavy frown on his face.
“What happened?” Zach asked.
“We got another note, and this one’s a direct threat toward both of you.”
Chapter 18
ZACH AND SAVANNAH STONE. UNLESS YOU LEAVE CHARlotte by midnight tomorrow, I will take my next victim. Your blundering has cost me my patience, and I’m weary of your meddling ways. Remember, if you fail to act, the next murder will be blood you’ve spilled yourselves.
Zach studied it after he’d read it aloud, and then he flipped it over. Instead of a number and letter sequence, there was some kind of odd-looking grid on the paper, barely discernable.
“Can I have that a second?” I asked.
The note was in a plastic evidence bag, and Zach handed it to me.
There was definitely something there. “I need to get to the copier.”
“This is no time to make copies,” Davis said. “This is serious.”
“Really, Davis? Is it? Because I wasn’t sure, what with the murder threat and all.”
“Easy, Savannah,” Zach said as he unlocked the door again.
I ignored everyone, turned the copier back on, and then turned the exposure to its darkest setting.
What had been faint before was now clearly outlined on the copy of the original. In this case, the duplicate was better than the source.
But it still didn’t make any sense. There were oddly shaped ovoids and faint numbers placed randomly on the page.
“What does it mean?” Zach asked as he looked over my shoulder.
“I have no idea. But I will. If the killer thinks he’s going to run us off this way, he doesn’t know either one of us very well.”
“You’re staying?” Davis sounded incredulous as he asked the question.
“Of course we are,” I snapped. And then I thought to look over at my husband. “Aren’t we?” I asked softly.
“I’m willing to hang around as long as you are,” he said.
“Then that’s settled. Are you ready to go back to the hotel now?”
“You’re not going to work on the case here at headquarters?” Davis asked. I saw his gaze take in the foam insulation boards filled with copies, notes, and drawings that Zach had been putting together.
“No. I need some fresh air. Let’s go.” There was no room for misunderstanding in Zach’s tone of voice. It didn’t matter that his former subordinate was now his boss. This was a command, and it was going to be obeyed without question, or there would be consequences.