‘Did you tell the police or FBI about Mandy and the key ring?’ she asked.
‘No, ’cause I never knew if she did buy it or not and they never asked me about what we did before she decided to go off.’
Anna realized that poor investigation skills had meant the camera key ring had been overlooked, and that if Mandy had bought the gadget for someone else then that could be the person who abducted and possibly killed her. She doubted that the killer would still have possession of it and suspected it was long since disposed of, or lay with Mandy’s body, wherever it might be.
Driving out of the mall, Anna felt more at ease with Dewar’s powerful Mustang as she looked for the directions back to the I-95, thinking about her meeting with the Andersons and how cruel life had been to them. She glanced down at her map to find that the I-95 was signposted as a right turn and then looking up suddenly saw the red traffic light in front of her. There was no cross traffic, and Anna could, under the local traffic laws, legally make the right turn through the red light, but she panicked and slammed on the brakes.
The driver behind had not slowed because the way was clear and was expecting the Mustang to turn right. Anna felt something slam into the rear of the car, causing her neck to snap back and then jolt forward and banging her forehead on the steering wheel. For a terrifying moment, she thought she was about to pass out.
The driver behind was a middle-aged woman who was thankfully understanding about Anna’s naïve knowledge of the traffic laws, and mercifully the only damage appeared to be to the bumpers of both cars. Anna suspected she had mild whiplash and concussion, but was more worried about Dewar’s Mustang and how she was going to explain what had happened. Langton, she thought, would go ape-shit. A member of the public had already called the local police and an ambulance on witnessing the incident. Noticing that she was unsteady on her feet from the knock to her head, the driver of the other car sat Anna down on the roadside.
By then, Anna was in floods of tears, completely distraught and confused about what to do and panic-stricken about the damage to Dewar’s precious car. And so she phoned the only person she could think of helping her: Don Blane.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When Blane arrived at the scene of the accident it seemed to Anna that her knight in shining armour had come. She had managed to calm herself down while the attending ambulance crew tried to persuade her that she should go to the local hospital for a check-over but she insisted that apart from a stiff neck and headache she would be okay. The local police were very understanding and knew Blane well, and after he’d had a quiet word with them they agreed not to investigate the incident any further. He also called a garage repairman that he knew who agreed to fix the bumpers on both cars, and to tow away the Mustang to repair the damage as soon as possible. The man said he’d have it done by the end of next week, though a new chrome bumper would be noticeably shiny.
The lady who had gone into the back of Anna was quite distressed but Don calmed her down, gave her the address for his friend’s garage and said he would pay for the damage.
Blane told Anna he would take her back to the Academy and whether she liked it or not she was to get some stuff together and stay in his guest room so he could keep an eye on her and make sure she didn’t have a relapse or dizzy turn.
‘I’m fine, Don, and I don’t want to put you out,’ Anna protested, rubbing her neck. ‘I’m sure you’ve better things to do with your weekend than look after me. I also need to do my profile CV and work on the Mandy Anderson case file.’
He looked at her and shook his head disapprovingly. ‘No you don’t, they can wait. Some rest is what you need right now, so don’t argue with me.’
Left with little choice but actually not displeased, back at the Academy, Anna went to her room and packed the FBI-issue holdall with some overnight stuff and her wash bag. She tried ringing Langton again but as before it cut straight to voicemail. At first she was concerned for his wellbeing and worried that something might have happened to him, but then considered it more likely that the silly bugger had forgotten to take his phone charger with him. Anna looked at the Anderson case file on her desk, briefly thought about leaving it behind, then put it into the holdall along with her laptop. Any attempt to pick up the now-full holdall caused her to wince at the sharp pain, so she had little option but to drag it along the floor to the lift. Waiting there, she was approached by Beth Jackson, the Los Angeles detective from the room next to her.
‘Hi, there’s a group of us going out tonight, we’re meeting in the reception area at seven, if you’d like to join us.’
‘I’m really sorry, Beth, I had a bit of an accident earlier and I don’t feel-’
Beth cut her off: ‘Yeah, whatever. Have a nice evening, wherever it may be.’
The detective clearly didn’t believe her as she had the holdall beside her, with her pyjamas poking through the half-closed zip. Anna tried to explain but Beth ignored her and just walked off towards her room.
Blane was waiting on the ground floor. As he picked up the holdall he caught sight of the case file, looked at Anna and smiled.
‘You need to rest, not work.’
‘I’m sorry, I just thought if I couldn’t sleep then I should do something productive.’
‘Okay, here’s the deal. You have a bath then relax while I cook dinner. The Anderson case can be discussed while we eat, then after dinner it’s rest time.’
‘Agreed,’ Anna replied, and held up her hand to shake on it.
‘Sally and Peter thought you were wonderful and very understanding. Thanks for being open and honest with them,’ Blane said.
‘They were lovely people and I can see exactly why they care deeply for you,’ Anna said, deliberately making her feelings of gratitude clear. He said nothing, and Anna hoped that it was just because he was shy.
After half an hour’s driving along the main road, Blane turned off onto a dirt track just outside of Woodbridge. The track narrowed and eventually cut through woodland comprising tall fir, cedar and pine trees, the fragrant scent wafted into the car filling it with a relaxing atmosphere. Rays of sunlight cut through the branches and the woodland became denser as they drove on. Soon Anna could see a clearing leading to a shoreline, with a small boathouse and jetty. As they drove into the clearing there appeared a beautiful raised two-storey red cedar log cabin that overlooked the bay.
‘You live here?’ Anna asked, amazed at the peaceful surroundings and stunning views across Belmont Bay and the Potomac River.
‘It’s sort of a home from home,’ Blane said and then explained that although he had an apartment in Woodbridge he liked to come out to the cabin at weekends. Anna laughed when he said that his colleagues at work called him the weekend hermit.
Blane carried Anna’s bag up the wooden steps and opened the double doors. The inside was open-plan with high A-framed beamed ceilings, and exuded a cosy welcoming charm. There was a large wood-burning fireplace with an old stone chimney, and a deep wood-framed sofa and chairs placed in front of it. The wooden floors and walls were partially covered with Native American rugs. The dining area was to one side, with a circular table made from blocks of wood that were laid together in a basket weave pattern with six matching chairs. To the side of the table, wide French windows allowed a stunning view across the bay, and led out to the deck area where there was a wooden picnic table, log chairs and a hammock.
Blane told Anna that the master bedroom was upstairs, along with an en-suite bathroom. She could see that the upstairs was also open-plan and built in a balcony style that overlooked the downstairs.