Arthur stuffed a bookmark in the novel. “Or she could get nothing.”
Lane shrugged. “That’s out of our hands – unless of course we’re called to testify.”
“So we just sit and wait?”
“We can’t very well tell Matt and Alex not to be attracted to each other. And we can’t control what my sister will do. I suspect she’ll open her mouth and dig herself into a deeper hole in court, but that’s really up to her. So all we can do is pick up the pieces when Alex goes home. In the meantime, the five of us will all keep Indy safe.” Lane looked at the ceiling.
Arthur smiled. “Who knew breeders lived such complicated lives?”
Lane laughed.
Arthur began to chuckle. “I mean Alison fucks up her own life, and she’s determined to do the same to Christine. Then Lola tries to turn Christine white so she’ll be more acceptable to her country club friends. Now Matt is snuggling up to his cousin’s sister. Sometimes I feel like we’re preparing a real-life reality show!”
“You know this case Nigel and I are working on?”
Arthur turned to face his partner.
“A person of interest is a forty-five-year-old hairdresser who likes boys in their early teens.”
“Kind of ironic when you think about it.”
Lane looked at Arthur. “What do you mean?”
“Some people think we’re abnormal.”
TUESDAY, JANUARY 28
chapter 9
Accused Child Abductors Remanded
Efram Milton, Alison Milton, and Lyle Pratt of Paradise, Alberta, will remain in custody until their trial dates. The three members of a polygamist community are accused of attempting to abduct an infant from the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit at the Foothills Medical Centre. The judge agreed with the Crown Prosecutor Lilian Choi that the three pose a flight risk.
Choi said, “The accused planned to take the infant across the border and into the United States.”
“I have an idea for our next move,” Lane said as Nigel came into the office and hung up his winter jacket behind the door.
“I’m listening as long as it doesn’t involve sending Lori back to the hair salon.” Nigel sat down at his desk, rubbing his hands together, then cupping them over a pair of red ears.
“We need the driver’s licence photos of Cori Pierce and her husband.” Lane tapped his mouse, the fan whirring as the computer woke up.
“What for?” Nigel reached for his mouse and typed in a password.
“First we need to put them up on this page next to Peggy Carr.” Lane pointed at the screen.
“Just a second.” Nigel tapped his keys. “One photo is on its way. Here comes the other.”
Lane downloaded the photos and put them on the screen. “We’ve got three suspects. We’ve seen two. Now let’s take a look at Dr. Andrew Pierce.”
“Before we go there, we need to work out some details.” Nigel picked up a file from his desk.
“Like what?” Nigel’s enjoying this.
“We need to know who we should concentrate on. These killers – and it looks like there are two – are certain to kill again.”
“I was thinking that they probably have false passports but their credit cards may be legit. They might have made a mistake there. The way Lori described her, Cori strikes me as a person who likes to enjoy the spoils.” Lane looked at Cori’s picture on the screen.
“And I know someone who can check on that. There will be no way the Pierces will know they are suspects.”
Lane said, “We risk tainting the evidence. We can’t take that risk if they walk because of it.”
“It’s just a way to check and see if they used their credit cards while they were in New York, Toronto, or Playa del Carmen at the time of the other murders. If we can confirm they were there, and they travelled under different names, then we will have a pretty good idea they are the ones we should be watching.”
“How are you going to do this?” Lane watched Nigel flip a pencil back and forth across the knuckles of his right hand.
“I have a friend. I’ve known her since high school. She’s very good and very discreet. That’s all you need to know.”
Lane lifted his eyebrows, looking at his partner.
“She got suspended from school for hacking into the school board’s computer system. She still believes she was being unfairly treated by a teacher who we all knew was a misogynistic prick, but the administration wouldn’t take her complaint seriously. So she got their attention. She has a very highly developed sense of right and wrong, and she sticks strictly to her laws of fairness. She did wonderful work on various websites to promote awareness on a wide range of social and environmental issues, but wouldn’t hand them in for marks. She believed it was about educating people about the issues rather than self-interest. After my mom was killed, she helped me track down the assets my father hid. She did it because she believed it was the right thing to do.”
Lane held up his hand. “Where do we meet her?”
“We don’t.” Nigel pointed at Lane. “I do.” He pointed at his chest.
Lane frowned. “I need to take a look at Dr. Pierce anyway.”
Nigel looked at his partner. “I’ve got his teaching schedule.”
“How did you get that?”
Nigel rolled his eyes.
“Okay. Just don’t jeopardize the investigation.”
Nigel frowned. “You don’t trust me?”
Lane opened his mouth to reply. What can you say about that without putting your foot in your mouth?
Nigel got up, grabbing his coat. “Make sure you change your clothes if you decide to go to Pierce’s afternoon lecture. Maybe take a backpack and a computer to hide behind. There are one hundred thirty-two students registered in the session. Sit at the back and keep a low profile.” He put on his coat and left.
Nigel stepped between the sliding glass doors at the Nose Hill Public Library with its red brick and ample glass. He was warmed by a blast of air, unzipping his jacket before stepping inside of the library proper.
It took a minute to find Anna at the back, sitting in a chair with a laptop on her knees. She kept her blonde hair cut short, weighed about one hundred twenty-five pounds, stood about five ten, and appeared to be an island of tranquility within the bustle of the library.
Nigel took off his coat and sat across from her. He noted the pink hand-knit mittens and toque sitting on the table next to her. She wore a pair of blue overall-style ski pants and a pink knitted sweater. He sat there for five minutes as her fingers tapped on the keyboard. He wondered about the VENEER & PLASTIC, PLASTIC & VENEER label on the back cover of her screen. She stopped, looking up. “What’s up, Nelly?”
That’s the way it always is with her. Ever since she found out my middle name is Evan and my initials are NEL, she calls me Nelly. To her, the joke never gets old. “Things are good, Anna. How are you?”
She looked at his hands. “You’re still boxing.”
He nodded.
“The risk of brain injury is substantial.”
He nodded again.
“Stop.”
“I need your help with a problem.” Nigel leaned forward in his chair.
“Yes.” Anna studied him.
“I have copies of five IDs. I need to know if any of them used a credit card near any of these three locations during specific time frames.” Nigel reached into the pocket of his winter jacket, pulling out three sheets of paper.
Anna took the papers, looking at each one. “Why?”
“I need to know if we’re looking at the right people.”
Anna nodded. “Bad people?”
Nigel raised his eyebrows and his shoulders.
“Well?”
“They may be very bad people. You need to be very discreet.”
Anna nodded, stood up, and closed her laptop, slipping it into its pink sleeve, tucking the sleeve into her backpack, and pulling on a red winter jacket. “I’m going home now. I’ll phone.” She picked up her mitts and toque, then walked away.