tell Jake felt sympathetic toward the woman.
The White residence was a beautiful, well-kept home in a middle-class subdivision. The immaculate lawn was framed by an abundance of flowers and colorful shrubs. Still more lined the front of the house and ran along the pathway toward the front door.
Jake rang the bell and waited. The man who answered the door a few moments later forced a weak smile, and after introductions, invited them into the front room.
Jake sat on one end of the couch, Annie the other. She glanced around the pristine room, sparsely furnished with modern furniture, everything in its place and neatly arranged. A huge spray of fresh flowers filled a vase on the coffee table, another on a stand by the doorway. It gave the room a beautiful smell unmatched by artificial sprays and deodorizers.
Mr. White dropped into a straight-backed chair with a sigh and leaned forward slightly. The smile had been replaced by a downcast expression, his voice quivering as he told them about his wife and how she had been killed. He paused often to look down and regain his composure before he was finished.
Annie had a notepad out and she wrote down the important points. “You said you knew the name of the suspect?” she asked.
Mr. White’s lips tightened, anger in his eyes. “Adam Thorburn,” he said, almost spitting the name out. “And he’s run off somewhere. His mother, Virginia Thorburn, claims not to know where he is.”
“And you want us to help look for him?” Jake asked.
Mr. White nodded, his brow wrinkled. “Yes. I want him found. He’s a maniac, and if he hurts someone else, I couldn’t live with myself if I hadn’t done everything possible to stop him.”
Annie watched the despondent man a moment as he wrung his hands, his shoulders slumped, pleading to them with his eyes. She looked at Jake. He nodded slightly and she turned back to Mr. White.
“We’ll look into it,” she said.
Teddy sat back and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, a look of relief on his thin face. “Thank you. I expect you can reach me here at any time. I don’t have plans to go out in the near future.” He dropped his head. “At least, not until they release my wife’s body.”
“I’ll keep you up to date,” Annie said. She hesitated, watched the mournful man, then added, “The police department offers a grief counseling service if you’re interested.”
Mr. White nodded and didn’t answer. He stood. “I assume you’ll need a retainer.”
Jake nodded, stood, and followed the man to a small office.
Annie rose from the couch and went to the fireplace. She glanced at a recent picture of the smiling couple and another one taken many years before on their wedding day. They looked as happy together in the recent one as they had back then, and her heart broke for the despairing new widower.
The two men returned and Jake handed her a check. She tucked it into her handbag along with her notepad and turned to the grieving man. “We’ll look into this immediately. Please call if you have anything else that might help us.”
Mr. White promised he would, then thanked them and saw them out.
They went to the car and got in. Jake turned to Annie as she started the car. “Where do we begin with this one?”
“I think we’ll have to give Virginia Thorburn a visit,” Annie said. “It seems like the only logical place to start.”
Chapter 12
Tuesday, 2:44 p.m.
ADAM THORBURN walked with slumped shoulders, plodding down the sidewalk toward the place he had always called his home. His long afternoon walk had helped clear his head as he fought to make sense of his illness and why he was cursed with an unstable mind. Though he didn’t make any headway in understanding himself, he was more optimistic, ready to face another weary day.
Most of the time, he was perfectly fine and able to function like anyone else. But at other times he heard voices and saw things that didn’t
The White residence was a beautiful, well-kept home in a middle-class subdivision. The immaculate lawn was framed by an abundance of flowers and colorful shrubs. Still more lined the front of the house and ran along the pathway toward the front door.
Jake rang the bell and waited. The man who answered the door a few moments later forced a weak smile, and after introductions, invited them into the front room.
Jake sat on one end of the couch, Annie the other. She glanced around the pristine room, sparsely furnished with modern furniture, everything in its place and neatly arranged. A huge spray of fresh flowers filled a vase on the coffee table, another on a stand by the doorway. It gave the room a beautiful smell unmatched by artificial sprays and deodorizers.
Mr. White dropped into a straight-backed chair with a sigh and leaned forward slightly. The smile had been replaced by a downcast expression, his voice quivering as he told them about his wife and how she had been killed. He paused often to look down and regain his composure before he was finished.
Annie had a notepad out and she wrote down the important points. “You said you knew the name of the suspect?” she asked.
Mr. White’s lips tightened, anger in his eyes. “Adam Thorburn,” he said, almost spitting the name out. “And he’s run off somewhere. His mother, Virginia Thorburn, claims not to know where he is.”
“And you want us to help look for him?” Jake asked.
Mr. White nodded, his brow wrinkled. “Yes. I want him found. He’s a maniac, and if he hurts someone else, I couldn’t live with myself if I hadn’t done everything possible to stop him.”
Annie watched the despondent man a moment as he wrung his hands, his shoulders slumped, pleading to them with his eyes. She looked at Jake. He nodded slightly and she turned back to Mr. White.
“We’ll look into it,” she said.
Teddy sat back and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, a look of relief on his thin face. “Thank you. I expect you can reach me here at any time. I don’t have plans to go out in the near future.” He dropped his head. “At least, not until they release my wife’s body.”
“I’ll keep you up to date,” Annie said. She hesitated, watched the mournful man, then added, “The police department offers a grief counseling service if you’re interested.”
Mr. White nodded and didn’t answer. He stood. “I assume you’ll need a retainer.”
Jake nodded, stood, and followed the man to a small office.
Annie rose from the couch and went to the fireplace. She glanced at a recent picture of the smiling couple and another one taken many years before on their wedding day. They looked as happy together in the recent one as they had back then, and her heart broke for the despairing new widower.
The two men returned and Jake handed her a check. She tucked it into her handbag along with her notepad and turned to the grieving man. “We’ll look into this immediately. Please call if you have anything else that might help us.”
Mr. White promised he would, then thanked them and saw them out.
They went to the car and got in. Jake turned to Annie as she started the car. “Where do we begin with this one?”
“I think we’ll have to give Virginia Thorburn a visit,” Annie said. “It seems like the only logical place to start.”
Chapter 12
Tuesday, 2:44 p.m.
ADAM THORBURN walked with slumped shoulders, plodding down the sidewalk toward the place he had always called his home. His long afternoon walk had helped clear his head as he fought to make sense of his illness and why he was cursed with an unstable mind. Though he didn’t make any headway in understanding himself, he was more optimistic, ready to face another weary day.
Most of the time, he was perfectly fine and able to function like anyone else. But at other times he heard voices and saw things that didn’t
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