girl.”
“Promotion?”
“Yeah, she was bragging how she’d just got a big promotion, won out big over everyone else. She was going to plan a celebration for the weekend, but just had to tell someone right then.”
“You don’t happen to have her name do you?”
The man looked hesitant.
“It could be important,” Mac stressed.
“Well, I remember she bought some things using her credit card.”
“Great, I don’t want to get you into any trouble, but could you just check and see if her name was Andrea Chambers by chance.”
“I guess that would be okay, just to confirm it.” He went to the office and came back a few minutes later. “That’s the name all right. Does that help?”
“Yes, it does, thank you. One other thing… Do you happen to remember a man in here at that same time? He was wearing a dark raincoat.”
“Yeah, a black one, with a hat pulled down low. I remember him. I kept an eye on him. I was afraid he might be going to rob the place, after drugs and cash.”
“Can you describe him?”
“Not more than what you just said. He kept his face turned away so I never got a look at his face. That was one of the reasons I thought he might be going to rob us. He didn’t buy anything and I was real relieved when he left, believe me.”
“When was that, before or after the women?”
“Oh man, I’m not sure. I think it was after one of them, but I don’t know.”
“What about video surveillance?” Mac motioned to the camera fixed to the ceiling.
“It runs for a week then is recycled. You’d have to talk to the owner.”
“Can you get me the number? I need the tape from that night.”
The man nodded and a second later handed him the number. Mac walked out of the pharmacy with the video in hand and only one thing on his mind. And that was seeing Laken again. Since his car was parked halfway there, he didn’t bother with it. He took the stairs to her apartment and knocked. When there was no answer, he knocked again. By the third time he knocked, he was getting annoyed.
“Come on, Laken. Open up, it’s Mac. I need to talk to you, it’s important. Laken!” He raised his voice just as the door across the hall opened. An old woman with tightly curled, orange hair peered in the hallway.
“Excuse me, ma’am, I’m sorry if I interrupted you.”
The woman looked him up and down then opened the door wider. “She’s not home. She’s on a date.”
“A date?” Mac felt the shock hit him like a fist in the stomach.
“Oh yes, they made a splendid looking couple. I knew they would be perfect together.”
“Pardon me, but I’m Detective MacDaniels. I really need to talk to Ms. Williams. Do you have any idea when she’ll be back?”
“Oh, I expect quite late. You being a young man yourself, you can understand that.” Mac couldn’t believe the woman actually gave him a conspiratorial wink. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“I’m afraid not. Ms. Williams is involved in a case I’m working on.”
“Oh really, what kind of case?”
“I’m a homicide detective.” The woman looked shocked to near apoplexy. “If you happen to see her, could you have Ms. Williams call me when she gets in?”
“Of course.”
Mac hated to leave but knew there was no reason to stay. It was unlikely that Laken would have anything to do with him. Not giving the woman a chance to say anything else, he headed for the stairs. Since there was no way he was going to get his home cooked meal, he decided to head back to the station to pull a late night going over the surveillance video with the lab people.
It was late when he got home. Not that it mattered. There was no one there waiting for him. Mac stretched out on the bed, thinking of the woman who hadn’t left his thoughts. He would never in his life forget how broken she looked when she had left the conference room. It would burn in his soul the rest of his life. He wished there was a way he could make it better, but she
“Promotion?”
“Yeah, she was bragging how she’d just got a big promotion, won out big over everyone else. She was going to plan a celebration for the weekend, but just had to tell someone right then.”
“You don’t happen to have her name do you?”
The man looked hesitant.
“It could be important,” Mac stressed.
“Well, I remember she bought some things using her credit card.”
“Great, I don’t want to get you into any trouble, but could you just check and see if her name was Andrea Chambers by chance.”
“I guess that would be okay, just to confirm it.” He went to the office and came back a few minutes later. “That’s the name all right. Does that help?”
“Yes, it does, thank you. One other thing… Do you happen to remember a man in here at that same time? He was wearing a dark raincoat.”
“Yeah, a black one, with a hat pulled down low. I remember him. I kept an eye on him. I was afraid he might be going to rob the place, after drugs and cash.”
“Can you describe him?”
“Not more than what you just said. He kept his face turned away so I never got a look at his face. That was one of the reasons I thought he might be going to rob us. He didn’t buy anything and I was real relieved when he left, believe me.”
“When was that, before or after the women?”
“Oh man, I’m not sure. I think it was after one of them, but I don’t know.”
“What about video surveillance?” Mac motioned to the camera fixed to the ceiling.
“It runs for a week then is recycled. You’d have to talk to the owner.”
“Can you get me the number? I need the tape from that night.”
The man nodded and a second later handed him the number. Mac walked out of the pharmacy with the video in hand and only one thing on his mind. And that was seeing Laken again. Since his car was parked halfway there, he didn’t bother with it. He took the stairs to her apartment and knocked. When there was no answer, he knocked again. By the third time he knocked, he was getting annoyed.
“Come on, Laken. Open up, it’s Mac. I need to talk to you, it’s important. Laken!” He raised his voice just as the door across the hall opened. An old woman with tightly curled, orange hair peered in the hallway.
“Excuse me, ma’am, I’m sorry if I interrupted you.”
The woman looked him up and down then opened the door wider. “She’s not home. She’s on a date.”
“A date?” Mac felt the shock hit him like a fist in the stomach.
“Oh yes, they made a splendid looking couple. I knew they would be perfect together.”
“Pardon me, but I’m Detective MacDaniels. I really need to talk to Ms. Williams. Do you have any idea when she’ll be back?”
“Oh, I expect quite late. You being a young man yourself, you can understand that.” Mac couldn’t believe the woman actually gave him a conspiratorial wink. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“I’m afraid not. Ms. Williams is involved in a case I’m working on.”
“Oh really, what kind of case?”
“I’m a homicide detective.” The woman looked shocked to near apoplexy. “If you happen to see her, could you have Ms. Williams call me when she gets in?”
“Of course.”
Mac hated to leave but knew there was no reason to stay. It was unlikely that Laken would have anything to do with him. Not giving the woman a chance to say anything else, he headed for the stairs. Since there was no way he was going to get his home cooked meal, he decided to head back to the station to pull a late night going over the surveillance video with the lab people.
It was late when he got home. Not that it mattered. There was no one there waiting for him. Mac stretched out on the bed, thinking of the woman who hadn’t left his thoughts. He would never in his life forget how broken she looked when she had left the conference room. It would burn in his soul the rest of his life. He wished there was a way he could make it better, but she
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