switch the computer on while the kettle reached the boil. The sounds of the house coming to life broke the gloom brought back from the cafe.
“No. Why? Have you come up with something?”
I shook my head. “Not now you’ve said that.”
Lee sat on the sofa while I logged into my emails. The inbox popped up. The window to the mystery.
“Nothing yet,” I said.
All we could do was mark time. And chances were, it’d be a difficult wait finding out how long I had left on the countdown timer. Find out how I’m linked to Daryl, I instructed myself. I wanted to give the police something to go on. I stood in the doorway to the kitchen and asked Lee to tell me about his brother.
He took a seat on the sofa. “Daryl was a psychiatrist, very intelligent, but unfortunately quite a private guy.” He lifted his gaze to the ceiling. “A great brother though. I can’t begin to tell you how much I miss him.”
“I’m sure you do. Tell me more. What was he like?”
“Motivated. Happy. Until the last week or so.” Lee rounded forward on the sofa and rested his forearms on his knees. “My parents prefer to accept the coroner’s ruling that his death was accidental. I guess anything else is too much to bear. But they’re blind, just like those useless cops. Accident my ass! I don’t accept that explanation. Especially now.”
“So who would want to—” I gulped, struggling to get the word out. “ Kill him?”
Lee shrugged. “Beats me.”
“I don’t even know what Daryl looks like. I wouldn’t recognise him if he was standing in front of me, right now.”
Lee made a throaty sound. “Well, that’s not going to happen.”
I bit my lip. “Sorry. Thoughtless. Do you have a picture of him?”
Lee produced a small square of paper from his wallet, stood up and passed it to me.
Pinching the edge, I stared long and hard at the matchbox-sized snapshot of his brother sitting behind a dark wooden desk.
Lee leaned closer, his breath brushed against my hair. “Does he look familiar? I know it’s not a brilliant photo, but it fits in my wallet.”
“Well… no.” I shook my head. “He looks like a hundred other dark-haired guys. I’ve certainly not dated him, and he’s not a patient at our dental practice.”
“Well, something links the two of you together.”
I handed him the photo, and he slid it back in his wallet.
“It’s not the clearest of photos.” I stood still, eyes locked on Lee’s, wondering if we’d ever find a connection. The kettle bubbled and I turned away. “Why bother sending a puzzle in the email?” I muttered, walking the few strides into the kitchen to grab some mugs. “And if it’s a deadline, then why make it so difficult to understand the countdown timer? A digital clock would be easier.”
“Yes. True.”
I stirred a couple of coffees.
With fluent efficiency every ten minutes, we took turns moving the mouse to refresh the inbox page.
It proved hard to think with a woolly head. I slumped onto the sofa while Lee remained at the desk. I would have preferred to have a few teeth pulled out without anaesthetic than deal with this nightmare situation.
“I need to know your secrets, Chelsea. Think about something you’ve done, even if you don’t think it’s important. It just might be.”
In the quiet house his voice rippled outwards. It gave his words more impact and got me deep in thought. From time to time I expressed my opinion in online forums. I drank my fair share of booze on the weekends and had the odd drunken row. Maybe I’d left rude comments on Facebook and not realised I’d offended someone. “Was your brother a member of Facebook? Friends Reunited? Twitter?”
Lee shook his head then stared at me for a moment or two, stared as if he was unaware. The intense gaze creeped me out. I wondered if he was thinking about his brother,
“No. Why? Have you come up with something?”
I shook my head. “Not now you’ve said that.”
Lee sat on the sofa while I logged into my emails. The inbox popped up. The window to the mystery.
“Nothing yet,” I said.
All we could do was mark time. And chances were, it’d be a difficult wait finding out how long I had left on the countdown timer. Find out how I’m linked to Daryl, I instructed myself. I wanted to give the police something to go on. I stood in the doorway to the kitchen and asked Lee to tell me about his brother.
He took a seat on the sofa. “Daryl was a psychiatrist, very intelligent, but unfortunately quite a private guy.” He lifted his gaze to the ceiling. “A great brother though. I can’t begin to tell you how much I miss him.”
“I’m sure you do. Tell me more. What was he like?”
“Motivated. Happy. Until the last week or so.” Lee rounded forward on the sofa and rested his forearms on his knees. “My parents prefer to accept the coroner’s ruling that his death was accidental. I guess anything else is too much to bear. But they’re blind, just like those useless cops. Accident my ass! I don’t accept that explanation. Especially now.”
“So who would want to—” I gulped, struggling to get the word out. “ Kill him?”
Lee shrugged. “Beats me.”
“I don’t even know what Daryl looks like. I wouldn’t recognise him if he was standing in front of me, right now.”
Lee made a throaty sound. “Well, that’s not going to happen.”
I bit my lip. “Sorry. Thoughtless. Do you have a picture of him?”
Lee produced a small square of paper from his wallet, stood up and passed it to me.
Pinching the edge, I stared long and hard at the matchbox-sized snapshot of his brother sitting behind a dark wooden desk.
Lee leaned closer, his breath brushed against my hair. “Does he look familiar? I know it’s not a brilliant photo, but it fits in my wallet.”
“Well… no.” I shook my head. “He looks like a hundred other dark-haired guys. I’ve certainly not dated him, and he’s not a patient at our dental practice.”
“Well, something links the two of you together.”
I handed him the photo, and he slid it back in his wallet.
“It’s not the clearest of photos.” I stood still, eyes locked on Lee’s, wondering if we’d ever find a connection. The kettle bubbled and I turned away. “Why bother sending a puzzle in the email?” I muttered, walking the few strides into the kitchen to grab some mugs. “And if it’s a deadline, then why make it so difficult to understand the countdown timer? A digital clock would be easier.”
“Yes. True.”
I stirred a couple of coffees.
With fluent efficiency every ten minutes, we took turns moving the mouse to refresh the inbox page.
It proved hard to think with a woolly head. I slumped onto the sofa while Lee remained at the desk. I would have preferred to have a few teeth pulled out without anaesthetic than deal with this nightmare situation.
“I need to know your secrets, Chelsea. Think about something you’ve done, even if you don’t think it’s important. It just might be.”
In the quiet house his voice rippled outwards. It gave his words more impact and got me deep in thought. From time to time I expressed my opinion in online forums. I drank my fair share of booze on the weekends and had the odd drunken row. Maybe I’d left rude comments on Facebook and not realised I’d offended someone. “Was your brother a member of Facebook? Friends Reunited? Twitter?”
Lee shook his head then stared at me for a moment or two, stared as if he was unaware. The intense gaze creeped me out. I wondered if he was thinking about his brother,
Similar Books
