I let out a mirthless laugh. “Too late for that,” I tell him. “Izzy already knows I’ve been keeping secrets from him regarding this case and he’s contemplating firing me.”
Hurley leans his head back against the headrest and sighs. “I’m sorry, Mattie. I never should have dragged you into this. I didn’t know who else to turn to.”
“It’s okay. You didn’t force me into it; I did it willingly. I knew what the consequences were.”
“How did Izzy find out?”
“I got a bit profusive defending you during the search of your house and revealed some knowledge I shouldn’t have had. Izzy picked up on it right away.”
“He’s a very smart man.”
“Yes, he is. So, what’s this plan of yours?”
Hurley sits up and leans forward, staring out the front windshield at the surrounding lot. “We’re about half an hour from home now, so I’m going to turn around and head back.”
“Back to Sorenson?” I ask with a have-you-lost-your-mind tone.
“Well, back
“It’s a start, but what are we going to do once we get to this cabin of yours?”
“I don’t know,” he says with a shrug. “I guess we lie low and wait for whoever’s behind this to make their next move.”
Chapter 35
Sometime later we’re headed toward Milwaukee on back highways and Hurley gives me the go-ahead. I turn the cell phone on and start to dial Izzy’s number when it hits me that I don’t know what it is. The number was plugged into my phone’s memory by Izzy himself and all I ever had to do to call him was hit two buttons.
“You don’t happen to know Izzy’s number, do you?” I ask Hurley.
“Not from memory,” he says. “Don’t you know it?”
“Nope. It was programmed into my phone as one of my speed numbers so I’ve never had to dial it.”
Hurley thinks a minute and then says, “I suppose we could call information.”
“It won’t help. Izzy’s cell phone is an unlisted number.”
“Wait, didn’t you say Izzy wanted you to meet him at the office when he called? Do you know that number?”
I shake my head. “I do, but I doubt he’s still there. Even if he is, he doesn’t usually answer the main office phone. He lets it flip over to voice mail.”
Hurley white-knuckles the steering wheel and scowls. Then his face lights up. “You said the throwaway phone was in your purse, right?”
“Yes.”
“That number we have. Call it.”
“But if it’s in my purse—” I see where he’s going then and smile. “Ah, very smart, Hurley. You’re thinking they might have found my car by now.”
He nods. “Izzy knew you were at the gym when you were attacked, right?”
“Yes, I think so. I thought it was Richmond calling and since he was supposed to meet me there, I started cursing him as soon as I answered. Richmond should remember our gym appointment and figure out that that’s where I was. Plus I left a message on Richmond’s cell phone.”
“And judging from the way things will look when they find your car, I’m sure they’ll be treating it as a crime scene. They’ll have your purse with that throwaway cell in it, and when it rings, they’ll answer it.”
“Yeah, but
“Doesn’t matter,” Hurley says. “Just insist on talking to Izzy.”
“Assuming he’s there. What if he isn’t?”
“I consider myself a pretty good judge of character and I’m willing to bet Izzy will be there.”
I pull up the number of my cell—the only one stored in Hurley’s phone—and dial it. It rings several times on the other end and just when I’m about to tell Hurley no one is answering, someone does.
“Hello?” I recognize the voice as Bob Richmond’s.
“Bob? It’s Mattie Winston.”
“Mattie! Where the hell are you? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, but things got a bit dicey earlier. Are you at the gym?”
“I am. I’m by your car. What the hell happened?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Give me the abbreviated version.”
“Someone tried to kidnap me.”
“Kidnap you? Who?”
“I don’t know who it was. I take it you didn’t find anyone with my car?”
“No, all we found was your purse lying on the ground, along with your keys and your broken cell phone. What’s with this other phone? Where are you?”
“I’m okay.”
“That’s not what I asked. You need to come back here.”
“That’s not going to happen, Bob, at least not yet. Is Izzy with you by any chance?”
“He is.”
“Can I talk to him please?”
I hear Richmond mutter a curse and then some muffled sounds that make me suspect he has his hand over the phone so he can talk without me hearing him. A moment later, Izzy comes on the line.
“Mattie, what the hell is going on? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Izzy. I had a white knight ride in at the last minute to save me.” I see Hurley shoot me an amused look.
There’s a moment of silence on the phone and then Izzy says, “Hold on a sec.”
I wait, wondering what he’s doing. Is he helping Richmond trace the call?
“Okay,” Izzy says finally. “I wanted to step away from everyone else so I can talk to you without being overheard. Are you with Hurley?”
I hesitate, knowing the answer might seal my fate with regard to my job. “I am,” I admit. “But he didn’t do these killings, Izzy. There’s someone else involved and that someone tried to kidnap me. Hurley said the guy has been following me the past couple of days. He thinks they did it to get to him, to try to flush him out.”
“Why would they think that would work?”
“Because I’m the closest thing to family Hurley has.”
There is another pause and I hear Izzy sigh on the other end. “Okay,” he says finally. “I’m not totally convinced Hurley isn’t involved, but I did find something that points toward someone else being Callie Dunkirk’s killer.”
“What?”
“Well, when I looked at the X-rays again, I realized that the angle of the knife ran from left to right and more or less straight in, perpendicular to the body. So did the track for the other wound. That suggests both a left-handed killer and someone who is close to the victim in height, which is around five-foot-six. And if I remember correctly, Hurley is right-handed and about six-foot-four.”
“Yes, he is. That’s great news, Izzy.” The excited tone in my voice makes Hurley look over at me with a questioning expression. “Did you share that information with Richmond?”
