“Start driving slowly to the end of the street so I can see which direction she’s going.”
“Okay.” I did as he instructed, pulling away from the curb and heading the opposite direction as Marco angled the rearview mirror so he could watch her without turning around.
“She turned west,” he said. “Turn right at the end of the street and we’ll follow her.”
“Okay.” I turned right at the corner, and Marco told me to keep going a couple of blocks until the road dead-ended onto a busier street.
“Turn right here,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll catch up to her soon.”
“How do you know she isn’t going the other way?” I asked as I followed his instruction.
“Because she would’ve taken a different turn out of her neighborhood if she wanted to go that way.”
I sped up a little, and I was relieved when I saw a green sedan farther ahead. “I see her.”
“Let’s hang back a bit,” Marco said. “She’s probably spooked, and we don’t want to freak her out with those babies in the car.”
“Good idea.”
We followed her for nearly a mile until she turned into a grocery store parking lot.
“She’s going grocery shopping?” I asked.
“Paul probably figures anyone who wants to talk to her will come to the house.”
“Are we going to try to talk to her at the grocery store?” I asked.
“You bet your ass we are,” Marco said with a grin.
I pulled into a parking spot, and we watched Mitzi struggle to get both kids out of the car and into the shopping cart she’d retrieved from a cart corral.
Watching her struggle irked me. “If Paul’s home, then why on earth isn’t he watching the kids so she can do her shopping?”
“You’re seriously askin’ that?” Marco asked. “You think a man like Paul is willin’ to take care of his own kids?”
“I guess you have a point.”
Marco reached for his door handle as Mitzi started to roll her cart toward the store. “Let’s go.”
I grabbed his arm. “Marco, wait. You can’t talk to her. What if she connects you to this somehow? It could put you in danger with Paul and the corrupt deputies. Besides, if he’s half as bad as he seems to be, I suspect she won’t want to talk to anyone who works in the department.”
He hesitated, thinking on it, then made a face. “Dammit.”
“I can handle it,” I said softly.
“I know you can. I just don’t like you doin’ it alone. Not with someone like Paul Conrad involved.”
“But he’s not here,” I insisted. “At least let me try.”
He drew a deep breath, then blew it out with a worried look. “Okay, but if you feel unsafe, then come straight here.”
“Okay,” I said as I reached for the recorder in my purse and checked the tape. “Dammit. I forgot the tape’s almost full, and I don’t want to record over my conversations with Emily or Thelma.”
His eyes lit up. “Hey, your phone works here, right?”
I grabbed my cell phone out of my purse. “Three bars.”
“Okay,” he said, taking the recorder, “call me and tuck your phone into your purse. If you leave it on top, with nothing over it, I should be able to listen to your conversation. I can tape the conversation on mine.”
“Oh! Good idea.” I called his number, and as soon as he answered, I put the phone in my bag.
“Let’s do this,” I said, reaching for the door handle.
“Carly,” Marco said, worry in his voice. “Be careful.”
I nodded, then headed inside, feeling like a bundle of nerves as I tried to figure out how to approach her. Once I got into the store, I saw her turn down an aisle, so I grabbed a shopping cart and headed to the aisle next to hers, which turned out to be the chips and snacks aisle. I grabbed a box of crackers and some microwave popcorn, and then feigned serious interest in the ingredients listed on a jar of almonds. I snuck glances out of the corner of my eye, watching for her to turn down my aisle. After several seconds, I set down the jar and picked up a random can, still watching.
Had she skipped this aisle? Maybe she was picking up a short list of things instead of doing her weekly shopping.
Time to go search for her.
I set the can back on the shelf and started pushing my cart to the end of the aisle when a cart with an infant car seat locked onto the front turned down the aisle.
Mitzi.
She stopped to grab two different flavors of Doritos, so I pushed my cart toward hers, my heart beating frantically against my ribs. I really hoped I didn’t blow this.
“Excuse me,” I said as I stopped next to her. “Mitzi?”
Her eyes flew wide, giving me a panicked look that suggested she was on the verge of grabbing the kids and running.
I held up my hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m Carly. Abby told you I needed to talk to you.”
Her head swiveled from side to side as though looking to see if we had any witnesses. “Why are you talkin’ to me here?”
“I came by your house yesterday and your husband didn’t want me to talk to you.”
“I shouldn’t be talkin’ to you now.” She glanced down at the little boy in her cart, who looked up at me with a curious scrutiny. Her gaze jerked up to mine. “Are you followin’ me?”
“Mitzi, I only want to ask you a few questions about Heather.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about her in front of my kids.”
“Okay,” I said in a sympathetic tone. “I understand. Can we meet somewhere else?”
“I don’t know.” She looked doubtful. “Maybe when Paul leaves for work.”
“Do you want me to come to your house?”
She shook her head with panic in her eyes. “No! The neighbors will tell him.”
I slid between the carts until I was standing on the other side of her, away from her
