“If you did, he could figure it out, I’msure,” Tessa insisted. “Besides everything else, he’s often fixedmy computer when I didn’t know what I was doing and made itcrash.”
“Crash?” Holmes asked.
“That’s a term for when the machine suddenlystops working and you haven’t a clue why.” I shrugged. ”Computerscan be very temperamental.”
Tessa chimed in again. “But Doc Watson wouldbe able to figure out the password, if it had one. Why don’t wecall him anyway?”
By that time, I’d already pressed a lot oficons on the screen, but hadn’t found the name of the phone’s owneror anything useful. I glanced at my watch. “It’s almost eleven. Wecan’t call him now.”
“Of course we can. He won’t be in bed yet,and I have his number on my speed dial.” Tessa pulled out her owncell phone and pressed the number before I could stop her.
She moved closer and let us hear her side ofthe conversation. “Doc, it’s Tessa. Can you come over right away?We need your expertise.” Pause. “No, my granddaughter’s apartment.”Pause. “Thank you.”
While we waited the few minutes for Watson toarrive, I explained more about him to Holmes. “He is notyour Doctor Watson. He’s a young man and never went tomedical school or served with the British army in Afghanistan.”Which reminded me that I actually knew a young man who’d been withthe U.S. Army in a more recent war in Afghanistan. But, again, Idigress.
Holmes sighed and crossed his arms over hischest, as if thinking of ways to dispute my words.
Still trying to get information, I clicked“Contacts” on the killer’s cell phone and scrolled through a bunchof names.
Watson opened the downstairs door and boundedup the stairs. He greeted Tessa with a kiss on the cheek, thenturned a smiling face to me. “What’s up?”
I gestured toward the sofa. ”Do you know myguest?”
He looked around. “What guest?”
So much for my wondering if Doc might be ableto see Holmes. “Never mind.” I pointed him to a chair at the table,sat in the opposite chair and handed him the second cell phone. “Doyou know how to get someone’s name from his phone?”
“You mean am I a good hacker?”
“You don’t have to break in. I’ve alreadyopened it. I have an important reason for needing some informationin this one.”
He shrugged and took it from me. “So what isit you want to know?” He turned it over in his hands, and then Ithought I heard it ring.
Yet Doc didn’t put the phone up to his ear ordo anything to it. Instead, he stood, pulled his own cell from hisbelt and answered that. “Watson here. What’s your problem?”
Naturally, I didn’t hear the other end of theconversation, but it appeared he took a maintenance call from oneof his clients.
“Be right there,” he said next, and beelinedfor the door. “I’ll let you know if I won’t be back soon.”
As he swung past Tessa, she grabbed hisjacket sleeve. “Who is it? Anyone I know? What’s wrong?”
Watson stopped at the doorway. “Mrs. Foster.She has a flood in her kitchen. Water everywhere.” Then he poundeddown the stairs.
I hurried over to Tessa. “Do you know Mrs.Foster?”
“She lives in the last house on this block,the one with the pink front door.”
Holmes hadn’t moved a muscle and I turnedback to him and explained. “It looks like we won’t get any helptonight.”
His mouth turned up in a wicked smile.“Perhaps. But I suggest you try to retrieve the murderer’s device.Your Doc Watson has run off with it.”
Once again, Holmes had been more observantthan I. It took me a few seconds to realize Watson had apparentlyclipped his own phone on his belt again, but forgot he held the oneI’d handed him. I gave the table a quick glance, but it wasn’tthere.
“Oh my gosh, I’ll have to follow him. I can’tlet that phone out of my sight.”
I grabbed my poncho off its peg and raceddown the steps, calling, “Watson, wait!” But he’d already fled downthe stairs and out the door. I threw my poncho over my shouldersand stepped onto the front porch. Watson sprinted down the sidewalkto my left, and I called to him again, but he didn’t answer.
I groaned. Since Tessa had told me whereWatson was headed, I decided I needn’t run and merely walked at afast pace. I caught up to him at Mrs. Foster’s building. Apparentlyhe waited for someone to answer his ring and press the button tounlock the front door.
“The phone,” I said. “You walked off with thecell phone I wanted you to look at.”
He glanced at his hand. “You’re right.Sorry.” He stared at the screen. “Try ‘Home.’ Lots of people puttheir land line phone number in there. Worth a try.” He gave itback to me just as I heard a click on the door latch and he couldgo inside Mrs. Foster’s building. “See you later.”
“Right.” I turned around to retrace my steps.Walking slowly, I did as Watson had suggested and, sure enough, aphone number appeared opposite the word ‘Home.’
I’d gone about halfway back when I had aneerie feeling someone walked behind me. I’d been too busy findingmy way to the land-line telephone number I wanted and failed to payattention to my surroundings. I whirled around, but my followermust have ducked behind a tree. Cold chills crawled up my spine.Should I continue on my way home—where only Tessa and anot-available Holmes awaited—or go back to the pink-door housewhere I’d find Watson? But only if Mrs. Foster buzzed me in.
I didn’t do either. Suddenly I felt somethinghard dig into my back.
“I have a gun,” a male voice informed me.“Don’t turn around and I won’t hurt you.”
Chapter 6
“Who are you?” I didn’t look behind me, butmy legs had turned to jelly.
“I just want what belongs to me. I want mybackpack.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”Ever since childhood, I’d denied knowing anything I was asked aboutin case I were the guilty party. Which was probable in myoverly-curious youth.
“I know you have my cell phone and I’d leftit in my backpack, so that means you have it, too.”
Smart man, but I don’t give in easily. “Whatmakes you so sure I have your
