“Okay… thanks for the soda… and the phone. See you.” I slipped the burner phone into my pants pocket. It fit in there easily, unlike my smartphone that I had to lug around in my purse. That should help me keep track of it and make carrying two phones less of a hassle.
I sent them a quick wave and hurried to the door, picking up from Ramos that I shouldn’t worry too much about the cops. Manetto would protect me, no matter what happened with them.
As comforting as that sounded, I knew I walked a fine line. Sure I’d want Uncle Joey to step in and help me if I got in trouble with the law, but who would protect the cops from Uncle Joey? Did that mean I’d have to watch out for them too?
I made it to my car and slid inside. Since I didn’t want to worry about the cops and Uncle Joey, I pushed those concerns away to concentrate on my next move. I checked my watch to find that it was one-thirty in the afternoon. That meant I had plenty of time for a visit to Carolyn Brinkley, so I might as well head over there.
I didn’t know if Willow had called Carolyn about me, but I decided dropping in without a call first might be best. I knew I was taking a chance that she’d be home, but I wanted to get her raw reaction to the news that I was investigating Mack’s death. She had to know he’d been killed, but I doubted that anyone had spoken to her about it.
I programed the address into my phone and followed the directions to her house, finding it situated in one of the more expensive neighborhoods. Turning the corner onto her street, I admired the large, stately trees casting their leafy shadows along the road. Lined with identical lampposts and stone-covered mailboxes, the street could have been featured in a catalogue of celebrity homes.
Two stories tall, the homes featured a showcase of the Victorian style, with fancy, wooden doors and curving walkways. The manicured lawns and highly maintained shrubbery spoke of wealth and prosperity. I couldn’t see a weed anywhere and not a lot of people either.
I pulled to a stop in front of a large, intimidating house, checking the address one more time. Before leaving the car, I made sure my police ID badge was around my neck so I’d look official. Feeling like an outsider in this ritzy neighborhood, I walked up the steps and rang the doorbell, hearing the gong echo through the house.
I tried not to fidget, and listened for approaching footsteps. Nothing happened, and I reached to ring the bell again. As I touched it, I heard the sounds of footsteps, and jerked my hand away. The beautiful, cut-glass design in the top half of the door distorted the approaching figure, but I caught a splash of red.
As the door opened, it surprised me to find a woman in her late-twenties with shoulder-length, dark brown hair. The woman wore tan capris with a red, sleeveless shirt, and her brown eyes widened with curiosity. “Can I help you?”
“Hi.” I smiled, hoping to set her at ease. “I’m Shelby Nichols. I’m a consultant with the police, and I’m here to see Carolyn Brinkley. Is this the right house?”
“Uh… yes, but… she didn’t tell me you were coming. I’m afraid now’s not a good time. She’s resting.”
“Oh…”
“What’s this about?” The woman’s forehead wrinkled, and worry washed over her. Had her mother forgotten about this visit, or was it something she’d forgotten to tell her?
“I know it seems out of the ordinary to come here like this, but I was hoping she could help me with an investigation. You must be her daughter, Misti?”
“Yes.”
“It’s so nice to meet you. This is actually something that involves you as well. I’m here on behalf of Mack Haywood’s son. You might remember Mack from a few weeks ago. He was part of the search-and-rescue team that found your daughter.”
“Oh… yes. Of course.” She frowned, remembering that he’d been killed recently, and sadness washed over her. “Please come in.”
“Thanks.”
She ushered me into a spacious sitting room with hardwood floors and an elegant arrangement of matching furniture in mauve and dusty blue. She motioned me toward a chair, and she sat on the couch across from me.
“Did you hear about his death?”
“Yes. It was a real shock.” Sorrow lanced through her heart. “How can I help?”
“I’m just trying to gather all the recent information about him that I can find. I’m hoping it will give me more insight into his life and who might have wanted to kill him. Do you remember anything about him? I’m sure you were probably preoccupied with your missing daughter, but I know it meant a lot to him that he helped find her.”
“Yes. I think everyone was thrilled to have a happy ending. At the time, I was so frantic that I wasn’t sure what was going on. When your child goes missing like that… you always worry she won’t come back.”
Her eyes teared up. “So it was such a relief to find her, and I think everyone felt that way. I remember Mack handing her to me. I didn’t even get a good look at him, but later, he made a point of coming back to talk to Ava and me, which I really appreciated, even more so now that he’s gone.”
She swallowed, surprised that talking about him made her so emotional. “I owed him a great deal, and now… I’ll never be able to thank him properly.” She was pretty sure her mother had sent him a gift card or something, but it was hardly enough for what he’d done. “I can’t believe someone killed him.”
“Yeah. It doesn’t make a lot of sense. That’s why I’ve come today.
