As he talked, Petzold became more agitated until the last sentence was said with particular vehemence.
“I’m not questioning your work, Doctor. I’m trying to find that investigator who’s now gone missing. To trace her movements, I need to understand what she thought she was looking for. When I ask about the questions, they asked you, that’s all I’m trying to do. I’m not in any way doubting your work. When you said she pulled strings, what do you mean?”
“The day after she first showed up and was denied access to Herr Wissler’s files, I received a call from my bosses boss, who instructed me to allow this Agent Whitaker and a woman named Grace Sharp access to the files and answer any questions. When they showed up, it was clear that Sharp was the one with the connections. She wasn’t actually interested in the case and seemed to have come along to help Agent Whitaker if we made any protests.”
“Did your boss tell you who Mrs. Sharp was?”
“No, just that we were to give her access.”
“Can you show me the files they looked at?”
“Yes, but I don’t think you’ll find anything of note. Even after they looked over all of the files in the case and asked me questions about why I made this or that conclusion, Agent Whitaker seemed frustrated. Whatever she thought had happened to Herr Wissler, she didn’t seem to find it.”
“Can I see the files they looked at?”
“Yes, I have them here,” Petzold said, handing over a folder thick with sheets of paper.
Taylor looked through the pages, finding that the information here matched everything he’d seen in the police files, at least the parts he understood. There was a fair amount of medical jargon that went beyond Taylor’s area of expertise. What was apparent, however, was that there wasn’t anything here that would shed light on what Whitaker thought had actually happened. Just that she’d been looking for some kind of proof.
Thanking Doctor Petzold, Taylor left the office. While he didn’t find out what Whitaker was looking for directly, he did at least get one new piece of information. The name Grace Sharp seemed familiar to Taylor, although he wasn’t sure exactly where he’d heard it before.
It was, however, one more lead. Sharp had been with Whitaker at the medical examiner’s office the day before her aunt’s murder, which meant Sharp might have an idea where Whitaker might have gone. Now he just had to remember where he’d heard the woman’s name and track her down.
Chapter 6
Taylor thought about the name 'Grace Sharp' all the way back to the hotel, trying to place where he’d heard it. By the time he got back, he still hadn’t placed it, but he did remember it had something to do with Whitaker. He couldn’t remember if it was a personal connection, or a work connection. Still, knowing Whitaker, their connection was almost certainly through work. Even after they got together, Whitaker always spent more time working than socializing. Taylor could only think of a handful of non-work friends, most of whom she saw only occasionally.
Assuming it was a work connection, Taylor called Joe Solomon. It took a little bit after the secretary put him on hold, but eventually, Joe answered.
“Did you find her?” Joe said as soon as he picked up the phone.
“Not yet, but I came across a lead I can’t place. Does the name Grace Sharp sound familiar to you?”
“Hold on a second,” Joe said.
Taylor could hear a keyboard in the background for a minute, meaning Joe was looking her up in one of the FBI’s databases.
“She used to be one of ours working in Intelligence. She retired a year and a half ago, and last year she registered as a consultant for the German foreign office. Our records indicate she’s living in Berlin. Do you have information that she’s connected to any of this?”
“Some. When Whitaker was looking into her uncles' death, before her aunt was murdered, Sharp helped Whitaker get access to his autopsy and accompanied her to the medical examiners' office. What did she do in Intelligence?”
“I didn’t know her personally, so I’m just going by our records, but it looks like she was in information warehousing and sharing, specifically liaising with EU nations. Her last year here, she was the point person working with the Bundespolizei, the German federal police force. That probably explains how she got the gig consulting with them after her separation.”
“Anything in her records about how she and Whitaker might be connected or a clue of how she got involved?”
“No, but it’s unlikely there would be. Whitaker was never assigned to Intelligence, but she’s worked with them before, so they could have met there. Then again, they could have met through mutual friends or a hundred other different ways. Whitaker never mentioned her to you?”
“Maybe. Her name sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. If she had mentioned her, it wasn’t often or only in passing. Otherwise, I’m sure I’d remember.”
“How’d you end up with her name?”
“I went to see the M.E. to try and backtrack Whitaker’s investigation, to see if I could work out where she’d be going next. Sharp pulled some strings to get Whitaker in the door and accompanied her when they went to look at her uncle’s records. Like I said, her name seemed familiar, but I wasn’t able to place her. Can you send me her contact information?”
“Yeah. Anything else happening?”
“We found a storage locker Whitaker rented after her aunt’s murder. I
