Read Online A Flicker of Doubt (Book 4 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) by Tim Myers - Free Book Online

enough to matter.
I saw you had company so I waited until she was gone. Are you ready
to do some more digging?”
    The calm ease I’d felt with Erin drained
quickly away, but I knew I owed it to Becka to find out what had
really happened to her. “I’m ready.”
    We walked in the apartment and I picked up
the
    coffee mugs Erin and I had used for our
cocoa. “Do you want anything?” I asked.
    “ No, I’m good. Listen, I’m
sorry to do this to you. I know you’ve had the mother of all bad
days, but our only chance here is to jump on this before the trail
gets too cold.”
    “ I agree,” I said. “So
what’s in the box?”
    He put the folder to one side and brought
out a woman’s handbag. I recognized it as Becka’s. “Where did you
find that?”
    “ It was in the water a
thousand yards downstream from the overlook. I got soaked getting
it, but it was worth it.”
    He opened it and pulled out an envelope.
“Look at that”
    It was addressed to Becka. Despite the water
damage, I could read enough of the return address to see that it
was from Washington, D.C., but the name of the agency had been torn
off the corner. I opened the envelope, not sure what I was hoping
to find, but it was empty. Then I flipped it over and saw a brief
note scrawled in Becka’s handwriting. The last few words were
smudged and the first part was obscured by a smear of mud. All I
could make out for sure was the single word “land.” As a clue, it
wasn’t much use. If she’d used a pen I might still be able to read
it, but the pencil lead had been blurred almost beyond recognition
during its submersion. “Sony, there’s not enough here to do us much
good.”
    I had a thought and said, “Wait a second,
I’ll be right back.” I retrieved the photo fragment I’d found on
her dresser mirror and handed it to him as I said, “Maybe they’re
connected in some way. Could she have been asking someone about
this barrel? But how do we find out what they said?”
    Markum studied the photo, then said, “The
postmark on the envelope is two weeks before the date on the back
of the picture.”
    I felt deflated. “So they’re not
related.”
    “ Maybe, maybe not. Can I
have this? I’ve got a guy who does me favors on occasion, and he
might be able to give us something more than we’re seeing
here.”
    “ Sure, be my guest.” I took
a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “This isn’t going to be
easy, is it?”
    Markum said, “Patience, Harrison. We have to
gather as many pieces of the puzzle as we can before we can figure
out what really happened to her.”
    I leaned forward and snagged the purse. It
had a mildewed smell to it and I could feel some kind of slime on
it Becka was fastidious about her appearance—the state of her
apartment notwithstanding—and I knew it would have infuriated her
to see her purse like that. Instead of getting sadder, it only
fueled my anger. Somebody was going to pay for what they’d done to
her.
    I started going through her purse with new
determination. There was a grocery list there, her checkbook, half
a dozen makeup items and an odd assortment of things that collect
in the bottom of some women’s purses. I found another telephone
number—this one written in permanent ink on the back of a deposit
slip—so I dialed it and was startled to hear Greg Runion
answer.
    I hung up the telephone, and Markum asked,
“What was that all about?”
    “ I found a phone number in
Becka’s purse, so I dialed it. It was Runion.”
    “ The developer? Why would
Becka have his number in her purse?”
    I scratched my head, then laid the paper
aside. “I’m not sure, but it’s something we need to look into.” I
studied the contents of her purse for a few more minutes, then
asked, “So what’s missing here?”
    “ I don’t know, I was hoping
you would.”
    “ Her car keys aren’t here.
Did you see her car anywhere near the overlook? She didn’t walk,
that’s for sure; it’s too far from