sweater, bare feet, and the curling damp edges of my hair. âDid I come by too early?â
I didnât answer, just took the key. Miranda was clearly one of those unfortunate and annoying people whose timing and social skills could use some fine-tuning. I saw no sign of the stunned girl who had left my house late yesterday. Miranda looked well rested, and wore low-rise khakis and the same clogs. No backpack today.
âDaddy wanted me to give you this, too.â She handed me a folded slip of paper. âItâs just a note that says we authorize you to be in the apartment. Daddy didnât really sign it, he had me do that.â
âThanks. Ask your father to give me a call, will you?â
She smiled brightly. âSure.â
I studied her. âAnd nothingâs happened? You havenât thought of anything else you want to tell me? Youâre okay after ⦠yesterday?â
âYeah, I am really. Iâm sorry, Iââ She looked over my shoulder and I turned my head and saw Joel in the doorway.
âLena, Iâm headed out.â Joelâs voice was leaden.
âDonât you want some coffee?â
âIâll get it at the office.â
âDetective?â Miranda said.
She didnât look surprised to see Joel. My theory had been correct; Iâd been hired because of my relationship with Joel. I didnât even want to think what heâd say if he figured that out. He wouldnât hear it from me.
Miranda was twisting the end of her shirt and looking up at Joel. âSince youâre here, I mean, is there anything new on Cheryl?â
âNo, Ms. Brady. If there was, Iâd have called you.â
Miranda watched him like a crow tracks a shiny object. âWell, I guess two heads are better than one.â
I didnât have the nerve to look at Joel after that comment, and I decided to keep Miranda and Joel apart for the duration of the investigation. I also decided that I needed an office out of the house, and wondered if I could possibly afford it. On the other hand, I didnât think I could afford not to have one.
Joel nodded at her. âGood-bye, Ms. Brady. Lena.â
âStay in touch,â Miranda said.
She was not at her most charming this morning, but I recognized the tendency for someone in her positionâa position of helplessness and frustrationâto try to exercise some kind of control. Joel didnât kiss me good-bye, and I didnât blame him.
âIâm having coffee, Miranda, would you like some?â
âIâd like to stay, but Iâve got to go to work. Sorry, thatâs why Iâm here so early. Iâm already late.â
âWhere do you work?â
âMichaelâs Sporting Goods, off Man-of-War. Weâre taking inventory, and Iâm supposed to be there at seven-thirty.â
âThanks for coming by, Miranda.â
âSure. I like your backyard.â
âI do, too.â
âYou donât have to walk me to the door.â
âI donât mind,â I said. I figured it was that or let her roam the house.
C HAPTER F IVE
Cheryl Dunkirkâs apartment was on Euclid, a red brick fourplex set between bungalow houses built in the twenties and thirties. Some of the houses were residential, but most of the ones facing Euclid were offices or small shops. I knew the police had gone through everything in great detail, but I always like to see for myself.
Certainly there was more to Cheryl Dunkirk than her love life. She was an ATF intern, she had ambition, she had goals, she had opinions that were loud and clear. On the other hand, when a woman disappears or turns up dead, more often than not thereâs a sexual connotation to the crime, which is usually committed by someone in her life: a lover, a husband, an ex. Reality 101.
I parked the Miata and made my way up the stained concrete steps, wondering why Cheryl lived in Lexington and not Richmond,
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