Read Online Lost Lives (Emily Swanson Mystery Thriller Series Book 1) by Malcolm Richards - Free Book Online Page B

back towards him.
    More and more, however, Emily found herself distracted by thoughts of Alina Engel. Another week had passed and she was still missing. Another week and still no one was looking for her. It was the latter thought that had propelled Emily to invite Jerome up to her apartment that evening.
    “Leftovers courtesy of Il Cuore,” he said, throwing his coat over the back of a chair and handing her a paper bag filled with butterscotch cookies. “So what’s up?”
    “It’s Alina,” Emily said, looking away as she tried to find the right words. “I’ve decided to try and find her.”
    Jerome blinked. “You mean like Nancy Drew style?”
    “I can’t stop thinking about her. She could be dead somewhere.”
    “Or sat on a beach, giving the finger to Karl Henry and our charming British weather.”
    “I’m serious. Anything could have happened to her, and knowing what we know, I can’t just sit around and do nothing.”
    “And what exactly does your decision have to do with me?”
    “I want you to help me find her.”
    Jerome was quiet, staring at the floor.
    “This could be an opportunity do some good,” Emily said. “A chance to make up for past mistakes.”
    Jerome flinched at the sting of Emily’s words.
    “And what past mistakes have you made?” he asked, folding his arms.
    The question threw her off-balance.
    “A woman’s life could be at stake,” she said.
    “Or not.”
    “And that’s exactly why we need to find out. Will you help me?”
    She watched Jerome, searching his expression, trying to read his thoughts.
    “I’m not doing anything illegal,” he said. “Unless it involves fun.”
    ***
    “Alina Engel was forty-three years old, German, and married to Karl Henry.”
    They had just finished eating and were now sat at the table, Jerome sipping on a beer while Emily clutched an orange juice.
    “First question. Where exactly in Germany was she from?”
    Emily shrugged.
    “We need to find out.” Jerome grabbed paper and pen and began jotting down notes. “If we know where she came from then we can locate her family and hopefully discover that she has indeed returned to the nest. Mystery solved, we all sleep well at night.”
    “How do we go about doing that?” Emily peered over his shoulder as he dropped the pen and reached for her laptop. Jerome clicked onto Google’s search engine and typed, How do I find someone in Germany ? Seconds later, they were staring at the homepage of Das Telefonbuch , the national German phone directory.
    “How’s your German?” Jerome asked.
    “I took French.”
    “Well, lucky for you I can order pizza and beer in five different languages, including Deutsch.”
    Typing Engel into a box titled Wer/Was , he then clicked on Finden .
    “We’re going to need more than just her surname.” Jerome said, chewing on his lower lip. “There are over three thousand Engels listed commercially and over eleven thousand privately.”
    Emily tapped the screen. “Put in her whole name.”
    Jerome’s fingers moved like liquid across the keyboard. “Two commercial, fifty-three private. But would any of them be her? She was living here for ... actually I don’t know for how long. But she wouldn’t have been back in Germany long enough for her name to be registered in the directory.”
    “We don’t know that for sure,” Emily said, bookmarking the search results. “It’s a starting place at least.”
    She picked up her glass and took a sip.
    “No beer for you, mein Fräulein ?” Jerome watched her with a curious eye. “In fact, it’s been no beer for you all week. How come?”
    Emily hesitated, remembering his words in the café. She could say she wasn’t in the mood, or she could tell him the truth. Seeing that she was wavering, Jerome shrugged and returned to the site.
    “I’m not supposed to drink alcohol,” Emily said. “It doesn’t react so well with the meds.”
    Jerome looked up. “Antidepressants?”
    Emily nodded, feeling ashamed,