liens that had been put against the man’s house for non-payment of property tax. Landes always redeemed the lien long before he lost the property, but obviously he’d had some troubled years.
The property records couldn’t tell Lars much else, except that an heir had been listed when Landes died who could have claimed the parcel but never did. There might be any number of reasons for that.
Lars’s next foray was into the birth and death records.
Chapter 9
The detective directed Alex around the main desk and through the obstacle course the lobby had become. He took her to a quiet back-room office. His desk was part of a group of four that all faced one another. Every patch of space was covered with more boxes.
With a quick apology, he moved two boxes from a sliding chair, stacking them atop four more against the wall, and ushered her into the seat. He then took the one vacant chair behind the desk.
When he turned, looking for something amidst the clutter of his desk, Alex nudged one of the many folders aside so she could see his nameplate. Cody Oliver. Grateful she wouldn’t have to ask, she waited patiently for him to get to her.
“So.” He finally turned his navy-blue eyes on her. “You passed through here and filed a report a few years ago?”
“Four years ago, yes.”
“And you say I’m the one you talked to?”
“Yes. You still don’t remember me?”
He smiled apologetically. “Afraid not. I just saw you out there and knew I’d seen you before. Do you remember the date the report was filed on?”
“March sixteenth.”
His eyebrows went up. “You seem quite certain of that.”
Alex nodded. “It was a red-letter day for me. There was a specific reason I was passing through your town that day.”
When she didn’t elaborate, he smiled. “Is the reason important to the case? Was it part of the report you filed?”
She shook her head. “No, just a family thing, but I do remember the date very specifically.”
He seemed to accept that. “Well, that will make it easy to pull the report. Can you tell me in a nutshell what happened?”
Alex leaned forward, making sure to look him straight in the eye. She needed him to believe what she was saying and feel the urgency she felt about it.
“I was pulled over out on the highway. The officer acted weird. It wasn’t anything concrete, just a strong feeling I had that something sinister was going on.”
“Did you feel threatened?”
“Yes, very much so. I kept thinking he would try to . . . do something to me. He never did, but I definitely felt afraid.”
He remained silent, face unreadable, and Alex remembered all too well what his objections had been four years ago.
“I’m sorry,” she found herself needing to explain, “I know it was just a gut feeling, but I really felt like—”
He held up his hands to stop her. “Please, there’s no need to explain, and no need to apologize for a feeling. I believe you.”
Alex sat back in her seat, taken by surprise at the completely opposite reaction from what he’d given last time. The scar was not the only thing the years had changed about him.
“All right.” He stood. “Why don’t you sit tight, and I’ll go try and pull that report?” He gave her a sheepish grin. “You’ll have to excuse our computer system. It’s pretty ancient, and I can’t access reports that are more than twelve months old from this computer.”
Alex nodded, and Detective Oliver gathered up what seemed to her were random papers, before heading out the door. Then he stuck his head back in.
“You want something to drink? Soda?”
Alex’s throat was parched raw from the heat outside. “Do you have bottled water?”
“Sure, coming right up.” He gave her a toothy grin.
While waiting for him to come back, Alex thought about where she’d stay for the night. She probably should have gotten a hotel room before coming here, but she’d been too anxious to talk to someone.
Suddenly it occurred to her
The property records couldn’t tell Lars much else, except that an heir had been listed when Landes died who could have claimed the parcel but never did. There might be any number of reasons for that.
Lars’s next foray was into the birth and death records.
Chapter 9
The detective directed Alex around the main desk and through the obstacle course the lobby had become. He took her to a quiet back-room office. His desk was part of a group of four that all faced one another. Every patch of space was covered with more boxes.
With a quick apology, he moved two boxes from a sliding chair, stacking them atop four more against the wall, and ushered her into the seat. He then took the one vacant chair behind the desk.
When he turned, looking for something amidst the clutter of his desk, Alex nudged one of the many folders aside so she could see his nameplate. Cody Oliver. Grateful she wouldn’t have to ask, she waited patiently for him to get to her.
“So.” He finally turned his navy-blue eyes on her. “You passed through here and filed a report a few years ago?”
“Four years ago, yes.”
“And you say I’m the one you talked to?”
“Yes. You still don’t remember me?”
He smiled apologetically. “Afraid not. I just saw you out there and knew I’d seen you before. Do you remember the date the report was filed on?”
“March sixteenth.”
His eyebrows went up. “You seem quite certain of that.”
Alex nodded. “It was a red-letter day for me. There was a specific reason I was passing through your town that day.”
When she didn’t elaborate, he smiled. “Is the reason important to the case? Was it part of the report you filed?”
She shook her head. “No, just a family thing, but I do remember the date very specifically.”
He seemed to accept that. “Well, that will make it easy to pull the report. Can you tell me in a nutshell what happened?”
Alex leaned forward, making sure to look him straight in the eye. She needed him to believe what she was saying and feel the urgency she felt about it.
“I was pulled over out on the highway. The officer acted weird. It wasn’t anything concrete, just a strong feeling I had that something sinister was going on.”
“Did you feel threatened?”
“Yes, very much so. I kept thinking he would try to . . . do something to me. He never did, but I definitely felt afraid.”
He remained silent, face unreadable, and Alex remembered all too well what his objections had been four years ago.
“I’m sorry,” she found herself needing to explain, “I know it was just a gut feeling, but I really felt like—”
He held up his hands to stop her. “Please, there’s no need to explain, and no need to apologize for a feeling. I believe you.”
Alex sat back in her seat, taken by surprise at the completely opposite reaction from what he’d given last time. The scar was not the only thing the years had changed about him.
“All right.” He stood. “Why don’t you sit tight, and I’ll go try and pull that report?” He gave her a sheepish grin. “You’ll have to excuse our computer system. It’s pretty ancient, and I can’t access reports that are more than twelve months old from this computer.”
Alex nodded, and Detective Oliver gathered up what seemed to her were random papers, before heading out the door. Then he stuck his head back in.
“You want something to drink? Soda?”
Alex’s throat was parched raw from the heat outside. “Do you have bottled water?”
“Sure, coming right up.” He gave her a toothy grin.
While waiting for him to come back, Alex thought about where she’d stay for the night. She probably should have gotten a hotel room before coming here, but she’d been too anxious to talk to someone.
Suddenly it occurred to her
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