don’t know how he got over the fence, but he did. And now…oh, Joe, it probably wasn’t him in the parking lot, but I’ve made this thing a hundred times worse by bringing up his name again.”
Tears glistened in her eyes. Joe reached behind him and pulled a tissue from the box on his desk.
“Thanks.” She swabbed her eyes and smiled ruefully. “All of which is a prelude to telling you I want to hire you.”
He sat still for a moment, clicking through everything she had told him. Could he do anything to help her? If she had imagined the murder, digging into it would do nothing but worsen her relationship with her neighbors. But if it was real…
“Have you gotten any more anonymous phone calls?” he asked.
“Yes. Well, a few after I left here, but none since Wednesday. And he’s madder now. That probably wasn’t him making the calls, either.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“You wouldn’t?” She blinked and touched the tissue to her eyes again.
Joe got up and went to his chair behind the desk. He sat and linked his hands behind the back of his neck. “Let’s say he really did kill a woman ten days ago.”
She nodded, eyeing him cautiously.
“Okay, so he bugs you a little. Calls your phone and hangs up. Why?”
“To annoy me?”
“Sure. To scare you and make you wonder if he knows what you’re up to.”
Her eyes widened. “You think he’s keeping track of me?”
“Maybe. He’s got to be feeling guilty, and he knows you’re the only one who can accuse him.”
“He walked past my house the other day,” she said. “I was just coming in from walking Mason.”
“Did he say anything?”
She inhaled deeply and looked away. “I was scared when I saw him. I…I told him to leave me alone. He said, ‘No, you leave me alone.’”
“Did you tell the police that?”
“No. He may have, though. I felt as though he was…making a statement.”
“A threat?”
“It wasn’t that well defined.”
“I agree.” Joe sat forward. “Has anything else happened?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You said the police checked to make sure his wife was all right?” he asked.
“They say she is.”
“You haven’t seen her lately?”
“No.”
“So you’re not sure it’s the same woman?”
Petra stared at him. “Well…yeah…I guess.”
“I can check into it if you want.”
“You don’t think they did that when I told them her husband killed a woman?”
“I would hope they did. At least compared her to photos. Checking her fingerprints would be better.”
“But they don’t believe there was a murder,” Petra reminded him.
“Right. So they probably didn’t do that.” He pursed his lips, thinking. “Well, let’s say the man you saw in the parking lot at the hospital was Rex.”
“The police said he was at home.”
“Would he have had time to get home and crawl into bed?”
“Maybe.” Her brow wrinkled as she thought about it. “It was at least half an hour before I got home afterward, and Officer Stenwick had talked to him, then went over to my house.”
“All right, so just for a minute, say it was him.”
“But…” She pressed her lips together.
“What are you thinking?” Joe asked.
“It was the late shift. I usually get off earlier, but I had to work a double that night. He couldn’t have known that.”
“Couldn’t? Or probably wouldn’t?”
She watched him but didn’t answer.
“How sure are you that it was him?” Joe asked.
“In the parking lot?” She shook her head. “Not sure at all. I mean, it looked like him, but I was so scared…and when I turned around and saw the knife in his hand, I didn’t stop to try to get a better look at his face.”
“Understandable.”
“So you think it was random? There have been purse snatchings and muggings around there lately. Rex wouldn’t be doing that.”
“But a killer might use that as camouflage if he wanted to shut up someone who worked there.”
She didn’t move a muscle for a
Tears glistened in her eyes. Joe reached behind him and pulled a tissue from the box on his desk.
“Thanks.” She swabbed her eyes and smiled ruefully. “All of which is a prelude to telling you I want to hire you.”
He sat still for a moment, clicking through everything she had told him. Could he do anything to help her? If she had imagined the murder, digging into it would do nothing but worsen her relationship with her neighbors. But if it was real…
“Have you gotten any more anonymous phone calls?” he asked.
“Yes. Well, a few after I left here, but none since Wednesday. And he’s madder now. That probably wasn’t him making the calls, either.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“You wouldn’t?” She blinked and touched the tissue to her eyes again.
Joe got up and went to his chair behind the desk. He sat and linked his hands behind the back of his neck. “Let’s say he really did kill a woman ten days ago.”
She nodded, eyeing him cautiously.
“Okay, so he bugs you a little. Calls your phone and hangs up. Why?”
“To annoy me?”
“Sure. To scare you and make you wonder if he knows what you’re up to.”
Her eyes widened. “You think he’s keeping track of me?”
“Maybe. He’s got to be feeling guilty, and he knows you’re the only one who can accuse him.”
“He walked past my house the other day,” she said. “I was just coming in from walking Mason.”
“Did he say anything?”
She inhaled deeply and looked away. “I was scared when I saw him. I…I told him to leave me alone. He said, ‘No, you leave me alone.’”
“Did you tell the police that?”
“No. He may have, though. I felt as though he was…making a statement.”
“A threat?”
“It wasn’t that well defined.”
“I agree.” Joe sat forward. “Has anything else happened?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You said the police checked to make sure his wife was all right?” he asked.
“They say she is.”
“You haven’t seen her lately?”
“No.”
“So you’re not sure it’s the same woman?”
Petra stared at him. “Well…yeah…I guess.”
“I can check into it if you want.”
“You don’t think they did that when I told them her husband killed a woman?”
“I would hope they did. At least compared her to photos. Checking her fingerprints would be better.”
“But they don’t believe there was a murder,” Petra reminded him.
“Right. So they probably didn’t do that.” He pursed his lips, thinking. “Well, let’s say the man you saw in the parking lot at the hospital was Rex.”
“The police said he was at home.”
“Would he have had time to get home and crawl into bed?”
“Maybe.” Her brow wrinkled as she thought about it. “It was at least half an hour before I got home afterward, and Officer Stenwick had talked to him, then went over to my house.”
“All right, so just for a minute, say it was him.”
“But…” She pressed her lips together.
“What are you thinking?” Joe asked.
“It was the late shift. I usually get off earlier, but I had to work a double that night. He couldn’t have known that.”
“Couldn’t? Or probably wouldn’t?”
She watched him but didn’t answer.
“How sure are you that it was him?” Joe asked.
“In the parking lot?” She shook her head. “Not sure at all. I mean, it looked like him, but I was so scared…and when I turned around and saw the knife in his hand, I didn’t stop to try to get a better look at his face.”
“Understandable.”
“So you think it was random? There have been purse snatchings and muggings around there lately. Rex wouldn’t be doing that.”
“But a killer might use that as camouflage if he wanted to shut up someone who worked there.”
She didn’t move a muscle for a
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