“What was she doing in Carrington?”
“She has a little house on a couple of acres near the county line. Commutes into Raleigh every day.”
“Maybe that’s part of her problem. Carrington’s great, but that commute would make anyone crazy.”
“I don’t think she needs an excuse. She’s just a horrible person.” Zane let out a long sigh.
“Being a horrible person isn’t usually enough to get you shot at, although she might be the exception.” Luke had considered it a few times. “Did she get a look at her attacker? Did they catch him?”
“They did not catch him, but she insists that he’s young, Asian, and she’s seen him before.”
“Where?”
“That’s where it gets interesting.”
24
WHERE WAS LUKE?
That phone call must have been important, and he’d been gone five, no, six minutes.
She was still chatting with Mrs. Lin, but there wasn’t much more to learn. Mrs. Lin didn’t have security cameras, although she was going to have her son install them right away. Forensics hadn’t found anything unusual at her inn. The room Jesse Thomas had been found in had already been scrubbed by a crime scene recovery service, and the inn had reopened yesterday. Any evidence that might have been there was either cleaned away or muddled by dozens of fingerprints, shoe prints, and random hair and skin samples.
Luke paused in the doorway. Finally. When their eyes locked, he tapped his watch and gave her a look that told her everything was okay but something significant had happened and they needed to wrap up this interview. She didn’t know how she knew that’s what he was telling her. She just knew.
By the time Luke returned to his seat, he was the picture of ease. He didn’t interrupt Mrs. Lin as she explained that she typically had four long-term boarders, meaning they intended to be there aweek or longer. The remaining four rooms were reserved for any stay less than a week.
“In any given month, you could have anywhere from fifteen to fifty people in and out of your doors. Not to mention the dinner patrons,” Luke observed. “Do you remember them all?”
Mrs. Lin shook her head. “I’m sure I don’t. Although part of what has made me so good at what I do is that I have a knack for faces and names.”
“If we come up with a few suspects, would you be willing to look at some photographs and see if the pictures trigger any memories?”
“I’d be happy to. Anything. Mi Cha, she was special. A bright light with a bright future. She didn’t deserve to die.” Mrs. Lin shuddered.
“I understand, Mrs. Lin. I truly do.” He looked from Faith to Hope and then back to Mrs. Lin. “We appreciate your cooperation, and we don’t want to take any more of your time. I would imagine you have a full house as we speak.”
She gave him an appreciative look. “You should come. I would fix you something special.”
“Mrs. Lin, when this is all over, I will take you up on that.” Luke stood and extended a hand to Mrs. Lin. She took it and stood. Faith followed suit, and Hope led them back to the office’s entryway. The rain had finally eased to a heavy mist, but the thick clouds made the late afternoon darker than it should have been.
Luke volunteered to walk Mrs. Lin to her car. The door had barely closed behind them when Hope turned on Faith. “What was that all about? The phone call.”
“You’ll find out when I do.”
“What do you think about Jesse Thomas?” Hope rolled herneck in a slow circle, a wince crossing her features at one point. She had to be sore from her run-in with the closet shelves.
“My gut tells me this David Lee knows more about Mi Cha’s death than he’s told anyone. And Jesse Thomas may have known more too. I don’t know if David Lee is a victim or a suspect, but either way, we need to talk to him.”
She spotted Luke half sprinting, half hobbling across the parking lot, and her chest tightened. Was he safe? Would he make it inside? And would she ever stop worrying about that?
“One more thing.” Hope came closer and lowered her voice. “Is he as good a kisser as I thought he would be?”
“What?” Faith had messed up. She knew it as soon as the word left her mouth. She might as well have said, “Yes, in fact, he’s better than I imagined.”
“I knew it!” Hope crowed in delight.
“Knew what?” Luke asked as he blew into the room.
