Her mom shrugged. “It’s the weekend, and he often goes fishing up in the mountains, as you know. Weird man loves the cold. He probably has to work on Monday and will be back then.” She leaned closer to the phone. “Tell Huck that Carl is eccentric but not dangerous and to leave him alone.”
Huck sighed. “All right. If I don’t arrest your uncle, or if I don’t get arrested myself, we need a refreshed game plan.”
“Agreed,” Laurel said. “How much trouble is Carl in right now?”
“Not much, but we do need to talk to him about that truck. Anybody could’ve gotten to it, the way it’s kept in that storage unit at the back of the cemetery, and not just cemetery workers. Everyone knows about the truck, and anybody could’ve borrowed it at any time. The problem is that we can’t find it right now, and we also can’t find Carl.” Huck sounded exhausted; he coughed briefly.
Laurel winced. “I hope you’re not getting the flu. It’s really going around.”
“I don’t get sick,” he said, sounding like any arrogant man who’d cut off his hand before going to the doctor.
Laurel shook her head. “How did your interview go?”
“Fine. It’s just so the department can cover its butt. Monty doesn’t think I killed anybody.” Huck snorted. “We’ll see what the lab says tomorrow. If the fur found in the newest victim’s throat was Aeneas’s, then I’m toast. But that’s impossible, so I’m not worrying about it right now.”
Laurel’s head ached again. She was missing something but couldn’t quite grasp it. “Have a good night, Huck.”
“You, too. I’m going to the office tomorrow morning. Want to meet up and run through the case? There’s a clue there we just haven’t seen.”
“Sure.” There was definitely something just out of sight. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Laurel hung up.
What was she missing?
Chapter Thirty-Eight
It was time for the blond bird to fly.
Or really, to see her new nest.
The chilly air made breathing more difficult than usual. Was there anybody around? No sounds came from the surrounding vicinity. Not even a dog barked.
It had snowed for a couple of hours earlier but now it was just freezing cold.
The knife went smoothly through the screen, which easily tore away from the house. One would think a woman living without a man in her home would have better security—but perhaps she instinctively knew what fate held for her. Maybe she wanted this.
Some things were just destined.
It was easy to use the blade to scrape beneath the thickly painted window and pull it up about an inch so he could slip his fingers inside to open it. The damn thing creaked when lifted, although it was simple to slide inside the basement laundry room. Clothes hung neatly on a rod near an old washer and dryer, and a rug covered the rough cement. Upon a closer look, the shape of a laundry basket stitched into the rug took form.
Cute.
The stairs creaked on the way up, but since it was well after two in the morning, the bird should be asleep. If she got a chance to call for the authorities, everything would go wrong.
The game was going too strong to lose now.
It was surprising how much more enjoyable this hobby was now that Laurel was involved. She could probably create dreams in the dreamless and hope in the hopeless. She’d be able to fight in a way the others couldn’t. She was smarter and trained as an agent, and she’d look spectacular as a blonde.
This bird’s bedroom was on the second floor, so it was doubtful she’d be able to hear the steps creaking in the basement, as long as she was asleep. Her bedroom light had been extinguished several hours ago, so she should be in dreamland right now.
Did she dream about her fate? It’d be nice to be dreamt about. They both had a destiny to fulfill.
The kitchen was clean though the appliances were not new; the woman had left a light on above the sink. One of those silly habits people had, just in case they needed water in the middle of the night. Actually, the light made a woman alone even more vulnerable.
The staircase leading up had a painted white railing and a runner down the middle, which nicely masked all sound.
Her bedroom was the farthest one down the hall, toward the front of the home. Her breathing was even and deep with a slight snore at the end.
How adorable.
