They'd just have to go to Esther's home address in the hope she was there, or that a neighbor knew where she was.
As she climbed into the car, May's mind was racing, and she was trying to work out how to approach the woman. She was the independent one, the one who'd been able to hold a grudge for years, the one who had a terrible temper. She might have a reason for these kills that made sense in her own mind.
Or else, she might be an innocent woman but have information that would be helpful to them. Maybe the killer had wronged her at school, and she would remember the incident.
It might even be that she'd seen something without realizing it, and she’d end up being that one witness they needed to crack the case.
May's mind was a mix of possibilities, and she was struggling to work out which one to start with. She was still feeling like they were missing something else, and she was worried that this, the only lead they had now, might not pan out.
They were on their way and heading onto the main road when May's phone rang.
It was Kerry calling. With a flash of anxiety, she picked up.
"Hey, sis," she said.
Remembering that she needed to keep Owen in the loop on this and work on her communication skills, May switched the call to speaker. Whatever Kerry was going to say, she was comfortable for Owen to hear it.
"Sis, we may have a problem," Kerry said, and May's heart sped up.
"What problem?" she asked.
"There's a case that's just landed. They want me on it."
"Oh, no!" If Kerry had to jet out of Fairshore, she might not be back for weeks. And they were supposed to go back to Harriet's house as soon as May's case was wrapped up.
They were still stabbing in the dark, and this case was nowhere near being wrapped up.
"What's the timeline?" May asked.
"I'm not sure. I'm waiting to hear how soon they need me. There's some preliminary work that they can do without me for now. I have to check with my team, but I'm guessing I will have to fly out by this evening at the latest, and that it will take a day or two," Kerry said.
"A day or two?" May murmured. She took in a breath, trying to calm herself. This would work out somehow. She just felt terrible that she hadn't been able to wrap up her case in time.
"I don't want to leave you on your own going into that house again, May. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, and I'm not comfortable with you investigating that alone."
"We're on our way to a suspect," May said. "I'll let you know how it pans out."
"I'll do as much as I can on this side," Kerry said. "But you need to hustle. The sooner you can get back here, the more chance we have."
"I'll do my best."
May cut the call, feeling as if the pressure had just ramped up. The clock was ticking now. If she was going to get the chance to investigate this cold case with her sister, then they needed to find this killer—and only a couple of short hours now remained.
Everything was riding on what happened next.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
When May and Owen drove up to Esther's small apartment, on the first floor of a row of new looking buildings, May felt a flare of hope, because the house didn't look like it was all locked up. The curtains in the front room were open. Perhaps that meant Esther was home.
The house itself was in a cheap housing estate, a few blocks away from anything scenic. There was no view of a lake from here or of a woodland. In fact, May thought, it was probably one of the only houses in Tamarack County without a scenic vista to be enjoyed.
She wondered what that said about Esther as she strode up to the front door and knocked.
No answer.
"She's not home," Owen said.
May knocked again, louder, and she realized that he was right. There was no sound of footsteps on the stairs, no sound of movement at all.
