‘Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, I can’t talk about it now. So I’d appreciate it if you could just trust me on this one.’
‘I always trust you, McCabe. Always have.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Anyway, back to your doctor. Going out of Chapel Hill, he would have flown out of Raleigh-Durham,’ said Hennings. ‘Going to Portland, he’d probably take United. Maybe US Air. Most likely changed planes in D.C. What are your dates?’
‘December 2004 and April this year. Last trip would have had him here sometime last week. No firm travel dates. We’ll need to check a range.’
‘You don’t want to make a formal request to the airlines?’
‘Not if you can get the information quicker. I don’t have a lot of time on this one.’ He didn’t tell Hennings there was another life at stake.
‘Okay, I’m fairly well connected with senior people at both United and US Air. I should be able to check it pretty quick.’
‘Thanks, Dave. That’s what I hoped you’d say.’
As soon as he hung up, McCabe called Melody Bollinger at the Miami Herald. He reached the city editor. ‘Sorry, Detective, Mel doesn’t work here anymore. Anything I can do for you?’
‘No thanks. You know where I can reach her?’
‘She’s moved to New York. Got an offer from the Daily News a couple of years ago.’
McCabe thanked him. He didn’t need to look up the number for the News.
‘Melody Bollinger speaking.’ Melody’s voice didn’t live up to her name.
‘Ms. Bollinger? This is Detective Sergeant Michael McCabe. Portland, Maine, Police Department.’
‘Portland? Maine? McCabe?’ He might just as well have said he was the chief cop in Siberia. ‘McCabe? Oh yeah. You’re the lead on the murder of that teenaged kid. What’s her name?’
‘Dubois. Katie Dubois.’
‘That’s right. What can I do for you, Detective?’
‘Ms. Bollinger –’
‘Call me Mel.’
‘Mel, then. In Miami, you covered the murder of Lucas Kane in March of 2001.’
‘Yeah, I worked on that. What’s it have to do with you? Or Maine?’ She sounded curious.
‘Listen, can we meet? I’d like to talk to you about Kane’s murder.’
‘Why don’t you just call the cops in Miami Beach?’
‘I spoke to Detective Sessions already. I thought you might be able to provide a little more insight. Shouldn’t take long.’ There was a pause at her end. ‘I might also have something you may be interested in.’
‘Might and may? Goodness, Detective, you certainly know how to whet a girl’s appetite. Why don’t you just tell me on the phone what it might be that you may have? Then I might, or may, bite. I assume it’s about Dubois.’
‘As I said, I’d rather discuss it in person.’ He was sure he’d learn more from Bollinger if they spoke face-to-face.
‘Well, that could be a bit of a problem, Detective, since I’m in New York and you’re in Maine. I’m not flying up to Maine without something a little more substantive than mays and mights.’
‘I’m prepared to come to New York. There’s a US Air flight that leaves here at seven tomorrow morning. Can you meet me at LaGuardia around eight thirty?’
McCabe thought for a minute she might turn him down, but her reporter’s instincts were too strong. ‘Okay, what’s the flight number?’
He told her.
‘I’ll meet you at the baggage area,’ she said. ‘I’m blond, five foot three, and my friends describe me as zaftig.’
‘How do your enemies describe you?’
‘We won’t get into that. I assume you look like a cop.’
Casey wandered into the room just as he hung up the phone. ‘Who were you talking to?’
‘A reporter in New York.’
He was sitting in his big leather chair, and she flopped down on his lap.
‘What am I supposed to call her?’
‘Who? The reporter?’ he teased.
‘No. My mother. Do I call her Mom? Or Mrs. Ingram? Or what?’
‘Well, since you call Kyra Kyra and Jane Jane, why don’t you just call her Sandy?’
‘Am I supposed to kiss her?’
‘Not if it feels uncomfortable.’
‘What if she kisses me first?’
‘You can let her know what you’re comfortable with. If you don’t mind if she kisses you, that’s okay. If you don’t like it, ask her not to.’
‘That’s easy for you to say.’
‘I think she’ll understand.’
‘I don’t have anything to wear.’
‘What do you mean? You have lots of stuff.’
‘Yeah. Right. Stuff. We’re staying at this fancy hotel and going to these fancy restaurants and a show and everything and all I’ve got is stuff. Yucky stuff.’
He thought about that for a minute. ‘Okay. Let’s go shopping.’
That got her attention. ‘Where?’
‘How about the mall? They’re open for another couple of hours.’ He pushed her onto the floor and stood up. ‘Get your shoes on.’
She ran off to get them. Meanwhile, he speed-dialed Kyra’s cell.
‘Hiya, handsome.’
‘We’ve got an emergency here. I need your help.’
‘What’s the matter?’
‘Can you meet Casey and me at the mall in fifteen minutes? In front of Macy’s?’