“No, thank you. I think this time I’d like to go alone. But I’ll call you as soon as I’m done.”
He nodded, though he wanted to press the matter. But she’d been doing things on her own for a long time now, and he didn’t want to act overbearing. The problem was, he’d started thinking of her as a partner again. They just worked. They had from the get-go. And that reminder made his mind wander. To other ways they might work as a team. Those thoughts scared him, because he had no reason to believe she’d even entertain the idea. He’d let her go once for a similar reason. And it had hurt like hell. His instinct was to shun any avoidable hurt ever again, especially because he didn’t function well with a broken heart, and Noelle Meyer was the only one capable of giving him one.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The next day, Noelle removed a pair of sunglasses from her bag and slid them on her face before turning to Evan in the driver’s seat. “I found a couple boxes last night of what looks like paperwork. There was a file full of job quotes at the top and a stack of other things. I brought them back to my room. I’ll start going through some of it later tonight or tomorrow.”
Evan glanced at her as he pulled onto the highway. “Okay, great,” he said. They were headed to see Dow’s sister, a woman named Louise whom Noelle had never met. She knew Dow had referred to her at least once or twice; she just couldn’t remember anything specific that he’d said. But apparently, she’d been willing to meet with them, and perhaps she’d have something to add to what they already knew. Something had been going on with her dad in the week before she went missing. She didn’t know what, but she had a suspicion whatever it was had, at least in part, contributed to his sudden heart attack.
“Did you locate his laptop?” Evan asked.
“No. And I spent a good hour going through the boxes. I did a decent job labeling them, so once I got them spread out, it was easier to see what was what. I made a pile that I plan to donate and put a few things aside I’d like to ship to South Carolina.”
He glanced at her, and she could see in the dip of his brow as his eyes quickly moved across her features that he was looking for what might be emotional upset in her expression. She did feel slightly emotional but not necessarily in a bad way. She’d shed a few tears as she’d looked at specific items in the boxes, and though she’d wanted Evan with her the first time she’d gone there, she was glad she’d spent some time alone among her father’s things the second time around. It had been cathartic, and she felt cleansed in a way she hadn’t before.
She’d also spoken to her father, asking him if he needed to tell her something and, if so, to please lead the way. She wasn’t certain such a thing was possible, but it sure couldn’t hurt to try. At the time of their escape, she hadn’t known her father was dead. But maybe he’d lent a hand then too. Somehow. She liked to think so because it meant he was there, leading them out of that fiery hellscape.
Louise Cook lived in a ground floor apartment in a somewhat ratty-looking building in East Reno. Evan lifted the knocker and gave it two swift taps. A dog started howling in another apartment across the way, and they both looked over their shoulders but then back to Louise’s door as they heard shuffling on the other side. The door was pulled open, and a woman in her sixties stood there in a blue velvet housecoat and slippers, wearing a bandanna on her head. There didn’t appear to be any hair beneath the head covering, and Noelle wondered if the woman was going through cancer treatment.
“Louise?” she asked, offering her hand.
The woman shook it as she nodded. “Noelle Meyer. You look like your dad through the eyes,” she said, turning her attention to Evan. He introduced himself, too, and she stood back so they could enter.
“Did you know my father well?” Noelle asked as they followed her to a set of couches a few feet away. She and Evan sat down on one, and Louise took the one across from them, pulling her housecoat down over her knees before reaching forward and shuffling a stack of mail into a pile and turning it over. She wasn’t quick enough, however, that Noelle didn’t notice the large red Past Due marks on what looked like medical bills.
“I only met him once or twice. Dow recommended him for a job back when I was married and we’d just bought a house. It ended up having some electrical issues, and your dad fixed them. It’s been a long time, but a flash of his face came back when I looked at you. Funny the things your brain files away without you even knowing. He was a nice man.”
“He was,” she said, her heart giving a small thump. She cleared her throat. “Actually, my dad is part of the reason we’re here.” She glanced at Evan quickly. “I don’t know if you read about what happened to me—”
“I did,” she said, and Noelle was grateful she’d cut in, saving her from describing any portion of what they’d been through. “I was really sorry to hear what happened to you. I can’t begin to imagine. They never caught the guy who done that, huh?”
Guy. More like guys. “No. But, um, we’ve recently found some new leads, and part of what we found involves your brother.”
A slew of wrinkles appeared on Louise’s forehead, and she tugged lightly at her bandanna. “Oh? What is it?”
“I know the police believed the motive in your brother’s murder was a straight robbery, but my father seemed to think differently. There are a few notes in a calendar he kept, and while they don’t give any more information than that, it’s clear he believed it was more than what met the eye.”
Louise’s frown deepened. “Oh . . . I see. The police didn’t ever find who it was that robbed him, but yes, they seemed to think it was just a ‘wrong place, wrong time’ situation. Dow’s bad luck.” She let out a sigh and tugged at her bandanna again. “Truth be told, Dow generally made his own bad luck. He was always so damn smart, growing up. Things just came to him, especially computers. Our dad flipped when he came home one day and my brother had taken his whole damn computer apart, chips here, circuit boards there, and I don’t even know if I’m using the right terms, but you get the picture. Anyway, Dow says, ‘Don’t worry, Dad. I just wanted to see how it worked. I’m putting it back together now.’ And damn if he didn’t do just that and powered it up like it was brand new.” She shook her head, her eyes unfocused. “Damnedest thing.” She sighed again. “Unfortunately, he preferred to tinker and code than do anything that brought in much money. He had a shop, and he fixed other people’s computers, but he could have done that in his sleep. If he’d have had an ounce of ambition, that man could have gotten a job with NASA or the CIA or . . . whatever.” She gave a short laugh. “He futzed around, and he drank a lot. And then he got himself killed in an alley by some meth head who wanted whatever petty cash he mighta had in his wallet.” She shook her head again. “I don’t know why your dad might have thought it was anything other than that. But if it was, I don’t have a clue as to why anyone would want to kill my brother.”
They were all silent for a moment as Louise tugged on her bandanna, Evan obviously going over what Louise had said. After a moment, he leaned forward. “Louise, Noelle seems to remember Dow telling a story about hacking into the electric company. It may have been a joke, but do you have any idea if he ever did that sort of thing?”
“Hacking?” She raised her brows, the hair sparse and thin. “If he did, he never told me about it. But my ex-husband was a bailiff. He was real serious about law and order.” She let out a small huff of breath that made Noelle believe that Louise was being sarcastic in some way Noelle didn’t have enough information to understand. “And Dow didn’t like him anyway. He didn’t come around a lot while I was married to him.”