It was a massive jump to go from what had happened to Maria so far to the final step. Tormenting was one thing, murder was another, and he didn’t know enough about Lester to try to guess what he might do. That didn’t mean, however, that Maria should take any chances.
He spent another hour without learning anything more. So much for the easy part – information that anyone could find – and he wondered about his next step.
What did he know about Lester? And what could he assume?
Lester had a car. Or had use of a car.
Not a big assumption, of course, but he wondered what kind of information he could find if he had a license plate number. A few keywords into the search engine turned up a couple of companies with access to all kinds of public records, including car registrations and license plate numbers. It was a bit expensive, but it just might be helpful, and he made note of the websites in case the need arose.
Anything else?
Yes, he thought. If he was correct in his assumption, Lester had hidden on the roof across the street when Maria was at work. As for her condo, it would have been easy for Lester to watch her as she came and went, if only because her schedule was predictable. He wouldn’t have had to camp out for hours; he could have observed her from the coffee shop across the street or from a parked car. Following her to the restaurant and the nightclub would have been a piece of cake.
And?
Based on the meeting with Margolis, Colin needed proof that Lester was stalking Maria, and he wondered if he should drive to Charlotte in the hopes of putting a face to a name. Maybe even get a photograph, assuming he could find Lester. But then again, even that might not be enough. The florist had admitted he hadn’t gotten a good look at the guy, and Colin doubted the waitress would recognize him. Even Maria hadn’t recognized him up close.
And finally, there was Copo. The dog’s death also fit with the pattern, and the more he thought about it, the more probable it seemed that Lester had killed Copo to hurt Maria and her family. Because he’d been following Maria, he’d know where her parents lived. But more than that, it also meant that he’d watched the family regularly. How else would he have known that Copo had been left behind at the house? Maria had said that Felix brought Copo everywhere, even to the restaurant. That her parents rarely left the dog at home.
But how?
The Sanchez backyard had a privacy fence, and in a tight-knit suburb, a lurking stranger would have been noticed.
How indeed.
Twenty minutes later, he was driving through the Sanchez neighborhood, trying to piece it together.
Her parents’ house was quiet, apparently no one at home. There were, however, others out and about. A woman jogging on the sidewalk; an elderly man pruning the bushes in his front yard. A man pulling out of his driveway, heading somewhere.
Colin turned at the corner, then turned again, heading down the street that ran parallel to the Sanchezes’ street, backyards bumping up against each other.
The neighborhood was bustling, the kind of community where people probably watched out for each other.
Lester definitely would have been noticed.
Unless…
He slowed the car as he approached the houses that backed up to the Sanchez place, and the answer became clear.
The house directly behind Maria’s parents’ home was for sale.
More than that, it appeared to be vacant.
Maria was reserved when he picked her up from work that evening, and their conversation was desultory. It was clear that she wanted to avoid talking about Lester or Margolis.
She wanted to spend the night at her parents’, so he drove her home and waited outside while she packed an overnight bag. Next, he drove her to pick up her car at the tire shop, waiting until Maria was on her way before finally exiting the parking lot. He’d wanted to follow her, but thinking it would only make her more nervous, he asked her instead to text him when she reached her parents’ place. Fifteen minutes later, she let him know that she’d arrived.
Though she said nothing, he guessed she’d spent the drive to her parents’ house repeatedly glancing in the rearview mirror, wondering if Lester was following her.