No way to know for sure, but worth checking out…
He debated whether to call Margolis before thinking that it would probably be better to be certain before he did. Shallotte wasn’t even in the same county, and he didn’t want to waste Margolis’s time if it would amount to nothing…
He felt a tap on his shoulder and flinched automatically. When he turned, Evan was standing behind him. Colin pulled out the earbuds.
“You’re not planning to do what I think you are, are you?” Evan asked.
“What are you doing here? I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I knocked, but you didn’t answer. Peeked in. Saw you with Maria’s computer. Wondered if you were planning to do something stupid. Figured I would ask, just in case you were.”
“It wasn’t stupid. I was tracking Maria’s phone,” he said.
“I know,” Evan said, motioning to the computer. “I can see the screen. When did you figure out to do that?”
“This morning. When I left Maria’s parents’ house.”
“Pretty slick,” Evan said. “Have you called Margolis yet?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you walked in. I haven’t had the chance.”
“So call him now,” Evan said. When Colin didn’t reach for his phone, Evan let out a breath. “That’s what I meant when I wondered if you were planning to do something stupid. Because you weren’t planning to call him, were you? You were going to check it out yourself, before you call him.”
“It might not be Lester.”
“So? Let Margolis check it out. At the very least, Maria’s phone is there and he’d get it back. And do I need to remind you again that this is police business? You need to let Margolis do his job. You need to call him.”
“I will. When I know one way or the other.”
“You know what I think?” Evan asked. “You’re lying.”
“I don’t lie.”
“Maybe not to me. But right now, I think you’re lying to yourself. This has nothing to do with wasting Margolis’s time. The truth is, I think you want to be front and center in this whole thing. I think you want to see Lester and put a face to a name. I think you’re pissed off and you’ve gotten used to handling things your own way. And I think you want to be the hero, like taking pictures from the roof or last night when you kicked through Maria’s parents’ door, even though the police were already there.”
Colin admitted to himself that Evan might be right. “And?”
“You’re making a mistake.”
“If I find out it’s Lester, I’ll call Margolis.”
“And how are you going to do that? Are you going to knock on the door and ask if Lester’s home? Sneak up and try to peek through the windows? Hope he comes out to wash his car? Slip a note under the door?”
“I’ll figure it out when I get there.”
“Oh, that’s a good plan,” Evan snapped. “Because when you wing things, it always turns out for the best, huh? Did you happen to remember that Lester has a gun? And that you might get sucked into some sort of situation you could have avoided? Or that you might make things even worse? And what if Lester spots you? He might sneak out the back and then it’ll be even harder to find him in the future.”
“Or maybe he’s planning to run already, and I’ll be able to follow him.”
Evan put his hands on the back of Colin’s chair. “I’m not going to talk you out of this, am I?”
“No.”
“Then wait until I bring Lily home and I’ll go with you.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because there’s no reason for you to come.”
Evan let go of the chair, standing straight again. “Don’t do it,” he finally said. “For your own good, call Margolis.” No doubt trying to emphasize the point, he reached for Maria’s computer, and near the door he stuffed it back into her bag. He grabbed Maria’s other things and left Colin’s apartment, slamming the door behind him.
Colin watched him go without a word.