It was uncanny timing that Atkinson had disappeared shortly before Maria’s stalking began. Presumably, Atkinson had slashed Maria’s tires, but which of the two had killed Copo? Lester shot Margolis; Atkinson removed the car from the bungalow and later trashed Maria’s place. Given the trove of information found on Atkinson’s computer, his involvement in Maria’s stalking seemed clear-cut, but certain details continued to bother Colin.
Dr. Manning had mentioned an argument between Lester and Atkinson and said they’d had a falling-out, but when had they regained each other’s trust? Which one was in charge? Why had Dr. Manning insisted that Atkinson was trying to frame Lester when it seemed clear they had to be working together? And if they were working together, why drive two cars to the Sanchez house the night Lester attacked Maria?
And yet… as Colin had cleaned Maria’s condo, he’d thought back on the earlier conversation with Detective Wright and realized that there was no evidence conclusively linking Atkinson to the trashing of the condo yet. There wasn’t any conclusive evidence supporting the idea that he’d slashed Maria’s tires, either. Despite the content found on his computer, Maria had never interacted with him or even seen him. She’d said all along that Atkinson’s involvement never felt plausible to her, which meant…
What?
Suppose Atkinson really had gone off to meet a woman. And what if Lester knew that Atkinson would be out of town? Lester could have planted the information on Atkinson’s computer and taken Atkinson’s car while he was away. Lester could have – as Maria had pointed out the night before – easily paid someone to slash Maria’s tires. Maybe even trash her condo. It would be the perfect setup… as long as you believed that Lester was capable of such intricate planning. Based on the behavior that Colin had witnessed at the bungalow and the way Wright had described Lester’s actions at the station, that felt unlikely. And since Atkinson had apparently driven Lester back to Shallotte after he’d shown up at the Sanchezes’, Atkinson had to have been nearby. They had to be working together, and Colin supposed that Lester must have been spooked by the sirens. Atkinson must have heard them, too, fueling his own panic, and he’d picked Lester up before racing the two of them out of the neighborhood. They would have been driving fast and possibly as recklessly as Colin had, but in the opposite direction…
Like the car Colin had almost hit just blocks from the Sanchezes’ home?
Colin felt something akin to a key turning in a lock, and strained to remember exactly what he’d seen. The car careening toward him, swerving in the last instant, the vehicles brushing past with only inches to spare. Two men in the front seat. What kind of car?
A Camry.
Blue.
Reaching for his phone, he called Detective Wright, who answered on the second ring.
“Have you heard anything about Margolis?” Colin asked.
“Improving. Or so they say. Still in critical care and still unconscious. How are things there?”
“They’re okay. Maria’s safe.”
“And tonight?”
“She’ll stay here. She’s well protected.”
“If you say so. What do you need?”
“I’m thinking that Atkinson might be driving a blue Camry. Relatively new.”
“Why do you think that?”
Colin outlined his reasoning.
“You wouldn’t have happened to have gotten a license plate, would you?”
“No.”
“Okay. It’s not much, but I’ll get the word out. Everyone wants to find this guy, the sooner the better.”
Colin disconnected, somehow sure that Lester had been in the blue Camry that night. He felt certain, even if he couldn’t explain the reason, other than to assume that his subconscious mind was somehow ahead of his conscious mind in understanding that the answers were there, if only he could find them.
“What are you doing out here?” Evan asked, joining Colin in the front yard.
“Thinking,” Colin answered. It was half past six, and dusk had given way to darkness, the autumn air hinting at even cooler temperatures as the evening wore on.
“I figured. I saw the smoke drifting out of your ears.”