“What are you doing there?” he said.
“We got in this morning. Just… just coming to check on Dad.”
“So how is he?”
“He’s not here.” Michelle suddenly froze. Was her Dad here? Would he be thinking that she and Sean were in bed together, in their home, after her mom just died? “Wait a minute, Bobby.” She put down the phone and hurried out of the room. She came back a minute later and picked up the receiver.
“No, he’s not here. His car’s gone. Why?”
“I’m over at the country club.”
“Okay. You a member?”
“Not a full member. Cops don’t make that much money. I play a few rounds every now and then.”
“Little dark to be playing a few rounds.”
“There’s a lady here I’ve been talking to.”
“What lady?”
“Lady who was walking her dog the night Mom was killed. She doesn’t live in the neighborhood so the police never questioned her.”
“Did she see something? If so, why didn’t she go to the police?”
“Scared, I think.”
“What made her change her mind?”
“Friend of hers. A Nancy Drummond told her to come forward. So she called me.”
“I talked to Nancy.”
“That’s what she said. That’s why I called in fact.”
“What, you mean you were tracking me down?”
“Yeah.”
“Bobby, why didn’t you just call me on my cell?”
“I did, like six times over the last few hours. Left four messages.”
Michelle glanced over at the nightstand where her cell phone also sat. She picked it up and saw the list of recent calls. “I must’ve turned it to silent mode by accident. Sorry about that.”
“I thought Dad might know where you were, but this kills two birds.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean is this lady will only talk to me if you’re here. Apparently you made quite an impression with her friend, Nancy. Nancy told her she can trust you.”
“But you’re the police, Bobby, she should talk to you.”
“She’s stubborn. And a grandmother of twelve. I don’t think I can break her. But I’ll take the simple route. She tells you while I’m here too. And then we nail the bastard who did this to Mom.”
“She’s at the club now?”
“Right now.”