AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Wait, you two—”
“Do you think Eric’s like that?” North asked.
“I don’t know. It was only that one time; I’ve never heard anything else like that. But you can’t forget that kind of thing either, you know?” He smoothed his palms down his trousers again. “This feels crazy. You’re here, and I’m saying this stuff, and—”
“Do you know where he was last night?” North said. “Or what he’s got scheduled today? Chunks of time he’s got blocked off with no explanation? Anything that doesn’t make sense?”
“This is crazy,” Parker said again, but something on North’s face must have convinced him. “North, that’s—I mean, it’s unethical at the least, and it’s probably illegal—”
“If he didn’t do anything wrong, then nobody will ever know. If he did, then you’re helping solve two murders, and maybe a lot more.”
Indecision spiderwebbed across Parker’s face. “He was home last night.”
“He said he didn’t have an alibi.” Then North’s expression screwed up. “Park, don’t tell me—”
“No,” Parker said with a little laugh. “Why? Jealous?” Before the question could do more than land, he was speaking again. “I was going to drop off some paperwork he needed to sign, but when I got there, I saw that he had, uh, company.”
“What kind of company?”
“The kind that doesn’t require any clothes.” Parker shrugged. “The lights were on. I mean, certain body parts make a pretty clear silhouette, you know?”
“What time was this?” Shaw asked.
“Seven? Eight? I don’t know. Probably closer to eight; I was mad because I’d been here late, and he was off fucking around. Literally.”
“You’re sure he was home at eight last night?” North asked.
“I mean, I didn’t see his face, but his car was there, and one of the people I saw was a man.” Parker hesitated. “What you said about his schedule? About him disappearing and stuff?”
“Has that happened? Anything, even if it’s only a little strange—”
“It’s happening right now.” The words rushed out of him. “He’s supposed to be in the office all day today. He’s got calls, video conferences, even a couple of in-person meetings like the one you had. He just canceled two calls, pretty important ones, and rushed out of here. Didn’t say where he was going. He said he had a family emergency, that’s all.”
There was more in his face—more he wanted to say, even though something was holding him back. “But you know where he’s going,” Shaw said. “Don’t you?”
Parker directed a pleading look at North.
“Do you?” North asked.
“I…I might know his password. To his computer. He needed me to send him a file one time, and he never changed the password.” A hint of heat smoldered in his cheeks. “I checked.”
“Park, you’re amazing.”
For a moment, Park smiled—mostly, a watery kind of relief, but a hint of genuine pleasure too. He scooted past Shaw to reach the laptop, typed quickly, and stepped back as the screen unlocked.
Shaw grabbed the laptop and began clicking. Brey had closed his browser, which was smart. But he hadn’t cleared his browser history, which was less smart. The second most recent tab was a map, and when Shaw restored it, it showed a place called Eldoria Hot Springs. It was located right about halfway between Auburn and Wahredua.
“Fucking A,” North said, clapping Parker on the shoulder.
“I was the one who—” Shaw began.
“Park, that was fantastic.” North dug out a business card. “If he calls, if you hear anything—Shaw, let’s go—let us know, all right? And don’t tell him about any of this. If he’s dangerous—”
North didn’t finish the sentence because he was already halfway out the room, and Shaw had to jog after him to keep up.
11
Shaw’s phone began to buzz as North merged onto the state highway. “It’s Theo and Auggie.”
