Page 75 of Water's Edge

“Me? Go ahead.”

“First of all, you need to keep this to yourself.”

“Cross my shriveled heart and whatever,” Cass says, once more making me smile. I hope I’m still tough like her when I get older.

“Do you know where Leann had her baby? Or her doctor’s name? Anything?”

She doesn’t hesitate a beat.

“Honey, the Nordland General Store is known as Gossip Town, and you just happen to be talking to the mayor. I don’t gossip myself, you understand, but I’ve got keen hearing. For instance, I know that Leann went into labor at her cabin and was taken to the hospital in Poulsbo. Sorry, I don’t know which one, and I didn’t hear the doctor’s name.” She gives me a date that’s close to when this happened.

Poulsbo is in Kitsap County.

Dina Knowles lived and worked and died in Kitsap County.

I thank Cass, end the call, and immediately punch in Clay Osborne’s cell number. He’s out of breath when he answers.

“Detective Carpenter. Did the DNA already come back?”

“It has. Not how I thought, but it’s something, at least. Can you talk?”

I hear traffic and kids laughing, people talking.

“Sure,” he says. “I’m out for a run. It helps with stress. Do you run?”

No, I think,I take my stress straight up with water on the side.

“I used to when I was in high school,” I say. “Not anymore. Not since police academy.” We ran five miles a day on most days at the academy. The crazy cadets would run ten miles and then come back for physical training. Push-ups, jumping jacks, sit-ups—all the fun stuff I was never going to miss.

“You should come run with me some time,” he says. “Exercise will extend your life.”

Not when you have psychos threatening you. But maybe it will help if I have to run. Like, really have to. I’ll pass.

“That sounds like a great idea,” I lie. “Right now I need some information.”

“Shoot.”

“Do you know where Dina Knowles had her baby? Doctors? Anything along those lines?”

“Did one of the DNA samples match Dina?”

“In a way,” I say. “But that’s only part of the reason I’m asking. I’ll send you a copy of the lab reports.”

“Okay,” he says. “Yes, I found out where Dina had her baby. North Kitsap Medical Center.”

“Poulsbo, right?”

Another connection. I’m on a roll. This is good.

“That’s right,” he says. “I can call them if you need anything—records, whatever. I have the doctor’s name that delivered the baby and all of that.”

I wonder what the chances are that Leann and Dina had the same doctor. It may be risky talking to that doctor until I have to. Who knows what Leann told him? Maybe Jim Truitt paid for the delivery. Maybe they’re golf or sailing buddies.

“That would be great, Detective Osborne. I have something in mind. Can you meet me there?” I ask.

“Now?”

“I’m in Port Hadlock.” I look at the clock on my computer. “Can you make it in an hour?”

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