Page 139 of Joker in the Pack

“We will. I’ll keep in touch.”

Nye began pacing. It helped him to think, except when the rubbish bin got in his way. He gave it a kick. What he needed was a bigger office.

Fenton Palmer had to be responsible.Hadto be. The man radiated guilt, and the police had found leather gloves in his hall closet next to a pair of muddy boots with rosemary sprigs stuck in the treads. His gardener confirmed a can of petrol had gone missing from the shed, and his internet history showed a search for Molotov cocktails. Plus, he had no alibi for any of Olivia’s night-time visits.

There was only one explanation, and not a palatable one: Fenton Palmer wasn’t working alone.

The phone rang again, the display flashing with Test-tube’s name. Nye snatched it up.

“What?”

“Good afternoon to you too.”

“Sorry. No time for pleasantries.”

“Well, the good news is we’ve identified the prints.”

Thank goodness. Nye sagged with relief. Maybe now they could put this nightmare to rest once and for all. “Interpol?”

“Our own database, actually.”

“Ours?” Blackwood had a tendency to skirt the rules that bound the police on occasion. They kept prints that might be useful on file, even if a person hadn’t been convicted. “Who the fuck do they belong to?”

“One Tate Palmer. He was part of the sweep we did for the Lower Foxford kidnapping case a couple of years ago.”

The details clicked into place. Fuck. Carol had said Tate was at university when his mother disappeared, but he must have come back for a visit. If Fenton Palmer was going to cover for anyone, it would be his son. A son who’d been involved with Olivia before Nye came onto the scene. Was that why he’d been sniffing around? So he could get into Lilac Cottage and find the missing evidence?

He needed to let her know what was going on, and that would be better done in the privacy of his apartment. They could go out another night. Nye wanted their first date to be perfect, not overshadowed by the asshole who’d tried to ruin her life.

Was she back in town yet? He checked his phone, but she hadn’t replied to his earlier message. Busy gabbing with Maddie, no doubt. He dialled her number, but it went straight to voicemail.

“Babe, there’ve been a few developments here. Can you call me? I want to know you’re safe.”

Nye’s next call went to Inspector Carling to give him the good news.

“We’ll pick the Palmer boy up as soon as we can, but we’ll have to be careful with the paperwork seeing as you’re not supposed to have those prints.”

Damn the law and its finicky rules. “Whatever you do, don’t let him walk on a technicality.”

“We won’t. Don’t you worry about that.”

“And try not to leave it too long. Tate must be feeling the heat by now, and we don’t want him to do anything stupid.”

“Understood. Can you send Blackwood’s report over?”

Nye did so right away then tried Liv again, but she still didn’t answer. Where was she? He called his apartment just in case she’d gone back there already. Nothing. Now what? He needed to get hold of Maddie, but he didn’t know her surname, only where she lived. Time for the research department to earn their money.

Jannie buzzed through. “Madonna’s on the line for you.”

“Is that a joke?”

“No joke. She says she’s a friend of Olivia’s.”

Madonna… Maddie? Suddenly, Nye felt sick. His gut ached worse than after he’d eaten her liver mousse. “Put her through.”

“Nye?” came Maddie’s voice.

“It’s me. Is Liv okay?”

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