Page 46 of Cold Threat

“Yes, I heard you. I ... I located her. She’s here. In Burlington.”

Tony was startled to hear this. What was going on? Was everyone in Des Moines moving to Burlington?

“Dad, don’t you find that ... odd? I mean, the Snowman and Angie Mayhew both relocate to Burlington?”

A list of possibilities started clicking through Tony’s mind, but none of them made sense. “The Snowman wouldn’t have followed Angie here. She wasn’t his target. He’s never gone after a child. These kinds of killers have very specific victims. It’s part of their signature.”

“I agree, and before you conclude that a six-year-old child was the Snowman, I can put your mind to rest. Angie was moved to a foster home in Burlington years before we moved here. In fact, that same foster family adopted her. It’s less than three hours between Des Moines and Burlington. It’s hardly a trek across the country.”

“I guess so, Dad, but it still seems a little odd. So can we talk to her?”

“That’s up to you. I have her number. She works for a place called Hope House. She helps to train people with disabilities to work in the community.”

“That sounds like a really valuable job.”

“I think so too,” Ray said. “Are you ready for her number?”

Tony said yes and his father slowly gave him a number that Tony added to his phone. “Thanks, Dad,” he said. “Have you had a chance to speak to her yourself?”

“No. I feel a little funny calling her. It’s been so long. I should have kept in touch. There was a part of me that worried about interfering in her new life. But the other part of me felt guilty for not helping her more than I did.”

Tony couldn’t keep the incredulity out of his voice. “Not helping her more than you did? You saved her life, Dad.”

“I know what you’re saying, but she was all alone. We could have added her to our family. Maybe we were being selfish.”

“I know you and Mom,” Tony said gently. “There’s not a selfish bone in either one of you. If you thought God had told you to take Angie in, you would have done it.”

“I hope you’re right. By the way, I heard from the hospital. The doctor confirmed we were right about Sandra Cooper being alive because she’s diabetic.”

“People have committed murder with insulin,” Tony said. “It’s routinely in the blood, and insulin levels tend to normalize by the time toxicology tests are done.”

“Exactly. Obviously, the Snowman didn’t think to check out his victims for diabetes before injecting them.” His dad sighed. Tony could hear weariness in his voice. “Look, son, I love talking to you, but I’ve got to run. We’ve got a group of young people in town running into businesses and stealing all they can. We think they saw it on TV and decided to give it a try. They know the business owners can’t stop a mob of that size so they’re taking advantage of that.”

Tony was sad to hear that this shocking practice had made its way to Burlington. More and more cities were trying to protect themselves from young people who’d picked up this destructive behavior.

“Okay, Dad. You’ll contact us if you learn anything else from Ms. Cooper?”

“Yes, when I talk to her, you’ll be the first to know. She’s doing much better by the way.”

“I’m glad to hear that. See you tonight?”

“Yeah, I should be able to make it home for dinner. See you then, son.”

Tony hung up the phone and looked over at River. He shared what his dad had told him about Sandra Cooper.

“That’s what we assumed. Good to know we were right,” she said. “Even better for Ms. Cooper. If it wasn’t for her diabetes, she’d be dead.”

“Also, I have a number for Angie Mayhew. Maybe you should call her. She might feel more comfortable talking to a woman. Be sure to tell her who I am, though. It might help.” He looked up at the clock on the wall. “Maybe we could meet her somewhere? I’d rather talk in person. She works for an organization that works with people who have disabilities. I have no idea what her hours are. We could meet her wherever she wants. Just remember that we’re going to Sandra Cooper’s house in the morning.”

“Okay, give me the number.”

Tony read the number off to her and waited to see if Angie would talk to them. As he watched River, he had the strangest feeling that they were on the verge of something significant, but he had no idea what it was.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SEVEN

By the time River hung up her phone, they had an appointment to meet with Angie. After telling his mom that they might be back late for supper, Tony and River got in the car and drove toward the diner where Angie waited. Tony respected the work she did. He wondered if her experiences had made her sensitive to people who needed help. He couldn’t imagine how she’d gotten from losing her grandparents, and then later her mother, and living through that terrible fire, to where she was now. He was fairly certain her adoptive parents had a lot to do with it. His father’s revelation that he and his mom had seriously considered bringing Angie into their home had left him feeling a little disturbed. If they’d followed through and then adopted her, like the people who’d taken her in, this woman would have been his sister. It was weird.

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