Page 61 of Whispers Left Behind

“So why not replace his brakes?”

“I looked through Gage’s phone records again. He and Douglas spoke several times in the past few weeks. I think Gage attempted to arrange a time for him to pick up the brake pads, but Douglas kept putting it off.”

“Okay,” Alex said cautiously as he took the bottle of beer and slid it over to Izzy. Wally was currently halfway through his daiquiri. “What is the motive?”

“Money. We know that Louise was added to Tobias’ will. If her children are dead...” Kinsley let her voice trail off before adding one more detail. “I believe Douglas saw our reflections in that metal protection plate. I think that is the reason he pushed Gage into believing the Hanson brothers tried to kill him. If Gage is having trouble recalling the days leading up to his accident, how easy would it be for Douglas to start planting seeds of doubt?”

“Kin, it’s all circumstantial,” Izzy pointed out as she wrapped her hands around Alex’s beer bottle. “You don’t have enough evidence for an arrest.”

“Douglas Glynn drives a truck.” Kin had been in such a rush to share her theory that she hadn’t confirmed Glynn’s alibi. “Alex, was the doorbell camera footage from the house across the street ever emailed to us? The house facing Louise Baird’s home?”

“The lens on the neighbor’s doorbell camera has been broken for a while. We’re out of luck on that front.”

“There isn’t a traffic camera for at least two miles from that neighborhood,” Izzy divulged, though Kinsley had already run the route in her mind.

“Why don’t we walk back to the station?” Alex suggested as he motioned for Kinsley to exit the booth. “We’ll put in a request for warrants to search Douglas Glynn’s truck and Louise Baird’s residence since he lives with her.”

“Or we can drive to the hospital under the guise of speaking with Gage again,” Kinsley suggested, liking her idea better. “I called the hospital and spoke with security. Douglas’ truck is still in the parking lot. We can divide them. Think about it, Alex. We never spoke to them individually.”

Kinsley was merely being proactive. It would take maybe twenty minutes to submit the proper paperwork, and then another ten minutes to drive to the hospital. There was a good chance a judge wouldn’t sign off on the warrants without something more concrete, and she didn’t want Douglas Glynn to slip through their fingers. If luck was on their side, which it hadn’t appeared to be lately, she or Alex would receive word that the warrants came through while questioning the man.

“I’m putting in for overtime on this, Kin.”

“Does that mean you’re buying the first round on Sunday?” Wally asked, picking up his daiquiri in salute. Izzy had already taken a healthy swig from Alex’s bottle. “We’re meeting here at noon.”

Kinsley let some of the tension release from her shoulders. She stood from the booth. She had kept her hands in the pockets of her sweater, but she hadn’t realized just how deep she had dug her nails into her palms. Her encounter with Serra had set her on edge, and she needed the Hanson investigation over if just to have a few days of breathing room.

“Not a chance,” Alex said with a laugh. It was as if he understood Kinsley required a moment. “The new guy is over at the bar. Tap him to buy the first round.”

“Trust me, Wally,” Izzy muttered as she set the bottle down on the table. “Neither one of them will be paid overtime for this.”

Alex stood and took his jacket off the hook on the side of the booth. By the time he slipped his arms in the sleeves and hooked the zipper, Kinsley had some semblance of composure. As she and Alex made their way to the door, it was impossible not to spot Laura and Beck deep in conversation. He made eye contact with her, but she didn’t falter her steps.

She wouldn’t allow a journalist searching for his next big payday to expose her brother’s role in her crime. Once she and Alex made an arrest in the Hanson case, she could then turn her attention to the missing persons investigation into Calvin Gantz. Every action she had taken that fateful night had been with the purpose of leading the authorities away from Terrapin Lake.

Away from Noah.

Away from the truth.

And Kinsley needed it to stay that way.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Kinsley Aspen

October

Friday — 11:04 pm

The hospital parking lotwas nearly empty, the vehicles that had filled it earlier in the day now gone. The illumination from the midday overcast sky had been replaced by a gentle glow from the lampposts lining the perimeters in squares. In stark contrast, the bright lights of the hospital sign made it seem as if daylight had never left.

Kinsley slowed her Jeep before parking in the first row. Her seatbelt was already unfastened and the engine turned off beforeAlex pulled in beside her. Not knowing how long they would be or what would need to be done in the aftermath of the interviews, they had opted to drive separately.

Spending longer than intended at the station putting in for the proper warrants, Kinsley used the additional time to return some calls. She wasn’t surprised when her cell phone rang with an area code from Leeds.

“Aspen.”

Kinsley reached for the handle.

---