Page 21 of The Burnt
“Imighthave gone to the house to take a look around after my dad gave me your message.”
“Wait—you were in the house?” Gary asked.
“Yeah. And Archie had closed up Freddy’s room and made it look like it was just waiting for him to come back.”
“It’s a crime scene, Declan. You don’t just cross the yellow tape!”
“Thanks to a neighbour, there was no tape around the place when I got there.”
“Jesus Christ!”
“Don’t worry,” Declan continued. “I was booted and gloved up. I didn’t compromise the scene. Although the neighbour who tore down the tape saw me and visited me in the house. She had a key and apparently comes and goes, so signs of her were probably already there.”
Gary put his face in his hands. “Who was this?”
“Her name’s Katherine O’Grady,” Declan replied.
“Wait a minute. We interviewed her. What did she say?”
“Did she tell you about the man in the coat?” Declan asked.
“Yes.”
“She didn’t offer much more than that…other than a glass ofcrème de menthe.”
Sawchuck sighed. “I thought the day you left the force my life would get easier, but you still find ways to complicate things.”
Declan pushed on. “The message Archie gave you—when the police interviewed the neighbours, did they talk to anyone named Milo?”
“Not a one.”
“And the case notes from Freddy, was there any mention of a Milo in them?”
“The file’s pretty thin. It was ruled an accidental death so there isn’t much there.”
Declan stared at Sawchuck. “Can I take a look?”
The waitress came back and set plates of food on the table. “Anything else, gentlemen?”
They both shook their heads and after she departed, the men ate in silence. After a minute Gary reached into a bag he’d been carrying and tossed a couple of files onto the table. Declan looked at the covers. The thinner of the two was the report on Freddy Whitcher. The larger was Archie Whitcher’s past.
“You can’t keep them,” Gary said, “but no one’s going to stop you from copying them. I don’t have to tell you that if anyone finds out I’ve shared this with you, the only one who’ll be in more shit than me will be you ’cause I’ll be standing on your shoulders.”
Declan picked up the file and called out to Fran, “Does the hotel have a business centre?”
Gary sighed loudly. “You do have a cell phone with a camera, don’t you?”
Charlie would have thought of that right away.
Declan grabbed for his phone and started shooting.
Sawchuck frowned. “You know, you’re a magnet for stuff like this, whateverthisis. And whatever it is, I have a feeling it won’t be nice.”
His gaze burnt into Declan’s skull. “And don’t forget, what rains down on you is also going to soak anyone near you. So keep that in mind.”
* * * *
Gary walked out of the restaurant with the files safely back in his possession. Declan signalled for a coffee refill and began poring over the images he’d taken of Freddy Whitcher’s file, then read over the preliminary police report on Archie.
