Page 34 of When You're Safe

He shook hands with both and then hurriedoff toward the rear of the hall.

Finn held up the papers in hishands. “There are quite a few names on this list.”

“Yes,” Winters replied somberly. “Butif I’m right, one of those names could be the killer. We have to smoke him outbefore he kills anyone else.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Finn watched as Winters pacedaround impatiently in Rob’s office at the Hertfordshire Constabulary building.

It wasn’t yet noon, and the sunwas blazing hot outside in Garden City. Half-shut blinds cast horizontalshadows around the room despite the time of day.

The drive there had not been anenjoyable one. The AC had stopped working, turning the inside of the rental vehicleinto an oven. Finn had begun to wonder if he would get in trouble by murderingthe car.

They had been in Rob’s office forover an hour and Finn was starting to get a headache just watching Winters.

“If you pace any more you’re goingto wear that carpet out,” Finn said.

Winters ignored him and continuedto pace.

“Seriously, Winters. You’ll end upin China at this rate.”

That made her stop. “China?”

“Yeah, you know the other side ofthe… Oh wait, hold on.”

“I think you’ll find that theother side of the planet from merry old England is Australia,” she said.

“Pacing isn’t going to make thisthing go any faster,” Finn advised, putting his feet up on another chair nextto Rob’s vacant desk. “Sometimes you have to wait for the world to come to you.”

“We need to get started on thelist,” Winters said. “For all we know, the killer has already picked his nextvictim. That could be happening as we speak.”

The door opened and in stepped thetall black-haired figure of Chief Constable Rob Collins.

“Finn, get your feet off thechair,” he said, walking over to his desk. “At least try to pretend you respectthis place.”

“I do respect it,” Finn said. “Irespect how comfy it is.”

Winters walked over to the desk, leaningdown and putting her two hands on its edge. “Did they cross-check all the nameson the museum list, Chief?” she asked.

“They certainly did,” Rob said. “We’recontacting them to let them know that they should be careful. In the meantimethis might be of interest to you.”

Rob pressed a few keys on hisdesktop computer and then turned the monitor around to face Finn and Amelia.

“This came up in one of the searches,”Rob explained. “His name is Alan Ross.”

“I never trust someone with twofirst names,” Finn said, leaning in. “What’s his record?”

“He is on the board of trustees,”Rob said. “And he has a criminal record. In fact, he was sent to prison forstalking a woman he worked with twelve years ago. Once the necessary timepassed, he was legally able to be on the board for Dashville Museum, God knowshow he managed that. But I think you’ll find this part about his previousstalking habit most fascinating.”

Finn gazed down at the digitalrecord from the criminal database, and there it was in black and white.

In one instance, Alan Rossfollowed Miss Hurd in his car and then charged towards her. Miss Hurd couldn’tget out of the way. The defendant only swerved at the final moment, missingMiss Hurd by inches.

“So we have someone on the boardof trustees at Dashville Museum with a criminal record,” Winters summarized. “Aman who would have known about the money and assets Quentin DeGrey had promisedthe museum on his passing. This same man has previous for nearly killingsomeone in the exact same way Maggie DeGrey was murdered.”

Finn nodded, but he thought for amoment. It didn’t quite all fit, not yet. “The only problem is, let’s say AlanRoss murdered Quentin DeGrey so that the museum would inherit everything. Itdoesn’t make any sense that he would then go on to murder Maggie. Unless…”

“I can almost hear the gearsgrinding in his head,” Rob said to Winters, smiling.

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