Page 38 of Rain Washed

She retrieved her service weapon from the firearms cage where it’d remained locked up overnight and followed Nico, who’d already signed out a cruiser. The drive took less than fifteen minutes, but instead of talking work, Lacey took the time to rest her hand on Nico’s knee as he drove—police protocol be damned—and let her gaze wander over his familiar face, enjoying their time alone in the car together. They didn’t even need to talk; she just used the time to reconnect. She studied his profile as he drove. He’d pulled his shoulder-length hair into a man bun at the nape of his neck, his intense blue eyes fixed on the road, full lips set in a firm line, a three-day growth running over his chin and up his square jaw, his slightly crooked nose that gave him the look of a warrior about to go onto the battlefield.

When Nico pulled the cruiser up to the curb beside Sandra Brown’s house, Lacey leaned over and kissed him on the lips. A quick, light kiss, but letting him know without words how much she loved him. How much she loved that they could work together. How glad she was they’d sorted out their problems, that he’d stayed strong and true until she came back to him, even while she struggled with her own foolish internal demons.

Then they both turned to look at the house across the street. The curtains were drawn, and the place was dark, the little brick building looked run-down and a tad forlorn. And sad. Lacey could almost feel the wretched aura of a mother living with the death of her beloved child hanging over the place.

As they stepped out of the car, Lacey’s phone rang. Nico indicated that she should take the call. It was a young woman, called Gina, from Wilderness Activities returning her call. Lacey waved Nico over and put the girl on speaker.

Lacey identified herself in her most professional voice and then said, “Thanks for returning my call. I was hoping I could speak to one of your employees, Teresa Thompson.”

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line as Gina seemed to absorb her words. “Teresa isn’t here right now,” she said with a slight wobble in her voice. At least she’d confirmed the woman worked for them, but why did the girl sound worried?

“Do you know when she’ll be in?”

“I’m not sure I’m allowed to give out that information,” Gina hedged, and Nico rolled his eyes. The last thing they needed was some young girl wary of cooperating. She was obviously afraid of getting in trouble with the boss.

“Yes, you are allowed to give out that information. It’s actually required by law,” Lacey replied, using a more conciliatory tone. “If anyone tells you anything contrary, you just tell them to phone the Burnie Police Department and we’ll set them straight.”

“Oh, okay. If you’re sure.” The woman hesitated a moment longer, then she blurted out, “Teresa is taking a group on a guided tour of the Overland Track. They left yesterday, and they won’t be back for a week.”

“Oh, shit,” Nico mouthed. That wasn’t what either of them had been expecting to hear.

“I guess that means she’s out of contact?” Lacey asked. She assumed there wasn’t much phone reception up in the wilds of Cradle Mountain. “We’d really like to talk to her, sooner rather than later. It’s very important.”

This time Gina didn’t hesitate. “All our guides carry satellite phones,” she told them with an air of triumph. “Teresa is required to check in every night once they’ve made camp. It’s a safety protocol, you see.”

“Okay.” That sounded a little more promising. “Can you send me that number please?”

“I guess so.” Gina had gone back to being unsure again. “I’ll just check with Jake, the owner, first,” she added, and Lacey let out a quiet sigh of frustration. “He’s due in to work really soon,” Gina said by way of placation.

“Could you please get back to me as soon as you have his answer? This is really important.” Lacey sent Nico a dissatisfied look. They could always try and force the issue, but if this Jake was due in soon, they could wait a little while so as not to upset Gina further. If need be, they could go and pay the Wilderness Activities company a visit after they finished with Sandra.

“But just so you know, Teresa only turns the sat phone on for around half an hour in the evening. You won’t be able to call her until then. But you can leave a voicemail, if you like.”

“Okay, thank you.” Another stumbling block. It was almost as if the universe was conspiring against them.

There was a momentary silence on the line, then Gina asked, “Can I ask what all this is about? Is Teresa in trouble or something?” The girl sounded genuinely worried about the other woman.

“We just need to ask her a few questions, that’s all.” Lacey quoted the words that’d now become rote. It was a stock phrase police used to placate a member of the public, but not for the first time, Lacey wondered if people actually believed they were going to get some juicy gossip straight from the mouth of the local constabulary.

“I’ll call you back soon.” Gina rang off and Lacey tucked her phone back into the top pocket of her uniform shirt, disgruntled at their lack of progress in getting to talk to Teresa.

“She’s gone for a whole week,” Lacey repeated in a disgruntled tone.

“I know,” Nico agreed. It was always harder to get information from a person when you couldn’t see their face. It was one of the reasons she knew Nico liked to conduct as many interviews as possible himself. You could tell things by looking at their body language, little giveaways in their faces they didn’t even realize they were making. But a voice over the phone was much harder to get a good read on.

“She’s only been gone a day. Could we get her to turn around and come back?” she asked, thinking aloud. Nico was walking across the street, so she followed in his wake.

“Not sure,” Nico mused, looking at her over his shoulder. “Not even sure that’s warranted yet. Let’s see if we can talk to the family first, see if we can get a better read on this woman and her backstory. See if they can give us any more information on this little teenage foursome.” He reached the front steps and bounded up them to the small porch where he lifted his hand to knock on the door.

While they waited for an answer, Lacey said, “I know this is just purely speculation at the moment, and is probably stretching the parameters of the case, but…” Lacey stopped to gather her thoughts before going on. “You said it yourself last night. If the killer is targeting all the girls in the photo—even though we have absolutely no proof of that—shouldn’t we warn her? Let her know she might be in danger?”

“Yes,” Nico agreed. “If it comes to that. But on the other hand, she could also be the killer. And then the last thing we want to do is tip her off that we’re onto her.”

“Hmm.” Lacey frowned.

Nico knocked on the door again, then they both listened for any movement inside. “Doesn’t look like she’s home,” Lacey said. It was only eight thirty, where could Sandra have gone this early in the morning?

“Damn,” Nico growled.

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