Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 128488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Evan rubbed the back of his neck. There was something here, within all this Dow-ring-selling-Paula’s-phone-call confusion, but what, he couldn’t begin to say. There simply weren’t enough pieces. He thought for a minute. “Wait, the money,” he said. “Considering the price of the ring and a markup, André Baudelaire had to have paid him at least ten thousand dollars. There must be a record of it in his bank account. Maybe it also shows where it went. Would you have access to old bank records?”
She frowned. “There was nothing like that in his account when I closed it. He didn’t even have enough for a cemetery marker. Paula’s family paid for that, and for the memorial service too. I paid them back later from the sale of some of his things. He was dead broke when he died. But maybe there’s another box of receipts or bank statements or something in storage. He had a laptop. I think it was one Dow refurbished and then sold to him for cheap. I don’t remember packing that away, but I wasn’t in the best of spaces at the time. My memory is hazy on some things.”
And overly sharp on others. Yeah, he related. “Okay.” He put the car in gear and looked over his shoulder before pulling onto the road. “I forgot to mention I found Dow’s sister online last night and made a call. She said she could meet with us tomorrow after work.”
Noelle nodded, looking out the window distractedly. “Okay. I’ll make another trip to the storage container later and look for the bank statements.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, thank you. I think this time I’d like to go alone. But I’ll call you as soon as I’m done.”
He nodded, though he wanted to press the matter. But she’d been doing things on her own for a long time now, and he didn’t want to act overbearing. The problem was, he’d started thinking of her as a partner again. They just worked. They had from the get-go. And that reminder made his mind wander. To other ways they might work as a team. Those thoughts scared him, because he had no reason to believe she’d even entertain the idea. He’d let her go once for a similar reason. And it had hurt like hell. His instinct was to shun any avoidable hurt ever again, especially because he didn’t function well with a broken heart, and Noelle Meyer was the only one capable of giving him one.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The next day, Noelle removed a pair of sunglasses from her bag and slid them on her face before turning to Evan in the driver’s seat. “I found a couple boxes last night of what looks like paperwork. There was a file full of job quotes at the top and a stack of other things. I brought them back to my room. I’ll start going through some of it later tonight or tomorrow.”
Evan glanced at her as he pulled onto the highway. “Okay, great,” he said. They were headed to see Dow’s sister, a woman named Louise whom Noelle had never met. She knew Dow had referred to her at least once or twice; she just couldn’t remember anything specific that he’d said. But apparently, she’d been willing to meet with them, and perhaps she’d have something to add to what they already knew. Something had been going on with her dad in the week before she went missing. She didn’t know what, but she had a suspicion whatever it was had, at least in part, contributed to his sudden heart attack.
“Did you locate his laptop?” Evan asked.
“No. And I spent a good hour going through the boxes. I did a decent job labeling them, so once I got them spread out, it was easier to see what was what. I made a pile that I plan to donate and put a few things aside I’d like to ship to South Carolina.”
He glanced at her, and she could see in the dip of his brow as his eyes quickly moved across her features that he was looking for what might be emotional upset in her expression. She did feel slightly emotional but not necessarily in a bad way. She’d shed a few tears as she’d looked at specific items in the boxes, and though she’d wanted Evan with her the first time she’d gone there, she was glad she’d spent some time alone among her father’s things the second time around. It had been cathartic, and she felt cleansed in a way she hadn’t before.
She’d also spoken to her father, asking him if he needed to tell her something and, if so, to please lead the way. She wasn’t certain such a thing was possible, but it sure couldn’t hurt to try. At the time of their escape, she hadn’t known her father was dead. But maybe he’d lent a hand then too. Somehow. She liked to think so because it meant he was there, leading them out of that fiery hellscape.