Page 61 of The Attic on Queen Street
“They say they are, but I’ve asked them to send me the postcards as well as the note she left on the day she disappeared and some of her older handwriting samples. I’m going to have an expert analyze the handwriting to make sure they were all written by the same person.” He paused. “I really hesitated to share this information with you. Lauren’s thumbprint on the CD player only means she touched it at some point. Her disappearance could have absolutely nothing to do with Adrienne’s death. It could just be a coincidence.”
“Except there’s no such thing as coincidence,” I said, turning my head before belatedly remembering that Jack wasn’t there.
The pungent aroma of Vanilla Musk suffused the room, but Veronica and Thomas didn’t seem to notice. I casually looked around the room, but as usual I saw no sign of Adrienne. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I felt Adrienne move behind me in what seemed to be a protective gesture. The thought made my nerve endingstingle, all senses on alert as I tried to figure out what she was attempting to protect mefrom.
Thomas continued. “I also checked with the college. Lauren’s transcripts have never been requested by any company where she might have sought employment.”
“So, what does that mean?” Veronica asked.
“Well, if she had some kind of employment record, we could at least track her movements, see if they correspond to the letters her parents have been receiving over the years,” Thomas explained. “We’ve run her Social Security number, and there haven’t been any hits since her job at the college bookstore while she was in school here.”
“Which means she’s purposefully off the grid,” Veronica said.
“Or dead.” Neither Veronica nor Thomas looked at me when I spoke, their thoughts mirroring my own.
“I’ll keep digging,” Thomas said. “Either the fingerprint is our biggest lead or it means nothing at all. I’m afraid we won’t know for sure unless we can locate Lauren and interview her.”
I coughed, my throat suddenly tight. I tried to swallow and rubbed my neck the way I rubbed General Lee’s when giving him one of his pills to make it go down. The sensation of invisible fingers encircling my neck brought me to my feet, coughing. A strong whiff of Vanilla Musk drifted past me as the choke hold abruptly disappeared, leaving me rubbing the skin, trying to erase the icy-cold impression of ten invisible fingers wrapped around my neck.
“Are you all right?” Veronica jumped up and came to my side.
“I think so. Could I have a glass of water?”
“Of course. I’ll be right back.”
She left the room, leaving Thomas and me alone. “Was it the same person who attacked you in your garden?” he asked.
“I have no idea—it could be. But it’s definitely not Adrienne. She’s trying to protect me from whoever has taken a pretty intense dislike to me.”
Veronica entered, carrying a glass of water. I took it and drank it in big gulps, trying to erase the burning sensation inside my throat.
“Should we call Jayne?” Thomas asked.
Veronica and I both looked at him.
“Because I know you two do best when you work together,” he quickly added.
“Right. I don’t think that’s necessary. But I’ll let you fill her in. You still have her number?”
“It might still be in my phone.” He didn’t bother to look, and I was careful to hide my smile.
His phone rang, and after glancing at the screen, he excused himself and stepped out into the hallway to take the call. After a moment, he popped back in. “I have to go. I’ll let you both know if I find out anything else.”
We walked back out into the foyer, the saws in a temporary lull as the workmen worked in another part of the house, the smell of paint and pinewood hanging thick in the air.
Thomas stopped at the door. “Oh, before I forget: As I was leaving your office, one of your coworkers gave me a Tupperware container full of homemade brownies. She said she and her kids had made them for you, and when I told her I was looking for you, she asked me to give them to you when I found you. I didn’t catch her name, but she was very well put together. Very energetic.”
“Catherine Jimenez,” I said. “She’s amazing.” I actually sounded like I meant it. “While she was baking, she probably also made two new sales.” I hoped the bitterness didn’t come through in my tone.
“Well, they’re in my car if you’d like me to get them for you.”
I waved my hand at him. “Oh, I wouldn’t think of it,” I said, trying to be the new version of Melanie while also knowing that those brownies were all Iwouldbe able to think about. “She brings me baked goods all the time, so enjoy.”
“Thank you. I will.”
He reached for the door handle just as a flash of red from the stairwell caught our attention. I spotted the object first and slowly climbed the stairs to the landing to hold it up for Veronica and Thomas. “It’s Adrienne’s pillow. It was in my bedroom last time I looked.”
I put my hand on the banister to head back down the stairs, but my phone beeped with a text, making me pause. Tucking the pillow under my arm, I pulled out my phone and read the screen. The sensation of icy water dripping down my back made me shudder.
