Page 27 of If She Remembered
Kate's phone buzzed with a text message as she and DeMarco neared the elevators.She looked at the screen and saw an unfamiliar number.But she understood what it was right away.
“A text from Michael Torres,” she said quietly to DeMarco.DeMarco came over to stand closer to Kate, and they read the message together:This is Michael Torres.I got a message that you called about some repair work.Urgent stuff, apparently… since you called my house?LOL.What kind of job are you looking at?
“The use of LOL makes me think he’s a creep from the get-go,” DeMarco said with a smile.“Definite serial killer vibes.”
Kate chuckled, but was too locked in to really appreciate the comment."Let me see if I can set up a meeting without making him suspicious."
She thought about her response for a moment and then typed back: Thanks for getting back to me so fast.I really appreciate it.I have some issues with my bathroom plumbing and possibly some electrical work.Would it be possible to meet this afternoon to discuss the project?Need it done quickly so I can pay extra if necessary.
“You’re an exceptional liar, Agent Wise,” DeMarco said as she pressed the Call button on the elevator.
“Well, if heisour killer, I really want to lay it on thick.”
They took the elevator to the third floor and as soon as they stepped off, Torres send a response.It read:I could probably swing by around 4:00 if that works for you.What's your address?
Kate felt a moment of hesitation.Meeting with a potential murderer required careful planning and backup, but she also didn't want to spook him by suggesting they meet somewhere other than a residential address.
"We need to be smart about how we handle this meeting," she said out loud.
"We could set it up at a safe house," DeMarco suggested."Somewhere we can control the environment and have backup nearby."
Kate's phone buzzed again.Another message from Torres: "Also, do you have any idea what your timeline is for getting the work done?I'm booking pretty far out right now."
"He's definitely behaving like a legitimate handyman," Kate observed."Asking about timeline, availability, the normal business questions.There’s no eagerness to make sure he nabs the job right away."
"Which either means he's innocent, or he's very good at maintaining his cover," DeMarco replied.
Kate made a decision."Let's set up the meeting, but we'll take your recommendation…we’ll use a bureau safe house and have a tactical team standing by.If Torres is our killer, we need to be prepared for anything."
She typed back:4:00 would be perfect.I’ll send you a map pin with the address.Before she could even place a call to secure a safe house for the meeting, DeMarco was already doing it.Kate smiled, amazed at just how in sync they appeared to be, even though she was no longer full-time.
As they walked down the hallway toward Demarco’s office, Kate listened to her partner quickly push the matter through.They had an address within thirty seconds, which Kate then sent to Torres.It was all very fast and exciting, and the little spike of progress had her feeling that they were finally closing in on their suspect.The forensics results had confirmed the method, Jake Bennett had provided the connection, and now they had direct contact with Michael Torres.
But something still bothered her about the structure of the case.The patience required for this killing method, the careful selection of victims, and the professional way the poisoned pills had been manufactured.It all suggested someone with medical knowledge and access to pharmaceutical supplies—whether legitimate or not.
When they stepped into DeMarco's office, the clock on the wall showed 2:45 PM.In just over an hour, they would come face to face with the man who might have murdered Carol Bennett and Thomas Rodriguez.And in the meantime, she figured they could use the database to get as much information as they could on the man.And even if they came up with nothing—as Kate's preliminary search in the car suggested—she still felt that they were on the right track and this case might be closed before dinner.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Diana sat in her car in the parking lot of a small shopping center about ten miles from the grocery store.Her hands trembled slightly as she held Melissa's phone in her hand.The device felt warm in her palms, as if it contained some kind of vital energy that she was about to steal.The screen had locked itself, but Diana had watched Melissa enter her passcode during one of her surveillance sessions at the coffee shop.
She pressed the home button and carefully entered the six-digit code: 032118.It worked immediately, and Diana felt a rush of satisfaction as the phone unlocked to reveal Melissa's home screen.The wallpaper was a photo of a smiling toddler with blonde curls, presumably Michelle, Melissa’s daughter… and Kate’s granddaughter.
Diana opened the settings menu first, navigating through the options with the careful attention of someone who wasn't entirely comfortable with technology but had done enough research to know what she was looking for.YouTube, above all else, had been a godsend.She needed to disable the location tracking and "Find My iPhone" features before Melissa could use them to locate her stolen device.
But she was able to get it done without much trouble.Her limited technical skills made every step uncertain, and she found herself second-guessing whether she was disabling the correct features.But it was over quicker than she’d anticipated.She turned off location services and signed out of Melissa's iCloud account, effectively cutting off the phone's connection to any tracking services.Diana felt a wave of relief as she completed these steps, knowing that Melissa would no longer be able to ping the device remotely.
Next, she opened the contacts app and began scrolling through the list of names and numbers.There were the usual entries she'd expect to find: family members, friends, work contacts, service providers.Diana took screenshots of the entire contact list, wanting to preserve the information even if something happened to the physical phone.
She found Kate Wise listed simply as "Mom" with both a cell phone and home phone number.Allen Goldman was listed as "Allen" with a cell number and what appeared to be a work extension.Terry Goldman, whom Diana knew to be Melissa's husband, was listed as "Terry" and marked as an emergency contact.
Diana opened the calendar app and found it filled with appointments, reminders, and family events.She could see doctor's appointments for Michelle, work deadlines for Melissa's freelance projects, and social gatherings that painted a detailed picture of the family's routine.There were also several entries related to Kate's upcoming wedding: dress fittings, cake tastings, and venue meetings.
The photo gallery was a treasure trove of intelligence.Diana scrolled through dozens of pictures of family gatherings, candid shots of daily life, and what appeared to be recent photos of Kate playing with her young son, Michael.She could see Kate's home in the background of many photos, getting a clear sense of the layout and surroundings.
As Diana worked her way through the phone's contents, she noticed the screen kept lighting up with incoming calls and text notifications.All from Melissa herself, desperately trying to reach her missing device.Diana had silenced the ringer, but she could see the persistent attempts to make contact.
The phone buzzed again with an incoming call from "Me" - Melissa calling from another phone.Diana let it go to voicemail, then checked to see that this was the tenth attempted call in the past hour.Melissa was clearly frantic about the missing device.
