Page 55 of Wild Wolf
She hesitated a moment, then did as I asked. When she was finished, she stood up from her messy desk, walked around, and moved to the door. “Excuse me, gentlemen. I need to go powder my nose.”
Taryn slipped out of the door. Her heels clattered against the tile as she walked away.
JD and I shared a triumphant look before I snatched the paper from her desk. We looked it over, then I folded it and stuffed it into my pocket.
Taryn returned a few moments later.
I smiled innocently.
“So what happens now?”
"I'll get the forensic team out here to dust for prints.”
"Oh, so now you’ll have the team come out,” she snarked.
I gave her a flat look. "Is there anyone else that has a key to this office?"
"No.”
"The janitor? Building management? Administration?"
"Sure, I guess.”
"My guess is somebody picked the lock," JD said.
"We'll check with the building staff," I said.
"How are you going to handle the students?"
I feigned ignorance. "What students?” I followed with a wink.
I told her we’d be in touch, then contacted the administration building, got the names of the custodial staff, and interviewed them.
Rodney was a 62-year-old guy with a bushy gray mustache and balding hair. Skinny and frail, he didn't look like the type of guy attacking young girls on the beach in a werewolf suit. But stranger things had been known to happen.
After we wrapped up on campus, we hurried back to the Founder’s Court, getting soaked in the process. The rain came down heavily, and the storm rumbled. We hopped into the Porsche and drove back to Diver Down.
Back at theAvventura, I changed into some dry clothes, mixed a cocktail, and chilled out for the rest of the evening. It rained all through the night, lightning flashing, thunder booming.
I slept in the next morning to the soothing patter of rain. I grabbed the remote from the nightstand and clicked on the TV. The weather report said Tilda had stalled, and we’d likely get dumped on for the next day or so.
After a shower, I headed down to the galley to start breakfast.
Daniels called as coffee percolated. "Expedited DNA came back. The blood found in Carolyn's car is a match for her sister Hannah.”
"Good luck finding her at this point.”
"I put out an international warrant," Daniels said. "Harbor patrol said she was headed into the gulf. My guess is she's going to try to make it to Mexico. I've notified the authorities at some of the harbor towns. She might try to slip insomewhere that's less regulated. But you know how it is. A little money goes a long way down there.”
"I'll get my people on it," I said.
"Coast Guard is not going to pursue this until the weather clears. "If she's out there, she's in the thick of it and on her own. If you ask me, she's a first-class asshole, putting the life of her unborn child at risk. Then again, someone who’s willing to stab her sister doesn't have a whole lot of scruples.”
I chatted with the sheriff for a bit, then rousted JD out of bed for breakfast. We chowed down at the breakfast nook, then pulled ourselves together for the day. I grabbed an umbrella, and we hustled down the dock to the Porsche and set out to interview some of Taryn’s students.
First on the list was Rafe Wexler. He lived just off campus in the Laguna Vista apartments. The wipers swished back and forth, clearing sheets of rain. Headlights reflected on the slick asphalt. The tapping of rain pattered the roof.
The traffic had thinned for the moment. I'm sure the storm had put a damper on the party last night, but as soon as the weather cleared, the island would be back to full steam ahead.
