stared.
Wow.
Then with a hard blink she dropped her eyes to the carton in her lap. Mrs. Solliday was a very lucky lady.
“Touché, Mitchell. Although for the record, as of this afternoon I’m duly impressed with your capability. I haven’t seen a move like that since high school.”
She handed him his food. “Let me guess. Linebacker?”
“Tight end. But that was a long time ago.”
They ate in silence, then Mia folded her wrapper. “So what happened?”
He eyed her over the last bite of his hot dog. “None of your business.”
She laughed. “Touché, Solliday. Give me your trash, I’ll throw it away.” When she climbed back into the cab, he was pocketing his cell phone. “Emergency?”
“No. I just needed to call home.”
Mia sighed. “I’m sorry again. You have a family to get home to.”
“My hours are as flexible as yours. I have somebody to take care of Beth when I have to work at night. Take something for your shoulder.”
So there was no Mrs. Solliday. The sudden thump of her heart was merely interest, Mia told herself, not relief. She popped a few pain relievers, wondering what had happened to his wife, but stopped herself from asking. “So where are we going now?”
“Greek Row.”
It would be a while before they got there. “Can I look at your notes again?”
He handed her his notebook. “So what nice thing did you do for Carmichael?”
“Somebody close to her was murdered last year. Abe and I were primary. She was pretty hysterical and I stayed with her until she’d gotten through the worst of it. It was no more than I’d do for any victim’s family.”
“Obviously more than she expected.”
“I guess. Anyway, I’ve become her personal news source. Every time I turn around that girl is there. But she gave me DuPree. If I get Getts, she’ll be on my Christmas list forever.” She scanned his notes. “Was the bed made in the spare bedroom?”
He looked surprised. “Yes, why?”
“When I was in school, I studied at the kitchen table. I don’t think I would have used somebody else’s bedroom, for sure. What was Caitlin doing studying up there?”
“Maybe she got sleepy.”
“That’s why I asked about the bed. But she could have slept on the couch. Sleeping in somebody else’s bed, especially when you’ve expressly been told not to live in... That’s just...” She searched for the word. “Cheeky.”
His lips twitched. “Cheeky?”
She shook her head with a smile. “Don’t laugh at my adjectives. It’s like she was playing Goldilocks, studying and sleeping where she wasn’t invited.”
“There was a desk in the bedroom. With a computer.”
“Ah. We should have it taken in. Check for e-mails and Web surfing.”
“I talked to Ben when you were processing DuPree. He said Unger took the computer this afternoon. They’ll try to check for e-mails, et cetera, before morning.”
“Okay. So walk with me. Caitlin’s studying or surfing the Web or something. She hears something, comes downstairs and he’s there. They struggle in the foyer. Maybe he rapes her. At some point he shoots her. But he doesn’t burn her to utterly destroy her. Unless he thought she’d be burned to ash and he’s just a novice. Are we dealing with a novice?”
“I don’t know. He had the solid-accelerant device down just right. But I’ve been thinking about the sheer spectacle of the explosion...He went to a lot of trouble to be noticed. That seems immature, almost childish. But his method was sophisticated. I’d be surprised if he hasn’t done it before.” He hesitated. “Or if he doesn’t do it again.”
“Are we talking serial arsonist?”
“It’s crossed my mind,” he admitted. “His MO was so well planned. So grandiose. I can see him thinking it would be a shame to only use it once.”
“Shit. So all we really have is a dead girl and some pieces of a plastic egg.”
“And a shoe print. Ben says the lab said it’s a size ten, by the way.”
“Which
Wow.
Then with a hard blink she dropped her eyes to the carton in her lap. Mrs. Solliday was a very lucky lady.
“Touché, Mitchell. Although for the record, as of this afternoon I’m duly impressed with your capability. I haven’t seen a move like that since high school.”
She handed him his food. “Let me guess. Linebacker?”
“Tight end. But that was a long time ago.”
They ate in silence, then Mia folded her wrapper. “So what happened?”
He eyed her over the last bite of his hot dog. “None of your business.”
She laughed. “Touché, Solliday. Give me your trash, I’ll throw it away.” When she climbed back into the cab, he was pocketing his cell phone. “Emergency?”
“No. I just needed to call home.”
Mia sighed. “I’m sorry again. You have a family to get home to.”
“My hours are as flexible as yours. I have somebody to take care of Beth when I have to work at night. Take something for your shoulder.”
So there was no Mrs. Solliday. The sudden thump of her heart was merely interest, Mia told herself, not relief. She popped a few pain relievers, wondering what had happened to his wife, but stopped herself from asking. “So where are we going now?”
“Greek Row.”
It would be a while before they got there. “Can I look at your notes again?”
He handed her his notebook. “So what nice thing did you do for Carmichael?”
“Somebody close to her was murdered last year. Abe and I were primary. She was pretty hysterical and I stayed with her until she’d gotten through the worst of it. It was no more than I’d do for any victim’s family.”
“Obviously more than she expected.”
“I guess. Anyway, I’ve become her personal news source. Every time I turn around that girl is there. But she gave me DuPree. If I get Getts, she’ll be on my Christmas list forever.” She scanned his notes. “Was the bed made in the spare bedroom?”
He looked surprised. “Yes, why?”
“When I was in school, I studied at the kitchen table. I don’t think I would have used somebody else’s bedroom, for sure. What was Caitlin doing studying up there?”
“Maybe she got sleepy.”
“That’s why I asked about the bed. But she could have slept on the couch. Sleeping in somebody else’s bed, especially when you’ve expressly been told not to live in... That’s just...” She searched for the word. “Cheeky.”
His lips twitched. “Cheeky?”
She shook her head with a smile. “Don’t laugh at my adjectives. It’s like she was playing Goldilocks, studying and sleeping where she wasn’t invited.”
“There was a desk in the bedroom. With a computer.”
“Ah. We should have it taken in. Check for e-mails and Web surfing.”
“I talked to Ben when you were processing DuPree. He said Unger took the computer this afternoon. They’ll try to check for e-mails, et cetera, before morning.”
“Okay. So walk with me. Caitlin’s studying or surfing the Web or something. She hears something, comes downstairs and he’s there. They struggle in the foyer. Maybe he rapes her. At some point he shoots her. But he doesn’t burn her to utterly destroy her. Unless he thought she’d be burned to ash and he’s just a novice. Are we dealing with a novice?”
“I don’t know. He had the solid-accelerant device down just right. But I’ve been thinking about the sheer spectacle of the explosion...He went to a lot of trouble to be noticed. That seems immature, almost childish. But his method was sophisticated. I’d be surprised if he hasn’t done it before.” He hesitated. “Or if he doesn’t do it again.”
“Are we talking serial arsonist?”
“It’s crossed my mind,” he admitted. “His MO was so well planned. So grandiose. I can see him thinking it would be a shame to only use it once.”
“Shit. So all we really have is a dead girl and some pieces of a plastic egg.”
“And a shoe print. Ben says the lab said it’s a size ten, by the way.”
“Which
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