Frank Woods —- to show up. But there was no sign of Frank, and Louis had no choice but to board and go back without him.
Back at Sutter’s Marina, he called the library to see if Woods had come to work. The woman who answered said he was scheduled to work but had not shown up yet. Louis had headed right over to Fort Myers. He wanted to see Horton and get this over with.
As he started across the street to the station, Louis rubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw. Shit, it was probably just the stink of fear he was smelling. How the hell was he going to tell Horton he had let Frank Woods get away?
Louis slowed his pace near the entrance. There was a woman newscaster doing a live remote next to a WINK van, her blond hair-helmet glowing in the bright sun. Louis recognized her from the evening news and tried to place the name. Heather something...
Was there something new on the Monkey Island Jane Doe? Louis stopped close enough to eavesdrop.
“The police have identified the victim as Shelly Marie Umber, age twenty. The identification came after a family member called the police late last night and was confirmed this morning. Miss Umber is reportedly from Fort Lauderdale...”
Louis moved on, walking a wide circle around the reporter. He heard her sign off. Heather Fox. That was it.
“Mr. Kincaid? Louis Kincaid?”
He heard footsteps behind him and turned just as she came up to him. He glanced at the camera. The red recording light was off.
“Are you involved in this case?” Heather Fox asked.
“No.”
She swept back her hair with red-nailed fingers. “Then why are you here?”
“Donuts,” Louis said.
She laughed, and he walked away.
Inside the door, he pulled off his sunglasses. The air- conditioning felt good against his face and he took a second to let it soak in. He waved to the female uniform behind the glass and mouthed Horton’s name. She smiled and buzzed him in.
Horton’s door was open and he was standing behind his desk reading something. He looked up when Louis approached.
“Hey, Kincaid , good timing. Come on in. We ID’d the Jane Doe.”
“I heard outside,” Louis said. “How’d it happen?”
“Mel found a BOLO from Fort Lauderdale police. That’s where she’s from. The parents came in last night. Mel’s questioning them right now.”
Horton’s eyes drifted to the door and Louis instinctively knew the chief had been the one who had broken the news to the parents. Horton hadn’t foisted the job off on some Fort Lauderdale cop. He had made the call himself.
“How’d they take it?” Louis asked.
Horton shook his head slowly. “The mother’s in shock, I guess. The father —-” Horton let out a breath. “He started screaming at me about the cops and the judges letting animals run loose on the streets, that sort of shit.” Horton sat down in his chair behind the desk. “Man, I want this guy caught, whoever it is.”
Louis rubbed a hand over his face. “Chief, there’s something -—”
Landeta came in, moving right to Horton’s desk. He didn’t see Louis hanging back by the door.
“No way this girl was a runaway,” Landeta said.
“How do you know?” Louis asked.
Mel spun to face Louis. He gave him a look of contempt and turned back to the chief.
“The parents spend the winter in Lauderdale then go to their home in North Carolina for the summer,” Landeta said. “They left Lauderdale on April second and the daughter stayed behind in the condo. She was a student at Nova University and was supposed to fly back north when she finished the spring semester.”
“When did they last talk to her?” Horton asked.
“A couple of weeks later,” Landeta said. “The father took off to France on business in early May, and the mother joined him there a week later. They were going to be in Europe all summer on vacation. The mother said she talked to the daughter just before she left. The mother called a couple of times while they were in Europe but always got the
Back at Sutter’s Marina, he called the library to see if Woods had come to work. The woman who answered said he was scheduled to work but had not shown up yet. Louis had headed right over to Fort Myers. He wanted to see Horton and get this over with.
As he started across the street to the station, Louis rubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw. Shit, it was probably just the stink of fear he was smelling. How the hell was he going to tell Horton he had let Frank Woods get away?
Louis slowed his pace near the entrance. There was a woman newscaster doing a live remote next to a WINK van, her blond hair-helmet glowing in the bright sun. Louis recognized her from the evening news and tried to place the name. Heather something...
Was there something new on the Monkey Island Jane Doe? Louis stopped close enough to eavesdrop.
“The police have identified the victim as Shelly Marie Umber, age twenty. The identification came after a family member called the police late last night and was confirmed this morning. Miss Umber is reportedly from Fort Lauderdale...”
Louis moved on, walking a wide circle around the reporter. He heard her sign off. Heather Fox. That was it.
“Mr. Kincaid? Louis Kincaid?”
He heard footsteps behind him and turned just as she came up to him. He glanced at the camera. The red recording light was off.
“Are you involved in this case?” Heather Fox asked.
“No.”
She swept back her hair with red-nailed fingers. “Then why are you here?”
“Donuts,” Louis said.
She laughed, and he walked away.
Inside the door, he pulled off his sunglasses. The air- conditioning felt good against his face and he took a second to let it soak in. He waved to the female uniform behind the glass and mouthed Horton’s name. She smiled and buzzed him in.
Horton’s door was open and he was standing behind his desk reading something. He looked up when Louis approached.
“Hey, Kincaid , good timing. Come on in. We ID’d the Jane Doe.”
“I heard outside,” Louis said. “How’d it happen?”
“Mel found a BOLO from Fort Lauderdale police. That’s where she’s from. The parents came in last night. Mel’s questioning them right now.”
Horton’s eyes drifted to the door and Louis instinctively knew the chief had been the one who had broken the news to the parents. Horton hadn’t foisted the job off on some Fort Lauderdale cop. He had made the call himself.
“How’d they take it?” Louis asked.
Horton shook his head slowly. “The mother’s in shock, I guess. The father —-” Horton let out a breath. “He started screaming at me about the cops and the judges letting animals run loose on the streets, that sort of shit.” Horton sat down in his chair behind the desk. “Man, I want this guy caught, whoever it is.”
Louis rubbed a hand over his face. “Chief, there’s something -—”
Landeta came in, moving right to Horton’s desk. He didn’t see Louis hanging back by the door.
“No way this girl was a runaway,” Landeta said.
“How do you know?” Louis asked.
Mel spun to face Louis. He gave him a look of contempt and turned back to the chief.
“The parents spend the winter in Lauderdale then go to their home in North Carolina for the summer,” Landeta said. “They left Lauderdale on April second and the daughter stayed behind in the condo. She was a student at Nova University and was supposed to fly back north when she finished the spring semester.”
“When did they last talk to her?” Horton asked.
“A couple of weeks later,” Landeta said. “The father took off to France on business in early May, and the mother joined him there a week later. They were going to be in Europe all summer on vacation. The mother said she talked to the daughter just before she left. The mother called a couple of times while they were in Europe but always got the
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