“Yeah,” Lee said. “But only if this theory of yours turns out to be true.”
I sighed heavily. “Come on.”
“Look, don’t get me wrong. Everything you’ve said makes sense,” he said, “but an overheard phone call, a bag of turbo-nicotine, and info about Sky’s hobbies back in college couldn’t indict a ham sandwich.”
I frowned. “I don’t think that’s the saying,” I said.
“Whatever,” he said.
“Fine. You’re right. A prosecutor wouldn’t like any of this,” I said. “There’s no solid evidence. Yet.”
“You know it’s true,” he said. “Intriguing though it is.”
“Think about it, okay?”
“I’ll do more than that.”
“That said, can you do me a little favor?”
“I suppose you’re going to tell me I owe you one.”
“If you don’t now,” I said, “you will later.”
Lee chuckled. “Can’t argue with that,” he said.
“I’m looking for an old friend of Dylan’s, but all I have is aphone number that doesn’t work and an email address from Lydia that’s probably ten years old,” I said. “I think Dylan’s been with her recently, though. I saw photos…She may know where he is.”
“Have you tried checking her social media?”
“My assistant, Blake, did, but it’s private,” I said. “Here’s the thing, though. Lydia Welch says this girl’s been in a bad way with drugs, so I’m thinking she may have been arrested at least once.”
“Worth a try,” Lee said.
“Okay,” I said. “So her name is Annabella Horton. Probably five-six, white, with dark hair, brown eyes, tan or spray-tanned. Dylan’s age, so twenty-seven, twenty-eight—”
“Say her name again.”
“Annabella Horton? I think she’s been going by Bella recently.”
“Hold on a sec.”
I heard Lee talking to someone, but I couldn’t make out the words. I waited, inching ever closer to my home.At this rate,I thought,I may not even have time to change clothes before drinks.
I was about five blocks away from my building and debating parking here, despite the cold, when Lee came back to the phone. “Well, I’ve got good news and bad news about Annabella Horton,” he said.
“Good news first.”
“I know who she is,” he said. “I recognized the name right away.”
“Who is she?”
“That’s the bad news,” he said. “I knew the name because it belongs to a body we just identified.”
My heart sank. “Oh…”
“She was found in the Charles a few weeks ago. Floating. Cause of death probable opiate overdose.”
I gripped the steering wheel, thinking of Lydia, what she’d said about two lost souls. “When you say a few weeks ago,” I said, “when exactly do you mean?”
