“I said, I needs to pick your brain.”
“Have you seen the time? It’s not even six thirty.”
“Figured I didn’t wanna miss you or nothing.”
She swore again and almost told him to beat it, but intrigue won. “What case?”
“UVic student who went missing last December. Annelise Janssen.”
“That wasn’t mine.”
“Yeah, but she might be linked to one of your old ones. Can we talk?”
Damn him. He’d hooked her, and he was reeling her in. Had to give the guy credit where it was due.
“I’ll be down in fifteen. Coffee shop on the corner—it opens early. Order me the full breakfast when you get there, okay? On your dime.” She hung up and eyed her computer. She needed coffee and food anyway. She’d find out what Holgersen wanted and then come back here to transfer the rest of her files to her laptop and pack while she tried to set up appointments in Port Ferris and, along the way, Ladysmith, because that’s where Kathi Daly lived. Before going to bed, she’d made a list of “persons of interest” in the Jasmine Gulati case.
If all went to plan, she could be checked in at the Port Ferris motel by late this afternoon and doing her first interviews this evening. Once she’d packed she’d swing by Mia Monroe’s clothing boutique, Candescence, and see what Mia had to say about her long-term friendship with Jasmine and why they’d fallen out shortly before Jasmine’s river trip. Then she’d drop by Mayang Photo Place and pick up any other files Daniel might have managed to salvage for her.
Angie sat at a small table opposite Holgersen and watched him breaking the poached egg atop his vegetarian “ninja bowl,” which had set him back almost twenty-five bucks.
“So how’s you doing?” he said as he delivered a spoonful of eggs, brown rice, sriracha, bok choy, and kale to his mouth. “Getting a buncha work from that Brixton at Coastal?”
Angie bit into her breakfast croissant and chewed as she watched Holgersen’s eyes. His gaze darted everywhere except to meet hers. He was hiding something. Or he was more buzzed on caffeine and nicotine and lack of sleep than usual.
“Yeah.” She swallowed and reached for her coffee. “A bunch of work.” She sipped, relishing the hot hit of caffeine and the flavor of a good medium-roast single-source grind.
“So whatcha working on now, exactly? By the way, nice ring you gots around your neck there, Pallorino.”
She weighed him, suspicion deepening. “Did Maddocks send you to check on me?”
He finally met her eyes. “Why would he do that? You not seeing him no more or what?”
Touché.
He waited.
She considered carefully what she was going to say, then figured she’d like Maddocks to know what she was doing and to not worry about her being at loose ends while she figured a few things out. She was also warmed by the fact he still cared enough to send the goofball here to check on her. “I got the Moss Girl case. You know the remains that mushroom picker found up at the Nahamish?”
He stilled chewing, lowered his utensils. “Yeah?”
“Body was identified as Jasmine Gulati, granddaughter of retired Supreme Court justice Jilly Monaghan. Coroner is ruling her death as an accidental drowning, but the judge wants me to paint a picture of Gulati’s life in the lead-up to the accident and to answer a few questions.”
“Shit. For reals?”
She snorted and finished the rest of her croissant. She was hungry for a change and actually looking forward to driving up to Port Ferris and sinking her teeth into some interviews.
“So,” Angie said as she swallowed and reached for her mug. “When you do report back to Maddocks, you can tell him I’m going to Port Ferris for a while.”
“Fine, you wins. He asked me if I’d seen you around, and I told him that I’d stop by. But I’s also got questions of my own for you. Regarding an old sexual assault you worked. So two stones with one bird.”
“Two birds with one stone.”
“What?”
“That’s the saying—killing two birds with one stone.”
“Yeah, sure, whatevers.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a photograph. He slid the picture across the table. “Remember her?”
