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“That Abby came back, that night,” Quinn said. “After the rest of the guests had left.” Not that she knew that for sure. She was guessing.
“Oh, that.” Samantha laughed. “Let me guess. He’d come back around hoping to hook up? ‘Hoping’ is the key word.”
“So he didn’t come up, too?” Quinn asked. “I thought he said—”
“Oh, wait,” Samantha said. “Yeah, he did. With everything that happened, I forgot. He did. I buzzed him up, but he didn’t stay long. Well, he couldn’t, with Abby here.”
Quinn was starting to get a prickly feeling along her arms. It was the feeling she got in court when something set off her alarms. When what parents said about their kid didn’t add up, especially. When you suspected something was going on in that house. She thought,Swim like it’s programmed in you. You know how to do this. Go with it.“I thought he might have offered to drive her home,” she said, trying to look puzzled. “I mean, the weather was terrible. I assume that’s why she came back? Because she was scared to drive home?”
“Oh—oh, yeah,” Samantha said. “She was. Nervous driver, Abby. Scientist. Absent-minded professor, head in the clouds half the time. Not like me. I’ve got steady nerves, like I said. Fortunately for me.”
“I’m surprised she didn’t stay the night with you,” Quinn said.
“Like I said. Beckett wanted her home. Are you really asking this again? I told you. It was awful. Imagine how bad I’ve felt, knowing shedidn’tstay over. That I didn’t insist on it and I let her go instead. Why would you want to put me through that again? You’re trying to make this somebody else’s fault. Not Beckett’s, because you’re in love with the bloke, too, just like Abby. You’re a fool.” She stood up. “And you’ve taken enough of my time.”
Quinn stayed where she was. “Who left with her? You or Victor?”
Something flashed across Samantha’s face so quickly, Quinn would’ve thought she was imagining it. “You think Victor—”
“Did he leave with her?” Quinn asked. “Offer her a lift? Or just leave at the same time?”
“Well, yeah, he did,” Samantha said. “You mean—I never thought—Victor?But …”
“I thought you said he didn’t stay,” Quinn said. “That he left right away.”
“I—” Samantha said. “I may be mistaken. That night’s all a jumble. And it’s too upsetting, going over it all again. You need to leave. Now.”
* * *
Beckett could hardly breathe.Every muscle in his body wanted to be up there.Neededto be up there. The hair was standing up on the backs of his arms. He had to keep listening, but something was wrong here. Very wrong. The way Samantha’s voice had just changed—
He took the other phone, the burner they’d bought at a corner shop a few hours ago, and climbed out of the car, not closing the door behind him all the way, because that sound might carry. If any noise came out of Quinn’s purse now …
He walked five paces. Ten. Then dialed one of the numbers he’d programmed in here.
Three rings, four, five. He was about to ring off and try the main emergency number when the voice answered. “Burnside.”
“Beckett Hughes.” Burnside started to say something, but Beckett didn’t let him. “I’m outside Samantha Cargill’s flat.” He gave the address, rapid-fire as he could make it. “We have new information. You need to come here now, but send another cop who’s closer first. Send two.”
“I asked you,” Burnside said, “to leave the investigating to—”
“I don’t care,” Beckett said. “You need to get somebody here now. Quinn’s up there, I’ve got the conversation recorded, and she’s in danger.”
“Sir,” Burnside said. “I’ll remind you that interfering in police business is—"
“So bloody arrest me!” He knew he was roaring. He couldn’t help it. “But send somebody here first. Send them now. We need help.”
He didn’t wait to hear Burnside argue more. He rang off. He needed to hear what was happening. He could—
He could ring the bell, at least. He could do that. If it got worse, that was what he’d do. He’d ring all the bells until somebody let him up, and then he’d kick down the door of the flat. He might not succeed, but he’d raise the alarm, and Samantha would know he was out there.
Why had he agreed to this? Why?
54
THE PIECES FIT
“So,” Quinn said, “here’s what we have. First, Abbydidcome back. I’m guessing it wasn’t because of the storm. She’d have called Beckett if it had been that.”
