Chapter 5 - The Spare Phone
Rosa’s hand moved toward the metal water pitcher.
Grace caught her wrist.
Harlan Beck smiled as if they were old friends meeting in a grocery store.
“Daniel called me,” he said.
“Of course he did,” Grace replied.
Beck’s smile thinned.
He asked the nurse for privacy. The nurse looked at Grace.
“No,” Grace said. “She stays.”
Beck pulled a chair closer but didn’t sit.
“I heard you had a rough night.”
“You investigated Cedar Pines.”
“I did.”
“Did you also investigate my husband on the golf course?”
Rosa made a choking sound that might have been a laugh.
Beck ignored it.
“Mrs. Nolan, the fire was ruled accidental.”
“Six people died.”
“That doesn’t make it arson.”
“I didn’t say arson.”
For the first time, Beck’s expression slipped.
A small thing.
But Grace saw it.
So did Rosa.
Beck stood. “Rest. We’ll talk when you’re thinking more clearly.”
Grace said, “Get out.”
He did.
Rosa waited until his footsteps faded.
“He’s dirty.”
“Maybe.”
“You saw his face.”
“I saw a face.”
Rosa frowned. “You’re very annoying after almost being hit by a train.”
“So are you.”
They stared at each other.
Then both women looked away.
By morning, the contractions had slowed. The hospital moved Grace to a regular maternity room under observation. A deputy remained outside, but Daniel had not been arrested.
There wasn’t enough physical evidence yet.
The railroad crossing camera had been pointed the wrong direction during track maintenance.
The car was registered to Daniel.
The rope was gone.
Grace’s stomach turned every time she thought about it.
At 10:12 a.m., Rosa borrowed a nurse’s phone and called Father Miguel at St. Luke’s Church.
“Donation closet,” she said. “Top shelf, behind the winter coats. There’s a little black phone in a coffee tin.”
She listened.
Her face changed.
“What do you mean it’s gone?”
Grace pushed herself upright.
Rosa’s voice rose. “Who cleaned it out?”
A pause.
“When?”
Another pause.
Rosa slowly lowered the phone.
“What?” Grace asked.
“The church had a volunteer cleanup yesterday afternoon.”
“And?”
“The coffee tin was taken to the thrift shed.”
Grace let out a breath.
“That’s not terrible. We can go get it.”
May you like
Rosa looked at her.
“The thrift shed caught fire last night.”
