Harlequin Intrigue November 2023--Box Set 2 of 2 by Barb Han

Author:Barb Han
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“Not what you expected to see?” Callum asked, not sure why Raine was so shocked.

She slowly shook her head. “It looks...it looks as if Alicia could come home any minute. I thought you’d get an idea of the size of the room, where the closet was, the window, that sort of thing. I had no idea they’d kept it the way it was all those years ago.” Her gaze flew to the bed. “Except...that’s different. Similar, but not exactly the same as the bedding in the photos.”

“The police would have taken the original bedding as evidence. Her parents probably tried to find new bedding like it, but it was discontinued or they couldn’t locate the same set. Judging by how everything else looks, her books, her computer—no doubt returned after your brother’s case was adjudicated—high school trophies, posters on the wall, they tried to keep it the same. A memorial to their daughter.”

“They definitely haven’t moved on.”

“Many families don’t. Alicia may have technically been an adult. But her parents thought of her as their child, their only child. Getting rid of her things must have proved too painful in the beginning. Later, they just closed the door and left it alone. Although, I’d say from the lack of dust in here, it’s being cleaned regularly.”

“How sad to imagine them doing that.” She ran her hands up and down her arms as if chilled. “What did you want to see in here?”

He pulled out his phone and thumbed across the screen, then held it up. “This album contains all of the police photographs taken in the room. Originally, as you said, I wanted to get the feel of the space, the dimensions. But since the original crime scene is so well-preserved, we have a unique opportunity to compare it to the police pictures. If there are any significant details in here not photographed, again, that provides us with information only the true killer would know about.”

“Which would help you prove someone else did it if we come up with a suspect.”

“It could.” Or it could pile on additional proof against Joey Quintero if Callum got another chance to interview him—without Raine present. He’d contact his prison-admin friend tonight and work on getting that set up.

“All right,” Raine said, seemingly encouraged. “Let’s see what you have there.”

He handed her the phone, not feeling that he needed to look at the pictures right now since he’d studied them in-depth last night. Instead, he walked the length and breadth of the room. The closet was small, like everything else in the home. White wooden bifold doors opened accordion style. Not a walk-in, but someone could easily hide inside, behind the hanging clothes, and peer through the slats in the doors. It was typical of many homes built in the same era.

When he swept aside some of the pink hangers, it revealed that the back of the closet was covered with wallpaper. It was white with repeating patterns of pink sprays of flowers clinging to tree branches.

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