Sinister Sudoku by Kaye Morgan

Author:Kaye Morgan
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Penguin Group USA, Inc.

11

“I’m afraid I won’t be going with you,” Mrs. Halvorsen spoke up. She put her hands to her face. Liza reached out a hand to Mrs. H.’s shoulder. The older woman had done her best to hold up under all this, but—

“Of course not.” Buck’s voice was unexpectedly gentle as he bent over her. “I wouldn’t expect you to do that. It’s just that after making sure your home was safe from eavesdropping, it seemed a good place to discuss our next moves.”

Mrs. H. looked up. “You’re very kind, young man— especially since I don’t believe this is the usual way you do business.”

Buck stared down at her, speechless, as she summoned up a weak smile. “Not that I don’t appreciate it. But if you need to be tough to find out who killed my brother, feel free to be as tough as you need to be.” She straightened up. “Chris was killed over that painting he stole. I’m sure of that. If you need to find the picture to force whoever killed Chris into the open, you do that, too.”

“We’ll do our best, Mrs. H.,” Liza promised.

“That’s right,” Michael added.

“Count on it,” Buck rumbled.

They went outside to Buck’s rental car. “So,” Buck asked, “you want to be navigator?”

“I want to use the bathroom,” she confessed. “But I hated the idea of ruining our dramatic exit by asking to use the one at Mrs. H.’s.”

“Okay, bathroom break,” Buck looked over at Michael.

“I’m good,” Michael assured him.

“Better to make sure before we go,” Buck said severely. “And if I hear one ‘Are we there yet?’” from the backseat, you’re walking home, young man.

“There speaks the father of the year,” Liza muttered, leading the way back to her house.

Soon enough they were on the road. The drive down to Otis went by pretty unremarkably. The 101 was the big artery through the area, the first to be cleared of snow and any fallen trees. Buck drove his unfamiliar vehicle with authority, but without maniac speed. In about forty-five minutes, they arrived in the town of Otis, trying to track down the address Buck had given to Liza. “There’s a map in the glove compartment,” he said.

The address they were looking for was on a street of good-sized, well-kept houses. “There,” Liza said, pointing. Buck pulled over, and they all got out.

“Do we need to come up with some sort of approach here?” Michael asked.

Buck shook his head. “I think we just go in straight, asking about Dalen.” He paused. “We could mention the sister— Mrs. H., was it?”

“Elise Halvorsen,” Liza said.

“Right.” Buck led the way up the short walk and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal a man probably a few years older than Mrs. H., tall, slightly stooped. His white hair was cut short and his face was attractive, lined and creased in a way that Liza associated with outdoorsmen.

This could be Kevin in about thirty-five years, she thought, looking at the squint lines around the man’s eyes. She noticed there were also laugh lines around his mouth.

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