Train Wreck by Blair Howard

Author:Blair Howard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blair Howard

17

Wednesday, 2:45pm

Maybe Jacque’s instinct to whisper had been correct because no sooner had I stepped out of the car than the man turned and disappeared into the space between the homes.

I jogged down the walk to see which way he went, but by the time I reached the alley space, he was nowhere to be seen. I picked up the pace a little, cutting through the slim breezeway toward the backyards, but it was to no avail. A paved lane ran behind the homes and the backs of the houses on the next block were the only thing to be seen.

Jacque was at my shoulder a second later. “Nothing like options,” she said. “He could’ve gone anywhere. You wanna go one way and I’ll take the other?”

I was about to answer when my phone rang. I looked at the screen. “It’s Doc,” I said, glancing back and forth along the lane.

“No,” I answered Jacque. “We’ll let it go.” The phone continued to vibrate in my hand, urging me to answer it. “Let’s focus on the problems we know right now,” I said finally, swiping across the screen. “Could’ve just been a curious neighbor and we’ve got a full afternoon yet.”

I put the phone to my ear, turned, and started walking toward the car. “What’s the news, Doc?”

“Just wanted to keep you abreast of the situation,” he replied. “I have the lab result. It confirmed what we already knew. Massive dose of cyanide. Well, and donut glaze. It was a sweet little trick, using the sugar to cover up the taste.”

“Anything else?” I asked.

“Not at the moment,” Doc said, “but I thought the fact that our murderer is using cyanide in the most unassuming of ways might be of interest to you. This isn’t a game, Harry. This killer is ruthless. I urge you to proceed with the greatest of caution.”

“I appreciate the heads-up,” I said.

Sometimes I forget Doc spends nearly all of his time chopping up corpses. I’m so used to seeing him doing it that I miss the fact that, when it comes to actual life-and-death situations, he’s only there for the final credits, looking at the carnage but not participating in it. And I had to wonder how he would’ve advised Kate and me when we wandered into the hillbilly reunion not so long ago.

“Just thought it was worth underlining,” he said. “After all, Doctor Polaski was trained the same way I am and I’m sure she certainly never gave that breakfast donut a second thought.”

“Why would she?” I asked. “Why would anybody?”

“You’re right, of course, Harry, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to keep your wits about you. Ask yourself this: how did the killer get to the donuts without being seen at that time in the morning? Oh, and by the way, there are no security cameras. I checked.”

I sighed, then said, “Thanks, Doc. I appreciate you letting us know.” I was about to hang up when I thought of something. “Hey, while I’ve got you.

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