Split Second (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 1)

King looked at her skeptically. “How do you know that? It looks like any earring.”

“To a man, yes. Women notice clothes, hair, jewelry, nails and shoes, just about anything another woman has on her body. Men only notice boobs and butts, usually in that order, and sometimes hair color. It’s Joan’s; she had it on the last time I saw her.”

“So she was here.”

“But she’s not now, which means the odds are good she’s still alive,” commented Michelle.

“She might have dropped it on purpose,” said King.

“Right. To let us know she was here.”

While Michelle went to give the earring to Parks, King went into the next cell and shone his light around. He went grid by grid but saw nothing of any relevance. He checked under the bed and bumped his head as he was sliding back out. He stood, rubbed his noggin and noticed that he’d dislodged the small mattress. He bent over to set it straight before he was slapped on the hand for disturbing a crime scene.

That’s when he saw it. The inscription was right at the edge of the wall where the mattress had covered it. He stooped and directed his light there. It must have been tough going, etching this into the concrete, probably using a fingernail.

As he read it, something clicked in his head, and he cast his mind back to the truck rolling down toward the cabin. Something Kate had told them was finally beginning to make sense. If it was true, how wrong they’d all been.

“What are you doing?”

He whirled around and saw Michelle standing there staring at him.

“Pretending I’m Sherlock Holmes and failing,” he said with a sheepish look. He glanced over her shoulder. “How’s it going out there?”

“The tech teams are gearing up to come in. I don’t think they’ll appreciate our presence.”

“I hear you. Why don’t you go tell Parks we’re going to drive back to Wrightsburg? He can meet us back at my house.”

Michelle looked around. “I was really hoping that today would answer all our questions. Now we just have more.”

After Michelle left, King turned back to the wall and again read over what was there, memorizing it. He debated whether to tell the others, but decided to let them find it on their own, if they did. If he was right, this changed everything.

CHAPTER

62

ON THE DRIVE back to Wrightsburg King was moodily silent. So much so that Michelle finally gave up any attempt to rouse him from his funk. She dropped him at his house.

“I’m going to head back to the inn for a while,” she said, “and check out a few things. I guess I should call into the Service. I’m still employed there, after all.”

“Fine, good idea,” King said absently, averting his gaze.

“If you don’t want to give me your thoughts for a penny, I’ll go as high as a nickel.” She smiled and touched him lightly on the arm. “Come on, Sean, give it up.”

“I’m not sure my thoughts right now are even worth a nickel.”

“You saw something back there, didn’t you?”

“Not now, Michelle. I need to think some things through.”

“Okay, but I thought we were partners,” she said, obviously hurt he wasn’t interested in her assistance.

“Wait a minute,” he said. “There is something you can do for me. You still have access to the Secret Service database?”

“I think so. I had a friend of mine slow-walk my admin leave papers. Actually, after they let me take my vacation time, I’m not sure what my status is. But I can find out quickly enough. I have my laptop back at the inn; I’ll log on and check it out. What do you need to know?” When he told her, she looked very surprised. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Maybe nothing, but maybe everything.”

“Well, I’m doubtful that’ll be on the Service’s database.”