The Texas Ranger's Family (Lone Star Lawmen 3)
“Thank you.” He waited for his call to be answered then asked to speak to the director.
“This is she.”
“It’s Father Segal calling from Austin.”
“Oh, yes, Father. How can I help you?”
“Mrs. Reese just shared the photos from the service for Gladys Park. Can you tell me about the blond woman, Dr. Varoz? She was in the group photo. Was she a church member, too?”
“No. She filled in for the regular podiatrist who went on vacation.”
“Who was that?”
“Dr. Nyman.”
“I see. How many times did Dr. Varoz come to see Gladys?”
“Just once, last Friday. Gladys was feeling poorly so she stayed awhile to keep her company.”
“Do you know why she came to the service?”
“She’d been at the nursing home to see another patient. I guess she decided to attend the service since she’d spent time with Gladys on Friday.”
It meant Gladys hadn’t supplied her with the information she’d been looking for. Today she’d hung around; possibly hoping to find out where Gladys’s possessions were located.
“Can you tell us who handled her financial arrangements? Mrs. Harris would like to get in touch with them.”
“The attorney for Mrs. Park.”
“Do you have a name?”
“Let me check. Yes, here it is. The firm of Farbes and Lowell.” She gave him the phone number.
“Thank you for that information. Sorry to bother you.”
“No problem at all.”
He hung up and gave Natalie her phone. “I’ll be right back.”
On an adrenaline rush he hurried into the den and phoned Cy on his cell. “Come on, bud. Pick up.”
The second he heard his friend’s voice he pounced. “You’ll never guess who was at the funeral service for Harold Park’s grandmother today. Julia Varoz, alias Juanita Morales.”
“What?”
“Yup. TJ’s hunch paid off. I’m looking at a picture of her as we speak. She’s wearing her blond disguise, posing as a podiatrist for Gladys Park. That puts her in Denver earlier today. When Natalie’s house was ransacked and no money was found, she must have left for Denver. This is the break we’ve both been looking for.”
“I’m calling TJ. We need to put out an APB on her immediately.”
“I’ll email you the picture from Natalie’s laptop and meet you at headquarters.”
He ended the call with Cy and phoned downtown to get the surveillance team back to guard Natalie. When he started for the kitchen he discovered she’d taken Amy into the living room to play with her toys.
She stared at him. “What did you see in those photos that sent you flying out of the room?”
“Juanita Morales.”
Natalie gasped.