All the Little Raindrops(80)
Noelle nodded, looking out the window distractedly. “Okay. I’ll make another trip to the storage container later and look for the bank statements.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, thank you. I think this time I’d like to go alone. But I’ll call you as soon as I’m done.”
He nodded, though he wanted to press the matter. But she’d been doing things on her own for a long time now, and he didn’t want to act overbearing. The problem was, he’d started thinking of her as a partner again. They just worked. They had from the get-go. And that reminder made his mind wander. To other ways they might work as a team. Those thoughts scared him, because he had no reason to believe she’d even entertain the idea. He’d let her go once for a similar reason. And it had hurt like hell. His instinct was to shun any avoidable hurt ever again, especially because he didn’t function well with a broken heart, and Noelle Meyer was the only one capable of giving him one.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The next day, Noelle removed a pair of sunglasses from her bag and slid them on her face before turning to Evan in the driver’s seat. “I found a couple boxes last night of what looks like paperwork. There was a file full of job quotes at the top and a stack of other things. I brought them back to my room. I’ll start going through some of it later tonight or tomorrow.”
Evan glanced at her as he pulled onto the highway. “Okay, great,” he said. They were headed to see Dow’s sister, a woman named Louise whom Noelle had never met. She knew Dow had referred to her at least once or twice; she just couldn’t remember anything specific that he’d said. But apparently, she’d been willing to meet with them, and perhaps she’d have something to add to what they already knew. Something had been going on with her dad in the week before she went missing. She didn’t know what, but she had a suspicion whatever it was had, at least in part, contributed to his sudden heart attack.
“Did you locate his laptop?” Evan asked.
“No. And I spent a good hour going through the boxes. I did a decent job labeling them, so once I got them spread out, it was easier to see what was what. I made a pile that I plan to donate and put a few things aside I’d like to ship to South Carolina.”
He glanced at her, and she could see in the dip of his brow as his eyes quickly moved across her features that he was looking for what might be emotional upset in her expression. She did feel slightly emotional but not necessarily in a bad way. She’d shed a few tears as she’d looked at specific items in the boxes, and though she’d wanted Evan with her the first time she’d gone there, she was glad she’d spent some time alone among her father’s things the second time around. It had been cathartic, and she felt cleansed in a way she hadn’t before.
She’d also spoken to her father, asking him if he needed to tell her something and, if so, to please lead the way. She wasn’t certain such a thing was possible, but it sure couldn’t hurt to try. At the time of their escape, she hadn’t known her father was dead. But maybe he’d lent a hand then too. Somehow. She liked to think so because it meant he was there, leading them out of that fiery hellscape.
Louise Cook lived in a ground floor apartment in a somewhat ratty-looking building in East Reno. Evan lifted the knocker and gave it two swift taps. A dog started howling in another apartment across the way, and they both looked over their shoulders but then back to Louise’s door as they heard shuffling on the other side. The door was pulled open, and a woman in her sixties stood there in a blue velvet housecoat and slippers, wearing a bandanna on her head. There didn’t appear to be any hair beneath the head covering, and Noelle wondered if the woman was going through cancer treatment.
“Louise?” she asked, offering her hand.
The woman shook it as she nodded. “Noelle Meyer. You look like your dad through the eyes,” she said, turning her attention to Evan. He introduced himself, too, and she stood back so they could enter.
“Did you know my father well?” Noelle asked as they followed her to a set of couches a few feet away. She and Evan sat down on one, and Louise took the one across from them, pulling her housecoat down over her knees before reaching forward and shuffling a stack of mail into a pile and turning it over. She wasn’t quick enough, however, that Noelle didn’t notice the large red Past Due marks on what looked like medical bills.
“I only met him once or twice. Dow recommended him for a job back when I was married and we’d just bought a house. It ended up having some electrical issues, and your dad fixed them. It’s been a long time, but a flash of his face came back when I looked at you. Funny the things your brain files away without you even knowing. He was a nice man.”
“He was,” she said, her heart giving a small thump. She cleared her throat. “Actually, my dad is part of the reason we’re here.” She glanced at Evan quickly. “I don’t know if you read about what happened to me—”
“I did,” she said, and Noelle was grateful she’d cut in, saving her from describing any portion of what they’d been through. “I was really sorry to hear what happened to you. I can’t begin to imagine. They never caught the guy who done that, huh?”
Guy. More like guys. “No. But, um, we’ve recently found some new leads, and part of what we found involves your brother.”