See Me(143)

“No,” Colin said. “He didn’t mention his name.”

“That’s okay. I’ll do some digging. It won’t be hard to find the answer. One last question: Where do you intend to go tonight?”

“To my parents’,” Maria answered. “Why?”

“I figured,” Wright said. “That’s why I wanted to ask. After something like this happens, people usually go to a friend’s place, or to their family. If you want my opinion, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because right now, I don’t know what this guy Atkinson is capable of doing, and it makes me nervous. He’s clearly got it out for you, and from what I saw inside, he’s not only dangerous but angry and on the rampage. You might consider going someplace else tonight.”

“Like where?”

“How about somewhere like the Hilton? I know some people there and I’m sure I can get you a room, along with police protection. Even if it’s only for tonight. It’s been quite a day and both of you need to try to get some rest. I’m not saying anything will happen, but best to be cautious, you know?”

Maria’s voice was quiet. “Margolis said that they weren’t able to offer police protection.”

“I was talking about me. I’ll watch your room tonight. I’m off the clock, so no big deal.”

“Why would you do that?” Colin asked.

Wright turned toward Colin and said simply, “Because you saved my friend’s life.”





CHAPTER 30





Maria





I

n the car, Maria called her parents with the news, then absently watched the detective’s sedan out front as it led the way to the hotel, which was only a few blocks from her condo.

Wright must have made the arrangements in the short time they were driving, because the key was waiting at the front desk. He rode with them in the elevator and walked with them to the end of the corridor, where a folding chair was already positioned just outside the door. He handed them the room key.

“I’ll be here as long as you are, so no worries.”

It wasn’t until she slipped into bed beside Colin that Maria realized how exhausted she was. A couple of hours earlier, she’d imagined making love, but she was too depleted for that and Colin seemed to be feeling exactly the same way. Instead, she rested her arm on his shoulder, curling close and feeling his warmth until all at once, everything went black.

When her eyes finally opened, sunlight was already streaming through the crack in the blinds. Rolling over, she noticed Colin wasn’t beside her, and she saw him brushing his teeth in the bathroom. Glancing at the clock, she was surprised to see that it was almost eleven. She sat up with a start, thinking her parents were probably going crazy.

She reached for her phone and saw a text from Serena.

Colin called and said you were sleeping, and he told me what happened. Come to the house after you wake up. Dad’s taken care of everything!

Maria furrowed her brow. “Colin?” she called out.

“Hold on,” he mumbled, poking his head through the doorway, and she saw a mouth full of toothpaste, along with some on his finger. He rinsed his mouth and stepped into the main part of the room, moving toward the bed.

“Did you use your finger to brush your teeth?”

He sat beside her. “I didn’t bring a toothbrush.”

“You could have used mine.”

“Germs,” he said with a wink. “You slept late. I already called your parents.”

“I know. Serena texted. What’s going on?”

“I’ll let you be surprised.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready for any more surprises.”

“You’ll like this one.”

“How long have you been up?”

“A couple of hours. But I didn’t get out of bed until twenty minutes ago.”

“What were you doing?”

“Thinking.”

There was no reason to ask About what? She already knew the answer, and after they showered together, they dressed and packed. Stepping out the door, they saw Wright sitting in the folding chair.

“Would you two mind if we get a cup of coffee?” he asked.





“For starters,” Wright began, “your apartment has been cleared for reentry. Forensics left earlier this morning and they’re done. I figured you’d want to know in case you needed to grab anything. Clothes or toiletries or whatever.”

If there’s anything left that I even want, Maria thought. “Did they find anything?”

“No clear evidence was left behind, except for the paint cans, and there were no fingerprints on those. Atkinson must have worn gloves. As for hair samples, that’ll take a little longer, but no guarantees. Hair sample analysis is always tricky, unless there’s DNA from the root.”

Maria nodded, trying to force away the images she’d seen the night before.

“I also made some other calls this morning,” Wright said, stirring sugar and cream into his coffee. Maria noted the bags under his bloodshot eyes. “As of yet, no one has been able to talk to Lester. He hadn’t been at the station for ten minutes before his attorney showed up, and a short while after that, his father appeared, too, and made the same demands that the attorney was making. Not that they were able to talk to him, either. By then, Lester Manning was strapped to a gurney in the infirmary, on psychiatric hold. And he’s still sedated. The general consensus is that he’s nuttier than an almond tree. According to the officers, as soon as he saw the cell, he went bonkers.”