Free The Sholes Key (An Evans & Blackwell Mystery #1) by Clarissa Draper Page A

the door on the way out; I saw her. She had a key.”
    “Yeah, we have it now,” Theo said.
    “Good for you,” Mr. Barking replied sarcastically. “You must be so proud. Anything else?”
    “Not for now,” said Theo. “Here’s my card, in case you remember something important.” He threw it down on one of his drawings.
    “I probably won’t,” Mr. Barking said and moved the card to his back trouser pocket. “Let yourselves out.”
    Once outside the building, Dorland said, “It’s possible that she ran into trouble outside. Mr. Barking confirms she goes outside to smoke.”
    Theo picked up some cigarette butts with a tissue he had in his pocket.
    “Picture this,” Theo said. “I’m Lorna, I need a smoke, so I stand here.” He leaned against the doorframe amongst the butts. “I live in the middle of the street. From this spot, I can see a man walking towards me from either end. If I feel scared, I have plenty of time to throw away my cigarette and run inside.”
    “What if she wasn’t scared?” Dorland asked. “What if she knew her attacker?”
    “Okay, let’s say I know the man who approaches. If he tries to attack me, I can scream. Someone would wake up and look out their window.”
    “What if he hit her on the back of the head?” Dorland asked, mimicking the action.
    “If the attacker knocked her out and dragged her down the street, it would put him at a lot of risk. Anyone could have walked or driven by and seen them.”
    “Maybe he pulled her into this building or one of the buildings on this street. We should search the building and canvas the neighborhood. Maybe someone saw something.” Dorland paused, slapping himself on the head. “No. I’m wrong. What am I saying? That’s definitely not what happened, because I don’t want to visit everyone on this street.”
    Theo laughed. “Personally, I doubt the perpetrator is stupid enough to drag a woman down the street. More likely he or she had a car. But why would Lorna get in? Even if she knew him, I doubt she would leave her son alone to drive off with anyone.”
    “And if she’s dead?”
    “I don’t know, Dorland,” he said quietly. “I don’t know. Murder’s another story. They’re a lot more complex, most of them. Sometimes the motives aren’t as clear. If she knew the killer, he or she will be much easier to catch.”
    “We hope.”

Chapter 7

    Everyone did exactly what he expected of them, and they didn’t even know they were doing it. He knew where she was going, and the route she would take to get there. Twenty-seven turns, he had it memorized. A woman after his own heart.
    Her Mercedes was easy to follow, a bright silver beacon. A beacon that urged him on. He pulled closer to her. She never looked back to see him following. Instead, her head swayed, rhythmically, enticingly. Enya, her favorite. He knew.
    He was relieved she did not accept an invitation from Marcus Masters. Marcus Masters. The name repeated in his head over and over. He felt his anger rising. No, he must calm himself. She was in all ways Marcus’s superior. Sophia needed a strong man, an intelligent man. She needed him.
    She told him so. He saw her looks, her eyes, how they pleaded with him to make the pain stop. They thought alike. She was the only one; he picked her. She was perfect.
    He watched Sophia enter her sanctuary. Living on the third floor of a Sands End apartment block, he knew she enjoyed the luxury her family wealth afforded her. He would keep her secret; he was so happy she had it. From his car, he watched her exit the underground car park door and push the button for the lift in the brightly lit lobby. No one would see him, no one ever saw him.
    You must not tire yourself out, my dear, he thought when she opened her mouth wide, yawning. You need to be at the top of your game. The next few days will be trying on you. You must not fail me.
    The lights of her flat went on above him. The blinds were shut, but he could see her silhouette