Дэвид Балдаччи - Redemption

“Kelly, have you logged the positions for all prints you found, interior and exterior?”

She nodded and pulled out an electronic pad. “All on here. Lot easier than the way we used to do it years ago, right?”

“Right,” said Decker absently as he looked over the different digital screens.

Fairweather said, “All the usual places. Steering wheel, cupholder, console, glove compartment, gearshift, control knobs, rearview mirror, dashboard, inside of the door and window.”

“And outside?” asked Decker as he moved to that digital page.

“Door handle, driver’s front side, and rear doors. And exterior driver’s-side window. Again, the usual.”

“And we’ve had no meaningful rain since she disappeared.”

“Correct.”

“So no recent prints would have been damaged or even washed off by a heavy rain.”

“Right.”

“How long do prints last on something?” asked Mars.

“Depends on the surface involved, what substance might have been on the fingers, the timing, the weather conditions, a whole host of factors,” said Fairweather.

Decker handed her back the pad. “What else?”

“Not a lot. We don’t know how far the car’s been driven because we didn’t know the odometer reading before she left. She did have an oil change sticker on her windshield. The car’s been driven about four hundred miles since then, but the oil change happened over three weeks ago. Not much we can deduce from that.”

“Insect debris on the front and the windshield?”

“Not too much. But she could have gotten it washed after she left town.”

Decker nodded because he too had thought of this.

“So, Decker, have you solved it?” Natty had walked around the side of the car and was looking up at him.

“Just observing,” said Decker.

Natty smirked. “Always knew you were overrated.”

“Yeah, dude’s been here ten seconds,” said Mars. “How long you been here?”

Natty looked over at him. “Who the hell are you, really?”

“Decker’s assistant . You might want to follow my lead on that, you know? Assist the man.”

“You got a real comedian here, Decker,” said Natty irritably.

“One thing I would draw your attention to,” said Decker.

“What’s that?”

“There’s no print on the rear liftgate.”

“So what? Richards got in the front seat.”

“After she put a really heavy piece of luggage in the rear compartment.”

“She used her key fob to open the trunk.”

Decker shook his head. “Agatha Bates, her neighbor, said Richards started up the car and then went back inside and brought out a large piece of luggage that she put in the rear cargo hold. And she struggled to do so before slamming the liftgate shut.” Decker paused and looked from Fairweather back to Natty.

“There were no prints anywhere on the liftgate,” said Fairweather. “I went inch by inch.”

“Pretty weird,” said Mars.

“No, it’s not,” said Natty. “She used the button on her key fob to open it, like I just said.”

“She couldn’t,” said Decker.

“Why?”

“The keys were in the ignition. This car is old enough, so you have to put the key in the ignition, not just have it with you to start the car. So the key and the fob already would have been in the vehicle.” He eyed Natty. “Check out the ignition if you don’t believe me.”

“Okay, if that’s the case, where’s the print?” said Natty, looking confused.

“Good question.”

“What does its absence tell us?” asked Natty.

“Another good question,” said Decker. “And here’s one more. Why did she start the car first and then go back into the house and bring the luggage out? Why not bring the luggage out, start the car, and drive off? The way she did it, the lady had to make two trips instead of one.”

Natty’s brow furrowed. “Okay, I give. Why would she—?”

But Decker had already turned and walked off.

“Damn it, I hate when the sonofabitch does that,” exclaimed Natty.

Mars said, “Yeah, I get that. But second piece of advice, man?”

Natty eyed him. “Why should I listen to you? I don’t even know you.”

“Yeah, but I know Decker. You want to solve this sucker and get your next promotion, give the dude some room to work.”

“I’m running this case!”

“But what you don’t want to do is run it into the ground. Just my two cents.”

Mars turned and followed Decker.

Natty looked at Fairweather, who was staring at him. “What?” he barked.

“I don’t know that guy, but to me, he makes a lot of sense.”

“Why does everybody think Amos Decker walks on water!” barked Natty.

“Hey, the guy’s got his issues. We all know that. But when it comes to catching bad guys, do you know anybody who does it better?”

She went back to work, leaving Natty staring down at his shoes.

On the drive back to town, Decker said nothing.

Mars would look over at him occasionally, and several times appeared ready to ask something, but then he’d glance away and remain silent.

“You have something to say?” Decker finally asked.

Mars grinned. “Was I that obvious?”

“Apparently.”

“That Natty guy has it in for you. What’s that about?”

“He didn’t like the fact that Lancaster and I solved most of the homicides in Burlington. Well, more than most. Basically all. He was the rising star in the department before I got bumped to detective. He got relegated to investigating lesser crimes, and I think he blames me. Then he made a big mistake on the Hargrove case. Missing person turned homicide. That sidetracked his career. Since I left I guess he’s been attempting a comeback. And he kisses Pete Childress’s ass, even though the guy hung him out to dry when the fallout came on the Hargrove matter.”

“Is he any good at being a detective?”

“He’s competent . But he always goes for the easiest solution. And he makes mistakes. Gets sloppy at times. Assumes things he shouldn’t.”

“Like you did with the murders all those years ago?”

Decker glanced over at him. “I deserved that.”

“Come on, I was just pulling your chain. I’m telling you, you keep yourself under all that pressure, you’re gonna pop one day.”

“I think my popping days are over.”

“What’s on the agenda now?”

Decker looked at the clock on the dashboard.

“We’ve got some time before we meet Sally Brimmer and pick up the flash drive.”

“So where?”

“Susan Richards’s house.”

Decker pulled his car into the driveway about two hours later and they got out. Decker glanced over at Agatha Bates’s home and thought he could see the old woman on her screen porch reading a book.

Mars looked the house over. “You think Richards is dead?”

“No signs of violence in the car. Or outside it. No one’s found a body. But still, she could be dead.”

“How are we going to get in?”

“I’ve got a key. My old partner, Mary Lancaster, gave it to me while we were working Susan Richards’s disappearance.” Decker put the key in the lock and began to turn it.

“Wait a minute, Decker. Will this get you in trouble? Aren’t you just supposed to be observing?”

“Well, when I go into the house, I’ll just be observing .”

Decker led Mars into the front part of the house.

“So, Richards packs a big bag and hightails it out of here after you bring her in for questioning on the Hawkins murder.”

“And we couldn’t confirm her alibi. The other neighbors weren’t home during the time in question. And the old lady across the street, the one who saw Richards leaving, can’t completely account for Richards’s movements when Hawkins was killed.”