“Efficient. That’s what Danny says, though between us, I think he just wanted his own plane. I thought I’d be bringing Adriana back with me, talked to the pilot about there being room in the hold, he said there was.” She swiped at her eyes. “I guess I’ll be going home alone.”

CHAPTER
20

Adriana Betts’s cell phone registration traced to an address in Portland but her recent billing had gone to a Mailboxes Galore in a La Jolla strip mall. Milo began the paperwork for subpoenaing the records, then tried the mail drop.

The clerk said, “Let me check … here we go, Betts. Closed three months ago.”

“Any idea why?”

“We don’t ask.”

“She leave a forwarding?”

“Let me check … nope, just a close-down.”

“Was she all paid up?”

“To the day,” said the clerk. “That’s pretty cool.”

“What is?”

“Someone being honest.”

I said, “La Jolla makes sense if she was working for two doctors. Big medical town. And a pair of physicians would be less likely to run out of nanny money.”

“Med school’s a big place,” he said. “You have any contacts?”

“A few in Pediatrics, but the sister said cancer research so I’d try Oncology first.”

“Sister didn’t know much, did she? Maybe Adriana didn’t want her to. Why would a church girl need a P.O.B.?”

I said, “Church girl with a secret life?”

“She didn’t die pretty.”

An outraged activist might call that blaming the victim. Anyone with homicide experience would call it logic.

He read off the Portland address on the cell registration. “Let’s talk to these people, first.”

Susan Van Dyne worked as a reference librarian at the Multnomah County Library, Main Branch. Bradley Van Dyne was in human resources at a start-up software company. Both had Facebook pages that showed them as bespectacled towheads with an interest in snow sports. Their only child was a three-year-old named Lucas, already wearing glasses. In one of several posted photos, Adriana Betts could be seen holding the boy on her knee.

Everyone smiling, Adriana’s grin the widest. She had on the same dress she’d died in. Lucas grasped her finger with a tiny hand. Child and nanny appeared in love. So far, I believed everything Adriana had told her sister.

The Van Dynes’ number was listed. They gasped in unison when Milo told them about the murder.

“My God, my God,” said Susan. “Adriana was a gem. We so regretted having to let her go.”

“Why did you?”

Bradley said, “Lost my job, couldn’t afford her anymore. When the HR department gets reamed, you know the company’s terminal. And guess what? They bellied up ten days after I got my pink slip.”

Susan said, “With Bradley staying home it didn’t make sense.”