BooksBarbecue
Back Season of Fear
Chapters (67)
  1. Contents
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. PART ONETHE EXTREMES
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. PART TWOSOMETHING BAD
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. PART THREECHAYLA
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. PART FOURHIT AND RUN
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. EPILOGUE
  67. AUTHOR’S NOTE

He showed Smeltz a photograph of Justin Kiel taken from a newspaper article about his murder.

The doctor took the paper and shook his head. ‘No, not even close. The man I spoke to was older and heavier.’ Smeltz was about to hand the paper back to Cab when he looked at the photograph again. He didn’t look happy. ‘Wait a minute.’

‘Do you know him?’

‘Well, I recognize him, yes. He showed up when I was working late a few weeks ago. He works for a computer repair company. Apparently, my assistant called and said we were having problems with our computer. I’m always having problems with this damn thing.’

Cab nodded. Justin was clever. ‘Did you leave him alone in your office?’

Smeltz thought about it. ‘Actually, I did. Someone knocked on the outside door while he was working on the printer. It was a very annoying foreign person who was looking for directions and didn’t seem to understand anything I was saying.’ The doctor frowned and tapped the paper with a thick finger. ‘Who is he? Are you saying this man was some kind of spy?’

‘Yes, he was. Of a sort.’

Smeltz pounded his desk in annoyance. ‘Was this about Diane again? If you find this man, I want to press charges.’

‘I’m afraid you won’t be able to do that. He was murdered.’

‘Oh, my God!’ Smeltz exclaimed.

Two drops fell from the ceiling in quick succession. Chunk chunk.

‘His death is one of the reasons I’m concerned about Diane.’

The doctor looked flustered. ‘Well … I hate to hear that, but I still can’t tell you anything more than I have.’

‘I appreciate your privacy concerns,’ Cab went on, ‘but if this man – Justin Kiel – was in your office, it’s possible that he found something that contributed to his murder. Something in your files. I know that you want to protect your patients, but if Justin learned a secret about Diane or Drew—’

Smeltz shook his head. ‘He didn’t.’

‘How can you be sure?’

‘There’s nothing about Diane or Drew on my computer. My computerized records don’t go back that far.’

‘What about hard copy files?’ Cab asked, nodding at the row of file cabinets in the office.

‘The files aren’t there either,’ Smeltz told him. ‘I’m not a fool, Detective. Too many people have expressed interest in Diane for me to keep her papers in my ordinary files. Believe me, this man was only alone in my office for five minutes at most. He didn’t find them. Nobody would find them.’

*