Chapter 15
Fifteen
I t was trash day.
Asher stared at the trash can at the curb outside the Tylers’ house. The lid was still closed. Looking down the street, it appeared as though the garbage truck had yet to come.
He glanced at the Tylers’ front door. Esther went inside twenty minutes ago. It was safe for him to wander a bit. Maybe take a peek inside that bin. But he didn’t know whether anyone could see the trash can from inside the house. The last thing he needed was to have Rob Tyler rush out, demanding to know what he was doing.
But it was large enough he could hide behind it. Just reach in and pull a bag out and go through it while he crouched low.
Asher reached into the backseat and grabbed the small backpack he’d brought. From the front pocket, he took out a pair of black nitrile gloves and put them on, then opened his car door and got out.
Glancing up and down the road, he strolled toward the garbage can. Eyes still roving the street, he paused next to it. Once he was sure no one was watching that he could see, he flicked his wrist and opened the can’s lid. A peek inside revealed a small bag of trash on top. It looked like maybe it came from a bathroom. He snagged it and quickly dropped into a crouch behind the trash can.
“Show me your secrets,” he muttered, picking the knot out of the ties. With the bag open, he rummaged through the sea of tissues, empty toilet paper rolls, and discarded makeup wipes.
A flash of silver caught his eye, and he reached for it. Lifting it free, he turned it over, reading the label. It was an empty azithromycin packet. Esther had said Connie Tyler was sick last week.
He pocketed the used blister pack. There were a few people he knew who could run it for prints. It could tell them who Connie really was. Because if Connie Tyler was really Connie Tyler, he’d dismantle his lair and never stick his nose behind someone’s firewall ever again.
The revving of an engine as a car turned the corner echoed through the damp air. Asher glanced over, then hurriedly retied the trash bag. Standing, he tossed it back into the bin as the car passed, then closed the lid. He’d really like to go through the other bags, but it was too risky to pull them out. What he’d found, though, was great. Hopefully, it would yield some answers.
Back in the car, he scrolled through his email contacts until he found one of the people he thought could help and shot off a quick message. Zach came back a minute later, agreeing to test the package for prints. When they stopped at the store for groceries, he’d get some mailing supplies and send the blister pack off first thing in the morning.
Asher spent the rest of the hour watching the traffic that passed by and keeping a lookout for the guy who ran away yesterday. The neighborhood stayed boringly quiet. While he kept watch, he googled specialty grocery stores, knowing he’d need some spices most places wouldn’t carry. By the time Esther exited the house, he’d found one and was ready to leave.
“I’m starving. Let’s go get food,” she said as she slipped into the car.
Asher started the engine. “Yes, ma’am.”
“So, did that guy come back?”
He shook his head as he pulled away from the curb. “No. But I did a quick search of the Tylers’ trash. I found Connie’s empty antibiotic package. I have a friend who’s agreed to run it for prints.”
Esther wrinkled her nose. “You wore gloves, right? Because that’s gross.”
Asher grinned. “Yes.”
“Good.”
“How was your session?”
“Oh, fine. Leah’s excited about her birthday. She said her parents agreed to take her out to an actual restaurant for dinner.”
“Isn’t that dangerous for her?”
“I asked the same thing, but she said her doctor told them if they went when it wasn’t too crowded and she wore a mask with high filtration when she wasn’t eating that she should be all right. Her immune system is poor, but it’s not non-existent. School’s a bigger risk just because kids are little germ factories.”
He let out a snort. “That’s for sure. I had one kid today who I sent to wipe their nose I don’t know how many times. It was like a faucet.”
“Yep. Been there. I had a couple out today. That cold I thought was brewing finally hit.”
“How are you not sick all the time? You must have an immune system made of titanium.”
Esther chuckled. “I’ve been doing this for several years. You build up immunity. During student teaching and my first year as a full-fledged teacher, I caught most everything. Since then, I get maybe one or two illnesses every year, and they’re never that bad. Some cold medicine and I’m fine.”
“I hold out no hope I won’t get something this week. You might have to dip into your medicine stash to save me.” He flashed her a cheeky grin.
She sent him a sunny smile. “I’ll dig it out and put it where you can find it.”
Asher let out a low laugh. “Thank you.”
A few minutes after they left the Tylers’, he turned into the parking lot of the store he’d found in his search.
“I don’t normally shop here.” Esther got out of the car, staring up at the store’s fa?ade with a curious furrow to her forehead.
“I wanted to make sure I could get everything I needed.”
“What are we having, anyway? You didn’t say.”
The store’s door swished open, admitting them.
“Tangine. It can be made several ways, and with many different spices. I found a recipe I liked a lot years ago and make it routinely at home.” Just the memory of the mix of spices and rich sauce had his stomach growling. “It gives me leftovers and then I don’t have to cook as much.”
“Well, I can’t wait to try it.” She grabbed a shopping cart, dropping her purse into the child seat, and followed Asher.
Winding their way through the aisles, they both added things to the cart as they went.
“How do we split this?” Esther asked when they reached the registers.
He grabbed several items and set them on the belt. “I’ll pay. You can get the next load.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
Together, they got everything unloaded. Asher paid for their groceries, and they left.
“What’s that?” Esther pointed at the car. Under the windshield wiper, a piece of paper flapped in the breeze.
“Probably a flyer.” Asher hit the button to open the back hatch, and they unloaded the groceries. Ready to go, he reached over the doorframe, snatching the paper from under the wiper and unfolded it. His forehead wrinkled with a frown as he read the single word written on the sheet.
Thief .
“What’s it say?”
He turned it around so Esther could see. Her eyes bugged out when she read the single word.
“Do you think someone saw you take the blister pack from the trash?”
“I’m not sure. Seems like a strong response to going through someone’s garbage.” Asher looked up, eyeing the parking lot. A woman exited the store, pushing a cart to a black SUV, a baby in the basket. Across the aisle, an older woman unloaded her groceries into the trunk of a silver sedan. A man in athletic pants and a t-shirt jogged toward the doors. No one looked out of place.
But Asher could feel eyes on them. They pricked the back of his neck, making the fine hairs there stand on end. “Let’s get out of here.” Stuffing the note into his pocket, he opened the car and slid inside. Zach now had two things to run for prints.