Chapter Twenty-One
In the lunchroom I sat at the round veneer table, alone with my thoughts and an oat bar. I was relieved to hear my ex-colleague Victoria hadn’t been hired to work here in forensics, but Ursula, another “difficult” ex-workmate, was. In this moment, it didn’t matter. I had more important things to worry about, and I tossed the half-eaten bar into the trash and headed back to the lab.
The DNA results from my case were almost ready. I paced the aisle. Would we finally have the name of a potential murderer?
Lara looked over the top rims of her glasses. “How much longer?”
“Twenty-two minutes.” I tapped my fingers on my crossed arm. “Oh, twenty-one,” I said when the number changed on the screen.
Vinny wiped the counter with a disinfectant cloth. “Soon, June. Hopefully, the suspect is in the police database.”
“I’ll cross my fingers,” I said. “But what if he’s not? Then what?”
“Then the police keep investigating,” Lara said.
Of course, they would. But it’d be so much easier if the police had a name.
Vinny cleared his throat. “Would you two mind if I head out a bit early?” He raised his brows and reminded me of a sheepish schoolboy asking a teacher for permission to go to the bathroom.
“Fine with me,” I said, as I watched the instrument timer count down another minute.
“Sure, Vin,” Lara said. “Hot date?”
“Kinda,” he said. “It’s my fifth wedding anniversary. I’ve gotta pick up a card.”
“Nothing like waiting ‘til the last minute,” Lara added and pushed her glasses to the bridge of her nose.
“Lots of time,” he said.
I laughed. “Not really, Vinny. How about you pick up some roses, too? One for every blissful year.”
“Chocolate is always appreciated. So is a gift card,” Lara said.
“Five years is a milestone, Vin. I think you should write her a poem professing your undying love,” I added.
“Or your undying horniness,” Edward said as he walked by.
Lara and I cackled in laughter.
Vinny rolled his eyes. “You people are hysterical.”
“Give us a full report tomorrow,” Lara called out to Vinny as he walked out the door.
The analyzer hummed, only minutes away from completing its cycle. Hopefully soon, by the genius of modern technology, we’d catch a criminal.
“Where did Edward go?” I said.
“He has a meeting with Dr. Hamid. Computer software issues, I think.”
“Oh.” A powerful beat thumped deep in my chest. Shit. I willed my body to stop reacting to the mere mention of Aram’s name. I reached into my pocket and took out my cell phone.
—Hey, Patrick,
Hope you’re having a good day.
The results we’ve been waiting for are minutes away.
XO—
The sequencer machine made a grinding sound, and a high-pitched tone sliced the air. An alarm icon flashed on the screen, but I didn’t know why. Lara sprang from her stool and came over. She pushed a button to silence the alarm, and then scrolled to the error log.
“It says pump disabled and run aborted.”
“What? How can that be?” I swung open the front door of the machine and checked the sample trays, the electrodes at the back, the pump, and polymer bottle. I made sure no tubing had become detached. “Everything seems okay,” I said and closed the lid. This was unbelievable. It’s like I had jinxed the analyzer by staring at it too hard. “Now what?”
The door to the lab opened, and Edward Ying entered. He reached behind the instrument and turned off the power switch.
“Wait. The results,” I said, but too late.
“We have to reboot. There are middleware issues affecting all departments, but I fixed it. I just got Dr. Hamid’s computer up and running. The results should be saved on the instrument’s hard drive,” Edward said.
The three of us watched the screen light up again and run through start-up checks. Finally, the home screen appeared. I held my breath as Edward brought up the day’s work list.
Empty.
The list was empty.
“Hmm,” Edward said and shrugged. “Must have been a glitch.”
“A glitch? Are the results gone?” Lara asked.
My insides sank.
“They probably are. We will have to repeat the tests on an overnight run,” Edward said. With a few taps on the screen, he started the reanalysis of the samples still in the instrument. All wasn’t lost, just delayed.
“Well, shall we call it a day?” Lara said.
I looked at the clock on the wall. “Yes, let’s call it.” I draped my lab coat on a wall hook and took my bags from the back desk.
“Do you need a ride, June?” Lara asked.
“Thanks, but I can catch the five o’clock bus.”
“Sure?”
“Yes. But thanks anyway. I appreciate it.”
We walked out of the lab into the hallway when I noticed Dr. Hamid heading in our direction.
“Hello, ladies,” he said. He smiled at me in a special way.
“June, if you have time, I’d like to ask you a quick question about the autopsy.”
My heart raced. He spoke professionally, but I sensed this had nothing to do with work. “Sure, Dr. Hamid,” I said. “But can this wait until tomorrow? Lara offered to drive me home.”
He didn’t hesitate in responding. “Yes, absolutely. Have a lovely evening, ladies,” he said and retreated down the hallway.?
Lara glanced over her shoulder at me as we stepped outside.
“Do you mind me taking you up on your offer after my blatant refusal?” I asked.
“Of course not.” We weaved through the parking lot, and Lara pushed a remote to unlock the doors to her car. “I’m hoping one day you’ll tell me what just happened in there.”
“I’ll fill you in. I promise.”
Lara smiled. She knew I was being coy, but she didn’t question me further along the ride. She pulled up in front of my apartment.
“Thanks so much for the lift, Lara. See you tomorrow.”
“No worries,” she said.
I got out and waved as she drove off.
As I had promised Patrick, I visited my duplex apartment in the light of day. I checked the mailbox and removed flyers and a bill. I unlocked the front door and latched it behind me. Inside, everything seemed in order, but nonetheless, I was wary and ready with my pepper spray. I wished I hadn’t come here without Patrick. Uneasiness twisted my insides, knowing a stranger had been in the downstairs of my apartment. My personal, private living space. I’d do what I came to do and leave before it got dark.
From the kitchen tap, I filled a plastic watering can and drenched my snake plants at the side window. I hustled into the bedroom, chose a few outfits, and put them into a plastic bag. At sonic speed, I finished doing what I needed to do and called for a cab.
“ABC Taxi, hold please.”
I scrolled through the phone and saw Patrick had received and opened my message but hadn’t responded yet. I hoped everything was okay. And then I thought about the basement. I had the urge to go downstairs and take a peek—make sure everything was secure.
I jumped when the woman started speaking again.
“We’ll have a car there for you in about twenty minutes,” the taxi operator said.
“Okay, thank you,” I said and hung up. Twenty minutes?
My fingertip rested on the pepper spray button as I opened the back door and headed down the stairs with half trepidation and half curiosity. I found the key under the mat and unlocked the door. Daylight streamed in. Eerie quietness filled my ears, but all seemed fine. I glanced around the cluttered basement and almost walked face first into a web hanging from the ceiling. I squealed and backed away and shook with the heebie-jeebies.
I grabbed a broom and brushed away the cobweb. From an askew ceiling tile, something silver dangled and reflected light. My curiosity got the best of me. I dragged an old kitchen chair over and climbed onto it. Upon having a closer look, the silver item was a ball bead chain. Like a keychain. I reached for it and took it down but found no keys. Instead, there was a black rectangular object, smaller than a lighter. And then I realized what I had found.
The oddest thing to be located in the ceiling.