Chapter 46
FORTY-SIX
Keswick
Quinn put away the earring, reached for her mobile, and stared at it for several long moments before setting it aside.
She desperately wanted to look up the individuals in her visions, but couldn’t afford to take the risk in case someone was tracking her online activity.
After less than three days without access to the internet, she felt frustrated and cut off, the urge to go online so strong it made her realize just how addicted she was to both her phone and the immediate, uncensored access to data she usually took for granted.
The information she sought was within her reach and would probably help her to fill in some of the blanks, but she would have to wait until it was safe to log on.
She had to admit that, as much as she had resisted doing another episode of Echoes, the case had got under her skin, and she now had to know what had happened to Geneva.
Well, she knew what had happened, she reminded herself, but she needed to understand why.
There were several potential suspects, but none of the people she had seen so far had any reason to murder Geneva and dump her in the well.
As she gazed out over the peaceful lake, Quinn considered every person she’d seen for a killer, but none of them quite fit the profile.
The members of staff had nothing to gain by Geneva’s death, and all the retainers seemed fairly ordinary, except for the valet, Dennison, who clearly suffered from PTSD and had a soft spot for her.
But what would be his motive? Might he have tried it on and been rebuffed?
Could he have lashed out in anger and then tried to cover his tracks?
Quinn had not seen anything to support this theory, and set it aside.
She supposed Rory could have lost his temper when Geneva refused his proposal and tried to return his ring.
He was a scorned lover who knew about the well and was about to leave the country, meaning he would escape all consequences. It was a plausible possibility.
Then there was Jesse. He was amenable to marrying Geneva, and it looked like she would agree as well despite her reservations.
She might feel rushed and managed, but her feelings for Rory were not all that strong, and at the end of the day, she was a dutiful daughter who had a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
Could things have turned ugly between her and Jesse?
Perhaps he had found out about his bride’s indiscretion with Rory and killed her in a fit of jealous anger.
Jesse seemed like a nice bloke, but what did any of them really know about him?
He had been part of the family for two weeks, and it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that behind the charming demeanor lay a nasty, violent temper.
But what if the killer wasn’t a man? Honor appeared to love her sister, but her life was about to irrevocably change.
While her sister would get to marry the lovely Jesse, Honor would be shipped off to finishing school, then forced to live with her haughty aunt until she was passed on to a suitable husband.
With Geneva out of the way, Honor would get the man, the home, and the clout that came with being the Countess of Gosforth.
It seemed hard to imagine that a teenage girl would commit such a heinous crime against the sister who loved her, but people had killed for less.
Quinn couldn’t see that anyone else had anything to gain by Geneva’s death.
Perhaps she had yet to meet the killer, or perhaps she had been a victim of a random act of violence.
It would help if Quinn could look up the key players and see how their lives had been affected by Geneva’s death.
Perhaps she could use a computer at the library, where she could do a search without logging on or revealing her IP address.
She glanced at her watch, and her frustration mounted.
Gabe wouldn’t be back for several hours yet, and she couldn’t get to the library without a car.
She couldn’t use her Uber app either because that would require going online and inputting her address.
And tomorrow was Sunday; the library would be closed.
She could probably ask Sam and Reggie if she could use their computer—but then she thought better of it.
What if she unwittingly gave away their location?
It wasn’t very likely, and no one except Lynn Michaels knew that she was looking into the past owners of Lynn’s new hotel, but it was still risky.
Quinn would have to wait until she got the all-clear from DI Malone or Drew Camden.
Which made her wonder what the DI had been up to since they’d spoken last.
She selected his number and made the call. She was about to give up when he finally answered.
“Quinn,” he said, and she could hear the hesitation in his voice. “What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to ask if there’s any progress on the case.”
“I can’t discuss an ongoing investigation with you.”
“But surely you can give me an update,” Quinn protested. He had to know how worried she was about Logan, and how concerned for Max’s safety.
DI Malone exhaled heavily, and Quinn knew that whatever he said next wasn’t going to make her feel any better. “Look, we’ve had to prioritize another case. A child abduction.”
“But—”
Malone didn’t allow her to finish. “We have no evidence to suggest that Logan didn’t leave of his own free will. The burned-out car might be an insurance job.”
“But you found blood in his house.”
“The blood could have been his. Perhaps he cut himself.”
“You don’t really believe that,” Quinn exploded. “And someone tried to abduct Max. Do you only investigate the case if the abduction is successful?”
Malone’s voice vibrated with irritation. “What I believe is irrelevant. I must work with the facts. We know that some bloke appeared to be following Logan, but we don’t know who he is or if the two had previously met. We also have no evidence that Logan let him into the house.”
“Did you dust for prints?” Quinn demanded.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t authorize the expense of a SOCO team when I have no proof that a crime has been committed.”
“But my brother is still missing.”
“Logan is not answering his mobile, which could be by choice.”
“And what about the woman who tried to take Max? Is that not a crime?”
“Tried,” DI Malone said. “She did not succeed, for which we are very grateful. But we can’t charge people with trying. And we have no idea who this woman is and have no way to identify her,” he admitted.
“So, what do you suggest we do?” Quinn was almost screaming now, her fear and frustration finally boiling over.
“I suggest you get back to your life. We’re treating Logan as a missing person, but I must warn you that these cases are rarely solved quickly.
Unless the individual comes back on their own or a body turns up, the case might remain open for several years.
Quinn, I’m really sorry,” Malone said, his voice softening across the miles, “but my hands are tied. I must prioritize my cases, and right now a grown man who texted you after he left is probably not in as much danger as a twelve-year-old who was snatched on her way to school. I’m sure you understand. ”
Angry as she was, Quinn had to admit that the detective made a fair point.
From a procedural standpoint, they had nothing to go on and had to prioritize the more pressing cases.
She suspected that the police had run out of road, and, unless Drew found out something pertinent by tomorrow afternoon, they would have to take their chances and go back home.