Page 38 of Forever Dead

“Depends what you’ve got.”

“The anonymous call.”

That cleared Morimer from Connor’s thoughts for the moment. He nodded toward the chair opposite him. “Tell me.”

Cheryl remained standing. “County finally got the originating number traced. It wasn’t really a number. The call came from the payphone outside the old bus depot in Linwood Town.”

Connor sat back. “Right. One of the only ones still in operation around here.”

“Pretty much. Phone company says it’s active because the county never got around to removing it from the service agreement.”

“When was the call made?”

“Seven forty-three yesterday morning. Matches dispatch exactly.”

“Any other calls from it around that time?”

“Phone company’s pulling what they can. Nothing yet.”

Connor picked up a pen and rolled it between his fingers. Linwood Town sat far enough from Eleanor’s farmhouse that the caller had made a deliberate trip, assuming the killer and caller were the same person. Even if they were not, anyone who knew Eleanor was dead had chosen an old public phone rather than anything that could easily be traced back to them.

“Get Arnold to check the area,” Connor said. “Cameras on stores, traffic cameras if there are any, Ring doorbells, whatever he can find. Work outward from the payphone in case we get a vehicle or someone walking up to it.”

Cheryl nodded. “I’ll tell him.”

“And have him move fast. Residential systems overwrite footage.”

“Already thought of that.”

Connor gave her a brief nod. “Good.”

Cheryl turned toward the hall, then paused. “You all right?”

“Fine.”

“You seem distracted.”

“Got a lot going on, Cheryl.”

Her attention dropped briefly to the yellow note on his desk. Connor placed his hand over it without making the movement too obvious.

Cheryl did not ask.

“I’ll get Arnold,” she said.

“Thanks.”

The door remained open after she left. Connor listened to her footsteps recede along the corridor.

Then he uncovered the note.

SAFETY INSPECTOR.

The number seemed uglier now.

Connor reached for the phone, lifted the receiver, and heard the dial tone.

His thumb hovered over the first button.