Under Cover of Darkness Read Online Free PDF Page B

his most recent photograph of Beth was almost a year old; things had gotten that bad between them. Even so, one of the assistant managers at Nordstrom's department store recognized her. She hadn't seen Beth in weeks. No one else could even place her.
    Around three o'clock he got an emergency call from one of those ever so considerate clients who just wouldn't take "family crisis" for an answer. Two minutes turned into ten, ten into thirty-five. Gus finally had to fake a dead battery in his cell phone to shake free. He spent the balance of the afternoon at home making phone calls. Beth kept an address directory on their computer. He scrolled down the list alphabetically, calling each entry, asking if they'd seen her.
    The process became mechanical after a while, and he lost track of time. He was phoning the P's when the doorbell rang.
    Gus answered it. Carla was standing in the doorway with a covered dish.
    "I brought Morgan dinner."
    Before he could even invite her inside, she was heading for the kitchen. Gus followed. "Okay if I eat some, too?"
    The ribbing didn't break the ice. He said, "Actually, Morgan's having dinner over at a friend's house. I've been making phone calls all day. I didn't want her around."
    "Business never stops for you, does it?"
    "It wasn't business. I've been trying to find Beth." "Oh," she said sheepishly. Her combativeness dropped a notch. "Actually, so have I."
    "Any luck?"
    She laid her casserole on the counter and removed her gloves. "No. But that doesn't mean anything. It hasn't been that long."
    Gus looked away, then back. "Can I ask you something kind of personal?"
    "It depends."
    "Just forget for a minute that you're my sister. Put on your hat as Beth's best friend."
    "Okay."
    "Lately, I can't really say I've seen the two of you together all that much. Sometimes best friends can be like sisters. Sometimes it's just a label. Were you and Beth close?"
    She made a face, as if the question were complicated. "We were at one time."
    "But not lately?"
    "We've been closer. There was no big blowout or anything. It's like I told you this morning. Beth has been really unhappy the last few months. She was pretty unapproachable."
    Gus nodded. "That's what I'm finding out. I've been going down her address book, calling all her friends. I haven't talked to anyone who's seen her or even talked to her on the phone in the past two months."
    "Maybe she was too embarrassed. Abused women often blame themselves."
    He turned away, exasperated. "I never laid a hand on Beth. I don't know why she said that. Other than to hurt me."
    "Gus Wheatley a victim? I don't think so. From what I saw of Beth lately, she was more likely to hurt herself than to hurt you."
    Their eyes locked, as if a light had just gone off. Each could tell exactly what the other was thinking. Gus said, "You don't think--"
    "God, I hope not."
    The phone rang. Gus grabbed it on the second ring. "Hello. Yes, this is he." He started to pace, listening intently. The eyes widened with concern, borderline panic.
    "I can be there in twenty minutes," he said finally and hung up.
    Carla seemed on the verge of explosion. "What?" she asked with urgency.
    "Police found a body in Washington Park Arboretum. Looks to be a woman in her mid-thirties."
    She raised a hand to her mouth in horror. "Is it--"
    "Don't know. They want me to come down for an ID." He swallowed hard, his voice cracking. "They think it could be Beth."
    Like most FBI agents, Andie didn't often go to the medical examiner's office. Barring some connection to the federal government or some congressionally legislated federal offense, dead bodies were basically a matter of state and local jurisdiction. Locals frequently did call upon the FBI for assistance in certain areas of expertise. The FBI crime lab , for one. Criminal profiling, for another. Andie didn't need to be reminded, however, that the locals still ran the investigation, even after the FBI answered the call for assistance.
    Fortunately,