Let Me In by Adam Nicholls (books under 200 pages .TXT) 📕

It was a matter of minutes before Morgan stepped into the cold, joining Gary on the front steps of the charity hall. He immediately noticed the way his friend stepped from one foot to the other like he had something exciting to share. That little trait of impatience had never gotten by him, and today was no different.

“You have something,” Morgan said, more of a statement than a question.

“More than that. Follow me.” Gary rushed back to his car, hitting a button on the fob to unlock it and leaving Morgan to let himself in. When they settled, he switched on the dome light and heaved a large file from the footwell, dumping it onto Morgan’s lap.

Morgan took the weight, excitement flowing through him as he ran his finger along the rim of the pages. There were a lot of them. “This is everything?”

“Everything so far.” Gary grinned and gestured toward it. “Take a look.”

He didn’t need persuading. In less than a second, he unhooked the rubber band and spread open the papers, using the dashboard and the handbrake to rest the introductory pages on. He’d read a lot of police files over the years—he had Gary to thank for that—and had quickly learned how to skim through a file neglecting the useless information.

The first thing to note was the absence of a photograph, a square outline lying vacant on the left side of the page. Morgan’s heart sank at the sight of this, realizing this wasn’t such a great start, but then something else caught his eye. A name: “Lyonette Hansen?”

Gary nodded, the smile showing not just on his mouth but in his eyes.

“Mother of…” Morgan finally understood why Gary was so excited, and now he could join him in that. Rifling through, he found a wealth of information on their killer—birth certificate, education and work history. There was even a note on his questioning in a previous police investigation. “Who’s Bradley Tier?”

“A nobody,” Gary said.

“But in this context?”

“Stepfather used to come home drunk, whaling on a young Nick Hansen. Eventually he reported it, and the department opened up an investigation, but it didn’t come to anything. Looks like Tier got pissed and skipped town. Nobody’s heard from him since.”

Morgan brushed the paper aside and delved deeper into Nick’s life, finding everything he needed except for one very important detail. His hands shook as he read, tearing aside sheet after sheet of information until he reached the end. “There’s no address.”

“No, but there is for Lyonette.”

“You want to question her?”

“Possibly. Or something else.” Gary’s lips moved as he read to himself, sifting through the paperwork and making the mess even bigger. Frown lines appeared on his forehead, giving him the look of a basset hound until he found what he was looking for. He snatched up a handful of pages and handed them over. “Here.”

Morgan took them and squinted to read the small print. There was a lot to offer in the way of mortgage details, utility bills, and other upkeep, but something was missing, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on what. He nearly gave up, but there must have been a reason Gary had pointed it out to him, so he searched harder.

Then he saw it.

It was a revelation that brought a lot to light. It could’ve meant everything was about to change, and Morgan felt the shift in hope change his pulse to something fierce. His hands shook harder as his cheeks rose to produce a smug grin. “She’s unemployed.”

Gary nodded. “Which means—”

“Someone else must be paying her bills. But nobody is listed?”

“She could be subletting.”

Morgan had his suspicions. “To her son?”

“Could be.”

As excited as he wanted to become, something didn’t feel right about this. It all felt too easy, like a piece was missing. Maybe it was because he hadn’t taken into account his jurisdiction—or lack thereof—and the MPD would make a mess of him if he wanted to get involved. But would that be the end of the world? Gary wouldn’t get to execute his vengeance, but that would be okay… wouldn’t it? The point was that Emma Cole could be inside that house, and a simple knock on the door might change her fate. Morgan understood then; they needed help from someone bigger than themselves.

“Have you notified Homicide?”

“Not yet. I was waiting for your go-ahead.”

Morgan shuffled the papers back into an organized pile and replaced the rubber band. He handed it over. “Then go ahead. All of this doesn’t mean a thing if we can’t get an arrest on it. Just be aware that if they can’t get a warrant, then we’ll be up shit creek.”

“You’re telling me.” Gary dropped the file back into the footwell. “Do you think Lyonette is involved in these murders?”

“I’m not even sure Nick is involved, but there’s only one way to find out.”

“But you know they’ll never let you near this?”

Morgan faked a smile. “Doesn’t mean I’m not coming.”

“Typical. What about Rachel?”

Exactly, Morgan thought, craning his head back toward the charity hall. She would still need a hand setting up for tonight’s event, but after their recent discussion, he had a feeling she’d understand why he had to leave tonight. This could be the end of the investigation, which meant she would get her husband back, and wasn’t that what she wanted? Of course, it depended on whether or not this search came to anything. There was always a chance it wouldn’t, and even if they had the right guy, there was no guarantee Emma was still alive.

Morgan clutched his stomach, bile churning inside. “All right, let’s go.”