Page 74 of Holmes Is Missing

“Whereareyou?” asked Marple, pressing the phone against her ear.

“On the Goethals Bridge. We were right behind him. He was headed for New Jersey.”

Marple took a few steps away from two nearby cops. She lowered her voice. “Is he talking? Has anybody questioned him yet?”

A long pause.

“The truck flipped, Margaret. He’s dead.”

Marple’s mouth went dry. Another dead end. Another dead body. “What was in the truck? What was he carrying? Please tell me it wasn’t the children.”

“No,” said Poe. “He’d already delivered the kids. I’m sure of it. The only thing left in the truck was a baby blanket from St. Michael’s.”

Margaret gripped the phone. Her throat tensed up too. “So maybe we should have followed from a distance instead of chasing him to death. He could have given us a location! He could have given us alot!” She was getting more frustrated by the second, and her tone became more biting. “If there had been babies in the back of that truck, the crash could have killed them along with Barnes. Did you consider that? And we’d all be to blame.”

“Margaret, we had to—”

Marple cut him off. “Enough!You and your machines. Not everything can be solved by a bunch of men in fast cars.”

She ended the call.

CHAPTER79

HOLMES PACED BACKand forth near the carnage on the bridge. The adrenaline had mostly drained from his system, but his mind was burning with anger and guilt. He knew Marple was right. They could have handled the situation with more finesse. But the sight of that dead infant had fired him—and Poe—up so much he doubted anything could have stopped them.

Holmes was actually surprised that he and Poe weren’t under arrest for obstructing a police chase, or worse. Maybe because the cops on the scene were too busy picking truck parts off the roadway and redirecting a mile-long backup of drivers.

The late Bill Barnes had already been loaded into an ambulance and carted off to a local morgue. Now the wrecker was pulling the heavy truck upright for a tow to the police garage.

Poe was on the far side of the Charger, running his hand over the hood and fender panels. Amazingly, there didn’t appear to be a scratch anywhere, just a few streaks of fire-retardant foam.

Holmes felt his phone buzz. He hoped it was Margaret.

It was Virginia.

Holmes put the phone on speaker as Poe came around thefront of the Charger. “Virginia! Are you at the office?” The hour was early, even for her.

“No, I’m not,” came the reply. “I’m at SmallTime. Oliver Paul’s watch shop.”

“Hold on!” said Holmes, his adrenaline spiking again. “Is Paul there?”

“No,” said Virginia. “I’m alone.”

“Who let you in?”

“Nobody,” said Virginia. “I broke in all by myself. You need to come right now!”

CHAPTER80

“THERE!RIGHT THERE!” Holmes pointed to Paul’s store sign as Poe pulled up to the curb. They’d both been talking to Virginia nonstop as she described what she’d uncovered inside the clock shop. Travel records going back two decades. Proof that Oliver Paul had been all over the country during the period of the mysterious deaths. The Charger was still rolling when Holmes unclipped his seat belt and jumped out. He raced across the sidewalk and yanked on the door.

Locked!

A second later, the buzzer sounded.

Poe was right behind him now. They burst through the door in quick succession.

“Virginia!” Holmes shouted.