Chief Watson nods. ‘I saw the same.’

Alfonse scratches at his arm. ‘Mr Niemeyer wanted to know if Kira’s hooking was common knowledge. I told him it wasn’t as far as we knew.’ His gaze shifts from Chief Watson to me. ‘He travels in different circles to us. It’s not impossible one or two of his buddies knew about it or even hired her.’

‘I know. It’s crossed my mind too. He’s the type who’ll have many business contacts from all over the state or country. Rich men with disposable cash.’

‘I’ve seen this kind of thing before in rich families. Shortly after getting the worst news, they start to think about their reputation and family name. God knows why she was hooking in the first place.’

Alfonse pulls a sheaf of papers from the attaché case he’s brought with him. ‘I think the answer to that question may be in here. When I was searching through the clone of Kira’s iPad I found a secret folder.’

‘I’ll forego the obvious questions of why you had a clone of her iPad and why you didn’t call me with this as soon as you had it, if the information you have points me towards her killer.’

‘That’s everyone’s goal, Chief. What’s in the folder?’ I give a pointed look at Alfonse to get him to continue.

Attuned to Chief Watson’s impatience-fuelled interruptions he gets straight to the point. ‘There is a journal dating back three years. I’ve only skimmed through the latest entries as I was concentrating on her accounts of recent clients. I was hoping there’d be clues there but nothing jumped out at me.’

I try to redirect some of Chief Watson’s ire away from Alfonse. ‘Surely the police digital forensics guys have got you the same information?’

‘You’re joking. Everything like that has to be sent to West 700 in Salt Lake City. They’ve got three guys to do that job for the whole state.’ He gives a weary shake of his head. ‘They’ve promised to look at it tomorrow, although I know for a fact it’s more likely Captain Kirrows will find a more urgent task for them. If I had the resources I’d outsource it but, because of the low crime levels here, there’s almost no budget when it comes to a real case.’

‘I’m sure Mr Niemeyer will be happy to pay for anything like that.’

As soon as I finish speaking, I realise my mistake.

‘Oh yeah, and how would that look? A few weeks into the job and the new police chief is asking grieving parents to pay for their daughter’s homicide investigation. It’s bad enough he hired you two because he knows that bunch of bozos out there couldn’t find their own asses with both hands. Asking him to pay for the investigation is tantamount to baring my ass on Main Street during the Holly Days Festival.’

‘You still haven’t told us why you called us in yet, Chief.’ It is Alfonse’s turn to change the subject. His words seem to add to the burden the chief is carrying.

‘You remember I told you about the guy who was found in the trunk of his car on 191?’

I nod. ‘What about him?’

‘His sister was the lady who found Kira Niemeyer’s body.’

The room falls silent as Chief Watson gives us time to process what he’s just said.

I’m the one to break the heavy silence. ‘Surely it’s nothing more than one of those nasty coincidences life throws at you just when you don’t need it.’

‘I hope so, because if it’s not, then it’s the start of something horrible.’

‘It’s got to be. What else could it be?’

‘I don’t know, but the fact is I have a bad feeling about this and I’m afraid my bad feelings aren’t often wrong.’

I cast around my mind then come up with the quote I am looking for. ‘Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence and a third time is enemy action.’

‘Huh?’

Alfonse looks blank but Chief Watson gets my reference. ‘He’s quoting from one of the James Bond books. Goldfinger, I believe. What he’s saying is that Mrs Halliburton’s run of bad luck can’t be attributed to anything other than coincidence until a third event happens to her.’

I nod. ‘You’re right, Chief, but let’s just hope your bad feeling is wrong and we don’t have any more bodies connected to Mrs Halliburton.’

24

Leaving the police station, Alfonse gives me the rundown on what little he’s learned from the journal Kira kept in her secret folder. It isn’t much use to me but I’m sure Dr Edwards would have found it fascinating.

The introspection and self-justification passages he tells me about are bland. Some may even go so far as to say they are banal. As far as I’m concerned, they sketch a broad outline of her psyche at best. Even then, the sketch is drawn by an amateurish hand.

What amuses me is the way technology has been used to store her secrets. Where once a diary or journal would have been buried at the back of an underwear drawer, nowadays it becomes another file on an electronic device.

Fair enough, she’d tried to hide the folder and had passworded it, but what she’d failed to realise was, by doing so, she’d highlighted the folder’s importance.

The best hiding places are always in plain sight. Nobody bothers looking at a folder with a boring title like ‘utilities’ or ‘household accounts’.

A secret folder protected by a password will pique the interest of anyone who learns of its existence. The fact it has been found by a professional means it will be scrutinised from every angle.

I can tell by his behaviour that Alfonse has found something in the folder. Something he’s chosen not to share in front of Chief Watson.

‘So. What else did you find in Kira’s journal?’

His reply is hesitant. ‘A few bits and pieces but there’s a recurring theme.’

‘Which is?’ Even to my ears, my sigh is filled with impatience.

‘You’re not going to like it.’

‘Grow up. I’m a big boy. I can take it.’

Silence fills the car. I guess he’s trying to find the right words.

‘Spill it, Alfonse.’

‘She was in love with you.’

‘What?’ I don’t know what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. ‘There’s no way she was in love with me. You’re jerking me around.’

‘You can read it for yourself. But trust me, she was deeply in love with you.’ There is no deception in his voice. We know each other well enough to spot misdirection, lies and pranks. None of his usual tells are vocal. Each one remains mute.

Now it is me who falls into silence. Alfonse’s statement has knocked me sideways. I’m glad we are only a minute or two away from his place. I need to verify his claim with my own eyes.

Try as I might, I can’t recall Kira displaying anything more than a passing attraction to me. I was a toy to be picked up and put down at will. The booty call arrangement suited us both. Or at least I thought it had. If she had been in love with me, she’d kept her feelings not just hidden, but buried.

The next thing I start to consider is what bearing this news may or may not have on the case.

Her wounds suggested a frenzied attacker. Hers was the kind of assault which is driven by fury or insanity. If that’s the case, jealousy could have powered the arm holding the knife.

Yet Kira hadn’t told me how she felt. Therefore, it is a stretch to assume she’d told someone else. Her pouring her heart out to someone who also harboured feelings for me pushed the bounds of probability.

Besides, I’m not the settling down type and I’m not conceited enough to believe women are prepared to kill over me.

Reasoning it out doesn’t stop me wondering though.

As I pull up to the kerb and switch off the engine, my memory is doing a roll call of the girls I’ve dated over the last year or two.

There is only one who had been upset about me not wanting to continue the relationship. Six weeks after I’d broken it off she’d come into the Tree with one of the roughnecks from the oilfields on her arm. From what I’ve heard, the two of them are now a solid item, looking to set up house together.