She goes far
2. ROSEBUD
The white board wasn't all white anymore. A photo
of a woman with dark hair and an intelligent look was placed on
the upper corner. Under it was a timeline: 7 am left to work,
8.30 am at work, 4.30pm left work. Last remark was 'Rosebud',
with three question marks.
"She's been missing 20 hours now", said Jack Malone,
" What do you make of it?"
"I think we need to go to the Rosebud to see if she's been
there", Samantha said. Danny agreed.
"But if she haven't, then we're back to square one. She can
be anywhere, don't forget her car's missing too", Vivian
reminded.
"Not anymore", Martin said and put down the handset.
"It's been found outside town, on a remote road."
Jack started to give orders.
"Okay then. You two can go check the car, I'm going with
Danny to see 'Rosebud'. And Samantha, you don't mind calling to
the hospitals?"
"Somehow I imagined 'Rosebud' to be a littlebit
more..."
"Elegant?" Jack finished Danny's sentence. Rosebud
wasn't anything like the modern cafes downtown, but it wasn't
scruffy either, far from it.
"What is it in this place that made Lisa Linney come here
more than once? Surely it isn't the athmosprehe", Danny
hashed over.
"I think it's exectly that" Jack said to Dannys
surprise.
"You must have noticed, that it isn't on Lisa Linney's
straight way home. It is also situated quite far away from her
work."
"So it's a place where she might be able to have a quiet cup
of coffee?" Danny said but Jack didn't answer as they we're
now inside the coffee house.
"Have you seen this woman?" Jack asked the man behind
the counter. The man looked the picture suspiciously.
"What if I have?" he said, but because both Danny and
Jack looked him with a severe look, he continued:
"Okay, she's been here sometimes. Think she was here
yesterday too. No, I don't know when she came. But I do know when
she left. It was six o'clock."
"How can you know it for sure?" Danny asked.
"Well, I was just curious. One of my employees went off the
same time she did. And I found it strange she got on to the same
dark car your ladyfriend had come here."
"What do you mean?"
"Ask her", the man pointed his finger towards a woman
cleaning a table nearby.
"She got on to that car".
The woman made a movement towards the door. Danny quickly blocked
her way.
"Can we ask you some questions?" he asked.
"Apparently, you will do that", said the woman rudely.
Jack show her the photo of Lisa Linney.
"Yes, I've... seen her. But I don't know her as a
person."
"But you were seen going off with her?"
"No, we left the same time, but..."
"In any case, you're the last who's seen her. Would you mind
coming with us to the HQ to give a statement?" Jack asked.
"I have work to do..." started the woman but her boss
interrupted:
"You were going to quit working here today anyway, you might
as well go now".
"Interesting", mumbled Jack.
The woman took her jacket and refused to speak until they reached
the HQ
The car of Lisa Linney was now in police's storage.
"It's looking dirty outside, but I can't see any marks of
violence", Vivian started.
"Inside is very neat", Martin marked as he opened the
drive's side door. Vivian opened the other door.
"Look at this", she said after opening the glove
compartment.
"It's empty", Martin said. They looked for anything
that could tell them a littlebit more of the movements of Lisa
Linney, but they found none.
"No clue of why she drove there... " Vivian started as
a mechanic came towards them.
"I don't think this car was droven there", he said and
earned the surprised looks from the two agents.
"Why is that?"
"The tranny, for example, is in a very poor condition."
"And what do you think may have caused it?"
"Perhaps the car has been dragged by another car, the gear's
been on or..." Martin interrupted:
"You think it's been dragged?"
"Yes, there's clear marks on the axle..." said the
mechanic ready to bend under the car.
"We'll take your word for it, thank you".
When they got back, Samantha was examinig the white board.
"There hasn't been anyone in the hospitals who could be
her."
Jack was in his room, questioning the waitress.
"Yes, I know who Lisa Linney is. But I don't know her
personally", the woman said. She sounded bored, her head
leaned to her other hand. She tapped the table with red
fingernails of her other hand. Jack had a feeling the waitress
was either a very difficult person, or, she was hiding something.
"It's true, I left work the same time she went off, but I
didn't went off with her. She left alone."
"But you were seen..." Jack started defiantly.
"I was seen to climb to a car, not Lisa's car but another.
She had already left..."
"Can you prove it?"
"Prove? What do you mean? Am I the prosecuted here?"
"No. But you are the last person, who's known to see her.
You've also been seen getting on to a car that ressembles that of
Lisa Linney's So it's a routine for me to ask you, where were you
last night?"
"I..." she started but a voice behind her interrupter:
"She was with me".
The woman turned over, Jack glanced upwards. They were both
surprised to find Martin Fitzgerald standing by the doorway.