One False Move - By Harlan Coben Page 0,27

played with the knob on the microfiche machine. It screamed in protest but trudged forward.

There it was. Near the bottom right-hand corner. One line. That was all. Nothing that anybody would notice: "Mrs. Bradford's body was first discovered on the brick back porch of the Bradford estate at 6:3 0 a.m. by a maid arriving for work."

A maid arriving for work. Myron wondered what the maid's name was.
Chapter 10
Myron immediately called Mabel Edwards. "Do you remember Elizabeth Bradford?" he asked.

There was a brief hesitation. "Yes."

"Did Anita find her body?"

A longer hesitation. "Yes."

"What did she tell you about it?"

"Wait a second. I thought you were trying to help Horace."

"I am."

"So why are you asking about that poor woman?" Mabel sounded slightly put out. "She died more than twenty years ago."

"It's a little complicated."

"I bet it is." He heard her take a deep breath. "I want the truth now. You're looking for her too, aren't you? For Anita?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Why?"

Good question. But when you stripped it bare, the answer was pretty simple. "For Brenda."

"Finding Anita ain't gonna help that girl."

"You tell her that."

She chuckled without humor. "Brenda can be headstrong," Mabel said.

"I think it runs in the family."

"Guess it does at that," she said.

"Please tell me what you remember."

"Not much to it, I guess. She came to work, and the poor woman was lying there like a broken rag doll. That's all I know."

"Anita never said anything else about it?"

"No."

"Did she seem shaken up?"

"Of course. She worked for Elizabeth Bradford for almost six years."

"No, I mean beyond the shock of finding the body."

"I don't think so. But she never talked about it. Even when the reporters called, Anita just hung up the phone."

Myron computed this information, sorted it through his brain cells, came up with zippo. "Mrs. Edwards, did your brother ever mention a lawyer named Thomas Kincaid?"

She thought a moment. "No, I don't think so."

"Were you aware of him seeking legal advice on anything?"

"No."

They said their good-byes, and then he hung up. The phone was barely disconnected when it rang again. "Hello?"

"Got something strange here, Myron."

It was Lisa from the phone company.

"What's up?"

"You asked me to put a tracer on the phone in Brenda Slaughter's dorm."

"Right."

"Someone beat me to it."

Myron nearly slammed on the brake. "What?"

"There's already a tap on her phone."

"For how long?"

"I don't know."

"Can you trace it back? See who put it on?"

"Nope. And the number is blocked out."

"What does that mean?"

"I can't read anything on it. I can't get a trace or even look at old bills on the computer. My guess is, someone in law enforcement is behind it. I can poke around, but I doubt I'll come up with anything."

"Please try, Lisa. And thanks."

He hung up. A missing father, threatening phone calls, a possible car tail, and now a phone tap: Myron was starting to get nervous here. Why would someone -someone with authority - have a tap on Brenda's phone? Was that person part of the group making the threatening phone calls? Were they tapping her phone to track down her father or-

Hold the phone.

Hadn't one of the threatening calls told Brenda to call her mother? Why? Why would someone have said that? More important, if Brenda had obeyed the call - and if she had indeed known where her mother was hiding -the people behind the trace would have been able to find Anita too. Was that what this was really all about?

Was someone looking for Horace... or Anita?

"We have a problem," Myron told her.

They sat in the car. Brenda turned toward him and waited.

"Your phone is bugged," he said.

"What?"

"Someone has been listening in to your calls. You're also being tailed by someone."

"But-" Brenda stopped, shrugged. "Why? To find my father?"

"That's the best bet, yes. Someone is anxious to get to Horace. They've already attacked your aunt. You might be next on their list."

"So you think I'm in danger."

"Yes."

She watched his face. "And you have a suggested course of action."

"I do," he said.

"I'm listening."

"First, I'd like to have your dorm room swept for bugs."

"I have no problem with that."

"Second, you have to get out of your dorm room. You're not safe there."

She considered this for a moment. "I can stay with a friend. Cheryl Sutton. She's the other captain of the Dolphins."

Myron shook his head. "These people know you. They've been following you, listening to your phone calls."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning they probably know who your friends are."

"Including Ms. Sutton."

"Yes."

"And you think they'll look for me there?"

"It's a possibility."

Brenda shook her head and faced