jacket pocket, Josie snapped them on and lifted the seat cushion. “Here,” she said, lifting a small blue backpack into the air. Gretchen, too, snapped on gloves and they emptied the backpack onto the bed. There were some undergarments, two pairs of jeans, two shirts, a nightshirt featuring several cartoon cats that read “Cat Nap”, a hairbrush, several make-up items, and some toiletries. Josie lined up a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste, deodorant, and some small bottles of shampoo and conditioner.
Gretchen said, “There’s no wallet or phone.”
“Right,” Josie agreed. “We know she had her phone with her yesterday, and if she had a wallet, that was probably with her too. It’s in the river now.”
“What’s that?” Gretchen said, pointing to a small, orange plastic bottle.
Josie turned it over, a small thrill of excitement running through her like an electric shock. “A prescription pill bottle,” she said. “For a woman named Alice Adams. Looks like it’s for lorazepam.”
“Ativan,” Gretchen said. “It’s an anti-anxiety drug. Does it list a pharmacy and doctor on the bottle?”
Josie took out her phone and snapped some photos of the label. Then she Googled the pharmacy. “It’s a locally-owned shop in Colbert.”
Gretchen said, “That’s about ninety minutes from here.”
“We’ll need warrants,” Josie said. “For the pharmacy records and then for whatever address we find for this Alice Adams. We’ll need to call the local PD there too and let them know what we’re doing.”
“Let’s go,” Gretchen said.
Thirty
At the stationhouse, Gretchen prepared the warrants while Josie called the Colbert PD to coordinate efforts. Within a half hour, Josie was informed that the address that Alice Adams had been residing at was a rental. The Colbert officer gave her the name and phone number of the landlord. He offered to pay the landlord a visit and explain what was going on to pave the way for Josie and Gretchen to execute their search warrant at Alice’s apartment later that day, if possible. “Now we just have to wait for a return call,” she told Gretchen.
Amber, who had been sitting several desks away the entire time, walked over. “I was hoping you could bring me up to speed on all the developments,” she said. “Seems like a lot has happened since yesterday. I know that ‘Alice’ was really Vera Urban and now she’s dead—the Chief told me that—but that’s all he would say. He wouldn’t give me any details. But I heard some of the patrol officers talking about a shoot-out. They said you and Gretchen were there. They said Vera Urban was shot. Can you tell me what happened? Did she have any information for you?”
Gretchen said, “No one else told you anything? The Chief? Lieutenant Fraley? Mett?”
“I haven’t had a chance to talk with anyone. Everyone’s so busy.”
Josie looked up and met her eyes. “How about the Mayor? Have you had a chance to talk with her?”
“No, I— Why would I need to talk with the Mayor?”
Josie went back to typing up a report on her computer. After several awkward moments, Amber plunged in again. “I just have a few questions.”
Josie pushed her chair away from her desk and headed for the stairwell. The stitches in her leg tugged with each step. Amber followed, calling out questions, holding her tablet in one hand and tapping away at it with her other hand as she followed Josie from the great room to the break room. Josie gave monosyllabic answers whenever possible or referred Amber to the Chief. She was more focused on getting coffee than telling Amber a damn thing. She poured herself a mug and went to the refrigerator for the half and half, but Amber stepped in front of her, blocking Josie’s way. “Detective Quinn,” she said, her trademark smile replaced by a look so earnest it bordered on desperation. “If I’m going to do my job, I need to know what you know.”
Josie said, “Please move.”
Amber straightened her posture, standing at least two inches taller than Josie in her four-inch heels. “What is your problem with me?” she blurted out.
Josie squeezed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. She could feel a headache forming behind her eyes. Folding her arms across her chest, she met Amber’s eyes. “Look, I really don’t have time for this, and you’re standing between me and the half and half. If you want to get along well here, you won’t do that.”
Amber’s chin jutted out stubbornly as she glared at Josie. Her lips formed a straight line, and