unsettling turn of events, he was apparently in the clear regarding Tera, since Reese had no qualms about leaving her alone with the man.
“You know Tera Aguilar, who was dating Curt? They traced her phone to your Dumpster, and I guess Reese thought he might find her in there, too.”
“Tera, in the Dumpster?” Barry shot her an incredulous look. “What would she be doing in there?”
“She’s gone missing, and the last time anyone saw her was the night that Curt was killed. There’s a chance that the same person who murdered him did something to Tera, too.”
“Unless she was the one who clubbed him over the head, and she’s on the run now.”
His tone held a bitter note. Apparently, he hadn’t forgotten the phone argument he’d heard between his partner and the girl. Darla nodded. Then, recalling his original reaction, she asked, “So what did you think Reese was looking for?”
Barry sagged a little and gave her a sheepish look.
“I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t say anything, Darla, but some of that stuff we’re tossing isn’t exactly legal to dump. I figured the building inspector had already been poking around here when we saw him yesterday, and he found something he didn’t like. So he called the cops on me.”
“Illegal?” Darla gave a doubtful look at the debris scattered around the container. Great, last thing she needed was to be handling toxic waste. “Um, maybe I should rescind my offer about helping you pick things up.”
“Actually, I’d appreciate the hand. And I swear, the only thing there’s a problem with is that stack of floor covering.”
He pointed to a small pile of what was arguably the ugliest kitchen linoleum that Darla had ever seen. “Given its age, there’s a good chance that the backing is made with asbestos, but we didn’t take the time to test it. But we did handle it real carefully and cut it up with knives, so there isn’t any dust or fibers.”
When Darla gave him a stern look, he sighed and added, “How about I do it by the book? I’ll bag up the pieces and pay a guy I know to come get it, okay?”
“Forget the asbestos. My eyes will never be the same again now that I’ve seen this stuff. It should be stored in one of those secret government warehouses so it never sees the light of day again,” she replied with another disbelieving glance at the flooring. Seriously, who in their right minds could have thought that pink and purple squiggles on a background of grayish-green made for an attractive pattern?
Barry grinned. “Thanks for understanding. I’m all for safety, but sometimes Big Brother goes a bit overboard, and you get tempted to take a few shortcuts. Now, let me see if there are some extra gloves lying around that will fit you.”
While he went back inside the brownstone to search, Darla stood on tiptoe and gingerly peered inside the container, even though Reese had assured her that Tera’s cell phone was the only thing inside it connected to the girl. The immediate sight of a long and quite body-shaped form wrapped in heavy black sheeting almost gave her a heart attack, until she noticed that the plastic had been pulled open to reveal several more strips of pink insulation. Looking more closely, she could see that Reese apparently had torn into anything that wasn’t solid, for several other bags and bundles of trash had spilled their contents, too.
“Find anything else?”
The sound of Barry’s voice unexpectedly behind her made her yelp in surprise; then, feeling sheepish, she turned to meet his wry gaze.
“Just putting my mind at rest,” she told him as she took the gloves he held out to her and pulled them on. And then, abruptly, she felt a few tears slip down her cheek.
“Sorry,” she added, swiping away the unexpected moisture from her face. “I didn’t know Curt all that well, but this whole thing—his death, Tera going missing—has had a real impact on me. And you probably think I’m just being some sort of drama queen, since you’re standing there all stoic, and you’re the one who was Curt’s friend.”
To her relief, Barry smiled and shook his head. “Frankly, I’d think a whole lot less of you if you didn’t care.”
Darla managed a smile back. “I guess I just need to know that whoever killed him will be punished, and I need Tera to come home safe and sound again. And I’m not sure that’s going to