An Insignificant Case

Chapter Thirty-Nine

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

After Elin left his office, Charlie thought about going home, but he was too sad about Elin’s quick departure and still wound up because of the events at the farm. He decided to seek comfort with his friends at the Buccaneer Tavern, and he drank beer with Gary Schwartz and Bob Malone until he ran the risk of a drunk driving conviction if he didn’t stop.

It was almost ten when he walked into his apartment. He’d been thinking about Elin when he was driving home, and he was worried. She was only working on Guido’s case, and it was over for all intents and purposes. He wondered what he could do to keep her in the office. Guido’s was his only big case. He’d hoped that the publicity would bring in bigger cases, but no one had hired him so far. If he didn’t get a big retainer soon, he wouldn’t be able to pay his bills.

He decided that he had to call Elin to see how she was doing. He opened his phone and found her number in his contacts. He pressed Call, and a robotic voice told him that the number had been disconnected. That was puzzling. Then he noticed that he had a new email. He smiled. Elin must have had ESP, because the email was from her. He opened it and stopped smiling. The body of the email had a message that made Charlie dizzy. Elin had written, “I’m sorry.”

There was an attachment. Charlie clicked on it. It was a voicemail.

“Hey, sis, just wanted to tell you that I’m really excited. I met this woman, Gretchen, at a club. She knows Leon Golden, the movie producer. Anyway, I’m going to his place to audition for a part in his next film. Wish me luck. I’ll let you know what happens, and you get to go to the Academy Awards as my special guest when I get my Oscar.”

Charlie stared at the screen. He couldn’t breathe. When he was able to focus, he ran down to his car and drove through a downpour to the home address Elin had given him.

When he drove around Portland, he often wondered if a fairy had flown over the city sprinkling magic condo dust, because every few blocks contained bulldozed lots surrounded by chain-link fences where, months later, condominiums with ground-floor commercial space suddenly appeared.

He used his GPS to find the fastest route to Elin’s apartment. When the GPS told him that he had arrived, he found himself in front of one of those ubiquitous vacant lots. He tried to convince himself that he’d transposed a number, but he knew that wasn’t the reason he couldn’t find where Elin lived.

Rain pelted the roof of his car like gunshots, but he didn’t hear a thing. There was only one explanation he could think of for the false address, disconnected phone, and the email with its voicemail attachment. Elin had lied to him about everything, and her reason for lying was obvious now that he’d heard the voicemail. Elin’s sister was one of Leon Golden’s victims, and Elin had fooled Charlie so she could get close to Guido to convince him to turn over the flash drive.

Charlie sat in his car in a daze. Then he dialed Bridget Fournier.

“Something just happened,” he said when the prosecutor picked up. “I have to see you immediately, and I absolutely have to see the snuff film.”

“It’s the middle of the night, Charlie. What’s so important?”

“I think Elin Crane is going to murder Leon Golden.”