Pentimento

Chapter 12 - There's a plan, but we don't like it

After a head-clearing walk, they sat at the kitchen table together.

"Well, at least you'll have time to help me now."

Rose smiled, she'd put off worrying about her job until she actually got fired and was excited to work with Marjorie again.

"So where are we at?"

"Okay, so we have three possible garages, I would choose Headley's because that's the only one not in a neighborhood. The problem is that we don't know when it's going to happen."

Rose took the transcript of the conversation she recorded, "It's Sebastian's day off!"

"Yeah, but what is his day off?"

Rose put the transcript down, she knew who she needed. Connie would figure all of this out in minutes, Rose was sure of it. But, in order to figure all of it out, Connie had to be told about all of it.

"She doesn't know this happened to you?"

Rose shook her head, "No one does..."

"We'll tell her together. I would give you more time, but I'm not sure we have it. They could be at that garage any day now."

"And now you need my help?" Connie sat on the leather couch, eyes wide open. She had just listened to Rose's life story for two hours.

"Only if you are comfortable with it!"

Connie frowned; she wasn't sure she was comfortable with any of this. Rose having some sort of secret past, Rose working on the case without her, Rose working with another woman, it was all a lot to take in. But she took it in. There was no way she would walk away from this. From the mess of papers on the kitchen island, they needed her help badly. She rolled up the sleeves of her cardigan and exclaimed. "Let's get to work then, shall we?"

Rose and Marjorie looked at each other in surprise, Rose shrugged. Connie was an impressive woman, they'd better follow.

"So. What information do we need?"

"I think I narrowed down where we need to go. Headley's garage. But we don't know when. It's Sebastian's day off. So, we hoped you could tell us more about that?"

Connie nodded while she hid behind the large screen of her laptop. "Monday, Tuesday and Thursday." She looked into the disappointed faces of Rose and Marjorie.

"Don't worry. We'll narrow that down." Connie's fake nails brought forth an enthusiastic rhythm while she flew from website to website.

"So, on Thursday the art department has an exhibition late into the night, they're all expected to be there."

"And?" Two sets of hopeful eyes looked at Connie.

"That's it. I only know about his work schedule. I can inspect his social media if you like?"

Marjorie sighed, "I already did that."

Connie moved away from her laptop and started ordering the papers into neat piles with designated categories. She gave the transcript of the recording for Rose to hold, who stared at the typed-up letters until she saw something.

"If Sebastian says it's his day off, wouldn't that mean it is not Peter's day off?" She handed the transcript to Marjorie and pointed at the sentence, almost piercing the paper in her enthusiasm.

"They both have Monday off. So that is Tuesday then. There we go." Connie turned the laptop around for Rose and Marjorie to see. The three exchanged looks, unsure of the next step. Connie felt she'd done her job and started packing her laptop. Rose sat down with a hazy look in her eyes.

"We have to be there." Rose stood up again and Connie stopped packing.

"Excuse me?" Connie said.

"We have to be there. The police won't take us seriously, we already know that."

Rose nodded. The realization that they now had to act on their knowledge hit her like a wave of cold, salty water.