Read Spider's Web for Free Online

up early, ahead of traffic, be at his doorstep by seven.”
    Fred glanced at Mitchell, who seemed pretty glum at the prospect of getting up so early. “Well,” he said. “You two are certainly eager to follow this thing. Do you need Bernard and Hannah’s help?”
    “I talked to Bernard an hour ago,” Jacob said. “They’re investigating the rape case down at Silverleaf Lane, right? There’s no point in pulling them off the case. This murder is cold, and we don’t have too much to go on right now. We’ll see how it develops.”
    Fred nodded. “Okay. Keep me updated.” He glanced at his watch. “Damn,” he muttered. He could already imagine Sid’s eyes as he asked, “Why are other daddies never late to pick up their sons?”
     
    Jacob called Leon several times, and sent him two text messages before Leon returned his call.
    “Hi,” Leon said, his voice soft and slightly feminine. “This is Leon Byers? I understand you were looking for me?”
    “Hello Leon, I’m glad you returned my call,” Jacob said. “My name is Detective Jacob Cooper, from the Glenmore Park police department.”
    “Glenmore Park?”
    “That’s right.”
    “Where’s that?”
    “Uh… Massachusetts, sir. About twenty miles north of Boston.” Jacob said, doodling thoughtfully on a piece of paper. If Leon really didn’t know where Glenmore Park was, he didn’t know his sister was living there.
    “Okay. Why are you calling me, Detective?”
    “Do you have a sister named Kendele Byers?” Jacob asked.
    “That’s right,” Leon’s voice tensed up. “Did you find her?”
    “Were we supposed to be looking for her, Mr. Byers?”
    “I reported her missing a week ago.”
    “Mr. Byers, where exactly did you report her missing?”
    “The police, of course.”
    “There is no missing persons description that matches your sister in Glenmore Park, sir.”
    “Why would there be? She lived in San Francisco.”
    “I see. For how long has she been living in San Francisco, sir?” Jacob asked.
    “For the past six months or so.”
    “Mr. Byers, why would you think that Kendele lives in San Francisco?”
    “Because that’s what she told me, of course.”
    Jacob glanced at Mitchell, who was listening to the call and frowning. Why would Kendele give a false address to her brother?
    “Mr. Byers, I’m sorry to say that I think we have recovered your sister’s body.”
    The seconds went by in silence. “What?” Leon finally said. “Are… Are you sure? My sister is not even close to the East Coast. I think you must be mistaken, I—”
    “Was your sister about five six, Caucasian, with red hair?”
    “Yes, but listen—”
    “Did she have a root canal as a child?”
    “Maybe, I don’t know.”
    “Well, if you could find out, it will help us clear up this case. If your sister really does live in San Francisco, perhaps we misidentified the body.”
    “S… Sure. What do you need?”
    “Can you give me the name and address of the dentist she went to as a child?”
    “Yeah, of course,” Leon said. “We’ve been going to the same dentist for years. His name is Doctor Harrow. Hang on, I’ll get his address.” Jacob waited. Finally Leon found the address and dictated it to Jacob.
    “Okay,” Jacob said. “We’ll get a warrant for her dental records and will cross reference them with our Jane Doe’s as soon as we get them.”
    “Okay. I’m sure you have the wrong person, Detective. Please let me know once you’re sure?”
    “Of course. Thank you, Mr. Byers.”
    Jacob hung up. A second later Kendele’s phone beeped. Mitchell picked it up and glanced at it. He showed the message to Jacob. Kendele, please call me, it’s urgent!!!
    “What do you think?” Jacob asked.
    Mitchell fiddled with the phone a bit. “It has a San Francisco area code,” he told Jacob.
    “Maybe she really did move to San Francisco at first,” Jacob said.
    “Or she got the phone number with this area code, to make it seem that