Angelina Bonaparte Mysteries Box Set Nanci Rathbun (i love reading books txt) 📖

“Or receivers of stolen property. Or the book in the attic might be a fake. But I don’t think so.”

“I’ll print this and give it to you so you can file it with the picture of the book.”

“The photo?”

“No, the picture. The one I gave you on your first visit.”

Suddenly, I realized what it was I’d forgotten after the attack. The perp took the printout from my briefcase. Just that, nothing else. “I need another copy, Lily. The guy who hit me took the original picture. I didn’t think anything was missing until you mentioned it. Bad call on my part.” There were so many rabbit trails in this investigation! Nonetheless, I was chagrined about my lapse.

As she typed, Lily said, “You had a head injury. It’s understandable if you overlooked it. After all, it wasn’t something you’d normally have in your possession. Hang on.” She left and returned with a printed image of the book. “Here you go.”

I placed it in my briefcase. “Why would he want the picture?”

“Is it possible he didn’t know the victims had it? Or maybe he did know, but he didn’t have details. Or maybe he didn’t want you to have it. Of course, if you printed it once, you could do so again.”

“I’m pretty sure he and the Johnsons were involved together.”

The air swooshed out of her mouth. “You know who it is?”

“There’s a lot of circumstantial evidence pointing toward the victims’ lawyer.”

“So, what are the next steps? Are you ready to talk to Professor Kolar? She told me she would make up her mind about how deep the conversation would go, once she met you.”

“That’s fair. Should I contact her?”

“It might be better if I accompany you to the meeting. She’s very reserved, but we often work together on her research and she’s comfortable with me. That could help.”

“Good idea. Go ahead and set it up. I’ll make myself available.”

“And Colonel Lewis, the ROTC officer who served in Bosnia? Have you talked with him?”

I sighed. “Not yet. It probably seems like I’ve been slacking off, but believe me, that’s not the case. I think I’ll handle that one on my own, but I’ll be sure to keep you informed. Without you, this would be so much harder. Thanks, Lily.”

“My pleasure. Really.”

We parted company and I walked back to my car. Spider’s van was no longer there, but I felt confident that he was nearby. I paid my eight dollars, checked my watch, and decided to stop for a falafel platter.

Chapter 20

This change to a higher phase of alert is a signal…that certain actions now should be undertaken with increased urgency and at an accelerated pace.

—Dr. Margaret Chan

I called Spider to tell him I was getting takeout from Abu’s Restaurant of the Gold and then going to my office to eat. Did he want anything? I asked. He declined, stating that Abu’s was great, but his wife Magdalena’s leftovers were better.

While eating falafel at my desk, I checked my to-do list. The two items remaining were to contact the ROTC leader, Col. Lewis, and talk to my aunt about Thanksgiving, which was two weeks from today. Yikes! I knew Aunt Terry would probe me for more details on Wukowski, so I pushed that down the list and called the colonel’s number, expecting to leave a message.

Instead, a smooth tenor voice said, “ROTC office, Colonel Lewis.”

“Colonel, my name is Angelina Bonaparte. Lily March at the UWM library gave me your number. I was hoping I could meet with you.”

“Concerning the UWM program?”

“No. Colonel, I’m a private investigator. Some uniforms that may be from the Bosnian War era are part of a case I’m working. Would you be willing to look at photos and help me identify them?”

“Are they U.S.?”

“I think they’re either Bosnian or Serbian.”

“I’m no expert on the variety of forces or uniforms in that region, Ms. Bonaparte. And I can’t do anything that would violate Army rules. I would need to know more about your case.”

“Fair enough. Could we meet so I can show you the pictures and explain about the investigation?”

“I’m heading out of town tomorrow and will be away until after Thanksgiving. If you can be at my office on the Marquette campus by twelve forty-five, I can give you thirty minutes.”

I didn’t want to miss this opportunity and wait two weeks to get an opinion on the uniforms. “I’ll be there.” He gave me the location of his office and the closest visitor parking.

I texted Bobbie to cancel our meeting. I asked him to get in touch with A (no use of full name on texts) and tell her that our plans were postponed, too. Then I called Spider to alert him.

Marquette University is situated just west of downtown Milwaukee. Parking is impossible in the area, so I was forced to use the parking ramp that Col. Lewis mentioned. With Spider as a backup, I felt secure, both with parking and with walking two blocks to the ROTC office.

I knocked on the colonel’s door and heard a melodious “Come.” When I entered, the man seated behind the desk stood. “Ma’am,” he said. “I’m Colonel Lewis.”

“Angie Bonaparte,” I said, extending my hand. “We spoke on the phone.”

He was about five-ten, but muscular, and he held himself in that upright military posture that appears such a strain to civilians. His short-cropped salt-and-pepper hair was also military issue. He came around the desk to shake my hand, then helped me off with my jacket and hung it on an old-fashioned coat tree. Very courtly manners, I thought.

He pulled a visitor chair up and returned to his desk. “My time is limited, Ms. Bonaparte. It would be best if I looked at the photos first. If I don’t recognize anything, there’s no need for you to tell me your story. If I do, we can go from there. That work for you?”

“It does,” I told him. I took my tablet out of my briefcase and went to the folder that contained