The Killing House

16

‘That can’t be… that’s not possible,’ Karim said. ‘If what you’re saying is true, the person I assigned to do the data mining would have found it.’

‘The person you assigned was very thorough. I read the reports.’

‘But?’

‘I checked Theresa Herrera’s medical records on MIB — the Medical Information Bureau,’ Fletcher said. ‘It’s a digital warehouse for the country’s medical records.’

‘I know what it is,’ Karim said softly. ‘Insurance companies use it. What did you find?’

‘Her social security number doesn’t have a match on the MIB.’

‘Nothing?’

‘Not a single file.’

‘Could be a simple clerical error.’

‘Or it could have been expunged,’ Fletcher said. ‘Whatever the reason, it warrants further investigation.’

Karim nodded as he shut the folder.

‘There’s only one company that specializes in adding cremated remains to ammunition,’ Fletcher said. ‘Sacred Ashes, based in Dunbar, Alabama.’

He slid his smartphone across the table. Karim looked at the company website displayed on the phone’s screen.

‘I’ll drive to Alabama,’ Fletcher said.

‘Why?’

‘To look through the company’s records.’

‘No, I mean why drive when we can fly? We’ll take my plane.’

‘In case you forgot, I’m a fugitive.’

Karim waved it away. ‘What do you have for ID?’

‘A passport and driver’s licence.’

‘Let’s see them.’

‘The provenance is clean.’

‘Always check, Malcolm. Always check.’

‘I always do.’ To allay Karim’s concerns, Fletcher handed over the items for Robert Pepin.

Karim inspected them for several minutes before placing several phone calls to make sure the documentation hadn’t been compromised or flagged for review. His final call was to a contact at Interpol. Fletcher had, under his own name, been given an Interpol Red Notice — an international arrest warrant.

‘They’re clean,’ Karim said after he hung up. ‘What’s your plan once we reach Alabama?’

‘Surveillance,’ Fletcher said. ‘Then I’ll break into their company, examine their computers and paperwork, and find our shooter.’