Page 40 of Asher's Assignment
Esther wrinkled her nose. “Maybe. It’s just a matter of finding someone to go with me. Maybe I can convince Edie and Jordan to go. They can leave the baby with Mom and Dad. Mom will love it.”
“See? You have a plan. So, does this mean you want that Moroccan dish for dinner?”
Fifteen
It was trash day.
Asher stared at the trash can at the curb outside the Tylers’ house. The lid was still closed. Looking down the street, it appeared as though the garbage truck had yet to come.
He glanced at the Tylers’ front door. Esther went inside twenty minutes ago. It was safe for him to wander a bit. Maybe take a peek inside that bin. But he didn’t know whether anyone could see the trash can from inside the house. The last thing he needed was to have Rob Tyler rush out, demanding to know what he was doing.
But it was large enough he could hide behind it. Just reach in and pull a bag out and go through it while he crouched low.
Asher reached into the backseat and grabbed the small backpack he’d brought. From the front pocket, he took out a pair of black nitrile gloves and put them on, then opened his car door and got out.
Glancing up and down the road, he strolled toward the garbage can. Eyes still roving the street, he paused next to it. Once he was sure no one was watching that he could see, he flicked his wrist and opened the can’s lid. A peek inside revealed a small bag of trash on top. It looked like maybe it came from a bathroom. He snagged it and quickly dropped into a crouch behind the trash can.
“Show me your secrets,” he muttered, picking the knot out of the ties. With the bag open, he rummaged through the sea of tissues, empty toilet paper rolls, and discarded makeup wipes.
A flash of silver caught his eye, and he reached for it. Lifting it free, he turned it over, reading the label. It was an empty azithromycin packet. Esther had said Connie Tyler was sick last week.
He pocketed the used blister pack. There were a few people he knew who could run it for prints. It could tell them who Connie really was. Because if Connie Tyler was really Connie Tyler, he’d dismantle his lair and never stick his nose behind someone’s firewall ever again.
The revving of an engine as a car turned the corner echoed through the damp air. Asher glanced over, then hurriedly retied the trash bag. Standing, he tossed it back into the bin as the car passed, then closed the lid. He’d really like to go through the other bags, but it was too risky to pull them out. What he’d found, though, was great. Hopefully, it would yield some answers.
Back in the car, he scrolled through his email contacts until he found one of the people he thought could help and shot off a quick message. Zach came back a minute later, agreeing to test the package for prints. When they stopped at the store for groceries, he’d get some mailing supplies and send the blister pack off first thing in the morning.
Asher spent the rest of the hour watching the traffic that passed by and keeping a lookout for the guy who ran away yesterday. The neighborhood stayed boringly quiet. While he kept watch, he googled specialty grocery stores, knowing he’d need some spices most places wouldn’t carry. By the time Esther exited the house, he’d found one and was ready to leave.
“I’m starving. Let’s go get food,” she said as she slipped into the car.
Asher started the engine. “Yes, ma’am.”
“So, did that guy come back?”
He shook his head as he pulled away from the curb. “No. But I did a quick search of the Tylers’ trash. I found Connie’s empty antibiotic package. I have a friend who’s agreed to run it for prints.”
Esther wrinkled her nose. “You wore gloves, right? Because that’s gross.”
Asher grinned. “Yes.”
“Good.”
“How was your session?”
“Oh, fine. Leah’s excited about her birthday. She said her parents agreed to take her out to an actual restaurant for dinner.”
“Isn’t that dangerous for her?”
“I asked the same thing, but she said her doctor told them if they went when it wasn’t too crowded and she wore a mask with high filtration when she wasn’t eating that she should be all right. Her immune system is poor, but it’s not non-existent. School’s a bigger risk just because kids are little germ factories.”
He let out a snort. “That’s for sure. I had one kid today who I sent to wipe their nose I don’t know how many times. It was like a faucet.”
“Yep. Been there. I had a couple out today. That cold I thought was brewing finally hit.”
“How are you not sick all the time? You must have an immune system made of titanium.”
Esther chuckled. “I’ve been doing this for several years. You build up immunity. During student teaching and my first year as a full-fledged teacher, I caught most everything. Since then, I get maybe one or two illnesses every year, and they’re never that bad. Some cold medicine and I’m fine.”
