Afterburn: A Kenzie Gilmore Thriller

by BIBA PEARCE

  “That’s what we thought,” Reid said. “But then she got in her car and drove to the Glades. This image was captured on the traffic cam on Highway Forty-One.”

  Snake was staring at the photograph as if seeing Bella for the first time. “What was she doing there?”

  “That’s what I wanted to ask you,” Reid said.

  He glanced up. “Me? How would I know?”

  “There’s a man sitting next to her in the passenger seat,” Reid pointed out. “Is that you?”

  Snake’s eyes narrowed to slits. “No, of course it’s not me. I was at the hotel looking for Natalia at that time.”

  “Were you?”

  “Yes, I was.” He folded his arms across his chest. “I don’t like where this is going, Detective. Are you insinuating I had something to do with Natalia’s death?”

  “Did you?”

  “No.” His hands curled into fists. “She was my wife and I loved her.”

  Reid kept a straight face. “In lieu of any children, you also inherited her vast fortune, approximately three million dollars.”

  He stood up so fast his chair flew back onto the floor. “I don’t need to take any more of this shit.”

  “If you had nothing to do with it, you have nothing to worry about,” rationalized Reid. “But storming out of here just makes you look guilty.”

  Snake glared at him, then picked up his chair and sat down again.

  Reid nodded to the photo. “Do you have any idea who this man could be?”

  Snake shook his head. “I don’t recognize him. It’s hard to see, though. It could be anyone.”

  That was the problem. The mysterious figure was in shadow.

  “No one springs to mind?” Reid asked.

  “No. She was seeing a firefighter, but that doesn’t look like him.”

  At least they agreed on something.

  “Can anyone vouch for you at the hotel at 2:00 am?” Reid studied him. He shifted in his chair.

  “I don’t know. Maybe. We searched the room and the hotel after the party but couldn’t find her. I called her phone throughout the night if that helps. I also called the cops, but they told me to wait till morning.”

  He knew about the 911 call and they’d already checked his phone’s GPS. He, or rather it, had been at the hotel all night. He’d asked Ryan to check Snake’s phone records. It wasn’t an alibi, but it would help to corroborate his story.

  “What time did your friends leave?”

  “Some time around then,” he said with a sigh. “It was getting late, so we called off the search. It was clear she wasn’t there.”

  “Is that when you discovered her clothes were missing?”

  “Yeah. I told you this already when you and Kenzie questioned me. After I got back to the room, I checked the closet for her clothes. Then I noticed her suitcase and a couple of items were missing.”

  Shit.

  Now Pérez was going to ask who Kenzie was. And he’d have to come up with a viable answer. One that didn’t get his ass kicked off this case.

  “Why did you call the police if you knew her stuff was missing? Didn’t you assume she’d left on her own account?”

  “No, like I said, we were in love. She’d never walk out on me.”

  “How do you account for the missing clothes and luggage?”

  “Someone obviously made it look like she’d left me, but I knew she hadn’t. That’s why I called the cops, but no one would listen to me. You all assumed she’d run away.” He wagged his finger. “I knew different.”

  Reid knew his next question was going to get a reaction, but he was going to ask it anyway. “Snake, were you having an affair with Bella Montague? Maybe that’s why Natalia left? She found out the night of the party?”

  The chair went flying again as Snake leaped to his feet. “What the—? You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. An affair with Bella? That bitch almost destroyed our relationship with her spiteful accusations.”

  “As she sees it, her best friend stole the love of her life,” Reid explained, also getting to his feet. He was taller than Snake by an inch, and he had more bulk and cast a bigger shadow. “You.”

  “I can’t help the way it turned out. I met Natalia and fell for her. Hard. When you know, you know, Detective. Haven’t you ever felt that way about anyone?”

  Reid didn’t reply.

  Had he felt that way about Bianca? He wasn’t sure. They’d had a connection, he knew that much. They couldn't keep their hands off each other, but they never dated. They never had a relationship. He would have liked to, but their jobs and her undercover work prevented it.

  Kenzie’s face flew into his mind, but he pushed it away. Theirs was a working relationship. Nothing more.

  “If you’re going to accuse me, then I want a lawyer.” Snake put his hands on his snaky hips and did a good impression of a model pout.

  Reid sighed. “No, we’re not accusing you. Like I said, you’re free to go at any time.”

  “Right then, I’m outa here.”

  Reid held up his hands. What could he say? He had nothing on Snake. The picture wasn’t conclusive evidence. His phone signal had been at the hotel all evening, and there was no proof he had been sleeping with Bella. Kenzie’s gut feeling wasn’t enough.

  “Thanks for your time,” he muttered, as Snake stalked past and into the squad room. The officer who’d been standing at the door saw him out.

  “I feel like we’re going round in circles,” Reid told Pérez when he walked out of the interrogation room. “And getting no closer to the truth.”

  “He’s shady as hell.” Pérez’s gaze followed the musician to the elevator.

  “But is he a killer?” murmured Reid.

  “That,”—Pérez thumped Reid on the shoulder—“is what you’re being paid to find out.”

  33

  “Kenzie, get in here!” bellowed Keith the next day.

  She’d just gotten back to work, not wanting to spend any more time recuperating. Her headache had gone and she felt fine, so why not get back to it?

  “What do you call this?” He pointed to the article she’d filed, now up on his screen.

  “An exclusive.” She held her head high. “Nobody else has this information. They all think Natalia Cruz was killed by the Swamp Strangler.”

  “BEST FRIEND QUESTIONED IN NATALIA’S MURDER?” he read out.

  “Yeah, why not? Bella Montague was questioned. So was DJ Snake, but he’s a source on this, so I didn’t think it would be fair to land him in it.”

  “But you’re happy to drag her name through the mud?”

  “I can’t help that a camera caught her heading out to the dump site.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “You’re kidding?”

  She nodded to his computer screen. “Hence the exclusive. I don’t make this stuff up, you know.”

  “Have you double-sourced?”

  “Even better. I saw the camera shot with my own eyes. It’s her. Two o’clock in the morning on Highway Forty-One. The only road that goes to the swamp.”

  Keith whistled under his breath.

  “She’s looking good for it. They just have to find a way to prove it.”

  His newsman’s nose was twitching. “Okay, Kenzie. Fair enough. This is good work. I just hope it doesn’t backfire on us.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve just got a letter from DJ Snake’s attorney threatening to sue if you print anything about his being a suspect in his wife’s murder.”

  Her eyes widened. “Can he do that?”

  “He’s taken out an injunction. Unless he’s proved to be involved, he doesn’t want us to print anything that might implicate him in her murder. He states it will be seen as an attempt to damage his image and negatively impact his career.”

  “I guess he has a point. I wasn’t going to write anything about him anyway.” She considered him a friend—sort of. They hung out together. He invited her to his parties. Although, t
hat was likely to stop now.

  “What made him write that letter?” She fingered the bump on the back of her head and frowned. “He should know me by now.”

  “I’d guess it was your friend, Detective Garrett.”

  “Oh, great. So I’m guilty by association. Snake is only famous because of me. It was my article that landed him his first record deal.”

  “Perhaps you should remind him of that.” Keith leaned back in his chair. “On second thoughts, just stay away from the guy. We can’t afford another lawsuit, Kenzie. You know that.”

  She held up her hands in a gesture of defeat. “I know. I’m not causing waves, I promise. This had nothing to do with me.”

  “I’ll run with the Bella Montague piece because that’s big news. Let’s just hope she doesn’t have a lawyer waiting to jump down our throats too.”

  “She doesn’t have the money,” Kenzie pointed out. “She’s not wealthy like Natalia, or successful like Snake. In fact, I think she may have grown up in foster care.”

  Now where had she heard that? She couldn’t quite remember. Perhaps she should look into Bella’s background in more detail now that she was a suspect. It would make for a good follow up piece, should Bella ever be charged. She mentioned this to Keith.

  “Tread easy,” he cautioned, glancing at her head. “You’ve already had one close call.”

  “See, I knew you cared.” She grinned at him and went back to her desk.

  Bella made for interesting reading. She’d been given up for adoption at birth and there was no record of her biological parents. Probably a young, single mother, unable to cope. A prostitute, maybe, or a crack addict.

  She’d gone to a couple, the Henderson’s. Kenzie frowned. Not Montague. Then how had she gotten her surname?

  She dug a little deeper. Phil and Marge Henderson lived in Apalachicola, a small fishing village near Tampa. It was so small Kenzie could hardly find it on Google Maps.

  They were poor by the looks of things. Phil was a shrimper. Marge was a receptionist at the local medical center.

  It was here that she met Douglas Montague, a visiting salesman from Miami. When Bella was 10, Marge ran off with Douglas, taking her adopted daughter with her. There were no records of Marge marrying Douglas, although Bella took her stepfather’s name.

  Kenzie called Radcliffe High School and said she was writing a piece about Natalia Cruz. She steered the conversation towards Natalia’s best friend, Bella. To her surprise, the principal was more than happy to oblige. Bella was an excellent student. So bright, so hard working. She could have done anything she wanted and been successful at it.

  “Really?” Kenzie was surprised. While Bella didn’t come across as dumb, she hadn’t struck Kenzie as particularly smart. Or perhaps she was very good at hiding it.

  Natalia, on the other hand. “A beautiful, sweet, but somewhat vacant girl,” the principal had said. “Easily led astray. But don’t quote me on that. I don’t want to talk ill of the dead.”

  Easily manipulated by a smarter friend? thought Kenzie.

  By five o’clock, she was exhausted. What she needed was to take another painkiller and lie down. A full day at the office had been too much for her.

  She texted Reid. “Leaving work now.”

  He replied a short while later. “Want me to stay at yours tonight?”

  She hesitated. It had been nice having him there last night. More than nice. She’d slept well, comfortable knowing she had this great hulking man downstairs in case anyone tried to break in.

  They were no closer to finding out who’d attacked her. He might still be out there, waiting for a second chance. She shivered as a chill flowed through her.

  “Yes, if you don’t mind?” she replied.

  He sent a thumbs up emoji in reply.

  She smiled, then frowned.

  Crap, she’d better stock up the fridge. He’d cooked last night, but she couldn’t expect him to do that again. It was her turn tonight.

  “How’d the article go?” Reid asked when he arrived. She caught a whiff of his aftershave. He’d gone home and showered and changed before driving out to Bay Harbor Island.

  “Good. Keith was excited about the exclusive.” She’d run it by Reid before she’d sent it to her boss. A deal was a deal. He was realistic enough to know that Bella’s questioning couldn’t be kept secret for long. If Kenzie didn’t report on it, someone else would.

  “Let’s hope it shakes her up,” he said, dourly.

  “You suspect her, don’t you?” Kenzie said, as they moved into the kitchen. She’d opened a bottle of wine. “Want a glass?”

  “A small one, thanks.”

  As she set about pouring, he leaned against the kitchen bar counter and looked at her. “I think she’s guilty. I can’t explain why. I just do.”

  “How did Snake appear in his interview?” she asked. “I know you pissed him off.”

  He grinned. “How’d you know that?”

  “His attorney sent a letter to the paper threatening legal action if we published anything that might harm his image.”

  “He’s worried.” Reid accepted the glass with a nod.

  “He has reason to be,” Kenzie mused. “If it got out he’d been questioned, it could affect his career. His record label already wants to drop him. I don’t want to be responsible for that, especially if he’s not guilty.”

  “And he’s your friend,” Reid added.

  They took their drinks to the living room. Kenzie sank onto the sofa and rested her head back.

  “How are you feeling?” Reid asked.

  “I’m just tired. I think I’ll go to bed early.” She turned to face him. “What happened with the parking garage footage? Did you look into it?”

  “I didn’t have time,” he admitted. “But I gave Ryan the task. She was pouring over the footage all day.”

  “Does she know what to look for?” asked Kenzie, worried. She trusted Reid to do a thorough job, but she didn’t know Ryan.

  “She’s smart. If there’s something to find, she’ll find it.”

  “Okay, good.” Then she remembered. “Oh, I did some digging in Bella Montague’s history today. Did you know she got straight A’s at school?”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Really?”

  “Yeah, star pupil apparently.”

  “She hides it well,” he said.

  Kenzie laughed. “That’s what I thought. A slight anomaly there. We gotta be careful not to underestimate her.”

  “She sure got the better of us during her interrogation,” Reid said. “I couldn’t find any reference to that guy Julian at the Gator Inn. The security camera didn’t pick up anyone unaccounted for either. She made the whole thing up.”

  “An A-student,” murmured Kenzie.

  They chatted more about the case, watched a bit of television, then Kenzie suggested heating up a pizza. “I bought the ingredients to make you my signature dish, but to be honest I’m not sure I’m up for it tonight.”

  “Pizza is fine. You need to rest.” His eyes crinkled.

  “Okay.” She held his gaze. It was warm, knowing. A flicker of anticipation shot down her spine—or maybe that was just the painkillers kicking in.

  “I’ll do it.” Reid got up and went to the kitchen.

  Kenzie lay back and closed her eyes. Had she imagined that, or did they just have a moment?

  Once again, he’d come to her rescue. If she wasn’t careful, she’d get used to having him around. And that would raise a bunch of questions she wasn’t willing to answer just yet.

  34

  Kenzie woke up on the couch. She must have fallen asleep during the movie they’d been watching. She glanced down to find Reid had covered her with a blanket from her bed. How sweet.

  Speaking of, where was he? Then she heard music from the kitchen and Reid’s deep voice singing out of tune.

  Chuckling to herself, she got up. Her head was still tender but only if she slept on a certain spot. “You should have woken m
e.”

  He turned and grinned. “I thought you could do with the extra sleep. Do you like pancakes?”

  Her eyes widened. “Who doesn’t like pancakes?”

  “Great, ‘cos I made a bunch of them. Take a seat.”

  She climbed onto the stool at the breakfast bar and watched as he expertly scooped the pancakes off the pan and onto a plate.

  “Another signature recipe?” she asked.

  “This one is only for very special occasions,” he said.

  “What's the occasion?”

  “Thanks to your parking garage theory, Detective Ryan was able to identify a man hanging out there, watching single women arrive.”

  She gasped. “No way! Do you know who he is?”

  “We’re still trying to identify him, but we have his plates. You were right, he did park there—on all three nights the victims went missing. Now that’s a coincidence that I’m not willing to ignore.”

  “But not the night Natalia was taken?”

  He shook his head. “No ma’am. He didn’t do it, just as we thought.”

  Kenzie fist bumped the air. “Yes! I knew it.”

  “This guy hung around the parking garage waiting for women to arrive. He’d see if they were single, stalk them to the bar or club, then pick them up and walk with them back to the parking lot.”

  “But how did he get them into his car?” she asked.

  “That, we don’t know. It was dark when they got back, no lights on the side he parked on. From what Ryan could see, the women didn’t look under duress, just a little drunk.”

  “Maybe he drugged them?”

  “That’s what I’m thinking. There were no drugs in their system when they were found, but he could have kept them somewhere until it wore off.”

  She lowered her voice. “When he was raping them.”

  “Exactly.”

  She exhaled as she poured maple syrup all over the stack of pancakes Reid had layered on her plate. “What kind of man does that?”

  “A demented one, that’s for sure.”

  “He must be pretty twisted.” She began cutting into the pile. “How soon after they disappeared were their bodies found?”