Fatal Dreams (COBRA Securities Book 17)

by Velvet Vaughn

  “Is there a problem—”

  She slid through the opening and launched herself into Ethan’s arms. He caught her easily. She’d known instantly which brother was which this time. Now she wondered how she’d ever confused Noah for Ethan.

  Ethan placed her feet on the ground and cupped her face. “How are you, Esme?”

  “I’ve been better.” It’d be a long time before she erased the image of Merle’s dead body from her head.

  “Hey, Esme,” Noah said. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll find out what’s going on.” He left to talk to the cop assigned to guard them.

  She hadn’t even realized Tyler arrived with them until he sprinted by in his haste to reach Lyra. She’d followed Esme out of the car and now Tyler was hustling her inside Ethan’s SUV and crawling in after her. Ethan would probably try to force her to stay with them, but this was her aunt’s house. Her store. She wouldn’t be coddled.

  He did just that when the police gave the all-clear.

  “Absolutely not. I’m going in with you.”

  “Esme,” he warned. “You need to stay out here with Lyra and Tyler where it’s safe.”

  “Save it, Ethan. I’m not some fragile doll you need to protect.” Never mind that she’d been the one to call him. “This is my store and I’m going in with you.” She marched off before he could stop her, but he caught her easily and clasped her arm.

  “For hell’s sake, wait for me.”

  Fine, she’d give him that small victory. Noah broke away from the cop he was speaking with and followed them up the steps. The shrill wail of sirens filled the air. Soon the neighborhood would be crawling with emergency personnel.

  Despite having only been inside once, Ethan easily navigated the hallways to her shop. Two of the cops stood over Merle, one talking on his phone. Ethan shielded her from viewing the body again.

  “Ethan filled me in on the ride over about your association with the victim,” Noah said. “He sounds like a fruitcake.”

  “Pretty much,” she agreed. “I didn’t like him at all, but I certainly didn’t want him dead.”

  #

  Ethan lost ten years off his life when Esme called him in a panic. Her frightened, trembling voice had punched him more solidly in the gut than one of Dante Costa’s roundhouse kicks. He hated that she was scared, and he wasn’t there to protect her.

  He could’ve driven himself, but he was so damn glad his brother showed up, prying the keys from his grip. Noah made it to Esme’s house in record time, whereas Ethan might’ve crashed them into a tree. He hadn’t even needed to hunt Tyler down. He’d been racing outside, having been alerted to the crime from Lyra.

  He wished Esme hadn’t been the one to find Merle. It’d be an image she wouldn’t be able to forget for a long time, if ever. He’d seen his fair share of dead bodies and he remembered every single one. He also wished he could whisk her away right now, but he knew the police would want to question her. Not only was it her shop, but she’d found the body and shared a history with the deceased.

  Ethan had planned on paying the pastor a not-so-friendly visit in the next day or two. He’d have warned the man to stay the hell away from Esme and to quit causing her distress. A punch or two might’ve been thrown, but he’d never know now. Someone else got to him first.

  Noah had been studying the body before the crime scene crew arrived and shooed them out of the room. He walked back over to Ethan. “He wasn’t killed here. Not enough blood.”

  “Then he was probably murdered somewhere else in the house and dragged in here.”

  “That’d be my guess. Also, his heart had already stopped beating when he was stabbed. He was most likely poisoned.”

  Ethan’s gaze jerked to Noah. “You sure?” Femi Gilland, Esme’s coworker, had been poisoned.

  Noah pointed to his own neck. “Small puncture on the right side.” He showed Ethan the picture he snapped with his phone before he’d been kicked out.

  “Damn,” he muttered. What were the odds of two people associated with her dying the same way within days of each other? Ethan would bet the person who abducted and killed Femi had also murdered Merle.

  “It sounds like Esme’s association with him was hostile.”

  “It was. She took out a harassment restraining order against him. He’d been trying to shut the business down.”

  “And he ends up dead in her shop.”

  “Yeah, it doesn’t look great. But she had nothing to do with this.”

  Noah held up his hands. “Whoa, bro, no need to get defensive with me. I believe you. I believe her.”

  Ethan winced, realizing he’d been protesting quite loudly. “Sorry. I just hope the police do their job and don’t look for an easy solve.”

  Noah slapped him on the back. “We’ll make sure they do.”

  #

  Esme watched the movement inside her aunt’s house with a sense of detachment. A man with a bulky camera snapped pictures while a woman in a suit jacket, dress pants and heels that seemed inconvenient for a detective, knelt to place markers at different spots throughout the hallway. She’d overheard one cop tell another that they’d discovered what looked like signs of a struggle in the laundry room and deduced that Merle had been killed there and then dragged to her shop. It didn’t seem real. Who would’ve killed him?

  Suddenly it was too overwhelming, and she couldn’t breathe. Careful to avoid any of the people investigating the crime, she rushed outside and sucked in lungs full of fresh air. The parking lot and alley were packed with emergency vehicles and crime scene units. Yellow tape marked off a perimeter around the house. Many of the neighbors had gathered and were talking amongst themselves, no doubt making guesses about what had happened. Several were holding up their phones filming the ordeal.

  “Esme.”

  She turned her head to see someone behind the crime scene tape waving their arms in the air to get her attention. Joelle. She’d forgotten she planned on dropping by today. She descended the steps at the same time Joelle ducked beneath the tape, her camera bag slung around her shoulder.

  “Oh my God.” She hugged Esme fiercely. “I was terrified when I drove up and saw all the flashing lights and police cars. Thank goodness you’re safe. What happened? Is Lumi okay?”

  “We’re fine. Someone was murdered inside the house.”

  Joelle sucked in a breath and slammed a hand over her mouth. “That’s horrible! Was Lumi home?”

  “No, she’s out of town for the weekend.”

  “Do you know who it is?”

  Esme glanced around to make sure none of the journalists or news cameras that had gathered were within listening distance. She didn’t want the information leaked before Merle’s next of kin could be notified. “Please don’t say anything. I’m not sure if his family has been contacted yet.”

  Joelle held up three fingers. “Swear.”

  “Merle McDougal.”

  Joelle shook her head as if the name didn’t mean anything to her. Then her eyes widened. “Is that the man who held those silly protests in front of the house? The one with the torches who chanted about burning witches at the stake?”

  “That’s him.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Wow. How did he end up dead in your aunt’s house?”

  “I’ve no idea. Hopefully the police are figuring that out right now.”

  A middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair, wearing a button-down blue shirt with a gray tie and pressed navy pants walked up to her. “Ms. Jovanovich, my name is Detective Brinks. I need to ask you a few questions.”

  “Okay.” She turned to Joelle. “Go home and I’ll call you later.”

  “Are you sure? I can stay, for support if nothing else.”

  “Positive, but I appreciate the offer.”

  “If there is anything I can do, please let me know.”

  “I will.”

  Joelle ducked under the tape and headed to her car with a wave. Esme led the detective back inside the house to the relati
ve quiet of the kitchen, taking a seat at the table. Detective Brinks lowered himself into the chair across from her and removed his cell phone. She almost wept with relief when the chair beside her scraped against the floor and then Ethan was beside her, close enough that she could feel his body heat. It steadied her.

  “I know most of the detectives on the force, but I don’t think we’ve met. Ethan Addison.” He held out his hand to the detective, who shook it.

  “Detective Gavin Brinks. I transferred here last week. Wonderful city.”

  “It is,” Ethan agreed.”

  “May I ask why you’re here?”

  “I’m Esme’s friend. She called me when she found the body. Also, I work for COBRA Securities, so I’m familiar with the protocol.”

  “COBRA Securities? Is that so? You guys are famous.” He smoothed a hand down his tie. “I’m going to record this conversation.” Brinks punched a button on his cell and opened a notepad. “You were the first on the scene, correct, Ms. Jovanovich?” Esme nodded. “Were there any signs of a break in?”

  “I wasn’t paying attention when I walked up to the house. But when I started to put the key in the lock, the door was already open, and the alarm was disengaged. This is my aunt’s home and she never would’ve left it that way, especially when she was going out of town.”

  “Your aunt isn’t home?”

  “She and a friend went to St. Louis for the weekend. They left yesterday afternoon.”

  He scribbled notes and then looked up at her. “You knew the victim, Ms. Jovanovich?”

  “I did.” She told them about meeting Merle in the coffee shop and then their tumultuous relationship ever since. His brows raised and he continued taking notes when she told him about the protests.

  “You had a harassment restraining order out on him?”

  “Yes.”

  “Was this self-defense?” He waved a hand to encompass the house. “Did he break in and try to threaten you? You were just protecting yourself, right?”

  Esme gasped in shock. “What? No! I didn’t kill Merle.” Ethan gripped her hand and squeezed. His support kept her from hyperventilating. The police couldn’t think she had anything to do with this, could they? She’d never kill anyone. Heck, she had a hard time killing spiders and she hated them.

  “He’s an enemy,” Detective Brinks continued. “He shows up and you get scared.”

  She vehemently shook her head. “No.”

  “It’s okay to tell the truth,” the detective insisted. “With the HRO, self-defense wouldn’t be hard to prove.”

  “Okay, that’s enough,” Ethan barked, jumping to his feet. He helped Esme stand. “If you want to question her like she’s a suspect, you’ll do so in the presence of a lawyer.”

  “I’m just tossing out possible scenarios,” the detective said in wide-eyed innocence. Esme didn’t buy that act for a second. They wanted someone to pin the crime on and she was an easy target.

  Brinks stood as well and shoved a pencil behind his ear. “You might want to call that lawyer right now and tell him or her to meet you at the station.”

  Ethan’s tone was incredulous. “You’re arresting her?”

  “We pulled McDougal’s phone records. The next-to-last call he received came from the landline inside this house.”

  Blood drained from Esme’s face. It did look bad. Someone used her aunt’s phone to lure Merle and then killed him. But it wasn’t her.

  “And I just happen to have a recording of the last call he received.”

  Esme flopped back down into her chair. She’d completely forgotten she’d called Merle to warn him. Brinks punched a button and her voice filled the room.

  Merle, this is Esme Jovanovich. I’m sure it was because we ran into each other at the store and had words, but I had a dream where you were…injured. I’m just calling to tell you to be careful. No ulterior motives. Oh, and no need to call me back.

  Esme dropped her head into her hands. How would she explain about the call? Or worse, her dreams?

  “Want to tell me what that’s about?”

  Before she could open her mouth, Ethan spoke first, his tone incredulous. “There’s your proof right there. Why the hell would she call and warn him if she planned on killing him? Or leave the body in her shop? It’s asinine to think she’d do something as ridiculous as leaving her name on a message.”

  Brinks narrowed his eyes. “Are you calling me an ass?”

  Ethan shrugged. Esme pulled him down beside her before he got himself arrested, too.

  “Maybe she called after she killed him, trying to throw the suspicion off her. Ever think of that, hotshot?”

  She had to work to restrain him this time. His muscles were tense and rock solid and she had no doubt Brinks would be bleeding soon if she didn’t succeed. Thankfully, he allowed her to hold him back, allowed being the operative word. He could’ve easily broken her hold. He wrapped a protective arm around her, and it provided the strength she needed to face the detective.

  “Sometimes I have vivid dreams,” she started. “When I woke this morning, I recalled picturing Merle dead in my sleep. It seemed very real. It freaked me out so much, I called to warn him to be careful.”

  “Why would you do that if you hated him?” Brinks wondered.

  “I might not like him, but I certainly don’t wish him dead.”

  “You have these dreams often?”

  She lifted a shoulder. “No, not often. But a few times they’ve felt very real.” No way was she telling him that several had come true.

  Brinks sat back in his chair and gazed around the room. “The sign outside indicates that this is a fortune telling business. Are you saying that you foresee the future in your sleep?”

  She hoped she hid the wince. He’d hit very close to home. Maybe he was a better detective than she gave him credit for. “This is my aunt’s business. She’s the one who gives readings. I don’t have any psychic ability. I simply own the gift shop.” Was it just her or did her voice sound panicked?

  He opened his hands wide. “You have to see how this looks. A known enemy with a protection order against him is found dead in your shop after you call him twice.”

  “Once,” she argued. “I only called him one time from my cell. I haven’t been here since late yesterday when my friends and I left for dinner. They were with me all evening. Lyra was with me when we arrived this morning.”

  “You have an alibi for all night?”

  “I was home.”

  “By yourself?”

  “Yes.”

  Ethan eyed the detective. “Is she under arrest?”

  It took Brinks so long to answer, sweat broke out on her forehead. She’d never seen the inside of a jail and she had no desire to do so now.

  “Not yet, but Ms. Jovanovich, I need you to come down to the station to give an official statement since you found the body.”

  Esme looked to Ethan. He nodded reassuringly. “I’ll go with you.”

  She started to shake. She hadn’t had time to process the fact that Merle was dead. Even though she wasn’t under arrest—yet—she was the main suspect.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” Ethan said, gathering her into his strong arms after Brinks left the kitchen. She collapsed against his rock-solid chest. His support was the only thing keeping her upright. A reassuring hand skated up and down her back. “I’ll be with you the entire time.”

  “It looks bad, Ethan. Merle hated me and I was the one who found his body inside my shop after I called to warn him.”

  “All circumstantial,” he insisted.

  “He didn’t get my message. He might’ve already been dead.”

  He eased back to peer into her eyes. “Your dream was bad?”

  She nodded, fighting back tears. “So much so that I felt like I had to warn him. If I didn’t and he ended up dead, I’d feel horrible. Apparently, the joke’s on me because he died anyway.” She burrowed closer. “What if they try to put me in jail for this?”

  He
tightened his arms around her. “They’ll have to come through me first.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Esme was shaken after the events of a long, trying day. With Ethan by her side, she’d spent the entire afternoon at the police station giving statements—or rather the same one repeatedly. Ethan had contacted Selma Keys, one of the top criminal lawyers in the state, as a precaution. The woman with the well-earned reputation as a barracuda, met them for questioning. Esme had seen her signs and billboards all over town, but she’d certainly never imagined she’d need the services of a defense attorney.

  Having attempted to mentally prepare herself for the ridicule and suspicion that was sure to follow, she resigned herself to coming clean about her prophetic dreams. She hadn’t met many cops, but they didn’t strike her as the most open-minded lot. Before she spilled the details, Selma assured her the authorities didn’t have enough to arrest her. She’d almost wept with relief when she was released, but not before Brinks’ parting shot of, “Oh, and don’t leave town.”

  The first call she made after leaving the station was to Lumi, who promised to always answer after Esme couldn’t get in touch with her after Femi’s disappearance. When Esme told her about Merle, Lumi wanted to jump into the car and head home. Esme convinced her to stay away for a few more days until the police concluded their investigation. She didn’t mention she was suspect number one. She also insisted that she needed to get a crew to the house to clean the crime scene, so they wouldn’t be able to reopen on Monday anyway. Lumi put up a fight, but Esme didn’t want her around the danger that seemed to hover over her like a volatile thundercloud. She promised to reschedule Lumi’s appointments.

  Her cell phone buzzed. She considered ignoring it since she’d been bombarded with news reporters wanting a quote for their stories. She checked the display to see Joelle’s face on the screen. She’d forgotten to call her after all that had happened, including her lovely afternoon spent with Detective Brinks and his crusty cohorts.

  “Hi, Joelle.”

  “I hate to bother you, Esme. I know you said you’d contact me when you could, but I’ve been worried sick. How are you?”