Murders on the Edge

by Andie Alexander

  “What do you think caused this?” I asked her.

  “I don’t know. I like the party scene. Do you think that’s related?”

  “I think you need a physical. Do you live in town?”

  “Yes. A block north of here.”

  “Tell me, Kerenza,” I said. “Do you use the services of Hagar Lawns?”

  She wiped her cheeks. “Yes, we do. Why?”

  “Do you have high blood pressure?”

  “Through the roof. Why?”

  “And do you eat or drink anything caffeinated?”

  “Not anymore,” she said. “Putnam had a heart attack a year ago, so we’ve cut out everything good in our diet. Everything’s so bland.”

  “What’s in those cookies?”

  “They’re my one vice. They have flour, brown sugar, eggs, sugar, baking soda, molasses, and pickle juice.”

  “Pickle juice?”

  “Yep. I grow the pickles and make the juice myself.”

  Interesting. It made me wonder. “Is your garden near your lawn, where Hagar Lawns treats the grass with their chemicals?”

  “No. My garden is out in the country, about two miles away. There’s this place where you can rent an acre to put in a garden and they water it for you.”

  “How many people use that rental garden spot?”

  “Everyone I know. It’s a hub for social gathering during the day.”

  Archie walked into the back room with Jim, who was carrying his doctor bag. “You made bail, Jane,” Archie said. He opened the door and let me out.

  “Thanks. No hard feelings?” I asked with a wink.

  “You have a court date in a month, up in Hachita.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  He bit back a grin. “I’ll tell you about it at the house tonight.”

  “Cops are pigs,” I muttered and looked at Jim. “All of them.”

  Jim tried not to laugh, but pulled me aside, his hand on my arm as he leaned up to my ear. “Including you.”

  “I aim to please.”

  Archie entered the cell and addressed Kerenza. “The doctor wants to give you a physical, because from what we’re hearing from your family, something’s not right.”

  “That’s for sure,” she said, holding her head. “I feel awful, too.”

  Jim ran into the cell, kneeling in front of her. “What hurts?” he asked.

  “My head and my chest,” she said. “Are you sure you’re a doctor? You don’t look as experienced as Doc Barr.”

  “Trust me,” he said, glancing over at me. “I’m a doctor.”

  I grinned. Yep, doctors were extremely hot. And federal cop doctors were on fire.

  “Jane, help me out here?” he said.

  I found it humorous when he said that. It usually meant he just wanted me to be there for moral support, but never gave me a real job.

  I sat down beside Kerenza while he took her blood pressure and other vitals.

  “Would you like me to go to your house and get the recipe for those cookies?” I asked her, just passing the time.

  “That would be nice. Can you make me some? I have a feeling they’re not letting me out for anything.”

  “No, we’re not,” Archie said.

  Jim looked up at me. “Move.”

  “Sure.” I guess that was why he needed me—to move.

  I got up and he laid Kerenza out flat on the bench, repeating her vitals. Her eyes were closed and she looked pained.

  Jim looked over at Archie. “She needs to go to the hospital.”

  Archie spun around and headed out the door. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Jane,” Jim said. “Call her husband and tell him. Ask him if he wants to press charges. I think this is chemical.”

  “I’ll have Archie do it, since he’s the sheriff.”

  He looked frustrated, but I walked away. No use ticking him off more for the way he slipped up.

  I glanced around the room as I approached the desk. No one was inside, and Archie was on the phone.

  “Sure,” he said, making eye contact with me. “In Señora Bonita, at the jail. I’ll be here.” He ended the call and stared at me. “Yes, ma’am?”

  “I should arrest you for impeding an investigation,” I whispered. “How dare you not let me into that jail cell with her and making me attack you. I gave you every possible chance to arrest me, and now, you’re pressing charges and sending me to court?”

  “Calm down. I’m not sending you to court or pressing charges. I’ve had a change of heart.”

  “Change of heart?” I whispered. “Are you nuts? I had to talk to her, by Jim’s orders.”

  “And he ordered you to attack me, too, so relax.”

  I studied his face. “You knew that?”

  “Yep.” He looked down at his papers. “You attack like a girl. You need to put your back into it.”

  “I oughta—”

  “She’s stable now,” Jim said, walking into the room. He studied both of our faces, not saying a word for a moment. “What’s going on here?”

  “He’s being nasty,” I whispered. “I want to take out a formal complaint for him impeding an investigation.”

  “Huh?” Jim turned toward Archie. “What’s going on?”

  “She wants to arrest me for impeding an investigation,” he whispered. “I told her I wasn’t going to press charges or send her to court. We had to act like that for our cover.”

  “Archie’s right,” Jim whispered, closer to my ear. “Anything goes when undercover, and you should know that already.”

  “But he said I attacked him like a girl and I should put my back into it. Isn’t that insubordination or something?”

  Jim chuckled, turning toward Archie. “You said that?”

  “Yeah. It’s true.”

  Jim glanced toward me then stared at Archie. “I expect her to act like a girl. You know she was holding back, right?”

  “You were?” Archie asked me.

  “Sure. I wasn’t about to hurt a coworker. I don’t need to get in trouble.”

  “Well, you do need it to look realistic. So next time, give me what you’ve got. I can take it.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Jim said. “I saw her during training, and you’d better watch what you say.” He looked over at me. “Did you call the husband yet?”

  I crossed my arms. “That’s not my job, remember? Besides, I’m not talking to the sexist pig over here.”

  “Sexist pig?” Archie said, chuckling.

  “Absolutely. You’re picking on me because I’m a woman and I won’t tolerate it. I know DHS won’t either.” I addressed Jim. “Is Kent still in town? I think he and I need to have a chat.”

  “Nope. He left and I’m in charge. This discussion’s over and let it go.” He picked up the phone and handed it to Archie. “Call the husband and see if he still wants to press charges. This is chemical in nature, because of the dead hooker. I wouldn’t be surprised if you had more violence overnight.”

  “I wanted to sleep tonight, too,” Archie murmured. He looked up at me. “Want a job as a deputy?”

  I shot him a dirty look. “No.”

  “Come on, Harley,” Archie whispered. “I’m not upset with you at all.”

  “I’m still upset. You have to make it up to me.”

  He rolled his eyes and stared at Jim. “Any advice?”

  “Flowers and chocolate work for me, but for you? I’m not sure.” Jim turned toward me. “What exactly are you angry about?”

  “You have Alzheimer’s, I swear,” I whispered, rolling my eyes. “He called me a girl, and he also mentioned Bond movies when I was in jail.”

  Jim looked up at Archie. “You did?”

  “It was to indoctrinate the rookie,” Archie said. “You know, lighten the mood.”

  “Never again. Harley, give him all you’ve got.” He headed toward the door. “I’m going home. Call one of the lazies at the B&B for help.” He walked outside, letting the door shut on its own.


  I didn’t even care. If he left without me, I intended to get the bike and go on a sightseeing tour of the town.

  But first, I had to deal with this dingbat. I stood still with my arms crossed and turned my attention to Archie’s face.

  “Are you going to stand there all night?” Archie asked.

  “I want an apology. For all of it.”

  He rolled his eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry. Are you satisfied now?”

  “Maybe. You still owe me.” I walked out into the night, headed for the mortuary.

  Jim was leaning up against his temporary car. “Where are you going?” he asked me.

  “To get my shoes.”

  “Right. I left that girl lying there, too.” He joined me, just trying to keep up. “Are you okay?”

  “No. I’m really angry and I’m not sure why.”

  Jim grabbed my shoulder and spun me toward him. “Angrier than normal?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “I think you’re having the same chemical imbalance as Kerenza. It would make sense.” He rushed me into the back of the mortuary and headed into the autopsy room. The hooker was still on the table, so while Jim worked on her, I put my sneakers into the dryer then leaned up against it and started to cry. I didn’t know why, but I was just so angry. Nothing was going right and I couldn’t figure out who was hurting the town and me.

  Chapter 24

  “Are you okay?” Jim asked me.

  I wiped my cheek and stared at Jim, standing in the doorway. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

  “You look fine. You never cry. What’s going through your head?”

  “Nothing much.”

  “Uh-huh.” He pulled out his cell phone and pressed a number, his eyes never leaving mine. “I need you at the doctor’s house. It’s an emergency.” He put his phone away and moved toward me. “Are you ready to go now?”

  “My shoes are in the dryer.”

  He glanced over and back at my face. “It’s not on.”

  I turned around and stared. “I could’ve sworn I turned that on.” I lowered my head to the dryer and started to cry even harder. When I felt strong hands on my shoulders, I stood up and cried into Jim’s chest.

  “Let’s go.”

  “Yeah.” I opened the dryer door and removed my soaking shoes from inside, holding them in my hands.

  With his arm over my shoulder, we headed toward the back door of the mortuary. He flipped off the lights and locked the door behind us. He helped me into the car, but said not a word until he got into the driver’s seat and drove away. “Do you feel any better yet?”

  “A little bit, but it’s so sad in that town. Nothing’s going right and it’s all falling apart.”

  “Have you ever felt this way before?”

  “Not like this. Not even when my parents died. I feel so helpless and hopeless.” I turned toward him. “Have you ever felt like that?”

  “No, but I also didn’t have the drugs in my system like you had last night.”

  “Who did you call to join us?”

  “Vic. He’s going to want to see this, because it’s unbelievable.”

  “Why? Because I’m sad? Why is that unbelievable?”

  “You were angry first, and now seem depressed. How many other emotional responses can you go through in twenty-four hours?”

  I stared out the window into the darkness. Everything seemed so empty, as if we were in a black hole. The future seemed bleak, with nothing to look forward to. “Maybe I’m just hormonal?”

  “I’ll check, but I don’t think that’s it. I think you’re experiencing something different, but don’t see it in any of our other guys. Do you have chest pains?”

  I tried to lift my hand to my chest, but it seemed so heavy. “I can’t check.”

  “Can’t check? What does that mean?”

  “Did someone turn up the gravity or something?”

  He pulled into the driveway to the house. “Don’t move.”

  “I don’t think that’s a problem.”

  Another nondescript governmental car pulled up beside us, just as Jim got out of the car. “It’s Harley,” Jim said to the man, exiting his car. “I don’t like what I’m seeing. She said gravity is heavy or something.”

  “Gravity? But that’s impossible.” The older man with a military buzz cut walked around the front to my side of the car and opened the door. My head fell back to the seat and I could hardly keep my eyes opened.

  “Harley, can you see me?”

  I tried to lift my eyelids, but they weren’t working. “Not really. I think you’re Vic, right?”

  “Yes, I am.” I felt my eyelids being forced open. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m so sad. Life is ending, and I can feel it. Everything seems so heavy to me. I can hardly sit up.” I forced my eyes open in time to see Jim pushing a wheelchair toward me.

  “Put her in here. I have a room full of patients in there, in exactly the same condition, according to Chris.”

  I forced my eyelids open and looked out over the parking lot, where many cars were pulling in and parking.

  I put my legs out over the side of the car. “I can walk. I’m not that bad.”

  “Yes, you are and I need to rush this.” Jim faced Vic. “You’re hired. I need a second doctor.”

  “But I was to do undercover work. Isn’t there someone else around?”

  “Not for forty miles.” Jim glanced out over the parking lot behind the house. “This is like an epidemic.”

  Vic and Jim helped me to the wheelchair. I was rushed inside, where Chris was waiting for us in the kitchen. They laid me on the living room couch, and I just closed my eyes.

  “What’s going on?” Chris asked me.

  “I’m sad. Really sad. I was fighting with Archie—”

  “Fighting with him? What for?”

  “He’s mean, but that’s beside the point. Now I can’t sit up and can’t move.”

  Jim entered the room and stuck a needle into my arm. “This looks like a blood sugar problem, I hope. That’s easy to fix. If it’s something more major, I’m going to need help.” He looked up at Chris. “Call Pearl and Norman. They can help me, faster than anyone, because they’re close by.”

  Chris left the room and Jim pulled the needle out of my arm. I started to cry, reached up, and touched his face. “I’m going to miss you.”

  He stuck some gauze and a bandage on my arm. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m dying. Keep everything I don’t have. It’s all yours.” I closed my eyes and he wrapped the blood pressure cuff on my arm. He pumped it up and was quiet while he took my blood pressure.

  “You’re not dying,” he finally declared.

  I opened my eyes. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, and your blood pressure is back to normal.” He stood up and ran out of the room.

  Chris walked back in and stood in front of me. “Pearl and Norman are coming and will help by questioning everyone.” He stared down at me as if I was an alien or something. “How do you feel?”

  “I’m not sure. I’m shaking on the inside now.”

  Jim walked back into the room and handed me a cup of orange juice. “Drink it and see if that helps.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Nope. Try it.” As he left, I sat up and chugged the juice. He brought me some peanut butter crackers with a glass of milk, and sat beside me. “Low blood sugar. I think it’s related to those things in your blood I couldn’t identify. It seems to be slow-acting, and it can make some people mean. I called Archie and had him give Kerenza the same thing. She’s doing a lot better. We stopped the ambulance from taking her to the hospital.”

  “What does this mean?” I asked Jim.

  “It means you’re having delayed side effects from the drugs.” He pointed toward the doctor’s office. “Vic’s treating a number of people with the same symptoms over there. You’ll all be okay, but I need to monitor your blood sugar for a while.”

&nbs
p; I took a bite of the peanut butter cracker. “Needles.”

  “Yes. It requires needles. I talked to those people over in that office, along with Pearl and Norman, and none of them have ever had symptoms like this before. That means the drugs have changed over time, and Mrs. Ashley was right.” He glanced down at my drink. “Do you feel any better yet?”

  “Yeah.” I chugged the milk and put my head in my hands. “Tell Archie I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to get angry at him.”

  “I think you’re staying home for a day.”

  “No, I’m fine,” I said. “I have to figure this out, and I think I’m really close, for some reason. I need to find out about the lawn company and the copper mines.”

  “You have no car and I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  No, but I had access to that bike. I didn’t want to tip my hand, so I turned my head toward him with as solemn a look as I could muster. “I’m earning my money. I intend to go to Mr. Moody’s tomorrow to work and see what else I can find out. Someone knows something, and if I can find that guy with the dark eyes, I bet I can solve this thing.”

  He patted my leg. “We’ll see. It’s after nine and I want you in bed.”

  “Yes, sir.” I put my head back in my hands. “Give me a minute.”

  Jim helped me to my feet. “I need to reassess what’s going on here, with assignments. As for you, my sweetheart, you’re glued to me for medical reasons.”

  “I really want to go back to the mortuary. That’s my job.”

  “You’re quitting, but we’ll discuss this in the morning.”

  “I’m quitting? Why? I love working with you guys.”

  He walked with me up the stairs. “No, you’re still working with us. You’re quitting Mr. Moody’s job. I have some things I want you to do instead.”

  “Why? Didn’t I do a good job?” I asked.

  “You did an exceptional job, because you showed us exactly what we’re dealing with. Now, did you get that recipe for Mrs. Newton’s cookies?”

  “Yes. Weren’t you listening over the cameras?”

  “Not really. Archie and I were talking strategy.” We reached the top of the stairs and he looked at me. “Are you okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “Not winded or any chest pains?”