“No,” he replied.
“Like I said, we weren’t really close, so she could have been seeing two guys, but she and Mitch were a good pair. He’d show up at the school sometimes, and they’d go out for lunch or meet up after.”
“How long had they been seeing each other?” Sean asked.
“I’d say a few months.”
Sara shifted on the couch. “Lucy, we need to ask you something, and it might be hard to answer.”
“Okay.” She started twisting the tissue without mercy.
“Can you tell us how you came to find Katie?”
“You mean what I was doing there?”
“Sure.”
“I was jogging. I don’t do it nearly as regularly as Katie, by any means, and I often stop to walk, to breathe, and take in the fresh air.”
“And you saw her from the path, or were you hiking near the water?” Sean knew what Roland had told them, but he wanted to hear it from Lucy.
“I saw her from above—during one of my breathers—and made my way down to the river.” Lucy’s eyes glazed over, and she seemed caught up in the horror of her discovery.
“It’s okay, you’re doing great.” Sara tapped the back of Lucy’s hand.
“It was just horrible. She was lying there, her arms and legs bent at different angles. I didn’t know it was Katie at first, not until I got closer.”
That would make sense for a couple of reasons. One, from the top of the hill to the river, Katie’s form would barely look human, and two, Katie was found facedown.
“Did anything stand out to you?” Sara asked.
“Besides the fact she was dead?” Tears glistened in her eyes with her harsh statement, and she shook her head.
“And where was she? In the river, on the riverbank?” Sean tested further.
“In the river, facedown.”
Sean nodded. “Did you try to save her?” It was a nicer way of asking if she’d touched the body.
“No need. I could tell she was dead, just the way her arms and legs…” Lucy shivered.
“Sorry we have to ask these kinds of questions,” Sara said. “We know they’re not easy to think about.”
“Not at all. Finding her was one of the most horrible things I’ve ever experienced. I’ve seen dead bodies before, but I was always prepared for them, ya know? Like at funerals.” Lucy went on. “I did notice something, though. It might be helpful. Her one shoelace was untied.”
Sean remembered Roland’s suggestion that Katie could have tripped on her shoelace, but he wasn’t sure why an untied lace would stand out to Lucy. The tumble Katie had taken down the hill could have explained that. All it would take was getting caught on a branch or something. “What made you notice that?”
“Serious runners knot their laces. Katie taught me that, and I know she did.”
-
Chapter 19
POWERING THROUGH
I knew it, I knew it,” Sara said on the way to the car. “Someone killed Katie.”
“Let’s not rush ahead. Maybe she did trip?”
Sara stopped walking. “No, I’m not buying it. I think whoever pushed Katie wanted it to look like an accident, to be conceivable that even though Katie was an avid runner, something as simple as untied shoelace took her down.” The part Sara struggled with was that Roland had overlooked that bit of evidence. He really was an example of sloppy police work and should be stripped of his badge. And who knew how many other cases were closed prematurely because of his lackadaisical work ethic?
“I say we go back to the firm, talk things out, wrap our heads around our next steps,” Sean suggested.
“I think we should go pay Nicki another visit,” she shot back, “and find out why she never said anything about Mitch. I think she must have known.”
“Me too.” Sean regarded her with concern. “You all right?”
“No, I’m mad.”
“I know. It’s frustrating. Roland definitely dropped the ball.”
“No, he dropped it, and kicked it, and ran in the other direction. Whatever wouldn’t make it his problem anymore.” She crossed her arms.
“Then let us do what we do best: find the ball, pick it up, and toss it in the hoop. Score.”
She looked over at him, and a subtle smile was teasing his lips. She shook her head and grinned. “You always know how to cheer me up.”
“Then I’m doing my job.”
“That you are. Now we have to do what we’re good at—as a team. Find whoever killed Katie, gather the proof, turn them in.”
“And what did you say that I just didn’t?” He raised his eyebrows.
“Nothing, I suppose.” She laughed.
Sean held open the car door, and she got in. When he was behind the wheel, she said, “I’m still curious who sent Katie the roses she’d tossed.”
“Ah, yes, the cursed roses without a note. Maybe it was that teacher—David Lawson. Lucy did say he was bitter about her rejection.”
Sara conceded it was a possibility, but she felt it was someone closer to Katie rather than someone she’d kept at arm’s length. “I don’t think he killed her. Just a feeling.”
“Well then, by all means, let’s scratch him off the suspect list.” Sean laughed.
“Very funny, darling. I’m just saying other directions are tugging me more.”
“Which are?”
“Nicki and Mitch.”
“We haven’t talked to Mitch yet.”
“Let’s remedy that.”
“Time to get his reaction to Katie’s death. He might be able to solve the Mystery of the Roses.” He put out his best Walter Cronkite impression, and Sara giggled.
They got Mitch’s address from Helen and headed there, but no one was home. They dropped by his place of work, too, but were told he’d left for the day.
“How disappointing,” Sara lamented.
“So, back to the original plan: go and talk to Nicki again?”
Sara noted the time on the car’s dash. 4:40 PM. Elite was open during the week until eight.
“Let’s give it a whirl,” she said. “Nicki might be at the gym. If not, we can pop by her place.”
Sean drove them to Elite, and the lot was full of cars. “Busy time of day,” he said. “People must be getting off work and coming in for a workout.”
“Must be.”
Sean got the door. No one was seated at the front desk; it was well past Mary’s hours, who only worked in the gym until about one in the afternoon. “Hellos” were called out to them from trainers Emily and Alisha. There was no sign of Nicki. Sara headed toward the back of the gym, passing Mirela’s office, but there was no sign of Mirela. Sara assumed she must have gone home for the day. They found Nicki with a gentleman in his fifties in pod four. He was panting and wiping sweat from his brow with a small black towel.
Nicki’s eyes flicked to them, but she didn’t greet them.
“Nicki,” Sara called out when Nicki returned her attention to her client.
Nicki slowly—and seemingly reluctantly—took her focus from her client and regarded Sara. “Yeah?”
“Just need a few minutes of your time,” Sara said, noting the current time on the wall. 4:55 PM. That meant there’d only be five minutes left on the client’s clock. That didn’t mean that Nicki didn’t have another client lined up to start at five.
“Let me finish up here.” Nicki directed her client to sit on the bench and cross one leg over the other for a stretch.
“She’s not too happy to see us,” Sara whispered to Sean, and they headed to the front where there were chairs in a small waiting area.
About seven minutes after they’d left Nicki, she joined them at the front.
“I don’t have anot
her client now, so we can talk,” she said coolly. “Where did you wanna go?”
Sara butted her head toward Mirela’s office. “Could we just go in there?”
“Sure.” Nicki led the way and closed the blinds in the windows so they’d have full privacy from the workout pods on either side. She dropped behind Mirela’s glass-topped desk. “What can I do for you?”
“We’re working to find out exactly what happened to your friend. You do want that?” Sara wasn’t sure why Nicki’s attitude toward them was so bitter.
“Of course I do.” Nicki’s gaze remained hardened, but her eyes filled with tears.
Maybe it was best to clear the air. “You’re coming across as if you’re upset with us.”
“I’m not upset with you. I’m just mad at whoever killed Katie.”
“We’re on your side,” Sean assured her.
Nicki’s gaze flicked to him. “I know.” She took a deep, heaving breath. “What can I help you with? Did you look at her apartment?”
“We did,” Sara said. “We also have her laptop, but we have a couple questions for you.” Sara sat down, and so did Sean.
Sara debated where to begin: the Mystery of the Roses or Mitch. She decided on the latter. “You told us that Levi wasn’t right for Katie.”
“He wasn’t—at all.”
“We’d asked you if you knew someone who was,” Sara said, “and you didn’t offer up any names. We think you might know about someone, and you kept it from us.”
Nicki clenched her jaw and said nothing.
Sara put it out there. “We know about Mitch and Katie.”
Nicki’s eyes snapped to Sara’s.
“Why didn’t you tell us about him? Are you trying to protect Mitch for some reason?”
“No, not at all. Quite the opposite. I didn’t want you thinking that Mitch was involved in her death somehow.”
Sean leaned forward. “When you leave things out, it makes us question why, which makes us more suspicious.”
Nicki bit her bottom lip. “I just wasn’t thinking, I guess.”
“You know what I think?” Sara said softly.
Nicki gestured for her to go ahead.
“I think you have your doubts about Mitch.”
“No, it’s Levi’s who’s got a screw or two loose.”
Sara remained quiet, playing the power of silence.
“I really don’t think Mitch did anything. Sure, he’s got a horrible temper sometimes, but— I shouldn’t have said that.”
Sara was glad she had, because it caused an idea to hit her. It was unlikely that the person who had lain in wait for Katie was a hothead. Those type of people reacted in the moment; they didn’t have the patience to stalk and wait out their prey.
“Katie got roses dropped off at her apartment a couple of days before she died,” Sara said. “Do you know who they were from? Mitch maybe?”
“Him or Levi. You’d have to ask them, but Levi was always lavishing her with roses and stuff.” She rolled her eyes. “As if he could cover his crazy with gifts.”
Sara glanced at Sean. She didn’t know how long they could afford to ignore Levi as a feasible suspect. Sara stood.
“Well, that’s all for now. We’ll be in touch once we have anything to share.”
“Thank you.” Nicki got up, reached out for Sara’s arm, and pulled her in for a hug. Sara let her, still a little unsettled by Nicki’s extreme range of emotions.
Sara and Sean saw themselves out, and Sara looked back to see Nicki reopening the blinds in Mirela’s office. She couldn’t be quite sure what Nicki had in her hand, but it was blue and about the size of a More Than Just Nuts sunflower-seed packet.
-
Chapter 20
TAKING A FEW DEEP BREATHS
In one way, Sean would love to believe that Sara had seen Nicki with a package of sunflower seeds. In another, even if she had, it didn’t mean that Nicki had staked out behind a bush waiting on her friend, plotting to push her over a hill. He wasn’t going to touch on the latter, or Sara would just think he was being difficult. “It was kind of hard to see Nicki from where we were. Maybe you didn’t see what you thought you had.”
That earned him an epic frown. So much for avoiding being looked at as difficult.
“I know what I saw, Sean, and I think she was eating sunflower seeds, just like whoever had lain in wait for Katie.”
“You know, but you think.” His counter was out before he gave it any thought. At least he hadn’t pointed out again, as he had at the preserve, that it was possible whoever ate the sunflower seeds there might have no bearing on Katie’s death.
Sara looked up at the ceiling and shook her head. “Some days.”
They were in the conference room back at the firm. Adam was due to arrive any minute. Jimmy had just excused himself to get a decaf coffee and a loaded one for Sara.
“Instead of worrying about her eating habits, we have to ask what reason Nicki would have to kill Katie.” He was starting to feel more like himself, grounded by logic and balanced by objectivity. Then again, they weren’t discussing Levi.
“They might not have been as close as it seemed.”
Sean wasn’t going to touch that comment, even though Sara was watching him, awaiting a reply.
Jimmy came into the room with two coffees.
“Jimmy!” Sean cried out with feigned enthusiasm, grateful for the distraction from his conversation with Sara.
Jimmy jumped, and coffee sloshed to the floor.
Sean winced. “Sorry.”
“Why are you yelling at me?” Jimmy handed a cup to Sara. “Sorry for the mess.” His eyes cut to Sean.
“Thanks, Jimmy.” Sara proceeded to blow on the brew and take a sip.
Sean’s gaze drifted to Katie’s phone and laptop on the table. Adam should be arriving any minute. Just as he’d thought that, Adam walked into the room.
“Good evening, one and all.” Adam was grinning and let the expression carry to Jimmy. “Even you, ol’ fart.”
“Hey, watch who you’re calling ol’ fart, whippersnapper,” Jimmy shot back.
Ah, life was as it should be.
Sean laughed.
“You guys are crazy,” Sara said, “but we have some serious business to attend to, so we should get started.”
“You’re right, Mrs. McKinley,” Adam said gravely. He dropped into a chair at the head of the table, closest to the door. “How’s the investigation coming along?” His expression was expectant, but no one jumped in.
“We’re being led a few different directions,” Sean finally said, “but nothing is fully coming together yet.”
“Though Levi Bradley’s looking suspicious,” Sara volunteered and looked at Sean.
“Before we hang him, let’s remember we need to talk to Mitch and David and Levi’s assistant….” Sean rolled his hand to conjure the name, but it just wasn’t coming.
“Chandra,” Sara provided.
Sean pointed a finger at her.
“Uh-huh,” Adam said slowly. “Not much progress. Check.”
Sara filled Jimmy and Adam in on their day’s adventures including the Mystery of the Roses.
“Might be helpful to find out who sent those,” Jimmy said. “It would seem she didn’t care for the sender.”
“Sara and I agree.” Sean nudged the phone and laptop toward Adam. “You’ve probably gathered as much, but those belonged to the victim. We’re hoping you can uncover something useful to the investigation from one or both.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“You’ve been watching Katie’s timeline on social media, right?” Sean asked. “Anything turn up that stands out to you?”
“Nothing worthy of noting.” Adam gra
bbed Katie’s phone.
“You’ll need the password,” Sean started. “It’s—”
Adam held up a hand, plugged the phone into a laptop he’d brought, and had the device unlocked before Sean could have said the code. “Let’s see what we have here.”
“Show-off,” Jimmy mumbled.
There was a knock on the door, and Helen entered with bags of takeout. The smell was instant and mouth-watering. Sean’s stomach rumbled, and he got up to help her unpack.
“Oh, I’m happy to see you.”
“Me?” Helen asked. “Or are you talking to the food?”
“Let’s go with both.” Sean smiled and patted her quickly on the back as she went about pulling out plates and cutlery from a storage unit in the corner of the room.
“Be sure to dig in yourself, Helen,” Sean told her.
“As much as I’d love to—Chinese is a favorite of mine—I’ve got to get Mia from the sitter’s.”
“Take some for the road, enough for the two of you.”
“Thank you. Don’t mind if I do.” Helen loaded up some plastic containers with food and headed out.
The rest of them grabbed some grub, too, and set to work. The files had come over from the Albany PD, and he and Sara pored over those, along with Jimmy, while Adam clicked away on Katie’s laptop and scoured her phone.
Sean was looking at photos taken at the scene and, upon seeing Katie’s broken body, felt immense sadness. Just as Lucy had described, her legs and arms were bent at unnatural angles. Something about staring at the photo and the thought of Lucy stirred a dark possibility.
“Lucy just happened to decide to go for a run that day and finds Katie…” Everyone looked at him. He met Sara’s gaze. “Lucy told us she didn’t run as often as Katie.”
Sara angled her head. “You don’t think it was by chance?”
“I don’t think we should rule anything—or anyone—out just yet,” he said.
“Why would Lucy want to kill Katie?” Jimmy asked.
“She didn’t strike me as a killer, Sean,” Sara said. “She seemed sincerely moved by Katie’s death.”
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