Bloody Ties (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 8)

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  My suspicions were mounting, but I didn’t have enough information to reveal my intuition just yet. “When you’ve been in the line of duty for as long as I have, you’ll understand that judging a man by the book isn’t always the most practical or beneficial thing to do. A cop like Ryan thinks out of the box, and has proven himself to be a steady force in dangerous situations. Once you’ve worked with him for a while, you’ll see what I mean.”

  My buzzer and cell phone came to life at the same time. The combination of sounds always made my stomach drop. I answered the phone first.

  “What’s up?” I said.

  It was Jeremy Dickens. “There’s a man’s body by the dumpster out behind Charlie’s Pub.” His voice shook a little and I sighed into the phone.

  “Make the necessary calls. I’ll be there in five minutes.” Here we go again.

  Jerome must have heard the phone conversation. “If you don’t mind, Sheriff, I’d like to join you.”

  I quickly appraised the officer. He was only a few years younger than me, but he carried himself with such quiet ambition, I knew he’d go far. “Sure. Bodies turning up in Blood Rock has been all too usual of late. The experience will be good for you.”

  I grabbed my jacket and purse and headed for the door. Jerome Wilson stayed right with me.

  “I’ll catch up with you in the morning,” I shouted over to Nancy. She paused at the counter to nod and wave with a frown on her face.

  As the cool, fresh air smacked me in the face and we jogged down the steps, I was glad Jerome tagged along. I had my own reasons for keeping the new officer close, and it didn’t have anything to do with giving him a body bagging lesson.

  7

  Serenity

  One of the street lights behind the pub was blown out, so light was limited and the area with the dumpsters was shadowed. Clumps of grass sprouted in the broken pavement and because the bins were full of trash, a rotting aroma permeated the air. I wrinkled my nose as I pulled on the gloves and approached the body. Bobby and Todd were already kneeling beside the dead man, and Jeremy pushed back the small crowd that was quickly forming.

  Cause of death was obvious—gunshot wound to the back of the head.

  “Do we have an identity?” I asked when I arrived on the scene.

  Todd answered me, shaking his head. “He doesn’t have any ID on him, and we don’t recognize him. Neither did Charlie, who discovered the body when he came out with some trash.” Todd looked around to make sure that Jeremy had sufficiently moved the bystanders away. He lowered his voice anyway. “He had a lot of cash in his billfold—two thousand dollars—but nothing else. No credit cards, pictures or receipts. No weapons on him either. I did a cursory walk around the perimeter and didn’t find anything interesting.”

  Before bringing my attention fully to the dead man, I glanced around. The small back lot was vacant, except for the bins and Charlie’s vintage Ford Bronco that he’d had since his college days. “Any car keys on him?”

  “Nope.” Todd scratched his head. “Your guess is as good as mine as to how he even got here.”

  “Perhaps his ride is in the bar,” Jerome offered. He’d slid up beside me so quietly, I’d almost forgotten he was behind me.

  That would make sense in most cases, but not this one. The man was face down, but even so, I could see a little of his neck and the extensive tattoos on it. On the ground, I judged him to be fairly short and compact. His hair was short, cropped, and black.

  “This guy isn’t from around here. He looks like MS-13.” I crossed my arms, staring at the prone form. We hadn’t even turned over the body yet. It was a good thing I drank that last cup of coffee. It would be a long night.

  “No way!” Todd said the words with a hissing sound. “In Blood Rock?”

  I understood his shock. MS-13 gang members had ties to El Salvadore and were about as violent as they came. People like that would have no reason to pass through a small town like Blood Rock. More importantly, they’d stick out as plainly as the Amish did.

  “I’m guessing he’s older, maybe late twenties or early thirties. The newer, younger recruits are not getting themselves tatted up. They’ve learned that they can be more discreet and avoid unwanted attention from law enforcement by blending in with regular citizens.” I paused, meeting Bobby’s calm gaze. “Did you get your photos?” He nodded, shifting his weight to his other knee as his joints popped. Turning to Todd, I said, “Help me turn him over.”

  I pressed my dry lips together. Since the bullet entered the back of the man’s head and exited his face, he was completely unrecognizable. Bone fragments, brain matter, and a few teeth mixed together in a gooey mess that made my stomach do a somersault. Swallowing hard, I drew in a deeper breath to clear my mind, dropping my gaze to the tattoos winding their way down the man’s neck and under his black t-shirt. Denim jeans and sneakers completed his attire.

  “I tend to agree with your guess,” Jerome said. “Whoever shot this man was either very skilled or extremely lucky.”

  “One shot to the head,” Bobby mumbled. He glanced over. “Did anyone inside hear the shot?”

  “Jerome and Todd, you better start interviewing the patrons.” I made eye contact with both men. Todd straightened, graced me with a curt nod and quickly left. Jerome hung around a few seconds longer. When I lifted my brows, he finally got moving.

  Returning my attention to the dead man and Bobby, I wondered why I felt so calm. The rhythm of my heart beating had hardly changed since I’d arrived on the scene.

  “This is a hit job, Bobby. My gut is telling me this guy came to Blood Rock for a drug deal or to take someone else out, and instead, he met his end.” I sighed as I crouched next to body. “I’m afraid he didn’t come alone.”

  Bobby slowly stood back up. “Those are all reasonable assumptions under the circumstances. I’d say he was shot twenty to thirty minutes ago. A train came through town about the same time. I remember hearing the whistle blow. The tracks are close to here. If the timing was right, it would have been difficult, if not impossible to hear a gunshot.”

  “Jerome is right. Either our killer is a lucky man, or he’s skilled in both weaponry and planning.” I glanced over my shoulder. Jeremy had moved the crowd back even further from the crime scene. Todd had his notebook out and stood to the side, talking to people who were forming an orderly line. That was one of the nice things about small town living—people normally cooperated because everyone knew each other, sometimes since kindergarten. I couldn’t see Jerome and figured he must be working the inside of the pub. The ambulance lights still flashed, but the sirens had been turned off. Beth and Raymond stood outside of their vehicle, waiting for me to give the go ahead sign to come and collect the body. Like the rest of us, the EMTs were nearing the end of a twelve-hour shift.

  “I don’t like this one bit, Serenity. First, an ex-Amish man with a connection to the Moretti crime family shows up in town, and now we have a dead gang member outside of Charlie’s. We might be in over our heads on this time. You should call the feds in,” Bobby said quietly.

  Oh, it’s even worse than you think, Bobby. But I didn’t dare say that out loud. Our eyes met. “Don’t worry too much. The feds might be closer than you think.”

  Bobby’s brows shot up, but there wasn’t a chance for him to respond.

  “Who the hell is this?” Ryan bumped into me.

  Jeremy let him through, and at his other side was none other than Elayne Weaver. By the looks of her little black dress, high heels, and glittering jewelry, they were on a date. Ryan was spruced up too, wearing a gray t-shirt beneath a very sharp looking black leather jacket. The cologne and perfume coming off the two of them actually blocked out the scent of the dumpster trash.

  Elayne stared at what was left of the man’s face with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Her morbid curiosity wasn’t strange. Most people found it difficult to
drag their eyes away from a murder scene. Elayne wouldn’t be as sickened as most by this particularly messy body. She’d seen her share of autopsy photos working in the DA’s office.

  “At this preliminary stage, we’re assuming he’s MS-13 and that he came here for no good,” I said.

  Elayne brought her hand to her lips and sucked in a breath. “Do you think a rival gang member killed him?”

  “It’s a strong possibility.” I watched Ryan’s reaction to our conversation and the dead guy. As usual, he was level headed and anxious at the same time.

  Ryan chuckled. “See, I told you I wouldn’t get bored in this little town. Damn, what’s next?”

  I narrowed my gaze on him. “I don’t know. Maybe you have an idea?”

  Ryan’s eyes flared for an instant and I saw the surprise there. Then he was back to normal. In a more guarded voice, he said, “Elayne and I went to the movie theatre. We were having a couple of drinks and a bite to eat at Charlie’s to close out the night. I can’t even begin to imagine why this dead gangbanger is lying here.”

  “What movie did you see?” The question was ridiculous considering we were all standing over a corpse, but something in the way Ryan looked at me made me ask.

  Elayne spoke up. “It was that haunted ship movie—it wasn’t very good. A little too much gore for my taste.”

  The irony of her statement wasn’t lost on me. I breathed a little easier and turned back to Bobby.

  “Give me a rush on this autopsy. I want to know if this guy has any drugs in his system or if there’s any kind of residue on his fingers. I’m going to pull the rest of our officers back in tonight. We might have more than one gang member in town, and if that’s the case, we’d better be prepared.”

  “I’ll get on this tonight and have a report for you by lunchtime tomorrow.” Bobby waddled away and I was suddenly very grateful to work with people who were willing to put everything they had into our investigations. The red tape and bureaucracy I’d have to navigate in the city would draw things out considerably. Here, we were free to plow straight into the case without the same restrictions that hampered other departments.

  My gaze fell on Elayne. “Will you be horribly upset if I steal away your boyfriend? We need his help right now.”

  Elayne’s mouth spread into a wide smile. “Boyfriend?” She laughed a little and the fake sound of it grated on my nerves. “I don’t think we’ve progressed that far yet. You’re welcome to him.”

  She eyed Ryan and he smirked back at her. They really were perfect for each other. Why had I never noticed Ryan’s dark side before?

  Ryan took her hand and kissed the back of it. “Rain check then?”

  “Of course,” she purred. When she looked back at me, she was all businesslike. “I’ll call you in the morning for an update. This case appears to have moving parts. My office will assist you in any way we can.”

  Elayne left with swaying hips and a trail of her strong perfume in her wake. I faced Ryan. “Do you really think you can handle that?” I attempted to tease him like I used to do.

  Ryan’s expression became distant. “Honestly, I’m not so sure. She’s unlike any woman I’ve ever been around. CJ was so straight forward and honest; I always knew what she was thinking. Elayne’s a mystery.”

  A shiver passed through me when my gaze dropped to the dead man. “We’re not normal.”

  “What?” Ryan’s brow furrowed.

  “Here we are talking about your love interest while a man with his face blown off is just a few feet away.” I shook my head. “What’s wrong with us?”

  Ryan’s eyes looked sad. “It’s the natural progression of things. You can’t work around death without developing immunity. If our hearts didn’t harden to shit like this”—he gestured to the corpse—“we’d lose our minds. It’s horrible to contemplate. We have to compartmentalize the dead to keep our own sanity.”

  “I don’t want to be too numb. Empathy is what keeps me going,” I admitted.

  “It’s also what holds you back.” The look on Ryan’s face sent chills racing over my skin.

  Ryan’s lack of compassion scared me. There was a fine line between a good cop and a bad one. And my old friend’s mindset might be his downfall.

  8

  Daniel

  Bright sunshine streamed in through the window and Serenity rolled over, burying her face in the pillow to apparently block it out. I sat on the edge of the bed and smiled when she groaned loudly.

  “I know I have to get up, but I’m so damn tired.” Her voice was muffled through the pillow.

  I held the mug full of steaming coffee closer to her face and waited.

  After a few seconds, she shifted her head just enough to raise her nose. Her tentative sniffing of the air turned into a deep inhalation, and then her eyes fluttered open.

  “You’re the best husband in the world,” she muttered, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

  With her eyes barely open, she took the mug from my hands. Serenity breathed in the aroma again, then took a small sip. “Heaven,” she sighed.

  “I would have let you sleep in, but you were very insistent that I wake you before I left for the day,” I reminded my beautiful wife.

  Hope whined at my feet and I moved my leg so that she could crawl into the bed. The fluffy dog collapsed with a grunt over Serenity’s legs, waiting for her morning belly rub. Serenity obliged her quickly, managing to balance the mug carefully on her knee without spilling a drop, while she scratched Hope’s stomach. Hearing my wife’s silly cooing noises made me smile deeper. She wasn’t always the badass sheriff of Blood Rock. Moments like this made me all too aware that she was just as vulnerable as any other woman. My heart swelled at the sight of her, making it difficult to breathe. I had accepted a long time ago that although I knew she loved me, my feelings for her ran much deeper. Without me, she’d survive and go on fighting the good fight. I’d be completely lost without her.

  Reaching forward, I pushed her long blonde locks back and tucked them behind her ear. She finally looked up, fully awake. Her lovely blue eyes were bloodshot and there were dark circles beneath them. Serenity looked exhausted.

  “Go back to sleep. You won’t be good to anyone if you’re a zombie.” I worked to keep my voice steady, not wanting to sound like I was pleading with her. Serenity didn’t like to be pushed, even for the benefit of her health.

  She groaned loudly. “I would love to, but can’t. I’m meeting Bobby first thing to get the autopsy results—he won’t have toxicology back yet, but he’ll surely have something of interest to share.” She took a larger gulp of coffee. “Todd and I searched the database until the wee hours of the morning but didn’t find any matches to our dead gangster.” She set the mug down on the nightstand. “It’s going to be another long day.”

  “It’s hard to imagine someone like that in Blood Rock.” I rested my arm over Hope and began rubbing Serenity’s arm. With another investigation in the works, I knew that access to my wife would be limited. Just touching her for a moment made me feel a little less lonely. “What are your thoughts?”

  Serenity leaned back on the mountain of pillows she insisted on sleeping with. “I think the guy came here to kill someone and his plan backfired.”

  “Who could have been his target?”

  She shrugged, continuing to pet the dog while I basically petted her. “It could be drug related. We’ve had a rise in heroin overdoses this past year. There’s enough meth and other homegrown drug business in this town to make it a possibility that some locals might have gotten in over their heads with a buyer.”

  “You don’t sound too convinced.”

  Her face scrunched. “That would be the easiest scenario, but when is it ever easy?” She finally stopped her ministrations on the dog and her fingers drifted to my thigh. Her light touch sparked a crush of feelings that went straight to my gr
oin. “I find it hard to believe any small town drug operation would get involved with characters like MS-13. Culturally speaking, it would make more sense for distributors to be motorcycle gang types or someone closer to home. MS-13 would be farther down the line of contact, and even if there was a direct connection, it’s hard to wrap my head around them coming here to eliminate someone.” Her fingers stilled and I leaned in closer. “It’s too much of a coincidence that your cousin, who is involved with the Moretti family, arrives in town a day before a dead out-of-towner is discovered behind Charlie’s.”

  “That’s just what Ryan says. Maybe he’s wrong.” Even for my own misgivings about Zeke, I felt compelled to protect him.

  Serenity’s face tightened and she snorted softly. “Ryan worked the Indy beat for nine years, and as a detective for the last one. Trust me, he knows all the major and minor players in the crime organizations. If he says your cousin was working with the Moretti’s, then he was.”

  Playing devil’s advocate, I said, “What about Ryan?” Her eyes flew open wider, but I ignored her offended look. “Zeke isn’t the only newcomer to Blood Rock. If your former partner knows as many of these shady characters as you say, he might be the one bringing trouble to our town.”

  Serenity sat silently staring past me. After an uncomfortable silent moment, she exhaled. “Ryan is different. I can’t put my finger on it, but something has changed in him.” She met my gaze. “I hope you’re wrong.”

  Her blue eyes were murky sadness. I carefully lifted Hope off the bed. The dog’s nails tapped on the hardwood floor as she left the room and I moved in closer to Serenity.

  “Maybe you need something to take your mind off things for a little while.” Offering her a small smile, I leaned forward until there was only inches between us. “I can accommodate that.”

  Serenity swayed against me. “Maybe I can be a few minutes late…”

  Our lips touched and all worries disappeared. It might not last long, but it was enough to get us through the day. I’d planned to take Serenity out of town this weekend to stay at a little bed and breakfast I’d discovered online. It would have been the perfect place to broach the subject again of growing our family. Obviously, with everything going on, it wouldn’t be a good time to do it.