Journey to Murder (An Alex Warren Novel)

by DJ Owen

  Alex looked at Monica and said, "Do you see why I came alone?"

  She turned back toward the door. "We can't come out. We're holding Roache. The gun is already outside."

  One of the officers looked askance at his Sergeant, who nodded. The officer adjusted his bullet-proof vest and brought his pistol up in the traditional Weaver's stance as he slowly moved toward the open door. He looked inside and saw the two women holding Roache's arms behind him. He kicked Roache's gun to the side and kept his own pistol aimed at Roache.

  "One of you come here and slap cuffs on this guy," the officer called to the others. They were all still behind the safety of their car doors. One of them came forward and holstered his gun as he took out his cuffs. As he approached, the first officer entered the room so his aim wouldn't be blocked when the other officer entered.

  When Roache was cuffed, the two officers led him outside. The first officer pulled out a glove and picked up the gun for evidence.

  Detective Kang drove up, exited his vehicle and walked over to Roache. He looked Roache in the eye and said, ""You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, other than yourself, during interrogation; if you cannot afford another attorney, one will be appointed to you."

  He stepped back and told the officers to take Roache to jail.

  "But I'm injured. You have to take me for treatment." Roache grinned his evil grin. "I'll sue the entire force if you don't get me medical care!"

  Kang looked at the bloody gouge in Roache's arm. It had been clotting, but had started oozing again when Alex had given it a squeeze. "Somebody wrap a bandage around that arm. We don't want him getting the patrol car all bloody."

  One of the officers walked toward an ambulance that had kept its distance.

  Kang turned toward Alex. "Ms. Warren, I should arrest you for interfering in a police investigation."

  "Look, Detective. If I hadn't gotten here when I did, there's a good chance Monica would be dead. He told me I had to arrive by a certain time or he would kill her." Alex pulled out her cell phone. "Not only that, but I think I might have recorded a confession. Not only did he kidnap Monica, but he said he killed my husband and our parents. We might have solved two cold cases, Detective."

  Alex rewound the recording and began playing it back. She had to fast forward through a couple of minutes until she could hear Roache. His voice was distant, and there were places that you couldn't hear anything because Alex hit the floor or the fabric of her jeans passed over the microphone. But there it was, Roache's confession to shooting Jeremy and drugging her parents.

  Unfortunately, Alex had forgotten the recording and neglected to turn off the app once the police arrived. The next thing she knew, her voice came out loud and clear. "Do you see why I came alone?" She blushed bright red.

  Kang looked at her for a moment, trying to decide how to respond. It was embarrassing for Alex, but she had managed to make the case against Roache easier for the Prosecutor. And if she hadn't taken action, Roache might have killed Monica and gotten away. So he laughed. Then he noticed the cut on Alex's thigh.

  "Get yourselves over to the ambulance and get checked out," Kang told them. "And don't go too far. We're going to need your statements."

  "Not a problem," Alex told him. "I'm not going anywhere for a long time."

  They headed toward the gate where the ambulance was parked. They passed Roache, who was having a bandage tied a little too tightly around his wound. Alex told him, "We're going to see you fry, Roache. Your confession was recorded. There's no way you'll get out of this."

  That evil grin appeared again. "I'm a lawyer, remember? I'll tie this up in court for decades. I'll have to be tried in California and Indiana, too. This isn't over, Alex. You'll never know when I'll come after you again."

  "Oh, shut up," Monica said. "I've had about all I can stand of lawyers.”

  ----------

  Detective Kang allowed Alex to leave after she and Monica promised to show up the next day at his office to give their statements. They walked back to the Mustang, after Alex took time to retrieve her trunk carpet and the rubber floor mat. She managed to nab the envelope with her note to Kyle before Monica sat down, stuffing it into her jeans pocket.

  It was late by the time everything had wrapped up at the warehouse, and the women were exhausted as they neared Monica's home. The sight of the Winnebago in the driveway eased the last worry Alex had.

  The motorhome was dark, but there were lights on in the house. Alex had to park in the driveway because the RV blocked her access to the garage. It was a small price to pay.

  Alex used her key to unlock the front door.

  "Hey! It's Mom and Aunt Monica!" Amy flew across the room and into her aunt's arms, then quickly hugged her mother.

  Kyle walked out of the kitchen wearing Monica's "Kiss the Cook" apron. That was when Alex and Monica noticed the seductive aroma of something with garlic, tomatoes and some delectable spices.

  "Mmmmm, that smells divine! I didn't know you could cook," Alex said to Kyle.

  "Thanks, I've had a little practice." Kyle's boyish grin fell when he noticed the blood stains on Alex. Not only were her jeans stained from the cut on her thigh, but she also had Roache's blood on her blouse.

  "I'm fine. Most of it isn't mine. I think I'll head upstairs and take a shower, though."

  "Me, too. It's been two days since Mark...I mean Wayne, let me clean up," Monica added. "When I come down, you can introduce me to this guy."

  "Hi, I'm Kyle, a friend of Alex's." Kyle came over to shake Monica's hand.

  "She told me a little about you, but there has to be more to the story if you're cooking dinner for us," Monica smiled as she offered her hand. "I really must go get cleaned up. Pardon me."

  "I'll have dinner ready in about thirty minutes. Will that work for you ladies, or should I hold it longer?"

  "If you don't mind us with wet hair, thirty ought to do it," Alex called down from the top of the stairs.

  ----------

  A half an hour later, the group was enjoying chicken parmesan, garlic bread and a mixture of broccoli, carrots and yellow squash. The adults were enjoying a glass of Chianti, Amy was drinking tea.

  "I propose a toast. To Kyle and his law enforcement friends, without whom we might never have found Monica," Alex asserted.

  Monica raised her glass. "Here, here! And to my sister, who put herself in harm's way to free me."

  "That may be true, but if you hadn't sprung up to catch him off guard, we might both be dead."

  "I'm not sure I want to hear all this. I could have lost both of you." Amy's brow was creased. "What would have happened to me then?"

  Alex looked at her daughter. "I wasn't going to let anything happen to either your aunt or me, but if something ever did happen to me, Monica would keep you. If not her, your grandparents in Sedona would take you, I'm sure."

  "Monica would be great, but I barely know Grandma and Grandpa. Not only that, but they're old, and they live in the desert." Amy thought for a moment. "I know, I could stay with Kyle. He took good care of me on the way back, and I took good care of him, too, didn't I, Kyle?"

  Kyle nodded. "Yes, Amy, you really did."

  "Well," Alex blushed, "I did think Kyle would be a good choice, too. It's obvious he can be trusted to look out for you. Best of all, he has a gun to chase off all the young boys."

  "Hey! That's not what I meant!" Amy was becoming more like her mother each day. Today she was also blushing. "You know I'm not interested in boys except as friends."

  "You will, Honey, you will." Alex looked at her sister. "But maybe not too soon, okay? Especially if you follow in your aunt's footsteps."

  "That was not my fault!" Monica tossed her napkin on the table in a show of indignation. "Roache was after you, not me. And besides, you pushed me to start seeing him. This is all your fault!"

  They all chuckled. "You never know what's going on in
someone's mind. Who a person really is," Kyle told Amy. "You have to be very careful, but that's a few years off."

  Alex couldn't look Kyle in the eye at that moment. She thought about his statement in context with her own escapades. Could we ever have a life together, she wondered.

  ----------

  Alex and Monica were anxious for a good night's sleep in their own beds, and Kyle bedded down on the sleeper-sofa in Monica's den. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day. The women had to meet with Detective Kang to give their statements, and they were going to have to figure out how to get Kyle back to Nevada, which was a shame because he fit in so well with the girls.

  It had been a hellish few days, but at least the deaths of Jeremy and her parents were solved. No longer would Alex have to worry that the police would assume she was guilty of murder just because of the number of people close to her that had died. The other deaths she was responsible for were another story, but it seemed she had gotten away with those. That life was over, in the past where it belonged.

  Alex wasn't sure what was going to happen with Kyle. It would certainly be a long-distance relationship, at best. Maybe Kyle would apply for a position in Ohio, or maybe Alex could spend most of her time in Nevada. Still, she hated the idea of leaving Monica behind.

  There were too many questions, and Alex realized she was making assumptions about Kyle. Did he want to be a part of her life? She didn't know, but she was anxious to find out.

  # # #

  A note from the author:

  Thank you again for downloading this ebook. If you enjoyed Journey to Murder and want to find out what adventures are next for Alex, Monica, Amy, Kyle and the rest of the crew, read on. Following is the first chapter of Journey to Redemption, available soon at your favorite ebook retailer.

  Journey to Redemption

  CHAPTER ONE

  Labor Day weekend always meant a huge all-day party at Pete and Shelby’s house. Not only was every adult in town invited, but their five kids invited all their friends, too. At any given time, there had to be at least 75 people at the house. Every adult brought food or drink, so there was never a lack of new dishes to try or something refreshing to drink during the warm afternoon. Even the folks from the campground were invited, though quite a few were busy packing up and getting ready to hit the road back to homes and jobs.

  Alex had never seen anything like it. Her family had always kept to themselves, and there were never any aunts, uncles or cousins close by. She was so happy Kyle invited her back to Elko for this end-of-summer event. What was even better was that she was able to bring Amy, her daughter, and Monica, Alex’s sister, along for the fun. They needed to get away for a few days after the harrowing experience of Monica’s kidnapping a few months earlier.

  Kyle walked over to Alex and handed her a glass of lemonade. “Penny for your thoughts?”

  “I was just thinking how happy I am.” She smiled as she took it and took a long drink.

  “Thank you, Kyle. You’re always looking out for me. A girl could get used to this pretty quickly, you know. You had better be careful or I’ll latch on and never let you go.” Alex hadn’t had anyone to rely on for a very long time, and hadn’t known what she was missing until Kyle came along.

  “That’s what I’m hoping for,” Kyle responded. He looked deeply into Alex’s eyes before wrapping one of his well-muscled arms around her waist and pulling her close for a passionate kiss. Alex melted into him and returned his kiss before pulling back. She glanced around feeling a bit flushed from embarrassment but didn’t see anyone looking at them.

  “Kyle, please! What if Amy sees us?”

  “You know as well as I do that Amy would be cheering us on,” Kyle stated. “At her age, she’ll start kissing boys before too long.”

  “Don’t remind me! She has grown up so fast. I don’t know if that’s partly because of her dad’s murder, or if its genetics. Whatever the reason, she never really seemed like a child. She was always a little adult.”

  “That happens a lot with kids of divorced parents. They try not to be a burden on either parent, maybe in hopes the two will get back together. The fact your husband died before your divorce was final may have meant she was never able to realize that your separation wasn’t her fault.”

  Alex took in his words and gave them serious consideration. “But I’ve always told Amy it wasn’t her fault. Not the separation, not the murder, not her grandparents’ car accident, none of it. She was just the unlucky one who saw so many bad things happen around her.”

  Kyle studied Alex’s face and saw a flash of guilt. “Alex, you didn’t cause any of that to happen. That murderer, Wayne Roache, was the one who staged your parents’ accident and killed your husband. And he was the one who kidnapped Monica and almost killed both of you. Do not, I repeat, do NOT feel guilty for anything that happened.”

  Alex couldn’t help but feel guilty. She knew things Kyle didn’t, and worried that karma had decided her secret life was due some payback. Even though Alex had walked away from that life, seeking out those who deserved to die and removing them from this world, she still had to wonder if all the bad luck her daughter had experienced wasn’t somehow her fault. If it was her fault, how much more was to come?

  Kyle took Alex by the hand and wandered across Pete and Shelby’s lawn, pausing to watch toddlers in the wading pool and the slightly older kids climbing and sliding on the inflatable castle, waterslide and obstacle course placed around the yard. Alex caught sight of Amy sitting on the stone wall along the garden talking with a group of teenagers. Amy was laughing and Alex relaxed a little, thinking maybe Amy had survived everything thrown at her and was emotionally well.

  They continued to stroll and Alex found Monica helping with the food table, shooing flies away and taking empty dishes back to the kitchen, then bringing out fresh supplies. Monica looked as though she were in her element. It was hard to believe her life had been in danger such a short time ago.

  Kyle pulled out a chair at one of the rented tables and Alex took a seat. They continued to hold hands as they commented on all the activity around them.

  “Alex, I’m really happy you came out here for this. I know it’s a really long drive, but I cherish every moment I spend with you.”

  Kyle’s eyes were on hers as he spoke, and Alex realized she could easily get lost in those deep pools of blue. Meeting Kyle had been the one good thing that had come from the secret life Alex led. It worried her, though, that he took his job in law enforcement so seriously. If he ever found out about any of the men she had killed, would he leave her to fend for herself? It was what she deserved, she knew, even though she only went after low-life creeps who would have killed her if given the chance. Self-defense might have been sufficient to keep her out of jail had she not covered up her escapades.

  Jolene and Ray sauntered over and took seats across from Alex and Kyle. Alex wasn’t too worried about Jolene, Kyle’s partner at the Sheriff’s Department. Emmett Rayburn, known as Ray to his friends, was another story. He was in the FBI and had more databases and technical apparatus available to him than Alex knew. If anyone could ever link her to any of the dead bodies Alex had left, it was Ray.

  “So Ray, I’m in need of material for another book. Have you worked on any cases that would make for interesting reading? I could use some fresh ideas,” Alex stated, hoping to get Ray to provide information rather than ask her for any.

  “Well, we had a string of bank robberies that we had been investigating,” Ray said. “Seems it was a group of six guys hitting up the banks sharing space in grocery stores. Those banks generally don’t carry as much cash, but they usually don’t have as many security guards, either.”

  Alex, Kyle and Jolene listened as Ray continued to give them an overview of the case. Ray had a unique style for an FBI agent. He had managed to maintain his sense of humor while dealing with the scum who broke the law in the worst imaginable ways. As Ray regaled them with story after story, the group laughed and poke
d fun at one another. Soon others from the party stopped by to see what all the fun was about.

  Shelby stopped by and listened for a moment and then suggested that the sizable group be sure to visit the food table and get something to eat as there were more leftovers than she could keep in her refrigerator.

  Alex noticed she looked distracted. “Shelby, is everything okay?”

  Shelby took Alex’s free hand and pulled her away from the table. Kyle watched as they spoke a few feet away.

  “I can’t find Maria. I’m sure she’s around here somewhere, but she’s not at the wading pool or the waterslide, or anywhere I can find. Will you help me look for her?” Lines of worry were starting to crease Shelby’s face. “I don’t want to get the police involved yet in case she’s just playing hide and seek.”

  “Shelby, don’t worry. I’ll get Monica and Amy to help look, and I’ll let Kyle, Jolene and Ray know that you need help putting eyes on her. I’m sure she’s okay, but let’s do a thorough search as quickly as possible, okay? You go inside and start looking up in the bedrooms and work your way down just in case she got tired and went in to take a nap. Meet us back out here once you’re sure she’s not in the house.”

  “Thanks, Alex. I just can’t think. I appreciate you handling the coordination of the search.” With that, Shelby jogged toward the house and disappeared inside.

  Alex turned toward the others, who had all realized something was amiss. “Folks, Shelby and Pete’s youngest, Maria, has disappeared from the party. We need to fan out and look anywhere and everywhere a five year old could hide. Let’s get everyone over to the back door so we can do a grid search while Shelby looks through the house.”

  Amy caught up with her mother. “Mom? What’s going on? Why is everybody headed toward the house?”

  “Shelby can’t find Maria. She’s looking in the house. I need you and Monica to join her in there and look in every cupboard and closet and under every bed.”