Ripped in Red

by Cynthia Hickey

  She opened the medicine cabinet to find it empty. Same with the small closet on the other side of the wall. It was as if no one had lived there. Another deadend as far as clues went. Still, they’d have the crime scene investigators scope the place. They knew Blake was their man, but every clue that backed that up made putting him behind bars easier.

  “Cassidy.” Colin’s voice called her from the front room.

  She joined him at the front window. A dark Lincoln idled in front of the building. She knew without being able to see through the tinted windows that their killer sat in the driver’s seat. She opened the window and leaned out. “Come on up and let’s talk.”

  Her cell phone rang. “Blake?”

  “Hello, dear. Have you found the item I left you yet?”

  “The slip of paper with my mother’s name?”

  “No, I didn’t know about that. Silly little girl.” He chuckled. “She and I got along just fine until she had a slip of the tongue. Very unfortunate.”

  “What’s the item, Blake?”

  “I go by Draco now, dear.” He sighed. “I thought you were better than this. I hate to make things too easy for you. I need a worthy adversary.”

  “Come up here and I’ll show you how worthy I am.” With a bullet in the heart.

  “Tsk tsk. When the time is right.” Click. The car pulled away from the curb and drove off.

  “He said he left us something.” Cassidy turned from the window. “There aren’t many hiding places here.”

  “So we look closer. I’ll start at this end, you start in the bathroom.”

  She’d just come from there, but anything was better than standing around guessing. She returned to the small room containing a shower, a toilet, and a pedestal sink. If someone were to hide something, where would they put it? She glanced at the vent overhead. Climbing onto the toilet seat, she removed the screw holding the cover in place. Empty, like everything else.

  She jumped down and lifted the lid from the toilet tank. Bingo. Inside was a plastic bag. She pulled it out, shook off the water, then removed the contents and stared at the photos of a smiling, handsome Blake and her mother. They both looked so happy. Were these taken at the same party as the photo Cassidy carried in her pocket?

  Had her mother and Blake been an item? Not according to Allison Carson. Rather Blake had wanted her mother and her mother had only tolerated him. As time went on, the more convinced Cassidy was that Blake had had an unhealthy obsession with her mother. An obsession that drove him to kill.

  She turned the top photo over. Written in red ink were the words, “Join me or I kill the Scotsman.”

  ~

  Colin leaned against the doorjamb and watched as Cassidy’s face paled. “What did you find?”

  “Pictures and a warning.” She handed him the photos. “He’s coming after you.”

  “I’ve been expecting him to. He won’t catch me unawares.”

  Her eyes glistened. “Being my partner could get you killed.”

  “Hazard of the job.” He held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s meet with Ingram, tell him what we have, and head back up the mountain. Don’t worry about me.”

  He could tell his words didn’t soothe her. She would worry, because that’s who she was. She’d grown to care for him, despite her struggles to the contrary, and this note would only make her worry more.

  Slipping her hand into his, she allowed him to pull her to her feet and out of the room. He gathered her in his arms, breathing deep of her scent, only for a moment, then released her. He tilted her face to his. “I’ll be fine. No dragon is going to end me.” He grinned, fighting back the urge to kiss her. With a woman as opposed to romantic entanglements as Cassidy, it was best to let her make the first move. “I’m glad you aren’t considering the contrary.”

  “Which is?” Her voice shook.

  “Joining the family business.”

  She choked back a laugh. “This is serious.”

  “We’ve known from the beginning the risks of this job.” He chucked her on the chin. “Chin up, Bull Dog. We’ve a killer to catch.”

  “Don’t call me that.” She stepped back, her gaze locked on his. “If something were to happen—”

  “We’ll deal with it when and if.” He moved out of the apartment, pulling the door closed after Cassidy. The crime scene techs would come here when they finished with the alley.

  The message on the photo bothered him, he wouldn’t lie. Draco the dragon stayed one step ahead of them all the time. The only thing going for Colin was instincts and a desire to live. It would have to be enough.

  They met Ingram in the alley. Cassidy handed him the baggie and photos. “This is why I can’t hide. The clues are for me to find.”

  “You’ve made your point.” Ingram dropped the evidence into a bag. “The toilet, you say? Doubt there’s anything on it after being in the water.”

  “We didn’t find a hair in the place. Just a slip of paper with the name Maureen.” Colin nodded for Cassidy to hand it over. “We’re heading back up the mountain to try and come up with another plan to draw this perp out.”

  “Good luck,” Ingram said. “We’re batting zero. If you’re a praying man, tell the big guy upstairs we could use a break”

  Colin nodded and placed his hand on the small of Cassidy’s back. They made their way back to the jeep, ignoring the curious looks of the bystanders. Maybe the gang’s pals would help bring The Dragon down.

  “I don’t want to go back to the mountain,” Cassidy said. “Blake may not know where the cabin is, and I want him to come to me.”

  “Your house? What about backup?”

  “Call Ingram and tell him where we’re going. We’ve got the security system. We’ll know Blake is there the moment he steps foot on my property.”

  He didn’t like it. Not a bit. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “I’m not going to have a war at the cabin where a baby and innocent people are. You should understand how painful it is to be the cause of an innocent’s death.”

  He knew all too well. “This is different. I pulled the trigger that killed that woman.”

  “It’ll feel the same to me if one of the Carsons is hit.” She gave him a sharp look. “You can’t stay awake forever. The moment you fall asleep, I’ll be in the jeep and headed home.”

  “Fine.” He whipped the steering wheel and turned the jeep around.

  ~

  “Where are they going?” Mary whispered, narrowing her eyes as the jeep swung and drove in the opposite direction of the mountain cabin. Surely they weren’t headed back to town. Bringing down Draco’s nemesis would be much harder under the watchful eyes of nosy neighbors. She cursed and followed.

  Sure enough, less than an hour later, the two cops pulled into the female’s driveway. Minus the dog, which would be a huge plus when Mary needed to break in. She needed to find a way through the security system. There were bound to be cameras and alarms.

  No worries. She was a smart woman, one of the most intelligent she knew. The only thing she had over her step-sisters. She smiled. Former step-sisters.

  She’d find a way in. If not, she’d simply ring the front doorbell and have them invite her in. Draco would be amazed at her prowess, her ingenuity, her bravery, her worth. He might even make her his second-in-command.

  A thrill shot through her. She had found her new purpose. To become the most important person in Draco’s life. He would love her. After all, the man wouldn’t care that she was plain. He, himself, was scarred. No, they’d become the most formidable duo in the history of the world.

  She laughed and drove past the house. Life couldn’t be better for Mary Jones.

  Before returning to her motel room, she stopped for fast food burgers. The largest they had. She was celebrating her good fortune, after all.

  In her room, she set the food on the round table for two and headed for the bathroom to change into a flannel nightgown and a terry robe. Once she and Draco became an item, she’d
need something more…feminine. Her face heated at the thought. She’d bet he was a generous lover. Not rough and hurtful like her father had been.

  Some would say the hate inside Mary was caused by life. She knew it was because she was being fashioned into someone worthy of Draco. Unless she could overcome the tragedies of her past, she couldn’t welcome the future that promised to be more than she’d ever dreamed.

  She plopped across the bed and opened the food bag. After taking a bite of the greasy burger, she dialed the number to the man she loved.

  “Why are you calling, Mary?” His voice sent her stomach fluttering. “I thought we discussed you moving on now.”

  “I have the grandest plans, too. Oh, Draco, you’ll be so proud of me.”

  23

  Mary entered the nearest pawn shop and leaned over the counter, giving the man a healthy view of her bosom. She needed a few things, had little funds, and would do anything for Draco, even cheapen herself.

  She pointed at an assault rifle hanging on the wall. “I want that and several boxes of ammo.” She grinned.

  “Going hunting?” The man’s gaze flickered over her shoulder, then back to her face.

  “Something like that.” Her smile faded as she glanced back at the television. The local news station was showing the weather. Hot and muggy today. Nothing that compelling or strange enough to warrant the clerk’s rapt attention.

  The clerk set the rifle and ammo on the counter. “I’ll need you to fill out some paperwork.”

  “Sure.” She lifted the rifle and quickly loaded it as he turned to get the forms. When his hand hovered under the counter, she fired. “I wish you wouldn’t have done that.”

  She glance at the television again and saw her face plastered on the screen. She cursed, grabbed the rest of the ammo and darted outside. Seconds later she sped away from the pawn shop.

  ~

  As had become her norm, Cassidy stood in front of the caseboard in her basement, cup of coffee in hand, and tried to reconstruct the board she’d set up at the cabin and make sense out of the seemingly random clues. Photos and red lines connecting them filled the space. She needed the other board back asap.

  “Let’s go.” Colin came half way down the stairs. “Ingram called. Got an alert from a pawn shop seconds after Mary Jones’s photo was shown on the local news station.”

  Cassidy bounded up the stairs and set her mug in the sink before grabbing her weapon and following Colin out the door. They sped toward the pawn shop, arriving before Ingram was out of his car.

  “First responders report a body inside,” he said. “My guess is…she caught him pressing the alarm, shot, and fled.”

  They’d lost her again. Cassidy scanned the area. The same rundown part of town they’d been in yesterday with the same crowd of onlookers. “I’ll question the crowd. See if anyone saw anything.”

  A homeless man got to his feet as Cassidy passed. “I saw what happened.” His words slurred and he breathed a wave of whiskey fumes across her face. “Woman went in, I heard a gunshot, and she ran back out with a rifle and got into a rusty Impala.”

  Cassidy pulled Mary’s photo from her bag. “Was it this woman?”

  “Yep.” He held out his hand and wiggled his fingers. “Don’t leave me hanging.”

  She sighed and fished a twenty dollar bill from her pocket. “Thank you for the information. Which direction did she flee?”

  “That way.” He pointed the way she and Colin had come.

  They’d passed her. She’d be long gone by now.

  “We missed her,” she said standing next to Colin. “Probably passed her on the highway, but I have an affirmative ID.”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw. “One step ahead, again, and we have absolutely nothing to go on other than the fact it was definitely her.”

  “There’s also been no sign of the Dragon.” Ingram shook his head. “We viewed the store’s video footage. Mary Jones entered alone and left alone. The clerk was dead when we arrived.”

  “Do you think she’s acting alone now?” Cassidy glanced between the two men. “Stealing a gun doesn’t seem to be Blake Russell’s style. What if, now that she’s murdered her sisters, she feels she needs to do something more?”

  “That’s a big what if,” Ingram said.

  “Remember, these people are mentally unstable. Just because it doesn’t mean anything to us, it could make perfect sense to them.”

  “What warrants this assumption?”

  She glanced at Colin and smiled. “I’ve learned a bit about trusting my instincts from Colin.”

  “No better person to learn from. This man is the best.” Ingram clapped him on the shoulder. “We’re going to finish up here. You two head back to the house and study that board. Find what we’re missing.”

  “What we’re missing is the killer and my caseboard,” Cassidy mumbled. “I stare at that board every morning and every evening. I left it at the cabin.”

  “We’ll get it so you can stare some more.” Ingram marched away.

  “Bossy man.” She exhaled sharply through her nose and fished her cell phone from her pocket. She pressed redial on the last number Blake called her from, not expecting him to answer. When he did, she waved Colin over and mouthed who was on the other end of the line.

  “Hello, dear. Now, I need to get a new phone.”

  “I didn’t really expect you to answer.” Her eyes widened. “I have a question for you.”

  “I might have an answer, but make it quick. I don’t want you trying to pinpoint my location. I’ll hang up in twenty-five seconds.”

  “Why did Mary steal a gun and shoot a pawnstore clerk? Were you behind that?”

  “Definitely not. I have more finesse. Beware of her.” Click.

  ~

  “What did he say?” Colin snapped his fingers to get Ingram’s attention.

  “That he isn’t behind Mary’s actions this morning and for me to beware.”

  “She’s coming after you.” Colin yanked open the door to the jeep and shoved her inside. A crazy woman after Cassidy and a maniac after him. Things were on a downhill slide for sure.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Saving you.” He turned to Ingram. “We’ll call if we find out anything.” He got into the driver’s seat and sped away.

  “Don’t manhandle me, Colin.” Cassidy crossed her arms. “Weren’t you the one who said we were aware of the dangers when we took this job? I don’t need to be shuffled off home like a wayward teenager.”

  He cut her a sideways glance. “Have you forgotten one of my duties is to protect you? I wish you hadn’t left the dog behind. You don’t make it easy, and I can use all the help I can get.”

  “We’ll get her back when this is all over.” She lifted her chin and turned away. “I can protect myself.”

  “Have you forgot who we’re dealing with?”

  “Nope.” She still wouldn’t look at him.

  “Are you mad at me?” He frowned.

  “No, maybe, yes. A little.”

  “Why?”

  She turned and glared. “Everything is going to come to a boil. One of us, or both, may not make it out alive. If Blake wants me to join his so-called murder group, you’re in the way. He’ll eliminate anything that keeps me from fulfilling his diabolical plan.”

  “I’ve told you not to worry about me.” Why couldn’t she understand he wasn’t going anywhere? That sticking close to her was all the plan he had? “I’m good at my job, Cassidy.”

  “So am I.” High spots of color appeared in her cheeks.

  “Then, let’s work together. This has nothing to do with whether me, or Ingram, think you incapable. It’s time for you to get the chip off your shoulder and accept the fact you are no longer a lone wolf.”

  Her eyes glittered. She started to say something, then clamped her lips together and turned away.

  So be it. Angry and alive was better than happy and dead. The only problem he could see was in her attempts to ke
ep him from harm, she might put hers in the bullseye. He couldn’t let that happen.

  He reached over to take her hand, but she pulled away, clasping her hands in her lap. He sighed and pulled into her driveway. For the first time since meeting her, he didn’t open the door for her. Instead, he marched up the steps and onto the porch to punch in the code for the alarm. No blinking red light told him the alarm was set. Had they left in such a hurry that morning they’d forgotten? Possible, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

  “What’s wrong?” Cassidy stepped to his side.

  “The alarm isn’t set.”

  “That’s my fault. I left behind you this morning. I must have forgotten.”

  He shot her a sharp look and pulled his weapon from his holster. “Irresponsible.”

  “I’m not used to being a prisoner in my own home. I’ll go in first.”

  He blocked her path. “No.”

  Pushing the door open, he peered inside. Everything appeared normal. Cassidy’s OCD nature of everything in its place didn’t look disturbed. He waved her in. “You’ve got to be more careful. Follow me as we check each room, even the basement.”

  She nodded. “I’m sorry.”

  They checked each room and found nothing out of place. With each search, Colin’s frustration grew. He understood how they forgot to set the alarm, but that mistake could have been disastrous.

  “Are you hungry?” Cassidy set her gun on the kitchen table. “I could order a pizza.”

  “Not mad anymore?”

  She sighed. “We all make mistakes. I apologize for my rudeness. You’re right. I have a chip on my shoulder the size of Mount Everest. It’s grown over the years as I’ve fought to prove my worth in law enforcement.” She met his gaze. “I know I’m a good detective. The human side of me wants kudos, I guess.”

  “I’ll give you all the praise you need.” He grinned. “A pizza sounds great. Meat lovers, please.” He pulled out a kitchen chair and stared toward the kitchen window. The curtains were open a little, moving in a soft breeze. “Did you leave that open?”

  “No, I wouldn’t have.” She moved to close the window and draw the curtains. “Maybe I’m losing my mind.” After closing the curtains, she pulled a bottle of red wine from the cupboard. “Want a glass?”