“Sounds perfect. See you tonight.”
“See you then.”
Just as Gregory pulled the phone away from his ear, Samantha called out his name.
“Hey! Before you go...” she said, her tone filled with mischief.
“What’s up?”
“I know you’ve been really busy, but have you checked out my blog lately?”
“Not in the past few days. Why? Did I miss something?”
“Yes, you did. You missed a lot, actually.”
“Uh-oh,” Gregory uttered, pulling his laptop in closer and typing the web address for Someone Knows Something in the internet’s search engine. “What are you up to now, Miss Vincent?”
“Let’s just say I’m trying to shake things up around this town and bring more awareness to Collin and his drug ring. I want answers, Gregory. And I want Collin, his cronies and Chief Wentworth to be brought to justice. Clearly some of our police force is corrupt. You know several of them are probably being bribed and profiting off Collin’s operation. So I’m using Someone Knows Something to call them out.”
The detective sat silently for a moment, clenching his jaw while searching for the right thing to say. “Listen, Sam. I need you to be cautious. And low-key. Things are getting more and more dangerous out here. You don’t want to draw too much attention to yourself right now.”
He cringed when she sighed, frustrated, into the phone.
“That’s not my intention,” she insisted. “But we’re getting so close to cracking this case. I don’t wanna let up. The fact that Jacob’s investigation went cold and authorities aren’t looking further into the deaths of the Westman’s workers is making me sick.”
“I know it is. It’s making me sick, too. That’s why you and I are doing all that we can to build a strong case against Collin and Chief Wentworth to present to the district attorney. But I’m only going to get one shot at this, so I have to make sure my reporting is flawless. We just have to be patient and stay the course. Let my IT forensics guy figure out the origins of Kenzie’s alleged email. Get everything we learned from Ava, Kenzie and Hudson officially recorded in a written statement. And turn over Collin’s drug ledger—even if they can’t use it at trial, it might still help.”
“And share with the district attorney our findings once we get inside Westman’s Automotive Factory and figure out what’s really going on in there. I want photographic evidence of the drug lab that I am convinced is set up somewhere in that factory—”
“Samantha,” Gregory interrupted, the bark in his voice immediately silencing her. “Listen to me. There will be no breaking into Westman’s Automotive Factory. Did you suddenly forget what happened when you broke into Collin’s house? You almost got yourself killed!”
“But I didn’t get—”
“This is not up for debate, dammit!” Gregory hollered, pounding the desk so loudly that several of his colleagues peered through the window on the door into his office. The detective held up his hand, letting them know that everything was okay. “Now, I’m serious,” he continued into the phone, this time lowering his voice. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, Samantha. Can’t you understand that?”
“Yes,” she replied quietly. “I do understand that.”
Gregory’s intense reaction to Samantha caused his throat to tighten. He could tell by her low tone that he’d rattled her. Knowing how resolute she could be, he knew that wasn’t a bad thing.
“I don’t want to press the issue,” Samantha continued, “but I also don’t want the DA’s office to find some sort of loophole that would enable Collin and his father to get away with this. We need to have all the evidence we can get our hands on when you go to speak to him. Photographic proof would be the nail in their coffin.”
“Well, I don’t want you to end up inside a coffin trying to obtain that photographic evidence,” Gregory shot back. “We’ll have enough proof. Trust me. Proof that will stand up in court.”
“I wonder if you could somehow get a warrant to search the factory.”
Gregory couldn’t help but chuckle at her tenacity. “You just aren’t gonna let up, are you?”
“Nope.”
“Well, I don’t know about obtaining a warrant. But in the meantime, I’ll continue to focus on what I am able to get my hands on.”
“You do that. And I’ll focus on getting to the grocery store so I can get started on this delicious dinner I’m about to cook up for you.”
Hearing that caused the detective’s stress level to drop from ten to one. “That sounds good. I’m looking forward to it.”
“So am I. See you soon.”
“See you soon. Bye.”
Gregory disconnected the call and reclined in his chair, folding his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes, his lips curling into a crooked grin at the thought of dinner with Samantha.
But when visions of intimate moments on the couch next to her over wine and deep conversation crept into his mind, his eyes popped open.
“Come on, man,” he grumbled, sitting straight up. “Stay focused...”
He refreshed his email inbox. A message appeared from his computer forensics expert.
What’s up, man. Just wanted to confirm that I received your email. I’ll run an analysis on it and see if I can locate the server name and IP address. From there, I should be able to track down the owner and his/her location. If I have any trouble, I’ll reach out to the internet service provider. You already know I’ve got the hookup with them, so I won’t have to go through any red tape or present a warrant if I need to request additional information. I’ll circle back with you once I know more.
Thanks,
Wayne
“My dude,” Gregory said, slamming his hand down on the desk victoriously. He replied to Wayne’s message and thanked him, then forwarded the email to Samantha.
We’re well on our way to getting to the bottom of all this, he wrote before sending it.
When he heard a commotion outside his office, Gregory looked up and saw Chief Wentworth walking back into his office.
Gregory was tempted to go ask him if he’d had a chance to look over the police reports that were filed on the vandalisms at Samantha’s house. But considering the new intel he had on the chief and his connection to Collin’s drug ring, the detective decided against it. The last thing he wanted was to bring attention to himself and Samantha and cause a disruption in their investigation.
Follow your own advice, he told himself. Just be patient and stay the course.
And with that, Gregory pulled Samantha’s blog back up and began reading her latest post, which she’d aptly titled “We’re Getting Closer to the Truth, My Friends...”
Chapter Thirteen
By the time Samantha walked out of the grocery store, darkness had already fallen over the town. She peered into the parking lot in search of her car. When it didn’t immediately come into view, she clicked on the key fob until taillights blinked over in the far right corner.
Samantha glanced around the lot before stepping out onto the asphalt. There were very few cars scattered about between the neon-yellow lines. Most of the townspeople usually did their grocery shopping on the weekends, including her. But since her impromptu dinner with Gregory was planned at the last minute, she had no choice but to make a last-minute run to the store.
“Shoot,” Samantha muttered when one of the handles on her shopping bag tore. She bent down and grabbed the steaks and potatoes before they went tumbling to the ground.
Just as she gathered the top of the bag and twisted it into a knot, the sound of a revving engine roared behind her.
A stinging cloud of dread seeped through Samantha’s pores. Her entire body stiffened up. She looked ahead at her car, her vision blurring with fear. It appeared to be miles away.
“Please, please, please,” she begged, wil
ling her heavy feet to lift off the ground and get her to the vehicle. But it was as if she were in the midst of a nightmare. Everything around her began to move in slow motion and she was stuck in one spot, literally unable to budge.
But when the sound of screeching tires pierced her ears, she let out a loud scream and darted through the parking lot.
Samantha refused to look behind her for fear that it would slow her down. When she reached her car, she fell onto the trunk trying to get around to the driver’s side.
“Come on,” she whimpered, clutching her bags tighter. “Come on!”
The heel of her boot slipped into a crack in the asphalt. Samantha fumbled, gripping the bumper on the back of her car while barely avoiding falling to the ground.
Get up, get up, get up!
She scrambled to her feet, shuddering as a gust of blustering wind rushed past her.
Samantha whipped around and was blinded by bright yellow headlights. A car was careening toward her at full speed.
Once again, she found herself unable to move. A stiffening shock invaded her limbs. Her body felt as though it was cemented to the ground.
As the car zoomed closer toward her, Samantha realized that it was the same dark sedan she’d seen in the alleyway the night her garage was vandalized.
Her eyes widened with terror. She struggled to peer inside the windows to see who was behind the wheel. But she couldn’t see through the dark tint.
Samantha recoiled against the back of her car as the vehicle raced past her. She dropped her grocery bags and screamed in terror. The car tore through the lot and onto the street then disappeared into the night.
“Ma’am!” a woman yelled as she ran toward Samantha. “Are you all right?”
Samantha clung to the back of her car, trembling with fear as tears streamed down her face.
“I... I think so,” she stammered, her shaky voice indicating that she was far from okay.
She watched as a woman scurried past her and picked her groceries up off the ground.
“I saw what just happened to you,” the woman said, reaching down and helping Samantha stand up straight. “What was with the crazy driver of that car?”
“It’s a long story,” Samantha sighed. She patted her damp face with the sleeve of her coat, then took her bags from the woman. “Thank you so much.”
Samantha spun around and rushed inside her car. Her hands struggled to grip her phone and dial Gregory’s number. When she finally got the call to go through, he picked up on the first ring.
“Hey, I was just thinking about you,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to our dinner tonight.”
Before Samantha could say a word, she burst into tears.
“Wh-what’s going on?” he asked. “Are you crying?”
“I’m at the grocery store,” she sobbed, “and when I came out into the parking lot, somebody tried to run me over!”
“Wait, somebody what?”
“Somebody tried to hit me with their car!” she cried out, clenching her heaving chest.
“Okay, calm down,” the detective said soothingly. “Are you still at the store?”
Samantha could hear him rustling about, then heard a door slam. A feeling of relief rushed over her knowing he was already on his way there.
“Yes. I’m in the parking lot. But I don’t feel safe staying here. At all.”
“Okay. Why don’t you head to your house and I’ll meet you there? The squad car should be watching over your place. At this point, though, I’m honestly not comfortable with the idea of you staying in your home. If it’s okay with you, I’d like you to pack a bag and come stay with me.”
Samantha opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t even formulate the words to express how thankful she was for Gregory.
“Are you still there?” he asked after several moments of silence. “I hope that suggestion didn’t make you uncomfortable.”
“No, it didn’t,” she whispered. “Not at all. That’s extremely generous of you to offer. And I will take you up on it. Thank you.”
Samantha started her car and pulled out of the lot. Her head swiveled back and forth as she searched for the dark sedan, afraid that it would come flying at her out of nowhere. But the street was empty.
“I’m on my way to your place now,” Gregory told her. “I’ll stay on the phone with you until you get there.”
“Thanks,” she replied, a rush of gratitude managing to overpower the burning fear churning throughout her body.
“No problem. I know you’re tough and all, but what you went through tonight must have been terrifying. I’m so sorry this is all happening to you, Samantha.”
“I’m scared, Gregory,” she blurted out in spite of hating to admit it. She wasn’t used to feeling this vulnerable. But no cold case she’d ever covered had hit this close to home, to the point where she was in such danger.
“I know you are, Sam. I clearly need to step up protecting you. The good news is that we’re closing in on Collin. The bad news is, he knows it. So he’s amping up the threat against you in hopes that you’ll back off. If it’s any consolation, he’s unlikely to do anything in such a public place. He wants to scare you enough that you’ll stop investigating.”
Samantha felt a streak of anger shoot through her. She squeezed the steering wheel and pressed down on the accelerator.
“That’ll never happen,” she insisted. “I don’t give a damn how scared I am, or how crazy Collin gets. I refuse to let up until he is behind bars. Period. I will not quit until we get justice for Jacob.”
“I understand that, Sam. But like I keep telling you, you can’t risk losing your life over this. Maybe you should let up on the blog posts for now. Go dark for a minute. Let him think you backed off. Focus on the results we’re waiting to get back from my IT forensics guy. We’ve also got Hudson on our team now. Have you tried to set up that meeting with him?”
“I did. I reached out to him earlier this afternoon. I’m just waiting to hear back.”
“Okay, good. Hopefully you’ll hear back soon.”
The pair grew silent for several seconds. Samantha could feel the pressure as the situation began to close in on them.
Yet as thoughts of staying at Gregory’s place crossed her mind, she realized that it was all bringing them closer together.
“I’m a few blocks away from your house now,” he told her. “How far away are you?”
“I should be there in a couple of minutes.”
“Okay. I want you to pull your car into the garage—”
“Which I did get fixed, by the way,” Samantha interjected.
“Glad to hear it. Once you pull your car in, I’ll go inside the house with you while you pack a bag. Move as quickly as you can, grab what you need, then we’ll take my car back to my house. Cool?”
“Sounds good. Oh, and I’m so sorry about dinner. You have Collin to blame for missing out on the filet mignon, double-baked potatoes and grilled asparagus I was planning on preparing tonight.”
“Do you really think I’m about to let Collin ruin our dinner plans? I still have every intention of indulging in our meal. We’ll just pull a little switch up and I’ll take the reins and whip up the meal for us. I’ve got a fantastic red wine that’ll go well with those steaks you bought, too.”
“You’re so good to me. That would be wonderful. I could really go for a glass of wine right about now. Or three...”
“Well, lucky for you I’ve got a couple of bottles,” Gregory laughed. “And I just bought a new set of furniture for my deck. Why don’t we sit out there and eat? I can cook up the steaks on the grill, light up the heat lamps and fire pit. Then after we enjoy a nice, relaxing meal, we’ll plot out our next moves on gathering the evidence to present to Mayor Elliot.”
Samantha felt her stiff back slacken as Detective Harris pu
t her at ease. “I’d like that. We can do it over the cheesecake I bought for dessert.”
“Mmm, now my mouth is watering...”
When she turned down her block, Samantha was relieved to see Gregory’s car parked in front of her house.
“By the way,” he said, “I just pulled up in front of your house.”
“I see you. I’m pulling up now.”
Samantha drove up beside Gregory, waving as he nodded and waved back. She could tell by the look in his shining eyes that he was just as pleased to see her as she was him. She lowered the window.
“Thank you so much for coming to my rescue yet again,” Samantha told him.
“Ah, don’t even mention it. At this point you’re working harder for the Gattenburg PD than our actual employees. I consider you one of us now. Therefore, I owe it to you to look out.”
“I appreciate you.”
“It’s my pleasure...”
The twosome sat there gazing at one another before Samantha noticed the squad car that’d been keeping watch over her house blink its headlights at her. She tapped her horn and waved.
“I’m really grateful that Officer Barris has been keeping an eye on my house. Thanks again for setting that up.”
“No problem.” The detective shifted in his seat and glanced behind him. “All right. Enough with the small talk. We’ll have plenty of time for that once we get to my place. Why don’t you go ahead and pull into the garage, then grab your things? I’ll meet you at the front door.”
“Will do.”
Samantha turned into her driveway and clicked the garage door opener. As she waited for the door to rise, she glanced in her rearview mirror and watched as Gregory stepped out of his car.
He threw on his black leather motorcycle jacket while strolling toward her front door. The cool, confident swagger in his gait, mixed with his sexy good looks and gym-honed physique, had her wondering how she would get through staying at his house without slipping out of her bed and into his.
* * *
“GREGORY, THIS WAS absolutely delicious,” Samantha said, dabbing the corners of her mouth with her napkin. “I hate to admit it, but my meal probably wouldn’t have been as good as yours.”
Cold Case True Crime Page 14
