He looked pretty disgruntled, but one of them had to be the adult in the room. She glanced in the rearview mirror to tell him exactly that, when the car behind hers caught her attention. Granted, SUVs were a dime a dozen these days, but this one was following a little too close and looked all too familiar. She punched the accelerator to put a little more room between them to get a quick peek at the license plate number.
Darn, this was one time she was sorry to be right. After her last conversation with her friendly neighborhood chief of police, there was no way she would deal with the situation without calling Gage. If she got his voice mail, she would head for city hall and call nine-one-one for assistance.
“Abby, what’s up?”
The familiar sound of Gage’s deep voice allowed her to breathe again. “Zeke and I just left the park, and I’m pretty sure Eve Swahn is following me. I’m afraid to go home, where I’d be alone except for Zeke.”
“I’m only about a block from your place, Abby. I’ll pull around back, so my cruiser won’t be visible from the front. I’ll also have one of my deputies head that way.”
“And if it’s just a coincidence that she’s going the same direction?”
“I still need to talk to her. At least I can give my deputies her last known location. I need to alert them, so I’m hanging up now. Do you want me to call you back?”
It was tempting to cling to the lifeline he offered her, but she was only a couple of blocks from home. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine.”
She hung a right onto the side street that led to her house. When the SUV followed suit, she didn’t know whether to be alarmed or relieved. Regardless, for Jada’s sake, they needed to find out what was going on with the woman.
In her hurry, she cut the corner into the driveway too short and went bouncing up over the curb, hoping she didn’t damage anything other than her dignity, since Gage was standing right there watching. At least he looked far calmer than she felt, which helped soothe her frazzled nerves. “Don’t worry, Abby. Take Zeke inside while I see what the lady is up to. I’d rather not spook her into making a run for it, if possible.”
“Will do.”
Then he walked toward the street, presumably to flag down Eve Swahn. After parking, Abby clipped on Zeke’s leash before letting him out of the back seat, and then hustled over to open the back door. The dog would’ve preferred to hang out with Gage, but she didn’t give him that choice. “Get inside right now, mister. There’ll be plenty of time later for you to mooch treats from him.”
Once inside, she decided to wait out of sight in the hallway. Zeke seemed confused when she used his leash to keep him tethered to her side. He kept tugging on it, trying to head for his favorite sunbeam in the living room. “Wait here, boy. It shouldn’t be long.”
He gave up and dropped down on the floor with a disappointed sigh. She knelt to stroke his fur to reassure him all was well. A short time later, Gage knocked at the front door and called her name. She hustled to the entryway and took a quick peek out the window. He was standing next to a clearly unhappy woman. Abby could only assume she was looking at Eve Swahn in person, but there was only one way to find out.
She flipped the dead bolt and opened the door. As she did, she grabbed Zeke’s collar before he could shove past her to check out their guests. He was clearly happy to see Gage again but a great deal more cautious when it came to Eve Swahn. The dog’s sudden appearance had the woman backpedaling a few steps. “Whoa, he’s huge.”
Abby tightened her hold on Zeke. “Don’t worry. He’s actually very sweet.”
Well, most of the time, anyway. He would defend Abby from an overt attack, but it seemed unlikely she was in any danger, not with the chief of police standing right there. Then there was the second cruiser pulling up in front of the house.
Gage performed introductions. “Abby, this is Eve Swahn. She’s going to explain why she’s been lurking in your neighborhood and why she followed you home.”
“Please come in.”
She led them into the living room, keeping Zeke close at her side. As always, she had to fight the urge to rush to the kitchen to make coffee and gather up a heaping pile of cookies to offer her guests. Sorry, Aunt Sybil, but not this time. Whatever excuse Eve Swahn had for her actions, Abby didn’t feel all that welcoming right now.
She waved her hand toward the available seat choices in the room before taking her personal favorite in front of the bay window. “Please make yourselves comfortable.”
Eve chose the wingback chair on the other side of the room while Gage parked himself on the sofa. While everyone got settled, Abby released her hold on Zeke, who immediately stretched out at her feet in the sunbeam where he liked to doze most afternoons. Having no experience in interrogating a stalker, Abby opted to let Gage take charge of the discussion. He didn’t fail her.
“So, Mrs. Swahn, tell me what’s going on here.”
His words sounded polite, but there was a definite edge in his voice that had the woman sitting up taller and glancing at the door as if considering a run for it. Evidently she didn’t think much of her chances for a successful escape, because a second later she slumped back in the chair. “I do apologize, Ms. McCree, if my actions frightened you or Jada, especially when you took a picture of my car.”
If Tripp had forgiven Abby’s rash actions, the least she could do was pay it forward. “While I don’t appreciate being spied on, Ms. Swahn, I know you swerved wide to drive around me.”
Well, actually, it was Tripp who had come to that conclusion. If Gage was surprised by that bit of information, he hid it well as he pressed Eve to answer his original question. “Now that we have that out of the way, I still want to know what’s going on.”
Eve glanced at him and then Abby before finally focusing her gaze at some point outside of the bay window. After a deep breath, she took a firm grip on the arms of her chair and started talking. “My husband and I are going through a rather contentious divorce.”
Abby suspected what was coming next. No matter how good their intentions had been at the outset, they were bound to have run into some hiccups along the way.
“We were renting, so breaking the lease wasn’t a problem. We also divided up our belongings without much trouble. The problems began when we started dealing with our finances. Some of it was cut and dried, but I have good reason to suspect he’s hidden some assets. A few months ago I overheard him talking to Don Davidson about some kind of investment they had from the war, but I haven’t been able to locate any record of it. With Don’s death, I don’t have anyone else I can ask, and Will acted evasive when my lawyer pushed him for more information. Will had moved into a small apartment that rented by the week, but suddenly our letters to him started coming back undeliverable. I have no idea where he’s staying now.”
She blinked several times and then turned her gaze back to Gage. “My attorney suggested we hire a private investigator to hunt for Will, but I can’t afford that.”
Gage looked up from the notes he’d been taking. “So you decided to do a little sleuthing on your own.”
“Yeah. It was stupid, I know, but I’m desperate. I’m sure he’s hiding money. After we finally split, I learned he’d been out looking at new boats and cars. But if he had the cash to pay for anything like that, there’s no record of it. I just want my fair share. He owes me that much.”
“Did that sleuthing involve breaking into Jada Davidson’s home?”
“Certainly not. I’m not a thief.”
If Eve was faking her shock at that suggestion, Abby thought she deserved an Oscar for her performance. That didn’t stop Gage from asking one more tough question. “Were you at the park the night of the murder?”
The woman’s face, already pale, took on a gray pallor as she gripped the arms of the chair hard enough that her knuckles were white. “I was out of town that day. My mother lives up near Bellingham, and she wasn’t feeling well. I went up to help her with a few things.”
“I’ll
need her name and number to verify that.”
After she rattled off the information, Gage changed directions again. “So tell me more about what’s going on with your husband.”
“Will has really changed since we separated. At first, we could carry on a rational conversation. But once we started questioning him about the money, he became volatile to the point that my attorney suggested I should consider a restraining order. I decided against it, though.”
Gage clearly didn’t like the sound of that. “Why, especially if you were worried about your safety?”
Her eyes bleak, she sighed. “Because if he was really intent on hurting me, a court order wouldn’t stop him.” She drew a shaky breath. “Besides, I’d prefer to keep things as cordial as possible until we get this money thing straightened out.”
Although Abby never had reason to fear her ex-husband, she understood all too well what Eve was going through. The money was important, but it was also probably a matter of pride. It was hard enough to fall out of love with the man she’d pledged to spend her life with, but having him disrespect her enough to steal from her was especially hurtful.
“You hoped to catch him visiting Jada because she’s his goddaughter.”
Eve nodded. “I didn’t hear about her father’s death until after the funeral was already over, but I figured Will might show up on her doorstep at some point. I drove by her house a few times a week, hoping to catch him. I’ve also kept an eye on a couple of bars where he likes to go. I planned to follow him to wherever he’s been hiding out, so my attorney could serve legal papers.”
“How did you find out that Jada was staying here with Abby?”
Good question. Abby had been wondering that herself. Eve shot her another nervous look before turning back to Gage. “I followed her here. I happened to drive by Jada’s house when I saw your police cruiser parked out front. I circled around the neighborhood to see what was going on. After you left, Jada came out of the house with a suitcase and got in the car with Ms. McCree. I hung back and followed them here. I had no intentions of approaching either of them directly. I was just hoping Will would put in an appearance.”
“That stops now, Ms. Swahn. You will not come near Jada or Abby again. I sympathize with your problems, but that does not justify your actions. I will do what I can to help you track down your husband. I have some questions for him, too.”
He stared at Eve until she slowly nodded. Satisfied that she understood that she was on shaky ground when it came to her actions, Gage turned to Abby. “Do you have any questions for her?”
All kinds, but none that Gage would appreciate her asking. “Nope, I’m good.”
Gage flipped his small notebook to a new page and passed it, along with his pen, to Eve. “Write down your contact information, your attorney’s name and number, and your place of employment.”
Eve quit writing long enough to protest that last bit. “My boss won’t like it if the police come around during work hours.”
“I won’t contact you there if I can avoid it, but no guarantees. If your boss has a problem with it, I’ll deal with him.”
Abby hoped Eve trusted that Gage would do what he could to protect her from any negative consequences. The man in question pocketed his notebook when Eve handed it back. “I’ll walk you out, Mrs. Swahn. I trust we won’t have to have this discussion again anytime soon.”
Abby followed them outside and couldn’t help but notice Eve looked exhausted by the encounter. “I’m recently divorced myself, Ms. Swahn. It’s not easy, but life does get better once the dust settles.”
Eve mustered up a small smile. “I hope so, Ms. McCree. Sometimes it seems like I’ll never get free of all this tangled-up mess.”
Gage hung back until Eve drove away.
“Think you’ll be able to hunt down Will Swahn for her?”
“I’ll try, but it sounds like he’s doing a pretty good job of flying under the radar. If Will shows up here again, call nine-one-one. Don’t let him back into the house even if Tripp is here. The guy is probably harmless, but anyone’s behavior can become unpredictable if they’re feeling cornered. Jada should also avoid him if at all possible.”
“I will.” Abby rubbed her arms, feeling chilled despite the warm sun and blue skies overhead. “Thanks for coming so fast today, Gage. Maybe I overreacted, but being followed weirded me out a bit.”
“You had good reason to be concerned by her actions. I get she’s desperate to find where Will is hiding out, but there’s no excuse for her stalking innocent people.”
He started to walk away but then turned back. “By the way, Reilly Molitor finally came through on the picture of Jada’s dad. He’s supposed to drop by this afternoon with a flash drive as well as prints of the picture. I’d like to see you, Jada, your mom, and Owen around four o’clock at my office to look at it. Might as well make a party of it, so tell Tripp he can tag along, too.”
“I’ll let him know, although I don’t know how much help we’ll be.”
“I think Jada will appreciate having you there.”
It was just like Gage to care about making the young woman as comfortable as possible. “When life gets back to normal—meaning when my mother goes home—maybe you’d like to go out for burgers and a friendly game of pool at the bar with Tripp and me.”
The laugh lines around his eyes deepened. “Maybe, but only if you promise to spot me a few points. Tripp already warned me about your wicked skills with a pool cue.”
She snickered. “He’s such a sore loser.”
Gage was still grinning when he backed out of the driveway.
* * *
“Have you tried calling Jada? She should be here by now.”
Abby prayed for patience. “Yes, Mother, I did. I’ve also texted her, but she hasn’t responded.”
Gage had asked them to wait in a small conference room until everyone arrived. Tripp and Owen had just wandered down the hall to help themselves to some coffee. They’d promised to bring some back for her, but her mother had declined their offer. Thank goodness, because the last thing that woman needed was caffeine. She hadn’t taken her eyes off the big clock on the wall, her tension increasing with each minute that ticked by.
“What could be taking her so long?”
Before Abby could come up with an answer that wasn’t snarky, Gage poked his head in the door. “Jada has arrived. Sergeant Jones is escorting her back.”
Yay, Abby’s sanity was safe for another few minutes. Jada walked in looking a bit frazzled but otherwise all right. She set her backpack down in the corner before sitting down. Gage rejoined them, with the other two men right behind him. He waited until everyone was settled before speaking.
“Thank you all for coming. I have enough copies for each of you to have your own.” He paused to pass them around. “I don’t expect everyone to be able to offer up any great insights, but you never know. Take a second to study them, and then we’ll talk.”
Reilly had made prints of the original photo of Jada’s father holding the framed picture, but he’d also managed to make a reasonably clear enlargement of the original picture. At least Jada would have a copy of her father’s unit for her scrapbook.
Gage tossed his copies down on the table and pointed at one man in the first row and two in the second. “Unless I’m mistaken, the guy in front is Jada’s father. The two right behind him are Owen and Mitch Anders.”
“Yeah, that’s my dad.” Then Jada held the picture closer to her face and then glanced at Owen. “Wow, I wouldn’t have recognized you, Mr. Quinn.”
Her mother studied him for several seconds and then smiled. “I’ve never much liked a lot of facial hair, but that beard looked good on you.”
He laughed and winked at her. “Maybe I should grow one again, but it might not be as impressive in shades of gray.”
Abby refrained from commenting, focusing instead on the picture. Everyone in it looked so young. It was all too easy to imagine Tripp as part of the group. Sh
e glanced in his direction only to find him frowning big-time as he slowly rotated the picture three-hundred-sixty degrees.
“Do the faces look clearer upside down?”
Okay, that wasn’t the best joke she’d ever made, but she didn’t expect Tripp’s expression to turn quite so grim. “Gage, I need that magnifying glass Abby mentioned the other day. And bring a pad of paper and something to write with while you’re at it.”
What was he seeing that she couldn’t? It was disappointing Gage didn’t bother asking for an explanation for Tripp’s demands before leaving the room. On the other hand, Owen must have figured it out, because he started twirling his picture, too.
When Gage came back, he handed the magnifier to Tripp and set a tablet and mechanical pencil within easy reach. Using the magnifying glass, Tripp started at the top right corner and moved left from there, stopping every so often to make notes. It took him about five minutes to complete the full circuit. When he was done, he pushed the tablet across to Owen and said, “My Arabic is a bit rusty. See if I missed anything.”
It wasn’t until then that she realized Tripp was studying the pattern on the mat that surrounded the photo, which had looked purely decorative to her. Evidently it was far more than that. Someone, presumably Jada’s father or one of his friends, had written a message in Arabic. Had Tripp actually known Owen could read that language, or had he just been guessing? Not that it was important right now.
It didn’t take Owen long to finish his assessment, probably because Tripp had already done most of the work. After making a couple of small corrections, he handed the pad of paper to Gage. In the meantime, Jada was getting fidgety, not that Abby blamed her. It had to be disconcerting to find out that there was hidden meaning in the picture she’d been looking at for years.
Gage studied Tripp’s notes for several seconds before glancing at the other two men. He turned the paper face-down on the table, preventing the women from seeing it at all. “Well, that’s interesting. I’m going to need to make some phone calls.”
Death by Intermission Page 24
