Stranger At My Door (A Murder In Texas)

by Mari Manning

  “As a matter of fact, I do.”

  “Just because you’re mad at me doesn’t—”

  “This is official business, Miss Dinah. If you would prefer, Hollyn and I can have our talk down at the station.”

  The blood drained from Hollyn’s face, and her knees buckled.

  “Was that necessary?” Dinah snapped as she steadied Hollyn. “The poor thing’s been through hell, and in her condition, any sort of disturbance could be dangerous.”

  His tightly coiled temper frayed. “Womenfolk have been dropping babies since before the Bible was handed down. Even the disturbed ones, as you put it. Never heard it brought anyone to grief.”

  Dinah flinched, and he wanted to pull her into his arms and apologize. He swiveled in Hollyn’s direction before he turned into Dinah’s fool again.

  Hollyn’s eyes narrowed. She shot him a look of pure hatred hot enough to put a hole in his forehead.

  He’d get nothing out of her unless he got himself together. He thrust Dinah from his head. “Forgive my poor manners, ladies.” He bowed his head in Dinah’s general direction and waved his hand at the chair beside him. “Please sit down, Miss Hollyn, and make yourself comfortable. There’s nothing to worry about. I just want to get your account of what happened.”

  Hollyn disengaged herself from Dinah and sat, smoothing down her jersey and folding her hands on her lap. When she looked over at Rafe, her face was a blank mask, expressionless and innocent, her eyes wide and vacant.

  She’s been questioned before.

  Dinah still hovered in the doorway. Her clean, soapy fragrance filled his head, but he didn’t dare look at her. “Thank you for allowing us to use your home, Miss Dinah.”

  “I’ll be out in the back with Daisy if you need me.” Her footsteps faded away.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Rafe pulled out his cell and set it on the coffee table.

  “What’s that for?” Hollyn’s tongue darted out and licked at her upper lip.

  “Nothing to worry about. Just trying to catch us a kidnapper and hoping you can tell me something that will help us.” He leaned forward, shooting her a lopsided grin before pressing record. “This conversation is taking place on August ninth at the home of Dinah Pittman, also the temporary residence of Hollyn Hollis, who was abducted on August seventh. Questioning officer is Rafael Morales of the El Royo Police Department and officer-in-charge of this case. The subject is Hollyn Hollis who was recovered this morning after being abducted and held for two days.”

  Hollyn cleared her throat.

  “Why don’t you tell me in your own words what happened.”

  “I— Someone grabbed me and threw me in a car. They told me if I didn’t call Miss Dinah and get her to come out to this old house in the country, they would kill me. I didn’t want to do it.”

  “Of course not. Where were you when all this occurred?”

  “I told you, at an old house.”

  She is playing with me. “Where were you when you were grabbed?”

  She blinked at him. “It happened so fast, I don’t remember.”

  “Perfectly understandable. Many victims are not paying attention to their surroundings when the crime occurs.” He eyed her. “Some are traumatized. They remember eventually.” He paused. “Maybe that’s you.”

  “But some never remember?”

  “I suppose so, and some never forgot. They were afraid to say.”

  “Afraid?”

  He leaned into her. “Sometimes they have something to hide.”

  Her eyes rolled up, and she frowned. She’s thinking, not remembering. “I was walking near town. I-I-I had to get away from that dog. It hates me. So I was just walking, and as I passed this brick house over on Sagebrush Street, someone jumped out of the bushes—a man—and put a sack over my head. Then the next thing I know a car roars up, and I get pushed into the back seat, and the man, uh, ties my wrists with rope.”

  She held out her arms to him. “You can see the rope burns.”

  He nodded solemnly. “Let the record show the victim has mild abrasions on both wrists that appear to be rope burns.” He pulled back, relaxing against the sofa cushions. “How many kidnappers were there?”

  She met his eyes. “Just two.” The truth.

  “Men?”

  “Uh, yes. I think so.” Lie.

  “Let’s move forward. So what happened when you got to the old house?”

  “They made me call Miss Dinah.”

  “And you gave her directions to the house?”

  A frown. She studied him. “They told me what to say.”

  “Of course. I didn’t mean otherwise. Can you describe the two men?”

  “I already told you, I had a sack over my head. I couldn’t see.”

  He leaned forward again and set his hand on the arm of her chair. She jerked away from him. “Miss Dinah said when she arrived you were waving to her from the old house. Eyes wide open.”

  She licked her lips. “They, uh, were wearing masks.”

  Watch where you’re going, little girl, because you are about to run into a big, old wall. “What sort of masks?”

  “Just regular masks.”

  “Half-masks, ski masks, Halloween masks?”

  She stared pointedly at his hand, still resting on the chair. “Ski masks, I guess. What’s the difference?”

  “Ahh.” He took a deep breath and pulled his arm away. He shot her his lop-sided grin again. “I’m just a little confused, Miss Hollyn. I hope you can help me out here.”

  The gleam of hatred was back in her eyes. Her chin rose. “What?”

  “Well, Miss Dinah said when she got there, someone pulled a sack over her head. Is that true?”

  The chin inched up. “What if they did? I was helpless.”

  “Why did they put the sack over her head if they were wearing masks?” He bent close to Hollyn and curled his hand to the chair again. “See where I’m having a problem?”

  The play of emotions on her face ran from fury to hatred to fear. She jumped up. “I don’t feel well.”

  “It’ll just be a few more minutes. Please sit, Miss Hollyn.”

  She hesitated.

  Had he moved too fast? Pushed too hard? “I could sure use your help finding this kidnapper before he strikes again.”

  She thumped down in her chair and folded her arms over her belly. She tilted her head and studied him. “You know what I think? I think you’re trying to get me locked up or something because you want Miss Dinah all to yourself and I’m standing in your way.”

  Bull’s eye. She knew just where to hit him. His arm pulled back from the chair, but he kept his eyes locked on hers even though he wanted to turn away. “Miss Dinah means a lot to me. I wouldn’t want to be that second kidnapper if any harm comes to her.”

  Hollyn’s lips curled into a smug smile. “Like if she got shot or something.”

  He was going to wipe that shit-eating grin off her face if he had to work 24/7 to do it. “Just a few more things. Can you describe the men?”

  “They were wearing masks.”

  “Not on their bodies. How tall were they? What were they wearing? Were they young or old?”

  She blinked, and the tip of her tongue darted out and licked at her upper lip. “I don’t remember.”

  “You don’t remember anything?”

  “It was such a confusing time for me.” She rubbed her hand over her belly. “I was worried about the baby and all.”

  “Of course. Let’s move on. What happened after the kidnappers caught Miss Dinah?”

  “They put her in a car and drove away.”

  “Leaving you alone at the house?”

  “Uh, they tied me up first.”

  He shook his head. “Terrible thing. Pregnant lady, all tied up. They left you inside the house, right?”

  She nodded.

  He dropped his elbows to his knees and leaned over the coffee table so his face was close to hers and his knees blocked escape. “Fun
ny thing. I was at the house after Miss Dinah went missing. Daisy, too. You’d think she would have scented you, seeing as she’s always aiming to get a bite out of you and all.”

  Hollyn’s face blanched, and he was close enough to see fine droplets of perspiration seep from the pores on her forehead and upper lip. “I forgot. They took me someplace else.” She inched forward. “That’s all I remember. I need some lip balm. Let me up.”

  “Just another minute or two, Miss Hollyn. We got us a kidnapper on the loose so I want to be sure I got all my facts straight.”

  “That’s all I know.”

  He released the chair arm. “I know how hard this has been for you, Miss Hollyn. Young woman, such as yourself, forced to betray the only person in El Royo who offered you a helping hand.” He shook his head at the tragedy of it all.

  “I didn’t—”

  “I’m not blaming you. But there are so many missing pieces, is all.”

  She leaned forward. “So what?” Her voice quivered.

  “Well, this is where you might be able to help me out because some things aren’t adding up. For example, you said there were two kidnappers, and they drove off with Miss Dinah. Miss Dinah says Mr. Sutton was in the cabin the entire time, and the other was there at the beginning. But at the same time, they were holding you apart from Miss Dinah. How could those men be in two places at the same time?”

  “I don’t—”

  “Then there’s the problem of the mask. Why do you think they put a sack over Miss Dinah’s head when they were wearing ski masks?”

  Her face crumpled. “I don’t know,” she wailed. “You think I did something to Miss Dinah. I know it.” She covered her face with her hands.

  He lifted himself off the sofa and sat on the coffee table so he was facing her. “Miss Hollyn, I think you are a fine person. You make the best sweet tea this side of Fort Worth, and you’ve been a rock for Miss Dinah. I know she appreciates everything you’ve done for her. But I’m worried that maybe you are just a little naïve.”

  She stopped wailing and lowered her hands. Her eyes were clear and wary. Crocodile tears.

  “I have a theory.” He grinned at her. “Just a theory, mind you, but it would explain things.”

  “What?”

  “Well, let’s say a young woman, such as yourself, is, uh, looking for work, or maybe needs some money, and of course, jobs are scarce these days. What’s that young woman going to do? Maybe she meets up with someone—let’s say an older man—who says he will pay her to keep an eye on a certain, uh, woman.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “He tells the girl a story about how this woman’s father stole something of his and now the woman has it, and this innocent, naive girl has a sense of justice and wants to help this man recover his property.”

  Her eyes shifted up and left as she thought about this. “Well, that wouldn’t be a crime, would it?”

  He nodded. “She just wanted to help, and then the man started to ask her to do other things that didn’t seem right, but she went along with them because she felt sorry for the man. She didn’t mean to hurt anyone, even the woman who had the man’s money.”

  She eyed him, biting on her lips as she considered his theory. He held her gaze, waiting for the tiniest flicker of her eyelid or cheek that would signal either her surrender or entrenchment.

  “Are you two still talking?”

  He and Hollyn both jumped, and the moment was broken.

  “I am so glad you’re here.” Hollyn tried to slip out of her chair, but his knees still blocked her.

  Hollyn was involved in the kidnapping. But how deep did her involvement go? Was she a hapless accessory or Sutton’s right hand? He was beginning to suspect whatever she carried under that Dallas Cowboys jersey was not a baby, which increased the possibility she was deeply involved. That knife-toting boy he chased in the rain could have been a woman, couldn’t he? If Hollyn wasn’t pregnant, and if she was capable of wielding a knife, she could be the intruder and Teke’s murderer. One thing was for damn sure, he wasn’t leaving the house unguarded until he found out exactly who she was and what, if anything, she’d done.

  He straightened up, pulling out of Hollyn’s personal space, but keeping his feet planted firmly on the floor. “Miss Dinah, would you mind fetching Hollyn a glass of water? She’s assisting me with some theories, and we just need a few more minutes.”

  “You keep saying a few more minutes, a few more minutes,” Hollyn howled. “I can’t do this much longer.”

  He dared a glance at Dinah. She was frowning, and when her eyes met his, they held a clear question. What’s going on? But at least she hadn’t rushed to Hollyn’s defense. A surge of hope rushed through him. “Please, Di,” he said. “Water.”

  “Sure.”

  He waited until she disappeared into the kitchen before turning back to Hollyn.

  She’d composed herself in the seconds his attention had been on Dinah. Her chin was up, her shoulders back, her eyes round and opaque.

  “Where were we, Miss Hollyn?”

  Her lips curled into a sneer. “I believe you were telling me made-up stories, Mr. Rafe.”

  He tried a smile on her, but she’d gotten her guard up, and it wasn’t coming down that easy. Don’t be getting too full of yourself, little girl. I’ll be watching every move you make. Next time he interrogated her, they would be on his turf—the interrogation room at the El Royo police station—and there’d be no interruptions.

  Dinah’s sweet scent floated past his nose.

  “Here’s the water.”

  “Hand that right to Miss Hollyn. We don’t want her getting dehydrated, seeing she’s pregnant and all.”

  Hollyn took the glass from Dinah. “Thank you.” She took a half-hearted sip before setting the glass on the table beside his hip.

  “Well, I guess that does it for me,” said Rafe. “Thank you for all your help, young lady.” Rafe rose, giving Hollyn space to escape.

  She jumped up and scurried around the chair to Dinah. “I’m feeling poorly, Miss Dinah.”

  “Of course you are. You were in here with Rafe for more than an hour.” She frowned at Rafe. Behind her shoulder, Hollyn raised her chin and sniffed.

  “I’ll see myself out,” he said. As soon as they both disappeared upstairs, Rafe tore a strip from the newspaper sitting on the coffee table, picked up the water glass and carried it to the kitchen. Once he dumped out the water, he pulled a dishtowel from the rack by the sink and wrapped the glass loosely.

  He’d need some hard evidence to get Hollyn Hollis down to the station, and he had a feeling if he ran the prints on her glass, he’d have it.

  He sat in his Jeep waiting for Burns to return, the water glass safely sealed in an evidence bag he kept in the glove box. If he turned his head and looked at the bungalow, would Dinah be watching him? Pendejo. Idiot. Stop thinking about her.

  He pressed Esme’s number on his phone.

  “Hi, Rafe.”

  “You sound happy.”

  “I guess I am. Or was until Miss Peppie burst into my office waving the Austin Statesman around. My big, handsome brother is a cover boy.”

  Could his life get any worse? “Mierda.”

  “It’s still swearing even if you do it in Spanish.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Miss Peppie thinks I’m holding back on her. Are you seeing Dinah?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “How can you not know? Either you are or you aren’t.”

  “It’s complicated.” Even his family was piling on. He peered through his windshield. Where the hell was Burns?

  “Complicated, huh?” Esme sighed. “I guess I know what that feels like.”

  He was tired of talking about the newspaper and Dinah and feelings. “We found evidence Virginia Pittman is dead.”

  “Miss Ginny? Dinah’s momma?”

  “Yeah. Possibly murdered. I told Dinah last night, and she went a little loco and ran out of the house.
I was trying to get her back inside when the picture was shot. That’s all there was to it.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  He didn’t care. He’d said everything about the photo he planned to say. “Not to change the subject, but are you missing any medication from your practice?”

  “Now that you mention it, yes. A couple vials of thiopental sodium seemed to have been lost. I thought Daddy took them out of my bag and forgot to log it. He says no, but sometimes he’s forgetful.”

  “You had it in your bag?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you ever take your bag with the vials to Dinah’s?”

  “No. Wait, maybe I did. Just once. I stopped by to see her on my way back from a ranch on the other side of town.”

  “And?”

  “Well, I took the bag into the house. I never leave it in my truck. Someone might see a medical kit on the front seat and break in.”

  “Was it in your possession during the visit?”

  “Really, Rafe? You think I keep it chained to my wrist?”

  “Just tell me.”

  “I suppose I set it down near the door. I don’t remember exactly, but that’s what I usually do.”

  “Who was in the house?”

  “Just Dinah and, uh Jamey was there, sort of. He was outside.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Well, that girl who stays with her. The pregnant one was there for a little while but she left. You don’t think Dinah or Jamey took the drugs, do you?”

  “No. Just curious. Forget I asked.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Dinah’s phone wasn’t turned on. A tingle of worry—how was she coping with her momma’s death? —propelled Esme into her truck and set her in the direction of El Royo.

  She barreled down the main street as fast as traffic allowed, steeling herself for the stares and indecent gestures that usually flicked her way, but no one seemed to notice her. A light turned red, and she ground the truck to a halt next to two cowpokes. They pulled the brims of their hats down and walked away. Amazement nearly froze her lungs, and she had to force her breath out. Was this Jamey’s doing?