Vendetta

by C. M. Sutter

  “Hey, buddy, how’s it going?”

  “Pretty good, Amber, and yourself?”

  “No complaints except for the weather. It’s damn cold outside. I’ll take a coffee if you have some that’s relatively fresh.”

  “Coming right up.”

  “Is Kate almost done back there?” I pointed my thumb over my shoulder.

  He shrugged. “It shouldn’t take long. She just wanted to see Monday’s footage when you ladies had lunch here. Knowing what time you guys stopped in that day speeds up the process exponentially.”

  “Yeah, I bet it does. Did she order lunch yet?”

  “Yep, she called it in earlier. It should be out soon. Need a menu?”

  “Nah, the coffee is fine. Actually, can you put it in a to-go cup? I have a surprise to pick up for Kate downtown, and I should probably leave before she sees me. Don’t tell her I was here, okay?”

  “Yeah, no sweat.”

  “Thanks, pal.” I placed three singles on the bar, grabbed my cup, and left.

  Chapter 41

  I reached the drive-through restaurant window and placed my order for a cheeseburger and fries. I still had my cup of coffee from Tap and Tavern, and I’d eat my lunch on the way back to work. My mind was going in a million directions thinking about Kate. I knew the only reason she would have checked Monday’s bar footage was something to do with Craig Hartman. She had to be suspicious about him, but why?

  I pulled into our parking lot, and the space where the cruiser had been was still empty. I backed in my own car where it had been parked before. From that position, I’d be able to see her coming from Washington Street, and I’d go inside before she got to our lot. She’d never know that I had left the building. The time on my car’s dash read 12:49 p.m. I had a few minutes and decided to call Jade—I needed her opinion. I pulled my phone from my purse and tapped her name on my contact list.

  “Hey, Sis, I need some advice.”

  “Sure, shoot. My advice is the best, anyway.”

  “You’re definitely back to normal, wisecracks and all. So here’s my predicament. I followed Kate downtown just a bit ago without her knowledge.”

  “Okay, sounds like this is going to get weird.”

  I assured her it was. “Kate left at lunchtime without telling any of us. I saw her dart out of the parking lot, so I followed her. Jade, she’s been acting very secretive the last couple of days, like she knows something but won’t share the information.”

  “That’s going against protocol if you’re talking about the case.”

  “I know, and I am. She went inside Tap and Tavern and had Tyler pull up Monday’s bar footage.” I kept my eyes peeled for the cruiser as I talked.

  “Isn’t Monday when you two had lunch there and met Mr. Man Without a Name?”

  “Exactly. What the hell is she up to?” I climbed out of my car and locked the door behind me. The cruiser had just turned left at the set of lights on Schmidt Road. I jogged to the building and continued my conversation in the vestibule. “Jade, there’s no reason she’d want to see the footage unless it has something to do with Craig, or whatever the hell his name is. We have the footage of the suspect entering Marvin’s building, and Kate immediately weirded out. She knows something.”

  “Okay, don’t sweat it. We’ll shine a flashlight in her eyes tonight and interrogate her.” Jade chuckled. “I promise you, Amber, I’m good at getting people to fess up. We’ll figure out what she’s hiding.”

  “Sounds good. She’s getting out of the cruiser, so I have to go.” I hung up and took the stairs to the bull pen. I hung my coat and tossed the Tap and Tavern cup in the garbage receptacle at the back of the room. I took my seat and opened a random folder on my desk. Kate walked in at 12:59 p.m.

  Clayton glanced at the clock. “Pushing it, aren’t you, young lady?” Chad liked to joke around, but considering Kate’s recent state of mind, I had no idea if she would laugh or attack him.

  “Sorry, got caught up in traffic.”

  “Went out for lunch alone?” Billings raised a brow.

  “No, I had to conduct a wellness check with Janet Moore. She was the victim from that hit-and-run accident last month.” Kate took her seat, avoided eye contact, and tried to look busy.

  Another lie. Kate had no idea I’d placed a call earlier that morning to Janet and conducted the wellness check over the phone. Between Jade and me, we had to get to the bottom of things that night.

  Jack stepped out of his office. “Okay, here’s what we know, which isn’t much. According to the software Todd used to capture the height and general weight of our perp, the man is a bit under six foot and likely around one hundred ninety pounds. That could swing five pounds in either direction since he was wearing a winter coat. Todd used the girth of the man’s legs too as an indicator and thinks the weight is pretty close to spot-on.”

  “Are you going to conduct a press conference, boss?” I asked. “There are a lot of people who knew Marvin and did business with him. I’m sure everyone in town would like to see the killer captured.” I turned my head and stared at Kate.

  “Yeah, I’ll put that together this afternoon. Clayton and Billings, go pay the city boys a visit. See if they’ve learned anything new since we spoke to them last. Maybe we can collaborate on that press conference.”

  Jack, Kate, and I reviewed everything we had, which could be condensed to one sheet of printer paper. The press conference would be short, unfortunately.

  “Why can’t we come up with anything on this guy?” I was becoming frustrated.

  Jack scratched his chin. “Because he’s good and knew to blend in with everyone who was out and about on Sunday. The only image of him we captured was the right and back side of the guy, nothing more. All we can get from that is what he was wearing and an approximate height and weight. It doesn’t give us a lot to work with.” Jack raised his brows. “Kate?”

  She looked up. “Uh-huh?”

  “Are we keeping you from something?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Good, then what’s your gut feeling on this? Do you think the murder was about Marvin, or was the killer looking for you at the apartment?”

  “I’m torn, sir. If Jade’s car hadn’t been tampered with, I’d say the killer was after Marvin and only him. It could have been because of bad business deals, disgruntled tenants, jealousy, or the possible connection between his money and Shawn’s need for it now.”

  Jack shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m still leaning toward something that’s related to the Lynch brothers, but the family’s police and background records have been checked. Tony Lynch has had the same cellmate for the last two years, and we can’t get the phone transcripts until tomorrow to hear if he discussed a hired hit with anyone.” Jack turned toward me. “Is that outdoor surveillance system in place at the condo?”

  “It sure is. Jade took care of everything yesterday. If somebody is lurking anywhere on the property, we’ll definitely know it.”

  Jack nodded. “I’m sure that’s a relief. Kate, what about that ear witness you guys spoke with across the hall from your old apartment?”

  “Beth Kent? What about her?”

  “How well do you know Beth, and how reliable do you think her recollection is?”

  “She moved here from Minnesota six months ago, so I didn’t know her well. I believe she has a couple part-time jobs in the area, so she comes and goes at odd hours. Sorry, I realize that’s not much help.”

  Jack waved off Kate’s comment. “Not a big deal. We have her statement, and if there isn’t anything more to add to it, then there just isn’t.”

  Clayton and Billings returned at two thirty. The expressions they wore indicated that the city boys didn’t have any more information than we did, which was zilch.

  Clayton spoke up as he plopped down on his desk chair. The vinyl let out a long sigh. “Sanders said you can cover the press conference since it’ll be at the courthouse, anyway. They don’t have any new evidenc
e, and nobody has come forward with leads.”

  “All right, let’s put together whatever we have, then. Kate, call the newspaper and the local stations. I’ll conduct the press conference at four o’clock in the courthouse mezzanine. That’ll give the stations enough time to put together a segment for the six o’clock news. With any luck, it’ll stir up memories of something people saw on Sunday but didn’t realize was relevant at the time.”

  I waited until Kate was preoccupied, then I called Tap and Tavern. “Hey, Ty, it’s Amber. Can you send the footage Kate was looking at earlier to my email address? Yep, we forgot to check for something. Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  Chapter 42

  I was dying to say something to Kate on our way home but knew Jade was much better at questioning people than I was. She could pull off an interrogation without the person realizing it was anything more than normal conversation.

  “What did you think of the press conference?” I asked as I headed to the south side of town.

  “You mean the thing that lasted less than five minutes?”

  “Yeah, that thing.” I joked with Kate even though I knew Jack had done the best he could with what he had to work with.

  “It was pretty general, but time will tell if what he said to the press sparks a memory with anybody.”

  I frowned with worry. “The clock is ticking. A full day has come and gone without anything dangerous happening. I feel like we’re living on borrowed time.” My phone rang as I waited at the stoplight. I fished it out of my coat pocket and checked the screen—Jade was calling. “Hi, Sis, what’s up? Uh-huh, that’s a great idea. Hang on.” I turned to Kate. “Jade is ordering two large pizzas for dinner. There’s a special going on for two free toppings. What do you want?”

  “I’d like pepperoni and black olives on my part.”

  “Okay, Kate wants pepperoni and black olives on her section. Yep, we’re on our way home now. Roger that.” I hung up and pocketed my phone. “That’s nice. Nobody has to bother with kitchen duties tonight. We can eat, relax, and talk.”

  Kate furrowed her brows. “Talk about what?”

  I gave her my best “nothing is wrong” expression. “I don’t know—world events and the meaning of life.”

  “Whatever, Amber. Has anyone ever mentioned that you’re weird?”

  “Yeah, maybe on a few occasions.”

  The pizza delivery guy arrived fifteen minutes after we did. I had just enough time to change into a comfortable pair of sweats and a long-sleeved T-shirt before he rang the doorbell. Jade paid the bill, Kate served up the pizza, and I dug in. That was the first time in quite a while that I hadn’t made dinner. After we ate, I was happy to clear the table and wrap the leftovers.

  Jade entered the kitchen as I was putting away the remaining pizza. Kate had already claimed her seat in the living room, where Spaz was waiting to jump up and snuggle on her lap.

  Jade cupped her hand against her mouth and whispered in my ear. “Are you going to start the conversation, or should I?”

  “I will. I’ll mention something about the case and see where it goes. You can take over when you feel the time is right.”

  “Got it.” Jade craned her neck around the breakfast bar. “Kate, do you want a soda or a beer?”

  “I’ll have a beer, thanks.”

  Jade tipped her chin toward the living room and whispered. “She’s texting somebody.”

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s probably Craig.” With three beers in hand, I walked to the living room and passed them out then took a seat on the recliner. I thought it best that Jade sit next to Kate. The closer she was to the person being questioned, the more intimidating she seemed. I gave Kate a glance. “I thought you’d eat more pizza than you did.”

  She took a swig of beer and raised her brow. “Why?”

  “Didn’t you do a wellness check on Janet Moore today during lunch? I didn’t see you carry in a drive-through bag.”

  Kate cocked her head. “Keeping tabs on my eating habits now?”

  “Jeez, I just asked a simple question. Speaking of questions, I have another one for you.” I gave Jade a side-eye glance. “Why did you bring up a red zipper tab on the suspect’s jacket when nobody else saw it in the footage? I mean, was it there or not, and why do you even know about it? We checked all the stores in town, and nobody sells any hooded men’s jackets like that. Did you have a dream about one?”

  “I don’t recall.”

  My throat went dry with anxiety since I wasn’t used to grilling my dearest friend. I took a gulp of beer and continued. “Where did you really go today?”

  “What the hell does that mean?” She glared at me. “I don’t think I like where this conversation is going.” She stood as if she were about to leave the room.

  “Kate, I conducted a wellness check on Janet over the phone this morning. I know you didn’t go to her house.”

  To my relief, Jade finally took over. “Kate, relax and sit down. You know Amber loves you, and so do I, but something has been off ever since Sunday night. You never told us what the man in that dream looked like.”

  She snarled at Jade. “Why does that matter to you? You aren’t a part of our case.”

  “Because somebody tried to kill me, and it would be nice to know what he looks like. I don’t have a car anymore, I had to get a new phone because he stole mine, and with that very phone, he tried to coax you into meeting him. Who knows what his intentions were for you. You secretly met up with Craig Hartman yesterday and lied about it.” Jade sucked in a deep breath. “Kate, you’re a really good detective and an excellent psychic. You’re an asset to the community. You busted your ass to go to the police academy, you got hired at the sheriff’s office, and you worked as a gofer until you were promoted to detective. You have so much going for you. Do you really want to throw that away?”

  Kate looked shocked. “Why would I be throwing that away?”

  “You know as well as we do that you have somebody in mind. If you say it out loud, then it has to be addressed. If you don’t, then it might just go away. You know that isn’t true. There’s a bad man out there who wants to kill you.”

  I saw tears pool in Kate’s eyes, but she remained silent. I wanted to hug away her fear.

  “Kate, withholding evidence of a crime or knowledge of a suspect is grounds for dismissal and possibly more. Don’t do that to yourself. We have our own suspicions and have checked into Craig Hartman’s background. The man that you know as Craig doesn’t exist. He’s the person you’re protecting, isn’t he? You don’t want to admit it because he’s handsome, he’s nice, and you’re hoping for more.” Jade paused. “He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and Amber is going to prove it to everyone.”

  I took over for the moment. “When you saw the tattoos on the photo of James Ross’s neck, you said they sparked an image in your mind. Then when you saw the black jacket on the man who walked into the apartment building, it struck a nerve with you. There was something familiar about him, wasn’t there?”

  She stared at the floor. “You tell me. It seems like you know everything already.”

  “You may be right. I have the footage from Monday when you and I were at Tap and Tavern.”

  Kate jerked her head my way. “You followed me today? How could you do that to me?”

  “How could you withhold evidence? Now I know why you wanted to see it. Craig took off his jacket and put it on the back of his barstool. It was a hooded black jacket with red zipper tabs. We have full-face video footage of him too. The question is, how can we turn that footage over to the tech department to compare to the side view of our suspect without them wondering why we have it? That video was date stamped on Monday, and this is Thursday night. You mentioned the red zipper tab yesterday. See where I’m going with this? You’d be squealing yourself out that you already had somebody in mind and didn’t tell anyone.”

  Kate sighed. “I wasn’t trying to withhold evidence. I already had my suspicions, but I wanted to be
sure with that video from the bar. Amber, the only reason I had lunch with him yesterday was because I was hoping to learn more about him. I’ve done my research too and know his name isn’t Craig Hartman, but I don’t know what it is. I didn’t see what type of car he had because he didn’t leave until I was gone. If I wasn’t running late, I would have circled back and watched what vehicle he got into.”

  Jade looked relieved, and I knew I was. “So you aren’t trying to protect him?”

  “No, I’m trying to lure him in. I’d like to get credit for being a real detective sometimes, not just a psychic.”

  “Then why didn’t you share that with me?” I asked.

  “Because I wasn’t sure yet, and I didn’t want to ruin a man’s life with false accusations. As far as he knows, I’m really into him, but in reality, I’m playing him as much as he’s playing me. I’ll admit it—the man from Sunday night’s dream looked a lot like Craig. My radar was triggered as soon as we met him.”

  Jade stood and paced. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Kate. You make one mistake and he’ll be onto you.”

  “That’s why my gun was under my blazer yesterday.”

  Jade continued. “Even though we have our suspicions, they won’t hold up in court. I doubt his jacket is custom made. Chances are, there are plenty more like it out there. You need something else.”

  An idea buzzed around in my head. “We know one thing for sure, and there are two of us who saw it.”

  Jade gave me an excited look. “Yeah, what’s that?”

  “Kate and I both saw the tattoos on his hands. We can look in the nationwide database. As a matter of fact, I can print out a still shot from the bar video when he paid the tab.” I rose from the recliner and got my laptop out of the office. I powered it up at the table and logged in to my email address.

  Jade gave Kate a hug. “I’m so happy you weren’t doing anything fishy, but work with your colleagues, hon, and don’t make them think you’re doing something underhanded.”