"Get me a chocolate candy bar and a little something for yourself."
He left before I could even put my wallet back in my purse. I'd only have a couple of minutes. Unless he wasn't very decisive. Then I'd have more. I grabbed the file Kevin had set down. Why would anyone trust this guy with any info? But bingo, I found her address. I took photos of as many pages I could until I heard the scuff of shoes outside. I was back in my spot before Kevin knew what had hit him.
"Here." He handed me a bag of chips.
Not exactly a candy bar, but at least it was edible. That was when I noticed he was eating out of a Chinese takeaway container that had TED written on it.
"Where's my change?" I held my hand out.
Kevin stopped eating. "I used it."
"On what?" I pointed at the carton he'd stolen from Officer Weir.
"Two bags of Corn Nuts, one Hershey Bar, and little powdered donuts," he said.
"And you're eating someone else's food?"
He looked slowly at the carton as if seeing it for the first time. "TED stands for Take Everything You Want."
"It says Ted. With a D. Not a YW."
"The D is silent."
I gave up because Ted was talking.
"How can you explain your fingerprints being at the scene of a murder yesterday?" He tried to look menacing, but it just came off as constipated.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she growled in that tiny voice.
I wasn't kidding. She sounded like she was only one foot tall.
He took a photo of Bobby Ray Pratt out of a file folder and slid it to her. "Do you recognize this man?"
She shrugged. "No. Should I?"
"He's the man who died by strangulation in a house here in Who's There. Yesterday. And your prints were on the couch where he sat."
"Look." She tossed the picture at him. "Today is the first day I've been to this stupid town. And it'll be my last."
"How do you explain having family in town?"
Oh. Right. I forgot.
The woman scoffed. "I don't have any family here."
"Riley Andrews," Ted said. "He's your second cousin, and it was his house where the body was found."
Vy leaned forward and glared at the officer. "Then maybe you'd better ask him why there was a dead guy on his couch."
The rest of the interview was pretty much the same. Ted threatened, and Vy blew him off. As a professional criminal, she knew not to say anything that would implicate her. As a novice detective, he was doing his best.
It didn't matter, because now I had the address where the police had picked her up. I'd pay her a visit later and show her what a real interrogation looked like.
"I'm gonna head out." I yawned. "Enjoy Ted's lunch," I added.
Kevin nodded. "Okay."
My cell went off as soon as I got into my car. Rex! The caller ID said it was coming from Sexi Rexi, a nickname he didn't know I'd given him.
"Rex! Where are you? Are you alright? How can I find you?" The words spilled from my lips like Niagara Falls. Then I realized he hadn't said anything.
"Rex?" I cried.
He hung up. Or his captor did. Why risk calling? If I'd had my wits about me, I could've traced the call. Was the killer/kidnapper becoming impatient that I wasn't solving the clues fast enough? And if so, did that mean they might kill Rex off sooner than planned? I couldn't let that happen!
There was a long list of suspects, including some that didn't even make sense. It was time to take one of them off the list.
Juliette Dowd's house was a small ranch with white walls and green shutters. The woman always wore green suits. She took her job at the Girl Scout Council very seriously. Was she home? It was eleven in the morning on a weekday. There was no car in the driveway. In fact, tire tracks in the fresh snow indicated she'd left. There wasn't another set that said she'd come back.
I got out of the car and walked down the sidewalk, turning at the corner and again into the alley behind the house. The detached garage was empty. She really wasn't there. But for how long?
I wasn't really in the right frame of mind for a break-in. It's probably more honest to say this was a bad idea. Fortunately, I didn't care. I pulled on my gloves and walked confidently up to the house. My short dirty blonde hair was stuffed under my stocking cap. It would be difficult to ID me if there was a nosy neighbor watching. And in a small town like this, there was always a nosy neighbor watching. Sometimes, that was me.
The back door was unlocked. I hesitated. Who didn't lock their door when they left? Was she home? Maybe her car was in the shop, and she was dropped off here to wait it out. I did the only thing I could do. I knocked.
Then I ducked behind a huge rain barrel and waited.
The seconds ticked by, and no one came to the door. Just to be safe, I repeated the process and waited. When no one came to the door, I realized Juliette was just stupid and had left her door unlocked.
It was an invitation that was hard to turn down. I stepped inside and found myself in a bright and cheery kitchen. The wallpaper consisted of sunny yellow flowers, and the appliances were bright red. The fridge was plastered with pictures of teddy bears and ponies.
It was a lot different than I'd expected. I figured her more for the satanic rituals–type—broken dolls with gouged out eyes all over the floor. I guess you never know. Like Vy Todd's munchkin voice. People can surprise you.
Over the course of my short career, I'd met everything from a one-legged soccer star to a zoologist who was allergic to every animal on the planet. And once, in La Paz, I had to work with a magician who was terrified of magic. His best trick? Sawing a stuffed rabbit in half. And believe it or not, his act had thousands of followers. He's retired now and living like a king in Toledo.
Leaving the spotless kitchen behind, I ventured into Juliette's dining room and found total chaos. The chairs and table were upended and smashed. A china hutch lay on its side, vomiting broken porcelain. The living room was the same, only this time, someone had taken a knife to the upholstery for a little tummy tuck.
Something was wrong. Unless she lived like this, which seemed unlikely after the sunshine and rainbows kitchen, I'd say something bad had happened here. I picked up my pace and jogged through the rest of the house, calling out for Juliette.
Sure, I'd broken in, but if she was tied up and gagged somewhere, maybe she'd cut me a little slack for rescuing her. The bedroom, guest room, and bathroom were gutted and destroyed. Every room I entered had been destroyed, but I found no screaming, hateful redhead.
I ran for the stairs and took them two at a time on the way down to the basement. There was no point in sneaking around anymore. The lower level had been unfinished, but in the middle of the room was a chair with rope lying around it.
A red spot drew my attention, and I dropped to my knees. Blood. Something bad had happened. I'd originally thought I'd find Rex here, but instead I found something else.
The question was, had she had Rex here originally? The strands of long red hair stuck in the rope made me think otherwise. Someone had held Juliette captive in her own house. And then they'd moved her.
Juliette Dowd was missing. And to my complete surprise, I wasn't responsible for it.
CHAPTER TWELVE
My cell buzzed. I looked around to make sure I was alone, which made me feel a little silly because, of course I was. I certainly wasn't inhibited by Juliette Dowd's presence.
I didn't recognize the number but answered anyway.
"Hey, Mrs. Wrath." Bart's monotone slacker voice floated into my ear.
"Bart?" I frowned at the cell. "Is something wrong? Are the animals alright?"
"Yeah. I just wanted to know if I can eat some of your chips." I heard explosions in the background, which had to be a movie.
There was no time to quiz him. "Eat whatever you want. Have to go. Bye." I hung up.
Poor kid. I hadn't told him he could eat. At least he'd asked. That was refreshing. My girls usually attacked
any food laid out like a swarm of pyromaniac locusts.
My cell buzzed again.
"Can I have something to drink?" Bart asked. "We didn't specify beverages when you said I could eat what I wanted."
My patience was starting to wear thin. "As long as it's not alcohol, knock yourself out. Now I really have to go."
"Whatever," he said before hanging up.
I poked around the basement to look for clues, and because I could. Who knew what that woman had here? Everything was neatly displayed in boxes on shelves. What did I expect? The skulls of her enemies? Weapons of mass destruction? Volleyballs?
Sadly, all I could find were boxes of Girl Scout brochures. Either she worked from home, or she was stealing marketing supplies from the council. It didn't matter, because at least she didn't have a box labeled Ways to Destroy Merry Wrath.
Now what? I'd promised Ted I'd let the police know when I stumbled onto something. I didn't want to interrupt him if he was still with Vy Todd, so I texted to tell him what I'd found at Juliette's house, without explaining why I was here.
My cell buzzed. Grrrr…
"Bart! I don't care if you eat the silverware!" I shouted.
"Merry?" Linda asked.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, Linda. My pet sitter has been calling me every five minutes…"
She interrupted, "Never mind that. Can you come to my condo?"
I assured her that I could and fled the scene just as I heard sirens in the distance. I left the door unlocked so they could get in without any trouble, because I was helpful like that.
My old teacher answered on the first knock. "I have the whole clue unscrambled. I'm working on the crossword now, but it's harder than the last one and will take a little longer."
"What's the clue?"
"We knew it would have the words something borrowed in it," Linda said as she led me to the kitchen table, "which made it easier. Here's what it says,"
There will be no honeymoon tomorrow…Let's turn next to Something Borrowed.
A jolt of pain shot through me. Was the killer saying that Rex could die tomorrow?
"We're running out of time," I croaked.
Linda nodded. "Well then, I'd better get back to work."
This crossword puzzle looked like the other. Linda had done an amazing job and was more than halfway done.
"Can I help? Like last time?"
She took in my begging eyes and offered, "I don't know. You're welcome to look at the clues I haven't crossed out yet."
Leaning over her shoulder, I tried to make sense of the one- and two-word clues. This really wasn't my thing. Who knew I'd need to know how to solve crosswords to save my fiancé's life?
Like the other puzzle, this one probably had numbers written out as words—which would make the clue extra long. I watched for a while but started to get agitated. It drove me nuts that I was so helpless.
Why couldn't the killer have just taken out a billboard announcing where Rex was? That would be convenient and very nice of him. Instead, we were worrying ourselves sick over these puzzles. Well, I was.
"The clues are getting harder," Linda explained after my fifth or forty-seventh pity sigh. She pointed to number three across. "The answer has five letters, all of which are highlighted, and I've tried a number of options."
Something popped into my head. "Class?"
Linda wrote it down. "I think my brain is beginning to give out on me. I should've caught that."
"Does that mean the word class is part of the clue?" I asked eagerly.
"I don't know. Remember, all the letters in the highlighted boxes have to be unscrambled. We won't know until the end. Chances are"—she gave me a small smile—"it isn't."
I pulled up a chair and sat down. "You know, I haven't thanked you for all of this."
Linda put her hand over mine. It felt like a hug. "I'm happy to help. This is something I can do. Besides, I haven't had this much adventure in years."
"Do you miss teaching?"
She looked off into space for a moment. "I do, and I don't. I miss the kids like you. The ones who made a difference. I miss the kids I was able to help—the kids who needed it the most. But that was a long time ago. I'm happy where I am right now."
I put my hand over hers. "Well, you made a difference in my life then, and now."
Linda laughed. "Wait to thank me when we have your handsome detective back."
My cell buzzed for what felt like the hundredth time today. It was Riley.
"Merry?" he asked. "Can you come down to my office? I might have something."
"Are you good to go here? I can stay if you need me."
My teacher shook her head. "Go. I'll call when I have this solved."
I said good-bye to Linda and headed out.
* * *
"Did you find something?" I asked as I pushed the door open.
Riley looked up from a bunch of papers and frowned. "I don't know. It's kind of confusing."
I sat next to him and immediately recognized the pages as satellite surveillance images.
"You called in a favor?"
He nodded. "I have a contact who sent these. They're Lana's movements since she was released. I guess they put a tracker in her last meal. I'm surprised it hasn't passed out of her system yet."
"Yeah," I said a little snappishly. "That's interesting and all, but I don't care about her digestion. Is she in the US or what?"
"I guess the answer to that is or what," he said.
He pointed to a map that spanned her movements over the last forty-eight hours.
"She's been to Paris, Beijing, and Hawaii in two days?" I scowled. "That's not right."
Riley sighed. "It's the latest technology. It's one hundred percent accurate."
"But that makes no sense," I insisted. "It takes hours to fly from one of those places to the other. I doubt it's possible."
"Technically." Riley rubbed his eyes. "In answer to your question, she is in the US since she's in Hawaii."
"She could be anywhere," I complained. "I don't think this is her. They must've found the tracker and are screwing with the satellite download."
He nodded. "And Leiko hasn't turned up. But there have been sightings in three countries already."
"So she could be anywhere too." I ran my hands through my hair."
My cell went off. I thought about throwing it across the room. It was Bart's number.
"Yes?" I sighed as I answered.
"Yeah, Mrs. Wrath?" Bart's monotone never strayed. "There are two really old people here. They said they're checking on the animals. Said they're your parents, but I'm not sure. Should I ask for ID?"
"Hand the phone to the woman." I waited a second until I heard my mother's voice. "Sorry, Mom. I hired Betty's brother to keep an eye on the animals while I'm running around town."
"It's okay, kiddo!" she said cheerily. "I just wanted to let you know we have to go back to DC. The Senate is calling for an important vote, and your dad wants to be there."
"Do you need me to give you a ride to the airport?" I felt guilty hoping the answer would be no.
"Absolutely not. I'm sorry to be leaving you at this time. I can stay if you'd like." Worry hung heavy in her voice.
"Go home with Dad. I've got this," I lied.
She wasn't buying it. "Are you sure, kiddo? Because I can stay…"
"Mom," I insisted. "Go home. There's nothing you can do. I'm grateful you've been here all this time, but I've got all kinds of people helping me. I promise you'll be the first to know when we find Rex."
We said our good-byes, and Mom promised to call once they were home.
I turned to Riley. "Where does this leave us?"
"We have to do some surveillance."
I filled him in on Juliette's disappearance. "Do you think this is all connected?"
"How could it not be?" Riley mused. "Rex and Juliette are connected to each other and to you. I just don't understand why they kidnapped her. She said she was searching Rex's house for evide
nce that you took him, right?"
I nodded. "Do you think she found something that made the killer take notice?"
"What could she find at Rex's house?" He stared into space.
I shrugged. "I don't even know if that's where they took him from or if it was somewhere else." With a shock, I remembered, "He called me! Well, his cell did. There was no voice on the other end."
Riley frowned. "Either the killer is taunting you…"
I finished his sentence. "…or Rex was able to get free to call."
"I can ping his phone." Riley jumped up and ran to his computer. "Cell phone towers! They record where and when a call is made. We know the when and to whom. Hand me your phone!"
I handed it over and looked over his shoulder at the monitor. "Isn't this information hard to get? Don't you need a court order?"
He shook his head, "I've hacked into their system. Now, what provider does Rex use, and what's the cell number?"
After I gave him the info, Riley plugged it in, and suddenly the screen was filled with phone numbers. We located Rex's. He'd only used the phone once since he'd been taken. Would this lead us to Rex?
My stomach flip-flopped, and my palms began to sweat. We could find him today! By the end of today, I could have Rex in my arms, surrounded by the dead person or persons who took him!
"Where did it ping?" I asked as I vibrated in place.
Riley wrote down an address and grabbed his coat. He locked the door, and we climbed into my van, racing toward the corner of Brown Street and Twelfth Avenue.
"By the way," I said as I drove way too quickly, "they found Vy's fingerprints in your house where the body was found."
Riley looked startled. "She was in my house? No. That's impossible. I reviewed the surveillance tape."
I slammed on the brakes and turned to him. "You have hidden video and didn't tell me?"
He held up his hands defensively. "There's nothing on it. One second there's nothing, and then there's a blip and Bobby Ray's body just sort of appears."
I hit the gas and launched the van almost into the air. "Crap."
"Someone tampered with the digital recording when they were at my house."
Marriage Vow Murder Page 10
