Killer Reads: A Collection of the Best in Inspirational Suspense

by Luana Ehrlich

  The screen flashed a picture from Cook’s driver’s license, followed by an aerial view of the construction site.

  The report continued.

  “Cook had been employed as a groundskeeper at the retreat, formerly located on the property. We’ll keep you updated as this story develops.”

  The newscast had Terry Hall’s name all over it.

  Matt reached for the phone and punched in Doug Anderson’s number. He answered with, “I heard it a few minutes ago.”

  Matt couldn’t quell the anger in his voice. “Doug, I’m beyond livid. You know as well as I do the story came from Terrance Hall. This is the reason I didn’t want him in the loop. The story is premature and it’s a distraction we don’t need.”

  “Calm down, Matt. I’ll handle it.”

  “Calm down! I promised the governor I would keep him informed. Now he gets this in the news. There’s no proof Cook was responsible. Now, I have to tell Ferrell this is a bunch of BS and it leaked from my department.”

  “I said I’ll take care of it, Matt,” Doug said. “It won’t happen again. That’s a promise.”

  Matt slammed down the phone and tried to pace off the rage that surged through his system. He took five deep breaths before his blood pressure returned to normal. Bad information was out there. He couldn’t erase it. All he could do was damage control.

  He picked up the phone again to contact Blain Stanton.

  CHAPTER 24

  Twin Falls Police Station

  A crowd of reporters waited in front of the station when Matt arrived. He drove to the back entrance. Wading through the media hounds yelling questions would do no good. He couldn’t call out Terrance Hall for putting out bad, or at best, incomplete information.

  He found Hunter and Davis waiting outside his office.

  “Where’d that news story come from?” Davis asked.

  “You don’t want to know.” Matt unlocked the door and waved them inside.

  Davis took a seat then leaned forward with a grin. “It looks like the news media got it wrong...again. We spoke to Cook’s buddy yesterday. Cook came into some big bucks right after Penny Pryor disappeared. He bought land, a truck and built a house on the property. Quite a status change for a guy making minimum wage. It also tells us that whoever the killer is, he or she has some serious money.”

  “He was blackmailing the killer,” Matt said. It was a statement not a question.

  Davis nodded. “That’s my guess. The timing is too coincidental.”

  “You checked out his bank statements?” Matt asked.

  “We’re ahead of you, Boss,” Davis said. “We went through about six years of statements Cook had stuffed into a drawer in his home. He had steady cash deposits of three thousand dollars a month, plus his social security check. My guess is one big payoff with monthly installments.”

  Matt sat on the corner of his desk. “Bank records from all the suspects to see who pulled that kind of money on a monthly basis might solve this case.”

  Hunter growled, “And to do that, we’ll have to get warrants. Don’t think we have grounds for that.”

  “I know, but if you guys come up with an easier solution, go for it.”

  “We’ll try to get a warrant on the top two suspects and pray for a judge who isn’t big on the right to privacy,” Davis said.

  Hunter stood and pushed back his chair. “I love to go through other people’s financial records. Lets me see how the affluent half lives.”

  After the detectives left his office, Matt picked up the phone and brought Doug up to speed.

  Sara Bradford’s Home

  Sara spent the first hour of Thursday morning on the phone with Pastor Davidson, arranging enrollment for Danny and Poppy in the church school. She’d found their inoculation records and birth certificates when she brought clothes from the Campbell home. Now, she needed to buy school uniforms before tomorrow. A top priority on her to-do list.

  School would help to keep their minds off the loss of their family, at least for a little while. Nothing could erase that pain, but getting into a routine would be a start towards putting their lives back together. When she’d disconnected from the pastor, the phone rang.

  “You free for lunch?” Jane Haskell’s cheery voice greeted her.

  “I’m free, and I’d love to. I need to do some shopping in town. How about The Tea Shoppe on the square?”

  “Sounds great. See you at 11:30.” Her secretary’s voice hinted this wouldn’t be just a social luncheon.

  The Tea Shoppe

  Sara pulled into a spot in front of the whitewashed brick building that housed The Tea Shoppe. Laura Ashley window treatments and table settings catered to female clientele. She could never imagine a man in this feminine environment.

  Jane breezed through the doorway looking like a ray of autumn sunlight in a red A-line dress, topped with a fall-hued scarf. “Hey, Sara, I wasn’t sure you were here. Didn’t see your car.”

  “I’m in the blue sedan, two cars down from you.”

  “Why would you trade your dream car for that?”

  Before Sara could reply, the waitress approached.

  Sara scanned the menu. “Bring us the sandwich assortment.” She glanced at Jane, who nodded. “And Earl Grey for me.”

  “And add a few scones and lemon tea cakes,” Jane added.

  When the server had gone, Jane turned to Sara. “Now, tell me about your car.”

  She couldn’t give Jane the facts about the lake incident, at least for now. It still frightened her to think about it. “It’s out of commission for a while.” She hadn’t lied, exactly. It was out of commission. Permanently. “So, how are things at work after the explosion?”

  “Everyone’s still a little shook up, but the place seems to run like a well-oiled machine. The old ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’ spirit prevailed. Roger had the minions bring in a crew to get the place in order. I heard the battery exploded, and you were almost killed.”

  Sara shrugged. “As you can see, I’m fine. The police are still looking into the explosion.” She’d become a master at evading the truth.

  Jane sat, wide-eyed. “I worried about you until Don told me the hospital released you. There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about. I heard what happened with Roger. When I saw the boxes in your office, I knew the rumor was true.”

  Sara fought the urge to let her mouth drop open. “How could you know that? Is the executive suite bugged?”

  “There no secrets at Global.” Jane chuckled. “You should know that by now.”

  The conversation was interrupted when their lunch arrived. After the waitress left, Sara stared across the table at Jane. “Well, I know it now. Please, keep this to yourself. I don’t want my people to become upset. I’ll be in Monday to tell them about the job change. At least, I hope Roger will allow me to do that.”

  Her secretary’s eyes took on an excited twinkle. “Sara, I have information that will guarantee you walk away from Global with a golden parachute.”

  Sara patted her hand. “Don’t worry about me, Jane. If I’m terminated, I’m sure they’ll give me a severance package of some kind. Besides, I won’t have to worry for a while. I haven’t touched Josh’s life insurance money.”

  Jane shook her head. “Be quiet for a minute. Listen to what I have to tell you. A few months ago, I attended a party with the personnel director, who was quite...” Jane hesitated, “Drunk to put it bluntly. She let slip that Global could be in a lot of trouble with EEOC if they ever checked her records. It seems there is some disparity in the salaries between men and women. So yesterday, I hacked into the payroll records.”

  Sara almost spewed tea from her nose. “You did what...how?”

  Jane munched a bite of her sandwich and held her hand up. “Don’t get your tidy-whities in a bunch. My dad sold software for a living. I cut my teeth on a keyboard. I felt justified after the way Roger treated you.”

  “Jane, you can’t―”
>
  “I can, and I did, girlfriend. Now let me finish. You know Chance Cummings came in as an intern the same time you did.”

  Sara nodded, afraid to hear what would follow.

  Jane lowered her voice. “What you don’t know, is that they brought Chance on board for ten thousand more per year than your starting salary. The gap between his and your pay range has grown larger, even though you have more people and more responsibility. Why? Because he’s male and one of Roger’s chosen few. You can sue for enough to keep you in champagne and Chanel for a very long time.”

  The tea in Sara’s mouth turned bitter. She held up a finger. “You risked your job to help me, which I appreciate. But I would never file a discrimination suit against Global. I don’t approve of what they did. However, I agreed to work for the sum Global offered me. The firm gave me a fair wage. I can’t complain now because they offered someone else more who happened to be male.”

  Jane rolled her eyes. “Girlfriend, you need a keeper. When you find another job, you need to hire me. Somebody has to keep this little lamb from being sheared.”

  Sara sunk back against the chair. “I guess it’s a deal. Somebody has to keep you out of jail for hacking into confidential records.”

  Collin Creek Mall

  When Sara left the Tea Shoppe, she picked up Poppy and Danny for a shopping trip to buy their school uniforms. Excited chatter and questions about the uniforms filled the car on the way to the mall. Sara experienced the same thrill with the new responsibilities of motherhood. The winter uniforms were adorable, with a green, gray and purple plaid skirt, white sweater, and green blazer for Poppy. Dark gray slacks, white turtleneck sweater and green blazer for Danny. Sewing the school emblem on the jackets would be a new skill, but Beatrice was handy with a needle. She would help.

  Sara left the store with four large bags and the two children in tow when her cell phone rang. Maneuvering the bags as she fished out the phone, she guided the kids to a nearby seating lounge.

  The caller ID reflected the name of the church secretary. “Sara, you remember the sleeping bag the detectives wanted? We found it.”

  “When? Where?” She glanced around to make sure the kids were close.

  “Today. Someone had returned it to the sales tables upstairs where one of the workers bought it for her son. She’s returning it here in about an hour.”

  “That’s wonderful news. Tell her to bring it to you. Please hold on to it until I can contact the detectives. They’ll be happy to hear it turned up.”

  After such a long time, she wasn’t sure how meaningful the sleeping bag would be, but if it could help the police find Penny’s killer, so be it. There could have been thousands sold in sport shops across the country.

  After returning the phone back to her handbag, she gathered the shopping bags and headed to the exit.

  “Sara, it’s the chief!” Danny shouted as he dashed to meet Matt Foley headed in their direction.

  He picked up the boy and joined them.

  “What are you doing here? Are you following me?”

  He responded with a raised eyebrow. “Hardly. I don’t have time to act as personal bodyguard. One of the department stores had a shoplifting complaint. I was close and took the call. A fourteen-year-old girl. The kid’s first offense, and the store manager agreed to let me give her a warning. Since she’s so young, I didn’t want her to get a record.”

  He grinned. “I’ll probably live to regret it. Why are you here?”

  “School uniforms for my new charges. They start tomorrow.”

  His being here would save her a call. “The church found the missing sleeping bag. The church secretary is holding on to it. Would you let Detective Davis know?”

  “I’ll do better than that. I’ll pick it up on my way back to the station. You headed home?”

  “We were just leaving when I got the call,” she said.

  “Good.” He took possession of the packages. “I’ll follow you home then stop by the church.”

  Sara Bradford’s Home

  Danny and Poppy finished their favorite breakfast of buttered biscuits and chocolate syrup. Not the most healthy diet, but today was special. She wanted to make it as easy as possible for them on their first day at a new school. A small concession to ease their anxiety.

  The other kids were bound to ask questions that would be painful for them to answer.

  Sara sent Danny off to brush his teeth, then followed Poppy to assist with her dental hygiene and to help her dress.

  Poppy twirled around in her new finery, admiring her reflection in the mirror. “Do I look pretty, Sara? I hope so. I want to be pretty, just like you.”

  Sara pulled her into a hug. “Kitten, when you get older, you’ll make me look like the Wicked Witch of the North.”

  A smile lit her tiny face. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  On the drive to school, the children were silent, watching out the car windows. A white Chevy followed too close on her bumper, distracting her from the road. She tapped her breaks. The driver backed off and she brought her attention back to her driving.

  Poppy seemed nervous about school. Facing an unknown experience for the first time. Her insecurities were an issue Sara intended to work on. But Danny would handle it well. Already a pro, since this was his second year.

  Sara pulled into a parking space, got out, and released Poppy from her car seat. Danny had already unfastened his and opened the door.

  She walked Danny to his class, then Poppy to her Pre-K 4 class. Outside the door, Poppy looked up at her with wide, teary eyes. “Sara, c-can I stay with you?”

  Kneeling down to Poppy’s level, Sara took both of the child’s hands in her own. “I tell you what, Kitten. Let’s give this a week. Then, if you still don’t like it, I’ll homeschool you. Just give it a try. Many of the children in your class you already know from Sunday school. Okay?”

  Poppy gave an uncertain nod.

  Sara kissed the top of her head. “Good girl.”

  After she’d introduced Poppy to her teacher, Sara handed over the school supplies and walked away, blinking back the tears that threatened.

  CHAPTER 25

  Twin Falls Baptist Church

  Late Friday evening, Sara sat at the pastor’s desk finalizing the receipts from the garage sale. The quiet after everyone left felt a little creepy, but she pushed it out of her mind. Nerves reacting to the tribulation of the past weeks.

  She leaned back in Pastor Davidson’s chair. A neck cramp made her wince and she massaged it until the tension eased. Parenthood required an enormous amount of energy, especially since she was new at it. To ease the cramp, she moved her head in circles, first right, then left. The exercise worked, relaxing the muscles.

  She took a quick glance at her watch. If she hurried, she could get home in time for dinner with the family.

  After she counted the money and filled out the deposit slip, she placed the checks and cash inside a moneybag, and smiled. This year’s fundraiser had been a huge success. They’d earned enough to pay for summer camp for the church member’s children, and to finance the trip for a number of bus kids.

  After zipping the bag, she placed it into the middle desk drawer. Mission accomplished, she dialed Matt’s number as he’d instructed, to have a patrol car escort her home. He would be upset if she didn’t.

  Feeling a bit foolish, she punched in the station number. “Hi, this is Sara Bradford. Chief Foley told me to call and ask for an escort home.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  Great. New man on the desk. She repeated the request.

  “Sorry, ma’am, I can’t do that without instructions directly from the chief.”

  “Can you contact him? He left instructions at the desk...never mind. I’ll call him myself.”

  She disconnected and dialed Matt’s cell number. The call went to voicemail. Fingers drumming on the desk, she considered her next move. If she didn’t reach Matt soon, she’d miss dinner with the
kids.

  She could make the call from her car. If she didn’t reach him, when he saw her number on his caller ID, he’d call her back.

  While waiting, she autodialed home. Maddie’s soft hello sounded through the connection.

  “Hi, how’d the afternoon go with the children?” Sara asked.

  “So far, great. We’ve managed to keep them occupied. You need to pick up some educational toys and games.”

  “I know. That’s at the top of my to-do list.” She fumbled for the car keys in her handbag. “Wanted to let you know I’m leaving the church now. See you in a bit.” She disconnected the call, then tried Matt’s number again.

  Still no answer. Where could he be? She dropped the phone into her sweater pocket and closed the office door.

  The air bit cold and crisp through the thin layer of her clothing and she hurried to her car. A blue-northern had blown in late that afternoon and dropped temperatures to the low thirties. She sucked the cold air into her lungs, enjoying its freshness and the smell of pine that rode in on the brisk breeze. The moon hung low, like a giant yellow balloon in the night sky, making the church steeple gleam white and pure in its brightness.

  She pressed the automatic unlock-button on her key fob then opened the door.

  The crunch of gravel on the pavement drew her attention. She tossed her handbag onto the carseat and turned.

  Before she completed the movement, a thousand sharp needles jabbed at the base of her skull, and a well of darkness sucked her down into its inky black depths.

  Outside Twin Falls, Texas

  Consciousness returned in bits and pieces. Sara’s eyelids seemed weighted and a wave of claustrophobic panic crashed over her. Total darkness surrounded her. Darkness so thick and impenetrable it pressed against her skin. Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe. Her mouth felt dry, as if stuffed with sand. She ran her tongue over cracked lips.