Murder in D Minor Boxed Set

by Virginia Smith

  Alex released Nicky with a forward shove. The girl stumbled, but then ran to throw her arms around Caitlin. Her sobs grew loud.

  “Shut up,” Alex told her, and waved the gun in their direction.

  His gaze circled the room and came to rest on her shopping bags piled on the dresser. One long stride took him there, where he snatched up one of the bags. The one from Good Things In Wax. He turned to the bed and dumped the contents on the mattress.

  Alex’s expression became hard, his eyes glittering like a crazed animal. “Unwrap them.”

  Fresh fear seized Caitlin by the throat. He thought she still had the Forbidden Fantasy candle. What would he do when he discovered she didn’t? She slowly released Nicky and went to the bed. With trembling hands, she unwrapped a candle. Green Apple.

  “Not that one,” he snapped. “The other one.”

  Her throat completely dry, she tried to swallow as she peeled the wrapping off the second jar.

  When Alex caught sight of the creamy, white vanilla candle, a foul string of words dirtied the air. He crossed the space between them in a single step and shoved the gun beneath her chin, forcing her head back until she looked him in the eye. Blood pounded in Caitlin’s ears as her sight went dim with terror.

  His growled whisper was as foul as his cursing. “Where is the purple candle Chase gave you?”

  “I—I don’t have it.” Cold gun metal brutalized the soft skin at the top of her neck. “I didn’t like the smell, so Chase took it back.”

  For one second, silence pressed against her ears while his eyes burned into hers. Then Alex started to laugh.

  “Willie broke into your car to get that candle. When it wasn’t there, I tried to send him after you, but he wouldn’t go.” He backed up, shaking his head. “He’s dead, you know. I killed him because he refused. Turns out the effort would have been futile anyway. I killed a man because of something you never had.”

  He killed Willie?

  The temperature in Caitlin’s core dropped to freezing. Alex was not just a kidnapper. He was a killer.

  And he’s going to kill us.

  Nicky, eyes wide with terror, began to shriek. The sound sliced through the hush in the room and echoed off the walls. Alex sprinted the few feet between them.

  “Shut up!” His hand drew back, and before Caitlin could reach them, he slapped her across the face. The force of his blow knocked her sideways against the bed. The shrieking stopped.

  Caitlin dropped to the bed, using her body as a shield. She stared with horror at Alex. “You’re a monster.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You’d do well to keep that in mind.”

  Jenkins slipped his cell phone back in the case on his belt. He was getting nowhere questioning Graham here in the hospital, especially not with the man’s wife clutching his arm, her face full of anguish. And he was about to level another blow on her.

  I hate this part of the job.

  He crossed the room and stood in front of Graham’s chair, forcing the man to look up at him. “Are you acquainted with a woman named Caitlin Saylor?”

  Graham’s wife released his arm and leaped to her feet. “Yes. We met her yesterday. She’s a flute teacher from Kentucky, and she was nice enough to give our daughter a couple of lessons.” Mrs. Graham clutched her cell phone in her hand. “I was just going to call her when you arrived. Nicky is with her now, and I was supposed to pick them up at four, but when Drew—” She stopped. Her stricken gaze traveled to the closed doors to the surgery hall.

  Jenkins couldn’t look at her. Instead, he stared at Graham. “And how well do you know Alex Young?”

  The man’s expression grew guarded. “Not well. We’ve had a few business dealings.”

  Jenkins kept his voice dry. “So I understand.” He turned to Mrs. Graham and spoke softly. “Ma’am, I hate to bring you even more bad news, but I’ve just discovered that Miss Saylor and your daughter may be missing.” He looked back at Graham, waiting for the man’s reaction to his next revelation. “And so is Alex Young.”

  Graham’s response was everything Jenkins could have hoped for. He reared backward in the chair, a look of horror stealing over his features. In the next instant he was on his feet, both hands on Jenkins’s arm in a bruising grip.

  “You’ve got to find them! Alex Young is a murderer. You’ve got to find him before he hurts my daughter.”

  Mrs. Graham gasped, and wilted. Jenkins caught her just before she hit the floor.

  Chase’s pickup screeched to a halt in front of the middle school. Not a soul in sight. One car in the parking lot, but no driver. And nobody waiting for a ride.

  He shoved the gearshift into Park and jumped out without turning the engine off. The doors to the school were locked.

  “Is anybody in there?” His fists beat on the glass while he stared down the deserted hallway. “Come on, somebody’s got to be in there.”

  A head poked out of the office doorway on the left. Older, but familiar. The vice principal.

  “Mr. Traxel!” Chase threw his weight against the locked handle. “Open up. I need to talk to you.”

  The man came to the door and after a moment of studying Chase through the window, opened it from the inside. Chase grabbed the door and jerked it toward him.

  “I remember you.” Mr. Traxel pointed a finger in his face. “Hollister, right?”

  “Yes, sir. I’m looking for someone, a woman. She was here earlier with one of your students, Nicky Graham.”

  His face brightened. “Ah, Nicky. Bright girl. Plays in the band. We’re having a concert here tonight, you know.”

  Chase forced himself to reply politely. “Yes, sir, I know. My friend, a blond lady, was helping Nicky with her flute here this afternoon. Did you happen to see them?”

  “I did, in fact. They were in the gymnasium practicing. But they left quite a while ago.”

  “How long?”

  Mr. Traxel glanced at his watch. “At least an hour.”

  Chase dropped his chin to his chest. Caitlin had called his mom forty-five minutes ago. Mr. Traxel’s information was of no help at all.

  He spun around. “Thanks anyway, sir.”

  On his way back to the truck, he spied something in the grass. Something pink. He stooped to examine it. A cell phone.

  Could it be …

  He snatched his own and dialed Caitlin’s number.

  The pink one rang.

  He scooped it up and dashed to the pickup. Once inside, he scanned the previous calls on his cell phone for Jenkins’s number, then pressed redial as he pulled away from the curb.

  The detective answered immediately. “Hollister, what part of ‘do not leave the property’ don’t you understand? My deputy said you ran out of there saying something about bringing me Young’s file.”

  “I have it.” Chase glanced at the folder on the seat beside him. “But I decided to swing by the middle school on the way, just to see if maybe they were still here.”

  The middle school was in the opposite direction from the hospital, but the detective didn’t question his explanation. “And?”

  “The vice principal saw Caitlin and Nicky here about an hour ago, but he didn’t see them leave. I found Caitlin’s cell phone. It was in the grass near the front of the school.”

  “Tell me you didn’t pick it up.”

  Chase slapped a hand on the steering wheel. He’d been so caught up in tracking Caitlin down, he’d forgotten not to touch the evidence. “Yeah, I did.”

  A loud sigh sounded in his ear. “This is why I can’t stand civilians getting involved in my investigations.”

  Chase could have kicked himself. “Sorry, Detective.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “Turning onto Washington Street, on my way to the hospital.”

  “Turn around. I’m heading for the station. I’ll be there in five minutes and I want that file on my desk waiting for me.”

  Chase flipped on his turn signal in preparation for a U-turn. “Yes, s
ir.”

  If only someone would step into the hall in time to see Alex shove a sniffling Nicky toward the exit. Caitlin stayed close to her, afraid to let go of Nicky’s hand for fear she’d begin screaming again. No telling how Alex would react. Droplets of blood splattered the front of the girl’s shirt from his vicious slap, and both lips were split and swollen at one edge.

  At the end of the hallway, Alex cracked the exit door and stuck his head out. “Come on.”

  Nicky sobbed as he yanked her through. Caitlin stumbled over the doorjamb in her attempt to keep up. At the car, Alex shoved Nicky inside, the gun still trained on her. With a glance at Caitlin, he jerked his head toward the rear. “Get in. Same place as before.”

  He wasn’t even pretending to be nice anymore. The revelation that she didn’t have the Forbidden Fantasy candle, that she’d never had it, had peeled away the thin veneer of charm he’d assumed earlier. A lump of cold fear grew in her middle. An image of the deliveryman she’d met yesterday, Willie, rose in her mind. Alex had killed him. She had to assume he wouldn’t hesitate to kill again.

  She climbed into the backseat and slid to the center.

  As Alex navigated through the parking lot, a family exited the hotel’s front entrance. Husband, wife, two young boys. Caitlin eyed the door beside her.

  She could punch the automatic lock, open the handle, and roll out of the car, screaming for help. They weren’t going very fast. It might spook Alex long enough for her to get away.

  But what about Nicky?

  Could Caitlin convey her plan in time? If she shouted at Nicky to run now, would the girl be able to react quickly enough to escape along with her? What if Caitlin got out, but Alex sped off with Nicky still in his car?

  At that moment, Nicky’s hand crept backward toward her. Caitlin grabbed it and returned the girl’s desperate grip. All thoughts of escaping on her own evaporated. She couldn’t risk leaving Nicky. Who knew what Alex would do to the child before the police caught up with him? If they caught up with him.

  The car pulled from the parking lot onto the main road and gained speed. They were heading away from town. Caitlin took a last look out the back window at the family leaving the hotel.

  A sob caught in her throat. Would she ever have the family she’d always longed for? She closed her eyes, and Chase’s face was so clear she almost felt she could reach out and touch him. Or better yet, step into his warm embrace. She would be safe there. Even though she’d only known him for a day and a half, Caitlin knew Chase would keep her safe if he could.

  But Chase couldn’t help her. She was at the mercy of the monster in the front seat.

  “Where are we going now?”

  His eyes flashed in the rearview mirror. “Just shut up. I have to think.”

  Nicky squeezed her hand. The girl was trembling. Caitlin didn’t feel too steady herself. She had no comfort to offer Nicky, no strength on which the girl could rely.

  “My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” One of her memory verses from vacation bible school years ago floated through her mind.

  Alex’s voice sliced into her thoughts. “It was about time to blow this town anyway, I guess. Things are getting too hot around here. A shame, though.” His head turned as he looked toward Nicky. “Your daddy and me, we’ve made some good money in the past year.”

  Nicky’s head jerked sideways, eyes round as melons. A fresh drop of blood had seeped from the cut on her lip. It glistened on her chin.

  “Don’t listen to him, Nicky.” Caitlin glared into the mirror.

  He caught her glance and laughed. “Yeah, that’s right, kid. Your old man is a business associate of mine. You didn’t know that, did you? We’ve had a good thing going with those Forbidden Fantasy candles. But I guess it was inevitable that someone would find us out sooner or later.”

  “Stop it, Alex.” Caitlin made her voice as stern as she dared.

  “What do you mean?” Nicky’s voice wavered.

  “Heroin. Your daddy’s a dirty old drug dealer, little girl.”

  Caitlin squeezed Nicky’s hand. The poor, poor girl.

  Angry splotches of red stained Nicky’s face. “I don’t believe you.”

  His shoulders heaved with a laugh. “Believe what you want, kid. I don’t care one way or another. Oh, it wasn’t his idea. I’ll take credit for that brainstorm. But he jumped at the chance when I laid it out for him.”

  Nicky’s expression went stony. She released Caitlin’s hand and faced forward.

  Caitlin connected again with Alex in the rearview, and she poured as much poison into her gaze as she could. Wasn’t it enough that he’d kidnapped and physically abused the girl? Did he have to be mentally cruel as well?

  Alex’s cold laugh filled the car. The hair on Caitlin’s arms rose. The man was evil. He had absolutely no sense of compassion at all.

  And this heartless man held their lives in his hands.

  EIGHTEEN

  Jenkins entered the small conference room where Ed Graham had been taken. Graham, slumped over the round table, jerked upright at Jenkins’s entrance.

  “Any word on my daughter?”

  The man’s reddened eyes had puffed up like a pair of blowfish. He looked ten years older than he had when they left the hospital twenty minutes ago. Jenkins almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

  He slapped a notepad on the table before he sat. “Not yet. We’ve activated the AMBER Alert system, and the state police are watching every road for Young’s car. I’ve got deputies combing this town. We’ll find her.”

  Graham gulped and nodded. “And my son. Will you tell me when he’s out of surgery?” His eyes begged.

  Jenkins pulled out a chair and lowered himself into it. “You’ve still got your cell phone, haven’t you?”

  Graham nodded.

  “I’ll let you take a call from your wife.”

  His head drooped forward. “She probably won’t call me.”

  Judging by the fury Jenkins had seen in her eyes when they left her at the hospital in the care of a female deputy, Graham might be right.

  “My deputy will call me.” He reached over and flipped on the digital recorder. “Just so you know, I’m recording this conversation. I’m going to use whatever you tell me. Not only to help find your daughter, but to put you behind bars. Do you understand?”

  Graham didn’t look up, but he nodded.

  “Out loud, please.”

  “Yes, I understand.”

  “Thank you. Now, tell me about the candles.”

  Graham lifted his head. “My wife and kids don’t know anything. You’ve got to believe that.”

  Jenkins spoke softly. “Apparently, your son knows something.”

  The man’s head shook so violently his hair tossed back and forth. “He didn’t get that stuff from me. There was a new guy in town, trying to sell to kids.”

  “Lancaster.”

  “Yeah, him. I found out about him from a couple of …” Graham gulped. “My clients. I told Alex he needed to go have a talk with the guy. Instead, Alex killed him.”

  Jenkins clicked his pen. He started an ink swirl on the pad, then asked, “How’d you get hooked up with Alex Young?”

  “He approached me a little over a year ago.” Graham sat back in the chair. “Came into the store, said he’d just moved to town from Phoenix. We met for drinks a couple of times. Then one night he told me his idea about the candles. He said he had some contacts out west who could get black tar heroin direct from Mexico.”

  Jenkins set his teeth together. “Go on.”

  “He said planting heroin in candles would be easy. Just melt the wax, shove in a sealed foil pouch, and wait for the candle to harden. But the more we talked about it, we realized we couldn’t use just any candle. They’d have to be special candles, removed from inventory and held in the back until someone asked specifically for them. That way, an innocent person wouldn’t get hold of one by mistake. Also, it would have to be a da
rk candle you couldn’t see through.

  “At first it was just beer talk, you know? Just a crazy scheme he’d dreamed up, something to pass the time over a pitcher or two.” He laid his hands flat on the table, fingers splayed, and stared at them. “Or, that’s what I thought. Then that dead guy turned up in the park last year.”

  Jenkins straightened. “Kevin Duncan?”

  Graham nodded. “About a month later, Alex came into the store and told me things were falling into place. He’d been given the dead man’s job at Good Things In Wax, and started the ball rolling. I was going to get a call from someone there with a deal to manufacture an exclusive scent just for my store.”

  “Did he admit to killing Duncan?”

  “Not in so many words.” Graham met his gaze and held it. “But I know he did. He mentioned teaching the guy a lesson about being uncooperative. I think he must have approached him with the scheme, and Duncan refused. So he killed him to keep him quiet, and to take his place at the factory. He shot him up with heroin first to make it look like he was a user.”

  Jenkins’s pen circled over an inky bull’s eye he’d doodled on the paper. What do you know? Hollister may have been right about his buddy all along.

  “You’ve got to find him, Detective.” Desperation made his voice husky. “Before he hurts my little girl.”

  “I understand you received a shipment of loaded candles from Good Things In Wax yesterday. Where are they?”

  Graham hesitated only a moment. “They’re over at my place. We’ve got a half acre of uncleared land in the backyard, and there’s an old lean-to back there. I stashed the candles there this morning, after Alex called and told me he wasn’t able to recover one that went missing yesterday at the factory. Hollister gave it to that flute teacher.”

  Jenkins nodded. “So, are you saying Young broke into Miss Saylor’s car last night to try to get the candle back?”

  “No, Willie Evans did that.” Graham dug at his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “He’s the other person who’s in on the deal. He used to be one of my, uh, customers. When Alex heard Hollister’s company was looking to hire a driver, he figured it would be good to have another man on the inside there. He asked me if I knew of someone we could trust, and that’s how Willie got the job at the factory. He’s an addict, but he keeps it under control enough to do his job. And he’ll do just about anything in return for a couple of free fixes.”