by Boone, Lisa
Using the tips of her fingers, she turned his face back towards her. “We will. Don’t worry.”
“Last night shouldn’t have happened,” he said softly. “I should have taken better care of you.” He brought her head forward until her forehead was resting against his. “From this point on, we stay together.”
She kissed him lightly. “Sounds good to me. Don’t worry, I’m sure everything’s going to be fine now. We’re getting so much closer to figuring out who Alex is. I know we’re on the right track now,” she said brightly, interjecting more confidence than she felt into her voice. She could see the worried look in his eyes and feel the tension running through his body and hated being the cause of it. She gave him another quick kiss. “I know it. Everything’s going to be fine.”
He didn’t say anything as he continued to stare at her. She was just about to open her mouth and try to reassure him again when he captured her lips in a deep passionate kiss.
A knock sounded against the door.
They broke apart slowly, reluctantly.
“I better see who that is,” Madison said, sliding off his lap.
He held onto her fingers for a moment, seemingly unwilling to let her go for even a second.
There was another knock against the doorframe.
“Ethan,” she said.
Turning his attention to the door, he said, “Who is it?”
“Sheriff Burrows.”
With a nod, Ethan released her fingers.
Madison pushed back her hair, trying her best to untangle it as she opened the door.
A big burly police officer stood on the other side. “Did they finally release you, ma’am?”
She motioned for the sheriff to follow her into the room. “They issued me a clean bill of health and said I’m free to go.”
“Good.”
“What about me?” Ethan asked. “Am I free?”
The sheriff nodded. “Yeah, don’t worry. As far as we’re concerned, it was a justified killing. The guy’s name was Eric Powell. Did twelve years in the penitentiary for rape.” His upper lip lifted in a snarl. “Got out on good behavior.”
Madison felt a cold chill go up her spine. “I heard that two girls were attacked a few nights ago. Is he the one who attacked them?”
Burrows causally laid his hand on his holster. “The young lady positively identified his body an hour ago. He was definitely the one who killed her friend and left her for dead.”
“Just out of curiosity,” Madison said, “when did he get out of prison?”
The Sheriff’s mouth tightened into a thin angry line. “December 28.”
Madison exchanged a glance with Ethan. “There’s no doubt about it then. He wasn’t Alex.”
The Sheriff looked at her in confusion.
“We thought he might have been someone we knew,” she explained.
“Who?” Bowers asked.
“Alex Abbott,” Ethan said.
“Or Sampson,” Madison added. “We’re not really sure what last name he usually goes by.”
“My deputy told me that you suspect that Alex Sampson killed Zach Winters, and set fire to the body shop. Is that right?”
“That’s right.”
“But you never saw the man who chased you out of the body shop?” When she shook her head, the sheriff, said, “So, you can’t swear it was Alex Sampson, correct?” Before she could answer, he said, “The fact is, Winters had a lot of enemies. Owed some very dangerous people a lot of money.”
“It was Alex, Sheriff,” Madison said firmly. “I’m absolutely positive. Were you able to save the body shop? Winters had a picture of Alex that we’d like to see. He said it was on a memory card.”
“I’m sorry, but if it was in that body shop, it’s nothing but ashes now.”
Madison sighed. “Have you ever seen Alex, Sheriff?”
Bowers snorted. “Alex Sampson’s sort of a boogeyman around these parts. Only a select few seem to know him or have even met him.”
“Well, he definitely exists,” she replied. “He killed a friend of mine and he’s—”
He held his hands up in a placating gesture. “I know he exists, but Allison and Neal both assure me that they haven’t seen Alex in years. Look, if you find out any information about him such as his current whereabouts let us know. I’d love to talk to him about Winters’ murder and a few other things that have been laid at his feet over the years, but until then, we’re going to focus on Winters’ known enemies. Sampson’s just not high on my list of suspects.”
“Did you find out anything about that other name I gave your deputies?” Madison asked. “Jamie Murphy. I’m pretty sure Alex is going by an alias and I’m just wondering if Jamie and he are the same guy.”
The sheriff nodded. “I took his picture to Allison and Neal this morning. They both said that they’ve never seen him before in their lives.”
Madison pursed her lips together. “Somehow, I doubt they would admit it if he was. They’ve been protecting Alex just like Todd did. Let their caretaker, Roger, see his picture. He’d tell you the truth.”
“I did. He said he’d have to see him with long black hair to know whether he’s Alex or not. Murphy had short blond hair when his mug shot was taken.
Ethan stood up with a quizzical look on his face. “Mug shot? What mug shot?”
“Murphy is a convicted felon.”
“What did he do?” Ethan asked.
“Murdered someone. Spent the last six years in prison for it. He got paroled in May.” The sheriff shook his head. “But unless you can tell me he was the one in the body shop last night, he’s not my concern.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
5:35 P.M.
Ethan knocked on the door to his own apartment and waited for Casey to finish unhitching the chain from the lock.
Casey smiled at them as he opened the door. He placed his hand on the doorjamb blocking entry, his whole body filling up the small doorframe. “Is there something I can do for you?”
Ethan nodded as he pushed against the other man’s chest. “Yes, get out of the way.” He placed his hand on the small of Madison’s back as he ushered her forward.
“I missed you too,” Casey said good-naturedly. “You look like crap, by the way.”
“Thanks,” Ethan said, depositing their bags by the door.
Casey closed the door and locked it. “You’re also late.”
“Traffic was a nightmare,” Madison said unbuttoning her coat. “Did you miss your plane?”
“Yeah,” Casey said, “but it’s okay. I scheduled a later flight.”
Ethan looked at Casey gratefully. “Hey, man, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t, it’s no problem.”
“I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything. You know that. Besides, Sarah’s a lot of fun. I’m going to drive her to her friend’s place tonight and make sure everything looks okay before I head off. Did you find what you were looking for?”
Ethan shrugged off his coat and hung it in the coat closet along with Madison’s. “We’re getting there.”
Madison turned her attention to the small bundle of fur that burst out of the kitchen and hurtled itself toward her, tongue hanging out, ears flopping. His whole body was vibrating in happiness.
She reached down to pick Rory up and was soon covered in kisses. “Well, I’m glad to see you too. Where’s Sarah?”
“She’s in the shower,” Casey answered. “She should be out soon.”
“Any news about Yvette’s murderer?” Ethan asked softly.
Casey pulled up the sleeves to his sweatshirt. “As of right now, they have no suspects, so I don’t think they’re after you.”
“That’s a relief,” Ethan said reaching out to run his hand down Rory’s fur.
“We need to talk to Detective Kim,” Madison said.
“Let’s wait until after New Year’s. We’ve told them as much as we can right now. Telling them I was at Yvette’s just before she died isn’t
really going to help them or us at the moment.”
Madison deposited a kiss on Rory’s head before setting him down on the floor. She watched with a smile as he ran to greet Ethan next. She turned to Casey. “How were things here?”
Casey rubbed his jaw and made a face. “Okay, I guess.”
Both Ethan and Madison froze. “What do you mean?”
“I think I can ID the guy you’re looking for. He’s been following us since you two left. He’s gone to work with us. He’s shopped with us. He’s followed us home. He even went on our date with Derek the other day.”
“You can describe him?” Madison asked at the same time Ethan laughed.
“You went on a date with Derek?” Ethan asked. “I didn’t know you two were that serious.”
Casey grinned. “Ah, poor Derek. I don’t think he had a very good time. I think he thought he would have Sarah all to his own.”
“Didn’t Sarah tell him why you were there?” Madison asked.
“Sure, she introduced us.” Casey pressed his hand to his heart. “But it wasn’t me making him nervous though. About half way through the meal, even Derek noticed our ever-present shadow. Couldn’t miss him. The guy wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he was watching every move we made. It was like he wanted us to know he was there.”
“What did you do?” Ethan asked.
“What could I do? You said not to let Sarah out of my sight, so I stuck by her side like glue.”
“You did the right thing,” Ethan assured him.
“I tried to scare him off. I did my best to intimidate him. Gave him my best death stare,” he said narrowing his eyes and snarling his upper lip. He shook his head as his handsome face returned to normal. “Had absolutely no effect. He just gave me his own death stare.” He shuddered dramatically. “Dude, the guy’s legitimately scary.”
“What did he look like?” Madison asked.
“About your age. Maybe a little younger. Blond hair, almost to his shoulders. Kind of scruffy looking. Hadn’t shaved in awhile.”
“Jamie,” Madison and Ethan said in unison.
Madison pulled out a chair from Ethan’s dining room table and sat down. “Did Sarah see him?”
“I didn’t want to scare her, so I didn’t say anything to her about it, but I don’t think she could have missed the way he was staring at her. Derek definitely noticed. He laid a hand on her arm a couple of times and you should have seen that guy’s face. I thought he was going to break the beer bottle he was holding with his hand. It was as if he had to stop himself from getting up and doing something. Derek hightailed it out of the restaurant as soon as the check came. Nah, I don’t think you have to look any further. That freak’s got to be this Alex dude you’re looking for.”
“There’s just one problem,” Ethan said sitting down next to Madison. “Jamie got out of prison on May fifteenth.”
“So?” Casey said.
“Alex’s uncle told me that he saw Alex in April,” Ethan answered. “Jamie didn’t get out of prison until a month later. Can’t be him.”
“Have you considered that Alex’s uncle may have been lying?” Casey asked. “Family tends to cover up for one another.”
Ethan settled Rory on his lap and scratched behind his ears. “He does make a very good point,” he said out of the side of his mouth to Madison.
“Of course I do,” Casey said.
“Except,” Madison said, “Jamie was also in prison when Laura Ladd was murdered and according to Neal Abbott, Alex committed that murder too.”
Casey cocked his head to the side. “The shower’s stopped. I hope she hurries. I want to take our time getting to her friend’s place to make sure that Jamie guy’s not following us.”
Madison rose to her feet. “I’ll let her know.” She paused at the bathroom door as she heard Casey whisper to Ethan.
“Dude, you know,” Casey said, “I don’t know how that guy’s doing it. There was one time he got to where we were going before we even got there.”
Madison rapped her knuckles on the door. “Sarah?”
The door immediately opened. Sarah clad in a white towel dragged her sister forward for a hug. “I’ve been sick about you all day.” She set Madison at arm’s length, as she looked her over. “Be honest, how badly are you hurt?”
“Just a few cuts and bruises,” Madison said as she stepped inside the steamy little bathroom. She turned and shut the door behind her.
“Thank God.” Sarah swiped her hand across the foggy mirror. “Just what were you doing running around a train yard in the middle of the night?”
Madison leaned back against the door. “First of all, it wasn’t the middle of the night. It was only a little after five. Second, I didn’t intend to run around a train yard, it just sort of happened.”
Sarah dragged another white towel off the rack. Bending over, she wrapped the towel around her long blonde hair. “Well, at least it’s all over and the guy can’t hurt you. I feel so much better leaving you now. I told Hannah last night that I might not be able to make it for her bachelorette party.” She gave a little shake of her head. “You should have heard her carry on. It was like I told her I was planning on running off with her fiancé. She’s just under so much stress right now that she’s not acting like herself.”
“It’s not over, Sarah.”
Sarah paused for a second. “What do you mean? Ethan called Casey this morning and told him he had killed the guy.”
“He did, but it wasn’t Alex that he killed.”
“But he attacked you.”
“I know, but he wasn’t Alex.”
Disappointment written all over her face, Sarah dragged her makeup bag from her bag and placed it on the counter. “I’ll call Hannah. Hopefully, she’ll understand that I just can’t leave you now.”
“Sarah, what’s going on with you and Jamie?”
Sarah looked at her in surprise. “Nothing.”
“Casey said he was following you all around.”
“I know.” Sarah made a face. “Made a big nuisance of himself.” She laughed suddenly. “Poor Derek. That was the most awkward date I’ve ever had in my life. Jamie was at one table, Casey at another. And there was Derek and me, sitting at our little table trying to get to know one another, while those two stared each other down.” She tilted her head. “Surprisingly enough, Derek has not called since then and I somehow don’t think he ever will. I don’t know why Jamie chose the table next to us. Usually, he just hangs off in the distance where you can’t see him.”
Madison’s brow furrowed as she crossed her arms. “You know he’s been following you?”
“Of course I know.” Sarah unzipped her makeup bag and brought out a tube of lotion. “I’m the one who told him where I was going.” She frowned at the contents of her bag. “I can’t seem to find my fade cream. I know I had it last night.”
Madison felt her mouth fall open. “Why would you tell him where you were going?”
“To make it easier for him to find me.” Sarah’s eyes lit up. “Ah, here it is,” she said dragging out another bottle.
Dumbstruck, Madison stared at her sister in disbelief.
“What?” Sarah asked catching Madison’s reflection in the mirror.
“Wait, I don’t understand. Are you saying that you want him to follow you?”
Sarah’s features tightened. “Yes, that’s what I’m saying. Don’t worry about it, Madison. Jamie’s just trying to watch out for me. That’s all.”
“Casey was supposed to watch out for you.”
Sarah rubbed lotion onto her face. “Well, Casey had some help. What’s the problem with that?” She turned back to her sister with a smile. “Hey, did you know that Casey has his own martial arts place? He teaches self-defense too, so I signed us up for some classes. Do you want to see a move he just taught me?” she asked reaching for her sister.
Madison pulled Sarah’s arms down. “Don’t change the subject. Why aren’t you more concerned that some guy
you barely know is following you everywhere you go?”
Sarah laughed as she turned back to the mirror. “Barely know? I’ve known Jamie far longer than I’ve known Casey.” She caught her sister’s eye in the mirror. “And longer than you’ve known Ethan.”
Madison crossed her arms defensively. “Ethan doesn’t have a criminal record.”
Sarah turned to her makeup kit. “Jamie’s innocent.”
“Who said?”
“Jamie did.”
Madison’s eyes widened at her sisters naivety. “Funny. It seems like the jury felt differently.”
Sarah lifted a brush to her face. “Juries can make mistakes. The system’s not infallible,” she said dusting a light powder over her face. “You told me that.”
“Emily told me that he’s a drunk.”
“He’s not a drunk,” Sarah said calmly as she applied lipstick to her mouth. “I know drunks. He’s not one.” She capped the tube of lipstick and threw it into her makeup bag. “I serve him one drink every day and he nurses it pretty much the entire night.”
“The entire night?” Madison asked incredulously.
“That’s right. He spends most of his time there in fact.”
“Doing what?”
“Talking to me.”
“And your manager doesn’t mind that?”
“Of course he minds it, but for some reason, he lets Jamie stay.”
“Have you been telling Jamie what’s been going on around here with Alex?”
Sarah nodded as she applied a thin layer of mascara.
Madison sucked in her breath. “Did you tell him where Ethan and I were yesterday?”
Sarah’s gaze fell to the counter. “I might have mentioned it.” When her gaze came back up, her blue eyes were angry. “He’s not the one doing this to you.”
“Sarah,” Madison began, pressing her hand to her forehead, “the man is stalking you. He’s following you everywhere you go.”
“Not for the reason you think.”
“What does that mean?” Madison asked.
“I could walk out of here naked and he wouldn’t care,” she said bitterly. “He’s not interested in me. He’s only interested in my money.”
