A Deadly Secret

by Debra Sage

  Tracking down Mark was harder than he’d anticipated. His last known address didn’t match where he was living, and showing up at a biker’s hangout wasn’t a smart choice for a cop working on his own. He had a picture from his rap sheet and decided to stakeout the area. He’d follow him once he was out on his own. No need to talk to all the bikers at one time when they could easily encircle and snare him.

  He let Bryce know where he was headed and what he was doing. Bryce nodded and said that he’d work the scene again with Cam and see if anything new turned up. They were going over it again with a fine-tooth comb, hoping for a crumb of evidence that would offer a new direction.

  It took some doing, and it was risky playing outside of his territory, but Alex was determined to see it through. When he finally spotted his man riding alongside another Devil Rider, he took a chance and followed him. They split apart a few blocks from Mark’s home. As the biker pulled into his driveway, Alex pulled in behind him and blocked the drive.

  Mark turned to see who’d been following him. “Real subtle. I saw you a few blocks back.”

  Alex held his ground. “Good, then you know I want to talk to you.”

  “About?” He pulled his leather gloves off and tucked them behind him in the waistband of his jeans.

  “I’m investigating a murder.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? Again? I’ve got nothing to say. Arrest me if you want to, but the charges won’t stick. Both you and I know that. How many times are you guys going to drag my ass down to the station? You’ve got nothing on me. Nothing. This is fucking harassment.”

  “I’m with Mason Ridge, just outside of the city limits.” He flipped open his badge wallet. “We had an incident and I’m following up on a few things.”

  “Mason Ridge?” He laughed. “What the fuck, man? I’ve got no business in Mason Ridge. How the hell did you end up with me?”

  “Similar circumstances,” Alex said. “I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

  “Fuck you,” he said. “Call my lawyer. I’ve got nothing to say.”

  Alex knew it wouldn’t be easy, but he threw it out on the line. “Here’s my card. Show up with your lawyer. I’ll give you twenty-four hours. This is an official investigation.”

  The biker shook his head and went inside.

  Chapter 12

  Crash!

  Glass shattered from a kitchen window.

  Amanda screamed. An ear-piercing squeal filled her house as the alarm went off. She froze in her recliner. She knew she should move, do something, but she was paralyzed with fear. Her heart pounded with the ferocity of a crazed summer storm.

  She grabbed her phone off the side-table beside her and dialed the number she’d only just programmed the other night. Her hands shook uncontrollably. She trembled as his phone clicked through, grateful she got him on the first try.

  “Alex, here.”

  “Alex, it’s Amanda. Somebody just tried to break in to my house.” Her voice cracked with fear. “Can you come over?”

  “Yeah, I’m on my way. Did you call 9-1-1?”

  She heard his breath change as he jumped up and ran to his car.

  “No. I will…It’s just that I panicked. Please, hurry! I’m scared.”

  “What’s your address?” he asked.

  “Oh, I forgot you don’t have it.” She gave him her information, then wrapped her arms tightly around herself. After she hung up, she dialed 9-1-1.

  “9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

  “Somebody just tried to break into my house.” Amanda’s breathing was shaky. She’d heard something slam into her window, then crash. Thankfully, the house alarm went off, shrieking loudly into the night and scaring off the perpetrator.

  The person ran before she could get a look at them. Honestly, if she’d moved faster, maybe she would have seen them, but panic raced through her and all she could do was scream. By the time she got to the window, they were gone. The remnants of their work lay scattered across the kitchen floor. They had to have used something big and heavy by the way the glass spread— maybe a crowbar or a pipe.

  She’d gotten lax using her alarm system, feeling safe and content most days, but after the news of Dawn’s murder, she went back to turning it on regularly. What if she hadn’t? Would they have gotten in? What were they after?

  Amanda’s heart lodged tightly in her throat. She swallowed hard, but it refused to budge. It didn’t take long for Alex to show up and when he did, she’d never been happier to see him.

  Both Alex and the dispatched officer were on scene quicker than she’d imagined. Relief washed over her. She felt safer with other people around.

  Alex put his arm over her. “What happened?”

  She turned into him, burrowing her head against his chest. He gave her a hug, and then followed her to the kitchen. “It’s in here.”

  “Bart, how are you doing?” Alex asked when one of the officers arrived.

  “Alex,” he said.

  “Off duty,” Alex said. “Here unofficially.”

  “Got it,” Bart said, then looked outside with a flashlight, hoping to see if they could find what was used to smash the window open.

  Alex stayed by Amanda’s side.

  “We’ve got a shoe print,” Bart called out. “A sneaker, most likely. Not much more.”

  “Great, let’s get a cast of it,” Alex said through the broken window. “I’ll get this boarded up until we can get the window replaced.”

  Amanda’s lip quivered. She tried to stay calm, but the events replayed over and over in her mind. What if they’d gotten inside? She clung to Alex’s side, afraid to be alone.

  He turned and brushed a strand of hair from her face. “I’ll put a call into a friend who can grab a piece of plywood for me. Let’s get the glass off the floor in the meantime.”

  She nodded and slipped the broom out from the narrow gap between the fridge and the counter. As she swept up the glass, Alex arranged for a friend to bring over something to cover the window. She was fine, as long as he was in her sights.

  She glanced down at his hip and saw his holstered gun. Normally, it would make her nervous, but tonight, she was grateful he was a cop and knew how to use his weapon.

  “Can you stay with me for a while?”

  “I won’t leave your side,” he said, then ran his thumb across her lower lip. “You’re safe with me.”

  He didn’t like this one bit. First somebody tried to run her off the road, now this? It was too much to be a coincidence. Something bigger was at play and Amanda had a target on her back. He’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.

  ***

  The following day, she had to return to work. She wasn’t thrilled at the prospect, but getting back to a normal routine would help her forget about the craziness going on. Alex stayed by her side as long as he could, then parked a car outside of her house when he had to go to work. He promised to check in on her as his day allowed, then he’d crash on her sofa at night so she wasn’t alone.

  His place would be a better choice, though he worried if he phrased it the wrong way she’d think he was taking advantage of her vulnerability. He sat on the idea for now.

  Midway through the afternoon, Alex pulled into the hospital’s parking garage. He found a spot then started to make his way to the walkway. As he was passing by the other cars, he noticed somebody squatting down.

  “Hey,” he called out, startling the man.

  Jack Tobin, the hospital security guard, was crouched down beside Amanda’s car taking pictures with his phone.

  Alex moved in closer. “What are you doing over there?”

  “Oh, hey. Detective Ramsey, right?”

  Alex nodded. “What’s going on?”

  Jack straightened out and shoved his phone and hands in his pockets. “Amanda was telling me about what happened, and I told her I’d come and look at the damage. My brother owns an autobody shop and I said I’d get her a quote.”

  His eyes were dodgy.
Alex watched him for a moment without saying anything. The guard’s gaze darted to the side. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about how it happened, would you?”

  “Only what she told me,” he said. “I should be getting back to work.”

  “Right,” Alex said, then watched the guard scuttle away. There was something about him that didn’t sit right. He’d need to see what that guy’s story was. He’d seen him around the hospital, but never talked to him much. He wondered what Amanda would say about him.

  Alex pulled out a small pad from his shirt pocket and jotted a note to himself about doing a background check on the guard. He headed into the hospital and only stopped in his path when his phone rang.

  It was Bryce. “We found something. You’ll want to come and see this. I’m over at the park, where we found the body.”

  “I’m on my way. Give me ten minutes to put eyes on Amanda, make sure she’s okay, and then I’ll be there. You know anything about the security guy over here? Jack something or other?”

  “Oh yeah, he’s a good guy. Harmless enough, cop wannabe, but he had trouble passing the test. Doesn’t seem bitter about it, and found a job there. I’ve kibitzed with him when I’ve had to spend time in the emergency room on calls in the past.”

  “Okay, thanks. I just found him crouching around Amanda’s car. Seemed jumpy and nervous when he saw me.”

  “Interesting.”

  “That’s what I thought. Okay, let me just check on Amanda. I’ll be on the road to you in ten minutes.”

  “Sounds good,” Bryce answered.

  After checking with Amanda and letting her know he’d see her at the end of her shift, Alex made his way to the park.

  “Bryce, Cam,” he greeted them.

  “Over here,” Bryce said. He squatted down and pointed to something on the ground with his pen. “Look what we have here.”

  “Plastic wrap?”

  “It looks like there’s a shred of blood on it. I’m not sure how we didn’t get it before, but it’s thin.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Maybe the killer wrapped the victim’s wrists and ankles, maybe her neck as well, before dismembering them. It would have kept the mess down some, and controlled the amount of blood from hitting the ground or floor. I’m guessing they pulled it off, but a small bit got snagged or something and he missed it.”

  Alex leaned in closer. “Yeah, could definitely be blood. Or ketchup from somebody’s sandwich.”

  “Yeah, well, ketchup doesn’t smear like that,” he quipped. He knew Alex was being a smartass, but he played along. “What do you think, a hotdog for lunch, maybe?”

  After some quick banter, the men grew serious again.

  “Lucky find.”

  Bryce nodded. “Yeah. Maybe we can pull a print off the wrap. I don’t like how meticulous our killer was. As well as everything being wiped down at the house, I’m guessing he covered his tracks with the wrap too. Premeditated?”

  “Most likely, but if you went through that much trouble, why not dump the body somewhere harder to find, like the quarry or something?”

  “Maybe they panicked, hadn’t planned on the kill, and then had time to think about what to do? If it happened at her house, she lives alone. Who would be looking for her besides work?”

  “Good question, Cam. With her folks living farther away, not sure how much family she has up here. They didn’t mention siblings, but maybe it’s worth looking into. You want to see what we can find on that when we get back? I let it slide, since I got involved with the hospital staff interviews. I should have followed through,” Alex admitted.

  “Sure, I’ll get on it when we head back.”

  Bryce snapped a picture of the evidence and then bagged it up. “Let’s run this to the lab, see if we can get a match on the blood. I’m guessing it comes back as our victim’s, but does anything else come back on it? Maybe they’ll be able to pull a partial print.”

  “Sounds good.” Alex stepped off to the side and looked back at the path they’d decided that the killer had taken. “Why drag her here of all places? Sure, it’s off the trails, but still…unless they wanted the body to be found.”

  “Attention? It was a crime taken to the extreme by dismembering body parts, but I’m not so sure. They were trying to hide the victim’s identity. Could it have been they were in a hurry and couldn’t think of somewhere less conspicuous? Yet, they were meticulous in covering their tracks with the clean-up. I’m not sure whether they’re a disorganized killer with analytical organization skills after the fact, or if they had their plan prior and worked it out. I’m still on the fence about some of these things. Pieces fit a profile, others don’t. There’s no rhyme or reason I can spot. Why did they want the victim dead? We still don’t have a motive.”

  “We should go through her social media accounts, laptops, computers, phone, whatever we can get access to and see what we can find there. There was nothing obvious when we did the house sweep, but she had to have something. Maybe we should check her car. I don’t know if we did that. Let’s bring her car in and see what we can find. There was no reason to believe it was involved, but maybe she’s got a laptop in there that we overlooked.”

  They went over the list of things they wanted to do next. Cam would check into siblings, Bryce would take care of the car, and Alex would follow up on the new evidence and interview Mark Abbott when he showed himself.

  Chapter 13

  Mark was pissed. How he’d been dragged into some other investigation was beyond him. He already had to deal with that bullshit last year. When he wasn’t charged, he thought he put it behind him. Now, out of nowhere, they were in his face again.

  Somebody must have set them off. He’d have to dig in and get to the bottom of it. Who was up to no good this time, and how was his name pulled into the mess?

  The worst part was the victim. Freaking Dawn Lewis. Her brother, Tommy “Hawk” Lewis, was one of the Devil Riders and he’d taken the news of his sister’s murder hard. If he heard that the cops suspected him of killing one of his “brother’s” siblings, there’d be hell to pay and a civil war within the biker club. Shit. He had nothing to do with this, but his name was now part of the mix.

  He could either avoid telling Hawk about it and hope he didn’t find out, or bring it straight to him to find some answers. Neither was an easy choice, but the latter made more sense. It wouldn’t go down smoothly, but it was the only way. Otherwise, if he found out from another, it would look like he was hiding secrets.

  Mark dreaded the conversation, but knew what he had to do. He’d head down to the club and hash it out with Hawk. Between the two of them, they’d track down answers. First, he’d have to convince Tommy he had nothing to do with his sister’s murder, even if the cops were questioning him over the entire thing.

  Putting it off wouldn’t help anyone. Mark went outside and climbed on his bike. It roared to life. He backed out of his driveway and turned toward the club. The sooner he got this out in the open, the better.

  ***

  Hawk leaned over the pool table and lined up his shot. The more he focused on the game, the less he thought about his sister. His wife consoled him the best she was able, but the shock of it all was too much to bear.

  When they found out who did this to her…his blood boiled with rage. The way they desecrated her body. It was unspeakable. Monstrous. Death would be an easy out. No, he’d make sure the animal suffered as much as possible. That son of a bitch took his baby sister. Even when his parents turned him away for choosing his brotherhood, she stood strong. She might not have agreed with his choices, but she still was there for him. She’d hang out, watch his kids, and turn a blind eye. He knew it wasn’t always easy, but he’d do anything for her.

  When Blade strolled into the club, he gave him a nod, then knocked the next billiard ball into the corner pocket.

  Blade walked over and leaned against the rail. “We need to talk.”

  Hawk stood up. He pr
essed the end of his pool stick into the ground, holding it vertical to him. “What’s going on?”

  Blade held his tongue. He needed to ease into the conversation. “It’s about your sister.”

  He had his attention. “What about her?”

  “Before I go into this, I need you to know I have nothing to do with it. I’d never…”

  “What do you know?” Hawk asked, holding judgment.

  “They want to talk to me. I swear, I’m not part of it. They dredged up the past and are trying to fit a piece of the puzzle. They think dragging my ass in for questioning is going to give them something. They’re fucking wrong.”

  Hawk stepped in closer. “They want to talk to you?”

  Blade shot his hand up, defensively.

  Hawk’s glare pierced him.

  “It’s not like you’re thinking. I have no idea why they came to me. That’s why I’m here. I want to figure out what happened, so I can help you figure out who did this. We’ll nail that motherfucker to the wall and clear my name at the same time. Bro, I’d never…not your sister. Never.”

  Hawk watched him squirm, but saw the truth in his eyes. “We’re cool. I believe you.”

  Blade exhaled. “What do we know so far?”

  “Not much of anything.”

  “When was the last time you saw her?”

  “Week before last. She was coming over to watch the kids for me. Shit. I…” He choked up.

  Blade put his hand on Hawk’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, man. It’s messed up. Anything, anything at all that’s been going on in her life? Somebody bothering her? A stalker, a boyfriend? What about drugs? Was she using? Did they mention if she’d been sexually assaulted?”

  “They haven’t mentioned jack shit to me. They talked to my folks. I got a blunt notification, and not an ounce more. They only called because they had to. She wasn’t a drug user. She saw too much abuse at the hospital, and as far as I know she wasn’t involved with anyone.”

  “The hospital. Anything going on at work with her?”