Bates shrugged, thinking it might be better to focus on Pete and let the chips fall where they may. “I get that,” he said. “But let’s focus on what we know about Pete for now.”
As they discussed his death and what could have happened, I glanced at Pete’s body. Thankfully, someone had closed his eyes, but seeing him like that still got to me. I’d just talked to him yesterday and now he was gone. I turned away, glancing at the view of bare concrete slabs and piles of garbage. Sadness flowed over me to think that this was the last thing both he and Tom had seen before they died.
A soft breeze blew into my face, surprising me with its warmth on this chilly November day. I caught the faint scent of Irish Spring and fresh cut grass. What in the world? Puzzled, I looked for a house or laundromat, anything that would explain the smell, but there was nothing like that anywhere.
It came again, and this time I closed my eyes and deeply inhaled. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, recognition burst to the surface and my pulse raced. Was it real? I inhaled again and caught the elusive scent I hadn’t smelled since high school and the last time I’d seen Tom.
My eyes flew open and I swallowed. This was just like that other case. It had to be him. I licked my lips, trying not to panic and, in my mind, asked, Tom, is that you? Can you hear me? Help me figure out what happened.
The breeze tugged a few strands of my hair back toward the body, and my eyes widened. Oh boy...this was real. Taking tentative steps, I let the breeze direct me around the body to a few feet beyond the other side of the pillar. All at once, my hair fell and the breeze was gone, taking the mysterious scent with it.
Okay...that was freaky. I took a few deep breaths to get under control and glanced around. Some clue had to be here, right? I bent down and went over every inch of the ground, finding only a few rusty nails and bolts, along with plastic water bottles and bags.
I turned my attention to the pillar and examined it, but nothing stood out. I glanced up at the underside of the freeway, taking in the vast expanse of concrete, but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The loud chatter on a police radio cut through my concentration, and I glanced back to find the crime scene unit putting Pete’s body into a body bag.
I could hear Dimples and the other officers still talking, but I knew they were ready to wrap it up, and I didn’t have much time. Heaving a sigh, I stepped back to the spot where the breeze had stopped and faced forward, looking beyond my immediate vicinity.
A chain-link fence separated this side of the freeway from several buildings on the other side of the road. A large, square building sat directly across from where I stood. I stared at it, taking in the surrounding area, and hoped for something...anything, to make sense.
Maybe I needed to find out who owned that building? The only other thing I could see was a billboard. I could barely make out what it said, but it had a picture of a newer looking home with a for sale sign on it, so I struggled to make out the logo.
“Shelby?” Dimples asked, touching my shoulder.
I nearly jumped a foot. “Sheesh! You scared me to death!”
“Sorry.” His brows drew together, and he was thinking I looked kind of pale and frazzled, like something had spooked me. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”
“Yeah...I’m fine. I was just looking for clues.”
“Back here?” His brows rose, and he wondered if the shock was getting to me.
“Uh...can you see that billboard over there?” I pointed at it, hoping to distract him.
“Sure.”
“What’s the name of the realtor company? I can’t make it out.”
“Uh...it’s...Countrywide Homes.”
“Oh, right. Thanks.” I had no idea if that meant anything or not, so I pointed out the buildings across the way. “I think we should check out those buildings. I have a feeling that something over there will tie into the case.”
Dimples’ face went blank, then he barked out a laugh. “Shelby...you don’t have to pretend with the premonitions thing. Nobody can hear us over here. Just tell me what you heard.”
Oh crap! Now what? I laughed and he joined in with me, mostly to be polite. He stopped first and looked at me expectantly, sending me into another fit of laughter. I finally calmed down enough to talk. “Um...can I tell you later?”
That was not what Dimples expected, and he glanced around to see if someone was listening. Finding no one nearby, he decided I must know something he didn’t, and he’d just better go with it. “Sure...I guess.”
“Great, thanks. I think I’ll go home and get cleaned up...since I didn’t have time to get ready this morning. I can come into the precinct after that if you like. Maybe we can go over a few things then.”
“Okay.” He didn’t know if the chief wanted me involved, but he figured he could run interference if he had to. “Bring the file I gave you on that other case too. Maybe we’ll find someone, or something, that both victims have in common.”
“I will for sure,” I agreed. “See you soon.”
I hurried to my car and gratefully sank into the seat. My stomach growled, and weakness washed over my entire body. What was going on? I’d just had another psychic experience...and it was totally freaking me out. I thought after the last one I was done, and now this? I didn’t think I could take it.
Of course, if I hadn’t picked up that scent, I never would have known it was coming from my old flame, right? I would have thought someone was just doing their laundry and the breeze was blowing the smell my way. In fact...maybe that’s what really happened, and I was reading too much into it.
Besides, where was the clue? Did I even have one? Maybe the wind was just blowing my hair that way, and that explained it. If it weren’t for that special scent, I might believe it. That scent was different from anything I’d ever smelled before or since...so it had to be him.
The only thing I could do now was check out those clues. If neither of them panned out, I’d just have to come back here and look again. Maybe I’d missed it?
I started up the car and decided that I might as well drive over to those buildings across the way and at least get an address. They might even have an owner’s name on the outside. Wouldn’t it be great if it was the name of the killer? Ha! Even I knew it couldn’t be that easy.
Several minutes later, I pulled my car to the side of the road and glanced at the buildings. From this side I could see that the buildings housed several businesses. One was a plumbing supply store, another looked like a window business, and the third was a garage door place.
I found some paper in my purse and wrote down their names so I could check them out on the Internet. Maybe one of the owners knew Tom? But how would that link them to his murder? Or Pete’s? Maybe one of the employees was the killer and would recognize his name when I asked about him.
I glanced at the clock. It was close to eight in the morning, but it didn’t look like any of the businesses were open yet. I might as well go home and come back later with Tom’s picture. Besides...I was starving and needed to take a shower.
Taking one last look at the building, I noticed an alleyway between the businesses. Looking straight down the alley, a well-used path led to the fence I’d seen on the other side of the freeway. Curious, I got out of my car and walked to the entrance.
Finding nothing but asphalt and grass, I continued between the buildings to the back and followed the path through the dirt to the fence. As I got closer, an advertisement across the bottom of the fence came into view. Because of the tall grass, it couldn’t be seen from my crime scene vantage point. It looked like the wind had blown it against the fence some time ago, since the photo and words were faded.
As I made out the words, my breath caught, and a chill ran up my spine. The poster said, “A Vote for Grayson Sharp is a Vote for You,” with an image of a confident, smiling Grayson Sharp in the background. Holy crap! Was this just a coincidence, or did it mean he had something to do with Tom’s death? Was this the clue?
I continued to the fence and noticed the chain links had been cut apart just high enough for a person to crawl through, with the tall grass on the other side covering it up. It made a quick escape from the crime scene across the street. Maybe I should crawl under the fence to the pillar and look back this way. Maybe I’d see something I’d missed.
“Hey! You! What do you think you’re doing?”
My heart thumped, and I jerked around. A man came toward me from the buildings with an angry frown. I debated crawling under the fence to the other side before I picked up that he was trying to scare me off his property.
He was tired of people passing through here, mostly because of the drug deals that went on under the freeway. Just last night, his building alarm had gone off, and he’d had to come down to re-set it and make sure the building hadn’t been broken into. So what the hell was I doing there?
I waited for him to stop a few feet away and put on my nicest smile. “Hello. I’m Shelby Nichols and I’m with the police.” Luckily, I still had on my badge, so I waved it in front of his face. “I’m sorry I didn’t check with you before I came out here, but it didn’t look like you were open yet.”
“Hmph,” he grunted.
“I’m investigating a murder that happened sometime last night. A police officer was killed just down there, under the freeway. I was checking out the surrounding buildings and wanted to see if anyone could have come this way. Did you know there’s a gap in this fence?”
“Uh...no,” he said, all the fight gone out of him. “Where?”
“Right there.” I pointed it out. “Have you seen many people use this to come through your property?”
“I thought they just climbed the fence. I didn’t know the wires were clipped. But...yeah, when I saw you, I came out here to see what you were doing. I’ll have to get it fixed.”
“That might help with your problem,” I agreed. “So what time did your alarm go off during the night?”
His startled gaze flew to mine. “How did you know...?”
“Just answer the question, please,” I said, channeling my best detective voice.
“I got the call at about one-thirty in the morning.”
“When did you get here?” I asked.
“Fifteen minutes later. I checked the building and everything was secure, so I re-set the alarm and called the security company. Then I went home.”
“Was there anything out of place? Why do you think your alarm went off?”
“I don’t know, sometimes a door doesn’t get shut right. Or the sensors get tripped. I’ve only had one real break-in, and that was about a year ago.”
“A year? Do you remember the date?” Tom’s murder was a year ago. It was a long shot, but maybe there was a connection.
“Uh...not off the top of my head,” he said. “But I could look it up for you.”
“That would be helpful. Thanks.”
We walked back to the buildings, and I realized I didn’t even know which shop was his. He strode to the back entrance of the plumbing supply store and pulled the door open, holding it for me to go ahead of him. He went into a side office and sat behind a desk, motioning me to sit on a chair.
“I should have it on my insurance claims file here.” He opened his filing cabinet and pulled out a manila folder. “Yeah...here it is...November fourth.”
From what I could remember, the date seemed about right, and my heart raced. “Did they catch the guy who broke in?”
“No. The police thought the thief was looking for drug money, but I don’t keep cash here, so they were in and out pretty fast. They broke a few windows, but that was the only damage.”
“Okay. Well, thanks. You’ve been a huge help.”
“Sure.”
“I might be back. And I hope you’ll call if you remember anything else.” I handed him one of my business cards and left.
I got home, unsure if I’d made progress or not. The fence looked like a way for the killer to escape, but I wasn’t sure that helped much. The poster of Grayson Sharp could mean something, but I had no clue how drug-dealing cops and innocent bystanders had anything to do with an attorney general who took bribes.
While I cooked an egg for breakfast, I made a quick call to Holly. “Did you hear the news about the cop?”
“Yeah, Scott called me a few hours ago. What a crazy way for this to end. Why was he killed?”
“I think he might have wanted out of the whole business.”
“Yeah, and maybe his partner killed him because Chloe could identify him. Rather than kill Chloe, who really didn’t know much anyway, he must have decided to get rid of the cop she saw and not worry about the cop telling anyone who he was.”
“Exactly,” I agreed.
“So how do you find his partner now?”
“I don’t know, but we’re working on it. Do you think I should call Scott and tell him what I know?”
“Yes, that’s a good idea. I’m not sure the police will fill him in on everything. Besides, he’s your client, so it makes sense that you’d call him.”
“Okay. Thanks, Holly. I’ll call him right now.” Scott answered right away and I told him what I knew. “With him gone, Chloe’s probably safe now.”
“Maybe,” Scott agreed. “But I’m not sure I can let her out of the house yet. I mean, what if the dead cop told his partner, or a bunch of other people about her?”
“Yes, but even if he did, they have no reason to come after her. Pete was the only one she could identify, and he’s gone. That’s probably why he was killed.”
“Yeah, I suppose that’s true.”
“So now Chloe can get back to school and not have to look over her shoulder or be scared.” He didn’t respond right away. “You still don’t seem real happy about that.”
“Oh...I’m relieved...it’s just that it’s been kind of nice to know where she is and who she’s with all the time. I felt so helpless to find out she was with some older kid at a drug house. I mean...I had no idea, and look what happened to her. She almost got killed. How can I let her out of my sight now?”
“I totally understand,” I agreed. “But you have to remember that what happened to her was very traumatic. She witnessed someone’s death and could have died herself. That’s going to take time to get over and she’ll need you now more than ever.”
“Yeah, that’s true. Thanks, Shelby. How much do I owe you?”
“Oh...nothing...just consider it a favor for a friend. I was glad to help Chloe, so we’re even.”
“Huh,” Scott replied. “I don’t think so, but maybe Chloe and I can have your family over for dinner sometime. If you won’t let me pay you, at least I can feed you.”
“Now that sounds great. We’ll look forward to it. Uh...one more thing,” I paused. “Would you like me to call Kira and let her know?”
“No...that won’t be necessary. I’ll give her a call right after I tell Chloe the news.”
“Okay...listen...tell Chloe she can call me if she needs to talk. She’ll know what I mean, all right?” I wasn’t sure how she’d feel about one more person getting killed because of this mess, but at least it was over for her.
“Sure,” he agreed, thanking me again before we disconnected.
I showered and put on some make-up, then did my hair. Besides going to the precinct, I needed to figure out if there was anything else I needed to do. With so much going on, I couldn’t keep it all straight in my head, so I got out a legal notepad and sat down at the desk in the office.
First, I wrote down Chloe’s name then, under it, Pete’s and Tom’s with an arrow to drugs. The only clue I had was the buildings and the fence, and that was only because of that freaky incident at the crime scene. I could tell Dimples about my meeting with the plumbing guy, and we could talk to the other people who worked there, but it seemed like a waste of time to involve him. Maybe I should just go back with the pictures and question them on my own.
Next I wrote down Billie’s name and, under it, Grayson
Sharp and Anthony Kerby. If I could talk to Anthony Kerby, I might pick up something about Billie and whether he’d hired someone to ransack her place for the thumb-drive, or did it himself. At least I could make some progress there.
I couldn’t see how these cases were connected, but I also couldn’t explain the poster of Grayson Sharp on the fence, so I added a question mark and a link to Tom and Pete. Which also linked them to Chloe? Dang! This was nuts. They couldn’t be related, especially if the only clue I had came from a dead man and was probably just a figment of my imagination.
I sighed and shook my head to clear it. There was one more thing on my mind that I was worried about, and that was Uncle Joey and the assassin. I figured I might as well add him to my list. I wrote down his name and put Blake Beauchaine and the assassin underneath. At least this was totally separate from Billie and Chloe. Plus, I didn’t think I had to worry that Uncle Joey and Ramos would take care of the problem, although Blake worried me. What was his other reason for being here?
I hoped it had nothing to do with me, but I couldn’t get over the fact that he had retrieved a file about me from the FBI. It was enough to make my stomach clench with dread. Now that he knew I had ‘premonitions’ and helped Uncle Joey, he might get it into his mind that I needed to help him. That would be a disaster. Maybe I’d better get a diet soda out of the fridge and try and forget that part. No use borrowing trouble, right?
As I poured my soda into a glass with crushed ice, my cell phone rang, and I was seriously tempted not to answer it. Writing down everything I had on my plate overwhelmed me, and I wasn’t sure I could handle one more thing.
I sighed and checked the caller ID. It was Dimples, so I answered, hoping he had something good to tell me.
“Hi Shelby,” he began. “Good news. The chief wants you back on the case. Can you come down to the precinct? Oh...and bring that other file with you?”
Crossing Danger: A Shelby Nichols Adventure Page 18
