Biloxi Blue (The Biloxi Series Book 2)

by Jerri Ledford

  She didn’t even say hello. Just locked the door behind Kate and led her into the workspace, where another dark-haired woman who looked just as strung out as Conner sat in the overstuffed recliner. Kate was surprised to see someone else in Conner’s domain. She was usually such a loner.

  Kate glanced at the woman again. She recognized her. That was the same woman she’d seen leaving the meeting with Greg Harrington. She had seemed upset.

  Conner must have sensed something coming from Kate. She turned back. “This is my sister, Tiffany. She’s got some information that you need to hear.”

  THIRTY-TWO

  Jenna watched Kate enter the elevator that led to Conner’s loft. She stayed deep in the shadows, barely breathing. So the detective was here again? That just gave credibility to her theory that something was happening in this warehouse and whatever it was, it couldn’t be good for her. She needed to tie up as many loose ends as possible and leave town before Mamoncetes caught up to her. She already had plane tickets and had fed Michael a line about leaving for company business for a few days. By the time he realized she wasn’t coming back, Jenna would no longer exist.

  She tip-toed up a set of metal stairs to the left of the elevator after the door closed behind Kate. With Greg Harrington dead, all she had to do was get rid of Tiffany Joyner. She was the only person left to tie her to the embezzling. Not that it mattered. Jenna wasn’t even sure why she hadn’t already left. Except that these people – Beth and her lover and whatever Tiffany was to her – had found out her secret. They made it necessary for her to leave everything behind and start over. Again. For that, they all deserved to die.

  At the top of the stairs, Jenna leaned close to the door and listened. No sound came through the thick metal. She laid her palm on the cool metal. She would never be able to get through that.

  She shrunk back into the shadows going over her plan one more time. Tiffany had to die. Tonight. If the lady detective and whoever else was in the building went with her, that was the price they had to pay for being too close to Tiffany. Call it dumb luck or poor decisions. Jenna didn’t care. Someone had to atone for all that Beth Martin and those associated with her were taking away from Jenna.

  As quietly as she had come up the stairs, she went back down them. Stepping softly, she was careful to make no sound that might alert the group inside. She’d scoped out the lower floor of the warehouse when she first arrived. There were no security cameras that she could see. It was just a vast warehouse full of wooden crates and containers. Jenna had no idea what was in them. She didn’t care. They would act like tinder, and that’s all that mattered.

  When she reached the concrete floor, she sprinted through the shadows and back out through the small doorway she’d left ajar on the backside of the warehouse. It had been locked, but the old lock was no match for her. It took her only seconds to pick it and let herself in.

  A stack of metal pipes lay outside the doorway. Earlier, she started to use one to prop the door open, but decided it would be too obvious if someone happened into the lower part of the warehouse while she was snooping around. It was late, and unlikely to happen, but Jenna was cautious. There was too much at stake here. Instead, she used a small piece of wood to keep the door open about an inch. Enough to keep it from latching. She didn’t have time to pick the lock again.

  She retrieved the pipe and raced back across the warehouse. No one was around this time of night. Anything out of the ordinary wouldn’t be noticed until it was too late. In a place like this, fire would spread quickly. By the time someone noticed the warehouse burning, it would be too late for anyone to do anything about it.

  Back up the stairs as quiet as a cat. She slid the metal pipe through the handle on the door.

  Steady. Slow.

  It slipped into place with the soft scrape of metal against metal. She secured it with a length of wire she’d pulled from beneath one of the wooden crates. They could pull all they wanted from inside the loft but this door wasn’t going to budge.

  When she finished barricading the door, Jenna dashed off again. Outside, at the far end of the building, a metal ladder ran up the side of the building all the way to the roof. Jenna figured with a little help, the tar and felt paper that covered the roof would catch fire and burn hot and fast. By the time the women inside even knew there was a fire, there would be no escape. Jenna glanced back over her shoulder and then scaled the rickety metal ladder like a spider shooting across a web.

  On the roof, she stayed near the edges of the building. She crouched low, just in case there was someone else out there at this time of night. She didn’t want to be seen. She made as little noise as possible. It wasn’t like anyone inside could hear her, but she wasn’t taking any chances.

  Jenna had checked out the roof when she first arrived at the warehouse, after a quick Google search on how warehouses burn. Conner had a little oasis up here, with lounge chairs, a charcoal grill, and a deck box that held everything she needed to get the grill going. Including lighter fluid.

  It was all too easy. Like it was meant to happen. She grabbed the bottle of accelerant and the long grill lighter, then snatched the cushions off the lounge chairs. She piled them right over the highest concentration of tar above Conner’s loft and emptied most of the bottle of lighter fluid on them. Using some of what was left, she created a thin wet trail back to the metal fire escape. She climbed onto the stairs, and held a flame to the trail of fluid. It whooshed to life, catching the sleeve of her lightweight jacket.

  Panicked, she beat at the sleeve until the fire was out, nearly losing her balance on the ladder. She clung to it, no longer caring if anyone heard her. It was too late.

  The lighter fluid had caught and trailed back to the pile of cushions near the center of the roof.

  They’ll never escape.

  She wasn’t leaving anything to chance. She scaled back to the ground and sprinted into the warehouse, spraying everything within reach of the door with the remaining lighter fluid. She flicked the lighter again. Yellow-orange light danced across the interior of the warehouse.

  Jenna watched, mesmerized as the flames engulfed the crates jumping from one to the other with a grace she’d never seen before. The heat grew intense.

  Time to go.

  As she stepped outside, a movement in the corner of her vision caught her eye. She turned to look. Saw someone coming at her. Fast. A steel pipe connected with her head. Pain exploded in her skull.

  She stumbled back into the warehouse and fell hard to the concrete floor. The last thing she saw was the light from the flames playing on the metal door as it swung shut, then her world went black.

  THIRTY-THREE

  “I didn’t know you had a sister.” Kate couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice. She’d known Conner for years and this was the first mention of a sibling.

  They don’t even look alike.

  “We’re step-sisters.” The other woman, Tiffany, had moved to the edge of the recliner resting her elbows on her knees. “We weren’t raised together. After our father and her mother got divorced, she moved back to California and took Conner with her. We only saw each other occasionally growing up.”

  Well, that made sense. It also explained why Conner sounded like a stoner, and her quirky sense of style. Hippie-chic, Kate always thought.

  Through everything, Conner remained quiet. And very still. Too still. She wasn’t one to be completely motionless for long.

  Kate turned to face her. “I’m guessing you didn’t call me here just to meet your sister?”

  Conner shook her head. “No. But that’s part of it. Tiffany came to me because of something that Beth sent to her. Tiff’s scared and she should be. You need to see this. You need to know what’s going on.”

  Tiffany shuddered. Kate looked from one woman to the other, waiting for Conner to continue. When the silence stretched too long, she asked, “Do I have to guess what’s going on?” Kate’s voice was sharper than she intended, but she didn’t try
to correct it.

  “Beth sent me some files.” Tiffany clutched a denim messenger bag close to her body. “I got them a few hours ago. It was strange, and at first I thought it was a joke.” The woman took a deep breath. Her voice quavered when she continued. “This is no joke.”

  “Beth Martin?” Kate eyed the bag. Questions streamed through her brain like ticker-tape, but she couldn’t yet form the words for them.

  Tiffany nodded. Conner perched on her stool in front of the bank of computer monitors, but remained quiet. The look on her face said there was more, and it wasn’t good.

  “Yes. She called me the night she died. She said she was coming over because she had something to show me. But then she never showed up. Now someone is following me. I think…” Tiffany shook like a leaf during a Spring storm. “I think they want me dead, too.”

  Kate’s mind whirled. How did Tiffany know Beth? Who were they? And what was in that bag?

  She shook her head and took a deep breath, trying to calm the chaos. “Okay, slow down.” She spotted a chair in the shadows near Conner’s kitchenette. She pulled it over and dropped into it then took a moment to pull her thoughts into line.

  Conner and Tiffany sat in silence. Barely moving. The whines, whirs, and beeps of Conner’s computers were the only sounds that broke the silence.

  “How, exactly, did you know Beth?”

  “She’s my…” Tiffany’s face tightened and she held her breath for so long Kate began to worry. “She was my best friend. I’ve known her since grade school.”

  Kate jotted notes into a small leather-bound notebook she’d dug out of her purse. “What did she say when she called you? Take me through everything from then until now.”

  “The night she was killed.” Tiffany cleared her throat. “She called me from the office. Said she found something big. She wouldn’t say what, only that it was something I needed to see.” Her voice cracked on the last word and the tears started.

  Conner slipped from her stool walked across the loft without making a sound. She returned a few seconds later with a roll of toilet paper. She thrust it at Tiffany. “No tissues,” she said and allowed her hand to brush across Tiffany’s hair before she returned to her perch on the stool, a sentinel guarding over the proceedings.

  When Tiffany regained her composure, Kate continued. “She didn’t tell you what she found?”

  Tiffany shook her head. “It was late. She woke me up when she called. I only remember she wanted to show me something important before her supervisor came back from vacation. She said she would see me within an hour.”

  “What did you do when she didn’t show up?”

  Tiffany seemed to shrink in the chair.

  Kate waited.

  “I went back to sleep.” The confession was so small and quiet Kate wasn’t even sure she’d heard it.

  Tiffany continued. “I didn’t even realize she didn’t come by until I woke up the next morning. I tried to call her but she didn’t answer. I wasn’t even worried, until…” the words trailed off into silence again.

  Somewhere in the warehouse, metal slid against metal, making a soft, grating sound. Conner sat up straighter and leaned forward.

  Kate caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and looked over at Conner. Her eyes were closed. Her forehead wrinkled in concentration. When there was no other sound, she spun to the computer station and tapped a few keys. The bank of monitors lit up with different views of the interior and exterior of the warehouse.

  Kate stared at the images on the screen, but nothing moved. After a few seconds, Conner relaxed and Kate turned back to Tiffany. They were all spooked.

  “How did you find out about Beth’s death?” Kate’s muscles bunched drawing her shoulders up. Making her neck ache. This might be the break she needed. But she didn’t want to rush Tiffany and miss something important.

  “The news.” The words were more a moan than a sentence. “I didn’t even realize what had happened until I heard it on the news.” She dropped her chin to her chest and sobs shook her shoulders.

  Kate waited again. On the outside, she projected calm. But on the inside, questions piled one on top of the other, feeding her impatience as if it were a trash fire.

  “Why didn’t you call the police when you found out Beth had been murdered?”

  Tiffany took several deep breaths. “I don’t know. I was scared, I guess. I called Greg Harrington at Ingram Logistics, where Beth worked. He was Beth’s…” Deep breath. “She was sleeping with him.”

  Kate’s frustration grew. Why hadn’t Tiffany gone to the police? Did she think Beth had something to hide?

  “Then today this thumb drive came in the mail. I printed everything out.” Tiffany lifted the bag she’d been clutching through the whole conversation. “Everything is here. I know who killed Beth. And I know why.”

  “What is that?” Kate eyed the bag, her fingers itched to grab hold of it. “What did she--.”

  Footsteps thundered on the roof. Then the sound of metal against metal. Conner and Kate were on their feet instantly.

  “What was that?” Kate drew her gun instinctively. She held it pointing at the floor.

  “Don’t know.” Conner spun to her computer keyboard. Her fingers flying over the keys. The images from the security cameras appeared again.

  “Oh my God.” The chill in Conner’s voice crawled down Kate’s spine. The hair on the back of her neck stood up.

  “What?” She turned to look at the monitors. “Is that…”

  “Fire.” Conner’s fingers danced over the keys again. The images disappeared and were replaced by line after line of green code against a black background. “We’ve got to get out of here. Now!”

  Kate and Tiffany raced to the door.

  “Come on Conner!” Tiffany’s voice was high pitched and panicked.

  Kate reached the door first and tugged. It opened about an inch and then stopped. She holstered her gun and put more muscle into it.

  “Argggh!” It wouldn’t budge. “Something’s blocking it!”

  Smoke rolled across the ceiling. Flames licked at the top edges of the walls.

  She grabbed Tiffany’s arm and pulled her back toward where they had left Conner.

  “We need another way out.” Kate rubbed a hand against the back of her neck. She took several deep breaths, urging her mind to slow down and her thoughts to collect in coherent commands.

  Conner grabbed a small black box connected to a computer and yanked. It came loose with wires dangling.

  “This way.” She led them behind a rack of computer equipment, away from the flames.

  The smoke was thicker now. The three of them began to cough.

  “Get down!” Kate dropped to her knees and pulled them down.

  Kate and Tiffany crawled behind Conner. After a few feet they were against a wall.

  “What are we doing?” Kate choked on the thick air. Oily smoke coated her tongue and made her gag.

  “The door.” Conner tapped an intricate wooden door. Kate never noticed it before.

  “Wait!” She yelled at Conner when she reached for the knob.

  She pulled her gun from its holster again, then tested the knob. It was cool. She twisted and nothing happened.

  “It sticks.” Conner yelled over the noise of the fire. She joined Kate and together they shoved. The door moved a few inches but refused to open.

  “Harder!”

  Again they hit the door. It swung open, dumping them both into a dark, narrow stairwell.

  Kate struggled to her feet and pointed her gun down the stairs. It was useless. It was pitch black, and the stairwell filled with smoke as soon as the door opened. If anyone was down there, she couldn’t see them. They’d have to take their chances.

  She scrambled back to find Tiffany.

  The smoke was so thick now that even staying low didn’t help much.

  “Tiffany!” She tried to yell. The smoke burned her throat and she ended up in another coughing fit
.

  She felt her way back into the loft. The smoke scorched each breath she inhaled.

  Hang on. You have to get them out of here!

  Cloth brushed her finger tips and through the thick smoke she could just make out the outline of the young woman, laying across the floor.

  Kate grabbed her arms and pulled. Tiffany pulled back.

  “We have to go. Now!” She yanked again, but this time Tiffany pushed toward her, coughing.

  By the time they reached the stairwell, Kate’s head swam. She half stumbled, half crawled down the stairs. She found Conner, sprawled on the stairs where she’d landed when they pushed the door open.

  Kate grabbed Conner with one hand and Tiffany with the other. She pulled. Neither one moved.

  We have to get out!

  She pulled again. This time they slid a little. Kate’s pulse pounded in her temples.

  Keep going.

  She pulled again. A few more inches.

  By the time they reached the bottom of the stairwell, her muscles screamed and her head swam, but she saw the emergency exit door.

  She pushed and it slung open. Kate collapsed into the damp night air. Her chest was so tight she struggled to take even the smallest breaths. The smoke-free air burned her throat and lungs, but it was a welcome sensation after the thick heat of the building.

  You can’t stop yet. Get away from the building.

  Kate tried to focus. She tugged at Conner and Tiffany. They needed to be further away. She struggled to pull them through the door. Her muscles screamed in protest. She collapsed again. The pavement rough and cool against her face. Her vision narrowed.

  I can’t do this.

  Then she was moving. Someone was dragging her away from the building. She tried to open her eyes, to see who it was, but her eyelids stayed glued shut.

  Someone was helping her.

  Conner? Tiffany?

  She wanted to ask. To make sure they were safe, too, but darkness stole her thoughts as consciousness spiraled away.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  Kate had been stunning in her fancy dress with her hair piled up on her head in a purposely careless way. The moment Frankie saw her, he wanted to take her away and make her his own. He had been patient for months. Biding his time, waiting until the moment was right. When he handed her the keys to that classic Mustang and she climbed into the driver’s seat, something in Frankie gave way.