“Did you have this planned or something?” Kayla chewed on her lip with her suitcase by her side.
“No, not really. This is going to be a perfect place for you, Kayla. They are sweeping it for bugs, and you’re safe. My officers will continue to clean the room, and whatever we find, we will take care of.” Detective Tyler took the suitcase from her and flopped it onto the made bed inside the new hotel room.
“I should stay inside tomorrow just in case, right?” Kayla sat next to her baggage and looked up at him.
“Yes, I will be in and out and so will Cheryl here, but keep a calm head about you, Kayla. Someone doesn’t want you finding out who murdered Harris. I also will have mail sent to you here.” He smiled when she nodded and held both hands in her lap after sitting on the bed of the new hotel room.
“Thanks, I need to talk to my dad.” Kayla went to locate her phone. It was nowhere in sight.
“It’s here, and we already contacted him for you, Kayla. You’ll be fine, just relax.” Cheryl reached out and touched her shoulder after handing the phone to her. “We’ve got this.”
“Okay, I trust what’s happening to me. If my dad knows about this, and he’s on board, then I’m on board.” She held her phone to her chin where she rubbed the phone against it.
“Nothing was on it, but keep it close just in case, especially if you are connected to your banking. Thieves might want to steal what you have.” Cheryl left the room with an officer tracing behind her.
“What now?” Kayla glanced up at the detective with worry lines forming.
“Now, we wait to see what else takes place. You’re in good hands here, Kayla. Please know that.” Tyler stood near the bed when Kayla was on her feet and wrapping both arms around him.
“Thanks, again.” She released him quickly and went to unpack her belongings where she placed her clothes in drawers near the bed. “I can take it from here.” Kayla’s eyes washed over Tyler’s with a determination that will not be driven out.
“That’s the Kayla I know.” He bobbed his head up and down then exited the room. Once it was silent, her dad called her.
“Hey, dad.” Kayla felt and sounded calmer than five minutes ago. After pushing a hand through her now dry hair, she sighed relief.
“Baby, I’m so sorry this has turned into a fiasco, but you are safe. I hope you know that.” His tone was teetering on terrified.
“I’m okay, dad. Detective Tyler and the other officers have me locked down in another room for the time being. I’m thinking about coming home, dad.” Kayla wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m worried about what could happen next.”
“You will do no such thing. Any good officer knows that giving up is never an option. You will stay and see this to the end. I have faith in you, Kayla. You have enough money, right?”
“Of course, I do, dad. I just…”
“Not a word of protest out of you, young lady. You have what you need to keep looking for the killer in your dreams. Ask yourself one simple question.” His tone was soothing.
“What’s that, dad?” Kayla mumbled when she wiped the remaining tear from her cheek.
“What would your mother do if she were in your shoes right now?” Thomas tone had a hint of truth to it, and his question demanded an answer.
“The thought of walking away wasn’t in her line of thought, and she would tell me to stay and keep digging deeper.” Kayla pulled out her laptop and waited for it to come up while on the phone with her dad. “I will do just that.”
“That’s my girl. Keeping looking, Kayla Decker. Your dreams never lie. They tell you exactly what you need when you need it. I love you, Kayla.” His words were comforting, and when she told him she loved him too, they hung up.
“I need to delve deeper without fear. I can do this. You can do this, Kayla.” She went to the desk in the room and set her laptop down and began scrolling through it after pulling out research from the library earlier. “A piece is still out there, and I need to locate it.”
Kayla looked up Liz and her marriages. She had two, and apparently, her first husband ended within a year. Her second husband didn’t last long either. No children were had by her at least what she could see. It was hard to read in the genealogical report online. After writing down what she discovered, and calling Liz back to receive exact information down, that disc was on its way to Kayla.
Kayla thanked Liz and hung up. When she received a text from an unknown number, Kayla soon saw it was Mel from the library informing her a Liz was related to her. She had a lot of information, and she shared it with her. Mel never mentioned Harris once. When the name Henry cropped up in Mel’s background, Kayla made the connection that Mel and Liz were related. If it were the same Henry, they were cousins.
She had to keep at this, and when nothing else popped up, she climbed into bed, said her prayers, and fell fast asleep.
~~~
The next day, Kayla had room service brought up to her, and her search for the mysterious Blackwell family continued. She located more of them in numerous family trees. It turned out that some of these names were famous names in certain families situated in specific regions. Kayla ate her breakfast and continued her search for them. Even Liz’s father, Henry had a few missing dates in various records online. Mel’s father was born two years before Liz’s father. A page came up again telling her Harvey was Liz’s brother, then in another place, he was not her father. That explained confusion according to Kayla.
She didn’t know what direction to trudge in now after discovering everything she now knew about the Blackwell family. She nibbled on her meal as her finger scrolled through the laptop. Something new came up, and Kayla wanted to check it out firsthand. Mel was a Blackwell, and she resided nearby. After throwing on some clothes, she went to the door and slowly opened it up to Detective Tyler who was standing before the door with his hand held up.
“Hello, Kayla.” His grin informed her of what she needed to do next.
“I was…” After backtracking, and backing up numerous steps, Detective Tyler entered the room and closed the door behind them.
“I know residing here without connections to the outside world is driving you nuts. Please know that we are doing this for your own good.” He started to leave when Kayla stopped him by clearing her throat.
“I have been digging deeper while held up in here. See for yourself.” Kayla handed him her notes and watched him sit in a chair nearby, unbutton his jacket and shift his body weight onto one hip. “What do you think?”
“Very interesting, Kayla. You’ve been busy this morning.” Tyler handed her the pages. “I think you’re onto something here. Hear me out. What if the couple was killed in a drug deal and maybe there’s nothing more to tell?”
“Nope, I cannot accept that, detective. I’m accepting of the truth only. I wish another dream would tell me how to proceed with this mystery.” Kayla sat down on the hotel room bed.
“A mystery. Where did you come up with that?” He eyed her with a hand running through his hair.
“It just popped into my head, Detective Tyler. Let’s take a look at what facts we do have. We have two people who were possibly killed by another person, and why? Why were they killed?”
“Gunshots did the trick,” Tyler whispered with a voice filled with calm and complacency. “A .45 was used, Kayla. The gun hasn’t been located as of yet.”
Kayla went to her notes about the dream and had not come up with the gun scenario. “I didn’t know that. I didn’t know they were killed with a gun. How could I not know that?” She questioned herself.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Kayla. The coroner came into my office earlier with that bit of news. It’s strange though.” He paused, and continued speaking, “One had a wound straight on and the other in the side of the head.”
“I bet I know which is which. This gives this mystery more depth. It also confuses me as to why it took place in the first place.” Kayla’s hesitance to place blame on anyone never crossed
her mind. “I wonder who wanted them dead. They were together, and they knew one another right. They saw each other, so who else was there?”
Detective Tyler nodded.
“I really need to receive that family disc from Liz. I’m hoping it might have viable data to help close this case. What do you think, detective? Or better yet, what is your hunch on this particular case?”
Tyler was on his feet and slowly walking around the bed to Kayla. She shrunk back from him and pulled her legs to her chest near the headboard. He sat about a foot from her and appeared to be rooted in thought.
“What is it?” She queried with eyes searching his.
“I do have a deep hunch on this, and saying it out loud might convince others of false truth. That is not what I desire out of this case, Kayla.”
“I’m not going to judge you for having such thoughts. Whatever it is, it’s going to be safe with me. I promise you that.” Kayla slid against the bed frame near the pillows.
“Okay, here goes. I believe since we don’t have the weapon, we are facing a murder that could go unsolved by everyone. This might become another lost file in our dead file room. Whatever the case, I think the murderer will walk free without facing a judge or jury.”
“I don’t believe that, detective. I personally think this couple knows exactly who killed them. They are the answer to this whole thing. If I would dream what I need to know. I came to New Orleans to discover the truth about this killing, and I require more time to delve deeper into it for the sake of my own sanity.”
“I get it, Kayla. Following in our parents’ footsteps can be difficult and frustrating for both of us. We need to keep everything in perspective here. Can you do that?” His eyes were filled with concern over her.
“You still don’t get it. I actually thought you believed in me and truly understood what I was doing here. Now, I think you are another detective who cannot see the forest for the trees. I now want you to leave, and I want to have the freedom to go out and sit at the library or eat at a diner down the street. Please, just go, detective.” Kayla put her head down with her forehead on both knees. The only thing she heard was the door closing behind him.
Kayla went about getting ready for her day, and when she received a call from her dad, she answered it while pulling out clothes to wear.
“Hey, dad.” Kayla was still shaking her head over the detective not understanding where she was with this case.
“Sweetie, I think it’s time for you to come up with a new plan. It might be in your best interest.” His tone was realistic, and Kayla agreed when she stood before the window near the bed.
“I will be doing that shortly, dad. After I grab a bite to eat, I will head out and see what I can find out about the murder. Will you back me up with this?”
“Yes, I will definitely do this for you.” He was silent for ten seconds until he inserted, “I think you should act as if you are leaving, Kyla, and pretend you are going to another hotel. I will let Detective Tyler know you are heading there today.”
“Thanks, dad.” Kayla smiled at his words. “You’re the best, did you know that?”
“I do know that, and we need to talk when you do come home later on. Stay safe and keep your nose clean. Let me know where you end up.”
“I will give you a call, dad. Thanks, again.” Kayla hung up the phone after saying, “I love you so much, dad.”
“Love you too, darling.”
Kayla pulled herself together and gathered her cell phone in her hand. “It’s time to go.” She moved to the door and exited after catching a glimpse of an officer standing just outside staring back. “I’m going back home. I’ll hail a taxi.” She listened to the door shut behind her as she went to the elevator and rode it down to the reception desk without her suitcase. Kayla crossed her fingers that the officer didn’t notice.
The lady at reception was dealing with another family, so she bypassed her and went out the door with her mind on what was before her. When she was outside, she didn’t see another officer trace her every step. After waving down a taxi, she climbed inside and asked to be taken to the library not far from there.
Once the taxi dropped her off, and she paid the fair, she looked up at the library and headed inside to see what else might be waiting for her. When she saw Mel, her heart stopped, and she didn’t know why. She raced to hide behind a wall when this woman walked right on past her discussing a familiar subject.
“I must tell you there is a lady who is looking into the bodies found in the river and she’s highly interested in what has taken place there. I would like you to find out what’s going on with that investigation. Could you please do that for me?” Mel hugged a man Kayla had seen more than once, and when they parted ways, Kayla saw it was Detective Tyler who stood staring at the door.
Kayla rolled her eyes to the side and entered the woman’s bathroom with anxiety growing ever more significant. “What’s going on?” Her question fell to the tile walls and a row of three sinks. “The world is going mad.”
“Do you really think so?” Detective Tyler’s voice echoed throughout the small room.
Kayla snapped her head up and saw him come in after locking the door behind him.
“Were you following me? Why would you lock that door, detective?” Kayla’s face revealed anger and fright when she realized they were together alone in that bathroom.
“No, I’m beginning to believe you were following me. What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were supposed to be in your hotel room and staying away from everything.” He leaned against the paper towel dispenser.
“I’m leaving the hotel later today. I wanted to check out this library one last time before I find a new hotel.” Kayla felt his eyes on her. She never wavered before him.
“Okay, I didn’t know you were going to do that, Kayla Decker.” He looked down at the ground and stared at whatever caught his eye.
“Yeah, I think it would be best if I do that. I want to feel safe again without notes and messages telling me to back off.”
“They told you to leave, Kayla.” His face grew joyful.
“My dad told me it’s time to take a step back and look at what has transpired so far. It would be a good thing. Besides, you and Mel are besties, right?” Kayla went to brush past him when he grabbed her arm with only his fingers.
“I don’t want you to leave, Kayla. There’s a lot here to still look into. Mel and I were discussing a few things. I’m not so sure she knows what is exactly going on.” Tyler unlocked the door and held it open for her to leave.
“I would like to believe that, detective. You have a job to do, and so do I. We’re not on the same page, and that is alright. I know what I need to do. I know what’s best for me.” Kayla moved out the front door and into the chilly wind wrapping itself around her body.
“I kind of thought we would solve this case together.” The detective was giving her one more chance to reconcile.
“I think you and Mel should knock heads together and come up with who did it. I’m betting you two are really close to finding who did shoot the two people.” Kayla went to hail a cab.
“I just met her. After you told me about her, I decided to look her up. She’s hiding something I can’t quite put my finger on. Mel obviously has way too many secrets, and no one is going to pry them out of her. I bet you could, though.”
“You’re the detective so get out there and detect. It’s your job, right?” Kayla’s brow raised with suspicion.
“Yes, I am doing that.” He appeared helpless by her words.
“I have way too much to think about right now than sitting down with Mel and interrogate her about her family tree. It’s not in my mind to do that. All I wanted to know is if she was related to Harris and what information she possesses about the family.” Kayla halted in her tracks when Mel came into her view.
“All you had to do was ask, Kayla. I will tell you everything.” Mel stood a few feet from Kayla just outside the library.
&nb
sp; “How are you related to Harris Blackwell? I know there is a connection there. My instincts are telling me someone knows something about him and the woman he was found with.” Kayla leaned against the wall of the library and waited for Mel’s response.
“Just tell Kayla what you told me, Mel.” Detective Tyler walked away and watched them from afar near his unmarked car.
“What do you know, Mel?” Kayla couldn’t contain her innate desire to know what secret she held inside.
“Sit, Kayla.” Mel invited her to sit with her on the bench nearby. “Harris Green Blackwell was my brother. He was adopted by my father, W. L. Blackwell or so I was told.”
“Okay, when was he adopted?”
“Harris was the result of my mother’s infidelity outside of her marriage bed. We weren’t really all that close. I wish my brother would have confided in me, and my father wasn’t good to Harris. He was a child out of wedlock, but love wasn’t felt in our household growing up. Harris received a lot of verbal and physical abuse from my father.”
“Who is his father? Was his father Henry Blackwell?” Kayla watched Mel shake her head.
“Nobody knows. My mother never told anyone who the other man was. She kept it to herself till her dying day.” Mel glanced around them, and when her stare fell on Kayla, she mumbled, “I wish Harris knew how loved he was by me. I never got the chance to tell him because we lost touch years ago, and I never knew why.”
“I’m beginning to think W. L. Blackwell had something to do with all that. He was furious, and whatever took place with your mother and Harris’ father, I bet it didn’t last long.”
“No, my mother wasn’t allowed to leave without my father ever again after she had Harris. I think she died a lonely, sad woman with a broken heart. Back then women didn’t have a say in much of anything, at least not in my family. She was so opposed by him, suicide played with her mind a lot. I caught her holding a gun to her head once.” Mel bowed her head and wiped a tear from her cheek.
Kayla's Chronicles- Will Travel For Murder Page 13
