Cold Dawn

by Susan Sleeman

  A flush of red crawled up her face and rose to her natural blond roots. “I kinda overreacted.”

  “Kind of?”

  She socked him playfully in the gut. “Okay, totally. But how was I to know it was so important to you?”

  He grabbed her wrist and pulled her under his arm to knuckle her head like he’d always done. It felt so natural that he slung his arm around her shoulders and started for the restaurant. She slipped free and gaped at him.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I got lost in old times.”

  “I might still let you open a door for me, but that doesn’t mean it’s permission for more.”

  He held up his hands. “Got it. Don’t worry. I won’t touch you again.”

  “No wait.” She sighed. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just…I…”

  “Liked it too much?” he asked in jest.

  “Yeah,” she replied, shocking him before she jerked open the diner door and released the savory smell of frying bacon. She took a few steps and came to such an abrupt stop that he plowed into her and knocked her forward.

  He reached around her waist to right her, but she didn’t seem to notice or care. Her gaze was fixed on a table near the door where her sisters Cara and Kelly sat. They squealed and jumped to their feet, charging at Sam. The pair grabbed her up in a hug and danced in a circle.

  Griff stood and watched. He’d always liked her sisters, though the youngest one, Kelly, could be kind of flighty. Her hair was black and curly like their dad’s, and she was barely over five feet tall. Cara had straight blond hair like Sam, both women tall, taking after their mother. Sam was the oldest of the three, then Cara four years younger, and Kelly was born six years after that.

  “Why didn’t you tell anyone you were coming home?” Cara chastised.

  A sheepish look crossed Sam’s face. “I’m only here for the day, and it’s packed with interviews.”

  “Interviews?” Kelly asked. “Is this about Andy?”

  Sam nodded and Griff saw tears glisten in her eyes. She’d done such a good job containing her sorrow with Andy’s parents, and he respected her strength even more.

  Kelly looked up at Griff, her gaze tight. “And that’s why you’re with him?”

  Disgust filled her tone, and Griff had the urge to blurt out “your sister dumped me,” but he figured Sam probably didn’t tell them anything either, and so they thought the breakup was his fault.

  “Yes,” Sam said, and left it at that. She was usually a pretty talkative woman, but she’d been overly quiet since they met yesterday. Not just with him, but with pretty much everyone when the subject started getting emotional.

  “Well, you’re not leaving tonight.” Cara crossed her arms. As the middle daughter, she was often bossy in an effort to be heard. “I know you won’t go to Mom’s place, but you’ll spend the night with me.”

  “Griff and I rode together.”

  Cara gave him a once-over that left him feeling nearly naked. “He can stay, too.”

  Sam stepped closer to Cara. “Any other time I would appreciate the offer, but Andy was murdered and we’re—”

  “Murdered!” Kelly’s mouth fell open. “Andy was murdered?”

  Everyone in the diner turned to stare at them.

  Sam frowned at her sister. “I was trying to keep that quiet.”

  “Sorry, but come on. Murdered.” Kelly shook her head hard. “Are you and that fancy team working on trying to find out who did it?”

  Sam nodded and Griff didn’t miss the fact that she didn’t tell them she nearly died, too. With her sisters’ obvious dislike for him, he wasn’t about to bring it up as they’d likely find a way to blame him for that, too.

  “Then of course you need to go.” Cara grasped Sam’s arm. “It’s important.”

  Wide-eyed, Kelly stared at Sam. “Are we in danger? Is there like some killer running loose?”

  “No,” Griff said, though the killer could be someone walking among them. Most notably Nick, who tugged on the collar of his shirt and looked mighty uncomfortable in the corner booth.

  “This wasn’t some random act,” Sam said. “Andy was targeted.”

  Kelly shuddered. “I don’t know how you do that awful job with all those awful things you have to collect.”

  “So you’ve told me.” Sam smiled fondly at her baby sister who was spoiled rotten. She was a hairdresser and was such a girly girl, that a four-star hotel was roughing it for her.

  “We really should talk to Nick,” Griff said. “He’s getting antsy.”

  Kelly shot him an appalled look. “Did he have something to do with killing Andy?”

  “No!” Sam and Griff answered at the same time.

  “He just talked to Andy recently,” Sam explained. “That’s all.”

  “Are you going to talk to everyone Andy spoke to, because I talked to him,” Kelly volunteered. “He came in for a haircut.”

  “And did he spill his guts to you like all your clients do?” Cara laughed.

  “Nah, he was quiet like usual. A little awkward almost every time I touched him. He said he’d never had a woman do his hair. At the end, he said he liked it and would be back.”

  She puffed up her chest and smoothed a hand over her hair. “He even gave me a huge tip. I told him to keep it. You know, being out of a job and all. But he said he was about to come into some money, and he was glad to share it.”

  Exactly like his parents said. Griff shared a pointed look with Sam. She gave a brief dip of her head in acknowledgement then swung her gaze back to Kelly. “Did he say where this money was coming from?”

  She shook her head, her curly hair bouncing. “I joked with him about it and said something about playing the lottery. He just laughed, but didn’t say another word.”

  “Anything else he might have said that you think is important?” Sam asked.

  Kelly shook her head, but suddenly stopped and moved closer. “I heard rumors about Nick. He’s got a vitamin business. Everyone knows it’s a pyramid scheme, though he won’t admit it.”

  “That’s interesting, but how does it relate to Andy?” Griff asked.

  “If you’ll let me finish I’ll tell you.” She gave him a testy look. “Rumor has it that he’s not only into legal vitamins, but illegal substances, too.”

  “Do you believe the rumors?” Sam asked.

  “I’ve heard it from a few regulars who would know.” She tsked. “It might as well be fact.”

  Griff loved small-town living, except for the gossip, but hairdressers usually heard facts that others didn’t, and he had to give Kelly’s comments some serious thought. Maybe if Andy discovered some actual proof of the drug dealing, Nick would have a motive to kill Andy.

  “People are saying Nick roughed up Lance Vickery real bad. Nearly killed him.” Kelly’s eyes narrowed. “Just be careful with him, okay?”

  “We will.” Sam hugged both of her sisters, and then started across the black and white floor tiles toward Nick.

  “Lance Vickery?” Griff whispered as they walked. “Isn’t he that pothead who got arrested in high school for selling the stuff?”

  Sam nodded. “Which makes Kelly’s rumors more believable, right?”

  “Right.” They neared Nick, and Griff’s instincts went on high alert.

  The guy sat in a booth, scraggly blond hair in disarray, a deep scowl on his face that was still dotted with acne. He bounced his jean-clad leg, his knee poking out of a large hole in the fabric, and his slender fingers clung to a paper soda cup.

  Drug withdrawal or nervousness? Griff didn’t know which.

  Sam slid in on the bright blue vinyl bench across from Nick, and Griff sat next to her.

  “How you doing, Nick?” Griff asked, checking out the guy’s eyes for signs that he was on something right now. “Been a long time.”

  Nick crossed his arms, his pupils looking normal-sized. “I didn’t do nothing wrong.”

  “Who said you did?”

  “You’re here
to talk to me about Andy, right? I figure that means you think I had something to do with his death.” He sounded lucid and not under the influence of drugs.

  “No,” Sam said, though Griff didn’t think the same thing. “All we know was you two hung out recently. You were never friends so we wanted to know what it was all about.”

  “VitaWinner. He was going to join my team.” Nick took a long pull on his straw. “At least that’s what he said until the last time I saw him, and he changed his tune.”

  “That pyramid scheme?” Griff asked about the questionable vitamin company.

  “It’s not a pyramid scheme. It’s a legitimate investment and sales opportunity.”

  “If you say so.”

  Nick slammed a fist on the table. “I make good money selling healthy vitamins, and it’s not against the law. So there.”

  Griff wanted to ask what he meant by good money. Good for Rugged Point or good for a real city, but it didn’t matter and would just aggravate Nick when they needed his cooperation. “So when was Andy going to start working for you?”

  “Not for me. With me, and we were supposed to meet today.”

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  “Two days ago. Right here. He said he was rethinking VitaWinner because he was going to come into enough money to live on for years. I have to admit I got kinda mad at him for wasting my time. But so what, right? That happens. So I split and went home to work.”

  “Can anyone vouch for your whereabouts that afternoon and evening?” Griff asked.

  He snarled. “Thought you didn’t think I had anything to do with his death?”

  “I never said that,” Griff replied. “That was Sam’s comment.”

  “Right. You were always the tough guy. Always right. Always a bigshot.”

  “I’m not sure what any of that has to do with my question. Did anyone see you in the afternoon and early evening?”

  “I still live with my mom, all right. Big whoop. She was home.”

  Griff tried not to smirk but he didn’t manage it.

  Nick glared at him. “Is that all?”

  “Tell me about the drug trade. Heard you had to rough Lance up. What happened? He didn’t pay?”

  Nick sucked in a sharp breath. “Yeah, I heard those rumors too, but if it was true, wouldn’t Lance have called the cops?”

  “When he was buying illegal drugs from you?” Sam scoffed. “Hardly.”

  Nick crossed his arms and clamped his mouth closed.

  “Do you have any idea who might want to kill Andy?” Sam asked.

  “Nah. But then I didn’t know much about him. We weren’t friends or anything. It was just professional between us.”

  Sam took out a business card and slid it across to him. “Call me if you think of anything that might help us find his killer.”

  Nick picked up the card and studied it. “So who’s this Blackwell Tactical group?”

  “It’s the company I work for. A team of protection and investigation specialists.”

  “I thought you were a cop.”

  “Was. Changed jobs recently.”

  Nick sat forward, all aggravation gone and a slight upturn to his mouth. “Your team really could benefit from the VitaWinner. I’ll give you a call and set up a time to come talk to them.”

  “Sorry,” Sam said. “This is a business-only line. Stick to information about Andy’s death.”

  She pushed Griff to get up, and he did to let her out. She didn’t say goodbye or shake hands with Nick but headed for the exit, nodding at her sisters as she passed.

  “We’ll be checking on your alibi. And if you lied to us…” Griff gave Nick a warning look and turned to trail Sam out to the truck.

  By the time he reached her, she had her phone to her ear. He unlocked and opened her door.

  “Calling Blake,” she said and climbed in.

  Griff didn’t start the engine in case this conversation changed their destination. She filled Blake in on Nick and asked about the guy’s drug dealings.

  “So he’s on your radar?” she asked and then fell silent, tapping her knee with a fingernail.

  Griff heard the sheriff’s deep voice but couldn’t make out his words.

  “Yeah,” she said. “I think he might have something to do with Andy’s death. Can you look into him?” Her face scrunched up as she listened again.

  “And the vitamin business. Is that legit?” She tilted her head then nodded.

  Griff thought it cute that she was using gestures to communicate when Blake wasn’t there to see them.

  “I appreciate it, Blake.” She lowered her phone. “Shocker of all shockers—Blake actually told me something. He said Lance did take quite a beating, and Blake brought Nick in for questioning regarding the beating. Not enough evidence to arrest him, and Lance wouldn’t press charges. Nick remains on Blake’s radar for drugs, but the vitamin business is legit.”

  “So Nick’s violent. It seemed like when we talked to him that he might have a temper. Means he could be our guy if his alibi doesn’t check out.”

  She nodded. “I’m assuming even if he wasn’t home, his mother will lie for him.”

  “Still worth talking to her, right?”

  Sam nodded, but her gaze transferred to the diner. “He’s always been kind of a lazy guy, and he’ll probably leave his cup on the table instead of trashing it. We can grab it for prints and DNA.”

  Griff nodded and ran through the conversation with Nick in his mind. “I don’t want to believe this, but what if Andy got involved in dealing, too?”

  Sam shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t like the thought, but it would explain where this big score was going to come from.”

  Griff nodded. “You know, the more I hear about this supposed money, the more I think it’s the reason he was killed.”

  9

  Sam couldn’t believe they lucked out and found Mrs. Ogden arriving home from the grocery store. She was tall and rail thin like Nick, her hair grayer than blond, and dark puffy circles hung under her eyes.

  She lifted a paper bag from the trunk and turned to eye them suspiciously. “Can I help you?”

  “Hi, Mrs. Ogden,” Sam said cheerfully. “I’m Samantha Willis. I went to school with Nick.”

  “You were a cop here, too, right?” A painted-on eyebrow arched high.

  “Yes. Way back when.” Sam spoke softly to try to disarm her concern. “We—my friend Griff here—and I were friends with Andy Hollis.”

  She shifted the bag to her other hip. “Heard about him dying in that fire. Sorry to hear that.”

  “He was hanging out with Nick the last few weeks.”

  Her fingers tightened on the bag. “Didn’t know about that.”

  “We’re trying to find out who started the fire and are following up with everyone who’d talked to Andy lately.”

  “And?” she asked pointedly.

  “And Nick says he was here with you when Andy died in the fire.”

  “He was.”

  “I didn’t mention when the fire started.”

  “Didn’t you?” She smirked.

  “No.”

  “So when was it?” she asked, her concern for Andy long gone.

  Griff took a step toward Mrs. Ogden, and Sam lifted a hand to stop him.

  “Monday night. Early in the evening.”

  “Yeah, he was here.” She paused and looked like she was searching for what to say next. “Ate dinner and we watched TV until nearly one in the morning.”

  Trying to come up with another question, Sam looked past her into the garage. She spotted a large gas can and pair of boots sitting near the door. She’d noticed Nick’s athletic shoes at the diner and the size would fit the boot prints recovered at the fire scene.

  She glanced at the well-manicured yard but didn’t see a mower. “Your yard is really nice. Nick keep it up for you?”

  “Nick?” She scoffed. “No, he’s not real big on manual labor. I have a landscape company do it.”<
br />
  So gas. No mower. A lawn service who would arrive with their own gasoline. All added up to potential arson in Sam’s book. She stepped past Mrs. Ogden and picked up the boots to look at the sole pattern.

  “Hey,” she said. “You have no business doing that.”

  Sam ignored her and took a picture of the tread. “Odd that you have a gas can so readily available when someone does your yard work.”

  Mrs. Ogden opened her mouth to say something then turned to slam the trunk. “I need to get my frozen foods inside.”

  With that she brushed past Sam and sent the automatic door rolling down with a loud whirr that echoed through the quiet neighborhood. Sam hustled out of the way.

  “Seems like you touched on a nerve there,” Griff said.

  Sam nodded. “I doubt Nick would leave evidence like that sitting around, but we at least know one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “His mother believes he’s capable of starting a fire, or she wouldn’t have made up an alibi before we even asked for one and walked away like that.”

  “Means processing that cup needs to be top priority after we look through Andy’s things.”

  As predicted, Nick had left it on the table, and she’d swooped in to grab it before the table could be bussed. She couldn’t wait to process it for prints, but she’d have to send it off for DNA as well. “And I’ll also check the boot prints, but I don’t think his are the same pattern. Still, I’ll double-check.”

  “Any word from the expert on the one you found at the cannery?” Griff asked.

  “He’s looking into it. Maybe there’ll be more info from him when we get back to the lab.”

  Griff pointed at his truck. “Then your chariot awaits, my lady.”

  She laughed at his humor, but the minute she got settled in the truck, her mind turned back to Nick and the potential lead. He had means and opportunity, but what about motive? Killing Andy because he decided not to go into business with Nick wasn’t likely, so it most likely would have to do with drugs. She didn’t want to think Andy got involved in that. He was too smart to do something illegal. Unless he was desperate for money. Again something she doubted. He was a CPA and would probably have a nice nest egg.

  “Home sweet home,” Griff said and pulled up outside a ranch-style house painted bright white with classic black shutters and a black front door.