“Sydney, I thought I’d be able to meet you and Mac later, but I’m going to be here for a while.” He groaned. “It’s worse than I thought.”
I felt my cheeks and traced my jaw with a finger. “What happened?”
“It’s a burst pipe. I turned off the water and called a plumber. I’m just glad I wasn’t further along in the reno.”
“Sydney, we’re here,” Mac said.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Brad. I hope you can get it taken care of quickly. It doesn’t sound like it, though. Couldn’t you have the plumber come tomorrow since you’ve turned the water off?”
“I’ve already called him, and he’s on the way. Maybe he could look at it tonight and do the work tomorrow, but I’d have to pay for two service calls. I’ll call you later if I can.”
“Okay. Bye.” I looked at Mac, who was looking at me.
“Is it bad?” She removed the key from the ignition.
“It sounds like it.” I pushed the car door open. “Ready to see the house?” I had the key in my hand.
She was staring at the house, shaking her head. “I don’t know.”
The single-story house was dark inside, and the porch light was off. There was no grass or shrubbery in the front. Drapes covered the windows. Brad still had a lot of work to do.
We got out of the car and started walking up the concrete walkway toward the door. Mac clutched my arm, and I jumped.
“Mac! What are you doing?” I jerked my arm away. My heart was pounding.
“It’s spooky. I wish he would’ve left some lights on.” She walked close to me. “We don’t even know where the light switches are in there. Maybe we should wait until morning.”
I stopped walking. “Do you really want to?” It wasn’t the most inviting sight, but I hoped she wanted to go in because I was going to go with or without her. I’d waited too long to see the house.
She gazed at the house then looked at the neighboring houses with their lights ablaze. “I guess not.” She took a couple of steps then stopped again. “Do you have your gun?” she whispered.
“I do. My spare pistol is in my ankle holster. Don’t worry. Let’s go.” I started toward the door. I heard her breathing behind me. Jeez. “By the way, I’m glad you wore your Reeboks in case we have to run.”
“Shut up, Syd.” She pinched the back of my arm. Hard.
“Ow! Cut it out!” I swatted at her then rubbed my arm as I hurried away. I stood in front of the door and waited for the big baby to catch up. “Hurry up!”
She held an index finger in front of her mouth. “Shhh.”
I unlocked the door and felt around inside the entrance for a light switch. I found it and turned on the lights. We went inside, looking around what would have been the living room. Brad had installed recessed lighting throughout. I could see the kitchen and another room from where we stood. It was an open floor plan. There was a fireplace that didn’t have a mantel or tiling yet. Brad hadn’t started the flooring either. Bummer. It was concrete. I had hoped for hardwood floors throughout the house.
“Do you want to walk around?” I asked.
Her gaze shifted around the living room. “If you want to.”
“What’s wrong with you? I thought you wanted to do this.”
She had her hand on the open door. “I’d prefer to do it in the daylight. Let’s go.”
“Come on, Mac. We’re here. We might as well take a quick look around.” I waved her over. “Just a quick five-minute peek. Okay?”
She looked outside then back at me. She sighed. “Well, all right.” She eased away from the door.
I stepped toward her, reached around her, and closed the door. It clicked shut. I turned the deadbolt, and Mac jumped at the sound that seemed to echo through the room.
“Ready?” I wanted to say “Boo!” but didn’t want to push my luck.
“I’ll follow you.”
I led the way into the kitchen. There was a lot of storage. More than I might ever need.
Mac ran her fingers over the double-bowl white sink. “This is a farmhouse sink. I love these.” She looked at me. “Is he letting you pick the fixtures?”
“I believe so. Maybe he already had this in by the time we talked about it.”
“He has good taste.” She smiled. “Mike could learn from him. I like the white cabinetry too.”
“Let’s go down the hall. I want to check out the bathrooms and bedrooms.” I flipped the lights on in the hall, which also had recessed lights.
Mac turned the light on in the hall bathroom. “Oh, a soaker tub! I can’t wait to see what he’ll do to the master bath.” She climbed inside the tub and stretched out her legs, smiling. Then she jumped and gasped. “Did you hear that?” She scrambled out of the tub.
“I didn’t hear anything. What did it sound like?” I tilted my head and squinted, trying to listen.
Her eyes had grown wide. “A scratching sound came from the living room.” She focused and was breathing heavily. Her gaze darted around the bathroom as if she was looking for an escape route. “Oh, Syd. What are we going to do?”
“Quiet. I’m going to check it out.”
She grabbed my arm. “No! Don’t go. Call the police.”
I turned and stared at her before bending and removing the Glock from my ankle holster. “Be quiet while I see what it is. Stay here.”
“Okay.” She patted her pockets. “My cell phone is in the car.” A tear trickled from her eye, and she swiped at it. Her hand was trembling.
With my Glock in hand, I crept down the hall back to the living room. The doorknob on the front door twisted, and a shadow moved outside. Maybe it was Brad. I eased toward the window and peeked through the drapes. The only vehicle I saw was Mac’s Chevy Cruz. I slid along the wall until I reached the row of light switches. I flipped a switch to turn off the inside light but accidentally turned on the porch light instead. A bulky figure dashed across the front yard, heading toward the street.
“Mac, come out!” I pulled on the door, but it was locked. I unlocked the deadbolt and ran outside in time to see someone jump into a dark-colored car a couple of houses down, crank the engine, and speed away. He turned the corner and was gone. I could’ve given chase, but there was no way I would leave Mac alone. I turned to see her standing in the doorway, hugging herself. The porch light gave her face an ashen look. She was trembling.
“Who was it, Syd? What did they want?” She rubbed her arms.
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Let’s get out of here.”
After Mac came out, I closed and locked the door, leaving the interior and porch lights on. What in the world was going on?
Mac handed me her car keys. “I can’t drive. Can you?” Her teeth chattered.
“No problem.” I climbed into the driver’s seat and slid my pistol back in its holster. I drove Mac home. Once she was safely inside, I hopped into my car and drove back to my apartment.
Chapter Twenty-One
When I arrived home, I called Brad and told him what had happened. He sent the plumber away, dropped everything, and came to my apartment. I told him I didn’t get a look at the person because it was dark. However, he or she appeared to have been wearing jeans. I also saw the black gloves on their hands and a dark baseball cap on their head.
I couldn’t see the car, except that it was dark in color, but I filed a report anyway. Brad told me burglars sometimes target houses under renovation and steal the appliances, furnaces, and air conditioner parts. It may have been someone attempting to burglarize the house then realized someone was home after I’d turned on the porch light. Brad planned to install security cameras at the house the next day. He insisted on sleeping on my sofa bed, and I had no energy to argue. I left him in the living room after we’d set up the bed. I guessed I’d made up with him without realizing it. I went to my bedroom, took a shower, and tried to calm down so I could get some sleep.
Tomorrow may be the day we figure all of this out.
I eventua
lly got a few hours of sleep but woke up at some point after a bad dream I couldn’t remember. Still, I was awake before the alarm the next morning. I showered, dressed, and headed for the living room. Brad was already up and flipping through the channels on the television when I came into the living room. He’d folded up the sofa bed and linens and placed them in a pile at the end of the sofa. Blond stubble covered his cheeks and chin, and his hair was in disarray. He ran his hand through it when he saw me.
“Good morning, Sydney.” He patted the sofa cushion next to him. “How did you sleep?”
“Pretty good. You?”
He shrugged. “What’s on the agenda for you today?”
“I’m hoping for a break in the case. Maybe Mac and I could get another look at the house in the daylight. What do you think?”
He held out his hand. “Maybe. The key?” He wiggled his fingers. “It’s the only one I have, and I need to get in to install the security system.”
I reached in a pocket of my jeans and retrieved the key, dropping it into his palm. “Mac liked the sink. Farmhouse is what she called it.”
He smiled. “What did you think about it? Was it your taste?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what my taste is, but I liked it too.”
“Good. I’m glad.” He pushed himself up, stood, then stretched and groaned. “Your sofa bed isn’t that comfortable.”
“Really? Nobody’s ever complained before.”
He crossed his arms. “Oh, you have men spending the night on your sofa often?”
I picked up the linens he’d folded. “Just Bernie.” I walked down the hall toward my bedroom.
Brad followed me. “Huh? Why?”
I rolled my eyes as I dropped the linens in the hamper. “Don’t start. He did the same thing you did. He was worried and stayed.”
Brad frowned. “Why was he worried? What happened?”
I left my room and headed down the hall toward the living room, and he trailed behind. “It was a while back. We didn’t know if I’d had a break-in, so he spent the night.”
He shook his head. “What have I gotten myself into?” He sighed. “It’s never boring. That’s for sure.” He kissed me on the forehead. “I’d better get going if I’m going to get anything done today. The plumber is meeting me back at the other reno. At first glance, he didn’t think it would be a major repair. I’m happy about that since I just dropped six hundred bucks on the truck repair. Are you going to be okay?” He eyed the Glock on my hip.
“Fine as I can be.” I walked to the door. “Go. See you later. Thanks for staying. I really do appreciate it.”
“I know.” He squeezed me in a tight hug. “Stay out of trouble today, okay?” He stepped outside.
“I’ll try.” I watched him stroll to his truck, climb in, and drive away. I hurried to the kitchen, made a bowl of oatmeal, and wolfed it down. I left for the station soon after.
Ten minutes later, I was sitting at my desk when Bernie arrived. He stopped by my cubicle and set a bakery bag down.
I smiled up at him. “For me?”
“It is.” He held up another bag. “I got one for me too. Enjoy.” He continued to his cubicle.
I stood and studied his demeanor. “What’s the occasion?”
“No occasion. I just felt like a doughnut.” He shrugged. “If you don’t want it—”
“Oh, I want it.” I opened the bag and removed the long doughnut with chocolate icing. “By the way, Mac and I went to see the house Brad’s renovating last night.”
He munched on his jelly doughnut. “Did you like it?”
“We liked what we could see of it. That’s not what I wanted to tell you about, though.”
He stopped chewing. “What happened?”
“Someone tried to get in the house while we were there. I’d locked the door with the deadbolt.”
“What? Who was it?” He was standing now.
“I couldn’t tell. I turned the porch light on, and he or she ran to their car down the street. I couldn’t see anything because it was so dark.”
“Why the hell did you guys go there so late? Where was Brad?”
“He had an emergency to deal with at another reno and couldn’t be there.”
He scowled. “Why didn’t you wait until the daytime to go?”
“Because we wanted to see it so that we could start making plans. I was anxious to see it. Mac wanted to back out. She was scared because it was dark. It did look a little spooky.”
A muscle pulsed in his jaw, and he seemed to chew harder than what was necessary. “Well, maybe you should’ve listened to her.” He plopped down in his chair, and it squeaked.
I rolled my eyes. What was with these guys? Bernie and Brad were treating me as if I was some helpless girl with no training or ability to protect myself. “It turned out okay. Let’s drop it. We’re both safe.”
“Hey, you worry about me too. Remember when I was thinking about naming my son after Joey, the kid I shot after he took a couple of shots at me?” He shook his head. “You talked me out of that one.”
“Okay. Anyway, I called Brad when I got home, and he came over. He spent the night on the sofa.” I checked my email and pondered the case. We were close. My cell phone rang, and I checked the caller ID. “Hi, Mac.”
“Can we go back to the house this morning and see it now that it’s light outside?” She sounded perky.
“We could, but we wouldn’t be able to get in. I gave Brad the key.”
“Already?” She sighed. “Wait. When did you see Brad?”
“Last night.”
“He was busy at the other place, though. You called him? Ohhhh. Did he spend the night?” She giggled.
“Yes, he did. Before you ask, he slept on the sofa bed.” I continued to munch on the doughnut.
“What did he say about our little adventure?” she asked.
“He was worried and said he’d install a security system. What did Mike say?”
“I haven’t told him yet. He was asleep when I got home.”
I licked chocolate icing from my fingers. “Are you going to tell him?”
“More than likely. He’ll probably tell me we can’t play together anymore.” She was laughing.
“Oh, well. Listen, I have to get going. I’ll call you if I can arrange for us to see the house today.”
“Okay. Bye, Syd. Stay out of trouble.”
Why did everyone keep saying that? It wasn’t like I went out looking for trouble every day, for goodness sake. “Bye, Mac.” I disconnected, picked up my doughnut, and continued to enjoy the rare treat from Bernie.
“Syd, I spoke to George Stone’s parents. They said he’s awake,” Bernie said.
I stood. “Let’s see what he has to say.”
Forty-five minutes later, we were in George Stone’s hospital room. Bernie was at the door, and I was standing at the foot of the bed. Mrs. Stone occupied a white plastic chair near the window. George was on his back and had an IV attached to his arm.
“George, we’d like to talk to you about what happened,” I said. “First, why were you near Teena’s house?” He wouldn’t know whether or not I knew if he’d been there.
“I just wanted to see Billi. I knew she was there because I saw her car. I was parked in front of her.” He turned his head toward the window, looking at some point above his mother’s head.
“Why didn’t you go to the hospital when you were shot?”
He glanced at Bernie, who was standing near the door, gazing at him. “Because they’d have to report it to the police. I got enough problems.”
I moved closer to the head of the bed. “Who shot you?”
He peered up at me, frowning. “It was dark, and I didn’t see who it was, but it was a dude.”
“Were you with someone?”
“No. I was just leaning against Billi’s car, minding my own business, and the dude came up and shot me. He didn’t say nothin’. Just shot me and walked away to a car and opened the trunk. I thought
he was going to come back and throw me in there. He had one of those two-liter soda bottles on his gun. I got the hell outta there.”
So, he’d used a homemade silencer. “What kind of car did he have?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Did you see anyone else out there?”
He shook his head.
I watched him. “Did you remove any medication from Teena’s house?”
He flicked a glance at his mother. “No. I’m tired. I want to sleep now.” He winced as he rolled over then turned his head back to me, frowning. “Did he kill Billi?” He had tears in his eyes.
“I don’t know. We’re still investigating. One more question. Why did Billi have a restraining order against you?”
His lip trembled, and he bit down on it. “I loved her. That’s why!”
Mrs. Stone stood. “That’s enough, Detectives. The doctor said he needs to rest.” She adjusted the thin blankets on the bed. “Perhaps you can come back later.”
Bernie was already turning to go, so I went into the hall too.
“Remember, the bullet went through him. It might be lodged in Billi’s car.” I walked down the hall. “If it is, Forensics never said anything to us about it.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
We spoke to Forensics and were told there were no bullet holes in Billi’s car. They said they would go over it again and get back to us. I spent the next couple of hours at the station, watching the DVDs and running a criminal background check on John Walker. I also ran one on Ben Lane, the security guard. They came back with no history. That didn’t mean they hadn’t done anything. It simply meant they hadn’t been caught. Big difference. I checked to see if Lane and the Walker brothers had guns registered. Only Ben Lane and Curtis Walker did. Lane’s was a .38 caliber pistol, and Walker’s was a .22 caliber. I strummed my fingers on the desk and hummed, thinking. Something was missing. What? It tickled my brain.
Bernie stood at my desk. “Earth to Syd.”
I looked up at him. “May I help you?” The thought I’d had disappeared when he’d spoken. I frowned.
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