Deadly Dose

by Margaret Daley

  Quinn waved to a chair. “Sit.” After she settled in one across from him, he continued. “I’m so sorry about Mary Lou. We miss her, especially Heather.”

  “I’d like to work with Heather. Does she have a new mentor yet?”

  “I’m thrilled you want to help. We can always use mentors to work with the teenagers. The number of kids participating in our activities has doubled in the past two years. But, sadly, Heather hasn’t been here since Mary Lou’s death.”

  “Do you know why?”

  “No. I went to see her at Christmas, but she didn’t say much.”

  “I’ll go by and see if I can get her to return. I hope she does. I want to take Mary Lou’s place in her life. But if she doesn’t want a mentor, then I’d like to help another girl.” She would somehow still find out how Heather was doing.

  Quinn rubbed his neck. “Let’s see what Heather says. Especially starting out, you should only have one mentee.”

  Jessie began to say something, but Quinn’s cell phone chimed.

  The director scrunched his forehead. “I’d better take this.” He rose and moved away from her, his back to her. Suddenly his voice rose. “Here, in the men’s locker room?” A long pause stretched before he added, “I’ll be right there.” As he disconnected his call, he pivoted toward her. “Let me know what Heather says. I have an emergency to take care of.”

  “Do you need any help?”

  “Yes, you can wait and direct the paramedics to the men’s locker room.” Quinn rushed out of his office and turned toward the gym.

  She followed the director so she’d know where to send the paramedics but waited in the empty gym near the entrance, keeping her attention focused on the doors into the community center. Who was hurt? Josh had gone into the gym. Was he involved somehow?

  She remembered the time Josh and her brother, Gabriel, had a fight over her niece only two months ago. So much had happened since then. At least now, Gabriel and Josh were civil to each other for Abbey’s sake. Gabriel’s fiancée, Kira, had helped facilitate that.

  Several minutes later, the double doors into the building flew open, and two paramedics hurried inside, rolling a gurney.

  She waved, saying, “In here,” then held the doors wide for the pair. “They’re in the men’s locker room.” Jessie pointed where they needed to go.

  As the paramedics disappeared inside, the desire to follow them was strong. She couldn’t shake the feeling Josh was involved somehow. Instead, she began to pace.

  * * *

  Josh stood back and watched the paramedics work on Aaron. Who did this? Why? Aaron had been quiet the last two times they’d been together, but he’d insisted he was fine. A tightness in his gut had told Josh otherwise. He should have pressed Aaron about what was going on, but they had only been working together six weeks.

  Quinn met the police officer when he came into the dressing room. His friend gestured toward him, probably telling the officer he was the one who found Aaron. Josh moved toward the two. He wanted to make it clear he needed answers to what had happened while he’d been waiting for Aaron. He should have been able to prevent this, but he’d left to talk to Quinn then ran into Jessie. If he’d been here, he could have protected Aaron or prevented the beating.

  “Mr. Parker told me you found the teen.”

  While Quinn left them to talk, Josh read the officer’s nameplate. Derek Taylor. He must be new. Josh didn’t recognize him. “I’m Josh Morgan, and yes, I found Aaron Coleman. I mentor him.”

  “Do you have any idea who would have done this, Mr. Morgan?”

  “No. Aaron hasn’t said anything to me about having problems, but then I’ve only been working with him recently.”

  “Probably something carried over from school.” The officer glanced toward the teen being transferred to a gurney. “I’ll get a statement from him when the hospital gives me the okay. But in a lot of cases like this, the victim will remain silent.”

  “I want to make it clear that you need to take this case seriously. Chief Shaffer is a friend. This place is supposed to be a safe haven for the kids.” Josh stared at Aaron, unconscious, his face beaten to a pulp. Not far from where he’d passed out, a bloody pillowcase lay on the wet floor. Had the assailants put that over the teen to keep their identities secret? “Aaron might not know his attackers.”

  “Why do you think there was more than one?”

  “Because Aaron lifts weights, and he’s strong. I doubt that much damage could have been done without him landing some punches. If not, he was overpowered. Maybe held down.”

  “I’m calling the chief to see how he wants to handle this. In the meantime, let’s leave the crime scene alone.”

  “At least now you see it as a crime scene.” Josh followed the officer out of the dressing room.

  Officer Taylor planted himself in the entrance to the men’s locker room. “You didn’t see anybody leave the room right before you came in?”

  “No. I would have told you. But this isn’t the only exit from the locker room. I heard a door slam right before I found Aaron. There’s another one in the back. It’s usually locked. People can use it to leave in case of an emergency, but they can’t come in that way.”

  “So someone could have opened it and let others inside?”

  “Exactly, which could mean his attack had been planned.” Taylor wasn’t a detective, but Josh felt as if he was spoon feeding this young officer. “How long have you worked for the police department here in Pinecrest?”

  “I started last month. I replaced a patrol officer who died in the line of duty.”

  Chills flashed up Josh’s spine. That happened in the showdown with the serial killer in December. “Have you worked anywhere else?”

  “No, but I attended CLEET training before I started working here.” A defensive tone rang in Officer Taylor’s voice. He clicked his two-way radio near his left shoulder and requested to speak to Chief Shaffer as he moved back into the dressing room.

  Josh turned and spied Jessie across the gym near the main doors. Her intense gaze fixed on him.

  He crossed to her. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “I was with Quinn when he received a call about the incident in the men’s locker room. I saw the paramedics take the teen out. He looked bad.”

  “I’m his mentor. He was supposed to be taking a shower. He was jumped and beaten up.”

  “Who do you think it was? Why would they do that?”

  “I’m hoping Aaron can tell the police that.” Josh shook his head, wishing he could rid his mind of the image of the teenage boy lying on the tile floor, his blood flowing toward the shower drain.

  A frown creased Jessie’s forehead. “How long have you been a mentor?”

  “Not long. After Christmas.”

  Her big blue eyes widened.

  “And I have you to thank for opening my eyes to the opportunity to help.”

  “What are you up to?”

  “Giving back. I haven’t seen you around the center. What are you doing here?”

  Her mouth tightened into a thin line then softened. “I was checking on the girl Mary Lou mentored.” She pulled her jacket across her front as if it was freezing in the gym. More likely it was a statement about being near him.

  “Did you find her?”

  “No, she hasn’t been here since Mary Lou’s death. It’s been a long day. Good night.” She hurried out the exit as though he’d yelled fire.

  He’d never felt awkward around a female, but Jessie made him feel that way. The only time she warmed up was when their niece, Abbey, was around them. He remembered almost a year ago when her brother was convicted of killing Josh’s sister, Marcie. The icy look Jessie had given him and his mother as they left the courtroom still haunted him. Jessie had made it abundantly clear that the Morgan family was responsible for Gabriel’s guilty verdict. Then to make matters worse, Josh’s mother had gotten full custody of her granddaughter and had requested the police chief meet them
at the Flying Eagle Ranch. He went with his mother to the Michaels’ ranch to take Abbey away from them.

  The hatred pouring off Jessie that day could fuel a new ice age. So why did he care what she felt? Josh drew in a deep breath and started back to the entrance into the locker room. He needed to go to the hospital to see about Aaron, but first, he wanted to confirm the police would take this case seriously. He didn’t have a good feeling about it.

  * * *

  Jessie pulled up to the semi-dark house. Only one light burned in the living room. She hoped Heather was there. She knew that the teen lived with her aunt who worked in the pharmacy at the grocery store where Mary Lou had worked. The carport was empty. Probably no one was home. She started to leave then decided she might as well knock and see if the teenager was there.

  When Jessie zipped up her leather jacket and hurried toward the porch, she scanned the area. Dark shadows lurked menacingly all around her. This wasn’t a good area of Pinecrest. She should leave and come back in the light of day. But the front door was only a couple of yards away.

  She quickened her pace and rang the bell seconds later. Even though music from a radio blasted inside, chimes sounded faintly in the frigid air. She kept her gaze fastened on her surroundings. When a dog began barking a few houses away, she jerked in that direction, fisting her hands at her sides. Someone yelled down the street, and the dog stopped yelping. She welcomed the silence for a few breaths until she heard the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears.

  She sidled toward the window on the porch to see if she could see inside. The drapes were parted a few inches. She leaned close to the windowpane and looked inside. As she peered to the left, she noticed a turned over chair. She swung her gaze to the right, and a movement caught her attention. More a blur than an object. Then her gaze zeroed in on the sight of two feet clad in tennis shoes attached to legs wearing holey jeans. A figure lay unmoving on the floor. She plastered her cheek against the cold glass but couldn’t see anything above the knees or whatever was the blur. Did she imagine it? Another look at the set of legs confirmed she hadn’t imagined them.

  A car passed the house on the street. Jessie jumped back, keeping an eye on the vehicle. Her heart thudded against her ribcage, its rate tripling.

  Who was on the floor? Heather? Her aunt? Was someone else inside? If so, why weren’t they checking on the person lying on the rug?

  Jessie pulled out her cell phone and started to call the police. Her fingers froze over the screen. She couldn’t bring herself to do it, not after all the trouble they’d put Gabriel through.

  Instead, she punched Kira’s name in her contacts but had to leave a message. Whoever was hurt needed help immediately. With a shaky hand, she put in Josh’s number, having it only because he was her niece’s uncle. Since Kira wasn’t available, talking to him was easier than a police officer. With his connections to the police chief, she hoped he would report her concerns to the authorities.

  “I didn’t expect to hear from you,” Josh said when he answered his cell.

  She almost hung up rather than talk to him, but something bad had happened inside. “I’m at Heather Williams’s house. I think there’s been a fight, and someone is hurt inside on the floor.”

  The sound of a door slamming nearby echoed through the darkness.

  Jessie stiffened then frantically scanned for a hiding place as she ran toward her truck.

  Chapter Three

  Josh gripped his cell phone tighter. “Jessie, are you all right?”

  “Hurry. I think someone might be in Heather’s backyard. She lives at 325 Boomer Road.”

  The fear in Jessie’s voice twisted Josh’s gut. He thought of her as an iron maiden, afraid of nothing. “Have you called the police?”

  “No.”

  He knew of her distaste for the Pinecrest Police Department. “I’ll call them and be right there. Wait in your truck with the doors locked. Okay?”

  “Yes.”

  The quaver in that one word lingered in his mind and urged him to rush. He speed-dialed Chief Shaffer then made a U-turn and headed away from the hospital. He stomped on the accelerator. After what happened to Aaron, he hated to think what could be wrong with whoever was on the floor in the house, not to mention what could happen to Jessie for being in the wrong place.

  Five minutes later, he pulled up behind Jessie’s pickup, panned the area, and then hopped from his sports car. He covered the distance to the driver’s side of the truck in seconds. She opened the door and climbed out, clutching the handle.

  Josh moved in close and lowered his voice. “Did you see or hear anything else?”

  “No, but I called 9-1-1 to send an ambulance.”

  Sirens blasted the air.

  “Good. Chief Shaffer probably did, too. He said he’d take care of everything.” As the sound drew nearer, Josh touched her elbow. “Sit. I’ll handle the chief.”

  “You called him?”

  “Yes. He’s a friend of the family. You know that.”

  “He’ll want to talk to me. I shouldn’t have freaked out. I didn’t want the chief involved,” she mumbled, glancing down the street.

  “I know he isn’t your favorite person, but if something’s wrong, he can get to the bottom of it quickly.”

  “Like he did with your sister’s murder?”

  Images of that awful time over a year ago paraded through his mind. “This has nothing to do with Marcie’s death.” Josh gritted his teeth as the police chief pulled up to the house.

  “But it might have something to do—never mind. I shouldn’t have called you.”

  “Why did you?” he asked as another patrol car parked behind the chief’s.

  Chief Shaffer exited his vehicle, looked their way, and then strode in the direction of the porch while his two officers went around to the back.

  “I panicked. Kira wasn’t available. I…” Jessie’s glare bored into him. “It won’t happen again.” She sidestepped to move away from the truck.

  Josh kept by Jessie’s side. She might not admit it, but she was scared. Her hands trembled, and her voice quavered. “If you need help, call. I’m glad you did.”

  “Why? We aren’t friends.” Jessie tensed as Chief Shaffer headed toward Josh while an officer, the one who was at the community center earlier, returned from the back.

  “We both love Abbey. For her sake, I don’t want anything to happen to her aunt.” Josh stood next to Jessie, facing the police chief.

  When the man’s gaze settled on Jessie, his scowl deepened. “What do you think happened here, Miss Michaels?”

  “I don’t know. I came to check on Heather. When I didn’t get an answer, I looked through the curtains and saw a person on the floor in the living room. From what I could see—a female. Someone else was there and fled the room. A few seconds later, a door slammed shut at the back of the house.”

  “Come show me where you were peeking through the window.” Contempt dripped from the chief’s voice.

  Jessie pulled herself up straight. “I wasn’t peeking inside…” She snapped her mouth closed when Josh took her hand closest to him and held it.

  Suddenly, all he could focus on was the touch of her skin against his.

  “Show me where you were,” Bill Shaffer clipped out.

  Jessie tugged her hand from Josh’s and marched toward the house. As the second officer came from the backyard, Josh hurried after Bill and Jessie.

  The police chief diverted his path to one of the patrolman. “Mrs. Williams works at the grocery store at the end of Main Street. I don’t want to break in her door. I can’t see any probable cause. Have her come home to open her house.” The ambulance drove up, and he added, “Have it wait if possible until we go inside.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  While Jessie paused on the first step, Josh approached Bill. “What do you mean there wasn’t probable cause? If someone’s lying on the floor, not moving, I would think that would be enough.”

  The chief shifted hi
s attention from Josh to Jessie. “I didn’t see a prone body on the floor.”

  Jessie straightened and lifted her chin a notch. “A chair was overturned, too.”

  “Nope. Not in there.”

  “What! There was one.” Jessie charged to the window and peered inside. Slowly she pulled back and looked at Josh. “The body isn’t where I saw it. Could someone have moved it or had the person regained consciousness?” She pressed her face against the window. “The overturned chair is upright now.”

  “I called the home phone on record. No one answered. Have you been drinking? Taking any drugs?” Bill planted himself next to Jessie.

  “No. I am not delusional. I know what I saw. Was the back door open or unlocked?”

  “It’s as secure as the front one.” Bill walked to the door and tried to get in. It didn’t budge. “So you see why I have concerns about what you think you saw.”

  Jessie’s cell phone rang. She slid her hand into her pocket and pulled it out. “Kira, I’m so glad you returned my call. I saw someone lying unmoving on the floor at Heather Williams’s house and feared something was wrong. Chief Shaffer is here, but there’s no one on the floor now, so he assumes I’m drunk or on drugs.”

  Bill held out his hand. “Let me talk to her.”

  Jessie slapped the phone into his palm.

  The chief walked toward the other end of the porch.

  “Don’t let him get to you.” Josh closed the space between them and blocked her view of Bill. Whatever she saw, she’d sounded afraid when she’d called him. And from what he’d seen of Jessie, she didn’t drink or make up stories. Once she had a headache and wouldn’t even take an aspirin for it.

  “I saw a woman in jeans and tennis shoes. The person fleeing the living room was wearing a navy blue coat.” When she said that, her eyes grew round. “I didn’t realize I saw that until now. I was concentrating on the person on the floor, but it was navy blue—or black.”