He closed the door behind her, then motioned toward one of the two chairs that faced his desk. “Have a seat.”
Once he had settled into the padded office chair, he leaned back, fingers intertwined over his abdomen. “So how did your trip to Ybor go?”
“Very productive. We have a first name. And we have a picture. Unfortunately, it’s from the back. So all we know about him is that he has brown hair and is thin, or was at the time. And he doesn’t look good in pink tulle.”
Tomlinson cocked a brow at her.
“It’s a long story. Anyway, five of her friends bear a strong resemblance to the five victims, and a sixth looks a lot like Denise.”
“And what about Lysandra herself?”
Tomlinson’s pose was still relaxed. But there was something about the way he asked his question. Her uneasiness intensified.
“Dark hair, heavy makeup. Pretty tough.”
“Dark hair, huh?”
“With purple streaks.”
“How about ten years ago?”
Okay, she was busted. And she was pretty sure she knew who had ratted her out. “Blond.”
“Like you?”
“Like me.” She gave him a tense smile.
He didn’t return it. “Why didn’t you tell me you were related to one of the victims?”
“I was afraid you would take me off the case.”
“You lied to me, Lexi.”
“No, I didn’t lie. I told you I knew Kayla.”
“You withheld important information.”
Her eyes drifted to her lap and she took a stabilizing breath, trying to gather her wits. If she didn’t do some fast talking, he was going to assign someone else to lead the investigation.
She brought her gaze back to his and kept it there, unwavering. “Sir, I’m sorry I wasn’t completely honest with you. But I was afraid you would make me step down. And this case is important to me. It was before Kayla was killed. And it’s even more so now. We’re making headway. Please let me continue. Please don’t take this away from me.”
Tomlinson stared at her, his dark eyes unreadable. If the sternness had lessened, it wasn’t by much.
Finally he sighed. “Lexi, you’re one of my best detectives. But you’re too close to this. It’s way too personal for you.”
“But that isn’t affecting my performance. Look how far I’ve gotten.”
“But your relationship to Kayla could make you take bold risks. Unnecessary risks that you wouldn’t take if it was just another murder investigation.”
“I won’t. I’m careful. I know I can’t do Kayla or the other victims any good if I’m dead.”
“You look like Lysandra, the next one on the killer’s list, which makes you a shoo-in to be his next victim.”
Tomlinson was coming up with one reason after another. No problem. She would refute each argument as soon as it left his mouth.
“I can be bait. Better me than some naive young girl. I’m trained. This might be our best chance of catching this guy.”
“It’s not safe. I’m not putting you in known danger. He’s already threatened you.”
“We don’t know that for sure. It could have been a prank. Anybody could have written it.”
“Sorry, Lexi. I’m assigning Detective Kaminski to take over the case. It’s for your good and the good of the case.”
She heaved a sigh and her shoulders sagged. So she was well respected. A lot of good it was doing her now. “Sarge, please.”
He held up a hand, signaling the end of the discussion, and rose from the chair. “I want you to go over everything with him and bring him up to speed on these latest developments.”
She walked from his office, disappointment heavy in her chest. There was no changing his mind. Thanks to Alan, she was off the case. He had betrayed her.
She returned to her cubicle, gathered up her papers and threw her purse over her shoulder. It was lunchtime. Usually she would grab something from the Publix deli right up the road. But now she wanted to be alone.
What had she been thinking? How could she have even considered a future with Alan? She was better off alone.
She slid into the Mazda and tossed her purse and file into the passenger’s seat. When she pulled into her driveway fifteen minutes later, her mood wasn’t any better than it had been when she left the station. And it probably wouldn’t improve until she had the opportunity to unload on Alan.
She wasn’t going to let him off the hook on this for a long time, if ever. Getting close to him had somehow made him think he had the right to interfere in her life. She wouldn’t excuse herself from the case, so he’d gone behind her back and had her removed. He was treating her just as her mother always had.
Well, she wasn’t going to put up with it. After twenty years of living under her mother’s controlling, manipulative thumb, she had won her independence. She wasn’t about to trade it for the male version of what she had endured for most of her life.
She unlocked and pushed open the front door. As always, Suki met her in the foyer. If she took a sandwich into the living room and plopped down in front of the TV, she would probably have all three cats nestled in around her. The idea had appeal. An hour of Court TV, listening to someone else’s problems instead of thinking about her own, and she would be ready to face the rest of her day.
This afternoon she would brief Detective Kaminski. It wouldn’t take much. He had helped investigate the first four murders and had been initially involved in this one. So he was already well acquainted with the case.
This evening she would see if her mother needed anything. She had already confronted her about her lies. And she had been all profuse apology. But Lexi knew her mother’s brand of apology. She wasn’t sorry for her actions. She was just sorry she had been caught.
Then there would be one more Harmony Grove stop to make. Alan would probably be watching for her. He couldn’t really expect her to accept his betrayal and go on as if nothing had happened. He had to know her better than that.
At least she’d realized her mistake before she’d gotten in too deep. There was no ring, no seriously hurt feelings on either end. They could both easily jump back to where they were a month ago—two professionals temporarily working together.
She slathered some mayonnaise on two slices of bread and piled on the cheese and lunch meat. Within moments of settling onto the couch she had company. Times three.
Alan had done her a favor. She was happy alone, and she really didn’t want to upset her routine. She had been on her own too long, just her and her cats. And it was better that way. She was happy with her life.
But that didn’t make Alan’s actions hurt any less.
*
Alan drove slowly down Main Street, window down and arm resting in the opening. The sun sat low on the horizon, staining the western sky vibrant shades of orange, pink and lavender. Another sunny spring day coming to a close, another uneventful shift ended.
As he rolled past Pappy’s Pizzeria on his way to the station, enticing aromas drifted to him on the early-evening breeze. His stomach rumbled an impatient response. It was tempting. But Pappy’s was better shared. Tonight it would be iced tea and a frozen dinner for one in the company of evening sitcoms.
He cast a glance to his left where a huge oak occupied the vacant space between Dani’s Bakery and Westbrook Insurance Agency. Two sets of legs dangled from one of the lower branches.
He frowned. Dani’s had closed an hour ago, Westbrook two. No one had any legitimate reason to be hanging around either business. Probably a couple of kids up to no good.
He eased to a stop in one of the parallel parking spaces. As he stepped from the car, the legs disappeared. Yep, definitely up to no good.
And he was reasonably sure he could identify one of the culprits. Whenever there was any kind of shenanigans going on, Duncan Alcott was usually at the center of the mess.
By the time he had reached the other side of the street, sounds came from the tree—
a whisper, followed by a harsh “Shh.” Whoever they were, they weren’t being very stealthy.
He crossed the sparse lawn and stopped at the base of the tree. Two sets of eyes looked down at him. He zeroed in on the instigator, who had apparently tried unsuccessfully to hide a crinkled paper bag in a crook of the branch above him.
“Whatcha got there, Duncan?”
“Nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like nothing to me. You wanna toss it down here? Otherwise I’ll have to climb up there and get it, and that won’t make me very happy. You don’t wanna see me unhappy, do you?”
Duncan shook his head and reached for the bag. Alan waited. A moment later it dropped into his hands with a thunk and a muffled slosh. He didn’t have to look into the bag to know that he wasn’t holding Kool-Aid or Pepsi.
“Where’d you get this?”
“It’s my dad’s.”
“Correction. It was your dad’s.” He unscrewed the lid and began to pour out the pungent substance.
“Aw, man. My dad’s going to be ticked that you dumped out his booze.”
“Your dad needs to keep his booze out of the hands of minors.”
He shifted his attention to the other occupant of the tree, this one female.
“You don’t look twenty-one, either.”
“No, sir, I’m sixteen.”
“So you’re too young for this stuff, too.”
She shook her head, eyes wide. “Oh, no, sir, I don’t drink.”
Right. No one ever admitted guilt, even when caught red-handed. Except for some reason, Alan was inclined to believe her. Maybe it was that clean, wholesome girl-next-door look. Maybe it was the sincerity and innocence in her eyes. That wasn’t likely to last long, hanging with Duncan Alcott.
Which was a shame. She seemed like a nice girl. With blond hair and wispy features, she sort of reminded him of Lexi at that age. He had seen her before, but he didn’t know her name. She and her family had moved to Harmony Grove about a month ago. And the past two Sundays they had occupied a pew not far from the front at Cornerstone Community Church.
“Do your parents know where you are?”
“Yes, sir. Well, no, not exactly. But they know that I went for a walk with Duncan. They just said I had to be back before dark.”
Alan cast a glance upward, where the sky was rapidly deepening to navy. “Then you’d better get moving.”
“Yes, sir. That’s what I told Duncan right before you drove up.” She scrambled down out of the tree, Duncan right on her heels.
He watched them scurry toward the sidewalk, then called out, “Young lady?”
She turned, brows raised. “Yes, sir?”
“Be careful how you choose your friends.”
“Yes, sir.”
Something in her smile told him she knew exactly what she was doing. Maybe she was going to have a good influence on Duncan rather than the other way around. He hoped so. The kid needed some positive examples in his life.
He climbed into the cruiser and, two minutes later, swapped it for his Mustang. He had just cranked the engine when his phone began to ring. It was Tomlinson; he recognized the number. He touched the screen and pressed the phone to his ear.
Tomlinson’s deep voice came through the phone, crisp and professional. “I’m calling to update you on some changes.”
Here we go. “What kind of changes?”
“I’ve pulled Lexi off the case.”
He cringed. “I thought you might.”
“I’m putting Detective Sam Kaminski in charge. I want to still keep you in the loop because of your connection with Harmony Grove and the latest victim. Can you write this down?”
“Hold on.” He pulled a pen and notepad from the console. “Okay, shoot.”
Tomlinson repeated the name and rattled off a phone number. After finishing the call, Alan backed from the parking space. He would program the information into his phone when he got home.
As soon as he turned onto his street, his gut clenched. A blue Mazda sat in his driveway, probably with a very ticked-off Lexi inside. He pulled in next to her and killed the engine. She had swapped cars but hadn’t taken the time to change clothes. She was still in uniform.
The stiffness of her shoulders and the set of her jaw announced her displeasure. This wasn’t going to be a pleasant exchange.
She exited the vehicle the same time he did and slammed the door a little harder than necessary.
“You ratted on me.”
He tried not to flinch under the accusatory glare. “Let’s go inside.”
She snapped her mouth shut and followed him to the door, staring daggers into his back the whole time. He could feel it.
He unlocked the door and motioned her inside. She spun on him before he even had the door closed.
“I trusted you, and you squealed on me.”
He eased the door shut with a soft thud. “I didn’t mean for Tomlinson to pull you off the case.”
“Oh, yeah? Then what did you mean? You called him and volunteered the information that I resemble the young Lysandra, and that Kayla happened to be my cousin. What did you think he was going to do with that? Just ignore it and leave everything be?” Her voice wasn’t raised, but the steely edge was unmistakable.
“I told him about Lysandra to ask him to have some units patrol past your house.” He stepped toward her and put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m worried about you, Lexi.”
“Don’t touch me.” She jerked away from him and stalked to the other side of the living room. “I can sort of see your reasoning behind asking for units to patrol. It wasn’t your place to interfere, but I can understand your point.”
She crossed her arms in front of her, further shutting him out. “But I’ll never understand why you felt the need to tell him about my relationship with Kayla. The only reason you would have done that was to have me removed from the case.”
He strode across the room, but this time had the good sense to stop two feet in front of her. “That wasn’t intentional. I was asking for the backup, explaining to him why I was so worried about you. I told him that you weren’t going to back down, that you were determined to find your cousin’s killer and that I really didn’t blame you.”
He sighed and looked down at his feet. “I realized I had said too much when Tomlinson asked me if Kayla was your cousin.” His gaze again met hers, his own imploring. “I wasn’t intentionally telling him something you didn’t want him to know. I slipped.”
A little bit of the fire seemed to leave her gaze. But she still wasn’t happy with him. Not by a long shot.
She stared up at him, arms still crossed. “You put me in a really bad position. Tomlinson feels I lied to him.”
“I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intent.”
“But you still interfered. If everybody would just stay out of my business, my life would be a whole lot less complicated.”
She crossed the room with angry strides, brushing past him on her way to the front door. For several moments she stood with her hand resting on the doorknob, as if she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to say it.
Then she swung open the door and stepped over the threshold. “I’m sick and tired of people trying to control my life.” She flung the words over her shoulder just before the door slammed shut.
He moved to the window and separated the slats in the miniblinds in time to see her slide into the driver’s seat of the Mazda. She was still miffed. The jerky movements gave it away. So did the clenched jaw and rigid posture.
As she backed from the driveway and sped off down the road, intense emptiness stabbed through him, that void left by thoughts of a future without Lexi.
He was falling for her all over again.
He almost snorted. Who was he kidding? You can’t fall when you never got up to begin with. All these years he’d never fully recovered from her rejection, never stopped holding out that small sliver of hope that she would one day come back to him. Even while he’d dated his way
around town, she had always occupied some almost-forgotten corner of his heart. The casual friendships he’d had with the single women of Harmony Grove had only been cheap substitutes for what he longed for with Lexi.
And now she wanted nothing to do with him. She couldn’t even bear his touch.
But there was that one moment of softening, that brief period when his plea seemed to penetrate the thick walls that had gone back up. Maybe she would think about it, realize his good intentions and forgive him for interfering in her life.
Then maybe she would let him make it up to her. Maybe they could start fresh and explore what they’d experienced in the park.
Lord, please make things right between us.
ELEVEN
Lexi put the last of the clean dishes into the cupboard and closed the cabinet doors. Music poured in from the other room, a Mendelssohn piano concerto, backed by a full orchestra.
Her mom’s house was always filled with music. If she wasn’t producing it herself, a well-planned lineup of her favorite pieces cycled through a top-of-the-line stereo system.
Lexi stepped into the living room where her mom sat in a recliner, an open book in her lap. Although the leg rest was raised as far as it would go, her injured ankle was propped on a thick pillow, elevating it even farther.
Her mom looked up from her reading as soon as Lexi entered the room. “Thank you, dear, for the wonderful dinner and for cleaning everything up.”
“No problem. But I need to be heading home. Anything else I can get you before I leave?”
“I can’t think of anything.” She heaved a forlorn sigh. “I guess if something else comes to mind, I’ll just have to figure out how to get it myself.”
Lexi squared her shoulders. It was time for the weekly guilt trip, but she wasn’t falling for it.
“I think you’ll do great. You ought to be an old pro by now getting around with those crutches.” She’d had plenty of practice. Not many people could nurse a mild ankle sprain for three and a half weeks.
Her mom chose to ignore the enthusiastic pep talk. She could be as optimistic as the next person. But only when it suited her.
“Sweetheart, I wish you’d consider moving back home, just temporarily. You know, until I can get back on my feet. It’s hard to take care of myself. I’m having to hobble here and there on crutches, and I could really use some help.”
Love Inspired Suspense June 2014 Bundle 2 of 2: Forced AllianceOut for JusticeNo Place to Run Page 32
