by Sharon Dunn
Valerie scanned the street. Arianna’s silver Mercedes was long gone, and Lexi was inconsolable. Valerie picked up the leash. “It’s all right, girl. You did good.”
Trevor touched her elbow. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
She nodded, barely comprehending what she’d just been through. “We lost her.” She couldn’t stop shaking. “I can’t believe she got away.” Her voice faltered.
“Hey.” Trevor placed a comforting hand on her cheek. “We’ll catch her. We know what the car looks like. We’ll put an APB out.”
The delayed reaction of what had happened finally kicked in. She’d almost died. Arianna would have crushed her under her tires like she was an insect.
Thank you, God, that I’m still alive.
She must have given her fear away in her body language. Lexi whined and looked up at her, growing agitated.
Trevor gathered her into his arms. “It’s okay to be scared.”
“She could have killed me just that fast if you hadn’t reacted so quickly.” The warmth of his arms surrounded her. Lexi pressed against her leg but didn’t object to Trevor’s hug.
He held her for a long moment. She rested against his chest. His breathing, the rise and fall of his chest, surrounded her. She closed her eyes until her own heart stopped racing and her resolve returned. Now she was mad about Arianna’s getting away. “Where’s that backup I called for, anyway?”
Valerie radioed in the details about Arianna’s car as she looked back at the entrance of the parking garage. Her gaze traveled up and down the long street and to the surrounding side streets hoping to see some sign of the silver Mercedes. Several cars passed by, but there was no sign of Arianna’s car. She was long gone.
Trevor looked back toward the apartment complex. “She had a suitcase with her. She must have been planning on leaving town.”
“I wonder why?” Valerie wanted to believe that the Serpent leaving meant her life could return to normal. But it was too much to hope for. Arianna would probably just give her death orders from afar. Her fear fueled her desire to catch the Serpent. She could clearly identify her now. She wanted that woman behind bars.
Trevor placed his hand on Valerie’s lower back. “Let’s go find out what the neighbors know.”
They walked back to the apartment complex. Valerie opened the back of the patrol car for Lexi. The dog moved slower than usual. The chase had worn her out. “Lexi is still recovering. I don’t want to overwork her. I think I want to take her back home and let her rest up for the day.”
Trevor nodded. “Sure, we can do that.” He touched her arm lightly.
Valerie was still shaken from having nearly lost her life. The warmth of Trevor’s touch smoothed over much of her anxiety. He seemed to instinctually know that she needed that sense of security his nearness evoked.
They entered the back parking lot. “If Arianna is the girlfriend Murke told his half sister about, that links him to the syndicate,” Valerie said.
Trevor nodded. “I can’t help but think that big score he talked about is the same thing the syndicate is looking for in the Lost Woods, the reason they took Rio.”
A man in the parking lot stood by his SUV, pulling out golf clubs.
Valerie walked over to him. “Excuse me, sir, do you live in this building?”
He was an older man with a deep tan and white hair. “That’s right, third floor suite.” He patted his clubs. “Love being so close to the golf course.”
“Do you know the lady who lives on the fifth floor...Arianna Munson.”
“I know her in passing, not a very friendly lady, though.” The older man picked up one of his golf clubs and twirled it in his hand. “Kind of hard to start a conversation with her. Guess she owns a swanky diner downtown?”
“When was the last time you saw her?”
“Matter of fact—” the man put the golf club back in the bag “—I just saw her today right before I left to play a few holes.”
Valerie’s heart skipped a beat as she straightened her spine. “Really?”
“Sure, out here in the parking lot she was talking to a gentleman, and I tell you what, neither one of them looked none too happy.”
Trevor cut a glance toward Valerie, lifting his eyebrows. He pulled the photo of Murke out of his chest pocket. “Is this the man you saw?”
The older man took the photo and stared at it for a long moment, rubbing his chin. “Yeah, that was the feller.”
Valerie’s anticipation grew. They’d been that close to Murke. Their trail was hot again. “Could you tell what the conversation was about?”
“I was too far away to pick up any words, even though their voices were raised. If I had to venture a guess, I would say that Arianna lady seemed afraid. This guy—” he shook the photograph “—pointed his finger at her like he was demanding something from her. I’m tellin’ ya, the lady looked really scared. Then he grabbed her arm. She got real quiet and said something that made him let go of her arm.”
“How long ago would you say that was?”
The man wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and thought a moment. “I’d say an hour or two ago, I only played nine holes and there was hardly anybody else on the course.”
“Thank you, sir, you’ve been a great help.” Trevor patted the older man’s shoulder.
“Always happy to lend a hand.” He tilted his golf club bag, which was on wheels, and rolled it toward Merill Towers.
Valerie pieced together the information the man had given them. “Sounds like Arianna was leaving town to get away from Murke.”
Trevor nodded. “I guess it’s pretty clear that Murke is demanding something from Arianna, threatening her, even. He must have found the Serpent as soon as he escaped. His desperation is growing since we are getting so close to him.”
“From the way our witness describes the interaction, Arianna said something to placate him,” Valerie said. “Do you suppose she knows where this big score is that the syndicate has been after, or knows how to get it for him?”
Trevor scanned the parking lot. “I’d say it’s a high probability.”
Valerie was surprised that news about Arianna’s car hadn’t come across her radio yet. A fancy car like that would be easy enough to spot. “We’re only a step or two behind Murke. We ought to be able to stir up something.” She walked back to the patrol car where Lexi waited just as another police car pulled up. Jackson Worth got out. The black lab Titan sat nobly in the back-seat, his chin jutting up.
“Are you the backup I called for?” It wasn’t like any of the Sagebrush police to ignore a call for back up, especially Jackson.
“There was a huge drug bust on the north side. All available units were called out. Otherwise, I would have gotten here faster,” Jackson said. “You said you were trying to track down guys who deal guns to people with a record. One of the perps they brought in on this drug bust is Dwayne Wilson, aka Babyface. He’s known for selling guns to criminals.”
Valerie perked up. Hours of work in finding someone like Dwayne Wilson had just been shortened. “You think he might have sold those guns to Murke?”
“You can question him while he’s in custody,” Jackson said.
“Let’s get down to the station.” Trevor was halfway to the patrol car.
Valerie thanked Jackson. A sense of urgency sped up her steps to the patrol car. They were two hours behind Murke in tracking him, and they knew the identity of Garry’s murderer.
Once they were both inside, she started the patrol car and shifted into Reverse.
After dropping Lexi back off at the house, Valerie drove toward the station. As she pulled into the back parking lot, she couldn’t help but feel that they were closing in.
FIFTEEN
Trevor stared at the door marked Interview Room 2. A mixture of excitement and anxiety twisted his stomach into a tight knot. They were so close to wrapping this case up. Murke had a link to the syndicate. Arianna and Serpent were one and the
same.
Valerie returned from the vending machine holding the soda they would offer to Babyface, aka Dwayne Wilson, as a way of building trust. She had a file tucked under her arm.
“Why don’t you take the lead on the questioning,” Trevor suggested.
“Thanks!” Valerie said, appreciation evident in her tone.
She deserved it. Inside the interview room, Dwayne Wilson sat in a hardback chair, arms crossed and chin resting on his chest. He looked up when Valerie and Trevor entered.
His street name fit. He was a chubby-cheeked man with small beady eyes and a tuft of brown hair that stuck straight up.
Valerie sat the soda on the table and slid it toward Dwayne. “Thought you might be thirsty.” She took a seat while Trevor remained standing.
“I don’t know why I’m even in here.” Babyface tilted his chin toward the ceiling.
Valerie rested her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together. “Weren’t you part of a drug bust, Dwayne?”
Babyface drew his thick eyebrows together. “I don’t sell drugs. I don’t do drugs.”
“But you do sell guns, right?”
Trevor liked the way Valerie kept her tone neutral, even though she was making a strong accusation.
Dwayne touched his fingers to his chest. “I’m the victim here. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I wasn’t doing anything bad.”
Valerie flipped through the file she had brought with her. “So are you saying you weren’t in the middle of some kind of gun transaction when you were picked up?”
Babyface jerked in his seat. “I was just there for a social visit.”
“Really?” Trevor rested his palms on the table and leaned toward Dwayne. “We’re not the guys who can put you in prison, but we are the guys who might be able to get you a lighter sentence. You being a victim of circumstance and all.”
Dwayne looked squarely at Trevor. “What do you need?”
“Derek Murke,” Trevor said, his heart hammering at the mention of the name.
“Who?” Dwayne looked to one side as his shoulder twitched. Body language that indicated he was lying.
Valerie slid the photo of Murke across the table. “Selling guns to a felon is pretty serious business, Dwayne.”
Babyface pursed his rosebud lips and narrowed his eyes, but did not look at the photograph. He wasn’t going to give in easily.
“I got to tell you, Dwayne. It doesn’t look good that you were at that house with all those bad people,” Trevor said.
Babyface swallowed, his Adam’s apple moving up and down.
Valerie allowed for a long moment of silence, time for the man across the table to think about the charges he was facing. She flipped through the file she’d brought with her, which contained a litany of Dwayne’s previous crimes. Sweat beaded on Dwayne’s forehead as he looked Valerie in the eyes. The man was scared, that much was clear.
“I told you I’m not into drugs. The people at that house were in the market for some handguns. That’s why I was there.”
Valerie still didn’t respond. She deliberately kept her face void of expression. Sometimes silence was a powerful tool.
Dwayne looked at the ceiling and let out a heavy breath. “Yeah, I know Murke.”
She shifted in her chair. “Where is he staying?”
Though her voice remained even, Trevor detected a hurried quality that suggested she was as excited as he was about closing in on Murke.
Dwayne shook his head. “He’s moving around a lot. I don’t know.” His gaze didn’t waver.
Dwayne was telling the truth. Trevor’s spirits deflated. Babyface wasn’t going to lead them directly to Murke.
“What can you tell me about his connection to Arianna Munson?”
Valerie’s questioning was tenacious and smart. He would have given up thinking Babyface could be of any use to them.
Dwayne leaned back in his chair. “She dumped him years ago and took a bunch of jewelry he had procured through illegal means. Every time I saw him he talked about getting back at her. He thinks she used the money from the jewelry to start that restaurant and make herself all respectable.”
Dwayne seemed to relax a little. He was more comfortable talking about what Murke was up to than focusing on his own pending legal troubles.
“So how was he going to get back at Arianna? Is that what the gun was for?”
Dwayne shook his head. “He said the gun was to get some Fed off his back, so he’d have the freedom to tap into this big score that Arianna knew about. The way he had it figured, Arianna owed him money.”
Trevor felt a tightening through his chest as his hand curled into a fist. He wasn’t afraid of Murke, but it made him irate to think about how low the fugitive would stoop to get what he wanted.
Trevor pushed himself off the wall where he was leaning and moved back toward the table.
Dwayne took a sip from his soda can and licked his lips.
“When was the last time you saw Murke?” Trevor continued to watch Dwayne’s body language.
Dwayne shook his head. “I haven’t seen him for a couple of days...not since I sold him the guns.” He sat up straighter in his chair. “So am I free to go?”
“Not quite, but we will put in a good word for you.” Valerie pushed her chair back and grabbed the file.
After they left the interrogation room, Valerie turned toward Trevor. “That narrows it down. The guns were probably to get rid of you. He’s not planning some kind of robbery spree. This score he’s talking about has to be the same one the syndicate is looking for, whatever it is that is hidden out in the Lost Woods.”
“I just wonder what kind of information Arianna gave him. Where’s he going to go next?”
Valerie shook her head. “Something Arianna would have access to or something he thinks she has access to.”
“Do you suppose Murke knew Arianna was the Serpent?”
“I think he must have figured it out. Maybe that’s why she was scared. She was afraid he’d blow the whistle on her,” Trevor said.
Jackson came up to them outside the interrogation room. “Valerie, we just got a call that Arianna’s Mercedes was found abandoned on the edge of town.”
“No sign of Arianna?” Valerie’s voice trembled slightly.
Jackson shook his head. “Woman like that probably has lots of resources. Somebody could have picked her up.”
Valerie pulled a strand of red hair behind her ear. “The question is...did she get out of town or is she still hiding somewhere in the city?” Valerie looked up at Trevor.
She didn’t need to say anything more. The fear in her eyes said it all. Whether Arianna was still in town or halfway around the world, she could still direct her thugs to take out Valerie. Now that Arianna knew that she’d been named as the Serpent, things were only going to get worse. Valerie had probably hoped for news that Arianna had been picked up and put in jail. Short of death, nothing else would make the Serpent back off.
“Also, Trevor, they towed your car in and replaced the tire.” Jackson excused himself and headed back toward the desk.
Trevor checked his watch. “You’re off duty in twenty minutes. I’ll follow you home.” His heart ached for her. He would do anything for her to feel like she was safe again.
Valerie nodded. “I just got some paperwork I need to finish up.”
Half an hour later, Trevor kept an eye on the taillights of Valerie’s compact car as they headed toward her place. Their lives seemed to have fallen into a routine of him escorting her home after her shift and waiting for her protection to show up. Despite the apparent safety of routine, their encounter with Arianna was a bleak reminder that Valerie was far from safe.
A black van edged between Valerie and Trevor’s car. He couldn’t see around it. Traffic was too heavy to move out into the passing lane. Not having a view of her car made him nervous.
As they passed a side street, the van turned off. He breathed a sigh of relief until he looked ah
ead. Valerie was no longer in front of him. He checked the rearview mirror and caught a flash of red. Valerie had turned off on a street that wouldn’t take her home, and the van was following her. Valerie must have suspected the van was tailing her and was trying to lose him.
Trying not to panic, he hit his blinker and turned as soon as he could. He’d have to circle back and search for them on a side street. His phone rang.
Valerie didn’t wait for pleasantries. “He’s following me.” The strain in her voice was evident even over the phone.
Trevor’s pulse raced as he gripped the phone. “I know. I’ll get there as fast as I can.”
“I’m parking on Sagebrush Boulevard,” she said. “I’m going to get out.”
“Val, wait.” He wasn’t so sure getting out of the vehicle was the best option.
He heard a door slam. Her words came in breathless gasps. She must be running up the street. “He has a gun. I saw him lift and aim it through the windshield when we were in traffic. That’s why I turned off. There’s lots of people here. I don’t want to risk harming them by shooting this guy. I can hide in the crowd.”
He scanned the street name as he passed it. Sagebrush Boulevard had to be close.
“I’m at this outdoor café.” Her words came in a harsh whisper. “He just pulled up across the street. I’m at a back table. I don’t think he can see me.”
Trevor saw the sign that indicated Sagebrush Boulevard and turned off. He pressed the phone against his ear. He passed her little red car, but couldn’t spot her. There were no parking spaces left. He was going to have to park on the next street. He pressed the phone hard against his ear. “Valerie?” He pulled into a space and climbed out of his sedan.
“He got out of the van. Trevor, he’s walking this way.”
Her voice quivered with fear. Desperate to get to her before it was too late, Trevor raced around the block and pushed through the crowds on the street. He saw two outdoor cafés on opposite sides of the street. He passed the first café. No sign of Valerie. He spotted the black van but not the would-be assailant. He must be concealing his gun in a coat or something.
