Random Acts of Fraud (Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries Book 5)

by Christy Barritt

  The sooner I was out of here, the better. “Sounds great.”

  “Oh, and the bathroom door is broken. Just in case you suddenly have the urge to go, don’t.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  As Drew got changed, I wandered around the funeral home. I couldn’t help but feel like all the ghosts of funerals past were lurking around me, haunting me with just as much fervor as my uncertainties about this case. On a rational level, I knew this was irrational. But on an emotional level, I was spooked. I didn’t ever want to become comfortable here.

  I supposed it could have been the events of the past year that had me feeling this way. It could be the fact that it was night time. Maybe it was even because of the thunderstorm rumbling outside. All those things majorly played on my emotions right now.

  I finally gave up on my pacing. I sat in a padded chair against the wall, no doubt where many mourners had sat before. The storm continued to rage outside and thunder rumbled, shaking the building.

  There was really nothing good about being in a funeral home in the evening during a storm.

  I shivered.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have come here tonight. Maybe all of this was a bad idea.

  I should have canceled. Run for my life.

  I just didn’t know whom I could trust anymore.

  Lightning flashed outside, deepening my chill.

  My throat felt tight as I stood and walked toward the door, checking to see if the streets were starting to flood.

  I’d only taken a few steps when lightning lit the sky again.

  A figure stood at the front door.

  I gasped and froze.

  This person simply stood. Lurked. Watched.

  Fear instantly crippled me.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I backed away from the door, nearly stumbling on nothing but fear itself.

  I had to do something before that man got inside.

  But my mind froze.

  My eyes wouldn’t leave the silhouette.

  Who was it? The killer? Had he come to finish what he’d started? To live out his threats?

  It was my best guess. I couldn’t bear to think about it.

  Do something, Holly!

  My mind raced. I should call for Drew.

  I opened my mouth, but my voice had disappeared—gone right along with my logic.

  Just then, my phone buzzed. I grabbed it and glanced at the screen. My hands trembled so badly that I could hardly read the words there.

  It was Chase.

  I answered. But before I could tell him about the man at the door, he rushed ahead of me.

  “Holly, we just got the tox results back,” he said. “I knew it was urgent that I tell you this.”

  “Tell me what?” I stared at the door, waiting for more lightning so I could see if the man was still there or not.

  But it remained dark outside.

  I needed to move, I realized. If he had a gun, I was setting myself up as a target.

  I ducked closer to the wall and out of sight.

  “Both Travis and Chuck were injected with a mix of chemicals,” Chase said. “The majority was arsenic. That’s what ultimately killed them. But there were also traces of something else.”

  “What?”

  “Formaldehyde.”

  My throat went dry. “Formaldehyde?”

  “That’s right. It’s used in embalming fluid.”

  “So, you think . . .?” The words lodged in my throat as facts stormed my mind.

  “Whoever is behind this could very well be connected with the funeral business,” Chase said. “Please be careful around Drew.”

  “You think . . .” I couldn’t even finish my thought. I couldn’t say the words out loud. The words: you think Drew could be behind this? I’d pondered them before but had tried to dismiss the thought.

  “We don’t know anything at this point. And, please, whatever you do, don’t tell him. Okay? We need to keep the upper hand here.”

  “Okay, got it.”

  “Where are you anyway?”

  “At Wilford,” I croaked.

  Just then, a footstep sounded behind me. “You ready to go, Holly?”

  I dropped my phone when I heard Drew’s voice behind me.

  I turned around, feeling out of sorts.

  Embalming fluid.

  Used to kill.

  Someone connected with the funeral home business.

  A secret PO box.

  ID theft? Jewelry theft?

  I remembered Drew’s nice house. His nice clothes. How he valued his reputation.

  Could Drew be the killer? Or could he even be covering up for a killer? Maybe he’d asked me out with ulterior motives also. Maybe there weren’t any guys out there who liked me for me.

  I had to play this carefully. And I needed more information.

  Because Drew had been in the shower, he wasn’t the man outside.

  Unless he was working with someone. Maybe there was an entire network of people involved. Maybe Blake was one of them. Or maybe she was a victim. I had so many questions and uncertainties right now.

  “Holly?”

  I intended on turning toward him but instead I twirled around, jumpier than I should be if I was going to play this right.

  I grabbed my phone from the floor. Chase’s voice still rang through the line, but I hit End anyway, and slid my phone into my purse.

  As lightning flashed again, I stepped forward and swung my head toward the door.

  The man was gone.

  Fear trickled down my throat.

  Where had he gone? Was he trying to get inside? Or had he only been trying to scare me?

  “Holly?” Drew touched my arm.

  I finally looked at him. At kind, considerate Drew, who looked at me now with concern and compassion.

  He wasn’t involved in this.

  I licked my dry lips, trying to pull myself together. “There was someone at the door.”

  A wrinkle formed between his eyebrows. “Trying to get in?”

  I shook my head. “I . . . I don’t think so. I think he was trying to send a message.”

  I couldn’t tell Drew that I knew about the formaldehyde. No, I’d just be setting myself up to get killed.

  His questioning look was replaced with concern. “You think the man behind these threats is here? Did you call the police?”

  I glanced at my phone and nodded. “Yes, I did. They’re on their way.”

  Chase would come here, right? I didn’t need to spell it out for him.

  Drew touched my arm and pulled me away from the door. “Let’s just wait it out until they get here then, okay? No one needs to play hero. All the doors are locked, so we’ll be safe inside.”

  I nodded.

  “Let’s go back to the lounge area. I can make some coffee until the police arrive.”

  He led me toward the back. I wasn’t sure I should go with him. I wanted to believe in him, but I wanted to be wise.

  As we reached the back hallway, I froze and pointed to the floor.

  Wet footprints led from the outside door.

  Whoever had been outside was now in here.

  I could hardly breathe at the thought.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Two seconds after I spotted the footprints, the power went out.

  I didn’t know whether to jump into Drew’s arms or if I should run far from him.

  I didn’t want to believe he could be behind this, but I couldn’t be naïve. My life could be in danger right now.

  “Drew . . .” I pointed to the floor.

  He turned on the flashlight app on his phone and shined it in the direction I pointed. “Are those . . .?”

  “Footprints,” I answered. “Someone’s in here with us.”

  He took my arm. “Let’s go to my office. Now.”

  The skin on my neck crawled. There could be a killer in here with us.

  Could this get any worse?

  Just then, someone poun
ded on the door.

  The killer?

  No, he wouldn’t knock.

  Chase. It was Chase.

  “It’s probably the police,” I rushed, relief pouring through me.

  “Come on.” He took my hand and pulled me back toward the front of the building. Drew, familiar with the locks, easily opened the front door.

  If he was the killer, he wouldn’t have done that, right? He would have kept me trapped inside. He would have killed me.

  Chase darted out of the downpour. He ignored Drew and came straight to me.

  “Are you okay?” He grasped my shoulders, his eyes probing into mine.

  I nodded, feeling numb yet overwhelmed, scared yet relieved, confused yet more certain by the moment. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  Hesitantly, he seemed to step away. He dropped his hands and scowled as he turned to Drew. “My guys are looking outside.”

  “There were footsteps leading inside from a side exit,” Drew said.

  “You two stay here.” Chase drew his gun and stepped toward the darkness.

  As Chase left, a new thought hit me. What if Drew had stepped outside while he was supposedly taking a shower? His hair was already wet. I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.

  But why would he do that?

  My emotions clashed as I stood huddled against the wall . . . with Drew. He was saying something, but I barely heard him.

  A few minutes later, Chase reappeared. “I didn’t see anyone inside. It looks like they got away before we got here. Could you tell anything about the person?”

  “It appeared to be a man,” I started, remembering that silhouette. “That was about it. It was so dark.”

  He turned to Drew. “Did you see anything?”

  Drew shook his head. “I was getting cleaned up after work. I wasn’t out here for any of it.”

  “Have you had any trouble with anyone here?” Chase asked. “Any employees?”

  Drew shrugged. “I can’t say I have. No more than what you already know.”

  “Okay then,” Chase said. “I think you’re okay here for the evening. But it would be wise to be cautious until we know what’s going on.”

  “Of course,” Drew said.

  Chase’s gaze lingered on me one more minute. What was he trying to tell me? Had he discovered something else?

  “Can I speak with you a minute, Holly?” he asked. “In private.”

  My throat tightened again.

  “I’ll give you two a minute,” Drew said. His voice sounded indifferent, but his shoulders looked stiff and uptight. “I need to run to my office anyway.”

  Another round of guilt pounded through me as Drew walked away.

  It wasn’t fair to him that I doubted his innocence. But I couldn’t tell him what I knew. Not yet. I needed more proof—or lack thereof—first.

  Chase waited until he was out of earshot before he said, “You gave me a scare.”

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “Drew came out, and everything you said was still fresh in my mind. I dropped the phone.”

  “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “You really didn’t see anyone outside?” I questioned, making sure he wasn’t withholding information around Drew.

  “I didn’t. But I have a feeling this goes deeper than we initially thought.”

  “Did your analysts discover anything about the jump drive?”

  “Not yet. They’re working on it as we speak.”

  “What should I do?” I rubbed my arms, suddenly cold.

  He nodded toward Drew’s office. “I would stay away from that guy until we know what’s going on.”

  “But if he’s innocent . . .” My mind raced through possibilities. However, Chase was not the one to hash out my dating dilemma with.

  If I stayed away from Drew because he could be guilty but it turned out he was innocent, then I could put our possible relationship and any future together at risk. But if he was a killer, obviously my actual life was more important than my love life.

  “You have some choices to make, Holly.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

  Perhaps it was an unwise choice, but I decided to go to dinner with Drew despite everything I knew. We’d be out in public and safe. And I’d insisted on driving separately. Drew hadn’t seemed to mind.

  Despite all my logic, I was practically beside myself as I pulled up to Bertie’s. Drew and I met in the parking lot, and he escorted me inside. We found a corner table and settled there.

  The place was a true hole in the wall. As soon as I saw the outdated but clean space, I figured it would be a winner. When I saw that every waitress was fifty or older, it was confirmed.

  I studied Drew as I sat back in my chair. Though we’d been together earlier, I hadn’t really gotten a good look at him. He was dressed more casually right now, wearing a T-shirt and jeans. It was actually a nice look. I’d only seen him dressed up—or in scrubs—before. When did Drew not look nice? With his classic features, he could grace GQ Magazine easily.

  “I’m sorry you had to be there for that earlier,” Drew said. “I’m sorry you have to be tangled up in this at all, for that matter.”

  “I was going to say the same thing to you,” I said. “I feel like I’m the one who’s pulled you in.”

  If Drew was telling the truth, he was just as much a victim here as anyone.

  But if he was lying, then he was one twisted, devious excuse for a human being.

  My thoughts on which one he was volleyed back and forth every few seconds.

  The waitress appeared to take our order. I quickly glanced at the menu before picking a waffle with bacon. Healthy eating was out the window right now. I needed comfort food. The more, the merrier.

  Drew, on the other hand, got a veggie omelet and whole wheat toast. I guess he didn’t get as fit as he was on accident.

  “Is your life always like this?” Drew asked as the waitress walked away.

  I shrugged, unsure how to answer. “Maybe.”

  “Well, I for one hope this is all over soon.”

  “I hope so also.” And, in order for this to be over, I needed to get some answers.

  There was only one way I knew to do that.

  After a moment of thought, I grabbed my phone. “I know this is going to seem crazy, but do these numbers mean anything to you?”

  He stared at my phone for several minutes. I tried to read his expression. Did he recognize the information? I couldn’t tell. Or was he honestly perplexed? For once, I didn’t have a good read on it.

  “There doesn’t appear to be much rhyme or reason to them, does there?”

  I released my breath, halfway relieved. I only hoped he was being honest. “Not to my knowledge.”

  He handed my phone back to me. “I wish I could help you out, Holly. I really do. But I have no idea. At first glance, it looked like Social Security numbers that were listed. Is this connected with Travis and Chuck’s murders?”

  I rubbed my lips together. “Possibly.”

  “I’m not even going to ask how you got ahold of that information.”

  “It’s better if you don’t know,” I told him.

  “You think this is about the jewelry?”

  How much did I say? I wanted to feel him out—carefully. “I think it goes deeper than that. Maybe ID theft.”

  He leaned back and stared at the wall behind me for a minute. “So maybe Travis’s theft ring ran deeper than jewelry? Maybe it’s like you said and he was stealing identities as well.”

  I wanted to get excited and believe that was true, but I had the feeling that wasn’t the case.

  Drew swung his head back and forth and shrugged. “It’s hard to say what was going on. Travis certainly didn’t open up to me.”

  I didn’t want to keep pushing too hard. I needed to be careful how I planned each of my moves here.

  A shadow covered our table and I looked up to see the hipster standing there. What was his name? AJ, I thought.

&
nbsp; “Hey, man!” Drew said. “What’s going on?”

  AJ shrugged. “I was just getting a sandwich to go.”

  “You’ve been working too hard lately. Hardly time to eat, huh?”

  “You could say that.” He nodded toward me. “Holly, right?”

  “That’s right.” I smiled.

  “Okay, I don’t want to interrupt you two. I just saw you over here and wanted to say hello.”

  “Glad I got to see you before you left,” Drew said.

  “Yeah, I’m headed to Florida next week,” AJ said. “I have the best job ever.”

  “He gets to go to a conference,” Drew explained. “Life Force knows how to pick the perfect locations for their annual meetings.”

  AJ shrugged. “What can I say? I can’t say it enough—I have the best job ever. I just hope this whole fiasco here is cleared up by the time I return. I think all of us have been stressed lately.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Drew said.

  Before I could ask more questions, my phone buzzed. I usually didn’t pay attention to my cell while I was with other people, but, for some reason, I took a quick peek to see whom the message was from.

  When I looked at the screen, I saw Travis’s number. Below it was a picture of Blake with the words “It was supposed to be you” at the bottom.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “I have to go to the police,” I muttered, hurrying toward the door.

  “I’ll go with you.” Drew followed me.

  “Don’t feel like you have to.”

  “I don’t,” Drew said. “I want to. Besides, you’re in no state to drive.”

  I thought about showing up at the police station, talking to Chase with Drew in tow. It could be ugly. Non-harmonious. Totally awkward. I didn’t want to invoke the same feelings in Chase as he’d invoked in me when I saw that lipstick on his collar.

  But Drew was right. I wasn’t in a good state to drive.

  My muscles stretched so tight that my back ached and my stomach felt ripe to do unpleasant things as I entered the station. Drew kept a hand on my lower back.

  Chase stood as I walked into his office. The compassion in his eyes faded as his gaze traveled behind me to Drew. The ultra-professional Chase replaced the kind, intimate one I’d known and halfway expected.