“I don’t know.” My voice rose in pitch, right along with my emotions.
He stepped closer, glowering down at me. “Think, Gabby. You’re an investigator. What do you believe happened?”
I sighed, still shaky and now irritated to boot. “Yes, I think someone lured me out there with the intention of harming me. Why? I have no idea.”
His gaze softened some. “Did you see her? Do you remember anything about this woman?”
“I didn’t see anyone. I only heard someone. It was a woman, and I’m guessing she was younger. I thought she was just being foolish and had too much to drink.”
“Yet you’re the one who ended up a fool.”
My anger flared, and I threw my hands in the air. “I get it, okay? You can stop with the lecture anytime now.”
I held my breath, unable to believe I’d just spoken to Dr. Stone like that. He was someone I respected, whom the whole forensic community respected.
He stared at me, his arms crossed and an unreadable emotion in his eyes. “Do you want to call the police?”
“Look, I’m sorry. No, I don’t want to call the police. Honestly, I just want to listen to Trace for a few more minutes and then get back to the hotel. Whoever called me is obviously long gone. Besides, a stampeding bull isn’t a crime.”
“Maybe we should have your head checked out.”
Fearing I’d say the wrong thing again, I bit my tongue and started to walk away when he pulled me back.
“Look, I know you think I’m being rough on you. But I’m just trying to teach you the skills you need to be successful,” Levi started. His gaze was intense on mine, and I could feel the fire blazing in my eyes as we stared off at each other.
I raised my chin. “I think I’ve been pretty successful so far, though it may not seem like it on the surface.”
He lowered his chin, obviously not buying my explanation. “As a crime scene cleaner?”
My cheeks flushed. He’d hit a nerve. “Not to be rude, but you wouldn’t understand.”
“I do understand that you’ve let life dictate where you’re going. If you continue on this path, you’re never going to go anywhere. I don’t want to see your talent go to waste.”
It didn’t matter that I’d essentially just given myself the same pep talk. From him, it sounded like a lecture. An uninvited one, at that.
“Can we just go listen to some music?” I hated to get huffy, especially with Dr. Stone, but I was done.
Not even songs about magical kisses and beat-up pickup trucks and eating watermelon on the banks of a river could cheer me up.
Why was I mad? I had the nagging suspicion it was because Levi was right, but I didn’t want to admit that. Truth was, I could have made more out of my life. I could have been more focused. But being more focused would have meant not being there for the people I loved. How could I regret that?
“Excuse me for a minute,” Levi muttered. He pushed through the crowd toward the bar. He lingered there, drinking and talking to the people around him.
I attempted to sit at an empty table, but my rump hurt from where I’d landed on the ground after Levi had pulled me to safety. My head also pounded, not only from the hit I’d taken over it, but also from the conversation I’d just had.
The rest of the concert was good, except for a couple of technical glitches—some feedback from the microphones, a guitar losing its amplification in the middle of the set, and a persistent hiss coming from the speakers. I could tell Trace was bothered by it, but he pressed forward, still putting on a great show.
As soon as the concert ended, the band sat down to autograph CDs. I pushed through the crowd and waved to Trace. “Good job, but I’ve got to go.”
His eyes caught mine. “I wish your first concert wasn’t full of glitches.”
“What happened?”
He shook his head. “I guess that’s what happens when you pick a small venue. On the road should be better because we’ll bring our own equipment. Anyway, I’m doing that concert tomorrow night at the festival. Why don’t you come and listen to how we sound without all things technical conspiring against us? Some of the other groupies will be there. Maybe they know how you can find Georgia.”
“Text me directions?”
“Got it, sis.” He looked behind me. “You come too, Levi.”
I looked over my shoulder and saw that Levi had reappeared.
Levi smiled. “I’d love to.”
I dreaded the ride home. I didn’t want to hear Levi’s opinions or his judgments, for that matter. But I didn’t have much choice in the matter. I wasn’t rude enough to tell him to find another mode of transportation.
So we climbed in my clown car and started back toward Oklahoma City.
Levi rubbed his hands on his jeans, not in what seemed to be a nervous gesture, but more out of exasperation. “Look, I’m sorry. Maybe I was rough on you back there.”
I gripped the wheel, apparently still nursing a grudge. I figured it was better if I kept my mouth shut.
“I never did ask if you were okay.”
How kind of you to actually show some concern. My bad mood was spiraling out of control. “My head is throbbing, but I’m fine.”
“I don’t like seeing innocent people get hurt, Gabby. That’s my main concern. Whether you’re a civilian or officially on the case, you can’t be too trusting. It could get you hurt, or it could even ruin your career. I’ve seen it happen.”
My hands tightened on the wheel again. “People don’t usually accuse me of being too trusting. I had a lapse in judgment, I suppose, but it was all with good intentions. I thought someone was hurt.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re okay.” He paused. “Maybe we should start over here. You were generous to invite me, and I can see that I’ve insulted you, and I apologize.”
Some of the tension left me as I realized I was overreacting. “No, I’m sorry. I’m a little on edge. I’m hoping to receive some clarification on my future while I’m here this week. Sometimes you have to step back in order to see the whole picture.”
“That’s the spirit!”
Of course, that was easier to say than it was to carry out. Routines and habits became those things because they were easy and didn’t require as much effort. Change took people out of their comfort zones.
“Can we just talk about country music or something now?” Earlier, I’d been anxious to pick his brain. Right now, I just needed to let all of that go for a minute.
I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the same set of headlights had been behind me for the last fifteen minutes.
Coincidence? I couldn’t be sure.
I wasn’t going to bring it up to Levi right now, though. The last thing I wanted was more of his judgment. But I would keep an eye on the road behind me, just to be safe. Most likely, I was just reading too much into things.
CHAPTER 6
The car turned from behind me onto a side street as I reached Oklahoma City. Coincidence? I couldn’t be sure, but I’d already embarrassed myself, and I didn’t want to sound paranoid, as well. At this point, I had no reason to think anyone had a reason to follow me . . . except for the whole bull incident.
I pulled up to the front of the hotel and put my car in park.
“It was fun, Gabby,” Levi told me. “You sure you don’t want me to walk with you?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’ve got this.” Even if I did hate parking garages.
After he climbed out, I parked my car and hurried up toward my room. I felt spent and done, and I just needed a few minutes of downtime.
As I hurried through the dark garage, listening for any telltale signs of someone following me, I tried to narrow my thoughts.
I’d made very little progress on locating Skye or tracking down any information about her. I was only in Oklahoma for a limited time, and if I truly wanted to help out, I needed to kick this investigation into high gear.
Despite my efforts to focus, Levi’s words echoed in my head as I
stomped back up to my room. I do understand that you’ve let life dictate where you’re going. If you continue on this path, you’re never going to go anywhere.
Even more than being embarrassed, I felt angry at myself. What he’d said was true. I needed to stop settling for life and start taking more initiative.
As I approached my room, my cell phone rang. I recognized Teddi’s number and answered. I unlocked my room and slipped inside, locking the door behind me.
“Did you meet Trace?” Teddi asked, a Texas drawl to her words. She’d lived most of her life there. When Trace moved to Oklahoma for college, she’d moved to Norfolk and gotten a job with the Department of Defense.
“I did. We met yesterday, and then I came to his release party tonight. He’s very talented.”
“Isn’t he? I have to admit, I gave him a hard time and told him he should get a real career. I mean, I just wanted to make sure he could support himself. But look at him now. He’s really on his way. I even heard his song on the radio here in Norfolk today.”
“That’s great.” I dropped my purse and cowboy hat on the table by the couch before plopping down there myself and resting my throbbing head.
“Have you met his woman yet?”
I paused. “His woman?”
Her voice lilted with delight. “I got a text from her today. It was a picture of her and Trace together.”
I tensed, leaning forward and suddenly alert. “Really?”
“Really. She’s a pretty girl, but Trace has always had a thing for good-looking women. I texted her back, but she never responded.”
“Can you forward the picture to me?” Something majorly wasn’t fitting together here, and I didn’t like it.
“It seems like a strange request, even from you, Gabby. But I suppose. Does that mean you haven’t met this mystery woman?”
I unlocked my door. “I haven’t met her yet, but I sure have heard a lot about her.”
“I certainly wish my son had mentioned something to me first. But I suppose that’s what happens when your kids grow up. You’ve got to let them go.”
My dad had actually “let me go” before I was out of middle school. Our roles had been reversed for years. I’d been the one helping to take care of him for as long as I could remember. Up until the past several months, I’d even sent him money to help pay his bills. He did seem to be trying to improve lately. I only hoped the changes stuck.
“Okay, dear. I need to run. Your father and I have started watching Hawaii Five-0, and a new episode is coming on.”
“Okay, can you send me that picture now? I’ve, uh, I’ve been dying to see what this girl looks like.”
“Sure thing, darling. Have a good trip, you hear?”
“I will. Thank you.” I hit end and closed my eyes.
As soon as I did, my phone buzzed. I glanced down and saw that Teddi had texted me. I pulled up the picture and gawked.
It wasn’t Georgia, as I’d assumed.
It was Skye. Someone had texted Teddi a picture of Trace and Skye. The two stood on a sidewalk in an urban-looking area. It was dark, they both wore coats, and huge grins stretched across their faces.
Had Georgia abducted Skye and taken this photo from her phone? Was this Georgia’s strange way of making a statement? Of letting people know that she wouldn’t be second place to anyone else in Trace’s life? I didn’t know, but a shiver raced up my spine.
I decided to call Trace. He answered on the fourth ring, and I could still hear the sounds of a guitar ringing out in the background. “Gabby?” he shouted.
“It’s me. Is this a bad time?”
“Uh . . . no, I guess not. Just listening to some music and hanging out here at the Dusty Boots Café.”
“I just talked to your mom.”
“You just found a soccer ball?” he repeated.
“What? No. I just talked to your mom,” I said, my voice getting louder with each word.
“You just ate a new food, yum?”
“No! I just—”
“Wait a minute.”
I heard rustling, and then finally some of the background noise faded. “Sorry. I can hear a little better now. What were you saying?”
“I talked to your mom tonight,” I started, bringing my voice down. “She got a text today that I thought would interest you.”
“From who?”
“She’s not sure who it’s from, but it was a picture of you and Skye.”
“What? Who would send my mom that?” His voice rose in pitch.
“I was hoping you could tell me.”
“I have no idea, Gabby. Skye was the only person who’d have any pictures of us, unless maybe a groupie took one. Do you have a copy?”
“As a matter of fact, I did ask your mom to forward it to me. I’m going to send it to you. One second.” I pulled the phone from my ear and did just that. “Did you get it yet?”
He didn’t respond for a moment. “Yeah, that’s a picture of Skye and me on our second date. I took her to this restaurant in Tulsa. Skye wanted a picture, so she asked a random guy on the street to take it for us.”
“Interesting. That means that either Skye sent it to your mom or . . .”
“Or Georgia has Skye’s phone and sent it,” Trace finished. “Maybe Georgia did it to send a message? One of those ‘I’m watching you’ type of things.”
“That’s what I wondered too. But how did Georgia get your mom’s phone number?” There were so many details that didn’t make sense.
He let out a long sigh. “You heard me say earlier that Skye used to think someone had broken into her home and riffled through stuff. What if Georgia broke into my place? What if she went through the contacts on my phone and found my mom’s number? Maybe that’s a long shot, but it’s the only thing I can think of.”
“I agree. It’s outlandish, but it’s one of the only options that make sense. The only thing is, don’t you usually have your phone with you?”
“Unless I’m sleeping or in the shower.”
I didn’t voice my thought aloud, because it was too disturbing. But what if Georgia had snuck in and watched him while he was sleeping? If she’d gone through his things?
“Listen, you mentioned a friend of Skye’s that you met once. Do you have her name and number?”
“You mean Darcy? Sure thing. As soon as we get off the phone, I’ll text her information to you.”
We hung up and he did. When Darcy’s information came through, I gave her a call, and she agreed that she could meet me tomorrow for lunch in OKC.
This was perfect. I finally had a plan to move beyond the pallid quicksand that stalled me in this investigation. Now, if I only could say the same thing for the rest of my life.
CHAPTER 7
The next morning, I was dressed and ready to head out the door to grab coffee before my first session when my cell phone rang. It was my best friend, Sierra. I considered ignoring the call and just getting back with her later because of the time crunch. But she was pregnant, and I wanted to make sure nothing was wrong.
I answered, dropping my hand from the door and pausing in my room.
“How’s the conference going?” she asked.
I plopped on the couch for a moment. As soon as I did, my hindside ached. I guessed that’s what happened when a girl nearly got made into a kabob by a bull. Not only that, but there was a knot on the back of my head. I’d only been in Oklahoma for a day and a half, and I was already a walking disaster. I had a talent for that.
“The conference doesn’t start for five more minutes, but the trip has been interesting so far,” I began.
I filled her in on Dr. Levi Stone, Trace, and the incident at Dusty Boots last night.
“Oh, Gabby, all of that sounds about on par for your life.”
I frowned. Maybe my problem was that everything was always on par for my life: if one defined on par as a series of setbacks that occurred time and time again.
“You always find adventure,” she finished.
>
Oh, so that’s what she’d meant.
“There’s a couple of things I thought you should know,” Sierra said. “First, you have two flower arrangements from Garrett that came this week. They’re really beautiful. I set them inside your apartment and really hope they’ll last until you get back.”
I smiled. Garrett was the man of every woman’s dreams. I just wasn’t sure the timing in which we’d met was ideal. At all ideal, for that matter. Right now, he was in Africa overseeing some water wells his company had built for the less fortunate there. What was there not to love about that? I hadn’t actually told him that I was coming here this week. The whole trip had been a bit last minute. He texted me whenever he could, usually pictures of himself with kids in impoverished areas.
“I can’t wait to see the arrangements,” I told Sierra. I was sure they were expensive and gorgeous. Garrett had great taste.
“Also, Riley is in town. He was asking about you.”
“Really?” I sat up a little straighter. The flowers hadn’t surprised me. Riley being in town had. “Tell me more.”
“He seems different, Gabby.”
My throat clenched, and I knew my emotional state for the rest of the day very well could hinge on what she said. That wasn’t a good thing, and I knew that. “Different good or different bad?”
“Different good. I keep trying to put my finger on what has changed. Riley has always been determined and driven, but now he just seems even more confident about what he wants. I can’t describe it. But we had a good talk. I guess his therapist is nearly ready to sign him off. She said he’s progressed very quickly.”
“That’s great.” It was only too bad he’d started his own life up in DC instead of in Norfolk, where I lived. For too long, I’d held on to the hope that he might move back, and we’d pick up where we’d left off for too long. I had to let it go. “What is he doing in town?”
“My impression is that he came down to see you. He didn’t realize you were at the conference.”
“You’re just saying that.”
Broom and Gloom: Squeaky Clean Mysteries, Book 9 Page 5
