by Cindy Bell
“Oh no, I really thought maybe all of this would be over.” Nikki couldn’t hide the disappointment in her voice.
“I know, it can be frustrating. You did the right thing by letting me know what you saw. I’m still trying to get my hands on Tim, so if you see him let me know. I’ve got a few patrol cars searching for him.” Quinn took a deep breath. “Nikki, you have the party tomorrow to think about. Why don’t you just relax and enjoy the celebration.”
“Quinn, I’m sorry if all of my calls and texts are bothering you. I just really want to find out what happened to Bryan.” Nikki guided the dogs through the park’s entrance.
“It’s not bothering me, Nikki, I want to hear everything that you have to say. But you need to stay out of this, you need to be cautious. This will be solved soon. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Thanks for the concern, but I’ll be fine.” She stifled a yawn, and hoped that he didn’t hear it. Yes, she was tired. Yes, she felt confused as she tried to shift her suspicion from Royce to someone new. Heather? “Is there anything new on Heather’s boyfriend?”
“Although the make and model of the car do appear to match up, we can’t verify with certainty that it is the same car we saw in the video. Unfortunately, it’s a fairly popular vehicle. I have not been able to locate him, and Heather is not exactly being cooperative.” Quinn hesitated, then continued. “I’ll catch up with you later. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
“You, too.” Nikki hung up the phone and sighed. She was tired and annoyed that the case hadn’t been solved, yet.
“Sounds like someone got under your skin.” A familiar voice summoned her attention from a tree just beside the sidewalk.
Nikki jumped, startled that someone was so close without her realizing. When she looked towards the tree, she found Tim’s gaze settled on her as he reclined against the thick trunk of the tree. She froze at the sight of him.
“Tim.”
“Yes, it’s me, and I’m glad that I wasn’t the one on the phone with you.” He grinned, which caused the corners of his eyes to crinkle.
“I’m just tired.” She shook her head and brushed a few strands of her hair away from her face. “It makes me a little snappy.”
“I understand.” He looked over the dogs. “Are they all yours?”
“No, none of them are, actually. I’m a dog walker.” She smiled. “I get to borrow other people’s pets.”
“Oh, that sounds like a nice way to spend your time.” Tim held out his hand towards Coco. “Hey there, buddy.”
The German Shepherd barked and tugged at the leash as he attempted to get a good whiff of Tim’s hand.
“He’s a big guy, isn’t he?” Tim raised an eyebrow. “Is he friendly?”
“They all are, but they’re also very protective.” Nikki wrapped the leashes around her hand to ensure that the dogs remained close to her.
“Do you think there’s reason for them to be?” Tim gazed at her with a slight pout in his lips. “I thought we got past that.”
“Tim, I don’t know you at all. I am very sorry that you lost your brother, but the truth is you were in that shop when you shouldn’t have been. Just because you are Bryan’s brother, doesn’t mean I can trust you.” Nikki looked back into his eyes in an attempt to find some hint, any clue as to whether he murdered his brother.
“I told you why I was there.” Tim frowned, then stood up from the tree. “Do you think I’m lying to you?”
“I think you have a shady past.” Nikki ran her finger across her phone and did her best to select the redial option.
“I don’t know what that has to do with anything.” He shoved his hand into his pocket. “Sure, I’ve had a rough life, things didn’t go as well for me as they did for Bryan. But I would never do anything to hurt my brother.”
“I’m sure you wouldn’t do anything deliberately. But sometimes people lose their cool.” Nikki slipped her phone into her pocket, unsure if the call had gone through. “Tim, we’re here together in this park, and Bryan is gone. All I want is the truth. You must have some idea of what happened to your brother.”
“Why?” He narrowed his eyes. “Because I’ve had some trouble in the past? That’s pretty judgmental of you. I hoped I would see you again, because you’re the only person I know in town. I need your help.”
“You need my help? With what?” Nikki studied him as she wondered what his intentions might be.
“I haven‘t been able to find Bryan’s will. My mother is too sick to make the trip here to make arrangements for his burial. I need to find his will, and other papers, so that I can get all of this settled.” Tim sighed and scratched his fingers back through his hair. “I’ve searched his apartment, but I can’t find any of it. I know that you knew him, I thought maybe you would know about a storage place, or if he mentioned a special place he kept things?”
“I didn’t know him very well, I’m sorry.” Nikki’s heart softened as she detected the desperation in his voice. He had just lost his brother, and it sounded like he was overwhelmed with the arrangements that needed to be made. “I wish I could help you.”
“Do you?” Tim tipped his head to the side as he looked into her eyes. “Because you seem nervous. Is that really all because I’ve made a few missteps in my life?”
“No, it’s because you were here before your brother was killed, with a man who has a very checkered past. I saw you in the café that morning with John. Were you two talking about Bryan?” Her heartbeat quickened as she knew that she had just stepped into dangerous territory.
“John?” Tim cleared his throat and slipped his hand back out of his pocket. “Do you know him?”
“No, but I have looked into him, and he’s not a great guy, is he?” Nikki raised an eyebrow and did her best to hide the quiver in her hands.
“I don’t know him well.” He shrugged and glanced towards the road, before he looked back at her. “I ran into him when I stopped at the café for breakfast. We did some business together before. That’s all.” He raked his eyes along the length of her. “I must have made quite an impression on you for you to remember seeing me.”
“I’m just observant.” She reached down and patted the top of Coco’s head as he barked again. “But that still doesn’t answer my question. What were you doing in the café in the first place?”
“Like I said, having breakfast.” Tim chuckled, though his laughter sounded too hard to be jovial. “You’re right, I came into town to see my brother. I thought we could finally get on the same page about things. I wanted to show him how much I had changed, and build a relationship with him. But before I could, someone from this town robbed me of that opportunity. And here you are, accusing me of killing my own brother?”
“I never said that.” She took a step back as he leaned towards her. A few of the dogs began to growl. Coco’s barking became more insistent.
“You didn’t have to. I can see it in your eyes, in the way you shy back from me.” He smiled some as he looked into her eyes. “You’re frightened of me. But you can feel that spark between us too, can’t you? What’s wrong, Nikki, you’ve never been attracted to a bad boy before?” His smile spread into a grin.
“Tim!” Quinn called out as he closed his car door. “I’ve been looking for you.”
Nikki’s eyes widened at the sight of Quinn as he approached. His stern expression, and tense muscles made him look far different than she was used to. She realized that he had probably listened to every word of their conversation.
“Who’s this?” Tim narrowed his eyes as he eyed Quinn. A second later a patrol car, with its lights flashing pulled up behind Quinn’s car. “Aw, Nikki, what did you do?” He turned his attention back to her, as a quick fury bolted through his eyes. “I trusted you!”
“You just need to answer some questions,” Nikki stumbled over her words as she stepped farther back in response to Quinn’s swift approach. He moved between Nikki and the dogs, and Tim.
“You don’t have to an
swer him, Nikki.” He grabbed Tim by the arm. “Don’t you say another word to her. You and I need to have a conversation.”
“Sure.” Tim continued to stare hard at Nikki. “I know how conversations with cops end up. Congratulations, Nikki, now they’re going to lock me up and throw away the key. But I guess in this town, justice is just a joke. That explains why no one is bothering to find out what really happened to my brother.”
“Quinn will treat you right, Tim.” Nikki bit into her bottom lip as she wondered if she’d done the right thing. With Tim’s history, there was a good chance that he would be the prime suspect. But had he killed his brother?
“Nikki, enough.” Quinn shot her a look of warning. “Go ahead and get the dogs home, I’ve got it from here.”
Nikki’s heart dropped as she wondered exactly what he thought of her. From the look in his eyes, it didn’t seem good. Had she meddled too much in his investigation at this point? Was his patience gone?
“Sure, go on, Nikki.” Tim smirked as Quinn started to lead him towards the car.
Nikki hesitated for another second, then urged the dogs along the sidewalk. With each step, she grew more frustrated. Tim had all the hallmarks of a good suspect. That was the problem. He was too good of a suspect, and it would be very easy to pin his brother’s murder on him. But what if he was innocent?
Chapter 10
As Nikki walked each dog home, she felt her exhaustion threaten to take over. Perhaps that’s why it seemed as if Quinn was upset with her, why it bothered her so much that Tim looked at her with betrayal in his eyes. She barely knew the man, and yet it upset her to think that she had hurt him.
“What you need is a nap.” She rubbed her hand across her eyes and began to walk back towards her apartment.
After Nikki kicked off her shoes, and crawled into bed, she expected to fall asleep right away. Instead, she remained restless. As she tossed and turned, she couldn’t escape a deep ache in her stomach. Dread, that’s what it was. She squeezed her eyes shut tight and tried to block it out. Still, she felt as if she’d done something terrible. With Tim in custody, the investigation might be closed, and there was a real possibility that Bryan’s killer would remain free. Of course, on the other hand, Tim might have been the one to do it. At some point the swirl of thoughts in her mind finally gave way to slumber.
When Nikki opened her eyes again, the entire house was dark. She wiped her eyes, then looked at the clock on her bedside table. It was almost eight-thirty. She’d slept quite a few hours. That ache in her stomach had become an insatiable gnawing and she realized that she hadn’t had anything to eat. She made her way into the kitchen. When she opened the refrigerator to look inside she recalled that she hadn’t made it to the grocery store. She didn’t want to go shopping. She needed food fast.
Nikki decided to head to the café. She knew it didn’t close until ten. Given the time, she decided to drive instead of walk. The streets of Dahlia were fairly empty. Most people were home getting settled on their couch for the evening. She felt out of whack with her sleep schedule, and wondered when she would get it straightened out again. She guessed she wouldn’t until the murderer had been found. When she pulled into the parking lot of the café it was nearly empty. She was tempted to call Quinn for an update on Tim. He hadn’t called or texted her all evening. She recalled the look in his eyes as he walked towards her and Tim in the park. Maybe he needed a break from her.
Nikki stepped into the café, and almost walked right into Gina.
“Oops, sorry.” She laughed as she slid a chair back into place. “Oh, Nikki, what’s wrong?” She stared into her eyes.
“Nothing. Why?” Nikki pushed her hair back from her face and realized that she hadn’t brushed it.
“Honey, you look exhausted.” Gina frowned.
“I just woke up, actually.” Nikki shook her head. “I’ve got my days and nights reversed.”
“Well, sit down, and I’ll get you something good to eat.” She headed towards the kitchen.
“I thought maybe a burger and fries would be good, if it’s not too late to order that.” She settled at one of the tables.
“It’s not too late, but you need something better than that. I’ll bring it out.” She disappeared into the kitchen.
Nikki smiled to herself. There were times that Gina didn’t let her order, she would just bring her whatever she thought Nikki needed to eat. Nikki didn’t mind, in fact she felt lucky to have a friend that cared about her so much. It wasn’t long before she returned with a plate of pot roast, mashed potatoes, and buttered vegetables, as well as a large, fresh baked roll.
“That’s a lot of food, Gina.” Nikki’s stomach rumbled at the sight and smell of it.
“You need to eat.” She gave her shoulder a light poke. “People can’t live on coffee alone.”
“True. Thanks, Gina.” Nikki didn’t mention spilling the coffee earlier in the day.
“Allen added a little extra for you.” Gina grinned referring to the cook who had a crush on Nikki.
“Thanks.” Nikki smiled. “Do you have time to sit with me?”
“A few minutes.” Gina settled in the chair across from her. “So, what’s up with you and the great detective?”
“Quinn?” She laughed at the description. “There’s nothing up.”
“Oh, yes there is.” Gina kicked her foot lightly under the table. “I see the way you look at him.”
“You do?” Nikki groaned around a mouthful of meat. “I hope he doesn’t.”
“Oh honey, he looks at you the same way.” She winked.
“That’s not true, trust me.” Nikki sighed as she took a sip of her tea. “I think he’s had about enough of me.”
“I doubt that.” Gina looked up as the door to the café swung open. “I think someone is here to see you.” She tipped her head in the direction of the door.
“Who?” Nikki followed her gaze, and found Quinn as he stepped through the door. She met his eyes accidentally, and looked away as quickly as she could. “Oh.”
“Oh.” Gina winked at her. “Make sure you eat.” She gave Nikki a light pat on the shoulder, then headed back to the counter.
“Mind if I join you?” Quinn paused just beside her table.
“Not at all.” Nikki shot him a brief smile, though she avoided meeting his eyes. “Are you hungry?”
“I actually just grabbed a sandwich at home. I was on my way back to the station, and I spotted your car in the parking lot.” He sat back in his chair and released a long breath. “It’s been an interesting day.”
“Yes, it has.” She took another bite of her food.
“So?” Quinn smiled some as he looked at her.
“So, what?” Nikki raised an eyebrow and managed to avoid his eyes once more.
“So, aren’t you going to ask me for an update on the case?” His smile spread wider. “I know you can’t resist.”
“I know I’ve been pestering you.” She glanced in his direction. “I’m sorry about that.”
“What are you talking about?” Quinn shook his head and sat forward again. “You’ve given me some of the best leads in this case. How can that be pestering?”
“Earlier, it just seemed like you might have been a little annoyed with me.” Nikki pushed her hair back behind her ear and dared to meet his eyes.
“I was annoyed with that scumbag Tim being anywhere near you, not with you.” He tapped his hand lightly on the table.
“We don’t know that he’s a scumbag.” Nikki frowned as she looked across the table at him. “He seemed to be really upset about his brother’s death.”
“Do you think so?” His eyes narrowed as he studied her. “What is your opinion of him?”
“I’m not sure exactly. But I do think he deserves a fair shake. It would be so easy to just assume that he is guilty with his background, and his presence in the area. But that doesn’t prove that he is the killer.” Nikki sighed and sat back in her chair.
“No, it doesn’t
prove it, but it does make it more likely. I have looked more into his criminal history. Many of his crimes were very violent.” Quinn folded his hands on the table in front of him. “You need to be careful of him, Nikki.”
“I can see why.” Nikki chewed on her bottom lip as she considered the new information. “But being guilty of another crime does not make him guilty of this one.”
“You seem to be very interested in him being innocent.” Quinn’s tone hardened just enough for her to notice it. “Are you sure you’re impartial about this?”
“What does that mean?” She watched him as she felt heat fill her cheeks. “I just want to make sure there isn’t a rush to judgment.”
“There isn’t.” He held her gaze. “I don’t have enough to arrest him. But he is definitely a person of interest, and I would recommend that you stay away from him. Whether or not he is the killer, he is certainly a dangerous person with a history of violence.”
“I understand.” She drew a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Okay, so it’s clear that Tim is a pretty good suspect. But what about Heather? Did you find out anything more about that car in her driveway?”
“Unfortunately, no. It is registered to her boyfriend, who we did confirm is out of town. We can’t prove that it is the same car that was on the road with her and Bryan that night. Also, Heather has an alibi for the time that Bryan was killed. She was at work, and her manager was there with her. Royce also has an alibi, but it’s not a great one. He said he was home with his wife at the time of the murder. However, he is a viable suspect because he has experience with guns, is familiar with the shop, and had some pretty serious issues with Bryan.” He spread his hands out before him. “At this point yes, Tim is the best suspect. He refuses to give us any information about where John might be, how they know each other, or how he might have been involved, which makes him even more suspicious in my eyes.” He leaned across the table and looked into her eyes. “How much can he care about his brother if he’s not willing to give any information that might help solve the crime?”