by Sarah Fox
“I’ll talk to you soon.”
I didn’t miss her exasperated sigh, but she allowed me to bring the call to an end.
“Sorry about that,” I said as I tucked my phone into the pocket of my jacket. “Did I miss anything?”
I could see nothing had changed at Leo’s house. The downstairs light was still on, everything else in darkness, but I’d felt the need to say something. I couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward about Grayson hearing my end of the conversation with my mom.
“Did you lie to your mother?” he asked, tearing my attention away from the house.
“What? Of course I didn’t.”
“So you don’t have a tattoo?”
I couldn’t see the color of his eyes in the darkness, but I was able to detect a glimmer of amusement in them.
“I never said I didn’t have a tattoo,” I pointed out. “I said I’d never let my brother give me one.”
“So you do have a tattoo?” He sounded mildly surprised, but also interested.
I knew he had tattoos. I’d seen them peeking out from beneath his short sleeves during warmer weather. Not that I’d spent much time checking out his nicely muscled arms.
“Just a little one,” I said.
“Where?”
“That’s for me to know and you to . . .” I realized what I’d been about to say. “Not,” I finished lamely.
I was glad of the darkness. It meant Grayson couldn’t see the flaming red of my cheeks. I focused on taking a long drink of my coffee, trying to ignore the weighted silence that had fallen around us. I refused to look his way. I figured he was probably trying not to laugh at me.
Why did I always have to embarrass myself in front of him?
“He’s on the move,” Grayson said, interrupting my thoughts.
An outdoor light had switched on over the back door of Leo’s house. He made his way out onto the steps, pulling the door shut behind him.
I rummaged in my backpack for my own binoculars, but I stopped my search after a quick look through the window.
Leo was heading in our direction.
“Do you think he’ll see us?” I asked, hovering on the edge of panic.
Grayson followed Leo’s progress with his night-vision binoculars. “No. He’s heading for the outbuilding.”
I didn’t bother to dig out my own binoculars. Leo had left the pool of light near the back of his house, the shadows swallowing him up. I could just make out the dark shape of his figure trekking through the snow toward the ramshackle building near the fence at the back of his property.
When he got close to the building, I could no longer distinguish him from the deep shadows. I was about to ask Grayson for a turn with his binoculars when the outbuilding lit up.
Leo had opened a large door and had switched on an interior light. At first I could see him moving about, but then he disappeared farther into the building, out of sight.
“What’s he doing?” Impatience needled at me. “Why isn’t he going to work?”
“He must have taken the day off,” Grayson said. “He should have left ages ago.”
I was about to express my disappointment when Leo burst into view in the rectangle of light created by the open door. As Leo shut off the light, Grayson raised his binoculars to his eyes.
“What the . . .” Grayson said.
“What’s going on?” I asked, wishing I could see what he saw. But then I did.
Leo was nothing more than a dark shape to me, but he was tearing across the snow-covered yard. He stumbled and fell to his knees. He scrambled back to his feet and disappeared into the garage. Seconds later, his truck roared off down his driveway toward Hartley Road, away from where Grayson and I were stationed.
“What was that about?” I asked, puzzled by Leo’s behavior.
“Something freaked him out.” Grayson reached into the backseat for a flashlight before opening his door.
I gulped down the last of my coffee and grabbed my own flashlight from my backpack, hurrying out of the car to follow him.
The cold air stung my face and I immediately missed the relative warmth of the car. Grayson helped me cross a narrow ditch and climb over a half-broken fence to get onto Leo’s property. I wasn’t thrilled that I needed help, but I was hampered by my puffy, knee-length jacket and I kept sinking into the snow. I winced as some snow slipped down into my left boot, but I did my best to ignore the discomfort.
Once we were over the fence, I switched on my flashlight. Then Grayson switched his on. The powerful beam from his light made mine look pathetic. I kept it on anyway. I didn’t want to have brought it for nothing.
It was a good thing there were no neighbors close by. We wouldn’t have been able to sneak quietly across Leo’s property even if we’d tried. The snow crunched with every footstep, the sound loud in the quiet of the early morning.
The snow was undisturbed on this part of the property and plenty deep. I kept sinking up to my knees as I trudged along. As much as I wanted to keep pace with Grayson, I couldn’t, so I gave up trying and followed behind him, stepping into the deep impressions he left as he traversed the yard.
Near the outbuilding, the snow had been trampled down, and we were both able to pick up the pace. Grayson pulled open the door and paused on the threshold, sweeping the bright beam of his flashlight from left to right.
At first all I saw were a few bales of straw, but then I realized there were several bulky objects covered with old blankets.
We moved deeper into the building, leaving the overhead light off so we wouldn’t attract attention if Leo returned. Grayson moved off to the left, while I walked straight ahead. Wariness and apprehension had my heart almost tripping over itself. Whatever had freaked Leo out wasn’t immediately obvious and I kept expecting something to jump out at us at any second.
I almost yelped with fright when something brushed against my face. I shone my weak light at it and let out a whooshing breath of relief. It was just a cobweb hanging from one of the beams overhead. Fortunately, Grayson hadn’t noticed me getting scared by an old spiderweb.
“What do you think frightened Leo?” I whispered.
Instead of answering, Grayson grabbed one of the gray blankets and gave it a yank. As it slid into a heap at his feet, the blanket unveiled a small stack of camping gear. Grayson shone his flashlight at the pile of goods. I noticed that there were some lanterns, camp stoves, and a couple of tents, all still in their boxes.
“A camping fanatic?” I asked, still whispering, even though I didn’t know why I was staying so quiet.
“I’m not so sure about that,” Grayson said, not speaking much louder than I had.
I approached the bulky object in front of me. I took hold of one corner of the blanket and slowly pulled it free of whatever was beneath it.
We both directed our flashlights at what I’d uncovered. This time instead of camping gear it was a stack of electronics.
Puzzle pieces clicked into place in my head. “Leo’s behind the recent burglaries.”
“Looks like it,” Grayson agreed.
“No wonder he was worried about the police searching his place. I bet the person he was talking to on the phone is his accomplice.”
“I’d make that wager too.”
We uncovered the third and final stack of goods to find a couple of shiny new bicycles, a golf bag and clubs, and some other assorted sporting equipment.
“Okay,” I said, surveying all the goods. “But what freaked him out? Unless someone else stashed all of this here to set him up as the thief?” That explanation didn’t feel right.
Grayson didn’t buy it either. “If he didn’t want the cops searching his property, this is probably why. It must be something else that sent him running.”
My apprehension was back full force as we moved farther into the building. We edged around the stack of stolen electronics and Grayson stepped over a bale of straw.
He froze, the beam of his flashlight trained on something on the fl
oor in front of him.
“I think I’ve found what freaked him out,” he said, his voice grim.
I moved over to join him.
He put out an arm to stop my progress. “Don’t look.”
But it was too late. I’d already seen what was in the beam of his powerful flashlight.
It was Jade Castellano.
And she was dead.
Chapter 21
“We need to stay back,” Grayson warned me, taking my arm as I tried to step toward Jade.
“But shouldn’t we make sure she’s dead?” I asked, even though I knew it was pointless. Her face was such an unnatural shade of gray that there was really no doubt about her state.
“She’s been dead for a while,” Grayson said.
And likely not from an accident or natural causes. I noticed some bruising around her throat. Had someone strangled her?
I swallowed hard, a sudden wave of queasiness making me regret the coffee I’d had to drink.
Grayson took my hand and led me toward the door. “This is a crime scene. We need to get out of here.”
He’d voiced the thoughts that had just run through my head. More thoughts quickly followed as my initial shock slowly wore off.
“I don’t understand,” I said as we stepped out of the building. “She left town two days ago. I saw her drive away.”
“Doesn’t look like she got far,” Grayson remarked grimly. He let go of my hand and got out his cell phone. “I’ll call the police.”
I was glad he was taking care of that. My teeth had suddenly started to chatter so hard that I probably wouldn’t have been able to speak clearly. I wrapped my arms around me, trying to stay warm, but that was a battle I was quickly losing. The proximity of Jade’s body and the freezing early morning temperature had stolen what little warmth I’d carried with me from the car.
“I still don’t understand,” I said once Grayson had finished speaking with the 911 operator. “Why Jade?”
“A random killing?” he suggested, but I could tell he doubted that theory as much as I did.
“And where’s her car?” I asked. “She was driving a white one. A rental, probably.”
“She was Freddy’s personal assistant, right?”
I nodded. And Mel’s ex. My heart constricted. Poor Mel. Even though she was no longer in a relationship with Jade, I knew this wouldn’t be easy on her.
“Maybe Leo killed both Freddy and Jade?” I couldn’t stop my mind from searching for explanations. “No, that doesn’t make sense. If he killed Jade, why would he be shocked to find her body out here?”
I hugged myself more tightly. Nothing was adding up.
“Why don’t you wait in the car?” Grayson suggested. “I’ll give you the keys so you can turn on the heat.”
“That’s okay, thanks. I’ll stay here.”
I was waiting where he was waiting. Finding Jade’s body had left my nerves frazzled. I didn’t want to wait by myself on the lonely road.
We stayed silent for several minutes, although my thoughts were far from quiet. Even so, by the time the first police car turned into Leo’s driveway, I still couldn’t explain why Jade was in the shed or who had killed her. Nothing was adding up in my head, much to my frustration.
The cruiser parked next to the garage and two officers climbed out. One flicked on a powerful flashlight and they headed our way.
“Probably best not to mention we were here to snoop,” Grayson said quietly.
“Then what do we say we were doing here?” I asked.
Grayson didn’t answer. The officers were getting too close.
I let Grayson point out where we’d found the body. As he did that, a second police car arrived.
My fingers, toes, and face were numb by then and I longed for another cup of hot coffee, preferably enjoyed indoors next to a crackling fire. As soon as I had that thought, a twinge of guilt made me regret it. I was lucky. I might be cold now, but I could always warm up later. Jade would never be warm again.
After the first two officers on the scene had taken a look at Jade’s body, Grayson and I were separated so we could be questioned. Officer Rogers spoke with Grayson while Officer Eldon Howes asked me some questions. I took a morsel of comfort from his familiar face. Although I wasn’t a fan of his aunt, Vera Anderson, Eldon was a nice man with kind eyes, though he could be stern when the situation required it.
When prompted, I explained to him how Grayson and I had seen Leo run scared from the outbuilding.
“We decided to see what was wrong. First we found what we assumed were stolen goods. Then Grayson found Jade’s body.”
“So you knew Ms. Castellano?” Officer Howes asked. He must have recognized her from the investigation into Freddy’s death.
“Slightly,” I said. “I spoke to her briefly during the ice sculpture competition. I saw her leaving town a couple of days ago, but . . . she obviously never made it back to Boston.” I shivered, only partly from the cold.
“And where were you and Mr. Blake when you saw Leo running from the building?”
I pointed toward the gap in the trees by the fence, although it wasn’t really visible. One officer had driven a police truck up close to the outbuilding, its headlights illuminating the area. Everything beyond the pool of light was little more than murky darkness.
“Out on that road. We were in Grayson’s car.”
“Passing?”
“Parked.” I tried not to fidget, not wanting to broadcast how nervous I was with the direction the questioning had taken.
“And what were you doing parked on a seldom-used road so early in the morning?”
“Talking.” I realized how inadequate that answer was. Flustered, I added, “Getting to know each other.”
Oh, sweet Sherlock. That sounded even worse!
Heat rushed to my cheeks and I knew they were a furious shade of red.
“I mean . . . um . . .” I stumbled over my words.
“I understand,” Officer Howes said as he jotted something down in his notebook.
I was pretty sure he didn’t understand, but another officer called his name and he excused himself, leaving me wishing I could disappear into the snow-covered ground.
Grayson was still talking with Rogers. I figured that was a good thing. I didn’t think I could face him right at the moment. How long would it be before the entire Shady Creek Police Department thought we’d been parked on the road for a romantic assignation? Probably not long. I just hoped that misinformation wouldn’t spread beyond the department.
I watched as Grayson said something to Officer Rogers. When she nodded, he headed my way. I hoped my cheeks weren’t still flaming.
“We’re allowed to leave now,” he said when he reached me.
I followed him through the snow toward his car. I wanted to ask what he’d told the police we’d been doing parked on the road, but I couldn’t work up the nerve. I’d already embarrassed myself enough for one morning.
Once we were in the car with the engine running, Grayson cranked up the heat. We didn’t speak as he navigated the bumpy, unpaved road. The ride became smoother once we were back on Hartley Road, but I didn’t feel any more comfortable. I was embarrassed, sad, cold, confused, and shaken up. My mind was spinning so fast that I couldn’t settle on any one thought.
I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself without much success.
“Looks like something else is going on,” Grayson said.
I opened my eyes to see the flashing lights of a police car up ahead.
Grayson slowed to a crawl as we passed by the parked cruiser. A police officer was pointing the bright beam of a flashlight down the wooded bank at the side of the road. I caught sight of a white car in a tangle of bushes and branches.
I sat up straight. “Jade’s rental car.”
“Are you sure?” Grayson asked.
We’d passed the scene now, so he sped up again.
“I can’t be positive, but it’s the right make and color. And
that would make sense, wouldn’t it?”
“Somebody ran her off the road, killed her, and moved her to Leo’s shed.”
I nodded, even though Grayson’s eyes were on the road rather than me. My thoughts had taken the same path as his.
But why had someone killed her? And why move her from the car to Leo’s place?
When Grayson dropped me off outside the Inkwell minutes later, I was no closer to answering those questions.
* * *
I had to take a long, hot shower and drink another cup of steaming coffee before I could declare myself completely thawed out. Once I no longer felt like a close cousin of one of the ice sculptures out on the village green, I headed downstairs to the Inkwell to get ready for the workday.
Booker arrived and got busy with his prep work in the kitchen. This morning he was singing “Last Christmas.” I had no need for a radio when he was around.
I joined him in the kitchen as he wrapped up the song.
“When’s your next gig?” I asked.
“Tonight.” His knife flashed as he expertly chopped up bell peppers. “We’re providing the music for the dance at the community center.”
“That sounds like fun.” The dance was part of the carnival.
“Will you be there?”
“No, but I think my aunt will.”
She enjoyed going out dancing with her gentleman friend, Louie. I didn’t have anyone to dance with, not that it mattered. I still could have attended the event, but I wanted to stay at the Inkwell. I’d already had enough excitement for one day.
“Did you hear about the incident out on Hartley Road?” I asked as I gathered up some clean glasses to take out to the bar. I was curious to know if the news about the second murder had spread through town yet.
“No. I came straight here from home, so you’re the first person I’ve talked to. I haven’t even been online yet today.” He grabbed another red pepper. “What kind of incident?”
“There’s been another death in town.”
“Another one?”
I spun around at the sound of Mel’s voice. She stood holding the kitchen door open.
“Was it another murder?” Booker asked.
I nodded, suddenly unable to find my voice. Mel clearly didn’t know anything about Jade’s fate yet.