Before the Dawn

by Gail Chianese

  “Start on you about what?”

  She cocked a brow. He returned the look.

  “About me being gone all weekend.” She pushed past him and sat down at her desk, powering up the laptop. “We’ve got work to do and Ashley should be here any moment. The teen gang is a bust for the fires—they have a reliable alibi for the last one. We’re missing something. We need to go back to the start, review all of the interviews, the reports, and find whatever it is.”

  Vinnie ignored her and claimed Lexie’s chair. “We’ll get to the case in a minute. Where were you all weekend?”

  She eyed him over the top of her computer, tempted to dismiss his question, but knew he’d keep pestering her. He always did. “As if you don’t already know. You always know where we are.”

  “Maybe I wasn’t looking for you. Spill it, kid.”

  “If you must know, I spent the weekend with Shawn at his place.”

  “Good for you.” He grinned like he’d known all along. “Take it your mom gave you grief.”

  “She called Aunt Susan, who called Lexie, who in turn called me.”

  “Wow. Surprised she didn’t skip to the National Guard. How’s the kid doing? She enjoying her trip?”

  “Hating every minute of it. Bored out of her mind and can’t wait to escape Rafe’s company and be back with us again,” she said wryly.

  “About what I thought. She’s got to learn to let go, relax a little.”

  Kat stared at him as if he had three heads. Something was up. Vinnie was off his game. The old saying, weaned on mother’s milk and love? Yeah, she was pretty sure Vinnie had been weaned on sarcasm and cannoli. So why was he passing on giving her a rash of shit for her weekend of debauchery?

  “Yeah, you weren’t the only one getting lucky. I spent the weekend with Marilyn—”

  Ah, so that’s what was up. She held up her hand before he could say more. Not that she wasn’t curious about how incorporeal beings could do the horizonal, but TMI in this case. “Vinnie, I don’t want to hear about your sex life.”

  “She told me,” he held up his hand, finger pointed at her, “that those teens are selling drugs and she’s pretty sure they are being supplied by someone at the clinic. And she saw them with Brian Wallis, Sara’s brother, the night he died.”

  Kat pondered this info. It was good, but it didn’t help solve their case or give them any leads. “I’ll let Detective Daines know I had a confidential informant come forward about seeing Brian with the gang members the night of his death so they can follow up on it. As it doesn’t have anything to do with the fires, there’s no reason for us to get involved.”

  “I have more for you. Remember how I said Babs was scared? It wasn’t of the teens. There was a man in the apartment building about a month before the fire. She didn’t think anything of it at the time, because it had been so long. But he scared her—and trust me when I say, that lady has some seriously steel balls.”

  “Can she give us a description or work with a police artist for a sketch?”

  Vinnie snorted. “A police artist? The woman is an artist. She’s got sketches of him in her apartment. It’s like she can’t get him out of her mind. You need to get back over there and convince her to share them with you, Kat. I think he’s our guy.”

  “Did you see the sketches?”

  “Yeah. Remember I told you, Babs can see and hear me, just like you and Lexie. I saw the sketch and asked her about it.”

  Maybe if Babs knew they had something in common, something like seeing dead people, she might be willing to share more with Kat. “Tell me everything.”

  “Babs drew the image of him after the encounter. She’d hoped she could exorcise him from her memory by putting it on paper. You know, getting it out of her head. The thing was, he was perfectly nice to her. A real gentleman, as she put it. It was his eyes. She said they were dead. Most people, no matter how good of a poker face they develop, show some kind of emotion in their eyes, but not this guy.”

  “What were your thoughts on him?”

  “Psychopath. It’s like he was dead inside and she captured that in her drawing. Hell, Kat. I’ve met ghosts with more life in them than that guy had in his eyes.” Vinnie’s voice was low, filled with something she hadn’t heard before from the man. Fear.

  Before she could respond, the whoosh of the back door caught her attention. Vinnie disappeared in the blink of an eye. Now that was weird. What was it about their new intern that freaked Vinnie out? She’d have to corner him later and get it out of him.

  “Morning, boss.” Ashley dropped into Lexie’s recently vacated chair, shivering. “Mind if I turn up the heat a bit?”

  “Sure, go ahead.” Kat had been staring at her notepad where she’d written down the numbers eleven, five, and seven. Something had been bothering her for days. “Hey, did we run the financials on the physician’s assistant, Lenore Orwell?”

  “Ran them on all the staff members. Nothing popped. Why?”

  “She had a Caddie and a Beemer in the driveway. Both new. Kind of pricey for a PA in a small practice.”

  “She’s a widow. No kids. It’s doable.”

  “Call it women’s intuition. Something is off there. Can you dig deeper?

  “Might mean calling in a favor. Going a little off book.”

  Kat didn’t care. They needed to wrap this case up fast. “Do it. In the meantime, I’ve got to run a few errands—the bank and post office. Do you need anything while I’m out?”

  “Can you stop over at Sugar ‘n Spice Delights for me, get me a low-fat blueberry muffin and a cappuccino?”

  Kat felt her lips curl in a snarl. “Can’t you have one of Miss Elsie’s muffins?”

  “She’s out of them.”

  Damn. In most small towns, the hair salon was known as the heartbeat—or gossip central—of the town, but in Camden Point that honor went to the bakery and Kat’s arch nemesis, Lilly Basil. From kindergarten through graduation Lilly had made it her personal mission to do everything she could to come between Kat and Lexie. When that didn’t work, she changed tactics, concocting one rumor after another to ruin both girls’ reputations all the while trying to sleep with any guy either looked at. Sadly, Lilly’s life mission hadn’t changed.

  “Fine, but you owe me.”

  “Off the books search,” Ashley reminded Kat without batting an eye as she powered up the computer. Damn, their new intern was good.

  Stepping out the front door, Kat let the fall sunshine soak into her skin. Blue skies with fat, fluffy white clouds floated overhead. A faint sea breeze blew the orange, red, and yellow leaves back and forth on the branches and across the village green. Camden Point was set up with the main businesses forming a square with a park in the center. The LexaKat office sat on First Avenue, along with an antique store, hair salon, and hardware store. On the south side, or Main Street, City Hall took up the entire block until it met with Second Avenue, which was her destination and the where the post office was located next to Miss Elsie’s Café—home of the best chocolate cream pie on Earth—a dress shop, and an insurance agency. Framing it all in on the north end stood the bank, bakery, and bookstore, completing the quintessential all-American town. It looked so quaint and idyllic on the surface. But looks, she knew all too well, could be very deceiving.

  Kat strolled down the street, enjoying the sunshine while avoiding eye contact. She loved her hometown, but there were times a person wanted to be left alone and right now was one those moments. The new development in the case weighed heavily on her mind. Just because a stranger had been seen in the apartment building a month before the fire didn’t make him the arsonist, even if he had eyes that belonged in some Evil Dead type movie.

  As soon as she could get the sketches from Babs, Kat would canvass the neighborhoods around all three arson sites to see if anyone recognized their guy. Tingles raced across the back of her neck, like you got when someone was staring at you. Kat spun around only to come face to face with Cindy Graham, her hair s
tylist.

  Cindy slipped her arm through Kat’s, falling into step with her. “So, my friend, the lips in this town have been on fire all weekend long.”

  “Aren’t they always?”

  “Well, yes, but the last time they were in this kind of feeding frenzy was when Rafe and Lilly locked lips on the edge of Town Square.” Kat rolled her eyes. She knew Cindy wasn’t there looking for gossip, but was rather looking for what info Kat wanted put out for the mongrels to gobble up. “I’ve heard the most fantastic tales. Did you know, you ran away with a billionaire from Europe and got married?”

  Kat stared at her with disbelief.

  Cindy nodded in affirmation. “Not only that, but you fell hopelessly in love with some sailor from the base who was shipping out, broke your heart, and now you’ve gone off to live in seclusion in your family’s cabin in Vermont.”

  “Tempting, at times.”

  “I bet, but remember if you go, you take me with you.” Kat nodded, laughing at the silly stories circulating around town. “My favorite is you’re having a torrid affair with some smoking hot stranger who stole you away last Friday in his truck and no one has seen you since. Well, of course, until now.”

  Kat kept a straight face, surprised at how close they had come to guessing the truth and wondering if Miss Elsie had started that last story.

  “Kat Jones, are you holding out on me? Your stylist? Tell me it’s true? You’ve put Paul and your broken heart behind you and are deliriously in love.”

  Stopping in front of the post office, Kat leaned into Cindy. “I wouldn’t go that far, but Paul who?”

  Cindy pulled back, then let out a squeal that pierced her ears as she clapped in delight. “I knew it. Details. Give ‘em up.”

  “I am seeing someone and yes, he is smoking hot. It’s nothing serious, simply two friends enjoying each other’s company.” Now if only she could convince her heart of the same thing.

  “Got it.” Cindy’s smile lit up her whole face. “What do you want me to tell the vultures?”

  Kat decided to let the rumors fly, leaving Cindy with explicit instructions to neither confirm nor deny any and all stories that were told in her presence, to let the air of mystery surrounding her weekend remain. The old Kat would have rushed to squelch the fabrications, correcting all misguided souls with the truth. Of course, the old Kat wouldn’t have skipped out of town for a wild weekend fling either. While she didn’t really care what the town’s citizens thought of her private life, she did have a business to protect (after all she still owned half of it) and she would be employed next week as one of the elementary school teachers. Probably best not to start her new career as a confirmed hussy.

  With her errands to the post office and bank completed with minimal fuss, Kat now stood outside of Sugar ‘n Spice Delights Bakery, where Loose Lips Lilly Basil worked the counter selling baked goods and no doubt herself whenever any warm-blooded male entered the store. Squaring her shoulders, Kat took a deep breath and let it out slowly, repeating the process a second time to settle the jumbled nerves in her stomach before plastering her best benign smile in place. She opened the door to the bakery.

  The rich aroma of french roast, cinnamon, sugar, and yeast assaulted her nose before heading straight to her stomach, which rumbled, demanding sustenance. The few round tables were filled with several people she knew from town, enjoying a morning coffee break. Kat stood in line behind Iris Houston, one of the city dispatchers, ignoring the squinty-eyed look of glee Lilly gave her upon entering.

  Iris took her time and, by the looks of her order, must have been getting goodies for the station house. With Rafe out of town, Gary Wyman would be in charge, and he was known for his sweet-tooth.

  Finally, it was her turn, oh joy. “Two low-fat blueberry muffins and cappuccinos, please.”

  Lilly whipped open one of the little pink-and-white bags, dropping the muffins inside. “Saw your car parked at the agency all weekend. First, I thought you were working really early when I came in for my shift Saturday morning, but I didn’t see any lights on. Did you have car trouble?”

  “No.” Kat smiled, glancing up at Lilly long enough to make eye contact before gazing back at the bakery case.

  Lilly stepped away to make the coffees, but Kat could see her tapping her toes in anger. Apparently, that wasn’t the answer she had been hoping for. Setting the cups on the counter, she asked sweetly, “Who was that good-looking guy I saw you with Friday at Miss Elsie’s, a new client?”

  “You know, can you add a dozen of those peanut butter crunch cookies and another of the cinnamon crisps for me? I think I’ll surprise my mom with an afternoon treat.” Kat flashed the pissed-off clerk her million-watt smile.

  Lilly filled the order and sat the boxes on the counter, “So, who was he?”

  Kat dug some bills out of her wallet, handed them to Lilly, and told her to keep the change. She scooped up the goodies and sauntered out the door, but not before she heard a squeal of frustration from Loose Lips and a chuckle from Chris Knowles, who owned Screw It Hardware.

  Now that her fun for the morning was over, it was time to get back on track and take a second run at Babs. If she couldn’t get the woman to crack on their mystery guy, she’d give Detective Daines a call for an assist. She’d hate to do it, but desperate times and all that shit. If Babs wouldn’t confide in another woman, maybe being hauled down to the police station for questioning would get her to break. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that. Time was running out. Not to mention she had a feeling that was a sure way to piss off Marilyn and the last thing Kat needed was to be haunted by two ghosts.

  “Randall, you’re on KP duty.” Rodriguez propped himself in the doorway, arms crossed, smug smile in place, and stood guard as though Shawn was going to try to sneak out the back door.

  “Fuck that. I was on kitchen cleanup last week. Check the schedule again.” He ignored the man, turned back to his computer, and continued with his report. He was in a pissy mood.

  Monday had arrived too quickly.

  He wanted to go back to Friday night. Back to when he was kissing Kat in his kitchen. Back to when he was undressing her. Back to when he was making love to her in his bed.

  He did not want to be staring at Rodriguez’s ugly mug.

  He really wanted to call Kat just to hear her voice. Which was bad, very bad. It’d only been a couple of hours since he’d seen her, held her, been inside of her, and already he missed her. This is what you get for going so long without a woman, you idiot.

  He kept ignoring the other idiot in the hopes he’d go away. No such luck. “You keep staring, someone’s going to think you’re crushing on me,” Shawn said.

  “Dirty dishes are calling your name, bro.”

  “How did I end up on the schedule two weeks in a row?” Shawn pinched the bridge of his nose and glared, knowing the answer. “I’ve got to get these reports done. Unlike some, I don’t have downtime.”

  “Aw, poor baby. Remember, you’re the one who asked to be a desk jockey. But that still doesn’t get you out of KP, and house rules state dishes are to be done as soon as mealtime is over. Only allowable excuse is a call. I didn’t hear the alarm, did you?”

  Pushing away from his desk, Shawn hit save on the report. “You’re a pain in the ass, you know that, Rodriguez?’

  “Yeah, but I’m your pain in the ass and you love me.” The other guy grinned and punched him in the arm. Great, now they were back to third-grade levels of affection. Next Rodriguez would pass him a note asking if Shawn liked him or not.

  In response, because he couldn’t pass up the opportunity, Shawn slapped Rodriguez on the back, making the guy wheeze as he tried to catch his breath. “Yeah, that’s right. I love you, man.”

  “You’re going to miss me when you go back to Seattle. Back there, you’re going to be low man on the list. The newb. Carrying everyone’s shit. Cleaning everything. Getting the crap schedule. You sure you want that?”

  No, but it beat being alon
e.

  “It’s a good opportunity. A good house.”

  “Hey, this is a good house.” Rodriguez stopped in front of him, arms crossed, a pissed-off scowl directed at Shawn.

  “You know what I mean. It’s bigger. It’s a major city.” It’s closer to home and far away from memories of my ex. “I am the low man here.” Shawn pointed to himself to emphasis his point. “Clark and Calabrese aren’t going anywhere.”

  “I get it. Just wanted to give it one last shot at changing your mind.” He laughed and stepped aside so Shawn could get to the kitchen door. “We just got you broken in to the routine around here. Now we’ve got to rinse and repeat. What a bitch that’ll be.”

  “You’re breaking my heart.” Shawn pushed through the doors and came up short. The crew was gathered around the table with a cake. A streamer printed with Congratulations hung above the window. He looked around until his gaze landed on Calabrese.

  She shrugged and nodded at Rodriguez. “Don’t look at me. This was all him, but congrats from all of us on the new gig. We’re going to miss you around here and it’s not because you take all the crap jobs.”

  “You sure about that?” Shawn laughed and accepted a drink and a plate of lasagna.

  “It helps.” Calabrese planted a hip on the edge of the table. “In all honesty, you’re an asset to the department. You may not have the years on you, yet, but you’ve got a brain between those ears.”

  “Thanks. It doesn’t feel like it with this current case.”

  “The clinic fires?”

  “Yeah, we’ve got nothing but dead ends.”

  She smiled and looked down at his plate, taking it out of his hands. “Ah, but then you do have something. Eliminate all that can’t be and what you have left is what can be.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Process of elimination, my friend,” a voice whispered in his ear. “Once you’ve ruled out all the dead ends, the only thing left is the path to the truth or, in your case, your arsonist.”

  “What if there are no leads, Clark?” Shawn snagged another plate of lasagna since Calabrese had stolen his.