by Zahra Stone
“Er, yeah. Sorry. Okay. Well, give me the rest—and can you email me your report as well, please? I’m a little stunned here; I don’t want to miss anything.”
“Not a problem. So, McMahon’s visits ceased three years ago. Before that, it was once or twice a year, over six years. Each time he filled in the visitor's log, he put a different fake name of who he was there to see.” They’d stopped three years ago because he’d died.
“Yet they let him in. They must have known who he was visiting, what he was doing there. The fake names were for this type of thing—the authorities searching.”
“Yes.”
“Can you cross-reference all the employees’ calendars and match any appointments with the times of his visits? Let’s see if we can work out who he was seeing—and what he was doing there.”
“Already on it. Hope to get something to you today.”
“Thank you. And thank you for calling with the update. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. I’m sorry McMahon is involved.”
“Me too.” I hung up, then stared at my monitor. The report from the tech arrived, flashing at me from my inbox. I didn’t open it.
Brax came back in, sat at his desk, typed something on his laptop, and then blew out a breath. “Katie, there’s no easy way to say this,” he began, his voice pained, “but it looks like your fiancé may have been involved in this.”
“I know,” I said, not meeting his eyes. “Our tech just called. I guess the Secret Service got the report at the same time, huh.”
“I’m sorry.”
I shrugged. “It’s not your fault. Anyway, we don’t know what it means; he could have been there on legitimate business.” Ethan had been a paramedic; it was entirely possible he was there in an official capacity.
“It’s the fake names that give us concern.”
“I know. Look, our tech is cross-referencing records as we speak. There’s no point in your people doing the same work. Unless you don’t trust me? Since I was his fiancé?”
“What? No! Of course, I trust you.” He seemed genuinely surprised I’d think otherwise, but I wouldn’t have blamed him if he’d had doubts. This case had taken a very personal turn, one I hadn’t anticipated. If our roles were reversed and a suspect turned out to be personally connected to him, I’d question his presence in Maxxan and objectivity in working the case.
Speaking of, I picked up my phone and dialed.
“Do you want me off the case?” I asked Nate as soon as he answered.
“No. I trust you can stay objective. Do you want off the case?”
“No.”
“Good.” And he hung up. I laughed, the sound bordering on hysterical. Bad news carries fast. The next thing, both Rae and Jordan came storming in, demanding to know if I was okay.
“Okay, listen up, all of you! Rae and Jordan, sit.” I pointed to their workstations, then stood by the case board. “First of all, to allay all your fears, I’m fine. I’m shocked but fine. And I don’t believe Ethan was involved, not knowingly, and it’s up to us to prove that. Tech is working on finding out who it was he was visiting at Stillwater. After all, if he had something to hide, he would have used a fake name to protect himself. But he didn’t, so I’m taking that to mean that whatever he was doing there, as far as he was concerned, it was legit.
“Rae, I want you to go to the coroner’s office and see if they have blood or tissue samples on these victims.” I pointed to the board. “If they do, get them to the lab, have them run tests on the compound Nate retrieved from Stillwater. See if we have any matches. Brax and Jordan, I want you to interview any employees who have been with Stillwater for longer than five years—specifically in the six-to-seven-years-ago range. Take a photo of Ethan with you and see if they recall seeing him at the facility. I’m not waiting on tech for this. We’ve been waiting days for a break, and this is it. Let’s run with it.”
“Yes, boss.” There was a flurry of activity and then blessed silence. They were gone, and I was finally alone. Holding my breath, I clicked open the report the tech had sent, steeled myself, but nothing could have prepared me for seeing Ethan’s smiling face appear on my screen.
My heart ached, a physical ache that had me rubbing at the center of my chest. I looked into the blue eyes of the man I had loved and lost, my heart yearning to be with him again, see him smile, feel his arms around me, longing for just one more moment. Something wet dripped onto the back of my hand, and I glanced up at the ceiling. Don’t tell me we have a bloody water leak. But the ceiling was dry, and then I realized it was me. I was crying. Wiping the tears away with the back of my hand, I pulled up Lani’s number and dialed.
“Hey, Katie,” she answered straight away, her bright and bubbly voice not so bright or bubbly. The sheriff had delivered the news of her mother’s death after we’d found her body a couple of days ago. I’d been meaning to call her but had been avoiding it—now it was time to man up and get on with things.
“I’m so sorry about your mom, Lani,” I said. “She was a great woman and will be sadly missed.”
“Thank you.” She sniffed. I knew what it was like, people telling you they were sorry someone you loved had died. Sorry didn’t cut it. Sorry didn’t help with the pain.
“When’s the funeral?” I asked.
“Day after tomorrow. You coming?”
“Of course. I’m sorry Paige can’t come. She’s been held up in Redmeadows. She’d be here if she could.” The truth was Nate had decided not to tell her of the discovery of Mrs. B’s body. He knew she’d want to come home and be with her friend, but he wasn’t prepared to put her in harm’s way. It wasn’t that I necessarily agreed with him—I didn’t like keeping secrets from those I loved, but it was safer in this case. Ridgeway would snatch Paige the first chance she got; I was sure of it. As far as we could tell, Paige was the first candidate who had survived the toxic drug they’d pumped into her. They’d want her back to continue with the experiment.
“I can’t believe she’s gone,” Lani whispered.
“Me either.” I paused. “Look, I know this is a terrible time…but I need your help.”
“Oh?”
“The sheriff told you that he thought your mom was murdered, didn’t he?”
“Yes. The shallow grave. That they must have been interrupted before they could bury her, so they took off, leaving her exposed. And the animals got to her.”
“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to go through your mom’s stuff. See if I can find any clue as to what happened to her.”
“Are you working for the sheriff now?” Lani quizzed, remembering that I used to be a deputy here in Maxxan.
“Not directly. I work with a special agency in Redmeadows. I’m here on a case, but we’re working closely with the sheriff’s office.”
“And your case…is that connected to my mom?”
“There’s a possibility it could be. I don’t know for sure, which is why I’d like to go through your mom’s stuff to see if I can find a connection.”
“Then yes. Of course. I want the bastards who did this caught.”
“Me too,” I assured her. Lani was human, and there was only so much I could tell her. While I hated to deceive my sister’s best friend, the truth was her mom’s link to Stillwater Pharmaceuticals was vital. A ghoul had chosen her—she’d been dead for weeks, possibly months, with the ghoul wearing her skin like a suit. Now that ghoul had moved on, and I needed to know why—and who they were wearing now. “Is it okay if I come now? The quicker we move on this, the better.”
“Yes, of course. I’m here. I’ve got the week off work.”
Which reminded me that Lani was mourning, that the loss of her mom was real and raw. “Can I bring you anything? Pick up anything on my way over? Have you eaten?”
She laughed. “My refrigerator is overflowing with casseroles. I’m good for a month, I reckon.”
“Beer?”
“Beer would be perfect.”
�
�See you in a few.” Sliding my swipe card into my back pocket, I picked up my keys and headed out, making sure I swung by the store to pick up a six-pack of beer on the way.
Chapter Twelve
Jordan had already searched Mrs. B's house, which saved me considerable time and effort. What I was looking for wouldn't be left lying around. It would be small, inconsequential, something easily overlooked, something the ghoul hadn't thought to be of any consequence. Of course, I had no idea what that might be; I was just hoping against hope that I'd find something, anything, that would move the investigation forward.
"Is there anything missing?" I asked Lani as we stood in her mother’s living room. It had that empty feeling of neglect; you could smell it on the stale air, the layer of dust coating the furniture. Mrs. B hadn't been in residence for some time—longer than the week she'd been dead.
"Missing? Well, no, not that I know of. Why, do you think someone broke in?"
"No, no, nothing like that. Is there anything that is usually here that isn't anymore? Cell phone? Laptop? Car keys? Diary? That sort of thing."
"Oh...I'll have to look; I hadn't really checked. Mom has a home office set up in the spare room; I could take a look, see if anything is missing if you like?"
"That'd be great. I'm going to take a walk around outside, see if there's anything out of the ordinary, okay?"
"Sure." I waited until Lani disappeared down the hallway before opening the back door and stepping out onto the deck. The heat was relentless, and today was no different. The back of Mrs. B's house copped the majority of the sun, and with high side fences, it felt like the heat was trapped against the house, stifling in its intensity. Sliding on my sunglasses, I stepped down onto the dead lawn, the shriveled blades of grass crunching loudly beneath my boots.
Moving among the remnants of the garden, I noted that the garden was a clue in itself, for obviously, this had once been a thriving garden. Yet, now the shrubs and flowers were dead. It would have taken a few weeks of neglect for them to get to this state, so Mrs. B had been consumed by the ghoul some time ago, as we'd suspected. Paige had meant well when she'd pulled up Mrs. B's file when she and Nate had broken into the facility, but it had indicated they'd been discovered, and the record subsequently scrubbed. But Lani had said her mom had been promoted after she'd gone to Redmeadows for some conference. That's when we think the swap happened. That's when Mrs. B really died.
There were no more clues to be had, so I stood and looked at the house before my eyes settled on the garage. It was a separate building, not attached to the main house, designed for a single car with a pull-up door and no side entrance. With a heave, I pulled the door up and pushed it on the sliders that squeaked in protest. It had either not been used in a while or was severely in need of maintenance, and from what I could see from Mrs. B's house, she wasn't one to let things fall into disrepair. So why then was the garage door so goddamn hard to open?
Inside was her car. It only just fit, squeezed in along with a lawnmower and gardening tools, plus boxes stacked neatly at one end. I couldn't get to the boxes with the car in the way. I tried to squeeze through, but it was no good, and I had to back out, my clothes now covered in dust from the car. Patting myself down, I coughed at the cloud of red that enveloped me.
"Oh, there it is," Lani said. I swiveled to see her standing in the driveway.
"What?"
"Mom's car. I thought maybe it was at work or something. I didn't look here."
"So, it's not usual for it to be in the garage?"
She shook her head. "She usually parked it under the carport. The garage is for storage and garden crap."
"Do you know what's in the boxes?" I pointed, and Lani grinned.
"Yeah, my shit from when I was a kid. Mom didn't like to throw any of it out, so she would box it up every couple of years and put it in here. My whole childhood is in those boxes."
"Right." Doubtful the boxes would hold anything of use, I made a mental note to get Jordan or Rae to go through them. And that's when I noticed it. Why I hadn't before was beyond me, but I was wiping my dusty palms on my pants and frowning at the red dust marks when it became blatantly obvious. Maxxan didn't have red dust. Our soil was sandy and brown. Where had this car been to be covered in red dust? And why was it hidden in the garage? To conceal the dirt? Surely washing it would have dealt with that problem quickly enough.
"Do you have the keys? For the car?" I asked Lani.
"No. You know how you were asking if anything was missing? I should have said then—mom's handbag was never recovered. She had her cell, wallet, keys in it. None of it has turned up. The sheriff said they put a trace on her phone, but it must be turned off."
"We're going to have to take the car to search it forensically. I’m sorry, I know this is really hard." I put an arm around Lani's shoulders and squeezed when I noticed the tears in her eyes.
She sniffed and wiped an arm over her face. "No, that's okay. Take it. Do whatever you have to do to catch whoever did this to Mom."
"We'll return it as soon as we're done with it," I promised.
"It's okay. I don't need it. I'll probably end up selling it anyway."
Pulling out my phone, I dialed my cousin Cameron. He was a mechanic and ran his own garage in Maxxan.
"Cousin Katie, as I live and breathe, what can I do for you this fine day?" he answered.
"Hey, Cam, can you tow a car for me? Don't have the keys."
"Uh, yeah, I can. Where is it, and where do I need to take it? Does it need repairs? Cos if so, you're gonna have to wait for that. I'm booked solid for the next week."
"No repairs. I need the tow. We're at Lani's mom’s place; it's Mrs. B's car. Need to get it to Grandma's place."
"Cool, I get to check out the renos." I could hear Cameron shuffling papers around then the sound of a door closing. "On my way now, be there in a few."
Lani and I headed back inside while we waited for the tow truck. I poked around in Mrs. B's home office. Her laptop was here, sitting open on the desk. I powered it up and browsed through her emails when the rumble of Cam's truck disrupted the peace.
"Hey, Lani." Cam jumped down from the cab and enveloped Lani in a bear hug. "So sorry about your mom."
"Thanks, Cam." Lani sniffed, and her eyes filled with tears again.
Steeling my spine against her overwhelming sadness, I placed a comforting hand on Lani's shoulder. I knew how this felt. I knew what it meant to have your world fall apart so unexpectedly. I also knew that life went on, whether you wanted it to or not. The times I wanted the world to stop turning so I could get off were few and far between these days. But earlier, when the pain of loss was fresh, I'd wanted nothing more than to curl up and die, to join them in Heaven and end my miserable existence on this earth.
We stood and watched as Cam hooked up the back of the car to his truck. He then used a long piece of metal to break into the driver's side door, reached in, popped the gear stick into neutral, and released the handbrake. Reaching into the cab of his truck, he pressed a button, and the tow truck dragged the car out of the garage and slowly up and onto the tray bed. It was done within minutes, and Cameron was standing in front of me, squinting into the sun, sweat darkening his coveralls.
"Meet you out there?" he said, tugging the brim of his baseball cap lower.
"Sure. And keep this on the down-low, will you? I'll pay you, of course, but if you can keep it off the books, that'd be great."
He joked over his shoulder as he walked away, "Sounds shady, but for you, I'll make an exception. But only 'cos you're family."
"Lani," I began, but she interrupted me before I could finish.
"I won't say anything. That you were here, that you took Mom's car. I get it. You don't want to tip off whoever did this. Which means you think they're still in Maxxan, that this wasn't some random psychopath passing through town."
She was right in a sense. Her mom wasn't killed by a random person passing through town, but there was no way I coul
d tell her a ghoul ate her mom. There's only so much a girl can take, and I doubted very much that Lani's mental health could take such a hit. It was up to the SIA to get to the bottom of this, catch the ghouls—hell, catch Ridgeway and end this craziness once and for all. If only I knew where to look to find the psychopath in question.
Chapter Thirteen
I was gathering dirt samples from Mrs. B's car when Rae burst into the garage slash workshop, "Oh my God, I saw her, I'm sure of it!"
"Saw who?" I asked. "And don't touch the car! It's evidence."
"The Red Witch!"
I paused from where I was crouched at the front bumper and glanced at her. She was positively vibrating with energy. And if it was true, if she had seen the Red Witch, then it was entirely possible the vampire attack we'd been called out to by the sheriff had indeed been the Gunslinger.
"Where?" Keeping my voice neutral, I slowly straightened and removed my gloves with a snap. Rae was wired as it was; I didn't need her rushing off and doing anything foolish. She was new to the SIA, and I made myself remember how exciting it was to get your first break on a case.
"This shop in town. I was walking past and caught a glimpse of red hair in the window as I went by, so I backtracked and peeked inside. I’m sure it was her, Katie."
"Okay, okay. What shop?"
"One of those new-age hippy ones. It looked like she was buying candles."
"So, a place, you'd think, where a witch might purchase supplies?" I hinted, and Rae snapped her fingers and pointed at me, "Yes! Of course."
"And what do you think we should do about it?" It was a question I'd ask any recruit in training, and Rae was no different.
"Go and arrest her, of course." She nodded, pleased with herself.
"Before that?" Tossing my gloves into the bin, I unzipped the disposable coveralls that made my skin itch and threw them in the bin too. I had six samples from different areas of the car to send to the lab. Unfortunately, the lab was in Redmeadows, so I'd have to wait for the results, but I'd finally found a thread I could tug on. The lab should be able to tell us what area the dust and dirt particles came from.