Scene of the Crime: Who Killed Shelly Sinclair?

by Carla Cassidy

“You weren’t expecting any deliveries of any kind?” Daniel asked.

  She gave a curt shake of her head. “No, nothing.”

  “I’ll grab my fingerprint kit,” Daniel said.

  By the time he returned to the office, Josh and Betsy were also there. “It was left just outside of the front entrance,” Betsy said. “I don’t know how long it was there. Ray noticed it when he came back from lunch and gave it to me and I brought it in here.”

  “Then you didn’t see who left it or how it was delivered?” Josh asked.

  “I don’t even know how long it was out there,” Betsy replied.

  Daniel pulled on a pair of gloves and approached the box. It looked fairly benign other than the fact that there was no return mailing address or official mail markings.

  Josh and Olivia stood in the office doorway. Was it a bomb? Had she already made enemies she didn’t know about? Or maybe it was a welcoming gift from somebody in town. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but she definitely didn’t like surprises.

  “It’s light,” Daniel said. “I don’t think it’s a bomb or anything like that.”

  He opened his fingerprinting kit and got to work. Olivia watched as he carefully brushed the top of the box. “Got one here,” he said and transferred the print to a piece of tape and then placed it on a card where he wrote where it had been found.

  It was a tedious process and Olivia found herself holding her breath. She wanted any fingerprints from the package, but more important, she wanted to know what was inside.

  Although it could be something nice, like home-baked cookies or a handmade knickknack with a note inside saying who it was from, she still couldn’t shake a bad feeling.

  It took nearly twenty minutes for Daniel to finish fingerprinting the entire package. He pulled two different sets of prints from it. “I imagine the prints belong to Ray and Betsy. Their prints are on file so I can easily compare them,” he said.

  “But the fact that you found no other prints means whoever left it probably wore gloves,” Josh said, his words only increasing Olivia’s nervous tension. “Open it.”

  “I’ll open it,” Olivia said. If there was anything inside that might be harmful, then it was her job to shield her deputies.

  Daniel looked as if he wanted to argue with her, but she gave him a stern look and he stepped aside. She tried to keep her fingers from trembling as she carefully removed the brown outer wrapping to reveal a plain white box with a fitted lid.

  She removed the lid and sighed in relief as nothing exploded or shot out. Inside was a wad of tissue paper. She pulled it out and stared at the contents, her brain momentarily unable to make sense of it.

  A stuffed dark brown dog was in the bottom, its throat slashed and white stuffing spilling out. A folded piece of paper was nestled next to the mutilated toy.

  “Let me,” Daniel said tersely. He still wore his gloves and he plucked the paper from the box and opened it. In bright red lettering it read: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie.

  “I think we can assume from this that Shelly’s killer is still here in town,” Josh finally said.

  “And reopening the case has him shaken up,” Daniel added.

  Olivia stared down at the note and then at the ripped little dog. She tried, without success, to stop the icy chill that crept up her spine.

  Chapter Four

  Daniel was ticked off and worried. He’d hated to see the fear that had momentarily filled Olivia’s eyes. He also hated the fact that somebody was warning them off the case, for the package contents could only be taken as a warning.

  Somebody had moved damn fast, since they’d only officially reopened Shelly’s case the day before.

  He’d moved the package into the evidence room and Olivia had insisted she was fine and needed to write reports. He’d left her alone in her office and spent the next couple of hours checking out the fingerprints he’d pulled. Just as he suspected, they’d matched both Ray and Betsy.

  He’d also talked to Ray, who had spent his lunch hour at the Lost Lagoon Café and had spied the package against the building near the front door when he’d returned.

  Part of the problem was that he doesn’t know how seriously to take the warning. Was it a direct threat against Olivia? Or was it just some fool thinking it would be funny to shake up the new sheriff?

  He definitely intended to err on the side of caution. Apparently, Olivia was on the same page. It was almost four in the afternoon when she called him into her office.

  “You doing okay?” he asked as he closed the door behind him.

  Her eyes were dark, but her features were more relaxed than they had been before. “I’m fine, but I’m not sure if I should be. I’m not particularly concerned about my own safety, but I am a little worried for my mother and Lily.”

  “Why don’t I follow you to your place after work and I can check things out there for you?” The last thing he wanted was for her to worry about her family.

  “Oh, that’s not necessary,” she protested with a vehemence that wasn’t warranted by the situation.

  “Humor me,” he replied. “I’d feel better if I took a look around.”

  She didn’t appear particularly pleased, but she finally nodded her head. “Okay, I should be leaving here in about an hour.”

  “I’ll be ready,” he said and then once again left her alone in the office.

  “You worried?” Josh asked as he scooted his chair closer to Daniel’s.

  “I’m concerned. I don’t know whether to be really worried or not,” Daniel admitted.

  “It could have been just some sort of sick prank,” Josh said, but his tone of voice indicated he didn’t believe his own words.

  “Maybe, but just to be on the safe side I’m heading over to Olivia’s place after work to check out the locks she has on her doors and windows. She’s not so afraid for herself, but she’s concerned about her mother and daughter being safe.”

  “She has a mother and a kid?” Josh looked at Daniel in surprise. “I figured she was hatched from a bad-ass badge and I definitely didn’t figure her for the maternal type.”

  Daniel smiled inwardly. Although Olivia had only shown herself to be tough and strictly professional while in this building and in Lost Lagoon, he had memories of a much softer, much hotter Olivia in his mind.

  “She wasn’t hatched and she does have a mother and a little girl here with her,” Daniel said.

  “Divorced?”

  “Widowed,” Daniel replied.

  “I’m sure she wore the pants in that family,” Ray quipped from his desk.

  Daniel looked at him with irritation. “Don’t you have something better to do than eavesdrop on private conversations?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do.” Ray got up from his desk. “I’m outta here. I’m meeting a couple of buddies at Jimmy’s Place for a few drinks.”

  “I’d eat my hat if that man ever stayed to the end of his shift,” Josh said drily once Ray had left the squad room. “You think he’s dirty?”

  “Hard to tell.” Daniel reared back in his chair. “He was definitely close to Walker, but it’s possible Ray really didn’t know about the drug trafficking. I mean, let’s be honest here—Ray isn’t the brightest color in the box, and Trey probably didn’t trust him to keep their dirty little secret. If he is dirty, Sheriff Bradford will figure it out.”

  “Anyone else she looking at closely?” Josh asked.

  “Maybe Fowler,” Daniel replied, knowing he could trust his friend not to take the information any further. “And that’s just between the two of us,” he added anyway.

  “Randy definitely came into some money from somewhere.”

  “If there’s any dirt in the department, the sheriff will sweep it out. That’s what she’s here for, but she definitely wants
to close out Shelly’s case, as well.”

  “That ripped-up dog was creepy. I hope it was somebody’s idea of a sick joke.”

  A knot of tension formed in Daniel’s chest. “Yeah, so do I.”

  The men got back to work and twenty minutes later, Olivia appeared in the office doorway. “I’m ready to head home.”

  Daniel stood and together they left the building by the back door and stepped out into the parking area. Olivia always drove her private car to work, but used her official patrol car during the day.

  She now headed to her private car, a four-door navy sedan with a child’s car seat buckled into the backseat. “I’m sure this isn’t necessary,” she said. “There are locks on the doors and windows. I just panicked for a minute when I saw that dog and the note.”

  “Panic isn’t a bad thing,” he replied easily. “I’d just like to check things out to assure myself that your family is safe and sound when you aren’t home.”

  He realized he didn’t intend to take no for an answer. Not only did he want to check the security of the house, he wanted to meet her mother and daughter, see Olivia in the setting of her home and family.

  “Knock yourself out,” she finally said. She got into her car and Daniel hurried toward his.

  Minutes later he pulled up in front of the small bright yellow place where Olivia was living during her time in Lost Lagoon. He jumped out of his car and caught up with her on the front porch.

  They scarcely cleared the door when she was attacked by a little dark-haired girl who threw herself at Olivia. Olivia crouched down and grabbed her daughter close, her features soft and loving as she nuzzled little Lily’s neck. Her laughter mingled with Lily’s.

  This was a side to Sheriff Bradford that none of the other men would see—the soft, maternal side that Daniel was surprised to discover he found crazy attractive.

  A woman, presumably Olivia’s mother, stood at the stove and smiled at Daniel. She was an attractive woman with dark hair and eyes like Olivia’s. “Just give them a minute and then we’ll introduce ourselves,” she said loud enough to be heard over the giggles.

  Olivia released her daughter and stood. “Mom, this is Deputy Carson, and this is my mother, Rose. And this little munchkin is Lily.”

  “Hey Deputy, you want to see my room?” Lily asked, her green eyes bright with friendliness.

  “Maybe in a little while,” Olivia replied. “Right now Deputy Carson is going to check out the doors and windows in the house.”

  Rose’s expression turned to one of simmering panic. “Has something happened? Is something wrong?”

  “Not at all,” Daniel replied smoothly. “Whenever somebody moves into one of these renovated shanties, somebody from the sheriff’s department does a sort of well check on the place. You’d be surprised how sloppy and cheap some people are when they renovate.”

  “How nice,” Rose said. She relaxed and Olivia smiled at him gratefully. Her smile, so rare and so beautiful, filled him with warmth.

  “I’m just finishing up a big pot of jambalaya and a pan of corn bread,” Rose said. “After you do your check, you’ll eat with us.” Daniel started to protest, but Rose raised a hand to stop him. “It’s no extra work and I insist.”

  “You can put honey on your corn bread, Deputy, and it’s really, really good,” Lily said.

  Daniel smiled at the cute child who looked so much like her mother. “How can I turn down corn bread with honey? And why don’t you show me your room? I’d love to see it.”

  Lily nodded eagerly and grabbed his hand. A new, different kind of warmth swept through him at the feel of her tiny hand grasping his. “Come on,” she said. “It’s mostly pink.”

  It was definitely pink—pink bedspread and pink curtains at the window. Lily showed him her princess shoes and her fashion dollhouse. Olivia stood in the doorway, her smile one of bemusement as Lily insisted he sit on her twin bed to see how comfy it was.

  Lily was chatty and cute and obviously bright as she continued to give him a tour of everything in the room. He finally walked over to the window and opened it. He then closed it, turned the lock and tried to open it again. It didn’t budge.

  “Why did you do that?” Lily asked.

  “Uh, to make sure when it rains it can’t rain inside,” he replied. “And now I need to check all the windows in all the rooms.”

  “I’ll help you, Deputy,” Lily said eagerly.

  Olivia shadowed them as they went into Rose’s room where a double bed was neatly made up with a yellow-flowered spread and white gauzy curtains were opened to allow in the late afternoon sunshine.

  “Nanny won’t get wet,” Lily said once they’d tested her window. “If the window let in rain she could always wear a raincoat to sleep in, but that would be silly.”

  “That would be silly, but now we know she won’t have to do that,” Daniel replied.

  With Lily’s help they finished checking every window in the house. All of them locked firmly and the only issue Daniel saw was the locks on the doors.

  “You need dead bolts on the doors,” Daniel said once they were all back in the small living room and standing in front of the black futon where he realized Olivia must spend her nights. “I’ll head out now to the hardware store and grab a couple and install them.”

  “Oh, no, I can’t let you do that,” Olivia protested.

  He smiled at her. “You can’t stop me from doing that,” he replied.

  “By the time you get back, supper will be ready to serve and I’m not letting you get out of here without eating a good meal for all of your trouble,” Rose said.

  Daniel left the house and got back into his car. Although he’d wanted to check the general safety of the house, he was almost sorry he’d come.

  Seeing Olivia interact with her mother and daughter had shown him a new dimension to her. He admired and respected Sheriff Olivia Bradford. He’d once lusted over a woman named Lily. But seeing Olivia soft and maternal had reignited a desire for her that wasn’t just based in lust.

  It was confusing, and he’d never been confused about a woman before in his life.

  * * *

  “HE SEEMS LIKE a nice man,” Rose said and checked the pan of corn bread in the oven.

  “I like Deputy,” Lily said. “I think you should marry him and let him be my daddy.”

  “Honey, his name isn’t Deputy. You should call him Mr. Carson,” Olivia replied.

  Lily shook her head and raised her chin with a hint of stubbornness. “I like Deputy and he likes me to call him that, too.”

  Olivia decided it wasn’t worth arguing about. “Okay, but I’m not marrying Deputy and he isn’t father material.”

  “He still seems like a nice young man,” Rose said.

  “He is,” Olivia agreed.

  “And what a nice thing for the department to do, a sort of well check on these shanties to make sure they’re all safe,” Rose said.

  It was Rose’s naïveté that allowed her to even believe such a thing. “I’m going to change clothes,” Olivia said, eager to get out of her work clothing and into something more comfortable.

  She went into her mother’s room where her clothes were stored in drawers and hanging in the closet along with Rose’s, but instead of immediately grabbing something to change into she sank down on the edge of the bed and drew a deep breath.

  Seeing Daniel with Lily had twisted her heart in ways it had never been twisted before. He’d been so easy, so natural with her. Many nights she had dreamed of what it might be like if the two of them ever met, if they ever knew each other.

  But he was a confirmed bachelor and had no desire for children. Nothing could be served by telling him the truth about Lily now. And oddly that broke her heart more than just a little bit.

  Lily would never know
about her real father. When she got old enough to ask questions, Olivia would tell her about Phil Bradford and how much he had loved his family, how much he had adored Lily.

  She got up from the bed and grabbed a pair of denim shorts and a chocolate-colored T-shirt. While she dressed, she thought of that moment when Lily had said that she wanted Olivia to marry “Deputy” and he’d become her daddy.

  Olivia had worked with plenty of men in the past, men who Lily had met and spent time with, but she’d never indicated that she was interested in any of them becoming her daddy.

  Was it some sort of nebulous blood tie that had made Lily take so easily to Daniel? In the year since Phil had died, she’d occasionally thought about the possibility of remarrying eventually. In an ideal world, she would like Lily to have a strong male presence in her life as she grew up.

  But that man wasn’t Daniel. And despite the desire she had for a repeat of what they had shared in New Orleans, he would never be her husband and Lily’s father.

  She dressed and then went into the bathroom and removed the clasp from the back of her neck, allowing her hair to flow free beyond her shoulders. She breathed a sigh of relief as she brushed the long strands. By the end of the day she always had a tiny headache from having her hair so tightly bound.

  By the time she left the bathroom, Daniel had returned, sporting two dead bolts, one for each door. They were simple but sturdy slide locks that mounted to the door and frame. He’d brought with him the tools he needed and set to work with Lily watching him and keeping up a running conversation.

  Olivia set the table for four while Rose pulled the corn bread from the oven. Within twenty minutes they were all seated at the table with bowls of the southern stew in front of them and big slabs of corn bread sliced and served.

  Lily grabbed the bottle of honey and looked at Daniel. “You have to drizzle it, not glob it. That’s the best way,” she instructed. She drizzled her piece of corn bread and then handed the honey bottle to Daniel. “Now you drizzle, Deputy.”

  Daniel grinned at Olivia and did as Lily had told him. The scene was so domestic and shot a pang of longing through Olivia. She steeled herself against the warm, fuzzy feeling. This was a moment of fantasy and had nothing to do with reality.