“He can bank on whatever he likes,” I said with a wink. “He can keep all those beakers and gizmos that kind of police work can give him. We’ll stick to our usual way of solving cases. We’re going to find out who killed Bethany by figuring out why someone would want to see her dead. That’s why Derek doesn’t figure things out. He doesn’t ask why.”
We crossed Main Street and made our way up Barn Street to my house, each step another one toward us finding the truth and Alex proving his innocence. We’d take our methods and untangle this mystery before Derek and his guys did and show how wrong they’d been.
As I thought about that, I remembered what had happened at the state police barracks and grabbed hold of Alex’s arm in excitement. “I didn’t tell you! The car and all the case files are missing. We found out when I convinced Derek to let me take a look at Bethany’s car earlier this afternoon. So that science he’s banking on is mostly missing at the moment.”
Instead of making him happy, hearing my news made his face twist into a grimace. “The state police don’t just lose evidence, Poppy. It’s next to impossible for that to happen.”
“I don’t understand. I thought this would be good news. Now Derek only has the DNA Donny and his guys collected for the preliminary report to go on.”
Alex shook his head as worry settled into his features. “Derek thought I had something to do with this, didn’t he? That’s why he brought me in for questioning, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. He called Craig the minute he found out about the evidence being missing.”
“Of course. He’s sure not only that I killed her but also that I’m calling in favors from my time as a cop in Baltimore to hide my crime.”
“I told him that was nonsense, Alex. You aren’t some super villain from a comic book. He didn’t want to hear it, though, so he called Craig and told him to have you at the station for questioning when we got back from Frederick.”
Alex grabbed my hand to hurry me up the sidewalk to my house. “Something’s very wrong here, Poppy. My gut is telling me this case is far more than what we’ve been thinking.”
I practically had to run to keep up with him. When we reached my back porch a few seconds later, I stopped to catch my breath and asked, “What does all this mean? We aren’t investigating Bethany’s murder anymore?”
As I fumbled for my keys, he explained, “No, we are, but we can’t ignore the fact that something strange is happening. If the state police lost the file and her car, then they were intentionally sent somewhere. Only someone in law enforcement could do that. That’s why Derek naturally said I did it.”
The whole idea of someone manipulating this case like Alex was talking about sent a chill down my spine. Opening my kitchen door, I turned to look at him and saw he was serious. “So if it wasn’t you who did something with the evidence, then who?”
Alex quickly closed the door behind us and locked the deadbolt. “What other person in law enforcement do we know who would want the evidence gone?”
I slid out of my coat as his question rambled around my brain. I couldn’t think of anyone who would want it to go missing. How could that help anyone?
“I’m not following you. What are you saying?”
He sat down at my kitchen table and took his coat off. Draping it over the chair, he sat back and folded his arms before answering my question. “I’m saying that if the evidence doesn’t point to me, then losing it would be a convenient way to frame me.”
I stood there leaning against my counter staring at him in shock as my mouth dropped open. When my amazement at what he’d said subsided and I could wrap my head around it, I said, “If what you’re saying is Derek did this, I have to say I think you’re overestimating his abilities and influence. Trust me, Alex. He’s not that clever. He never has been. I think he became a cop because he thought he could get more women because of the uniform. He couldn’t do this.”
“Really? Why? He’s a police chief, Poppy. He has more power than you think.”
Talking about this made me need a drink. I grabbed a beer from my refrigerator and downed a gulp to give me time to get my thoughts straight before they all spun out of control. I sat down next to Alex and touched his arm to calm him down since clearly he was seeing things in this case that just weren’t there.
“Alex, I know this has been hard. I can’t imagine what it was like to go through what Derek put you through back there. The whole time he was describing it I hated him. But he’s not capable of framing you for this murder. Police chief or not, he doesn’t wield the kind of power necessary to get the state police to do anything he says. Being chief in Sunset Ridge comes with a few perks, I guess, like free drinks at my father’s bar and a good table at Diamanti’s, but that’s about it.”
“You don’t know, Poppy.”
I didn’t know what he meant, but I thought it best not to focus on the murder at that moment. I didn’t know if he could handle it after what Derek had done. “There’s a reason he’s always felt intimidated by you, Alex. Even as chief here, he still feels like nothing compared to someone who was a detective in a big city. He’s a little narrow-minded and sees only what he wants to. Add that to his inferiority to you and it isn’t surprising that he wants to believe you did this. But that’s it.”
He turned away to hide his face from me and said in a low voice, “You think I’m going crazy, don’t you? The one person I had on my side and you think I’m losing my mind.”
Squeezing his forearm, I tried to get him to look at me, but he wouldn’t. I couldn’t let this case do this to us. To him. “No matter what happens, I’m on your side. Don’t think some crazy theory talk is going to change that, Alex Montero. Look at me. I want to tell you something.”
“I can’t. If I see doubt in your eyes, it would crush me today, Poppy.”
I gently tugged his collar to make him face me and saw how worried he was that I had given up on him. Leaning in, I kissed him softly on the lips and whispered against them, “There’s no doubt here. I’m one hundred percent Team Alex and nothing’s going to change that. But just like when I offer up theories that you’re sure are a bit off the mark and you let me know, I’m letting you now that Derek isn’t trying to frame you.”
Alex pressed his forehead to mine and confessed what I knew had been on his mind all day. “If we don’t find out who did this, it won’t matter what the DNA says or doesn’t say. My past is going to get me convicted, Poppy.”
“Then we can’t let that happen,” I said, my heart breaking for him as I cradled his face and looked into those beautiful brown eyes so scared as they stared back at me.
He sighed and then closed his eyes. “I don’t know what I would do without you. I love you.”
“And I love you.” Leaning back away from him, I took his hand in mine. “Why don’t you rest for a while? It’s been a long day already, and we have work to do, but you won’t be any good if you’re exhausted. I’ll make us dinner and when you’re rested and fed, then we’ll start to figure out this case.”
For a second, it looked like he wanted to fight me about resting for a bit, but whatever opposition he had to the idea faded away. With a smile, he said, “Okay. Just for a little while, though. I don’t know how much time we have to solve this before Derek arrests me for real next time.”
I knew Alex wasn’t exaggerating. For all his less than wonderful traits, Sunset Ridge’s chief of police had one that had never failed to impress me—his tenacity, even when he was dead wrong. He wouldn’t give up until he had just enough evidence to see Alex in handcuffs.
We just had to make sure we solved this case before he could do that.
Less than thirty minutes later, Alex’s eyes flew open. He stared in terror at me next to him but said nothing. I smiled, happy to see him awake again, even if his nap had been all too brief, and quietly said, “Hey, sleepyhead. You okay?”
The fear in his eyes slowly abated until I saw he recognized me and his surroundings. One of his smile
s I never saw unless we were in private lit up his face, and he nodded. “Yeah. Just a nightmare. Nothing new, except this time I got to see you when I woke up.”
I pressed my lips to his in a soft kiss and ran my hand through his thick, dark hair. “Glad I could be the first thing you saw when you opened your eyes. I just wish you slept a little longer.”
“No time for sleep. We need to get to work,” he said as he sat up next to me. “You ready?”
“I was born ready. Well, actually, I was born a few weeks premature and wasn’t really ready for anything, but I am now,” I joked, hoping to see that smile of his again.
He shook his head like he always did when I said something silly and gave me my wish. “Thanks for being the only light in a world of darkness. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
“Probably as much as you mean to me, so we’re equal.”
He stood from the couch, but I grabbed his arm to stop him. While he’d slept, I’d thought about what he said about Derek framing him. I still didn’t believe it, mainly because of who I knew Derek to be, but maybe someone else would be able to pull it off.
Looking down at me, he asked, “What’s wrong, Poppy?”
“I was just wondering if you know of any enemies you have here in Sunset Ridge. You know, anyone who would want to see you found guilty for Bethany’s murder.”
“Here, in Sunset Ridge? I can’t think of anyone but Derek. I’m only known to the local people as one of the Sunset Ridge police. Nothing more. I think they see me as an outsider, although hanging around with you has lessened that perception, though.”
He was right. Other than Bethany, few people in town knew Alex at all, except for those who had been involved in our cases. Perhaps one of them was behind this?
“Alex, do you think anyone you’ve arrested here in Sunset Ridge could be the one who did this?”
He shook his head dismissing the idea out of hand. “The problem with that is the way Bethany was murdered is almost exactly the same way Helena was killed. Most people in town don’t know about my wife’s murder, so I doubt it would be anyone here. No, I think if this is meant as something against me, it’s got to be someone like Derek who can manipulate the case.”
“And if it’s not and just a coincidence that Bethany and Helena were killed the same way?”
Alex gently pulled his arm from my hold. “I don’t believe coincidences like that happen, Poppy. Whoever’s behind this knows the details of Helena’s case and intentionally killed Bethany the same way.”
So who would want to see him sent away for this crime?
I followed him into the kitchen and saw no matter how strong he wanted me to think he was back in the living room, when he thought he was alone the fear he hid in front of me was obvious. As I stood in the doorway watching him look out the window, the frown he’d worn nearly every moment since finding out about Bethany deepened. He wasn’t sure we’d solve this case and show the world he was innocent.
“We’re going to take care of this, Alex. I won’t let you down.”
“I don’t doubt that, Poppy. You are the one thing in my life I can rely on. I know you believe in me. I’m just worried what we do might not be enough.”
I crossed the room and slid my arms around his waist to give him the hug we both needed. “I believe in an innocent man. That’s all I need to know. We’re going to find Bethany’s killer and when we do, I’m going to make Derek listen to me say I told him so for months.”
Turning his head to look at me, he smiled and shook his head. “He’s going to hate that, but he’ll still be crazy about you.”
“I don’t care what he’s crazy about. I have the man I want right here. All joking aside, though, I think we need to consider Mariah Lewis a suspect, even though she never really knew you. Her being missing tells me she’s involved in this.”
Alex let the air out of his lungs with a whoosh. “I can’t see it, but if I’ve learned anything about your hunches, I know not to discount them out of hand. Why do you think she’s involved?”
I sat down at the table to get my ideas together so what I meant made sense when it came out of my mouth. “I think Mariah searched online for a florist. I know it wasn’t a woman but a man who went into Carson’s to order the flowers Bethany thought were from you, but my gut says Bethany didn’t look online for flowers. That leaves her sister, but why?”
“I think we need to talk to the clerk at Carson’s then. Since I had the courtesy of being brought to town in the back of a police cruiser, it looks like we’re taking your car. You ready to get some answers?”
“I’ve been ready since this case started. Let’s go talk to Cynthia at Carson’s Floral Shop and see if we can’t figure out who bought those flowers for Bethany.”
We walked into Carson’s to find it empty, except for Cynthia standing behind the counter. She recognized me from earlier and flashed me a smile as we approached her.
“Hi! Here for flowers or more questions?” she asked. “I see you have a different partner this time.”
I looked over at Alex on my left and smiled at her comment. “This is my partner. The other guy was just someone I was working with. We do want to ask you about those flowers again, though.”
Cynthia studied Alex for a moment and then turned her attention back to me. “Okay. Shoot.”
“I remember you saying before that a man came in to order the flowers that were sent to Bethany Lewis on Sunday. Can you tell me anything else you may have remembered?”
“The biggest thing was the flowers were scheduled by the man who came in who insisted they be delivered on Sunday. He even paid extra for Sunday delivery since that’s not something we usually offer. He told me they absolutely had to be delivered on Sunday.”
I moved behind Alex and looking around his right shoulder, I asked her the question I needed answered, even though my heart was pounding against my chest at just the thought of what her answer might be.
“Cynthia, would you look closely at him? Is this the man you waited on who ordered those flowers to be delivered to Bethany Lewis on Sunday?”
Alex’s body tensed while Cynthia took a good hard look at him. I didn’t know what his expression looked like, but I felt his fear radiating off him as he held his breath waiting for someone to say he wasn’t the guy.
Finally, after what felt like forever, she shook her head. “No. You’re not the man. The man who came in to order the flowers to send to Bethany wasn’t as tall and his eyes were different. His dark hair was shaggier too.”
Letting himself breathe again, Alex thanked her for her honesty and asked, “Do you remember anything else? You looked like you might have when you were just looking at me.”
Cynthia nodded. “You’re good. Yeah, I did remember something else. He had some kind of bracelet or something around his wrist. Not silver. I can’t remember exactly what it looked like, but it caught my eye.”
“He wasn’t wearing a coat?” I asked, curious how she saw his wrists since winter coats generally covered them.
“No, he was, but when he went into his pocket to get his wallet, his sleeve moved and I saw that thing on his wrist.”
I thanked Cynthia for her help again, and as we left the shop, I wondered if Mariah and some accomplice were working together. Walking to my car, I asked Alex, “Do you think Bethany’s sister had someone helping her with this who was the man who ordered the flowers?”
He thought about it but didn’t answer me. Closing the passenger side door, he looked over at me with a worried gaze that made me uneasy. “If that’s the case, then this isn’t about framing me so much as killing Bethany, so instead of looking for my enemies, we’re going to have to look for hers.”
Shifting the car into drive, I thought about Bethany and who would want to see her dead. I couldn’t imagine anyone in the world who didn’t like her.
“That’s going to be a much harder task than finding your enemies. You know as well as I do everyone loved Bethany.”<
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His voice low and somber, Alex said, “Not everyone, unfortunately.”
Chapter Fourteen
Alex handed me a glass of soda and sat down beside me on his couch as a thought came to me about everyone loving Bethany. I’d always seen her as the girl who loved to have a good time, whether it was at The Eagle or after working hours. With her smile that could light up the gloomiest room and her unique way of looking at life, always so full of fun, she’d enchanted others anytime I was around.
But there were hints of darker things in her life. She and her sister hadn’t been on speaking terms until just a few weeks ago, refusing to talk to one another after a disagreement over something about their mother’s death or her will. Bethany had mentioned it only once to me right after she passed away a few years back, but she’d never said another word about it, even when she told me about Mariah coming to stay with her for the holidays.
In addition to the problem with her sister, there had been a relationship that had turned sour while she worked at The Eagle. I remembered her mentioning that he was a married man and she regretted ever starting anything with him.
“You look a million miles away. You okay?”
Alex’s deep voice shook me from my thoughts. I took a sip of soda and set my glass on the coffee table in front of me. “I was thinking about what I said in the car about Bethany. To me, she was the golden girl. It seemed like everyone loved her.”
I stopped talking for a moment, feeling like I was about to trash the dead, and saw Alex look away. Touching his arm, I broached the subject neither one of us had ever really talked about. “Look at me. I want to say this, but I need to see your eyes when I do.”
He turned to face me and waited while I found the right words. I didn’t want to make him feel like he’d done anything wrong when he dated her. My jealousy was my problem, not his.
“I don’t want to pretend you and Bethany were never together. She deserves better than that, and trust me, I know.”
The Darkest Hour Page 13