by Leann Harris
“I don’t understand.” She put the towel on the table. “Pete doesn’t have anything worth taking.”
“You sure?” Dave asked. “He wasn’t into anything illegal?”
Lilly shook her head. “I don’t know. But it wouldn’t make sense given the fact that there were so many signs that he took his faith seriously. Penny commented recently that her daddy had started reading her children’s Bible to her when she spent the weekends.”
Jon pointed to the towel with the ice and pointed at her chin. “Keep it on your face. You don’t want Penny to see her mom with a huge bruise on her face.”
She obeyed and placed the towel on her chin again.
Jon sat down at the table. “Whoever was in here today, yesterday, and at your house yesterday is looking for something. We need to figure out what it is, because it looks like this guy isn’t going to quit until he gets what he wants. Do you have any idea what this person is looking for?”
Worry colored Lilly’s eyes, turning them deep chocolate. “I don’t know.”
Jon placed his hand over hers. The electricity that ran up his arm shocked him. He pulled his hand back. “Can you call someone to come and help you with things here at the apartment? I’d feel a lot better if someone was here with you. And I know Penny would appreciate it, too.”
He got the smile out of her that he wanted.
“Who can you call?” Jon asked, pressing the matter. They weren’t leaving until someone was here with Lilly.
“I can ask the pastor to come and help me. And he knows several people who would gladly help.”
“Then do that. Dave and I will stay here until someone arrives.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she protested.
“I do.” Jon’s tone made it clear that he would brook no argument. “Remember the condition of your house?”
He had a point. They didn’t know what was going on and until they did, there was danger.
“You got security cameras?” Jon asked Mark Rodgers, the owner and manager of the apartment complex.
“There are a couple in the parking lot, but the security tapes are erased after a couple of weeks.”
“Let us have what you’ve got,” said Jon.
Rodgers hesitated. “You going to bring them back?”
Jon glared at him.
Rodgers shrugged. “Hey, they’re expensive.”
“File it with the insurance company,” Dave told him.
Rodgers didn’t look happy, but he walked back into his office. He reappeared a few minutes later with seven tapes. “I use one a day and have one for each day of the week.”
“If you keep two weeks worth of tape, how come you only have seven tapes?” Jon asked.
“Because, the tapes are not on all the time. I have the tapes running only when the tenants go to work and come home,” Rodgers explained.
It wasn’t an uncommon practice. They’d be lucky if the argument Peter had in the parking lot was caught on tape, but miracles still did happen.
“Hey, do I get a receipt for those tapes?” Rodgers asked.
Jon stepped into Rodger’s office, looked around the man’s desk, saw an envelope, turned it on its back and wrote a receipt.
“That’s my electric bill,” Rogers complained from the doorway.
“It’s also your receipt. Don’t lose it.” Jon slapped it down on the desk.
Jon and Dave headed for the patrol car.
“You’ve got to work on your technique,” Dave muttered, trying to hide his smile.
Jon threw him a look. “He wants his tapes back?”
“We’ve heard stranger things.”
Jon tried to fit the pieces of this case together as he sat behind the wheel without turning the key. “The more we look into Burkstrom’s murder, the more sense Lilly’s words make. I mean about her husband warning her about his death.” Jon glanced at his partner, wondering if they were on the same page.
“You’re right. There seem to be red flags popping up everywhere.”
“Let’s go to Sunbelt and see if anyone knows a reason why Burkstrom was murdered.”
It took only ten minutes to drive to the offices of Sunbelt Securities. One of the managers, Bryon Sands, whom they’d talked to earlier, looked up from his desk.
“Detectives? Aren’t you early?” He glanced at his watch. “The guys are still out on their run.”
“We thought we might stop by and see if the team might’ve finished earlier,” Jon explained.
Bryon Sands stood and walked to the counter separating the desks from the lobby. “Car fourteen isn’t back yet. They’re still out doing their morning run.”
“Aren’t they running a little late?” Jon asked. “One-thirty is late for a lunch break.”
Sands glanced down at his watch again. “It is, but sometimes our customers run late or change their mind. The team radioed in and told us they were about a half hour behind their normal schedule. I’ve radioed their morning clients about the delay.”
“Since that team is going to be late, we’d like to interview some of the other teams and see if they can tell us anything,” Jon announced.
Sands didn’t look happy. “Sure. Drive around back and talk to whomever you need to.”
The detectives walked back to their car.
Dave met Jon’s gaze over the roof of the car. “We have a reluctant boss. Why?”
“I wonder if we’ll get to talk to all the team members,” Jon replied. They glanced around the lot. An armored car drove in and pulled into the garage. “Maybe we should check out who is on that team.”
“I like your thinking.”
The detectives walked around the building to the garage. Several armored cars were parked at the loading dock and inside the garage. They could hear the men joking with each other. Jon and Dave walked up the concrete steps to the loading dock. One of the men looked up and his hand went to his sidearm.
“We’re Albuquerque police detectives,” Jon offered to disarm the situation. He pulled out his police ID and showed it to the man.
The man let his arm drop.
Jon said, “We’re here to ask a few questions about Peter Burkstrom.”
“He worked here only a couple of months,” the man offered.
“And he wasn’t on our team,” another man replied. He sat on a wooden box. Several other boxes had been pulled up to an old table. Three other men sat around the table. A couple of men stood behind it.
“We realize that,” said Dave. “But we wanted to see if any of you might recall some incident where Peter might have had a problem with someone?”
Jon stood back and carefully watched the reactions of the men. Most of the men shook their heads, but one man in the back shoved his hands into his pockets. He didn’t offer any explanation, but Jon wanted to talk to him.
Jon and Dave pulled each of the men aside to talk to them privately. The third man Jon interviewed was the man who had aroused his suspicions.
“Do you know anyone who might’ve had something against Burkstrom?” Jon asked.
The man hesitated.
“If you know anything, no matter how insignificant, tell me. It might be the key to Pete’s death.”
“About a month ago, Pete had a bad argument with one of his team members.”
“Who was that?”
“His name is Jimmy Hughes. When they got back from a run, Jimmy jumped all over Pete, calling him stupid and saying that if ‘that’ happened again, he would report Pete to the office.”
“You don’t know what the argument was about?” Jon asked, pressing.
“No, and when I tried to talk to Pete about it, he told me it was nothing and not to worry about it.”
“Did anything else happen?”
The man shook his head. “No. I watched Pete and Jimmy after that, but whatever their differences were, they seemed to patch it up.”
“Thanks.”
The man shrugged and walked away.
Before Jon co
uld talk to Dave, the armored car they’d been waiting for drove up. The team of four men piled out of the vehicle.
“I could eat your and my lunch,” one of the men on the team commented.
They walked up the steps and greeted the other men.
“It looks like a funeral in here. What’s wrong?” the hungry man commented.
Jon stepped forward. “Detective Sandoval and I are here to talk to you about Pete Burkstrom.”
None of the team members who’d just arrived looked happy or willing to talk.
Jon and Dave each took an employee aside and started questioning them.
A few minutes later, Jon studied Jimmy Hughes. “Did you like Peter Burkstrom?”
Jimmy glanced at one of his teammates, who was talking to Dave.
Jon didn’t push him. The man had something to say, and he needed the space to say it.
“No.” Jimmy looked down at his hands.
“You wanted him dead?”
Jimmy’s head jerked up. “No. He was killed in a robbery gone bad.”
“Maybe not.”
The color drained from Jimmy’s face. “You blowing smoke?”
“No, and that’s why my partner and I are here, interviewing the people Peter Burkstrom worked with. Some of the guys say you and Pete had a falling-out.”
Jimmy raised his index finger and wagged it back and forth. “I objected to that man hanging around this lot. More than once that man questioned me about Pete. I told Pete to get rid of him. No one needs to be hanging around here.”
“What happened after that?” Jon asked, pressing.
“Pete must’ve done something, because the man never showed up here again. I had nothing against Pete. You can ask the other team members. They’ll tell you.”
“You catch the name of the man after Pete?”
“No. The dude wouldn’t ID himself. He’d say, ‘Just tell Pete an old friend was asking about him.’”
Jon jotted down Jimmy’s statement. “Thanks,” he said.
Jimmy nodded his head and moved away with lightning speed.
As they drove away, Jon and Dave compared notes. Several of Peter’s teammates had issues with the mystery man. They had a lead, but who was their guy?
Lilly loaded the last of Peter’s things in her car. With the help of the pastor and two workers from the church, Jack and Enrique, she’d finished cleaning out Pete’s apartment. They’d already left with a load of furniture. Jack and Enrique were going to deliver the things tonight to different people in the church. Lilly had kept several of Peter’s things for Penny: his high school yearbooks, pictures of Pete when he was Penny’s age, his fishing rod, and the digital frame Peter had put the latest pictures of him and Penny in.
Her cell phone rang. “Hello.”
“Hey, Mom. Could I stay for dinner? Ann and her family are going to have barbecue hamburgers and hot dogs.”
The hope in her daughter’s voice encouraged her. “Let me talk to Ann’s mom just to make sure it is okay.”
“It is. Mrs. Anderson,” Penny bellowed.
“Penny, don’t yell. Go get Mrs. Anderson.”
“Okay.”
Within moments, Lilly had talked with Ann’s mom and settled everything. The Andersons would bring Penny home.
Lilly locked Peter’s apartment, turned and ran into Mark Rodgers, the apartment complex’s owner and manager. She backed up a step. Something about the man unsettled her.
“Are you finished with the apartment?” he asked. His eyes drilled into her.
“I can finish tomorrow. I thought I’d clean it up and check to make sure nothing was left.”
“You won’t need to clean it.”
“I’d like to get back the deposit.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll give it to you.”
Lilly wanted to make a search of the place without the distraction of sorting through household clothes and items to determine what she would save and give away. “I need more time in the apartment just to make sure nothing is left behind.”
Rodgers held out his hand. “You can hand over the key now.”
“Peter’s rent is paid up until the end of the month. It’s only three more days. I’ll give you the key tomorrow after I finish.”
His lips pressed together. “Fine. I’ll expect to see you tomorrow for the last time.” He turned and marched off.
Charm wasn’t one of Mr. Rodgers’s strong points. Still feeling unsettled, she walked to her car. Why was Rodgers in such a hurry to get into Peter’s place? Something wasn’t right.
She put the last load of things in the backseat of her car and headed for home. At the first traffic light, she saw the big home improvement store where her old high school friend, Zoe, worked. She needed to stop there and buy those window and door locks Jon had told her about. She hoped Zoe was working tonight.
The instant Lilly walked into the store, she spotted her friend.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Zoe asked.
“I need to buy locks for the windows of the house and locks for the sliding glass doors.”
Zoe straightened. “What’s going on?”
Lilly told her what had occurred. “Can you come and help install them tonight?”
“You bet. I’m off work about eight. I’ll come over the instant I clock out.”
It took only moments to purchase the locks she needed. Lilly was back in her car in five minutes and heading home. “Thank You, Lord, for making sure that Penny didn’t witness that mess.” Her daughter’s feelings of security would be completely shattered if she knew what had happened at their house. Lilly wanted to get the locks installed before her daughter arrived home, but she knew it would not be possible.
Her reaction yesterday to Jon Littledeer had surprised her. Since Peter had deserted her, she’d usually been able to solve problems by herself. How quickly she’d dialed Jon Littledeer’s number after discovering the break-in at her house still unsettled her. He’d proven to be an island of calm in this storm. When the twins told her his story about losing his family, her heart broke. How hard had that been? Yet despite the tragedy in his own life, he’d moved on.
There was something about the detective that touched a part of Lilly’s heart that she thought long dead. She certainly was ready to rely on him. After she’d been punched this afternoon, he was the first thing she saw when she regained consciousness.
Something was going on between them. And that unsettled her as much as the mess with Peter.
Lilly pulled into the driveway and pressed the button on the garage door opener. Her heart raced as she parked the car. Everything looked normal, but at this point, that meant nothing. She gathered up the locks and walked through the door that led to the kitchen. A quick look around assured her no one had been in the house today. Quickly, she unloaded the car, carrying in Peter’s things, and then read the directions on how to install the locks. The quicker she had extra security, the easier she’d rest.
She was ready to install the first lock when the doorbell rang, making her jump. She glanced at her watch. It was only seven-thirty, too early for her friend. Peering through the security peephole, she saw Jon Littledeer.
Relief flooded her heart. Jerking open the door, she fought the smile that tugging at her lips. “Detective, what are you doing here?”
“I wanted to stop by to make sure you got the locks we talked about yesterday.”
She held up one of the locks. “I did.”
“Good. That’s what I wanted to know.”
“I was about to start installing them. Would you like to supervise? My friend is on her way, but I wanted to start early.”
He hesitated a moment.
“I also have to tell you about something that happened just as I was leaving Pete’s place today.”
Instantly, he entered the house. “What happened?”
His large size didn’t intimidate her. Instead, she felt protected and at ease. It was a feeling that she’d not experienced si
nce she was a child and her father saved her from a pack of growling dogs.
“The apartment manager came by as I was finishing up.” She walked into the living room. Jon followed her. “He asked if I was done. I told him I was, but that I needed to clean the apartment. He told me not to worry about it. Then, when I mentioned the deposit, he told me not to worry about that, either. He’d just give it to me.” She didn’t mention she could use the money.
She went on. “He gave me the creeps. I want to search the place one more time tomorrow. I thought I might run across something that will tell me what that burglar is looking for.” She tried to put the lock on the side of the window and dropped it.
Jon picked up the lock and showed her how to place it in the window track. “What did he say when you insisted you wanted to clean?” He held out his hand for the next lock. She gave it to him.
“He didn’t like it. He wanted his key back right then. I told him that Peter’s rent was paid up until the end of the month.”
Jon paused, his gaze locking with hers. “That wasn’t wise. There’s something about that guy that tells me it’s not wise to cross him. You need to be careful.”
He didn’t need to tell her. The instant she’d exchanged words with Mark Rodgers, she’d known she should’ve kept quiet.
There was nothing she could say in her defense. She moved into Penny’s room and handed him another lock.
He put the lock on the window. “Why don’t you call me before you go to Pete’s apartment tomorrow? I’ll meet you there.”
Her worry eased. “Thank you.”
“Now, why don’t you show me the locks you got for the sliding glass doors?”
The shopping bag with the locks sat on the kitchen counter. She pulled the rest of the locks out of the bag. He opened one of the packages. “Do you have a drill?”
“No.”
The doorbell sounded.
Lilly glanced down at her watch. “I bet that’s my friend. She probably brought her drill with her.”
Jon said nothing.
When Lilly opened the door, Zoe hefted her bag of tools. “I’m here to work.” Her gaze settled on Jon. “Who’s the dish?” she whispered.