by Rebecca Deel
Banks frowned at Quinn. “You look familiar. Do I know you?”
A smile from her boyfriend. “Probably. I used to live here.” He shook the desk sergeant’s hand. “Quinn Gallagher. Caleb Gallagher was my father.”
“Bad business all around. Sorry about what happened to your dad. He was a good man.”
“Thanks.” He inclined his head toward the note. “See that Bennett gets the message.”
“Can’t guarantee he’ll call.” Banks’ mouth curled. “Junior doesn’t bother himself with a lot of things these days. He ain’t nothing like his old man used to be. I wouldn’t depend on him to spit on me if I was on fire.”
What did that mean? Bennett, Junior wasn’t good at his job? Heidi turned away after thanking the sergeant for his help and walked from the building hand-in-hand with Quinn. “Will you call Zane for help in locating Graham?”
“I know exactly where to find Al. He’s a good friend of my family, but I wasn’t aware that he investigated this case. Too consumed with my own anger and grief.” He threaded his fingers through hers. “I think I need to introduce my future wife to Al. He’ll be thrilled to meet you.”
Heidi hoped Quinn knew what he was doing. If Mr. Graham was like the rest of the town, he wouldn’t be pleased to witness her return to Black River. Ten minutes later, he parked in front of a red brick ranch-style house with gray shutters. As they walked to the porch, the living room curtains fluttered. Someone was home, all right. Question was, would the person let them inside the house?
She got the answer to her question before they rang the doorbell. The white door opened wide and a gray-haired man stood in the doorway, brown eyes curious.
He squinted at Quinn’s face. Recognition lit the man’s gaze. “Quinn! How are you, son?” He shook Quinn’s hand. “Your mother’s been keeping me updated on your career over the years. Special Forces in the Army and now working for an exclusive private outfit. Can’t tell you how proud I am of your accomplishments. Your dad would have been pleased, too.”
“Thank you, sir. May we come in for a few minutes?”
“Of course.” He waved them inside to the sofa and sat across from them in a recliner. “Who is this beautiful young lady?”
“This is Heidi Thompson, the woman who has agreed to marry me, soon I hope.” He grinned. “If I have anything to do with it, she’ll be marrying me within a couple weeks.”
Startled, she stared into his twinkling eyes. Was he serious? Heidi had a feeling he told Mr. Graham the truth. Butterflies took flight in her stomach at the thought of marrying Quinn Gallagher so soon. She couldn’t wait to be his wife, a permanent part of his life and work. None of the other Durango wives were able to work with their husbands.
Al Graham studied her face. “Heidi Thompson. Why do you look familiar? I feel I should know you as well, my dear.”
Heidi watched him carefully. “I used to go by the name Katie Henderson.”
Sorrow settled on his face. “I see. I’m sorry we weren’t able to figure out who the second kidnapper was, Heidi. Ivan and I wore down a lot of shoe leather over the years trying to find a new lead. Our efforts were unsuccessful. Your case was the only one we never solved. That sticks in my craw. Felt like a failure when I couldn’t give you closure.”
He sighed. “And to lose the rest of your family the next week in a house fire was devastating for all of us. Never had an arsonist in Black River that I remember. Where did you go after leaving town?”
“To live with my cousins.”
“Why did you change your name?” Graham’s piercing gaze held hers.
The detective hadn’t forgotten how to interrogate another person. Heidi ought to know. She’d been interrogated by the best over the past twenty years. Graham had skill. “I didn’t for the first five years. My aunt and uncle raised me until I turned 15. My aunt and uncle and all my cousins but one were killed in a house fire.”
The old detective cocked his head. “Arson?”
“The police accused me of setting the fire.”
“Did you?”
She shook her head. “I loved them. I would never hurt them.”
“Cops ever find the arsonist?”
“No, sir.”
He was silent a moment. “We don’t believe in coincidence in this business, Heidi. The chances of you being the victim of two different arsonists are slim.”
“I know. The fire that killed my cousin’s family wasn’t the last one. My cousin, Levi, and I were dogged with fires wherever we settled. About once a year, our house or apartment went up in flames. We changed names, changed cities, changed jobs, everything we could think of. All of the fires were deliberately set.”
Laurens turned his gaze to Quinn, his expression grim. “What do you need from me, son?”
“Your knowledge of Heidi’s case and your experience. She had a copy of her case file, but it was lost in the last house fire. Would you have a copy of the file?”
Satisfaction gleamed in his eyes. “I do, indeed. Still break out the file once in a while to reread it, see if something catches my attention or spurs a new avenue to explore. I might be retired, but I’m not dead yet. I want this case closed before I die. You could ask one of the cold case detectives for a copy, you know.”
“We could,” Quinn agreed. “Not sure how willing he or she would be to cooperate. Heidi is generating animosity in Black River by simply being in town.”
“Hmm. I could make some inquiries for you, perhaps get a copy of the file from the station. All I have is my case notes. Could be the current detective has a tidbit of new information I don’t.”
“Don’t put yourself in any danger, Mr. Graham.” Just the thought of this man being in danger made her want to forbid him from helping.
“Not to worry, young lady. I haven’t forgotten my training. I’ll be careful. Besides, who would think a doddering old man is a threat?”
“Al, we understand that your partner was admitted to a psychiatric facility. Do you remember when that happened?”
Graham stared out the window for a time. When he turned back, he said, “Not long after Heidi and her cousin came to Black River to talk to Ivan. I was out of town at the time, or I would have been involved in the interview as well.”
“Did he say anything to you about our visit?” Heidi asked. “Was he disturbed by our presence?”
“I don’t know how he felt about it, Heidi. I never saw him again. By the time I returned from vacation, Ivan had already gone into the facility for evaluation. He never came out and refused all visitors. Within a couple months, he had retreated into his own mind to such an extent, he didn’t communicate at all, not even with his physicians. Shook all of us up. My colleagues and I didn’t see any warning signs. Made us wonder which one would be next.”
Heidi exchanged a glance with Quinn. The timing of admittance to the psychiatric facility bothered her. Was it a coincidence or a way to avoid being prosecuted for arson and murder?
Even if he was guilty, he certainly couldn’t have been involved in the incidents over the past two years. Was it possible there was a third partner involved in the kidnapping and arsons?
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
“If you can obtain a copy of the file from the police station without endangering yourself, we’d appreciate it.” Quinn stopped, tilted his head to better hear the radio he’d noticed in the background. At first, he thought Al was listening to talk radio. Now he realized the speech sounded like the radio chatter in Josh’s patrol car. “You have a police radio?”
His friend’s cheeks blazed. “Old habit. Like to know what’s happening around town.”
“Did you happen to hear where Bennett, Junior might be working a crime scene?”
His friend smirked. “I might have heard he’s on Winston Drive working a possible homicide. Why?”
“He’s been avoiding my calls. We want to talk to him about his family, see if his father spoke about the kidnapping case with Junior since he’s also a cop. Any in
sight will be helpful in our search for the second kidnapper.”
“You won’t have much help there. Junior’s nothing like Ivan, which is a shame. His father was a fine police officer.”
“We’ve heard some things about Junior around town. I’d like your take. Tell us about him.”
“He’s lazy, arrogant, and self-important. He does enough work to get by and shoves the rest of his responsibilities onto his partner, a long-suffering detective named Anne Marie Salinger. She’s a real go-getter. Any cases they solve is because of her work, not Junior’s. He couldn’t care less about the victims or their families. As far as he’s concerned, all the vics get what they deserve. He believes they’re the scum of the earth and Black River is better off without them.”
“Sounds like he’s a real peach,” Quinn muttered.
“More like the pit,” Heidi said.
Al burst into laughter. “You’re a keeper, Heidi Thompson.”
“I’ll remind Quinn of that when I make him angry.”
“Who has been assigned to the case?” Quinn asked. “I assume in a small department, everybody has a cold case or two sitting on the back burner. Who has the Henderson case?”
The old man grew thoughtful. “Now that you mention it, Junior demanded the case. Claimed he wanted to help his father achieve a perfect record.”
“But you don’t believe that.”
“Not a chance. Junior didn’t care about his father or Ivan’s record.”
So why did he demand the case? Maybe if Salinger stumbled across the identity of the second kidnapper, Junior would reap the notoriety of solving the one case his father couldn’t. “Do you think Detective Salinger will talk to us?”
A shrug. “Probably. You need to catch her without Junior. He’ll stonewall you and dominate the conversation. You won’t learn squat from her with him around. He doesn’t want anyone talking about his family, and that includes Salinger. The boy’s touchy about it, embarrassed that his sister and Ivan were in a psych hospital.”
He paused. “Salinger’s not fond of her partner, but don’t spread that around. She still has to work with this clown and live here after you return home. You already know the people in this place have long memories. Salinger is taking care of aging parents who don’t want to move. She can’t relocate no matter how unpleasant life here becomes. They need her. Don’t make it impossible for her to remain.”
Quinn rubbed his jaw, his beard rasping against his fingers. Would Al tell him where Salinger lived? Cops, retired ones included, were very protective of their own. He decided to approach the question from another angle even though he and Heidi had no intention of hurting the detective. Al knew the truth. Quinn didn’t want to make Al the target of cruelty and disloyalty if he could avoid it.
If Salinger wasn’t comfortable sharing information about her partner and his family, Quinn and Heidi would look elsewhere. Someone, somewhere in this town, knew enough information to blow this case wide open. They just had to find that person and convince him to tell what he knew. “Where does she hang out?”
“Diner on Sixth.”
He hazarded a guess. “Jake’s Place?”
“That’s the one. Salinger’s not married and she doesn’t cook. When she’s off shift, that’s the first place she heads. Can’t give you an exact time although her shift is officially over at five. Detectives don’t punch a time clock. The work takes as long as it takes.”
Quinn understood that. He and his teammates weren’t tied to the clock either. Wasn’t uncommon for them to work around the clock on an op. “I understand. We’ll wait for her arrival.”
“I’ll see what I can do to get a copy of your file, Heidi. Quinn, I’ll call when I have the information and we’ll set up a time to meet.”
Quinn and Heidi stood. “Be careful, Al. Word will get around that we’re looking into Moira’s death. Someone has been trying to kill Heidi for twenty years. A retired police detective will be just as much of a target, maybe more so because you’re a real threat and know the right questions to ask. I don’t want to lose you.”
Looking into Al Graham’s eyes, he saw a world of weariness in their depths. His family friend had witnessed ugly things in his career. That darkness shadowed Al’s gaze. Probably the same shadows that darkened his own and haunted Quinn’s dreams. The nightmares and flashbacks were the reason he had stacks of books stashed around the house to read. Bless Del’s heart, she recognized the PTSD symptoms and kept him supplied. The books distracted him from the skin-crawling memories when the nights were too long and dark.
“Evil wins if we do nothing,” Al said. “You know all about that, don’t you, son?”
Got him there. He’d stared at much evil over the years and been scarred by it. Evidence of knife and bullet wounds riddled his body courtesy of terrorists the world over. His lips curved. “Yes, sir.”
“You stand in the face of evil no matter when it comes at you. You’ve fought the battle for years. I can’t do any less. It’s the creed I live by.”
Sounded familiar. He and his teammates stepped up when the need arose. “Sir, you put in your time. I have other sources I can tap for this information. I want you safe.”
Al waved that aside. “The call to duty doesn’t stop because I turned in my badge. You want a life with this beautiful young lady, son? She’ll never be safe if the veil of deceit and murder isn’t ripped away. I want you and Heidi to have freedom, for you to be free from fear for your wife’s safety while you’re away on assignments.”
Cold chills raced over his body. He glanced at the woman he loved with every fiber of his being. Quinn had to end the danger to Heidi or he might receive a call one day telling him his wife had been murdered in a house fire. No, a thousand times no. He couldn’t lose her.
Al continued. “One moment of distraction could end your life and leave Heidi to live a half life at best. Let me do this for you, Quinn. Copying a file is a small enough favor to ask.”
Logically, he knew Al was right. The file was a small favor and Al could get it faster than a request from Heidi to the police department. Somehow Quinn believed the request would either be denied or delayed through a mountain of red tape. Though he longed to forbid the former detective from involving himself in Heidi’s case any further, he couldn’t wrap his friend in bubble wrap. Al Graham was a seasoned professional. Quinn would have to trust the man to watch his own back. Hopefully, his long-term service and retired status would provide some protection. If Al died, people would talk and ask questions, not something a murderer wanted.
But small-town secrets were hard to keep, a fact Quinn was counting on. People in Black River loved nothing more than to gossip. “We won’t bother requesting the file unless you fail to secure a copy.”
“Probably best,” Al agreed. “For you to ask for it now would call too much attention to you and Heidi early on. Word will spread fast enough why you’re here.”
The gossip wire was likely already buzzing though he didn’t remind Al of that fact. Quinn hugged his family friend. “Talk to you soon.” As he walked with Heidi to his SUV, he felt the hairs prickle at the back of his neck.
With a casual glance, he scanned the area for the watcher. No obvious signs and he couldn’t dissect each sector the way he would on a mission without tipping off the watcher that Quinn was aware of his presence. Several good places to keep them under surveillance without being seen. Quinn’s fingers itched to grab his rifle and check their surroundings through the scope.
He unlocked the vehicle, lifted Heidi inside, and bent to kiss her. “We’ve attracted attention,” he murmured.
“How do you know?”
“I feel the stare.” He’d learned over the years not to stare at his targets. Some instinct clued the targets in to the surveillance.
“What about Mr. Graham? He’s not safe if the killer knows we’ve spent time with him.” She clamped a hand over his forearm. “We have to warn him, Quinn.”
His heart warmed at her co
ncern for a man she’d spent mere minutes with. “I’ll call Al, then we’ll head to Winston Drive to see if Bennett is still working the crime scene. If not, maybe we can track him down for a quick interview.”
He hustled around the back of the SUV and climbed behind the wheel. Once he cranked the engine, Quinn punched in a call to Al. “It’s Quinn. Got eyes on your place, my friend.”
A sigh sounded over the speakers. “So it’s begun. I was hoping for more time before word spread. Very well, then. I’d best get Heidi’s file soon. I think I need to pay my friends down at the police station a visit. Be safe, Quinn.”
“Same to you, Al.”
His stomach knotted with worry. Much as Al protested that he knew what he was doing, Quinn’s gut said the killer would fight back quickly. He didn’t want his family friend caught in the crossfire. Short of hogtying the man, there was nothing he could do to prevent him from aiding their investigation. He had a vested interest in solving the cold case as much as Heidi did.
On Winston Drive, he and Heidi surveyed the bustling activity around a small gray house. More like a bungalow, compact and with a neat, well-landscaped yard. An ambulance sat waiting on the street, the rear doors wide open, EMTs nowhere in sight. Patrolmen worked crowd control as neighbors pressed close to the perimeter to catch of glimpse of the people inside the house.
No one seemed in too much of a hurry to render medical aid and transport a patient to the hospital which told Quinn there was no need for haste. The relaxed attitude of the cops milling around the area led him to conclude this might not be a homicide. Otherwise, the pace of activity would be more frenetic.
“Doesn’t look as if Bennett will be free any time soon.” Heidi glanced at Quinn. “What do you want to do?”
“Wait and observe for a bit.” He watched the proceedings for a while. No sign of Junior. Had he left already? “I’m not sure if Bennett is here. I don’t see an unmarked car, only prowl cars. Based on what we’ve heard about Junior’s personality and attitude, I doubt he’d drive a black-and-white. This might be a simple unattended death.”