Her Grave Secrets (Rogue River Novella Book 3)

by Kendra Elliot

  “Damn right,” said Seth, joining their conversation. “I’m glad you were here when Eric got here, Stevie.”

  “Me too,” she said.

  “We need to find the manufacturer,” said Zane.

  “I’m not stopping until we do,” answered Seth. “I just had a call about an arrest we made at the coast a few hours ago. He’s admitted to dealing, and I’m planning to talk to him in the morning. You want to be there?”

  Zane looked at Stevie.

  “We’ll both be there,” she answered.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Stevie sipped her cup of Starbucks, surprised by the burnt taste of the coffee. She’d drunk it daily while she lived in LA, but in Solitude the only coffee to go was at the deli or Dairy Queen, neither of which she found worth her money. She brewed her own with Starbucks beans from the grocery store, but apparently the fresh stuff in the shop was stronger. “Have I become a coffee wimp?” she muttered into her cup.

  Zane smiled. “That’s why I went for the light roast. When you don’t drink it every day, it slaps you in the face.”

  “It’s a pleasurable slap. Smells so freaking good. I wish Solitude was big enough to support a good coffee place like this city does.”

  They’d driven into Hannon, the Rogue County seat, to meet Seth’s drug arrest from the night before. Stevie had barely left Solitude for the past two months. A mental jolt at the sight of the multiple traffic lights and tons of cars made her wonder what else she’d not missed since leaving LA. Pollution, crowds, McMansions, overpriced fashion.

  Now she listened and watched via camera as Seth interviewed the arrestee in the Rogue County Sheriff’s Office. Ronnie Sinclair looked like any other unemployed twenty-year-old from Southern Oregon. Ball cap over greasy hair, ratty shorts, and tennis shoes. This was the summer wardrobe. During the winter the shorts were exchanged for jeans. He slouched in the chair as Seth talked with him.

  “What made him admit to dealing?” Zane asked. “Isn’t that the first lesson dealers are taught? Never admit? The punishment is much steeper for dealing versus personal use.”

  “I don’t know,” said Stevie. “Maybe they offered him some sort of deal? They’re starting to get desperate to find the source. Seth said he turned down a lawyer. I don’t know why he did that either.”

  “We may be giving him too much credit,” said Zane. “He doesn’t appear to be the sharpest tool in the shed.”

  Stevie agreed. So far the interview had been a bunch of cussing and name-calling on Ronnie’s part. But he wasn’t mad at the cops. He was mad at another dealer and wanted him to pay. He kept asking Seth if he could take a smoke break, but Seth put him off, causing the young man to squirm more and more in his seat.

  “I have the whole east side south of Tenth Street,” Ronnie told Seth earnestly. “It’s a good zone. But it’s dried up in the last month and you can’t tell me people are losing their taste for bacon.”

  “Maybe they’re dying,” Seth said.

  Ronnie brushed his comment aside. “Naw, nothin’ like that. Someone else has been in my territory. They’re underselling my price. I can’t sell it that low . . . I need to make a profit! It’s not fair! You understand me?”

  Seth nodded.

  “He wants Seth to arrest his competition?” Stevie tried not to laugh. “Doesn’t he know the U.S. supports free enterprise?”

  “He really thinks he’s been wronged,” Zane observed. “He’s like the guy who calls the police because someone stole his stash of pot.”

  “Who’s stepping over territory lines?” Seth asked.

  Ronnie looked pleased that Seth finally understood his issue. “I don’t know. But they’ve got everybody talking. Those two dead guys last week at the beach? They had the same complaint as me. Now they’re dead.”

  Stevie and Zane leaned toward the monitor.

  Seth sat very still. “I thought they took too much of the drug while partying. You think they were killed by someone who wanted to get rid of the competition?”

  Ronnie lifted his hands in exasperation. “Ain’t that what I’ve been saying?”

  “Who’s rumored to be cleaning house?” Seth asked.

  The young man shrugged. “Beats me. That’s why I’m talking to the police. I don’t want to end up with two bullets in my brain or too much bacon in my belly. You guys need to do something.”

  “You must have heard some theories floating around. What’s the word on the street about those deaths?”

  Ronnie looked away. “I don’t know, man. But he ain’t local. They say he’s from out of town and takes no prisoners. He’s moving in where he hasn’t been invited.”

  Stevie reached out for Zane’s hand. “Could he be talking about the person who gave my father the C-22?” She couldn’t pull her gaze from the screen. Ronnie Sinclair had just suggested that someone had killed drug dealers at the coast to eliminate the competition. Would that same person kill a law enforcement officer? An officer who might know too much or be getting too close?

  She pressed a hand against her lips, her mind spinning. Had her father been investigating the new drug?

  “It’s something to look into,” Zane stated, his focus intent on the young man on the monitor.

  Seth leaned toward Ronnie. “Have you seen this alleged new dealer? Or has someone else? To say he’s from out of town means that no one recognized him at some point. What’s he look like?”

  “I ain’t seen nobody.”

  Seth sat back in his chair and tossed his pen on the table. “You asked me to help you by busting a crooked dealer, but you can’t tell me anything about him? How am I supposed to find him?”

  “Aren’t all drug dealers crooked?” Zane asked, his mouth curling up at one corner.

  Stevie tried to smile at his joke, but her brain was still in overdrive trying to link this disgruntled dealer’s news to her father’s death.

  “He can’t be talking about Roy as the newcomer,” Stevie stated. “Those two drug dealers at the coast died recently, and Roy was missing for two months. There’s a good chance the same person who killed JD Hearne yesterday also killed Roy, since they were both murdered in very similar ways.”

  “I wonder if our discovery of Roy’s murder has put some heat on someone.” Zane scratched his chin. “And in turn led to JD’s death. Is someone trying to clean house and control the C-22 market?”

  “But why kill my father?”

  Zane looked grim. “He’s a cop. In many people’s books, that’s reason enough. You know that as well as I do.”

  She swallowed. He was right. She’d seen it all the time in LA. Simply wearing her uniform was enough to stir up the hate and anger. But she’d nearly forgotten about it during her time in Solitude. People treated her with respect there. “I see so little of it in Solitude.”

  “There’s enough,” said Zane. “It’s enough to make me worry about you every time you leave on a call.”

  She squeezed his hand. “Ditto.”

  They listened for a few more minutes. Seth finally agreed to a smoke break for Ronnie and stepped out of the room to talk to Stevie and Zane while a uniform took Ronnie outside for his nicotine hit.

  “I think I’ve gotten all I’m going to get out of him. Anything I missed?” Seth asked.

  Stevie shook her head. “This is a drug territory war. It’s been in the works for a few months, but they’ve moved slowly. Now people are noticing. Dead bodies get everyone’s attention.”

  Seth took a deep breath. “I think you’re right. And I suspect your father was one of the first to get close to the source of the drug and was eliminated. I know he kept those journals. Did you see any references to this?”

  “I read them specifically looking for insight into problems that Solitude was facing,” said Zane. “I had just been placed in his chair and I needed all the help I could get. Nothing about drugs was mentioned. Although his concern for Roy makes sense now. Maybe following up with
Roy is what got him killed. He may have touched a nerve somewhere.”

  “But who is the nerve?” Stevie asked.

  “We’re going to find out,” promised Zane.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Bruce had started the ribs and chicken in the smoker early that morning at Patsy’s house, but Zane had taken over by midafternoon. He’d been standing at the smoker for over an hour, serving up slabs of beef, pork, and chicken, and getting doused in what Stevie claimed was her favorite men’s cologne: barbecue smoke. Twice she’d come by and buried her nose in his T-shirt, inhaling deeply.

  James popped the tops off two beers and handed Zane one of the bottles. “Go get some food.”

  Zane passed the tongs to James, officially handing off his smoker monitoring duties at Patsy’s barbecue. “I’ve been grabbing pieces here and there. Wanted to make sure it was good, you know.” Zane’s stomach was stuffed from his snacking. But he might have room for apple pie. Stevie was in charge of the dessert table, dishing up slice after slice of homemade pie and cake. Zane scanned Patsy’s big backyard. Two-thirds of the town was present. And the other third was on its way.

  The coordination of the event impressed him. Patsy knew how to delegate and how not to step on anyone’s toes. There’d been a bit of a problem when two women had shown up with the same “family secret” spice cake, but Patsy had handled it deftly, tasting both cakes and proclaiming that they were distinctly different but both delicious.

  Zane had grabbed a bite of each and had been unable to tell them apart, but had agreed with the delicious part.

  So much food. And people were still arriving with more.

  James took a swig of beer. “You get stuck shucking corn at all? I always hated that job. I swear I remember doing it for hours on end as a kid.”

  Zane pointed at a circle of five kids with a huge pile of corn husks in the center. “Looks like she’s keeping that job for kids. Maybe it’s a rite of passage.”

  James’s wife swept by with her three-year-old on her hip. She kissed James, greeted Zane, and dashed off to stop her older boy, who’d stepped too close to the horseshoe pits.

  “Things good with you and Debra? Any more Katelyn problems?” Zane asked.

  “Haven’t heard a peep out of Katelyn. I hope she’s given up for good. If she hasn’t, Debra sees her for what she is. She’s known her a long time.”

  “Speak of the devil,” said Zane, nodding across the wide lawn. Katelyn and Faye had just come around the house, carrying huge bowls of potato salad. Faye’s foreman, Walt Burrowes, was two steps behind carrying a third bowl. Katelyn stopped and said something to him, and Walt nodded eagerly at her words.

  James and Zane exchanged a look.

  “Maybe she’s moved on,” James said. “I hope so.”

  Arms slid around Zane’s waist and he didn’t need to look to know Stevie was behind him. She sniffed at his neck and sighed. “You smell good enough to eat.”

  “Eau de barbecue?” asked James.

  “It’s the best. Someone should bottle it.”

  “Any word on JD Hearne’s death?” James asked. “I know you went and talked to a dealer they arrested at the coast this morning. Was he involved?”

  Zane shook his head. “We don’t think so. The dealer was picked up for selling C-22, and he’s trying to get a deal by leading the task force to the manufacturer.”

  “Really?” James’s brows shot up.

  “The problem is he doesn’t know who it is,” added Stevie. “Claims there’s someone new who’s stepping on everyone’s toes and cleaning house to take over the area for their own distribution.”

  “You’ve got a drug war going on?” James whispered, leaning closer. Worry sparked in his eyes. “Is Roy’s death related? What about Dad’s?”

  Stevie blew out a breath. “We’re trying to figure that out. It’s logical that someone would eliminate a police presence if they were getting too close. Possibly that’s what Dad and Roy’s deaths were about.”

  “But Roy was on the take,” said James. “Someone was paying him a lot of money. Maybe it was payment for him to look the other way?”

  Zane glanced at Stevie and saw her swallow hard. “We’re considering that.”

  “Holy crap. This is big, much bigger than just some local idiots selling drugs to our kids.” James was stunned.

  “We noticed,” Zane said dryly.

  “We discussed it at the city council meeting last week, but we didn’t have the big picture. We thought things were winding down, but possibly it’s escalating? We can’t have that going on in Solitude.”

  “We’re working on it. The task force is processing JD’s scene. We’re lucky we found it quickly.”

  “Unlike Roy’s,” Stevie whispered as pain flashed across her face.

  Zane tightened his arm around her shoulders.

  “Good afternoon, everyone!” Faye’s cheery voice broke the tense silence of their circle. “What a glorious day for a barbecue. I’m so glad Patsy carried on the tradition this year. I would’ve been crushed if she hadn’t.”

  The group greeted Faye and Walt. Zane noticed relief cross James’s face as he realized Katelyn wasn’t with her mother at the moment. Faye turned inquisitive eyes to Zane. “What’s this I’m hearing about JD Hearne’s death being drug-related?”

  “Yes, there were drugs found near the scene,” Zane admitted, carefully judging what facts he could allow Faye to introduce into the town rumor mill. “But we don’t know if they’re related to his death,” he emphasized.

  “Of course they were,” said Faye. “The poor boy was shot in the head. Only a drug-crazed nut would do that.”

  Stevie tensed under his arm. “Now, Faye, we don’t know what happened for certain yet. Let’s not spread unsubstantiated rumors. Let us get some facts first.”

  “We’ve never had problems like this in Solitude before. The police need to get it under control. It’s those hoodlums from the coast that are spreading their drugs into our town, my town.”

  “We’re working with Rogue County to assess the whole problem,” Zane started.

  “It’s unacceptable. It’s going to chase away tourists if they think it’s dangerous here. I’m trying to build and promote an image of clean living and bring more money into this town. Dead drug dealers aren’t helping.”

  “I agree,” said Zane. “We’re as concerned as you.”

  “No leads on who killed JD?” Walt asked. “He’d been working out at the hotel a little bit. Seemed like a nice kid but a little unreliable.”

  “What exactly was he doing at the hotel?” Zane looked sharply at the lean man, his radar going off. Peter Rollins had claimed he found C-22 stashed in a tree trunk not too far from the hotel.

  “General clean-up-type stuff. He didn’t have any construction skills to speak of.”

  “I’d like to ask you some more questions about working with JD, but not during a party. Can you come down to the station tomorrow?”

  Walt shrugged. “Sure. Or I have some free time now. You said you wanted me to look over some plans for your cabin addition? Can we combine the two?”

  Zane perked up. He needed Walt’s expertise before he could do anything else on his cabin. “Definitely, I need some fresh eyes on a problem the foundation is creating for the expansion I want to do.” He glanced at Stevie. “Is it okay to disappear for an hour? I finished my turn at the smoker.” He looked around for Patsy but didn’t see her. “I’ll tell your mom I’ll be back in a bit. Obviously this party isn’t ending anytime soon.”

  Stevie kissed him. “Just go. I’ll say something to her.”

  Zane looked at Walt. “Your car or mine?”

  “You drive.”

  Stevie waved as Zane and Walt piled into Zane’s vehicle. She’d seen his eyes light up when Walt mentioned looking at his plans. Zane loved his cabin, and she did too, but he loved the physical work and planning even more. “It doesn’t feel like labo
r to me,” he’d told her months ago. “It’s a chance to move my brain in a different direction than police work, and I can see the changes every day. It’s rewarding, especially knowing that I’ll reap the benefits and know I built it with my own hands.”

  He was like a little kid, proud of his creation. He’d eagerly showed off the changes to her the first time he’d taken her out to his cabin. He’d torn down a wall and tripled the size of the bathroom off the master. Stevie had studied the tile placement and admired the custom vanity he’d built by hand. “You haven’t done this before?” she’d asked.

  “I’ve built some things over the years, but I’m learning a lot as I go.”

  “Your detail is incredible.” It was. His tiles were even and smooth, and the hand-carved detail on the vanity nearly perfect.

  “I spend a lot of time researching before I start each part. It’s taking forever, but I’m not in a hurry.”

  Then he’d taken his time demonstrating what a couple could do in the luxury of the giant shower and spa tub. She’d nearly been late to work the next morning.

  The memory made her cheeks warm, and she glanced around to see if anyone noticed she was smiling like a fool for no apparent reason.

  She knew he’d been frustrated with the foundation issue he’d just mentioned to Walt. It’d created a roadblock in his progress that he was eager to solve. So Zane would miss an hour of the barbecue; not a big deal. She strolled back to her dessert table, thinking it was a good time to try Nell’s new peach cheesecake recipe.

  She had eaten half a piece and was discussing the recipe with Nell when her mother approached.

  “Great party as always, Patsy,” Nell said.

  “Taste this, Mom.” Stevie held her fork out with a bite of cheesecake. “It’s insane. I’m trying to convince Nell to sell it at the deli.”

  Patsy took the bite, but her forehead wrinkled as she chewed. “It’s delicious. I think Stevie’s right, Nell.”

  Nell raised a brow at her. “You don’t look like you’re enjoying it. Your face says it’s sour.”