Random Acts of Malice (Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries Book 3)

by Christy Barritt

  Sitting behind a desk also made it harder to keep my thoughts occupied. Like right now. Every time I let my thoughts wander, I saw the man in the woods. I pictured his lifeless face. I pictured the bullet wound in his chest.

  I’d turned it all over in my head a million times. The men in that van—I assumed there were at least two: one driving and the passenger who’d hopped out—must have dumped the body when they backed up toward the edge of the lot. They’d been in the ideal position to do so. The back doors could have opened, and they could have placed the man in the woods and then driven off.

  It had been the perfect setup on their part.

  I was trying to reconcile what had happened last night with Chase’s secretive trip. But every conclusion I arrived at was flawed. If he’d gone to investigate, then it didn’t appear to be in an official capacity. Plus, the crime had happened around him, but he didn’t seem to be investigating it.

  Then there was Peyton. What was the likelihood she was connected with the murder? Slim to nothing.

  Turning the thoughts over in my head was making me crazy. I liked solutions, and right now I didn’t even have any good theories.

  At the moment, I closed my eyes, listening to Sinatra sing “Beyond the Sea” in my earbuds. I wanted to go to the place he sang about. I wanted to sail. I wanted golden sands. I wanted a lover waiting there on the shore for me.

  Only if that lover was Chase. The Chase I’d known up until this week. The Chase who hadn’t kept secrets.

  With its carefree lyrics, I wanted the song to carry me away from my problems. Instead, I stared at my computer screen. I’d found a news article this morning from the Louisville Courier about the body. Unidentified body. Died from gunshot wound to chest. Police are pursuing suspects. Any tips can be called in to . . .

  I shivered. Earlier, my biggest problem had been whether or not Chase was cheating on me. I was still kind of worried about that. But this new worry consumed me in a different way.

  I did a double take when I noticed a figure looming over my desk. I gasped, realizing I’d been caught up in my own little world. Quickly, I pulled my earbuds out.

  “A bomb could explode in here, and you wouldn’t know it when you’re listening to your music,” my brother, Ralph, said.

  I let out a weak laugh. If he only knew. “Maybe.”

  “You’re still on for our meeting in five minutes, right?”

  Ralph wore his typical vest and bow tie, along with wire-framed glasses. He was tall, lanky, and what some described as nerdy cute. He was my big brother, and I adored him—usually, at least.

  What had he asked? About the meeting. That was right. We were discussing a new tax initiative. “I’ll be there.”

  He leaned against my desk, not appearing suspicious. “I meant to ask you earlier. I’m having some people over tomorrow night to play board games. I was wondering if you and Chase want to come? It will be low-key, but low-key is good, right?”

  I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. How would I justify Chase’s unexplained absence? I wasn’t a proponent of lying. Besides, Ralph would see through me.

  Finally I attempted a smile. “Chase may be working, but I’ll see what he says.”

  “Big case?”

  My mind went back to last night. Would Peyton be considered a case? Case number 304: Operation Get Back with the Ex-Wife. Or Case 305: Pick Up Gambling. Case 306: Interact with Shady Characters with Killer Instincts. The possibilities were endless.

  “Holly?”

  I jerked my gaze toward Ralph. “Yes?”

  “Is Chase working on a big case?” he repeated.

  I let out a feeble laugh, glad my thoughts weren’t public. “Oh, of course. There’s always a big case, isn’t there?”

  “When’s he going to give you that ring?”

  My heart did more than sink. It plummeted. Like an elevator whose cables had snapped. I glanced at my empty ring finger. Everyone assumed that Chase and I would be engaged by Christmas. We’d already talked about possible honeymoon locations, where we’d want to get married, and how much we couldn’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together.

  “That’s the big question.”

  “Well, it’s great to see you so happy. You deserve it, Holly. You pour your life into other people. It’s time for you to reap some of what you’ve sown.”

  I wasn’t feeling like the saint my brother made me out to be. I’d practically stalked my boyfriend; I’d fled the scene of the crime; and I was thinking the worst about the man I was supposed to love. I wouldn’t be getting any “Girlfriend of the Year” awards.

  The conversation seemed to appease Ralph. But as soon as he walked away, I picked up my phone and pulled up my Friend Finder app.

  It showed that Chase was at Wyndmyer Park again. At least he wasn’t in jail.

  Yet.

  Out of curiosity, I did an Internet search on the track. The establishment wasn’t even open right now. What did it mean that Chase was there? How did it tie in?

  I’d already ruined my standing as Super Girlfriend. I couldn’t turn back time and undo everything I’d seen and done. Chase’s well-being was more important than our relationship. Finding a killer superseded keeping a good name. A clear conscience took priority over hiding bad choices.

  I believed that being a part of a community meant speaking truth into the lives of others. My dad had told me a story once about when he was a teenager and he’d started to get involved with drugs and drinking. One of his friend’s dads had pulled him aside and given him a stern talking-to. My dad had turned his life around after that—slowly but surely. I wanted to be bold enough to do the right thing, despite the risk.

  That did it. I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. If Chase was going under, I needed to stop him. I needed the truth before this whole fiasco consumed me. I was his girlfriend, but I didn’t want to be walked on or deceived.

  With that settled in my mind, I called Jamie.

  “What are you doing tonight?” I asked.

  “I have a feeling I’m going back to Kentucky with you.”

  She knew me too well. “Meet you at five?”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  * * *

  When Jamie and I arrived at the horse track that evening, Jamie seemed to instinctively head toward the area of the parking lot where we’d seen Chase and Peyton last night.

  Sure enough, Chase’s Jeep was there. Apparently he wasn’t in jail after the gun had been planted by his Jeep. That was the good news.

  The bad news was that Chase was here. I looked across the lot and spotted a familiar black truck. Peyton’s truck. That was the even worse news.

  “They’re here again.” Jamie put the van in park. “But why? That’s what doesn’t make sense.”

  “Agreed. Of all the places they could rendezvous, why at a racetrack?”

  I couldn’t deny that the facts all pointed to a possible reunion between Chase and Peyton. It made sense. It was the perfect reason for Chase not to tell me where he was going or why. But it didn’t tell me if the dead body was somehow connected to his time here in Louisville or why someone wanted to frame him.

  We settled back, deciding to stay in the parking lot and see if Chase appeared again.

  “So, I researched Wyndmyer online today,” I started. “It made sense, since Wyndmyer appears to be somehow linked to Chase, and Chase is linked to the dead body.”

  “What did you find out?”

  “It opened back in the eighties, but almost closed its doors a decade ago because of declining attendance and poor management. A man named Winston Kensington purchased it around five years ago.”

  “Winston Kensington? He sounds rich.”

  “Apparently his parents made millions in the pharmaceutical industry,” I continued. “Otherwise, the man seems rather private. I couldn’t find much information or personal details about him. He did manage to turn the place around.”

  “Horse racing has been full o
f scandals throughout the years. Doping, under-the-table deals, stolen thoroughbreds. The list could go on and on. But I’m not sure what that has to do with all this.” Jamie paused. “Do you think this somehow connects with Chase’s time of living here? I mean, he was a detective here. Maybe a past case has opened again.”

  I nodded. “Maybe.”

  “Tell me again what happened between the time he left Cincinnati and the time he moved back to Cincinnati. I know he Mr. Football Superstar for the university and then he was drafted for Indianapolis. I also know an injury sidelined him and he became a cop.”

  “That’s right. Of course, that was a huge pay cut. Peyton married him when he was still rich and affluent. The change was hard on her, but they were surviving. Then Chase’s brother was killed.”

  “What happened?”

  I shrugged. “He doesn’t like to talk about it. He didn’t even know his brother Hayden existed until the year before that. Apparently, his dad had fooled around and gotten another woman pregnant when Chase was only a toddler. Anyway, the case never closed, and it turned Chase’s life upside down. He became obsessed.”

  “He started drinking?”

  “Yes. And drinking ended up putting his job in jeopardy, as well as his marriage. Everything fell apart.”

  “How did he get it back together?”

  “A friend of his was a chaplain with the police department. He intervened in Chase’s life. He didn’t give up on Chase. Eventually, Chase sobered. Peyton didn’t want to make things right. In fact, I think she remarried fairly quickly. Chase was able to get a job in Cincinnati, and we reconnected. You know the rest of the story.”

  “From football star to star detective to fallen hero who hits rock bottom. Sounds like the stuff movies are made of.” An overhead light from the parking lot illuminated half her face, showing her frown.

  “Jamie, look!” I pointed in the distance.

  Chase stood outside the stable area talking with a man. Arguing was more like it.

  I could barely see them. The man with Chase was older, probably in his sixties. He was tall and lean with gray hair, and he had a look of distinction about him. Two other men lingered just behind the older man. Bodyguards? That was my first thought based on their suits and rigid stances.

  Chase stood with his hands on his hips. As he spoke, his neck looked stiff and his movements terse. Angry. He clearly looked angry.

  His hands slapped against each other, as if trying to drive home a point. Chase was usually very in control, and seeing him wound up and upset left me feeling unsettled.

  “What do you think that’s about?” Jamie whispered, as if someone else might hear us.

  I shook my head. “I wish I knew. It doesn’t look good, does it?”

  The more I searched for answers, the more questions I discovered.

  “Uh-oh. I don’t believe this. We’ve got company.” Jamie nodded toward the distance.

  I craned my neck and spotted the same van from last night. It started through the parking lot on the opposite end, headed toward . . . us?

  Alarms sounded in my head.

  My gaze swerved back toward Chase. He continued to argue with the man in front of him. I wanted to see more. I wanted answers.

  I jerked my head back toward the van as it crept toward us.

  What awful timing.

  We were in plain sight right here. I didn’t want to take any chances that the driver might spot us, but I had no reason to believe the men in the van knew who we were.

  “I hate to do it, but I feel the urge to put distance between us and that van,” Jamie said.

  I cast one last glance at Chase. What was he doing?

  I wouldn’t be finding out right now. “Let’s go.”

  As Jamie slowly pulled toward the parking lot exit, the van continued creeping behind us. My shoulders pinched. The van seemed to speed up, as if the driver didn’t want to lose us.

  “Is it following us?” I asked, certain I was being paranoid.

  “Let’s just say, I don’t think this is a coincidence.” Jamie pressed the accelerator harder before suddenly stomping on the brakes. A car backed out in front of us, effectively cutting us off.

  My blood pressure rose as I waited for the car to slowly slink from its spot. I glanced behind me. The van hadn’t stopped. The driver had turned down the same row where we waited, inching closer and closer by the moment.

  Finally the car in front of us pulled away—traveling slower than a losing Triple Crown contestant through the parking lot. We stayed on its bumper, desperate to put distance between ourselves and the creepy van. The driver of the sedan obviously didn’t sense our urgency, though, because his pace kept us barricaded between him and the killers behind us.

  “Needless to say, the driver of that van is not looking for a parking space,” Jamie said, her eyes fluttering to the rearview mirror. “They just drove right past the one just vacated by the snail in front of us.”

  “What are they planning?” I whispered, the tension between my shoulders growing by the moment. Visions of guns, car chases, and pain danced not-so-merrily in my head.

  “Let’s find out.” As the car in front of us turned one way at the end of the row, Jamie swerved in the opposite direction. She was testing them, I realized.

  And, sure enough, the van followed us, gaining speed with each second.

  Guns, car chases, and pain were becoming more of a reality by the moment.

  Chapter Six

  “Jamie, watch out!” I screamed. “I think they’re going to ram us!”

  She floored it, going entirely too fast for a parking lot. But we had little other choice. Not with psycho killers chasing us.

  When my equilibrium righted, I craned my neck. The van still headed toward us at an alarming rate. They weren’t going to relent.

  “Keep going!” I urged.

  “I never took you as a backseat driver,” Jamie mumbled.

  “You just keep your eyes on the road!”

  As the edge of the parking lot neared, Jamie jerked the wheel hard, and we somehow ended up perpendicular to the row. We skidded toward the fence where Chase had been.

  I glanced over, holding my breath. We were definitely causing a scene. Our whole investigation could be blown.

  The area where he’d been standing was now empty. Chase was gone, as was the man he’d been talking to.

  Thank goodness.

  As soon as the van slowed enough for Jamie to gain control, she pressed the accelerator and we headed for the exit.

  I looked behind us again. A trailer backed out, effectively stopping the van from pursuing us anymore. At least for the moment.

  Thank You, Jesus.

  Jamie turned out of the parking lot and sped onto the highway.

  We’d lost them. At least for a moment. My shoulder muscles went limp. That had been close.

  “How did they recognize us?” Jamie asked.

  I shook my head, still shaken. “I don’t know. But whoever dumped that body last night somehow knows that we saw them.”

  “It seems impossible. We were concealed.”

  “Something doesn’t smell right. You know?”

  “Do I ever.”

  I leaned back, trying to control my breathing. How had the men in that van discovered us? Had they seen us leave last night and realized we knew too much? Had they somehow followed us, trying to make sure we stayed quiet? It just didn’t make sense.

  But one thing was becoming clear: Jamie and I were way deeper in this than we ever intended. What started as making sure Chase wasn’t gambling could turn out to be a fight for our survival.

  The thought wasn’t comforting.

  Just then, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen, and all the air left my lungs when I saw the number. “Jamie, it’s Chase! What if he saw us?”

  “Well, what are you doing? Answer it!”

  I looked behind us again, making sure the van wasn’t on our tail. I didn’t see any sign of it. With that
worry receding, I could focus on this conversation and whatever it might bring.

  My hands trembled as I put the phone to my ear. I tried to keep my voice casual, although I feared I sounded like a chattering mess. “Hey there.”

  I decided that in my haste to be relaxed, I sounded like one of those professional phone operators who used their voices for not-so-moral reasons. Not good.

  “Holly.” Chase’s voice sounded warm yet strangely detached. “I had a free minute, so I wanted to check in, to say hello. How are you?”

  “Me? Oh, I’m like . . . fine. Totally fine.” My voice had gone from sultry to Valley Girl. I had to get a grip. “How are you?”

  “I’ve been better. But that’s a story for later. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

  I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling in a silent prayer to God for forgiveness. “I’m just . . . hanging out with Jamie.”

  “I don’t want to keep you from your girl time.” He lowered his voice. “Thanks for being so understanding about me taking off suddenly like I did. I wanted to let you know that your trust in me means a lot.”

  Regret churned in my stomach. I was such a disappointment right now. Doing this was against everything I believed in. Yet here I was, and I couldn’t seem to stop. I was in too deep.

  It was time to call him out on what was going on. No more hiding or pretending I didn’t know. I had to be straightforward.

  I sucked in a deep breath before plunging in. “That’s funny that you said that, because—”

  Shouting sounded on the other end of the phone. I couldn’t tell if it was the crowd at the horse track, cheering their bet on toward victory, or a fistfight that had broken out. Whatever it was, I didn’t like it.

  “I have to run, Holly,” Chase rushed. “If I can, I’ll check in again, okay?”

  Before I could say anything, the line went dead.

  * * *

  I’d been quiet for most of the ride back home. I had too many thoughts, and none of them were worth voicing.

  When we reached Northern Kentucky, Jamie pulled off the interstate to get some gas. As she climbed back in and put the van into drive, she surprised me by stopping at the back of a parking lot in a large shopping center anchored by Walmart. A couple of fast-food restaurants as well as the gas station were located closer to the street. Jamie put the van in park.