by Jill S. Behe
“You take care of yourself. We’ll come back when the doctor says you’re ready to go home and give you a police escort out of here. Is there someone you can call to come pick you up?”
Brooke nodded. “My boyfriend is adamant that he’s going to be here for me. Devin can’t be here as much as he wants because of classes, and work. But he’s here whenever he can.”
“If you need anything, you call me.”
“I will. Thank you, again, Chief Kincaid. You, too, Mr. Brogan. You’re my heroes.”
Levi chuckled. “Here that, Deck? We’re heroes. We were just doing our job, Miss Brooke. But, you’re more than welcome.” He headed out of the room.
Decker said his goodbyes, too. “Glad we were able to find you when we did.”
“Hah. You and me, both. Thanks for taking the time to look for me.”
“Good night. Rest. Get well. Get strong.”
“Working on it.”
Decker nodded to her. “See you.”
She gave a wave as he closed her door.
The two men started down the hall after speaking with the guard.
“Nice kid.”
“Yeah. Lousy break, though.”
“Better than the alternative.”
“Truth. Doc Harris recommended she talk to a grief counselor once she gets sprung.”
“Good idea.”
“Huh. Yeah. If we weren’t so macho, we coulda probably used one after….”
“Could have. Should have. For sure. But, we had each other to bounce shit off of. We got through it.”
“I still have an occasional nightmare,” Levi confessed.
“So do I, but not like right after.”
“Yeah. God, those were killer.”
They walked out to Levi’s official SUV and got in, buckled up.
Decker glanced at the upper floors of the hospital as Levi backed out of the space. “You think she’s safe enough?”
“Unless that broad is crazier than we think.”
“She may be. Which would mean, no matter how many guards we post, she’ll try to go through every one of them.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. The local cops are doing us a big solid on this. If we get one or two of their men killed in the line of, they’re not going to be so accommodating in any future endeavors.”
Decker shrugged. “Whatever will be, will be.”
“Thank you so much, Doris Day.”
“Hey!”
“But, you’re right. I can’t afford to take on any more stress. My gut feels like it’s going to implode as it is.”
Chapter 41
Back at the station house in Crescent Falls, Levi parked next to Decker’s truck. “Thanks for going along.”
“It was good to see her awake and doing well.”
“It was. She’s still got a ways to go, but I think she’s going to be fine. You going to see Teal tonight?”
“No. Not tonight.”
He and Levi got out and moseyed over to stand next to Decker’s truck. “Well, when you do, tell her hello from me.”
“I will do that.”
“Has she mentioned—?” He rubbed his face. “Never mind.”
“What?”
“I shouldn’t ask, but it bugs me.”
“Spit it out, LT.”
“Will you quit with that?”
“Can’t help it.” A quick grin. “So?”
“Has Teal said anything about Bethy apologizing?”
“Hasn’t mentioned it. I can ask.”
“Nah. Forget it.”
“You told your wife to do it, though. Right?”
Levi made a face. “Strongly suggested.”
Decker laughed, and slapped his friend’s back.
“It isn’t funny.”
“Yeah, it is. And I am going to ask Teal about it.”
“Shit, Deck.”
“I’m curious myself. She hasn’t apologized to me, either.”
“Well, dammit, man.”
Decker got in his truck, turned on the key and rolled down the glass. “Levi, I’ve come to the conclusion that we don’t always— Ah, let me change that. We hardly ever get what we want when we want it.”
Levi shook his head. “Go home, my friend. Drive safe.”
“You too, my brother from another mother. To both.”
“Yeah.” Levi jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Gotta go check in, first.”
“Later.”
On the way home, Decker changed his mind, and called Teal.
“Hey, Decker. What’s up?”
“I’d like to stop by, if it’s convenient.”
“Anytime is convenient when it’s you.”
“Thanks. I’ll be there shortly.”
“You’re here in town?”
“Just left Levi at the police station.”
“Uh oh.”
“No worries.”
“Good to hear. I’ll be waiting.”
Ten minutes later, he pulled into her driveway.
The front door opened, and Teal stepped out, pulling her sweater tight against the evening chill.
Decker smiled and got out of his truck. “God, how did I get so lucky?” And walked to her.
“Hurry up, old man,” she teased as he put his arm around her. “It’s cold out here.”
“Winter’s coming.”
“For sure. Do you want coffee?”
“No, not this time. Tea, please. Or water. And I can’t stay long.”
“Sure. So you have a specific agenda?”
He nodded and followed her into the house.
She locked the door behind them. “Make yourself at home,” she said, and went to the kitchen.
Decker had deliberated for two days before deciding to check out his daughter’s apartment, and to ask Teal to go along. It was a weighty decision. Was this just a ‘dad’ reaction, wanting to invade Carin’s privacy to satisfy his own anxiety? Was it a necessary part to delete off the To Do list of police procedure in a missing person’s case?
Huh. He should have put out a missing person’s bulletin a week and a half ago. Why was he just now thinking of it?
“What’s got you all hot and bothered?”
Teal had returned with a tea tray and he, so deep in thought, hadn’t even noticed.
Her innuendo caught him off guard and he laughed. The visit with Brooke, though she was recovering well, held a morbidity he couldn’t quite shake. Teal had just banged against that barrier, and let some light in through the cracks.
Still his movements in making a cup of tea were measured as he weighed the import of what he was about to ask, and the best way to word it. “I have a question. Two, actually.”
“Ask away.”
“When is your next day off?”
“I gave you my schedule.”
“You did, but it’s upstairs at my house, and I’m not.”
“Lazy bones.”
He chuckled. “Please?”
“Friday.”
“Okay. Would you be willing—?”
“Yes.”
He let out a short laugh. “I haven’t asked you anything, yet.”
“Doesn’t matter. I do reserve the right to cancel, if it conflicts.”
“Uh. Okay.” He thought fast and furious. “Well, I’ve been meaning to clean out the attic space. It’s been so long since anyone cracked that door open, I don’t even remember what’s up there.
“I’ve heard strange sounds over my head at night so I’m pretty sure there are a couple squirrels playing house with a few families up there. Probably a battalion of mice, too. Maybe a bat, or two, or eight. Countless spiders, and even more webs.”
Silence.
He grinned. “Is that a no?”
She took a sip of her tea, swallowed, before answering. “I don’t know if I should call your bluff, or run screaming.”
“How do you know it’s a bluff?”
“Give me a break.”
“Okay, seriously. I’ve been debating wh
ether to go over to Carin’s apartment. If I were leading a case for a missing person—which, yes, I need to call the local Boulder PD and file a report—checking out the person’s living space would be one of the first things I did.
“Just a forewarning: I don’t have a key. If she isn’t there, and the apartment manager isn’t lurking, I’m going to pick the lock.”
“Oh, Decker.”
“I’d like you with me. One, for company. Two, as a witness. Three, for any possible insights. I can’t take Bella, and I won’t ask Cade.”
“Why not take Bella?”
“Too conspicuous.” He frowned. “Maybe I should go alone. Then if the cops are called, we both won’t be in jail for breaking and entering.”
“No way are you going without me. You’ve got my curiosity up now. On the other hand, the only time I’ve had any contact with Carin, she attacked me. Perhaps you should go alone.”
“You’re right. If she’s at home, and just ignoring my calls—”
“Why don’t you call her boss? See if she’s at work?”
“I did. Her vacation ended on the eleventh. She hasn’t called in, or been to work for almost two weeks.”
“Oh, that doesn’t sound good, at all.”
“No, it isn’t good. And very unlike her.”
“All right. I’ll go with you.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up at nine, Friday morning. Sound good?”
“Yes. You’re absolutely positive this is necessary?”
“From a police standpoint, it should have been done before now. As a concerned father? Yes, but…. It will answer some questions. At the same time, potentially create new and scarier ones.”
“What are your thoughts?”
“About Carin? That if she’s trying to teach me a lesson, I’m going to kick her into next week.” He paused. “I’m worried.”
“You said that once before. Obviously, something upped the worry-meter.”
“She’s— Her habits are too deeply ingrained to be so inconsistent.”
“In what way?”
“She calls once a week, every week. If I don’t answer, she calls again in thirty minutes. If I still don’t answer, she leaves a pithy comment on my voicemail.
“If I call her, she answers ninety percent of the time. When I have to leave a message, she returns my call within the next two hours, almost without fail. There was one time she couldn’t call back because her power was out, and her cell was dead.”
“Yeah. Oh, for the good old days and having a landline.”
He smiled. “I still do. Cell service at my place is notoriously chancy.”
“I also have one, as you well know. And so?”
“I’ve left a few messages. She hasn’t called back. As I mentioned, it just isn’t like her not to respond.”
“What did you mean about teaching you a lesson?”
“She accused me of ignoring her calls, on purpose. I had a brief moment of thinking she might be giving me a taste of my own negligence.”
“Ah. Have you asked your son if he’s heard from her? Isn’t that also a police procedure thing?”
“Yes, it would be part of the procedure for finding a missing person. To ask all and anyone when they last saw or spoke with her. And no, I haven’t asked him. For the same reason I won’t ask him about a spare key.”
“And why is that?”
“I don’t want to scare the kid.”
“Kid?”
“Cade.”
“And he’s how old?”
“He’s thirty-three. Why?”
“Come on, Decker. You make him sound very young and immature.”
He waved it off. “I don’t want him worried about something that may not even be an issue.”
“But you’ve already convinced yourself it is one.”
“I’m trying not to.”
“You’re a dad. You’re expected to be worried about your children, no matter their age. This isn’t a normal situation, and both your children are adults, but still….”
“Your point?”
“I don’t know that I have a point. I wish I could give you words of wisdom here, but I’m worried, too. And I don’t even know Carin.”
“If the roles were reversed, would you call Cade?”
“This may be a copout, but I don’t know how to respond to that. Let me ask you this: If you were Cade, would you want to be kept in the loop? And, how would you feel when you did find out what was going on, after it was all over with?”
“Hell, lady. Why don’t you just shoot me?”
“What?”
“Guilt, sweetheart. You exposed the guilt.”
“Not me. I only asked a question.”
“I was decisive before that.” Decker ran a hand through his hair. “Now I’m conflicted.”
“Be serious.”
“I am. And you did have a point, and it was a very sharp one. I got it.”
“What are you going to do?”
A sigh. A grimace. “I’m not going to tell him.”
Um. Hmm. “Okay. Why not?”
“For the original reason. He’s oblivious right now. No reason for him to be otherwise. He’s going through his life as he always does. If I were to call him about this, it would disrupt his life pattern. Why would I do that to him on the off chance there might be something to worry about?”
“And if there really is?”
“I’ll let him know then.”
“All right. I’ll be ready to go when you get here.”
“Thanks, Teal.”
“You’re welcome, Decker. I’ll see you Friday morning.”
“You will, yes.” If not before.
Chapter 42
Friday….
* * *
Teal was sitting on the top step of her front stoop, watching as Decker pulled into the driveway. House secured, she grabbed up her purse and keys and jogged to the truck. Once inside, she buckled up, then leaned over for a kiss.
“Good morning. Chilly today.”
“It is a good morning, and I’d call it bracing.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “Hmm.”
“Invigorating. Energizing.”
“Ah. Must be runners-speak.”
He grinned. “How are you?”
“Anxious and curious. I wanted to thank you again for going with me to the nursery yesterday.”
A shrug. “No big deal. I enjoy your company anytime. And the flowers you got, I’m sure, are a beautifying addition to the library interior.”
“Wow. Lots of big words in there.”
“I have to exercise my vocabulary. I’m dating a librarian, you know.”
She laughed.
At the apartment complex, Decker found an empty slot. “Her car is here.” He nodded to the burgundy-colored Chevy Cruze two vehicles from where they sat. “Let’s go see if she’s home.”
They climbed a flight of stairs to the second floor, and stood in front of apartment number 75B. Decker knocked, twice, with no response. He pulled a black zippered leather case from his inside jacket pocket, selected what he needed, and proceeded to finagle the lock. The door snicked open, and he stepped in, calling for his daughter.
Teal followed, slowly, taking in everything. She made a left turn into the galley kitchen that led to a minuscule dining area and a short hallway where she saw the bathroom at the end. There was a bedroom on the right, and she wandered in.
All was neat and tidy. The bed was made, no dirty laundry in the hamper. The bath was clean, and the trash can was empty. In the bedroom, she opened the closet. Carin’s clothes were hung neatly, her shoes were organized by pairs and lined up on the closet floor. Feeling like an intruder, she went through the bedside table and dresser drawers, not finding anything unusual. Everything in the room was neat.
She ran a finger along the top edge of the chest of drawers.
Hmm. Nothing out of place. No dust. No dirt. No trash. No vibes of anything amiss.
And yet….
>
Teal heard Decker in the small living room, and went to join him.
He looked up. “Find anything?”
“No.”
“Me either.”
A small desk was crammed into a corner near the front door. A phone, laptop, and desk calendar were on top. No drawers. Above the desk on the wall was a corkboard with a set of keys hanging from a tacked up hook.
Teal glanced at the calendar. There were two dates with the notation: SJ coming. The first date was the same day the first victim died. The second date was the day after Carin had showed up at the restaurant.
“Decker?”
“Yeah?”
“Come look at this.”
He came to stand beside her. “What is it?”
She pointed to the calendar.
“Interesting. I wonder who SJ is.”
“I’ve been in her bathroom and bedroom. It’s all so neat and tidy and…clean. Too neat. Too tidy. There’s no trash. No dust. Almost like someone cleaned her apartment then hung up her keys here when they left.”
“Is that what you feel?”
“It’s what I observed. It feels staged. As though someone deliberately cleaned Carin’s apartment. I know, I’m repeating myself. But, Decker, she’s been gone for about two weeks, right? There’s no dust on anything. It doesn’t smell stale. As a matter of fact, it smells like someone just used Pine Sol in here.”
Decker sniffed. “Yeah. It does. Okay. Either Carin was here, and did some housecleaning before she took off for parts unknown. Or, someone else did after…after taking her out of here.”
Teal ran her hand over his arm. “It’s hard. I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “It’s got to be said. She could have been taken against her will.”
“I’m going to check her mailbox, unless you object.”
“No. Go ahead. I’ll keep looking around.”
Teal reached for the keys, then stopped. “You don’t think there’d be fingerprints on them, do you?”
Decker pulled a pair of latex gloves from his back pocket. “Here. Put these on. Should have thought of it when we first walked in.”
“Uh oh. I’ve been touching things wherever I’ve been.”
“Don’t worry about it. I doubt the police will be coming in to do anything.”