But she found out first, when she’d been in the same diner as Rio. He’d been eating a quick lunch with three uniformed officers. As a detective he almost always wore civilian clothes, his weapon holstered under a jacket or blazer. That day he’d finished up a long undercover case and was still dressed to fit in with the members of the drug ring he’d infiltrated. Baggy jeans, big gold jewelry and his baseball cap on backward. The warmth and rush of awareness he associated with Kayla had hit him when he’d looked across the booths and found Kayla staring at him. She’d been dining with her girlfriend from yoga class Zora Krasny.
The “oh, shit” moment had been the end of their relationship.
She wouldn’t even look at him now as she sat in the police car, staring straight ahead through the window.
Kayla’s pallor shook him more than he cared to admit. The woman he’d thought he might be falling for was strong and quick to defend anyone, from her employees to a surly customer.
Her defense of herself had been pretty good, too. When she’d found out what his line of work was, any hope of a future with Kayla was crushed under the iron will she employed to break up with him and keep him out of her life. The stress of finding out that her brother, a local firefighting hero recently promoted to chief, was being charged with negligence at his job didn’t help matters. It wasn’t just that, though. According to her brother, Keith, the real issue was her need for control over her life,
Still, it would have been nice to be the man who’d changed her mind about what she needed. He’d like to be the man who changed her mind about a lot of things, and those included allowing a man to treat her well and to love her the way she deserved.
He pulled on one of the many pairs of latex gloves he kept in his pocket as he walked over to the crime scene. He silently accepted the wallet one of the forensic team members handed him.
“We found it in the kitchen. Everything was spilled out of her purse.” Officer Kaufmann was a seasoned forensics expert on SVPD and one Rio enjoyed working with because he always shot straight from the hip.
“Meredith Houseman.” He scrutinized her driver’s license photo. The name was familiar and when he looked at her body, the business suit, there was no doubt she was the woman Kayla had mentioned earlier.
“The mayor’s executive assistant.”
“Yes, sir. Should we call him?”
“Hell no, not yet. Let’s leave that to Superintendent Todd.” Rio didn’t want the mayor or any of his cronies nosing around his murder investigation. Not now, not at all. He still wasn’t convinced that Mayor Charbonneau was more than a front for the recently reformed cult that was trying to set up shop on the outskirts of Silver Valley. The embezzlement charges against the previous mayor had happened too quickly, too conveniently as far as Rio was concerned. And Mayor Charbonneau’s appearance in Silver Valley just in time for the special election had been suspicious.
And now the newly elected mayor’s assistant was dead. Murdered at the same place where the mayor’s daughter was supposed to be getting married in a little more than a week.
“Detective Ortega? We’ve found something unusual on the body.” The county coroner stood in front of him, his normally quiet demeanor agitated.
“What’s that?”
“It looks like her ribs were smashed in, probably collapsing at least one lung. She took a brutal beating before she was shot.”
“Damn it.”
CHAPTER 4
“Rio, you and I both know that while the rumors may prove correct, unless we have evidence of wrongdoing, we can’t ask for a search warrant on the new mayor’s residence. No can do.” Colt Todd, Silver Valley’s superintendent of police, leveled his cool gaze on Rio. There was no sense in arguing with him.
“Yes, sir.”
“We can’t afford to do anything less than what’s perfectly legal and appropriate throughout this investigation. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.” Rio couldn’t argue with his boss, not on this one. SVPD had plenty going on at the moment, between providing testimony to put a serial killer behind bars for life, keeping an eye on a cult from New York that was trying to reunite in their jurisdiction and investigating the validity of the evidence they’d collected against the former mayor. Of course, Rio didn’t think for one minute that their former mayor had been involved in any of the charges against her. It was a setup, and he’d bet his last dollar that the new mayor was at least peripherally involved, if not behind the entire scheme.
“Do you have any leads on the victim?” Todd’s face had its usual neutral expression, but Rio heard the weariness in his tone. SVPD was being slammed from all sides by crimes that, while they looked unrelated, were proving to be linked in damning ways. The major connection was to the former cult members, all convicted felons. SVPD had to have proof to request restraining orders, or to force these suspicious new citizens of Silver Valley to leave by having the state rescind its permission to allow them to serve probation in Pennsylvania instead of New York.
“I have a few leads, sir. Two officers are out now, informing the victim’s parents. The victim is Meredith Houseman, age twenty-seven, Silver Valley resident. A graduate of Mount St. Mary’s College in Maryland. She had a degree in political science. She worked as a political intern in DC and here in Harrisburg before landing the job with Mayor Charbonneau. She was living at home with her parents while she earned money to go to law school—she’d been accepted by Penn State to study at Dickinson.”
“Damn shame.” Colt Todd shook his head, his frown deepening to a scowl. “There’s going to be a huge backlash with this, especially the media. They’re still not satisfied Charbonneau got into office legally.”
Neither was Rio, and he suspected his boss agreed, but it wasn’t anything they verbalized. It didn’t matter, not until they found solid evidence that the new mayor was behind any illegal doings. SVPD wasn’t a small department, with thirty officers and two to three detectives depending upon operational tempo. It was considered midsize and was usually more than enough to serve the twenty thousand citizens of Silver Valley.
“Debbie’s on it, sir.” Rio referred to the SVPD’s spokesperson. She’d moved up from her job as receptionist when the Female Preacher Killer had been in the middle of his killing spree, wreaking havoc on Silver Valley last Christmas.
“Great. One more thing, Rio. You’d better sit down for this.”
Here it comes.
“You understand that you have to consider Kayla Paruso as a suspect. And then, once you clear her, we need to keep an eye on her. Make sure she’s safe.”
“She isn’t a killer, sir.”
Todd held up his hands. “For legal purposes, Rio. I know damn well she’s not a criminal, much less a murderer. But this is the second murder investigation she’s involved in, and she is the only witness to this one. We have no other leads and I will not have the DA or governor coming after SVPD for anything procedurally imperfect.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Stop placating me, Rio. Do all of the usual work-ups you’d do on any other suspect. It won’t be as heavy a workload since you did a preliminary investigation on her after she delivered those flowers to Zora Krasny last Christmas. For all we know the crazy cult might be trying to get to her next.” He referred to the bouquet of flowers a serial killer had sent to the person he’d hoped would be a future victim via Kayla’s floral shop. But Zora had been working undercover with fellow SVPD detective Bryce Campbell to lure the criminal out. The case had gotten larger than expected when Zora’s biological mother, a member of a cult Zora had helped break up when she escaped as a child, showed up in Silver Valley. The same cult members were being released from prison and were settling in a trailer park on the outskirts of town.
“Sir, we both know she’s not a suspect. Not really. And her involvement with the potential cult is nil.
On a personal note, I know her—knew her—well. She’s a good person, boss.”
Colt searched his face and a slow grin cracked his usual tough expression. “Nice to know you have at least some kind of a personal life, Rio. Nevertheless, we both know how important it is to keep our paperwork in order. Since you don’t think she’s culpable, there isn’t any conflict of interest as far as I’m concerned.” Colt Todd leaned forward and rubbed his temples before he opened his eyes.
“The cult nonsense isn’t going to go away quickly or quietly. We’re dealing with some very determined people who will do anything to gain a foothold of power in a place like Silver Valley. We have everything they’d want—access to major East Coast highways, proximity to New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and DC. We have good people here for the most part. But the heroin dealers and counterfeiters are taking their toll.”
“We’re going to beat them, too, boss.”
“Yes, we are. We may need some help along the way, though.”
“We already have FBI and Treasury working in our area, sir.” Rio had no issues with the Feds and had, in fact, made several good contacts with agents operating locally. It was a mutually beneficial exchange of information and they all wanted the same thing: to put the bad guys behind bars and keep them the hell out of Silver Valley. “You’re talking about the Trail Hikers?”
“Yeah.”
Rio was familiar with the Trail Hikers, a government shadow agency that contracted agents who worked undercover, not only in Silver Valley and the Harrisburg area, but also throughout the United States as needed.
“I’m not full-time TH, sir, but I’ve been cleared to operate with them, and I received the introductory training. I’m aware of what they’re capable of. But I don’t think we’re in that much of a bind yet.”
“I didn’t think we were, either, but without their help we would have never brought down the Female Preacher Killer in time. We might still be chasing that bastard.”
“Sir, we’ll get Meredith’s killer, too. He’s amateur at best, to have confronted the mayor’s personal assistant in a place where anyone could have walked in at any time. Chances are it’s someone the mayor knows.” He wanted to wrap this up with Todd. Kayla was somewhere in the building, waiting to give her statement. But Colt wasn’t done with him.
“Watch it, Rio. We can’t start operating on assumptions. We both know where that will get us. I’m asking you to keep an open mind. If you see anyone you think is a Trail Hiker, you can’t let them know you suspect there’s a bigger investigation afoot. It’s for all of our safety.”
“Keep my eyes open and my mouth shut. I know the routine, boss.”
That got a full grin out of Colt Todd, a rarity when his boss was stressed.
As Rio let himself out of his superior’s office, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it might be the last smile he’d see from his boss in a long time.
* * *
Colt Todd watched Rio depart as an attractive silver-haired woman walked into his office.
“Claudia. You’re working late. Nice to see you.”
“Colt. I heard about the murder.” She shut the door behind her. When she turned back to him, she held out her hand. They shook and not for the first time he wished he could tug on her slim but strong arm and bring her up against him, lower his mouth to hers and...
“I trust I’m not interrupting you?” She motioned to the door Rio had just exited.
“Only our most recent murder investigation. Please, sit down.” He waited until she slid into the chair before he lowered himself into his. “It’s damn vexing, Claudia. When I was a rookie, we were pressed if we had one or two murders a decade. Now we’ve had more in the past six months than the last five years. What the hell is going on with this town?”
“I think we both suspect the same thing, Colt.”
“I can’t wait to take down these cult maniacs.”
“That’s what I’m here for. I have to ask you, and the SVPD, to give the True Believers a wide berth.”
“What do you mean by that?” He already knew, but he wasn’t going to let her off the hook, no matter how damn attractive she was.
“Higher levels of government are interested in the cult, Colt. How it’s reorganizing, why it’s picked Silver Valley and if Leonard Wise is back in town.” She named the original leader of the cult, a man who had created a colony of children with young women convinced they had to listen to him. “I can’t say much more, except that we need to monitor them. They may lead to some bigger crooks. And a bigger scheme than taking over a town of twenty thousand in suburban Pennsylvania.”
He looked at her and admired how she didn’t blink, didn’t flinch, as he’d been known to make many cops, and especially criminals, do. “You’re asking me to keep the residents of Silver Valley in danger from these crazies and to put my force at risk for longer than necessary, Claudia.”
“Yes, I am. And it’s not a request, Colt, so your conscience can be clear. It’s an order from way above my pay grade.” Claudia was a retired United States Marine Corps general. “Above her pay grade” referred to the highest levels of government.
“If it has the attention of the White House, why not bring in more FBI?”
“Trail Hikers are elite, Colt. The FBI is fantastic at what it does. But we don’t know how far the cult’s reach is. Who’s really calling the shots. Leonard Wise could be a front man for someone, something else. Until we have more concrete answers we can’t call in anything that would arouse suspicion.”
“Or spook the cult away.”
Claudia nodded. “You got it. I hate it as much as you that Silver Valley has become the petri dish to observe these slime bags. All I can do is promise that TH is here, backing up SVPD whether or not your officers are aware of it.”
“How much support will we get from your group?” He knew he had Claudia’s support as the group CEO, but even she had superiors to answer to.
“As much as you need, like always. As long as our budget holds out, which, trust me, it will.” She shifted forward in her seat. “Can you fill me in on what you have on the Houseman murder? Rio will file a report for us, but I want to hear it from you first.”
“You must think the murder’s related to the cult, Claudia. Or is there something more I don’t know?”
“No, I have no connections. Yet. But a mayor voted into office in such a rush, especially a political thug whose specialty until now has been New Jersey politics, raises red flags. We can’t rule out the True Believers manipulating local politics for their own gain.”
“You’re leaving something out, Claudia, but I’ll play along.” He waited for her to smile and felt a rush of warmth to his crotch that he had to admit was a damned welcome feeling after years of living his self-imposed celibate lifestyle since his wife had died eight years ago.
Maggie. God, he still missed her. But when Claudia was around, the pain diminished. He filled her in on what he knew.
“Kayla Paruso, the florist from last Christmas who delivered the message in a bouquet to Zora Krasny.” Claudia wasn’t asking, she was thinking aloud. The woman had a steel trap for a brain. Another reason he was attracted to her. “We did an extensive background check on her at the time. She was raised by Foreign Service officers and has lived globally, probably conversational in two if not three languages besides English.”
“That’s not going to help us solve this, Claudia. She barely caught a look at the guy and describes his voice as deep and masculine.”
“From a polyglot that’s not a bad thing. I’m sure she’d be able to identify the voice again, in court. What I’m more interested in is her potential as a Trail Hiker.” Claudia’s eyes gleamed and the color on her high cheekbones conveyed her enthusiasm at adding to her team of super-trained law-enforcement agents.
“A florist? Claudia
, I’m a simple man, the leader of a team of local cops. But even I know the importance of having the training and background to go into any kind of law enforcement. I doubt Kayla Paruso knows the difference between a pistol and a rifle.”
“Because she’s a woman?”
“Hell no. Because she’s an artistic type. Have you met her? She’s a pretty woman, very intelligent and very focused on her flower shop. It’s her life.”
“That kind of focus can easily translate into what we need on TH, especially for undercover surveillance.” Claudia’s eyes narrowed. Colt hid his amusement because he didn’t want Claudia to think he was making fun of her. He wasn’t. He was thrilled that he could make her react like this. It brought him back to his first thoughts about Claudia when she’d walked into the office...
“Don’t, Colt.” Her gaze was steady, her voice calm, but he saw the tremor in her hands. “I know what you’re thinking and it won’t work. I don’t date men I work with.”
Well, shit.
* * *
Kayla hated the smell of the Silver Valley Police Department’s building. A small structure in the middle of the most commercial part of town, it seemed benign enough. Until she walked in and smelled the combination of day-old coffee, cigarette smoke and sugar. The coffee was self-explanatory. Any office that worked 24/7 needed a source of caffeine. The smoke wafted in from the outdoor designated smoking area, as all government buildings in Pennsylvania were smoke-free. The sugary scent she’d never been able to pinpoint. The likely stereotype was doughnuts, but the SVPD employees she’d met, from the receptionist to police officers and detectives, were all in incredible physical shape.
Still, the smell of cotton-candy sugar lingered in the air.
She hated it because she associated the building with when her brother had been brought in to give a statement after the church fire last Christmas. She’d picked him up afterward.
Harlequin Romantic Suspense March 2016 Box Set Page 70