Physical Evidence

by Debra Webb

  “Not really.” His expression was shuttered.

  “What does that mean?” she demanded, stepping closer, forcing him to look at her.

  “We had dinner, that’s all.”

  She made a sound of disbelief. “I do recall a few of the moments we shared. It felt like a lot more than just dinner.”

  Something tried to peek through his mask of control, something she couldn’t quite identify. “Did it?”

  She blinked, uncertain if she should open herself up like this. He already knew too much about her. Had already touched her far too deeply. Instantly, she recognized what was peeking past his defenses—pain. “Yes, it did.”

  Had she hurt him somehow?

  That iron mask of control slid firmly back into place. “Let’s just say that we…” he lifted one shoulder in a less than enthusiastic shrug “…connected. But I was the only one who thought it was real,” he added bitterly.

  Confusion ruled her thoughts. “I don’t understand. What are you saying?”

  “You lied to me,” he said tightly. “Told me you were just passing through on your way to Nashville. We talked for hours.” His laugh was brittle. “And I believed every line you fed me. The next day I found out who you really were.”

  Why would she have purposely lied to him that way? To her knowledge, he had never been a suspect. Or had she just gotten caught up in that connection and hadn’t wanted to ruin it by telling him the truth?

  “Maybe I didn’t want to tell you the truth because I didn’t want that night to end,” she suggested, giving voice to her thoughts.

  He rolled his eyes. “Right. I was a fool once, Alex. I don’t plan to make that mistake twice.”

  His words hurt more than she expected. “And what about last night?”

  He looked directly at her then, anything he might feel carefully concealed. “Temporary insanity?”

  “Thanks for clearing that up.” She pivoted on her heel and stamped to her borrowed room. She didn’t look back. Tears burned her eyes. She hated to cry. She slammed the door behind her and sagged against it.

  Why did she care if last night meant anything to him? It was just sex. She closed her eyes and fought back the tears. Who was she fooling? Certainly not herself. Maybe it was payback for the way she had misled him that night she couldn’t remember.

  He knocked softly.

  She tensed. She did not want him to know how much he’d hurt her.

  “Look, I shouldn’t have said that,” he began tentatively, speaking through the closed door. “Last night was—”

  “Sex,” she snapped. “Go take your shower, Hayden, you’re not the first man I’ve screwed and you won’t be the last.”

  He didn’t move for a long time. He just stood there, on the other side of the door making her want to open it and throw herself into his arms.

  Finally, he walked away.

  Alex swiped the moisture from her eyes and drew in a mighty breath. It was temporary insanity all right, and she had every intention of making sure it never happened again.

  She had a case to solve. It was past time she got her head out of the clouds and focused on what she’d come here for. And it had nothing at all to do with Mitch Hayden. At least she didn’t think it did.

  Marija and Jasna were dead. Gill didn’t kill Marija and Alex was certain Jasna had not committed suicide. That meant that someone who had the proper motivation had killed them both. The same someone who’d tried to kill Alex. She stepped away from the door, her conviction gaining momentum. The pregnancy had to be the key. The small amount of cocaine found in Miller’s car sure didn’t spell this kind of elaborate setup. It had to be the pregnancy. And Phillip Malloy had the most to lose—a wife and an election.

  Now that was motivation.

  Alex thought about Roy’s reaction to his stepfather’s dilemma. The guy was shaken pretty badly. With a temper that volatile, chances were he would break easily. Hell, he might even be the one. She shivered. All the evidence she remembered pointed to Phillip but she couldn’t rule out Roy. Though he didn’t live with Phillip and Nadine, Roy’d had access to the girl. She frowned. But would he kill one of his buddies? Alex had to know. She could get him to talk, she was sure of it.

  A satisfied smile lifted her lips. Roy was the ticket. All she had to do was rattle his cage and she’d get some answers. But she needed him on neutral ground. You planning on dropping by the club tonight? You bet.

  Stella was going to that club and so was Roy.

  Alex grabbed one of the suitcases from near the closet and plopped it onto the bed. Thank goodness Mitch had brought all of her things here. She shuffled through her belongings until she came up with the one dress she’d brought with her. A very short, very tight, very black number that usually turned heads. She dug until she found the matching high heels. She grinned. And what was a little black dress without black undies. She grabbed the black thong panties and, on second thought, tossed back the bra.

  She was going for sexy tonight. Roy was a flirt. She would use that to her advantage.

  Alex surveyed her planned wardrobe. All she needed now was a ride. She grabbed her casebook from the dresser and flipped to the page where she’d written Stella’s home number.

  Repeating the number in her head so she wouldn’t forget it, Alex opened the bedroom door and peeked into to the hall. The door to the bathroom was closed, but there was no sound coming from inside. She bit her lips and listened intently. The sound of footfalls made her jump back. Shoring up her courage she peeked around the edge of the door. Mitch went into the bathroom, clean jeans and a shirt hanging over his shoulder. He closed the door behind him.

  Alex gathered her courage. As quietly as possible she tiptoed to the telephone on the hall table. Cringing, she picked up the receiver. The dial tone echoed down the silent hall. She stabbed the first digit of Stella’s number to silence it. Going more slowly then so as not to make a mistake, she entered the rest of the number.

  Just as Stella answered the call, she heard the water in the shower. Alex sagged with relief.

  “Hey, Stella, this is Alex.” She smiled at the bubbly woman’s enthusiastic greeting. “Listen, Stel, I’m kind of in a hurry. Are you still planning to go to the club tonight?” The affirmative answer went on forever. “Good,” Alex cut in. “Do you mind if I tag along with you?” Another enthusiastic response. “Great. Can you come get me right now? I’m at the sheriff’s house, but I have to hurry if I’m going to go with you.”

  Stella assured Alex that she would be there in five minutes. Alex placed the receiver back in its cradle and hurried to her room. She made fast work of getting dressed, her discarded clothes landing where they would.

  Listening carefully for any change in the sounds emanating from the bathroom, Alex walked barefoot to the front door. Once on the porch she slipped on her heels. Stella’s car arrived within seconds, and Alex rushed down the steps and across the yard. She opened the door and climbed in with the perpetually happy waitress.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Alex urged.

  Stella winked. “Hey, girl, you ain’t trying to give that good-looking sheriff the slip, are you?”

  Alex grinned sheepishly. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

  Stella squealed. “All right, girlfriend, let’s do it.” She stomped on the gas pedal and her car spun away from Mitch’s house.

  Yeah, Alex thought, let’s do it.

  MITCH TUGGED ON his shirt and gathered his discarded clothing and the towel he’d used. He stepped into the cool hall and shivered after acclimating to the steamy bathroom. He took his laundry to the washing machine and dumped it on top of the appliance. He’d worry about sorting later. Right now he had to talk to Alex. As much as he hated to give in, he just couldn’t leave it this way.

  He’d taken the time to dry his hair, but hadn’t bothered to pull it back as he usually did. He tucked it behind his ears and went in search of the woman who was making his life a living hell.

 
It only took him about three minutes to determine that Alex was nowhere to be found. She had taken the time to change clothes, which meant she had some place special in mind and that foul play was unlikely. If someone had broken into the house to take her away, he doubted they’d want her to dress for the occasion. She hadn’t taken any of her things other than what she was wearing. It was dark. His Jeep was still in the garage.

  Someone had to have picked her up.

  Mitch checked the caller ID unit. No one had called. He picked up the receiver and pushed redial. A distinctly feminine voice answered.

  “Hello,” Mitch began, uncertain what the hell he was going to say. “Is Alex there?”

  “Uh-uh, honey, she and Stella are hanging at one of the clubs tonight. She didn’t say which one, just that she was picking up a friend named Alex and going out. You sound cute, you need a date, honey? Looks like I’ve been stood up.”

  “No… Thanks.” Mitch hung up. He swore. What the hell did Alex think she was doing going to a nightclub? He considered the clientele that frequented the places in this area and he had his answer.

  She was looking for anyone who’d known Marija. But what she was going to find was trouble.

  There was still someone out there who wanted her dead. And tonight, he might just find her.

  Chapter Nine

  Roy wasn’t there.

  Alex sat on a stool at the bar and tried not to give up hope just yet. She’d been here for almost an hour and Roy still hadn’t shown.

  The Down Under was a preppy place, Australian in decor as the name implied. Most of the clientele appeared to be under twenty-five, college students mostly. Alex concentrated hard on each area of the club. The bar, the dance floor and the clutches of small tables. None of it was familiar to her. If she’d come here before she had no recall of it and it wasn’t mentioned in her notes…but then it could have been in the part that had been stolen.

  She wondered briefly if Mitch ever came here. The ladies probably gravitated to him when he did. She pushed away that thought and the undeniable jealousy that accompanied it.

  She cringed at the thought of what he might be doing at this very moment. Calling in the posse no doubt. He would not take this sitting down. But she couldn’t worry about what he thought anymore. She had an investigation to conduct and she couldn’t do it from under his thumb. As long as she was careful, watched out for herself, she’d be fine. It wasn’t like this was the first time she’d carried on an investigation under dangerous circumstances.

  Usually though, she had all her faculties in working order and had her weapon handy.

  Alex dismissed thoughts of her amnesia and decided to work the room. She might as well see if anybody around here remembered Marija. She didn’t have anything to lose and it would pass the time until Roy showed. If he showed.

  She picked up her half-empty bottle of beer and slid off the stool. She surveyed the crowded place and selected a table with three young women drinking and eyeing the men who entered the club.

  As Alex moved in that direction, she noticed Stella draped on a tall, good-looking guy several years her junior. Alex gave her the thumbs-up; Stella winked.

  “Hey,” Alex called out to the threesome seated around the table for four. “This seat taken?”

  The three looked at each other, then at Alex and shook their heads in unison.

  “Good.” Alex settled into the chair and crossed her long legs in full view of any guy who happened by. She might as well attract as much attention as possible. The more bites she got, the more info she could glean.

  During a brief lull in the loud music, the ladies introduced themselves and Alex did the same using an alias. Between the redhead, the blonde, the brunette, and their flashy, barely there, attire, Alex felt as if she’d slipped through the Twilight Zone and ended up on an episode of Sex and the City.

  “A friend of mine used to hang out here,” she added. “Marija Bukovak.”

  One girl nodded, the one named Tabitha. “Yeah, I remember her. Didn’t she like disappear or something?”

  Alex adopted a sad expression. “Yeah. No one knows what happened to her,” she lied.

  “I’ll tell you what’s strange,” the redhead, Darlene, said. “She was going with that deputy who got shot. Isn’t that eerie?”

  Pay dirt. Alex inclined her head in Darlene’s direction. “You mean Deputy Miller?”

  Darlene nodded. “I saw her here with him a couple of times right before she disappeared.”

  “Me, too,” the third girl, the brunette, Renae, added. “They were pretty tight. You know, always whispering to each other and ignoring everyone else.”

  Alex shrugged. “Maybe they had a thing going,” she suggested.

  The three shared a look. “Well, once she disappeared, Miller never came back here,” Darlene said.

  “It was weird,” Tabitha put in. “Those other guys, Arlon and Roy, they come here all the time. But Miller, he never came back, and he was big buddies with those two.”

  Alex leaned closer into the circle. “I heard that guy Miller was into the nose candy.”

  All three shook their heads. “No way. He was too uptight,” Renae insisted.

  “But now, Marija was a different story,” Darlene interjected. “She was a real cokehead.”

  Alex resisted the urge to frown. “Too bad.”

  “Too bad for her,” Tabitha said. “But good for us. Whenever she was here, the guys always flocked to her. Well, at least until Miller started showing up with her.” She flipped her long blond tresses over her shoulders. “I don’t see why either. She was too shy.”

  “She wasn’t that pretty,” Renae said.

  “But,” Darlene cut in, “she had an accent. Guys love women with an accent.”

  All three giggled. Alex wanted to bang their heads together. Marija was dead and these three clueless nymphs were laughing at her. Of course, they didn’t know she was dead. But Alex doubted it would change their attitude if they did.

  Time to move on. Alex excused herself and headed back to the bar. She took another sip of her warm beer and considered what the girls had told her. So, Miller and Marija had something going. Sex and drugs? Was he supplying her with drugs in return for sex? At twenty-eight, he’d been a good deal older than Marija. Maybe that had been his game. A little of this for a little of that.

  It grieved Alex to think that Marija had gotten involved with drugs. Her sister hadn’t seemed to be aware of the problem. But then, they’d been apart for a good long while. With the kind of hardships they’d endured, it was easy to see how one or both could have turned to drugs for escape.

  Alex was relatively certain that Mitch would go postal at the recommendation of testing Miller’s DNA to see if he was the father of Marija’s baby. He probably wouldn’t like that idea any more than he did her request that Phillip be tested. And, Alex wasn’t sure what it would accomplish. Even if Miller had something going with Marija, he couldn’t have killed Saylor or Jasna. In Alex’s book, that pretty much ruled him out.

  Alex still couldn’t believe she had missed the connection between Roy and the Malloys. He had to have known Marija fairly well himself. Maybe he should be tested, too. Outside a court order, Alex didn’t see that happening. And it took evidence to sway a judge into issuing that kind of court order.

  The warm beer flowed down her throat as she turned the bottle up once more. Alex plopped it down on the bar and surveyed the shimmying bodies on the dance floor. She hadn’t been dancing in forever.

  Mitch wasn’t the only one with a social life that stunk. Alex had fallen way behind her peers in the dating game. That had proven one of the main draws between her and Zach. They were both extremely busy and working together as they did made things convenient, but that’s it.

  The image of Mitch Hayden formed in her head, stealing her breath and making her wish that things could be different. Even though she couldn’t actually remember the night they had shared over dinner, she felt the bond th
at had developed. Last night’s lovemaking, and that’s what it had been, made her tingle each time she thought of the thorough way he’d touched her.

  Alex was twenty-nine, she’d had several lovers over the years, but no one had made her feel the way Mitch did. Could it be somehow related to the bang on the head she’d suffered that made their lovemaking feel so…so intense? So earthshaking, so life altering? There had to be some explanation of why they were drawn together like two long lost missing halves of each other. But it was so the wrong time and place.

  Ric Martinez had told her all about how he and Piper had fallen for each other. And a couple just couldn’t get any more unlikely than those two.

  Alex shook herself. What was she thinking? She and Mitch were merely two people thrown together during stressful circumstances. When the case was solved, the attraction would likely fade. They were on opposite sides of the game here. The adage opposites attract was likely at work.

  The whole hoopla was probably nothing but chemistry and proximity.

  Panning the club once more, Alex’s gaze jerked back to the door. Roy Becker sauntered in.

  “My, my, Roy, aren’t you looking slick tonight?” Alex murmured. A shudder of something like revulsion quaked through her. Her lips drew down into a frown. What was it about him that rattled her so? Maybe she was confusing his presence at the scene with the other bad memories associated with that terrifying episode.

  Roy shook hands and slapped high fives with his peers, and winked at the occasional attentive young lady as he crossed the room. He was decked out in clean jeans and shirt and his hair was spiked with gel. All in all, he looked pretty good for a good old boy that gave Alex the willies. And the ladies noticed him, including the clueless threesome she had spoken with earlier.

  Roy scanned the room, his gaze jerking back to the bar, or more specifically to Alex. Fury tightened his features and he strode straight up to her.