The Killer in Me

by Winter Austin

  “Ma, nice of you to come early.” She closed the door and then glared at her ex-husband. “Joel, why are you in here?”

  “I came to talk with you and decided to keep my cousin company while we waited.”

  “Great, well, now you can leave and allow myself and Ma to have our discussion.”

  With a chuckle that spoke of years of smoking, Martha Kauffmann squeezed Joel’s knee. “That’s all right, Ellie. Joel is family, and this is, after all, family business.”

  “Ma, he’s like your fourth or fifth cousin. I don’t think that can be construed as close enough for family business.”

  Another chuckle and Ma slapped her hands in her lap. “Family is family, no matter the distance. If you were still married to him, you’d still be my family.”

  And she’d still not care two bits about it. Circling her desk, Elizabeth stepped over Bentley’s prone body and slipped into her chair.

  “My dear, you look like you got in a fight with a dust bowl,” Ma commented.

  Elizabeth glanced at Joel. He was studying her, using that damn Delta mojo mental deal he’d perfected on her, trying to get a read on what she was about to say. She hated that.

  Meeting Ma’s worried eyes, Elizabeth patted her shirt. “Oh, it’s nothing but a little dirt and grime from an old house. Your daddy’s old house, to be exact.”

  Ma cocked her head. “What were you doing in that broke down place?”

  “Just checking on a disturbance complaint. Ma, we must have a serious discussion about bulldozing that place to the ground. Myself and my newly appointed deputy were about killed when the upstairs bathroom caved in.”

  Horror filled Ma’s face. “My God, girl, what in the world possessed you to walk through it? You know that house is about to come crashing down.”

  Joel sat unmoved, his features blank and smooth. But his eyes gave away his thoughts. He’d never been able to hide that part of himself from Elizabeth. Once Ma left this office, Joel was going to lecture her on safety. Where was the whiskey?

  “Yes, Ma, I’m well aware of that, and made even more so by the earlier events. Which is grounds for me to push for you to have it torn down. It’s either me coming to you on friendly terms or the mayor doing it behind your back. Just having it condemned doesn’t stop people from going inside, which is why we were there. Someone is going to get seriously hurt and then you’ll be liable.”

  “We’ll discuss that later. What I want to know is what you’ve been able to learn about my son’s death.”

  Three years ago, shortly before Elizabeth returned to Juniper, Daniel Kauffmann, Ma’s second son, was killed in a terrible car accident. The moment Elizabeth had won her seat as sheriff, Ma had pushed her to reopen the investigation. Appeasing the matriarch of the Kauffmann family and easing her own curious nature at the same time, Elizabeth had. What she’d learned was fairly straightforward.

  One winter night on a slick, snow-packed gravel road, Daniel Kauffmann lost control of his Chevy Silverado and went off the road at a high rate of speed. The vehicle flipped over an estimated five times, crashing into a highline pole, which ripped the truck in half. Daniel had been ejected from the vehicle and killed on impact with the ground. It was believed he’d fallen asleep, as his body had no signs of alcohol or drug use.

  However, Ma maintained foul play was involved. Someone had followed her son and forced him off the road, why else would he have been going so fast? But the investigators on the scene claimed it was possible with the slick conditions for the truck to speed up, or Daniel had pressed the accelerator as he fell asleep. Elizabeth had to agree with the findings.

  Clasping her hands together, and with a quick look at her ex, Elizabeth sighed and leaned forward. “Ma, I’ve gone over all the reports and talked with the first responders who were there. They didn’t see any signs someone had forced him off the road.”

  “They’re lying, Ellie, and you know it.”

  “What would they have to gain from lying about how he died?”

  Ma’s deep brown eyes sparked. She was known to have a temper but rarely showed it. The woman was the heartbeat of her family, practically raising three boys alone amid the rumors swirling around town about her husband in the years before he died. She’d risen above the poverty Henry Kauffmann had left her in at his passing and regained the dignity that had fallen away from her on the day she said “I do.”

  “You know damn well my family has gained enemies. I told you so.”

  “Yes, you did. And believe me, Ma, I don’t take anything you say lightly. But there is no evidence to prove your theory.”

  Ma leaned forward, jutting out her chin in a defiance born of hardships and her stubborn nature. “Ellie, I made no bones about my problems with Kelley Sheehan. I was upfront with you from the start that that man has been out to get me ever since my Henry died. He and his posse were known to lie.”

  This was an all too common story many people had come to Elizabeth about once she took office. Her predecessor had a mile-long list of complaints from just about everyone in Eckardt County. Problem being, ex-sheriff Sheehan was crafty enough to toe the line with the law so it became next to impossible to prove the allegations against his corruption. And Elizabeth hadn’t been on the job long enough to get a chance to dig deeper and prove her own suspicions about the man.

  “Ma, let’s be frank here, are you insinuating that the former sheriff may be involved with orchestrating Daniel’s death?”

  Ma’s chin lowered. She glanced at Joel, and then relaxed against the chair back. “Mighty big words coming from you, Ellie-girl. All that time following Joel all over the world turned you into someone who is better than your roots?”

  “Martha, don’t deflect,” Joel said softly.

  With a humph, Ma stood. “I came to you as an old family friend with a deep concern. I won’t sit here and be treated like a crook.”

  Old family friend, my eye. “That’s not what is happening here.” Elizabeth rose, feeling the aches from her impromptu rescue. “I need just one solid reason to continue forward with my probing. At this point, my hands are tied. Even the State Patrol troopers who had been on the scene said the evidence just wasn’t there to prove he was forced off the road.”

  “I told you every reason I had.” A chill lanced the office.

  “When you find another one, come to me about it.” Elizabeth stared the older woman dead in the eye. “I mean it. If there is any piece of information that can change the outcome of Daniel’s death, I will give it my undivided attention. I can promise you that.”

  Shaking her head, Ma exited the office, closing the door with a sharp clack. Georgia would know how to handle the situation; she’d dealt with plenty of angry people leaving Sheehan’s office over the years.

  Elizabeth’s attention narrowed to her ex. “Whatever you came here to discuss with me better be quick. I’m in the middle of a homicide investigation.”

  Joel unfolded his lithe body from the chair and came around the desk to her side. “Rafe mentioned to me that you were going to be tied up for the next few days.”

  Turning to face him, she became acutely aware of his breech of her personal space. Tired, sore, and fed up with fighting his pull on her, she allowed it. On the flip side, it made her recall why she’d slipped up last night and gave in to her urge to be with him one more time.

  He brushed aside the hair tickling her cheek, rubbing the pad of his thumb along her prominent cheekbone. “I didn’t come back to Iowa to seduce you back into bed with me.”

  Rolling her eyes, she huffed. “That’s not how it came off last night.”

  One side of his mouth quirked up. He had not shaven, and the five o’clock shadow reminded her of those days leading up to a mission where he had to look the part. Joel’s area of expertise had been Eastern Europe and parts of the Middle East due to his distinct features and the ability to blend in with the populace. And Elizabeth was privy to this only because she had snooped well enough that no one was
the wiser.

  “One too many drinks.” His hand slipped behind her head, tangling his fingers in her hair. “You do things to me, Ellie.”

  Craning her head enough to be free of his hand, she put some space between them. “I don’t have all day. Come to the point.”

  Frustration flashed through his baby blues, but he kept his temper in check. “I’m getting out of the field.”

  Shock pulsated through her. Joel no longer doing missions? Hell had frozen over.

  “And why the sudden decision?”

  He tilted his head in what could have been a shrug. “The Unit needs younger blood, and there’s a candidate list that looks impressive.”

  There was more to it. So much more.

  “Something happened on your last mission.”

  Joel stared at her, arms crossed, his gaze hard. She knew all too well he couldn’t say, but it wouldn’t stop her from pushing—a consistent point of contention between them. But she was no longer a Delta Force wife. She had all the right in the world to not put up with his secrets.

  “Never mind. Good luck with whatever you decide.”

  She moved to step past him, but his hand snagged her elbow.

  “I’m not getting out. They’ve asked me to move into an instructor position with Selection.”

  “And how do Nico and Craig feel about you training new recruits in Selection, instead of running all over hell stopping bad guys with them?” His two closest friends in Delta were also longtime team members. All three had been selected into The Unit at the same time.

  Elizabeth liked the men, had enjoyed many a gathering with the guys when they were home. She even dared a bit of flirting with Nico just to get a rise out of Joel. It had never worked.

  “They’re doing the same.”

  “Wow. All three of you Selection officers. That should be . . . boring.”

  Joel maneuvered to face her once more, cupping her face with both hands. “Give up this crazy idea to be sheriff and come back with me. I want us. I want to start fresh and make it work this time.”

  “This isn’t a crazy idea. I like doing this job.”

  “You’ve only been at it, what, a month? It’s not you, Ellie.”

  “And who are you to say what is me and what isn’t?” She pulled his hands away. “I gave an oath to the people of Eckardt County to protect them. I promised those deputies out there that things would be different, better than they were before. I’m not doing this on some whim.”

  “No, you’re doing it to find out what really happened to Bre.”

  “So what if I am?”

  “For God’s sake, Elizabeth, her death was an accident. Let it go.”

  “You don’t get to tell me what to do.” She managed to get past him, putting the desk between them. “I gave up a lot for you, Joel. I left this place so you could chase your dreams, while mine were put on hold. I lost friends because I wanted what you wanted. I’m not going back to the status quo.”

  “Bre’s death is why you took all those law classes and got a criminology degree? Damn it, I should have seen it. This obsession with her death isn’t healthy.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “Once more you prove just how little you know about me.”

  Joel held out his hands, a beggar pleading for more. “I know you loved me.”

  “At one time I did, but I’ve moved on. I want other things.” She snapped her fingers and Bentley moved to her side. “And those things don’t include you. Tell the guys I said hi.” She headed for the door, pausing as she opened it, and looked back at Joel. “I mean it. I want you out of my house before I get home.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or Rafe comes to remove you. And he’s just pissed enough, he won’t be nice.”

  “Still running to my little brother when you don’t get your way.”

  Elizabeth stared at him, swallowing the anger bubbling inside. Sighing, she let the passive smile slip in place. “Jealousy doesn’t become you, Joel.” With that, she stepped into the open office.

  Greeting her with expectants eyes were Meyer and Georgia. She nodded to Georgia.

  “Deputy Meyer, why are you not at home getting some sleep?”

  “We have an ongoing investigation, Sheriff. Sleep can wait.”

  “He took a nap at my instance,” Georgia said.

  Meyer blushed red at the statement. “It wasn’t long.”

  “It’s better than no sleep.” She looked her dog in the eyes. “Bentley, stay.” The collie sat where she stood. “Georgia, hold down the fort. Deputy Meyer, you’re with me.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “The hospital. My afternoon plans have changed, and Dr. Remington-Thorpe is waiting.”

  Elizabeth chanced a look back at her office to see Joel standing in the doorway. Once upon a time, that had been her, watching him leave with his men to some war-ravaged country, never knowing if he’d return alive or dead. The difference being, she wasn’t off to war.

  She focused on the hallway before her. It felt good closing that chapter of her life. The new one was a blank page before her. One she was ready to fill with her own story.

  Chapter Seven

  The ride in Lundquist’s department-issued truck had been excruciating, and not just because of the pain in her abdomen. Lila couldn’t get a good read on the man; her intuition said he was a good cop, but the scowl he cast at the windshield warned of some storm brewing in the man. To avoid any more awkwardness, Lila kept her thoughts to herself, suffering the ride in silence, made more so with the throbbing in her side.

  Currently, the pain had eased as she stood in a small lab in a near-empty wing of the hospital, watching Lundquist as he transferred the samples she’d taken from the house to his testing materials. Equipment needed for quick sample testing was scattered about the lab on counters and in foam-padded boxes. Lundquist was prepared for anything, and that felt off to her for a deputy. In Lila’s experience forensics was a scientist’s realm, not usually a position for an LEO. Yes, she had trained in evidence collection, but most of the actual science was left for the CSIs.

  She noted the sealed evidence bags marked DCI with today’s date on them. Evidence he’d tagged at the homicide scene this morning. Lila rolled up on her tiptoes and studied the bags better. The items in the bags appeared to be things Lundquist was not capable of handling in his limited lab.

  “What do you want me to test for?”

  His question rattled Lila out of her snooping. Blinking her face into a mask of indifference, she looked at him. “Is it human or animal blood? You do have the ability to check for that, right?”

  Grunting a response, he turned back to his kits and dipped a dropper into a clear vial, then carefully dropped a bead of liquid on a slide with a sample.

  Lila abandoned her position and inched closer to the counter, watching for the reaction she hoped she’d see. A moment later the brown fleck separated from the paint and plaster and congealed. Smug satisfaction slithered through her.

  “Human,” Lundquist said, straightening. He looked at her. “What’s the story on this?”

  “Not fully sure, but I extracted it from the old Barrett house.” She tucked her hands inside her coat pockets, stirring the dust that had settled on the fabric. Her movements earned a scowl from the man across from her.

  “That explains your and the sheriff’s filthy conditions, but not why you were in there.” He set about conserving the samples and labeling them.

  “Mrs. McKinnley filed a disturbance complaint and we checked it out. Too bad some of the house collapsed while we were in there, dropping potential evidence into the cellar.”

  Lundquist’s head whipped in her direction, a startled expression momentarily erasing the scowl. “The house collapsed?”

  “Part of it did.”

  Angry lines creased the corners of his eyes, the blue depths sparking. “Neither of you should have been in there. That place is barely standing, the sheriff knows that. What the hell was she
thinking? You talked her into it, didn’t you?”

  Lila flushed from Lundquist’s accusation, her spine stiffening. “Why would I? It wasn’t my call-out.”

  Completed with his work, Lundquist snapped the lid on an airtight container and faced Lila, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. “And I see you didn’t bother to stop her, either.” If she wasn’t mistaken, Lila could hear an undertone of protection in his statement.

  Who was Deputy Kyle Lundquist to Sheriff Benoit?

  “Was this blood sample worth nearly getting killed, Deputy Dayne?”

  When Lila refused to take his bait, he grunted once again, letting his arms drops. “I rest my case.” He strode to the lab door, opening it and pointing at the lighted hall. “Let’s go.”

  She exited the lab ahead of him, heading left and going back the way they had come. With each step, agony rippled through her. Where was the nearest restroom? She had to look at the scrapes and bruises on her abdomen, find out the extent of her injuries from that fall. While she might have avoided further injuring her bad side, things could have jarred the scar tissue.

  “Wrong way,” Lundquist barked when she passed a hall leading to the main part of the hospital.

  Easing to a halt, Lila rotated. “Excuse me?”

  He stood at the corner, all six foot three of menacing Viking. “This way to see a doctor.” The sign above his head declared that was the direction to a walk-in clinic.

  “I don’t need to see a doctor.”

  “You might have a problem with following the sheriff’s orders, but I don’t.”

  “That’s a rich statement coming from a man who just ripped me a moment ago for following the sheriff’s orders.”

  Lundquist rewarded her comeback with more of that stoic glaring. What was his deal? How was she expected to work with him when he made it plain as the nose on her face he was going to be a hassle and a half every chance he could take?

  Glaring back in turn until she felt she’d satisfactorily conveyed her irritation, she changed course and entered the hall. Lundquist fell in step with her as they walked, their booted steps echoing in the sterile corridor. Once they breeched the main registration area, Lundquist led her to a nurses’ station.