by Mary Maxwell
“Do you mind if we talk about what happened?” I asked.
Rex blinked. “You mean when they tried to electrocute me?”
“It was more than one person?”
“Yes,” he answered. “Two women, including Arlene. I finally got her address. I thought maybe she could help me find him. And when I went there, I didn’t do anything wrong. I just knocked on her door and asked if she’d seen my brother.”
“And then she pulled out a Taser and attacked you?”
“I don’t know what it was.” His eyelids sagged and his head bobbed. “But she didn’t zap me until we were back downtown.”
“Did she drive you there?”
Rex nodded. “She wasn’t happy to see me,” he said. “But after we talked about things for a while at her place, she suggested we go and have something to eat. We were walking down the street and this other woman came out of nowhere. She had this little plastic gun in her hand—bright yellow with some black on the sides—and she tried to electrocute me with it. She kept zapping me while Arlene yelled at me for showing up at her house. She threatened to kill me if I ever do it again.”
“What else do you remember?” I asked.
The sides of his mouth crawled into a sleepy smile. “I remember a nice man in the front seat and me in the back.”
“What happened to your car?” I asked. “Did you take a taxi to her house?”
He winced. “Man, this hurts.” He reached for the back of his head, but the IV stopped his arm about half way up. “I need more pain pills.”
“Do you want me to get the nurse?”
His eyes dropped to the remote control on the bed. “Push the big button,” he said. “The red one.”
After I alerted the staff, I repeated my question about the blue sedan.
Rex squinted. “The blue what?”
“The car,” I said. “The one you—”
“The battery died. Stupid piece of crap wouldn’t start.”
“Is that why you left it at Java & Juice?”
He stared at the images pulsing on the television.
“Rex?” I said after a few seconds.
“What?” His gaze slowly rotated until our eyes locked.
“The car?” I said. “The battery died so you abandoned it?”
He nodded, but the grimace on his face deepened from the pain. “Yeah, it died,” he said, lowering his voice to a sodden rasp. “That’s why I took a taxi to see Arlene. I figured that would be better than trying to find my way around. I don’t do so good with following directions.”
“That makes sense. What happened when you arrived at her house?”
His eyelids lowered again as he yawned. “When you arrived where?”
“No,” I said. “When you got to Arlene’s. What happened?”
His head rolled to one side and his lips moved silently. “I think she was surprised,” he said finally. “She knew who I was. And she remembered my brother telling her things about me.” He paused and blinked a few times. “And that thing hurt bad when it zapped me! I mean really bad! I stumbled on something and tried to reach for a tree, but it was too far away.”
“That’s when you fell into the fence,” I said. “You must’ve blacked out after the wrought iron punctured your side.”
“I don’t know,” he mumbled.
“How long were you with Arlene?” I asked. “From the time you arrived at her house until she drove you downtown?”
He blinked.
“Was it ten minutes?” I suggested. “Or twenty?”
He thought for a moment before estimating that two or three hours had elapsed between his knock on the woman’s front door and the glint of the yellow plastic gadget beneath a streetlamp.
“Did you get a good look at it?” I asked. “Have you seen a Taser before?”
Rex winced again. “It was…” His head dropped back onto the pillows. “…um, sorry, Miss Reed. This is hurting a lot more than before.”
I got up from the chair and went toward the hallway.
“You leaving now?” he called in a gravelly croak.
“I’ll be back in a flash,” I said. “I just want to let someone know that you’re having a lot of discomfort.”
He smiled, closed his eyes and moaned softly. “Thank you. I’ll be right here when you get back.”
By the time I returned a few minutes later with one of the nurses, Rex was snoring loudly.
“I’ll check on him again in a half hour,” she promised.
“That would be great,” I said. “I’ll probably stop by tomorrow to see how he’s doing.”
“Are you a friend?” the woman said. “Or a family member?”
“We just met the other day,” I told her. “He’s in town trying to find his brother.”
She nodded. “Are you Kate?”
“Yes,” I said. “I’m Kate Reed.”
The woman smiled. “He told me to give you something if you came by.” She walked over to the bedside table, opened the top drawer and removed a large white envelope. “I could probably get fired for doing this,” she said, holding the package in my direction. “But he seems like a really sweet guy. He asked me to give these to you.”
I accepted the package and asked about the contents.
“It’s his phone,” she said. “And a bunch of photographs that he had in his pockets.”
“And he wanted me to have them while he’s in here?” I asked with a doubtful smile.
The woman shrugged. “What can I tell you? He kept repeating it over and over: ‘Give everything to Kate Reed. Give everything to Kate Reed.’ You must’ve made a strong impression on him if you two just met.”
I smiled again, but didn’t comment on her remark. Instead, I asked why the police hadn’t confiscated the items after Rex was found downtown.
She shook her head. “I guess the paramedics scooped them up first,” she said. “They were on the ground underneath a bag.”
I’d forgotten about the backpack Rex had over his shoulder when he came to see me at Sky High.
“Where is the bag?” I said.
She pointed at the bottom drawer in the table. “It was empty when they brought him in.” She smiled and reached for the handle. “Do you want that, too? He didn’t mention it, but he was very adamant about giving the phone and those snapshots to you. The guy’s obviously been through some pretty rough times lately. I didn’t see any harm in doing one small kindness for him.”
I smiled at the woman. “I’ll take the phone and pictures,” I said. “But why don’t we leave the bag where it is for now. Does that sound okay?”
“Works for me,” she answered.
CHAPTER 15
When I got outside to my car, I put the envelope holding Rex Greer’s phone and pictures on the passenger seat. Then I called Zack to let him know that I wouldn’t be back after all.
“That’s okay,” he said, ever the understanding gentleman. “I know you’re trying to help that guy find his brother, so I’ll see you tomorrow. Just make sure that you’re being careful, okay?”
“You’re the best,” I said.
“Ditto,” he replied. “I love you, babe.”
“Love you,” I said. “Now, forever and always.”
After a few more whispered words, I promised to call as soon as I had finished my next errand.
“Go on then,” Zack said. “Take that stuff to Trent and give me a buzz when you’re safe at home.”
The drive to the Crescent Creek PD headquarters gave me a chance to practice two different versions of my story. But by the time I walked through the office door and sat across the desk from Trent, I was too tired to do anything more than go right for the truth.
“I have Rex Greer’s phone and some other belongings,” I said, putting the white envelope on the desk. “Please don’t ask me how they came to be in my possession.”
Trent squirmed in his chair before folding his thick forearms over his chest.
“Katie?” he said in a
deep, hoarse tone. “How did these things come to be in your possession?”
I sighed. “I thought maybe they could help,” I said, flying past his rhetorical query. “Like, maybe the GPS will show you where he’s been during his visit to Crescent Creek. And the call logs and text message history can be helpful, right?”
Trent groaned. “Magic?” he said. “Is that it?”
“What’re you talking about?”
His unhappy expression brightened slightly. “You avoided my question. I wanted to know where you found Greer’s phone.”
I lifted both hands, fluttered my fingers in the air and said, “Abracadabra! Presto chango!”
Trent slapped both hands over his face. “Why are you torturing me, Katie?” he moaned. “I’ve been awake for twenty-eight hours!” He rubbed his eyes. “Twenty-eight hours! Do you know how tired I am?”
I waited until he lowered the meaty mitts. Then I smiled, tapped the white envelope and said, “You’re welcome!”
His jaw clamped down and the chubby fingers of one hand reached for the package.
“I know that you’re right,” he said, loosening the flap. “About the GPS and the rest. But I get a little ticked off when people meddle with our investigations.”
“How am I meddling?” I asked. “As soon as I took possession of Greer’s belongings, I came right over to see you.”
“How’d you know that I was still here?”
“I didn’t. But if you weren’t, I would’ve left the envelope with the front desk.”
Trent laughed. “That’s the first smart thing you’ve said all night,” he told me. “Want to try for another?”
I nodded.
“Where’d you find the phone?” he said.
I shook my head. “What does that matter? Why don’t you see if it has anything useful to help find Theo Greer and identify Rex’s assailants?”
“Why are you being so evasive?” Trent asked. “Are you trying to protect someone?”
I nodded.
“Besides yourself?” he said.
I waited for a few seconds, wondering how much deeper down the conversational rabbit hole we would go before Trent yielded to reason.
“There’s a sensible explanation,” I began. “I have it on good authority that Rex’s things were on the ground underneath his backpack when the ambulance reached him. The paramedics apparently picked up everything at once and loaded it onto the gurney. When they arrived at the hospital, the backpack, phone and other things followed Rex from the ER to his room.”
Trent scoffed. “What backpack?”
“It’s still at the hospital,” I said. “Bottom drawer of the bedside table.”
“Why didn’t you abscond with that, too?”
“Because,” I said, “I didn’t want to…um, how did you put it? Oh, yeah! I didn’t want to meddle with your investigation. I left the backpack for Dina or Tyler to recover when they interview Rex Greer. I have the phone and pictures because he asked someone to give them to me.”
Trent shook his head and pushed back from the desk. Then he got up and walked to the windows. As he stared through the glass into the endless black night, I saw his shoulders gradually relax beneath his wrinkled dress shirt.
“Oh, Katie, Katie, Katie,” he mumbled, turning back to the desk. “What the heck are we going to do with you?”
I straightened my posture and shared a dazzling smile. “Maybe the keys to the city?” I said. “And a ticker tape parade?”
He glared at me and flopped back into the chair. “I know you’re not trying to be a thorn in my side.” He paused, lowering his chin and staring at me down the length of his nose. “Because, frankly, it comes naturally to you. I mean, you, Kate Reed, can be a nuisance, a rabble-rouser and a total, one-hundred percent pain in the neck.”
I felt my stomach flutter with a strange mix of nerves and pride. I’d known Trent long enough to realize that he wasn’t truly angry, but I wasn’t sure exactly how his little speech would end.
As I waited for him to finish, I slowly raised one hand.
“Yes?” he said. “Do you have a question?”
“Can I make a statement in my defense?”
He smiled. “That’s not necessary, you crazy rabble-rouser. I know you don’t mean any harm. But I think maybe next time, if there is a next time, you’ll leave the evidence where you find it and give us a call so we can process it according to department regulations.”
He was right. And we were both tired. So I apologized for overstepping and reminded him that the phone and photographs were in a sealed envelope.
“I never actually handled the evidence,” I said, slipping out of the chair. “That’s at least one thing in my favor, isn’t it?”
He got up again and walked around the desk. Then he gave me one of his standard issue Deputy Chief Walsh bear hugs.
“Thanks, Katie,” he said as we walked toward the doorway. “I’ll let you know if we get anything useful from the phone.”
“I’d appreciate that,” I said. “I’m just trying to help Rex find his brother.”
Trent nodded and walked me to the elevator. When the bell chimed and the doors opened, he waited until I’d stepped inside.
“And I hate to burst your balloon, Katie,” he said. “But they haven’t done ticker tape parades around here in about twenty years.”
CHAPTER 16
Zack answered on the first ring when I called him from home a few minutes before midnight.
“How’d it go?” he asked. “Was the guy okay?”
“Let’s just say that I would be comatose for a year if I took half of the pain pills they’d given him.”
I sat on the edge of my bed and fell back onto the mattress.
“They had him pretty doped up?” Zack asked.
“Massively,” I said, kicking off my shoes. “The nurse told me that Rex was in really bad shape when the paramedics brought him in. I only have part of the story, but it sounds like he was assaulted in front of the post office by someone with a Taser. They think he fell after he was zapped and hit the decorative fence around the flower beds in front of the building.”
“How bad was it?”
“He had a deep puncture wound on one side just below the rib cage,” I said. “As well as another on the back of his head.”
“Any idea why he was attacked?”
“Not really,” I answered. “Rex told me a couple of details, but he was too drowsy to make much sense. My guess is Dina or Tyler will interview him in the morning after he’s had a chance to get some rest.”
“Doesn’t that sound nice?” Zack murmured.
“The interview?” I said. “Or the rest?”
“The second one,” he replied with a yawn. “I fell asleep watching a documentary about the Wright Brothers.”
“Was it good?”
Zack laughed. “The first ten minutes were riveting, but I couldn’t tell you a thing about the rest of it.”
“Well, you sound pretty sleepy, handsome.”
“I am. Although my guess is that you’re the same, Katie. You’ve been up for about nineteen hours or so, right?”
I glanced at the clock on the bedside table. “Give or take. But going to see Rex was definitely worth it. I get the sense that he’s trying to be stoic and brave, but this thing with his brother has him pretty scared.”
“Did you talk to Trent at the hospital?”
“He wasn’t there,” I said. “But I stopped by the office for a quick chat. I’ll probably call him again tomorrow to get the latest.”
“Is that when you’ll tell him that you’ll be doing some snooping, too?”
“I don’t know if I’ll use that exact phrase,” I answered. “But I’ll have another talk with him. For whatever reason, I think Rex Greer trusts me.”
“I bet it’s your eyes,” he said.
“Is that right?”
“You bet, babe. I remember the first time that we met. I thought, ‘Now, here’s somebody trustworth
y. I bet she’d be a good ally if I’m ever assaulted on the street in front of the post office some random night.’”
“Hey! Don’t make fun of the guy.”
“Sorry,” Zack said. “I was just teasing. But I’m serious about your eyes.”
“Trustworthy?”
“Very,” he said. “Not to mention beautiful and captivating and sexy.”
“They’re also probably bloodshot at this point,” I joked. “I think it’s time for me to call it a night.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Want me to come over and tuck you in?”
I closed my eyes and pictured him walking through the door of my apartment and down the hallway to the bedroom. He’d be dressed in a sleek black tuxedo, carrying a bottle of champagne and two glasses along with a box of chocolate-dipped strawberries. After putting the goodies on the nightstand, he’d sweep me into his arms and press his lips to my—
“Katie?”
Zack’s voice shattered the fantasy.
“Huh?”
He snickered softly. “You were falling asleep, beautiful. Why don’t we say good night? I’ll stop by Sky High tomorrow morning for breakfast.”
“That sounds perfect,” I said.
“Love you,” Zack whispered.
“Ditto,” I replied. “More and more and more each day.”
CHAPTER 17
Julia’s face was speckled with dozens of tiny brown spots when she walked through the door the next morning at five-fifteen.
“Don’t ask,” she grumbled.
I smiled. “Okay.”
I watched while she dropped her jacket and purse on one of the stools near the back counter, trudged to the coffee maker and filled the mug that I’d left waiting for her.
“It’s nothing contagious,” she said after her first sip. “They’re from a Sharpie.”
The revelation left me smiling. When Julia glanced over, she scowled furiously for a moment or two before a case of the giggles replaced the sneer.
“What happened?” I asked as she laughed uncontrollably.
“Emma!” She clamped one hand over her mouth to stop the snickering. “She asked me where freckles come from.”