Edge of Darkness

by Karen Rose

  He was back in detective mode, his movements spare, his eyes coldly unreadable. “According to Johnny, Andy Gold said he and Shane went to high school together, but that Shane got a full ride to a university up north and he moved away. Andy also brought a young woman into Pies & Fries from time to time. He called her Linnie.”

  “Oh,” Meredith breathed, recalling the devastation on Andy Gold’s face moments before his death. “The ‘her’ he was afraid would be killed. He said, ‘I’m sorry, Lin.’ I forgot about that until just now.”

  His nod was brisk. “A fair assumption, then, but let’s see what Mr. Baird has to say.”

  Adam took her straight to the observation side of the interview room where Lieutenant Isenberg waited in front of the mirror, arms folded over her chest. She was frowning, troubled.

  She glanced up, greeted them with a nod, then returned her gaze to the two young men sitting at the table on the other side of the glass. “The blond is Shane Baird. The ginger is his best friend, Kyle Davis. Both sophomores at Kiesler University. Kyle borrowed his girlfriend’s car to get Shane here because Shane doesn’t have a car and was ‘super rattled’ when he saw Andy’s picture in an article online. Kyle has apparently taken on the role of Shane’s mouthpiece. The Baird kid’s said only eight words since he got here. Kyle’s been demanding to speak to the detective working Andy Gold’s murder.”

  “What were the eight words Shane said?” Meredith asked.

  Isenberg gave her a considering glance. “‘Who was the woman Andy tried to shoot?’ He’s repeated that question a dozen times. Have you seen either of them before?”

  “So there is a connection between Andy Gold and Meredith,” Adam said with grim satisfaction.

  Isenberg shrugged. “Better than a long shot at least.”

  Meredith studied the young men at the table. Both were pale, their clothing rumpled. Shane’s blond hair was shaggy, but it had been cut conservatively at some point. He kept running a shaking hand through it. Kyle’s shoulder-length red hair looked like he cut it himself whenever it got in his eyes. He must wear it in a ponytail, she thought, because he kept pulling at a lime green scrunchie on his wrist and snapping it back. Every few seconds, he’d glance at his phone, precisely arranged on the table in front of him, then murmur something soundlessly. It looked like please, please, please.

  Shane’s knee kept bouncing under the table, stilling only when Kyle squeezed his shoulder.

  “No,” Meredith said with certainty. “I’ve never seen either of them before. I would have expected Mr. Baird to be upset, but they both look like they’re about to jump out of their skin. They’re terrified.”

  “And wired,” Adam commented. “I don’t want to spook them, although Kyle looks like he’s more in control.”

  Isenberg nodded. “That’s been the cycle since they got here. Every few minutes Kyle will squeeze Shane’s shoulder and calm him down.” She handed Adam the file. “The first thing Kyle will ask is if we’ve heard from Tiffany. She’s Kyle’s girlfriend and the one who loaned him her car for this trip. She hasn’t responded to any of his texts since one thirty-five our time this morning.”

  Adam frowned. “She could be asleep.”

  “I suggested that,” Isenberg said, “but for whatever reason he didn’t accept it. He was really worried when I got downstairs to meet them. He’s upset that he doesn’t get any cell signal down here, in case she’s tried to reach him. I promised him I’d call the Chicago precinct near the girl’s mother’s house, which was where she was supposed to be staying for the weekend.” She shook her head and sighed. “Turns out Kyle was right to be worried. Chicago PD confirmed a 911 call from that address at one thirty-seven a.m. They’re sending a message to the detectives on the case to call us.”

  “Shit,” Adam muttered, a muscle in his cheek twitching.

  Meredith had to grip her hands together to keep from trying to soothe that twitching muscle with her thumb. He’d requested she stay professional, wear her zen mask. At least she could do that for him.

  “How did Kyle know to be worried?” Adam asked.

  Isenberg shrugged again. “Don’t know. That’s what I want you to find out.”

  Meredith watched the young man’s mouth moving again. “That’s why Kyle’s checking his phone and saying please, please, please.”

  Isenberg nodded. “Yeah. For now, Adam, just tell them we haven’t heard anything. I won’t add to their tension until I know facts. Dr. Fallon can stay with me.”

  “Right. I texted Trip after your call. He got called to the lab after we left the fire. They’d finished processing the internal components of the bomb and found something. He said he’d meet me here when he was done. We can debrief when I’m finished.”

  Without a backward look, Adam left the observation room, emerging seconds later on the other side of the glass. Taking a seat across from the two, he smoothed his tie. “Hi. I’m Detective Kimble. I’m investigating the incident that took place in the restaurant this afternoon. The file here”—he tapped the folder—“says you’re Shane Baird and Kyle Davis.”

  “Has the lieutenant heard from my girlfriend yet?” Kyle demanded.

  “She’s called the precinct. We’re still waiting to hear back from them. You’ll know as soon as we do,” Adam promised. “Why are you so worried about her?”

  Kyle looked at Shane from the corner of his eye. Shane swallowed audibly and lifted his gaze to Adam’s face. “Who is the woman Andy tried to shoot?”

  “Why do you need to know?” Adam countered coolly, and Shane erupted before their eyes, his clenched fists pounding the table in one sudden burst of fury.

  “Don’t answer my question with a goddamn question!” he shouted. “My friend is dead. The woman he tried to shoot is the last person to talk to him. I want to know who she is.” He slumped back in his chair, as if the rage had taken all his reserves. “I’m sorry.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “But I won’t tell you anything until I get an answer.”

  Kyle’s chin came up, but it trembled, spoiling his attempt at bravado. “And we’re not under arrest, so we can leave. We’ll get the answer our own way.”

  Meredith frowned at them. “Lieutenant, I thought all the news reports on the shooting included my name.”

  “They did,” Isenberg said. “Baird has to have seen it. His insistence doesn’t make sense.” She paused a moment. “I want to see his reaction to you. Are you willing to go in there? We’ve searched them for weapons already and Kimble and I will stay in there with you.”

  “Of course,” Meredith replied. “Whatever you need me to do.”

  Cincinnati, Ohio

  Sunday, December 20, 4:30 a.m.

  Shane Baird was, Adam thought, truly minutes away from losing his shit. He was debating asking Isenberg to bring Meredith into the interview when there was a light knock at the door and his boss stuck her head in. “Detective? A word? Sorry, Mr. Davis,” she said as Kyle opened his mouth. “I’m still waiting for a call back. I promise I will let you know.”

  She stood back to let Adam through the door, where Meredith stood in the hall, just out of the boys’ view.

  “Great minds,” Adam murmured. “I was about to ask you to send her in.”

  “We’ll all go in,” Isenberg said. “Two of them, three of us.” She gave Meredith a stern look. “If I tell you to leave, you leave without an argument.”

  “I’ve already had a gun pointed at me once in the last twenty-four hours,” Meredith said seriously. “I will not argue. I promise.”

  Adam suspected the promise was more for him than for Isenberg and he wanted to kiss Meredith for making it, but kept his nod brusquely professional. “Follow me, please.”

  The young men started to stand when he returned, looking ready to bombard him with questions, but Adam gestured for them to stay where they were. “Mr. Baird, you asked about t
he woman your friend tried to shoot. Here she is.” He stepped aside so that Meredith could come through the door. Isenberg brought up the rear and closed the door behind her. “This is Dr. Fallon. Dr. Fallon, Shane Baird and Kyle Davis.”

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” Meredith said gently.

  Shane came to his feet unsteadily and Adam got between him and Meredith. “Mr. Baird, please sit down.”

  “I need . . .” Shane closed his eyes, weariness etched deep into his young face. “I need to see her face. Please.”

  “He had to take his contacts out,” Kyle explained. “He wasn’t able to get his glasses from his apartment before we left.”

  Meredith took a few steps closer to the table, Adam staying no more than a step behind her. She leaned in much closer than Adam wanted and he had to bite back a growl.

  “I don’t know you,” she said softly to Shane. “Do you know me?”

  His gaze moved an inch at a time, cataloging her face. “No. You’re not the one.” He dropped into his chair and buried his face in his hands. “God.”

  Meredith pulled out a chair and sat down across from the two. “Who were you hoping I’d be, Mr. Baird?”

  Hands remaining in place over his face, he shook his head. “I didn’t hope you’d be. I was afraid you’d be. Why did Andy try to kill you?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I’d never seen him before.”

  Kyle looked suspicious. “What kind of doctor are you?”

  “I’m a child psychologist. I work with kids and teenagers. But I’d never met Andy before. I would have remembered him.” Her sigh was almost silent. “I remember them all.”

  “Then why did he pull a gun on you?” Shane demanded brokenly. “It doesn’t make sense. I can’t even think anymore.”

  “I think you’re tired,” Meredith murmured soothingly. “And so am I. I will tell you the same thing I told the police. I do not believe your friend intended to hurt me. I think he was there against his will.”

  Shane’s hands dropped to the table, his expression one of abject misery. “You told them that?”

  “Of course.” She tentatively reached across the table, tilting her head, asking for permission to touch. Shane nodded and she covered his hands with her own. “Your friend’s last words were to tell me to run. I think he was a good person who was being forced. And now, here you are, and you know something that could maybe help Detective Kimble catch who did this. You have no reason to trust me, but I hope you’ll trust Detective Kimble and Lieutenant Isenberg with what you know. I want the person who hurt Andy to pay.”

  Shane’s head fell forward slowly, his forehead resting on one of Meredith’s hands. “Somebody came looking for me tonight,” he whispered.

  Adam took the seat next to Meredith. “Who?” he asked, watching Isenberg take a guard position behind the two young men.

  “I don’t know,” Shane mumbled. “Kyle?”

  Kyle rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand. “I work the desk at the dorm. Tonight, Saturday night, I mean, this guy came in, pretending to be a friend of Shane’s. Asked for his room. I told him that he didn’t live there anymore—which he doesn’t. He moved into an apartment in August. This guy got mad and mean and insistent. I pressed the panic button, which calls campus police. The guy left, but warned me to ‘be smart.’”

  “Did you tell the police what happened?” Adam asked.

  “Yes. It was all caught on security camera, anyway. I called Shane, to warn him that some guy was looking for him.”

  “Can you describe this guy?” Isenberg asked.

  “Huge,” Kyle said with a shudder. “Dark hair. His face was . . . odd. Tight, like he’d had plastic surgery or something. I told all of this to the campus cops. The camera is brand new, so they got a clear view of his face and what he was saying.”

  “So what happened when you called Shane?” Adam asked.

  “He said he needed to go to Cincinnati, that the guy who died was his friend. He’d just looked it up online and saw the news. I texted my girlfriend and arranged to borrow her car. It’s newer than mine and has better tires.”

  With her free hand, Meredith stroked Shane’s hair and Adam felt the hard slam of jealousy. Stupid, he told himself. Put that shit away. She’s keeping him calm.

  Just like she keeps me calm.

  “Shane, how did you know Andy?” she asked.

  Shane’s reply was muffled. “From foster care.”

  Meredith’s shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly. Bracing herself, Adam thought. “I see,” she murmured. “All right. How did you know to look up Cincinnati, Shane?” Meredith asked.

  Shane lifted his head, staring at her helplessly. “Andy was a good person.”

  “I know,” she said simply.

  “But once, he did something . . . necessary.”

  Kyle hadn’t heard this story, it was obvious. His gaze was fixed on his friend. “What did he do, Shane?” Kyle asked him sharply.

  Shane blew out a breath. “He killed someone. The foster father.”

  “Why?” Meredith asked, so gently it made Adam’s chest hurt.

  “Andy was protecting Linnie. The bastard was bigger than us and he tried . . .” Another shuddered exhale. “He did things. To Linnie. Over and over and over.”

  “He raped Linnie,” Meredith said, giving the crime a name when Shane could not.

  Tears filled Shane’s eyes and he nodded. “She didn’t tell us at first. She was afraid that Andy would . . . do exactly what he did. But Andy heard them. Heard Linnie crying. Caught the bastard hurting her. And Andy made it stop. But she was so—” His voice cracked. “Ashamed. And broken. After that she was broken.” He blinked, sending the tears down his face. “I never should have left them. I should have stayed.”

  Meredith squeezed the fist she still held. “What happened today was not your fault, Shane, any more than it was mine. Let’s figure this out so we can make the bastard who did it pay.”

  He blinked and nodded. “Okay,” he said hoarsely. “The police came looking for Andy. Back then. We’d just graduated from high school, the three of us.”

  “You lived in the same foster home?” Meredith asked.

  Shane nodded. “We had a pact. We’d always be there for each other. But I left.”

  “Andy was proud of you,” Adam said quietly. “He told a guy where he worked that you were going to make it. He was happy about that. He didn’t blame you.”

  Shane choked on a sob. “That makes it worse.”

  Kyle squeezed Shane’s shoulder. “What happened when the police came looking for Andy back then?”

  “He wasn’t Andy then. He was Jason Coltrain. He changed his name when he and Linnie ended up in Cincinnati. They hitchhiked. I gave them all the money I had saved up, but Andy used it to buy a new ID. Linnie called me, told me they’d caught a ride with a trucker and that they were okay. That Jason was now Andy and he’d got into college here.”

  “Was he charged with the murder of the foster father?” Adam asked.

  “No. He was arrested, but never charged. Because . . .” Shane dropped his gaze to Meredith’s hand covering his. He shook his head and said no more.

  “Because you lied for him?” Adam asked.

  Shane lifted his gaze and started to answer, but Kyle interrupted him. “Don’t say anything about that, man.” He skewered Adam with a glare of his own. “I’m prelaw. He’s going to lawyer up if you ask questions like that.”

  Prelaw, Adam thought wearily. Of course he is.

  But they really didn’t need a verbal confession at this point. Shane looked so miserably guilty that the answer was obvious. Meredith patted his hand. “So when people came looking for you, you assumed it was because Andy was in trouble again?”

  Shane nodded. “He hadn’t answered any of my phone calls for months. Neith
er had Linnie.” He frowned. “I need to find her.”

  “We want to find her, too,” Adam said, then met Meredith’s questioning eyes. She was asking permission to tell Shane what Andy had said. Adam nodded.

  Shane’s frown grew sharper at their exchange. “What? What’s happened to Linnie?”

  “We don’t know,” Adam said truthfully. “Do you know her last name?”

  “Holmes,” Shane said without hesitation. “Linnea Holmes. What happened?”

  “I told you that Andy didn’t want to hurt me,” Meredith said. “I was calming him down, getting him to drop the gun, and he said, ‘He’ll kill her.’”

  Shane’s eyes closed, his body sagging once more. “He had to mean Linnie. She was it for him. He wanted to marry her, but he was too shy to tell her. And then she was . . . raped.” He spat the word. “As if we hadn’t all been through enough hell. We just wanted to make it to eighteen so we could be free. But that happened and Linnie was so broken then that Andy was afraid to tell her how he felt. Afraid she’d run away if she knew what he really wanted. She probably would have.”

  “Andy took care of her, according to his boss,” Adam told Shane. “Used his meal credit from the pizza place where he worked to take food to her.”

  Shane’s shoulders shook in a sob he couldn’t hold back. “That was Andy. I told you he was a good guy. He’d do anything for you. Go hungry so you could eat. Be cold because he gave you the coat off his fucking back. Goddammit.” He dropped his forehead back to Meredith’s hand and she stroked his hair again. His hands moved, and suddenly he was clutching one of Meredith’s hands with both of his, shuddering as she continued the gentle stroking of his hair with the other. “He was good and they killed him.”

  “I know,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

  Adam lifted his eyes to meet Isenberg’s. “At least we can start looking for Linnie.”

  Isenberg nodded. “I’ll put Bishop and Novak on the search.”

  Shane looked up, his eyes red and swollen, tears still flowing. “Where is she?”

  “We heard she was a student. That’s all we know. Honest,” Adam added when neither Shane nor Kyle looked convinced. “Andy never gave his boss or coworkers many details about her.”