“Well, if anyone can, it’ll be her. After all, look what she’s done with you. I haven’t seen you personally invested in another for a long while.” Coyote pulled out his pad and consulted his notes.
“I just feel sorry for her, all alone now.”
“Uh-huh. That’s why you entered the glitter race,” Coyote leaned closer and lowered his voice, “and why she’s staying within arm’s reach.”
“Stop inventing. There’s nothing there.”
“If you say so. But I haven’t had a woman mention adult toys in casual conversation unless we were intimate. On the other hand, she did consider me the fun one. Maybe I’ll ask her out when this is over.”
Nolan glared until his partner held his hands up in surrender, the smile lines deepening around his mouth.
“Gabby’s parents said they keep their kids on a fairly strict financial leash,” Coyote’s change of subject saved him a black eye.
“Yeah, I noticed all the expensive trinkets in her room, too. Yet Keiki’s space epitomized practicality and functionality.”
“The roommate’s bedroom at home was a toned-down version,” Coyote countered.
“Agreed. So where’d she get the money to buy the stuff?”
Coyote rubbed his jaw and winced. “How well does Keiki know her friend, or,” he paused before wading into murkier waters, “and I know you don’t want to hear this, but are they partners in other endeavors with Keiki’s portion stuffed in the mattress?”
“You think Gabby is selling to earn extra cash?” Nolan wasn’t sure that scenario fit either. “It’s a big leap between smoking a joint now and then, and dealing. Everyone we’ve talked to said the roommate had her head on straight.”
“Then there’s something we’re missing. Either way, how does Keiki fit in? Her story about her inheritance checks out, as do the unusual hobbies,” Coyote flipped through his notes.
“If Gabby or Shelly were dealing, how could the others not know?” Nolan thought of his own sisters, the times when they’d shocked him with some wild adventure. Women were resourceful.
“Our witness was close to her parents. You can identify with that. Speaking of family, how’s your dad’s recovery coming along?” Coyote’s subject change came with a slight frog in his throat.
Nolan jumped to the heart of the matter instead of beating around the bush. “Jenna’s fine. Enjoying campus life in Delaware. Lots of sun in the spring and summer, beaches, bikinis, and boys.” In reminding his partner how his youngest sister was off limits, he also compared his sister to Keiki. He groaned under the weight of self-recriminations.
“Okay. I can’t see Shelly and Gabby getting in over their heads and going for each other’s throat. Not from what we’ve learned so far.”
“It would be one explanation if Gabby is laying low. On the other hand, that doesn’t feel right to me either.” Nolan considered what they knew about the pre-med student. “Let’s talk to some of the other friends and classmates.”
The sprawling campus encompassed seventy-five acres of beautiful countryside. Manicured grounds attested to the dedication of presenting a serene setting. Nolan wound the SUV through the campus to the periphery where they’d find their objective. “The science building feels like an afterthought, secluded.”
“Nah. Being close to the woods gives them easier access to dispose of the bodies,” quipped his partner as he replaced his notepad and the car ground to a halt.
“Jesus, you can take the man out of the swamp…”
“You nervous, partner?” Coyote hesitated before popping his door open.
“No. It’s just damned frustrating.” Nolan considered the disparity in the girls’ lifestyles. “Keiki doesn’t seem to care about glitz and pomp. Her belongings are basic necessities of her trade.”
“A Glock.45 and sex toys?”
Nolan shrugged. “Shelly was poisoned, strangled, and stabbed, not shot. Awful lot of rage there.” He couldn’t envision Keiki reaching that level of anger. “I’m taking Keiki through a simulation run after visiting the firing range. If she passes muster, she gets the gun back.”
“I think she avoids the party scene except when dragged by her friends. She seems to concentrate on what’s important to her.” If Nolan pegged her right, Keiki’s skill with weapons would match those of her woodworking and mechanics. Her focus was incredible.
“Kinda like someone else we know.” Coyote worried with his toothpick, a habit when he wanted to emphasize a point. “According to what we’ve gathered, this girl Gabby is flashy and colorful. We can catch her lab partner coming out of class now if we hurry.”
Generalized fear shrouded those on campus as word spread of two deaths and one missing student. Their target, Gabby’s chem partner, revealed no wary or cagy signs of deception but had a right to a few nervous gestures.
“The fidgety coed’s disclosure of their ‘smoking now and then’ proved her sole admission toward the party scene. Wonder if we’ll find anyone at the meads now.” Coyote’s seldom-used uncompromising glare had scored the smokers’ meeting place. He pointed to a trail near the building and grounds shed. “There, bet that’s it.”
Nolan heaved a sigh, no closer to solving the puzzle giving him sleepless nights. “I think every school has a discreet place where kids hang out when they don’t want to be seen by the straight-and-narrow crowd.”
“Keiki had to have known about Gabby partying with the fast clique.” Coyote started down the trampled path bisecting the woods.
“Hold on.” Nolan fished his phone from his pocket. “Garnett.”
Listening to the CSI’s initial findings snaked a trail of ice down his neck. When he hung up, confusion topped the list of fetid sensations swirling in his gut.
“What’s up?”
“They found a recording device hidden in the girls’ apartment. Markings filed off, along with specific damage to deny identification.”
“Placed by the shooter or before?” Coyote paused and glanced over his shoulder toward the science center. “Don’t know, but it would explain a lot. Whoever’s listening might have heard our conversations with her, thereby knowing who’s protecting her, if not where.”
“Could be someone else’s equipment, too. Harock, his competition, a dealer... Jesus, there are any number of possibilities.”
Reality intruded like the screech of a hoot owl with each step along the well-trampled path. Admission to high school and college cliques had never numbered among Nolan’s activities. His focus and ambitions had driven him down a different path, which didn’t mean he’d been unaware. He’d made the choice to not participate.
Broken limbs, trampled weeds, and the blanket of fallen leaves led them deeper into the woods.
“Something’s wrong with this place. It’s giving me the creeps.” Coyote rested his hand at his back waist under his jacket.
“More cameras, you think?” If so, then the focus would point more to Gabby than Keiki. Nolan’s sigh echoed that of his partner. “I don’t hear any small engine noise.”
The clearing covered twenty yards square with several stumps presenting uncomfortable seats. Small creatures skittered through the surrounding evergreens while birds provided a natural backdrop for a soothing atmosphere.
“This is pointless. Let’s—” Nolan’s phone chirped a macabre beat.
A grimace replaced his frown as he listened to the coroner. After disconnecting, he knew they were on the right track even if they couldn’t put the pieces together. “The ME says he wants to talk to us in person.”
A familiar whine forced Nolan to draw his weapon and search the sky for an incoming threat. His partner did the same.
“Drone. If you see it, don’t shoot it until we figure out who’s at the controls.” No sooner had Coyote spoken the words than the glint of metal topped the tree line.
“It doesn’t look like anything I saw in Keiki’s apartment.” Nolan drew a bead and followed the mini robot’s progress with his gun barrel.
“No, but it does resemble the one you described at the Foam Glitter race. Look at the length between the body and—what the hell is hanging down from it?”
“Looks like some type of barrel, but not a lens,” Nolan murmured, widening his stance.
They watched the device approach.
The sudden diving maneuver sealed its fate.
“The barrel on the underbelly is carrying a payload,” Nolan warned.
Simultaneous shots ruptured the silence.
“Freaking thing’s hard to knock down.” Coyote leapt to the side as a puff of white powder dissipated in the air between them.
“Don’t breathe in that shit. It’s poison.” Nolan pivoted to take advantage of the machine’s retreat. His last two shots brought it crashing down in the nearby ravine.
“Hot damn. We finally got something!” Coyote whooped as he stood and dusted off his jeans, replacing his weapon in his shoulder holster. “Never shot a drone before. Wonder if it has audio.”
“Not surprised you missed. I’ll bet it moves nothing like a gator. Let’s find it and get it to forensics.”
Resumed quiet brought the bold and curious students to investigate. Coyote warned them away, keeping an eye on his partner’s progress in retrieving their prize.
Like the Boy Scout his colleagues claimed him to be, Nolan retrieved two nitrile gloves from his pocket and approached the downed craft with caution. After picking it up, he held the power button until its light went off.
“Why go after cops? We have next to zero information,” Coyote asked when Nolan returned with the evidence.
“Our killer might be trying to frame a certain drone operator to flush her out.”
“What do you suppose the range is on that one?” Once on the road to county forensics, Nolan listed specific and detailed information remembered from Keiki’s lecture.
Coyote inspected the bagged evidence up close. “Shit.”
“What?”
“Someone engraved the belly on this thing.” A low whistle boded ill to come. Coyote shook his head before continuing. “It reads ‘KT’.”
“Katherine Tallerman. Double shit. Whoever flew it could have listened to our discussion in her apartment where she pointed out her initials on her work.” Nolan’s logic dictated Keiki wasn’t at the helm.
“Think she’s still with Carolyn? Why don’t you do the honors?”
With a swipe of his cell, Nolan connected with Carolyn and asked about her new tenant, whom he heard talking in the background. After assurance the student’s classes could continue online due to special circumstances and that they’d been chatting about stuff and nonsense for over an hour, he disconnected.
“Okay. Either Keiki has a partner, or someone’s setting her up.” Nolan went quiet as he considered recent events.
“Could be a partner who wants sole proprietorship?”
“That doesn’t wash. It just doesn’t fit.” Nolan loosened his grip on the steering wheel when his partner tapped his hand.
“Because she’s an orphan, a college kid working her way through school, or because she’s beautiful and you can’t keep your eyes off her?” Coyote snickered after receiving the bird.
The forensics tech grinned like a kid at Christmas when given the evidence. Unusual weapons were sought after, big-ticket items. Without a serial number or any other identifying marks beside the engraved initials, the broken device would prove a challenge.
More bad news awaited them at the county morgue.
The pathologist who’d performed the two autopsies held his tongue until Nolan and Coyote sat across from his desk in the small office.
Stacked files beside the computer constituted unfinished work for someone who stayed abreast of his duties. Violent, suspicious, or deaths involving a drug overdose required autopsy.
Nolan crossed one ankle over his other knee when he couldn’t stay still. By the greatest effort, he refrained from bouncing said foot in a show of impatience.
“What’s up, Doc?” Coyote grinned in the face of the doctor’s scowl.
“I don’t know whose mess you boys have stepped in, but it’s a big pile.” His glasses sat at the tip of a crooked nose, broken in the past and dotted with a few spider veins from age or drink.
“Explain.” Nolan demanded.
“I have a friend in the state lab. Since both bodies had white powder around their noses and mouths, I sent samples for testing. Their equipment is more sophisticated, and they have better resources.”
“And…” Coyote verbally nudged the older man.
“He confirmed the powder contained a new street drug, one that’s mixed with Fentanyl, except in each of these cases, they found poison in much higher concentration. In fact, the opioids amounted to no more than trace amounts.”
“Well, hell. That’s disturbing. Someone’s targeting college kids and their professors.” If not for Nolan’s intervention, Keiki would’ve been one of the victims on a slab.
“I suggest you talk to your vice detective. I already gave him the information since he’s on your task force.”
“Jesus. This gets better and better.” Nolan wanted to believe that what he’d seen in the depths of Keiki’s blue eyes was real, honest, and most of all, accurate. He didn’t believe she’d deal drugs. She didn’t have time. In the end, evidence didn’t lie. It was difficult to remain stalwart in the face of present evidence.
Outside in the afternoon’s cooling breeze, he voiced his opinion. “I don’t believe she’s dealing and killing her friends, nor mixed up with a partner who wants her out of the way.”
Coyote rested his hand on the open passenger door. “We’ll figure it out. I just hope it’s in time to prevent another death.”
Familiar countryside passed, the bucolic scenes worthy of an artist’s brush, yet Nolan found no solace.
“Your gut tells you Keiki’s not a perp… because she’s a young woman who is focused on her objective. I may be a swamp donk, but I believe two plus two equals four.”
Nolan couldn’t articulate his feelings, hence shrugged it off. “Coyote, I don’t… she’s not involved. And I will prove it.”
“Stashing her at Carolyn’s house might not be the smartest or safest option, even if that old bird is tough and smart, not to mention shrewd as hell... Which is why you’ve done it. Damn, my partner’s sly as a fox.” Coyote chuckled before adding, “You want to get her opinion on the kid.”
Nolan grinned.
“Side benefit. Not many people can hold out against Carolyn’s insidious prodding.” Nolan’s reply came without thought. His instincts urged him to protect the coed and see the case through, no matter the cost. Current knowledge equated the tip of the iceberg. They needed access to whatever Keiki withheld.
“Whether the kid is guilty or not, she’s mixed up in something way beyond her ability to handle. If anyone can get her to open up, it’ll be Carolyn.” Coyote fished his truck keys from his pocket as Nolan cut the engine in front of the station.
“I figure they’d each benefit the other. Look, it’s late. Let’s talk to vice in the morning, okay?” Nolan needed to verify, at least in his own mind, certain facts before confronting the other detective.
“Fine. Pick me up at eight.”
Chapter Thirteen
Keiki snickered at the thought of Carolyn brandishing a gun at an intruder. The lady had to be seventy if she were a day, yet she moved like arthritis could never touch her.
“Why don’t you set these scraps on the back deck for the cat?” Dressing in faded jeans and a flannel shirt didn’t subtract years from her appearance as much as the long gray braid brushing her lower back.
They’d just finished dinner and Keiki had insisted on washing the dishes. The fact a plate of food remained covered and warming in the oven created concern over the older woman’s faculties, but time would tell.
The explanation of Carolyn waiting for someone hadn’t eased her overall anxiety over whether the specific someone had a pulse or
not.
Taking the ceramic bowl, she stepped out on the wooden planks and set the food beside several stacked tires with cutouts for cat’s homes.
Back inside, Carolyn finished wiping the table.
“I appreciate you renting me the apartment over the garage. It’s quite comfortable, and I love being surrounded by nature. There’s something so calming about living in the woods.” Keiki retrieved the new phone from her pocket. Her monthly allowance for miscellaneous supplies had vanished with its purchase.
She’d lost her most recent information. Prior uploading of crucial data to a secure source guaranteed her basic details. Hope filled her with the thought no one could unlock her old phone to retrieve the particulars.
“The apartment will be more comfortable once they put the extra heat ducts in the floor. I was hoping to find a tenant like you. It’s quiet back here but not everyone can appreciate the setting.”
“I love it. And it’s not too far from school, which is great.”
“Well, don’t thank me yet. The pest control company is sending a man out tomorrow morning to treat for termites. When Nolan gets here, I’ll get him to help you move the fridge. It seems vermin have found a way up through a space where the water line comes in.”
“No problem. Nice to own a home next to a cop. Round the clock security.” She wondered about the circumstances bringing the odd couple together.
Keiki took a mental snapshot of her landlady before the crafty expression lapsed to a benign countenance. Buried in the woman’s gaze was a perceptiveness that deciphered and plotted. To what agenda, time would tell.
How much trouble can a nice older lady cause?
“Actually, this isn’t my home any more. Not really. I grew up within these old walls, but when my daughter died three years ago, well, her illness cleaned out my accounts. If not for Nolan’s generosity, I would’ve lost it to the bank.”
“Nolan?” Alarm bells blared in Keiki’s head.
“He was engaged to my Clare. Weeks before the wedding, she was diagnosed with an inoperable tumor.” Carolyn’s hand covered Keiki’s while she sat at the island. “He wanted to marry her anyway, despite the unavoidable ending. She refused.” A single tear trickled from the corner of one eye, lifted away by a wrinkled, shaking finger. “Tell me about your Grams.”
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