by LENA DIAZ,
He scrubbed his jaw and shoved the coffee cup away just as Bex walked inside. And just like when Monica had come in earlier, everyone looked to the front. But unlike earlier, Bex’s entrance was met with greetings and smiles and a few hugs. There might be a cloud over her in most parts of town, but the old-timers in this diner seemed to have no concerns about Bex’s past and whether she was guilty of murder. They were greeting her like old friends, or at least, friends of her mother. It was mostly retired folks in here this time of day. The younger crowd was busy making a living.
When Bex reached his booth, he rose and tipped his head.
“Morning, Bex. Everything okay?”
“Just peachy. Except that strange men I don’t know seem to be following me everywhere.” Unlike her predecessor, she kept her voice low so it didn’t carry to the other tables. And the rest of the patrons had turned around to offer them privacy.
“Strange men?” he asked, glancing around.
She waved toward the car parked at the curb. “I assume you hired him to keep an eye on me.”
He let out a deep sigh. So much for the bodyguards being invisible. “Guilty.” He studied her a moment. “You don’t seem angry.” He waved her into the booth and sat across from her.
She shrugged. “Honestly, I was kind of surprised at how easily you backed down when I insisted that I didn’t want anyone keeping an eye on me. I felt pretty silly later for not taking you up on your offer and was going to call someone myself when I spotted one of the men outside my house last night. From his mannerisms, I kind of figured he might be a security guy. But I called the police just to be sure.”
Max waved Sally over, who came bearing a pot of coffee and an extra cup for Bex, along with a menu.
“Thanks, Sally.” Bex smiled. “I appreciate the coffee but I’m really not hungry.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.” Sally hurried to another table to refill their cups.
“I’m surprised I didn’t hear about the call,” Max said. “What happened?”
She ruined her coffee with a liberal amount of cream and sugar. “A uniformed officer came over and checked the guy out, then told me he was a bodyguard of all things. But the guy wouldn’t say who’d hired him. I let it drop, said not to worry about it, that I was pretty sure who was behind him being there. Thanks, Max. I do appreciate you making sure that I’m safe. Especially since my shadow isn’t a cop.”
“Ouch.”
She winced. “Sorry. No offense. I don’t hold it against you that you’re a police officer.”
He smiled. “Gee. Thanks. I feel so much better now.”
She smiled back, then her smile faded. “I can reimburse you for whatever costs—”
“No.”
She sighed. “I figured you’d say that. If you change your mind—”
“I won’t.”
“As stubborn as ever I see,” she said.
“One of the many things we have in common.”
Her bubble of laughter had several people looking at them, smiling as well, before returning to their meals. He couldn’t help smiling, too. Seeing Bex looking happy was too contagious not to have him feeling lighter inside. Her eyes danced with merriment and it was as if all the years between them had never passed. This was the Bex he remembered, the Bex he’d loved.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“You. And me. And Mr. Youngblood’s orchard.”
He grimaced. “Before or after I thought I could outrun that bull to get you some apples?”
“Oh, definitely after.” She laughed. “I warned you not to try it. But you were too stubborn. Once you got an idea in your head you wouldn’t let it go. Maybe you should have gone out for the track team. I swear I never saw a human being run that fast.”
“Not fast enough.”
“You were faster than the bull,” she argued.
“But not faster than Mr. Youngblood’s buckshot.” He winced again, barely refraining from rubbing his posterior at the memory. “I couldn’t sit up for a month.”
“True.” She rested her chin on her palm, a faraway look in her misty blue eyes. “But we had a lot of fun that month. I must have read you over twenty books while you were convalescing.”
“You tortured me. At least three of them were romance novels. I’ve never lived that down with my brothers.” He leaned toward her conspiratorially. “I still have to pay them hush money to this day.”
“You wouldn’t have to pay if you didn’t actually like them. Admit it. You’ve probably got a romance novel under your pillow right now and you read it every night.”
He laughed. “I guess you’d have to come over to my place to find out.”
Her smile faded, and the easy camaraderie that had sprung up between them evaporated. He wanted to kick himself for getting carried away and destroying the light atmosphere.
They both straightened, and she awkwardly cleared her throat.
“Where do you live anyway?” she asked, before taking a sip of coffee.
“I built a house on some land adjacent to my father’s farm. Close enough to keep in touch but far enough away that I’ve got my privacy.”
She nodded, then shoved her cup out of the way.
“I didn’t mean to take up so much of your time. I know you’re really busy with the investigation. Actually, that’s the reason I’m here. I drove into town to take care of a few more errands and when I passed the grocery store I couldn’t help thinking about what happened. That’s when I remembered something that I didn’t tell anyone before. I pulled over to call you when I saw your truck over here in the lot, so I decided to come tell you in person.”
“Tell me what?”
“A name. When I was in the grocery store, hiding from the gunmen, I overheard one of them in the next aisle saying something about Reggie telling them that she was heading toward the front of the store. I’m not sure what they were talking about. But I figured this Reggie person might be someone who works at the store. And if that’s the case—”
“Then there’s an insider who might have helped the gunmen.”
“Exactly. What do you think? Could that be helpful?”
“It’s a lead to follow. Could very well be a great lead. Thanks, Bex.”
“Of course. If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know.” She shoved out of the booth and stood.
Max stood, too. “You seem to be in a hurry.”
She hesitated, her gaze dropping from his. Was she thinking about last night, about what had almost happened between them?
“Just...have a lot to do to wrap up loose ends. How much is the coffee? A couple of bucks?”
She reached into her purse but Max put his hand on hers.
“I’ll take care of it.”
She blinked, and looked like she wanted to say something. But then she cleared her throat as if changing her mind.
“Thanks, Max. Take care.” And then she was rushing down the aisle and out of the diner.
Max watched her until she was driving down the street, her bodyguard following a few car lengths behind. Then he pitched some bills onto the table and headed out to his truck.
Once inside, he made a call to his boss and told him about the name that Bex had remembered.
“Where are you right now?” the chief asked.
“Eva-Marie’s. Just had breakfast.”
“Good. That’s a hop-skip away from the Piggly Wiggly. This Reggie thing sounds like a great lead. And this is the perfect time to follow up on it. I sent Colby, Donna and Blake to the Pig to walk the witnesses through the shooting, step-by-step, to see if any of their initial statements change. Plus, we asked the manager to round everyone up who works there to come in, not just the ones on shift during the shooting. I wanted to see whether
anyone saw anything suspicious in the days or weeks before, when maybe the shooters were casing the place to plan the assault. Everyone should be there right now. You can head on over and see if one of them is named Reggie.”
“Will do. Wait, you said Blake is there?”
“You got a problem with that? The man isn’t exactly a rookie at law enforcement. He’s just new to us. He needs to be brought up to speed on how we do things.”
Max grinned but was careful not to laugh. “You’re the boss.”
“Don’t you forget that. Now get over there. And let me know once you find this Reggie guy.”
* * *
WHEN MAX REACHED the doors to the grocery store, he flashed his badge to the deputy assigned to log everyone who went in or out. Then he was inside, taking quick stock of the situation.
A row of folding tables and chairs had been set up in the main aisle that ran the width of the store, just behind the checkout area. He counted fifteen civilians, mostly teenagers, sitting at the tables. They pretty much all had the same bored look that teenagers often sported these days as they apparently waited to be interviewed.
Many of them he recognized, by sight if not by name. In a town as small as Destiny, it was common to run into the same people at local stores and events, even if they never spoke. But there were still a few faces he didn’t know, and some he couldn’t see because they were blocked by others.
A short distance away were two more tables, each with only one civilian sitting behind it. Donna sat at one table, writing something down while her interviewee spoke animatedly with his hands to punctuate whatever he was saying. At the second table, Colby was the one asking questions, with Blake taking notes like a good apprentice should.
Colby spotted Max and waved him over. “Hey, if you’re here to help interview, we sure could use you. Drag one of those tables over here.”
“Which one’s Reggie?”
“Reggie?” Colby frowned and picked up a clipboard of names. “Reggie, Reggie, Reggie.” He ran his finger down the line, then reversed direction. “Hmm, no Reggie here.”
“You mean Gina,” the man sitting across from him said. He pointed to one of the names on the sheet of paper. “Gina Oliver. We all call her Reggie.”
“Why?” Colby asked.
He shrugged. “Her real name is Regina. To most people she’s Gina. But to her friends, she’s Reggie. Beats me why she uses that for a nickname. I like Regina a lot better.”
“Which one is she?” Max asked.
The young man leaned back in his chair, scanning the faces of the other employees. “There she is, on the end.”
“Red hair?” Max grabbed an extra clipboard and pen from the table.
“Nah, brown hair.” He stood and pointed. “That’s her, next to the redhead. The one in the green shirt.”
The young woman he was pointing to looked at Max and her eyes widened—just like they had the morning of the shooting, when he’d pulled her to the floor, supposedly to protect her from the gunmen.
“Oh, she’s definitely involved in this,” he muttered. “She was the cashier in my line when the gunmen busted into the store.”
He dropped the clipboard on the table and stalked toward her.
She jumped up from her chair and took off toward the entrance.
Max took off after her.
Some of the other workers whistled and made catcalls as Reggie shoved a display of potato chips over and raced past a cash register.
Max hurdled over the display, bags of chips crunching beneath his feet as he sprinted toward the door where she’d just disappeared. He ran through the opening and slid to a halt in front of the deputy stationed there.
“Which way?” Max demanded. “The girl who ran out of here. Which way did she go?”
He pointed to the right, and Max caught a glimpse of her brown hair before she disappeared around the corner of the building. Dang, she was fast. Remembering the layout of the store on the lot and what was behind it, he took a gamble and headed in the opposite direction.
“You’re going the wrong way,” the cop called behind him.
Max ignored him, pumping his arms and legs as he rounded the corner, then sprinted for the next corner. If he remembered right, the tall fence at the back of the property would force his prey back toward him. Sure enough, as soon as he reached the corner, Reggie ran out in front of him. He tackled her in midstride, turning with her in his arms to protect her as they both fell.
Her startled scream was abruptly cut off when they landed in a heap of arms and legs. Max cursed when his head slammed against the pavement, but he held on to the squirming girl.
“Stop fighting me,” he ordered.
The fury in his voice must have shocked her into submission, because she immediately stilled.
The sound of running footsteps heralded the arrival of Colby, the stun gun in his hand his weapon of choice against the rowdy teenager in Max’s arms. He stopped a few feet away and clipped the stun gun back on his belt.
“Looks like you got your man—or woman or child, as the case may be.”
“Stop grinning and get her off me.”
“Yes, sir,” Colby teased. He yanked the girl up then put her on the ground again, facedown, while he cuffed her.
Max was slower to get up, brushing off his pants and then rubbing the back of his head. He winced when his fingers touched a particularly tender spot that was already becoming a knot.
“Hold still,” Colby ordered as he patted down the now squirming girl, checking for weapons. He straightened, keeping one hand on Reggie’s right arm. “You okay?”
“No,” she whined. “He threw me down. I probably have bruises. I’m gonna sue both of you.”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Colby said. “I was talking to the police officer who had to chase your sorry butt.”
She glared at him.
“I’m fine. Just a bump.” Max lowered his hand. “Are you Gina Oliver? The one they call Reggie?”
“Depends on who’s asking.” If she’d been chewing gum she’d probably have spit it at him. “Why’d you chase me? I ain’t done nothing.”
“So it’s just a coincidence that you were at the cash register when your friends came in firing automatic weapons, huh?”
She looked away. “Friends? Don’t know what you’re talking about. Like I said, I didn’t do anything.”
“Then why did you run?”
She shrugged. “You’re a big guy. You scared me. I’ve seen TV. I know how you cops can be, beating people up for no reason.”
Colby rolled his eyes. “I’ll clear the break room. We can interview her in there.”
Max grabbed her arm and led her around the side of the building, following Colby.
Reggie swore at him. “I’m just a minimum-wage cashier. I ain’t broke any laws. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Then you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
A few minutes later, Max had Reggie cooling her heels in the locked break room while he spoke to Colby and Donna in the hallway a few doors down, just outside the manager’s office. Donna had run over to them when they brought Reggie back inside.
She was slightly out of breath from zipping across the width of the store to catch them. “Max, you’d better be careful, and fast with the questions. I just got the lowdown on Gina. She’s Sam Oliver’s daughter.”
Max groaned. “The Olivers who live off Coonskin Hollow?”
“Yep.”
Colby frowned. “I don’t remember Sam Oliver. Should I?”
“He’s caused some trouble here and there. Maybe you were on vacation and I was the lucky one those nights,” Max said.
“It gets worse,” Donna warned him. “Sam heard we brought Reggie in for another interview and is on his wa
y over. Says to leave his girl alone and no one is to speak to her. Of course, legally, she’s an adult.”
“Which means I can ask her anything I want.” Max checked his watch. “Lucky for me I took her phone when I patted her down again in there. And as long as no one else is allowed down this hallway, no one’s going to tell her that Daddy dearest is on his way. When did he call?”
“Hasn’t been that long,” Donna said. “I figure if he drives the speed limit, you’ve got fifteen minutes.”
“Meaning I probably have ten.”
“That’s my guess. Make it quick.”
Chapter Eleven
As soon as Max stepped inside the break room, Reggie jumped out of her chair and rushed toward the door.
Max shut the door and stepped in front of her, blocking her way. “You try to leave without answering my questions and I’ll slap you in jail.”
“On what charges?” she demanded.
“Conspiracy to commit armed robbery, for one. I can think of at least half a dozen other charges. You don’t believe me, try it.”
She glared at him, then turned around in a huff and plopped down on the plastic chair.
He eyed one of the delicate-looking chairs, not confident at all that it would be able to hold him up. But he took his chances and carefully sat down. The chair squeaked in protest but seemed sturdier than it looked. He rested his forearms on the table.
“Which one of those five yokels the other day was your boyfriend?”
She shook her head. “None of them. I don’t... I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“You’re a pretty good actress. I bought your scared act and thought I was protecting you when the gunmen stormed the place. Let me guess. That whole screaming thing was to let your boyfriend know something had gone wrong with the plan. As soon as you saw me in line you were worried, because a cop being there didn’t figure into the whole plan, did it?”
She wouldn’t look him in the eye. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Some guys with guns came in the store and one of them shot at me. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be dead. Not that I’m thanking you or anything.”