Deep as the Dead

by Kylie Brant

  “Yeah.” Zaila stood up, hefted a large hobo bag onto her shoulder. “Figured with something like this, you gotta get involved, right? Plus, Dennis is pretty hot and I don’t mind him owing me a favor.” Giving them a surprisingly impish smile, she walked away.

  The bartender they’d just interviewed? Hot? Alexis suddenly felt very old. There was, she supposed, no accounting for taste. “Who’s next?”

  Nyle checked his cell. “Ethan wants us back at headquarters by seven. Which is another hour. It’ll take us almost that long to get there. We’d better head out. Unless you want to catch a quick bite first.”

  Alexa looked around the diner. She wasn’t especially fastidious, but she was willing to guess the sanitation here was sketchy, at best. “I think I’ll pass.” She slid out of the booth and headed toward the door. She was anxious to get an update about the plans for the memorial this evening. Alexa couldn’t be sure the offender would attend. But if her remarks at the press conference resonated with him on any level, she thought he might be unable to resist appearing tonight.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “What do you mean, I’m not going?”

  Alexa’s words were delivered in a decidedly dangerous tone, one Ethan had never heard from her. He decided the best way to meet her temper—which, admittedly, he’d expected—was with logic. “We have a stand-in for you. Dara Lavoie, an officer from the Halifax PD vice unit. It’s one of the steps I’ve taken to mitigate the risk.”

  “Oh, they didn’t have an officer to stand in for you?” Alexa looked around the table in the conference room. “Or Nyle?” A few of the other RCMP officers in the room shuffled their feet. A couple looked amused. “I didn’t realize I’d been removed from the task force.”

  “I’m going with police presence only,” he said evenly. “We know if the UNSUB does show up, it will be because of you. He’s never shown interest in these types of events before. Our efforts have to be focused on sighting him, and then chasing him down if he is spotted. We’re better equipped to do that if we don’t have to worry about guarding you, as well.”

  She gave a nod as if in agreement. Ethan knew better than to buy it. “And you think this offender, who is showing signs of obsession, who even visited my childhood home to get information about me, will be fooled by your stand-in and hang around long enough for you to swoop him up.”

  This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to be having in public. His tone clipped, Ethan replied, “All he has to do is appear. I’ve worked with the city to employ barricades and parking areas in such a way as to cut him off as much as possible from his vehicle. The officers will be equipped with body cameras. As soon as he gets close enough to realize Lavoie isn’t you, hopefully, one of us will have spotted him.”

  She subsided, but he didn’t fool himself into believing that she was in agreement. The temper was all but radiating off her. Ethan couldn’t allow himself to be moved by it. His decision was a no-brainer. Lavoie bore a passing resemblance to Alexa, more in coloring and height than appearance. But he’d have officers crowding her, as if in protection, so her face would be difficult to see. The offender would have to draw close to realize it wasn’t Alexa.

  “There will be uniforms there whose only duties are crowd control for the event. They have been advised of our presence and purpose. I’ll also have officers armed with sketches assigned to the Park Lane parking garage.” He turned to a whiteboard mounted on the wall to which he’d affixed a map of Victoria Park, where the vigil would take place. It was a long and narrow area directly across the street from the Public Gardens. A red marker had been used to mark the memorial fountain at the south end. Blue indicated where he’d have officers stationed. “Officer Lavoie and two uniforms will be stationed here.” He pointed to an X he’d made to the side of the fountain. “The park is bordered on all four sides by public streets, which works to our advantage. The UNSUB will have to be somewhere in this arc—” he pointed to yet another line he’d drawn, “—to see Alexa’s stand-in. Questions?”

  He answered the few raised by the RCMP officers in the room. Was well aware that Alexa remained silent. “Now for the equipment. We’ve set up a bridge call number which all officers can dial into from their phones. The number is on the bottom of the whiteboard.” The advantage would be the discretion it offered. No one would think twice of seeing someone with a cell to his ear. The downside was often the amount of background noise that resulted. “Everyone will use a body camera. I want images of anyone that looks suspicious.” He gave each of the assembled officers their positions. “Equipment is on the table by the door. Sign it out and bring it back in the same condition. The brass knows where you live.”

  There were a few chuckles. The red tape necessary to request equipment was a well-known nightmare. The ramifications for bringing it back in less-than-pristine working order was even more so.

  “We’ll meet near the fountain and take up our positions. I’ll see you there.” It took another few minutes for the RCMP officers to clear the room. It didn’t escape Ethan that Nyle hurried to join them, leaving Ethan and Alexa alone. Coward.

  “I had food brought in before you and Nyle returned.” His words were met with a frosty stare. “I ordered you a salad. It’s in the refrigerator in the staff room.”

  “What,” she enunciated perfectly, “do you think the offender’s reaction is going to be when he realizes he was duped? How is that going to impact the relationship I’ve tried to forge with him?”

  He folded his arms across his chest. It’d been a long day. He had hours left ahead of him. Engaging in a battle of wills with Alexa was not going to be part of it. “I thought of that. Weighed it against the possibility of catching him tonight and decided to take the chance.”

  She shook her head. “Catching him could occur with or without me there. You’re allowing personal feelings to get in the way of your decision-making.”

  She’d finally goaded him into a response. “You know what?” He took two quick steps toward the table and slapped his palms on it, leaning over them toward her. “I don’t give a damn. This guy is unpredictable. He’s obsessed with you, and there’s no history of him engaging in this type of behavior. Who knows what the hell he’s capable of? He could stage a distraction in the park, something to panic the crowd then use the resulting chaos to make a move on you. So, sue me, I don’t want to put you at risk. And, fortunately for my personal feelings, this is a situation where I don’t have to.”

  He immediately regretted his outburst, even before he noticed the flare of reaction in her eyes. Having Alexa join the task force had been like taking a fastball to the gut. But he was dealing with it. If she only knew just how damn much energy he put into trying not to allow personal feelings to override professional ones, maybe she’d be a bit more cooperative. He’d be concerned about the safety of any civilian consultant on his team, but the fact that it was Alexa in the crosshairs was a major factor in his decision to use a stand-in.

  But he wasn’t anywhere close to admitting that out loud.

  “What am I supposed to be doing in the meantime?” The ire in her words was an improvement over her earlier show of temper. Whatever other changes Alexa had undergone in the last twenty years, she still couldn’t hang on to a mad, which was a trait he’d always appreciated.

  “I’ll leave my computer booted up so you can check the hourly updates I’m getting on the tip line.” He straightened and fetched the laptop, turning it on and opening his email for her. “You can follow up with phone calls to the callers you prioritize. Tomorrow we can interview any you think have usable information.”

  Alexa didn’t look excited about the task, but at least she was no longer arguing.

  “If you hear from the offender again, I want to know immediately.” When she nodded, he glanced at the clock. “I have to go.” He grabbed up the equipment he’d set aside for himself and headed for the door, restraining an urge to look back at her. Knowing she was safe at RCMP headquarters was going to
make it a whole lot easier to concentrate on the job ahead. And he wasn’t going to apologize for that.

  If the salad was meant as a peace offering, it was a miserable failure. Alexa finally gave up after a few bites and went to Ethan’s computer, scrolling through the most promising leads that had come in since Lawler’s picture had been released that morning. The chore was preferable to watching the clock, trying to figure out what was happening downtown while she was stuck here.

  Dutifully, she returned several phone calls from the tip line and took notes of the conversations. None resulted in any new details. Feeling like she was spinning her wheels, Alexa glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even eight-thirty yet. She set her pen down in disgust. The solitary task gave her too much time to think. About the UNSUB. The vigil.

  About Ethan.

  She tried to push thoughts of him away, but they returned despite her efforts, drawn like metal filings to a magnet. Alexa wished she could summon a fraction of her earlier irritation with him. Annoyance was far easier to deal with than the welter of feeling she experienced every time she recalled their kiss.

  It’d been an aberration on both their parts. A mistake not to be repeated. But knowing that didn’t calm the jitter in her pulse every time she recalled the instant heat that had sparked to life. The inexplicable chemistry between them was still there. Immediate. Combustible. And it would have been far safer for her equilibrium if she’d never learned that.

  Her cell pinged. She looked at it and saw a forwarded text message from Nyle. Zaila had contacted him with the name of one of the Zoomey’s customers seen with Lawler last night. The one who’d been banned from the premises for a while. Bobby Kantor.

  Immediately deciding Kantor was more interesting than the task she’d been engaged in, she looked him up on social media sites. There were three people with that name, only one in this province. Although his posts weren’t publicly available on Facebook, his friends list and his city of residence were. He lived in Dartmouth, across the harbor from Halifax.

  Another idea occurred. Alexa closed out of that search window and looked Kantor up on the four-one-one site. Not only did it list his name and address, it also published his cell-phone number. It was a little appalling, she thought, just how little privacy people had these days. But in this case, it might be useful.

  Alexa tapped his number into her cell. No answer. Realizing that people often didn’t pick up when they didn’t recognize the incoming caller, she hesitated, running through options. Grimaced when she realized which would likely have the quickest results.

  Swiftly, she undid her hair and arranged it around her shoulders. Pursed her lips and took a selfie, which she texted to Kantor with the message: Were you in Zoomey’s last night? So was I! Call me. She added her number and prepared to wait. If this had no result, she’d be forced to leave a message and leave it until tomorrow to follow up.

  She returned to the list on Ethan’s computer. Responded to a couple of people who’d left messages there before she had an alert for an incoming text. Elation filled her when she realized it was from Kantor.

  Did we talk? I was pretty wasted. Had to be or I’d remember you!

  I’m Alexa. Call me, she responded. Moments later, the cell rang in her hand. She answered it immediately.

  “Alexa. A pretty name for a pretty lady.”

  “Bobby Kantor. My name is Dr. Alexa Hayden, and I’m working with the RCMP.” There was an audible gulp on the other end. “By now you’ve heard about The Tailor’s most recent homicide victim found in Truro yesterday. We know she was at Zoomey’s before her death, and so were you. We’d like to have a conversation about what you may have seen.”

  “Man, I don’t know anything about that. I mean, yeah, I was there last night.” It was easy to figure out the young man was dissembling. “I don’t remember much…like I said. I don’t think I could be any help.”

  “We’ve spoken to wait staff at the club who identified you as someone in a booth with the victim,” Alexa said crisply. “You’re not in any trouble here, Bobby. But we do need to speak to you to establish a timeline of the victim’s last hours.”

  “Ah…I just don’t know when I could manage that. I’m leaving tomorrow for a week’s vacation.”

  Her stomach plummeted. “Then how about right now? I’m sure you can understand that this is a matter of urgency.”

  “I guess.”

  “I’ll come to you,” she promised rashly. If the offender showed up this evening, it would be at Victoria Park, not in Dartmouth. Ethan could hardly complain about the risk. Although she had no doubt he’d have plenty to say about it.

  “I’m packing, so I can’t spare much time.”

  “Just name a public place close to you.”

  “Um…there’s a Timmie’s on the corner across from my apartment.”

  Of course there was. Alexa smiled. “Give me the address and thirty minutes. I have to get an Uber.”

  Ethan scanned the park again. Full, and getting more so. Although they’d gotten there at seven-thirty, there’d already been people congregating. The uniformed officers had arrived first. The event was supposed to begin in fifteen more minutes.

  He continued moving about the perimeter, careful not to make eye contact with the plainclothes officers. He held his cell to his ear. “Number six, man at your three o’clock. Jeans, cap, gray T-shirt, dark backpack.” He continued walking, watching from the corner of his eye as his officer moved in the direction he’d indicated. Ethan walked by the female officer acting as a decoy for Alexa. The two uniforms beside her were doing a good job angling their bodies in such a way that her face was mostly hidden.

  “Number six clear.” The officer’s voice sounded in his ear. Ethan continued, rounding the fountain and looking toward the street. A few people were entering the park from this end, as well. He was grateful the park was small. It would have been impossible to monitor otherwise.

  An older man was tottering toward the fountain with the help of a cane. Ethan veered closer to him to get a better look. Even bent over the way the man was, the height would be about right for the offender.

  But once Ethan got nearer, he mentally dismissed the man. The UNSUB might have a penchant for disguises, but he couldn’t replicate the age stamped on the elderly man’s face.

  “Position one.” A voice sounded in Ethan’s ear. “Red shirt, black pants, sunglasses. Heading in your direction.”

  Sunglasses? At this time of night? Ethan quickened his step, searching the crowd until he spied the person in question and made his way toward him. And it was a male, he ascertained as he drew closer. The height was right. The figure was wider than the description they had of the UNSUB, but it would be simple enough to make that change to an appearance. Ethan just needed to jockey around enough so he could see the face.

  Once he had, however, he could see the man was much younger than he’d expected. “Number One clear.”

  The organizers of the event were behind him now, standing directly in front of the fountain. One of the women wielded a microphone, which let out an ear-splitting shriek when she attempted to speak into it.

  Ethan winced. Kept walking. It occurred to him that if the UNSUB was as cautious as normal, he’d wait until full dark to join the vigil. Making it that much more challenging to pick him out of a crowd.

  “Yeah, that’s her.” Kantor studied the photo of Lawler that Alexa set in front of him. “She looked even hotter last night. Wow, is she really dead? Me and my friends were all hitting on her, buying her drinks and stuff. I’d have bet money she was going home with one of us.”

  “What happened?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t remember. We were all getting wasted. She went to the bathroom, I think. We’d just bought drinks.” He stopped. Frowned. “Maybe she took hers with her. Anyway, she never came back to the table. Hunter went looking for her after a while, but that place was packed.”

  “What time was this?”

  “Twelve-thirty or s
o? I’m not really sure.”

  She took copies of the sketches of the offender from her computer bag and laid them out in front of him. “Did you see this man there last night?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “Wouldn’t have noticed him if I had. I go there for the women.”

  Alexa gave a mental sigh and put the drawings away. “Who else was with you?” When he gave her four other names, she asked, “Do you have their phone numbers?”

  “Oh, man, they’re going to hate me for this.”

  Alexa narrowed her eyes. “Yes, I can see what an imposition this is. How terribly inconvenient for you that the woman you were hoping to sleep with last night died. Horribly inconsiderate of her.”

  “Oh, hey, I didn’t mean that.” Dejectedly, Kantor began scrolling through his contacts. “You got a pen or something?”

  She reached into the computer bag she’d brought with her and drew out a pen. Snagged a napkin from the dispenser in the middle of the table and slid both toward him. “Add their first and last names too.” Laboriously, he copied the numbers onto the napkin. “How long after she went to the bathroom did Hunter go looking for her?”

  “I don’t know.” He shoved the napkin across the table to her. “Half an hour or so? I think he had to pi—take a leak, too, because he was gone for a while. When he got back the rest of us had decided to leave. We went to another club a few blocks away. The Sphere.”

  She glanced at the phone numbers. Froze when she noticed the third one.

  The first eight numbers on it matched the ones on Jeanette Lawler’s shoulder. Alexa read the name next to it. Hunter Owens.

  “Where were you all sitting in the booth in relation to Jeanette Lawler?”

  Bobby shoved his hand through his hair as he thought. “She was on the outside. Then Hunter. He was getting a little handsy with her. Spilled a drink in her lap and pissed her off when he tried to wipe it up. But that’s Hunter. Then me. Sam. Ben. Parker.”