“Oh lovely,” I muttered, putting my head in my hands.
“You need to stay somewhere else until we catch them,” Owen said.
“I have protection,” I said, glancing at T.J.
“Fat lot of good that did,” Owen replied, glaring at T.J., “if Vinnie was able to do this to your truck.”
“Well, if you think you can do a better job, why don’t you take over?” T.J. snapped.
“Because I don’t have the manpower to do it!”
“Then you’re just going to have to trust me to take care of her!”
“Will you two shut up?” I said. “It’s not your truck that is smoldering over there; it’s not your house that people keep breaking into. It is your jobs to catch them, not mine. Quit complaining about who should be doing what, or who isn’t doing what, and find them!”
The fire chief, Mike Ramsey, came over at that time. “Someone threw a Molotov cocktail in the bed of the truck. You’re lucky the whole truck didn’t explode.”
“Thanks, Mike,” Owen said.
“I’ll have a report for you tomorrow,” Mike replied. “Make sure you get a copy for your insurance company, Lizzie.”
I nodded and thanked him. Hank Turner, the local wrecker, showed up as the fire truck drove off. “Hey, folks, how’s it going tonight?” he said as he got out of his truck. “Looks like y’all have had an interesting time here.” He walked over to the truck. “Is that ol’ Amos’ truck?”
“Yes, it is.”
Hank shook his head. “Looks like you upset someone, Lizzie.”
“So it would seem, Hank, so it would seem.”
He rubbed his chin. “I’m not going to be able to save this, ya know. It’s toast.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s ok.”
“I’ll load her up, take her back to the yard. Your insurance agent can come take pictures tomorrow.”
“I appreciate it, Hank.”
Hank nodded, loaded up what was left of my truck and left. As we watched him drive off, T.J. said, “I’m going to call the search team and get them to focus on the area around Lizzie’s house. He probably won’t be there, but it’s worth a shot. Right now, it’s all we’ve got.”
“This isn’t my field of expertise here, but can I make a suggestion?”
“Go for it,” T.J. said.
“Forget searching in town. Check the abandoned houses and farms on the outskirts of town. We know that’s where she was the last time. She’s not going to stay in the city limits.”
“Frankly, I think they are both sticking close to your house,” Owen said. “How else could they both be in the town square at the same time?”
“Oh, that’s a comforting thought, Owen. Thanks.”
“I’m just pointing out the obvious.”
“Telling me that two killers are hanging somewhere around my house is not what I really want to hear right now.”
“He’s right,” T.J. replied. “They’ve either got the house bugged, or they are close enough to know when you are coming and going.”
“So what do we do? Not go back to the house?”
“I think they would get suspicious if we don’t go back. When Debra finds out that Vinnie torched your truck, she isn’t going to be happy.”
“What I don’t get is how they don’t know that they are both watching my house, if that is indeed what they are doing.”
“Look, it’s been a long day. Let’s go home,” T.J. said.
Owen held out his hand and pulled me to my feet. “I’ll come by in the morning.”
“No, we’ll meet you at the café,” I said as we walked to his patrol car. “I don’t want to be at the house any longer than I have to be.”
“What are you going to do about a car?” Owen asked as we got in.
“My car is at her house,” T.J. replied.
But when we pulled up to my house, there was one small problem with T.J.’s car.
All four tires were flat.
Chapter 23 - Saturday
I had a hard time falling asleep that night. I kept imagining that Vinnie and Debra were staring at me through the windows. If you’ve never experienced that uncomfortable feeling before, trust me, it’s not fun.
By the time I got up the next morning, it was almost nine. After a shower, I put on some jeans and a t-shirt, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and put on my tennis shoes. I found T.J. outside with Hank, who had apparently brought some tires. They were busy putting them on T.J’s car. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” he said as he stood up.
“I’m not sure about the ‘good’ part yet,” I replied. “I see you’ve been busy this morning.”
“It’s the only transportation we have right now. Hank was nice enough to bring the tires and help me put them on.”
“Thank you, Hank.”
“You’re welcome, ma’am,” he said, tightening the last lug nut. He gathered his tools, shook T.J.’s hand, got in his truck and drove off.
“Have they started searching yet?”
T.J. nodded. “They haven’t found anything, though.”
“Is it possible they are using some type of video? Then they wouldn’t have to stay so close to the house.”
“I thought about that, but I don’t think they would risk having the equipment accidentally discovered. I’ll have one of our tech guys do a sweep of the house just to be on the safe side.”
“Just when I thought my days of being bugged were over.”
“Very funny. Get your stuff; I’ll give Owen a call, and tell him to meet us at the café.”
Twenty minutes later, we were sitting in the Eat it or Starve Café. Judging by the looks I got when we walked in, everyone knew about the fire. My suspicions were confirmed when Gladys came over to our table. “What would your mother say if she was in town, Elizabeth?”
“I would hope she would be glad I was alright, Gladys. And I’m pretty sure she would tell me that it was just a material thing, easily replaced.”
“And I’m sure she would be appalled that you are sticking your nose into something that doesn’t concern you. She raised you much better than that.”
“Gladys,” I said calmly, “may I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“What would your mother say about you sticking your nose into something that doesn’t concern you?”
She looked shocked. “I have no idea what you mean, Elizabeth.”
“How does my truck being burned to a crisp concern you? Maybe you’re the one who threw the Molotov cocktail in the back end of my truck.”
“Where were you last night, ma’am?” T.J. asked. “I do hope you have an air tight alibi.”
“How dare you accuse me of a crime!” Gladys indignantly said.
“Practice what you preach, Gladys,” I said. “You keep your nose out of my business, and I won’t tell anyone about that hidden stash of Scotch you keep in your backyard shed. Oops, guess I spilled the beans, didn’t I?”
People in the café started laughing as Gladys stomped back to her table, grabbed her purse and left. “Does she really have a stash in the shed?” T.J. said as Owen walked in.
“Everyone in town knows about it,” he said, sitting down next to T.J. “She just doesn’t know we all know.”
“She does now,” I laughed.
Maddie brought over menus and a glass of sweet tea for me. “I just love it when you come in here and rattle Gladys’ cage,” she said.
“We aim to please,” I replied.
She took our orders, snatched the menus and left. I don’t know why she bothered bringing the menus; we usually ordered the same thing every time.
“The FBI guy that took over my office was rather ticked off this morning. He demanded to know why I didn’t call him about last night’s fire,” Owen said.
“I got an earful from him, too,” T.J. replied. “I called our tech guy and asked him to do a sweep of Lizzie’s house, just to make sure it’s not wired.”
“I just wish this whole thing
was over,” I said. “I hate walking around, feeling like I am being watched all the time.”
“The search is going to take a while, Lizzie,” T.J. said. “Too bad we don’t have an idea of where she might be; it would certainly make the search a lot easier.”
“Have y’all searched down there by Johnson Creek?” Ray Don Willard said, leaning back in his chair from the table to our left.
“Ray Don, stay out of this,” Owen said. “Don’t you have enough things to worry about?”
“Ok, fine, just trying to help you out,” Ray Don replied.
“Tell me,” I said, glaring at Owen.
“Well, I saw a light on at the Johnson place last night. I know for a fact that they aren’t in town.”
“And how do you know that?” Owen asked.
Ray Don scratched his jaw. “I don’t know if I should say.”
T.J. and Owen looked at each other. “Were you casing the place?” T.J. said.
“I’m not saying another word. Jimmy will kick my…”
“I won’t arrest you if all you did was case the place,” Owen said. “Just tell us.”
“Jimmy and I were checking the place out. We knew the Johnsons had left town because Mrs. Johnson made a big deal about their daughter having a baby. It’s their first grandchild. Anyway, we were checking things out when I noticed a light moving around in the kitchen.”
“Did you get a look at who was in there?” I said.
Ray Don shook his head. “I couldn’t tell who it was.”
“It could be Debra or Vinnie,” Owen said. “Did you see a car or a truck in the area?”
“It was too dark to see anything.”
“Thanks, Ray Don,” he said.
“You’ll tell the D.A. I helped you out?” Owen nodded. “Cool. Thanks. But don’t tell anyone else I told you.” He tilted his chair forward, got up and left.
“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” I said.
Owen shrugged. “The only way we’ll know for sure is to go check things out.”
“When?”
He looked at me. “You’re not going. This is an official investigation. Go home or go to work, I don’t care. But you aren’t coming with me.”
I resisted the urge to pout. “I’m going to talk to Hank about the truck.”
“I took a look at it this morning,” Owen said. “It cannot be saved. Sorry, Lizzie.”
“What’s going to happen to it?”
“Hank will tow it to the junkyard for scrap.”
“Maybe you can find a new car out there,” T.J. said.
“Oh, haha, very funny. I do want to see if I left anything in the cab.”
“If you did, it’s toast, Lizzie,” Owen said. “Just let Hank haul it out to the junkyard. You can meet him out there to sign the paperwork.”
I grudgingly agreed.
Looking back, I wish I hadn’t.
Chapter 24
Vinnie Amato sat on the roof of the bakery, watching the café. Lizzie was inside talking to that jerk of a sheriff and the federal agent who was with her last night when he torched her truck. He had done it to let her know that he was the one who was calling the shots. Maybe she would be more cooperative the next time he talked to her.
His phone vibrated against his hip. “Amato.”
“Tell me you got her,” Peter Greco said.
“She’s in town.”
“So you were right.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“Not yet, but I do have a lead on how to find her.”
“How good of a lead?”
“Her niece. She gets in contact with her every time she is in town.”
“When are you planning to make a move on Cosgrove?”
His phone beeped and he looked at the number. “I do believe she is calling me right now.”
“Get it done.”
Vinnie answered the other call. “Hello, Debra.”
“Didn’t I tell you to stay away from my niece?”
“I do believe you did, yes,” he said as he watched Lizzie and the two men leave the café.
“That does include not frying her truck.”
“It was a nice night, and she was with some guy. I thought a fire would be a romantic touch.”
“I think we should meet.”
“It would be nice to see you again. Where?”
“108 Hwy 77.”
“This isn’t some trick of yours, is it?”
“I guess you’ll just have to go there and find out, won’t you?”
“When?”
“Thirty minutes. Don’t be late. You know how I hate to be kept waiting.”
He watched Lizzie drive off in the agent’s car. “I’ll be there,” he said before he hung up.
We parked in front of the Three Joes junkyard office. “I guess I’m going to figure out how to get a new car,” I said as we got out.
“Maybe you should buy a tank,” T.J. suggested.
“I think the chances of me blowing something up by mistake are too great to even consider that, don’t you?”
“Good point.”
We went inside the office. Joe Ames, the owner, was sitting with his feet propped up on his desk. “Hey, Lizzie, I thought I’d see you today. Sure am sorry about what happened to your truck.”
“Thanks, Joe. Has Hank brought it over here yet?”
He nodded. “Just dropped it off about an hour ago. Not much left to look at, though.”
“Probably not, but I’d like to take a look, just in case.”
“No problem,” he said, standing up. He led us out the front door and toward the back. As we came around the corner, I saw Vinnie climbing over the east fence. “T.J., look!” I said, grabbing his arm and pointing. “What is he doing here?”
Vinnie spotted us, pulled out his gun and fired in our direction. Joe ran back toward the office, while T.J. and I dived behind a pile of crushed cars.
“He must have followed us,” T.J. said, pulling out his gun. He raised his head, trying to spot his target.
“Wasn’t burning my truck enough for him?”
“Apparently not. Stay here.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to go down the side over there and flush him out.”
“What good is that going to do?”
T.J. lifted his pants leg and pulled up a snub nose .38. “Shoot him when he comes out,” he said, handing it to me.
I dropped it on the ground. “Are you crazy? I don’t know how to fire one of these things.”
“Shoot it like you do your air rifle. Aim for his leg.” He took off.
I looked around. There was a crane in the middle of the yard, with an old Cadillac attached at the end of the cable. Probably ready for the compactor. Another shot sounded, and I saw Vinnie come running out into the open space.
My heart started pounding in my chest as I aimed the .38 at his right leg. I was shaking so much, I couldn’t hold the gun steady. I wasn’t comfortable doing this. Where was T.J.?
A creaking noise caught my attention and I looked up. The car seemed to be going higher in the air. The sound caught Vinnie’s attention, and he looked up as well.
The last thing he saw was the undercarriage of the Cadillac before it fell on him.
Chapter 25
As the dust settled, I made my way over to the Cadillac. T.J. came from the other direction. “I said shoot him, not drop a car on him.”
“I didn’t do it! I was right over there,” I said, pointing to my hiding place, “just where you left me.”
“Well, I didn’t do it,” T.J. said, looking around the yard cautiously. “Call Owen and stay here.” He moved toward the crane.
Joe came running from the office. “What happened?”
“There’s been an accident,” I told him as I pulled out my phone. Owen said they would be there in a few minutes.
“No one’s in the cab,” T.J. said when he came back. “Are you the onl
y one here today?”
Joe nodded. “Little Joe went to Plano to check on some equipment, and Big Joe is on vacation.”
“Did you call Owen?” T.J. said to me.
I nodded. “I didn’t give him specifics. Just told him there had been an accident.”
T.J. looked at the Cadillac. “I’m glad I’m not the one who has to clean that up.”
“I don’t want to be here when they do.”
“What are you two talking about?”
“Someone dropped that car on a man.”
Joe turned ghostly white. “Seriously?”
“Seriously,” I said.
He shook his head. “Little Joe is going to be so mad he missed this.”
Quite frankly, I wished I had missed it.
“You don’t think it could have been Debra, do you?” I said.
“I certainly don’t think this was an accident,” T.J. said, taking out his phone.
Five minutes later, Owen came through the gate. “So where’s the accident?” I pointed at the car. “What happened?”
“The Cadillac was hanging up there before it came crashing to the ground,” I replied.
“You called me out here because it got loose and fell? Isn’t that Joe’s problem?”
“Yes, but what is underneath the car is your problem.”
“What’s under it?”
“What’s left of Vinnie Amato.”
“You’re joking.”
“She’s not,” T.J. said. He told Owen what happened. “I called Hopkins, and he’s coming over here with a K-9 unit. Lizzie and I think it might have been Debra who dropped the car on Vinnie.”
“Either way, half of our problem is gone,” Owen said.
“Now we just have to catch the other half.”
I had doubts about them catching her, but I didn’t say it out loud. Even if they did catch her, holding onto her was a different matter altogether.
“Why don’t you go home, Lizzie?” T.J. said, handing me his car keys.
“You’re going to trust me with your car?”
“I still have my truck at home if something happens to the car,” he grinned. “That doesn’t mean go out and wreck it, though.”
“Is it ok to write up a short story about this for the newspaper?”
5 Death Catches A Killer Page 7