Dig Deeper: A Hallie James Mystery (The Hallie James Mysteries Book 1)

by DK Herman

  "Enough that he's not on my list of suspects."

  "Who is? No, never mind. I don’t want to know." Doc hugged me. "I'm sorry. I just stopped in to see if we could try our girl’s night again."

  "Sure." I hugged her back. "Just, not tonight, I'm really tired." I was exhausted, but I wanted to try hacking Cara's email account. Cara's friend had told Ben that she saw a picture of the guy. I hoped it was still there.

  "I heard from Gabi, about your adventure in the woods last night," Doc said. "You don't have any midnight strolls planned for tonight, do you?"

  "I hope not." I grimaced, hoping he didn't have another girl. "Anyhow, let's do a girl’s night later this week. OK?" Hearing another vehicle pull into our drive, I opened the front door. Hank was climbing out of his pickup.

  "Sure. Oh, was that my phone?" Doc took her cell out of her purse and looked at the screen. "Duty calls, I gotta run." She hugged me again. "Love ya, Hal. Call me."

  "I will. Love ya, too," I said to her back, watching her walk to her truck.

  Doc and Hank exchanged a wave as I stepped outside. I waited for Hank on the porch swing. He sat down next to me and kissed me thoroughly.

  "Oh, yes,” I said softly. I wanted to protest when he pulled away abruptly.

  He looked upset. "What were you doing in the woods after I dropped you off last night? Andy told me, you were out there with the killer!" He pointed at the woods. "Why in the hell would you take such a stupid chance."

  After that kiss, Hank's words were like a slap in the face. I stood up, digging my nails into my palms. "Don't you ever, call me stupid again!"

  "I said, you took a stupid chance!" Hank stood up, his eyes dark with anger.

  "It’s my job, damn it! I didn't get killed or even hurt. Not to mention, I saved a girl's life. He would have buried her alive if I wouldn't have interrupted him!" I tried to get my anger under control. "I realize that people in this town, like you and Doc, didn't see much, if any of my career. But I’m a well-trained and seasoned professional." I put my hand up to stop him from speaking. "I won't have anyone, act like I'm a helpless child. I know this isn't a game. There are lives at stake and not just mine. But, I know what I'm doing."

  "I don't understand why you have to be involved,” Hank said, obviously unconvinced. He saw the angry expression, still on my face and changed tactics. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Promise me, you won't go running out into the dark by yourself again."

  "I'm not going to promise anything, other than I'll be careful." I stared back angrily, into those gorgeous, blue eyes.

  "You're going to worry me to damned death." He sat back down and put his head in his hands.

  "I did call you before I went into the woods last night," I said. I sat on the swing next to him. He took my hand and traced circles on the back of my hand. “Your cell went straight to voicemail."

  He froze. "My battery went dead, I didn't know it until this morning."

  There was silence while I rummaged around in my mind for a new topic of conversation. I didn’t feel like fighting anymore. Then I remembered something that I needed to ask him. "What were you doing at the mall, August thirteenth, it was a Saturday afternoon?" I asked sweetly.

  "Why?" He said.

  "I saw security video of the mall entrance from that day. Around two p.m. you walked out of the mall. It was the same day and time, one of the murdered girls walked into the mall and vanished."

  "Am I a suspect?" He snapped, dropping my hand into my lap. "What the hell, did somebody tell you?" Hank was angrier than I'd ever seen him before.

  "What are you so upset about? I just asked you a freaking question!" I was getting fed up with attitudes.

  "I'm sick of questions. I was asked questions like this, for days when Heather disappeared." Hank's voice broke and he stood up. “When Heather went missing, I was home on leave and became a person of interest." He saw the shock and disbelief on my face. "Ask Andy or my parents. The cops acted like I was suspect number one. Like, I would have hurt my little sister." He turned away.

  "I’m sorry. I didn't know." I put my hand on his arm. "But I didn't mean it that way. I never thought that you did anything." I maneuvered myself in front of him until we were facing each other again. I put a hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. "I was hoping that you might have seen something that could help me."

  "Like what?" He kept his arms crossed over his chest.

  "Someone acting suspicious or nervous. Maybe, somebody lurking by the food court." I was relieved to see he was calming down and seemed to be trying to remember. "Ashley was young, pretty, and thin with long blonde hair. She wore a red top and dark blue, denim shorts. She went inside the mall, minutes before you came out."

  "I was there that day to meet Brittany." He saw my jaw drop. "She's my real estate agent, Hallie, calm down."

  "What were you meeting her for?" It was my turn to cross my arms over my chest. I hated the hussy and didn’t trust her with Hank.

  "She claimed, there was rental space at the mall that I would be interested in. But I wasn't. It was too expensive and too small." Now he looked as if my jealousy amused him. Before we could get mad at each other again, he took me in his arms. "I'll try to remember anything else that could help. OK?"

  "OK,” I agreed. Then I got a long kiss that made my toes curl. Afterwards, we just stood holding each other, my cheek resting on his shoulder.

  "Actually, I stopped by to tell you that I have to break our date tomorrow," He said into my hair. "I had a bartender quit on me, without notice, today. So, I'll have to work it. Tonight’s shift, too."

  "I guess that's a good excuse." I tightened my arms around him and took a deep breath. He always smelled so good. It was a light, masculine scent, and I had to be close to him to smell it.

  "Raincheck?" He whispered.

  "Anytime.” Looking up into his face, we shared another searing kiss before he left.

  TEN

  When I went back into the house, Liv had a pot roast with potatoes and carrots on the table. I filled my plate and savored every bite. There were thick slices of homemade bread to mop up the juices. Gram ate well, but she looked tired. With the help of the cleaning girls, she had gotten George's rooms ready for him while I was outside with Hank. He would have the suite, next to Gram’s, that used to be my grandpa Fred’s.

  I told Gram, Ben and I had work to do, hoping she would go to her suite and get some rest. Liv sent us all off with pieces of cherry pie.

  Ben and I went to my sitting room and got comfortable. I powered up my laptop and opened the security footage from the supermarket. We watched it twice. The only thing I saw, even remotely helpful was reflected headlights on the plate glass window. They were too high to be a car and must belong to a truck or SUV.

  Out on my balcony, we took a break to eat our pie. I was on my last bite when Gabi called.

  "I heard Hank had to break your date tomorrow," she said.

  "Yep, he had a bartender quit on him," I answered, licking cherry goo off my fork.

  "I just talked to Doc." Gabi chirped. "Why don't the three of us, go to Hanks tomorrow night? That way, we get our night out, and you’ll get to see Hank."

  I didn't see any way out of it. I'd already gotten into an argument with two people I cared about today. "Why not,” I agreed.

  "Doc and I'll pick you up. Sevenish, OK?"

  "Sure. But, Gabi can I ask you something?”

  “You just did,” Gabi teased.

  “I mean about something Hank told me today.”

  “Sure, watcha wanna know,” she said.

  “He told me, he was a suspect when Heather disappeared. Why?"

  "Because, he was the last to see her,” Gabi answered after a long pause. "He came home that day on leave without telling anybody. To surprise Heather, he picked her up after school. But they had a fight in his car because he caught her making out with a boy in the school parking lot."

  "Why would they get in a fight o
ver that?" I’d never heard about any of this. Gabi may have tried to tell me, but I had refused to talk about Hank back then.

  "I guess they were really going at it, and the boy had his hand up Heather's shirt or something. Hank got really freaked out. You remember how he was so protective of her. Anyhow, witnesses saw Heather get out of his car at a stop sign, slam the car door, and flip Hank the bird. The double salute is what I heard. She must have been livid. Then crying, she ran down third street. Hank was seen, turning the mustang around and going after her. But he insisted he couldn’t find her. Nobody else has claimed to have seen her again, either."

  "Oh, my God! It's no wonder the cops questioned him."

  "Yeah, they questioned him alright, for three freaking days!" Gabi exclaimed. "We thought we were going to lose him, too. The army intervened, so he could leave town and go back on duty."

  "Why didn't you tell me about it before?" I did ask her about any arguments Heather had with her family when we were at River's Edge, my second day back.

  "Because, I know damned well that he didn't do anything. He would never have hurt Heather,” Gabi insisted.

  We were both quiet for a minute. I didn't know what to say.

  "Well, I gotta run,” Gabi said, breaking the silence. "See ya tomorrow."

  "Yep. See ya,” I answered.

  I put down my phone and shook my head. Ben was nonchalantly, petting Buddy and Princess. But I could tell he'd heard enough to make him curious. So, I told him about Hank being a suspect in his own sister's disappearance. Then I filled him in on what he couldn't hear of my conversation with Gabi.

  "And nobody saw or heard from his sister again. Wow!" Ben exclaimed. "Hallie, I don't blame the cops for suspecting Hank. That doesn't sound good. They talked to me a bunch of times, and I didn't have a blowout like that with Cara. I didn't get mad about the cop’s questions either."

  "They were very close,” I defended Hank, but Ben had a point.

  "I was close to my little sister, too," Ben said. "But have you heard about the statistics, that a woman is more likely to be hurt by a family member, than by a stranger?"

  "Yes. I have, and I believe it’s true,” I said.

  "The cops were just doing their job. I respected that and tried to help as much as I could. Because I wanted my sister back, more than I cared about being questioned,” Ben said and went back to petting the dogs.

  He was right, but he didn't know Hank. So, I decided to drop it. I was tired and more than a little grouchy. I really needed to do something to try to catch this guy. Finding the picture would certainly get me closer to the killer.

  "Do you want to try hacking Cara's email with me now?" I asked.

  "Hell yeah!" Ben jumped up. "Just tell me what to do."

  "If we use two laptops, we could cover more possibilities." I got Chitty's keys out of my purse. Ben followed me downstairs. "I'm going out to get my other laptop. Why don't you raid the kitchen and see if there's any more pie? I could eat another piece. I'll be right back." Ben went toward the kitchen, and I went out the front door.

  The sun had set while we were on my balcony. The security lights glowed, bathing the exterior of the house in soft light, and the air had grown cooler with the darkness. September started in a few days, and I could almost smell fall in the air. I took a deep breath and left the porch. I loved it when the seasons changed. I thought that all four of them were great. I loved spring and summer. But If I lived someplace where it was hot all the time, I would be bored. I loved being able to look forward to the colorful leaves and the beauty of snow.

  Deciding to use Chitty's side door, I hummed as I walked around her. It was dark on this side of the RV. I had her keys in my hand, ready to unlock the door when something hit me hard from behind. Strong arms went around me like steel bands, and something sharp was held to my throat.

  At first, I was too shocked to think. There was that breathing again, like an angry bull. But this time, it was in my ear. My heart was pounding and I knew I had to do something. It would only take a second to cut my throat and kill me. I was terrified as he held me, the sharp knife blade against my neck.

  Then I thought about the people he’d already killed, and his attempts to kill George. Fear mixed with outraged, and I exploded violently. "Fuck you!" I screamed, bringing my heel down with all my strength on his foot. The arms around me loosened, giving me an opportunity to jam both of my elbows into his torso. His grunt of pain gave me satisfaction until I felt myself shoved violently forward. I crashed into the side of my RV, seeing stars when my head hit. Then a foot kicked me hard in my left hip. I yelped in pain.

  "You cowardly, rotten, son of a bitch!" I screamed into the darkness. I lay on the ground, my ears ringing. My hip hurt like hell, but I could move my left leg. I didn’t think anything was broken, but I had no idea if the bastard with the knife was still here. So, I made myself scramble to my feet. Making my way along Chitty's side, I shuffled toward the light and security of the house. When I made it to the rear of the RV, I saw the silhouette of a man, six feet in front of me. I was trying to decide if I should try to run when I heard Ben's voice calling my name. But that wasn’t who was in front of me.

  "Ben!" I shrieked. "I'm over here." My ears had stopped ringing enough that I could hear his feet running toward me.

  "Are you OK?" Another voice asked.

  "Peter," I said, realizing who stood there. He stepped back as Ben reached us.

  "Hallie, what happened?" Ben asked. He put his arms around me, keeping me on my feet.

  "Let's go into the house. All three of us. Peter stay in front, where I can see you. Move!" I demanded. "We'll talk about it there."

  With Ben's help, I made it to the living room. He gently lowered me onto a recliner. Peter stayed behind at the front door, wiping his feet until I yelled at him again.

  "I was just attacked,” I said. "Somebody held a knife to my throat. When I fought back, he pushed me into the side of the RV, then kicked me while I lay there stunned." I watched Peter's face while I spoke, his expression didn’t change until he realized I was glaring at him.

  "I didn't do anything,” Peter said. “Why are you looking at me like that?” He wrung his hands nervously.

  "Should I call the cops? How about a doctor?" Ben asked. He glowered at Peter, causing the other man to back up a few steps.

  "Why is it, when something happens, you're right there, Peter?” I said. "I think we should call the cops."

  "Go ahead and call them, I didn’t do anything," Peter said. "I couldn't remember if I shut the garage door. When I went to look, I heard you scream a nasty word. I thought you needed help." He shrugged.

  "Empty your pockets, right here on the coffee table,” Ben said. He took a few steps toward Peter when he didn’t do as he asked.

  Peter looked at the tall, strapping, young man and decided to cooperate. He walked to the coffee table next to me. The only pockets he had were in the front of his work pants. He reached into them, putting the contents on the table. All he had was a wallet, keys, and some tissues.

  "He could have dumped it outside somewhere." Ben pointed out.

  "This is ridiculous," Peter said. He seemed angry now. "The next time, I hear you in trouble, I'm walking the other damned way."

  "Did you see or hear anything besides me swearing?" I'd see if he had any information, then try to smooth things over. I didn't want him going to Gram with this in the morning. I knew it would scare her.

  "I heard you swear, then a crash,” Peter said. "I followed the noises, but I don't have my gun anymore." He stopped to give me a pissy look. “I saw you creeping along the side of your RV and then I heard him,” Peter’s chin jutted in Bens direction, "yell to you when he was coming across the driveway."

  "That's it?" I sighed.

  "Well, I... sort of..." Peter squirmed.

  "What. Please, tell me, Peter." I softened, I wanted to hear what he had to say.

  "It was just, a bad feeling. Like the one I got last nig
ht in the woods, and the day George got shot." He looked me in the eye. "I could just feel them. Somebody was there, somebody really bad."

  "OK. Thanks Peter." I nodded. I knew exactly what he meant. I made the mistake of not paying attention tonight. But at least I accomplished one goal. I got close to the killer. "Do you want us to walk you back to your cabin? I'll get my gun,” I said.

  "No thanks," Peter said. He seemed insulted I’d asked. Shaking his head, he left.

  Ben insisted on helping me back upstairs to my sitting room. Then we both had a huge piece of cherry pie and I found milk in my little fridge. “Why didn't you have your gun with you tonight?" Ben asked around a mouthful of cherries and crust.

  "I forgot,” I answered honestly. “It’s still in my purse.

  "Try not to forget again," he said. “This guy plays rough and doesn’t seem to like you.

  I winced, rubbing my head gently. There was a bump where it had hit Chitty. My hair would cover it, but it would be tender for a few days. Served me right for being such an idiot. Going out into the dark alone, was a major screw up. I'd never been so sloppy. But then, I've never had a case come literally, to my front door before. I would be more careful.

  “He doesn’t like me because it’s my fault the cops know about the murders.” I took a swallow of milk. “If I wouldn’t have followed the dogs and found the bodies, the police would still be operating under the assumption that the girls were runaways. There’d be no confirmation of their deaths nor any clues collected. Also, finding the girl last night before he could bury her, probably pissed him off. And her still being alive, and possibly able to answer questions if she recovers has got to make him nervous. I pushed my hair back and winced again.

  "You’re sure, you’re OK?" He asked. I was touched that Ben seemed so concerned about me. We'd only known each other a few days.

  "There’s a few lumps on my head, but I’m not finding any dents,” I joked. "But I need something for this headache. My hip's going to be sore, too"

  "It's getting late. We can hang it up for the night." Ben offered.