Deadly Noel

by Margaret Daley

  When she entered her living room, Larry stood. “I want you to stay here. I’m going to Josh Morgan then right back.”

  “My orders are to stay with you, ma’am.”

  “Someone tried to kill Gabriel last night.”

  “You don’t know that for sure. Chief Shaffer thinks the shooter was going after you again.”

  “Then why were all the bullets on the left side of the truck?” She hated not having freedom to go where she needed for her job. Her life and Gabriel’s were on the line, not to mention other women in the town.

  “You’ll have to take that up with the chief.”

  “No, she doesn’t.” Gabriel stood in the entrance to the living room, his face pale, his feet bare, and dressed in jeans and T-shirt, part of his bandage visible. “I’m coming with you, Kira. You are not going alone to the estate.”

  “You’re supposed to rest.”

  “I did. I got four hours.” The resolve carved into his features, the force behind his gaze declared his intentions.

  “Fine, so long as you stay in the car with Larry.” She pressed her mouth into a firm line, hoping to convey her resolve.

  Gabriel exchanged a look with the police officer then nodded. “I’ll get my shirt and boots on and be right back.”

  Five minutes later, Larry drove Kira and Gabriel in the direction of the Morgan Estate, both of them sitting in the back of his patrol car.

  “Never wanted to be in one of these again,” Gabriel mumbled as Larry backed out of the driveway.

  At least Gabriel would be safe. “Although it’s Saturday, my secretary is coming over, and I’m going to work from home for a while until I have to be in court for a case on Monday. I called Hank this morning and told him what happened. He wanted you to know he’ll take care of everything at the ranch. Not to worry.”

  “In other words, you want me to stay with you and the police officer assigned to you because you’re afraid the murderer will try to kill me again.”

  She grinned. “No one has accused me of being subtle.”

  “Did they find any evidence of the shooter?”

  “Footprints in the light snow which have melted by now. They took pictures last night.”

  “Where did they go?”

  “To a side road that led to the Miller’s house. With the gravel there wasn’t a usable tire print.”

  “What size was the shoe?”

  “Boot and about a man’s twelve.”

  “So how did this guy know we were going to be there at that time?”

  “Good question. Bill is investigating it. At least there’s a little evidence to follow.”

  “If we catch someone and can match a print to them. Boots are worn by a lot of men in Pinecrest.”

  “I hope Josh knows about Marcie’s car.” Needles of pain stabbed her neck and upper back. She was wound so tight she felt she would snap in two.

  “Last night proved that we must be doing something right. Why else come after me? It doesn’t fit with the rest of what the killer is doing.”

  Kira tried to relax. She ached from being so tense the past twelve hours, and she wasn’t looking forward to talking to Josh. There was no love lost between him and his sister. As Josh and Marcie grew up, their relationship deteriorated until it was almost non-existent by the time Kira returned to Pinecrest. But once, when she was young, there had been a time she thought of Josh as an older brother.

  Larry pulled up to the Morgan mansion and parked in the circular drive. When she opened her back door, the police officer climbed from the driver’s seat.

  Over the top of the car, she said, “I’m doing this by myself. I don’t want him to think this is an interrogation.” When Gabriel exited the patrol car, Kira glared at him. “You and Josh don’t get along. I don’t want to break up a fight between you two.”

  Gabriel smiled. “I’ll be on my best behavior, but I am coming. There’s a chance I wasn’t the target last night.” He rotated toward Larry. “If I go, will you stay out here on the porch?”

  “Yes. I can do that.”

  Kira rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Fine. Let’s go. Penny will be at my house soon.”

  Before she had a chance to ring the bell, the door swung open. Josh, all six feet six inches, filled the entrance. He had a hand towel slung around his neck and workout clothes on.

  “It took y’all long enough to decide whether you were going to come in or not.”

  Although Gabriel hadn’t said anything, Kira slid a glance at him. Barely concealed contempt shaped his features into a solemn frown with a tic jerking his jawline.

  “Is Marcie’s car here?” Kira asked hurriedly.

  “Yes.”

  “May we see it?”

  “The police searched it last January. They didn’t find anything to tie to Marcie’s murder so why the interest now?”

  “We’ve discovered Marcie had a lover. We need to rule him out as a suspect. Marcie went to a lot of trouble to keep his identity a secret.”

  “Did the other victims have a lover, too?”

  When Josh asked a question she hadn’t considered yet, Kira was caught off guard. She couldn’t think of anything to say for a moment.

  “The police are investigating all possible connections between the four victims,” Gabriel said in a calm voice.

  “If we can identify Marcie’s lover, then connecting the others to him will be easier.” Kira’s cheeks burned with embarrassment.

  “I don’t see how my sister’s car will tell you anything. All personal items have been removed.”

  “So you sold it?” She wasn’t a detective, but that wasn’t going to stop her from looking into the case. She wanted her life back.

  “No, it’s here in the garage. Mom couldn’t part with it. She gave it to Marcie. She was trying to bribe her to come live here again so Mom could see Abbey more. It didn’t work, but my mother was positive it would once Marcie ran out of her inheritance from our grandmother. Follow me.” Josh glowered at Gabriel. “You stay here. I’m not the killer or the shooter from last night.”

  Before Gabriel replied to Josh’s silent challenge, Kira said, “I trust Josh. I’ll be fifty yards away.”

  “Jessie told me that Gabriel was helping you, but I didn’t believe it until I saw it for myself. He wasn’t good for Marcie.”

  Marcie hadn’t been good for Gabriel. But Kira kept that to herself. “He came to my recuse when someone shot at my car.” Although at the time she hadn’t thought the killer was after her or she’d probably be dead, but after last night she couldn’t say that anymore. A few more inches to the left and Gabriel would have been hurt enough that he might have lost control of his truck. Was that the shooter’s point? Had he planned to take her from the wreck?

  “Isn’t he such a good knight in shining armor?”

  Kira stopped and frowned. “Josh, you didn’t use to be this bitter and critical. What happened?”

  “My sister was murdered, and as far as I’m concerned, Gabriel had the best reason to kill her.”

  “He didn’t do it, and he was with me when the fourth victim was taken. Not to mention in jail for the second and third one.”

  “Then a partner could have helped him.”

  “Do you really think Gabriel would work with a partner in something like what’s going on here?”

  Josh shook his head and opened the door to the four-car garage. “Marcie’s sports car is the last one.”

  “How are Jessie and Abbey doing?”

  “Okay. Both miss Pinecrest, but Abbey loves the beach. After she does her schoolwork, she and Jessie spend a lot of time out there. Mom hired three bodyguards to keep the compound safe. I’m leaving tomorrow to fly back to Florida. We’ll be celebrating Christmas there in a couple of weeks.”

  While we might be holed up in our houses, afraid to leave because of the killer terrorizing Pinecrest. “That’s nice. Grams and I are going to have a quiet one at her house.”

  Josh gestured toward the re
d sports car. “So what will this tell you?”

  Kira swung the passenger side door open and peeked inside. “What navigation and communication system did she have?”

  “StarPoint. Are you going to try to get the records of her movements from them?”

  “Yes. I can get a warrant, or you can persuade your mother to give us permission. If we know her movements, maybe we can figure out who her lover was. Will you ask Ruth?”

  “Yes. I want this stopped as much as you. I’ll take care of it and give you a call.”

  “Thank you. Please keep this between you and your mother. I don’t want the killer to know what we’re doing.”

  “I want him caught, too.” Josh started back toward the door into the house.

  When they entered, Gabriel was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with his arms and feet crossed. He pushed off and assessed her.

  She smiled. “Josh will help us.”

  “Don’t get the idea I’m helping you, Michaels. I’m helping the assistant DA and the police.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I’ve never had those illusions.” Gabriel strode to the front door and held it open for Kira.

  She turned to Josh. “Thanks, again. Hopefully this nightmare will be over soon.” Then she left, feeling for the first time that they had a chance to find the killer.

  As Larry drove in the direction of her house, Gabriel took her hand and wove his fingers through hers. “I know you feel this will give us the answer, but it might not. I do think we need to look into the other three women even more and see what they have in common. I would have said age until Mary Lou was killed. She’s five years younger than Marcie. Rebecca and Shirley were months apart in age and only a year older than Marcie.”

  “I agree. They all have different hair and eye color. They were in good shape, a little on the thin side. Penny can help with that.”

  As Larry pulled into her driveway, Kira checked her watch. “She’ll be here in five or ten minutes.”

  Inside, Larry went through the house to make sure no one was there, and then he took up his position in the living room. Penny arrived on time with a box of information and set it on the dining room table. Gabriel hooked up Kira’s computer while Penny brought two laptops from the office.

  “Chief Shaffer’s going to be here soon,” Penny said as she sat at one end.

  While Kira took the place opposite her secretary, Gabriel folded his tired body into the chair between the ladies.

  Penny pulled a couple of sheets out of the box. “I’ve started a list of characteristics and interests between the victims, but there’s still more that needs to be done. Like places they frequented.”

  “Let’s each take one of them and delve into their lives. I’ll do Rebecca. Penny can have Shirley, and Gabriel, Mary Lou. We know Marcie the best, but we’ll flesh out her profile after we finish with these ladies. Going to Pinecrest High School and being in the youth group are two things they all have in common. What else?”

  With a grimace, Gabriel opened his laptop and began typing.

  Kira was investigating mutual friends when her cell phone rang. She saw it was her grandmother and hurried to answer the call. “Hi, Grams.”

  “Kira, I’m in pain and need your help.”

  Chapter Nine

  Kira’s cell phone began to slide from her hand. She caught it before it hit the table. “I’ve got to go to Grams’ house. She’s in trouble.” Did the killer come after her grandmother? Kira shot to her feet, snatched her purse from the table, and rushed for the kitchen door.

  Then she remembered Grams was on the phone. Kira put it up to her ear. “Grams, are you still there?”

  Nothing.

  Gabriel grasped her arm and stopped her from leaving through the garage. “Larry will drive us. Let’s go out the front.”

  Us. Each day they’d worked together as partners in this investigation had firmed their friendship. Kira changed directions. She didn’t see any reason the killer would go after her grandmother. She needed to remain calm. Grams was eighty and didn’t fit into the victim category for the murderer.

  Positioned at the front door, Larry opened it when he saw Kira and Gabriel. “I heard. I’ll put on the siren.”

  Kira’s heart rate accelerated as the police cruiser did. “She said she was hurt. In trouble. Should I call an ambulance?”

  Gabriel slipped his arm around her shoulders. “We’re almost there.”

  Kira spied the house half a block away. A minute later with Gabriel and Larry beside her, she raced for the porch while fumbling to get her key out.

  When she entered her grandmother’s place, she called out. “Grams, where are you?”

  “In the kitchen.”

  Kira hurried into the room, her breathing shallow, her chest aching. Grams lay on the floor by the refrigerator in the midst of glass shards. Blood flowed from several cuts. “What happened?”

  “I thought I cleaned up all the water on the floor, but I didn’t. I slipped, dropped my drink, and fell. I tried to get up but couldn’t.”

  “You’re bleeding a lot.”

  “I’m on blood thinner.”

  Kira looked at Larry. “Wouldn’t it be faster if you take her to the hospital in your car?”

  He nodded.

  While Gabriel and the police officer helped her grandmother to her feet and supported her between them, Kira grabbed some towels. That was when she saw the shard of glass sticking out the back of her grandmother’s left leg.

  “Wait.” Kira knelt and examined the wound. It wasn’t bleeding as much as the others. She didn’t want to pull it out and have more blood loss than there already was. “Okay. Let’s get her to the hospital.”

  Within half an hour, the emergency room doctor had removed the piece from her grandmother’s leg, treated it, and stitched it up. Kira stood next to Grams, holding her hand. Gabriel and Larry were outside in the hallway.

  Craig Addison, their family doctor, entered the room. “Beth, I heard you were brought in. What happened?”

  “She dropped a glass in the kitchen, slipped, and fell,” Kira answered because the ER attendant had given her grandmother a mild sedative. “She has five cuts that needed stitches, and then they’re going to take an X-ray of her ankle. She couldn’t put any weight on it.”

  The ER doctor glanced at Craig. “I’m cleaning up the ones that don’t need stitches and making sure there are no splinters of glass still embedded. I suspect she has a fractured ankle. A few of the cuts wouldn’t stop bleeding, so I gave her something to help the clotting.”

  “May I talk with you, Kira, in the corridor?” Craig smiled at Grams then headed to the door and waited for Kira.

  In the hallway, Craig drew her to the side away from Gabriel and Larry. “This is the third time in eight months she’s fallen. If she hadn’t been able to call you, she could have lost a lot of blood. Have her stay with you until she’s better, especially if her ankle is broken. I’ll come by and check on her. Plus, I’m also going to have an X-ray taken of her hip to make sure she hasn’t broken it. Even a hair line crack will cause her problems.”

  “I’ll do whatever needs to be done, but Grams is determined to be independent. Remember she didn’t call me after one of those falls. She had a friend take her to the hospital because I was in court, and she didn’t want to disturb me.”

  “That’s why I’m talking to you. I’ll also go back in and make things clear to her.”

  Kira smiled. “Thank you. She’ll listen to you before me. I’m so glad you took over for your father last year. How’s he doing in Florida?”

  “Enjoying the warm weather. That’s why he retired and moved. He said his bones ached too much in the winter in Oklahoma. He’d have probably retired five years earlier if he had lived further north.”

  While Craig went into the ER room to talk with Grams, Kira moved to Gabriel and Larry. “He’s going to convince my grandmother to stay at my house. I’ll feel much better if she does, especially with wh
at’s happening in Pinecrest. We’ll probably be here a few more hours.”

  “Do you want me to call Penny and let her know what’s going on?” Larry asked.

  “Yes and tell her to keep on top of getting the evidence from StarPoint. But until then, she can work on the list of similarities between the victims.”

  “I’m going back to the house to work with her. Larry will stay with you.”

  “But how about—”

  “I can take care of myself. Your house is only five blocks, and it isn’t snowing anymore.”

  Kira looked at Gabriel. “I wish you’d stay.”

  He pulled Kira away from her guard and leaned toward her right ear. “I need to do something. I’m antsy. I keep thinking we’re missing something. I’m stopping by the police station. It’s only a block out of my way.” Gabriel shrugged, his eyes glinting. “Besides, who knows? Bill Shaffer might take pity on me and give me a ride.”

  “What are you really up to, Gabriel Michaels?”

  “Okay. I want to see how long it’ll be until I get my truck back. I’m hoping they’ve finished going over it and sent it to the Premier Garage.”

  “I’ll see you at my house later?”

  “Yes. I’m not leaving your protection up to one police officer. But I figure you’re safe with Larry in the middle of the ER.” Gabriel waved to the police officer and strode toward the exit.

  Watching him walk away made her realize how much she’d come to depend on him. He had a stake in this investigation. His presence gave her solace that there might be an end to this nightmare soon.

  * * *

  Gabriel crossed the street and walked in the direction of the police station. The fresh cold air smelled good after being in the hospital. He was glad this time it had nothing to do with the serial killer. He kept racking his brain trying to think of anything that Marcie had said to him those last months. There was a time last November when she had been skittish and tense. Abbey had even told him she’d heard her mother crying a couple of times in her bedroom. Then things started to change in December. When he read the last journal they had reviewed from the evidence, he’d gotten the sense she was scared. Why hadn’t she said anything to him or her family? What had she written in the missing pages of the one journal? She was the key to this.