Trace watched her enter the building and then headed for the police car, intent on staying away from Regina for the rest of the night, so he’d not be tempted to finish what they’d started earlier. He was here to protect her—not screw her, no matter how alluring the thought was.
Trace slid behind the steering wheel and started the engine, then pulled out. He wanted Regina, but it’d be best to wait until Keith’s murder was solved before he let anything like what had transpired tonight happen again. He had to keep his mind clear and try to figure out who’d want his friend dead.
So, Rayland had been standing outside Regina’s place the night he was killed. About an hour after Trace’d seen him last. How had he gotten away from the dance without his wife?
Maybe he’d slipped away while she was occupied with friends.
He turned the cruiser back into the alley behind Regina’s, parked, and cut the engine. He was going to be all business with her until this mess was over—then all bets were off.
Trace knew he was missing something crucial in solving Keith’s murder; he just needed to figure out what it was. His friend was a very low-key guy. Didn’t seem to have an enemy in the world from what he’d seen.
What were the main motives for murder? He’d learned that the first day on homicide. Money. Jealousy. Revenge.
Keith had had no money. Cross that one off the list.
Jealousy. As far as Trace knew, the man hadn’t been dating anyone. Strike two.
Revenge? Who’d had a bone to pick with Keith? The man had got along with everyone.
So, was this going to be one of those one-out-of-a-million cases that didn’t fit into the three obvious reasons to kill? The unusual motive for murder. If so, it was going to make it harder to solve. Hell, maybe even impossible.
No. Trace was going to find justice for Keith if it took him twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Tell me, how was it?” By the sheer enjoyment on her friend’s face, Tiah had undoubtedly recovered from her scare the night before.
“What?” Regina wanted to change the subject. She didn’t want to discuss her and Trace’s encounter. It’d bring it all back, and she seriously needed to push the whole thing from her mind before her body went crazy.
Tiah’s blue eyes sparkled. “You forget who you’re talking to. I’m not going to stop asking until you tell me.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“All the basics. Is he a good kisser? How big is his—”
Regina raised her hands in protest. “I’m not going to talk to you about this, Tiah. There’s nothing to tell.”
“Right. I know you’re lying, but I’ll let you keep your little tryst to yourself for now. I will expect details when you’re ready, though. So, what do you think they’ll do with Rod?”
“I believe he’ll stay locked up for now. That’s one less thing for me to worry about. I wish I could help find out who killed my neighbor. Then things could go back to the way they were before all this happened.”
“Who says we can’t?” Tiah gave Regina a wry smile.
“What are you saying?”
“That maybe we should do a little investigative work ourselves. There had to be someone in Groves who had it out for the man. We find that, we find his killer, and possibly the person behind the bird and poppet mess.”
Regina shook her head. “I don’t know the first thing about investigating a murder, and besides, Trace would be furious if we got involved.”
“Yeah, and you need to keep your little boyfriend from getting angry with you.”
The sarcasm dripping from her friend’s words riled Regina. She slammed her fists on her hips and stared at her friend. “Look, Tiah, this isn’t about Trace. This is about keeping ourselves from being this guy’s next target.”
“What happened to the strong woman I used to know? You know, the one who wasn’t afraid of anything?”
“Well, let’s see,” Regina glared at Tiah, “maybe I lost it when Rod tried to choke the life out of me or maybe when we tried to put a spell of protection over me and someone thought better of that. Maybe that’s why I’m not so gung-ho about going after a killer.”
“I know you’re scared, Regina, but sitting around here waiting for something else to happen isn’t going to get your life back on track. I think being proactive and doing a little digging would keep us busy, and maybe we’d be able to help the sheriff find this guy’s killer.”
Perhaps Tiah was right. Maybe they could help Trace. After all, it was only him, Garrett, and the dark-haired man she’d seen at the station, working the case. They could use some extra eyes and ears. But Tiah was no Nancy Draw, and Regina was hardly her sidekick, Beth. They didn’t know the first thing about trying to solve a murder. Where would they start?
“Okay, so say we do this,” Regina said, frowning at her friend. “What do we do? Who do we talk to?”
Tiah smiled. “That’s the girl I know and love. How about we start with who the man was? Did he have family? What did he do for a living? Maybe there’s a clue in there somewhere.”
“Okay, but how do we do that?”
“That’s easy. We go in and get our hair done and ask around.”
Regina shook her head. “But you saw the way people where looking at us yesterday. Do you really think they’ll open up?”
“Women love to talk while they’re getting their hair fixed. Trust me. Let’s do a walk-in and see how it plays out.”
Regina studied her friend. She wasn’t so sure Tiah’s plan would work, but what did they have to lose? “All right. You win. We’ll see how this goes, but if Trace gets wind of what we’re doing and comes calling, you’re dealing with him, not me.”
* * *
Trace studied the medical examiner’s report on Keith, noting the one point six blood alcohol level in his system—clearly intoxicated when he was murdered. That wasn’t like his friend. Sure, he’d have a beer or two while playing cards, but to reach a level this high? No. Something wasn’t right.
As he recalled, there had been empty beer bottles on the man’s coffee table. But from the angles of them all, someone else had been there drinking with him. Too bad no other prints were found on the bottles besides Keith’s. Could he have drank all six? Would that have given him the one point six? That would all depend on how fast he drank them and when.
Trace slammed a fist on his desk. This case was driving him crazy. Nothing made any sense. Why murder Keith in what Nathan Horn confirmed as a ritual killing? Had his friend gotten himself into something Trace knew nothing about? Could he have been dabbling in some dark forces he’d kept a secret from everyone?
Trace just couldn’t see that, but then, he’d experienced this on cases in Chicago. A wife not knowing about something in her husband’s past or present. Her being shocked to learn the one she loved wasn’t who she thought he was.
Hell, he could attest to that in his own life. He’d thought things were perfect between him and Brianna. They’d been married a little over two years and had been building a future for themselves. Not once had he suspected she’d been sleeping around. Until the night he’d caught her. The man in their bedroom had been lucky Trace had unstrapped his gun and shoved it into a drawer before coming to bed. He might have shot him.
Trace shook his head and pushed the memory away. He had a murder to solve. It wasn’t time to reminisce about the past.
He glanced back at the report. Cause of death was a puncture to the left ventricle of the heart.
Keith had bled out.
Trace swallowed convulsively. It was hard to treat this like just another case when the man was a friend, but if anyone had a desire to find Keith’s killer, it was him.
So, he needed to talk to Nathan. Get brought up to speed on ritual killings. Motives for them. Then maybe he could get a clearer picture of what could have happened. Too bad he needed to keep an eye on Regina that night or he’d spend the evening ge
tting acquainted with the reasons for the taboo ritual.
Maybe he could do both.
“Hey, Darla,” he called.
The blonde dispatcher stuck her head inside his office door. “You need something, Trace?”
“You know where Nathan is?”
“I think he went to Carol’s. He needed a few things to hold him over.”
“Okay. Thanks.” He rose from his desk and started for the door “If Garrett comes in while I’m gone, tell him to stick around. I need to talk to him.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
“If and when he does, go home and get some sleep. I appreciate you coming in last night to watch the prisoner.”
“How about you? Haven’t you been up all night?”
Damned right he’d been up. Every time he thought about Regina. It was getting downright painful.
“I’m fine, Darla. Like I said, go home when Garrett shows up. We’ll need you bright and early in the morning.”
Trace left the station intent on heading to the department store and finding Nathan. If things worked out, the two men would be having dinner with Regina and her blonde friend, and at the same time, he’d learn what he needed to about ritual killings. It’d make for entertaining mealtime conversation while keeping Regina safe.
* * *
With a trembling hand, Regina opened the door to Charlene’s Cut-n-Curl and stepped inside, Tiah on her heels. The smell of perm hit her head-on, making her eyes and nose burn.
Everyone in the room looked up from what they were doing.
Regina knew this was a mistake. How could they have thought walking into a place as the new kids in town—and a possible murderer, at that—would get them any answers or niceties? The whole thing was crazy.
“Can I help you?” a heavyset brunette asked, her hands not leaving the woman’s head she was removing perm rods from.
“We came in for a wash and style.” Tiah smiled brightly at the woman.
“I have to finish up this perm, and then I have another ahead of you. If you want to wait, you’re more than welcome to.”
“Great.” Tiah dragged Regina over to the seating area and tossed her a magazine.
“This isn’t going to work,” Regina whispered to her. “No one is going to say anything to either of us.”
Tiah placed a finger to her lips and shushed her.
Regina glared and plopped down in a chair. They were going to spend half the day in this beauty parlor for nothing.
Tiah paged through the magazine she had and nodded at Regina’s.
The last thing she wanted to do was read about some celebrity’s affair with a hooker. Regina stared at the page and let her mind wander to Trace. She could almost feel his hands on her body, his heated breath on her neck, and it sent a ripple of excitement over her.
She shifted on her seat. Stop thinking about him or you’re going to overheat.
“I heard he was into some kind of black magic,” the woman getting the perm whispered.
Regina’s ears perked up, and she glanced at Tiah, who smiled and nodded again.
“You know what they say,” the beautician said. “It’s always the quiet ones with all the secrets.”
“Right, and Keith always kept to himself. I don’t think I ever saw him with any woman. Don’t you think that’s strange?” the gal across from them asked.
“I thought he dated Kelly Marley in high school?”
“Kelly would be the only one to ask about that, and we all know that’s impossible,” the blonde getting the perm said.
All the women nodded.
They clearly knew something Regina didn’t. Maybe Kelly left town. Regina was starting to wonder if she shouldn’t do the same. Too bad her whole life was wrapped up in her new business and Trace. She just couldn’t see herself leaving until she resolved this thing with him.
“Maybe he dated someone out of town,” the beautician suggested. “This is Keith we’re talking about. A man who would give the shirt off his back to help anyone here. I think we should stop speculating about who or why he was murdered. I just hope the sheriff finds his killer.”
“Wasn’t Sheriff Langston some hotshot homicide detective in Chicago before he came here? I’d think he should have this case solved within the week,” the gal waiting to get her hair done next interjected.
Regina had no idea Trace had arrived from such a big city. But for these women to expect him to resolve this murder in a few short days was asking for a miracle as far as Regina was concerned. He wasn’t ten men. That’s what he needed to get it done in that space of time, and that’s if all the pieces were in place.
The whole thing angered her. That was certainly a lot of pressure to put on one man.
Regina glanced at Tiah, who looked at her as if the women in the room were crazy. Regina was glad she wasn’t the only one. Small town thinking was totally unrealistic. Solving Keith’s murder would take as long as it took. Nothing could change that, no matter what the people of Groves expected.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Trace walked into Sweeney’s Bed & Breakfast, determined to learn as much as he could from Nathan, while trying to keep his hands off Regina. Inside, he took a sharp left into the dining area. His heart wrenched when he saw her and her friend sitting at a table with Horn. The blonde seemed glued to his fellow officer—a man who appeared oblivious to the attention. Good. All he needed was Horn’s focus diverted. Not when Trace’s was with Regina, though he was determined to fight it until Keith’s killer was found.
As he neared the table, Regina looked up. Their gazes met, and his step faltered. How was he going to concentrate on Nathan’s tutorial when all he wanted to do was whisk Regina from the room and finish what they had started last night?
Nathan spotted him and rose. “I was wondering when you were going to show up.”
“Sorry. I was stuck at the office until Garrett came. We have a prisoner now, so we can’t lock up for the night without someone there to watch him.”
Trace took the empty seat across from Regina, which meant they’d be facing each other. He’d never be able to keep his eyes to himself. He didn’t have that kind of willpower. At least not with her.
Lorraine Sweeney stepped up to the table, smiled at Trace, and handed him a menu. “You want a carafe of coffee?”
“Definitely,” he agreed with a glance at Nathan, who nodded.
“I’d like a glass of white wine,” Tiah said.
Trace stole at look at Regina, who shook her head at the woman. “I’ll have the coffee.”
He was happy she chose a non-alcoholic beverage. He didn’t need two tipsy women to deal with later. He had a feeling Nathan would be fighting Regina’s friend off if she had more than a glass.
Mrs. Sweeney brought their drinks, took their food order, and left.
Now was the time to ask Horn some questions. “So, Nate, you’re an expert on ritual killings. Why do people murder this way?”
The man blew out a breath. “There could be as many reasons for ritual killing as any other, but unless they just want it to appear as if it is, the person who does them usually is into the black magics.”
“I don’t know of anyone in Groves who doesn’t show up every Sunday to church. Could it have been someone from out of town?” Trace looked at Regina, who appeared to have lost some of her color. Was this subject matter too much for her? Maybe he should talk to Nathan alone.
“Just because someone goes to church doesn’t mean they can’t be hiding some dark secret,” Nathan said, drawing Trace’s attention back to him.
“But nothing like this has happened here before. Strange things started when …” Trace glanced at Regina again. She looked as though she wanted to bolt. Could he blame her? Somehow, with or without meaning to, she’d brought this with her when she came to town.
But was that the case, really? She surely had nothing to do with Keith’s murder or the dead birds.
“When what?” Nathan watched him closely.
Now what was he going to say? He couldn’t tell him about all the odd things that had happened to Regina. Nathan would want to dig deeper into her past, and Trace didn’t want her to go through that.
“This whole thing began with some dead birds. I asked Keith to get rid of them.”
Nathan frowned. “What kind of birds?”
Trace swallowed hard. “Ravens.”
“Seriously?”
Trace sat up in his seat. “Yes. Why?”
Nathan shook his head. “It’s all symbolic. In mythology, the raven travels between the living and the dead. I think this means something. Where were they found?”
“Between Keith’s place and Regina’s.” Trace wondered if this had something to do with Keith all along.
Nathan stared hard at Regina, who shifted in her chair. This conversation was making her nervous. But why? What was she hiding from him? She seemed uncomfortable when he’d told her about those birds. If it took him all night, he intended to find out what the hell was going on.
“You’re not into black magic, are you, Ms. Moon?” Nathan asked, a sarcastic look on his face. He clearly was making a joke, but from the sheer look of horror on her face, she hadn’t taken the question that way.
“No!” Her tone was sharp. She was visibly angry he’d suggested such a thing.
Trace studied Regina. Why all the concern about Nathan’s question? Something wasn’t right.
Lorraine Sweeney arrived with a tray full of food, and Trace was forced to shove his concerns aside until after they ate. Once he got Regina alone, though, he planned to ask her why, and he wasn’t going to quit until she told him.
* * *
Regina wanted to disappear. She could hardly touch her food, and the looks Trace kept giving her had sweat rolling down her back, and this time it had nothing to do with passion. He had questions, and she sensed she was going to have to give him some answers. She just hoped he’d understand being Wiccan wasn’t a bad thing, that it had nothing to do with black magic.
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