“Leigh,” Gabe said. “Who else?”
“You love Leigh?” Anissa’s brow furrowed. “Um . . .” She glanced at Ryan. Then Adam.
“She made cookies.” Ryan patted the lunchbox. “Apparently Gabe’s love can be purchased with baked goods.”
“Not true,” Gabe said. “But it doesn’t hurt.”
Anissa’s face relaxed and she focused on Ryan. “So . . .”
That same goofy grin lit Ryan’s face. “She said yes.”
Anissa hugged Ryan. “I knew it. Congratulations. Have you set a date?”
“Maybe spring? Leigh doesn’t want anything big. She just wants her brother and a few friends from the hospital to come. And all of you, of course.” He turned to Adam. “And Sabrina.”
Sabrina would be so excited for Leigh. And Ryan.
“Look, none of us are surprised by this, so can y’all get your coffee and get in here? We have a murder to solve,” Gabe said.
Adam braced himself for whatever was coming. Gabe’s bad mood didn’t give him much hope that the evening had gone any better after he left the victim’s house.
Anissa and Ryan went to their desks. Adam pulled a chair out from one of the vacant desks and waited for Gabe to fortify himself with three cookies. Gabe pointed to Adam. “Want to start with what we know from last night?”
“Our victim, Lisa Palmer, went over the embankment at the twin bridges around 2:24 a.m. That’s Saturday night/Sunday morning. There was no indication of braking—no skid marks—to indicate she was forced off the road. And while there are a few cameras on the bridge in that area, the video footage we have doesn’t show any other cars either.”
“She could have fallen asleep,” Anissa said.
“Possible. But if she’d fallen asleep, we would have expected to see some evidence on the video of her trying to maneuver the car as she went down the hill. A few good bumps and she should have been awake and panicked. But there was nothing. The video quality is poor, but from what we can see it appears the car bounced down the embankment and into the lake. It took a few minutes to sink. It doesn’t appear that it hit the water that hard or fast. Unless she hit her head and got knocked out somehow, we would have expected her to try to get out of the car, but if our not-so-Good Samaritan can be believed, she was still in her seat belt.”
“I thought somebody said her neck was broken,” Ryan observed.
Gabe rolled his eyes. “Yeah, turns out that is also an observation from the moron who dragged her body out of the lake. Dr. Oliver said she couldn’t say just by looking at her if it was broken or not.”
“Well, she went down a pretty steep hill and hit the water. The broken neck thing seems reasonable.” Adam took a bite of his cookie.
“You’d think,” Gabe said, “but Dr. Oliver says it’s not a foregone conclusion. She says plenty of people survive a trip down a hill like that, and the entry into the lake is at a gentle enough angle that, based on what she saw, she wouldn’t assume Lisa broke her neck on the way down.”
“Wait a minute. So we’re saying she was either unconscious or already dead—and managed to drive herself into the lake? How is that possible?” Ryan asked.
“No idea,” Gabe said.
“So, let me get this straight.” Ryan took a sip of coffee. “She definitely was in the driver’s seat when she ran off the road?”
“What are you thinking?” Gabe asked.
“Could she have been in the passenger seat and someone slid her over into the driver’s side and then swam away?”
Adam tried to suppress a shudder from the mental image of Ryan’s words.
“That is actually possible,” Anissa said. “Our no-Good Samaritan claimed both driver- and passenger-side windows were down. If he had left the body alone, we might have been able to tell if anyone else was in the car with her, but the scene was too contaminated.”
“The guy free dove down and got her out of the car?” Ryan asked. “Couldn’t he tell she was already dead?”
Anissa shrugged. “He was drunk.”
Ryan choked on his coffee. “What?”
“Oh yeah. We couldn’t even interview him properly until he’d dried out. He told the first responders on the scene that he’d been fishing and saw the car, so he dove in to help the lady. He said he had to dive down several times and eventually he was able to drag her out. He claims he didn’t realize she was dead until after he got her to shore.”
“Great.” Ryan set his mug on his desk. “So it’s possible someone drove the car over the embankment and into the lake, then put her in the driver’s seat, maybe while the car was sinking, and then once it was underwater they swam away?”
“Theoretically.” Gabe snorted. “I’ll know more by lunchtime. Dr. Oliver is going to do the autopsy this morning. I don’t know that there’s much sense in speculating about the manner of death until we get everything from her.”
Ryan held up his hands in a sign of surrender. “It’s your case. It’s just weird.”
“Oh, it’s about to get weirder, bro.” Gabe pulled four sheets of paper off his desk. “There’s a suicide note.”
“What’s weird about that?”
“Read it.”
I don’t know how long it will be before you find my body. I can’t live with myself anymore. I’ve done horrible things and hurt so many innocent people that there’s nothing I can do in this lifetime to redeem myself. I can only pray God will be merciful to me.
“That doesn’t seem weird to me,” Anissa said.
“What makes it weird is that, from what we’ve been able to determine, the woman was a saint. She volunteered at her church with the teenage girls. Sang in the choir. Went on mission trips every year. Took care of the neighbor’s dogs when he traveled. Looked in on the elderly neighbors across the street. As far as the people in her neighborhood were concerned, she was a wonderful person.”
“Everyone has secrets,” Anissa said in a grim voice.
“No doubt.” Gabe agreed with a nod toward Anissa. “But if that’s true, she had a lot of people fooled.”
“I agree,” Adam said. “Sabrina did some kind of search last night and wasn’t able to find anything out of the ordinary. She emailed me everything she has uncovered so far. Said she was going to do a deep dive on her today while she’s waiting on the hard drive to dry out. I’m going to go through Lisa Palmer’s financial records, phone records, and then whatever Sabrina can pull off the laptop. I’ll let you know if I find anything suspicious.”
Gabe pointed at Adam. “Forensics found three flash drives and an iPad in her bedroom. Sabrina’s going to look at all of them for us, so we’ll see if there’s anything that would indicate Lisa was hiding some deep, dark secret. Can you get them to her?”
“Happy to,” Adam said.
Ryan snickered.
Gabe rolled his eyes.
Even Anissa was fighting a smile.
“What’s so funny?” Adam asked.
“Nothing,” Anissa said.
“You are,” Gabe said at the same time.
Ryan laughed. “Do you really think you have us fooled? You’ve been carrying a torch for Sabrina for at least a year.”
“Longer.” Gabe coughed the word into his hand.
“I’m not . . . we’re not . . .”
“And why is that?” Anissa asked.
The three investigators stared at him. “What is this?” Adam countered. “Are we solving a murder or analyzing my love life?”
“I don’t think we said anything about a love life,” Gabe said. “Did you mention love?” He pointed at Ryan. Then Anissa. “Did you?”
They both shook their heads no.
“You’re the only one talking about love, bro,” Gabe said.
“Don’t you have an autopsy to go to?” Adam asked.
Gabe tapped his watch. “Not for another hour.”
“Just give me the stuff you want me to take to Sabrina.” Adam held out his hand.
“We’re only as
king because we want you to be happy,” Anissa said.
“I’m perfectly happy.”
It wasn’t until all three of them roared with laughter that Adam realized he’d growled the words. He took the box from Gabe, signed off on the forms giving him custody of the evidence, and walked away without another word.
They followed him out of the office, but he ignored them. He turned to the elevator and they went to the coffee station. He had to wait for the elevator to reach their floor and overheard Ryan ask, “Do you think we made him mad?”
“Nah,” Gabe said. “He’s aggravated because he knows we’re right.”
“I wonder if Sabrina even realizes how much he cares about her,” Anissa said. “It’s obvious to the rest of us, but she doesn’t always pick up on things.”
The elevator doors opened and four officers stepped out. Their chatter drowned out the rest of the conversation, but Adam couldn’t get their words out of his mind as he rode to the ground floor.
Father, do I risk our friendship to see what else we might have?
His phone buzzed.
“Hey, Pete,” he said.
“Adam, go to the hospital right now.” Pete’s usual easygoing manner had been replaced by an intensity Adam hadn’t known the young officer possessed.
“What—”
“I don’t have time to explain. I’ll meet you there.”
The phone disconnected.
This had to have something to do with Sabrina. Adam ran for his car, praying the whole way.
5
Adam’s phone rang again as he pulled into the Carrington Memorial Hospital parking lot. This time it was Gabe. He didn’t bother saying hello. “What?”
“Leigh called Ryan. She’s with Sabrina.”
Terror warred with gratitude. He was relieved Leigh was taking care of Sabrina. But the uncertainty of what had happened to her was killing him. “Did she say what happened?” He parked his car in a spot reserved for law enforcement and jogged inside.
“Still don’t know. They’re taking her back for a CT scan. Leigh didn’t give us any details. Just said Pete had come in with her and . . .”
Adam’s chest tightened. “And what?”
“Leigh said Sabrina had been hit on the head and knocked out.”
A primordial rage bubbled in Adam’s limbs.
“Ryan’s talking to Pete right now. We’re on our way to Sabrina’s house. Keep us informed about her condition.”
“Okay.”
The automatic doors opened, and the antiseptic air of the emergency department waiting area assaulted Adam’s senses. He went straight to the front desk.
The security guard looked him over. “Are you Investigator Campbell?”
“Yes.”
He pushed a button and then waved Adam through. “Pete told me you were headed this way. I’d recommend you check with Miss Edna before you go wandering around.”
“Thanks,” he said.
Everyone—nurses, doctors, housekeeping staff—everyone deferred to Miss Edna. She ran the emergency department, and no one dared tell her otherwise.
Miss Edna had also taught Adam’s Sunday school class when he was in fifth grade. She was simultaneously the meanest and kindest person he’d ever known.
He approached her desk and paused.
She didn’t even look up from the paperwork she was searching through. “I see you standing there, Adam Campbell,” she said. “Pete’s waiting on you in room 4. Down the hall to the right.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t you worry, baby,” she called after him. “She’s going to be okay.”
He stopped and returned to the desk. Miss Edna gazed at him over her reading glasses. He reached a hand across the desk and she squeezed it.
“Thank you, Miss Edna.”
She sandwiched his hand between both of hers and gave him a nod. “Be nice to that boy. He’s a wreck.”
She must have been referring to Pete.
“I will, Miss Edna.”
“Now, go on.”
She released his hand and he fought the desire to run down the hall. Room 4 was only a few steps away. When he walked inside, Pete jumped to his feet.
“Adam, I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was going to go for a run, and I—”
“Pete,” Adam said, “did you hit her on the head?”
Shock crossed Pete’s face. “Of course not. I would never—”
“Then this isn’t your fault. You can’t take the blame for something you didn’t do.” Pete’s shoulders slumped. “Now slow down and take me through it from the beginning.”
Pete blew out a long breath. “I did what you asked. I stopped by every half hour. I even walked around her little house each time. Never saw a thing. Then my phone rang, and it was Sabrina. Except when I answered it, all I could hear was a scuffling sound. I called her name, but she didn’t respond.”
He paced around the small room. “I was two minutes away, so I hit the siren and raced over there. I banged on the door. She didn’t answer, so I . . . I tried the door. It wasn’t locked, so I let myself in.” Pete’s eyes pled for understanding.
“Good,” Adam said. “Exactly what I would have done.”
“But she wasn’t there. Her car was still there, but she was gone. I had no idea where she might be. I called for backup and took off down the driveway toward the big house. And that’s when I saw her. About half a mile down.”
Pete ran his hands over his shaved head. “She was on the ground. I ran to her. There was blood. I thought it was a lot, but Leigh says head wounds bleed a lot and it’s not as bad as it looked. I called for an ambulance. Checked to be sure she was breathing. But I was afraid to move her. I felt like a jerk leaving her on the ground, but the ambulance was only three minutes out, so I covered her with my jacket.”
He pulled a notebook from his pocket. “I looked for footprints or any sign of someone being there. The driveway is paved, but I took pictures of some muddy prints, pretty big. I’m guessing a man, size eleven or twelve. The footprints disappeared into the woods. I took pictures of everything and sent them to Gabe. He’s getting forensics out there.”
He glanced at his notes again. “I didn’t see anything that could have been used to hit Sabrina,” he said. “I don’t know if they used a stick or a rock or a . . . a fist.”
Adam tried not to picture any of those options.
“Anyway.” Pete flipped his notebook closed. “The ambulance arrived, and the paramedics did the whole neck brace thing. When they started moving her around, she woke up. She was confused but not anything I wouldn’t expect after what had happened. She was answering questions and stuff. The backup I’d called for had gotten there by then. I told them to secure the scene, and I followed the ambulance here.”
He leaned against the wall. “By the time I got inside, Leigh was with her. She told me she was going to stay with Sabrina every second. I think Leigh may technically be off work now, but she went with Sabrina for the CT scan. Before they went to radiology, she came by and said Sabrina was awake and talking and I could wait in here.”
Pete closed his eyes. “I seriously thought she was dead. When I saw her on the ground . . . I don’t know if I could have lived with myself.”
Adam clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll tell you what Sabrina told me yesterday.”
Pete looked at him with interest.
“You can’t hold yourself responsible for what happened when you weren’t around. You did a great job.”
“Thanks. I still haven’t figured out how she called me though. She didn’t have her phone, although her little wireless earbuds were lying on the ground near her.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Adam said. “You can hang around if you want, but if you’re ready to head back and get things written up so you can get some sleep, that’s fine with me. I’ll keep you informed.”
Pete blinked hard a few times. “Leigh said it wouldn’t be long. I think I’ll wait a few more minutes,
if that’s okay.”
“Absolutely,” Adam said.
His phone rang. “It’s Ryan,” he said to Pete, then swiped the screen. “Hello.”
“Hey,” Ryan said. “What’s the story on this house out here at Sabrina’s place?”
“It belonged to her dad,” Adam said. “Technically it belongs to her now, I guess. Why?”
“I want to go through the house and look for any signs that someone’s been in there. It would have been a great place to hide if the attacker was trapped inside the gate,” Ryan said.
“I’m sure she’d be fine with that,” Adam said.
“Fine with what?”
Adam whipped around. Sabrina smiled at him from a wheelchair. He forced himself not to run to her as a transporter pushed her into the room, then she and Leigh helped Sabrina onto the bed.
Adam held back until she was settled. Then he reached for her hand. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi.” She frowned. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I have a terminal disease. It’s just a mild concussion.”
Adam bit back the things he wanted to say. There was no need to point out how much danger she’d been in and probably still was.
“Excuse me, Dr. Fleming.” Leigh’s tone carried a mixture of exasperation, annoyance, and worry. “You took a serious blow to the head this morning. You passed out. You can’t take this lightly. No, you don’t have a terminal disease, but the people who care about you have been worried sick, and while we’re relieved you’re okay, we’re still very concerned for your safety. You’re going to have to deal with us hovering for a while because that’s what friends do. Got it?”
Sabrina’s mouth had fallen open as Leigh spoke.
Pete studied the latex glove boxes on the wall like they were the most fascinating things he’d ever seen. His red face was the only indication he’d heard Leigh’s speech.
For his part, Adam couldn’t win by disagreeing with Leigh or antagonizing Sabrina, so he chose the safest path. He squeezed Sabrina’s hand. “I can’t argue with you or with Leigh. You aren’t dying, so we don’t need to be ridiculous about this. But you came awfully close to it this morning, so you’re going to have to give us room to be worrywarts for a while. Okay?”
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