Deadly Summer (Darling Investigations Book 1)

by Denise Grover Swank

  “Would you look at Sweet Briar’s finest subduing the boll weevils?” Annie Lee asked with admiration in her voice. “I’m sure if Luke Montgomery had been the police chief back then, the Sweet Briar crops would have been saved!”

  Several women catcalled.

  The float came to a halt, and Bill reached up a hand, laughing. “Lauren’s bound to be pissed as hell we can’t reshoot the boll weevil falling off.”

  I scanned the crowd again, taking advantage of the height, before I climbed down. “Cale said Dixie was down here, but I don’t see her anywhere.”

  My phone vibrated in my hand, and I saw she’d just sent a text.

  Found something for the case. Bring Bill to the Sweet Briar Cotton Mill. This is big. Don’t bring Luke. He’s in on the whole thing.

  What? I couldn’t believe that.

  I hopped off the float and showed the text to Bill.

  His gaze jerked to mine. “Where’s the cotton mill?”

  I pointed to the abandoned cotton mill halfway down the street and set back from the road.

  Everyone in the parade in front of us had gone running back to Main Street to watch the giant Boll Weevil Crushing, which Annie Lee was now describing over the microphone. Apparently the crowd had joined the hunt, and there was quite a melee in progress.

  “What do you want to do?” Bill asked. “Do you really think Luke’s part of it?”

  “No.”

  “You don’t sound sure.”

  “Why would Dixie say he was otherwise?” But part of me couldn’t help wondering if the text was really from my cousin.

  “What do you want to do?” Bill asked.

  I was torn. If Dixie hadn’t sent the text, then someone had her phone, and likely had her. But if Bill and I just showed up, we’d probably be walking into a trap. “Maybe we should wait for Luke.”

  But even as I said the words, a new text arrived.

  If you want to see Dixie alive, you and Bill come now. Come alone. The cotton mill.

  The text was from the supplier’s number.

  “Shit,” Bill said when he saw the text. “I bet you want to go.”

  “You can stay behind and warn Luke.”

  He gave me a shaky smile. “Think of the ratings.”

  “Yeah,” I said, feeling like I was going to barf. “The ratings.”

  Dixie’s text had said not to tell Luke, but I forwarded the text to Luke anyway as I started walking down the street to the mill, with Bill following behind me.

  We walked across the overgrown lot toward the storage building about two hundred yards from the road, traipsing across the overgrown gravel parking. No one would think to look for us here. He’d chosen well.

  I glanced down at my phone, surprised Luke hadn’t answered yet. Why hadn’t he answered yet?

  The door to the building was ajar, and Bill and I hesitated in the opening before walking into the darkness. Dixie was counting on me. I had no doubt she’d come looking for me if our positions were reversed.

  My eyes adjusted, and I saw a faint light at the end of the interior, coming from a partially open door.

  “My camera won’t pick up anything in here,” Bill whispered.

  “I’m going to turn on the video on my phone.”

  “But if you get a text or call, you won’t be able to see it or respond.”

  “I doubt our mystery person will let me make calls anyway.” I quickly had the video rolling.

  We walked across the massive space, my heels clicking softly on the broken concrete. So much for surprising our host. When we reached the partially open door, I took a breath, then walked in, big as I pleased, torn between hoping I’d see Dixie and hoping I wouldn’t.

  My heart sank.

  Dixie sat in a rickety-looking wooden chair, with a handgun pointed at her head.

  I gasped in horror, not only because my cousin was being held at gunpoint, but because Cale Malone was the man holding the weapon.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  “Summer, Bill,” Cale said. “Come on in.”

  My feet froze in place. “What are you doin’, Cale?”

  “Come on now, Summer,” he said good-naturedly, but his hand shook a little. “You’ve been pretty smart up until now. In fact, that’s why the three of you are here. You’ve put so much together already. Surely you can figure out the rest.”

  When I didn’t move, he motioned with his other hand. “Come on in. If you don’t, I’ll just shoot Dixie in the forehead.”

  Tears streamed down her face. “Run! Both of you, run!”

  Cale gave her shoulder a hard shake. “Shut up, Dixie.”

  I remembered I had the phone in my hand, recording all this. I was going to get him to admit to as much as I could. I walked into the room, and Bill followed. “I’m not leaving you, Dixie. Never again.”

  Cale made a face, but I could tell he wasn’t as cavalier about this as he was trying to act.

  “Summer,” he said, “I’m gonna need you to toss that phone on the floor. Can’t have you trying to sneak a call or a text.”

  I saw no reason to fight him. My phone could capture his voice just as easily on the ground, so I squatted and set it down on the concrete. “It’s new,” I said. “And I didn’t buy insurance.”

  “Always buy the insurance,” Bill said.

  “I know . . .”

  Cale stared at us in disbelief, then motioned to Bill. “Drop the camera.”

  “This camera cost thousands of dollars, and I can’t set it on the ground. How about I just hold it under my arm.”

  Cale’s mouth sagged.

  Bill tucked it under his arm, snugged against his hip. “See?”

  Cale shook his head. “Whatever. Just come in and move away from the door.”

  “So are you gonna shoot us just like you did Ed?” I asked, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. “That’s why you were so surprised we found his body. You said you hadn’t checked his apartment yet. You were saving it. Why?”

  He grinned, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You tell me.”

  “I don’t know.” I looked down at Dixie. She wasn’t tied to that chair with anything but her fear. If I rushed Cale and distracted him, Dixie and Bill could make a run for it. “Were you the one who convinced Ed to tell me about Otto’s bike?”

  He just continued grinning.

  “I’m going to take that as a smug yes. Did you move Otto’s body?”

  “Summer, you’re smart, but you’re still not thinking like someone who’s trying to cover their tracks. The trick is to find someone else to do your dirty work so you have as little connection to the crimes as possible.”

  I’d already suspected that Cale had no intention of letting us out of this room alive, but that just confirmed it. “Ed moved the body,” I said. “Then you told him to find me at the church and tell me about the bike. Why?”

  “Who came running when you ended up in the ER?” he asked.

  “Luke.” How had I not made the connection? My stomach knotted. “You were handling Ryker’s murder, and you didn’t want Luke paying too much attention.”

  “I knew he’d be distracted if he believed you were in danger. The sheriff’s department is nosing in on the murders too, but they’re too wrapped up in their investigation into the dirty cop in Sweet Briar to pay much attention.”

  I shook my head. “Dirty cop?” Then it hit me. “You set up Luke to look dirty with the sheriff’s department.” That helped explain why Luke was having so many issues with Deputy Dixon—and why Teddy had been so anxious for me to stay away from him. But where did my cousin fit in? “You bastard. Luke’s your friend.”

  “I didn’t want to do it, Summer, trust me. He’s been my friend since we were kids, but I’m in too damn deep now, and I’m not going to jail. Not as a cop.”

  “So you’d sentence him to it instead? On what charges? Murder? Moving Otto’s body? Drug trafficking? Why kill Ed and Ryker?”

  “Dixie knows abou
t Ryker,” Cale said. “She used to date him. She knew he was a dealer.”

  She shook her head, her eyes wide. “No. I didn’t. I knew he used, but not that he sold it. He knew Luke and I were close, so he never fully trusted me.”

  “Well, I didn’t know he dealt until about a year ago. When I pulled him over for driving under the influence, I quickly figured out he wasn’t under the influence of alcohol. I searched his car and found his stash, but I didn’t confiscate it. I told him that I’d let him off if he paid me a percentage of the profits. This town doesn’t pay shit, and I was tired of scraping by. I was making good money and looking the other way so Ryker could build his business. Everything was goin’ fine until he got too big for his britches. He decided to end our arrangement, but he knew I was watching, so he started using Otto to run as a courier for him.”

  “Why did you kill Otto?” Dixie asked, fresh tears filling her eyes. “He never hurt anybody. How could you, Cale?”

  “I didn’t mean to, Dixie,” Cale said in a deceptively calm voice. “My temper got the better of me. I knew he was runnin’ for Ryker, so I told him to keep the next delivery for me . . . or else.”

  “But he hid the stash in the barn,” I said.

  Cale tilted his head. “I knew he hid it. I just didn’t know where. Thank you for findin’ it,” he said. “I told you that you were good.”

  “So how’d you kill poor Otto?” I asked. “They said he died from alcohol poisoning.”

  “I made him keep drinkin’, thinkin’ he’d get drunk enough to tell me. But the damn fool held out and never did.”

  Dixie shot him a glare. “So he died, then you had Ed move him. How’d you get him to do that? He was Ryker’s partner.”

  “After I killed Ryker, Ed realized he’d be better off workin’ with me. At least at first. He went to Otto’s apartment to search for the stash, and when he called to say he couldn’t find it, he said he was gonna turn me in. I was a block away, so I went over and caught him as he was leavin’. I made him go into the bathroom, and I shot him. I’d already gotten what was left of Ryker’s stash, and with Ed dead in Otto’s apartment, I figured I had several days to find Ed’s. I had enough to get started. I had Ryker’s phone, so I started goin’ through his contacts, sendin’ them messages with a burner phone and lettin’ them know a new sheriff was in town.” He grinned at his almost-pun. “And then you sent me a message, Summer.”

  “Were you really gonna meet me last night?” I asked as a cold sweat broke out all over my body.

  “I was there,” he said. “Lurkin’ in the back. But you were a popular girl, and I couldn’t get to you. I followed you and Luke outside. You both confirmed Luke’s continued interest in you, so I took some photos and sold them to that gossip site.”

  “Another distraction,” I said.

  “I’m meetin’ my supplier,” he said. “I needed to keep Luke busy. Like trackin’ down your stalker after you left Otto’s farm and convincin’ him to wear that stupid bug suit. I knew Mayor Sterling planned for all the other bugs to run around, but when you knocked Jenkins off the float and he took off . . .” He grinned. “Some things just can’t be planned.”

  “Why are you doin’ this?” I asked. “Why lure me here?”

  “You’d already figured too much out, Summer. I had to put an end to this before you figured out the rest. I was goin’ to do it this afternoon out at Otto’s farm, but then you answered Luke’s call and linked me to y’all. No one else knew I was there at the barn.”

  I couldn’t believe he was talking about killing us so matter-of-factly, but then he’d already killed three people. What were three more?

  “So why not just shoot us?” I asked, the words tumbling out of my mouth. “Why keep us here? Aren’t we going to be in the way?”

  “I thought so at first, but when God gives you lemons, make lemonade. The supplier will be here any minute, and I’m gonna use you three as an example of what happens to people who get in my way.”

  “Well, that sounds fun . . . ,” Dixie said in a sarcastic voice. I was glad to see she was more like herself, for however long that would be.

  Cale grabbed his phone and checked the screen. “He’s comin’ in.” He motioned to the corner with his gun. “You all stand over there away from the door. Dixie, you get up and join ’em.”

  She got out of her chair. I wrapped an arm around her back and practically dragged her to the corner. Where was Luke? Why wasn’t he here already?

  We heard footsteps in the outer warehouse space. Cale pointed his gun at us and lifted his finger to his lips to tell us to be quiet. I wasn’t sure it was wise of us to obey. A quick glance at Bill suggested he was wondering the same.

  I decided I was going to rush Cale the moment the door opened. I had no hopes of disarming him, but if I could distract him and the supplier, Dixie and Bill could escape.

  I pulled Dixie into a hug, then whispered in her ear, “When I make my move, run out of here and go find Luke.”

  “What?” she gasped.

  I had my back to Cale and mouthed to Bill, Take Dixie and run.

  The door swung open, but my intention to make a run toward Cale was shattered when I saw the man in the doorway.

  My cousin Teddy was the supplier.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  “Teddy?” Dixie called out.

  Teddy’s gaze turned toward us, and the self-assured look on his face instantly faded. “Dixie? Summer? What the hell are you doin’ here?”

  “What are you doin’ here, Teddy?” Dixie asked, but the dismay in her voice gave away her fear. “You’re selling drugs?”

  Cale started to laugh. “Teddy Baumgartner. I never would have expected it. I guess that explains the extra cash you’ve been spending on your farm.”

  His eyes hardened. “Gotta do what I gotta to do to take care of my family.”

  Cale’s eyebrows rose. “Funny you should mention that.”

  “Why’s my family here, Cale?”

  “They’re far too nosy.”

  Disappointment filled Teddy’s eyes. “I told you to leave it alone, Summer. Why the fuck didn’t you listen to me?”

  “Why the fuck are you supplyin’ drugs to lowlifes like Cale Malone and Ryker Pelletier?” Dixie asked in disgust.

  Teddy pointed to the door. “I want them gone, Malone.”

  “Not gonna happen, Baumgartner. They know too much, and I don’t trust your cousin one iota.”

  “Then no deal.”

  “Dixie won’t talk,” I said. “She’s used to keepin’ secrets. Keep me, let her and Bill go.”

  Cale’s face hardened. “Everybody stays.”

  Teddy looked like he was about argue, then said, “Fine. Let’s get this deal ironed out.”

  Cale nodded. “Now we’re talkin’.”

  Teddy turned all business. “I head up to Atlanta twice a month to get a new shipment. I’ll give it to you at the same price I offered Pelletier.”

  “I’ll pay five percent less,” Cale said.

  “Five percent and we send Dixie out of here right now.”

  Cale grinned. “Ten percent less and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

  Teddy gave me an apologetic grimace. “Done.”

  “What?” Dixie wailed. “No!”

  I grabbed her arm and gave her a shove toward the door through which we’d entered. “Dixie, go.”

  Cale moved in front of her, blocking her path. “You will keep everything that happened here to yourself. If anyone walks in through that door, I’m shootin’ your brother and then your cousin,” he said, aiming the gun at me while he spoke. “Have I made myself perfectly clear?”

  She nodded as tears streamed down her face. “I hate you, Cale. If you hurt them—”

  “Don’t piss me off with meaningless threats, Dixie. I suggest you get out of here before I change my mind.”

  She looked back at me with guilt-filled eyes.

  “I’ll be okay,” I lied. “I’ll see you in a few m
inutes. Go.” I expected Luke to show up any minute, but now I worried what would happen if he did.

  I pushed out a sigh of relief when Dixie walked out the door, and Teddy’s face relaxed a bit.

  “Summer.” Teddy reached out his hand to me, and I started to walk toward him.

  “She stays where she is,” Cale said in a cold voice.

  I lifted my hands in surrender. “I’m fine here. Just get your deal done.” I cast a glance back at Bill, who looked like he was about to crap his pants. I understood why he was worried. He didn’t have anyone fighting for him.

  Teddy and Cale discussed delivery dates and how the shipments were never the same, but always a mix of prescription drugs that included Adderall, Xanax, and Oxy. When they reached an agreement, Teddy looked Cale in the eye. “I have a shipment I planned to sell to Ryker right outside this door. I’m ready to make a deal right now. You got the cash?”

  Cale grinned. “Eager, huh?”

  Teddy didn’t respond.

  “Okay,” Cale said. “I’m ready to do this now. Summer, go get his supply. And you better come back or Teddy’s a dead man.”

  I’d never hated anyone like I hated him right now. “Unlike you, Cale Malone, I believe in loyalty.”

  “Save the lectures, Summer,” Cale said as though exhausted, “and get the drugs.”

  I cast Teddy a worried look, but part of me was so pissed at him I wanted to kill him myself if we survived this mess.

  I walked out the door into the dark room and nearly screamed when I bumped right into Luke.

  He covered my mouth with my hand, then pulled me into his arms and leaned in to my ear. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded.

  “Jesus, Summer.” His hold tightened.

  “What’s takin’ so long?” Cale called out from the room.

  I pushed Luke’s hand away and said in a loud voice, “I’m lookin’ for it.”

  “It should be to your right,” Teddy shouted.

  I stared into Luke’s terrified eyes, fighting the urge to cry, then whispered, “Teddy’s makin’ a drug deal with Cale.”