One Last Scream (Special Agent Ricki James Book 2)

by C. R. Chandler

  “Amen to that,” Cyrus replied before looking over at his niece. “The chief was about to fill me in on his murder victim, and then I thought you could fill me in on yours.”

  “Sounds good.” Ricki turned an expectant gaze on Clay. “Anything new since we talked last night?”

  “As a matter of fact, there is. It seems I have a pretty good ID on the vic.”

  Caught off guard, Ricki immediately straightened in her seat. “What?”

  The chief pushed away from his desk and crossed his legs, settling one ankle on top of the opposite knee. “That upset caller? It was a woman named Demi Lansanger, from the offices of Maxwell Hardy, Private Investigator. I gathered Miss Lansanger is his assistant.”

  When he paused, Ricki leaned forward. “And? Is the vic someone this PI is looking for?”

  “I don’t think so. From his assistant’s description, it sounds like Maxwell Hardy is our vic.”

  Ricki stared at him for a long moment before sliding her gaze over to her uncle, who lifted his wide shoulders in a shrug.

  “Don’t ask me,” Cyrus said. “I’m hearing all this for the first time too.”

  She turned her attention back to Clay. A private investigator? Her lips pressed together and her eyes narrowed as she thought it over. It could be Mr. Hardy was looking for someone who didn’t want to be found and had the extreme bad luck of finding him. Or her.

  “Where’s he from?” Ricki asked.

  “Chicago,” Clay said. “Miss Lansanger is going to email me his picture so we can make a positive ID, but like I said, her description was close to our vic. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a match.”

  “That’d make TK’s job easier,” Cyrus observed, then raised both eyebrows when Clay shot him an exasperated look. “What? I heard TK took the ME job you floated in his direction.”

  “Faster than greased lightning,” Ricki declared, grinning when Clay turned his glare on her. “Did Miss Lansanger happen to mention what her boss was doing out here?”

  Clay settled back into his chair and rubbed one hand against the side of his cheek. “She said it was definitely business, because he had her book his ticket on the business credit card. Apparently he was always very careful not to put any personal expenses on it. He was a stickler about mixing the two up. But she didn’t know what case he was working on. She said she never knows until she’s asked to write up a report for the client, and she hadn’t done anything lately that involved coming to Washington.”

  “Lately?” Ricki immediately picked up on the single word. “That’s what she said? Lately?”

  “Exactly what she said,” Clay stated, his knowing glance meeting hers.

  “Can we call her back?”

  “I intended to just as soon as I got his picture. You’re welcome to hang around for it.”

  “Good. Because I—”

  “Ricki.” Her uncle’s voice cut her off. “This one isn’t your case. You have the other body to worry about.”

  “They might be connected, Uncle Cy.” When he looked skeptical, she added a nod.

  “I haven’t heard much about the other victim, but Clay did mention there’s a really wide time gap between the murders,” Cy stated. “He said that gap is at least ten years? I don’t see how one can have anything to do with the other.”

  “It’s a big gap,” Ricki conceded. “But the odds of both murders happening in the same place, which isn’t exactly on any sightseeing map, are off the charts. There’s a connection. We just don’t know what it is yet.”

  Clay made a neutral sound deep in his throat. “Maybe the autopsy will give us more.”

  “I hope so.” Cy turned to face Ricki. “You’re going to need more dots to connect than both bodies ending up in the same place.” He stood up and glanced down at her. “Can I talk to you for a minute? In private?”

  “Sure.” Judging by the slight clenching of her uncle’s jaw, Ricki knew he had something to say that she wasn’t going to like. Getting to her feet, she sent a pointed look at Clay. “I’d like to be here when you call this assistant from Chicago back,” she reminded him.

  Clay nodded. “Understood.” His mouth twitched at the corners as he tried and failed to suppress a smile. “Don’t let your uncle bully you.”

  Ricki telegraphed a “Don’t even try” stare aimed at Cy before heading out the door.

  “Ha,” Cy muttered under his breath. “I’ll be lucky if she settles for a jab or two instead of carving me up into pieces.”

  Chapter Six

  Her mind still occupied with the dead victim, Ricki plopped into a wooden chair at the small conference table in her uncle’s office and drummed her fingers against its wooden top, staring at a web of scratches running along its surface. A PI. What was he doing so far from Chicago? If he was looking for someone, then who? There were a couple thousand people who lived in the Bay year-round. Granted, she didn’t know all of them since she’d only been back a year, but the majority were lifelong residents. Which meant she knew most of them. But she couldn’t think of even one who would be at the center of a search by a PI based halfway across the country.

  She gave a mental shrug. Then again, people had secrets. And some of them were ugly enough to keep hidden for a long time. Her years as an investigator had taught her that.

  The seemingly random thought had her eyes narrowing in speculation. Secrets hidden for a long time. Like maybe a decade or more?

  “Ricki? Hello?”

  Startled by the loud intrusion into her thoughts, Ricki blinked and looked up, meeting her uncle’s gaze. He’d taken a seat opposite hers, and his arms were crossed over his chest as he stared back at her.

  “Do you think you can put murder aside for a few minutes while we talk?”

  She gave him an easy smile and relaxed back in her chair. Her father had liked the outdoors well enough, but he’d been a brilliant engineer, and had preferred tinkering away at his projects to camping out in the park. So it had been her uncle who had shown her how to hunt, fish.

  Cy had given her a love for the majestic beauty of the Olympic Mountains, along with the skills to survive in the surrounding wilderness. He’d also taught her how to shoot a gun with expert accuracy. And when she’d gotten older, it was her uncle who’d talked her into trying a career in law enforcement, although he’d complained many times since then that he’d intended for her to stay with the park enforcement unit, not to get involved in chasing down killers.

  Of course she loved her uncle. He looked so much like the father she missed every day, but on top of that, she’d always be grateful for all the life lessons and good advice that Cy had given her over the years. Which meant it wouldn’t hurt her to sit through a lecture or two from him. Studying the expression in his eyes and the set line of his mouth, Ricki belatedly realized that her uncle he looked like he was about to give one of his lectures right now, and she had no idea what she’d done to deserve it.

  “Okay,” she said slowly, unconsciously bracing herself for a dressing down. “What’s up?”

  “We need to touch base. We haven’t had much time to talk since . . .” He frowned as his voice trailed off.

  “Taking down a serial killer?” Ricki offered helpfully, trying not to grin when her uncle shot her an annoyed look.

  “Yes. That.” When she started to talk, he held up one hand to keep her quiet. “I’m not going to say anything more about you taking off after that bastard without any backup.”

  Relieved that she wouldn’t have to sit through another one of her uncle’s rants on that particular subject, Ricki leaned back in her chair and stretched her long legs out in front of her, crossing them at the ankles. “Then what’s on your mind?”

  “It’s about your mom.”

  Ricki frowned. Her mom? When Miriam McCormick had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Ricki had been left with little choice but to place her in a tranquil, highly rated facility in Tacoma, with staff who specialized in the disease. Her mom’s monthly income wasn’
t enough to cover the expense, so Ricki paid a good chunk of money each month to be sure Miriam was comfortable and safe. She also made the hour-and-a-half trip every week to visit her mom, and in fact had seen her just two days ago. As far as she knew, everything was going as well as it could for her mom. At least that was what Liddy Stoltz, the battle-ax nurse with the kind heart who looked after Miriam, had said.

  Not sure what her uncle was getting at, Ricki’s frown grew deeper. “What about Mom?”

  “I went over to see her yesterday.” He sighed and ran a big hand down the side of his face. “I should go more often. I know that. But it’s hard. She didn’t know who I was.”

  “I know,” Ricki said softly. “She doesn’t recognize me anymore either.”

  “She thought I was your dad. Kept calling me Einstein and asking me where I’ve been.”

  That didn’t surprise her. The two brothers had borne a striking resemblance to each other. She smiled. “Yeah. She talks to me quite a bit about Einstein.” That had been Miriam McCormick’s pet name for her brilliant husband. “And about Eddie.” Which also didn’t surprise her. Her son looked a great deal like her dad had when he’d been a teenager, with the same dark hair and blue eyes.

  “Well, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” her uncle said. “I think we should take Eddie to see his grandma more often. It might help keep . . . well, keep her in touch with us.”

  Ricki didn’t say anything for a long moment as she studied her uncle’s face. There was something bothering him, and since it was the same thing about visiting her mom that bothered her, she was sure she knew what had such a big man squirming in his seat.

  “Did Mom say something about seeing Dad? Maybe having a conversation with him?”

  A tinge of red crept along her uncle’s cheek. “Yeah. She did. And not just your dad. She talked about having a nice chat with Marie, too.”

  “Marie?” Ricki went perfectly still. Marie had been her college roommate and had gone into law enforcement at the same time she had. The two had been more like sisters than friends, so much so that Ricki had left the park service to join Marie as a deputy with the US Marshals. Their partnership had ended the day they had escorted a prisoner and were caught in an ambush. Ricki had taken a bullet in her side, and Marie had ended up in the morgue. During one of her visits, her mom had claimed she’d seen Marie, but much to Ricki’s relief, she hadn’t said a word about her dead friend and partner since then. So it came as a complete surprise to hear her mom had brought it up with her brother-in-law.

  “What did she say?” Ricki asked cautiously.

  “Something about how she’ll be sending someone here soon.” Cy grimaced. “Nothing that made any sense. I’m just saying that I think seeing Eddie would help remind her of Tom.” He shifted his gaze until it met hers. “And you. Which is all she needs to be thinking about now.”

  Ricki had her doubts about her mom having any thoughts about her or Eddie. It was more likely that her mom would think she was seeing her husband. But her uncle was right about that being better than listening to her mom talk to someone who she had no reason to be seeing at all. At least her dead husband had been family. In the last dozen years, her mom had only seen Marie once or twice. “That sounds like a good idea. Eddie will be home next weekend. I’ll take him then.”

  “How’s that going?” Cy asked. “Eddie staying with his father all week and with you on the weekends?”

  She didn’t like it, and wasn’t going to pretend that she did, but after she’d taken up the badge again and gotten tangled up with a serial killer, Eddie had needed some time and space to get used to the idea of her being a special agent again. She had to give him a lot of credit. The idea scared him, but he had supported her decision and was working his way around to believing it had been the right one. She sent up a prayer and a wish every night that he would come around soon, and then want to move back home and see his father on the long weekends and everything would go back to the way it used to be.

  Her ex had claimed this new arrangement would be easier for her, now that she had another full-time job that might require her to jump on a plane without notice and head to another park. She didn’t really care what he thought. She would have made it work. But Eddie had wanted to try reversing their arrangement, so he was with his dad full-time rather than her. Since her son was old enough to have a say in where he spent his time, and his dad had a townhouse less than five miles away, she’d reluctantly agreed. But she still didn’t like it.

  “It’s going,” she finally said with a small shrug. “After the Fourth of July, when the tourist season really gets going, he’ll be staying more with me since Bear will be taking out more tours.” Job opportunities hadn’t been falling off trees in the Bay when she’d moved back, so besides the diner, Ricki was also a partner with her ex-husband in an adventure tour business that took large and small groups on overnight trips in the park. Although recently she’d been thinking it might be time to bring an end to that particular side venture. Bear was a great guy, generally speaking, but he was still her ex. And there was a reason for that.

  Her uncle smiled. “That’s good. I like Bear. He was a damn good linebacker in high school, but I think after yesterday, it’s obvious Eddie is getting to that age where he needs to have a closer eye kept on him. Bear likes the role of buddy more than the disciplinarian part of parenting.”

  She’d thought the same thing herself but was glad to have an excuse to talk about her son’s little escapade up at the lighthouse rather than Bear’s idea of parenting. No matter what she thought of it, she absolutely did not want to fall into the trap of bashing the ex-husband.

  Bear was a good father, for the most part, and hadn’t been a bad husband, but he’d hated her being in law enforcement, and she’d never been able to accept the idea of living off his inheritance from his grandparents. Bear hadn’t seen the problem with that. He’d been happy to enjoy the outdoor life and not worry about much else, while she’d wanted something more. “A purpose” was the only way she’d been able to describe it to him, and his reply had always been the same. In the world according to Bear, being happy was purpose enough.

  “Yeah. About what earned my son a month of being grounded. Like you said, there were two bodies in that lighthouse, and one of them belongs to us.” She tilted her head to one side. “You wouldn’t happen to know about any missing rangers that you’ve never mentioned, by any chance?”

  Cy shook his head. “No. Clay asked me the same thing, and I gave him the same answer. He also said something about a uniform?”

  “Folded neatly beside the remains, which looked like they had been laid out,” Ricki said. “I didn’t notice any darker soil underneath the body, so whoever the vic was, he might not have been killed there. But it wasn’t very well lit in there even with our flashlights, so I’ll have to wait and hear what the forensic guys found.”

  “You’re sure it was a park ranger’s uniform?”

  Ricki lifted a hand and touched one finger to the side of her chest. “There was a badge pinned to the jacket.”

  “Huh.” Cy leaned forward and rested his lower arms on the table. “If a ranger had gone missing in the last thirty years, I would know about it.” His eyes narrowed in thought. “Even if one had gone missing from another park, I’d have heard something. That kind of news tends to get around.” He glanced over at his niece. “Think that skeleton could have been up there a lot longer than thirty years?”

  That would make this whole thing an even bigger can of worms, Ricki thought, and then shrugged. “Could be. Again, it’s up to the ME.”

  Her uncle sighed. “So TK is going to have to figure it out?”

  “He’ll have some help from Dr. Naylor at the Tacoma PD.”

  “That’s good. He’ll need the help if he’s not too stubborn to take it. I don’t know if he’s ever done an autopsy, outside of maybe in medical school.” Cy put his palms down on the table and pushed himself up. “I guess I’ve had
my say about your mom and Eddie. Is there anything else I can help you with when it comes to that skeleton?”

  “One thing,” Ricki said. “I have a uniform and a pretty cold case that’s going to need some expert research.”

  Cy chuckled. “Like the kind of expert research a former CIA analyst can do?” When she nodded, he grinned. “I thought you didn’t like having Dan as a partner.”

  The idea of having another partner after Marie still made her squirm inside, so she’d come up with another way to characterize her relationship with one of her uncle’s officers. “I was thinking more like a part-time assistant. On a temporary basis, of course.”

  Cy rolled his eyes. “Your murders are never part-time. But if Dan is willing to help out, I’ll free up his time.” Cy stepped back and pushed his chair up against the table. “You might want to think about giving your son a break on how long he’ll be grounded. It’s not as if he was cutting school, and testing out one of his bots with his friends isn’t exactly a major crime, and he didn’t know there were any bodies up there.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh. How about riding in a car with an unlicensed driver and trespassing? Where does that fall in the parenting handbook?”

  His eyes crinkled in amusement. “I don’t know. But I seem to recall you coloring outside the lines a time or two when you were that age.” He shrugged. “And most of what the kid did is almost a rite of passage. It’s a guy thing.” He gave her a wink and waved her off.

  Ricki waited until she was past the office door before muttering to herself, “Yeah. So I’ve been told.”

  Chapter Seven

  Ricki walked into Clay’s office and used her foot to shove the door closed behind her. When Clay immediately got to his feet and came around the corner of his desk, coming straight at her, she took a small, reflexive step backward, her back slapping into the door. Without saying a word, he put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in to give her a solid kiss on her mouth. When he drew back, he grinned at her wide-eyed stare before dropping his hands back to his sides and returning to his seat behind his desk, leaving her gaping after him.