Casey Mayes - A Killer Column

I joined him, and we examined the car together. All four tires had been slashed. There was no patching that could fix it, no hope for them at all.

“The question is,” Zach asked, “was this random, or was it directed at one of us?”

I noticed a note on the back windshield wiper. At first I’d taken it for just another menu that littered some of the other cars around us, but as I reached for it, I saw that someone had written on it with a black marker. The note said simply, STOP DIGGING, OR DIE.

“What do you make of that?” I asked Zach as he read it over my shoulder.

“You probably ruined any prints that were on it.”

“Hey, I held it by the edges.”

“Maybe that’s good enough.” He took the note from me using one corner of his handkerchief, a faded old bandana that he always carried around with him. “It looks like we hit a nerve somewhere.”

“Yes, but where?”

I studied the note. “I can’t tell if it’s in a woman’s hand, or a man.”

“That’s kind of the point of block printing,” Zach said. He opened the car door and put the note on my seat.

“We need to call a tow truck,” I said.

“Four new tires aren’t going to be cheap,” Zach replied. “We’re going to have to pay for them, too. I didn’t get any extra insurance on it.”

“So we’ll pay whatever it takes. It beats running around on rims. At least we’re getting closer.”

He shook his head. “I don’t see that. It feels like we’ve antagonized most of our suspects with the same amount of grief. How do we know what we’re getting to?”

“That’s a point,” I said. I looked at the tires again, and then added, “Then that means that all of this was for nothing.”

He hugged me. “I wouldn’t say that. I think it’s a call to start pushing harder and see what happens.”

I pointed to the note in the seat. “That means nothing to you, does it?”

“Savannah, we’ve both been threatened before. The only way we can lose is to give up, and I know neither one of us is about to do that. Now, let’s see about getting those new tires.”

“We’re calling the police first, aren’t we?”

Zach nodded. “As soon as I call a tow truck, I’ll call Murphy. How much do you want to bet on who gets here first?”

“I’ve waited on two tow trucks before. No bet.”

DETECTIVE MURPHY SHOWED UP SEVEN MINUTES AFTER Zach called him. I’d been expecting speed, but nothing this fast.

“Were you just around the corner?” I asked.

“I was having a late lunch at my desk,” he said. I remembered from my previous visit that the police station was just a few blocks away from the hotel where we were at the moment.

He took the note, sealed it in a clear plastic bag, and then looked at it again. “The message is pretty clear. You’re not going to take the advice though, are you?”

Zach shrugged. “Would you, if you were in my position?”

Murphy did something that surprised me. He smiled. “Officially, I have to say that what you’re doing is dangerous, and could undermine an ongoing investigation.”

“And off the record?” Zach asked.

Murphy just shrugged, really all the answer my husband needed. As we stood there, a flatbed tow truck pulled up. “This for you?”

“It’s tough to drive in this condition,” Zach said.

Murphy nodded, and then said, “Have him take it to Lakeland Tire and use my name. You’ll get a good price.”

“Thanks.”

He nodded, saluted with two fingers, and then left.

“What was that about?” I asked. “That’s not the same man I spoke to the day Derrick was murdered.”

“Sure it was.”

“You couldn’t tell by his behavior today.”

Zach frowned. “Savannah, we didn’t know each other then. He gets what we’re trying to do, though he can’t officially endorse it. As long as we keep him up to speed, he’s not going to have a real problem with us digging around the edges.”

“You got all of that how, exactly?”

“We speak the same language.”

“Cop, you mean.”

“Sure,” Zach admitted. “We might not be on the same force, but we’ve both seen a lot of the same things. That counts for something, even these days.”

“I’m just glad you’re on my side,” I said.

“There’s nowhere else I want to be,” he said.

After the tow truck driver loaded my car up, he asked, “Where we going?”

“Lakeland,” Zach said. He turned to me and added, “Savannah, why don’t I take care of this myself? There’s no need for both of us to be bored while we get new tires for this thing. Will you be all right without me?”

“Zach, I can take care of myself,” I said as I touched his hand lightly. “There are plenty of people around for safety’s sake, and I don’t plan on taking any chances.”

“We never mean to, though, do we?” he asked.

“Go on, I’ll be fine. Besides, there isn’t enough room there for me in the truck anyway.” My husband enjoyed taking care of the maintenance of automobiles, and I generally didn’t mind letting him.

“If you’re sure.”

“Absolutely certain.”

My husband climbed up into the passenger seat of the truck, rolled down the windows, and then said, “Don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone, do you hear?”

“Me? Crazy?”

“You know it,” he said.

“I’m not making any more promises I can’t keep.”

Zack just shook his head and laughed as the tow truck pulled away. I had a few hours to burn while he was getting us new tires for the rental car, but that didn’t mean I had to sit around waiting.

There were people of interest I could talk to, with or without my husband by my side, and I was going to do just that.

Chapter 13

THAT SHOULD MAKE MY MESSAGE CLEAR. IT WAS A REAL thrill slashing that nosy woman’s tires. I was amazed at just how easy it had been to destroy all four of them without getting caught.

One instant they were intact, and the next they were so much useless rubbish.

I’m not a creature of violence by nature, but I am beginning to enjoy the feel of a knife in my hands.

I feel powerful, almost unstoppable, and it wouldn’t be wise for anyone to cross me.

If she and that husband of hers don’t take my advice, they are going to pay the ultimate penalty.

I cleaned the knife again, feeling the hard, cold steel slip between the folds of my towel.

There is a cost associated with every action, a penalty that has to be paid for every offense.

And I am naming myself the ultimate arbiter.

They’ve been warned.

Now it is in their hands.

I can’t be held responsible for my actions if they choose to ignore my promise of what will happen next.

Chapter 14

AS I STEPPED BACK INTO THE LOBBY, MY CELL PHONE rang. It was a number I didn’t recognize, so I answered tentatively, “Hello?”

“Savannah, it’s Kelsey.”

“Hi, Kelsey. What can I do for you?”

“I’m afraid it’s your puzzle. I’m sorry to say that it’s not quite what the papers wanted.”

I wasn’t about to stand for that. “Kelsey, I already did a new one, remember? You can’t expect me to keep making puzzles until they find one they like.”

“My hands are tied here, Savannah. I need it in two hours. Thanks for understanding.”

I was about to tell her I didn’t understand, or accept that, at all, when she actually hung up on me.