Mayes, Casey - A Deadly Row

I saw the concern in his eyes. “Do you think he’s going to do something soon?”

“What do you think? You read the note, too.”

Zach walked over to the board, and then read the last communication to us aloud. “He’s taunting me. I can’t believe he threatened you, and I didn’t send you away.”

“Even if you could get rid of me, which you can’t, where could I go? He knows where we live, Zach. The only way either one of us will ever be safe is if you catch him.”

“Any luck with this code?”

“I’m stuck,” I admitted. “There’s got to be a pattern to it, but I don’t know what it is.”

“So, we’re both having trouble seeing the truth. The question is, is he really that good at hiding his intentions, or are these notes and codes just part of one big lie?”

“I wish I knew.”

“That makes two of us.”

I could see that Zach was getting into a funk, and I had to help him stop it before it took over. If he began to doubt himself, and his abilities, I knew there would be no chance of stopping the killer.

“What do we do next?” I asked.

“What? What do you mean?”

I waved a hand around the room. “We’re stuck when we look at these walls. Let’s get out and talk to more people. You always said that if all else failed, it was a good idea to stir the pot. So, let’s go stir.”

He frowned for a few moments, and then nodded. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am,” I said with a smile. “Who should we talk to first?”

“Is there anyone more involved with this case than Grady? It’s time we had another chat.”

We were walking out of the room as Steve Sanders showed up. “I thought you needed me.”

“I changed my mind.”

“That’s fine,” Steve said. “If there’s anything I can do, all you have to do is ask.”

“How much did you lose on that mountain land deal?” I asked impulsively.

“What? How’d you hear about that?” He frowned, and then Steve said, “Strike that. Davis told you. I lost five grand. It wasn’t a fortune, but I wasn’t happy to see it go, either.”

“Five thousand dollars is a great deal of money,” I said.

“Yeah, but Davis lost ten times that. It’s the only thing that lets me sleep at night.”

“Did you know Cindy Glass very well?”

“Who?” Steve asked.

“The murder victim.”

“Oh, yeah, I blanked out on her name for a second. No, not really. Why, what have you heard?”

Zach was listening to our conversation—I knew it—though he didn’t appear to be paying attention.

“Just a snippet here and there,” I said. “It was enough to make me want to ask the question.”

Steve looked uncomfortable. “We had some mutual friends. I might have met her at a party once, but I can’t be sure.”

“But you never dated her.”

“No, nothing like that.” Steve looked at Zach, who had remained silent during the conversation. “What’s this about, Chief?”

“We’re trying to cross as many names off the list as we can,” he said. “You know the routine.”

“Sure, I just never thought I’d make it onto one of your lists.”

“Neither did most of the people who’ve ended up there.”

“What’s taking that elevator so long?” Steve asked.

“I forgot to push the button,” Zach said, as he finally did so.

“If that’s it, I’ve got work I can be doing downstairs, unless you want me to hang around here and guard the door.”

“No, I don’t think that’s necessary. I’ll let you know when I need you again.”

“Then I’ll take the stairs. I need a little exercise anyway.”

After he vanished down the stairway, I said, “You didn’t forget to push the button at all, did you?”

“I wanted to hear what he had to say.”

“Then why didn’t you ask him yourself?” I asked as I pushed the button again. The elevator was as slow as cold molasses.

“I was about to, when you stepped in and did it for me.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to butt in.”

Zach smiled at me. “On the contrary, it was better coming from you anyway. If I’d have thought about it, I would have asked you to talk to him before.”

“What do you think about his answers?” I asked as the elevator finally arrived.

As we stepped in, Zach said, “I’m not sure. Is he hiding something? Did he have a relationship with Cindy Glass? He didn’t make it sound like five thousand dollars was a lot to lose, but I have a hard time believing it, don’t you?”

“Then we’re no further along than we were before.”

“That’s not true,” Zach said as the elevator opened and we stepped out onto the ground floor. “The more information we have, the better chance there is of solving the case.”

It was overcast when we went outside. “Should we take the car? It looks like it might rain.”

“It’s just a block. Let’s walk it.”

“That’s fine with me.”

As we walked toward Grady’s office, I asked my husband, “Should we call first?”

“No, I don’t want to give him the chance to get away before we get there. It will be best if we can catch him off guard.”

“I never dreamed this case would take this direction when Davis called you, did you?”

“No, but I can’t help wondering what Grady was doing the first day we got here.”

“You mean when he disappeared?”

“Exactly. He couldn’t have been jogging the entire time, not if he just took it up. I keep trying to put each of my suspects in the killer’s shoes. It would have been easy for Grady to take that photograph of you in his truck, and then stash the camera somewhere safe until he could get back to it.”

“Davis could have taken it, too. Or Steve, for that matter.”

“If we’re naming suspects, I’d like to add Lorna’s name to the list.”

I was surprised by that addition. “Honestly, do you think she could have had anything to do with these murders?”

“Why, because she’s a woman?”

“No, I fully realize that women can kill just as easily as men can. I just don’t see her motivation.”

“What if we’re looking at it all wrong?” Zach asked. “What if these murders are part of a bigger puzzle?”

“What do you mean?”

“It might explain the clues on the backs of the notes and photographs, if they are indeed important, and not just a way to throw us off the killer’s scent. What if the two murders are connected, but not in a way that we’ve been considering so far?”

“You’ve got my attention,” I said. “But I’m not sure where you’re going.”

“Let’s say Lorna is our killer. She could have killed Cindy and Hank as a part of a frame-up to make Grady look bad.”

“Would she commit multiple murders just to get back at an old boyfriend? She seems so happy now.”

“Did you know that a lot of people who are about to commit suicide act more serenely than they ever have in their lives? Once they make the decision to do it, a kind of peace comes over them.”

“Do you really think she’s going to kill herself?”

“No, I don’t mean that. All I’m saying is that once she came up with a plan to ruin Grady, she could very easily have become more content with her life. She keeps pushing these breakfasts on you, and the two of you have never really been all that close before.”

“I thought she wanted to make amends for the past.”

“It’s possible, but she could also be trying to get information about the investigation out of you.”

I thought about that for a few seconds. “She has asked about it every time we meet.”

“When are you getting together again?”

“We were supposed to have breakfast tomorrow,” I admitted. “But I’m going to have to cancel on her. I’m eating with Sherry instead.”