Josh Lanyon - The Mermaid Murders

Opening up new avenues of investigation—and a much larger roster of potential suspects.

Rebecca’s character was key. Victimology became crucial once more.

So what did they have?

Not a lot really. Rebecca was the daughter of wealthy parents. Wealthy and demanding parents. She was sexually active. She was described by a number of people as smart, sassy, headstrong, spoiled, entitled, bratty…put it together, and they were left with a girl you didn’t want to mess with if you were a young ambitious cop on a small-town force.

A girl who could do your career a hell of a lot of damage.

Boxner.

Right?

As hard as it was to believe after the drive to Kyser’s that morning, it had to be Boxner.

Because if it wasn’t Boxner, who was left?

“Everything okay?” Officer Courtney asked when Jason returned the key to the property room.

“Yep.”

She studied him sympathetically. “It does get pretty warm up there in the summer, I know.”

Jason smiled. “A little. I’ve got to compliment you. That’s a well-organized property room.”

She smiled back.

Jason said, “That noise complaint at the Madigans’ on Friday night. Was Officer Boxner alone when he responded to that call?”

“Yes.”

“Small department, solo patrol?”

“Yes.” She gave him a rueful look.

“And that was the only call to the Madigans’ that night?”

“Yes.”

“Officer Boxner asked Rebecca to turn down the music, and she obeyed, and everything was peaceful and quiet for the rest of the night?”

Officer Courtney gave a dry little laugh. “I wouldn’t say that . There was a second noise complaint. The chief said he would look into it, but he ended up having to help a stranded motorist.”

Jason stared at her. “So Boxner went back to the Madigans’ a second time?”

“No. Officer Boxner was off-duty by then. Anyway, it would have taken a team of officers to break up that party. We knew they’d be winding down eventually.”

“Right.” Jason frowned, nodded, started to turn away—when her words fully sunk in.

“What time was that?”

“What time was what?”

“What time did the second noise complaint come in?”

Courtney said promptly, “Twelve thirty.”

“The chief was on his way to the Madigans’, but instead stopped to help a stranded motorist?”

She looked puzzled. “Yes. Actually, two girls with a flat tire. They didn’t know how to use their jack.”

Jason asked carefully, “What time did he call in?”

“Who?”

He didn’t need to look at her expression to realize he had to tread very carefully here. Kennedy had been right about that. “At what time did Chief Gervase let you know he was canceling the call to the Madigans’ because he was stopping to help the girls with the flat tire?”

Officer Courtney did not look at her computer monitor. She said coolly, “Within a couple of minutes or so. He was in route when he pulled over to aid the girls.”

“And after he finished up with the flat tire, he signed off for the evening and went home?”

“Yes. There was no reason not to. There was no indication that Rebecca was missing at that time.”

“Right. Of course.”

She was frowning, watching him closely.

He wanted to ask her for the license plate number of the car belonging to the girls Gervase had stopped to help. He wanted to run that plate. And, assuming the registration was valid, talk to the driver of the car and verify the exact time Chief Gervase had stopped to lend a hand with that spare tire and jack.

However, he could not ask Officer Courtney for that number. He could not ask her for the very reason that she did not offer it. Because they had both realized at the same instant that here was an overlooked and alarming possibility in someone’s movements on the night of Rebecca’s murder.

The difference being that Chief Gervase had Officer Courtney’s complete and unquestioning loyalty. She was not going to willingly give Jason even one more piece of potentially damaging information—and she was most certainly going to warn Gervase.

She would not think of it as warning him because she would reject the idea that he had anything to do with Rebecca’s death—Jason was also having trouble picturing that scenario—but Courtney could see how things might look for Chief Gervase.

Yes, she would give her boss a heads-up. And Gervase…already knew that Jason was going over and over the original crime scene photos. He would soon learn that Jason had been looking for evidence in the property room. In fact, he was driving back with Kennedy and might have heard enough of their conversation to guess which direction Jason’s suspicions were headed, even if Jason had originally locked sights on the wrong target.

“Thanks for your help,” Jason said.

Officer Courtney smiled, her eyes unfriendly.

Chapter Twenty

One problem.

Okay, not one problem. Next problem.

Only Jason had seen the mermaid charm that had been left with Candy.

The fact that Honey’s charm was missing sixteen years later, well, a lot of explanations could be offered and arguments made that did not include the Chief of Police murdering a teenage girl and faking the return of a serial killer.

Jason beeped the locks on the Dodge sedan, opened the door, and slipped into the driver’s seat.

Now what?

Another problem: the charm found with Rebecca. Where had that come from? Was that also from an earlier case? He should have checked every single one of the murder books while he had the chance. Too late now.

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

Kennedy was not going to be happy about this turn of events. But then Kennedy should have taken the time and trouble to explain to his partner what he was thinking—especially if, as Jason now suspected, Kennedy was on the same track.

But the Kennedys of the world liked to play their own hand. Which left their partners stumbling around in the dark.

So now what?

In order to make his case, Jason needed that mermaid charm back.

And how the hell was he supposed to manage that?

He could have dropped it anywhere in that basement.

Jason listened to the echo of that thought with dismay. No, he wasn’t even considering going back to Rexford. Was he?

There had to be another way.

He could still make his case without the charm, but it was going to be harder to prove. It left a lot more wiggle room for the defense. The mermaid was the linchpin.

There was a reasonable chance he’d dropped the charm on that pile of rotting whatever the hell he’d landed on. Even if he hadn’t… The water was only about a foot deep. Two at the most. He had been able to see down to the bricks when the light was right. And it wasn’t like there was a current running through. If he’d dropped the charm in the basement, it was still there.

He swallowed.

Was he really thinking about doing this? Going back to that deathtrap?

He needed to make his mind up one way or the other because Kennedy and Chief Gervase were liable to drive into this parking lot any minute. Unless they stopped for lunch or an early dinner.

No, they’d had to wait around the hospital, so they’d have eaten. They would drive into this lot a little while from now, and Officer Courtney would tip her boss off, and Kennedy would lose the advantage of surprise. Chief Gervase would begin marshalling his witnesses and strengthening his alibi.

Jason started the engine and slowly pulled out of the parking lot.

Jesus. What if he was wrong about this? An hour ago he would have bet money on Boxner being guilty. And now he was convinced it was Chief Gervase even though until this minute it had never crossed his mind that Gervase was anything but one of the good guys.