Читать книгу Point Blank Protector - Joanna Wayne - Страница 8

Chapter Three

As soon as the meal was finished, Zach grabbed a cup of coffee and followed Aidan and Langston out to the screened porch that served as a family room much of the year. It was protected from the wind and most winter days that was enough to leave it comfortable.

Today it was downright chilly, but if Aidan had any news about Louisa Kellogg, Zach wanted to hear it firsthand. Thoughts of the homicide had lingered in his mind long after he should have been asleep last night.

“I guess you heard about the murder we had at the Silver Spurs Ranch,” Zach said even before Aidan had settled in one of the wooden rockers.

“Yeah. Actually, that’s why I’m out this way. I’m going to team up with your local sheriff’s department on the investigation.”

“Is that standard procedure when the victim’s from your jurisdiction?”

“How did you learn the victim was from Houston? The identification of the body is barely official.”

Zach perched on the arm of the sofa. “Ed Guerra called late last night and said the body had been identified as Louisa Kellogg and that she was a student at the University of Houston.”

“That’s accurate. She was a sophomore communications major,” Aidan said. “Her parents live in Arizona. They’re on their way to Texas now. She was an only child, so I suspect this is going to go down hard with them.”

“It would kill me if something like that happened to Gina,” Langston said.

Zach was still trying to get a handle on the details. “The Silver Spurs is a long way from Houston. How did Louisa and her killer end up out here?”

“That’s one of the unanswered questions. She left the local coffee shop where she worked just after ten o’clock Friday night. That only leaves about two hours between the time she was last seen and the time Kali found the body.”

“Did you get the case with the luck of the draw?” Zach asked.

“No. It’s possible her murder might be connected to an ongoing case I’ve been working on.”

“Another murder?” Langston asked.

“Not confirmed. Sue Ann Griffin disappeared approximately five months ago from the same area. She hasn’t been seen or heard from since.”

“And you think the man who killed Louisa Kellogg might have killed the Griffin woman, as well,” Zach said.

“It’s just a possibility at this point, but that’s why I asked to be in on this investigation. I spent a couple of hours with Ed Guerra getting his take on what he found at the Silver Spurs Friday night. Now I plan to make a call on Kali Cooper and see if she’ll let me look around.”

“Do you think Ed’s team missed something?” Langston asked. “They may not be up to Houston standards, but they have one of the most respected Criminal Investigations Divisions in the state.”

“It sounds as if they covered all the bases, but I get a better feel for a case when I’ve visited the crime scene myself. Naturally, I would have liked to be there the night Kali found the body, but this will have to do.”

Zach sipped his coffee. “Are you looking for anything in particular at the Silver Spurs?”

“No, but I’m hoping it will hit me if I find it. With luck we’ll have fingerprints and DNA on this one. If not, this could be a long, drawn-out process.”

“It seems odd that the killer brought his victim all the way out here just to shoot her inside the front door of a deserted ranch house,” Zach said. “He could have just dumped her in the woods.”

“That’s what puzzles me the most,” Aidan admitted. “The only thing I can figure at this point is that he chose that particular spot because he knew the ranch was deserted.”

Zach didn’t buy it. “That’s still a long way to drive to put a couple of bullets in a woman’s head.”

“He likely intended to do more than kill her. There were no signs of sexual or physical abuse, but that could be because he was interrupted.”

“By Kali’s arrival,” Zach said.

“It’s all speculation.”

“If the killer knew the place was deserted, he must have ties to this area.” Langston said. “He could be someone we know.”

That was a possibility Zach had already considered, yet it ground in his stomach all the same. “Mind if I tag along when you go to the Silver Spurs?” he asked, surprising himself with the request.

“Any particular reason?”

“I made a neighborly call on Kali Cooper yesterday at Mother’s insistence, just to make sure she was all right. She’s jumpy and running on nerves. At least, that was my take. She might be more comfortable with having you look around if you show up with someone she knows.”

Aidan smiled for the first time since they’d started talking about the murder. “That wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that she’s a very attractive woman now, would it?”

“Who said she’s attractive?”

“Ed Guerra. He may be old and married, but he’s not dead.”

“Kali’s looks have nothing to do with my offer,” Zach said, stretching the truth a little. “I’m just trying to help.”

“In that case, come along. You might just stumble onto the definitive clue.”

Doubtful, and Zach had planned on driving into Houston this afternoon to attend a special showing of a new lady friend’s work at one of the local galleries— a very beautiful and available lady friend. So why had he just volunteered to go to the Silver Spurs to visit a woman who had thrown him out yesterday?

He let the question ride, mainly because he had no idea how to answer it.

KALI’S MUSCLES tightened and she jerked to attention at the sound of the approaching vehicle. Sheriff Ed Guerra had alerted her that a Houston homicide detective named Aidan Jefferies who was assisting with the case would be paying her a visit. She assumed this was him, but ran for the shotgun anyway.

She was taking no chances. Not that she’d ever fired a shotgun before or even knew for certain this one was loaded correctly. She’d bought it at a pawn shop in Atlanta because one of her friends had convinced her she couldn’t live on a ranch without a gun.

Who’d have guessed she would need it so quickly or for such a frightening purpose?

A groan slipped from her lips when she glanced through the open window and saw Zach Collingsworth step from the passenger side of the black sedan. He looked great, of course. But then he hadn’t been mopping floors or scrubbing layers of caked dirt from baseboards and window facings.

The rubber gloves came off with a quick jerk. Her hair did not cooperate so well. She didn’t recognize the man with Zach. He could be one of Zach’s brothers. Might even be the Houston detective Sheriff Guerra had mentioned, though she didn’t know why a Houston detective on official duty would be traveling with Zach.

She leaned the shotgun against the front door and stepped onto the porch empty-handed to greet them like a sane person instead of the nervous Nellie she’d become.

“Detective Aidan Jefferies,” the man said, speaking first. “I’m with the Houston Police Department. Sheriff Ed Guerra was supposed to call you and tell you I’d be stopping by.”

“He did.”

“I hate to bother you on a Sunday, but I wanted to take a look around the crime scene as soon as possible. They tend to deteriorate fast.”

“I’m afraid this one already has. The sheriff said I was free to clean up the blood and fingerprint powder. But he took multiple pictures before the body was taken to the morgue.”

“I saw them, and he was very thorough. I’m probably wasting your time, but I’d still like to ask a few questions and look around.”

“Fine by me. Whatever it takes to apprehend the killer.”

Zach stamped the mud from his boots, tipped his black Stetson and smiled. Her heart betrayed her, quickening her pulse and skipping a couple of beats.

“We missed you at dinner last night,” he said, stepping closer. “Mom said to extend a rain check, valid any night.”

“Thanks. I’ll use it soon.” She opened the door and the two men followed her inside. “It’s a bit chilly in here,” she apologized, “but I had to raise a couple of windows to let the strong odors of the cleaning solutions escape.”

“No problem,” Aidan said, shedding his coat, his gaze already focused on the spot inside the door where she’d found the body.

She stepped back as the gory image reclaimed her mind.

Aidan examined the lock on the front door. “It doesn’t look as if it were jimmied.”

“No. The attorney gave me keys, but the door was unlocked when I arrived. I don’t think my grandfather ever locked it when he was alive. I know he didn’t the summer I visited.”

“That’s not unusual out here,” Zach said.

Aidan nodded. “I hope you’re keeping it locked now.”

“I am, but Sheriff Guerra said the killer would have no reason to return.”

“I suspect he’s right,” Aidan said, “but keeping your doors locked is a good idea in general.”

Aidan stepped away from the door. “Can you describe exactly what you heard and saw when you arrived at the Silver Spurs Ranch Friday night?”

“I gave a full statement to Sheriff Guerra. Didn’t he show it to you?”

“I read it, but I always like to hear the story from the witness. You may remember something more now that the horror isn’t so fresh in your mind.”

“I doubt that,” she said. “There’s nothing to remember. I just walked in, saw the body and let out a scream that probably frightened wildlife for miles.”

“A natural reaction,” Aidan said. He pulled a pen and small black notebook from his pocket. “Shall we sit?”

“Certainly. Would you like something to drink? I have sodas, and I can make coffee.”

“Perhaps later,” Aidan said.

She felt the intensity of his stare biting into her. She shifted nervously and dropped to the sofa. Zach sat down beside her, a little too close. The air in the room thickened like clotted cream.

“Just say any and everything that pops into your mind,” the detective said, “even if you think it’s unimportant. And start at the beginning.”

“I saw the rivulets of blood spilling out the door. At first I thought it was paint. Then I opened the door and there was the body.” She hesitated as the frightening memories seemed to swell in her mind and press against her temples.

“Before that,” Aidan said. “Go back to the point where you first pulled into the gate at the Silver Spurs. Did you see or hear anything that struck you as unusual.”

“No…except that when I got out of my Jeep to open the gate, I kind of freaked out for no apparent reason. I attributed it to the isolation. I still think that’s what it was, since there was no one around.”

“Was it raining at that point?”

“No, but the storm was rolling in and the lightning and thunder had become almost constant. Once I closed the gate and got back in the car, all I thought about was trying to make it to the house before the monsoons started.”

“So there was no sign of any other vehicle once you entered the gate?”

“No. I know the sheriff thinks the victim hadn’t been dead long, but the killer must have been off the property before I arrived.”

“Not necessarily,” Zach said. “The main gate is not the only entry.”

“It’s the only one I know about,” Kali said.

“And the only one the sheriff mentioned,” Aidan said.

Zach leaned forward. “There’s an old logging road that leads to a back gate off Mullins Road. There’s no sign on that gate, and the road’s not used very often, but it’s there. I was on it a couple of years ago when I helped Kali’s grandfather haul a load of hay over to Billy Mack’s. He was short of hands that summer.”

“Interesting,” Aidan said as he scribbled notes in the notebook.

“If the killer knew about the back road, he’d have to have some connection with the ranch,” Kali said.

“It’s a possibility,” Aidan agreed, but failed to elaborate on the point. “Were there any lights on inside the house when you drove up?”

“No. The house was pitch-dark except when—” Her breath caught at the frightening flashback.

“Go ahead,” Aidan said.

“It was dark except when the lightning lit up the sky. When I drove up, I thought I saw someone run from the house and into the trees.”

Zach turned to face her. “I can’t believe you got out of the car when you thought someone might be hiding in the trees.”

“I didn’t see the shadow again so I thought I was overreacting. But now I realize it could have been the killer. I may have frightened him off. If I’d arrived a few minutes earlier, Louisa Kellogg might still be alive.”

“Or the sonofabitch could have killed you, too,” Zach said.

“But he didn’t,” Aidan said. “Let’s just deal with what we have.”

Kali tried to fight the apprehension that was taking hold again. What they had was a killer who may have seen her. He could have heard her scream, might have sensed her terror. Might know she lived here alone.

“Do you know how to use that shotgun by the door?” Aidan asked, as if reading her fear.

She took a deep breath. “No.”

“It’s a good time to learn—not only how to shoot a shotgun, but also a pistol, as well.”

“I don’t own a pistol.”

“I have one I can give her,” Zach said. “And I can teach her how to use both of them.”

“Good idea,” Aidan said.

Kali hugged her arms around her chest. “And I thought my problems were over when the judge finally gave me clearance to move out here and take over the ranch.”

“Well, I hope we’ll make a quick arrest,” Aidan said, standing. “In the meantime, Sheriff Guerra will be your go-to man. Now I’d like to take a look around outside.”

“Look all you want.” She stood and walked to open the front door for him.

“I appreciate that. If I have any other questions, I’ll get back to you. And if you think of anything else, call me.” He took a business card from his wallet and handed it to her.

Unfortunately Zach didn’t exit the house with Aidan. He walked over to join her at the door and placed his hands on her shoulders, massaging her tense muscles. She melted at his touch before abruptly pulling away. She had enough problems without feeding an unreasonable lust for him.

“Sorry,” Zach said. “I wasn’t trying to get fresh. You just looked stressed to the point of collapse.”

“I admit I’m a little frazzled. I wasn’t prepared for all of this.”

“Then we should go shooting when Aidan finishes up here. Nothing like firing a few rounds to loosen you up.”

She was definitely in Texas. “You don’t have to teach me to shoot, Zach. I know you’re busy, and I’m sure I can hire someone to—”

He put up a hand to stop her refusal. “You can’t hire better than me. I’ll show Aidan around and then I can take you back to Jack’s Bluff for a lesson.”

“Can’t we just practice here?”

“We could, but Jack’s Bluff has a shooting range already set up. And I have the perfect pistol for you. Lightweight. Easy to use. My sister Jaime has one just like it. She killed a striking copperhead with it last summer when she was horseback-riding with my niece Gina.”

Snakes. Killers. Time spent with Zach Collingsworth. Kali didn’t even want to think of what other dangers were waiting for her now that she’d moved to the ranch.

“It will give my Mom a chance to say hello, too. You may not remember her after not seeing her for fifteen years, but it’s good to know your neighbors out here.”

“Then I guess I’ll have my lesson at Jack’s Bluff.”

She watched Zach head outside and then rushed to shower and change clothes. She refused to entertain romantic notions about her and Zach Collingsworth, but there was no way she was going to climb in the car with him smelling like bleach.

And if she wore the gorgeous teal sweater she’d splurged on just before leaving Atlanta, well, it just made good sense that she’d want to make a good impression on her first visit to a neighboring ranch.