Читать книгу Dangerous Waters - Sandra Robbins - Страница 12

THREE

Brad didn’t speak as he led Laura down the police station’s basement hallway. Within this part of the building all the evidence in the department’s cold cases sat on shelves, just waiting for someone to find the answers to these unsolved crimes. A feeling of despair washed over Laura at the thought that other families still waited for answers that might never come.

Laura followed quietly behind Brad and stared at his straight back and fists clenched at his side. Did he regret telling her she could look through the evidence in her parents’ case? When he had offered, she could hardly believe it. For years she’d wanted to see what the police had discovered during their investigation, and yet she’d feared seeing it, also.

Brad stopped at a closed door and pushed it open. He turned toward her, and a look of concern flashed across his face. “What’s the matter? You look like you’re having second thoughts.”

She swallowed back the uncertainty that washed over her and took a deep breath. It was time to deal with the past. She pushed past him into the room. “I’ll be okay.”

A long conference table with chairs on either side stretched nearly the length of the small room, but it was what sat in the center of the table that demanded her attention—a cardboard box with the words WEBBER EVIDENCE written on its side. She pressed her fist to her mouth and groaned.

This was what was left of her parents’ lives, a box containing evidence from the scene where they died. Could she really do this? Could she look through the words that investigators had written years ago? To them it had been just another crime scene, and they had probably recorded it in a cold, analytical reporting of the facts. To her, though, it was something more than that.

Maybe she’d been wrong to insist on seeing this. She closed her eyes for a moment and said a silent prayer for strength to follow through on what she had started. She owed it to her parents to get past how uncomfortable she might feel and look at it as a mission to gain punishment for whoever had committed the horrible deed.

“Laura, are you all right?” Brad’s voice brought her back to reality.

She took a deep breath and nodded. “I am. Just had a weak moment.”

His hand touched her arm. “You don’t have to do this.”

She turned to him and blinked back the tears in her eyes. “Oh, but I do. If I don’t, I’ll never be able to look at myself in the mirror again. Thank you for making it possible for me to be here.”

“Glad to do it.” He glanced down at the floor, moved around her and pulled one of the chairs out from the table. “This box contains all the reports and notes of the investigating detectives. I thought you could look through these first. Sit here, and I’ll get all the reports out for you.”

She sat down and watched as he began to pull notebooks and files from the box. “You said these are the reports and notes. Does that mean there’s more?”

He nodded. “Yes, but those boxes have the physical evidence gathered at the scene. I thought you might want to look at this before you look at those things, like pieces of recovered clothing and surviving parts of the bomb.”

She swallowed nausea at the thought of seeing a piece of the polka-dotted dress her mother had been wearing that day. “Thanks, Brad. I don’t think I want to see those things right now. Maybe later.”

With a sigh she reached out and pulled the first notebook closer and opened it. An hour later other notebooks lay about the table. Brad pulled another one from the box and held it out to her. “Here’s the one where lead Detective Matlock kept his notes.”

She took it and opened it to the first page. Her eyes grew wide, and she glanced up at Brad. “Well, he didn’t waste any time recording who he thought was behind the murders. He’s written here that from the beginning he felt that Tony Lynch hired Johnny Sherwood to plant the bomb, but he was never able to link either one of them to the crime.”

Brad nodded. “Yeah, he always thought that. Matlock’s retired now and lives in North Carolina. I talked to him when I read through this, and he still regrets not being able to pin this crime on Tony.”

Laura turned through the pages and scanned the detective’s handwriting. Most of the information recapped talks he’d had with individuals thought to be connected to the crime. She stopped when she came to the page of Johnny Sherwood’s interview. She read through it quickly and shrugged. “Johnny Sherwood’s girlfriend gave him an alibi that he was with her in New Orleans that night. She even produced credit card receipts. One for gas purchased on Johnny’s card at a service station just outside New Orleans and another for a restaurant in the French Quarter. Johnny’s signature was on both.”

“Yeah,” Brad snorted. “Detective Matlock never could find out who really used that credit card. Nobody at the gas station or the restaurant could identify who’d signed from a photo lineup. Matlock believed Sylvia had signed Johnny’s name on the receipt.”

Laura pursed her lips and thought for a moment. “Those receipts appeared at a convenient time for Johnny, didn’t they?”

“That’s what the police thought. Before they could prove differently, Johnny was murdered in a parking lot of a club owned by Tony Lynch. Vince Stone was convicted of that murder and is serving a life sentence.”

“What happened to Johnny’s girlfriend?”

Brad shook his head. “I have no idea. I tried to locate her when I reviewed the file, but I came up with nothing.”

Laura flipped through the remaining pages of the notebook. “I’d like to read this more carefully, but I don’t want to detain you. Do you need to be doing something else right now?”

Brad shook his head. “No, my partners are covering for me today. I’ll stay until you’re finished. Then I’ll get the evidence back to storage.”

“Okay.”

He scooted his chair closer to hers and reached for the notebook. “I’ll follow along as you look through this. Maybe I missed something the first time. Two sets of eyes are better than one anyway.”

She smiled up at him. “Thank you for helping me with this, Brad. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” he muttered and directed his attention to the first page.

An hour later they turned to the last page of the notebook. “Well, I guess that’s it. Nothing jumped out at me. How about you?”

He shook his head. “No, I didn’t...” He reached out and grabbed her hand before she could close the notebook. “Whoa! What do we have here?”

Laura’s eyes grew wide as Brad grabbed the edge of a strip of white paper that protruded from a pocket on the inside back cover and pulled it free. “What is it?”

“A photograph.” Brad held the picture up, and Laura leaned forward to examine it. They gazed at the image of a young couple standing next to an automobile. The man’s arm circled the woman’s waist, and her head was tipped back as she gazed at him. Her long blond hair hung down her back.

“I’ve never seen either one of them before. Who are they?” Laura asked.

Brad turned the picture over and smiled before he held it up for her to read what was written on the back. “‘Johnny Sherwood and Sylvia Warner before she married Daniel Hill.’ This is the first time I’ve seen a picture of her, and I had no idea she got married. Every time she’s mentioned in the file, her last name is Warner.” Brad pulled the photograph back and wrinkled his brow as he studied. “Sylvia,” he whispered. “Where are you now?”

“Do you think she might still be in Memphis?”

Brad shrugged. “I couldn’t find a trace of her before. But that was six months ago. Maybe I should try again.” He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and punched in a number. “Thompson, this is Brad Austin. Do you still have all that information I gave you some time back on a woman named Sylvia Warner? I need you to run that search again, but this time use the name Sylvia Hill. I just found out she got married.” He paused a moment as he listened to the person on the other end of the line. “That sounds good. Anything you can find. I’m down in evidence storage, but I’ll be back in my office in a few minutes.”

When he ended the call, Laura stood up. “Who was that?”

“A guy who’s a computer wizard.”

“Does he work for the police department?”

Brad smiled. “No. He’s freelance, and he helps me out from time to time. He couldn’t find anything before. Maybe something will show up with her other name.” He looked at the picture of Johnny and Sylvia once more before he put it in his pocket and closed the notebook. “I’ll put this evidence back, and then we’ll go to my office to wait for his call.”

Her uncertainty earlier about looking into her parents’ case had disappeared since opening that file. All she could think about was the possibility that Sylvia Warner might still be in Memphis, and she could be the first lead in finding her parents’ killer.

A small ray of hope began to take root in her heart, the first she’d felt in nineteen years. At least it was a start, and she didn’t intend to give up until this cold case was solved.

* * *

Brad glanced at his watch and tried not to sigh. He didn’t want Laura to see how impatient he was to hear back from Thompson. The truth was he didn’t know how much longer he could sit still. He’d tried to hide his excitement over this first lead by looking over some files, but he really had been staring at the same page for the past fifteen minutes.

Laura fidgeted in the chair across the desk from him and folded her hands in her lap. “What’s taking him so long?”

“I’m sure he’s doing a very thorough job. You can’t rush these things, you know.”

She sighed and pushed to her feet. “Don’t pay any attention to me. I’m just champing at the bit to find Sylvia.”

“Me, too, but it may take...” The ring of his cell phone interrupted his words. He jammed the phone to his ear. “Austin.”

“Hey, man, I may have some information for you.”

Brad pulled a notepad closer and picked up a pen. “What did you find?”

“Well, the reason I couldn’t find Sylvia Warner anywhere is because her name changed when she married Daniel Hill. They were married in New Orleans about two years after she left Memphis. But afterward she dropped off the radar because she started using her middle name, Anne, with her married name.”

“So she’s going by Anne Hill now?”

“She was, but Daniel died about a year ago. I couldn’t find any work records for her during the years she was married, but she got a job a few months ago right here in town. I guess she had to take her old name back because of social security. Anyway, she’s living off of Poplar Avenue and working in a barbecue restaurant close to downtown. I’ll text you the addresses.”

“Great. Thanks a lot, man. I appreciate this.”

“No problem. Catch you later.”

Brad disconnected the call and within seconds the text arrived with the addresses. He held up the phone. “Looks like we may have located Sylvia. Want to go with me to talk to her?”

Laura jumped up from the chair. “Oh, do I. I can’t believe he found her.”

He nodded. “That’s the way it is when you’re working a case. Leads come from the last place you’d expect. This time it was a picture. What do you say we check out the workplace first?”

“Sounds good to me. Let’s go.”

Minutes later they were on their way to Ribs and More Barbecue near downtown. Brad watched Laura out of the corner of his eye. She hadn’t glanced his way since they left the station. In fact she’d been so silent, it was beginning to bother him. He hoped she wasn’t dwelling too much on what had happened to her last night.

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking, Laura. Maybe it’s not safe for you and Grace to stay at your house for a while.”

She swiveled in her seat and stared at him. “Grace won’t be there for the next week. She left for London yesterday afternoon right after we taped the interview. She’s on an assignment for the television station.”

“Well, this concerns me even more. Your abductors had no problem finding where you work. I imagine they know where you live, too. It’s too dangerous for you to be there right now. Is there any safe place you can go?”

She thought for a moment. “My aunt and uncle who raised Mark and me live in California now. But maybe Charles and Nora McKenzie wouldn’t mind if I stayed with them. Their house is big enough.”

“I remember them. They used to come see you and Mark play sports when we were in school. He was working in your father’s office when your parents were killed.”

“Yes, he interned there when he was in law school and went to work for my father when he graduated. His wife, Nora, was our nanny. She’s the one who was with us when the bomb exploded. I don’t know what we would have done if it hadn’t been for her. She had the police and firefighters there within minutes. They’ve remained our closest friends since that time.”

“I heard Charles is doing well in his law practice. Your dad would be happy for him.”

She nodded. “Yes, he would. He said Charles was born to practice law, and he was happy he had a small part in helping him get started in his career. Charles had been working for Dad about two years before the explosion.”

“And you think they’d let you stay with them?”

“I know they would. They live in a beautiful house out in East Memphis. In fact, they tried to get me to move in with them when I first came back, but I wanted a place of my own. And of course I wanted to live with Grace. I’ll give them a call later.”

He glanced at his watch and pointed up ahead. “The restaurant is right up here. Since it’s past lunchtime, we can find a table and order a sandwich while we look around.”

She smiled. “Memphis barbecue sounds great. It will only get better if Sylvia is working.”

As Brad pulled the car into the restaurant parking lot, he looked over the vehicles parked beside the building. It was well past lunchtime, but there appeared to be a crowd inside. His stomach growled at the tangy smell of barbecue sauce drifting through the air when they climbed from the car.

Laura fell into step beside him, and they entered the café. A counter with a cash register on top sat to the left of the door. A young woman with streaks of red in her dark brown hair smiled at them from behind the counter when they entered. “If you’ll wait right here, our hostess will be with you in a minute.”

At the other side of the room a woman, who Brad suspected was the hostess, stood with her back to them as she waited for a man and woman to take their seats at a table with a red-and-white checkered tablecloth. When they were seated, she handed them both menus and turned. Laura gasped when she caught a glimpse of the woman’s face. She might be nearly twenty years older than in the photograph, but there was no mistaking this was Sylvia Warner.

She walked up to them, smiled and picked up two menus from the hostess stand. “Two for lunch?”

“Yes,” Brad said.

Her gaze darted from Brad to Laura before she turned. “This way, please.”

Brad put his hand in the small of Laura’s back and guided her forward as they walked to their table, then suddenly jerked his hand away. His skin warmed at the memory of how he had done that when they were engaged. Did she recognize that he had used the familiar gesture? He hoped not. It had been a force of habit. He needed to be more careful when he was around her. He wouldn’t want her getting any wrong ideas.

Sylvia stopped in front of a booth, and Laura slipped into one side without saying anything. He exhaled as he sat down and took the menu from the hostess. Afraid of what he might see in Laura’s eyes, he stared down and didn’t look at her.

“Your waitress will be with you in a minute.” Sylvia turned, and her heels tapped on the floor as she headed back to her station.

Brad opened the menu and began to scan the items. “What are you having?”

Laura glanced up then. Her attention seemed focused on what she was going to order. A wave of relief rippled through him. He saw nothing that suggested she thought his touch had meant anything. She probably remembered what he’d told her when she broke their engagement—that he would never forgive her for how she’d hurt him. He remembered because he’d told himself the same thing every day for the past six years.

Some things in life she might be able to make amends for, but breaking his heart wasn’t one of them. That deed was one that could never be undone.

* * *

Laura watched as Brad washed down the last bite of his sandwich with a swig of iced tea and wiped his mouth on his napkin. Laura picked up a French fry, nibbled on it and stared at the uneaten half of her sandwich.

He pointed at her plate. “Aren’t you going to finish that?”

She leaned against the back of the booth and rubbed her stomach. “I’m miserable. I can’t eat another bite.”

He glanced around the almost deserted dining room now and leaned across the table. “It looks like most of the customers have left. This should be a good time to talk to Sylvia. Are you ready?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

He motioned to their waitress who hurried across the room to their table. She smiled down at Brad and swished her ponytail back and forth. Laura smothered the smile that pulled at her mouth. The young woman had flirted with Brad ever since the meal began, and she wasn’t giving up now. She batted her eyelashes at him. “Can I get you anything else?”

“Yes. I’d appreciate it if you’d ask the hostess to come over here.”

Her shoulders sagged, and she frowned as she turned to look at Sylvia who was talking with the cashier. “You want to talk to Anne?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“Then I’ll tell her.” The girl slapped their check down on the table, whirled and hurried across the room to where Sylvia stood.

Laura chuckled and took a sip of her iced tea. “I think you hurt her feelings, Brad.”

His eyes grew wide. “Why?”

“I think she wanted you to show some interest in her.”

He frowned and shook his head. “You’re imagining things.”

Laura sighed and picked up her glass again. “Well, I know your glass was kept filled all the time we were eating, and I had to practically beg for a refill.”

“Cut it out, Laura,” he growled. “We’re here on business.”

Laura glanced over her shoulder at the young woman huffing toward the hostess stand. She said something to Sylvia who turned and stared at them. A perplexed look covered her face. Frowning, she walked slowly across the dining room until she stopped at their table.

“Carlene said you wanted to talk to me. Was there something wrong with your food or your service?”

Brad shook his head. “No, I just wanted to talk to you for a minute if you have time.”

Sylvia glanced from Brad to Laura before she shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I’m very busy. If you have a complaint to make, perhaps you need to talk to the owner.”

Brad reached in his pocket and pulled out his detective’s shield. “I want to talk to you, Sylvia. Or is it Anne? Which name are you going by now?”

Her eyes widened as she stared at the badge. She swallowed and glanced down at him with fear in her eyes. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Brad shrugged. “I never said you did. I just want to talk to you. Please have a seat next to my friend.”

Laura scooted over, and after hesitating, Sylvia dropped down in the booth next to her. “What’s this all about?”

Brad reached back in his pocket and pulled out the picture they’d found earlier in the day. He laid it on the table and pushed it across the surface toward Sylvia. “I’m investigating two murders that occurred about nineteen years ago, about the time this picture was taken I’d say. This is you in the picture, isn’t it?”

Sylvia picked up the photograph and stared at it for a moment. Tears filled her eyes. “I haven’t seen this in years. Where did you get it?”

“It was in the cold case file of the murders of Lawrence and Madeline Webber. Do you remember anything about those murders?”

Sylvia’s face paled, and she gasped. “I had nothing to do with those murders and neither did Johnny. He just had the misfortune of hanging out with the wrong people. That’s what got him killed.”

Brad pushed his plate out of the way and crossed his arms on the table. “I believe you hung out with the same crowd. In fact I think you worked as a singer at the club Tony Lynch owned down on Beale Street.” He glanced around the barbecue restaurant. “This is kind of a long way from the gig you used to have down there. What happened?”

Laura could feel the anger radiating from Sylvia’s body. She leaned across the table and hissed at Brad. “My boyfriend was killed. Remember? He had nothing to do with those murders. He was with me in New Orleans when they happened. After Vince Stone was railroaded for killing him, I left Memphis. I had no reason to stay.”

Brad’s eyebrows shot up. “Railroaded? What do you mean by that?”

Sylvia rolled her eyes and curled her lips into a frown. “Vince was as innocent as Johnny. They just happened to be the two that got set up. Johnny for the Webbers and Vince for Johnny’s murder. The police were played real good by some dangerous people.”

Laura reached over and grabbed Sylvia’s hand. “Lawrence and Madeline Webber were my parents. I was just a child when they were killed. I need to find the people responsible for their deaths. If you know who these people are, please help us.”

Sylvia turned to her. Tears sparkled in her eyes. “I can’t. They’d kill me, too. I’m sorry about what happened to your parents, but please believe me. Johnny had nothing to do with it.”

Brad picked up the picture and slid it back in his pocket. “You and Johnny must have talked about who was involved. Why didn’t he come forward and let the police know?”

Sylvia scooted from the booth and jumped to her feet. “Look, mister. I don’t know what Johnny thought because he didn’t tell me anything. I just know that they’re dangerous. Now leave me alone.”

Laura reached out toward her. “Sylvia, please. If you have any information that will help us find who killed my parents, tell us.”

Sylvia took a step back and shook her head. “You seem like you’re a nice lady, but you need to let it go. Don’t go looking for answers because you’re only going to find trouble.”

Brad and Laura both climbed out of the booth. “What kind of trouble, Sylvia?” Laura asked.

Wild fear shone in Sylvia’s eyes, and she jerked her head around to glance behind her. “You can’t win with these people, Miss Webber. They’ll kill you without thinking twice about it, like they did your parents and my Johnny.”

Brad shook his head. “If you’re afraid, we can protect you.”

She held out her hands to keep him from stepping closer and shook her head. “You can’t protect me. They’re everywhere. They probably already know you’ve come here today.” She cast a nervous glance over her shoulder. “If you want to help me, stay away from me.”

Brad reached in his pocket, pulled out his business card and held it out. “Here’s my card in case you change your mind about talking to me. It has my cell phone number on it. I’ll meet you anywhere you say.”

Sylvia stared at the card for a moment before she jerked it from his hand and stuffed it in her pocket. “I’ll take it, but don’t expect me to call.”

Brad nodded. “I understand you’re scared, but think about Johnny. You believe he was innocent. Help us prove it if he was.”

Tears filled her eyes, and she opened her mouth as if to speak. Then she clamped her lips together, turned and ran through the door that led into the kitchen. Brad raked his hand through his hair and grimaced. “That didn’t go too well.”

Laura couldn’t quit staring at the swinging door where Sylvia had entered. “Do you think we’ve caused her trouble because we came down here today?”

Brad shrugged. “I don’t know. Sometimes doing this job can prove upsetting. I don’t want to put anyone at risk for talking to me, but I have to do my job.”

“Maybe she’ll call.”

“I doubt it. She looked like she was too scared. That makes me think she has information that will help solve your parents’ case. If I don’t hear from her, I’ll follow up with her in a few days.”

“Will you come back here?”

He nodded. “No, I’ll call her and have her come to the station. Sometimes it helps to get information from a subject if the interview is being done on our turf in an interrogation room. Maybe that would make her want to talk.”

“And if it doesn’t? What will you do then?”

He reached for the check the waitress had left and picked it up. When he straightened, a chill rippled down her spine. The muscle in his jaw twitched, and his cold eyes bore into her. “I don’t know what I’ll do, Laura. I warned you that sometimes cold cases take years to solve, if they’re ever solved at all. Don’t expect to look at the evidence one time and find a solution.”

“I know that. I didn’t mean...”

“When I became a cop, I thought I could help victims of crime, but it doesn’t always work that way.” He hesitated and took a deep breath. “Then when you left, I believed you would come back, but you didn’t. I guess I stopped believing in miracles a long time ago.”

Before she could reply, he pushed past her and headed to the cash register. She turned and studied him as he strode across the floor. His words had hit her like he’d shot a handful of arrows at her.

She’d known Brad had been hurt when she broke their engagement, but she hadn’t understood the depth of his hurt until now. If he detested being around her, she would have to remove herself from his presence some way. Maybe she needed to leave the police alone about her parents’ case for the time being.

Brad and his partners might find something in the future, but Brad’s attitude told her he didn’t want her around. Maybe she’d better back off and spend her time concentrating on helping her clients learn to live with their tragedies. She only hoped that one day she could do the same.