Keller County Cops Book Seven: Code of Vengeance (8 page)

"A ninja, sir?"

"That's what she looks like." He grinned. "Whoever the hell she is, she hung up the minute the operator asked her to identify herself. That tells me she's definitely hiding something. I need to find out who she is so I can bring her in. She might be able to give us more details about what happened that night."

"Wish we knew why she was there in the first place. I'm thinking she might've tailed her husband to the club. Or that maybe she's a PI and was waiting for some poor sap to leave the place so she could get a picture of him coming out the door."

"Either of those scenarios is possible. Shouldn't be too hard to find her since we have her phone number. She has the same prefix as me, so I figure she uses the same carrier I have. I'll need a warrant to get her name, though."

"True. Mitch usually hits up Judge Rouse, but he's most likely still in court."

"Unfortunately, you're right." Rick scowled. "I'd rather go with him, too, but I guess I'll have to settle for Adams."

"Good luck with that, sir. He can be prickly about warrants."

"Thanks. I know. I'll have to risk it, because I want to put this one to bed as soon as possible." He glanced at his calendar and groaned inwardly. He needed to pen a speech to give to a county senior citizens' group at the community center tomorrow night. If only he had time to sit down and work on it. Waiting until tomorrow was cutting it pretty damned close.

Once he hung up the phone, he marched into Barbara's office and asked the older woman to type up a warrant for the cell phone carrier he and Tiffany had discussed. Barbara wore her gray helmet hair like a badge and dared anyone to mess with her self-imposed daily schedule.

"You'll still have to get a judge to sign this before it's valid, Sheriff." Barbara shot him a quelling gaze as she handed him the piece of paper.

He fended off her stern glare. He knew better than to challenge her, and yet he needed the warrant ASAP. To his relief, she hadn't give him any flack about interrupting her current task. "Thanks. I remember."

"I know you do. I'm just keeping you on track." She gave him a few more sage words of advice before waving him out of her office.

Eager to get down to the courthouse and corner Judge Adams, he hurried out to his car.

"Sheriff?" The woman's purring tone stopped him in his tracks.

He whipped around and found himself face to face with Mindy Ravens, who had on a dress cut so low he expected her boobs to explode out of it at any moment. "Ms. Ravens."

"I figured you had to leave your office sooner or later." She cocked her head and grinned, then stuck a microphone in his face. "What can you tell me about the investigation into the recent murder at the Kitty Kat Klub?"

"Nothing," he snapped. "Like I told you that night, I can't comment on an ongoing investigation. As soon as I have information to release to the public, I'll hold a news conference. That's the best I can do."

"I hear you have a witness."

"Oh?" Startled she knew about the woman in the shadows when he'd just learned about her today himself, he gaped at her. "Where'd you hear that?"

"So... I'm right." A coy smile stretched across her face.

Anger blasted through him. "No comment."

"Too late, Sheriff." Her smile became a full-blown grin. "Gotcha. Who is it?"

"No. Comment." He scowled and pulled out his keys. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

"Where?" She eyed the piece of paper in his hand. "Are you following up on a lead?"

"I can't tell you that." He glared at her and opened his car door. "Good day, Ms. Ravens."

"Take care, Sheriff." She winked at him. "We'll talk again soon."

"I sure as hell hope not," he muttered as he clambered into the Charger. Mindy Ravens was
not
on his list of favorite people.

A stream of curses spilled from his lips as he backed from the parking space, glad to finally be on his way without having murdered that nosy bitch. With any luck, he'd corner Judge Adams without having to wait and would be able to fax the warrant to the service provider in time for them to send him the name on the account by nightfall.

Even before the cell phone carrier called him back with a name, however, he would make another foray to the Kitty Kat Klub to scour the ground himself.  Maybe by the time he got there, CSU would be free. He needed all the evidence he could find to help him ID that witness.

She might not want anyone to know she was at the club that night, but that was just too freaking bad. Justice
would
prevail in this case.

Rick would see to it.

*****

Relief flowed through Keegan's veins the second Judge Rouse finally recessed court for the day a little after four o'clock. She shoved her art supplies into her satchel, scurried to her office, and scanned her sketches into the computer. Her fingers flew over the keys as she fired them off to Keller County's Director of Public Relations for distribution to the media.

Her nerve endings hummed as she rushed out to her car. The vehicle was wet, telling her more rain had fallen during the day, but even though the clouds still hung heavy in the sky, for now the downpour had stopped. Eager to get home before more rain fell, she jumped into the car and headed for the Kitty Kat Klub. Going there before dark probably wasn't the best idea she'd ever had, but she wanted a chance to look for her earring. The surveillance cameras worried her, but she figured she'd be okay as long she parked down the street and kept her back to them.

Traffic was heavy, with everyone making a beeline for the suburbs after work. Once she reached the end of Main Street, she whipped the car onto the narrow lane leading to the club and trundled into bleakness. A light mist had taken over where the rain left off, and that made her antsy. She hoped another downpour wasn't about to beat down in earnest. If so, she might as well stay in the damned car.

The club's parking lot was empty except for a beat-up Chevy pickup and a sleek black Mercedes that were both pulled up right in front of the door.

"The Mercedes probably belongs to the owner." Keegan scoffed at the expensive sedan as she splashed through a few puddles. "Bought with money earned by girls who'll never even get to ride in a car like that. So damned unfair. I'd like to break his fool neck."

She tamped down her anger to a manageable flame and forced herself to slow the vehicle and examine the rest of the area. No one had parked along the side of the building where she'd hidden in the shadows or in the lot where Dirk had died. Deciding she'd done enough reconnaissance since no one was around this time of day, she made the block and parked at the curb far enough down the street to be out of range of the security cameras.

The cool mist coated her skin the moment she stepped out of the car, and thick gray clouds hovered overhead. She set a medium pace and focused on the ground beneath her feet, praying she'd find the earring and get out of there before anyone noticed her. The concrete was uneven and cracked in spots, so searching for something that small wasn't easy.

If only I had a metal detector.

No such luck. She kept moving, examining the wet ground and toeing at the cracks to make sure her earring hadn't gotten lodged into one of them. She found a quarter, a couple of dimes, and what looked like a broken jackknife blade, but nothing else shiny caught her eye.

She put her hand on the wall once she reached the trash bin where she'd hunkered down in the dark, waiting for Dirk to make an appearance. The ground around her feet was clear as well, except for a few pieces of shattered concrete, some loose gravel, and a few faded gum wrappers. CSU would probably pick it up, but she ignored them because they weren't hers. She knew better than to toss litter onto the ground when she was on a mission.

The mist thickened. Keegan cursed and swiped the sleeve of her jacket across her damp forehead. Only about fifteen feet to the end of the building. She crept forward, scanning every inch of ground, and again finding nothing resembling her missing garnet earring.

Nothing shiny at all.

She held her breath and continued past the building into the small parking lot where Dirk had breathed his last. No concrete in this lot. Only sand, gravel, and tiny bits of trash from club patrons. The blood that had pooled beneath Dirk's prone body was still evident, although the rain had diluted it to a weak pink puddle. Bile surged up Keegan's throat as she recalled the way he'd gurgled when he'd tried to talk. She clapped a hand over her mouth and fled back toward the building, her stomach in turmoil.

Just as she reached the corner, the glint from an object on the ground caught her eye. She bent and scooped it up along with a handful of sand that stuck to her fingers.

"My earring," she murmured in awe, her shock at finding it overtaking the revulsion that had risen in her belly. She smiled down at the filthy piece of jewelry. "I don't believe it."

The words were hardly out of her mouth when a car splashed down the street and rolled to a stop beside her. A black Dodge Charger with the KCSO logo emblazoned on the side.

Keegan gasped and bolted back to her car, the grit-covered earring clutched in her right hand like a talisman.

"Hey!" A man called out. Without even looking, she knew the gruff growl belonged to Sheriff Rick Blaylock. His heavy footsteps crunched behind her. "Hey, get back here!"

She didn't answer him. Her car sat just up ahead. Desperate to reach it before he caught up with her, she dodged puddle after puddle, zigzagging to stay out of the mud.

Have to get away. If he catches me, I might as well kiss my plan goodbye.

He grabbed her arm just as she jerked the door open.

"Whoa, honey. You aren't going anywhere." His deep rumble made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. "I saw you looking around. What in hell do you think you're doing?"

"G-going home." She angled her body away from him and kept her head down. The mist had thickened, and moisture streaked down her cheeks. She twisted her body in an attempt to free herself. "Please... let me go."

"No," he snapped, his minty breath hot on her neck. "Who are you, and why were you poking around in that parking lot?"

"I-I wasn't."

"Bullshit." He tightened his hold on her forearm, spun her around, and shoved her against the side of the car. He held her there using his big body. "You
were.
What's in your hand?"

"Nothing." Cold rainwater dribbled down the back of her shirt. Even though it tickled, she did her best to ignore the discomfort and keep her head down. Maybe if she didn't look at him, he wouldn't figure out who she was. "I-I just want to go home. Please--"

"I just bet you do, but you can forget it." He gripped her chin. "Look at me."

"No." She jerked her face away and wriggled in his hard hold. "Leave me alone."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, ma'am." He let go of her arm, grabbed her face with both big hands, and forced her chin up. The surprise on his face told her he knew he'd seen her before. He dropped his hands and drew his brows together. "It's you. From court. The court artist."

"That's right," she whispered, the reality of the situation crashing down on her with the weight of an anvil. No need to tell him her name if he didn't remember. At least not yet. "Please... I-I wasn't hurting anyone. I was only looking for something I lost. Please let me go."

"No way. Now, about the object you found... when--"

"When what?" Although she knew exactly what he meant, she frowned.

His scowl darkened. "What was it? And when did you lose it?"

"I found my... my earring." She reluctantly held it out.

He picked it up off her palm, brushed away some of the sand, and examined it. "I see. When'd you drop it in that parking lot? Saturday night, maybe?"

"None of your damned business." She snatched the earring back and shoved it deep into the pocket of her slacks. A bead of moisture hung on the end of the sheriff's nose, and she forced herself not to look at it. Instead, she focused on the chance that he might let her go. "I found it, and that's what counts."

"You're about the right size," he said, stepping back and looking her up and down.

She wilted under his close scrutiny. "Wh-what are talking about? I don't--"

"I believe you're the woman I'm looking for. The woman who witnessed Dirk Woodward's murder."

"What?" She clenched her hands and blinked rapidly in an effort to dispel the tears that flooded her eyes upon hearing that bastard's name. "No."

"Your denial tells me I'm right on target." He reached behind him and pulled a set of cuffs from his belt. "Turn around."

"No!" she screeched, terror filling her. "You can't--"

"Wanna bet?" Before she could utter another word, he grabbed her wrist, spun her to face the car, and twisted her arm behind her back. The handcuffs were cold against her skin. He leaned close to her ear. "Now, you and I are going down to the station to have a little talk. That's all. So don't freak out and run from me."

"Am I under arrest?" She pressed her body against the car to get away from him.

He turned her around. "No. I only want to ask you a few questions."

"Then take off the handcuffs." She glared at him. "I won't talk to you unless you let me drive myself down to the station."

"Like I trust you to do that. You've already run away from me once."

"You startled me. I-I wasn't expecting anyone to stop, and this isn't the best part of town." She swallowed, hard. "Please... if I'm not under arrest, let me drive myself. You can follow me."

The sheriff's phone rang. He plucked it from his pocket and brought it to his ear without taking his gaze off her face.

"Yeah?" he barked into the device. Once he listened to the caller for a moment, the scowl on his face became less fierce. "Okay. Thanks a lot, sir. That confirms my suspicions."

He ended the call and sent Keegan a smug look. "Just like I thought, the nine-one-one call made the night Dirk Woodward died came from
your
cell phone. So you can quit denying you were here, hiding in the shadows like some ninja."