All the Shiny Things: A Kate Reid Novel (Kate Reid Series Book 1) (34 page)

Marshall would know what to do, but he couldn’t be involved in this. It would cost him his badge and she wasn’t willing to risk it. He was too vested in her now; he would want her safely in protective custody, insisting he could snoop around the chief more discreetly than she could. But what would he find and would it put him in danger? She didn’t know how long it was going to take for her to find answers, or even if the answers would be what she needed to hear. This had to happen without him.

Her pulse quickened to the point that she was feeling lightheaded. This was by far either the dumbest thing she was about to do, or the smartest.
It would only be a few days, maybe a week at the outside. Then I’ll come back with something or nothing and they can do with me what they will. Marshall would have no culpability.
She was rationalizing to the nth degree. It was the only way to convince herself she was not taking a ridiculously stupid risk with her own life. No protection from the killer who was after her. “It’s only a few days, then I’ll come back.”

If she was going to leave, it would have to be now.

22

“K
eys, keys, there
have to be some keys in here,” she whispered, frantically searching Wilson’s desk drawers. Someone would come looking for her any minute; there was no time to waste. How long had she already been gone? Fifteen, twenty minutes?

The top drawer of the credenza against the back wall; there they were—the keys to the chief’s Chevy Tahoe. She snatched them up and rushed to the door. Opening it slowly, she peered around the still-empty hall and stepped out. Quiet, undetectable steps carried her quickly to the back exit, where she pushed the metal bar to open the door and slipped out. The back parking lot had few cars in it, and so spotting the chief’s navy-colored, late model Tahoe was an easy task. Emblazoned on the front driver and passenger doors were the Rio Dell police emblems, big as you please. She could have laughed at her own recklessness.

Katie pressed the remote keyless entry and jumped in. One thing was on her side; the only windows at the back of the building were in the kitchen, the copy room, and two small windows from each of the men’s and women’s bathrooms. No one in the front of the station would be able see her leave.

She started up the SUV and it roared with its great American raucous engine. Was she really doing this? No time to think; just do. She pulled out onto the road, turning left, opposite the station. Her hands shook and her heart was pounding against her chest. She felt like a convict escaping prison. Of course, she realized she would probably end up in prison for stealing the chief’s car.

Sam and Jarrod’s house; that was where she would go. It was only fifteen minutes away. Would he even be there? He had been staying at Sam’s parents’ house, but for how long, she didn’t know.

With her phone being tracked, no calls could come in or out, or they’d find her for sure. There was a convenience store on the way; she’d have to buy a pay-and-go.

“That’ll be forty-one dollars and sixty cents.”

Katie handed the money to the cashier. The man looked like he was stoned, which seemed a little odd, considering the still early hour.

“Does this have a charge, or do I need to plug it in first?”

“You probably got enough juice for a couple of calls, but you’re supposed to charge it up first,” he said in a manner that confirmed her suspicions.

“Thanks,” Katie replied.

After he gave her the change, she walked to the ATM machine and plucked as much money as her two credit cards would allow. Five hundred dollars; it would have to do.

She tossed her purse onto the passenger seat and ripped open the cell phone package, powering it up. The cashier stared at her through the window, his eyes squinting as if straining to see what she was doing.
Shit, I gotta get out of here
. Stoned or not, it wouldn’t take long for the guy to realize she was in a car that didn’t belong to her.

The torque of the engine launched her forward, but then she threw it into reverse and backed out. She was again on the main road and headed to Sam’s house, punching her number in from memory. One of the few she could actually recall. For a moment, she imagined Sam picking up the phone off of the foyer table where it sat next to the bowl full of loose change. Instead, only the sound of her voice on the answering machine came through. He hadn’t changed the message yet.

Jarrod’s cell number was stored in her own phone and she would have to turn it on to search for it. So far, no missed calls, but that would soon change. Maybe ten more minutes, at best, and they’d know she was gone. Searching her contacts, she found his number and dialed it on the disposable.

“Please pick up, please pick up,” she chanted, worried he wouldn’t recognize this unfamiliar number.

“Hello?”

“Oh, thank God. Jarrod, it’s Katie. I don’t have time to explain, but I need your help. I need to borrow your car.”

“What? Why? What’s going on, Katie? Where are you?”

“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll explain when I have more time. Are you at home?” she asked.

“I’m on my way, why?”

“I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. Can I meet you there and borrow your car?”

“Borrow? For how long?”

“A few days; a week, tops.”

“Are you in trouble? Where’s Detective Avery? Isn’t he supposed to be in charge of your safety?”

“I know you’ve got a million questions, but I just need to get out of town and I can’t do it in what I’m driving now. I stole the Police Chief’s SUV.” As the words left her mouth, she could hardly believe it herself; let alone what Jarrod would think.

“For God’s sake, Katie. What the hell were you thinking?”

He had every right to question her, but her frustration was growing, as was apparent in her unsteady voice. “Please, Jarrod. I really need your help.”

There was silence on the other end and she was sure her plan was about to fall apart.

“Okay.” His tone was almost perfunctory. “I’ll be home in five minutes. Meet me there and I’ll give you my keys. I’ve been meaning to get my motorcycle fixed anyway. Guess now’s as good a time as any.”

“Thank you, Jarrod. I promise I’ll bring it back safely.”

“I just want
you
to come back safely. The rest will sort itself out.”

The line went dead.

He was on her side. After everything, he was still on her side. A great wave of relief passed through Katie, but the moment was short lived when her cell started buzzing from the passenger seat. She glanced at it to see the caller ID.
Marshall
. She quickly turned it off and continued driving. They’ll be looking for her now.

» » »

Jarrod was standing on the front porch of the house he had once shared with his wife when Katie drove up in the colossal SUV. He was shaking his head in disbelief. That was pretty much how she felt, too.

She jumped out and began walking toward him; a sheepish look crossed her face at the knowing audacity of her actions.

“You know,” he began. “I woke up earlier this morning, after—well, not really sleeping at all and had a strange feeling. I wasn’t planning on coming back here today. I was going to stay with Sam’s parents for another day or two, but something told me to come home. She must be watching out for you, Katie.” He dangled the keys in front of her. “Here you go.”

“I know she is. Thank you and I promise this will all make sense soon. They’ll be calling you, I’m sure. Just tell them the truth; that you let me borrow your car, but you had no idea where I was going.”

Jarrod’s subtle acknowledgement was enough. “Be safe, Katie.”

She stepped into his car; a non-descript Honda Accord, very suburban. “Tell them the keys are still in the SUV,” she shouted from the driver’s window. “I expect they’ll be here within the hour.”

She turned the ignition and the engine whirled and trembled softly. She backed out of the drive and onto the quiet, tree lined road that lie ahead. The morning sun, now bright in its full glory, shone through the driver’s window as she headed south. All signs pointed to Sacramento.

Marshall would be very worried by now, but she needed more distance before calling him back. Although if she waited much longer, the entire FBI would end up on the lookout for her, issuing an all-points bulletin. For all they knew, the killer had caught up to her.

No, it couldn’t wait any longer. She’d have to make the call now, if she stood any hope of her plan succeeding. But, not from her own phone; if Marshall knew where she was, he’d come after her.

“Marshall?”

“Are you okay? Where the hell are you, Kate? Why haven’t you answered your phone? Whose number is this?”

She finally had to interrupt him as he hurled a thousand questions her way. “I’m fine, Marshall, I swear. I had to leave. They were going to put me in custody and if they do that, then I’ll be useless.”

“What do you mean, ‘useless’? Kate, we talked about this. It’s the best thing for you. You’ll be safe. Now come back, please.”

“I have to take care of something first, then I promise I’ll come back. I’ll only be a few days.”

“You’re not safe out there by yourself, Kate; you know that and you can’t just take off in the chief’s car. You need to come back now. What is so important that you need to take care of?”

“Please, Marshall, just keep looking for him, okay? Keep working with the FBI and find him. I’ll stay off the grid; he won’t find me and I’ll be back in a few days or so. I promise to keep in touch so you know that I’m safe, but don’t come looking for me. You need to focus your efforts on helping the FBI. And I’m not in the chief’s car any more. Just talk to Jarrod.”

“I thought we were working together to find him?” He was pleading now.

“I can’t help you with anything if they send me away. I’ll be sitting around every day, wondering what the hell’s happening. Look, I don’t have that many minutes on this phone. I just wanted to tell you that I’m safe and I’ll be back soon. I promise I will explain everything. I just don’t know what it is that I’ll be explaining yet.”

“You’re not making any sense, Kate. Come on back now.”

“Goodbye, Marshall. I love you.”

She threw the phone out the window. If she’d learned anything about tracking a killer, it was never to use the same cell phone twice.

Midday was approaching now; she would be in Sacramento soon, maybe another forty-five minutes or so. How long had it been since she’d actually driven anywhere by herself? The past few months, she’d been shuffled around by others, monitoring, controlling every move she made. She convinced herself it had all been for her own good, but now, the fog was lifting with each passing mile. As much as she’d trusted and loved Marshall, she had given him control of her life, taking a back seat to much of the investigation.

Yes, he kept her involved to a degree, but just enough not to expose her to the true horror of what this killer had done. After seeing what had happened to Sam, she was truly lucky to have made it out alive. Although sometimes lately, she wished she hadn’t because that meant Sam would still be here.

The Sacramento exit off the I-5 South was approaching and, from the map, she knew she wanted Freeport Boulevard from there. A few more minutes down the road and she spotted an old motel; the SkyRacers Inn. It looked like a place that was within her budget and it was close enough to the Sacramento Police Station.

It looked like it might have been a Travel Lodge at some point in the past, but it was the sign on the lobby door that made her think twice about her decision.
“No prostitution, no drugs, and no hot-plates!”
She went in anyway.

The second-floor room smelled of mustiness and decay. The wallpaper that was once maybe a soft pastel blue with floral accents was now yellowed and peeling from the many smokers that had stayed over the years. When she turned on the air-conditioning unit below the window, it sputtered out a stale cigarette odor. Fortunately, though, cool air eventually replaced the stench.

“A couple of days… I can handle it,” she said. Her stomach was rumbling, realizing that the cheese Danish she had snatched off the tray on the way out of the Victoria was the only thing she’d eaten since about six this morning. No clothes, no toiletries; she would need to buy a few things as well.

More importantly, making contact with the only person she thought could be of any real use to her now had to be first on the agenda. Time on the road had given her the chance to lay out clearly the next few steps in her plan. Contacting anyone at the San Diego PD would be a mistake. With news of Sam’s death and everything that was happening, any of her friends there would question why she was on her own. At the very least, they’d tell Captain Hearn.

So, who was left? She didn’t know anyone in the Sacramento PD and walking in there and asking questions would raise a lot of red flags. Her face was all over the news; she couldn’t be seen. No, the only person who could help her now was the one person she’d hoped never to have to deal with again. Marc Aguilar, Channel 9 News.

He had been following her around for more than a month, ever since she came forward with the sketch. He didn’t believe her story, tried to discredit her, but she thought she had enough compelling information now to entice him to help. If it meant breaking a bigger story, he was the type to be all in.

Last she knew, he was in Rio Dell at the press conference the other day. He was on the six o’clock news broadcast every weeknight, so he would have made it back in time to be on the air.

It was two o’clock on a Monday; her best option would be to try the news station and see if they’d contact him for her. It was a long shot, but she’d have to say it involved the Reid case without disclosing it was her. That would probably do it.

She ran down to the local pharmacy to pick up a couple of new disposable phones, some toiletries, and t-shirts and sweat pants. “I’ll take this too,” Katie said, tossing a bag of chips and a soda from the stand next to the checkout.

Katie handed the lady sixty-four dollars. At this rate, she’d be through her money in a matter of days. The dodgy-looking motel cost seventy-five dollars. Did everyone in Sacramento forget that California was near bankrupt? Worst case, her parents would wire her money if she needed it.