A Silent Fury (5 page)

She must have read something in his face because she asked, “I sound harsh, don't I?”

“Yeah, you do.”

She chewed her lip again. Then pulled her jacket off and rolled up her sleeve. He sucked in a deep breath. A thin five-inch jagged scar made its way from the inside of her elbow to the center of her arm just falling short of her wrist.

He reached out and pulled it toward him for a closer look. Angry, puckered and red, yet healing. “Compliments of one of
those
kids?”

“Yeah.”

“So, you learned your lesson, is that what you're saying? And every kid is guilty until proven innocent?”

She flushed and yanked out of his light grasp. “Something like that.”

He let her go. “When did that happen?”

“About six months ago.”

He winced. “Ouch.”

Shutters came down over her eyes. “Yep.”

“You want to tell me about it?” She used to tell him everything. His heart hurt at the memories. He'd missed her. Her laugh, her beauty, her spunk, the way she made him feel when she let him see the pride she felt for him when he collared a criminal. The way she melted into his arms for a snuggle on the couch. Her kisses…

“Nothing much to tell. I had the kid cornered, he acted like he wasn't going to give me any trouble, just blubbering about how he'd been set up. I believed him, let my guard down and he pulled a knife from somewhere. And before you ask, yes, I'd already patted him down. I made a stupid mistake and missed it. It was a little thing, but it hurt. So, no more trusting crying teens protesting their innocence.” Subject closed. “Let's go see what we can find out about the DNA. I hope this isn't a wasted trip.”

He smiled and let it drop even though he wanted to pursue the fact that just because she had one bad experience with one kid didn't mean they were all the same. But he knew when she got that look on her face, attempting to push the subject more wouldn't get him anywhere. So he said, “The personal touch is never wasted. A phone call might have sufficed, but when you're face-to-face, it's harder for them to put you off…or hang up on you.”

She gave a rare grin, one he remembered, but hadn't seen since he'd been back. “Very true.”

 

Why had she bothered to explain about that scar? Catelyn decided having Joseph around could be addictive. Somehow, she was going to have to figure out how to keep her mouth shut around him. Spilling her guts about everything that bothered her was no longer an option. She'd moved on, and he'd just plain
moved
…

“Sandy, how are you?” Catelyn spotted the criminalist and waved her down. A pretty, petite woman in her late thirties, she was part of a team that did their job well. She'd also been one of the people covering Tracy's murder.

The woman's brows arched under her shaggy bangs. “Catelyn? What are you doing here?”

“Trying to solve a murder and find a missing girl. This is my partner, Joseph Santino. He's working on the case with me.” Joseph and Sandy shook hands, then Catelyn said, “We need to know if anything's come back on the blood found on the ring.”

“Hmm. I'm not sure. We had that murder-suicide on the other side of town and things have been a little crazier than usual around here.”

Great. “I hate to be pushy, but do you mind putting a rush on it? There's a killer out there and a missing girl.”

Concern flickered across the woman's face. “I heard. I know Greg was working with the ring. Come on and let's see if he's in the lab.”

The three marched down the hall and Catelyn couldn't help feeling the thrill, the excitement that came with her job. Sure, she hated the deaths, the psychos out there who caused such pain and misery to others, but she knew she was right where she was supposed to be.

She was born to be a cop. A detective. Her mission in life was to put the bad guys away. She didn't have time for romance or a family—or Joseph.

Right, God?
God had been strangely quiet with the answer to that question lately and she wondered if the pang she felt in the vicinity of her heart meant she wasn't exactly on the right track.
Lord?

She looked at Joseph, his rugged profile so familiar; one she'd never tired of looking at during the time they'd dated. Pain seared her. The loss of his presence in her life left a gaping hole she realized she'd never completely filled.

It was too bad he'd never understood that part of her personality, the cop part; it grieved her that he couldn't accept she'd never be the traditional happy homemaker he envisioned when he pictured his wife.

Unfortunately, she knew this all too well. After all, it's what had broken them up two years ago. Joseph Santino had wanted her to stop being a cop, stay home and be his wife. A mother to his children. Part of her regretted that it wasn't enough; she grieved the loss of his companionship, her best friend.

But there was no way she'd ever give up her career. Not even for the man she loved.

Just wasn't going to happen.

 

Joseph watched Catelyn in action. She loved her job, that was obvious. He saw her disappointment when Sandy returned with no news. “But I promise to let you know as soon as it's processed. I've got your cell number, and I'll call you myself.”

Catelyn agreed and then she and Joseph were headed back out. He asked, “Where to now? Billy Franklin?”

“Yes. Esterman High School.”

He climbed behind the wheel again without asking. He knew she preferred to ride rather drive. He was falling comfortably into old routines.

As they drove through the streets, Catelyn looked out the
window. He decided to touch on the past a little. “How's your mom?”

If he'd zapped her with a Taser, he wouldn't have gotten more response. Her head whipped around and she seared him with her gaze. “What?”

“Your mother. How is she?”

“In a nursing home. Dying.”

Oops. He hadn't expected that one. He should have done his homework before venturing into uncharted territory. “Aw, Catie, I'm sorry.”

She looked back out the window. “You didn't know. Did you let the school know we were coming?”

Her way of saying “Back off.” Another topic not up for discussion. But he remembered her mother and genuinely wanted to know about her. Give it time, he told himself.

“Yes, I did.” He let the subject drop.

He turned into the parking lot of the high school and she gave him a half grin. “At least you haven't lost your sense of direction.”

For a moment he blanked, then the memory rushed forward. The day they'd gone hiking in the North Carolina woods, searching for a specific waterfall.

“This way,” he'd insisted, pointing toward a path that branched to the left.

“No Joseph, it's this way. I have it right...

“Catie, I know exactly where I'm going. Now be quiet so I can concentrate.”

They'd wandered around for the next two hours in silence. Finally, he'd stopped and told her he was going to have to call and get directions.

She'd silently handed him her BlackBerry and suggested he follow the map she'd found online two hours ago.

At his stunned expression, she'd laughed herself silly. Hu
miliated, he'd sat beside her, fuming. But then her infectious giggles eventually got to him, the ability to laugh at himself making its way to the surface, and he'd found himself chuckling along with her.

They'd found the waterfall in a matter of minutes and shared the sweetest kiss he'd ever experienced.

Now, he spotted the glint in her eye. So, she still thought about their times together, too. Interesting. Heartening. Hope rose within him, but instead of making a big deal about it, he gave her a mock glare and said, “Cute.”

She laughed and exited the car, leading the way to the front door of the school.

Their mood turned serious as they entered the building. Joseph watched her shutters come back down. All cop now, she was back to business. Flashing her badge at the receptionist, she said, “Did Billy Franklin's mother call to let you know we were coming?”

“Yes, she did.”

“Is there a room where we could speak with him privately?”

“Of course.”

They walked down a short hall to a conference room. She said, “I'll just page Billy for you.”

She left, and Joseph paced.

A few minutes later, the door opened once again and a young man who Joseph knew to be seventeen years old, entered. He had on baggy jeans and a light sweatshirt with the school logo emblazoned across his chest. He looked scared and tired, like he hadn't had much sleep lately.

Probably hadn't. Not with his kid sister missing.

Following Billy was Coach Dillard. “I'm sorry,” Joseph stopped his advancement into the room, “You can't be here.”

“Billy asked me to join him. Is it all right?”

Joseph looked at Billy then over at Catelyn. She shrugged. “If he wants him here, I guess.”

Alan sat next to Billy at the table. “I assume this is about Kelly.”

“You assume right,” Catelyn said.

Joseph turned his attention back to the boy. “Do you know if Kelly and Tracy were together at the school Tuesday night?”

Billy licked his lips, his eyes darting around the room stopping when he came to Catelyn. “She already questioned me the day Tracy died. Why do I have to answer more?”

“Because Kelly's still missing, Billy, and we're running out of options to help find her. So, if some of our questions seem repetitive, will you just humor us?” Catelyn frowned at Billy's evasiveness. Joseph didn't blame her. He eyed the kid and started to speak when the door opened.

Another man in his early sixties stepped through the door. “I'm Carlton Bowles, principal here. Do you mind if I sit in on this?”

He held out a hand and Joseph and Catelyn stood once again. Joseph said, “Have a seat.”

 

Catelyn decided it was time for a woman's touch. “Billy, I know we talked right after Tracy was found and I appreciate your cooperation. The only reason Special Agent Santino and I are here is because we're hoping you might have remembered something since I last talked to you. You're not a suspect in any way right now. Do you think you could relax and just try to help us out?”

At her reassurance, his countenance seemed to soften. “Yes. Like I said before, I think she and Tracy were together, but I can't say for sure. She texted me a little after 4:00 that afternoon and said she was meeting some friends.” He shrugged. “I don't know if that included Tracy or not. She wanted me to make up an excuse to tell Mom and Dad about why she was going to be late for supper. I did.”

“And she never came home, right?”

“Right. I wasn't too worried because she was always late, but then she wasn't home by dark, which still wasn't that unusual. Then around 9:00, I mean, she
still
wasn't home…”

She waited to see if he was going to pick back up with his sentence. He didn't, so she said, “I do have one question that I haven't asked you. Do you know anything about the gang, The Skulls?”

Catelyn knew she'd hit a bull's-eye when Billy's face lost all color. His throat bobbed and shook his head. “No, no. I don't know anything about them. Just what I've heard and it's not good. I don't want to be mixed up in that stuff. Uh-uh.”

He placed his hands on the table. They trembled and he shoved them back in his lap. This boy was terrified of something.

Alan lifted a hand. “Um, do you mind if I intervene here?”

Catelyn lifted a brow. “Sure.”

“Billy's a good kid trying to stay out of trouble. A fantastic baseball player with a huge future ahead of him. That sister of his…well, no disrespect, but she seemed to be heading toward trouble. I mean, I've heard she was a good kid, so maybe I'm off base, but considering the kids she hung out with…” He shrugged. “From the outside looking in, I would say that if she had her way, she would have had Billy involved in that gang.”

“Do you know for sure that Kelly was involved?”

“No, like I said, I only have my suspicions. I do know she was good friends with Tracy, the only other girl from the deaf school who was also part of our mainstream program here. You know, where we bus deaf kids over so they can be around their hearing peers. And I know Tracy was involved in the gang. She made no secret of that fact. We also have a few hearing students who claim they're involved in the gang, but as long as they don't cause trouble here at school, there's not much we can do about it.”

“Billy?” Catelyn turned to him. “Was Kelly involved with The Skulls?”