FIRST ONE DOWN: A Paul Sutton Novel (25 page)

She took a deep breath, crossed her legs, and continued, "I didn't know it was Nate's house when I watched Meg park and go inside. I sat in my car parked half way down the block. I didn't know what I would find; I just felt like I needed to stay, and watch. I didn't have anywhere else to go. It was Christmas Eve I figured sitting there, parked on the cozy little street with all the decorated houses and people coming and going carrying piles of presents into decorated houses, listening to the sound of laughter, and rain; well, I figured that was as good a place to be on Christmas Eve as any. So I stayed. I had been there for about an hour and a half when I noticed commotion near Nate's driveway, so I picked up my binoculars, and got a better look.

I saw a beautiful, blonde haired woman getting out of a cab parked in Nate's driveway. She was holding an umbrella, and a small box wrapped in bright, glittery, red paper. Just as she started up the path to the front door, I saw Meg come out of the front door of the house headed towards the driveway. The two of them almost ran into each other. Then, I saw the blonde woman's umbrella fall to the pavement, and it looked like Meg was giving her a talking to. Meg left in a huff, peeling out as she pulled onto the street. Since I didn't know whose house it was, and I was curious about what I had just witnessed, I stayed and I watched. A moment later another car pulled up, near mine, and parked on the street. I got caught up in watching a mother welcome her son home for the holidays. I was mesmerized watching the family re-united through their large, front window. It really was a lovely sight, and I looked on getting lost in it, wishing I had a family to go home to. I'm not sure how much time passed, but I watched that family for quite a while. I was pulled away from watching the family's celebration when I noticed headlights coming down the street; I realized as the headlights grew closer, that it was Kali's SUV. I was scared for a minute because after she passed me she stopped, reversed, and sat idle near my car for a minute before continuing down the street and pulling up into the driveway. I was confused, and it seemed strange to have three different women come to that house within hours of each other. That's when I guessed it was probably Nate's house. The whole reason I had followed Meg to begin with that evening came back to me. So, I decided to stay and see what other events would unfold.

Kali didn't stay for long. In fact, I never saw her enter the house. Through my binoculars, even with the pouring rain, I did see Nate Warner standing there in the doorway of the house, talking to Kali. Then, I watched Kali leave, visibly upset. As she pulled her SUV out of the driveway, and back down the street in my direction, I crouched down in my seat, hoping she didn't recognize my car. I stayed low in my seat for a few minutes, then sat back up and tried to sort out all that had happened. It didn't make sense, but I felt like there was a good chance Meg would return to the house. Since I knew by then that it was Nate's house, I wanted to stay and snap some pictures to show Kali, to prove to her what a wretched woman Meg truly was. I wanted to take her friendship away from Meg. I figured staying parked where I was might be risky, so I drove down to the cross street and parked there. I had a great vantage point from where I parked. Through the binoculars, I could see the driveway at Nate's house, and I could see traffic coming in either direction on the street that I was parked on. I knew Meg would have to come up that street to get to Nate's house, so I waited."

Olivia stopped for a moment, got up from the couch, and walked into the kitchen for another glass of water.

"Would you like something to drink, detective?" she asked.

"Sure, a glass of water would be great, unless you have coffee," he said.

"How do you take your coffee, detective?"

"Strong," Sutton replied, laughing at himself, and starting to miss his partner. He wished Ryan had been able to hear the story unfold, alongside him. It was quite a story. In the twenty-two years he had been a detective, he had never heard a story quite like this. And, to have it completely narrated by an eyewitness, step by step, was like a gift wrapped, winning lottery ticket.

Olivia came back into the living area, set a hot mug of coffee on the glass table in front of the couch, and sat down on the ottoman on the other side of the glass table, directly across from him. She was calm, and as she looked across the table at Sutton, she flashed a big smile. It was the first time he had noticed her beauty in person. She had remarkable features: her blue eyes the size of saucers, a small upturned nose, and deep dimples on both cheeks. Her hair was in shoulder length ringlets that bounced around when she moved and, even with the badly done dark brown dye job, she was a gorgeous young lady.

"So you waited," Sutton said picking up his mug and sipping the black coffee, the aroma filling his nostrils.

"Yes, I waited, for hours. At one point, a police car circled around the block, flashing its spotlight a few times on Nate's Street, and that briefly piqued my interest, but other than that it was quiet. I could barely keep my eyes open any longer, and I was starting to think Meg wasn't coming back. I imagined her at her parents' home snug and sleeping soundly, awaiting Christmas morning. I got out of my car during a break in the rain and walked a little ways up the street I was on to stretch my legs, and get some fresh air on my face before making the drive back home. Just after I returned to my car and pulled my door closed, I saw the garage door of Nate's house open again. I couldn't believe it. I had to know where he was headed. I prayed he was on his way to Meg's house. Knowing that pictures of him sneaking into the James estate would have been even better than the reverse, and my camera has the time and date feature. There would be no way that Meg could have talked her way out of a photo of Nate arriving at her house in the wee hours of Christmas morning. So, I followed his truck. I was excited when he got onto the I5 south and even more so when he continued driving south for a ways. But, when he turned off towards Point Loma, I knew it wasn't Meg's house he was on his way to. Still, I was too curious to give up at that point, so I kept my distance and continued on.

When he parked in such a secluded area, I couldn't stay on his tail without being found out, so I went on, doubled back, and parked in a small lot near the lighthouse. I got out, walked to the edge of the rocks with my binoculars, and looked down at the beach area. It was dark, but it wasn't pitch black. The rain had momentarily subsided, and the moon was shining through an area of broken clouds, right above the stretch of beach that Nate was lingering in. I looked on as Nate removed what looked like a body from some sort of blanket. I saw him lift the object up, and as the moonlight caught her hair, I could tell it was the same blonde woman who had come to his house earlier that night, the one with the umbrella and the present. Initially I thought maybe they had gone to make love on the beach, my mind couldn't comprehend what I was witnessing."

Olivia stopped again, Sutton could see her heartbeat pounding in the veins of her neck, and her face was flush.

"What did he do to the blonde woman, Olivia?" Sutton asked.

"I saw him lift her up, and throw her to the sand. Hard. Then her started cutting her, here," she said, pointing to her own chest, "I accidentally made a loud noise. I was just so shocked, and I got scared. He looked up to the area where I was standing, and I know he saw me. I left. I just got in my car and left. I know it was wrong, I know I should have called the police, or tried to help the woman or - I don't know, something. I should have done something. Instead, I just ran, like a coward, oh God, I'm so sorry," she sobbed, her hands now covering her face, as she began to rock back and forth.

"Olivia, you did what you had to do, you saved yourself, and that's the right thing," Sutton murmured knowing that Laura Carmichael had already been dead when Nate took her down to the beach. Not wanting to push Olivia anymore, and being able to fill the other pieces in, he felt a sudden urgency to get back to San Diego. And, now he was worried about Kali. Focusing his attention back on Olivia, he had to break it to her that she was indeed returning to San Diego with him.

"Olivia, I need you to listen to me now," Sutton said forcing himself to be calm and nurturing, wanting to bring her to San Diego of her own free will.

"Nate Warner murdered that woman, and he left no evidence that we could tie him to. I also think he has done something to Kali Hanson. She went missing last night. You are all we have, Olivia. I can tell that it bothers you, the fact that you couldn't help that woman. But, you can help now. You can help to save Kali, and you can help us get Nate Warner off the streets for good so he can't ever hurt another woman," Sutton said.

"I don't want to go back to San Diego, he knows I saw him that night, detective." Olivia's voice trembled and her body began to shake again.

"He won't hurt you, I promise you that. We will put you up in a motel, and I will have round the clock protection detail for you. You will be safe, Olivia, I promise." Pleading his case wasn't something he was used to doing, but he needed her. Besides, he didn't have time to screw around getting a material witness warrant, and he didn't trust that she wouldn't run again before he could do so.

"Okay," she said.

"Okay?" Sutton asked, puzzled yet again, by the young lady.

"Yes, I will come, but I'm holding you to your word, and I'm trusting that you will protect me." Olivia stood and stretched her arms up towards the ceiling as if relieved to be free of a two year old, burdensome secret.

"Thank you, Olivia. You want to get some things together, and take care of whatever you need to on your end? I'm not sure how long I will need you to stay in San Diego. If you have a job here, you probably want to let them know that you'll be gone for a while." Sutton was eager to get his partner on the phone. He urged her gently, "I'll be back in an hour to pick you up; is that enough time for you to do what you need to do?" he asked.

"An hour is plenty, detective." Smiling at him and walking behind him as he headed for the front door of her apartment she touched his arm with her fingertips, "And detective, thank you." As Sutton turned around, she hugged him.

Sutton stood there, unsure what the appropriate response was. He elected to hug her back, allowing her ample room to breathe, but his embrace was firm enough to let her know that he cared, that he could sympathize with the feeling of being alone in this world.

Pulling into the driveway at Nate's house, Andrew could feel his pulse quicken. He parked, got out of the rental car leaving the driver's door open and sprinted to Nate's front door and began banging loudly on the security screen. He backed away from the door and listened for any movement from inside. It was quiet, too quiet. Going window to window, he peered in each one, holding his hands up to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun so he could see inside. Nothing. No movement, no Nate. As he was walking back towards the front door, he heard the woman from the house next door calling out, asking him what he was doing.

"I'm looking for Nate Warner, your neighbor, have you seen him today?" Andrew asked, no small talk, and no niceties this time.

"No, I haven't seen hide nor tail of him since yesterday morning. What happened? Did one of those women finally stab his cheating ass?" the woman snapped, stunning Andrew with her brash admission of her true feelings for her neighbor.

"I don't think so. I just need to ask him a few questions. If I give you my number, can you please call me straight away, when you see him again?" Andrew asked.

"I suppose I could do that for you, handsome," the woman said, ogling unabashedly.

He handed over his number and walked back to the rental, picking up the phone to call Ryan as soon as he had the door closed behind him.

Ryan was driving up the I5, on his way to Kali's Carlsbad condo when his cell phone began ringing again.

"Bradley," he said, clicking on his headset and answering the call.

"It's Andrew, have you made it to her house yet?"

"I'm ten minutes away, what's up?" Ryan asked.

"I just left Nate Warner's house, his neighbor said she hasn't seen him since yesterday."

"Crap, Kali wouldn't be reckless enough to meet him somewhere, would she?" Ryan asked.

"I don't think so. If he has her, he has her against her will," Andrew said as he slammed his fist down hard on the steering wheel, certain that he was right about that.

"I'll call you back after I check her place out. I have to go, Sutton's calling." Ryan stabbed at the button to switch calls. "Hey, what did you find out from-"

"Ryan, where are you right now?" Ryan could hear desperation in his voice.

"I'm on my way to Kali Hanson's condo."

"We have him, Ry, we have the bastard," Sutton said, barely able to contain himself. "Secure an arrest warrant and pick the bastard up. I am catching a flight back in a few hours. And Ryan, I'm not coming alone, I have an eye witness."

"Eye witness to what?" Ryan asked.

"To the murder of Laura Carmichael, partner. Olivia Foster witnessed Nate dumping Laura Carmichael's body on the beach," Sutton said, his fingers gripping the steering wheel of the compact rental car so tight his knuckles were turning white.

"What! Holy fuck! You have got to be kidding me!"

"I'm dead serious, get the warrant and pick him up," Sutton spat his words out in a huff, "and call me back when you locate Kali Hanson."

When Meg pulled into the small visitor parking area at Kali's condo complex, she saw Kali's SUV parked in its assigned parking space and she took a deep breath, relieved. She was sure her best friend was safe in bed sleeping off the emotional roller coaster she'd ridden the day before. Knowing how difficult it was for Kali to tell her the whole story about her relationship with Nate Warner and how nervous she was about her meeting with Detective Sutton, she probably didn't get a wink of sleep the night before. This was the first time in a long time that she didn't have a key to Kali's house. In the chaos of her moving, and Meg's first race, she had forgotten to get a copy.