Gone and Done It (26 page)

My gut tightened at being thrust from the sidelines into the spotlight. “I can’t see the future.” But I had enough imagination to foresee the future Wayne outlined. Buster’s days were numbered.

Buster got a wild look in his eyes. “Oh, God. I can’t do this.”

The sheriff rose. “I’ll get Elwood to start out-processing you. Your death will save the taxpayers the expense of trying your sorry butt.” Wayne waved me toward the door.

We hadn’t moved two paces before Buster lunged to his feet. “Okay! I’ll talk.”

The sheriff held his silence. Seconds ticked by.

“Carolina killed Lisa.” Buster’s words spilled out in a rush.

Wayne glanced at me. I nodded to indicate he was telling the truth. He turned back to face Buster. “I suspected as much, but unless you have evidence, she walks. Why the hell would she kill another woman?”

“She hated Lisa, that’s why. She tolerated her husband’s infidelities, but she lost it when Lisa bore him a perfect son. Carolina killed her; I swear.”

The sheriff frowned and turned to leave again. With his hand on the doorknob, he tossed over his shoulder, “Thought you had me there, didn’t ya? Why would she kill the woman and bury her on her own property?”

“She musta thought she’d get away with it.” Moisture gleamed on Buster’s forehead. “Who knew Baxley would go digging up Carolina’s yard? You wanna know who’s to blame for this debacle? It’s that woman sitting right there.”

I did an excellent impression of a doe caught in the headlights as they both studied me. No way was I to blame for this. Outrage boiled out of my throat in a mighty squeak.

My cheeks heated. “If she hadn’t made such a fuss about everything being absolutely perfect and withholding my money, I wouldn’t have put in the extra effort. But she made sure I’d be on the lookout for plant problems. She wanted Lisa to be found. She wanted someone else to take the blame.”

“Bingo,” the sheriff said. “Let’s beat her at her own game.”

“Finally!” Charlotte’s fingers closed around my forearm tighter than a pair of handcuffs. She dragged me outside the Law Enforcement Center into the bright noonday sun. Fury trembled down her arm. Flags of red dotted her plump cheeks.

I fumbled for my sunglasses and wished for my hat. “Hey, Charlotte.”

“Don’t you ‘hey, Charlotte’ me. Why did I get stuck in the lobby for hours? Wayne should fire Tamika for insolence. Do you know how rude she was to me? She sneered at me. And I could tell she got a kick out of it. Which made it worse. Why didn’t you look out for me?”

I drew in a big breath. Looked like I was gonna need it. “Calm down. So you had to wait a bit. What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is you got inside, and I didn’t. You know things about the case. Things I need to know.”

“No, you don’t need to know.” I scrunched up my eyes, wincing inwardly at how tight my voice sounded, grateful for the dark glasses to shield my eyes.

Her hands gestured wildly. “Don’t think you can talk your way out of this one. I’m dirt-eating mad. Tell Wayne to fire Tamika. She is mean and spiteful.”

“I don’t have any control over what his staff does. I’m sorry if you were embarrassed.”

“You knew I was coming.” She planted her hands on her hips, sunlight glinting on her trendy glasses. “Why didn’t you leave word for her to wave me through?”

“You’re not going to like this answer, but I want you to hear me out without interrupting.” I waited until she nodded before continuing. “I don’t want you involved in this. Freedom of the press isn’t a bulletproof vest. It can’t protect you from a murderer. Until the sheriff catches the killer, this thing could spring wide open. I don’t want you hurt.”

“I’m an adult. I’ll decide what’s safe for me. How dare you shut me out? I thought we were friends.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. She wouldn’t like hearing this either. “I did it for your own good. You’re my best friend. You’ve got a lot more stories to write, a lot more papers to sell.”

Charlotte snorted. “Not if Bernard Rivers gets his way. We sold more papers with his hair story than any of the previous weeks with my leads. Kip’s gonna reassign this murder story to Bernard if I don’t make something happen.”

“Bernard won’t get any information from me. The sheriff considers this investigation active and ongoing. No way would he leak a word of it to anyone. You’ll get first dibs from me as soon as there’s info to come out, I promise.”

“I want to believe you, I do, but I want to know what you know so bad. Can you tell me if I promise not to tell anyone?”

I died a little bit inside, dreading the strain my new job placed on our friendship. I shook my head. “Sorry. I can’t.”

Her face fell. “This sucks. I hate this.”

“I don’t like it either. Come on home with me and grab a late lunch. Mom put a batch of soup on in my crock-pot. It’s just sitting there, all yummy, waiting for us to come eat it.”

“Your dad make bread?”

“I’m sure he did.”

My friend pumped her fist. “I’m in.”

Two nights later found me sitting in a van hidden near Buster’s house. The sheriff’s woodsy aftershave filled the tight space. Electronic gadgets abounded. Truly, I’d been surprised that the sheriff had such high-tech equipment available.

Every time I thought I had Wayne Thompson pegged as a chauvinist redneck, he surprised me with intelligence. Maybe womanizing wasn’t the only thing he’d inherited from his real dad. Maybe there was more depth to Wayne than I’d ever given him credit for.

“You think she’ll show?” I asked.

He nodded. “I heard Buster set it up. She agreed to meet him here tonight.”

With Virg and Ronnie on patrol and Elwood and Rogers backing us up, Carolina Byrd didn’t stand a chance of getting away. Even so, Buster was probably sweating bullets in there. We’d heard him popping open a can of beer.

My thoughts raced a mile a minute. What kind of woman sets out to kill another? Would she try to kill Buster tonight? “Wonder if she’ll wear one of her power outfits to meet with Buster.”

“Power outfits?” Wayne’s brow wrinkled.

“She’s big on suits with padded shoulders, oversized jewelry, and high heels. Or hadn’t you noticed?”

He shot me a sly grin. “I noticed she’s got all the right parts.”

“You would notice that.” Still the old Wayne under the glossy veneer of sheriff. “How long will we wait?”

“Shouldn’t be too much longer. State Patrol radioed in that her Mercedes exited I-16 and turned south on I-95 an hour ago. Let me check with Virg.” He clicked on his radio. “Virg, you got anything?”

“Nope,” Virg said. “No killer babes in the car of my dreams. Just Yankees speeding down the interstate to Florida.”

“You certain?”

“Sure as I’m setting here.”

Wayne swore. “She should be here by now. Virg, you and Ronnie swing around to see if she broke down on the road. El-wood and Rogers, you listening?”

“Yeah, boss?” Elwood said.

“Head on out to Mallow. ASAP. See if she went there instead.”

“Roger that.”

Wayne settled back in his seat. “I don’t like this. She’s been a step ahead of us the whole time. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. You?”

“I feel edgy, no doubt. Thought it was nerves. This is my first stakeout.”

“You have nerves of steel.” He snorted. “Maisie Ryals still wants to kill you.”

“Nerves of bamboo, is more like it. I was plenty scared when he grabbed me, that’s for sure.”

The sheriff sobered. “Scared is good, babe. Keeps you on edge.”

We sat in easy silence, two justice-seekers waiting for the moment to pounce. Wayne hadn’t said anything about me bringing my weapon, but I’d tucked my handgun in the waistband of my pants under my shirt, just in case. I’d learned my lesson about killers last time I faced one.

After a while, the sheriff stirred. “You really into this consultant gig?”

“I’m into paying my bills. I’ll do what it takes to provide for my daughter.”

“You have a flair for this kind of work.”

I bit back a smile. “Your cop instinct works just as well. Each time you asked me about Buster’s truthfulness, you already knew the answer.”

“It’s good to have outside confirmation. Plus being a human lie detector isn’t the only asset you bring to the job. Your dreams helped us find out who the victim was, and to locate her family.”

“You would have found her eventually. Dyani was worried about her daughter. She didn’t know Lisa was missing or dead. If more time had gone by, Dyani would have reported her as a missing person.”

“Like I said, you add an extra dimension to the job. What’s your read on this stakeout?”

We’d been chatting so comfortably, his request startled me. “I haven’t consciously analyzed anything. That burns psychic energy, and I was saving myself for when Carolina showed up. I know you’re frustrated and Buster’s nervous, but under the circumstances that’s to be expected.”

He rapped his fist on my forehead as if he were knocking on a door made of tissue paper. “You got anything else in there? Can you do a dream right now and locate Carolina?”

We weren’t playing poker, so I didn’t see any point in laying all my cards on the table. If it suited his ends, Wayne would push and prod and use me up. I was doing this job on my terms. “Not unless she’s dead, and even then it isn’t a given. If you want an expert on this kind of thing, we should call my dad.”

“Tab made it clear. He’s retired from dreamwalking, plus you’ve got the hair for the job.”

I groaned. “My striped hair is a sore spot with me. I’m not a vain woman, but I get headaches if I wear a hat. I swear, it’s almost as if the universe wants my hair to be seen.”

“Don’t discount the value of a good sign.” He paused for a moment. “You been getting food at your back door?”

Alarm flared in my body. “How’d you know?”

“I spent some time drinking with old Sheriff McCain. He told me about when Tab first came into his hair, too. How he couldn’t understand the food showing up on his doorstep. He finally accepted it. You should, too.”

“Where’s it coming from? Do you know?”

“Like I said, you should accept it.”

“Does this mean Daddy won’t be getting food at his back door now?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hmm.” Should I share my unexpected bounty with my parents? I didn’t want Mama and Daddy to starve either. I made a mental note to take food to them.

The radio crackled. “Sheriff? We got a problem.” Elwood’s deep voice blasted through the radio.

“Explain,” the sheriff demanded.

“The car’s here, but driver isn’t Mrs. Byrd. It’s her assistant, Donna Webb. She’s got a stack of folders for her boss. I double-checked the premises. Mrs. Byrd isn’t here.”

Wayne swore. “Bring the woman and the car to the jail. We’ll question her and search the car.”

“Gotcha.”

As I listened to the conversation, my unease mounted. Carolina was a step ahead of us again. I discreetly pinged the area. There was no one in close proximity. She wasn’t here.

Where was she?

Though it was just past midnight, I felt like I’d been awake all night. I stretched, groaning at my tight muscles, and climbed out of my truck. God, I was tired. The futile interrogation had gone on and on. Carolina’s assistant knew nothing about her boss’s whereabouts. Neither did Buster nor the sheriff.

We knew nothing.

Carolina Byrd knew everything.

But not for long.

We’d catch her.

I mounted the back steps, scooped up the basket of kale and turnips, and savored their garden-fresh fragrance. I made a note to ask Mama for her kale soup recipe when I picked Larissa up from their house tomorrow morning. I unlocked the door and called the dogs, certain they would enjoy a little late night carousing in the backyard.

There was no answering click of claws on wood floors. The dim light I’d left on over the kitchen sink greeted me with a soft glow. I flicked on the overheard light and placed the veggies on the counter. “Precious! Muffin!” I hurried through the house, flipping on lights as I went.

With each micro-second, my worries compounded. Where were the dogs?

They were in the den, beyond the illumination of the hall light. Both remained unresponsive as I approached. Heart in my throat, I bent down to check for life signs. Muffin had a faint heartbeat, so did Precious. I drew in a shallow breath of relief. What happened to them?

Sensing movement beside me, I rolled right. But I wasn’t quick enough to avoid being clubbed on my left shoulder. Pain slammed through me. White dots danced before my eyes.

I scrambled behind a wingback chair and tried to take a breath. My shoulder throbbed. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“You’re a dead woman,” the husky voice from the shadows taunted. “I’m gonna enjoy killing you the most.”

Why, oh why hadn’t I pinged my house before entering? I’d put myself at risk. Thank God Larissa was safe at my parents’ house. I snatched the Glock from my waistband and gripped it firmly in my right hand.

What was I up against? How many intruders? I scanned the area with my parasenses. Just the one attacker inside my house. One was more than enough to worry about. Rage and fury emanated from this person, all directed at me.