Scarlet (23 page)

He looked around nervously. Maybe it was because I was late or perhaps he was concerned about getting caught with the contraband. Either way I'd never know. He wouldn't live long enough to tell me.

The knife with its strange blade slid easily into my hand. The grip only took a second to conform to my palm, making the weapon instantly feel like part of my arm. The cool steel was smooth on one side and unusually jagged on the other. It looked like no other knife I'd ever seen and left behind unusual patterns that made identifying the weapon nearly impossible.

The man was still puffing away on his smoke stick as I inched closer. His tan fatigues did little to conceal him in the dark, but I had no doubt they'd be effective during the day. Too bad the sun wasn't around to help him now.

Despite my combat boots, my feet were silent upon the hard cracked ground. Adrenaline pumped in my veins, but I remained calm. I'd done this before and I'd do it again. I picked up a small rock and tossed it to the man's right. His head jerked as it pinged off something hard and metallic. His body remained tense as he listened, attention diverted. This was almost too easy.

I slipped up behind him and slashed quickly. Arterial spray hit the wall in a shower of crimson. He didn't even have time to gasp, much less scream. His eyes were wide as the realization of his impending death set in. His fingers slacked, dropping the smoke stick that had been wedged between them. It hit the ground a second before his knees did. He fell forward, face down on the dirt, his clean fatigues slowly turning red.

I watched the blood drip down the wall, while listening to the bubbles gurgle out of his throat. The rivulets were mesmerizing. It was only when the sound stopped that I decided it was safe to leave. My job here was done. I had to get back. After all, there were reports to make.

chapter sixteen

A loud banging brought Red bolt upright in the rest pad. It took her a second to realize the pounding was coming from outside her room. She threw the covers aside and shook her head. She'd skipped going out in the desert last night to work on the change after the day she'd had. Instead, she'd gone to bed early and had planned on sleeping in. A fist connected with the door. Someone obviously didn't care about her plans.

"Hold on. I'm coming," she said.

Red grabbed her pants off the chair and pulled them on. She didn't bother with a shirt, since her T-shirt covered anything important. She pressed her palm on the panel and the door slid open. The man in charge of supplying Nuria with water stood outside her door, scowling.

"You're going to make me late on my run," he said, glancing at his watch.

Red yawned. "Why didn't you go around back?"

"The gate's locked. I can't get in."

"Sorry," she said, turning away from him. "I thought I'd left it open. Give me a minute to throw on my shoes and I'll be right down."

He grunted and left.

She reached for her overshirt and pulled it on, then grabbed her boots. It only took a minute to lace them up. She ran a hand over her sleep-covered face and trudged out of the door.

Red made her way across the empty bar area to the back room. She'd only managed to knock over a few stools on the way. The place was quiet—no one was up yet. She wished she could say the same. The rest pad had been feeling particularly good this morning. She pressed her hand to a panel, but the door refused to budge. Red kicked it once and it slid open. She took a step outside. Her boot hit something slick and she nearly tumbled down the stairs on her ass. She caught herself before she fell. Her hand came back wet with blood.

Red glanced down and froze. It look her a second to register what she was seeing. When she did, panic set in.

She backed into the water trader as the delivery man shouted. "Are you going to open the gate or what?"

Red couldn't answer. She couldn't seem to find her voice. All she wanted to do was run back upstairs, climb into the rest pad, and pull the covers over her head. She had to be dreaming. This had to be some kind of a nightmare. She looked at her blood-covered hand again, then out the back door. The man from the alley was still lying facedown in a dried crimson puddle.

"Listen, lady," the deliver guy shouted. "I don't have time for this sh—" His words strangled in his throat as he finally saw the body.

Red heard retching as he emptied his stomach contents on the parched ground. She forced her feet forward until she could see the body clearly once more. He appeared to have been killed in a similar manner to the last man, if the blood spatter was any indication. But this time there was no laser blast wound to exonerate her.

She had no idea how long she'd been standing there when she heard a commotion coming from behind her. Red turned in time to see Maggie and a couple of deputies approach. The delivery driver must have contacted the sheriff's station. They didn't look happy, but then again, they rarely had since Morgan left.

Maggie and the men pushed past her, shoving her out of the way. Red heard Maggie gasp. She looked up in time to see her glare. Red didn't return her stare. She was still in shock over the discovery.

A lot happened over the next few minutes. Officers came and went. Jim Thornton arrived to pick up the body. He gave a preliminary finding. The man had died last night sometime between eight and midnight. From the looks of the wound, the same weapon had been used. There was no evidence of a laser rifle blast. Whoever had killed him wanted it to be quiet.

Everyone in the room turned to look at her. The condemnation was easy to see. It was the growing fear that surprised her. Red swallowed hard. They looked away and began talking among themselves, but no one said a word to her. In fact, very few people dared to look in her direction again. It was as if she wasn't there. Wishful thinking on their part.

Red began to tremble. She fisted her hands, digging her nails into her palms to calm herself. She tried to recall anything unusual about last night, but nothing came to mind. It had been quiet. Even the new recruits had retired early for the night. Speaking of which, where were they?

Maggie said something to Jim, then stepped forward. Two deputies flanked her, looking decidedly uneasy. Did they think she was going to bolt? She gave them both a hard glare and they took a step back. She would've laughed, but the situation wasn't funny.

"We need you to come with us," Maggie said.

"Where?" Red's stomach knotted.

"To the station."

"Why?"

Maggie's lips pulled tight over her mouth, thinning until they disappeared. "I'd rather not discuss it here," she said, looking around.

Red followed her line of sight and realized that a small crowd had gathered in the bar area. She spotted the new recruits toward the back. They were staring at her, but she couldn't tell their thoughts from their blank expressions. She wondered how long it would be before they turned in their notice and left, too. She really wouldn't blame them for quitting. People were dropping faster than Jim could dissect and recycle them.

She had no doubt that the killer was long gone. Like a phantom, he'd slipped into town, murdered, and left. The thought that they were dealing with a professional made her ill because Red knew how hard they were to catch.

Professional killers didn't make mistakes. They rarely got caught. Trouble was. she only knew one professional killer and that was Raphael Vega's brother, Michael Travers. She doubted he could slip into town without Raphael knowing it. What if he
did
know and hadn't said anything? Morgan had done the same when she'd suspected his cousin Kane of killing several women. It had taken more murders and an attack on her to convince him to investigate. What if Raphael was protecting Michael?

The thought chilled her and she shuddered. Michael was far more dangerous than Kane could ever be. His powers were unlike anything she'd ever encountered. She'd read about telekinesis, but Red had never heard of anyone who actually had the ability. That was, until she met Michael Travers and he'd turned her own gun on her while she gripped it in her hand.

She'd thought they'd come to an understanding. Maybe she was wrong. Red decided to keep her theories to herself until she came up with proof. She wasn't about to go for a replay of what had happened with Morgan.

The town of Nuria was angry enough with her. She didn't need to give them more reasons to hate her.

"Okay, I'll lead the way." Red walked to the front of the water trader with Maggie trailing in her wake. The crowd parted, their eyes wary. She met their gazes. She didn't want them to think she had anything to hide. She didn't realize the deputies hadn't followed until she and Maggie had stepped out the front door.

She glanced back and saw them working their way to the stairs. "What are they doing?" she asked, frowning.

"They have to check your room."

“Why?"

"It's procedure."

"Am I under arrest?" Red asked.

"Not yet," Maggie said.

"Then I don't understand why you're taking me to the station," Red said as they walked down the sidewalk.

"We need to take a statement. You're a witness. You can't exactly investigate yourself. And since Morgan left me second in command, the job falls to me," she said.

"You're not law enforcement," Red said, reminding her she had no real power.

"Neither are you—anymore," she snapped. "Don't worry

I'll make sure a deputy is present so everything is official."

"It doesn't matter now, but shouldn't Green have been in the emergency care center?
You
made such a show of taking him there yesterday. I'm surprised they released him so soon."

Maggie blanched at the accusation in her voice. "He checked himself out."

"Didn't you have someone guarding him?" Red's voice rose before she could stop herself.

Why should we? He wasn't a prisoner," Maggie snapped back.

"No one said he was, but you were obviously concerned for his welfare. Why stop there?"

"I'm not the one who's suspect here. And I don't appreciate your tone." Maggie ground out between clenched teeth. "I thought I'd give you a chance to explain things before I type up your official statement. Did you have any contact with him after he left the sheriff's station?"

Red's jaw clenched and her mind started to clear. "No! You told me to keep away and I did. I went straight back to the water trade depot after leaving Morgan's office. I was there all night until the water delivery driver woke me."

"You didn't go out into the desert?"

"No, I skipped last night. The day was long enough without that frustration heaped upon it." How could Maggie think she'd gone into the desert after everything that had occurred yesterday? She'd been accused of assault by means of an out-of-control inner wolf. The last thing Red wanted was to try to bring the wolf out.

"I don't suppose you have any witnesses to prove it?" Maggie asked.

"Not hardly. I didn't pass anyone on the way back." Raphael hadn't stopped by since she'd told him they couldn't have a relationship. Now she wished he had. At least that way she'd have someone to back her story. She glanced at Maggie, who continued to wait for her answer. "I went to sleep. Alone. If you haven't figured it out yet, someone is trying to set me up."

Red's mind scrambled in search of clues. This was the second time a killer had slipped into Nuria undetected. Either they were familiar with the area or they'd been given very specific directions. If Roark had another insider working for him. who could it be? Maggie was the obvious choice, but that answer was too easy. She wasn't capable of controlling her emotions. The murderer had been methodical. Nothing about the kills indicated a lack of control. It didn't completely rule her out, but it was a good bet someone else was behind these deaths.

Maggie looked at her in disbelief. "Who would frame you? It's not like you're important enough to garner that kind of attention."

Red let Maggie's personal comment slide, instead focusing on her question. "My first thought was Roark Montgomery. You know how he feels about the Others."

Maggie flinched and her bravado shrunk a little at the utterance of his name. "W-why would he do that?"

"You'd have to ask him," she said. "Or better yet, maybe I will."

"Nuria has had enough trouble, thanks to you. It doesn't need any more."