Deadly Exposure
Cara Putman
How could a killer have struck in a crowded theater? That was the question plaguing TV news reporter Dani Richards. She'd been in the box next to the victim–and hadn't heard or seen a thing. Now the very man who had broken Dani's heart years ago was investigating the murder.And when her coverage of the story led the killer to stalk her, police officer and former flame Caleb Jamison insisted on protecting her. Dani was afraid to let Caleb close again. Yet she had no choice. The killer's sinister phone calls left no doubt that he'd come for Dani next.
“What are you doing here?”
Dani’s voice rose to a shriek.
Even as she tried to pull away, Caleb pushed his way inside and led her to the couch.
“Dani, talk to me. What’s wrong?”
She fought the urge to get up and leave the room. No matter where she went, he’d follow. Persistence was too ingrained in his personality.
“Dani?” The concern in his eyes couldn’t be faked. She felt her defenses melt away.
“A note. It was on the back door when I got home.” Her body tensed as she remembered the feeling. “I went jogging on campus. When I got home, I found an envelope taped to the back door.” She stopped as the words seared her mind once again. You should be more careful, little girl. Campus on a Sunday is empty. Don’t ever forget I’m watching you.
CARA PUTMAN
Since the time she could read Nancy Drew, Cara has wanted to write mysteries. For years she asked God if this dream was from Him. Her life was full. She graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Go, Huskers!), moved to the Washington, D.C., area, married the man of her dreams, worked in the nonprofit world, went to George Mason Law School at night while working, and then started having children. While her life was far from empty, the dream wouldn’t die. Then she followed her husband to Indiana. Talk about starting over! In 2005 she attended a book signing at her local Christian bookstore, where she met Colleen Coble. The rest, as they say, is history. With prompting from her husband, Cara shared her writing dream with Colleen. Cara’s been writing ever since. To learn more about Cara and her books please visit her at www.caraputman.com.
Deadly Exposure
Cara Putman
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
—Psalms 62:5–6
To Colleen Coble. When we met in April 2005,
I couldn’t imagine the friendship God had
in store for us. Thank you so much for taking
my dream and breathing life into it. You truly were
the midwife for this book. I am honored to count
you as a friend and mentor.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Acknowledgments
A book isn’t written in a vacuum. Many thanks to Sabrina Butcher, who read this book in each of its iterations, and to Gina Conroy and Sabrina who read the final draft under a crazy deadline. You gals pushed me to make this book better. Thanks to Rachel Allen, Virgene Putman and Rhonda Putman for watching my kids as I raced to finish this book against a tight deadline.
Thanks to Eric for always believing I could do this, to Abigail and Jonathan for being so proud of their mommy.
Thanks to Krista Stroever, my editor, for taking a risk on this writer. And to Karen Solem for believing I could do this.
ONE
Dani Richards barely noticed where the usher pointed as she turned to take Aunt Jayne’s arm but groped emptiness. Dani spun in a circle, searching for her. “Aunt Jayne?”
“She went that way, ma’am.”
Dani nodded at the usher and hurried across the plush red carpet toward the boxes. She slipped into their box, but it remained empty. Then she heard a raised voice from the adjoining box. She darted to it, parted the curtain and pushed through. Aunt Jayne relaxed next to a young woman whose stiff back and chin pointed high made it clear she was trying to avoid eye contact. “There you are. You scared me to death, Aunt Jayne.”
“No need to worry. I looked for our seats and found this lovely young lady instead.”
“You don’t belong here.” The woman looked from Dani to her aunt, emerald eyes flashing. Her regal bearing sagged with a hint of disappointment. She glanced beyond Dani into the emptying foyer.
Aunt Jayne patted her hand. “Don’t worry. Your young man will join you. You’re too lovely to miss.”
Dani examined the woman more closely, wondering why she seemed so familiar. In her job as a reporter, she worked with too many people to count in an average week, but this woman tugged at her memory. “Have we met before?”
“Please leave.” With a quick twist of her wrist the woman glanced at her watch.
“Sorry for the interruption. Come on, Aunt Jayne. Cats starts any minute.” Together they reentered the foyer and slipped up the stairs to the right box. Dani released a deep breath, determined to enjoy every moment of the evening. After the latest trial she’d covered on her crime beat for Channel 17, she’d earned the reprieve. Her aunt deserved her full attention on a night when the cloud of Alzheimer’s had slipped away, even fleetingly.
Aunt Jayne sank into her seat and smiled. “Thank you for bringing me, dear. It’s so nice to have you in town again.”
Dani settled beside her in a maroon seat as the orchestra crescendoed into the opening notes of the musical, prepared to relish each moment. She’d spent the five years since graduation working her way through the ranks of broadcast journalism, moving from Cheyenne to Des Moines to St. Louis. She’d given it all up to move to Lincoln for Aunt Jayne. Her mom believed she’d lost her mind, and her dad tried to convince her to take a job at his station in Chicago each time they talked.
Lincoln had been lonely, especially when Aunt Jayne’s bad days outnumbered the good. She’d wanted to dance when she reached Peaceful Estates and found Aunt Jayne alert and excited. A sliver remained of the woman Dani remembered from summers spent in Lincoln. If only she reappeared more often.
The curtain rose, and Dani leaned into the railing. She glanced at the neighboring box, but couldn’t see more than outlines in the darkness. The opening song began, and her attention focused completely on the stage covered by a large set that resembled a junkyard. The actors stretched and danced as they mimicked cats and sang. The scenes flew by, and too soon the curtain sank for intermission.
Dani shifted against the seat and straightened. Renee Thomas. That was the woman’s name. She’d interviewed the grad student for a story on promising research at the university. Though Renee had been formal and distant tonight, she’d been much friendlier and relaxed during the interview. Odd, since people tended to freeze in that setting. She’d practically glowed as she discussed the research, something about protecting the food supply from terrorist attacks. Dani had worked with her to describe the research in layman’s terms.
Aunt Jayne tapped Dani’s arm lightly. Dani smiled. “Are you okay? Need a break from sitting?”
“Maybe we should hunt for the story. Surely it’s hiding somewhere.” Aunt Jayne looked at her, amusement glowing in her eyes.
“There’s a loose plot, keep watch.” Dani stretched in her seat and her gaze slid into the box to her right. Renee sat motionless. She studied the woman, remembering the edge of worry that marred her expression. Renee had remained alone after all. “Let’s stretch our legs a bit.”
They stepped into the wide hallway. Dani looked around, hoping tonight wouldn’t be the time she ran into the only person she’d allowed to break her heart. Caleb Jamison. The thought of him made her emotions spiral into a tornado of anger and hurt. She looked over her shoulder, afraid he’d appear like some horror-movie ghoul. Wished she could wipe her memory of him.
“Aunt Jayne, let’s step up here. I interviewed your new friend last week. Maybe she’d like to join us.”
Dani approached the neighboring box. She knocked on the doorframe, parted the curtain and entered the woman’s box. A spicy fragrance tinged the air.
“Renee?” Dani waited a moment. The woman never turned. The seconds ticked by. “Are you enjoying the show? Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius.”
Renee remained silent. Dani stepped closer. One part of her mind began to insist she leave. Now.
Dani tapped Renee on the shoulder. Her skin felt cool. With quick steps she circled the seat and stood in front of Renee. Dani looked down, looking for a flash of recognition. Instead, Renee’s gaze remained fixed, a horrible grimace pasted to her face. The emerald scarf wound tight around her neck in contrast to the way it floated earlier.
She sucked in a breath and willed herself to remain calm. Between the tightness of the scarf and the bruise lying under the woman’s jaw, Dani’s instinct jumped to murder. Bile rose in her throat. She put a hand over her mouth and swallowed.
This couldn’t be happening again. Images of her college roommate’s distorted features floated in front of Renee’s. She’d been too late then. She couldn’t be now. Dani rushed into the hall, fumbled for the cell phone in her evening bag and dialed 911. No service. She thrust the phone back into her purse. “Somebody call 911. There’s a medical emergency. Does anyone know CPR?”
She didn’t wait for an answer but ran back into the box. She sensed someone behind her, and turned to find Aunt Jayne. She pulled her attention back to Renee, and tried to ease her to the floor, struggling under the leaden weight.
Please don’t let it be too late.
Concerned faces peered into Dani’s from around the curtain. A well-dressed gentleman slipped into the box. He eased Renee the rest of the way to the floor, then loosened the scarf. He checked the woman’s neck for a pulse. Dani watched him silently tick the seconds off his watch for an eternal moment. He shook his head and glanced at her. “It’s too late.”
Dani shuddered. She rose to her feet and took Aunt Jayne by the arm. “Let’s get you back to our seats where you can be comfortable.” A couple minutes later, Dani stood in the foyer. She took a step toward Renee’s box, then turned back to her own. Aunt Jayne seemed fine, but Dani hesitated.
The news director would expect a complete report. She’d found the body, so she’d own the story from this moment. Somehow she’d balance that with caring for Aunt Jayne until she was back in her suite at Peaceful Estates. Interview questions ran through her mind. Someone had to have seen something.
“Ma’am, you have to stay until the police arrive.” A tenor voice tickled her ear.
Dani jumped back against the wall. She turned toward the sound. An usher had invaded her space and her gaze met a fishy stare.
“You’re a reporter with Channel 17, right?” He slid a half step back and licked his lips. “They…the police, I mean, should be here soon. They’ll want to talk to you. You found the body.”
She stepped to the side, unable to bear his proximity. “I promise I won’t leave before the police arrive.”
“Maybe I should clear the box.” His gaze darted around the small area.
“It’s a little late for that. Quite a few people have moved in and out already.”
“Still, there must be something. They never told us what to do in a situation like this.” Beads of sweat pooled on his brow as he twisted the top button of his shirt open. Angry uncertainty flashed across his face.
Dani leaned farther into the wall. “Are you okay? I’d be happy to get help.”
“I’m fine.” With a parting glare and tug at his collar, he turned on his heel and headed down the hall.
Dani watched him disappear, and then turned to the box. A security guard huffed up the stairs. A couple followed him. The man, tall and trim with a long stride, caught her eye. The woman held his arm and managed to keep up without looking rushed. Every brown piece of hair was in place, and her blue cocktail dress perfectly fit her athletic form. The man looked at her. Dani froze. One look in Caleb Jamison’s face, and she reverted to the teenager head over heels for the star football player. The teenager who couldn’t say no. The teenager who ached when he stopped seeing her. Stopped calling. Stopped caring.
The ice disappeared in a flash of anger. Her hands trembled. Her stomach clenched at the thought of his smug, self-satisfied face. She couldn’t go back there. The echo of their baby’s cries as she was given to others jarred Dani’s mind. Caleb had abandoned her long before the birth. Yet here he was, cocky smile and all. He took a step toward her, and Dani escaped into the box.
TWO
Dani blinked to adjust to the dim lighting and pull her attention back from the nightmare of her past. The curtains brushed against her back, but she refused to turn and see who was there. Note to self: don’t run into a closed room when trying to avoid someone. Several people filled the box. She worked her way toward a young coed.
A hand gripped her arm. Even though she knew it was Caleb, she jumped.
“Dani, we need to talk.” His voice reached deep inside her. She stiffened. “But it’ll wait. Right now you need to get out of this box. Wait for me in the lobby.”
“Let go of me.” Dani hissed and tried to shake free.
“I will when you start to obey.”
“That worked so well for me last time.” She snorted, stepping back. “Excuse me. I have a job to do.”
She turned and ignored his soft chuckle. She didn’t even want to know what amused him. She could imagine. None of the options merited turning around.
“Everyone out.” Caleb’s voice sank lower and easily filled the small space.
Dani kept her back to him as the crowd dispersed along with her interviews. She spun on her heel and followed everyone to the foyer. A burly security guard moved to the top step. He crossed his arms and stood legs apart, a barrier to reentry.
Caleb directed the group toward a small room, acting every bit the police officer. How could the young man who’d had no qualms about drinking underage and partying end up as an investigator with the Lincoln Police Department? And why was he with a beautiful woman?
Dani eased a coed and her date to the side. The twenty-something young man looked like a player for the university’s renowned football team. Their holey jeans and T-shirts stood out in the well-dressed crowd.
The girl clung to her date, wide-eyed. “This is wild. How could this happen here?”
“Yeah,” the young man said. “I heard the excitement and rushed over. Wonder where her date is?” He tucked the girl under his arm.
Dani smiled at him. “Did either of you see her with anyone tonight?”
“Nope, but she wasn’t dressed to be alone.” He glanced toward the box. “Seems like a strange place for this to happen.”
“Why would you say that? I’ve heard of stranger things.”
“Maybe on CSI. But the theater is packed. Not a place I’d pick.”
Dani shook her head. “Maybe not. Here’s my card. If either of you think of anything, call.”
She stepped back as Caleb waved the couple into the room. She scanned the foyer looking for others to talk to. No way was she stepping into a small space with him. It didn’t matter how many other people were there.
Dani headed to her box and left the curtain open so she could watch the lobby. Maybe she’d be able to talk to someone other than Caleb when the other cops arrived. Her toes tapped the wall in front of her as she sat next to Aunt Jayne, her mind racing with everything she should do. Her aunt reached across the empty seat and placed her hand on Dani’s knee.
“It’ll be okay, child. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
Based on the jolt of electricity that hit her each time she saw Caleb, Dani doubted anything would be okay until she returned home and left the madness. The faint sound of sirens pierced the night. The sound sharpened until it stopped altogether. Rotating blue and red lights reflected off the foyer’s floor-to-ceiling windows. She braced herself for the whirlwind the next few minutes would bring. Especially after the police learned a reporter discovered the body.
Those left in the lobby pressed against the windows, watching the police vehicles. What on earth were they doing outside?
Finally, a man in a dark suit, probably a theater employee, marched up the broad staircase. He wiped a few strands of hair across the top of his head as he looked behind him. Several uniformed policemen trailed at a determined pace.
“This way, Officers.” The man pointed toward the box with a jerk of one arm while he wiped his brow with the other.
“We’ve never had anything like this happen before. Excuse me. I must announce the show won’t continue.” Without waiting for an answer, he hurried off, mumbling under his breath. He wrung his hands in despair like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.
Caleb walked toward the officers, his dark hair standing at odd angles, as if he’d raked his fingers through it. Dani slipped from the box to watch.
“Glad you guys could make it. The body’s in that box.” Caleb stepped around the security guard and poked his head past the curtain. He turned to the guard. “Anyone else been in here since you arrived?”
“Nope. I’ve kept it cleared.” He puffed out his chest.
Caleb turned to his men. “Ford, see if there’s anyone still around to interview.” He turned to another officer. “Get the box taped off. Denimore and Westmont, I’ve got a room with several people for you to interview. It doesn’t look like they know anything, but we can hope. Let’s see if we can piece together what happened while we wait for the crime scene techs.”
Caleb squared his shoulders as his calm gaze landed on Dani.
“I’ll come talk to you in a few minutes.” His voice was deeper than she remembered with a timbre that made her quiver even as her stomach clenched. “Where’s your seat?”
She nodded toward the open doorway. He considered her a moment, then turned away.
Dani fought relief. “My aunt is with me, and I really need to get her home. Can’t we talk now?”
“You’ll have to wait a few minutes. Besides, I doubt you’ll leave until after we do. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He didn’t wait for an answer before turning his back. “Maybe Tricia can help.”
Tricia? His sister? Was she the woman he’d brought? Her traitorous stomach eased at the thought that he hadn’t brought a date after all. She stared at Caleb’s back, hands clenched, and then turned as movement caught her eye.
“Hi, Dani.” A young, willowy woman approached. “Remember me? Caleb’s kid sister who wouldn’t leave you two alone? How can I help?”
How could she forget? They’d even been friends. “Aunt Jayne’s with me, and I’m sure she’d appreciate company.” Dani led Tricia to box B. In no time, Tricia and Aunt Jayne were chatting like old friends. Dani tried to ignore them in favor of the foyer and Renee’s box.
“Everything okay, Dani?” Aunt Jayne’s eyes reflected concern.
“It will be.” As soon as she didn’t have to see Caleb anymore. She eased into a plush chair to dig through her evening bag in her lap for her cell phone. Dani glanced at the screen and this time saw bars of service. She dialed the station.
“Hey, LeAnn. I need Andy pronto.” Andy Garrison produced the ten o’clock news and demanded the details of any news event fifteen minutes ago.
“Hey, kid. Exciting night at the theater.” Andy’s raspy voice scratched her ear.
“You have no idea.” Dani twisted the purse strap in her lap with restless fingers.
“The news of a body hit the scanner. You still there?”
“Yep. The police won’t let me leave.”
“Just tell ’em you’re media. They’ll be more than glad to see you go.”
“Not this time.” She squinted at the techs working in the victim’s box.
“What happened? You didn’t kill her, did you?” Andy’s rapid questions made Dani smile.
“Of course I didn’t kill her. But I found her.”
“Okay.” He quieted, and Dani imagined him processing the information. “You holding up?”
“I’m fine. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen a body. Just the first time I’ve seen one first.”
“What can you tell me?”
“I had a brief conversation with her before the show started.” Dani walked Andy through the night. “Nobody heard or saw anything. And the police won’t like the fact that so many people invaded the box. It’ll make evidence collection a nightmare.”
“Hmm.” Rapid-fire tapping on a keyboard echoed in the background. “As soon as the police let you go, find our truck. It should be there now. If the police harass you, give me a call. We’ll get the station’s attorney there ASAP.”
Dani fiddled with a knot in her purse strap. If she did her job right, the attorney wouldn’t be necessary. “I’ll keep you posted.”
“Talk to people and make sure you connect with Logan. We’ve got a story to prepare.”
Dani closed her phone, returned it to her purse and looked toward the other box. She rubbed the back of her neck. How could she take care of Aunt Jayne and deliver the story Andy expected? So much for a night off.
Investigators bent over the body in the taped-off box. A bright flash lit the scene as one photographed it. Another scribbled in a notebook. She wanted to look over his shoulder, see what required careful notes.
Caleb stood in the corner and anchored the controlled chaos. He looked even better than he had as an eighteen-year-old kid, and that thought rankled. Maybe if he wasn’t so jaw-dropping, she’d have moved on.
No, she couldn’t move on because of the lines they’d crossed. Color flooded her cheeks at the memory of what she’d willingly given him. And then he’d left. Without a backward glance. She’d prayed he’d call, show any indication he remembered her. Then she’d spent years trying to forget and move on. With one glance, all of that was swept aside.
The emptiness she’d fought flooded back in. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and doubled over, fighting memories of the baby being ripped from her arms. Did the baby have his green eyes? Did she have Dani’s blond hair? Only Aunt Jayne had held her as her heart broke. She’d fled Lincoln and avoided Caleb since. Only Aunt Jayne had brought her back. And now he’d collided into her world. She took a deep breath, then another.
She looked up and caught him watching her. Heat climbed her cheeks and she glanced away. When she looked again, he’d disappeared from the box.
A moment later, a soft knock clicked against the doorframe.
“Ready to talk?” Caleb stood in the doorway, concern filling his eyes.
Dani bristled and glanced at Tricia and Aunt Jayne. “It’s about time. I don’t know anything that’ll help, so let’s get started.”
He motioned for her to follow him to a bench across the foyer. He cocked his head and slipped a slim notebook from his inside jacket pocket. “Tell me what happened.”
Dani told him about the rush to the theater. Finding the box. Trying to talk to the woman in the neighboring box at intermission. Walking into the box when she didn’t respond.
“Why did you go in there?”
Dani closed her eyes, images of how vibrant Renee Thomas had been during the interview filling her mind. “I interviewed her last week. And she seemed so different tonight. She was worried about something. Maybe fearful.”
“Why fearful?”
“Last week she couldn’t talk enough about her research project. She vibrated with life. Tonight, well, she looked everywhere but at me. If I remembered her, I know she remembered me. It isn’t every day that a grad student gets interviewed.”
“Did you notice any changes between your first visit to her box and the second?”
“The air was spicy the second time. Maybe from cologne or aftershave.” Dani paused a moment. Even though he might think her suspicious, she had to mention her concern now.
“The only other strange thing was the usher.”
Caleb looked up from his notes. “An usher?”
“After I discovered the body, a man in a navy blazer kept me corralled next to the box. He insisted I stay in the foyer until you arrived. But others going into the box didn’t bother him.”
“Do you know his name?”
“No. He didn’t tell me and didn’t wear a name tag.”
“Could you describe him?”
Though she complied readily, Caleb searched her eyes as if she was concealing more about the case. She fought the urge to squirm under the intensity. Her gaze darted to his left hand. It was bare of a ring, not even a shadow of one. “Looks like you’re still single.”
That ended the scrutiny. “What?”
“Nothing.” Dani tightened her lips. How could she have said that? The last thing she wanted to do was relive the past.
“Okay.” Caleb dragged the word out. “That’s all. Where can I reach you?”
She slipped a card from her purse. “Channel 17. Otherwise, I’m at Aunt Jayne’s house.” Her cheeks flushed with the memory of their good-night kisses on the back step.
“Is Logan meeting you here?”
“Huh?” She startled, then stilled. “Yes. Why?”
“Could you take Tricia with you? He can drop her off for me. Otherwise, she’ll be stranded here for a long time.”
“Ever heard of cabs?” Dani bit her lip the moment the words escaped. “That’s not what I meant. If she doesn’t mind waiting, we can get her home.”
“Thanks. Her house is on the way to the station.”
Dani shrugged and rolled her eyes. She roused Aunt Jayne from her chair while Caleb told Tricia of the change in plans. In moments she led the others from the box. When she stepped outside, Logan’s wave hailed her from a line of trucks.
“Hey, Logan. Hope you brought some coffee.”
“Got a café mocha just for you. I’m sorry I didn’t bring a couple extras.” He’d tucked his polo into rumpled khakis, with a Channel 17 baseball cap covering his buzzed hair.
“Aunt Jayne, this is Logan Collins, the best photographer in town. And I take it you already know Tricia.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am. Good to see you again, Tricia.”
Aunt Jayne tilted her head toward Logan. “Is there somewhere I can sit?”
The area around her aunt’s eyes was tightening, a reflection of the confusion that intruded. “Logan, I have to get her home as soon as I can. Can she rest in the Jeep until we’re done?”
“Sure.” They quickly had Aunt Jayne tucked into the front passenger seat with Logan’s jacket tucked around her like a blanket. Tricia slipped in behind her and settled in for a chat. Dani heard the murmur of their voices as she focused on the Lied Center.
“Thanks.” A smile touched her lips, and she sipped her coffee. “Grab that camera. We’ve got a lot to do before we call it a night.”
Half an hour later, Dani watched people from the medical examiner’s office wheel a gurney out the front door of the theater. Hearing footsteps behind her, Dani turned to see Phil Baker, one of Channel 17’s evening anchors, walk up. “What are you doing here? The newscast ended a long time ago.”
“I was on my way home. Just thought I’d swing by for a minute. See what happened.”
Logan crossed his arms and scrutinized Phil. At his closed posture, Dani wondered what Phil had said in those few words to set Logan on edge.
“Well, looks like you kids have it under control. See you tomorrow.” He turned on his heel and left them staring at his back. The gathered media followed his progress to his car as if controlled by one puppet master.
“What on earth was that about?” Dani fumed. “Mr. High-and-Mighty thinks we can’t handle the story?”
“The theater is not on his way home,” Logan said.
THREE
Investigator Caleb Jamison examined the scene at the plush box for any lingering threads of evidence the crime scene technicians missed. Soon the techs would cart the marked bags of evidence to headquarters for processing.
He sighed in frustration. This murder had the marks of careful premeditation. Few clues were left behind. To have a great shot at clearing the case, he needed a suspect within the first twenty-four hours. With each successive hour, the chance of resolving the case plummeted.
Caleb tucked his chin toward his chest and took a deep breath. Given a case of this visibility, the chief might assign a more experienced investigator in the morning. Any mistakes Caleb made would be blamed on his inexperience.
“I think we’re done, Jamison. Here’s the lady’s purse.” Nate Winslow, one of the techs, held out the handbag for him to take. “You can take a quick look before we head to the lab.”
Caleb put on a pair of gloves. He took the bag and ran his fingers over the outside of the purse before unzipping it. He looked inside and pulled the contents out one by one. “Nothing unusual. Two twenties, a tube of orange lipstick, credit card and ID.”
He jotted down the information from her driver’s license in his notebook. Renee Thomas, Wainwright Drive, Lincoln.
Caleb swept his fingers in the corners of the small handbag. Nothing lay hidden in its inner folds. After returning the contents to the purse, he handed it to the technician.
“Let me know if anything turns up.”
“Sure thing. See you back at the station.”
He slid his notebook into his inside jacket pocket. Why would anyone risk killing someone in a very public place like this? The killer either felt very confident or acted in the passion of a moment.
Whoever killed Ms. Thomas believed he wouldn’t be caught.
Dani had noticed he didn’t have a ring. Her blush had kept him from admitting he’d noticed the same about her. Her beauty had deepened since that summer when she was sixteen. She wore her hair in a layered cut and looked good. Real good. But she had an edge that hadn’t existed then. A feistiness that dared him to get near. Someday he’d tell her how much he regretted the way he’d acted. She’d deserved better, but he’d been so ashamed, he couldn’t face her again. In the years since, no one had ever measured up to her.
He shook his head and retrieved his notebook. Time to focus on the task. Interviews indicated that none of the theater-goers who’d contaminated the crime scene had seen or heard anything. The murderer could have been a ghost for all the clues retrieved from the scene. He hoped the crime scene technicians came up with something or the case would be nothing but dead ends.
Heavy footsteps reverberated off the marble floor. Caleb turned to see Officers Jack Denimore and Todd Westmont stride toward him. The two were the Lincoln Police Department’s odd couple. Denimore always saw an unsolvable crime, while Westmont’s natural optimism was an unusual feature in an investigator. The police had let most of the public leave after the manager announced there would be no second act. Few had volunteered to talk, and they’d retained only those who had entered the box.
“Jamison, I don’t think you’ll like what we learned.” Denimore’s haggard expression matched his message. The man looked older than his forty-two years. Caleb’s gut tightened.
“He meant he knows you won’t like it.” Westmont grinned at Denimore, and then turned to Caleb. “Nobody saw nothing. Nobody heard nothing. The interviews were a bust.”
Caleb rubbed his left temple, a vain attempt to slow the pounding that echoed his heartbeat. “Someone saw something. This murder did not happen in a vacuum. More than two thousand people attended the show.”
“True, but it happened in a packed theater with everybody focused on the kitty cats onstage. Who’s gonna watch the boxes?”
“And if anyone saw anything, they aren’t talking.” Denimore’s scowl deepened, which made his long face appear longer.
Caleb knew Westmont had a point. Most in the audience were honest bystanders who had seen nothing. As much as he hated it that was the reality. Caleb promised himself his first solo case would not become a cold file stuffed in some dank storage room. Each represented a family that waited endlessly for closure. Police might not have found the hit-and-run driver who killed his father, but he’d found a career. The same pain would not linger for this victim’s family.
“We know the basic information about her. Chase it down. Learn who she came to the theater with, and we’ll find a witness or her killer.” He hoped the trail led somewhere productive.
“And maybe the tooth fairy will put a dollar under my pillow tonight.”
“Come on, Denimore. You don’t want to lose more of your baby teeth. We’ll do this the old-fashioned way and wear out some shoe leather.” Westmont looked at Caleb and shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll chase down this lady at the station while we wait for forensics.”
As the three officers strode out the main doors of the theater, Denimore slowed his long stride at the sight of media vans collected along the edge of the parking lot. Grabbing Caleb by the collar, he hissed, “There’s your star witness.”
Caleb followed Denimore’s outstretched arm. Moonlight reflected off Dani’s blond hair as she leaned against a Jeep. She looked tired but gorgeous.
Westmont pointed him toward the cameras. “Ready to make a statement?”
With a tight shake of his head, Caleb scanned the assembled reporters, cameras and lights. He saw only piranhas who’d devour him alive. “Nobody tells you talking to the media is part of being an investigator.”
“That’s why you get paid the big bucks.”
Caleb grimaced. It was after ten-thirty, and he’d been up since 6:00 a.m. working another case. Fatigue washed over him. His mind slogged through quicksand as he considered what to say. He rolled his neck in an attempt to loosen the muscles and his growing headache. “Might as well get this over with.”
He stepped off the wide veranda and onto the stairs. The reporters shoved a forest of microphones in his face. Trapped, he planted his body.
“Tonight is too early in the investigation to comment. Expect a report on the status sometime tomorrow.” After a quick glance at his watch, he locked on Dani. “That’s all. Thank you.”
Westmont and Denimore stepped in front of him and pushed a path through the small crowd of cameras.
“Come on. Give us something we can use.” The assembled media’s audible groan followed him down the steps.
“You didn’t win any friends in the media with that long-winded speech.”
“That’s not my job, Denimore. All we know is a young woman named Renee Thomas was killed, probably strangled. We have to notify her relatives before we release details. See you back at the station.” Caleb got into his vehicle and sank into the seat. An edge of exhaustion crept over his body and into his mind.
Who was Renee Thomas? If he could answer that question, he’d be able to trace back to who killed her. He doubted she’d attended the theater alone, and Dani seemed to think she’d been waiting for her date. Figure out who’d accompanied Ms. Thomas and he’d have one suspect.
Dani stifled a yawn as she watched Logan pack the camera. The night had drained her more than the mini-marathon she’d completed a year earlier. She peeked in the window and noticed Aunt Jayne’s mouth open in sleep.
“Ready?” Logan’s voice penetrated her scattered thoughts.
“Yeah. Let’s get moving, so today can end. Since Andy wants a report for the morning show, I’ll head to the station after I get Aunt Jayne home.” She scanned the parking lot.
“Your aunt’s asleep. Let me give you a ride. Where are you parked?”
Dani rummaged through her handbag for the parking ticket and handed it to him.
“It’ll only take a minute to get there. Hop on in.”
She pulled herself into the Jeep and tossed her hair over her shoulder. Logan glanced at Tricia in the rearview mirror and smiled. Silence filled the van. Dani watched stores flash by until the parking garage came into view. “Thanks for the lift. Nice to see you again, Tricia.”
Logan slid the vehicle into park and waited while she climbed out.
“Be right back.” She looked around the outside of the garage for the stairwell on the first floor of the garage. Once she found the right floor, she couldn’t miss her bright red Mustang. Arrows pointed to a stairwell across the structure but no signs indicated an elevator. She groaned at the thought of the climb as her feet pinched in the too-tight shoes. Dani scrunched her nose against the odor of trash and too many unwashed bodies. One foot in front of the other, stair after stair. She stopped at the second floor to look for her car, the first words of her package playing in her mind. Tonight, a murder ruined intermission at the Lied Center for one patron. At this time, police have no suspects.
Reaching the third-floor stairwell, she walked through the door. Unbidden, her thoughts returned to the body in the box. Had the killer selected the victim at random? Could he have entered her own box and strangled her instead? Dani shuddered at the thought. Her breath came in gasps as she sucked in the stale air. The hair on the back of her neck prickled. She scanned the dim floor, looked over her shoulder for the gaze she felt. Nothing. She tried to laugh at her reaction but couldn’t find her voice.
“My imagination is running away with me.” Shadows shimmied across the empty garage’s floors and walls. She quickened her pace.
There. Dani flew to her car. She pulled open her purse. Dug for keys. She yanked them out. Punched the unlock button. She opened the door. Slid behind the wheel.
Inside the locked car, Dani leaned against the steering wheel and inhaled deeply. Closing her eyes, she put the key in the ignition and started the engine. She turned onto the second floor of the garage, and her headlights slid across a man standing by the stairwell door. Her heart skipped. She looked again. Was that the usher from the theater? Involuntarily she stepped on the brake. Watched him drop a cigarette on the pavement and then wipe a handkerchief across his forehead. Looking at her, he stepped on the butt and twisted it into the concrete. His gaze pierced her. Then he started toward her, hands fisted at his sides. She shook herself. Stepped on the gas. His face twisted into an angry scowl. He hit the hood of her car as she drove past.
The tires squealed as she raced around the corner and down the ramp. Why wait for her and then rush her car? Why hit it? Her mind raced to create an explanation.
She reached the exit kiosk and pulled behind Logan. Aunt Jayne eased into the passenger seat of the Mustang. Dani glanced in the rearview mirror but didn’t see the usher. Her heart rate calmed, and Dani headed toward Peaceful Estates. Nearly an hour later she pulled into the station parking lot.
She wobbled into the newsroom on the narrow spikes of her sling-back shoes and wished for her more comfortable pumps.
Catcalls laced the air as she headed toward her cubicle. She waved at Mark and Jon, the overnight production assistants. “Come on, y’all. You should have seen me before I left if you think this looks good.”
Dani joined Logan at his editing bay at the back of the cavernous room. She plopped onto a stool and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was almost midnight. “Let’s get this story together so we can get some sleep before we start all over again.”
Logan prepared the deck, and Dani walked into an adjoining sound booth. Her voice sounded as high-pitched to her ear as the first shocking time she’d taped a package. Stepping to the microphone, she ran a sound check. When Logan gave her the thumbs-up, she took a deep breath and voiced the story. This was what she loved about journalism. The pressure to perform. To tell a story without full information. Ad-libbing and making it sound polished. Tomorrow the research would kick in, but for now she’d finished her job.
Dani stepped out of the booth and looked at Logan. “Do you want me to pick the video?”
Logan rolled his eyes. “Who’s shot video in more countries than you’ve visited?”
“Well, I’ve never visited Yemen, but you’ve got a point. See you in the morning.” Dani limped toward the door and her car.
“I’ll work from home and come in around 11:00 a.m.”
She left the building and the image of a well-dressed woman leaning slightly off balance flashed through Dani’s mind. A woman who’d wanted to attend Cats and return home filled with the music of the show. Instead, her body was en route to the morgue, where a detached stranger would examine it for clues.
Questions raced through her mind. Did the woman know she would die? Had her murderer been a friend, someone she felt safe with? And most important, could Dani have stopped the killer?
FOUR
Silence filled the police station. Caleb stood and stretched. He glanced at his wristwatch and grimaced at the time. It was after three in the morning. Time to move or fall asleep at his desk. While he stared at a wall, a killer roamed.
Yesterday Renee was a twenty-four-year-old graduate student at the university. This morning her corpse rested on a stainless-steel gurney in the city morgue. When the registrar’s office opened, he’d send Denimore or Westmont down to learn more. Maybe a student or professor had developed an unhealthy interest in her.
She’d lived off campus, apparently by herself. After leaving the theater, he’d driven to her home, and nothing appeared unusual. Technicians were on-site collecting evidence. When they’d finished, he and a couple of officers would examine the house. While there, he’d get a feel for the victim and potential suspects.
Rikki Wilson, the energetic and petite night dispatcher, caught up to him as he headed toward the kitchenette for more coffee. She clucked her tongue. “You look awful. The captain’ll arrive in a few hours. Go home and get some sleep.”
“I don’t have time.” It took twenty minutes to drive from the station, time he didn’t have. His cabin near Branched Oak was the ideal retreat from homicides on those rare occasions he got time off, and a decent place to live the rest of the time. Unfortunately, tonight was neither of those.
“Then go to your sister’s or sleep on the conference-room couch. You aren’t doing the victim any good tired as you are.”
Her motherly advice resonated. If he showed up at this early hour of the morning, he’d scare Tricia to death. So long, soft guest bed. Hello, lumpy conference couch. “Wake me before day shift arrives.”
“Sure, honey.” The scanner screeched, and Rikki raced to her station.
Caleb pulled a pillow and blanket out of the cluttered closet and studied their rumpled state. When was the last time the pillowcase had seen a washing machine? The aura of dirty gym socks told him not lately. He knew he should care, but his tired body demanded rest over clean sheets. With a sigh, he lowered himself to the couch and shifted until the lumps aligned with his body. He willed his mind to release its questions and welcome sleep.
Thoughts of Dani drifted in. She’d looked real good tonight, but harder around the edges than the girl he remembered. How much of that had he caused? She’d been back in town for months, but he hadn’t exactly sought her out. His memories of her were tinged with a shadow of guilt. The kind that came from taking what wasn’t his.
He pulled the pillow on top of his head and groaned. Guess he wasn’t as free of the past as he’d imagined.
Dani sat in her car in the dark alley behind her home. The small Arts and Crafts home dated to the 1920s. She’d loved visiting when she stayed with Aunt Jayne each summer as a child.
Now an irrational fear pushed her deeper into the seat, and she searched her mind for anyone she could call or stay with. Most of her friends from those long-ago summer visits had moved on, and she hadn’t bothered to reconnect. Her job took up too much of her schedule to make building friendships easy. Her mind rebelled at the thought of calling Caleb. She could imagine the kind of comfort he’d force on her. That left everyone at work. Just the image she wanted them to have—Dani Richards, reporter extraordinaire, cowering at shadows.
She pushed the car door open and grabbed her briefcase from the passenger seat. She hauled herself from the vehicle, opened the picket-fence gate and wobbled up the back-porch steps with keys in hand. Tired, she fumbled with the lock.
As she entered the kitchen, peace settled on her. The home retained Aunt Jayne’s sweet spirit even though she no longer lived there. Dani kicked off her horrid heels, ready to pitch them in the trash can, and then threw her briefcase onto the island. She crossed the kitchen to the counter for a glass and filled it with water.
The questions and images of the night refused to leave her alone. She leaned against the sink and crossed her arms.
“So much for relaxing at the theater.” Who talked to themselves like this? She felt crazy, even though the silence cried for sound. “I need a cat. At least then I’ll have someone to talk to.” Dani reached around the refrigerator and flipped on the under-counter radio. Strains of classical music filled the air, bringing with it memories of evenings spent dancing with Caleb under the stars. One encounter with him, and he occupied her mind. She shook her head at her foolish heart.
She sipped the water as if it could wash the images away. Aunt Jayne had asked her to stay in the house and pay the utilities and routine upkeep expenses. The house had more room than she could afford on her salary, so she’d gladly accepted. Since she’d arrived, there’d been no time to unpack. That had to change. It was time to admit she was staying. She took her glass of water and headed for her room.
Upstairs, Dani slipped out of her black cocktail dress and into flannel pajamas. She slowly rubbed her feet and the bed with its fluffy pillows and warm comforter beckoned. With a sigh, she returned downstairs. She’d write down everything she’d seen and heard before she allowed herself to sleep. She turned up the soothing music until it filtered from the kitchen into the living room.
Dani slid down the wood floors to the living room. She avoided the prim Victorian couch and opted for the over-stuffed chair. She eased into its soft leather, and then tucked her feet underneath her. She grabbed a notepad. Her pen flew as she wrote down every detail including her impressions and guesses. Her mind raced through the events. By the time she finished, Dani felt energized again.
Sleep would be impossible. Since the rest of her books sat in boxes, she wandered over to Aunt Jayne’s bookshelves. She slid her fingers along the book spines. Nothing jumped out at her until she saw a Bible tucked on top. Dani couldn’t remember the last time she’d voluntarily held a Bible, but Aunt Jayne always valued hers. Maybe the poetry would calm her and help her sleep.
Dani retraced her steps to the chair and opened the book. Its well-worn pages automatically opened to the Book of Psalms. Running her finger down the page, she started to read Psalm 62.
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
The words and the image they conveyed enthralled her. Could He be trusted to be a fortress? After the night she’d lived through, a fortress sounded wonderful.
My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O People; pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge.
The passage sounded strange yet sweetly familiar. The image of a rock of refuge soothed her, pushing the slide show from the theater from her mind. She clutched the Bible as if it were a lifeline. No matter what she’d seen or the questions chasing her, He is my mighty rock, my refuge.
FIVE
“Hey, buddy. Wakey, wakey. It’s eight-fifteen, and the captain’ll catch you sleeping.”
Caleb rolled over with a groan. “What time?”
“8:15.”
“So much for Rikki waking me up.”
“Hey, that’s what partners are for.” Todd’s grin stretched even farther across his face.
“What do you mean ‘partners’?”
“Captain’s decided I get to babysit you.”
“Don’t I get a say?” Caleb forced a frown on his face.
“Nope. Donaldson’s on vacation, Frank got food poisoning last night and Williams is training at the State Patrol Academy. You’re stuck with me, buddy boy.”
Caleb stretched his arms toward the ceiling as he worked out the kinks. Eyeing Westmont’s bright eyes with jealousy, he muttered, “You must have gotten sleep.”
“Comfortable sleep. You need a place closer to town. Anything’s better than that couch.”
“This morning I agree with you, but lakeside living has its advantages.”
“I’m waiting to see ’em.” Todd hooked his thumbs on his belt loops. “Jack’s headed to campus to check with the registrar’s office.”
“All right. Let’s get to work and see if forensics has anything yet.”
Westmont studied him a moment before answering. “It’s too early for them to process much, but the techs’ll finish the house soon. Let’s call Ms. Richards and meet her on the way. I want to hear her story myself.”
A trilling sound echoed from the end of a long tunnel. Its persistent ring tugged Dani from a dream. One filled with the image of a twisted scarf. The trill drilled into Dani’s head.
Opening her eyes, she realized she’d slept curled in the oversize chair. She shifted, and a book fell to the floor. Aunt Jayne’s Bible. She must have fallen asleep reading it. Despite all that had happened, she’d managed a few hours’ sleep. Maybe there was something to the Bible and the God behind it.
As the phone continued to ring, she grabbed the cordless handset from the end table.
“Hello?” Her voice croaked in the stillness.
“Dani Richards, please.”
She struggled to place the voice, and cleared her throat. “Yes.”
“This is Caleb.” At the sound of his tired voice, she tried to sit up despite the blanket tangled around her legs.
“Sounds like you got less sleep than I did.”
A sigh echoed across the line. “Probably. I need to ask you a few more questions about last night. Can we get together this morning?”
Nothing on her calendar sounded worse than starting a day with Caleb. To get to the precinct and on to Channel 17 by her eleven-o’clock meeting, she’d have to run. “It’ll be tough to squeeze in.”
“I could meet you somewhere other than the police station.”
“My office won’t work. Once I’m there, I’m at the mercy of the assignment editor. Maybe I could meet you at the precinct at ten.” She looked at the clock and winced. Even if she flew, it wouldn’t be possible. “No. Just come to Aunt Jayne’s house in forty minutes. I won’t have long, but I guess I can answer some questions.”
“We’ll be there.”
Thirty-eight minutes later, a knock sounded. Dani applied the final touches of blush to her cheeks with shaking hands. The thought of Caleb in her house caused her stomach to lurch and made her feet want to bolt. She hesitated as long as possible before opening the door. Caleb looked weighed down, with bags under his eyes. The man next to him had copper hair and a grin that prompted her to smile in response.
“Good morning. Come in.” She stepped back to allow them to enter.
Caleb pushed from the doorpost and walked in. “This is my partner, Officer Todd Westmont. You probably saw him last night.”
Dani shook her head. “No. It’s nice to meet you, Officer Westmont. Would either of you like coffee? I have a fresh pot.”
Caleb nodded. “Sounds great. Black’s fine.”
She led them to the kitchen. “Have a seat at the island. Anything for you, Officer?”
“No, thanks.”
She poured two cups and handed one to Caleb. “How can I help?” She pulled a stool around the island and took a seat.
“We wanted to review a couple things with you.” Caleb pulled a notebook from his jacket pocket. It looked like the same jacket he’d worn the previous night. “You knew the victim?”
“Not really. I interviewed her about a week ago for a report on food safety. It was hard to understand the topic, but she loved her research.”
Officer Westmont leaned his large frame on the island. “Mind telling me what you saw?”
“I entered her box when Aunt Jayne wandered in before the show. At intermission I remembered who she was, and looked in to say ‘Hi.’ It wasn’t until I faced her that I realized she was dead.”
The officers reviewed the details with her, but she couldn’t add anything to what she’d told Caleb the previous night. “I wish I had more to tell you, but I didn’t see or hear anything.” Dani paused and poured more cream into her coffee. As she watched the coffee and cream swirl together, she searched her thoughts. “She must have struggled, but I was focused on the stage. Cats isn’t exactly a quiet musical.”
She lifted her chin and met Officer Westmont’s questioning gaze. “After I talked to you, I think I saw the usher in the parking garage. A man waited on the second floor and tried to stop the car.” Dani searched for the right words to describe his behavior. “I felt like someone watched me on the second floor, and he seemed so angry. And almost frantic. I don’t know why.”
Caleb considered her, and she fought the warming sensation that spread across her. “We’ll try to find him. It would help if you could tell us anything else about him.”
Dani lifted her chin. “Sorry, he didn’t volunteer his name, and I was focused on the dead body.”
“We don’t have much to go on.”
“Fine. I’ll find him.”
“That isn’t your job. Leave that to the police.”
Dani gritted her teeth. Caleb wasn’t the only one with investigative skills. She vowed to find out more about the usher before the police did.
He rolled his eyes. “I see you’re still stubborn. Who did you talk to about the murder?”
“Andy Garrison, a producer at the station, and Logan Collins, the photographer with me.” Dani looked at her watch, ready to end the conversation. “I have to leave now to get to work.”
Both men pushed back from the island and stood. Caleb reached into a pocket and pulled out a card. He handed it to her. “My cell’s on the back. Call if you remember anything.”
Ten minutes after their departure, Dani pulled into the station parking lot and scrambled out of her car. With a quick hello to the receptionist, she raced through the lobby and into the newsroom.
The studio and advertising offices dominated the station, leaving a large room filled with cubicles for the news team. Dani entered the cavern and absorbed the chaos as the familiar insanity calmed her.
The assignment editor sat at the front surrounded by white-boards showing three days’ worth of assignments. As she walked to her cubicle, the day assignment editor’s shout followed her. “I need to talk about your assignment.”
Vic Davis juggled the phone and scanners like a pro, but Dani never found herself on his good side.
“Kate wants you on the theater-killing story.” He grunted out the words.
She flashed her best Katie Couric smile at him. “That’s why I’m here.”
His dour expression deflected her smile. “Play things up with the police.” With that, Vic returned to his kingdom and its telephone chime.
They needed to get rolling on the story. Dani glanced around the newsroom for Logan. Kate Johannson, the tiny news director with a nose for what viewers wanted, waved Dani to her office.
Logan reclined on the love seat in the office. “You’re slow this morning.”
“I’m here now. I’ve already talked to the police this morning.”
Kate settled in behind her desk. “Today you’re slated for live shots on the 5:30 and 10:00 p.m. shows, as well as shorter packages during the other newscasts. The noon show is covered. I want you to figure out who the victim is so we can tell her story today.”
“We already know her name. I interviewed her last week. Haven’t the police released her identity?” Dani looked from Logan to Kate, brow wrinkled.
“They haven’t said anything.” Kate crossed her arms, and let silence linger.
“Kate, her name is…Renee Thomas, though I need to verify it.”
“Do it and get the name in a story. Don’t stand there like a decoration.”
Dani pirouetted on her pointed heel and left Kate’s office. Logan stood at an edit bay, arms crossed. She quickened her pace, oblivious to the clatter of noise in the background.
“Ready to get to work?”
“You can’t release the name, Dani.”
Dani opened her mouth to argue back. “Why? Trying to do my job, too? Who do you think you are?” With each syllable her voice rose. She was moments from losing control in front of her colleagues. She spun away from Logan. “Outside…now.”
Reaching the exit, she pounded on the release bar. With a satisfying thud the lock released and the door flew open. Blinking in the bright sunlight, she stepped past the doorway. A shadow grazed her when Logan joined her in the parking lot.
“Logan, you are the best photographer I’ve worked with, but you are not a reporter. That’s my job.”
Logan stepped out of the doorway. “You’ve known Caleb as long as I have. You’re making a mistake if you release the victim’s name before he releases the information.”
“He never asked me to hold it back. It won’t hurt anybody unless she has a secret life.” Nervous energy propelled Dani back and forth in the parking lot. “This is my story. I found the body, and I knew Renee. I owe it to her and the station to get this right. This is our break. We have a window when we know something no one else does. We’ll make the most of it.”
His brows knit together, and he remained silent.
“Unless you give me a good reason, I’m running with it. If you won’t help, I’ll get a photographer who will.” Dani winced. The words sounded more threatening than she’d intended.
Logan nodded. “All right. Let’s get to work.”
“Grab your equipment and meet me at my desk.”
Logan returned to the editing bays on the inside wall of the newsroom as Dani charged to her cubicle. Half of the cubes were empty. With five shows scattered across the day, the reporters and anchors rarely overlapped. That happened on exceptional days like 9/11 or the launch of a war.
Dani grabbed a notepad from the pile that teetered on the edge of her desk. Logan pulled a chair around and straddled it.
Before Dani could open her mouth, Kate approached. “Glad to see you two made up. Dani, track down everything you can about the victim. We need more than her name by five-thirty. I want her to come alive. Logan, have your buddy at the police station confirm her name. Isn’t he in charge of this investigation?” As Logan nodded, Kate glanced at her Rolex. “We’ve got fifteen minutes to airtime. Dani, you’ll do an on-set report.”
Adrenaline surged through Dani at the new deadline as she watched Kate storm back to her office. “There went my five hours to prepare. Is she always this intense?”
“Only when the story’s big, and we have an edge. I’ll call Caleb.”
“Wait.” Dani turned to her open notepad. The victim’s name wasn’t enough to fill a report in fifteen minutes. And she couldn’t release the name without confirmation. “Can you find the tape of our interview with Renee? From last week?”
Logan nodded. “I’m on it.”
He sprinted toward the tape room. Dani crossed her fingers. This had to work or her silence was all that’d fill the air during the newscast.
She quickly outlined talking points and uploaded them on the network. The producer would call them up for Dani to ad-lib from when Rochelle tossed the newscast to her.
That taken care of, Dani typed Renee Thomas and Lincoln into a search engine. Five hundred results. She hoped a handful highlighted her Renee Thomas but would settle for one.
Glancing at her watch, she put her computer in hibernate mode, grabbed her jacket and hustled to the studio for the noon newscast. She hurried to the mounted mirror and counter inside the door to touch up her makeup. Unlike her time in St. Louis, here she had to apply her own. She topped it all off with a coat of powder and walked to the side where the director could signal her to join the anchors.
She resisted the urge to rock on her heels as she waited. Each sound echoed off the studio’s concrete floor, and the sensitive microphones the anchors wore picked up everything. Would Logan find the interview tape? The floor director flashed a hand signal. She had thirty seconds to get seated and micced. She slid an earpiece on and heard Tori talking to an assistant producer.
Dani cut in. “Tori, did Logan get you the tape?”
“Not yet. He’s trying to cue it up.”
“I need it now.”
“Do what you’re paid to do. Ad-lib.”
Dani painted a smile on her face and faced a camera as the package wrapped up. Without the video confirmation she had nothing to report. Logan entered the studio. She quirked an eyebrow at him, and he shook his head.
Rochelle Nicholson raised a perfectly waxed eyebrow and looked at Dani. “Dani Richards joins us on set with the latest on last night’s murder at the Lied Center. Dani.”
Dani smiled at Rochelle. Taking a deep breath, she turned to camera two. She imagined Aunt Jayne on the other side of the lens. “Last night, a university graduate student was murdered during act 1 of Cats.” She filled in the few details that she could, before turning back to the anchor. “Rochelle, police ask that anyone having any information about this crime call the CrimeWatchers’ hotline.”
“Thanks, Dani. When we return, Mike will fill us in on the weekend weather.”
A commercial filled the air, and Dani slipped off the microphone. She left the studio and ran headlong into Kate Johannson.
“Miss Richards. Please come to my office for a moment.” Underneath her calm demeanor, a bright red climbed Kate’s neck.
Dani braced herself for a torrent of words. Kate liked to pull staff into her office and berate them.
“I expected more in your report. Didn’t you forget something?”
“No. I reported everything I could without outside confirmation. We raced to confirm the victim’s name but couldn’t. Logan and I will find that tape.”
“The police haven’t denied her name, right?”
Dani nodded.
“You blew an opportunity—one delivered on a platter. Get your confirmation, or I’ll run her name and this will no longer be your story.”
SIX
Caleb pulled up to the victim’s house and parked behind the crime scene van. His contacts scratched his dry eyes, but his glasses sat at his cabin. He and Dani had spent a summer racing around the lake on his Jet Ski. The innocent sparkle and joy that had filled her eyes had disappeared. How much of that came from her job that forced her to see too much darkness? That aspect paralleled his career. Could they build something from the ruins of the past? He wanted the answer to be yes, but ten years ago Dani refused to see him after the night he’d pushed things too far. Based on her reaction during the last twenty-four hours that hadn’t changed.
The deep rattle of a vehicle that could only be Westmont’s caught his attention and pulled him from the past. The engine quieted down with a last hiccup.
“Sounds even worse than last week.” Caleb walked toward the car with a grin. He tapped the hood and watched Westmont leap from the car.
“Careful.” Westmont’s expression flashed pain. “The mechanics only made her worse.”
“That’s possible?”
A screen door slammed, and Caleb looked up to see the techs exit the house. Now he could walk through the rooms, and if lucky, learn something about Renee Thomas’s killer.
Caleb deposited his empty cup inside his car and started up the sidewalk. Westmont caught up as they flashed their badges to the officer posted at the door.
Renee’s bungalow was built in the 1930s. The tiny porch contained a single plastic chair which one stiff Nebraska wind would blow across the yard like a tumbleweed. From the front door, Caleb could see through to the back door. No photos or prints hung on the bland beige walls. She’d expended no effort to make the house a home. Either she rented or lacked the interest to decorate.
The office filled with bookshelves, file cabinets and an overflowing desk beckoned him from the right of the entry way. A bonanza of personal information waited. “I’ll start here.”
“Glad to leave you the paper. Can’t stand the paper cuts. I’ll check her bedroom.” Westmont disappeared down the hallway.
Caleb pulled on a pair of gloves and opened drawers and rifled papers. The drawers contained a haphazard assortment of bills and advertisements shoved on top of pens, notepads and stamps. How had she located anything in that jumble?
He pulled open the file cabinet. Cleanly labeled folders lined the first drawer in contrast to the messy desk. Satellite. Phone. Credit Cards. He pulled those files out.
Next, he grabbed a file labeled House and opened it.
The file contained a copy of the recorded deed, purchase agreement and her real estate taxes. He didn’t know many graduate students who owned houses, even small ones. Maybe a wealthy uncle or grandpa had helped her.
The doorbell rang. The officer standing guard should intercept the visitor. When the doorbell rang again, Caleb craned his neck to see who stood on the porch. The angle was all wrong and none of the vehicles on the street looked familiar.
The doorbell rang a third time, and Westmont strode down the hallway.
Caleb waved him into position behind the door. “Coming.”
“Five bucks says media’s on the other side.”
Caleb raised his eye to the peephole. With a flourish he opened the door. “Dani Richards.”
“Hello, Caleb.” She smiled up at him with a lovely sparkle in her eyes and stepped closer. “I wondered if I could look around since the crime scene guys are gone. Hmm. She didn’t decorate much.”
Caleb stifled a grin at the cute way she tried to slip past him. He had to hand it to her. The woman had gumption. “You know I can’t do that, Dani.”
“I found the victim. Doesn’t that earn me one look?” She flashed a flirtatious smile that he soaked in for a moment. She must really want to see what was inside to try to blind him with the charm that had been absent the day before.
“I wish I could, but I’d violate all kinds of procedure. Can’t let you disturb evidence.”
“I only want to look around. I didn’t even bring a camera.”
“Nope. Can’t do it. I’d be happy to walk you to your car though.” Caleb eased out the door and closed it behind him.
Dani’s smile turned into an expression that could freeze a lake in an instant. “You won’t help.”
“Not today.”
“Thanks a lot.” Her eyes sparked at him as she spit the words out. “Don’t bother walking me to my car.”
Caleb watched until Dani’s car pulled onto the street. He shook his head at her antics. Dani reminded him a lot of his sister, and he couldn’t give that compliment to many women. Too bad she’d hate him for the rest of her life. Where had the officer gone? If disappearing on the job was a regular practice, he’d stay a junior officer for the rest of his career.
“Westmont, any idea where our guard went?”
“Nope. I’ll check out back. I bet he’s stretching his legs.”
“Thanks.” Caleb returned to the House file. He scanned the deed and stopped cold. He reread the document. Phil Baker. Evening anchor at Channel 17. Dani Richards’s station. Did she know the connection?
He set the deed aside for Westmont.
The purchase agreement came next. Caleb’s jaw dropped when he saw the price. Renee brought the house from Phil Baker two months earlier for twenty-five thousand dollars. He wasn’t a real estate agent, but the house could sell for a hundred and twenty-five thousand more. Caleb jotted down questions he wanted to ask Mr. Baker, like why he sold the house for a song.
Binders labeled Research stood on their sides in the bottom drawer. The well-organized volumes looked to contain notes about her university projects. He’d assign those beasts to someone else.
He closed the file drawer. Bookshelves sagged under the weight of textbooks, an eclectic mix of science and psychology. She’d won a fellowship to the University of Nebraska. Maybe the fellowship had conditions attached to it.
The floor squeaked, and Caleb turned from the bookshelves.
“Johnson’s back out front.” Westmont pulled a small porcelain picture frame from his jacket pocket. “Recognize this guy?”
Caleb took the frame and examined the picture. Renee at a football game with her arm wrapped around a man most in the city recognized. “Phil Baker. Ties into what I wanted to show you. He sold Miss Thomas this house far under market value two months ago.” Caleb flipped the folder to Westmont.
“I can’t tell for sure from the photo, but it looks like they were good friends. If he sold this house on the cheap, it makes me think they were more.”
“I agree. We’ll question him about this. What else did you find?”
“Only what I expect to see in a lady’s bathroom and bedroom. She lived alone. I didn’t see doubles of anything to suggest a frequent guest.”
Caleb looked around the office while he considered their next step. “I’ve searched the files. Did anything clue you into who she went to the theater with last night? Maybe a letter with her ticket?”
“Nada. She has a paperless bedroom. Not even a book on the bedside table.” Westmont nodded at the sagging bookshelves. “She kept ’em all here.”
“Let’s search the living room and kitchen before we head back. Maybe we’ll find something—information about a car, or a calendar.”
Caleb walked through the kitchen. It was as bare of personal details as the other rooms. A tiny table perched against a wall with two folding chairs tucked under it. The small window above the sink had no curtains. Opening the refrigerator door, he saw an impressive collection of condiments but little else. He didn’t know if a woman could live on ketchup and dressing alone, but she’d tried.
Turning his back on the kitchen, he wandered into the living room. Who were you, Renee Thomas? And why is your house so empty of personality?
Caleb watched Westmont remove each cushion from the couch to examine underneath them. “Find anything?”
“Nope, just a few quarters.” Westmont flipped the final cushion in place.
Caleb grabbed a couple boxes from the office doorway. “Let’s head back.”
When he reached the station, he went straight to the conference room with the boxes.
Had the chaplain’s office contacted Renee’s family yet? If so, the chief could release her name. If not, they’d wait. The worst experience of his life had occurred when he learned from an impersonal television that his father had died. He wanted to spare her family that.
Caleb had commandeered the conference room for the investigation. Fortunately, Lincoln had little violent crime, so the extra space was his until the case cleared.
“Jamison, you’d better get over here.”
“What?” Caleb stuck his head above the dividers and searched for the voice.
“Over here. I’m in the break room. You’ll want to see this.” Caleb recognized Officer Chapman’s voice.
As Caleb walked into the break room, his eyes glanced at the television sitting in the corner. A banner marched across the bottom of its twenty-seven-inch screen. “Renee Thomas, identified as woman murdered at Lied Center. More at five.”
He closed his eyes. Opened them to the same words. His jaw clenched. Who released her name? Dani?
SEVEN
Dani fumed at the appearance of a police car behind her as she raced to campus. She eased off the gas. A delay and ticket were the last things she needed. She’d wasted time driving to the Thomas home only to blow her opportunity.
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