“We’ll have to check into the landowner’s identity,” Adrian said, his voice lowering as we crept closer to the dilapidated barn. “See if there’s a connection to the Renzo family.”
“Thom’s killer has to be familiar with this area,” I told my partner. “How else did he know about this barn?”
“We’ll find out when we catch him,” Adrian replied.
“Hold up, everyone,” I called out. “The trunk is slightly ajar.” I circled around to the back of the vehicle and verified that the license plates and description of the car matched the information we pulled from Kentucky’s Department of Motor Vehicles. “This is definitely Renzo’s car.” A few officers approached the car and aimed their guns at the trunk while others checked the front and interior of the car to look for anything that could put our lives in jeopardy.
“Count of three, I want you to open the trunk,” Adrian said. I cracked a smile when I recalled the well-known banter between Riggs and Murtaugh when it came to counting down.
“On three or after three?” I asked Adrian.
His lips curled into a half-smile. “One, two, three, then open it. Otherwise, it’s really only a count of two.” I heard the captain snort from his position.
“Got it. Ready.” I kept my gun aimed at the vehicle with my right hand as I reached for the trunk lid with my left.
“Three, two….”
“Hold up! I thought you were counting to three,” Dorchester said. “That’s counting down from three. Which is it?”
“Counting down I guess,Lieutenant.”
“So, does he open on one or after one?”
“Three, two, one, then he opens the lid.”
“It’s a good damned thing there’s not someone waiting to jump out at us or,” Jones said.
“They would’ve fallen asleep from boredom,” Kasey added.
“Oh, fuck it!” I reached for the lid and jerked it open. Luckily, nothing exploded and no one opened fire on us. That was the end of the good news, because I knew whatever was in the black duffle bag was going to be really bad. I unzipped the bag and opened it.
Adrian whistled between his teeth as he returned his gun to his harness. “Whoa, partner. What the hell do we have here?”
“Nothing good,” I replied, looking at the rope, duct tape, a wicked-looking knife, chloroform, and a roll of black trash bags inside the trunk. My stomach pitched and rolled, threatening to reject the dinner I had shared with Maegan. Those were items I would associate with someone who planned to kidnap someone and do God knows what to them. Who were they intended for? Fuck! I didn’t want to evaluatethatpossibility. “The question is: do they belong to Renzo or his killer?”
“We’ll have to see if we can lift some prints for testing. It’s a good thing you know someone in the state lab that can help us process them quicker.”
“I didn’t promise that,” I clarified. “I said I would try.”
“I think you insinuated that you’d get it done.”
“I don’t think we’re recalling the same conversation,” I told Adrian as we moved out of the way so the lab guys could move in to do their thing. “We’re going to want to haul that car back to a secure location so we can check out the interior thoroughly.”
“If that stuff belonged to Renzo, do you suppose he intended to use it on Maegan?”
“Jesus, I hope not,” I said, but the sickening feeling from earlier had only intensified. “I can’t help but think that it was though. Damn, Adrian, I’m starting to think the person who killed Thom did us a big favor.” I’m not embarrassed to admit that my hands shook when I pulled my phone out of my pocket.
I tapped out a quick message to Maegan to let her know I was okay. I saw the worry in her eyes when she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me goodbye in Adrian and Sally Ann’s living room. Sally Ann had wrapped her arm around Maegan’s shoulder and guided her to the couch. I realized then that she was in the best possible company under the circumstances.
Thank you for telling me. I hope to see you soon.Maegan’s response came back fast, making me think she was watching her phone for word from me. The idea warmed the terror that had gripped my heart with its icy fingers, but it didn’t thaw it entirely. I had no idea who those tools of terror belonged to and zero confidence that Maegan was completely out of the woods.
“Let’s get this scene processed so we can get back to the girls,” I said.
“Sally Ann knows how to defend herself and Maegan,” Adrian told me. While I was glad to hear that, I hated that it was necessary.
The initial search of the interior didn’t turn up much, but there was a bloody stain on the passenger seat of the car. It wasn’t enough blood to signal a crime had been committed in the car; it appeared to be more from a transfer off a bloody object.
“I bet that’s from the marble bust. I bet we’ll match that blood to Renzo’s.”
