TALKING TO THE REALTOR DIDN’Tturn up any new leads. Becker Philips didn’t know anything other than Thom Renzo had agreed to give Maegan first crack at the items in the house. He had set up an appointment through Becker then canceled suddenly the night they were to meet. He did agree that it was odd that Thom contacted Maegan directly by email instead of going through him again. I thought it was odd that Thom had Maegan’s email until I saw it listed on her website beneath the contact information. Becker didn’t know anything about the meeting Thom had set up last minute on Friday, which made me think that those items in the trunk belonged to ourvictimand he planned to use them on Maegan.
My body went hot and cold and I felt physically ill. I was cold from fear and hot with the flush of someone who was about to lose their breakfast. I closed my eyes and focused on the smile on Maegan’s face that morning when she woke up and found me watching her sleep like a creeper. I held onto the look of surprise on her face after I kissed her forehead in front of her friends, brother, and everyone else inside Books and Brew. Maegan was okay, she was safe, and she would remain that way.
I went through the motions of shaking Becker’s hand and thanking him for his assistance before I headed for the door. I heard Adrian ask the man to call either of us if he thought of something new that might help.
I stood out on the sidewalk in front of the man’s business to wait for Adrian. Usually, I would’ve hauled ass to get out of the cold, but it actually felt good against my flushed face. I tilted my head up and embraced the chilly air that matched the icy tentacles of fear wrapped around my heart.
“We have a lot of time to kill before we meet with Homer Stillwater. Let’s say we get back to the station and make some calls to the Kentucky State Police and make arrangements to search Thom Renzo’s residence and speak with his co-workers at his place of employment tomorrow,” I told my partner.
“Working with other jurisdictions can be tough, but we’ve been really lucky in the past. Let’s hope for the best and see what happens,” Adrian replied.
We were still twenty minutes outside of town when dispatch called and told me that Maegan had been contacted by our prime suspect. They told me that Officer Kasey responded to the call and would contact me when she had additional information.
“Fuck that,” I had said after disconnecting the call. “I’m not waiting.”
I had dialed Kasey’s phone and she answered right away. She assured me that Maegan was fine and explained that she was currently writing down everything our suspect said while it was fresh in her mind.
Even though I didn’t know Officer Kasey well, I trusted her. She was smart, capable, and dedicated to her job. She told me she had it under control and I believed her. Therefore, I didn’t ask Adrian to flip on the lights and sirens.
By the time we reached Books and Brew, Kasey was wrapping up her interview and deflecting questions that Maegan had about the evidence we found inside Renzo’s trunk. How the hell did she even know to ask that? Kasey fielded that like a pro, but I bet Jones would’ve told her everything her pretty heart desired.
“Ah, Detective,” Kasey said. “Perfect timing.”
“Yes,” Maegan said agreeably. “Marley didn’t want to tell me about the evidence you found in Renzo’s trunk. My caller said that she saved me. What did she mean by that, Elijah?”
“She?” I asked. “Our killer is a woman?”
“It’s a theory,” Kasey said. “Hear her out and tell us what you think.”
I listened as Maegan recounted the conversation word for word. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the highs and lows of the caller’s voice, which probably wasn’t easy since it was distorted.
“Elijah, I know killing someone is typically considered a personal thing, but this seems… more. She feels like she did the world a favor. I’m afraid what you’re going to find when you dig deeper into Thom’s background. I’m scared about how close I came to being a victim of something horrible. It was really bad, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” I said tersely. “I can’t divulge the contents of the trunk, but I will confirm that there’s a high probability that Thom Renzo had no intentions of letting you sort through the junk in the cellar.”
“It’s not junk,” Maegan said, hands on her hips in irritation. I just confirmed her fears and she chose to get mad about my junk reference. Or was she using that as an outlet for the riotous emotions coursing through her body? She grabbed onto any emotion that alleviated the fear; that’s what I would’ve done in her place.
“You’re right, Freckles. I’m sorry.” I wasn’t about to argue with her when I had healthier ways to help her work through her frustration and fear.
“I agree that the killer’s statement indicates a passionate dislike of Thom Renzo and doesn’t appear to have anything to do with the Bliss property. I’m still not sure why you think you were talking to a woman. I’m fully aware that women are capable of committing murder, but statistics are still in favor of men committing violent crimes.”
“Nothing about the crime rules out a woman,” Kasey pointed out. “Nothing about the murder required brute force or extraordinary strength. It seems like a well-planned, clean execution.”
“Except it wasn’t well-planned because Renzo’s call to Maegan was out of the blue,” I challenged.
“It was out of the blue for Maegan, but that doesn’t mean it was that way for Renzo,” Kasey countered. “He could’ve planned it all along.”
“You make a very valid point,” I told Kasey. My gears started grinding again, and I knew the rest of our conversation needed to occur in the privacy of the police station. “Can you guys give me a few minutes alone with Maegan?” I asked Adrian and Kasey.
“Sure,” they both said.
I leaned my back against the counter, placed my hands on Maegan’s hips, and pulled her toward me. “Listen, Freckles, I’m not deliberately keeping you in the dark. Please tell me you know that.”
“I do, Elijah. I don’t like it, but I respect it.” She smiled at me, but I noticed that it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
I raised a hand and cupped her face. I breathed easier when she leaned into my touch, but refused to think about why it mattered so much to me. It just did. I would make time to evaluate what the hell I wanted to happen between us later when I knew that all threats to her were eliminated.
“I need to head back to the station to make some calls, but I still plan on being here after you close. Maybe you are out of the woods, but I’m not willing to take that chance.”
