“The police station?” Declan froze from reaching for a bottle opener. “What the hell’s goingon?”
“You know I was supposed to meet Marcus Levin the other night—last night, it was. He’d agreed to give me an endorsement for the Wicks Hollow Straw Lager, and I was going to get it on video, and buy him dinner, and allthat.”
“Right. And congrats, by the way. That’s really going to help the stuff sell even better thanbefore.”
“Yeah, well…it’s not quite going to work out that way.” Baxter looked at the beer he’d opened but hadn’t touched, as if he’d never seen it before, then put it aside. Declan thought he was looking a little gray under his dark skin. “He called to reschedule and we set it up for tonightinstead.”
“So what happened? He stand you up? Change hismind?”
“No. I found him. With his head bashedin.”
Declan gaped, setting his bottle on the table next to him without even looking. “Are you telling me youfoundMarcus Levin’s dead body andhe wasmurdered?”
“That’s what I’m telling you. With a five iron. His five iron, Isuppose.”
“Where?Where did you find him?” And Declan thoughthewas having a bad day. “When?”
“At the high school, up by the football stadium. We were going to meet there so I could do the video in the press box, you know, with the football field down below—for atmosphere. Like he was casting a game, but instead he was talking about Wicks Hollow Straw. Man, you gotta wonder if it coulda been me too if I’d been with him.” Baxtershuddered.
“You mean he was killedat the high school?” Declan went cold and still. Stephanie had been there just a few hours earlier. “Where? When? Weren’t there peoplearound?”
Stephanie had been on the same grounds as amurderer.
That realization was sinking in like a heavy lead ball melting into his consciousness. He stood, his fingers shaking a little, and pulled the phone out of his pocket. He’d text her to make sure she was allright.
“It was in the back behind the bleachers—in the coaches’ parking lot up near the locker room. Not a well-traveled area on a night when there’s no football game. I doubt anyone was around, and one of the floodlights was outtoo.”
Declan had calmed down slightly by now. After all, Stephanie had been with the entire pom team, plus the football team, the cheerleaders and the marching band, boarding buses for the away game by four-thirty…and surely if something had happened toanyone, he’d know by now. It was after ten o’clock, so the game they were at was probably in the fourth quarter, if not alreadyover.
“When did you find him?” he asked again, still watching the phone for a text from his daughter. Or anyone else who might care to contact him. Not that he was expecting or wanting anyoneto.
Declan went a little colder. Leslie’s house wasn’t that far from the high school. Just through the woods and up the hill… He swallowed hard.Good God, I hope she remembered to lock the door like I toldher.
He looked at his phone. Maybe he should text and see if she was all right. Let her know. He hesitated, and realized Baxter was stillspeaking.
“Eight-thirty. A little before eight-thirty I found him. Looked like he hadn’t been there all that long, either. I mean…I went over to him and touched his hand—you know, just to make sure—and it was warm. And…and the blood was still—” Baxter’s expression changed and he gave a weird swallow—like he’d thrown up a little in hismouth.
“Christ,” Declan said, shaking his head. “Who’d have wanted to do something like that? I mean, was it random or was it because he was Marcus Levin? Did the police say anything? Did it look like he’d been robbed orcarjacked?”
“No. His car was there, and so were the golf clubs in the back seat. And you know Joe Cap—always pretty solid but keeps it close to the vest. I mean, Helga van Hest was the one who came out when I called it in—let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty knowing I’d just puked in the bushes, and then here comes that Dutch Amazon, standing there with her handcuffs and sidearm looking at me like I was a pathetic fool.” Bax laughed uneasily. “First dead body I ever saw. And there was alotof blood. Plus his skull was…crunched.” He shuddered and looked at his beer as if deciding whether he was brave enough to take aswig.
Apparently he wasn’t, because he kept talking instead. “Anyhow, Joe Cap showed up not long after and took over, of course—and he wasn’t going to tell me much, though he asked a lot of questions. As for whether it was random or not…I dunno. Levin’s kind of—orwaskind of—a celebrity, being a news anchor and all, but he’s—was—pretty much a real prick. Real full of himself because he played for the NFL till he torqued up his knee. Now he’s on TV. Could be anyone who got tired of his bullshit, youknow?”
“Right. Wow. I can’t believe we were just sitting in the press box with him at the game the other night, and now he’s murdered.” Declan sobered even more. He’d never known anyone, even distantly, who’d been killed. It kind of put life into perspective with a large, sharpjolt.
“I know.” Baxter looked at his untouched beer and let it be. He clearly wasn’t in the mood to taste it. “I called the editor of the paper and told him I’d get him the story by midnight. Talk about an eyewitness. It sure as hell won’t take me long to write it—I don’t have to interview anyone about the crime scene.” He laughed hollowly. “Lucky me. I think that image’s gonna be haunting my nightmares for awhile.”
Declan grimaced, then sipped his beer. It didn’t taste very good to him either, so he set it down. Just then, his phone lit up and began toring.
Not who he was expecting, or even hoping for. “Sorry, bud, but I’m going to take this—it’s my cousin Teddy finally calling me back.” He answered, “Geez, nice of you to find the time for the little people,Teddy.”
Teddy Mack, akaNew York Timesand international mega-bestselling author T. J. Mack, laughed over the line. “Sorry, Dec—I was in Frankfurt and London, and it’s ridiculous to call back home on my cell. I tried to text you but I don’t think it went through. But I’m back Statesidenow.”
“London, huh? What were you doing there? Booktour?”
“Meeting with my UK publisher, and before that I was in Frankfurt for the big bookfair.”
“What a life,” Declan said, sinking back into his club chair and not feeling one iota of envy. Not even a twinge, except… “How’s it going with that guy you were seeing?” Last he’d heard, things had been very hot and heavy—and very happy—for hiscousin.
