“You got a point.” He jerked his head toward the alley. “Let’s go.”
When they entered the passageway, Raven saw Teddy dashing into the darkness. She slipped her hand in Muerto’s. “It’s so damn dark,” she whispered. Taking a small flashlight from his cut, he switched it on and shined it down the alley. She saw Teddy lying down on the pavement, his whines echoing.
As they came closer, she saw a body on the ground. “Oh my God! I’m sure it’s Mrs. Kilpatrick. Shehasfallen.”
“Stay back.” Muerto went up to the body and bent down. “It’s an older woman.”
“Is she conscious? Should I call for an ambulance?”
Standing up, he held her gaze. “Call 911. The old lady’s dead.”
The words stabbed her like jagged glass. “Dead? Did she have a heart attack? How do you know?”
He came over to her and embraced her tightly. “She’s been murdered,” he said softly, as if that would lighten the blow.
“How can that be? What was she doing in the alley? Who would do this to a nice lady like Mrs. Kilpatrick?” Tears stung her eyes.
Muerto took her phone and handed it to her. “Call 911.”
Fifteen minutes later, sirens filled the alley. In the darkness, the red and blue flashing lights bounced off the faces of the cops and paramedics, making them look grotesque and eerie. Raven had never seen a dead body before, let alone one that had been badly beaten. Her dad had told her that she’d been at her mother’s funeral. He’d said that she’d kept asking for someone to wake up her mommy, but Raven didn’t remember, so Mrs. Kilpatrick’s lifeless body was her first corpse. She shivered. Muerto pulled her to him, and she felt safe tucked under his arm.
For the next half hour, they answered Sheriff Wexler’s questions, and finally they were free to go home. Raven brought Teddy home with her and fed him her leftover steak. Sooty, not thrilled with the new houseguest, lay in the corner, glaring at him. Whenever Teddy came too close for Sooty’s liking, she’d hiss, her eyes two glowing emeralds.
After a long hot shower, Raven walked over to the bed and slipped under the covers, her arm around Muerto’s waist. “I still can’t believe this happened in this neighborhood. And to Mrs. Kilpatrick, of all people.” Even though she didn’t know her neighbor all that well, the horror of the way she’d died touched a deep chord in Raven. Tears trickled down her cheeks.
“It’s gonna be okay, babe. It’s always bad when innocent people are killed. She didn’t deserve what she got.” He kissed her tenderly as he held her close.
“I wonder if who you thought you saw was somehow involved in this.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing, and I think there’s a connection. I’m not sure if the guy was targeting the old lady or if she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“I’m scared.”
“I’m here. I’ll keep you safe. I’ll make it a point to be here before sunset with you every night, and if I can’t make it, you’ll stay with Ava. Something’s going on here, and I need some time to figure it out. I think the vandalism at the pool hall and someone watching the house are somehow related. Not sure how, but I know in my gut they are.”
“Do you think it’s those guys you and Diablo beat up at the junkyard? The one guy, Cory, was pretty pissed that I hustled him.”
“I’ve thought about it. It could be. Jaime said there were two men.”
Mrs. Kilpatrick’s bloodied housecoat flashed in her mind. “Poor Mrs. Kilpatrick. What a horrible way to go.” She clenched his waist tighter. As long as she lived, she’d never get the image of Mrs. Kilpatrick’s face, beaten beyond recognition, out of her mind.
