Page 6 of The Last Close Call

The wiper blades swish-swished as Jack made his way down the crowded street. Emergency vehicles lined the curbs, and even his narrow Jeep barely fit through. A cop in a yellow poncho stepped in front of him and lifted his hand. Jack held his badge up to the windshield, and the guy moved between a pair of parked cars and waved him through.

Jack scanned the street as he rolled forward. He spotted a gap between two patrol units and quickly maneuvered into the tight space. His twelve-year-old Jeep had way too many miles on it, but you couldn’t beat the turning radius.

Cutting the engine, he looked around. He had never been here, but the place was familiar. One-story houses, tidy lawns, short driveways. Jack had grown up in a neighborhood much like this one, only the streets had been named after trees instead of birds. According to the map on Jack’s phone, this particular subdivision was adjacent to a greenbelt. Mockingbird Lane was on the edge of the neighborhood, and all the homes to the west of him backed up to the woods.

Jack grabbed the police hangtag from the console and hooked it on his mirror before getting out. Cold rain pelted him, and he hunched into his jacket as he walked toward the barricade. Another yellow poncho moved to intercept him.

“This is a restricted area.”

The kid was short and stocky, midtwenties. His cheeks were flushed, and Jack could see the collar of his uniform was soaked through, despite the poncho and hat. He gave Jack a hard stare and clenched his teeth, probably to keep them from chattering.

Jack flashed his badge and then tucked it away. “Lieutenant Hood around?”

The kid leaned closer. “Lieutenant Hood? Don’t know.”

“How about Detective Rollins?”

The kid’s eyes remained guarded. “I saw Detective Hansen inside.”

Jack nodded. “What about Rollins?”

“I don’t know.”

“Go find out.”

The guy frowned. “You want me to—”

“See if Rollins is in there. I need a word.”

The cop’s expression went from guarded to flustered. Clearly, he’d been planning to man the barricade all night, not mingle with a bunch of older detectives who probably scared the shit out of him.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked Jack over. “And... your name again?”

Jack handed him a business card, then turned away as the cop walked off.

Through the pattering rain, Jack surveyed the houses. The one directly in front of him had an abandoned skateboard in the grass and a Christmas wreath still on the door. His attention settled on the neighboring home, where the front porch was cordoned off with yellow tape. A poncho-less officer was stationed at the door, and Jack watched as his messenger stopped to inquire about Detective Rollins.

Jack turned his attention to the other side of the street. Lights were on in most of the homes, and more than a few people stood outside watching the action from the shelter of their dry front porches. Others stood in their windows, observing everything through rain-slicked glass that put an imaginary layer of protection between them and whatever Bad Thing had happened to someone else.

Jack did a slow 360 and stopped facing west, the direction of the greenbelt. A dense thicket of oaks and junipers sloped down to a swollen creek, and the feeling of dread that had been eating away at him since before Thanksgiving was back again.

Crime scenes were fragile, especially ones like this. Evidence got trampled, run over, washed away. And tonight’s weather wasn’t helping. Any shoe impressions would be long gone, and people coming and going—even the careful ones—would track in debris, some of it microscopic. Investigators had a narrow window to gather observations and evidence, and the smallest detail could make or break a case.

Jack glanced at the greenbelt again and noticed the flicker of flashlights in the trees. At least they were looking, but Jack doubted there was anything left to find.

Although, who knew? Even the most careful criminals could make mistakes.

“Jack?”

He turned around to see Heidi Rollins stalking across the lawn in her rubber boots.

“This better be good. I’m freezing my ass off.”

Heidi wore an oversize barn jacket and had her dark hair pulled back in a bun. She stepped into the street and glared up at him.

He smiled. “Long time no see.”

She crossed her arms.

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