Page 44 of Whispers Left Behind

“Like old times, huh?”

Sam checked his side mirror before merging with traffic. He navigated them through downtown, but it wasn’t long until they were on a back road leading to the one place she had no desire to return.

“Old times?” Kin asked as she reached out to adjust the vent. She was cold, though she wasn’t sure any amount of heat would chase the chill away. “We were never partners, Sam.”

“We rode together for weeks.” Sam lifted the egg sandwich and took a bite. Kinsley turned away to observe the passing scenery. “Remember? You had just made detective, Alex had court, and Mitchell was on vacation.”

“It was one week, and three of those days were spent typing up paperwork that you promised Mitchell would be done by the time she got back from Florida,” Kinsley replied wryly, not against having something else to think about during their ride up to Terrapin Lake. She readjusted the vent to keep the rancid smell from blowing in her face. “Any details on the vic?”

“No,” Sam replied around a mouthful of food. Kinsley slowly released a breath. “Some fisherman found a body. What’s going on with your case? Thompson was pretty pissed at the thought of Gantz being back in the picture.”

“Someone broke into Gantz’s residence to make us think he had returned to town. There were no prints on the glass, and the kitchen sink and front door had been wiped down.”

“Got to give an asshole credit when he thinks outside the box, huh?”

While Sam continued to eat his sandwich, Kinsley fixed her gaze on the road and attempted to relax her muscles. She was stiff to the point of pain. Images of Gantz’s bloated remains floating to the surface of the dingy lake flashed through her mind.

“Is it the husband? It’s usually the spouse,” Sam said after he polished off his breakfast. “I heard Lanen on the phone the other day. A three-million-dollar life insurance policy? Hell, I’m pretty sure Nori would off me in a second for that much cash.”

“Nori loves you,” Kinsley replied, doing her best to keep any hint of desperation from her tone. Her darkest fears were aboutto materialize, and all she could picture was Lily’s heartbreaking reaction when her father was arrested as an accessory to murder. “I think you’re safe, Sam. Plus, the husband has an alibi.”

“Hired hit?”

Kinsley was prevented from responding when her cell phone began to ring from her coat pocket. She answered on the third ring.

“Hey, Kin. Sorry I wasn’t able to get back to you yesterday,” Owen said over what sounded like a room full of people. “I only have a minute, but I wanted you to know there was nothing to enhance on that footage. No reporters were lurking in the shadows or anything like that.”

Kinsley should have been relieved upon such disclosure, but she couldn’t bring herself to celebrate such news. What awaited her at the lake was worse than Beck Serra monitoring her every move. She had noticed Sam’s inquisitive gaze switching from the road to her and then back again. Owen’s voice was relatively deep, therefore a bit louder than she would have preferred given her close proximity to Sam.

“Thanks, Owen. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

Kinsley didn’t give Owen a chance to reply. She disconnected the call and tucked her cell phone back into her pocket.

“You having trouble with reporters? I can give Lewis Mullin a call at the local station. If it’s a national channel, I can’t help you.”

Kinsley checked the time on the radio, and they still had quite the drive ahead of them. She should have followed behind in her own vehicle.

“You remember Beck Serra?”

“Isn’t that the freelance reporter who talked your father into a sit-down interview with Gantz?”

“One and the same.” Kinsley pointed the vent toward her now that the rancid odor was receding from the interior. “Serra wasat The Bucket the other night, and he showed up at the hospital yesterday. Our victim’s brother is in ICU.”

“The guy probably came back to town when he thought Gantz had returned,” Sam said with a dismissive shrug. He picked up his travel mug and took a gulp of coffee, which was something Kinsley hadn’t had a chance to drink this morning. An empty stomach was probably a good thing to have at the moment. “Unless this Serra guy is hounding you. Is he? I can have—”

“Nothing I can’t handle, Sam. Besides, Serra mentioned something about heading back to Bismarck.” Kinsley cleared her throat. “I’m sure he has already left town.”

Fortunately, the rest of the drive was occupied with Sam’s endless complaints about breaking in a new partner. He brought up two names who were possible contenders for the open position, and Kinsley didn’t envy him a green detective.

Both individuals were from patrol.

She struggled with her conflicting emotions, because she would have given almost anything to have Sam’s concerns over those plaguing her for the past year. As they arrived on the scene, two patrol cars were parked behind a Range Rover and an F-150. From the fishing decals on the bumper of the truck, it was clear which vehicle belonged to the fisherman currently speaking to two officers.

Kinsley didn’t reach for her seatbelt right away. She would wait until Sam exited the vehicle first so he wouldn’t notice the tremor in her hands. Hell, it was more than a tremor. She was shaking almost as badly as she had been the night when she and Noah had rolled Gantz’s vehicle into the lake.

A sudden, loud horn blasted through the air.

Sam didn’t notice Kinsley’s distressed reaction, which was severe enough that the seatbelt cut into her neck. He was already out of the car and yelling good-naturedly back at Wally, who hadparked right behind them. He must have left the station within seconds of Sam and Kinsley pulling away from the curb.

---