Page 43 of Down and Dirty

Chapter 18

I was pacing the police department, waiting on Keaton to finish up with his statement. It was a good thing he’d been there that night to corroborate my story that there hadn’t been any reeking smells coming from the basement.

Jared’s words ate at my mind while I paced in the little space near the front entry. Why would I be on anyone’s list? It didn’t make sense. None of this made sense.

Brandon walked out from the police station pit and paused when he noticed me inside

“Faith, what are you doing here?”

“I should ask you the same thing, Doc,” I teased.

“I offered to come by and give my statement about the conversation Ms. Adams and I had at the hospital.”

“I heard Erin was a reporter,” I said.

Brandon slid his hands into his pocket. “Some of the missing women were patients at the hospital where I worked before moving here.”

“Only some?” I asked, unsure how much he wanted to divulge.

“That’s why we were arguing. I can’t give out doctor-patient information, and she claimed she already knew the answer, but now hearing the names of the victims, I knew five out of the seven.”

“Eight,” I corrected.

“There was another one?”

“I believe Mary Pender was killed by the same person.”

“Oh yes, the witch who could read auras and such.”

“So, you did know her?”

“Yeah, I was her doctor. She told me that my aura was unnaturally blue.”

“Sounds pretty.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t know what that means either. But what I do know is that she was alive and breathing when the hospital released her.”

“So, you knew six of the eight,” I said as a matter of fact. “Doc, is there anyone that would want to frame you? Anyone that would want to see you hurt or lose your job?”

“No one but Reggie, but he wouldn’t hurt me like that. He’s just an angsty teen that wants to move back to where his friends are.”

“What about any of his friends? It sounds like all of this originally started in Greenbridge.”

The door opened, and Jimbo stepped out. “Doc, thanks for giving your statement. We’re going over everything now and looking for the connections.” Jimbo shook Brandon’s hand.

“Of course, Detective. I want this person caught just as much as you.”

Jimbo pulled his personal truck keys out of his pocket and handed them to me. “This may take a while for Keaton and me, so just take my truck back to the motel.”

I nodded.

“No need for that,” Brandon said. “I can give Faith a lift home. I know where she lives.”

Jimbo shoved his keys back into his pocket. “Faith, you get your car and you go straight back to the hotel. Don’t pass go,” Jimbo said.

“I can’t promise that. I have to check in with my sisters, but I’ll try to make it quick, and then I still have to help deal with that other issue I told you about in the car.” The spirits in my basement needed to move on and I could help. “It’s daylight. What’s the worst that can happen?”

I didn’t wait around for Keaton and Jimbo to argue with my decision. I knew Brandon wasn’t the killer. I would like to think my senses would warn me.

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