Page 47 of Dark Terror
The cops were getting too close, but he’d handled their interrogation perfectly. He could tell when the detectives had left his office that he’d allayed any suspicions they might have had. His only loose end was the woman. Damn her for putting her nose where it didn’t belong,
He didn’t think the police could tie him to the murder without her. Who knew if she’d recognize him if she passed him on the street, but if they showed her a photo of him and said he was a suspect, he might look familiar enough to her that she’d identify him as the man she’d seen that night.
That couldn’t be allowed to happen. Miss Cara Jenner had to be silenced. And that would take place as soon as he could find the bitch. Without her testimony the cops had nothing. It was obvious they knew that, thus the reason they were hiding her.
He’d fucked up by going to her house before it got dark, too anxious to get the unpleasant task done. If it hadn’t been for that damn dog, he wouldn’t have been spotted. Killing Ms. Jenner was a necessity, but shutting up that yappy mutt for good would be a pleasure.
He wasn’t a bad man, not like those criminals who killed for pleasure. They belonged in prison. He didn’t. It was Sheri’s fault for getting greedy. If she’d only been satisfied with his generous hush money and not come back, demanding more, she’d still be alive today. And if the librarian had minded her own business, her days wouldn’t be numbered. No, none of this was his fault.
He was the aggrieved party, the one who stood to lose everything he not only had worked hard for but deserved. The money, the power, the respect all belonged to him, and he wasn’t about to let it slip through his fingers.
Where are you, Ms. Jenner?There had to be a way to find her. The cops had to know where she was, and he supposed he could follow one of them until they led him to her, but that could take days. His gut churned with rage that the woman putting him at risk was evading him. If he was going to be swallowing antacids like candy because of her, then she needed to suffer along with him. He took out the burner phone… Yeah, he was smart like that. Only dumb criminals—and he wasn’t either of those things—would use their own phones for nasty business.
I know who you are and where you are. I know everything about you. If you talk to the police, it will be the last conversation you ever have.
He read the text, debating the wisdom of sending it. Acid from his stomach burned its way to his throat, and the rage grew that he was still dealing with the aftermath of something that should have been finished Friday night.
Fuck it. He hit send.
After the text was on its way, he read it again. This time he smiled. He did know things about her, like where she worked. He wouldn’t have to follow one of the detectives, hoping to be led to her. He just had to stake out the library. His stomach gave a satisfying belch at the realization.
* * *
Harry snapped her fingers in front of Gabe’s face. “Where’s your mind? Pay attention.”
His mind hadn’t been right since the first time he’d kissed his sexy librarian, but he wasn’t going to tell his partner that. He had gone home last night and tried the cold shower trick, but it hadn’t helped. He was motivated to solve this case so he and Cara would be free to see each other. Of course, until she testified, it was still hands off, and God knew how long that would take. Although he’d offered to come over and take her to work this morning, Harry had insisted on dropping her off. That was for the best, but he didn’t like it.
After Brittaney he’d been too afraid to have another serious relationship. Even though he intellectually understood that her choice to take her life had nothing to do with him, he still harbored guilt because she’d left a letter blaming him.
He’d thought he was good with his decision not to have a serious relationship, until a woman who loved an ugly dog and easily blushed appeared and made herself at home under his skin. Surprisingly he was onboard with that.
“Hello!” Harry waved her hand in front of his eyes. “Are you in there?”
“Yes, Harry, I’m in here. I’m frustrated is all. We have three suspects. It could be one of them or none of them.” He was also frustrated that he couldn’t go get Cara and take her home with him.
“For now we have to go on what we have.”
He held up a finger. “For one, a vague description of the killer. We know he’s tall and blond. We have his shoe print.” Another finger went up. “We have a pretty good picture now of Sheri Carstad. Does it strike you as odd that Meredith’s description of her and TJ’s are as opposite as they can be?”
“I noticed that. Maybe Sheri showed a different side to her boss. My guess is Meredith’s is the true one.”
Gabe nodded. “I think so, too. My gut tells me that Sheri was blackmailing someone. In order of who had the most reason based on what we know, I’d put the senator at the top of that list and TJ second.”
“Like you said, though, I can’t see him hanging around Dark Falls and stalking Cara. I also don’t see him risking getting caught in a public park murdering someone. If it’s him, he’s got someone doing his dirty work.”
“Agree, but the attack on Sheri was vicious. It felt personal. I just don’t see a paid killer murdering her that way. He’d have found a cleaner and less risky way to do it.”
Harry tapped her pen against her mouth. “Yeah, me either. Maybe she told her sister something.”
“What time is she supposed to be here?” Now that the crime scene techs had finished with Sheri’s apartment, Vivian Donaldson was coming to Dark Falls today to see what she had to do to clean it out. Gabe wondered if Vivian knew Sheri had been a hoarder. If not, she was going to be in for a surprise.
“She said she’d stop by here around four.” Harry picked up a pen. “Okay, let’s take each one of our suspects individually and make a list of possible reasons each would want her dead.”
“The first one is easy. Her affair with Winslow. If it’s him, then I think we’re agreed that he paid to have it done. Although it appears that she was blackmailing someone, it could just be that she wanted more from the senator. Maybe threatened to tell his wife or go public.”
“Agree,” Harry said as she made notes.
Gabe’s phone buzzed, Cara’s name coming up on the screen. “Stand by a sec.”
