Chapter 24

24

Special Agent Jack Stone

A s soon as Fallon and I got the message, we jumped into my truck and headed out to Denver.

Riley offered to keep Buddy for us. And before we left, I gave Jet a savage threat about going after any more mobsters or their henchmen. He assured me that he understood.

Fallon and I didn't say much on the drive over, with the exception of wondering why Nikki wasn't answering her messages. She could either be driving or perhaps sleeping with one of our suspects.

Nikki knows the protocol: to answer as soon as you can. Our communication is critical and we've never wavered from that.

Fallon and I arrive in record time and speed into the building as if we were racing against a bomb. The bomb in question would be the coroner's bedtime. We both know he doesn't keep vampire hours.

The coroner's office has that all-too-familiar clinical chill. The harsh fluorescent lights overhead buzz faintly, no voices, no music. There's an unearthly stillness that reminds you that the primary focus here is on the dead. And as it stands, the dead don't make a whole lot of noise.

Fallon and I make our way through the stark, sterile corridors with the smell of antiseptic strong in the air. We head straight for the Examination Room and find not only the coroner waiting for us, but also Special Agent in Charge Hale.

Hale's expression is grim and he looks more than slightly irritated. "Where's Nikki?" he grunts in lieu of hello.

"With Owen Marcus." Fallon's lips press tight once she says it as if she regrets the decision.

"She's following up on some leads." I don't hesitate to say it because it's partially true. That aside, Hale wouldn't take too kindly to the fact Nikki is entertaining Owen for social purposes. I don't take too kindly to it either, but I've never been able to stop her.

Hale's frown deepens. "We need her here," he mutters, more to himself than to us.

The coroner clears his throat. "Good evening."

Miller Thompson is a big man with a frame big enough to fill a doorway. He's knowledgeable, affable, and all-around a good guy. And despite the late hour, his energy seems undiminished. I'm guessing it's a testament to the coffee he has access to.

"Agent Stone, Agent Baxter." He nods to us. "I'm glad you could make it. Hale tells me this woman is connected to the case."

"Who is it?" The words speed from Fallon and I'm equally curious.

He leads us over to a body lying on a steel bed with a sheet drawn over her.

"Her name is Nora Archer." He does the unveiling and both Fallon and I groan.

"We were about to speak with her next," Fallon laments.

I nod as we take in the pale woman. Dark hair, older, fairly fit, naked as a jaybird with a gash over her left temple. Dried blood dominates that side of her head.

I'll admit, the sight is jarring. No matter how many times you see the aftermath of violence, it never gets easier.

Nora looks at peace, but the reality of her death is anything but.

"Check this out." Miller dons a pair of latex gloves and touches the woman just shy of the right shoulder where two red marks are clearly delineated. "Stun gun, I'm guessing. The brick to her forehead finished her off."

Hale looks from Fallon to me.

"I bet that's what happened to Damien," I say.

"And that may be how they subdued Lydia," Fallon adds. "Damien mentioned she was hit and crumpled to the ground. The taser would disorient her enough to make it easy to hoist her off to wherever. But that's still speculation." She nods to the deceased. "How did you find the body?"

Hale ticks his head wistfully. "Neighbor called it in. Said they heard her shouting at someone. They went to check on her about an hour later. Her car was in the driveway, but she didn't answer the door so they went out back and that's where they found her."

"What neighbor?" I'm quick to ask.

"Connie Pickman. She lives directly to the victim's right, street facing," Hale says. "She left a statement with the sheriff who showed up at the scene. Said she didn't see or hear anyone else. No suspicious vehicles either. Although she did mention that a couple of her neighbors had a tragedy unfold at Sugar Pine Lake."

Fallon sighs hard. "We are well aware. I'm sorry we didn't get to her first."

"Who else knew you were going to speak with the woman?" Hale asks sharply and suddenly it feels like a reprimand, as it probably should at this point.

Fallon and I exchange a glance.

"Everyone," I say.

"Sophomoric blunder." Hale doesn't hesitate to call it like it is. "Don't let it happen again."

"We won't." Fallon leans in a little as she inspects the victim's hand. "She's got a little blood on her fingertips."

"Her head is full of it," Hale points out.

"True," Fallon says. "But she doesn't have that much on her fingers. I'm wondering if it's the killer's blood."

"I already plan on scaping her nails and sending it to forensics," Miller is quick to say.

I nod to Hale. "We'll go door-to-door and see if any security cameras caught anything."

"She was good friends with Lydia," Fallon tells him. "Owen Marcus let us know that they walked together in the mornings. And we mentioned to both Jewel Berrett and Adrienne Sinclair that we would be speaking to Nora."

"Do you think she was silenced?" Hale asks, and I'm not sure if it's a rhetorical question at this point.

"I know she was." I glance down at the woman and my heart breaks for her.

"Agents," Hale calls us to attention once more. "If we don't find Lydia Cole soon, we might be staring at her corpse next. I still think she's alive. But she won't be for long."

"Why take Lydia?" I mutter mostly to myself.

"Get her out of the way," Fallon says. "If Damien is sleeping with Adrienne, that eliminates an obstacle."

"Geez." Miller tosses up a hand. "Don't people know that divorce is still an option?"

"Too expensive," Hale says it as if he knows firsthand. "But we're not ruling out the nutty neighbor."

Fallon shoots me a look because Nikki isn't ruling him out at all.

"How long has this woman been dead?" she asks Miller.

"Four—five hours, max."

I glance at my watch. "It's almost eleven. Depending on when Nikki showed up for Owen, she could be his alibi."

We thank Miller for his time, let Hale know we'll be in touch as soon as we glean anything new, and take off.

"I'm calling Nikki," Fallon says as we jump into my truck, but Nikki doesn't pick up. Fallon sends her a series of texts but no answer. "What do you want to do?"

"Go home. That's what I always do when Nikki is dancing with her demons."

Although we both know she's doing a heck of a lot more than dancing.

We pick up Buddy from Riley's and head back to Whispering Woods.

Nora Archer is dead and she took all of Lydia Cole's secrets with her.