Chapter 5

5

Special Agent Fallon Baxter

W e snap dozens of pictures of the scene before leaving the room, inspecting the rest of the cabin, and then stepping back outside.

Jack and I make our way down the porch and past the driveway when we're stopped by the sheriff. He's standing by his cruiser, flanked by two older women who seem out of place among the flashing lights and buzz of law enforcement. It's a tall stocky blonde and a rail-thin redhead with sharp birdlike features.

"My guess is neighbors," I whisper to Jack.

"My guess is a little more sinister, but that's because I'd like to close the case before we dive in with both feet."

We come upon them and offer up amicable nods their way.

"Agents." The sheriff gestures toward the women before glancing at his notes. "I'd like you to meet Jewel Barrett and Adrienne Sinclair. They just arrived and are pretty concerned about what's happened here. You mind taking over? I've got lookie-loos streaming in from all sides. I need to help secure the perimeter." He takes off without waiting for a response.

It's getting dark fast, and the breeze picking up is a chilly reminder that our warm summer nights are over.

"We're not lookie-loos," the blonde assures us. She's donned a heavily wrinkled long-sleeve dress that sits on her like a tent and she looks piqued as she observes the horror. "I'm Jewel."

"I'm Agent Stone." Jack gives a slight bow. "And this is Agent Baxter. What can we do for you ladies?"

"I'm Adrienne." The redhead quickly extends a hand to Jack. She looks somewhere north of sixty, very pretty, very nervous, wearing a knit floral dress with her sleeves pushed up.

"Nice to meet you." He gives her hand a shake, and I note a long red scar running up her right hand. The blood is dry, but I can tell it's fresh.

She shakes my hand as well, but I'm not as nice as Jack, generally. "What happened to your arm? Looks like a nasty cut."

" Oh ." She gasps as she sees it and quickly tugs down her sleeves. Her eyes flit to the blonde and her jaw redefines itself. "I must have scraped it. The two of us were just at the community center." She cranes her neck past us at the cabin. "That's where they're hosting the thriller festival. I own the bookshop here in town. And I volunteer at the convention every year." Her bottom lip quivers. "What's going on? Is everything okay? We heard there were bodies." She brings her fingers to her lips as if to seal them.

Makes me wonder if she's trying to calm herself or stop from making a confession.

Stranger things have happened.

"Yes, there were bodies," Jack tells her. "Friends of the couple that owns the place. I'm afraid I can't divulge their names."

The blonde's mouth falls open. "Oh wow. That was"—she snaps her fingers as if trying to summon a thought—"Cindy and Cornwall."

A slight scream evicts from the redhead.

Jewel closes her eyes for a moment. "I'm so sorry to hear it. I actually work for the Coles. I've known them for years. Lydia and I are very close. In fact, that's how I got the job. I've worked as an assistant to the two of them for almost just as long as I've known them." She takes a ragged breath as she looks at the cabin. "I was at the community center with Adrienne when we heard there was trouble out this way." She shrugs at the two of us. "I was pulling their books from the makeshift stockroom. Authors from all over the country come out for this event, and each one ships dozens of novels. It's so disorganized there, it's like a warehouse depository. I spent three hours looking and just found one box for Lydia." She glances past us once again and her lips turn down. "Is she here?"

"No," I say. "She's not here. She's missing."

Both women gasp and their eyes widen with fright.

Jack nods. "A bullet hit Damien in the hand, but from the sound of it, he should be okay. He's at the hospital getting taken care of. Has either Damien or Lydia been distressed lately? Any disagreements with anyone?"

"Stalkers?" I add. "They're public figures. It happens."

"No." Adrienne shakes her head frenetically. "Nothing was mentioned to me. Damien was set to do a signing at my shop the day before the convention. I just saw him y-yesterday." Her eyes widen the size of dinner plates and her breathing grows erratic. "I don't know what's happening here, but I'm not feeling so well. I'm sorry, I have to go." She starts to take off and I step forward.

"What's the name of your shop?" I ask. "In case we need to speak again."

"Sugar Pines Book Nook," she says, holding herself as she shivers.

"Here's my card," I say, stuffing one in her hand and doing the same with Jewel.

"Thank you." Adrienne looks at it as if I had branded her flesh before taking off in the night.

"Boy, she was nervous." Jewel gives a little laugh. "She's mostly harmless." She closes her eyes as she shakes her head. "Anyway, I guess if Damien is okay, he'll be released soon." Her lips press white. "He and Lydia live in Briarwood. It's about a forty-five-minute drive." Her hand cups her mouth. "Oh my goodness, I just thought of something. They did have a disagreement with someone." She shakes her head while looking out at the woods. "They've had a dispute with their neighbor back in Briarwood for the past few years. Things have really been ratcheting up. It all started over some silly property line misunderstanding. You know, where exactly the boundary between their properties begins and his ends. There's no fence, so it's hard to tell. It seems small, but things only escalated from there. Their neighbor, Owen, he's very particular about his space and privacy. He accused Damien and Lydia of encroaching on his land when they planted a row of fruit trees as a natural fence. He said he didn't want rat candy on his lawn." She pauses and her expression darkens. "It didn't stop there. Owen claimed their new garden shed was a few feet onto his property. He was furious about it. He threatened legal action, and there were some very heated exchanges. Last summer, things took a turn when he started complaining about noise whenever they had guests over, even calling the police a couple of times. I know there were other things, but Lydia eventually stopped talking about it. She said she couldn't process it. And, of course, I didn't want to push it. It's been tense, to say the least."

"What was his name?" Jack pulls out his phone, ready to jot it down.

"Owen, um, Owen Marcus , that's it. I've heard them say it enough times, I practically hear it in my sleep." She glances at the cabin. "It's more of a nightmare, I guess." The wind picks up and Jewel begins to shiver and her eyes glaze over. "If you hear anything about Lydia, I'd appreciate it if you let me know," she says before taking off abruptly into the night.

"Well?" I take a deep breath and take in the earthy scent of pine as we make our way to Jack's truck.

"It looks to me as if we've got a suspect on our hands. We'll do a little digging on Owen Marcus this evening." He checks his watch. "We still have time. We can head over to Sugar Pine General for now. If Damien is fit enough, they'll probably release him in the morning. You up for heading over?"

"I don't see why not," I say. "Let's shake him down while this horror is still fresh in his mind."