“That’s what I was afraid of.” He stroked Tess’s back and she stretched, front paws working in a kneading motion. “Have you talked to anyone since our meeting yesterday afternoon?”
“Liv called.”
“What did she say?”
“She was scared. She wanted to know what I was doing to stay safe. I told her I’m being careful, keeping my eyes and ears open and my door locked, trying not to go out alone at night. Sleeping with my gun. Liv said she doesn’t have one anymore.”
“Liv had a gun?”
“In high school she had a rifle. She took lessons and competed. She was pretty good. Won a lot of ribbons. Used to regularly beat out the boys.”
It was hard to picture Liv focused enough to be that competitive. “Maybe she should consider getting one again.” He switched the phone to his other ear. “Did you talk to anyone else?”
“Nope, just Liv.”
“I don’t have anything new to add, either. I did learn the FBI is getting involved. With those notes tying you six together, and the obvious threat in Ramona’s, everyone’s treating these as serial killings.”
“That’s probably good. The more people looking at this, the better.”
Kira stood to change her position. After rotating a quarter turn, she plopped down, her back against his belly, and he once again appreciated her smaller size. He ran a hand along her side and she released a contented sigh. “How was work today?”
“Interesting.”
“Since Cedar Key isn’t a hot spot for crime, I take it something out of the ordinary happened.”
“I responded to a call, a woman screaming for help. When I arrived, I heard movement in the woods. Someone even said ‘help me.’ But whoever it was, never showed.”
His chest tightened. “Do you think it was a hoax, a way to lure you into the woods alone?”
“It’s pretty suspicious. First, whoever called said they wanted to remain anonymous. Nothing came up for the number, either. Probably a disposable cell. On the 911 recording, the voice was too raspy to even tell whether it was a man or woman.”
She drew in a deep breath and released it in a sigh. “There are a few houses in the area. No one reported hearing screams. When I left the station, someone had put a note on my windshield.”
“What kind of note?”
“A poem, six lines, the same rhyme pattern as the other one. Each line started with ‘one by one,’ ending with ‘And one by one, debts are paid.’”
He swallowed hard. His stomach had twisted into a knot. “You need to be extra careful.”
“I am. When I heard someone in the woods, I called for backup right away.”
He finished the thought for her. “And went in without waiting for them to get there.”
He couldn’t blame her. He’d have done the same thing. When someone was in trouble, he jumped in with both feet. Had all his life.
She didn’t respond and he continued. “You probably shouldn’t handle any calls like that alone.”
“You been talking to Hunter?” She gave a wry laugh. “He works for Cedar Key, too, and insists on playing the part of protective big brother.”
Caleb smiled. Hunter had been five years ahead of them in school, but Caleb remembered him from the neighborhood. “In this case, you should probably listen.” He paused briefly. “Any idea what Raymond was going to say before Vincent shut him up?”
“You noticed that, too.” She sighed. “No idea. If any of them laid a hand on Landon, they’ve never breathed a word of it. Liv was with me, and everyone else has maintained that they left before Landon got there. I’ve never had reason to doubt them. We weren’t the best kids, but we weren’t killers.”
The sincerity in her tone resonated with something deep inside him. She was telling the truth. Whatever happened, she hadn’t been a part of it. An unexpected lightness filled his chest.
But the others had apparently kept something from her. They might not be capable of murder, but what about a prank gone wrong?
“If anyone hints otherwise, will you let me know?”
“Of course.”
Caleb glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to take Kira out before I leave. I always keep her on a leash. The squirrels in the neighborhood thank me.”
Amber laughed. “I hope I get to meet her sometime.”
Not gonna happen. It wasn’t like he’d be inviting her over for pizza and movies. The only women who visited his personal space were his sister and his mother. He didn’t believe in setting up impossible expectations.
After disconnecting the call, he removed a reluctant dog from his lap. Tess relinquished her place on the padded arm and jumped down, rather than waiting for him to disturb her. They were great company, but intelligent conversation was lacking. Though the TV dispelled the silence, it never quite chased away the loneliness.
Eventually he’d be ready to risk his heart again. But when the time came, it would be with someone he could keep safe, not a woman whose job put her in potential danger every day. The world was a nasty place. He’d experienced the worst it had to offer firsthand.
When he arrived at the station, he got caught up on everything that had transpired since he’d ended his shift the prior night. Logan Cleary had an alibi for the night Ramona Freeborn was killed, an ex-girlfriend he’d spent the weekend with. A married ex-girlfriend whose husband had been out of town. Since Danielle had a whole lot to lose if her indiscretion was made public, he was inclined to believe her.
So if Logan was behind the killings, he wasn’t working alone. Who would be willing to take up his vendetta? Someone who cared a lot for him. Likely someone they all knew.
Caleb sat in his office chair and pulled out the reports he’d printed last night. The time of death was set between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. Someone had used the boy as a punching bag, then struck him in the head with a rock. Said rock was lying nearby, along with some others scattered around. The medical examiner had ruled out the possibility Landon had been running and had fallen. Otherwise he’d have thrust his hands out in front of him, leaving scrapes and debris. But his palms had been clean. His knees, too.
Although the cause of death was clear, they’d never been able to nail down the perpetrators. The boys and Ramona had said they’d left the woods at around twelve thirty. Amber and Liv had left thirty minutes earlier.
Raymond’s parents had said he had a 1:00 a.m. curfew and had made it home with time to spare. Vincent and Alex had met a friend at Strickland Park, all three boys’ statements putting them there well before one. Liv claimed to have gone home after dropping Amber off but had no one to corroborate her story. Ramona hadn’t, either. She’d supposedly sneaked back into her house at twelve forty-five without disturbing anyone.
Amber hadn’t been so lucky. While climbing in her bedroom window, she’d slipped and sent a lamp crashing to the floor. According to the statement her parents gave, this had happened shortly after midnight. From everything he knew about them, they were probably telling the truth. He wasn’t sure about Alex and Vincent’s friend, though.
He pulled up the transcript of his statement. The friend’s name was Steve Wilkins, likely in the same graduating class as the others, according to his date of birth. When Caleb ran his information through the database, several pages of arrests came up. The guy had been in trouble from the time he’d graduated until about two years ago, which made him a pretty shaky witness for Alex and Vincent.
So that left only Amber and Raymond with airtight alibis.