Counter attack, p.17
Counter Attack, page 17
“I scanned what he sent last night, and it didn’t look like he got much out of the neighbors. Why don’t we plan to talk to the people in Denton’s condo complex tomorrow?”
“That sounds good to me.”
A tense hour later, the bomb squad commander approached her. “The X-ray shows a detonator and what looks like a stick of dynamite eight inches long and an inch and a quarter in diameter. The robot will bring the box out to the parking lot where we’ll disable it.”
“Are you certain we don’t need to evacuate the prisoners?” She didn’t want to risk any lives.
“I’m certain—even if the bomb went off, the amount of explosives the X-ray shows is barely enough to uproot a twelve-inch tree stump.”
She caught his gaze and held it. “You’re absolutely certain?”
He nodded emphatically.
“Then, let’s do it.”
“Get everyone backed up at least a thousand feet.”
Harvey worked his way toward her as they moved out of range of the blast. “I think we need to evacuate the prisoners,” he said, crossing his arms.
Alex cocked her head toward him. Why had he started second-guessing her? And did he not know what a nightmare that would be? “I thought you went home with a migraine.”
“I got to feeling better and came back to work.”
“I’m glad you’re feeling better, but the commander assured me that with the amount of dynamite shown on the X-ray, the prisoners are safe.”
“I don’t like it.”
“It’s my call, Harvey.”
“Yeah. Well, that’s not the way Sheriff Stone would call it.”
“And I’m his chief deputy, calling the shots while he’s out.” Alex clamped her mouth shut and counted to ten to keep from saying more. She might need to count to twenty.
Nathan walked over and stood by Alex. “What’s going on?”
She shot a glare toward Harvey. “It appears he doesn’t agree with me.”
“Here it comes,” someone yelled.
The robot tracked through the front door of the building with the container, and Alex released a tense breath. At least the building wouldn’t be damaged.
Once the robot safely deposited the box in the empty parking lot, the operator remotely removed the top of the box in preparation of blasting it with a high-pressure water hose.
A red flag popped up. But no explosion.
Alex flexed her calves to keep her knees from buckling while a collective sigh went up from the crew gathered around. Then her face heated up. All of this for a fake bomb?
She squared her shoulders and strode to the bomb scene unit commander with Nathan on her heels. The red flag had “BANG” written on it. “Why did Gem alert to it if it’s fake?”
The commander used a pen to inspect inside the box. “It’s a real stick of dynamite, but the detonator wasn’t connected.” He handed the box to one of his men, and he bagged it.
Alex blew out a breath. “Thank you for coming.”
“No problem. As bombs go, even if it’d been connected there wouldn’t have been much damage.” He looked past her and held out his hand. “Nathan Landry, I thought that was you.”
“You know Nathan?”
“I sure do. Our traveling ball teams have played against each other a time or two.”
The two men shook hands, and Nathan asked, “You playing next year?”
“Planning on it.”
One of the officers jogged toward them. “What do you have?” the commander asked.
“A chess piece.”
A stabbing pain hit Alex’s stomach, and she swallowed hard. Another taunt from the killer. She turned slowly, making a 360-degree circle, scanning the area. Was he here now, watching the chaos he’d caused?
What if she wasn’t up to catching the killer?
No! She clenched her jaw. This killer would make a mistake, and Alex would be there to catch it. It was time to go on the offensive. She stepped forward and held out her hand for the pawn. “Is there a note with it?”
“Didn’t see one.”
“Would you make sure?” Alex asked.
“I’ll check it out and let you know,” the commander said.
“He’s laughing at us,” she said to Nathan once they were alone.
“Yeah.” He squeezed her hand. “Don’t let him get to you.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
“Do you know if Ethan Kennedy and the other two boys were booked for possession of drugs? If they were, I thought I’d see if they would talk to me, then—”
“They’re home,” Alex said. “Jonathan Kennedy posted bail for them.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m not surprised. I’m going to my office to comb through the Phillip Denton file again.”
Her phone chimed with a text. Marge reminding her about the press conference. The time had come and gone while they were dealing with the fake bomb, but the reporters had hung around. She called her secretary. “Tell the reporters I’ll meet with them in front of the CJC in five minutes.”
Alex hung up and turned to Nathan. “You heard?”
“I was hoping they would leave.”
“They didn’t, and you wouldn’t have either with two murders and a bomb threat. Hang around and back me up, please.”
“Always.”
In exactly five minutes they walked to the front steps of the jail complex, and first Nathan made a statement about how the city and county were working together to solve the cases, then Alex basically repeated what he’d said. Then she looked into the camera held by one of the Chattanooga reporters. “This is for the Queen’s Gambit Killer. You’re not as smart as you think. I’m coming after you.” Then she turned to the reporters. “Make sure you include this numeric value in your story—0-0. Thank you.”
They ignored questions shouted at them as they ducked back inside the building.
Nathan looked over his shoulder. “That wasn’t so bad.”
“Not much worse than a root canal.”
He grunted. “I want to go into Chattanooga tomorrow to check out Phillip Denton’s neighbors. Madden may have missed something.”
“I’ll go with you. Eight?”
“That’s good. Don’t let this get to you.”
“I’m not.”
When he left, she texted Harvey and Mark, requesting their presence in her office in half an hour. This was one thing she could take care of today.
A few minutes later the bomb squad commander returned empty-handed. “Sorry. No note.”
Alex had almost forgotten he’d gone to look for a note. She wished Nathan had hung around a little longer to give his take on there not being a message. She’d call him.
“Thanks for checking, and thank you for your help,” she said. “And when you get back to Chattanooga, would you check the Phillip Denton and mall bomb records and see if anything in this package matches what Denton used?”
“Will do.”
“Thanks again, and if you don’t need me, I have a meeting with my deputies to get ready for.”
He gave her a thumbs-up and started to walk off, then turned around. “You look good,” he said, giving her a rare smile. “Being sheriff seems to agree with you.”
“You need glasses.”
He grinned. “We miss you in Chattanooga, although I can understand why you’d want to stay in Pearl Springs.”
“I’m committed here for the next six months. Who knows what will happen after that.”
“Just keep something in mind,” he said. “Pearl Springs is a nice place to live.”
“Right now it’s pretty chaotic.”
Alex walked to her office and spoke to Marge, then closed the door and sat behind her desk. Alex debated with herself whether to meet with them together or separately and settled on together. She punched the intercom she’d yet to use. “Marge, when Harvey and Mark get here, send them both in.”
“They’re here.”
“Good.” They were early. She took a calming breath as the door opened and the two men entered. Harvey was swelled up like a bullfrog, as her grandfather would say. Mark’s stance was relaxed, in command, but with a defiant lift of his chin. Alexis motioned to the two chairs she’d placed directly in front of her desk. “Have a seat.”
She picked up a notepad and studied the list of topics she wanted to address. Harvey’s chair creaked as he shifted.
“Look, Alex, I have work—”
“From here on out, Harvey, it will be Chief Deputy Stone.”
“Wha—”
“‘Alex’ doesn’t seem to be working. In fact, nothing about our relationship seems to be working.” She kept her voice neutral but firm and then leaned forward. “Until my grandfather returns to this office, I’m in charge. Neither of you have shown me the respect the office demands, and I will not tolerate that. So, you have a choice. Either get on board or resign.”
A stunned silence fell on the room.
“But—”
“No buts, Harvey. Even though you’re chief of staff, if you remain in that position, you will no longer publicly question my decisions. If you have a problem with something I do, talk to me privately.”
She turned to the K-9 officer. “Mark, I know you wanted to be chief deputy if Harvey ever retired, but Sheriff Stone gave that position to me. And while I may be his granddaughter, he believed I am more than qualified to handle the job or he never would have asked me to fill this position. If you want this job, take it up with him when he comes back, but until then, I’m running the show, not you. Or better still, run for sheriff in the next election.”
For the first time, Mark spoke up. “Are you going to run for the office next year?”
“That has nothing to do with what we’re discussing today.” She wasn’t about to tell these two her plans.
Alex stood and leveled a hard stare at each man. “If you need time to decide, that means you need to go, and don’t let the door hit you on your way out.” She let a moment of silence fill the room. “So what will it be, gentlemen?”
39
Nathan sat in his pickup for a minute. He’d passed by Harvey Morgan and Mark Lassiter leaving the jail. Both looked pretty smug. Would they be as smug once Alexis had her talk with them?
A thought popped into his head, one he didn’t like and tried to dismiss as he started the motor, but it wouldn’t go away. Could Harvey or Mark have planted the fake bomb? Maybe to scare Alexis back to Chattanooga?
Nathan pulled away from the jail, driving on autopilot as thoughts bombarded him. Crazy thoughts—he’d known both of these men all his life. They’d never been anything but upstanding men and pretty good officers.
It wasn’t a secret that Mark thought Carson Stone should have picked him as chief deputy or that Harvey was upset that Carson had talked him into taking the chief of staff position that didn’t have nearly the power of his old spot. But Harvey was too lazy and Mark needed seasoning. Nathan doubted that Carson explained his reasons for picking Alexis to either of the men. But maybe he should have.
These first two days had proven she was perfect for the job. Alexis had handled everything thrown at her with the same strength Carson Stone possessed.
What if the killer wasn’t the one making the attempts on Alexis’s life? Nathan hated to think Harvey or Mark would be that underhanded, but he couldn’t dismiss the fact that they both had motive, opportunity, and means.
He wasn’t sure about Harvey, but Mark was a computer genius. He could’ve hacked into Alexis’s operating system and taken control of her SUV. And both times they were fired at, the bullets had gone wide or high. That didn’t sound like someone trying to kill her, especially an expert marksman like Mark. He’d been a sniper in the service before he became a deputy. And Harvey was no slouch when it came to firearm proficiency.
But would they go so far as to kill Trevor Martin? Or Gina Norman? They knew the details about the murders in Chattanooga, including the notes and pawns left behind, so they could easily copy the serial killer.
Was there a note with the bomb? He pulled into his parking space at the police station and took out his phone. His call went to voice mail, and he left a message for Alexis to call him.
Kayla looked up from her computer when Nathan walked into the lobby. “Peggy gone home?”
“About an hour ago.”
She handed him a stack of yellow notes, all neatly squared up. “Those are all about the bomb scare. Is Alex okay?”
Nodding, he flipped through the messages, each stamped with their call time and arranged from first to last. Kayla’s work, since Peggy never went to that trouble. He glanced around the office, noting the absence of clutter. In fact, he’d never seen it so neat. “You do this?” He swept his hand around the room.
“You don’t like it?”
“Of course I like it. I’m just surprised. Thank you.” He turned to enter his office and stopped cold. “My office . . . You didn’t—”
She laughed. “Uh, no—I would never go into your office. Should I have?”
“No. Please.” Nathan was neat, but nothing like this. And poor Peggy. It would drive her crazy. She wouldn’t be able to find anything in the morning.
He stepped inside his office, relieved to find his desk the way he left it—the files from Chattanooga stacked on the right side, and the paperwork he hadn’t gotten to before meeting with Alexis in the center.
Nathan settled behind the desk and tackled the paperwork that couldn’t wait. When he finished, he sorted through the files until he found the one marked Phillip Denton. He’d just finished when his phone rang. Alexis.
“Everything okay over that way?”
She chuckled. “Better than it was.”
“How’d your talk with Harvey and Mark go?”
“All right, I guess. They elected to stay and show me some respect.”
“I’m not sure that’s good.”
“What do you mean?”
He relayed his suspicions to her.
“The same thoughts had crossed my mind, but I’d rather have both men where I can keep a check on their activities than not.”
“Good plan. Was there a note with the fake bomb?”
“No. And I’ve been looking at the pawn the bomber placed in the box. It’s like the others, but anyone trying to pull off a copycat would be able to find the same pawns online or at a store in Chattanooga. How about you? Did you learn anything from the files?”
“How good a detective is Todd Madden?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never worked with him—he doesn’t like working with women. Why do you ask?”
“The notes on interviews with the neighbors are skimpy. I’ll ask him about it in the morning. You still going with me?” Maybe Denton’s neighbors would remember something new since the original interviews.
“I’d like to, but after my talk with Harvey and Mark, I’m not sure that would be wise. Let me think about it.” Weariness tinged her voice.
“Sure. Just give me a call.” He glanced out his window, surprised at how dark it was. What time was it, anyway? Seven? His stomach growled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten lunch. He needed to eat before he set up surveillance at the high school. Not that he expected anyone to show up tonight, but he wanted to be there in case they did.
“Hey, you want to grab a burger at Pete’s? And then drop by the Kennedy house and see if we can talk to Ethan? Of the three, I figure he’s the ringleader.”
There was a hesitation on the line. “I don’t think so. Gram is saving spaghetti for me, but you’re welcome to join me. We can stop by the Kennedys’ on the way.”
“I thought you’d never ask. Are you leaving now?”
“Yep.”
“Meet you at their house.”
Nathan stopped by Kayla’s desk on his way out to let her know he was leaving for the day. “How late will you be here?” Kayla and Peggy had worked out her schedule, and he didn’t remember what it was for today.
“Another hour, then Kelsey is relieving me until midnight. Not sure who takes over after that.”
“Call me if you need anything. I’ll either be at Jonathan Kennedy’s over on Oak Street or at the Stones’.”
She grinned. “Tell Alex hi for me.”
Nathan quickly drove to Jonathan Kennedy’s house and waited for Alexis to arrive before he followed her into the circle drive lined with topiary hedges. He climbed out of his truck to find her staring at the two-story antique brick house that Nathan would call a mansion.
“I didn’t know attorneys in Pearl Springs made the kind of money to afford a house like this.”
“There are a few,” he said. “And this is probably the most expensive one in town.”
They walked to the front door and rang the bell. “Jonathan,” he said, when the attorney opened the door. “Is Ethan here? We’d like to speak with him.”
The attorney’s lips tightened. “He’s here, but you’re not talking to him. I filed a motion with the judge to dismiss the drug charges due to unlawful search—you didn’t have a search warrant.”
Alexis stepped forward. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Alex Stone, Russell County’s chief deputy, and there was nothing illegal about the search. Our drug dog alerted to drugs in a public area where your son and his friends had no expectancy of privacy.”
Jonathan’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll see about that.”
“We didn’t come to discuss the drugs,” Nathan said. “We’re here to interview Ethan about Trevor Martin’s murder.”
“You should have called first.”
Alexis lifted her chin. “Would you have agreed for us to come if we had?” When he didn’t respond right away, she added, “I thought not. Look, we can do this in the privacy of your home or down at the jail. It’s up to you. Unless you want to be charged with obstructing justice.”
Jonathan Kennedy seemed to be weighing her words. After a minute, he gave them a curt nod and opened the door wider. “Come in, but understand I’ll be overseeing the interview.”
“Understood,” she replied.
Nathan waited until Alexis stepped into the entry hall, and then he fell in behind her. He’d never been to the attorney’s home before and couldn’t help but be impressed. The place looked like a spread right out of Architectural Digest. Not one thing was out of place. Did anyone even live here?
