Chapter 6 Hits and Heists #3
Her grandmother chimed in again. “His heart nearly gave out when he saw all the damage. Months of work down the drain. Thousands of dollars of inventory lost…” She choked back a sob.
“I’m sorry to hear it, ma’am.” Aaron’s voice was gruff. “We’re going to do everything we can to catch this scoundrel. In the meantime, we’ll also see what we can do about rustling up a cleanup crew for you.”
A.J. had no doubt this was the side of the deputy his higher-ups were determined that he see.
He stepped closer to the curvy nurse and her grandmother.
“If you could point out where the SUV was parked, I’ll go have a look at the tire tracks.
” If the SUV had left any good impressions behind, they might be able to use them to back their way into a make and model.
Unfortunately, Maggie’s grandmother wasn’t very clear about the location of the SUV. At first, she cited the left side of the building. Then she pursed her lips and said she was pretty sure it was the right side of the building.
A.J. and Aaron ultimately decided to investigate inside the building first and work their way out.
Maggie pointed out what remained of the products that had once filled the shelves in the room.
The sheriff hadn’t been kidding about the red dye splattered against the walls.
Without any advance warning, A.J. would’ve assumed someone had bled out.
“The burglar crushed the bars of soap and bath bombs.” Maggie’s voice gathered steam and grew angrier by the second.
“Then he squeezed out all the tubes of lotion and poured out butters, sauces, and cooking oils. If that wasn’t bad enough, he tore through their workshop in the back, emptying out dyes and other ingredients. ”
A.J. spun in a circle to absorb the full impact of the disaster. “It appears he was looking for something.”
“If you say so.” Maggie gave a sound of disgust. “Squirting red dye against the wall feels more like vandalism to me, but okay.”
Aaron spoke earnestly with her grandmother, who tearfully revealed that she and her husband didn’t have a security system installed. “All we’ve ever done is keep a watchdog.”
The utter destruction around them was far worse than what had happened at the pawnshop. At first glance, A.J. couldn’t see any connection between the two. This one was more than a burglary. It felt angry and vengeful.
Yet Luke Hawling was convinced the two burglaries were related. Why? He spun in another circle.
What are we missing?
He helped Aaron gather and bag evidence, unsure if anything useful would be recovered from the smashed bars of soap and bath bombs. No matter how they sliced it, it would go down in history as the best-smelling crime scene either of them had ever processed.
After her grandparents departed for the medical center, Maggie stuck pretty close to Aaron, offering him refreshments and keeping a stream of chatter going. He seemed to be enjoying her company, doubling down on his offer to raise a team of volunteers to clean up the place.
A.J. couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
Initially, he’d assumed the guy was just saying whatever it took to calm her grandmother, but it was beginning to sound like more—something that went beyond the duties of a police officer.
If A.J. had to come up with an adjective to describe the way the two of them were acting, it would be cozy.
Something more was brewing between them. Something romantic.
They finished their initial processing of the crime scene indoors, and the sheriff assigned another pair of deputies to finish up. This allowed Maggie to lead A.J. and Aaron outdoors to hunt for any tire tracks the perp had left behind.
No sooner than they stepped outside did a navy SUV skid into their midst. The driver braked at the last minute, creating a small spray of gravel.
Out of sheer reflex, A.J.’s hand went to the gun holster beneath his jacket. He watched as a tall woman climbed out from behind the wheel.
Her black hair was pulled into a tight bun, and her angular features were accentuated with heavy makeup. Too much for A.J.’s taste. Even her eyebrows appeared to be painted on.
The rest of her was gaunt to the point of looking unhealthy. Her beige trench coat hung loosely on her tall frame, and diamond pearl-drop earrings twinkled against the sides of her neck.
“Aaron, honey!” The tall woman flew in his direction with her arms outstretched. “I came as soon as I heard about the gas leak. Are you okay?”
Maggie had to do a hasty two-step to avoid being mowed down.
A.J. steadied her with a hand on her elbow.
If Aaron hadn’t braced himself, he might’ve gone tumbling as well when the woman launched herself into his arms.
“I’m good.” His face turned a ghastly shade from the effort it took to remain upright. “Never been better,” he lied.
“Um, hello?” Maggie gave the newcomer a searching look and held out a hand. “I’m Maggie Meyer.”
“Elise Hathaway.” The black-haired woman briefly pressed Maggie’s fingers before returning her attention to Aaron.
She clung to his arm, completely ignoring Maggie and A.J.
“Your sister mentioned something about a bee farm, and…well, here I am,” she concluded with a too-bright smile that looked fake to A.J.
Perceiving they were in the presence of Aaron’s infamous ex, he watched her head swivel to take in their surroundings.
It wasn’t a casual glance. There was a decidedly watchful element to it. “What’s going on here?”
“It’s an active crime scene, so I can’t talk about it. I know you understand.” Aaron used her clinginess to propel her back to her vehicle. “We’ll have to visit later.”
“How about dinner?” she shot back.
“Let me get back to you about that.” His expression was evasive. “It was kind of you to travel so far to check on me. Unnecessary, but kind.”
She made a face at him. “I’m concerned about you. So is your uncle.”
“He’s always been a worrywart.” Aaron assisted her over the running board and firmly shut her door behind her.
Only after she took off did A.J. return to the task of examining the sides of the building for tire tracks. It wasn’t hard to locate them, since whoever had been driving the SUV had mowed down a trio of rose bushes.
Aaron joined him, and they took photographs and dirt samples.
Maggie watched them, looking sad. “It wasn’t enough to destroy everything inside the store,” she mourned. “They mowed down my grandparents’ prize rose bushes, too.”
After a short pause, she started speaking again in a voice clearly intended to come across as casual, though it fell short of that. “Elise Hathaway seemed nice.”
Aaron merely grunted.
“You seemed to know each other pretty well,” she pressed.
“She’s my ex-girlfriend.” Aaron pointed at the ground. “What’s that?”
A.J.’s gaze followed his gloved finger to a shard of broken blue porcelain. It was half-buried in the mud. A little digging uncovered a bigger pile of shards that they were able to piece into a tacky-looking candlestick.
“Oh, my goodness,” Maggie squealed, instantly recognizing it. “That old thing has been starring in my grandparents’ product displays for decades.”
Product displays? A.J.’s chest thumped with excitement. “You mean it wasn’t for sale?”
“Definitely not,” she affirmed with a sad chuckle. “My grandmother would’ve never willingly parted with it. She found it at an estate sale years ago and fell in love with it.”
Estate sale. Check.
Item not for sale. Check.
Another smash and grab. Check.
Unfortunately, it meant the burglar had most likely gotten what he’d come for. Bummer!
Moments later, A.J. and Aaron uncovered a four-inch piece of barbed wire embedded in the same muddy tire rut. It was identical to the piece of barbed wire A.J. had found in the dumpster behind the pawnshop.
It was the connection the sheriff had insisted was present when A.J.
had first driven up to the crime scene. He glanced toward the front entrance of the store.
“I think we found our reason for the karate chop session inside the store.” He lifted one of the porcelain shards to give it a tentative sniff. “Smells like honey and wax.”
“You have a good nose.” Maggie gave him an admiring look. “It’s one of our handmade and hand-dipped candles. They’re very popular and sell like hotcakes.” She received a phone call and walked away from them with her phone held to her ear.
Aaron scooped the barbed wire into a specimen bag and the remaining shards into another bag. “We’ll get all of this to the lab for testing. If we’re lucky, they might be able to pull some forensics off the pieces.”
Or evidence that a gem had once been sealed inside it, which was A.J.’s current theory. He met Aaron’s gaze. “Guess I’ll be dropping another pin on that map I showed you earlier.”
Aaron shook his head resignedly. “You still blaming this on me?”
A.J. wasn’t sure what to think anymore. “All I’m doing is following where the evidence leads.”
“I hear you, but…” Aaron worked a kink out of his shoulder blades. “What’s it going to take to convince you I want these jokers behind bars as badly as you do?”
“The truth.” A.J. pounced on the question. He’d been waiting for this moment. He kept his voice down so that the sheriff and other first responders couldn’t hear what he said next. “How else would you explain your presence at so many related crime scenes?”
To his surprise, Aaron adopted a pained expression. “It’s not my story to tell.”
A.J. scowled at him. “Not yours to—?” And then he knew. “Aurora?” he croaked. Was Aaron actually claiming it was her story to tell? Because that would mean…no! Absolutely not! His brain refused to substitute her name and face for everything he’d been building a case against her brother for.
Aaron gave him a pitying look. “A word of advice. Accusing her of anything criminal could make your relationship with her…difficult.”