Chapter 5 #2
He nodded and stuck his hands in the pockets of his black dress slacks, the wind mussing his hair, his focus on the burnt-out car. “You’re welcome,” he said quietly, the words nearly carried away by the breeze.
The weight of everything—the fire, the judge, the violence of it all—pressed against Aubrey’s chest until breathing felt like work.
“How can this even be real?” Her voice cracked as she gestured toward the charred wreckage.
Ethan glanced over at the controlled chaos in front of the community center. “I’m really sorry about the judge.”
She folded her arms around herself, bracing against the ache rising in her chest. Her throat was raw from the smoke. Or the tears. Or both.
A medic passed them and pressed a water bottle into her hand. Ethan said, “Thanks, Mack.”
The brown-haired young man nodded and passed on to someone else.
Aubrey twisted the cap and took a long drink, the coolness easing the raw sting. “Can I tell you something?” She met Ethan’s concerned gaze.
“Yeah.”
“You’re probably wondering why I’m falling apart over a judge who wasn’t even related to me.”
He shook his head slightly. “Two dead bodies in two days would shake anyone.”
She managed a weak smile. “He was like a father to me. He helped me get on my feet—helped me find work, stability.” Her voice caught. “Renegade was supposed to be my safe place. He made sure it was. Stephen and I have been family for a long time.”
“I had no idea.”
“Most people don’t.”
She placed the bottle against her warm skin and sighed. She really needed to get out of here and figure out what they were going to do tomorrow. But how was she supposed to do anything when she could barely breathe with this new reality?
Her friend was gone. Her stabilizing force. The one person whom she trusted with her life.
And someone had murdered him.
Ethan surveyed the area in front of the community center that had just turned into a crime scene.
Thankfully, the old brick structure had withstood the nearby fire.
A few streaks of dark smoke covered the walkway leading to the front, but the building stood.
Like a beacon in the night—strong, confident.
Faithful. Like the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness.
When the world wanted to overwhelm, God was there.
Water puddled in the street, a news station van arrived on scene, and a reporter and cameraman interviewed people in the crowd.
This whole situation was a big mess. The boss had sent him over here after talking to some of the judge’s neighbors.
How in the world had Mullinax’s body ended up in a burning vehicle?
Ethan glanced over his shoulder at Aubrey as she sat on the curb, Jenna next to her.
Aubrey looked lost, vulnerable. Her green eyes unfocused.
A pang of sympathy hit him in the gut. But if he started caring about another woman, he’d probably end up hurting her, just like he had with his fiancée. So focused on his work that she’d turned to someone else. But that had been over two years ago, and thank the Lord, he’d changed.
A forensic pathologist from the local coroner’s office had arrived in one of their vans to take away the body.
Bystanders still crowded the area, trying to capture footage with their phones.
The crime-scene unit searched for evidence around the car, placing number tents next to possible items of forensic value.
Ethan walked over to stand near Aubrey and Jenna and watched as the water ran down the street under their feet. The smell of smoke still lingered in the air.
One of the EMTs, Mack Jenkins, kneeled in front of Aubrey, and Jenna wandered away to speak with an older couple.
The medic was young, slim, and had dark hair and eyes. She shook her head at something he said. Mack glanced at Ethan, then said to her, “Smoke inhalation is nothing to mess around with.”
She started to shake her head again.
Ethan went to her side and crouched. “What is it, Mack?” The young man was Rowan Wallace’s half brother, but Ethan didn’t know him in the same way he was familiar with Rowan or his buddy Luca. “She’s fine, right?”
“Someone needs to stay with her, ideally.” Mack looked back at Aubrey. “If you won’t see a doctor, you’ll need to sign a form. And don’t be alone. Just in case. Because a swollen throat can close suddenly, and it’s pretty scary.”
Sounded like the kid knew what he was talking about.
But Aubrey said nothing. She looked absolutely exhausted.
“Right. Of course. Thanks, Mack.” Ethan studied the growing crowd of onlookers but didn’t see Jenna. If anyone was going to stay with Aubrey, it would be her best friend.
The EMT returned to the ambulance and talked with a group of local firefighters, probably waiting for the all-clear signal.
Aubrey sat with her arms wrapped about herself. She needed protection and someone to take care of her. He was out of practice at taking care of someone else’s needs. A ball of dread swirled in his stomach.
An unmarked sedan rolled to a stop in front of the police barricade. Detective Murphy climbed out.
No way was he talking to Aubrey right now.
Ethan got up and met Murphy by the car.
“Butler.” Murphy studied what he could see of the burned vehicle. “What happened?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
Murphy leaned closer and took a photo of the license plate. “This is Judge Mullinax’s car, right?”
“Yeah. Not sure how it got here or where he was for the last four days, but I’m investigating.”
Murphy pocketed his phone. “I’m thinking this is linked to his housekeeper’s murder.”
“That’s my assumption too.”
Murphy smirked. “Well, looks like we might have to actually collaborate on this. You know, rather than just saying we will.” He barked a laugh.
Ethan didn’t want to collaborate with this guy on anything. “Right.” He glanced over at Aubrey again, an air of dejection hanging around her. He clapped Murphy on the back. “If you’ll excuse me a moment.”
Ethan wasn’t the type of guy to fall over himself for a woman’s attention. Although he and Aubrey butted heads daily, their outlooks were just different. She always looked for the positives in whatever situation she found herself in. Him? Well, let’s just say he expected the worst.
But seeing her like this, exposed and shaken, ignited a protective resolve he’d kept buried beneath a badge and office protocol.
“You ready to head on home?” Ethan asked.
Aubrey stood. “More than ready.”
“Let me get Jenna to take you home.” He looked around the area in front of the church. “Where is she?”
“I think she’s checking on the other volunteers.” Aubrey searched the crowd and waved Jenna over. “I’m fine, Ethan. Besides, we still have to get the remaining costumes ready for the reenactment. That is, if there’s going to be one.”
She wanted to keep working on that today?
“I’ll make a deal with you. You let me take you home after you take care of the costumes, and I’ll buy you dinner. Make sure you rest. Jenna can sleep over at your place and make sure you’re all right.”
Aubrey smirked, a little of her old fire returning. “That’s not much of a compromise. That sounds way more like you getting what you want.”
Yeah, peace of mind. “Humor me. I’ll be here when you’re ready to go.”
“Fine. I’m too exhausted to argue.” Aubrey walked toward the back of the community center building and met Jenna at the corner, their heads coming together as they immediately began to chat with each other.
He was heading back to the scene at the front of the building when a local Renegade officer ran up to him.
“Hey, Deputy Marshal! Wait up a second!”
Ethan turned to the guy. “What can I do to help you, Officer?” He still needed to take Aubrey home and run by Mrs. Hanover’s place to check on her cats. After that, he was gonna call it a day—and get back to working on the plane investigation.
The young officer ran a hand through his hair. “Captain Bennett from the FD said you need to come look at what we found.”
Ethan nodded. “Lead the way.”
He sidestepped a maze of fire hoses and puddles on the ground until they reached the end of the block. Several local police vehicles were parked under a canopy of shade trees, along with the coroner’s van.
The forensic pathologist from the coroner’s office zipped up the body bag and began loading the remains into her vehicle. She nodded once and pushed the gurney into the van, then locked the wheels and slammed the door.
Ethan took a quick detour to her, flashing his silver star badge. “Hey, Doc. Any idea what might’ve killed the judge?”
“Too early to tell.” She shook her head. “But I’ll go out on a limb and say it likely wasn’t the burning vehicle.”
“How do you know?” That was pretty specific, even if it was a guess.
She stripped off her gloves and stuffed them inside her jacket pocket. “Probably because he had a gaping head wound.” She spun around and got in the van. “The Marshals office will be the first to receive my report, since Mullinax was a federal judge. We’ll send a copy to local PD too.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” Ethan nodded.
She waved and sped off, leaving him standing there with the late-afternoon sun beating down on his back.
The officer came back over. “Sorry, Deputy Marshal, but that’s not what the captain wanted you to see.” He pointed to the judge’s car. “Take a look inside.”
A large square box, bright-orange paint peeking through the soot and grime, sat in a puddle of water on the back seat.
The black box from an airplane.
Someone clapped him on the shoulder.
“Good, you’re here.” One of the firefighters removed his helmet and pushed his Nomex hood down. “I’m Cole Bennett, captain of Station 3.”
They shook hands. “Good to meet you.” Ethan stared at the box and then looked over at the captain. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yep. A flight recorder,” the captain said. “Know a plane that’s missing one?”
Ethan blinked.
“Are you serious? I didn’t think you’d actually know.”
Ethan shook his head. “Yeah, welcome to my day.”