Chapter 14
I book it to the nearby airport where my plane is hangared, replaying all the info I’ve got so far. I need to create a board for myself, something I do because I’m visual and it’s helped me with investigations more than once to see the bigger picture. Literally.
When I see Fallon’s name on my caller ID, I answer using hands-free. “Hey, sorry I haven’t—”
“Don’t apologize. You’re dealing with a lot.” Fallon is one of the steadiest, most understanding people I know. “I’m just checking in with you.”
The ball of tension in my chest eases. “I appreciate it. I’m working with Alex on a lead right now.” It could turn into nothing but I’m hoping for the best. Hope is a huge motivator right now. Hope and the need for justice.
“I know about that. I mean…” She clears her throat. “Have you talked to your sponsor lately?”
Ah. Okay, so there it is, and while my instinct is to bristle at the question, I keep my response in check.
Because Fallon knows more about me than I like to think about—and one of my employment requirements is that if I fall off the wagon, I go into rehab or no second chances.
“No, but I’ll call once I get a free moment.
” I think about telling her that I’ve had the urge to grab a drink more than once but don’t.
It’s not like she can stop me from investigating Cara’s murder, but I don’t want her distracted by anything right now.
Especially not worrying about me. “I’m doing fine as far as that’s concerned though.
All I’m focused on is finding Cara’s killer.
” Mostly true. I want to find and destroy her killer.
She’s silent for a beat. “Okay. I’m always a phone call away.”
I’m only two minutes from the airport turnoff, can see the runway from the road as I approach the entrance.
“Thank you. Look, I’m—” I jerk forward as the vehicle behind me suddenly bumps me.
“What the hell!” I lay on my horn even though they’re behind me.
I haven’t even started to slow down for the turnoff yet. “Jackass!”
The SUV hits me again, this time harder. I tense under the impact but it’s not enough to deploy my airbags (or maybe mine don’t even work, a good possibility).
“What’s going on?” Fallon demands.
Then I recognize the vehicle. “Oh, shit. That SUV I saw outside Cara’s neighborhood just hit me from behind.” I press on the gas then make a sharp left turn down the short road that leads to the airport.
There’s only one way in or out and there are always people I know there. “I’ve gotta go.” I hang up before she can respond and start to call the owner of the airport to let him know there might be a situation, but the SUV speeds off without following me, tires screeching.
Even as my heart rate slows to normal, adrenaline is still surging through me.
What the hell? A small part of me is tempted to go after the SUV, but I’m in a shitty car and unarmed.
It would be truly stupid to chase after them.
I didn’t even see the plate so I can’t know a hundred percent that it’s the same SUV, but I don’t believe in coincidence.
And I have a solid lead to follow up on. I need to be smart when all I want to do is chase them down and unleash all the rage inside me on that driver.
I answer Fallon’s call. “Hey, I’m okay. They’re gone. Did Foxe tell you about the SUV I took a picture of?”
“Yeah.”
“Pretty sure they just tried to run me off the road.” Or worse, but there’s no way to know why yet. “I’m at the airport though and they didn’t follow.”
“We’ll figure out who owns it. You good?”
“Yeah.” And really glad I’m not driving Cara’s vehicle now.
“I’ll be in touch.” Fallon ends the call as I pull into the parking lot.
Which is just as well because there’s nothing more to talk about. I’m sure we’ll figure out who that was, but for now I’m following this lead.
And I’ll be looking over my shoulder.
***
“Thank you for picking me up.” I slide into Alex’s car, glad she’s already turned on the seat heaters. And I’m really glad the woman we’re going to talk to works less than twenty miles from the airport.
“Of course. So I heard you had some trouble at the other airport?”
Not on my flight here, that was quick and easy, thankfully. “Fallon works fast,” I mutter as I pull up the email Foxe sent on Aria Love, the woman Alex and I are meeting with.
“Any idea who was behind it?”
“Unfortunately no.” At this point it could even be related to an old case, though I doubt it.
But…I don’t like to discount anything. “So Aria Love, a pretty college student working at a local seafood restaurant, was dating Cory Powell and is willing to talk to us about him?” I’ve been to the place she works at a few times.
The restaurant has waterfront dining, indoor and outdoor seating, and the whole vibe is rustic and laid-back.
Plus they have killer burgers in addition to the fresh local seafood.
“When I told her we were private investigators she didn’t balk. If anything, I think she’s looking for an audience for her complaints.”
“Great,” I mutter. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great when people are willing to talk to us on investigations, but sometimes people just want an opportunity to vent their grievances.
That’s rarely helpful. But sometimes I get nuggets of information from the complainers. Besides, it’s all we’ve got right now.
Alex just grunts in response and thankfully traffic is light so it doesn’t take much longer to get there.
There’s plenty of parking, likely because the place doesn’t open for another hour, and we find her sitting out back on one of the picnic tables. All the umbrellas are open and there are a cluster of heaters keeping the back deck area warm.
I recognize Aria from the photographs Foxe included. Her long, dark hair is pulled back in a braid and she’s wearing a simple black button-down shirt and matching pants. She looks at us curiously, and thankfully Alex takes over.
“Aria? I’m Alex and this is my partner Sloane.”
I smile politely at the woman who nods to both of us. “I can only talk for a few minutes. My manager said it was fine, but I’ve got to start prepping soon.”
“Of course, we totally understand, and we appreciate your time.” Alex smoothly slides a fifty over to her.
Aria blinks. “Oh…you don’t have to…”
“I know we don’t, but we really do appreciate this.
And I used to wait tables. I know how hard you work.
This is just in case you have a crappy table today.
” Alex’s voice is genuine and I always marvel at how good she is with people.
Because when she wants a client or a target to open up, the woman is gold.
I’m pretty sure that’s how she got Rose to marry her.
Aria smiles, revealing two dimples, and it’s easy to see why Cory fell for her. “Well thank you. I’m starting to get a little worried about Cory. I know the police think he’s involved in that murder, but I can’t see that.”
I start to bristle at the words that murder but manage to school my expression. “We agree with you,” I lie, the words tasting like sand.
Alex nods along with me. “We’re worried about him and think someone else is behind the murder.
We can’t tell you who hired us, but they’re concerned the police are focusing on the wrong person.
So if you could tell us a little bit about Cory, his habits, anything, it would really help.
We want to make sure the right person is convicted. ”
“Yes, we understand that he was fired for stealing?” I manage to keep my voice even.
Aria winces slightly. “Yeah, he denied it at first, but he definitely did it.” She sighs, turning to look out at the marina next to us. A seagull swoops down and lands on a nearby fishing boat. The water is calm today, the briny scent of the ocean almost soothing instead of overwhelming.
“Sometimes people make poor decisions, but that doesn’t make them bad people.” Alex’s voice is soothing, gentle.
And exactly what Aria needs, because she turns back to us. “That’s what I told him, but he was so angry. Said ‘that bitch’ ruined his life—which I know sounds bad. But he was just angry, and that’s what I told the cops. He was just blowing off steam.”
I think Alex was wrong about Aria wanting to vent about him. It sounds like she wants to defend him instead. I have to push down my anger and stay emotionally detached, treat this like any other case.
“And it’s not even his fault. He fell in with these jerks, these ‘tech bros,’” she says with a roll of her eyes. “He was just trying to keep up with their lifestyle.”
“What kind of lifestyle?” Alex asks.
“Oh, you know, weekends to Vegas, deep-sea fishing trips, stuff like that. Though he wouldn’t take me on any of his trips.” Her tone shifts, anger peeking through.
Okay, maybe Alex was right about the venting.
“That had to be tough. Was it like boys-only trips?”
“That’s what he told me, but I saw some pictures on a friend’s Insta.
” Her jaw tightens. “Two of the other guys brought their girlfriends. I guess I’m not good enough to hang out with them on their expensive yacht,” she says bitterly.
“Unlike them, I don’t have a trust fund.
” She sweeps her hand out at the restaurant.
“I’m a little too working class for them. ”
“Cory was able to afford a yacht?” I ask. That didn’t come up in any of his financials.
“Oh no,” she says with a laugh of disbelief. “His friend Brock has one. I think it might actually belong to his parents, I’m not sure.” She shrugs.
“Brock…?” Alex nudges.
“Ah, Brock McNair. It’s actually docked here.” She half points at the marina. “Not here, here, but on the other side. It’s called Wet Dream, if you can believe it.”
“Classy,” I murmur.
Which makes her laugh. “Right? But I’m the one not good enough for his friends.” Another eye roll.
I nod along sympathetically. “We really want to find him and prove his innocence. Do you have any idea where he might be hiding?”