Chapter 30
CHAPTER 30
B ecket stared at his computer screen. He was supposed to be writing up this morning’s incident report for a car fire due to an overheated engine, but he could barely concentrate on that. It made him think about all the incidents with Sky. Not just the fires, but also the engine and brakes issues she’d had in Cheyenne. Someone must have done those things to her car, and that someone had to have a good knowledge of engines.
The boyfriend was still the most likely suspect because, as far as they knew, he was the person with the greatest motive.
But why couldn’t Jesse find him? Especially if he was here? In a town the size of Amber Ridge, someone should have seen him by now.
And if it wasn’t the boyfriend…then who? Tony? But there’d been no sign of him either, and her parents swore he’d left town.
His hands balled into fists. He lifted his cell and sent a text, needing to hear from Sky.
Becket: Hey, are you okay?
The three dots popped up right away.
Sky: I’m great. Bella and I are just snacking while we wait for Rosemary to pick her up.
Becket: Snacking on what?
Sky: Me—liver strips, Bella—chocolate.
Sky: Kidding, other way around :D
Becket: Are you allowed to joke about a dog snacking on chocolate? Doesn’t the stuff kill them?
Sky: The only thing not allowed is actually giving Bella chocolate. I can joke about whatever I want.
Becket: I don’t know, I heard it was like a sin or something.
Sky: Well, if that’s the case and I go to hell, at least you’ll have company.
He laughed out loud.
Becket: Why am I going to hell? I’m a firefighter. I save people.
Sky: Because you hate dogs and Seinfeld.
Becket: We’ve been through this. I don’t hate dogs and Seinfeld just isn’t for me.
Sky: Seinfeld’s for everyone. And you cannot dislike dogs and get into heaven. Butchering trees and fighting with neighbors is also frowned upon.
Becket: Lucky I made up for those things then. Is the door to the daycare locked?
Sky: Yep. I’m locked in and safe.
Becket: Good. Stay safe.
Sky: You too.
He shook his head and was just turning back to the computer when his desk phone rang. He lifted it to his ear. “Becket speaking.”
“Beck, it’s Teddy. I’m going to be late to work, sorry.”
There was a lot of background noise. People and movement. Maybe even…a radio? “Where are you?”
“The sheriff’s station.”
Becket straightened. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s a long story. You know how I’ve been dating Kristina?”
“Yeah.”
“I stayed at her place last night. She’s always stayed at mine, so it was the first time. And I found some stuff. Okay, not just some stuff. A lot of stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“The stolen kind.”
Becket shot to his feet. “Kristina’s the town thief?”
“It looks like it. I called the sheriff’s station and they came down. I felt like shit doing it behind her back, but it was the right thing to do. They took her in.”
Becket frowned. “Kristina’s new in town, right?”
“That’s another thing…she says she’s only been here a few months, but I think she got here earlier. I saw a note from her landlord alluding to as much.”
“Where’d she come from?”
“Um…I don’t know. She might have said somewhere in Wyoming.”
Becket grabbed his keys and left his office. “You said she’s at the station?”
“Yeah, they just brought her in. Why?”
“I have to go.”
He stopped in the break room. “Irene, can you finish the report on my laptop?”
“Sure.” She frowned. “Everything okay?”
“I don’t know. I need to check on something.”
She nodded. “Go.”
He jogged out of the station to his car.
On the way to the sheriff’s office, he tried his brother’s phone. No answer. Dammit .
He pressed his foot to the floor. When he finally got there, he stepped inside at the exact moment his brother walked out of his office.
Jesse frowned. “Beck…what are you doing here?”
“It could be her.”
“What could be who?”
“The person who’s been messing with Sky. It could be Kristina.”
His brother urged him down the hall and lowered his voice. “Why do you say that?”
“Because she arrived in Amber Ridge when these things started happening. She got a job at Sky’s doggy daycare, possibly to get close to Sky. And now she’s been identified as the town thief, which means she was the one who broke into Sky’s house.”
“We haven’t questioned her yet.”
“Are you doing that now?”
“Yes, but—”
“I want to be there.”
“Becket—”
“If situations were reversed and this involved Aspen, you would want the same access to the key witness. I’m not asking to be in the room. I know that’s not allowed. Just to watch you interview her.”
Jesse’s jaw tightened. “Fine. Follow me.” He led Becket into a small room. “You watch …that’s all.”
The door closed behind Jesse, and Becket looked through a window to see Kristina sitting at a table, head in her hands.
Jesse walked into the interrogation room, box in hand, and Kristina’s head shot up. Her face was red and tear-stained, her eyes sad and scared.
Jesse sat at the table opposite her and hit the record button. “Kristina Cutter?”
“Yes.” Her voice was low and defeated.
“You’ve already been read your rights and you’ve refused counsel. Now I’m going to ask you a series of questions and they’ll be recorded. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
Jesse pulled a diamond necklace from the box. “This necklace matches the description of one stolen from Rose Harper’s home exactly six weeks ago. This morning, it was found in your spare bedroom. How did it get there?”
Kristina’s chest rose and fell with a deep breath. She looked at the necklace, then back at Jesse. “I don’t know.”
Becket’s hands fisted. If she wasn’t going to cooperate even when the evidence was right fucking there, this would take a long time.
Jesse pulled out a gold men’s ring. “This ring was stolen from Giuseppe Bruno’s home. We found it in that same bedroom. How did it get there?”
Her breathing rate increased. “I don’t know.”
Becket’s feet twitched to march in there and force the truth out of her.
Jesse leaned forward. “Every time you lie, you make this worse for yourself. We’ve already got all the evidence we need, and once we have a DNA match, that’s it. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
Her eyes flared with fear.
He pulled out a light blue bag. “This was stolen from Amelia Lambert’s home. Why was it in your house?”
Her mouth opened.
“Don’t lie to me,” he cut in before she could speak.
Three long seconds passed.
“I took it,” she finally whispered. “I stole all of it.”
“Why?” he asked.
She lifted a shoulder, tears brimming in her eyes. “Because it’s what I do. My real name is Josie Palone. I move to small towns, take what I can, and leave.”
“Do you befriend people and rob them?”
“No! I didn’t realize that was Sky’s house that night. I was in her neighbor’s house, saw the broken fence and took advantage of the situation. Then she got home and fell down the stairs and…I had to choose. Help her or run.” Tears fell down her cheeks. “I chose to run. I’m sorry.”
“Did you have anything to do with the other things that have happened to Sky?”
She frowned. “You mean when her car went over the bridge? No. I was working that day.”
Becket frowned. She was? It could easily be checked, so there was no reason to lie.
“What about the day Sky was almost hit outside the doggy daycare, and Becket was sideswiped?”
Kristina was already shaking her head before Jesse had finished speaking. “I was with Teddy. He can confirm that. I was at his place.”
Jesse didn’t say anything, just watched her closely, waiting to see if she cracked.
“I’m serious.” Her voice became more high-pitched. “That wasn’t me! I break into houses and take stuff, but I never hurt anyone.”
Shit. She was telling the truth. It wasn’t her.
Jesse leaned forward. “Did you follow her here from Wyoming?”
“What? I did come from Wyoming. The last city I was in was Jackson. But I only met Sky when I got here. I get a job in every town I go to, and she was hiring.”
Becket watched her closely. Her eyes. The tone of her voice. She sounded like she was telling the truth. But if she was, that meant someone else was messing with Sky.
“You know we’ll find out if you’re lying,” Jesse pressed.
She lifted her hands. “I’m not. I swear!”
At the ringing of Jesse’s phone, he glanced at the screen before rising and answering. He frowned and looked at Becket through the glass, tilting his head toward the door.
Becket met him in the hall. “Who is it?”
“One of the deputies letting me know the boyfriend called the station.”
“Why the hell would he call the station?”
“Let’s find out.”
They returned to Jesse’s office and he answered the call, putting it on speaker. “Sheriff Hayes speaking.”
“Uh, hi, this is Mateo Flores. My old chief called…said you’ve been trying to get in contact with me?”
“Yes. I was wondering if you could tell me where you’ve been the last few months.”
“In Merida, Mexico, visiting family and figuring my life out after losing my girlfriend.” There was a small pause. “Why? What the hell’s this about?”
“Can anyone verify this?”
“Yeah, my entire family. Do I need a lawyer?”
Becket’s hands fisted. If it wasn’t him either, that just left Tony, didn’t it?
“Did Eloise have anyone else she was particularly close to?” Becket asked, receiving a glare from Jesse for speaking. He didn’t damn well care. “Her parents? Friends?”
“No. She was an introvert, didn’t have many friends. And she didn’t get along with her parents. She moved out when she was sixteen.”
“Who’d she move in with?” Jesse asked.
“Her grandmother. They were close.”
Becket frowned. “Just her grandmother? No grandfather?”
“Nah, her grandfather was a mechanic who died at work ten years ago.”
Becket’s muscles locked…a mechanic. Which meant the grandmother could know something about cars.
“How did her grandmother react after Eloise died?” Becket asked, even though he had a feeling he knew the answer.
“She was gutted. Eloise was like a daughter to her. Other than her dog, Eloise was basically her only family. Eloise was with her grandmother when she got the call asking her to go in for that shift. I think she struggled with the fact that Eloise wasn’t even supposed to work that day.”
Becket’s chest began to burn. “What was her name?”
“Rosemary…Rosemary Symes.”
* * *
Sky smiled as Bella licked her face. A lot of people were so critical of Chinese Cresteds. Dolly had even laughed when she’d learned Bella’s name, which was Italian for beautiful. And Mr. Bruno had walked in that first time and gasped at the sight of her.
“People are just mean,” Sky said, giving Bella another liver strip. “You’re beautiful in your own Bella way.”
The dog made a little sound, almost like she understood Sky’s words and was in agreement.
The playroom was quiet since every other dog had been picked up. Which was unusual. Rosemary never ran late. Dolly had offered to stay, but Sky knew she played bridge on Wednesdays, so she’d refused to let her miss it. Besides, Becket would still be at work, so all she had waiting for her was an empty house.
Maybe she’d get Thai on the way home. Today had been tiring, with a lot of high-energy dogs, and she did not feel like cooking.
The bell for the front door rang through the daycare.
“There’s your mama,” Sky said as she rose.
She attached Bella’s lead to her collar and made her way to the front. Rosemary stood on the other side of the glass, waving.
Another perk of working here—everyone was always happy to pick up their dog at the end of the day. No grumpy interactions.
Sky unlatched the lock and opened the door. “Hey.”
“Hello.” Bella jumped on the older woman, and Rosemary laughed and crouched. “And hello to you, my darling. Have you missed me?”
Bella yapped before licking Rosemary’s face.
Sky grinned. “I’d say that’s a yes.”
Rosemary rose and took the lead from Sky. “I’m so sorry I’m late. I ran a bit behind delivering meals.”
Rosemary cooked meals and sold them to locals, particularly the elderly.
“You are absolutely fine. Although I’m sorry to tell you that Bella might not be too hungry for dinner after all the liver treats she ate.”
The older woman chuckled. “That’s why she loves coming here. One of the many reasons.”
“Well, I hope you—”
“Oh, I actually made a meal for you too. I went a bit crazy on the tuna mornay, so I’d love to give you some.”
“Oh, thank you. That’s so nice of you.”
“Not at all! Unfortunately, my legs are so sore from getting in and out of the delivery van all day. I was wondering if you could get it out?”
Sky didn’t even know she had a delivery van. “Of course I can get it.”
Her cell rang from where she’d left it next to her bag on the front desk. Assuming it was her mother, she’d return the call when she got back inside.
“Are you sure you don’t want to keep the meal for yourself?” she asked. “Save it for later?”
“No, I have enough.”
They stopped at a vehicle. Sky frowned. It was a white van like the one that had run her off the bridge.
She shook her head. There were tons of white vans in town.
Rosemary opened the passenger door first. Once Bella had jumped in, she closed the door and moved to the back.
“It’s just at the right corner, in the container,” Rosemary said, once the big doors were open.
Sky climbed in and went all the way to the back. The van didn’t have much inside. A couple of built-in containers. Some sheets.
Something rustled behind her as she opened the container in the corner. It was empty.
She started to turn. “I don’t—”
A sting of pain cut off her words and her breath. She looked down…only to see something sticking into her stomach, through her top. She yanked it out.
A dart. What the hell?
She looked up—and shock made her belly cramp. Rosemary still stood by the door, but now she had a large strange-looking gun in her hand. It was almost comical, seeing the older woman holding a weapon.
“What are you doing?” Sky asked, her words slurring as black dots danced in her vision.
“What needs to be done, dear.”
The door started to close.
She started to lunge forward, but her knees gave way. She dropped to the floor of the van, panic weaving through her veins. The deep hum of the van’s engine thrummed under her cheek. She tried to stay awake…to keep her eyes open and her mind clear. But the dark swirls in her head sucked her under, turning her world black.