Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Sienna gripped the edge of the table for support as she struggled to make sense of what Zeke had said. Ken Holt was dead? How was that possible? It had been less than two hours since she saw him standing behind the bar at the Wooden Nickel.
The brief glimpse of him flashed in her mind. She had assumed Ken had taken off because he was afraid of being arrested, but now she wasn’t so sure. Maybe Ken was worried about something else.
Like failing in his mission to cause her grief.
Had Josh killed him? Was her ex-husband so determined to seek revenge on her that he’d killed a man? Not just any man, but his former friend? She could almost imagine how it may have played out. Ken had run away from the bar, then called Josh demanding to know what to do. Josh had agreed to meet with him, then had killed him.
Ken Holt’s murder changed everything. This was no longer a simple custody case. Josh had crossed a line.
And she feared Josh believed there was no going back.
“Sienna? Are you okay?”
She realized Zeke had called her name several times. Even Flynn was looking at her in concern. “No, how can anyone be okay after this?”
Zeke and Flynn exchanged a quick glance. Then Flynn stood and gathered their empty plates together. “I’ll start the dishes.”
“We’ll make sure you’re not connected to this incident in any way.” Zeke covered her hand in his. “You left the rental property late on Monday night.”
She shook her head. “The police have to be involved now. A man has been brutally murdered. There’s no brushing something of this magnitude under the rug.” She shivered. “I just can’t believe Ken is dead.”
“I know.” Zeke’s expression was grim. “Steele thinks Ken knew his killer; he was shot in the chest at close range.”
“You think Josh killed him.” She pushed the sentence through a tight throat.
“Maybe.” Zeke shrugged. “We should be able to figure out if your ex-husband left California to come here. That will help.”
Josh’s parents were wealthy, but not to the point of having their own private plane. Still, she wasn’t convinced Josh would have left LA to come here without having some way of covering his tracks. After a long moment, a horrible thought struck. “Could chartering a private plane to Milwaukee help Josh stay off the radar?”
“It’s possible,” Zeke admitted. “But even private planes have to land at one of the hangars at the Milwaukee airport. There are other smaller airports, but he’d need a decent-sized plane to get him here from across the country. I’ll have Gabe get information on all private flights in and out of the city. Maybe I’ll include Madison, too, just to cover all bases.”
It sounded like a monumental task, one that wouldn’t be accomplished in a week, much less one day. Once again, she was torn by indecision. Was there any reason to stick around? Was it better for everyone if she disappeared with Bailey now rather than waiting?
Lord Jesus, guide me! Show me the way!
“Mama?” Bailey walked toward her wearing pink footie pajamas. Tugging her hand from Zeke’s, she scooped the little girl into her arms and held her close.
Drawing in the sweet scent of baby shampoo helped steady her nerves. It was too late tonight to make any decisions about staying or going, but tomorrow?
First thing in the morning, she’d need to begin planning her exit strategy. She didn’t want to break her contract and refund the money for the tickets, but nothing was more important than her daughter.
“Time for bed, young lady,” she said with mock sternness. Rising to her feet, she carried the little girl to the bedroom she’d used earlier for Bailey’s naptime. She would sleep next to her daughter, leaving Taylor, Zeke, and Flynn to decide who should get the other two bedrooms.
“Sing! Sing!” Bailey said as she settled on the edge of the bed.
“You need to lie down first,” she said, arranging the pillows to keep her daughter from falling off. She had gotten into the habit of singing Bailey to sleep, which probably wasn’t as good for her as reading a bedtime story.
But singing Christian hymns as a bedtime ritual helped Sienna feel closer to God in a way that prayer didn’t always accomplish. She had come to accept that God wanted her to use her voice to proclaim His name. And praising Him while feeling close to the Lord was more important than preparing Bailey for school.
Especially now.
Bailey snuggled with her stuffed elephant as she began to sing her daughter’s favorite, Jesus Loves Me . Sometimes the little girl tried to sing along, but other times, like tonight, it didn’t take long for the little girl’s eyelids to slowly droop and close as if she was losing herself in the song.
The way Sienna was.
After finishing the final notes, tears pricked at her eyes. She watched Bailey sleeping before slowly standing to leave the room. She stopped abruptly when she saw Zeke leaning against the doorframe, obviously having been there the entire time.
“Beautiful,” he whispered as she approached. From the admiration shining in his eyes, she wasn’t sure he meant her or the song.
“Thank you.” She drew him away from the door so she could close it.
“Do you sing to her every night?” Zeke asked.
“Most nights. If I’m home.” She tried to smile but couldn’t. “In truth, doing so calms me as much as it does her.”
There was a long moment as Zeke searched her gaze before he spoke. “Please don’t leave yet. You promised to give me two days.”
He could read her thoughts better than anyone else. Even her brother, Luke. She wished Luke was there now to help her decide what to do.
“I haven’t made any plans,” she finally said as they returned to the living room. “But if Josh has really killed a man...” She didn’t finish her thought.
It was terrifying to think she and Bailey could be next. Something along the lines of if he couldn’t have their daughter, then no one could.
“If we can prove that, Josh will be in jail for the rest of his life,” Zeke said. “Don’t you see? Your ex is growing desperate. I think he killed Ken Holt to prevent him from telling us that Josh hired him to stalk you.”
She wanted to believe the police would uncover the proof they needed to charge Josh with murder, but she didn’t. The Josh she knew would find a way to cover his tracks. Money had a way of making witnesses suffer amnesia.
Even his parents would support him in every way possible. She firmly believed they’d lie to the police and in court if necessary to cover for him.
After all, they’d denied knowing anything about Josh’s abuse, even though she had confronted them with the truth.
“Trust me, Sienna. I won’t let you down,” Zeke murmured.
“I do trust you, but that’s not the issue.” She sank into the sofa feeling exhausted. “Bailey is the most important person in my life. I can’t allow Josh to hurt her.”
“He won’t.” Zeke spoke with a confidence she wished she could share. “Killing Ken Holt was his first mistake. He overplayed his hand tonight. No way will a slew of cops ignore a cold-blooded murder.”
“What if he finds some way to implicate me?” She lifted her gaze to his. “Dirk booked the rental house under my name.”
“You’ve been with me and Raelyn during the time frame of the murder, so that won’t happen,” he assured her. “Besides, Steele is working with the local district cops to keep you out of it. He contacted Rhy who is chatting with their captain as we speak.” He hesitated, then added, “They’ll need to interview you, though.”
And that was the problem. “Which is exactly what Josh wants. My name in a police report. I’m sure he’ll see my name associated with a murder investigation as being a better reason to give up custody of my daughter compared to being the victim of stalker-like notes and petty vandalism.”
“His name will be featured in a police report soon enough,” Zeke said. “Give us time to follow up on a few things.”
Time. She sighed and nodded. Zeke was a difficult man to resist.
In more ways than one.
“Thank you.” He smiled. “I know we’ll get to the bottom of this.”
She desperately wanted to believe him. “I hope so.” Sitting next to him like this made her yearn to have it all. Her career, her daughter, and maybe even a man like Zeke.
But she was afraid the mistake she made in marrying Josh Allenton was too much to overcome.
From the moment Sienna had listened to his call with Steele, Zeke had known she was planning to run. To find a way to get a couple of fake passports and leave the country to disappear forever.
The worst part? He was tempted to help her do that.
Despite being duty bound to uphold the law, he could easily understand Sienna’s dilemma. It wasn’t easy to stand and fight against those with money and power.
He slid his arm around her shoulder and drew her close, wishing there was more he could do or say to reassure her they were on the right path. Listening to her sing to Bailey only reinforced how important it was for her to be allowed to raise her daughter without interference from her ex. For her to share her talent with others.
God was watching over them. Zeke prayed God would also give him the wisdom and guidance he needed to arrest Allenton.
“Oh, Zeke.” Sienna’s whisper sent waves of awareness zipping down his spine. She turned her face into the hollow of his shoulder, her hand coming up to rest in the center of his chest. He wondered if she could feel the thundering beat of his heart. “I wish...”
He pressed a kiss to her temple. “It’s going to be okay. Trust in me, my team, and the process.”
“I’ll try.” She rested against him for a long moment. Then she lifted her head and kissed him. The rational part of his brain told him she meant it to be a kiss between friends, but the moment their lips touched, the embrace changed.
He tried to pull back, but Sienna nestled closer, deepening their kiss. Their embrace fried his brain cells. Only an earthquake could have ended this kiss.
Wisconsin didn’t have earthquakes.
“Zeke?” Flynn’s voice was almost as annoying as an earthquake. “Zeke? Rhy’s on the line.”
Rhy. His boss. With regret he pulled away. “Coming,” he managed in a guttural tone.
“Better hurry,” Flynn said.
“Good night, Zeke.” Sienna appeared flustered by their embrace as she sat up and smoothed a hand over her hair. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Good night, Sienna.” It was all he could do not to kiss her again. Tearing himself away from her, he headed into the kitchen.
Ignoring the arched expression in Flynn’s eyes, he picked up the disposable phone. Praying his voice sounded more normal, he said, “Hey, Rhy. What’s up?”
“I’ve convinced the White Gull Bay police to keep the murder investigation under wraps,” Rhy said. “At least for now. They’re more than a little interested in speaking to Sienna’s ex-husband, though. And they’d like to interview her too.”
“I know.” Zeke didn’t see a way around that. “Maybe we can arrange to meet with them at our precinct? Just to give her some distance from White Gull Bay?”
“I’ll see if they’ll go along with that,” Rhy said. “Flynn mentioned you, Sienna, and Raelyn went out to speak with the victim?”
“Yeah.” He quickly ran through a high-level description of the event. “I take full responsibility for letting him escape. If I had anticipated him bolting, he’d still be alive.”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Rhy advised. “Raelyn could have gone around back without you saying anything.”
“My plan, my failure,” he said.
“Get over it, you didn’t kill the guy. Unfortunately, there was no phone found at the scene of the crime. The detectives assigned to the case will get Holt’s cell phone records, but if he was using a disposable phone, there likely won’t be anything to lead back to Allenton.”
“Yeah, I know.” He raked a hand through his hair. “We don’t know where he’s been staying either. Other than somewhere off-grid,” he said.
“The detectives on scene found Ken Holt’s car in the garage of the rental property,” Rhy said. “They think he may have stayed there at least for one night.”
“That’s interesting.” He could imagine Holt tossing the brick through the window, then watching as he packed up Sienna, Taylor, and Bailey to get them out of there. But to actually move into the place in their absence? That took some nerve. “I’m surprised he’d do that if the goal was to get the police to respond to the vandalism.”
“The locals did respond, didn’t see anyone, and dismissed it as a teenage prank,” Rhy said. “Their theory is that Ken Holt moved into the place right after that. The broken window was removed and replaced with particle board.”
Zeke sighed. “Do they have anything else?”
“Not at this time, but the city of White Gull Bay doesn’t have much in the way of homicides, so the detectives are all over this.” Rhy sounded tired. “Like I said, they’re willing to play along for now.”
“Great. Do they have my number to set up the interview?” Zeke asked.
“No, I asked them to work with me. I’ll contact Detective Plato in the morning with a time for the interview. Say nine o’clock?”
“Nine works, thanks, Rhy.” He ended the call and set the phone back on the table. “We need to keep digging. There has to be a way to tie this murder to Allenton.”
“No one is going to stop working the case,” Flynn assured him. “But you need to be careful. I’ve watched our teammates get emotionally involved to the point they almost got themselves killed.”
Zeke had seen that too. Yet now that he was the one involved, it was easier to understand. “I love her, Flynn.”
“Your engagement is real?” Flynn looked surprised.
“Not exactly, but it has to appear that way to the world.” He dropped into the kitchen chair beside his friend. “I love her, but she sees me as a friend.”
“Funny, that kiss looked more than friendly,” Flynn teased.
It had felt like more than just friends to him, too, but it was time to change the subject. “I’m going to keep pouring through social media posts. If you want to take the third bedroom, that’s fine with me. I’ll use the sofa.”
“Suit yourself.” Flynn yawned. “We should be safe here.”
“Yeah.” Zeke couldn’t ignore his shrinking time frame. “Get some sleep. I’ll need you to stay here with Taylor and Bailey so we can be interviewed by the White Gull Bay detectives.”
“I figured.” Flynn rose. “But you need to get some sleep too.”
“I will.” Zeke knew he was right. He’d already made one major mistake in letting Holt escape. He couldn’t afford to make another.
He worked until the words blurred on the screen, then stretched out on the sofa. It seemed like only an hour later when he awoke.
A glance at his watch indicated it was six in the morning. Somehow, he’d slept all night. Too bad he didn’t feel rested.
Coffee would help.
After brewing a pot, he sat down with a full mug and picked up where he’d left off. He’d tried everything he could think of to identify additional connections to Ken Holt but hadn’t found anything useful.
No address, no additional places of employment. As a last resort, he decided to see if he could find any girlfriends that they could talk to.
But if the guy was in a romantic relationship, there was no sign of it on his social media pages.
He worked for about twenty minutes before everyone began to stir. First Flynn, then Taylor, and finally Sienna and Bailey were up.
“I’ll make breakfast,” Taylor offered. “I hope everyone likes eggs because that’s about all that’s in the fridge.”
“Works for me,” Zeke said.
“We’ll order groceries for the rest of the day,” Flynn added. “I was going to suggest that last night but got distracted.”
Yeah, dead bodies had a way of sidetracking things. He moved the computer to make more room at the kitchen table. Then he filled several mugs of coffee and set about making another pot.
He had a feeling this would be a long day and that he’d need all the coffee he could get.
“We need to be at the precinct by nine,” he told Sienna. “Flynn will stay here with Taylor and Bailey.”
“Sure, I understand.” She didn’t look as if she’d gotten much sleep either. The stress of the interview with the police and the shrinking time frame left to work on the case was wearing on her too.
He’d hoped they’d be further along by now. Instead, things had taken a turn for the worse with Holt’s murder.
After eating eggs for breakfast, he took a quick shower, more to get rid of the cobwebs than anything. Feeling better, he joined the others in the kitchen. Sienna had showered as well, her thick hair framing her face.
He eyed the coffee, considering one for the road. A quick peek through the cupboards squashed that notion. Not a to-go cup to be had.
“We’ll be back soon,” he told Flynn, holding the garage door for Sienna. “I’ll keep you updated.”
“No problem.” Flynn was seated at the table working on the computer. He agreed to focus on Brett Voss since Holt was proving to be a dead end.
Sienna didn’t say anything until they were out on the road. “I need to contact Dirk using my regular phone once we’re at the precinct. My morning show interview is tomorrow. I’m sure he wants to update me about that.”
Taking it as a good sign she was talking about the morning show interview, he nodded. “Sure, that’s a good plan. What about your rehearsal later tonight?” She had one slotted in on her original schedule. “Are you still planning to do that?”
“No need.” She shrugged. “I know the songs well enough.”
And just like that, his hopes plummeted. She had no intention of going on with the tour. They were silent during the rest of the trip to the precinct. As before, he parked in the back and took Sienna in through the rear entrance that typically only officers used. She stood outside for a moment to power up her phone. She called her manager, but Dirk must not have answered, so she left a message.
They were ten minutes early, but as he led Sienna through the maze of cubicles, he could see Rhy speaking with two cops dressed in suits.
Sienna saw the White Gull Bay detectives, too, her blue gaze apprehensive. “Just be honest and upfront with them,” he advised.
She nodded. He opened the door and waved to her to enter first.
“Sienna Reynolds, this is Detective Plato and Detective Marks,” Rhy said by way of introduction. “Detectives, this is Sienna Reynolds and one of my officers, Zeke Hawthorne. He and Sienna are recently engaged.”
“Oh yeah?” Detective Plato eyed him curiously. Zeke did his best to appear nonchalant about the whole thing. The questions started out easily enough, placing Sienna’s name, address, and contact information on record. But when they asked about why she left the rental house despite having booked it for the week, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.
He wanted to intervene, but she pulled herself together to explain about the brick coming through the window. “I was convinced some neighborhood kid had tossed it, but Zeke felt we should move to a different location.” She smiled, and added, “I value his advice related to safety. You can’t be too careful these days.”
The questions became more pointed when they brought up her relationship with the deceased.
“I have not spoken to Ken Holt in years,” Sienna answered honestly. “He was my ex-husband’s friend, not mine. I never cared much for him, but I certainly didn’t have a reason to hurt him.”
“We’ve been in touch with your ex-husband; he’s in LA,” Detective Marks said. “He told us he hasn’t seen or spoken to Ken Holt since he relocated there.”
While that was what he’d expected, he had to hide a stab of disappointment. “How do you know for sure Allenton is in LA?”
Detective Plato shrugged. “We don’t, but he gave us the name of his buddy Shawn Court who will supposedly vouch for him.”
Vouch? Or lie? Zeke glanced at Rhy, but his boss’s expression didn’t reveal his thoughts.
The questions went on for almost a full hour. The detectives pressed him on the BOLO and didn’t look happy to know that he’d found Holt at the Wooden Nickel, only to allow him to escape out the back.
“You can try the bar owner, a guy named Timothy Iverson,” he said. “I spoke to his wife, Nancy, last night, but she didn’t seem to know anything. The bar isn’t doing well financially, and I suspect the guy sits and drinks all day, but he should be sober by now.”
“He’s on our list after this,” Plato said. “You’re sure you didn’t see which way our vic went after leaving the bar?”
“If I had, I would have followed him,” Zeke said. “I wanted to talk to him about his relationship with Sienna’s ex-husband.”
“All of this is over a custody dispute?” Marks asked. “Seems over the top.”
“Josh is a very controlling man,” Sienna said in a subdued tone. “His goal isn’t custody, but to watch me suffer.”
Her quiet dignity rendered both detectives quiet for a long moment. Moments later, they ended the interview.
“We may have follow-up questions,” Plato said.
“You can reach them through me.” Rhy’s tone was firm. “Thanks for coming out.”
The detectives glanced at each other, then left. Zeke waited until they were gone to ask, “Did Gabe come up with anything on Allenton? Or Brett Voss?”
“Not much,” Rhy said. “You know about the charges he found on Holt. Voss also has an old drug charge on his record from when Brett and Allenton were in college, but he got off with a slap on the wrist and community service.”
“Drugs while they were in college?” Sienna frowned. “I didn’t know anything about that.”
Zeke felt certain there was a lot she didn’t know about her ex but didn’t mention it. He filled Rhy on the lack of information he’d gotten via social media, then led the way to the rear exit door.
They were heading to the car when Sienna stopped and looked down at her phone. “Oh, wait. This is Dirk.” Per their previous agreement, she only used it when they were at the precinct or the music center. Not at the safe house. She frowned, then lowered the device. “That’s weird. He didn’t leave a message.”
He was about to suggest she try calling him back when the sharp crack of gunfire rang out. Heart in his throat, he yanked her down and covered her body with his.