Chapter Ten Bree #2
“We really need some help with this case,” I tried to explain.
“Don’t you have someone else who could go? I get people to do things for me all the time.” Charley shook his head, and I could tell he wasn’t happy about me going.
“I promise, I’ll be careful.” I waited for them to step back so I could swing around the loop in the driveway and head into town.
The club was in full swing by the time I arrived.
Nelly’s “Hot in Herre,” to my surprise, was blasting from the speakers, and a sea of people danced away to the beat.
I couldn’t reach Cap on the way in, but I did leave a detailed message and made sure to show my ID to the bouncer and the police and let them know my intentions.
“You’re working with Detective Stone, right?” one of the officers asked.
Bree: I’m here, where are you?
“Yes, we are.” I tried to recall what he had just said.
The officer was undercover in street clothes, and he shifted his belt in a poor attempt for me to look down at his crotch. “He’s a lucky man.”
“More like lucky me,” I tossed back and headed into the crowd to see if I could spot Sophia.
I did a quick once-over of my dress in the mirrored wall on the way down the stairs.
My dress was open in the back and had a thin lattice detail down the front.
It complemented my cleavage, and I felt nerve-rackingly sexy.
Once I joined the crowd of other women who were dressed much like I was, I felt I didn’t stand out as much and took a breath to reassure myself.
I glanced at my phone and saw no missed calls or messages, but it was getting close to 1 a.m. Sophia, where are you?
The dance floor was much too crowded to spot anyone.
I felt like a ball in a pinball machine, being bounced around by the crowd.
I glanced at the time again, and, worried, I moved to the bar, where I flashed my ID at the bartender.
He recognized me, as we’d met before with Brad, and I asked for a mocktail.
I knew not to drink on the job. I wasn’t going to risk anything being thrown out or used against me in court.
“On the house,” he yelled, and I mouthed a thank-you.
I kept my place at the bar but turned to face the club and scanned all the faces around me.
There was no sign of Sophia. Come on, you sorry excuse for a murderer, where are you?
Out of the corner of my eye, I felt someone watching me.
I tried to take in what I could see, but it was tricky, as the place was so packed.
Dark hair, taller than me, slimmer build.
After a few moments, I sucked on the straw and made a face like it tasted funny.
Slowly, I turned toward the bar, but as soon as I did, the man I’d tried to get a look at turned away from me and faded into the line of people farther down the bar.
“Okay?” the bartender asked. I nodded and made a movement with my eyes that I might have spotted something.
He stepped back and switched the way he was accepting orders, making sure not to head the way I motioned.
Smart man. Someone tipped over their drink on the bar, and I heard a girl’s voice as she apologized.
She was only three people down, and when I glanced that way, I caught a man’s hand as it reached out to right the girl’s drink—and I spotted the green nail.
I froze for a millisecond before I stepped back and saw a guy heading for the exit.
“Hey, man.” I hit his shoulder, and he whirled around with a nasty expression. “Sorry, but I think you have something on your hands.” I reached down and lifted his hand to see his nails were clean.
“What the hell?” He snarled and ripped his hands away.
“Sorry.” I stepped back. “My mistake.”
An earth-shattering scream tore through the place, and instantly, something cold ran through me.
I beat my way through the crowd as other officers and bouncers followed suit.
I followed the sound of sobbing straight into the room marked employees only and saw Maria on the floor holding Sophia.
My mind immediately went to Shelly and Maggie. It was obvious Sophia was dead.
“No one leaves!” I shouted at the bouncers and police to bar the exits. I checked Sophia’s pulse on her wrist even though I knew she was gone.
“Is she alive?” Maria sobbed.
I looked up at the officer I had spoken to earlier as I shook my head. He spoke into his phone as the weight of what had just happened sank in. I reached over and hugged Maria, who had completely fallen apart. I didn’t blame her.
“Come on.” I helped her to her feet and walked her back out to the dance floor.
The music had stopped, and officers were asking people to remain calm as they attempted to herd them into groups against the walls.
In the moments after the screams, I knew there had been time for a lot of people to escape in panic.
Hopefully, the cameras would help identify any of those who had run through the doors.
The officers were asking anyone who had footage or pictures to send them to a designated email address, while they pleaded for calm.
“Bree?” Brad and Kennedy came rushing in with their jerseys on. Clearly, they got the call while playing hockey, given that they were sweaty.
“I’m fine.” I left Maria’s side and waved them away from the others. “I know he was here, but dammit, I didn’t get a good look at him.”
Brad moved in front of me and looked me up and down. “Were you trying to be his next victim?” His voice had an edge to it. “That dress would certainly draw his attention.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I was trying to do—I was trying to prevent someone else from being killed, Brad.”
“Okay,” he said, lowering his voice as he looked around, and that’s when I saw Cap arrive. “And what exactly were you going to do once you caught his attention? Tell him to wait while you wave over an officer? Christ, Bree, you don’t even carry cuffs!”
“Hey,” the officer I had been dealing with called to Brad as he did a gawking sweep up my front. He got a hard look from Brad in return. “Did your rent-a-cop recognize anyone?”
“What?” Brad spoke sharply.
I fought to hold my temper back. “I’m a consultant with the SPD.”
He smirked. “Cute.”
Brad went to move, but I put a hand on his chest and shook my head. “We have more important things to deal with than this small-minded officer who clearly doesn’t have respect for females.”
“Whoa.” He held up his hands when another officer shot him a nasty look. “Don’t make this a thing.” He spoke over my head to Brad, “I was just asking if anyone stood out since she was on the dance floor, and over there”—he pointed—“toward the bar. I mean, maybe she saw something.”
Brad pressed his lips together, trying to hold back his words, then looked at me.
“I thought I saw his fingers, but maybe I didn’t.”
Poor Maria sounded confused as she tried to get through her statement to Kennedy.
“What a fucking nightmare.” Cap’s tired expression spoke volumes. “I’ve got the bureau so far up my ass I can taste what they had for dinner.” He looked at me. “Sophia was strangled.”
“What!” That completely blew me out of the water.
“I need to get all the details, but I don’t get why the killer would change his method. Maybe she caught him off guard, and he panicked.”
“Holy shit.” Brad ran a hand through his wet hair. “Do you think this could be the work of someone new?”
“Look, Bree.” Captain’s chest rose and fell. “I appreciate what you were doing here. I also applaud the way you let everyone know what was happening.”
I eyed Brad. “Thanks, Cap.”
“I disagree.”
“Well that’s your opinion.” I rolled my eyes. I understood it was a big risk, but I saw what I saw. “Cap, I do think I spotted the green-thumb guy.”
“Really?” That seemed to perk him up. “All right, fill me in, and then let’s get through all these people as fast as possible.”
After I filled him in, I gladly accepted the coffees that were offered to us as Cap moved away a few steps with his phone in his hand.
“Do me a favor”—Brad puffed out a breath—“wear this for me.” He held up his jacket. “It’s distracting.” He looked around as I slipped it on without argument. “All right, let’s do this.”
We worked well into the next day. People’s faces started blurring together, which might have been due to my lack of sleep.
Kennedy made sure we all got fed around midafternoon, but it wasn’t until six o’clock that night that we were officially finished with the interviews, fingerprints, DNA swabs—the list went on.
In the end, though, we got nothing. No one saw anything out of the ordinary.
We still had a little more footage to go through, but it seemed highly improbable that we would get anything useful.
After all that, we had a dead young woman and a heartbroken best friend.
“Don’t carry Sophia’s death on your shoulders.” Kennedy gave me a pat and looked at me. I felt he mistook my exhaustion for sadness. “Sadly, leaning on a potential witness is a risk we take to solve a case. It’s not the first time someone tried to help and got caught in the crosshairs.”
“I know.” I nodded. I really was tired, but there was a little piece of me that wondered if I had played a role in what had happened. I wished I hadn’t asked her to try to get a photo of his face.
“Good.” He gave my shoulder a light squeeze and flagged down his partner, Ellis. The great thing about Kennedy was that he said his piece and that was that.
Lainey: Just know I’m here if you need me.
Lainey and Charley must have called me twenty times. She needed to be sure I was all right, and I’d assured her I was fine. She hadn’t been happy, but I’d explained I had a few more things to deal with before I could go home.
I leaned against the wall and fought to keep my eyes open while Brad spoke to Mr. Longboard, the owner of the nightclub, to try to convince him to keep it closed until the killer was caught. There was no way he was going for that.