Chapter 10
Ten
The loud and hectic pace of the precinct bullpen failed to distract Michael’s runaway thoughts. He had plenty of work to do, but his brain didn’t seem to care. He tried not to think about Dani. Dani at the ball game, cheering his little brothers on. Dani stealing his popcorn. Dani kissing hi—
Oh man, this was getting ridiculous!
“Any leads on the guy who ran you off the road?” Finn looked over from his desk.
Michael snapped back to attention. “Colter McCord does have the right make and model of vehicle, but he’s in the wind. The Southwold precinct sent uniforms over to his address last night, but no answer and no truck there.”
“You think it was a jealous-ex move?”
“Could be. Colter works at the RWM plant, where we were. He could’ve seen Dani with me and followed us. I didn’t realize putting my arm around her would be such a big deal.”
“And why exactly were you there again?” Finn raised an eyebrow. “With Dani, no less. If I wasn’t such a confident man, I’d think you were cheating on me.”
“Don’t worry. No one can replace you and your Irish wit.”
“Ha. So…?” Finn circled a finger in the air. “Continue. Why were you investigating RWM?”
“We were scoping out the place more than investigating. Dani was looking into it for her case.”
“Find anything out?”
“Not really. We didn’t—”
“Finn. Nelli. Got another business break-in. You’re up,” Sergeant Vahn called out. “The dispatcher will forward you the address.”
“Yes, sir.” Michael was so ready to get out of the office and do something.
And to stop thinking about Dani Kim.
Finn drove to the trendy downtown street.
After parking, they walked past an ATM in the entryway and entered the upscale boutique.
Exposed brick and black metal finishes gave the place a designer-industrial vibe.
A woman with perfectly styled silver hair, probably in her fifties, sat behind a counter and held a towel to her forehead.
She frowned as they walked in. “Took you long enough.”
Michael glanced at Finn. “I’m Detective Martinelli and this is Detective Finnigan. Can you walk us through what happened?”
“What happened was someone was waiting for me when I came to open up the store. He caught me from behind, forced me to open the door, and took all the cash in the till.”
“And the wound?” Finn asked her.
She hesitated a moment. “He shoved my head down on the counter, caught it on the corner.”
Michael pulled out his police radio. “Should we call for medical—”
“I’ll be fine. I just need the police report for my insurance, so let’s get on with this.”
Whoa-kay. The radio went back in his pocket. “Did you see the pers—”
“Like I said, he caught me by surprise from behind. I never saw a face. I couldn’t tell you how tall he was or anything else.” The woman glared at them like they should’ve known all this.
“And where did this happen?” Finn asked.
“Out back. There’s a small parking lot for us business owners. I came in that entrance, and he held me at gunpoint and forced his way inside.”
Michael wandered around the racks of clothes and listened while Finn conducted the rest of the interview. The lady was already irritated enough without both of them interrogating.
“Any surveillance?”
“Until now, I’d always considered this a safe neighborhood. I’ve never needed any.”
So no.
“Any distinguishing features you noticed?”
“With all the blood running down my face, you expect me to notice anything? The man demanded cash, and I gave it to him. Then he left.” She stood, still holding the towel.
Finn stayed calm and steady. Not a hint of the exasperation he was probably feeling. “Did he touch anything we can lift prints from?”
“No. He held a gun on me the entire time.” She checked her phone. “Look, there was exactly four hundred twenty-six dollars in the till. He pushed over a rack of mugs, which will be a total loss. If you can just fill out the report and give me a copy, that’s all I need.”
“We’ll do our best to figure out—”
“I doubt you’ll find him at this point. I’ll recoup the damages from my insurance company.” The woman’s voice rose to a shrill.
But Finn didn’t respond in kind. If anything, he went softer. “Notice anyone strange hanging around, or know of anyone who would target you?”
She balked. “Of course not.”
Michael headed toward the back. In the narrow hall by the changing rooms, a shelf lay broken on the ground with shards of ceramic mugs scattered on the plank-style tiles.
Around the corner was a small office and back door.
Nothing around the doorframe and nothing else disturbed.
Michael pushed open the door, which opened to a small lot like the owner had said.
Nothing out back looked out of the ordinary.
There were plenty of shadowy pockets where someone could’ve hidden and come from behind if the owner were busy opening the door.
But four hundred dollars was hardly a big payout.
Michael looked out over the backs of the buildings. The dry cleaner was a few blocks away. Nothing had been taken there either. The convenience store was farther away, but none of these break-ins made sense, leading him to wonder if they were all connected somehow.
On a hunch, he checked the alley. Sure enough, the garbage bins all had the RWM logo.
Then again, there were only a few waste management companies that serviced the city of Renegade and surrounding area.
RWM was the biggest, so it might not mean anything.
He wouldn’t mind seeing if these businesses were all on the same route. Dani could ask her buddies.
But again…what was the point of these break-ins? One owner beaten unconscious, one untouched, and another with a head wound.
Michael asked Finn what he thought on their way back to the station.
Finn looked over his notes. “The only thing I see connecting these break-ins is that none of the owners have been very helpful. Mrs. Barbu at the dry cleaners claims she didn’t see anything.
Carter has been in a coma or medicated to the point of oblivion.
By the way, I called the hospital today, and the nurse said he’s still out of it.
And now this one practically bit my head off when I asked for more details about the suspect’s voice. ”
“I keep thinking they’re connected too, but the businesses are random. The times they hit are random. None of them were big scores.”
“This lady was worried about insurance. Maybe they all use the same insurance company or something. They each seem pretty reluctant to work with us, which makes me wonder if they know more than they’re saying.”
“Yeah, the woman had a pretty strong reaction when you asked if anyone could be targeting her. Too strong, really.” Michael tapped his thumb on the steering wheel. “Did she happen to say who she has her business insurance through?”
“No, but let’s get back to the station and find out.”
“Good idea.”
A rather foreboding beat of silence followed. “So…” Finn finally spoke. “What’s up with you and Dani?”
Michael’s spine snapped straight. “What are you talking about?”
“See? That. You practically jumped to attention. What is going on?”
“Absolutely nothing. She’s Josh’s little sister. She’s practically my little sister, given how much time she spent with Maria at our house when we were growing up.”
“I know ‘best friend’s sister’ is a whole thing, but I’ve never understood it. If you like Dani, why don’t you ask her out? You guys seem to hit it off. And you’re not in any way related.”
“Obviously you do not have little sisters.” Yes, he was grumbling. But this was warranted. He was trying very hard not to think about Dani Kim.
She was off-limits.
She was Josh’s sister.
She was probably gonna leave Renegade as soon as she could be reassigned.
She was a really good kisser—
No!
Michael reached over and turned the radio on. “I’m gonna see if I can find the Rockies game. They’ve got a real shot at the Series.”
Finn wisely remained quiet, and Michael ignored the smug look on his face the rest of the ride.
As soon as they walked into the precinct, though, Captain Salvador called them into his office again.
“This can’t be good news,” Finn said under his breath as they took their seats.
Finn was right. Michael braced himself.
The captain looked up from his computer screen. “I’ll get right to it.” He swiveled in his chair to face them directly. “Got a call from the Southwold precinct. Gary Donner was found this morning.”
“Dead?” Finn asked.
Michael was glad his partner had asked. His own mouth had gone bone dry.
“Yes. Beaten and shot. They’ll send over the preliminary report, as it pertains to our investigation as well, but the other details will have to wait for the autopsy. He was found, however, with a stash of jewelry from the burglary case at the mall.”
“That doesn’t mean he was guilty.” Michael fisted his hands in his lap. Donner could’ve been framed. Someone could’ve easily planted the jewelry after the fact. This wasn’t adding up.
“I didn’t say it did. I’m merely passing on the information. You need to follow up. The rest of the info is here.” He handed a folder across the desk. “That’s all.”
Finn took it, then they stood and left.
Once they were back at their own desks, Finn placed the folder in Michael’s hand. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. I just don’t want to jump to conclusions about Donner. He was a good cop.”
“That may be, but we both know even good cops can find themselves in circumstances that might lead to making bad decisions. We’ll fight to find the truth no matter how dark it is or how well it’s hidden. That’s all we can do.”
Michael might not like it, but Finn was right. He needed to uncover the whole truth and not make hasty conclusions. But this was too much like déjà vu, and now his last lead on his mom’s murder was lying in the morgue.