Chapter 24
Tammy looked up from her desk as the door to her office opened and smiled as Layton McCallister walked in with his trademark confident swagger.
His dark hair was graying, as was the day-old stubble on his face, and his denim-blue eyes sparkled with mischief.
His face broke into a grin, causing the creases in his cheeks, which had once been dimples, to deepen.
Even at fifty, Layton was devastatingly good-looking.
Tammy fought the ridiculous urge to smooth down her hair and sigh like a schoolgirl.
She was a grown woman for God’s sake, and the mayor at that.
The problem was the man not only had a face as handsome as sin but when he opened his mouth. ..
“Hello, Tammy.” His voice was a deep, sexy drawl, which always gave her a jolt in all the right places.
“Layton.” She stood and rounded the desk.
“You look good.” His gaze swept across her trim figure, encased in lilac, and down to the ridiculously high heels the woman insisted on wearing, but damn she had a fine pair of legs.
“What’s this?” She tugged at the scruff on his face.
He shrugged and stroked his chin in amusement. “I thought I’d try a beard.”
“It doesn’t suit you,” she replied. Actually, it did suit him; it was as downright sexy as the rest of him, God damn it.
“Well, maybe if you made an honest man of me, I could be persuaded to shave it off.”
The laugh bubbled out before she could stop it. “When are you going to stop asking?”
He grinned. “When you stop looking at me like you want to nibble on me.”
“Layton,” she warned.
“Alright.” He held up his hands in surrender. “Tell me where you’re at with the case.”
She tapped a stack of manila files. “I have copies of the files for you.”
“And Walcott?”
“Getting worse.” She frowned. “I had a phone call from George Banbury, the manager of Old Mercy Mutual. He’s filed a complaint against Chief Walcott, claims he physically assaulted him yesterday.”
“What happened?” Mac asked, taking the files she offered him.
“Apparently, a resident had been in the bank taking something from a safety deposit box, and he wanted to know what it was. When Mr. Banbury wouldn’t tell him what the item was, Chief Walcott pinned him to the wall and tried to choke him.”
“Jesus, what a mess.” He flipped the file open and started to scan through the notes. “Where is he now?’
“Chief Walcott?” She glanced down at her watch with a small frown. “He was supposed to be here ten minutes ago.”
“Who was the resident?” he asked.
“What?” she replied distractedly.
“You said, a resident at the bank, who was it?”
“Oh, her name is Olivia West,” Tammy muttered.
“Olivia West?” His head snapped up. “Charles Connell’s daughter?”
“Yes.” Her eyes narrowed. “How did you know?”
“After he kidnapped his daughter and escaped from Mercy, he made it as far as Philadelphia. I was one of the arresting officers that night.”
“Small world,” Tammy murmured as she watched him thoughtfully.
“It is,” he agreed. “You know, some cases just stick with you. I remember that one as clear as day.”
“Why is that?”
“Because of Charles Connell.” He cast his mind back. “He was mad when we took him in, and I don’t mean angry, I mean absolutely ranting. Something about a demon and a trap. Last I heard, he was locked up in a mental institution.”
“Not anymore,” she muttered.
His eyes widened. “They let him out?”
Tammy shook her head. “He escaped and is on the run. I would have thought you would have heard about it. They sent out a news bulletin to all law enforcement agencies.”
“I’ve been out of the loop since the shooting.”
Something about the way he said that made her wonder if there was more to his leave than he was saying.
“Well, anyway”—Tammy glanced again at her watch—“I have a meeting in an hour that I need to prepare for. Audrey has booked you in at The Black Cat.”
“The motel over on North Hill Road?” His voice softened. “Yeah, I remember it.”
Tammy blushed, avoiding his gaze. “If you have any questions with regard to the case files, just contact my office.”
He nodded as he turned to leave. “You know, Tammy”—he glanced back to her as she looked up— “last time I was here, I never did get an answer to my question.”
“You already know the answer,” she replied quietly. “And nothing’s changed.”
For a moment she thought she saw something flicker in his eyes, then it was gone.
“I’ll call once I’ve reviewed the files.”
She nodded, watching in silence as he quietly clicked the door closed behind him.
Chief Walcott climbed into his car and started the engine. Looking down at his watch he cursed. He was already running late to meet with the mayor. He was just about to put the car in reverse and ease out of his parking space when the radio crackled.
“Chief.”
“Walker,” he answered, recognizing the voice. “I’m running late. What is it?”
“Just thought you’d want to know that the county search team found Lucas Campbell’s body, or what’s left of him. It’s pretty bad.”
“God damn it.” He hit the dash in frustration. “Where are the remains now?”
“They’ve been sent over to Doc Hughes for a formal ID and autopsy,” Deputy Walker replied.
“Alright, I’ll head over there now and see what he’s found out.”
“I thought you had a meeting with the mayor?”
“It was canceled,” Chief Walcott replied stiffly.
It was a lie, but that wasn’t important. He’d get the mayor her proof, then she’d have to listen to what he was trying to tell her, to tell all of them. That Olivia West was as much a murderer as her father.
“Alright Chief, we’ll see you back at the station later.”
As the radio went dead, he reversed out and headed toward the medical center, hoping that this was the smoking gun that he needed.
Doctor Hughes glanced up with a frown as a shadow fell over his notes. “Chief,” he greeted somberly. “I wondered if you’d be by.”
“Cam says you have Lucas Campbell’s body?”
“Well, what’s left of him, if it’s him,” he replied a little sickly as he pulled off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes.
“What do you mean?” He took a seat in front of the desk.
“The remains are in pretty bad shape.” He blew out a deep breath.
“He was skinned, the entire corpse, right down to the muscle layer. Lucas was missing for the longest time, so his remains were exposed to the elements for longer. Not only was the corpse badly damaged from the skin being removed, but with decomposition and animals picking at the remains, it all makes a definite ID very hard.”
“Have you requested his dental records?”
Doc Hughes nodded. “I did that back when he first went missing, just in case. But the truth is, Lucas didn’t have up-to-date dental records.
The ones we have are no good for a formal ID.
The corpse appears to be roughly the right height and weight and it’s definitely the right sex, but I’m afraid confirming the victim’s identity will take some time.
Fortunately, Lucas came by the medical center for blood tests a couple of days before he went missing.
His young cousin has leukemia, so he was being tested to see if he was a match for a bone marrow transplant.
I’ve taken some tissue samples, and I’m just about to send them to the lab for a DNA comparison. ”
The chief’s gaze fell to the desk where a large, padded envelope and a couple of vials of blood sat. “Do you have a cause or time of death?”
“Again, because of the state of the remains, it makes it very hard to establish a credible timeline. I can’t tell you when he died.
I’m not even sure what the cause of death was.
The internal organs are mostly present and intact.
I’m waiting on the tox screen. I’m pretty confident at this point that I can rule out stabbing or shooting, but unfortunately that leaves a million other possibilities. ”
“So, you’ve got nothing?” His lip curled in disdain.
“Sorry, Chief.” Doc Hughes shook his head. “At this point, all I can tell you is that the skin was removed and that there was a brand on the chest. It’s not as clear as the other victims, but it’s there.”
Dr. Hughes turned as a porter poked his head around the open door and knocked lightly. “Sorry to disturb you, Doc,” he apologized.
“That’s alright, Cole, what is it?”
“The funeral home is here to collect Mrs. Brady, but I can’t find her,” he answered with a frown.
“She’s in drawer three.”
“Beg your pardon, Doc, but she isn’t, I’ve checked. It looks like the cadaver the students were working on is in there.” He winced slightly.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” He stood abruptly. “Sorry, Chief, I’ll be right back.”
Chief Walcott clenched his jaw and his fists impotently.
Once again, they were at a dead end with no physical evidence.
He didn’t even have a time of death to establish whether or not Olivia West had an alibi.
Resisting the urge to slam his fist into the desk in front of him, his gaze fell on the two vials of blood.
Before he’d even registered what he was doing, his fist wrapped around one of them.
Rolling it over in his palm, he checked the name on it.
It was definitely Lucas Campbell’s blood.
An idea began to form in his mind, and as much as he tried to resist it, it persisted, seemingly the answer to all his problems. It wasn’t ethical, but if it got the end results, what would it matter?
If ultimately it saved more lives, it was the right thing to do.
If luck wasn’t favoring him, then maybe it was time to make his own luck.
He slipped the vial into his breast pocket and stood abruptly as Dr. Hughes shuffled back into the room, muttering something about unreliable students.
“I have to be on my way,” the chief told him flatly. “Let me know when you have the full autopsy report, and I’ll have one of my deputies run over and pick it up.”
“Will do. Sorry I couldn’t be more help,” he apologized.
“Don’t worry, Doc.” His mouth curved slightly. “You’ve been plenty helpful.”