Chapter 30
THIRTY
As Katie drove to Ames’s house she kept thinking she should go home, but then she thought about his arrogance and mean spirit. She wanted to turn the tables on him by showing up unexpectedly; to make him feel uncomfortable.
His house was in a quiet community where many police and firefighters lived, and where there were no problems or crime.
Many of the houses were initially rentals, but the first responders could get support to buy.
Since Ames was a transplant from California, Katie figured he would be living in this type of area.
As Katie got out she could hear some distant thunder.
The forecast stated that a storm would roll through this evening, which wasn’t unusual for the time of year in the warmer months.
She could feel the warmth from the heat of the day dropping as the system moved in.
It was dark; the cloud cover was moving fast. The homes she walked past had their lights on and curtains pulled.
Katie felt a light mist on her face as the wind began to pick up speed. Ames’s outside light was on as if he were expecting someone. There were sheer curtains that showed the inside lights were on in the house as well. His SUV for work was parked in the driveway.
Katie found herself at the front door. She knocked.
“Come in,” said Ames from inside.
There was the typical bark of a German shepherd—loud and rapid. Katie heard Ames say, “Nein,” which meant no in German. The dog stopped.
She hesitated, but eventually opened the unlocked door. “Hello?”
“Come in, Detective,” said Ames. He sounded as if he had been expecting her.
Katie walked farther in and shut the door. “How did you…?”
“You ever heard of cameras?”
Of course, she thought. Katie stood in the middle of the living room. Ames was in the kitchen chopping something and whatever he was cooking on the stove smelled fantastic.
“So what can I do for you, Detective?” He never missed a chop. “Do you have an arrest warrant?”
“What are you talking about?” she said, moving closer to the kitchen.
“You seem to think I killed some woman and then dismembered her in the bathtub, or somewhere, and decided to leave body parts of her around town.”
Katie felt a cold nose nuzzle her hand. She looked down and saw Ames’s K9, Blitz, curiously checking her out. The dog was a beautiful sable German shepherd. She gently petted his head.
“I don’t know how to answer that,” she said.
A boom of thunder shook the small house.
“What do you mean, you don’t know how to answer that?” Ames scoffed. “I bet my name, and probably my face, are on your murder investigation board. Am I right?”
Katie was taken by surprise, she hadn’t been prepared for his bold and direct questions. “Yes, you are on our preliminary list.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For telling me the truth,” he said.
“That’s not why I’m here.”
“Why, then?”
“What was your problem the other day? I thought we had a respectful working friendship.”
He laughed and stopped chopping. “Seriously? Is your confidence that low?”
Katie turned to leave. “You know, I came here as a courtesy to…”
“To what?” He kept her gaze as he pushed up his sleeves, revealing severe scarring on his arms. If it bothered him to show it—it didn’t seem to make a difference now.
Katie realized Ames had a chip on his shoulder and there wouldn’t be any talking to him—perhaps another time. She kept her cool. “I’m sorry I bothered you. If we have any other questions about the investigation, we’ll contact you.”
She made it to the door before Blitz trotted up next to her, demanding another pet.
“He seems to like you,” said Ames.
Katie turned to see the dog staring at her.
“It’s definitely mutual, but for the handler not so much.
” She opened the door. It was raining outside, coming down in heavy buckets, followed by thunder and lightning scarring the night sky.
She took a step outside and prepared herself to walk to her car.
Ames pulled her back inside and kept his hand on her forearm. She looked at him, annoyed.
“What?”
Katie pulled back her arm. “I’m leaving.”
“Just wait a few minutes. It won’t last long.”
The last thing Katie wanted to do was stay in Ames’s house longer than she had to.
“I have some information that might be useful for you,” he said, closing the door against the weather.
She still wanted to leave, but any information regarding the case could be crucial. “Okay, what do you have?”
Ames immediately moved to the hallway and retrieved a towel from a cabinet. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” She began trying to dry her clothes and her hair.
“Look,” said Ames. “We may have gotten off on the wrong foot.”
“May?”
“I actually thought you had a thicker skin than this.” Ames went back to chopping vegetables.
“It’s not about thick skin. It’s about professionalism and a homicide case. This— is a very unusual investigation.”
“I tell you what. Stay for dinner and we’ll call it a draw.”
“I couldn’t stay for dinner,” she said.
The thunder crashed above their heads—perfect timing.
“A quick bowl of my awesome vegetable soup?”
Katie admitted she hadn’t had lunch and was hungry. She walked to the window and observed a heavy storm, the likes of which she hadn’t seen in a while. Looking at her watch, she said, “Okay. Thank you.”
“Good choice.”
“It does smell good. Have you always cooked?”
“Well, it comes with the job at the firehouse. You either sink or swim when it comes to cooking for the entire house.”
Katie nodded. She felt uncomfortable but decided to take a seat at the bar, where she could watch him cook. “Need any help?”
“Thank you for asking,” he said deliberately, trying to sound pleasant. “I’m fine.”
Every time Ames said something it made Katie almost cringe—as if hearing an unpleasant sound like fingernails on a chalkboard. She wondered why that was.
Ames slid the veggies into the boiling pot and turned down the temperature. “It’s got to simmer for a bit and then it’ll be ready.”
“Maybe I’ll just head home. It doesn’t seem as bad outside.”
A heavy downpour ensued along with more rolling thunder.
Ames took a seat at the bar next to Katie. “Why do you have a problem with me?”
Katie let out a chuckle. “Isn’t it the other way around?”
He leaned back. “I’ve seen you work and how you deduce things and your record… well… need I say more?”
“Is that it? You have a fragile ego?” She watched the arson investigator closely.
He shook his head.
“You opened the door,” she said. “What is it you wanted to tell me about the crime scene at Heritage Road?”
Ames stared at her as if he were trying to push his will upon her. Finally, he said, “When I was running I saw a black truck speeding toward me.”
“How far from the crime scene?”
“Not sure, about a half mile.”
“What time?”
“Around six forty-five.”
“What made you take note of it?” she said.
“I’ve run the area ever since I transferred here. And something made me look at the truck. It had darkened windows, no front license plate, and seemed to be hurrying—more than just being late for work.”
Katie thought about what he said. It could be nothing, but then again, he could have witnessed the killer leaving the area. “Do you know what kind of truck?”
“It was a Chevy, about five years old, black with custom rims.”
“That’s pretty precise.”
“I like trucks.” He gave a smirk.
“Why didn’t you tell me this at the crime scene?”
“To be honest, I didn’t give it another thought. And after seeing that arm, I forgot all about it.”
Katie wasn’t so sure he was telling the truth, but with Ames, everything seemed like a story. “Okay, I’ll add it to the investigation. Thank you.”
“Good. Glad I could help.”
Katie really wanted to leave, but the storm wasn’t letting up. Blitz seemed to enjoy his spot next to Katie.
Ames went to check the soup on the stove, giving it a few stirs. Katie petted the dog, smiling. Then she got up.
“I’m sorry but I need to go.” She headed to the door. This time Ames didn’t stop her.
She opened the door just as another crash of thunder roared above her. Katie hesitated for a moment before returning to her car and then shut the door behind her. It seemed as if the well-timed booms of thunder were telling her something—like a warning to beware.