Chapter Eighteen #3
“No. He just sat there staring at me. Like he was challenging me. Like if he glared at me long enough, he could make me do his bidding with the power of his mind, but that wasn’t happening.
So I stared back. My friends think I’m naive, but I was a lawyer for years.
I faced down hostile witnesses in court frequently.
And some of my clients were trying to get away from abusive spouses.
Those spouses came at me more than once, trying to intimidate me so that I’d stop representing their wives, but I know how to take care of myself. ”
Ronan hated the thought of hostile spouses attacking her. That this could happen again if she joined Alexis’s firm. She needed to stay safe.
But she also needed to help people. Ronan had learned that after having known her only a few weeks.
“What made him leave?” Simpson asked.
“He finally got up and stomped off,” she said.
“Never said a word after I said no to signing that photo. I figured he was one of those guys who thought women had to obey them. It rattled me, to be honest. The woman from Portland didn’t scare me.
She was small and not in great shape. But the man?
He did scare me. I looked over my shoulder for a while after that, but I never saw him again. ”
“Because he was off murdering people,” Alexis muttered darkly. “Asshole.”
“And this guy”—Howard pointed to the screen on the wall—“wasn’t involved at any point in your Portland case?”
“No. Or at least I didn’t see him there.
” She tilted her head. “He obviously knew about the brother’s girlfriend in Portland, because he killed her.
He must have bugged my jacket before then, but after I was immediately cleared of any suspicion in the murder of Cathy Martinelli in San Francisco.
If he’d had my jacket bugged then, he would have known I was in Phoenix on a job and that I’d have an alibi. ”
“That makes sense,” Gary said. “It’s also consistent with the battery life of the bugs.”
“At least we know his face,” Howard said. “We’ll keep running the facial recognition software and hopefully that’ll give us a name.”
Ronan wished for that to be so. “We should check the inns up and down the Mendocino coast and up and down the 101 between Willits and Ukiah. He has to be staying somewhere unless he’s camping like Reece Miller and his wife were.”
“Will you be putting out a BOLO?” Alexis asked. “I get that we don’t want him to go underground before we find him, but it’s only a matter of time before he gives up trying to frame Elle and tries to kill her instead.”
Elle looked resigned. “It only makes sense that I’ll be his eventual target.
Especially if he’s watching me. He’ll know I came into this police station, he’ll probably hope I’m finally arrested, but I’m going to leave as a free woman.
I don’t want him hurting anyone else on my account.
” She held up her hand. “I know it’s not my fault, but that doesn’t change the responsibility I feel for every dead person on our list. At least if he comes after me now, I’ll know it’s him. Otherwise I might have been clueless.”
Ronan knew she was right, but he hated every word she’d just said.
“Have you assigned her a protection detail yet?” Alexis asked Howard.
“Not yet. I have assigned a deputy to drive you to San Francisco tomorrow so that we can get the hard drive from Ms. Randolph’s home security system.
Deputy Tamara Woodgate will accompany you.
I’ve given her your contact information, Ms. Hellier, so you two can arrange meeting times, et cetera.
And, to answer your earlier question, yes, we will be putting out a BOLO. ”
“Thank you, Lieutenant, but I’m far more worried about my client.”
“We’ll watch over her,” Gary offered.
Ronan tried to hide his surprise. He’d been planning to do that anyway but hadn’t planned to tell Howard. “Yes. Yes, we will.”
Howard gave them both a look before nodding. “Okay. That’s settled, then.”
Ronan felt a little thrill. He was going to get to spend all day with Elle.
“Thank you, Detectives,” Alexis said warmly. “That sets my mind at ease. As at ease as it can be, anyway.”
Ronan nodded. “For tonight, please stay inside the inn. You can have dinner there. The restaurant is excellent.”
“We know,” Elle said. “I still hope they won’t poison my food because they think I killed their boss.”
“I think that’s taken care of.” Ronan hoped so, anyway.
“I talked with the acting manager this afternoon. Made sure she knew what was what. She did contact me, by the way, right before we came here to meet you two. She said one of the housekeeping staff admitted that their master key card had been lost. They’d borrowed their friend’s key card, hoping they’d dropped it under a piece of furniture in one of the rooms and that they’d eventually find it. ”
“Show the staff his photo.” Howard dipped his head toward the screen on the wall. “See if it rings any bells.” He rose, tapping the table twice. “Let’s find this asshole before he kills someone else.”