“Yeah, or I will be in a minute.” Gabriel walked to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. He hated the pain pills, but if he didn’t take them, in a few hours, he wouldn’t be able to function at all.
“Any bright ideas on where we’re gonna start looking?” Max asked as Gabriel passed him and opened the front door.
“Let’s talk to Merck. I want to know why he put that sign around Cindi Johnson’s neck.”
Gabriel studied Sal Merck. He’d run across a lot of the type in his career—bullies who couldn’t keep a job and blamed the world for all their problems. “You’ve been read your Miranda rights, so you know you have a right to have a lawyer present during any questioning. Do you want to talk to me without a lawyer?”
“I don’t need no stinking lawyer to plead guilty.”
“I’ll need you to sign this.” Gabriel slid a waiver, a notepad, and a pen across the desk. “Once you’ve signed the waiver, write out your statement and sign it, and I’ll witness it.”
Merck signed the waiver, wrote, “I killed Cindi Johnson” in all caps on the notepad, and signed his name. “That good enough for you?”
“It’s a start.” Gabriel wrote his name below Merck’s as witness. “Care to explain why you killed her?”
“The son of a bitch took something from me, so I took something from him.”
“He fired you for drinking on the job, Mr. Merck.”
“Yeah, and my wife packed up the kids and left me. I lost mine, so he lost his.”
Gabriel flexed his fingers. “You raped her then choked her to death. Why paint her body?”
Merck shrugged. “Seen the news on that Clark woman’s murder.”
“So why put the sign around her neck saying Christian Salyer was innocent?”
“What sign? I didn’t put no sign around her neck.”
Gabriel retrieved the pictures taken at the scene before the ME removed the body to the tent. “This sign.”
“Nah, I didn’t do that.”
“Who did you call?” Gabriel placed the picture back in his file along with the statement and the waiver. “The media was there before we got the call.”
Merck sneered. “That cute little reporter at CRQ. Don’t know her name, but sure would like to spend some time with that nice round butt.”
Flexing his fingers wasn’t going to work much longer. Eventually, those fingers were going to curve into a fist, and he was going to knock Merck’s teeth out. “Rowena Sparks?”
“Yeah, that’s her.” His sneer widened. “Heard you tapped her a few times. She as good as she looks?”
Gabriel shoved back his chair and headed for the door. “Take him back to holding,” he said to the officer standing guard.
Max was waiting for him outside the door. Gabriel nodded and walked toward his office.
“What’d he say?” Max asked.
“Wait a minute.” Gabriel opened the door to his office, let Max wheel through, and closed it behind him. “He said he didn’t put the sign around Cindi’s neck and he called Rowena Sparks.” He walked to his desk and grabbed the phone. “I’m going to get a subpoena for her cell phone records as well as searching her office and her home. She may have just been trying to stir up a ruckus, but Dakota thought she knew Salyer.”
“I’m going with you when you serve that subpoena.”
Gabriel gave him a brief smile, passed along to Calvin the information of what he needed, and hung up the phone. “I need to go talk to the chief and arrange some time off. Keep trying to call Dakota.”
19
Beaufort, South Carolina
Mr. Dickson loaded my suitcases and the box containing the files on Salyer while I retrieved ammunition and an extra Glock as well as a rifle with a scope. Mrs. Dickson was standing close, wringing her hands. They had been with my father as long as I could remember.
“Mr. Winchester called.”
“I knew he would.” I placed the ammunition and the Glock inside a backpack. “If he calls back, you can tell him I stopped by and grabbed some clothes and you don’t know where I’m going.” I hugged her. “Which is true. I’m sorry you had to lie for me.”
“Is everything okay? Your father would expect me to look after you.”
“Everything’s fine. I’ll stay in touch to let you know I’m okay and check on things. I’m picking up a new phone, and once I have it, I’ll call to give you the number, but that’s something I’m going to ask you not to give Max.”
I picked up the backpack and the rifle. “I may be gone a couple of weeks.”
“You’ll be careful?” Tears filled her eyes. “We lost you once. I couldn’t bear to lose you again.”
“I’ll be careful.” I hugged her again and headed for the door. “If Max does come home, take care of him for me.”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Mrs. Dickson reached into her apron pocket. “This came in the mail for you today.”
I stared at the writing. No return address, but the postmark was Charleston. “Thank you.”
Time was passing quickly, and I needed to be on the road. The problem with working with good detectives was they figured things out quickly. By that point, they would have talked to the cab driver and the car lot. Denny would have told them about the GPS jammer. I didn’t know if there was a way to get around that, but if there was, Max would find it.
I waved, unsure if I’d see the only two people in the world who loved me again. My mother had died when I was five, and Mrs. Dickson had filled the role when my father was absent. Mr. Dickson had been our gardener and taught me about plants. I knew all the good ones and all the poisonous ones. I’d thought often about poisoning Salyer, but it would take too long for him to die. I didn’t want to torture him, not that he didn’t deserve to hurt the way he’d hurt me. I just wanted the light to go out of his eyes and his heart to stop beating.
I punched in the coordinates for the cabin I’d rented on James Creek. It would be nearing dark by the time I got there. I needed sleep, and I didn’t want to check out the naval base after dark. A good night’s sleep and some strong coffee, and tomorrow, I’ll be ready.
My gaze fell on the pink envelope I’d tossed in the passenger seat. It was the size of a card and probably contained late condolences for my father’s death. Open it. I kept one hand on the wheel as I placed the card on my lap and ripped open the top. A photo fell out, and my heart raced as I pulled to the side of the road. “Emma.” She was almost two, and her hair fell to just below her shoulders. Her face was creased in a chubby smile as she looked up at something above her. She was more beautiful than I could have imagined. I flipped the picture over, and the tears I’d held in trickled from beneath my lashes. She would die for you. Would you die for her? I’ll be waiting for your answer.
I didn’t have to think about my answer. I would die for her. If that was all Christian wanted, then I could gladly give him that. But Emma had to live, and I only trusted one person to raise her and love her the way she deserved. I placed the picture on my visor then pulled back onto the highway and headed for downtown Beaufort. It wouldn’t take that long to have a new will made out. I could still make Charleston before nightfall.
Gabriel patted his pockets and reached into his jacket. “I picked a hell of a time to stop smoking.”