Dead in Her Tracks (Rogue Winter #2)(9)

Stevie gave him an unimpressed look. Everyone had agreed that Bob Fletcher was a bit of an ass.

“And I heard he might have been dealing out of his place.”

Now her ears perked up.

“Bacon?” she asked, immediately thinking of their drug problem from last summer.

Donald waved a hand, dismissing the homemade deadly drug. “No, the real stuff. Oxy. Percocet.”

She narrowed her brows at him. “Where’d he get it?”

“You’re asking the wrong person, Stevie Taylor. I run a tight ship here. I have to account for every pill that goes out that door. Including these ten tablets for your brother.” He sniffed. “I don’t know if it was true, but I’d had a customer get upset with my prices and say he knew where to get it cheaper. He indicated that the truck stop was the place to go shopping.”

“I didn’t mean to offend you, Donald. I figured you’d be the one to help us with some information if someone like that was bypassing the official system.”

“Last year I told Roy about my suspicions. He said he’d look into it.”

Stevie’s heart sank. Roy had been a Solitude cop until his head had been turned by money and drugs. It’d killed him.

“I guess that was a dead end,” Donald said forlornly.

“I’ll pass it on to Zane,” Stevie said. “We need to find out who killed Bob. I don’t know if he’s looked into the drug angle.”

Donald beamed again. “I’m pleased I might have helped your investigation.”

“Of course,” said Stevie. “And you’ll let us know if you hear anything else? Seems like everyone in town has to come to you for something at one time or another,” she joked.

“They do,” Donald said proudly. “And I do my best to provide it.” He pointed at the Death Star model kit she was purchasing. “I had a twelve-year-old ask me to order those and now I can’t keep them in stock. It’s one of my best sellers.”

Stevie smiled. “What would Solitude do without you, Donald?”

She stepped out of the pharmacy, shuddering at the bitterly cold wind that’d started up that morning. She’d just climbed into her warm car when Zane called.

“Are you coming to work today?” he asked.

“Miss me?”

“I do. And I need an extra set of hands. Actually I need a set of ears. Can you go talk to Amber Lynn’s parents?”

“I thought you were going to do that,” Stevie said. She’d hoped to go with him.

“I want to interview Andrew Reynolds.”

Stevie searched her brain. “Who?”

“The real estate guy who wants to buy O’Rourke’s.”

The slick image of the big-city developer popped into her head. “He’s still in town? He didn’t go home for Christmas?”

“Apparently not. He’s still at the motel and wasn’t sober for an interview last night. I want to do it today.”

Stevie’s curiosity was piqued. What kind of person didn’t go home for Christmas and got hammered in a disgusting motel instead? “Sounds like a fun interview. Maybe I should take that one.”

“No, I’m going to talk to a few others while I’m there.” His voice was grim.

“Who else?”

“I’ve got a trucker who’s a registered sex offender. And I talked to Hank. Vanessa Phillips was raped. Repeatedly. And he thinks she was drugged. I wonder if someone in the bar slipped something into her drink.”

Stevie closed her eyes. “This is getting ugly. Do we have proof that Bob did it?”

“Not yet. Still looking.”

“And you want me to feel the Coopers out about Bob’s murder.”

“He killed their daughter,” Zane said. “I’m curious as to what they’ll say about his death.”

Stevie was too.





CHAPTER FIVE




Zane pounded on the motel door.

He’d already knocked twice and his patience was wearing thin. It was f*cking cold. The clicks of bolts moving on the other side of the door encouraged him. The door was pulled open four inches until the chain stopped it. A bloodshot eye stared at him as alcohol fumes escaped from the room. “What?”

“Andrew Reynolds?”

“Yeah.”

“Zane Duncan, Solitude PD. I’d like to ask you some questions.”

The eye blinked at him. “Weren’t you here yesterday?”

“Someone stopped by, but you weren’t in any condition to talk. Feel like talking today?”

“Not really.”

“Well, we found a murdered young woman two doors down from you yesterday. I’d like to talk to you about it.”

Surprise filled the eye. “I hadn’t heard about that.”

“How about you put on some more clothes, and I’ll tell you what happened.” Zane gave his best “Dude, we’re buddies” smile.

“Hang on.” The door closed.

Zane turned and took a breath of clean icy air. He’d nearly suggested Andrew meet him in the lobby, but he wanted a look in his room. Parked directly outside the motel door was a black Hummer with a big dent. He heard the chain slide out of the lock and the door creaked open.