Wrecked (Josie Gray Mysteries #3)(32)

She and Chester clomped up the wooden stairs and across the porch to the front door. A lamp on the table beside the couch had been left on for her. Sheets had been tucked into the couch and blankets piled onto the coffee table. She opened the door and Chester made his way straight to the rug beside Dell’s recliner. It was hours past the dog’s bedtime; he would be asleep within minutes. She turned and set the deadbolt on the door, something Dell never did.

She positioned her pillow on the couch and took off her coat, draping it over Dell’s recliner. As she approached the fireplace she could feel heat radiating from the stones and she placed her hands over them to warm her fingers. She pulled two more pieces of wood from the small arched opening beside the fireplace and arranged them on top of the smoldering coals. She used the poker to jab at the logs, letting air underneath the coals to get the fire burning again, and then sat on the hearth with her back to the fire, letting the heat soak through her shirt and into her skin.





TEN


Josie awoke at five the next morning with a clear head and, more importantly, a plan. She folded the sheets and blankets and left Dell a quick thank-you note on his kitchen table. Once she got home, she started with an Internet search on her laptop and then a phone conversation with Sergio Pando, an officer with the Mexican Federal Police—the Federales. Sergio was both a friend and a respected law enforcement contact. By seven o’clock Josie was pulling out of her driveway to investigate further, determined to keep an emotional distance from the horror she was facing.

She parked in front of the Artemis PD and poked her head in the door to tell Brian her plans. He was in his late twenties with the athletic build of a basketball player and the most even-tempered disposition she’d ever encountered. Brian never got shaken up; even while studying all hours trying to pass the bar exam for the third time, he still kept his chin up. His dream was to be an attorney in Artemis, but Josie worried he’d never make enough money to pay his massive college debt.

“Mayor sent me a text,” Josie said. “He wants me in his office at seven fifteen. I’m headed there now. Otto check in yet?”

“No, ma’am,” Brian said.

“Good enough. Tell him where I am.”

*

Typical of most courthouse squares, most of the buildings facing each side of the courthouse were connected. The Artemis City Office was attached to the east side of the police department, and also faced the Arroyo County courthouse across the street. The mayor’s office, located at the far end of the long narrow building, was still decorated with 1970s wood paneling and beige shag carpet. Cigar smoke permeated everything, sometimes creating a haze at the end of the nonsmoking building. It was a dreary place, and it surprised Josie that Caroline hadn’t hired someone to redecorate her husband’s office.

Josie pushed open the glass entrance door and said hello to the mayor’s secretary, Helen, who wore a navy blue pantsuit with reading glasses that matched her outfit. She pulled off the glasses and let them dangle from the beaded necklace that hung around her neck. She was a hefty woman in her fifties who took her role as secretary to the mayor very seriously. A person did not reach him unless they first passed muster with Helen.

“Tell me you’ve come here with good news. Tell me you’ve caught the person who killed that poor girl.”

“I’m afraid not, but we’re doing everything we can.”

“Any word on what’s happened to Dillon?”

Josie could see the genuine anguish in the woman’s eyes and appreciated her concern. “Nothing concrete yet.”

“If it happens here, what’s the rest of the world coming to?”

“I don’t know, Helen. I have a lot of unanswered questions right now.” Josie could hear the weariness in her own voice.

Helen picked up the phone and called the mayor to announce Josie’s presence.

Halfway down the empty hallway that led to the mayor’s office, Josie stopped and leaned against the wall. She tipped her head back and breathed deeply, closing her eyes, mentally clearing her head, forcing the thoughts of Dillon to stop. The loss of focus was unprofessional and would help no one. She took one more deep breath and exhaled slowly, then walked into his office.

Josie could tell he was angry. The man used body language like a weapon. He was red-faced and looked puffed full of steroids. She noticed a box of NoDoz lying beside an energy drink on his desk. Before Josie had time to sit down in the seat across from him he started in on her.

“I went to talk to Roxanne Spar.” He stared at her for a moment. “Surprised to hear that? Didn’t think I’d follow up with her, did you? Guess what she tells me? She says you went and told her she should file charges! What the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to get yourself fired?”

Josie took a breath and exhaled. “Mayor, I’ve got bigger issues we need to deal with this morning.”

“I’m not done with you yet! Why would you tell her to file charges after I came to you in confidence? I trusted you with sensitive information.”

“Two things, Mayor. I didn’t tell her to file charges. And you came to my house and asked me to destroy paperwork.”

“Bullshit! You had no business talking with her. There wasn’t even a case drawn. So why did you go see her, unless it was to put my ass in a sling?”

Josie said nothing.