Be With Me(12)

“Your father cal ed, breathing fire,” Jeremy said dryly.

Cam stopped cold and glared at him. “You keep his goddamn ass away from here.”

Regina blinked in surprise. Even Sawyer drew up short and stared at Cam with a raised eyebrow.

Jeremy held up his hands. “The chief told her father not to butt into an ongoing investigation.

Whether he’l heed that is anyone’s guess.”

“Let’s get Reggie inside where she’s more comfortable,” Hutch said pointedly as he walked to where Regina stood next to Sawyer.

Regina put her hand on Hutch’s wrist. “I’l be fine.

You can wait out here if you want. There’s not a whole lot of room inside.”

He looked as though he’d protest, but Regina turned and walked gingerly toward the entrance.

Jeremy fel into step beside her after a quick look back at Cam and the others.

“You sure you’re up to this?” Jeremy asked as he held the door open for her.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said shortly. “We have a job to do.”

Greta, the dispatcher, looked up from the PBX

system, slid her earphones off and smiled broadly at Regina. “How are you feeling?”

Regina smiled back. “I’m good. Sore, but nothing about twelve hours of sleep won’t cure.” Greta nodded. “Try some lemon tea. It’l make that throat of yours feel better. You look awful, honey.” Regina laughed, and it came out as a croak.

“Thanks, Greta. I can always depend on you to be honest.”

Greta thumbed in the direction of a nearby office door. “Chief’s waiting on you. Go on in.” Regina walked with as much confidence in her stride as she could muster and stuck her head inside the chief’s office.

He looked up and motioned her and Jeremy in. As she went forward, she saw Carl Perkins push off the wal where he’d been leaning. Regina frowned. What was he doing here? He wasn’t a day-shifter.

“Sit down, Regina. Get comfortable. No need for you to be standing,” Chief Witherspoon said as he gestured to the leather chair in front of his desk.

Trying not to show how grateful she was to be issued that particular order, she perched gingerly on the edge and then relaxed, leaning back into the soft chair.

The chief glanced up at Carl. “Carl is going to head up the investigation into the murder. Jeremy wil be working with him and cooperating with the state police and the sheriff’s department.” Regina sat forward. “Sir, I want this case.” The chief shook his head. “You’re not even coming in for a while, Regina. I don’t want to see you for at least a week and even then you’l be pushing paper.” She blew out her breath in frustration. “He kil ed that woman. He tried to kil me. I want to nail him.”

“And we wil ,” the chief said patiently. “Right now I need you to tel us everything you can remember about what happened that night.”

“Who was she?” Regina asked softly.

“Misty Thompson.”

Regina’s brow furrowed in concentration.

“Did you know her?” Carl asked.

“Yeah. I mean, not wel . I remember her from high school. She dated Hutch Bishop for a short time.”

“Wel , we need to determine how she came to be in that farmhouse. She lived in town with her husband and three children.”

Regina winced and sighed. Her head ached a little more as she imagined three children who’d never see their mother again.

Carl leaned forward, putting his hands on the desk and staring at Regina. “What can you remember, Reggie?”

Her head jerked and she frowned hard. “Regina.

Not Reggie.” Then her mouth remained open as a hazy memory filtered back.

I’ve been waiting for you, Reggie love.

“What is it?” Jeremy demanded.

“Reggie. He cal ed me Reggie.”

“Sorry,” Carl offered in a confused voice. “Didn’t mean to offend you.”

She shook her head. “Not you. Him. The guy who kil ed Misty and attacked me.”

“Okay, back up,” the chief said. “Start from the beginning and tel us everything.”

She drew in a deep breath. “I responded to the cal . When I got there, I didn’t see any lights as were reported. Place is supposed to be deserted. But it didn’t feel right so I cal ed for backup. Jeremy radioed that he was en route. So I waited.” The chief nodded.

“Then I heard a scream. I drew my weapon, ran to the house, listened at the door for any activity.

Hearing nothing, I gained access to the residence. I was clearing the living room when I found the body.

When I bent to check her pulse and didn’t find one, I started to cal it in, and that’s when he hit me.”

“With what? Did he have a weapon?” Carl asked.

“I don’t know. Honestly it felt like he hit me with a basebal bat, but I think it was just his fist. I went one direction, my gun went the other. I went for my weapon. He kicked me. Big feet. He had real y large feet.

“He picked me up by the throat and held me against the wal . It was then that he spoke.”

“And what did he say?” the chief asked.

She frowned. “ ‘I’ve been waiting for you, Reggie love. It’s time to make him pay.’ ” She looked up at the chief. “No one cal s me Reggie, sir. Only Cam Douglas, Hutch Bishop and Sawyer Pritchard cal me Reggie.”