Midnight Exposure (Midnight #1)(12)

“The chief should be back in a few minutes.” Reed nodded in the direction of the door behind him. In his peripheral vision, he caught Hugh’s squat figure hustling toward them. “And here he is.”

Reed gave Hugh’s extended hand a quick shake. “Hugh. This is Jayne Sullivan. She needs to speak with you.”

“Hey, Reed.” Hugh’s gaze passed over Reed with a flicker of acknowledgment, then settled on Jayne. Surprise and a rare smile spread across his bulldog face. “How can I help you?”

She stepped forward and extended a gloved hand toward the chief. “I need to report a crime. My tires were slashed right in the parking lot of the diner. And there’s this weird graffiti all over the windshield.”

“Why don’t you show me?” Hugh raised his chin to look over her shoulder and catch Reed’s eye. “Care to tag along, Reed?”

“Yeah. Sure, Hugh.”

Hugh turned back to Jayne. “Tell me more.”

She stepped into place beside the chief. Reed followed. Damned if the back view wasn’t just as sexy as the front. Snug, low-rise jeans hugged her perfect body and highlighted every mouth-watering curve. While admiring her, Reed kept his ears tuned to the conversation as she succinctly outlined her situation for Hugh. Someone had written weird symbols on her door at the inn as well, but Mae had blown it off as Bill’s scribble.

“Was anything stolen?” Hugh asked as they rounded the diner and strode across the back lot.

“No. There wasn’t anything of value in there.” As they approached her vehicle, Jayne’s shoulders hunched against the wind, and she shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. Her posture stiffened as she walked to the front of the Jeep, which listed drunkenly from the two flats.

Hugh stooped to examine her tires. “Son of a b—gun.”

Jayne stared. “It’s gone. Five minutes ago there were weird symbols all over the windshield.”

“I don’t see anything there now,” Hugh said evenly, but Reed could hear the hint of disbelief in his tone.

“Wait. I can prove it.” Jayne reached into her purse for her digital camera.

Reed stepped up to the Jeep and leaned close. “The windshield is cleaner that the rest of the vehicle.” He swiped a fingernail along the edge. Tiny white shavings came away on his nail. “What color was the writing?”

“White. Looked like soap.” Jayne’s camera beeped as she turned it on.

Reed extended his hand toward Hugh.

The chief fished out his reading glasses and grasped Reed’s hand to adjust the distance between it and his face. “Could be soap. But if someone took the time to soap your windows, why would he wipe it off minutes later?”

Jayne pulled the picture up on the LCD display on the back of her camera. “See.”

Hugh leaned in. “Looks like a bunch of scribbling to me.”

Reed scanned the parking lot. If the miscreant had wiped the soap off her windshield, the miscreant was nearby. Maybe watching them right now. Daylight reflected off the back windows of the diner, the darker interior making the customers inside invisible.

There was a pause as Hugh considered. “We’ll fill out a report and ask around, but unless we get lucky and someone actually saw the incident, there isn’t much I can do.”

“What about getting the surveillance tapes from the parking lot?”

“Nathan doesn’t have cameras out there,” Hugh said.

“So, there’s nothing you can do?” Jayne’s frustration bubbled into her voice.

“Again, I’m sorry, Miss Sullivan. This kind of thing doesn’t happen too often practically next door to the police station. Did you argue with anybody?” Hugh asked.

Her resigned exhalation signaled surrender. “I’ve been here less than a day. I checked into the inn. I took some pictures. I ate lunch at the diner. That’s it.”

“I’m sorry you had such an inhospitable welcome, Miss Sullivan.” Hugh sighed. “It was probably teenagers. Even small towns have their share of juvenile delinquents. We have more vandalism than you’d think. I’ll do what I can, but I can’t promise anything. Let’s go to my office. You can give me a list of everyone you’ve interacted with since you arrived.”

Hugh led the way back toward the station.

“There’s something else.” Jayne’s voice lowered as she reluctantly fell into step beside the chief, but Reed could still hear her. “A man my testimony put in prison was granted parole last week. During the trial, he made threats.”

“But he’s in Pennsylvania?” The chief was sharper than he looked. He’d noticed her license plates.

“Last I heard he was still in Philadelphia.”

“Keep in mind that a stranger stands out in Huntsville. He can’t hide in plain sight here. Someone would notice him right away,” the chief pointed out. “Why don’t you give me his information so I can get a picture? That way I can keep an eye out for him. I’ll call the auto shop for you, too. We’ll take pictures of the damage and have the auto shop pick up your vehicle.”

“All right. Thank you.” But she didn’t sound relieved by Hugh’s offer.

As their feet hit the sidewalk, Reed gave the diner parking lot another quick scan. The odd crime did not sit well in his gut. If Jayne was telling the truth, someone was following her. If it was Bill, Reed doubted she was in any danger. But Bill wouldn’t slash her tires. Would he?