Sapphire Nights (Crystal Magic Book 1)(76)
Cass’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Then she narrowed her eyes and glared when she realized she’d given away Xavier’s confession for nothing.
Walker continued without waiting for her protests. “I can’t imagine Xavier was lucid enough to wipe fingerprints if he meant to confess. They can’t even get him for possession, since he had nothing on him. And last I checked, they still didn’t have the blood analysis. From what was said the other night, chances are good that this wasn’t a normal overdose and someone tried to kill Xavier. That’s the person I want.”
Cass looked thoughtful. “We don’t do drugs up here anymore. Maybe I can pry his source out of him. I was reluctant to ask for fear he’d incriminate himself more.”
“We want killers, not demented old men, although if Xavier is in the habit of burning out the spirits, he may need help.” Walker waited, but Cass didn’t respond. Dementia had many disguises in Hillvale. “Where do you think Valdis might be? Is this unusual for her?”
“I don’t think she’s conscious,” Cass said worriedly. “She has a very strong presence. If she was awake, I’d eventually hear her or she would hear me. She said she wanted to visit with the spirits of her parents before she followed Daisy. As far as I’m aware, that’s the last anyone saw of her. I’d hoped she was with Daisy.”
Walker didn’t know how to react to Cass hearing Valdis. But the possibility that Xavier may have been given a lethal overdose on purpose escalated the possibility that a killer was targeting the Lucys for a reason. Not that Xavier was officially a Lucy, but he lingered there on the edge, betwixt and between—as did Sam, Walker realized worriedly. And both had connections to the Kennedys—if that had any relevance.
Since land fraud had been the reason his father was killed. . . Still no obvious connection to recent occurrences. The Kennedys and the development company had all the land they needed, and the Lucys were barely a speed bump on their highway to riches.
Xavier had been in Hillvale when Walker’s father was killed. Valdis hadn’t. But Valdis was Sam’s aunt—and part owner of a rather valuable piece of land. As was Sam. Instinct roiled.
How many people knew the farm still belonged to Ingerssons? Did it matter?
Walker finished his burger and slipped out of the booth. “I want to take another look at the cemetery. If I don’t find anything, I’ll put in a report to the sheriff’s office, persuade him Valdis might be in danger so he’ll organize a search party.”
“You’re a good man, Walker. I’m sorry about your father, but if it brought you up here when we need you, Fate has served its purpose.”
Walker wasn’t any too certain of that, but Sam turned to meet his eyes as he returned to the counter, and he almost started believing in the stars and planets and Fate as well. They were in synch in ways he couldn’t explain. He saw her concern, and it was the same as his.
“I want to give the cemetery another search,” he told her, keeping his voice low.
“I’m going that way,” she said, agreeing without saying the words. “Do you want anyone else?”
Walker cast a glance over the crowd. He’d like to have Harvey and the mayor, since they hadn’t searched the cemetery earlier, but he didn’t see a good way to extricate them without everyone zooming in. “One of them could very well be a killer. If they sabotaged the search earlier, I’d rather not have them do it again.”
That raised her eyebrows. She obviously didn’t have his experience with the criminal mind. And at this point, he feared he was dealing with a killer who planned ahead, not a flake who OD’d. Homicide was not his division, in his real job or this one, but his background and education had developed his instincts for danger.
Following his example, Sam casually waved at Dinah. “I’m too tired to think. I’ll be down early to clean up, Dinah, so leave everything in the sink.”
Hoots and catcalls followed them out, but Walker didn’t give a damn. He steered Sam to his official vehicle and kept an eye out to see if anyone followed.
Monty and a blustering Alan Gump emerged, arguing vociferously. Both men were large, but Gump was older and carried more fat than muscle. Unless Gump was carrying a gun, the mayor could hold his own. Walker fastened his seatbelt and kept an eye on his rearview mirror. Lance trailed out to the Escalade, looking morose. By the time Walker had his vehicle in gear, half the diner had emptied and some were striding toward the cemetery.
“I don’t think you can keep what we do quiet in Hillvale,” Sam said in amusement, watching the side mirror and following his thoughts.
“I shouldn’t have told Cass I was taking another look around. Damn, when will I learn?” Just in case he might fool anyone, he drove the SUV down Cass’s drive and parked in front of the garage/studio.
Anyone following would most likely be on foot and take a while longer to catch up.
“Let me run up and get another flashlight.” She dashed up the stairs and came down in an instant, shoving flashlights in her pockets and dangling a small backpack off her shoulder. “I brought a snakebite kit, just in case.”
Walker was out of the car with his own flashlight in hand. “What’s your hang-up about snakes? They’re more afraid of you than we are of them.”
Swinging her walking stick, she easily fell into stride with him, cutting across Cass’s yard and keeping to the concealment of the shrubbery. “Got bit when I was a kid. The pain was beyond excruciating. Only time I ever saw my parents go into full-scale panic. They were screaming at each other. I was terrified, and I’m sure they must have been out of their minds with fear, but it was their screaming that told me I was in trouble. They never argued.”