Safe at Home (Warm Springs Trilogy Book 1) Read online

  “Yes, sir. They were.”

  “Before we start tracking down old employees, we need to find out what happened to the guys who were arrested. I think we should pay them a little visit.”

  Martin began running through possible scenarios in which the two cases could be linked. Maybe one of the guys had appealed and gotten out of jail. He could be holding a grudge. Murders had been committed in the name of revenge for as long as humans had walked the earth.

  He turned to his computer, clicked on the Chicago PD database and typed in the year and the name of the bank. He was rewarded quickly with two possible choices.

  “There was one report of a rowdy customer that year. Apparently nothing came of it after the report was filed. Here it is. Two males arrested a few days after attempting to rob the bank. It says here they were turned in by their own families. They were charged with all the obvious things and then one was sentenced to life in prison and the other was sentenced to 25 years.”

  “So, if they’re both in jail that rules out any….’

  “No wait,” interrupted Detective Martin, “there’s an update at the bottom. It says here, one of the boys died six months after he arrived at the prison. Someone slit his throat.”

  “That’s interesting,” replied Stephens.

  “There’s more.” A crease formed between his eyes as he continued to read. “The other guy died at the end of last year and he was murdered, too. He was beaten to death in a fight.”

  Stephens crossed his arms over his chest. “One death in prison isn’t out of the ordinary, but for both perps to be killed seems a little strange.” He flipped his notepad open and reread his notes. “Regardless, it doesn’t jive with a revenge theory.”

  “Not necessarily. It seems as though we have our first break.” Martin crossed the room and began to write a timeline on a dry erase board mounted to the far wall of his office. Stephens pulled up a chair and listened while the Detective thought out loud.

  “Okay, so both of these guys died in prison. You’re right, it’s not unusual, but the fact that they both died within a year.” He marked two dates on the board corresponding with the dates the guys were killed. “Now these guys could have more than a few enemies, so we’re going to need to talk to their families and people over at the pen. I’ll start there and you do some more digging into the robbery. Find out more about who was present that night. See if they got any money. It could be that they were flapping their gums in prison about some sort of stash.

  “Then, I want you to see what became of the little boy’s mother and the family of the man. I want to exhaust all possibilities on our end before we go talk to them. They will have moved on as best they can at this point, so it’s likely they won’t appreciate us coming around and stirring up the past.”

  After Stephens left the room, Martin took a step back and looked at the information he had before him. He knew they were onto something, he just wasn’t sure what yet.

  Eric got back in his car and sneered. It was amazing what a smile and a compliment could get you. Although, girls like Amanda were easy targets. She was thick like her glasses and dressed like someone who was trying to mirror what she saw in Cosmo. She’d been easy to pick out. Probably worked at the grocery store her whole teenage life, but she’d been very helpful and her full rack had at least given him something to look at other than her face.

  He flipped his receipt over and followed the next line of the directions she’d given him.

  “Good girl, Amanda,” he said as he turned into the parking lot of the public library. Why was it they all looked the same? Same dull color. Same dull cars in the lot. He threw his cigarette down and pushed the door open. The smell of stale air and old paper enveloped him.

  “Can I help you?” asked a middle-aged woman from behind the counter.

  “I need to use one of your computers.”

  “Do you have your library card with you?”

  “I’m actually from out of town, but I’m lost so I really only need it for a second. I just need to look at a map.” He offered her a smile, but unlike Amanda, the frigid bitch seemed unmoved. He held her gaze until she sighed.

  “I guess I can let it slide this time. You have fifteen minutes, but keep in mind if you need to print anything, it’ll cost you a quarter a page.”

  She was beginning to annoy him. Wouldn’t it be fun to hang around until she got off work and wait outside for her? She wouldn’t be so high and mighty when he was slicing her throat. She would probably stammer and act like someone would be there any minute, but she wouldn’t beg. She wasn’t the begging kind. But, Sam was. And that was why he couldn’t waste more time on the nagging librarian. As much fun as it might be.

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you so much.” Eric gave her a slight nod and walked over to the computers.

  He typed in the website his buddy told him about while he was in jail. “Come on, don’t let me down,” Eric whispered as the circular icon spun on the screen.

  And there they were. One by one, names and addresses loaded onto the screen. Samantha’s by the truckload, but he knew her middle name and added it to his criteria. He scrolled down the list. The website worked by typing in someone’s phone number. That’s all he needed, and the site provided the rest. It showed every address a person had ever had. On the second page, there was a Samantha L. Parker who resided in Warm Springs, Georgia. Eric pounded the table. Finally. He pulled the torn page from the phone book out of his pocket and compared the map to the address. This was it.

  “Excuse me, sir? Your time is up,” chirped the lady behind the desk.

  “No problem. I was finished anyway.” He tucked the receipt back into his pocket. Now it contained an address for Samantha L. Parker. He could almost hear her screams echoing in his head.

  Chapter 20

  Life at the shop was back to normal. Sam and Mary had a chance to reorganize and make room for new inventory set to arrive the following week.

  “I tell you what, darlin’, I’m glad it’s not crazy like last weekend all the time. My nerves couldn’t handle it.”

  “It was a lot of fun, but I know what you mean.” Sam stepped back from the bookcase. She finally had the first edition books back in alphabetical order.

  “Hello, ladies,” a familiar voice called from the front door. “How was business last weekend? I heard you two were very busy.”

  “Yes, we were. Did you get out and about last weekend, Mabel?” Mary replaced the vase she’d been holding and hugged her old friend.

  “Not me.” Mabel placed a hand over her heart and turned her face to the side, as if overwhelmed at the mere idea. “I tend to stick around the house when it gets crowded. I like the comforts of my own home over the company of strangers.”

  Sam circled the counter and grabbed a dust cloth while the two women caught up on all the comings and goings around town. She hadn’t seen Mabel since she’d first started in the store, but she was a hard one to forget. A proud member of the Red Hat Society, Mabel’s boisterous personality and flamboyant wardrobe were well-known around town.

  “Sam, Mary tells me you’re quite the green thumb.” Mabel was eyeing her from the seat near the front window usually occupied by tired husbands.

  “Well, I don’t know about that.”

  “Don’t be modest, Sam. You’ve done wonders in your own backyard,” said Mary.

  “I just enjoy being outside.” Sam folded the stepladder she’d been using to reach a high shelf and returned it to its place behind the counter.

  “Sam, if you have the time, the Garden Club is going to be planting azalea bushes at a lot of the local churches and we would love for you to join us.”

  “I appreciate the invitation, but I don’t really know much about . . .”

  “Come now, Sam, it would be a great help to us. We could use someone young like you. Most of us don’t move around like we once did.” Mary elbowed Mabel. “I can still get down on my hands and knees to plant flowers, but someti
mes it’s a wonder I ever get up again.”

  “I won’t take no for an answer,” chimed Mabel.

  Sam couldn’t figure out how you were supposed to say no to these people. She was being intentionally difficult, but she was trying to lay low and the people of this town were making it next to impossible. Of course if she did agree to help, she’d be surrounded by gossiping women and wouldn’t have time to think about Spencer.

  “I would love to help. Just tell me when and where,” Sam said, giving in.

  “You are sweet as pie just like Mary said.” Mabel stood to leave. “We’ll see you on Saturday. Say around two o’clock? We’re going to meet in the Baptist Church parking lot.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Mary and Sam watched as Mabel left, her purple sleeve shining in the sunlight as she waved goodbye.

  “I’ll tell you what Sam, I’ve known Mabel all my life and she’s still something else.”

  On Saturday morning, as she turned into the parking lot, Sam was relieved to see Ann standing on the sidewalk with Jake.

  “Hi ya, Sam,” called Jake.

  “Hey, guys. What’re you doing here?” Sam asked.

  “Volunteering, of course.” Ann winked at her. “Jake’s here so he can do the manual labor for me. I’m here to boss him around.”

  “Nothing new there,” he teased. Ann bumped his hip with hers.

  “At least the weather’s nice.” Sam glanced around. “Where’s Alex?”

  “He’s visiting my parents this weekend. They only live a few hours from here.” Ann led the way as they walked over to where everyone else was gathering. “So how did they talk you into this?”

  “Mary’s friend Mabel came into the shop this week.”

  Jake snorted. “Say no more.”

  Once everyone had broken into groups, they went their separate ways. Each group was in charge of one church. Sam hitched a ride with Ann and Jake as they rode over to the Methodist Church up the street.

  “Did you guys get out much last weekend?” Sam looked out the window at the changing leaves and knew what she was really asking. Did you happen to run into Spencer and how’s he doing by the way? Missing me by any chance?

  “I only came to town for a little while, but Jake was busy most of the day. He helped Spencer run the hayride.”

  So much for using the day’s activities as a way to keep Spencer from her thoughts. Plus, it was kind of hard with his brother hanging around. They didn’t look exactly alike by any means, but they did have some similar features. Same strong jaw, full lips, big grin. She sighed.

  Jake pulled the truck to a stop and they all piled out. They decided to start planting on the shady side of the church since it was the middle of the day. There were plants lined up already, so all they needed to do was put them in the ground. Sam could handle that. She started at one end and Jake started at the other. Every now and again, she could hear Ann giving him directions to put the plant a little more to the left or a little more to the right. After an hour, they were almost finished with the first side. The azalea bushes were in a perfect line and she knew that come spring, they would look very pretty. Birds hopped between branches in the woods behind her and bees floated by. It was turning out to be a nice afternoon.

  The other four people in their group came around to where they were taking a break and offered them all some water.

  “This looks great guys,” exclaimed one of the ladies.

  “Thanks, I’m just glad this side is in the shade.” Jake rubbed the back of his hand across his sweaty forehead.

  The same lady then turned her attentions to Sam. “So Sam, it is Sam, isn’t it?”

  Sam nodded.

  “I’m Susan. I know you’re still pretty new to the area, but what do you think of our little town?”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  Susan barely paused before she launched into her next question. “And you’re working over at Mary’s antique store?”

  “Yes. Mary’s great. I’m really enjoying it.”

  Susan shifted her weight from one of her wedged sandals to the other. “Where did you move here from?”

  “Chicago.”

  “What in the world made you want to move to our little town from such an exciting city?” Her voice climbed an octave and it was obvious to Sam, Susan wasn’t really interested in her answer.

  “It was time for a change,” replied Sam, who was getting more and more uncomfortable. It wasn’t so much the questions as it was her tone.

  “So, Susan, how’s your family?” Ann asked trying to deflect Susan’s line of questioning. She was getting nosier by the minute.

  “They’re all fine. Just glad the holidays are approaching. Jake, how’s that brother of yours?”

  Jake placed a hand on Ann’s lower back. “He’s good. Working today. Trying to finish up a house over on Green Street he’s been remodeling.”

  “That’s nice. Sam, didn’t Spencer do some work on your new house?”

  “Yes. He did a nice job.” Sam sipped from her water bottle.

  “I’m sure he did.” Susan’s voice dripped with a deeper meaning that almost made Sam spit out her water.

  As heat flooded Sam’s cheeks and Ann opened her mouth to mediate, Susan hurried on. “Well, we’re off. I have to take my mother-in-law to the grocery store before it gets dark. She doesn’t like to be out after the sun goes down.” With one more look at Sam, Susan turned, her large gold loop earrings bouncing, and sauntered away.

  “Good Lord. Sam, I’m sorry about that.” Ann frowned. “Susan is ridiculous, but don’t mind her, it has nothing to do with you. She’s mad at Spencer because she wanted him to marry her daughter, but he doesn’t feel anything for her and Susan can’t stand it.”

  “It’s fine. Every city has its fair share of Susan’s.” Sam unclenched her fists which she hadn’t realized were in a ball at her sides. “Shall we finish?”

  “Sounds great.” Ann and Jake moved back down to their end of the building.

  Sam’s mind raced. The nerve of some people. She slammed the shovel into the ground. This was why she should’ve stayed home. She knew exactly what that woman assumed. Well, if someone were going to think something like that about her, she sure wished it were true. At least then, she would’ve had some fun before she was labeled as the new town hussy. Sam paused to push at some unruly curls that had escaped her ponytail.

  Though unpleasant, the conversation had been enlightening. She was sure she’d done the right thing now. Spencer had other women in his life who wanted nothing more than to be with him. He deserved someone who could give him their whole self. She set the bush in the hole and pushed dirt around it.

  Of course the thought of someone else cozying up to Spencer and sitting with him on the back porch after work and talking, or going fishing, or kissing him… Her face burned. Sam had never been a jealous person and she was trying to reason with herself, but she wasn’t winning the inner battle. Jealousy pulsed through her like a poison. She took a deep breath and tried to get a handle on the anger she felt toward an imaginary person. Susan’s words came back to her. Instead of relaxing, she moved to where the next bush waited and stomped the shovel into the earth.

  Chapter 21

  Stopping in Kentucky to use the computer had been the right decision. No one would be able to track him. A random town, a random grocery store and a public library. He smiled to himself as he reflected on his own brilliant planning. His adrenaline began to flow through him as he crossed the state line. Welcome to Georgia. We’re glad Georgia’s on your mind. He was close now. Close to making her pay for what she’d done. His mother would be proud of him. He was the man now and he would take care of his family.

  At the same time Lt. Martin hung up the phone, Stephens walked through the door. “What did you find out?”

  “They’re going to grant our request for a warrant to get the employee files for everyone from the night of the shooting. Also, I did some research into the victims�
� families. I’ve got to be honest, I don’t think Tyler’s family had anything to do with the murder of the two perps. According to the papers, they’re well-off and they moved to California after everything happened. I know they could’ve afforded to hire someone, but since the guys were in jail,” Stephens put his hands on his hips and walked over to the dry erase board. “I don’t know. I just don’t see it. I’ll know more about the little boy’s mother after I get the employee files.”

  “I agree. As soon as you get the warrant, head over to the bank. I have a meeting set up for us in the morning at the jail with the old cellmates of the deceased.” Martin crossed the room and stopped beside Stephens. They studied the board in silence a few minutes. “Every day it takes us to get answers, Denise’s murderer could be getting farther away.”

  Stephens studied his boss’s expression. “Farther away from us and closer to his end game, you mean?”

  Martin nodded once and went back to his desk.

  She’d been restless since the previous weekend. Sam thought it would help having the Malloy family out of town to visit their mother in Florida during the past week. Their absence would give her some time and space to get a grip on her emotions. But it hadn’t. Her mind just kept returning to Spencer and what the woman at the church said. If anything, Spencer’s continued distance was making matters worse. She was distracted at work and back to her old habit of suffering from interrupted sleep.

  But lately, it wasn’t past memories from the bank keeping her up at night. This time, she was dreaming of running into Spencer and some nameless girl. They would exchange small talk and then the happy couple would walk off together arm in arm, leaving Sam alone. Exactly the way she’d asked him to.