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

  “I wonder who’d go to the trouble of getting put in jail for vengeance. Who wouldn’t feel jail was enough?” Martin rubbed at his chin.

  “Someone who didn’t have anything to lose,” Stephens answered.

  Martin nodded and stopped pacing. “Hopefully, those files from the bank will be ready when we leave here.”

  There was a knock on the door, signaling the arrival of the second victim’s cellmate. The officers resumed their positions at the table as the next guy was led in the same way as the first.

  “Hey, Terrence. I’m Detective Martin. We just wanted to ask you some questions about your old cellmate, Doug.”

  “He was an annoying little asshole. Glad to be rid of him.”

  Martin knew they needed to proceed with caution, and it wasn’t because of Terrence’s size, even though he looked like he should’ve been playing for the Bears.

  “The fight he was in, did you know the guy who started it?”

  “I saw him around. He was just another punk. Good thing they didn’t stick him in with me after it was all over. I didn’t want to go from one strung out little cracker punk to another one.”

  “When you say he was annoying, in what way?” Martin’s interest was piqued, but he remained expressionless.

  “Everything about him. He was twitchy and jumpy. He cried at night like a little bitch. Not long before that other guy beat the hell out of him he’d gotten worse. He was jumpier than he usually was. Came to me one day and asked if I’d help him out, you know, watch his back or some shit. I told him he was on his own. He kept on about how his buddy had gotten killed and he knew he was next.”

  “He thought someone was out to get him?” Stephens made a note.

  Terrence squinted at him. “That’s what I said, ain’t it?”

  “No, you’ve been very helpful,” Martin said to try to defuse the building tension.

  “Whatever, are we done?”

  “Yeah, we’re done.”

  Terrence was escorted out of the interrogation room and the officers fell back into their discussion as though it hadn’t stopped.

  “So, we’ve got one kid who was stabbed by a faceless inmate, and it sounds as though he had intent to kill him. Then, we have his friend who was obviously scared after he heard about it. I know people fight in prison and people get hurt or killed, but the coincidence is just too high on this one.”

  “I agree, there’s something more going on.” Martin leaned over the final file on the table. Their last interview was with, Eddie, the guy who killed Doug in the fight. When the two had fought, Eddie’s final punch was hard enough to send Doug’s head into the pavement. He was sent to solitary after the incident for a month. He was already serving a life sentence for murder, so for him, nothing really changed.

  Eddie came through the door interrupting Martin’s train of thought so he closed the file and slid it to the side.

  He was every bit the prisoner. His face had the scars to prove he was a fighter as well as two tear drop tattoos signaling he’d killed two people. His dark hair looked greasy under the florescent light as he sat down across from Martin and Stephens with a strange little smile on his face.

  “Eddie, is it okay if I call you Eddie?” asked Martin.

  “Whatever you want, ése.”

  “Okay, Eddie. Could you tell us why you got in a fight with Doug?”

  “Which guy was Doug?” He continued leering at them. He was not going to make this easy.

  “Doug’s the kid you killed. Most likely that second tattoo on your face is for his life.”

  “Oh yeah, I remember that kid.” Eddie rolled his shoulders. “He got in my way.”

  “Ok, so the kid got in your way. Who started the fight?”

  “I could say he did since he’s not here to defend himself, eh?”

  “You could, but we both know better, don’t we?” Stephens acted bored and tapped his notepad on his knee. “We heard Doug wasn’t much of a fighter. You took him down easily didn’t you, Eddie?”

  “Hey, I’m not on trial here. But you’re right, kid didn’t have any fight in him. Fought like a punta.” Eddie sat back in his chair looking pleased with himself. “Why do you care? That was a long time ago and I’m already locked up, ain’t I?”

  “We’re just checking into some things. So, the only reason you got in a fight with him was because he got in your way? It wasn’t more than that? You didn’t seek him out?”

  Eddie shook his head, but kept smirking. “I didn’t even know that kid.”

  “But you left your normal place by the basketball hoops and found him by the weights, didn’t you?”

  “So, what if I did?” Eddie shrugged.

  “Were you looking to pick a fight that day, Eddie?”

  “Look, some guy that used to be here made me a deal. I was just holding up my end of it.”

  Martin and Stephens exchanged a glance.

  “What, exactly, were you supposed to do?” Stephens narrowed his eyes.

  “I was just going to rough him up a bit. I didn’t mean to kill him,” Eddie’s lip curled, “but I didn’t mind either. That asshole still owes me the rest of my money.”

  “Who’s the guy who owes you money?” Martin leaned forward.

  “I ain’t no snitch, and if I tell you guys, I’m never going to get my money.”

  It was Martin’s turn to smile. “Eddie, you’re smarter than that. You know he used you. You’re not going to see the rest of the money. Why don’t you tell us who he is and then maybe we can do our job.” Martin shrugged. “If you’re lucky, he’ll end up back in here and you can ask him about your money in person.” Martin knew there were only a few ways to deal with guys like Eddie. And he needed answers now.

  “Look, it was just some guy. His name was Eric or something. He was a short timer, but if you find him, tell him Eddie’s looking for him.”

  “You got it, Eddie. Thanks for your help.”

  “I ain’t helping you, pig. I’m trying to get my money.”

  Martin and Stephens stood up to leave. They needed to find Eric.

  Chapter 23

  The days were passing in a blur. Sam and Spencer spent all of their free time together, but they were still taking things slow. Sam smiled when she eyed the picnic basket balancing on the backseat. A bubble of excitement swelled in her chest. She couldn’t wait to surprise Spencer with an early dinner. The weather was cooler and it would be nice to spend some time outside after spending her entire day inside surrounded by antiques. Spencer waved and pulled his gloves off when he spotted her pulling in behind his truck.

  “I figured it was my turn to make a meal,” Sam called as she leaned into the backseat to pull out the basket.

  “This is a nice surprise.” He took the basket from her hands and gave her a quick kiss. No matter how many times he kissed her, every time his lips touched her skin, there was a flash of heat just under the surface on that spot.

  Spencer dropped the tailgate of his truck and they sat in the back discussing their day and making plans for the weekend. It was so easy being together. Spencer never made her feel uncomfortable by bringing up the past or trying to move too quickly. They seemed to have found their rhythm again, but Sam wasn’t sure how long she could keep up the pace she’d set.

  She wanted to be with him all the time. She loved the smell of his skin when they were close like they were now. She liked to hear the sound of his voice before she went to bed, but there was something holding her back. Some sort of fear was keeping her from inviting him over for the night or letting it go to the next level.

  Her hormones and her subconscious were sending mixed signals. She wanted him to touch her. To hold her in his arms for an entire night. But she worried, too. She couldn’t take losing someone else she cared about so much. What if something happened and she had to leave suddenly? Her heart couldn’t take it. For right now, things were going to have to keep going as they were. Slow and steady.

  But, he was so amazi
ng to look at. Even now, when he was dirty and sweaty from work. And his body…

  “Sam, are you listening to me?”

  “Oh yes, sorry,” she said snapping out of it. “I think you should definitely use the tile you were looking at last weekend in the master bathroom. It would give it good color.”

  He studied her face. “You looked like you were a million miles away.”

  “No. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

  “Me either, Sam. You know that, right?” He took her hand.

  “I know.” She moved her gaze from their joined hands to his face.

  Something across the street caught her attention. She couldn’t explain what. It was more like a feeling, like being watched. Unwelcome eyes boring into her very core. She shuddered and then froze. Then with horror, she realized what she’d seen. It wasn’t something, it was someone. A face, hazily coming into focus from behind a cloud of smoke. Someone she’d never forget.

  Her stomach sank and she blinked her eyes, sure it was just her mind playing tricks. A passing truck broke her view. Just as quickly as she’d seen him, he was gone. She forced back her dread. It wasn’t possible. It must’ve been her imagination.

  “Sam, earth to Sam. Are you okay? Or am I just not that interesting today?” Spencer tried to play it off with a joke, but she could hear his concern.

  “Yeah.” She cleared her throat and looked at him. “I’m okay. I’m just not feeling well. I think I’ll go home and lay down.” She jumped off the back of the truck and gathered their trash. Was it possible he’d found her?

  “Okay.” Spencer slid off the tailgate and helped her. “Do you want me to come with you? Can you get there okay?”

  “Oh yeah, I’m fine. Just feeling a little off.” Which wasn’t a lie at this point.

  “I’ll call you later and see if you’re feeling better. Get some rest.” Spencer closed her car door and took a step back.

  As soon as the door closed her hands began to shake. She gripped the wheel tighter and stared down the road. Maybe her mind was playing tricks since she was starting to put the past behind her and move on. Maybe she wasn’t destined to be happy. She’d already had her chance.

  She shook her head. This was crazy. She was in a remote town. She didn’t have her same cell phone anymore, no one knew where she was. And then Denise popped into her mind, but even she hadn’t known exactly where Sam was.

  It’d been so easy to find her. He’d had a minor setback at the hotel, but it was nothing. Those old fools thought they were so clever playing dumb, acting as if they’d never seen her before. He knew good and damn well they had. It was the first hotel that came into view when you hit town and therefore the most logical place to stop.

  He used his most charming smile. Showed a picture of Sam he’d taken from Denise’s apartment and acted as if he were trying to find his cousin. Where was the harm?

  He stood across the street now, watching her. She would be out whoring herself in public. All up on some cowboy in the back of a truck. Eric inhaled deeply, letting the smoke fill his lungs before tossing the butt on the ground and crushing it.

  He had work to do. Sam didn’t have the same hollow look under her eyes anymore. She seemed happy and she didn’t deserve to be happy. The whore thought she could just leave. That would be the last stupid decision she ever made.

  He disappeared around the side of a building and walked back to the edge of the trees where he’d left his car. She’d seen him. He was sure of it. He smiled remembering her reaction and started the car. She hadn’t forgotten him or the paralyzing fear he brought with him.

  Spencer had a strange feeling there was something Sam wasn’t telling him. He knew there were things in her past that bothered her, but he was careful not to say anything to upset her. Plus, she didn’t even seem to hear what he was saying. Ever since the night they ate turkey sandwiches in his loft, the wall between them had come down.

  He didn’t know exactly what had happened to make her change her mind and he didn’t care. He just wanted to be with her. Giving her space had nearly killed him and he didn’t want things to return to the way they’d been. Not now. Not when he was so close to having her, to being happy. He wandered back over to his makeshift workbench and turned on the saw, but his concern for Sam kept him distracted until the sun began to set and it was time to go home.

  When Lieutenant Stephens and Detective Martin got back to the station, the information they’d been waiting for from the bank was sitting on Martin’s desk. Stephens took the initiative and tore open the FedEx package. He thumbed through the personnel files, each in blue folders with their names labeled on the top tab.

  “I’ll take the first one for Samantha Parker and you look over the one for Janice Johnston.” Martin held out his hand. “Be thorough, I don’t want to miss anything. I know there’s something in here we can use.”

  “Got it. I’ll check in with you later to go over what I find.” Stephens took the file and headed to his desk. He couldn’t agree more with Detective Martin. There was a piece to the puzzle that they didn’t have yet, but they were close, he could feel it. There were too many coincidences.

  Half an hour later, after reading Janice’s yearly job evaluations, Stephens found the personal information pages, which were also updated yearly. These pages included the names of all of her dependents, emergency contact information and home address. He missed it at first, but when he took a second look, he saw that when she’d first started working at the bank she had two dependents. The most recent page only showed one. She had two sons, not one. Something else caught his eye, and he was out of his chair so fast it rolled and hit the neighboring desk.

  “Detective?” He knocked and entered Martin’s office. “I have something you’re going to want to hear.”

  “Take a seat and let’s see what you’ve got.” Martin pushed his file aside to make room.

  Stephens sat down and opened the folder to show Martin the personal information pages. “You see, sir, she had two sons, but one was much older than the other. He aged out of being a dependent. She couldn’t put him on her insurance at the bank anymore after he turned 22. What’s even more interesting is that his name is Eric.”

  “The same name that was given to us by our convict friend.” Martin let out a whistle.

  Stephens nodded. “Exactly, sir.”

  Martin turned to his computer and typed in Eric’s name. Stephens came around the desk so he could read over Martin’s shoulder. First, he read through the charges that landed Eric in jail. Then, he read through the list of names of those who’d testified against him at his trial. The list included their murder victim Denise Daniels. Stephens’ heart beat faster.

  “I think it’s time we paid a visit to Janice and her son.” Martin hit ‘print.’

  Stephens straightened. This was it.

  Chapter 24

  Sam spent the entire afternoon convincing herself she was letting her imagination get the best of her. How would he have found her? Besides, she didn’t know for sure he was the one who’d killed Denise. A wave of sadness washed over her, taking all her energy with it. Sam’s mind continued to race as she dropped onto the couch. She knew there would still be issues to deal with when she decided to move on. She could try to put the past behind her, but every now and again, she’d turn around and it’d be there.

  Spencer called her just as he promised he would. She knew she’d worried him, but she’d needed the time alone to calm down.

  “Hey there. Feeling better?” Spencer drawled in her ear.

  She grinned. “Yes, thank you. Sorry, I left so suddenly.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I just wanted to check in before I head over to the bar to catch the game with Jake and some friends, but if you need me, I can be there in two minutes.”

  “Maybe if there were no stop signs,” Sam teased.

  “I’ve never had much use for those.”

  “I bet.” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
“You guys have fun. I think I’m going to go to bed early tonight.” There was a pause. She didn’t know what else to say, but she didn’t want to hang up.

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” His words were the promise she needed to hear.

  “Goodnight, Spencer.”

  “Goodnight.”

  With a sigh, Sam hung up the phone. Her mood and heart lifted. He was amazing. Her eyes popped open and she called him back.

  “You okay?” he asked without saying hello.

  “Oh yes, but I forgot something,” she paused.

  “What’s that?”

  “I wanted to invite you to go to Earl and Betsy’s with me for dinner this weekend. That is, if you’re not busy.”

  “No, sounds great.”

  “Okay, well, sorry to call you again. You can go have fun now. I promise not to bother you anymore,” she said.

  “Sam,” he said in a tender voice, “you could never bother me. Besides, I have Jake for a brother and no one can annoy someone as much as Jake.”

  Sam laughed. “Well then, goodnight again.”

  Stephens knocked on the apartment door. They could hear the television and the car registered to Janice was sitting at the bottom of the stairs in the lot. While they waited for her to answer the door, two men sitting outside the apartment on the first floor and a woman carrying a load of laundry into her apartment two doors down from Janice’s watched them. The woman gave them a second look and then disappeared into her apartment.

  This was the sort of area where cops stood out and were not likely to make many friends. The deadbolt clicked on Janice’s door.

  “Yes?” A lady peered out a crack in the door without unhooking the chain lock.