I landed in Chattanooga late the next morning. I went straight to the office, showered, changed clothes, and headed out again. I needed to do something and it wouldn’t wait.
I drove to the mall and circled the block to make sure there was no one around, then parked at the rear close to the wall, and then sat there for several minutes, just to make sure I was alone.
The door I was looking for was in the center of the block. It wasn’t marked in any way, just an ordinary steel door painted a dull, battleship gray with a lock and a D-shaped handle.
Sure that I wasn’t being watched, I got out of the car, locked it, and walked quickly to the door. I inserted Tabitha’s key into the lock. It fit. I turned it. The lock clicked. I pulled the door open and found myself in the passageway behind the restaurant.
All right. That’s one question answered. Now we know what part Tabitha played in this mess.
I didn’t need to go any further. I backed out of the doorway and pulled the door shut behind me. I was about to turn around to walk back to my car when something cold and hard touched the back of my neck.
“Freeze, Starke. Don’t turn around. I have a message for you… Keep your nose out of what don’t concern you. Drop your investigation of Mystica. If you don’t, you’ll end up in the river.”
I was about to speak when… BAM. My head seemed to explode in a flash of brilliant white light, and then everything went black.
---
I woke up with a splitting headache and no idea how long I’d been out. I was propped up against the rear wall of the mall. My head hurt like hell.
I reached inside my jacket. The M&P9 was gone. Dammit. My watch was gone, too. Dammit! I felt in my jacket pocket for my phone. Dammit again! My car keys? Damn! Wallet? It should be in my front pants pocket. Okay. Got it. Thank God for small mercies. My car was still there, too. No keys, not good, right? Don’t bet on it. I kicked the bumper, hard, set off the alarm, and then sat on the hood to wait for the cops. Why is it that there’s never one around when you need one?
I didn’t have to wait long. Someone must have called it in because a cruiser soon rolled by. I waved it down and asked the officer to call Kate. I also reported the attack and the theft of my gun.
Kate arrived almost an hour later with the spare key to the Maxima.
“Here.” She tossed it to me. “How many more times, Harry? One of these days I’m gonna be shoving you into a body bag. What was it about this time?”
“Same old, same old; just working the case, following a lead. I must have stepped on someone’s toe. This was a warning. I was told to drop it or else.”
“Okay, so what do you have for me?”
“Nothing concrete just yet,” I lied. “I need a few more days, and then I think I’m going to need your help.”
She looked at me through narrowed eyes. “Don’t hang me out to dry, Harry. You understand?”
I nodded. She nodded, and then she turned, got back in her car, and drove away on McCallie, heading downtown. Not a word of goodbye, kiss my ass, nothing. She was still pissed.