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“I think you’ll be safe here alone while I go question Alex,” Heath said when he came out of his bedroom strapping on his duty belt. He hadn’t changed out of his uniform yet.
Dela nodded. She wasn’t worried about being alone, she was just stunned that it had been Alex and not Gus who had slammed into her car. “I’ll be fine.”
Heath kissed the top of her head and squeezed a shoulder. “Finish your dinner and I’ll be home soon.”
“I’m not a child,” she said.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound like I was treating you as a child. I just worry about you. At least I know you can’t drive off to ask questions of anyone.” He picked up his half-eaten sandwich and left the house.
She heard his pickup start up. The only thing left here to drive was his motorcycle and she’d never driven one.
Jethro brayed. There was donkey power, but she’d prefer to stay home and think.
Mugshot wandered over. He set his muzzle on the table. “Get your head down and you can have Heath’s dinner.” Dela set Heath’s bowl of soup on the floor for the dog.
She stared into space, replaying all the information she’d gathered about Alex’s movements. She didn’t see how he could have driven a pickup that wasn’t even at his house when he didn’t get home until after midnight.
She looked at her watch. It wasn’t too late to call Rae and make sure she gave the same answers about the time last night. After setting all the dishes in the sink and wiping down the table, Dela swung into the living room and lowered into the recliner.
Picking up her phone, she scrolled to find Rae’s phone number. Just as she started to push the number to dial, she spied Kenny’s name. She should check in with him.
Dialing Kenny instead of Rae, she waited for him to pick up. When it went to voicemail, she started worrying. She quickly found the security office number and dialed that.
“Casino Security, this is Tammy.”
Trying to keep her worry from leaking into her words, Dela said, “Tammy, it’s Dela. How come Kenny isn’t answering his phone?”
“He’s not here. He went home for some sleep and said he’d be back at nine. How are you? We all heard about that drunk driver t-boning you.”
She wasn’t going to say any different. “Who’s in charge while Kenny’s gone?”
“He put Margie in charge. Changed her hours until you get back.”
The radio crackled. Dela listened hard but she couldn’t hear what was happening.
“Roger,” she heard Tammy say, and then, “You want me to have Kenny call you when he comes back?”
“Yeah, I’d like to hear how he’s shifted people around.” Dela really wanted to talk to him some more about Todd and Alex.
“Okay. I hope you heal fast.”
“Me, too.” Dela ended the call and scrolled back to Rae’s number.
She pressed the number and listened to the phone ring.
“Hello?” Rae answered.
“Hi, Rae. Sorry to bug you again but I was wondering if you could tell me when Alex returned last night and if by any chance you heard him leave again.” Dela knew she was being a pest but she had to know if it was Alex.
“Jacob just left here asking me the same questions. Why do you need to know if he left again?” Rae asked.
Dela bit her bottom lip. Did she say anything to the woman or let it go “Did he ask you about Alex’s pickup?”
“Yes. And I told him the same thing I told you. I haven’t seen it for months and figured he sold it because Athena didn’t like it.”
“Who’s watching Harper while Alex is being questioned?” Dela asked.
“How did you know? Oh, because you are living with the head of the investigation.” Rae didn’t say it snotty, but it had a zing to it.
“Is Harper with you?” Dela asked, ignoring the woman’s remark.
“Yes.”
“Can you put her on the phone, please?” Dela could be nice even if others weren’t.
“I’m not sure Alex would like that,” Rae said.
“I don’t give a damn what Alex would like. I want to find out if he was the son-of-a-bitch who tried to kill me last night.” Dela hadn’t planned on letting that out, but between her aching body and head and Rae’s belligerence, she’d had it.
“Really? That’s why the police took him away for questioning?” Rae’s tone had changed.
“Please, put Harper on. I want to ask her some questions.”
“As long as you don’t cuss at her,” Rae said.
As if she would do that to a child. Sheesh. “Thank you.”
“Hello, this is Harper.” The shy voice made Dela smile.
“Hello, Harper. This is Dela. Do you remember me?”
“Like the state, Delaware.” She giggled.
“Yes, like the state but a person. I have a couple of questions I’d like to ask you about Natalie. Is that okay?” Dela wanted to make sure the child didn’t think she was being forced to talk to her.
“Sure. I like Natalie. She gives me hugs and candy. And she and daddy are talking about getting me a puppy.”
“That would be nice. Did Natalie come visit before your daddy sold his truck?” Dela didn’t want to put words in the child’s mouth but it was easier to come to the point than ask roundabout questions.
“He didn’t sell it. Natalie is keeping it for him. Mommy didn’t like it. Said it made the yard look trashy.” There was a pause. “A truck isn’t trash. I didn’t understand and she wouldn’t tell me what she meant.”
Dela didn’t remember seeing the pickup at Natalie’s duplex. But she hadn’t gone behind the building. “When Natalie came over, did she ever go into your mommy and daddy’s bedroom?”
“Daddy’s not Mommy’s.”
Another thing she didn’t know. Alex and Athena had separate bedrooms. Surely Heath knew that. Why hadn’t he told her?
“And did your mommy have a phone other than the one you called me on?” Dela waited as the child breathed into the phone.
“I don’t want to get into trouble,” she said in a whisper.
“You won’t be in trouble for telling me about the phone. Where is it?” Dela asked.
“Mommy didn’t want Daddy to know about it. She said it was us girls’ secret. She’d use it to take pictures of me. She said it was a surprise for Daddy.” Talking about the pictures her voice lightened and Dela could hear happiness.
“Daddy didn’t find this phone?” Dela asked.
“N-n-n-no.”
“Did you tell someone else about the phone?” Dela had a notion she knew who.
“Natalie was taking my picture one day with her phone and I told her Mommy had a phone she took my picture with. She said I’m sure your parents do take your picture with their phones. And I told her it was a special phone. Did she want to see it?”
“Did you show her where it was?” Dela asked.
“Yes. She looked at the photos and we put it back,” Harper said.
“Have you looked for the phone since your mommy died?” Dela asked.
“No.”
“Put Rae back on the phone and thank you for answering my questions.” Dela would make sure she took Harper a gift as soon as she was well enough to go buy one.
“Okay,” the child said.
“I heard most of that conversation,” Rae said.
“I’ll call Heath or Jacob and have them come get you and Harper to go get that phone. It could have the clue to her murder on it.” Dela wasn’t going to beat around the bush anymore. If Rae liked Jacob, she needed to know how to deal with police situations.
“We’ll be here waiting.”
“Thanks.” Dela ended the call and tried Heath’s phone. It went to voicemail. She left her message and then called Jacob.
He answered on the first ring.
“Jacob. You or Heath need to go to Rae’s and collect her and Harper. Harper knows where her mom kept the other phone. Also, Natalie was keeping Alex’s pickup and she knew about the phone and where it was hidden.” She drew in a breath.
“You’ve been busy for someone who is laid up,” Jacob said.
“Who said I can’t do footwork with a phone.” She smiled. It felt good to feel like she was accomplishing something. Her phone beeped someone was calling. She glanced at the name. Kenny. “I have to go. Good luck.”
“Hi, Kenny. How are things going?”
Kenny explained his reasoning behind why he moved the people around that he did and her phone beeped. It was Heath.
“Sorry, Kenny. It’s Heath. He’s returning my call, too. Thanks. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Hi, Heath,” she said, glad Kenny had made good choices with the people he’d moved up to night shift and the people in charge when he wasn’t there.
“How did you find out all of this?” Heath asked.
“I called Rae and talked to Harper. Do you still have Alex in custody?”
“Yes. He’s pinched his lips so tight they’re turning blue. He didn’t tell us that his pickup was at Natalie’s. He didn’t say anything when we confronted him with the pictures of it with the front smashed in. Either he’s trying to not implicate her or he knows more about his wife’s death than he has let on.”
“I’m betting the clue to all of this is on the phone that Athena kept hidden. Harper said her mom would take pictures of her with that phone and it was their secret. I’m thinking she was sending photos of the girl to someone to make them suffer.” Dela had seen that mean streak in Athena more than once.
“Jacob went to see if the phone is at the house. I’ll go in and let him know we know that Natalie had his pickup and must have been the one to ram your car.”
“Wouldn’t she have suffered injuries, too?” Dela asked. “And has anyone gone to her place and brought her in?”
“I sent someone there as soon as I received your message which was two minutes before I called you back.”
“If they call in she’s not there, have them talk to the young woman on the other side of the duplex. She seems to know a lot about Natalie.” Dela wished she could be up and moving around to help.
“You did your part. Relax and let us take care of this.” Heath ended the call.
Rather than relax, she wanted to do something. But she still hurt too badly to try to lift weights or put her prosthesis on and go for a walk.
She made popcorn and turned on a movie. She wanted to be awake and aware when Heath either called or came home.
The phone rang thirty minutes later.
“You should have died,” said the same muffled, raspy voice as before. The line went dead.