TWELVE

  

I raised my head and looked around, trying to gauge where the shooter was hiding. An inky blackness coated the sky. Not one star shimmered. Humidity laced the night air. Screams floated from the hotel as the door opened. I glanced back. Bob ran out and slid to a halt beside me.

“You all right?” Bob crouched beside me and placed a hand on my back.

“Yeah.” I tried pushing myself up but Bob’s firm hand kept me kissing the ground.

“Faith!” Steve skidded to a halt at my side.

“What did I tell you?” Bob spoke in a harsh whisper. He rose, standing in a hunched over position.

“I wasn’t staying in there if Faith was out here injured,” Steve said.

“Trying to keep two people from getting shot is a lot harder than one.” Bob grabbed the waistband of my jeans and gave me a tug. “I need the two of you back inside the building.”

“We can’t,” Steve said. “I told Gussie to barricade the door in case Morgan tried getting back in. Darlene’s keeping an eye on Garrison.”

A strange sound reached my ears. I grabbed Steve’s arm. “What was that?”

We all grew quiet and listened. Our breathing echoed back at us. I didn’t like this one bit. I clutched Steve’s hand, comforted by the fact he managed to make his way outside.

He squeezed my hand.

A moan interrupted our self-imposed silence.

“Here’s the plan,” Bob whispered. “We’re going to make our way to the front of the hotel.”

“Someone’s hurt down there,” I said. I knew a few yards in front of us the ground turned from a flat surface into a steep hill. Morgan might not have known that the hill was steep. He might be down there with a broken leg or neck. Or shot.

“Once you’re both in the hotel, I’ll look for him,” Bob said.

Lights from rooms filtered out, giving just enough brightness that I could make my way down the grassy patch without tripping over a garden hose or running into the large air-conditioning unit.

“I think it’s coming from down there.” I pointed toward the barely detectable sharp incline at the back of the hotel. I scrambled to my feet and edged as close to the drop-off as I dared.

“What are you doing?” Steve hissed. “Get back here.”

All I saw was a dark nothingness. “Someone’s hurt. We have to help them.”

“If you’re going to lean further out, give me your hand,” Steve said.

“Go into the building,” Bob said.

“Faith’s right,” Steve said. “We have to help.”

The weird sound from below, a cross between a wheezing rattle and a hacking cough filled the night.

“He’s down there.” I sat on the ground.

“Faith, wait—” Steve’s fingertips skimmed my skin.

I slid down the hill on my derrière, using the flashlight app on my phone to show me the way. Of course, in a sitting position I wouldn’t have much opportunity to get out of the way of any rocks or other debris unless I rolled to the side. It was still the safest way to the bottom on the hill. Even dry, the angle of the descent made it hard to walk down.

I reached the bottom and felt my way along the dry grass. Twigs poked my palms. I stopped moving and listened. Hard. For a while, all I heard was my own breathing. The strangled gasp came again.

I crawled toward the sound. Small rocks and clumps of dirt pelted me.

“Faith, it could be a trap,” Bob yelled. “I’m coming down.”

Like making a loud announcement was going to help us sneak up on Morgan. I heard a lot of skidding coming from the hill. It sounded like Steve followed after Bob.

Regardless of the fact that Morgan was a vile person, I needed to check on him. I roved my phone back and forth over the area. A lump was on the ground a few feet from me.

“I see him.” I pushed into a standing position and ran toward the fallen figure.

“Hold up.”

“No time.” I dropped to my knees, using my cell phone to take a look at the person. Morgan. A dark patch spread across his chest. He sucked in a loud, wet sounding breath then his chest collapsed. I felt for a pulse. None.

“He’s not breathing.” I pushed down the panic building. I tried blocking my mind from processing the image of his unblinking eyes, the wetness on my hands as I began compressions. I needed my composure. Tears wouldn’t help me now. I needed all my breaths and energy focused on saving this man’s life.

“I’m here.” Bob placed a hand on my back. “Let me take over.”

Shaking my head, I continued. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. I’d wait for the paramedics. Switching twice might leave Morgan without help long enough that he’d die.

“Faith, it’s too late. He’s gone.” Bob gently squeezed my shoulder and tried to draw me back.

“Come on, sweetheart.” Steve wrapped an arm around my waist and drew me toward him.

I elbowed him away and continued CPR.

Voices echoed from above. Lights shone down on us. Bob spoke but my mind refused to process the words.

“Ma’am, let me take over.” A paramedic gently nudged me out of the way.

I watched the paramedic work on Morgan for a few minutes before he shook his head. I averted my gaze.

Steve peeled off his shirt and scrubbed my stained, trembling hands with it. If it wasn’t for Steve gripping my hands, I’d have crumpled to the ground in a heap. As it was, my legs barely held me up.

Steve eased us both to a sitting position on the grass.

Morgan was dead. And out there in the nothingness of the dark was the person who killed him.

“We have to find who did this.” I tried standing but my legs refused to listen. My voice sounded different. Odd. Flat. Emotionless, even though anger, fear, sadness, and relief all rolled through me. I was a muddled mess.

Steve stood and scooped me into his arms. “The police will. We’re going inside. There’s no reason for you to get involved.”

He was right. Morgan threatened me and tried to force me to leave the hotel with him. He hurt Steve and Garrison.

An officer shined a light on Morgan and then swiveled it to take in each one of us. “Get Detective Bell down here. Stat.”

We waited. A slight breeze whispered through the air. I shivered and leaned into Steve. He tightened his arms around me.

Another person slid to the bottom of the hill. A flashlight shone on us. “Why am I not surprised the three of you are here?”

I blinked and shielded my eyes. “He attacked me and wanted to make me leave with him. Steve overpowered him. Morgan ran out of the hotel. I followed him out here. I heard shots.”

Bell crouched down and trained the light onto Morgan’s body. “Get the bystanders inside. Have Miss Hunter and her entourage stay down here.”

The hotel staff switched on the back lights and police cars positioned themselves so the headlights flooded the area.

“Let’s go talk, Miss Hunter.” Bell stood and ushered me away from Bob and Steve. “Make sure they’re interviewed separately.”

Uniform officers separated Bob and Steve.

“When did you first meet Morgan?”

“This morning when he told me he was an FBI agent,” I said.

“Why would he tell you that?”

“To scare me.”

Bell tilted his head to side and tapped a pen to his chin. “There are two things I’m wondering right now, why would knowing someone works for the FBI scare you, and why would Morgan pick you to threaten?”

“He knew about my past exploits in solving murders. He said he planned on proving that I killed that woman this morning.”

“Didn’t Detective Roget solve those cases?”

I nodded.

“Detective Bell,” an officer shouted. “I think we might have the shooter.”

I spun around. My heart went into my throat. Bell shifted so I was behind him. I leaned slightly and peered around him.

An officer had yanked Bob’s arms behind his back. “We’ve confiscated his weapon.”

“He didn’t do it.” I gripped Bell’s arm. The look he settled on my hand had enough heat I jerked my hand away. “Bob exited the building right after I did. If he had fired his weapon, he’d have shot me.”

“He’s taller than you so he could’ve shot right over your head.”

True. But, then how would Morgan have been hit in the chest? Morgan wasn’t a giant. “The bullet would’ve hit Morgan in the head not—”

Bell yanked out his notebook from his jacket pocket. “Fine. We’ll finish our interview now. Did you see Morgan when you ran out of the building?”

“No. I heard a loud pop and dropped to the ground.”

“So, you have no idea where Morgan was standing?”

“I don’t know where he was.”

“You couldn’t see him?”

“It was dark out here. There are no stars and the lights weren’t on.”

“Which means you couldn’t have seen Bob Roget either. You have no idea if he stood right behind you, or reached around you and fired.”

I rummaged through my memory. “That didn’t happen. I know that.”

“You’re making guesses on what you think happened because of what you want the truth to be.”

I glared at him. “No. That’s what you’re doing.”

Bell stood toe-to-toe with me, his chest almost pressed into my face. “Listen carefully, Miss Hunter, I don’t coddle meddling citizens the way Detective Roget does. If you interfere in my investigation, I will arrest you. If you accuse me of framing someone, I will sue you. I will not have my reputation tarnished because you want to play private investigator. Am I making myself clear?”

I nodded. I knew Bob didn’t kill Morgan and I’d prove it with a little help from my friends and maybe even another possible suspect. Something weird, besides identity-stealing, was going on and Violet would tell me or find herself being hauled to jail herself.

“Let’s take the suspect to the station.” Detective Bell walked over to the officer detaining Bob.