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Darby
I picked up a couple pairs of jeans, a warm sweater, a couple of shirts for layering, and a lined waterproof coat, all of which I put on my credit card, much to my chagrin, but I was warmer and drier. I needed to find something suitable for tonight’s meeting still, plus the anticipated date with Will tomorrow, but perhaps there’d be some time to do a little solitary shopping later—or at the very least, hopefully, I wouldn’t be standing over a body between now and the meeting so there wouldn’t be any blood on my clothes.
We interviewed two more of Prairie’s friends, without really yielding any new information. The last interview took us to the west side of the metro.
Three hours later, we headed back east from Shawnee, Kansas, Mark at the helm.
“Next move?” I asked.
“I think we need to invite Richard Pierce back to discuss what his exact relationship was with Prairie, and how he learned what he knows. We did get interrupted yesterday, after all.”
All of the friends we’d spoken to had been at the same party Kristen Guggenheim had been at—except Ian had had to work that night. All the friends had reported seeing the same incident, and the last one had been much more visibly upset by the apparent argument.
“I wonder if Ian knew anything was going on, and he just hasn’t told us?” I mused.
Mark reached for the environmental controls and turned the heat up. “That would be a good line to go down. As for Pierce, do you know where he lives and works?”
I dragged my glass out and logged in. “He’s south of Topeka. For work...I’m not sure.”
“Find out. Since we’re still in town, let’s talk to Ian, then we can determine whether we need to go out of town.”
“Genova won’t be happy if we bring him in.”
Mark snorted. “I thought you said that was the least of your worries.”
I frowned. “I guess I’ve got enough distance to see she will be pissed.”
We headed for the Northland, hoping we’d catch Ian at his second job. I contacted Pierce and requested he come into headquarters. He was in Topeka, at his office, and stated he wouldn’t be able to leave for an hour. He’d be there by 1:30.
He’d better be on time, that’s all I had to say.
We stopped and grabbed some sandwiches on the way, eating in the car.
“So, are you going to tell me why your lipstick was smeared when we left HQ earlier?” Mark asked, flicking the cruiser into autopilot.
“Excuse me?”
I pulled down the visor and checked. Sure, I’d eaten, but had Will managed to smear it up? It hadn’t even been a long kiss!
He snorted. “I didn’t think it was from your coffee.”
“I’m not here to discuss my love life with you.” I pulled my tube of lipstick out and carefully reapplied it.
He scoffed. “You seriously kissed someone...in the station? With who?”
“Again, none of your business,” I said testily.
“After last night, I’m pretty sure it is my business.”
“We’re not dating yet, Mark.”
“Was it William Young?”
I tried hard not to growl.
“I’m right, aren’t I? Unless Anderson decided to have some fun at your expense.”
“It wasn’t him.” I flipped the visor up. “Please don’t ask me again.”
He shrugged. “I want to—”
“No, you’re jealous.”
He stared. “After last night, damn straight I’m jealous.”
I glared at him. “Last night’s conversation doesn’t give you carte blanche with me. I can see someone else, even casually, and I don’t need your permission.”
He clenched his jaw. “Fine. I’m not going to say anymore. But know I’m not going to let you do anything stupid.”
“I’m a grown woman entering my fourth decade.”
“And I’m a grown man entering my fifth. I’m not inclined to let you out of my sight after yesterday. At least not for long.”
“I’m going out tonight. And tomorrow—provided the case doesn’t intervene. You’re not coming.”
“I wish you’d reconsider.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Are you sure you don’t feel overconfident because you’re carrying three guns and a knife?”
I stared back for a long moment, then lifted his hand and tossed it at him. “I really don’t want to fight. Why are you being obnoxious? Isn’t it enough you’re already making me stay at your place? Now you have to question my ability to protect myself? Don’t forget, I got the same training you did.”
“I was also a military MP for four years.”
“That doesn’t mean you’re superior, Mark,” I hissed.
He glowered at me.
I glared back.
“It doesn’t mean I have to like your choice in men.”
I scoffed. “Why, because it’s not you?”
“Something’s not right with that guy. And you’re so blinded by his pretty face, you can’t see it.”
“I’m not—”
“Darby, I know you. How you’re acting with this guy, you’d never let anyone kiss you that you haven’t been seeing for a while. How long did you know Trent before you ever started dating?”
“Look, I know you think since you’re my partner and you think I’m your best friend—”
There was a loud bang below us. Our vehicle shook.
A warning light went off on the dash, and the Flexion began a rapid descent.
Oh. Crap.
Mark went all business and turned back to the wheel, turning off the warning light. “Shit, the airlift system failed.”
“We can get down, right?” My voice pitched up, and my hands went to the edge of the seat, forgetting all about our argument.
“I’m trying a controlled descent.” He flipped a few switches, and the rate of descent slowed, but it was still more rapid than I was used to. “Call dispatch.”
I let go of the chair to fumble for my earpiece and get it in place. “Dispatch, this is Detective Darby Shaw. This is an emergency. The airlift system on our Flexion has failed in flight. Send immediate assistance.”
The dispatch system acknowledged my request in its unemotional monotone.
I closed my eyes.
“You can swim, right?”
I nodded brusquely. “You think we may have to ditch in the water?”
“It’ll soften the blow. I don’t think we’ll be able to bring it in softly.”
“What about the old downtown airport?” We were close now and headed toward the abandoned facility. It was a few kilometers away, and I could see it clearly through our windscreen.
He shook his head. “I’m thinking a lake. Current in the river’s too swift or I’d go there.”
“Can you keep us airborne that long?”
“It’s fighting me hard. I’m not sure how long I can keep her in the air.”
I tried to access the nav system. It was dead. Whatever had happened had blown more than just the airlift system.
I grabbed my glass and tried to get into it quickly, but my fingers wouldn’t cooperate. It kept denying me access since it couldn’t scan my fingerprint accurately. “I can’t get into the system.”
He swore. “We both grew up here. That’s nearly 70 years of experience in this town. Tell me one of us knows the area up here.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and covered my face with my hands, trying to picture my city. “Riss Lake. Weatherby Lake. Lake Waukomis.”
“Too far away.”
“Uh, Houston Lake?”
“Too small, and too far.”
I gave it a second more, but my brain wouldn’t come up with any other bodies of water, nothing close enough at least. “It’s either the old airport or the rivers. I know you don’t want to do the rivers, but the Kaw is shallower than the Missouri.”
“Shit, Darb. The department is going to roast us if they have to dredge the river for our cruiser.” Beads of sweat were breaking out on his forehead. He couldn’t hold us up much longer, and the ground was getting closer and closer.
“Then it’s the airport. The runway is really long, and if we get that far, it ends nearly in the river. We’ve got to do something because this thing is basically a falling brick right now.”
He grimaced.
“Shaw, Detective Darby. This is Dispatch. Units have been informed of your situation and are intercepting your location. Headquarters advises to attempt a landing at Charles B. Wheeler airport. Emergency vehicles are enroute. Please confirm.”
I tapped my comm. “Confirmed, dispatch. Please be aware our nav unit took a hit.” I turned back to Mark. “They want us at the airport. They’re sending KCBFD units there.”
He licked his lips. “Here goes nothing.”
I put my hand on his leg without thinking about it and leaned in close as he aimed for the airport. Our angle from Shawnee meant we would avoid the downtown buildings, so all we had to worry about was staying up, bleeding off speed, and aiming for the strip.
As we got closer, the familiar red and yellow fire trucks of the KCBFD lined up, lights flashing. On our final approach, KCBPD units flew in, guiding us. One officer waved, grabbed my attention, then pointed forward repeatedly. I nodded.
“He’s going to lead us in,” I told Mark as the other officer accelerated and got in front of us.
He nodded tightly. His forearms were taut, his hands strangling the controls, keeping our nose up. The ride got bumpier as we descended, as though the airlift was fighting to stay on, or maybe off.
I closed my eyes and prayed. Lord, let us make it through this.
“Brace.”
I shifted and pushed back into my chair, eyes still closed, lips still moving.
We hit hard. Our tires bounced on the old concrete. We must not have hit straight because suddenly we were moving sideways.
I couldn’t bear to look.
The sideways motion continued for a few seconds, then we flipped.
Airbags exploded.
My head hit the roof.
I blacked out.