Boom! Boom! Boom!
My eyes popped open. Gig jumped off my pillow and hid. Becky, curled up like a cat, slept soundly at the foot of my bed.
In the early morning, I slipped out of bed quietly, zipped a hoodie over my pajamas, and went downstairs. Through the peephole Chief Rose smiled at me. I opened the door. Already dressed in her uniform, she carried a small tote bag in her hand that I recognized as Becky’s.
“Good morning, Miss Humphrey. Is Miss Troyer here? I’d like to talk to both of you.”
“Come in. Becky’s upstairs. I’ll go get her. Please make yourself comfortable.” I pointed at the one armchair in the living room. “I’m sorry I don’t have more furniture.”
“I can stand.”
I hurried upstairs and into my bedroom. Becky wasn’t there. I found her in her own room on the bed. “The police are here.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Are they taking me away?”
“I don’t know.” I picked up a long canvas skirt from the milk crate, which served as her dresser, and handed it to her. “Get dressed.”
I dashed into my bedroom and threw on a pair of jeans, a clean T-shirt, and zipped up the hoodie again. Becky met me in the hall wearing the skirt and a bright blue T-shirt. Her long blonde hair was secured at the nape of her neck in a tight bun.
When Becky and I entered the living room, Chief Rose was examining the photographs on the mantel over the fireplace. She set down the photograph of my mother, and I gritted my teeth. “Let me grab some more chairs.” I escaped to the kitchen where I took a few deep breaths, and returned with two wooden chairs, placing them across from the chief who now sat in the armchair. I sat in one, and Becky perched on the edge of the other.
Chief Rose reached into Becky’s tote bag and pulled out my GPS, Pepper. Still in her protective black case, she didn’t appear any worse for wear. The chief leaned over and handed it to me. “I thought you might need this seeing as how you got lost on the way home from the hospital yesterday.”
I tensed and opened the case. The GPS was fine. “Thank you for returning it.”
“I took the liberty to change the mode to ‘on foot’ since you don’t have a car to use anymore.”
My brow wrinkled, and I cocked my head in her direction.
She handed the tote bag to Becky. “We found this in the RAV4 too.”
Becky grabbed the tote and opened it. “My sketchbook,” she cried. “Thank you so much.”
The chief nodded. “You’re welcome.”
“You don’t need these things for”—I paused—“evidence?”
Chief Rose shook her head. “I’m sure you are wondering why I’m here this early.” She placed a hand on each knee and leaned forward. “It’s not to return your things.”
Gigabyte peeked his head out from around the kitchen wall, then disappeared.
The police chief cleared her throat. “We examined the car and discovered something.”
I straightened. “What?”
“Prior to the accident, your car’s brake line had been cut three quarters of the way through.”
My stomach dropped. Good thing Becky hadn’t made breakfast yet. I doubted it would have stayed in my stomach after the police chief made that announcement.
Becky’s brow puckered. “What does that mean?”
Chief Rose stood and picked up a vase from the mantel, spinning it in her hand. “It means sabotage. It means a premeditated crime.”
I inhaled a deep breath. “It also means the accident wasn’t Becky’s fault.”
She set the vase back on the mantel. “Yes.”
“Praise God,” I said.
Becky’s mouth hung open.
Chief Rose glowered at Becky. “You are still in trouble, Becky. Driving without a license is a serious offense. I don’t take that lightly.”
Becky bowed her head. “I’m so sorry.”
The chief returned to the armchair and sat on the edge of it. “Do you know anyone who might want to hurt you?” She directed her question at me.
I blinked at her. “Me?”
“The severed brake line was inside your car. It’s safe to assume whoever cut it thought you would be behind the wheel. In fact, if Becky hadn’t borrowed it,” she made quote signs with her fingers, “you’d have been the one in the accident.”
A chill ran down my spine. The green pickup. It had to be them. My stomach rumbled. Yes, it was definitely good that I hadn’t eaten anything yet.
Becky’s eyes watered. “Chloe, you could have been killed.”
And Bishop Glick would still be alive.
Becky shook her head and played with the end of her braid. “Chloe just moved here. No one would want to hurt her.”
I thought back to my encounter with Brock and his sidekick in the hospital parking lot. “There might be someone.”
Becky looked up, one eyebrow raised.
A grin formed on Chief Rose’s mouth. She leaned forward again and placed her elbows on her knees. I scooted my chair back an inch.
“Tell me who you suspect,” she said.
“It goes back to my first day in Knox County.” I told Chief Rose how Becky and I met and about my run-in with the two thugs in the hospital parking lot.
“Describe the men.” The chief removed a small notebook from her breast pocket and jotted down notes.
“One is thin, kind of wiry. They both had dark hair, but the wiry guy had a dirty blond goatee. The other one was clean shaven. He had the face of a twelve-year-old, but he was enormous. He looked like he could wrestle a bear to the ground if he ever had the need.”
Chief Rose smiled a little at the description.
“I know his name. The thin one called him Brock.”
“It must be Brock Buckley.” The police chief stopped just short of rubbing her hands together. “Your description fits him to a T. If it is Brock, dollars to donuts the other man is Curt Fanning.”
“Do you know them?” Becky asked.
“I’ve picked them up for disorderly conduct more times than I can count. Murder is new for them.”
I cocked my chin. “You think they meant to kill the bishop?”
“Not the bishop. You.”
My body began to shake the way it did whenever I had to speak in front a large group of people—a constant, full body shiver. I tensed my muscles in an effort to make the shaking stop, but it didn’t help. I prayed, too, needing to be in control. Disorderly conduct and harassing Becky was one thing . . . but murder?
Chief Rose leaned back in the armchair. “They have a well-earned reputation in the county, but let’s not jump to conclusions. We need a positive ID before we move forward.”
She stared at me until I broke eye contact.
“I need you to come to my station and view some photos.”
“Is it very far?” I held up Pepper as evidence. “I don’t have a car anymore, remember?”
She shook her head. “The police station is in the city hall building right on the square.”
Easy walking distance. “Sure,” I said.
“Great.” A smug smile played on Chief Rose’s lips. “I can take you there.”
I bit the inside of my lip. “Okay.”
“Can I go with her?” Becky asked.
The chief shook her head. “No. I might need you to ID these men later, but I’d like Chloe to make a positive ID all by herself first.” She stood. “Are you ready, Chloe?”
“Right now?”
“Yes, right now. The sooner you make the ID, the sooner I can bring them in.”
I took another breath and let it go. “Okay. I’m ready.” The shivering stopped, but the fear lingered.