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TEDDY’S PHONE RANG. He answered without taking his eyes off the road. “What is it, Tee? I’m five miles from Heartland, driving ten over the limit, and not in the mood to chat.”
“Can you look something up for me? I need to be sure before I report to my Captain.” Usually brash, at times full of false bravado, for the first time the young woman sounded shook.
“I’m driving. Can’t it wait?” He glanced at Macy, perching in the passenger’s seat, watching the road unfurl out the window.
Tee grew more insistent. “Have Charlie drive. I really need a confirmation. I can’t make this accusation without more than a gut feeling.”
“Charlie’s gone. I’m driving by myself now.” He’d been played the fool. Oh for sure, the girl had a seizure, no doubt about that. Maybe from the bump on the head she got in the hit and run. He’d wanted to stop at an urgent care to get her checked out but she refused.
“What do you mean, she’s gone?” Tee’s tone sharpened. “I knew that was a mistake! Are you okay, Teddy? She didn’t hurt you, did she?”
He snorted. “Only my feelings. She disappeared about thirty minutes ago at the rest stop on Hwy. 75 at the Oklahoma/Texas border. Took that big white cat with her, and September’s cell phone. And she swiped my snazzy new cane, probably so I wouldn’t try to catch her.” If he didn’t know better, he’d say Sherlock tried to warn her about the seizure. He knew dogs did that, but cats? “She’s terrified that Mr. Bleak will come after her. I think there’s more to that than she’s saying. Anyway, she’s in the wind. Why, what does your Detective Redford say?”
“He’s in the hospital. He tried to kill himself.” She sounded stilted, maybe to control her emotion.
Teddy gasped. He took his foot off the gas in reaction, and the change in velocity made Macy stand up and meow. He reached out and chucked the cat under the chin, smoothing the fur to calm the cat.
“I don’t believe them. Redford had this big celebration for his kid over the weekend. Got him a dog. A black and white Border Collie rescue named Oreo. He was so jazzed over that dog and his kid, he fairly glowed. Said the dog made friends with everyone, first time out of the car.” She rambled, clearly unable to reconcile the idea of her mentor taking his own life.
“I’m sorry, Tee. That’s got to be an awful shock.” Macy head-butted Teddy’s hand, and again settled in the shotgun position. He’d always been a dog man, but Macy kind of grew on him. “Sure have been a lot of suicides lately.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Her tone changed from mournful to speculative. “Redford was close to retirement. Before I left, he’d been getting grief from one of the Chicago Aldermen, Kelly Radcliff Jacobs. Wasn’t there a Jacobs on the cat sale list?”
He passed the sign to the Heartland city limits and dropped his speed accordingly. Teddy had no intention of being sidetracked by a speeding ticket. “That’s a pretty common name. You don’t mean to accuse a Chicago Alderman of involvement? What kind of evidence do you have?”
“Only suspicions. I don’t know what to think.” She immediately backed away, as he figured she would. “He owns a bunch of pharmacies. Maybe drugs?”
“You’re grasping at straws, Tee. That sounds like a bad television cop show.” He followed the directions he’d memorized. “Once I get the chance, we can look closer at the dates, and then see if your Alderman had something coincide on that same date. Listen, I’ve got to go. I’m almost to the January house.”
Tee couldn’t hide her frustration. “Have you heard from September? You could be chasing the wind, Teddy.”
He smiled. “I forgot to tell you. After I filled Combs in on everything, he got in touch with September’s roommate. She’s here. That is, they’re both here, Lia and September. And if I know Combs, the Heartland police are on the way, too.” He squinted, and pressed the brake. “I’ve got to go, will be in touch later.”
Teddy disconnected, and pulled up behind Lia Corazon’s shabby truck. Before either of them could get out, the sound of barking and gunshots split the air.
