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The following morning, Dela woke to the smell of coffee and bacon. She’d hobbled to bed about 1 a.m., leaving Heath to sleep on the couch. After using the bathroom and combing her hair, she swung down the hall and into the kitchen.
Heath was a welcome sight, flipping bacon in his bare feet and rumpled clothes.
“Good morning. What time do you have to be to work today?” she asked, picking up a cup and popping a coffee pod in her one-cup brewer.
“I don’t have to go in. It’s my day off. If you can take me home after we eat, I’ll change clothes and come back over here for your meeting with Marty.”
She studied him. “Are you sure you should know what we’re doing? I mean we are civilians trying to solve a murder. Don’t you have to report everything to Detective Dick or your Chief of Police?”
“I’m planning on telling the chief everything. As for Jones... I won’t tell him anything. Let him and Pierce discover they won’t find anything else against you.” Heath placed a plate of bacon and eggs in the middle of the table.
Dela glanced at the two eggs that had been flattened and cooked all the way through. Just the way she liked them. “You remembered.”
Heath sat across the table from her. “I remember everything. The memories of our times together are what got me through the tough times looking for my dad. And dealing with the problems at Pine Ridge.” He searched her eyes. “Are you ready for a roommate yet?”
She pulled the plate of food towards her. “I could get used to someone cooking for me.”
“You never have liked to cook.”
“You say that as if it’s a bad thing.” She smiled.
Heath laughed, and said, “I imagine that was one of the things you liked best about the military. You didn’t have to cook your own food.”
“It was one of the perks.”
A knock on the door startled them both.
Mugshot began barking.
“I’ll get it.” Heath stood and walked into the living room.
The only person she could think of who would be here this early would be her mom. She probably heard about Dela taking a mandatory vacation and came over to keep her company. But it wasn’t a female voice she heard.
Quinn strode into the kitchen. “Well, if this isn’t homey.” His face was blank but for the ticking of the muscle over his jaw.
“I didn’t want to be alone last night after we chased that man away,” Dela said, hoping Quinn stayed angry and didn’t look under the table. The thought of this man seeing her footless leg bothered her. He’d belittled her so much in Iraq that she didn’t want him to see a real flaw.
Heath walked into the kitchen with his shoes on. “Come on, I’ll show you the tracks.” He picked up a piece of toast and headed to the front door.
Quinn spun and followed Heath.
Dela let her breath out and sipped her coffee. She was no longer hungry. A huge knot had taken up residence in her stomach. Maybe he’d take a look at the prints and then leave. No sooner had the thought emerged than the two men walked back into the house.
Heath walked over and made a cup of coffee as Quinn took a seat at the table. “I need your statement about what happened.”
Dela began as Heath placed the cup of coffee in front of Quinn and sat back down.
“Who were you with at the restaurant?” Quinn asked.
Dela listed the names of the people.
Quinn’s right eyebrow rose. “I didn’t know you hung out with the people you work with.”
“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.” She couldn’t help the retort. There had always been something about the man that made her want to battle him.
Quinn raised an eyebrow, and Heath snickered.
“What time did you come home?” Quinn asked.
Dela wasn’t sure. She glanced at Heath. He had only had one beer at the start of the evening.
“It was ten-thirty,” Heath replied.
The FBI agent narrowed his eyes, studying Dela. “You didn’t know what time you came home?”
“Molly bought me a drink. I didn’t realize how strong it was until I’d had about half of it. That’s why Heath drove me home. After we chased off the burglar, I didn’t want to stay by myself because of still being fuzzy.” She picked up her fork and played with the cut egg on her plate.
“Any idea who the person was that ran away from the house?” Quinn asked. “Or any description?”
“I didn’t see him,” Heath said.
“He was average build, had on a hoodie, dark-colored. He ran out from the side of the house when the porch light came on. Then onto the road and he headed south.” Dela shifted her attention to Heath.
“I ran out to the road when she told me he went that direction but I didn’t see anything.” Heath picked up his cup of coffee.
“South? That’s toward the crime scene.” Quinn studied her. “If it weren’t for the footprints, I’d say you were making this up to throw suspicion off of you.”
Dela wanted to throw what coffee was left in her cup in the man’s face.
Heath reached over, stopping her arm before she’d even flinched. He did know her well.
“I would never do that. My years as an M.P. trained me on how important evidence is to catch a suspect. I gave you my clothes and jacket. Did you find any of the victim’s blood on them?” She would turn the tables and question him.
Quinn had a glint in his eyes. He’d known she had planned to retaliate at his statement. “You know there hasn’t been enough time for the clothes to even get to a lab to be tested.”
“Was the victim cooking meth to sell himself or for someone else?” Dela asked.
“I would think you would know that since you trashed the equipment.” Quinn held her gaze.
“I didn’t go in the house, and I didn’t know he was making meth until you told me.” She peered back at him, steadily.
Her phone rang. It was in her bedroom. Dela started to pull her crutches up when Heath stood.
“I’ll get that for you.” He jogged down the hall and came back, handing her the phone.
It was Marty. “Hey,” she answered.
“I’m going to be late. Ummm... so will Molly. I never made it home last night,” Marty said.
Dela grinned. “I see. Well, there’s no hurry. I have company.”
There was silence. “Why don’t you text me when you’re alone.”
“Sounds like a plan.” She ended the call.
“Who was that?” Quinn asked.
“Marty. He wanted to let me know Molly would be late coming over to check out my new pet. It appears the two of them spent the night together.” She smiled, happy for her friend who had been in a bad first marriage. Dela met Marty when she went to work at the casino and had never seen or heard him deride or hurt anyone with words or fists.
Quinn studied her. “Why did Marty call you? I would have thought your friend would call.”
“That half of a drink I had last night that made me fuzzy? Molly had two and the last half of mine. I’ll be surprised if she even makes it out of bed before noon.” Dela glanced at Heath.
“Yeah, she was pretty wasted when they left the bar last night,” Heath added.
“Did you tell me the name of the place?” Quinn’s pen was poised over his notepad.
“The Rowdy Spur,” Heath said.
“I heard they have good food.” Quinn glanced up from his scribbling.
“It was a fun night out, given the mess my life has turned into,” Dela said.
Heath rose and started brewing another cup of coffee.
“Don’t you need to go to work?” Quinn asked.
Her friend faced the FBI agent. “Today is my day off. I know with a homicide you’d think I’d be needed but I was asked to take my two days off by Detective Jones. He seems to think he has this homicide all but closed.” Heath studied Quinn. “Are you feeling the same way?”
Quinn stared defiantly back at Heath. “I’m following the evidence.”
“The word of an old woman who may have lost track of the time she saw me fighting with Winter and when she walked over to check on him.” Dela slid her unfinished breakfast to the middle of the table. She would have stood and left the room but she didn’t want Quinn to see her stump sticking out below her shorts.
The Special Agent sat back in his chair. “She is a reliable witness. She stated what time she saw you fighting. It had been right as she had finished a television show she likes and was headed to the bathroom. She said you and the victim were struggling, you both went down, and she saw you standing with a knife in your hand.”
“Then she should have seen me walk to the shed, put the knife in there, and go catch Jethro,” Dela said. “If she didn’t see me put the knife in the shed then she didn’t stay by the window to see what happened.”
“How much time had elapsed from the time she saw the fight until she checked on the victim?” Heath asked.
Quinn stood. “I’m not giving you our evidence. And don’t go down there and harass the woman.” He stared at Dela.
“What about Mrs. Winter? Did she vouch that she’d asked me to go get Jethro and she’d told me that her husband wouldn’t be there?” Dela asked.
The muscle in Quinn’s jaw twitched. “She wouldn’t talk to me.”
Dela rejoiced on the inside. “Oh. Well, I hope you find someone she will talk to. She is the reason I collected the donkey. I was asked.”
Heath walked to the front door. “I hope when you and Detective Jones discover the real murderer, you’ll both personally apologize to Dela.” He held the door open, waiting.
Quinn glanced at Dela and walked to the door. Before stepping through he said, “For your sake, I hope you stay out of this investigation. If you stick your nose in, it will only muddy up the evidence.”
