Page 92 of D for Dead

Amy took another sip from her glass. It was a good Rioja and under normal circumstances she would have enjoyed it. Tonight she barely tasted the wine as it went down. She drank anyway, in the hope it would eventually numb her senses.

‘I think they’re looking at a few people, but they need to check it out. Even if the murders aren’t related, they need to arrest Johnson for what he did, for how he hurt… for Danielle.’ Her voice cracked and she paused. ‘God, how did I forget?’

She felt Heidi’s arm tighten around her. Huckleberry, who had been nestled against her leg, turned slightly and put his head on her lap, big brown eyes staring up at her.

‘It was the trauma,’ Fran reminded her gently. ‘Something terrible happened and then you were hit by the car. It’s no surprise your mind couldn’t deal with it all. You were only fifteen.’

‘Maybe it’s Johnson who has been sending you the fan mail,’ Gage suggested.

The thought had Amy shuddering. Had the man been stalking her? If he was following her, why hadn’t he tried to kill her? She remembered back to the night she’d been followed home. Had it been Johnson? Had he planned to kill her that night? And had he been taking pictures of her?

Angell and Hickok had shown her the latest photograph, left on her Beetle: her with Sullivan on the balcony. Sullivan had been mad as hell, disappearing into one of the offices with Hickok where the two of them had engaged in a heated exchange. She had caught Rivers’ smirk and Angell’s disapproving look and felt the need to defend herself.

‘It’s not what it looks like. Nothing happened.’

‘Of course not,’ Rivers had agreed, patronisingly.

He probably loved this, after what had happened in her apartment earlier the previous day.

Angell had been kind, saying she understood how feelings could become complicated in these situations, but Sullivan needed to keep his focus on the case and couldn’t if he was distracted. Amy had flushed with embarrassment. Had her stupid crush been that obvious?

‘Nothing happened and nothing is going to happen,’ she promised Angell.

Her friends didn’t know about the latest photograph and she had no intention of telling them. She only hoped Sullivan wasn’t mad at her and she hadn’t gotten him into trouble.

They left just after ten; Amy turned down Heidi’s offer for one of them to stay the night with her. She had her police guard and wanted to be alone, have time to process her thoughts and feelings about everything. Leaving Peterson on guard duty in the living room, she took the rest of the Rioja and retired to her bedroom.

* * *

He glanced at the address on the piece of paper one more time before folding it up and shoving it in his pocket.

The place wouldn’t be difficult to find.

Grabbing his cell phone and his keys, he killed the light in the motel room, stepped outside and locked the door. As he walked to his car he thought about Amy.

Had she found the photograph he had left for her yet? He smiled, imagining her reaction and wishing he could have seen it. Unfortunately he had other places to be, other business to take care of.

He started the engine, pulled the car out of the parking lot and indicated at the first exit, heading out towards the beach.

Things were about to get interesting.

* * *

‘You should head home.’

Jake glanced up from the computer screen he had been studying. He looked tired and frustrated. ‘In a bit.’

Rebecca knew he was still pissed off about the photograph, but wasn’t sure if he was annoyed he had put himself in the situation in the first place or because he had been caught out.

‘Go home, Jake. There’s nothing more you can do here tonight. We have Amy’s statement, the sheriff’s office in Melford have been notified, and we’ll pay Troy Cunningham and Nadine Williams a visit tomorrow.’

Following Rivers’ interviews, a member of staff from the Velvet Lounge had come forward, recalling seeing a man and a woman fighting outside on the night Leon Pruitt had disappeared; the description sounded similar to Amy’s number one fan and her boyfriend. It was a lead worth following up.

Jake sat back in his chair, stretched and yawned, before switching off the monitor. He glanced at Rebecca. ‘Nothing happened.’

‘Yeah, you said.’ Rebecca kept her tone light. It was too late for arguments.

‘She was upset and I was there. You’d have done the same.’