Page 13 of Homicide in Water Creek

“But that begs the question: was it coincidence that she ended up in Water Creek, or was the killer sending a message? If they wanted her to end up here, why and how did they know where that particular hauler was going?”

“Those same questions have crossed my mind a time or ten. All we can do is start with the evidence we have. That evidence is the car and this haul log. The only way to narrow down where the hauler and Vonita crossed paths is to pinpoint her whereabouts during that time. It shouldn’t be hard. She was Vonita King. Once we know that, we can figure out where the hauler picked up its extra passenger. Maybe it was in LA, but I find that hard to believe. It shouldn’t be difficult to trace Vonita’s last known whereabouts.”

“When did Boone get the cars?” Maverick asked, leaning forward and grabbing a notepad.

He checked the paperwork again. “It looks like Boone signed for the cars on September 30th.”

“Which means if she died in LA, she’d been dead at least 19 days since you found her on the 18th.”

Swinging his leg against the desk, King’s boot thudded against the wood in the rhythm of frustration. “If she was killed somewhere along the route, then it could be less, but we already know the medical examiner can’t tell us an exact date of death. She was far too decomposed to get an accurate timeline. Hopefully, tracing her whereabouts over the last few weeks will tell us why no one has reported her missing. She’s on a television show. Shouldn’t they be shooting episodes? Why hasn’t her agent questioned where she is?”

Maverick shook his head. “They’d be done shooting episodes by now, since the season is already airing. She may have gone off for a short vacation, or a long one, for that matter, so her agent has no idea that she’s dead. Rumors are she’s dating that guy from the show.”

King groaned. “Tanner Coltrane?” Maverick pointed at him in agreement. “If it’s true, she’s dating someone her son’s age. That’s messed up.”

“Sheriff, we all know she’s messed up. That’s not a mystery. The mystery is who messed her up for good this time?”

“That’s fair. Let’s narrow down the timeline. I’ll start by making some phone calls to her producer and agent to see if they know when she left town.”

“Are we letting them know she’s dead, or am I still holding that card?”

“We hold that card. As the old saying goes, you've got to know when to hold ‘em, and right now, we need more information before we play it. I’m going with the story that I need to get ahold of her about a family situation.”

“Think it will work?”

He shrugged, his gaze fixed on the door Jacks had sashayed her tight ass out of less than ten minutes ago. It took all his willpower not to go after her, pull her up against him, and kiss her into oblivion. “It should buy me enough favor to figure out where she was when she died.”

“Are we turning it over to the authorities in that town at that point?” Maverick asked, tapping the desk.

Standing, King headed to his office. “Can’t answer that until we have more details. For now, we run it as our case until we know more. While I’m on the phone, do a deep dive into the driver. Look for any skeletons in his past or present. See if he has any massive outstanding debts or large deposits in his accounts. We’ll need to clear him. Also, call the hauling company and get the driver’s logbook. It’s recent enough that we shouldn’t have a problem obtaining it.”

“Warrant?” he asked, grabbing his phone and pulling it toward him.

“We might have to, but see if you can convince them to hand it over without one first. If not, we’ll call the judge, though I’d rather not waste that kind of time.”

“What should I be looking for?”

“Locations where he stopped so we can retrieve any available security camera footage.”

“And if we see someone putting a dead body in a trunk, we have our killer,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “You know it won’t be that easy, right?”

“Dude, this is police work. I’m well aware it won’t be that easy, but due diligence and all that. With any luck, after a few phone calls, we’ll narrow down the route. Let’s get back together in an hour.”

King walked into his office, closed the door, and leaned against it, his head bouncing once. When he closed his eyes, his mind wandered to the woman he’d held just minutes earlier. Dammit, why did he kiss her? He’d undone everything he’d tried to do for the last nine years. To forget her. It didn’t work, and it sure as hell wasn’t going to work now that he’d had another taste of her.

Jacks 1

King 0

Chapter Seven

Plastered against the wall, Jacks listened to her granddaddy and King in the kitchen. Should she be eavesdropping? No, but she didn’t want to interrupt, especially since she was interested in what they were saying.

“His application lists his name as Wade Owens. Jackie ran him through the system, and he came back clean. He claims to be from a small town in Minnesota and to have always dreamed of being a rodeo cowboy. His application says he’s an expert horseman. He’s good enough to pass, but he’s no expert,” Granddaddy said.

A chair scraped across the floor. It was probably King spinning a chair around to straddle it, much the same way she’d dreamed him doing it to her last night. Only he did it in the most pleasurable of ways, while doing the most pleasurable of things to her.

In real life, he’d adjust his gun so it hung over the edge of the chair and lean forward over the back of it, his Kevlar vest holding him back by at least two inches. He’d tap his long, tanned fingers on the table in a controlled, thoughtful manner before he spoke.