He glanced down as if trying to recall who had been there. “We had about eight people that night.”
“About?”
Dr. Stewart frowned. “Yes. We had eight. Tammy, of course, and seven others.”
“Men versus women?” Vega said.
“Four men and four women that night.”
“Anyone new?”
“Most of them, in fact. A couple of regulars, but the others, including Tammy, were first-timers. That happens a lot with that group. We get folks newly released from prison. Many start out gung-ho about sobriety but many fade away.”
“Tell me about the newcomers? Names, descriptions,” Gage said.
“We only ask for first names. Privacy is important in what we do.”
“Any first names?”
“John. Bill. Lois. Susie.” He shook his head. “I don’t remember the others.”
“Did anyone pay any particular attention to Tammy?” Gage said.
“No. In fact, she was very quiet. She smoked her cigarettes and listened as the others spoke. Most of our conversation was dominated by Bill, a regular. He has a tendency to go on and on about his ex-wife.”
“No one else said anything.”
“Lois talked about staying sober around the anniversary of her son’s death. John didn’t say much. Susie commented she’d reached her one-hundred-day mark. We congratulated her.” He gave descriptions of the others including a big guy and a short spindly woman.
“Who’d Tammy leave with?” Gage said
Dr. Stewart slid his hands into his pockets. “She left by herself.”
“Anyone see her drive off?”
“Now, that I don’t know. I left right after the meeting because I had to get home. The maintenance man always closes up the building. Let me ask.” He picked up the phone and dialed a number. After brief words, he hung up. “Clarence will be right here.”
“Great. And you meet here every Wednesday?”
“Yes.”
“At six?” Gage said.
“Yes.”
“Do you have names or phone numbers for anyone who were there that night?”
“No. Again, privacy is important.”
“And they’ll meet next Wednesday?”
“At six. No guarantees who will be there.”
“I understand.” Gage would attend the meeting.
Dr. Stewart shook his head. “This is just awful about Tammy. I did visit with her once or twice while she was still in prison.”
“Really?”
“She wanted to make amends. She was particularly interested in gaining the forgiveness of the widow of the man she killed. I know they corresponded a few times.”
Gage lifted his gaze from the notepad. “What was the widow’s name?”
“I don’t remember. But it sounded rich. Tammy commented that the man she hit came from a wealthy family.”
“Did the widow ever give Tammy her forgiveness?” Vega said.
“The woman had lost a husband and a child. That kind of grief is hard to lose.”
Clarence, a willowy Asian man, appeared in the doorway. “Dr. Stewart, you wanted to see me.”
Dr. Stewart explained the situation. “Did you see anything?”
“I saw a woman in her car and the hood was up. She waved me away. Said not to worry. And I was late for my next job.”
“Is the car still in the lot?” Gage said.
Dr. Stewart shrugged. “I’m not sure. Let’s go see.”
As they walked out to the parking lot, Vega kept glancing at Gage. Finally, Gage lost patience. “What?”
“It’s bothering you, isn’t it?” Vega said.
“What?”
“Adrianna has a motive to kill all three victims.”
“She didn’t kill them.”
“You sure you’re objective?”
“Yes.”
They found the car parked under a tree. It was an old beater, rusty red, with a black interior. Gage tried the door handle. It was unlocked. He glanced inside the car but saw nothing other than a couple of fast-food wrappers. The ashtray was full.
“Why didn’t you have it towed?” Gage said.
“We had a couple of church mission trips leave out of here last week. They’re not due back until Saturday and I thought it might be one of their cars.” He shook his head. “I didn’t realize it was Tammy’s.”
Vega moved to the front of the car. “Pop the hood.”
Gage opened the driver’s side door and pulled the latch. Keys dangled from the ignition. “Anything?”
Vega lifted the hood. “Loose wires.”
Gage turned the keys. The radio came on but the engine didn’t turn. “Not clever, but effective.”
Robbing Peter to pay Paul—stealing time from one part of her life to give to another. It had been the theme of Adrianna’s life for the last three years. Today was no exception. She dashed between two job sites today—a furniture installation and a house that needed design changes so that it could be sold.
There’d been a couple of messages from Gage but she’d not bothered to call him back. They did need to talk but she just didn’t have the time now.
She rushed to the front desk and asked the clerk to buzz Cary. The woman appeared minutes later and soon they were reviewing the last of the auction particulars.
By the time the meeting wrapped and the final details were set for tomorrow night’s auction, she was tired, hungry, and her nerves shot. As she moved across the lobby of the hotel, the laughter from the bar caught her attention. God, it had been so long since she’d laughed. So long since she’d been around people.
Clutching her purse, she stopped short of the revolving doors and turned back around. She’d have a half glass of wine and dinner. It wasn’t so much that she wanted the food or the wine, but she wanted to be around the living.
Adrianna moved to the chrome bar and took a seat. The place was crowded, not so unusual, she supposed, on a Friday night. Most of the patrons wore dark suits, white shirts, and red ties, a sign they’d all just arrived from an office somewhere close. Her deep aqua wrap dress, a thick, gold manacle bracelet, and shoulder-length blond hair made her the odd splash of color in the sea of gray.
She raised her hand for the bartender, who crossed immediately. A note of appreciation flashed in the bartender’s eyes as he set a bowl of nuts down in front of her. “What can I get you?”
“White wine.”
The bartender nodded and placed a clean cocktail napkin in front of her. “Will do.”
She picked a cashew out of the bowl. It tasted good and reminded her she’d not eaten much today. She ate a few more bites, feeling her nerves calm. Seconds later, the bartender set a chilled glass of wine in front of her. She sipped it, enjoying the taste. In the last two years, she’d had no time for pleasures like this. Perhaps she’d have a good steak dinner.
Just take care of yourself
.
“I’ve never seen you before.” The male voice came from behind her.
She sipped her wine but didn’t turn in his direction, hoping he was talking to someone else.
A tall, lean man slid onto the bar stool beside her. He had a crop of blond hair and wore a nice suit. He grabbed a handful of nuts from the bowl in front of her and popped a few in his mouth. “My name is Vince.”
Adrianna smiled. “Hey, Vince, I’ve had a long, long day. I’m not looking for conversation.”
Vince ordered a Scotch, settling into his spot. “How do you know? Maybe conversation is what you need.”
The moments of calm faded. She sipped her wine and ignored him.
“So why are you here?”
“Just having a drink by myself.”
Vince accepted his Scotch from the bartender and put a ten on the bar. “I’m good company.”
“No, thanks.”
“You sure about that?”
She glanced at the bartender. “How much do I owe you?”
The bartender glanced at her nearly full glass of wine and frowned. “Four bucks.”
Vince raised a bushy brow. “Hey, what’s your rush?”
She didn’t make eye contact as she dug a twenty out of her purse. “Like I said, I’ve had a long day.”
“Maybe you should loosen up and spend time with someone like me,” Vince said.
“No, thanks.” She snapped her clutch closed.
“What’s with you?” Vince said. “I just want to have a little conversation. Maybe buy you some dinner.”
She pushed the twenty toward the bartender and glanced at her wine, which she’d barely touched. “And I said no to both.”
Vince rose and blocked her exit. “A woman dressed like you in a bar does not want to be left alone.”
“Maybe that’s exactly what she wants.” Gage’s deep voice came from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, discovering he was so close she could feel his body heat.
Vince glanced up at the guy. “Who are you?”
Power radiated from Gage. He didn’t look down at her but kept his gaze on Vince. “The guy that’s telling you to leave.”
Vince’s gaze flickered between Adrianna and Gage as if debating whether she was worth the trouble. Vince hesitated only a fraction and then opted to snatch up his drink and move to a corner table.
Adrianna glanced at Gage. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.”
“How did you find me?”
“Phyllis. She said to tell you she found the keys.”
“Good.”
“Keys missing?”
“Hers. Not mine.”
Gage put a long, tapered hand on the bar. Waiting was something he’d never been very good at. He ordered a seltzer and lime and dropped a five on the bar. “Your friend is persistent.”
She glanced toward Vince, who still kept glancing in her direction. “He’s not my friend. But he doesn’t look ready to give up.”
“It’s okay. ’Cause I have a few questions for you.”
She sipped her soda. “About?”
“Tammy Borden.”
She paused, the chilled glass by her lips. “I haven’t seen her since the trial.”
“You wrote to her while she was in prison.”
“She wrote to me. And yes, I did respond. My emotions were still pretty raw when I wrote those letters.”
“She’s supposed to be released soon.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“As long as she leaves me alone, we’ll be fine. She did a lot of damage in my life and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to let that go. I wish I were a better person, but I’m not.”
He sipped his seltzer. There was more behind his calm expression but she couldn’t guess what it was.
“Why are you asking me about Tammy Borden?”
“She’s dead.” He studied her closely. “Murdered.”
“What?”
“Evidence links her murder to the women found on Thornton land.”
A cold shiver slithered through her body. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Tell me who would care so much about your late husband that they’d kill her.”
She released a deep breath. “At one time, I’ve have said his mother. Frances adored Craig. So did his father. They’d have done anything for him. But they’re dead and he had no siblings.”
“Close friends? I hear his funeral was packed.”
“Lots of acquaintances. Everyone knew Craig. But none were close. Only a few ever visited him in the nursing home. None kept up with me after the funeral.”
“Why did you have Miller sweep the entire cemetery with radar?”
They were beyond secrets now. “I was looking for my mother’s first daughter. Mom and Miss Frances were very close. Frances could easily have buried the child on her land. The cemetery seemed a logical place.”
“What else has your mother told you about the child?”
“Nothing. I can’t get anything out of her. I even spoke to Dr. Moore—he testified that the child died of crib death.”
“You don’t believe that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I just think the child deserves to be remembered.”
“Miller is moving the graves on Saturday. I’ll be there supervising.”
“Why the change?”
“The rest of the puzzle pieces are in that cemetery. Figure that out and I’ll find my killer.”
“How do you know you’ll find anything?”
“Hunch.”
“That’s not saying a lot.”
He lifted his glass. Droplets dripped down the chilled side. “Rarely steers me wrong.”
“So one way or another, this will all be over soon.”
“It’s not over until we find the killer.”
Adrianna left Gage in the Madison Hotel parking lot just before seven. He waited in his car until she started hers up and pulled onto Main Street.
While they’d been in the bar, a rainstorm had swept across the city and left the air dewy and cooler. The streets glistened under the streetlights.
Tammy was dead. As angry as she’d been, she’d never have wished such a cruel ending for the woman.
When she hit her first red light three blocks later, she dialed the number for her message center and hit Send. An automated voice asked for her password as she stared blankly out the windshield. She was just about to key in her password when a flicker of movement caught her attention.
To her left was a man walking between two cars. His back was to her but his gait, jacket, and hair color reminded her so much of Craig’s. Mesmerized, she watched him move toward a black BMW.
Her mouth felt dry and her heart raced faster. She didn’t have a good view of his face, but she watched as the man checked his reflection in the rearview window just as Craig always had done.
Any other time, she’d not have thought much about the man. Everyone had a lookalike. She and Kendall were proof of that.
But the events of the last few days had left her vulnerable and feeling frightened, and that combination now made her mad. Craig was dead. And someone was screwing with her and trying to throw her off her game.
She’d had enough of feeling out of control.
The beep of her phone service startled her. But instead of keying in the password, she snapped the phone closed. As the BMW pulled out of its space, she followed him. No plan in mind, she didn’t know what she’d say to this guy when she caught up to him. But for now, she’d follow him until she figured out something. If he was the one messing with her, she wanted to know.
As the BMW passed under the light at Belvedere and Main, the light turned yellow. Adrianna tapped her brakes but realized if she stopped now, she’d lose sight of him.
Adrianna made a quick decision. Looking left and right for an all clear, she ran the light, determined not to lose this guy. She needed answers.
The light ahead would turn red by the time he reached it and she’d get her first chance to see him face-to-face.