Page 77 of Caught in the Axe
As they worked, they reported to the police officer that there was no phone, wallet, or identification.
Terror washed over me as I took in the scene. How could something like this happen?
I startled when a gentle hand landed on my shoulder. Blinking, I tipped my head back. Rob hovered above me, holding out a hand. Shaking, I slid mine into it and let him help me to my feet and lead me away from the paramedics.
When we were out of the chaos, he stopped and put his hands on my arms. “Are you okay?”
“I—” I shook my head and held my bloody hands out in front of me. “I don’t know.”
“Okay, let’s sit down and get you a coat. Then we can talk.”
We were halfway to the entrance when Owen came storming out.He stuttered to a stop when he saw me, and his eyes went wide. Then he broke into a run.
“Can I help you, officer?” His tonewas sharp.
“Just taking Lila inside to get warm. Then we’ll chat.”
“Is that necessary? We have cameras. Gus will be here any minute to assist you.”
“She found the body,” Rob said firmly.
The two men glowered at one another, neither willing to bend and allow the other to take the lead.
“Owen,” I rasped. “Officer Fielder is my ex-stepdad. It’s fine.” Rob was by far the best of my mom’s ex-husbands. They married when I was in junior high, and even after they divorced a few years later, he’d looked out for me.
“Fine.” He gave me a sharp nod. “But I’m coming with you.”
Chapter 26
Owen
Ipaced uselessly in front of Lila, offering her gluten-free cookies and water. The police had finally left after several hours, yet she was still wrapped in my jacket and staring at the wall.
Gus had pulled surveillance footage. Whoever had done this had clearly known where the gaps in our cameras were, because all that was visible were the tires of one vehicle and the boot in the middle of the parking lot.
The place was swarming with police, firefighters, and paramedics. On TV, when law enforcement converged, it looked so efficient and coordinated, but in reality, it took forever. After the mystery guy was taken by ambulance to the hospital, the police spent hours taking photos, asking questions, and thoroughly searching every inch of the property.
A police presence was not a new thing for us, unfortunately, but it was still disruptive as hell. The business may be half dead, but we were still trying to operate.
Thankfully, Gus walked the whole area with them, unlocking every garage bay and storage shed we had. He’d spoken calmly to the police and looked at the photos, but was unable to identify the man. I was so far removed from this life that I was no help with identification or details.
The man’s face was so beaten it was impossible to say for sure who he was, but we didn’t believe he was a Hebert employee or anyone we knew from town.
Which only made this situation scarier.
Lila had been pale and shaking since Officer Fielder had brought her inside and cleaned her up.
She was in shock, and every protective instinct inside me had been activated. The police wouldn’t let me take her home, but at least Officer Fielder was kind and patient. Chief Souza, the prick, had been a judgmental ass since I was a kid. He’d love to find an excuse to arrest any of us. Every time we crossed paths, he practically salivated at the possibility.
Hell, he’d looked positively gleeful booking Cole last week.
For years, he’d been tight with my dad, always kissing his ass. But the minute Dad was arrested, he’d turned hard on the rest of us. Probably mortified that he’d been so blind to all of Dad’s crimes.
Or maybe the opposite. Maybe he was putting distance between himself and our family because he hadn’t missed the signs of Dad’s nefarious activities. That, in my opinion, was far more likely. I kept that theory to myself, but a small-town cop turning a blind eye to a lucrative drug trafficking operation washardly a leap.
My mom knew what brand of beer I’d bought before I made it to the parking lot of the store the day I’d arrived. It wasn’t a stretch to assume at least some of these guys had been in on it.
But I bit my tongue and gritted my teeth while they asked Lila dumb question after question. And finally, they gave me permission to take her home.
