Page 15 of Mine to Hold
“In my vehicle. Why? What’s going on?” Emmerson jumped to his feet. He knew his mother well and when she got like this, something big had happened.
“Emmett is in no shape and Nathan has to deal with the kids. I need a seasoned detective over at the Seaside Motel to help Chris Manzo. There’s been a murder.”
“Jesus,” Emmerson muttered. “Any other details?”
“All I know is that the front desk got an anonymous call that two women were screaming at each other in a room. When management went to check on it, they accessed the room to find a woman lying on the floor in a pool of blood after being stabbed to death. No suspects as of right now. Chris is doing what he can, but he’s a rookie.”
“All right. I’ll go change and head over now,” Emmerson said.
“Thanks. Keep me informed. I’ll be out there as soon as I can.” His mom squeezed his biceps. “Be safe out there, son.”
He leaned in and kissed his mother’s cheek. “I always am.”
Not much happened in Lighthouse Cove, but when it did, it happened big.
3
Rumor glanced out the window. It had been a while since the man and woman had been fighting in the parking lot. She’d tried not to look at them as she scurried from her car to the front door. After all these years, she knew better than to insert herself into other people’s business.
She let out a sigh and leaned back, lifting her book. She needed to get the fuck out of this part of town. The one thing she was tired of was living in hellholes.
And she needed to be careful with her suitcase full of cash. She knew it was stupid. And some of that money she’d earned.
But the majority of it was stolen.
From a drug dealer.
Knock. Knock.
Rumor jerked at the sound. She checked the time. It was only eight, so not late, but who the hell would be paying her a visit?
She jumped off the sofa and raced to the door, looking through the peephole.
A fucking cop?
What the hell?
Her heart hammered in her chest. For the last fifteen years, she’d managed to stay clear of all law enforcement. She’d nevergotten a ticket of any kind. She’d kept herself out of trouble at all costs.
Tentatively, she opened the door. “Um, hello,” she said, noticing two police cars, a fire truck, the medical examiner’s vehicle, and an ambulance in front of the motel across the street.
She had to get out of this neighborhood.
“Sorry to bother you, ma’am. I’m Deputy Chris Manzo with the Lighthouse Cove Police Department. I’m checking with all the neighbors in the area to find out if they heard or saw anything disturbing across the street in the last couple of hours.”
The last thing Rumor wanted to do was get involved in a police investigation of any kind. But she didn’t want to lie either. That would get her in hot water in a different way.
“I wouldn’t say it was disturbing, but I did see a woman and a man fighting in the parking lot when I came home. I didn’t pay too much attention to it because it didn’t look troubling.”
“Can you give me a description of the woman?”
“She had long dark hair, pulled back into a ponytail. She was wearing shorts and T-shirt. But that’s all I remember about her,” Rumor said, gripping the door.
The deputy glanced over his shoulder. “Could you please come with me and give a statement of what you saw with our detective?”
Shit. God, she wanted to say no. Being a witness to anything would be a bad idea. But what could she do? “Sure. Can I go get my shoes?”
“Why don’t you wait right here and I’ll send Detective Kirby over.”
