Page 55 of Witness To Murder
She wasn’t sure she would ever feel completely safe again until he was found.
“His prints. He wasn’t in the system until the incident at the library, and since he didn’t wear gloves, his prints were on the container of lighter fluid and on the lighter. They matched the ones they took from the dead man. Those same prints were all over the car.”
Having anyone be murdered was not something she would ever want…but the idea that she no longer had to worry about that threat was a relief.
But what about who hired him?
Morris Lake House
Fox Lake, 8:15 a.m.
THREE POLICE CRUISERSwere in the driveway. Owen parked behind them. One uniform waited at the house, and five others were combing the woods and knocking on neighbors’ doors.
Detective Lambert was there too. Leah spotted him getting out of his car.
“I think I’ll stay in the car, if that’s okay.” She didn’t want to answer the questions he would have. She didn’t want to see her former roommate’s body if they’d found it. Leah just needed to stay back for a bit.
Owen glanced toward the back entrance of the house and the officer standing there with Lambert. “I’ll leave the car running for the air-conditioning but lock the doors when I get out.”
She nodded. “Sure.”
Her stomach was tied in knots. This just kept going and going, and she was so, so tired of it all. She released her seat belt and closed her eyes. It was probably the concussion making her feel so weary and irritable. She’d forgotten all about that last night, but this morning had brought the whole nightmare back.
A rap on the glass of the driver’s-side door made her eyes snap open. She turned, expecting to see Owen at the door already—not Owen.
Alyssa stared at her through the window, eyes wide. She tugged at the door handle. “Please,” she murmured.
Without thinking, Leah hit the unlock button. A glance forward showed Owen and Lambert looking at something on the uniformed officer’s cell phone.
Alyssa dropped into the driver’s seat, hunkering down as if she feared being seen. “Thank God you came.”
Leah sat up straighter. “What’s going on?” She looked forward. “I should get Owen. Everyone’s looking for you.”
“No!” She grabbed Leah’s arm. “Please, just listen to me first.”
Leah relaxed a tiny fraction. “All right, but I need to know what’s really going on. Right now.”
Alyssa glanced forward. “If they see me…” Rather than finish the statement, she shoved the gear shift into reverse and barreled out of the driveway.
Leah reached for her door.
“Don’t.”
She glanced at the woman behind the wheel. There was a gun in her hand, and it was pointed at Leah.
She spun onto the road. “Just relax,” she ordered, struggling to control the car with her one free hand.
The beeping sound warned them that the car’s fob was with Owen. How far would the vehicle go without it? The warning signal for the fact that neither she nor the driver were wearing seat belts grew louder as well, creating a building staccato.
“What are you doing?” Leah demanded. “Stop the car now. Owen and I are trying to help you.”
Her former roommate laughed. “I swear.” She whipped the car left, heading down a side road.
Leah slammed against the door, grimaced at the ache in her head, then righted herself.
Alyssa hit the brakes then, and Leah almost slammed into the dash but caught herself. Her aching head screamed in protest. “What the hell are you doing?”
The sound of the door locks disengaging had Leah reaching for her door again. Alyssa nudged her with the gun. “Do not even think about it.”
