Deadly Secrets (24 page)

Finally, Gus came through the door and Kelly rushed to meet him. “We need to get going on this,” he said. “That caller of Krystal’s is probably Anna’s killer.”

“Hold on, pal,” Gus said. “What do you think I’ve been doing? I had to ask the doctor some questions. The rest of the time I’ve been on the phone to Houston. Krystal’s uncle hasn’t seen her—or so he claims. I didn’t like his attitude. The Houston boys are putting out an APB on Krystal. Detective Petrie is getting a search warrant for Andrew’s residence and you and I have seats on the three o’clock flight to Houston.”

“Why can’t we leave right now? There’s a flight to Houston every hour.”

“I know that but it’ll take some time to process the paperwork in Houston. There’s no sense us charging in there before that gets done and I’ve got a couple of things to take care of here before we leave.”

Gus reached out and gripped Kelly’s arm. “I know it’s tough but why don’t you go home and crash for a couple of hours. You’re a cop, Kelly. Think like one. Krystal’s either dead already or she’s being held as a pawn in some deeper game we don’t know about yet. Either way, you’ll need your wits if you want to help get this killer.”

“I’m okay. You’re right, though. I’ll go get loose for a couple of hours and meet you out at the airport. What terminal?”

“Southwest. We can meet at the check-in counter. Two-thirty will allow us plenty of time.”

“I’ll be there…and Gus? Thanks.”

“Not a problem. See you then.”

Chapter Fifteen

Suddenly Kelly had an overwhelming urge to visit Lynda’s grave. Without even stopping to analyze his thoughts, he jumped in Old Blue and headed out to Floral Hills.

In the months following Lynda’s death, he’d gotten into the habit of spending several hours a week sitting by her grave. He’d felt close to her there. Kelly knew she wasn’t really underneath all that dirt but he liked having a visible point of contact. It gave him comfort.

An old black workman recognized his truck and waved as he pulled onto the grounds. Kelly smiled and waved back. The old man had told him one day that he’d been working at Floral Hills for over thirty years. It made Kelly feel good to know the caretakers here.

When he reached the section that held Lynda’s grave, Kelly parked Old Blue and started up the pathway. The trees had started shedding their leaves and the grass was dotted with brown and yellow skeletons.

Kneeling in front of Lynda’s headstone, Kelly bowed his head and sent up a prayer. He had never been sure if anyone heard his prayers but he hoped so. He always felt better after he said one and he supposed that was the main thing.

Sinking wearily onto the grass, he rested his head against her stone. Floral Hills had a restfulness that seeped into his bones. He could think better here than anywhere else. He needed to do that today. His mind had been in turmoil ever since he’d awakened from the dream. What he had to do now was disassociate himself from Krystal and think like a cop.

Penny said Krystal had gone to meet a man who knew something about Anna’s murder. Was it the killer? If so, what was the point of the fire? And where did Andrew Davis fit into the picture? Kelly had convinced himself that the key to Anna’s murder lay in her past. But did it? What about Frank and his mysterious inheritance?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Kelly stood up and brushed himself off. After they found Krystal, he’d take another look at everybody involved in the case—including his friends at Indian Creek. Right now, all he wanted to do was find her.

Saying goodbye to Lynda, he headed back to the truck. The trip to the cemetery had helped him clarify his mind and barring evidence to the contrary, he’d decided to believe Krystal was alive. If later events proved him wrong, he’d have to cope but for now he needed a clear head.

With that decided, Kelly’s next thought was that Krystal might have tried to call. He hadn’t even checked his machine. That galvanized him and he made the trip to Indian Creek in fifteen minutes flat.

In the cabin, the red light flashed on his answering machine and Kelly’s heart leapt to his throat. He pushed the playback button and held his breath.

“Kelly,” a man’s voice came from the tape. “This is Ernie Forbes. Jim asked me to give you a call about that probate matter you were looking into. Everything seems in order as far as I can find out.

“The estate was probated in April and the property divided between the son and daughter. There was no mention of her brother and there weren’t any other beneficiaries. The only other payments were the standard tax and funeral expenses. I hope this helps. Let me know if you want me to do any more digging.”

The tape ended and Kelly let out his breath. There weren’t any more messages. Making a mental note to tell Gus about Frank, he dialed Bubba’s number and got him on the phone.

“Hey, Kelly,” Bubba said. “I figured you was off somewhere this morning. Jake showed up a couple hours ago and I gave him breakfast.”

“Thanks. I’ve been over at Krystal’s. They had a fire there last night.”

“No kidding. She okay?”

“I don’t know, Bubba. She’s missing. Look, I haven’t time to explain now but I’m headed for Houston. Keep an eye on Jake while I’m gone, will you?”

“Sure thing. Don’t worry, I’ll look after things here.”

“Thanks, Bubba. I’ll be in touch.”

Kelly hung up and headed into the bedroom. Thirty minutes later, showered and changed, he climbed into Old Blue, tossed his overnight bag onto the seat and headed for Dallas Fort Worth Airport.

At the airport, Gus waited with news. “Andrew Davis has disappeared,” he said after they’d checked in at the Southwest booth and picked up their boarding passes.

“Disappeared? What makes you think that?”

“Two of our Houston detectives went out to his house to pick him up and take him downtown. They figured on having him waiting by the time I arrived. Stella met them at the door and told them Andrew had received a telephone call during lunch and right after that, he packed a bag and took off. She doesn’t have a clue where he went.”

“Maybe the telephone call was from Krystal.”

“Then why all the secrecy and why the suitcase? There’s something else too. The Houston boys questioned Stella about how much money Andrew had on hand. She didn’t know but she agreed to check with the bank and it turns out that early this morning Andrew withdrew a hundred grand from their savings account.”

“Whew! That’s a helluva lot of money. Do you think Andrew’s paying off a kidnapper?”

“It kind of looks that way. Of course, we haven’t any proof there’s been a kidnapping but Krystal’s disappearance, coupled with Andrew’s withdrawal of a large sum of money, sure raises the possibility.”

“So what do we do now?”

“We get that search warrant and do a filter job on the Davis house. The way I see it, there’s two ways of looking at this setup. Either Krystal has been kidnapped and Andrew is making the payoff, or Andrew’s behind the whole thing and it’s part of an elaborate plan to get rid of Krystal.”

Kelly flinched and seeing it, Gus cut himself off. “We’d better get out to the gate,” he said. “They’ll start boarding in a few minutes.”

Chapter Sixteen

They checked into a double at the Holiday Inn and Gus stopped long enough to drop off his bag, then headed downstairs to wait for the official car that had been dispatched to pick him up.

With Gus gone, Kelly picked up the phone and called Stella.

“I’ll pick you up in ten minutes,” she responded when Kelly explained he’d be on his own for the next few hours.

Kelly locked up the room, left a message with the desk clerk for Gus and stepped out the front door just as Stella’s Jaguar swung into the driveway.

“You know what I’d like to do?” she said when he joined her in the front seat.

“What’s that?”

“I’d like to take a spin out to the Gulf. There’s a quaint little place in Channelview that has the best hot, spiced shrimp you’ll ever taste. What do you say?”

“You’re the driver.” Kelly sighed and leaned back in the seat. His mind could use a break from all the worry and speculation about Krystal and no doubt Gus would appreciate Stella’s absence.

“Okay, we’re off.” Stella laughed and tossed her head like a delighted child.

Mirabelle’s was definitely quaint—a gaudy, pink building perched on tall stilts sitting precariously over the water.

“Follow me,” Stella said, leading the way up a set of creaky wooden steps.

“This is some view,” Kelly said, following her across the partially enclosed walkway onto an open-air patio.

“It kind of reminds you of a garden, doesn’t it?”

“That it does,” Kelly said, running his eyes over the tables. Each one sported a bright yellow umbrella with petals that flapped in the wind like a giant sunflower.

“It’s chilly out here,” Stella said, rubbing her arms. “Maybe we should go inside. There’s a gigantic fireplace and we can cozy up in front of it and gobble shrimp until we burst.”

“Lead on,” Kelly said, motioning.

Inside, it was uncrowded with the only other couple at the fireplace being occupied in the food and each other.

“This is living.” Kelly sank into one of the cushioned seats and holding his hands out to the crackling flames.

A waitress arrived and Stella gave her their order for a large bowl of shrimp and a couple of cold mugs. With that done, she heaved a sigh and settled back against the cushions. “Have you heard anything from Krystal?” she asked.

“I wondered if anyone had told you.”

“Andrew said she was missing. But he didn’t seem too worried. I suppose you realize Krystal doesn’t exactly feel obligated to keep in touch with her family.”

Kelly frowned. “It’s too bad you two can’t iron out your differences. It’d make life easier for both of you.”

Stella shook her head. “Our differences, as you call them, are a little too complicated to iron out. Besides, I’m not the one who’s kept the pot boiling, although I imagine you’ve been told all about the wicked stepmother and how miserable she made Krystal’s childhood. That girl is deeper than you think, Kelly. I wish you hadn’t gotten involved with her. She’s bad news.”

“That’s pretty strong stuff,” Kelly said, a spark flaring in his eyes.

“Okay!” Stella threw up her hands. “Let’s drop the subject. Just remember I tried to warn you. Now, tell me what you’re doing in Houston. I’m not dumb enough to believe you came down here just for the pleasure of my company.”

“Maybe not exclusively but I had a great time when I was here before and I don’t think I’ve ever danced with a better partner.”

“Why thank you, sir”, she said, her eyes glistening. “Now how about answering my question?”

“Okay. Time to confess. Gus thinks Andrew might know something about Anna’s murder and he’s getting a search warrant to go through your house. I’m keeping you out of the way so he can have a free hand.”

Stella gaped at him. “You don’t pull any punches, do you?” She threw back her head and laughed. “I ought to be mad as hell but what can I say in the face of such honesty? I don’t have anything to hide and if Andrew does, that’s his problem. At least you’ve been frank with me. Okay…so the cops are searching the house. What’re you doing?”