Runs Deep (10 page)

CHAPTER 22

D
eclan’s stomach growled, and he swallowed down another yawn as he stretched. He’d headed straight to the elementary school when he’d woken up. Last night, he’d gotten it designated as an emergency shelter.

Declan had taken over the principal’s office. He’d been on the phone most of the morning, trying to see what options were available to get supplies into Millners Kill if the worst happened.

The news wasn’t good.

Choppers couldn’t fly if the wind was really kicking, and the boats wouldn’t be able to cross the surf. Even when the storm calmed down, the choppers would be delegated on an as-needed basis, and supply runs would rank far below medical needs.

Which was their other problem. With the bridge closed, they had no access to the hospital on the mainland. Right now the school nurse was in the cafeteria with a few volunteers, turning it into a makeshift hospital, and she had gotten at least one doctor in town to agree to come down when needed—but it was hardly ideal, and they weren’t equipped for a real medical emergency.

Declan let out a yawn that threatened to break his jaw. He hadn’t slept well last night. He kept imagining the bridge going. And he worried what would happen to the town’s mood. Caged people did not always behave rationally.

When he’d stopped for coffee this morning, the only thing anyone was talking about was the bridge closing. Well, not the only thing. A few people mentioned Steve’s name. Declan didn’t like the tone those latter conversations had taken.

His stomach growled again, reminding him that breakfast had been a long time ago. And a simple bagel and cream cheese wasn’t much of a breakfast to begin with. He knew he should have something healthy, but honestly? He wanted something full of fat and bad for him. It was that kind of day.

He remembered seeing vending machines near the gym. He headed out of the lounge in search of one when Mrs. Poole, the school nurse, called out to him.

“Declan?”

He tried not to groan. He just wanted five minutes where he didn’t have to talk to someone. But he slapped a smile on his face and turned. “Hi, Mrs. Poole. How’s the med center coming?”

“Good. I wanted to let you know that we have it up and running. Now, if we get anything serious, we’ll be in trouble. But for little things, we’ll be good to go.”

Declan flashed on Julie Granger. He’d heard she was back in town, and she was apparently a second-year medical resident, if the town gossip was correct. Maybe he could get her to come help out.

“Thank you. You’ve been a godsend.”

A blush spread across Mrs. Poole’s cheeks. “Just doing what needs to be done. I’m going to head home for a bit, if that’s okay—make sure everything is all right there. But I’ve arranged to be here for most of the time for the next two days, along with a few other volunteers. And my sister, who’s also a nurse, will be here when I’m not. And Dr. Robbins will be here whenever we need him.”

“That’s great. Thank you for everything.”

She smiled at him and headed for the parking lot.

Declan turned, feeling a little better. The storm had officially begun this morning, but the rain had already come down hard last night. And the wind had been ferocious.
But at least the medical angle was being handled.
He smiled, imagining the bag of Cheetos he was going to wolf down.

“Declan.”

Oh, come on
.

Russ came running up the hall toward him.

Declan’s irritation disappeared when he saw the worry on Russ’s face. “Russ? What’s going on?”

Russ looked around before speaking. “I thought you should know. Chief is bringing in the Donaldson kid.”

Declan paused, trying to remember who that was. “Darrell?”

“No. The younger one—Micah.”

“Micah? He’s what, eight?”

Russ shook his head. “Six. Micah was seen talking to Steve. Chief wants to find out what they said.”

“Why? Is the kid hurt?”

Russ shook his head. “No. Someone just reported that Micah was seen walking with Steve.”

Declan’s gut clenched. God damn it. Hearing a kid was being questioned about Steve was not going to calm the fears that were already cropping up in town. And what the hell was Keith thinking? There were ten million things they needed to prep for the storm. There wasn’t time for this crap.

But Declan would have to make the time. “Okay. I’ll head over there.”

Russ hesitated. “Just… Could you not mention that I told you?”

Declan smiled. “No problem.”

The relief on Russ’s face was palpable. “Thanks.”

Declan turned to go before turning back to Russ. “How come you
are
telling me this? I mean, I know you’re a good cop, but it’s almost like you’re looking out for Steve. In fact, I think you’re the only one in the police department who seems to give a damn about him.”

Russ looked around again; there was still no one nearby. “I was friends with Steve back in high school,” he said. “Not best friends or anything, but we had some good times. When he was arrested, I believed he’d killed Simone. After all, the cops said he did, and the courts did too.”

“Something change that?”

“When I joined the department, I looked at the old case work and…” He stopped. “Look, this stays between us, right?”

Declan nodded. “Right.”

“Well, the chief—he likes to cut corners. And when I looked at the investigation, there were a lot of red flags. But the chief never investigated any of them. As soon as they found those clothes in Steve’s closet, it was game over. I thought reading the file would put to rest any doubts I had. But it just created more.”

“So you don’t think he killed Simone?”

“I honestly don’t know. But I do think there are a lot of questions that still need to be answered.”

“I know what you mean.”

Russ paused. “Do you think he killed her?”

“I know that, given the right circumstances, anyone can kill. But I don’t think those were the right circumstances for Steve. So no, I don’t think he did.”

“Yeah, I know,” Russ said, although Declan had the distinct impression the words weren’t for his ears.

“I better go,” Declan said. “But can you just go keep an eye on Steve? I don’t like the mood this town is in. He should be heading home from work any minute.”

Russ nodded. “Yeah. I was actually planning on it. But remember, when you talk to the chief, you didn’t hear anything from me.”

“You got it.”

Declan ducked back into the main office and shrugged on his jacket before jogging to the school’s main doors. Outside, he could barely make out the parking lot through the rain whipping against the windows. Declan groaned.
And this is just the beginning
.

He discounted driving almost immediately. He could see the lines of water running along the road. And the station was only down the street.
It’ll probably be faster to go on foot.

Preparing for a wet run, he pulled up his hood with a grimace before dashing out into the storm. The rain was coming down in sheets. He was soaked in the short run to the police station. As he stepped into the foyer, water dripped off him, forming a puddle on the floor.

Dee raised an eyebrow. “Need a towel?”

He grinned. “That would be nice.” He started to walk toward her.

She put up a hand. “I’ll bring it to you. I don’t need my whole station soaked.” Dee rounded the desk and pushed through the doors. She tossed him a white towel.

Declan caught it one-handed. He wiped down his face, pulled his jacket over his head, and hung it on the coatrack by the door. Another pool of water started to develop under it.

Declan dried his boots off the best he could before heading over to the desk. He held up the towel. Dee pointed to a bin just outside the swinging doors. He tossed it inside.

“Where’s the Donaldson kid?” Declan asked.

Dee raised an eyebrow. “How’d you hear about that?”

Declan shrugged. “Small town.”

She huffed and hooked a thumb toward the back. “Yeah, sure. Interrogation room.”

This time it was Declan who raised his eyebrow. “Interrogation?”

She nodded, although she wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Chief’s orders.”

Declan pushed through the doors.
Great—a six-year-old in an interrogation room. That’s not intimidating.

As Declan headed toward the back room, he saw a good-looking black woman sitting beside a mountain of a man in the chief’s office: Michone Donaldson and her brother, Reggie Tully. Michone was Micah’s mother, and Reggie his uncle. Micah’s father was off somewhere in Pennsylvania with family number two.

Declan’s temper began to rise.
If Micah’s mom and uncle were in the chief’s office, it meant the kid was on his own without any adult representation. And Declan was damn sure Keith hadn’t bothered to get the kid any kind of legal representation.
That bastard.

He paused just outside the interrogation room, trying to rein in his anger. He took a deep breath, then pushed open the door.

“Micah, I’d just like—” Keith cut off in mid-sentence, staring at Declan. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Well, I heard you were having a chat with Micah here, and I wanted to see if you need my help.”

“I don’t.” Keith gestured toward the door.

Declan ignored him. He pulled a chair out from the table, placed it at the end, and took a seat. Now he could see both Keith and Micah at the same time. He smiled at Micah. “Hi, Micah. How you doing?”

Micah looked down at the tabletop. “I’m okay.”

The chief glared at Declan. “I appreciate your interest, but I’ve got this under control.”

Declan gave Keith a friendly smile. “Don’t worry, I’m just observing. You go right ahead.” He sat back in his chair.

Keith eyed at Declan a moment longer, but Declan showed no sign of moving, so finally the chief grunted and turned back to the boy, a giant smile on his face. Declan knew Keith was trying to appear friendly, but in Declan’s opinion, it only made him look creepy.

“Now, Micah,” Keith said, “you were saying you spoke with Steve Kane the other day.”

Declan narrowed his eyes but held his tongue.

Micah darted a glance at Keith before his gaze returned to the table. “Um, yeah.”

“What did you two talk about?” Keith asked.

Micah just shrugged.

Keith leaned forward, his voice hardening. “Now Micah, you know when the police ask you a question, you need to answer.”

Micah started to shake.

Declan could have throttled Keith. He was about to interrupt when Micah’s soft voice whispered, “It’s a secret.”

Keith grinned and tried to tap Micah’s hand, but Micah pulled it away.

“Well, that’s all we need,” Keith said. “You stay here a minute, and your parents will be right in.”

Keith headed out the door, and Declan stared after him. What the hell was that all about?

Declan reached over and squeezed Micah’s hand—he noticed that Micah didn’t pull away from
him
. “You did fine. I’ll be right back.”

Declan followed Keith out, closing the door behind him. He caught up with Keith and stepped around him, forcing him to stop. “What the hell was that?” he asked.

Keith smirked. “That was called investigating.”

“And
what
is it exactly that you think you just found out?”

Keith took a step back, the smirk on his face growing wider. “What, you don’t know? A secret?” He did air quotes. “We all know what that means.”

Declan stared at him dumbfounded. How the hell could anyone elect this guy to office? “So, what? Steve’s not just a murderer now, he’s a sexual predator as well?”

Keith shrugged. “He’s been in prison. You learn a lot in prison.”

Declan bit down an angry retort. “First off, whatever you think you just accomplished in there, you didn’t. You need to get the boy to say what the secret is—not just assume. And second, why isn’t his mother or uncle in there with him?”

“I told them they didn’t need to be. I didn’t want to traumatize the kid.”

Declan pictured Keith looming over Micah. “Are you kidding? You just questioned a minor alone in an interrogation room.” Declan took a breath. He took a step toward Keith. “You say nothing about sexual assault, do you hear me? Not until there’s proof.”

“You don’t get to—”

Declan spoke through gritted teeth. “If you breathe a word of this, I will have your badge stripped so fast it will make your head spin. Then
I
will hire the lawyer for Steve to sue this town, and you personally.”

“This is my case. I can—”

“Case? There is no case. You have nothing.”