Safe at Home (Warm Springs Trilogy Book 1) (18 page)

Without a second thought, she leaned in, their chairs so close she didn’t have to lean far before her lips brushed his. The same electricity from the night underneath the stars erupted. And only a second of shocked surprise passed before Spencer was returning her kiss. The kiss deepened and a small groan of pleasure escaped her lips. It was everything she knew it would be. She’d been dreaming about it for months.

Sam raised her hand and touched his face and then reached around to the back of his neck and pressed their mouths together tighter. Spencer pulled her chair over until it was touching his. Then he extended his arms around her, his thumb playing with the nape of her neck as he continued to kiss her.

Finally, after several blissful moments the two parted and looked at one another. Sam’s thoughts were only of Spencer.

Chapter 22

The next morning she was beyond happy. She rolled over, buried her face in her pillow and squealed with delight. She knew she wouldn’t be able to stop what she’d started and she didn’t want to. The night before, on the drive home, she decided there would be no more living in the past. She was ready to move on. It had been years since she’d felt this way and she was sure no one had ever kissed her like Spencer had.

The phone rang while she was fixing her morning coffee. “Hello?”

“Hey, Sam. So, how’d it go last night? Did you get Spencer home okay?” Ann couldn’t hide the delighted tone in her voice.

“You know something, don’t you?” Sam grinned.

“Let’s just say Spencer came over this morning and although he hasn’t said anything, his feet haven’t hit the ground since he got here.”

“Things are better now than they’ve been in a long time.” Sam couldn’t stop smiling during the rest of their conversation. It was a new beginning. She had a small group of friends and a man she cared about. She would never forget her life in Chicago or the people she loved, but it was time to move on.

Lieutenant Stephens and Detective Martin walked toward the fence and the armed guard. The air was cool even with the sun at their backs. They showed their badges, checked their guns and walked through as the buzzer sounded to signal the closing of the gate.

“How do you want to play this?” Stephens asked.

“Keep it simple. Have a conversation. They’re already locked up and know we’re not coming in to try to pin them with anything, so maybe they won’t try to jerk us around. We can only hope they’re willing to talk since the other guys are dead.” Martin hefted the metal door which released as an earsplitting squeal of metal against metal.

A guard stationed behind a desk buzzed them through another gate and then the only sounds were their footsteps echoing off the concrete floor. They approached a small interrogation room and went inside. The walls were eggshell white and everything smelled stale and musty.

Stephens walked in a circle around the confined space. “Being in here makes you wonder why people choose to do some of the crazy shit they do.”

“You got that right,” Lt. Martin grumbled as he sat down in one of the metal chairs. “Maybe we ought to take kids on a tour when they turn sixteen as a sort of deterrent.”

The files on the inmates they were set to meet sat on the table detailing their personal lives and past crimes.

Stephens flipped through the file for Kevin, the first inmate they were set to interview, then handed it to Martin so he could do the same. A moment later, the door opened and a guy in his late twenties strolled in wearing the traditional orange jumpsuit and his hands were cuffed in front of him. The officer who was escorting him pulled the chair out across from the officers and placed a hand on the inmate’s shoulder until he was all the way seated.

One look at the kid spoke volumes. He had his guard up. He looked like every other guy that had spent time in a cell. Untrusting and hard.

“Got a smoke?” he said as he settled into the chair.

“Sure.” Martin leaned across the table and offered him a cigarette out of the box from his coat pocket. They sat in silence studying each other while the prisoner took a few pulls.

“What do you guys want with me? I promise I’ve been a good boy.” He said it with a sneer.

“We wanted to talk to you about your old cellmate,” said Stephens, who’d been quiet up until now.

“What about him? He’s dead.”

“Yes, we know.” Their continued silence and lack of questioning was beginning to work its intended magic.

The kid shifted in his seat and sat up straighter. “Look, it wasn’t me.” He was immediately defensive.

“We know that, too,” Martin said.

“Then what do you want?”

“Do you happen to know who stabbed Andy?”

The kid shook his head. “No. When they found him in the bathroom, he was already dead.”

“You know how things are in here. You hear things.” Stephens leaned forward. “Have you heard something, Kevin?”

“Look, I don’t know much. I try to keep my head down.”

“Sure, but it’s hard not to hear when there’s talk.”

“Yeah, I mean I’m not deaf. There was a rumor that it wasn’t just a regular fight.” Kevin put out his cigarette and looked over both shoulder before he leaned in. “I work down with the laundry, you know? And right after it happened, I heard rumors that some guy was in here to go after Andy. He was pissed about something that happened on the outside.”

“Really?” Stephens flipped his notepad open and clicked his pen.

“Yeah, I mean, supposedly there was no struggle. Supposedly, the guy came up behind Andy.” Kevin was beginning to get excited. He was relaxing and getting into the story. Happy to have an audience.

“Did you ever hear who it may’ve been?”

Kevin shook his head and leaned back in the metal chair. “Nah, no one was using names. You never know who it could’ve been and you don’t want to make an enemy like that.”

“Thanks for talking to us, Kevin. I think that’s all we need.” Martin hefted his bulk out of the chair and crossed over to the door. He knocked twice and the guard appeared.

After Kevin was escorted back to his cell, Martin and Stephens had a break before the next cellmate was supposed to join them.

“What do you make of what he said?” Stephens stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his ankles.

“I know it was just a rumor, but everything he said as far as the bathroom and that it was from behind, that was all true. It matches the coroner’s report.”

Stephens realized Martin was talking aloud to himself more than answering the question as he paced in front of the two-way glass, but it didn’t matter. He could learn a lot from watching Martin think through the case.

“I wonder who’d go to the trouble of getting put in jail for vengeance. Who wouldn’t feel jail was enough?” Martin rubbed at his chin.

“Someone who didn’t have anything to lose,” Stephens answered.

Martin nodded and stopped pacing. “Hopefully, those files from the bank will be ready when we leave here.”

There was a knock on the door, signaling the arrival of the second victim’s cellmate. The officers resumed their positions at the table as the next guy was led in the same way as the first.

“Hey, Terrence. I’m Detective Martin. We just wanted to ask you some questions about your old cellmate, Doug.”

“He was an annoying little asshole. Glad to be rid of him.”

Martin knew they needed to proceed with caution, and it wasn’t because of Terrence’s size, even though he looked like he should’ve been playing for the Bears.

“The fight he was in, did you know the guy who started it?”

“I saw him around. He was just another punk. Good thing they didn’t stick him in with me after it was all over. I didn’t want to go from one strung out little cracker punk to another one.”

“When you say he was annoying, in what way?” Martin’s interest was piqued, but he remained expressionless.

“Everything about him. He was twitchy and jumpy. He cried at night like a little bitch. Not long before that other guy beat the hell out of him he’d gotten worse. He was jumpier than he usually was. Came to me one day and asked if I’d help him out, you know, watch his back or some shit. I told him he was on his own. He kept on about how his buddy had gotten killed and he knew he was next.”

“He thought someone was out to get him?” Stephens made a note.

Terrence squinted at him. “That’s what I said, ain’t it?”

“No, you’ve been very helpful,” Martin said to try to defuse the building tension.

“Whatever, are we done?”

“Yeah, we’re done.”

Terrence was escorted out of the interrogation room and the officers fell back into their discussion as though it hadn’t stopped.

“So, we’ve got one kid who was stabbed by a faceless inmate, and it sounds as though he had intent to kill him. Then, we have his friend who was obviously scared after he heard about it. I know people fight in prison and people get hurt or killed, but the coincidence is just too high on this one.”

“I agree, there’s something more going on.” Martin leaned over the final file on the table. Their last interview was with, Eddie, the guy who killed Doug in the fight. When the two had fought, Eddie’s final punch was hard enough to send Doug’s head into the pavement. He was sent to solitary after the incident for a month. He was already serving a life sentence for murder, so for him, nothing really changed.

Eddie came through the door interrupting Martin’s train of thought so he closed the file and slid it to the side.

He was every bit the prisoner. His face had the scars to prove he was a fighter as well as two tear drop tattoos signaling he’d killed two people. His dark hair looked greasy under the florescent light as he sat down across from Martin and Stephens with a strange little smile on his face.

“Eddie, is it okay if I call you Eddie?” asked Martin.

“Whatever you want, ése.”

“Okay, Eddie. Could you tell us why you got in a fight with Doug?”

“Which guy was Doug?” He continued leering at them. He was not going to make this easy.

“Doug’s the kid you killed. Most likely that second tattoo on your face is for his life.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that kid.” Eddie rolled his shoulders. “He got in my way.”

“Ok, so the kid got in your way. Who started the fight?”

“I could say he did since he’s not here to defend himself, eh?”

“You could, but we both know better, don’t we?” Stephens acted bored and tapped his notepad on his knee. “We heard Doug wasn’t much of a fighter. You took him down easily didn’t you, Eddie?”

“Hey, I’m not on trial here. But you’re right, kid didn’t have any fight in him. Fought like a
punta
.” Eddie sat back in his chair looking pleased with himself. “Why do you care? That was a long time ago and I’m already locked up, ain’t I?”

“We’re just checking into some things. So, the only reason you got in a fight with him was because he got in your way? It wasn’t more than that? You didn’t seek him out?”

Eddie shook his head, but kept smirking. “I didn’t even know that kid.”

“But you left your normal place by the basketball hoops and found him by the weights, didn’t you?”

“So, what if I did?” Eddie shrugged.

“Were you looking to pick a fight that day, Eddie?”

“Look, some guy that used to be here made me a deal. I was just holding up my end of it.”

Martin and Stephens exchanged a glance.

“What, exactly, were you supposed to do?” Stephens narrowed his eyes.

“I was just going to rough him up a bit. I didn’t mean to kill him,” Eddie’s lip curled, “but I didn’t mind either. That asshole still owes me the rest of my money.”

“Who’s the guy who owes you money?” Martin leaned forward.

“I ain’t no snitch, and if I tell you guys, I’m never going to get my money.”

It was Martin’s turn to smile. “Eddie, you’re smarter than that. You know he used you. You’re not going to see the rest of the money. Why don’t you tell us who he is and then maybe we can do our job.” Martin shrugged. “If you’re lucky, he’ll end up back in here and you can ask him about your money in person.” Martin knew there were only a few ways to deal with guys like Eddie. And he needed answers now.

“Look, it was just some guy. His name was Eric or something. He was a short timer, but if you find him, tell him Eddie’s looking for him.”

“You got it, Eddie. Thanks for your help.”

“I ain’t helping you, pig. I’m trying to get my money.”

Martin and Stephens stood up to leave. They needed to find Eric.

Chapter 23

The days were passing in a blur. Sam and Spencer spent all of their free time together, but they were still taking things slow. Sam smiled when she eyed the picnic basket balancing on the backseat. A bubble of excitement swelled in her chest. She couldn’t wait to surprise Spencer with an early dinner. The weather was cooler and it would be nice to spend some time outside after spending her entire day inside surrounded by antiques. Spencer waved and pulled his gloves off when he spotted her pulling in behind his truck.

“I figured it was my turn to make a meal,” Sam called as she leaned into the backseat to pull out the basket.

“This is a nice surprise.” He took the basket from her hands and gave her a quick kiss. No matter how many times he kissed her, every time his lips touched her skin, there was a flash of heat just under the surface on that spot.

Spencer dropped the tailgate of his truck and they sat in the back discussing their day and making plans for the weekend. It was so easy being together. Spencer never made her feel uncomfortable by bringing up the past or trying to move too quickly. They seemed to have found their rhythm again, but Sam wasn’t sure how long she could keep up the pace she’d set.

She wanted to be with him all the time. She loved the smell of his skin when they were close like they were now. She liked to hear the sound of his voice before she went to bed, but there was something holding her back. Some sort of fear was keeping her from inviting him over for the night or letting it go to the next level.

Her hormones and her subconscious were sending mixed signals. She wanted him to touch her. To hold her in his arms for an entire night. But she worried, too. She couldn’t take losing someone else she cared about so much. What if something happened and she had to leave suddenly? Her heart couldn’t take it. For right now, things were going to have to keep going as they were. Slow and steady.