Scarlet Rain (The Escaped #2) (3 page)

“Excuse me, Detective.”

James cleared his throat. “Blevins, everything is good here. Thanks for checking.”

“The captain sent me to find you. He wants to see you and your partner in his office. I already talked to Detective Schilling. He’s on his way there now.”

James stood and shuffled papers around on his desk, avoiding eye contact with Lori. “I’m sorry to cut this short. I have to get in there.”

“Please let know me as soon as you find something out.” Lori placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. “I appreciate your honesty, Detective. Even though it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear, it’s the only real answer I’ve gotten. Thank you.”

James continued rearranging the same stack of papers until Lori exited through the double doors. “Get your head together, James.” He balled his hands into fists and pressed them against the surface of his desk. “There’s an explanation for all of this. Work the case. Find out what happened.” He took a few deep breaths, and straightened his posture before heading toward the captain’s office.

The door to Captain Alvarez’s office was closed, and James stood outside of it, staring at his reflection in the engraved gold placard. “Tell him what happened exactly as you wrote it in the report.” He rolled his neck a few times and rubbed at the tension sprouting in his shoulders. “It’s simple. Stick to the story.” James knocked rapidly before cracking the door and poking his head into the office. “You wanted to see me?”

“Come in. Take a seat,” Captain Alvarez said, running a hand through his thinning hair. The fluorescent lighting glinting off of his scalp and forehead made him appear to wear a permanent layer of sweat.

“Sorry I’m late. Lori Kostas came and insisted I talk to her.” He settled into the only available chair next to Schilling.

Captain Alvarez pursed his lips. “She have any new information on the whereabouts of any of the suspects?”

“No, she has no idea. More than anything, she’s freaked out and wants her daughter home.”

“What I’d like to know more than anything is how she was able to get away from us. For a second time. Her daughter, that is,” Schilling huffed.

“So would I,” James mumbled, picking at a few loose threads on the cuff of his shirt.

“You have something to say, Graham?” Alvarez opened his desk drawer and pulled out a manila envelope stuffed with papers.

“Nothing, sir. Just agreeing with Schilling.”

Alvarez dropped the thick packet on his desk and started thumbing through its contents. “But you were there for her second disappearance, were you not?”

“Yes sir I was. It’s all in my report.”

“I read your report, and all the others associated with this case. They’re right here, actually.” He poked the file with his index finger. “But I’d like to hear it from you.”

James grabbed the chair’s armrests to keep from fidgeting in his seat. “Yes sir. There was a loud noise, and when—”

“No, I want to hear it from the beginning. When you first arrived on scene.” Alvarez leaned back in his chair.

Repeat what you wrote in the report. What you saw didn’t happen. It couldn’t have. There’s an explanation. Get through this, then find it.
His heart fluttered with his increasing nerves. “Fine. From the beginning.” He gripped the armrests so tightly the color drained from his knuckles.

A shrill ring erupted from the captain’s phone, and he glanced down at its screen. “Give me a second.” He answered the phone, and spun around in his chair.

Schilling leaned over and whispered, his stale-coffee breath coating each word, “It’s shit, but what are you gonna do?”

“Hmm? Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. Got a lot going on.”

“Relax, Graham. Fuckups happen.” James kept his expression blank as Schilling searched his face. “You losing Eva. It
was
just a fuckup, right?”

Alvarez’s chair turned, and he dropped his phone back on the desk. “Where were we? Oh, yeah, the beginning. Go ahead, Graham.”

James shook away his nerves and thought back to what he’d written in his report. “Schilling and I entered the Mohawk Park trail from the east. Shortly after, it forked, and we separated. I took the path on the left, and Schilling went to the right. I heard what I thought were the sounds of a male and a female talking, and I followed their voices.”

“So you thought you heard a male and a female, but that wasn’t the case?” Alvarez asked.

James kept his gaze fixed on the captain and continued with his version of events. “When I turned the corner, one of the suspects, Eva Kostas, was there alone. She was covered in blood. I could not determine from my visual whether any or all of it was her own. I asked her if Alek was with her. She said he’d disappeared, and that she needed my help to find him. I assumed, because of the voices I’d heard, that Alek had to be nearby.”

James fidgeted as Alvarez jotted a few notes down on a piece of paper. “Did she say anything else about his location other than needing your help to find him?”

“No, just that he was gone. She then proceeded to approach me. At which time, I raised my weapon and warned her not to come any closer. Then there was a loud noise. It sounded like a gunshot.”

“I heard it too, Captain,” Schilling added. “The trail I was on looped back around. By that time, I wasn’t too far from Graham.”

“The noise, I thought Schilling was firing. Maybe Alek had found him and he was in trouble. It distracted me. I turned to find the source of the sound, and see if Schilling needed help. When I turned back around, Eva was gone. She must have run off. I looked, but didn’t find any sign of her.”

“Okay.” Alvarez nodded to himself as he wrote down a few final notes. “You served overseas, right Graham?”

“Yes sir. I served one tour in Iraq with the Forty-Fifth Infantry Division.”

Alvarez set his pen down and folded his fingers together. “There a lot of noise over there? Gunshots, explosives?”

James’s brow lowered as he stared across the desk at the captain. “Is there something you’re trying to get at, Captain?”

Alvarez shook his head. “Not at all. I just want to see where your head was at.”

“My head was in the case. In that moment. I heard something that sounded like a gun and I wanted to make sure my partner didn’t need me.” James hovered between sitting and standing. “I didn’t let her go. I don’t know where she is.”

“I don’t think you turned your back and let one of our main suspects walk off. But you need to understand that this shit show is all our city is talking about. It’s the top story on every goddamn news station in the state. When David called me about you, I didn’t hesitate in giving you a position here. I go way back with his family. His daughter was like my own, and when she passed, it hurt me just as bad as you.” He paused a moment. “The department can’t afford any more mistakes. Don’t make me regret doing you a favor. You got me?”

“Yes, sir,” James said, lowering himself back into his chair.

“Now.” Alvarez adjusted his tie and smoothed his wispy hair. “I’m assuming, since both of you were available to come into my office for this little sit down, that there are no new leads.”

Schilling cleared his throat before speaking. “We’ve got their pictures plastered everywhere and on every news outlet. All three of them: Eva Kostas, Bill Morgan, and Alek Whoever-the-fuck. But nothing so far.”

“This Alek character. We still don’t know anything about him? Haven’t found him in any database?” Alvarez asked.

“We haven’t even been able to figure out his last name,” Schilling muttered.

“Nothing has popped. No one’s ever heard of him. He’s a complete mystery,” James said.

“This whole fucking case is a mystery. Evidence that leads nowhere, suspects disappearing—it’s a nightmare,” Schilling said.

“Which is why, gentlemen, we’re putting this one on the back burner.”

“What? There have to be more leads we can check out, something we can do. There are way too many unanswered questions. You can’t take this away from us,” James pleaded.

“No one’s taking anything away from anybody. Just pushing it to the side while we wait for something new to hit. Those kids can’t stay gone for long. They’ll need money, someplace to stay. They’ll surface soon. In the meantime, I can’t have you two spending all your time chasing your tails. Whether we like it or not, other murders do happen in this town, and the public needs to feel safe. Plus, we’re in hot water with the press, and I’ve got to get my ass out before it starts boiling.”

“What’ll you have us do while everything cools off?” Schilling asked, scratching his swollen belly.

“I’m sending you out on something new. It’s in Terwilleger Heights.” Alvarez smirked.

“This should be good,” Schilling chuckled.

“Why?” James looked back and forth between the two men. “What’s Terwilleger Heights?”

“Land of Daddy Warbucks. The cases that come out of there would make that Real Housewives bullshit look like a day in Disneyland. It’s all lots of unnecessary hoity-toity frou-frou drama if you ask me,” Schilling said, his Okie twang stretching his words. “Let me guess, some pool boy got whacked in the back of the head with a gold-plated vase after the husband caught him cleaning his wife’s pipes?”

“Not quite,” Alvarez chuckled.

“The wife caught the husband with the pool boy?”

“Don’t think that’s quite the story, but that’s what you two are paid to figure out.” He reached into his desk, took out another file, and held it out to Schilling. “Winslow’s already out there. He’ll fill you in when you arrive.”

“Thanks, Captain.” Schilling took the file and stuffed it under his arm. “We’ll get this one taken care of.”

James lifted himself from the chair, and nodded in the captain’s direction before heading toward the door. “Sounds like we should be able to button this one up pretty quick.” James exhaled for what felt like the first time since he’d sat down across from Alvarez.

“We might just get you home in time to get caught up on some of that beauty rest you so desperately need. You’re looking like shit.” Schilling adjusted the file under his arm and unclipped his keys from his belt loop. “You going to explain what happened in there, or am I going to have to force it out of you?”

“What do you mean?” James asked, waving to a group of officers as he and Schilling passed by.

“You know what I mean. You blowing up at the captain, and all that stuff about him doing you a favor and someone dying. You’re lucky all you got was a warning. I’ve seen him shove that size-fourteen boot up an ass or two. It ain’t pretty. You might not be so lucky next time you decide to pop off.”

“He didn’t do
me
any favors, and I didn’t
‘pop off
,’” James mocked Schilling’s hick accent. “Look, I don’t want to talk about it. We should do what the captain said and put the whole case on the back burner. We’ll talk about it again when we get a new lead.”

Schilling pushed open the door to the parking lot and stepped onto the sun-soaked concrete. “Shit, boy. There’s no reason to get all fired up. I’ve been by your side the whole way, and you’re not going to blow me off now. Rookie mistake number twelve.”

“Stop it with the rookie mistake bullshit. I earned my badge, same as you. I’m not some kid. I deserve to be here.”

Schilling stopped at his car and locked his gaze on his partner. “Something happened out there in those woods that you’re not telling me.”

James threw his hands in the air and shook his head. “It happened just like I said in there and in my report. You think I’m lying?”

“I think whatever it is has got you so fucking scared you’d rather blow up everything around you than actually deal with what’s going on.”

“What are you now, some kind of psychiatrist?” James nervously ran his fingers through the back of his hair. “You know what? I’m not doing this. I’ll get the address from dispatch and meet you there.”

“Bullshit you will. We’re going to get in the car, and you’re going to deal with this like a man.” Schilling pressed the key fob and opened the driver’s side door. “I can’t have a partner who’s lying and doesn’t trust me.”

“Schilling, if that’s the way you feel, then maybe we shouldn’t be partners.” James abruptly turned, and silently cursed to himself as he jetted back into the station. He knew his partner was right, dammit.

Cal slumped against the back of the bench and glared at the three dots glowing up at her from the screen of her phone. “Come on, Kevin. Whatever you have to say shouldn’t take this long.”

The phone chirped as his message finally came through.

Class got out late. Be there soon.

“Of course it did.” She sighed and punched in a reply.

Hurry! The bus will be here any minute.

The screen darkened as she again waited for the three blinking dots to reveal a message.

Down the street. Pedaling fast. Make them wait.

She huffed and tucked her phone into the side pocket of her tote bag.

A few minutes early, the bright green Tulsa Transit bus pulled up to the stop and let out a sharp hiss as it settled into park. The accordion-style door folded open, and the gaunt driver offered Cal his best smile.

“Afternoon.” He tipped an invisible hat and gnawed at the wad of gum in his mouth.

“Sorry to ask you to do this, but could you wait just a few minutes? My boyfriend is only a few blocks away.” Cal grinned at the driver and slipped her EZ Ride pass in the fare box. “But he’s riding his bike, so it shouldn’t take too much longer.”

The driver adjusted his crisp blue shirt and flicked his glance to the large rearview mirror. “I am a little early. But we’re almost completely full, so I’m only givin’ him another couple of minutes. Gotta get these people to their stops on time.”

“Thank you so much. That’s plenty of time. He’ll be here.” Cal stepped back out onto the sidewalk and shielded her eyes against the sun as she looked up the street in the direction of the community college. “There he is! Just at the intersection.” She pointed. “Can’t miss that bright orange OKC Thunder hat.”

“I see him. I see him.”

“Kev! Come on!” she shouted, and waved for him to hustle.