Trouble with a Badge (6 page)

“Yes,” she snapped. Then she groaned softly. “No. I can't be positive. But I did see some blood. Which could have been faked, I suppose. However, those gunmen shot real bullets at us after we left the Outlaw Bar. And I won't ever believe Tasha ordered someone to do that, especially not with Violet in the car with us.”

Levi couldn't see a mother doing that to a child, but the truth was mothers did bad things all the time. “How well did you know Tasha?” he asked.

Alexa frowned, obviously not pleased with the direction of this conversation. Still, she didn't just blow it off. “We got close over the past couple months.” She glanced away. “I did a thorough background search on her, and she didn't have a criminal record. Before you read too much into that, I ran background checks on everyone who came in contact with me. I wanted to make sure Marcos wasn't trying to slip someone into my very small circle of friends and acquaintances.”

Understandable. Levi would have done the same thing. And that was exactly the sort of thing Marcos would try to pull. “Any red flags when it came to Tasha?”

Alexa looked as if she wanted to say no, but that wasn't her answer. “Maybe. Not red flags to connect her to Marcos, but she did work for a loan shark for a while. Again, nothing criminal on her part. She worked as a secretary for the investment business he was using as a front for his illegal activity. When she found out what he was doing, she quit.”

Levi didn't like the sound of that. Even if she'd quit, that didn't mean her ex-boss would just let her walk.

“You remember the loan shark's name?” Levi asked.

She nodded. “Nick Perryman. But you don't think he has anything to do with this, do you?”

“Only way to know is to check him out.” He paused. “Tasha really doesn't have a next of kin?”

“No. Her parents were killed when she was a teenager and she was raised in foster care after that.” Alexa glanced at the baby again, sighed. “Of course, Violet's father might have relatives who'd want her. Like I told you, Tasha said his name was Brett Mendoza, and she also said she had amnio results to prove it.”

“Amnio?” Levi questioned. He'd heard the term but had no idea what it meant.

“It's a test that pregnant women sometimes have to make sure there's nothing wrong. Tasha had had some kind of infection early in the pregnancy, and the doctors did the test to rule out medical problems. But the results also confirmed both the sex and the paternity of the baby.”

“She had a sample of Mendoza's DNA to compare?”

“I guess so because she said it was a match. I'm not sure though where Tasha put the test results.”

They were probably still at her place in Austin. Levi could maybe get a search warrant, and if that didn't turn up anything, he could possibly get the results from her doctor.

Well, once the woman's death was confirmed, that is.

“Tasha must have had doubts about the baby's paternity,” Levi continued, “if she had the DNA confirmed during that test.”

“Maybe. The test wasn't for paternity though. It was for medical reasons, but I guess Tasha must have gotten the results anyway.”

That was possible, but Levi still wanted to verify it if he could. He texted Brett Mendoza's and Perryman's names to Mack and asked him to do a quick check on the men. According to Tasha, Mendoza was dead, but he wasn't sure everything Tasha had said and done was the truth.

“How long was it between the time you left the gas station and met me at the Outlaw Bar?” he asked.

“Less than an hour.”

That's what he'd estimated, too. “And it was less than a half hour for Dexter to make it out to the gas station to look for the bodies. That's not much time for the second gunman to do a cleanup and move two bodies. Unless he had plenty of help,” Levi added.

Alexa paused, clearly processing what he was saying, but then she shook her head again. However, before she could explain why she still wasn't buying the possibility of a faked death scene, Levi's phone buzzed. Despite the fact he had the sound turned down, Violet must have heard it because she started to cry.

“It's Teddy McQueen, one of the ranch hands,” Levi relayed to Alexa as she put her coffee aside and scooped up the baby.

While Levi wanted to believe Teddy was calling about some ranch business, that hope vanished when he heard Teddy's voice. Since any and all bad news was likely connected to Alexa, he put the call on speaker.

“Some guy just showed up on the road leading to the main house,” Teddy said. “He's only about thirty yards from the guesthouse and he's already spotted the police cruiser, so I guess he knows you're here. We're not letting him get any closer, but he's demanding to talk to you.”

Levi definitely didn't like the timing of any visitor. “Who is he?”

“He won't give us a name, but he's a big fella. About six foot three with light brown hair.”

Alexa made a soft, strangled sound. “It could be Scottie Norse,” she whispered, and Levi had no trouble hearing something in her voice, too.

The fear.

“Take a picture of this man and text it to me,” Levi instructed. “Did he say what he wanted?”

“Yeah, he did. He said he wanted to make some kind of exchange.”

Levi didn't like the sound of that. “What kind of exchange?” he asked Teddy.

“He says if you tell him where he can find some woman named Tasha and her kid, then he'll tell you how to find the Moonlight Strangler.”

Chapter Six

Alexa rocked Violet and held her breath. She was waiting for the photo that Teddy had taken of their visitor to load on Levi's phone.

She'd only seen one photo of Scottie, and according to Tasha, it'd been taken several years earlier when Tasha was still dating the man. However, unless Scottie had altered his appearance, Alexa thought she'd still be able to recognize him.

And she did.

It felt like a punch to the stomach when Scottie's face appeared on the phone screen. No altered appearance. He looked the same as he had in that picture, with one exception. He was actually smiling in the shot Teddy had taken of him. Considering he was a brute, a stalker and possibly a killer, that smile chilled Alexa to the bone.

“It's Scottie,” she verified.

Levi drew in a long breath. “You know if he has any connection whatsoever to the Moonlight Strangler?”

She had to shake her head. “Nothing's come up in my investigation. Anything in yours?”

Levi shook his head, as well. Which meant Scottie could be using this as some kind of ruse to draw them out. Because of his abusive history with Tasha, the man had to know that Levi wouldn't just tell him where she was.

“If he's asking for Tasha's whereabouts, he must not think she's dead.” Levi paused. “But he's also asking about the baby, so maybe it's Violet he really wants now that Tasha's dead?”

That caused Alexa to hold the baby even closer. “He's not getting anywhere near her.”

“Agreed.”

Good. Not that she'd thought for one second Levi would give in to Scottie's demands. Levi and she might be at odds because of Paige's death, but they were on the same side when it came to protecting the baby.

“Well?” she heard someone call out. Not Teddy's voice this time. Probably Scottie's. “Deputy, do we have a deal? Info about the Moonlight Strangler in exchange for info about Tasha and the baby. I love Tasha and I have to talk to her. I want to make her understand that I can love her baby, too. I just need to find out where they are.”

Since Violet was still whimpering, Alexa gave her a pacifier. It was something she'd seen Tasha do, and thankfully this time it worked. “If Scottie's the one who killed Tasha, then why would he still want to know where the baby is?” Alexa whispered.

“No good reason I can think of. Maybe this is his sick way of trying to hold on to a piece of Tasha. Or maybe he wasn't the one who killed her.”

Yes, because maybe Tasha wasn't dead after all. Or maybe she'd been the victim of some thug Marcos had hired. Too bad Alexa was certain that Scottie wouldn't, or couldn't, tell them the truth about what'd really happened at the gas station.

“Stay out of sight and keep quiet,” Levi mouthed to her, and he started for the front door.

“You can't go out there,” she insisted. “He could be the one trying to kill us.”

Not that Levi had to be reminded of that. But Alexa was talking to the air because he was indeed already heading outside. Levi ended the call with Teddy and put his phone back in his jeans pocket. No doubt so that his hands would be free to draw his gun if it became necessary.

“Who's Tasha?” Levi called out. “And what do you know about the Moonlight Strangler?”

It didn't surprise her that Levi pretended not to know Tasha. No need to give Scottie any information.

But how had Scottie even guessed that Tasha might be there?

Since his money and connections had kept him out of jail, Scottie might have used those same connections to learn about the attack at the gas station. Maybe even her trip to the Appaloosa Pass sheriff's office.

“Let's not play games, Deputy Crockett,” Scottie answered. “You know who and where she is.”

There were only two windows at the front of the guesthouse, and Alexa went to the one in the kitchen area so she could peek out the side of the blinds. She didn't move the curtain, didn't lift the blind slat because she didn't want Scottie to see that anyone else was inside.

And there he was.

Standing next to a flame-red sports car, Scottie was an imposing man in a tan coat. A coat that could conceal a weapon. However, there was a ranch hand on each side of him, and she saw that Levi, too, had already drawn his gun.

“If Tasha wasn't here, you wouldn't be having this kind of security,” Scottie said, tipping his head to the armed hands.

“As I'm sure you know, my family has
connections
to the Moonlight Strangler. The security measures are to keep him out along with anyone else who wants to break the law.”

Scottie smiled again. “Oh, I see. You believe Tasha's side. I didn't assault her, you know. An argument just got out of hand, and rather than admit she was wrong, she had me arrested and then she took off. I want to find her.”

“I want a lot of things,” Levi countered. “Like a quick end to this conversation before I freeze my butt off out here. If you know anything about the Moonlight Strangler, then spill it now, or I'll have you arrested for obstruction of justice.”

If that threat bothered Scottie, it didn't show on his face. “I'm willing to cooperate, to share with you what I know. But I have to find Tasha. I believe she and her baby are in grave danger.”

“From you,” Levi snapped.

Now, that bothered Scottie. Even at this distance and from her limited view, she could see his face go hard. “I wouldn't hurt her. Wouldn't hurt her baby, either. But the baby's father might not feel the same as I do. It's a guy named Brett Mendoza. A real lowlife. I think he wants to hurt Tasha because she left him. He might take his anger out on the baby.”

Scottie might feel the same way about hurting the baby. A thought that sickened her.

“I'll be wanting any information you have about Mendoza, too,” Levi added quickly.

Scottie cursed. No more smiling, nice guy facade. The dangerous thug emerged. “I need to find Tasha now!” he yelled.

“Send whatever you have about the Moonlight Strangler and Mendoza to the Appaloosa Pass sheriff's office. Once I've read the info, we'll talk.”

“Is Tasha with that bitch PI who's been visiting her?” Scottie's shout seemed to echo through the house.

Levi had already turned to come back inside, but that stopped him. “What PI?” he asked, his tone sounding even more dangerous than their visitor's.

“You damn well know, and one way or another I will find them.”

“Just get that info to the sheriff's office,” Levi warned him. “By the way, where were you last night?”

“Why?” Scottie snapped.

Levi tapped his badge, repeated his question and waited for what would probably be either a well-crafted lie or more likely a well-crafted alibi that Scottie had put in place so he couldn't be connected to the attacks.

“I was working,” Scottie finally said. “At the Norse building in downtown San Antonio. And no, it's not a coincidence that the building has my surname. My father owns it and I work for him.”

Of course. What else? A loose cannon like Scottie probably couldn't get a job any other way.

“How late were you there?” Levi continued.

“
Late
. There are security cameras that monitor who comes and goes. Get a court order and check them out if you don't believe me.”

“Oh, I will,” Levi assured him. “I'll check out a lot of things and find something I can use to arrest you if you don't give me what you have on the Moonlight Strangler and Mendoza.”

Scottie belted out more profanity, got back in his car and sped away.

Levi didn't linger out there, either. “Call me if he comes back,” he told the hands, and when he stepped back inside his attention went straight to Alexa. “You okay?”

It took her a moment to realize why he'd asked that. She was shaking, and it wasn't from the drop in temperature at having the door open for those several minutes while Levi had been talking with Scottie.

What had shaken her were the things Scottie had said.

“Scottie must not have killed Tasha since he's still looking for her.” Alexa had some trouble getting that out. Had even more trouble trying to deal with it.

Because it put Tasha's death back on her.

“If Scottie didn't kill Tasha, then she died because of me,” she spelled out. “I got another woman killed.” Her voice was all breath now, and Levi locked the door and hurried to her. Probably because she looked ready to collapse.

He took the baby from her, eased Violet back into the basket and then gripped Alexa's arm, forcing her to sit down.

“Will this ever end?” The sob came before she could stop it. So did the tears.

Levi went to his knees in front of her, and much to her surprise—probably to his surprise, too—he pulled her into his arms. He didn't say anything right away. He just held her. And Alexa got another surprise when she realized just how comforting his arms could be. All that warmth. All that strength.

Alexa couldn't help herself. She leaned in closer, taking something she knew Levi would later regret. She would, too, because getting close to him was a really bad idea. Unfortunately, with his arms around her, she was having trouble remembering exactly why it was bad.

Levi must have remembered, though, because he pulled back and his gaze met hers. She saw the “oh, no” look in his eyes. Alexa knew exactly how he felt. Any involvement with Levi would end badly, and she didn't have the emotional energy to deal with it.

Even if her body disagreed.

“Scottie could be lying about everything he just told us,” Levi said.

Good. It was a reminder she needed along with being a real possibility. After all, Scottie wasn't a good guy, so naturally he was capable of lying.

“Scottie could know that Tasha's dead,” Levi went on. “Because he could have been responsible for her death.”

Alexa nodded. “And he came here, maybe because he thought it would make him look less guilty if he claimed to know she wasn't dead.”

Levi nodded, too. “He probably figured offering me the Moonlight Strangler info would sweeten the pot, but he must have known there was no way I'd reveal the location of Tasha and the baby.”

Alexa thought about that a moment. “So maybe Scottie doesn't want the baby after all?”

“That's possible. It's hard to tell what those hired guns wanted last night when they attacked us. That definitely didn't seem like a kidnapping attempt.”

She agreed, and that took her back to the theory of two different attacks. One that'd been designed to kill Tasha. That would have been Scottie's doing, of course, but the second one could have been all Marcos. As bad as it was to have two monsters after her, at least it meant she might not have been the reason Tasha was killed.

Levi took out his phone. “I need to call Mack.” He put the call on speaker and the deputy answered on the first ring. “Mack, it's a long shot, but you might be getting a visitor. Someone who'll be bringing info about the Moonlight Strangler and Brett Mendoza, the guy I asked you to run a background check on.”

“Are those two connected?” Mack asked immediately. “Because I sure didn't find anything to link them.”

“Probably not, but Tasha's stalking ex, Scottie Norse, was just here at the ranch, and he claimed to have something. If he has anything at all, I doubt he'll bring it in person, but if he does, watch out. The guy's got a very short fuse.”

“Will do.”

“I also need to see if we can get a court order for security footage from the Norse building in San Antonio. I suspect Scottie was there as he claims, but I need to verify his alibi.”

“I can get started on that,” Mack assured him. “I got something on Brett Mendoza and that loan shark, Nick Perryman. They're not full reports yet, but I found enough to know there's a problem. Mendoza's dead all right. Not a car accident, though. His car exploded when he started the engine, and it's being investigated as a homicide.”

Sweet heaven. Alexa didn't know Mendoza, but Tasha had cared deeply for him. Plus, he was Violet's father.

“Please tell me Scottie's a suspect,” she said.

“Definitely, but he has an ironclad alibi for the day of the blast. Of course, that doesn't mean he couldn't have hired someone to do it. Dallas PD is looking for a paper trail that could lead to Scottie.”

A trail she was betting Scottie had hidden well.

“And Perryman?” Levi asked Mack.

“Definitely a loan shark. Nothing to indicate, though, that he was so riled at Tasha that he'd go after her, but SAPD's going to ask around and see if they can dig up anything. I'll call you if I get something.” With that Mack hung up.

Alexa wouldn't hold her breath for anything on a connection between Perryman and Tasha. People who ratted on loan sharks didn't have long lives.

“What about the info Scottie claimed he had about the Moonlight Strangler?” Alexa asked Levi.

“Again, it could be a lie. If Scottie doesn't take anything to the sheriff's office, I was serious about those obstruction of justice charges.”

That probably wouldn't keep Scottie behind bars for long, but it would be a start. Of course, the man might have actually found something. The Moonlight Strangler had a habit of writing letters to various people. That could have happened even though Alexa wasn't sure how the killer could have crossed paths with Scottie.

“It wouldn't have been hard for Scottie to learn I've been working to find the Moonlight Strangler and that I would want anything anyone had about him,” Levi said. He moved away from her and went to the window. Probably to make sure Scottie wasn't returning.

But Alexa also got the feeling it was because he wanted to put some distance between them. He definitely dodged her gaze.

“I want to find the Moonlight Strangler,” he added. “I want to avenge Paige's death.”