Shadow Dance_ A Novel Part 20

"I'll seal them up tight," he said. "A couple of deputies will help me go through everything in the house including the boxes, page by page. I'm not sure what we're looking for, but hopefully something will stick out."

Jordan suddenly remembered. "Chief Davis, I have a flash drive the professor gave me to take home. Will you need that?"

"I'll need everything that will give us a clue to the professor," he answered. "I'll see that you get it back."

He picked up one of the boxes and started up the sidewalk. "I guess when we're finished with all this, I'll send it to a relative. That is, if I can find one," he added.

"He's part of the MacKenna clan," Jordan said, "but I can't imagine any of them would claim the professor. He was kind of a nutcase."

She immediately felt guilty talking about the dead that way, but she was only being honest.

Joe paused at the doorway. "Did you get a chance to read all of those papers?"

"No, I didn't. I read a few accounts from each of the boxes, but that's all."

Noah opened the car door for her and handed her the keys. "You go ahead and turn the air on. I'm gonna be a minute."

"You sound angry."

"Not angry, irritated. I've been real accommodating, and as you know, that's a stretch for me, but I pulled it off, didn't I?"

She didn't smile, but she wanted to. "Yes."

"I know Joe talked to Sheriff Randy d.i.c.key, but he still hasn't said a word to me. That means he's made some kind of deal. So..."

"Uh-oh."

"I'm through being accommodating. Get in the car."

Joe came outside then. Noah headed toward him as he locked the front door.

"Did you forget to tell me what Randy d.i.c.key had to say?" Noah asked.

"No, I didn't forget. I thought maybe we could talk about it over a beer later."

"Tell me now."

"You've got to understand. Up until the time his brother got paroled, Randy was doing a good job as sheriff. Folks were happy with him. But J. D.'s a hothead, and Randy would like to give him a second chance to redeem himself. I agreed with him."

"That's not your call."

"Yes, it is," Joe said. "Unless Jordan presses charges against J. D. for that hit she took, there's not a whole heck of a lot you or she can do. I'm not being contrary. I'm just telling you the way it is. And like I said before, I have to live in this town, and that means I've got to get along with people in authority. Sheriff Randy can make my life miserable. It doesn't matter that he's in another county. He'll still do it."

"Oh, yeah. He sounds like a real good sheriff."

"That's not what I mean. He just wants a favor, that's all."

"And if he doesn't get that favor, then he'll make your life-"

"Okay, okay," he said with his hands up. "I know what I said. But J. D.'s his brother," he repeated. "And he'll get bounced back to prison before you can snap your fingers if she presses charges, and Randy will be beholden to me if she doesn't."

"I thought you didn't want this job to be permanent."

Joe looked sheepish. "My wife says I shouldn't let my ego get in my way. I did get pa.s.sed over before, but now I'm chief," he said, "and I could be talked into staying on if that's what the council wants."

"I want to talk to Randy."

"I mentioned that to him, and he's okay with it."

"He's okay with it?" Noah could feel his neck getting hot.

"Where is he now?"

"The truth?"

"No, Joe, lie to me."

"Hey, no need to get your back up. Randy's out looking for his brother right now. Honest to G.o.d, he really doesn't know where J. D. is, and he told me he's worried sick that J. D. might do something foolish."

"J. D.'s way past the foolish stage."

"He's going to turn up, and when he does Randy will bring him over to have a sit-down and work this out."

"Work this out? J. D. is a suspect in a homicide investigation."

"But it's my my homicide investigation," said Joe. homicide investigation," said Joe.

Noah ignored the statement. "The timetable hasn't changed, Joe. Randy has until tomorrow to bring J. D. in."

"And if I can't find him?"

"Then I will."

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS SORRY LIFE, J. D. WAS TRULY AFRAID WAS TRULY AFRAID. He'd dug himself into a hole so deep he didn't know if he was ever going to be able to climb out.

The problem was his employer. The man scared the h.e.l.l out of him. All he had to do was look at him in a certain way, and J. D. felt his blood run cold. He'd seen that look back when he'd been in prison. Lifers with nothing to lose had that att.i.tude. Kill or be killed. That's what the look meant.

Cal had taught him to steer clear of those men, and on too many occasions to count, he'd protected him from them. No one went up against Cal-no one in his right mind, anyway.

Cal couldn't protect him now. J. D. was completely on his own, and his boss was no different from the killers he'd hidden from in prison. The boss carried that same att.i.tude all right, and he was more vicious than most. J. D. had watched him pick up the professor and throw him like a Frisbee into a wall. It wasn't so much his strength that scared J. D., it was the look in his eyes as he squeezed the life out of the man. J. D. knew that look would haunt his dreams for the rest of his life.

Greed had gotten the MacKenna man killed, and greed had made J. D. a willing accomplice to a murder. Now was too late for regrets. He was in that hole, and he could feel the dirt pouring in to bury him.

The boss had made J. D. get rid of the body and had ordered him to keep the woman in town until he could find out what she knew. J. D. could only think of one way to do that. He'd frame her for murder. His brother would keep her in jail then. That had been J. D.'s plan, anyway, but it all went south when the woman found the body while she was in the wrong county. He knew he'd overreacted when he saw the phone in her hand, but all he could think of was getting it away from her. No, that wasn't true. He hadn't been thinking. If he had been, he never would have hit her.

Like a fool, he thought Maggie would be able to fix things his way. She was the chief of police after all, and he knew she would do whatever he told her to do.

Bad luck followed bad luck, Cal used to say. J. D. understood what that meant now. Maggie couldn't fix anything after she got fired. Her power was gone. As if that wasn't enough bad luck, the Buchanan woman was connected to the FBI.

He had dreaded telling the boss about the woman's brother and the other FBI agent, who was sticking to her like bad perfume on a new jacket.

Fortunately for J. D., the boss already knew about the FBI. He told J. D. that it didn't matter how many FBI agents were in town, J. D. still had to keep her here until he could get her alone and interview her. The way he'd drawn out the word "interview" made J. D. wish he could run away. But it was too late for that. Much too late. The incident with Lloyd had seen to that.

It was no coincidence that J. D. had run into Lloyd as the mechanic was packing his car to get out of town. Maggie had tipped him off that Jordan Buchanan was telling everyone who would listen that Lloyd had acted mighty suspicious when she'd picked up the car. She'd even suggested Lloyd knew the body was in the trunk.

J. D. had only wanted to talk to Lloyd to find out what he'd seen, yesterday, but the second Lloyd spotted him, he ran inside and tried to barricade himself in his house.

"I just want to talk to you, Lloyd," J. D. had called out.

"Go away or I'll call the sheriff," Lloyd shouted. "I ain't fooling! I'll do it."

"Did you forget where you live?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"You live in Jessup County, you moron, and that means if you call the sheriff, you'll be calling my brother. And you know he'll do anything I ask him to," he lied.

Lloyd cursed.

"That's right," J. D. shouted. "You let me inside and we'll have us a talk. I'll wait real patient right here until you make up your mind. I'm not going to hurt you, Lloyd."

"You hurt that other man."

"No, I didn't. I swear I didn't. He was already dead when I found him. Someone...I'm not saying who, told me to put him in the woman's car. That's all I did."

"If I believe you, will you let me leave town?" Lloyd asked. "Just until this blows over and that FBI man leaves Serenity."

"That's exactly what I was hoping you would do. You know, leave town until the FBI gets out of here."

"So why do you need to come inside?"

"I don't," said J. D. "And I'll tell you what. If you want, you can call me and tell me where you're holed up, and if it isn't too far away, I'll send over one of my best girls to keep you company. She'd spend at least one whole night taking care of you. I can give-"

"Okay, I'll call you," Lloyd eagerly blurted.

J. D. knew Lloyd was watching him through the peephole, so he didn't smile. Convinced that he wouldn't call Chief Davis or the sheriff, he sauntered back to his pickup. Then he drove around the corner, turned off the motor, and waited for Lloyd to leave so he could tail him.

He hadn't killed him. He'd simply made a phone call and told the boss where Lloyd could be found. As far as J. D. was concerned, he had done nothing wrong. He'd just shared some information.

CRIPPLE C CREEK B BAR AND G GRILL HELD THE OFFICIAL COUNTY record for having the most animal heads hanging on its walls. A couple of stuffed rattlers even hung from the rafters. At one time there had been more, but the ceiling fans had played havoc with them, and the customers didn't appreciate chopped snake skin occasionally raining down on them while they drank at the bar. record for having the most animal heads hanging on its walls. A couple of stuffed rattlers even hung from the rafters. At one time there had been more, but the ceiling fans had played havoc with them, and the customers didn't appreciate chopped snake skin occasionally raining down on them while they drank at the bar.

Agent Street had given Noah directions to the bar, suggested he and Jordan ignore the decor, and promised the pizza at Cripple Creek was the best in the state. The chef, he explained, was a transplant from Chicago.

The facade resembled a large log cabin big enough to accommodate Paul Bunyan. The interior reminded Jordan of a ski resort. High, open ceilings with exposed beams and a balcony that overlooked the dance floor were all constructed from knotty pine. The air was heavy with the scent of pine air fresheners, and a band played tw.a.n.gy country-and-western songs from a small, raised platform tucked in the corner.

As though it were the most natural thing in the world to do, Noah took hold of Jordan's hand and pulled her along as he threaded his way through the crowd.

Agent Street stood by a booth near the back. Noah waited until Jordan slid into the booth before he sat next to her.

"What's in the folder, Agent Street?" Jordan asked.

"Please, call me Bryce," he insisted, and was about to answer her question when the waiter appeared to take their drink orders.

"You're off duty, right?" Bryce asked Noah.

"I haven't officially been on duty for a couple of days now. I'm just helping out a friend."

"You want a beer then?"

"Sure," he answered. "Jordan?"

"Diet cola would be nice."

As soon as the waiter walked away, Bryce said, "I've got a lot of information about the d.i.c.key brothers. Randy's okay, but J. D. has had trouble with the law off and on for years. He's been in a lot of fights, but one bar fight landed him in prison."

Noah waited to hear something new. "What's interesting," Bryce continued, "is that J. D.'s former cellmate, a man named Calvin Mills, is still doing twenty to life for murder. Cal, as he's called, worked for a security company. He was really into all kinds of surveillance equipment, knew all the latest gadgets. Cal liked to drive by his house a couple of times a day to listen to his wife chatting it up on the phone."

"He didn't trust her," Jordan surmised.

"As it turned out, ole Cal had good reason not to," Bryce said. "He parked down the street one afternoon and listened to her pillow talk with a man she'd met at work. Cal later told the detectives he might have been able to forgive her the affair if she hadn't been making fun of his...equipment." He shot Jordan a quick glance before continuing. "According to Cal, his wife called his manhood a c.o.c.ktail wiener."

"That would do it all right," Noah drawled, leaning back. "So he killed her, did he?"

"He sure did," he said. "Fortunately for him, the judge was a man, so Cal didn't get as much time as he might have."

Noah nodded. "The judge was sympathetic."

Jordan couldn't tell if they were joking or serious. "The man killed his wife."

"Yeah, I know," Noah said, "but still, you just don't make fun of a man's equipment."

Bryce was in full agreement. It was only when Noah winked at her that she knew he was teasing.

The drinks arrived, and after they placed their order for a couple of specialty pizzas, Bryce continued. "Cal taught J. D. everything he knew about surveillance. He took a real interest in J. D. One of the guards said Cal thinks of himself as some sort of technological guru."

"Did you find out anything about J. D.'s finances?" Jordan asked.

"Yes, I did," Bryce said. "He made a lot of cash deposits over the last six months, but unlike MacKenna, J. D.'s deposits were never more than a thousand dollars at a time."

"Blackmail. That's what he was doing," Jordan said. "He was listening to people's conversations and then blackmailing them."