Whispering Walls & Murder Read online

I never got the chance.

  Jax and I had only taken two or three steps when a loud bang reverberated from inside the shop. It caught me so off guard I screamed. Then promptly clamped my hand over my mouth.

  “Was that a gun shot?” Ilita’s voice hissed through my speakers.

  “Jaycee!” Bernita yelled, causing me to wince, “you and Jax get out of there now!”

  She didn’t have to tell me twice.

  Turning, I pushed Jax to make her go, and together we took off back down the driveway. We’d almost made the curve when the weight of my helmet caused my neck to bend, and I tripped and fell headfirst into a stack of rims.

  “Get up! Get up!” Jax hissed at me.

  I popped up as fast as I could, then nearly wet my pants.

  “Who’s out there!” a voice demanded.

  Ping! Ping!

  “Holy crap,” I whispered to Jax, “I think he’s shooting at us!”

  “Luckily he’s just hitting the rims,” Jax said.

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better!” I cried.

  “Ilita!” Bernita’s voice rang in my ears as I booked it toward the bikes. “You girls make a distraction back there. We need a little time still.”

  “Ten-four!”

  By now the dogs were running the length of the fence with Jax and me, barking and snarling. I wanted to look over my shoulder to see if anyone was coming, but I knew the weight of the helmet would have me taking another header.

  Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

  “Get down!” I screamed at Jax as I dived and hit the ground. The giant bulbous helmet smacked the earth and then snapped my head when it made contact.

  Again.

  Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Ignoring the pain, and vaguely aware they seemed to be firing massive amounts of bullets at us, I scrambled to my hands and knees and scampered down to where Bernita, Patsy, and Jax stood. Or at least where their feet stood. I couldn’t see above their shins from my ground position.

  “Help her up,” Bernita said. “Ilita, nice distraction. You and the girls head back to the cemetery. I expect retaliation in a minute. Patsy and I are going to split from you guys and head through town. Go on and bring my truck to our secret hiding place. We’ll see you there. Be safe.”

  “Over and out,” Ilita said.

  “Wait,” I panted, “are you saying they weren’t firing at us?”

  “Not yet,” Bernita said. “But I expect they will any minute now. Hop on. We need to roll.”

  “I think the girls around back did something.” Jax tossed me a penlight then jumped on the back of Patsy’s bike.

  I plopped down on Bernita’s seat and was about to ask what was going on when I heard a motorcycle start up near the shop. Bernita must have heard it too, because the next thing I heard was her voice through the speakers. “Hang on! It may get a little bumpy!”

  Chapter 18

  It didn’t even take three seconds to get to the end of the driveway, but in that three seconds, my life flashed before my eyes. And it basically showed Gramps and Mike lecturing me about getting caught up in things I had no business being caught up in.

  “The darkness should help,” Patsy said, her voice sounded way calmer in my ear than it should be. “Plus Jax reminded me she had her backup weapon.”

  Backup weapon? What weapon did she bring? I have my stun gun, but that ain’t gonna help.

  We made a left on Mays Canyon Road and headed toward Hwy 116. We were stopped at the stop sign getting ready to turn left back into town when I felt something bite me. Looking down, I realized a bullet had hit the ground next to me and it was the dirt that was biting me.

  “Bullets!” I screamed.

  “You Sullivan girls are up,” Bernita’s voice said through the speakers. “Jax get ready. Jaycee, keep that light steady for your sister. And hang on, we’re about to take off again.”

  Wrapping my left arm around Bernita, I flicked on the penlight and illuminated the darkened area behind me. This time I managed to only squeal as Bernita and Patsy both pulled out onto the roadside, my light wiggling back and forth. I could just make out the motorcycle headed our way.

  Steadying the light, I was about to yell out and ask what I was supposed to be doing, when I caught Jax in my peripheral. One arm was wrapped around Patsy, while her other arm lifted and aimed the Walther PK380 in her hand. And she was shooting at the motorcycle!

  “Left,” Bernita said.

  My stomach rolled when the barely street-legal motor bike made a sharp left onto the first road in town. There was no way we could cruise through town, have a shootout on motorcycles, and not get arrested.

  “Right,” Bernita said.

  Once again we pitched to the right, and with precision I’d only seen Gramps shoot, Jax lifted her gun and shot out the motorcycle’s headlight, causing the rider to lose control and crash.

  “Someone is bound to call this in,” Patsy said. “We need to lose him.”

  I was about to yell out to Bernita that it wouldn’t be necessary, that the rider was already picking up his bike and heading in the opposite direction…but I never got the chance.

  With a whoop! Bernita gunned the dirt bike, causing us to pop a small wheelie. Screaming, I wrapped both arms around her, closed my eyes, and started fervently praying. I have no idea where all we rode, weaving in and out of the streets, but a few minutes later she stopped, and I opened my eyes.

  “We’re gonna drop you off right here,” Bernita said, lifting her visor. “I assume the other girls will be here shortly with your vehicle. If anyone asks—”

  “I know,” I interrupted, handing her my helmet, “we never saw you.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Can I ask a question?” I hedged.

  “What?”

  “If those weren’t gunshots back at the auto body shop, what were they?”

  Bernita and Patsy grinned.

  “Last time the girls and I took a little trip down to Tijuana,” Bernita said, “we may have come back with some illegal firecrackers.”

  My mouth dropped and Jax laughed.

  “Now scoot,” Bernita said. “I expect everything to unravel shortly.”

  My cell phone rang…and I groaned. I knew that ringtone. I hit ignore and shoved the phone back down in my pants.

  “You girls take care,” Bernita said. “And I hope you got the information you needed.”

  With that, the two older ladies gunned the dirt bikes, popped wheelies, and tore out of the parking lot.

  “I think we did it,” Jax said as she jogged over to her truck and put the gun in her case.

  “The person chasing us, I think, was the grandfather,” I said. “I recognized his voice when he yelled at the dogs, but since there were two others inside, I can’t be sure it was him on the motorcycle.”

  “You know someone was shot inside that building,” Jax said.

  I bit my lip. “Yeah. I know.”

  “We need to tell Mike.”

  I didn’t say anything because Gramps’ Hummer came squealing into the parking lot. Trevor in the passenger seat, Duke in the back. Right behind the Hummer was my Rubicon with Heidi and Bridget inside. They parked and all got out together.

  “How much trouble you in?” Gramps demanded as he pulled me inside the bar.

  “Maybe a little,” I admitted.

  “We heard it come across the scanner there were shots fired north of town,” Trevor said.

  Gramps grunted. “Doesn’t take a genius to know that’s the side of town the Blevins have their shop. Didn’t I tell you not to go out there?”

  “Gramps, Jax and I saw something.” I looked at Jax for strength. “I’m almost positive someone was shot and killed inside the auto body shop tonight.”

  Jax nodded. “She’s right.”

  “Who?” Gramps demanded.

  I shrugged. “No idea. It was too dark outside. I do know one of the three people that went inside the building was Melvin Blev
ins, then a gunshot went off, we ran, and someone chased us.”

  I was a little surprised to see there weren’t that many customers left, seeing as how we were pretty packed throughout the day. Only two stragglers were left reading and drinking by the windows.

  “Hello girls,” Mom called from behind the counter. “You might want to get your story straight right now.”

  I gave a little wave to Andrew Tipton nursing a beer at the bar next to Tillie.

  “Just act natural,” Andrew advised.

  “I can’t wait to hear what happened on your end,” Heidi said. “We couldn’t see anything from our position.”

  I ran behind the counter and tied my apron around my waist. I was about to tell her exactly what happened…when the front door burst open and Mike came charging through. He was wearing a look I knew well. A look that said he knew I’d been up to something, he just didn’t know what.

  “Hi!” I hurried over and kissed his cheek. “Glad you got off at a decent time tonight.”

  “It’s almost seven,” he said.

  “Is it?” I wondered. “We’ve been so busy in here, I guess I lost track of time.”

  Mike slowly surveyed the room…the empty room. “Is that right?”

  “It really did just slow down,” Mom said.

  “Funny thing,” he continued, “I’d just gotten in my truck to drive here when dispatched received a call.”

  “Oh yeah?” I said.

  “You’re telling me, Jaycee Sullivan, that you know nothing about shots being fired and a high-speed chase on motorcycles going on?”

  “No!” I squeaked.

  Mike’s eyes narrowed. “What do you know?”

  Jax threw up her hands. “Nothing! We know nothing.”

  He turned his cop eyes on her. “I didn’t say anything about we.”

  Jax picked up the drink Mom slid her and gulped it down, not making eye contact.

  “Trevor and I were working on the bathroom in the carriage house when we heard there was some activity out by the Blevins place,” Gramps said. “So as acting mayor, I thought we’d come by here and see what was going on, but it looks like it’s nothing.”

  Mike’s eyes narrowed again. “Thank you, Mayor. I appreciate you following up on that call.”

  “Think nothing of it, son,” Gramps said then turned to Mom. “How about a shot of bourbon?”

  “Make it two,” Trevor said.

  “Make it three,” Mike added.

  “Who’s out at the auto shop?” Gramps asked.

  “Landry was going to check it out,” Mike said. “The chief still has Earl Blevins in the hot box.”

  Crap! Then who was with Melvin? Who got shot?

  Mike’s phone rang and he picked it up on the first ring. “Okay. You’re sure? Nothing else inside? Okay.”

  “What?” I practically yelled.

  Mike gave me a cool stare. “It seems when Landry arrived at the shop, Melvin was just arriving on a motorcycle. Landry says it looks like he may have had an accident. Anyway, when questioned, Melvin said he caught a bunch of kids throwing firecrackers at the shop, and when he saw them, he gave them chase.”

  Andrew chuckled. “Really?”

  “Yes. When Landry walked the perimeter of the building, he found a couple of the firecrackers didn’t light, and were still attached to the long string. Illegal firecrackers.”

  I wiped vigorously at nothing on the counter, not meeting his eye. “What about inside? Did Landry go inside? Were there others at the shop?”

  Mike’s eyes narrowed. “There was no one else at the shop, just Melvin.”

  “Really?” I mused. “Even inside?”

  “No one was inside,” Mike said.

  “He looked all around?” I hedged. “Even in the bays?”

  “Do you need to tell me something, Jaycee?” Mike asked.

  I looked at Gramps…and barely saw the shake of his head. I knew he was telling me to keep quiet. With no body, it was just me admitting to trespassing and witnessing something no one could prove.

  “No,” I said quickly. “I just didn’t know if they checked inside to see.”

  “Landry went in,” Mike said softly. “There was nothing off. No signs of robbery, or blood, or anything that might show something had gone down out there from the time we’d left the shop earlier that day.”

  I frowned and tried to puzzle out what could have happened after we left. The other person inside the shop must have gotten the dead guy in the trunk of whatever car was his and then left. But wouldn’t there be blood or blood splatter? Unless a tarp like the way that was in the chest had already been laid out to catch the blood.

  “But it does have a happy ending,” Mike said.

  “How so?” I asked.

  “It was the push the chief needed. He agreed to put a car out there for the rest of the night.” Mike kissed my forehead. “Nothing more we can do from here. Come tomorrow, hopefully everything will be sorted out.”

  And a dead body found.

  Chapter 19

  “So are you running two angles on the Saddler murder?” Gramps asked Mike the next morning over breakfast.

  “More like one angle but leads to two different crimes,” Mike said.

  Andrew handed me a plate of bacon.

  “What do you mean by one angle but two different crimes?” I asked.

  “It’s like this,” Mike said. “We know we have the dead body of David Saddler. We suspected the motive to kill was either jealousy and love triangle if Manny was the killer, but that’s looking more and more like it’s not plausible. If Logan is the killer, it’s looking more like the motive was for something going on at the shop. We have verbal accounts of David wanting in on ‘the job’ and we know the last place he was seen alive was at the auto body shop. If it was Logan or his family who killed David, then we have the chance to also expose the illegal activities going on at the auto body shop.”

  I frowned. “But I thought you said you didn’t find drugs at the shop.”

  “It doesn’t have to be drugs,” Andrew pointed out.

  “That’s right.” Mike looked at his watch. “And I’m expecting another warrant signed today as soon as the DA can track down the judge on a Saturday morning to prove my theory on what I think is going on down at the shop.”

  “I hope you can get this wrapped up today,” Mom said.

  Mike’s phone buzzed and he glanced down. “That’s me. Hopefully it’s about my warrant.”

  Mike shoved back from the table and answered his cell. I could tell by his movements something was wrong. When he turned back to the table a muscle twitched in his jaw.

  “You okay?” I asked. “Did you not get the warrant?”

  He leaned down and kissed my temple. “I have to run. Seems the foreman down at the rock quarry stopped by the plant today to work on something and he found a dead body.”

  “What!” I cried. “There’s been a dead body discovered? Who?”

  Mike snorted. “I have no idea who it is. The chief wants me to get over there real quick and check things out while I’m waiting on my warrant.”

  I looked at Gramps to figure out what I should do. Did I confess to Mike what happened at the shop last night? But if I did that, what good would it do? I didn’t know the identity of the person killed either.

  Once again Gramps gave a little shake of his head.

  “What’s the search warrant for?” Andrew asked. “What do you think is going on out at the shop?”

  Mike grinned. “I recognize a chop shop when I see one. Once I can prove that, it should be enough to squeeze a confession out of Logan both for killing David and for helping his family run a chop shop.”

  Trevor whistled. “Usually small towns are quiet, but not Traveler’s Bay.”

  Gramps frowned. “I’m beginning to think this town needs to beef up its security.” He looked at Mike. “Maybe bring in another detective.”

  Mike nodded. “I wouldn’t say no to the help. We have
the chief, me, and four officers trying to run everything.”

  “Go get your man, Detective Connors,” I joked. “Just be careful doing it.”

  He gave me a salute. “I’ll hopefully be on time for dinner tonight. Been looking forward to a barbecued meal all week.”

  “It’ll be ready,” Gramps promised.

  Mike was almost to the door when he turned around. “Oh, by the way, Jaycee, I ran that name you gave me yesterday.”

  I blinked in surprise. “I’d totally forgotten. What did you find out?”

  “Edwardo Brittolli has a big-time rap sheet. Interestingly enough, like a decade ago, he and Melvin Blevins were even cellmates for a while.”

  ***

  I didn’t know exactly what the Brittolli announcement meant, other than I had red flags flying all over the place. I found it more than a bit coincidental that Jane would find out about the librarian job from her friend, Edwardo, who also happened to have been cellmates with Melvin Blevins at one time. Way too coincidental. But what exactly did it mean?

  I parked the Jeep a block away from the library so I could ponder those questions as I strolled down the sidewalk. There was already a nice crowd gathered round the four tables lined up in front of the library. I waved to Tracy Skaggs as I started pawing my way through the books.

  “Looking for anything in particular?” a male voice asked.

  I turned to face Jordan Elliott. “Hi. You shopping for new reads, too?”

  “I am.”

  “Have you found anything worth nabbing?”

  He gave me a sly smile. “Oh, one or two books.”

  A nudge at my hip had me looking down…right into the round cherub face of Arianna Lopez. She reached up to snag a book off the table.

  “Don’t touch that!” Jordan Elliott exclaimed. “Those are for adults, not babies.”

  “I’ll be the one to tell my daughter no,” Manny Lopez said coldly.

  I glanced over my left shoulder and saw him and Jayla. Jayla reached down and picked her daughter up.

  “Book! Ook!” Arianna cried. “I want, Mommy.”

  “Baby books are over there,” Jordan pointed. “I think I also saw a how-to-book on carpentry.”