“Bad. What would you tell her? You have to know a way out.” Now that a slight hope had risen, Kaylee was almost frantic to hear Penny’s answer. There had to be a solution. Kaylee couldn’t accept that they’d find her and kill her. Penny would have a way to run, to hide. “Please, Penny? What would you tell her?”
“Does she have money? Any resources?”
“I can get it.” Kaylee fingered the diamond pendant lying cool at her throat, grateful that she’d worn the entire set—necklace, ring, and earrings. Her car, too… Now that the Jovanovics were looking for it, it was useless to her.
There was a tiny pause, but it felt like hours passed before Penny spoke again. “I’d tell her to call Mateo Espina.”
“Mateo Espina?” Repeating the name, Kaylee felt a tiny tendril of hope worm its way through the terror that swamped her. “He can make me disappear?”
“He’s good.” Although Penny sounded stoic, Kaylee could hear the faint tremble in her friend’s words, and that shake made tears flood her eyes. She blinked them back. It wasn’t the time to cry, even if she was terrified and hiding behind a police station dumpster in a bloodstained dress. “The best disappearance expert that I know.”
“Do you know a lot?”
“Just Mr. Espina.”
“That’s comforting, then.”
At Penny’s choked laugh, Kaylee really wanted to cry again. That short bit of banter made her painfully aware how much she was going to miss her friend. Squeezing her eyes closed, she fought against the need to curl up in a ball and sob her eyes out—either that, or ask Penny to pick her up so Kaylee could hide out in her condo and pretend the hellish night had never happened.
Sucking in a slow breath, she opened her eyes again. She couldn’t do that to Penny. Her friend was in enough danger as it was. No matter how much it sucked, Kaylee needed to act like a responsible adult and take care of herself. She had to be brave and strong and smart. If she wanted to live, she needed to push past the paralyzing fear and save her own ass.
“What’s this magician’s number?”
Chapter 3
“No.”
Hugh didn’t think he’d ever seen Blessard so angry, not even when he’d discovered the Tight-Buns Tommy blow-up doll dressed in his uniform sitting at his desk. “But, LT, the Rack and Ruin MC will be passing through town in less than an hour. No question they’ll be hauling coke from Denver to Dresden.”
“I know this,” Blessard snapped. “The question is, how do you know this? You’re on mandatory medical leave. You have a goddamned bullet hole in your goddamned leg. Your duty weapon and your radio are locked in my desk. Want to tell me, Murdoch, how you still know every word that comes out of the dispatchers’ mouths?”
“Guess I just have a sixth sense for when I’m needed?” From the way Blessard’s face went from dark red to purple, Hugh figured that the lieutenant didn’t care for his answer. “Forget how I heard about it. The R and Rs are going to have twenty or so riders, plus support vehicles. Lexi’s our only narcotic-detection dog, and there’s not enough time to borrow a K9 from Denver. Even if they left now, they couldn’t get here in less than an hour. Let us help, LT. My leg’s fine. It’s a waste having us sit at home, watching daytime television. Besides, there are only so many episodes of Tattered Hearts that I can stand without losing my mind.”
His lieutenant’s face showed no sympathy. “If you show up on scene, Officer Murdoch, I will arrest you.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “And your little dog, too.”
“Really, LT?” Frustration nipped at Hugh, making it hard to stay silent, even though he knew he’d lost the battle already. “Wizard of Oz jokes? Way to add insult to injury.”
All hints of humor disappeared from Blessard’s face. “Do not go to this call, Officer. You have three more weeks before we’ll even consider letting you return to desk duty, and that’s with a doctor’s okay. Until then, if you even think about popping up at another call uninvited, I’m going to add another mandatory month to your leave. Got it?”
Blowing out a hard breath, Hugh resisted the urge to continue arguing. It was done. If he kept pushing, he knew he’d risk not only missing the next seven weeks of calls, but his job with the Monroe Police Department. “Fine.”
“Now get out of my office.”
As he drove away from the station, Hugh glanced at Lexi, who was riding shotgun. “Where are we headed? Home?” He grimaced at the idea. “Nah. I’d just pace and then bitch because my leg is sore. Besides, Tattered Hearts is a rerun today.” Lexi turned her head, her attention caught by something in the VFW’s parking lot. “Good idea, Lex. Let’s go bug Jules. If she’s not working today, we’ll just get food. It’ll be a win-win.”