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  “I thought you sold sporting goods.”

  “Guns and goods. Meaning all types of goods. I sell everything from guns to chicken coops. I added the garden department when I moved my store into an old Walmart store. Been doing good since.”

  “I don’t know a whole lot about chicken coops and plants, but I guess I could give it a shot.”

  “You know how to carry them, don’t you?”

  “Yes, that I can do.” He really hadn’t thought he’d have a job in retail, but there he was.

  “Good, you can stock and do carry out and anything else I tell you to do. I don’t let anyone stay for free.” Justin scraped his plate and then got up to put it in the sink.

  As Corey took the last piece of bacon off his plate and bit into it, Justin turned around at the sink and took some keys from his pocket. “Want to go take a look at your new place?”

  Corey nodded. “Sure, why not.” Anything was better than chopping down trees.

  Chapter 6

  Darek

  By the time Darek got home from work to find Raven waiting for him with another hot meal, the news of the Zodiac cult theory had spread. So much that Raven had seen it on the evening news.

  Now that Tuesday had dawned, the first wave of informants had come forward, and the information was pouring in. The front desk was so full of people that poor Louisa looked like she was going to have a meltdown. “Sir, please sit down. Someone will be with you in just a moment. Sir? Have a seat, please.” The noise was so loud that she could barely raise her voice high enough to be heard. She gave Darek a pleading look.

  He stepped over behind the desk with her and banged on the counter. The crowd began to hush. “Listen up, people. Park it in a chair, and we’ll get to you as soon as possible.” The crowd immediately scattered and found their seats. He hoped there was enough. “Tell someone to get more chairs.”

  Louisa looked relieved. “Thank you, Detective Blake. I haven’t ever seen it this crazy in here. I think most of these people are just curious.”

  Darek scanned the crowd, looking for someone that might know him and be there to rat him out, but there wasn’t anything familiar about any of them, and thankfully, he’d always taken care to cover his mark. It wasn’t ever something he’d been proud of.

  He turned his attention back to Louisa. “That happens, and no problem, okay? You bang on this desk or a garbage can if you have to. Or call me back in.” He gave her a nod and walked out into the back where his desk was already piling up with reports.

  Max walked over from the coffeemaker and put a hot cup in front of Lizzy. Then he turned to Darek. “Those are some early reports from last night. Some of these people have been waiting for hours. Others are just rolling in.”

  “And there will be more to come,” he said with an already exhausted tone.

  Lizzy sighed. “This is a good thing. We’ll have this case solved in no time with this kind of response.”

  “You’re going to cause Louisa to quit in the process,” said Darek, who was only sort of kidding. “We need a way to vet these people so we don’t waste a lot of time.”

  All of a sudden, there was a commotion up front that turned their heads, and Louisa stuck her head in the back. “Detective!”

  He grabbed Lizzy by the arm. “You’re coming too. You made this mess. You can help clean it up.”

  They made it out to the front desk, and a small group of people was waiting to tell their stories to anyone who would listen. Darek tapped on the desk, and they got quiet. One woman spoke up in the silence. “We were here last night and had to come back.”

  Darek sighed. “Anyone that was here last night can form a line down the counter.” The group of people who had been causing most of the problems lined up, all looking like they had huge chips on their shoulders.

  Darek pointed to Lizzy. “You, go down to the other end, and let’s see how many we want to call back.”

  “Fine.” She walked down to the other end.

  Darek turned to the older woman in the front of his end of the line. “What brings you down?”

  “My stepdaughter here, she went out and got herself tattooed last weekend, and I tried to tell her father that this was some kind of satanic symbol, but he didn’t want to listen.”

  The young girl, who was barely eighteen, if a day over the legal age to get a tattoo, rolled her eyes. “My stepmonster is a lunatic. I went out with my friends, and we all got our birth signs tattooed on our wrists. We’re not a cult.” She held out her hand, and there was a small Libra symbol big enough to cover a postage stamp. It was done in rainbow colors and didn’t look anything like their brands.

  “Ma’am, you can rest assured this is not what we’re looking for. And that’s not a satanic symbol. You’ve wasted your time and mine. Have a good day.” He hurried them along, and the young girl laughed at her stepmother, who was clearly embarrassed.

  The next woman who stepped up was a young lady. She had long black hair that was styled, and her clothes told that she might have worked at the escort service with Tad. “Can I help you?” asked Darek, noticing that Lizzy was sending off her last two people as well.

  The girl stood up a little straighter. “Yeah, I’d like to report one of the Zodiac people.”

  Darek sighed. Being one of the real Zodiac people, it wasn’t going to get any easier. He felt like he was the only one paying for their past mistakes. “Do you have a name?”

  “Melissa Becenti.” She cracked her gum.

  “And who is this person you want to report?” Darek took a pen and a piece of paper and jotted down her name.

  “His name was Logan. He and I shared a night together with his girlfriend; her name was Lidia.”

  “Logan is dead. His name was listed among the deceased. So unless you have another name of another person, I’m afraid there’s nothing more we need from you. Can you think of another name?”

  “No, just Logan. He was definitely part of some kind of weird cult, though.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “Because they were strange. I mean, I thought it was normal stuff when I went, but they kept asking me if I wanted to be his pet. I was afraid they’d lock me up or something. It was too weird.”

  Darek sure as hell didn’t want to hear more. “I’ll make a note of it, but as I said, unless you can provide us with a name of someone who isn’t dead, it doesn’t help us much. Thank you.” He dismissed her and turned to Lizzy, who didn’t look like she was having any more luck.

  “Excuse me, sir,” said a man with a small voice. He seemed like he needed a fix with how much he twitched. “I wondered if this is where I report the cult.”

  “It is. Do you know anything about a cult?” He had a feeling the man didn’t even know his own name.

  “Yes, they have a meeting across town every Tuesday night in the old federal building.”

  Darek sighed. “Do they?” He knew exactly who the man was talking about.

  “Yes, they make you do these chants, and there’s this step process to be inducted. They wanted me to join them.” He held up his arm where he’d drawn a pentagram and still had the pen in his hand.

  Darek leaned in over the counter. “That’s not a cult; it’s the local Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. And from the looks of it, you should be attending.”

  The man was appalled but then leaned closer too. “I just wanted the reward, but if I can only get a couple of dollars, that’d be good too.”

  “Goodbye, sir. And if you don’t leave now, I’ll have you brought in to sober up.”

  Darek looked down at Lizzy, who was already turning to head back to the office. As soon as the man left, he stormed back to meet with her.

  She gave him a glowering look. “Don’t say it.”

  “I won’t, but we need a better system.” He wasn’t going to say I told you so or rub it in. His point had been made.

  “We’ll get one. This is going to work. I just know it.” She wasn’t going to be deterred.r />
  About that time, Sam Reed walked in the door, and Darek’s heart dropped to his gut like a stone. While it wasn’t unusual to see him around, Darek wasn’t sure if Lizzy was about to put a nail in his coffin or not.

  “Well, I couldn’t believe it when the chief said that it was bad, but that mob is about as bad as it gets. You’ve officially caused a frenzy. I hope you’re happy.”

  Darek was shocked at the scolding words that Reed had for Lizzy, and he’d never seen the man so disappointed, especially in his prized pet.

  “We were just trying to figure out a better way to vet the people, per Detective Blake’s suggestion.”

  Darek was shocked that she would give him credit, but his tension only eased a slight bit.

  “Well, I suggest you do. Any suggestions on how Blake?”

  “I think we should give them a form to fill out. Something easy for us to read but hard for them to fill out. People hate paperwork. The ones who aren’t serious will leave right away.”

  Reed nodded. “That’s a good idea. Get someone to type something up based on what you need and have them passed around the room. You’ll see it clear out.”

  “I still think this was a good idea. We had a little shaky start, but people will come with good information as much as they will come with bad. And I agree the form is a great idea. We can look them over and call back anyone who is of interest.” He was still shocked that she had given him credit, and he almost felt sorry for her for how it turned out.

  “That remains to be seen,” said Reed.

  “We didn’t release anything that the press didn’t already know, and all we did was call attention to something that people could recognize.”

  “You called attention to it all right. A lot of attention, and I hope you’re prepared to deal with the consequences.” He turned and walked out, leaving Lizzy looking at the floor.

  “Thank you for not saying anything to Sam.”

  “What was I supposed to do, call attention to another one of my mistakes? If I tried throwing you under the bus, he’d want to know why. I didn’t tell him to take you off of the case to help us both. We’ve come this far, and we may as well finish this shit together.” She put her hands on her hips and looked up at him. “Don’t think I did you any favors.” She walked over to the desk and sat down behind the computer.

  “Do you need any help creating the form?”

  She looked up at him. “Yes, since you’re on a fucking roll, why don’t you sit down and tell me how to do this too?”

  He realized at that moment that he’d always let her take the lead, so there was a whole side of himself that she had yet to see. He hadn’t gotten to where he was letting people roll over him.

  “Fine, move over.” He pulled up a chair and was content that he’d have to spend the next hour elbow to elbow with the woman. There were other places on her body he longed to touch, but he’d take what he could get.

  Chapter 7

  Bay

  Bay walked into his office five minutes past twelve and plopped down in his chair. He hadn’t had to focus so much on cases in over two months, and now that the docket had filled up for him, he was going to have to manage his time even better.

  He had hoped that Mia had made it back with lunch, but with his luck, she was out somewhere picking up a new handbag or something slinky to wear.

  Things had been going well with Mia since Lila had been sent away, and even though he had promised his wife she could come home for a weekend visit, he’d changed his mind and told her it wasn’t safe. Really, it was because he didn’t want to give up a weekend buried inside her sister to listen to Lila nag. She’d been impossible since the baby news, and he had gotten several texts from Rose Marie, who had already threatened to cut the baby from the bitch’s tummy and leave her at the bottom of the Pacific. He knew that Rose Marie was only venting, so there was no real cause for concern. And once the baby got there, he really hoped the two would bond enough to get along for his sake.

  The phone rang, and he let out a long sigh and sank into his chair. “Yes, Darek.”

  “Don’t sound so enthused. I’m calling to see if you’ve heard anything from Corey and Alan. Last I heard, they were sorting things out, and everything seemed fine, but I haven’t talked to either one of them in days. I’m beginning to worry that it didn’t have a happy ending for one of them.”

  “If we’re lucky,” said Bay. “It didn’t end well for them both.”

  “How can you say that? You like Corey and Alan, don’t you?”

  Bay wasn’t sure if he did or not. Corey maybe. Alan, no. Alan pissed him off by killing Seth. “I’m kidding, shit. It’s hard to have a positive outlook when on the verge of losing this case I’m on.” There was a first time for everything, but it wouldn’t be this case if he could help it.

  “The Slayer is going to lose?” He didn’t like Darek’s mocking tone.

  “Fuck no; I just need to figure out how to win, is all. There’s a way. I just need to focus, and honestly, it’s tough with Lila’s baby woes and her little sister living up to her name, MIA. She’s been gone for two hours now, and all she did was go out to grab some lunch.”

  “She’ll turn up.” Darek sounded like he was trying to be encouraging.

  “That’s not a comfort. Not when so many that I know are turning up dead and becoming fucking worm food.” He didn’t want anything to happen to Mia. Not that he was a sappy SOB, but he really liked the way she made him feel. He’d be really pissed off if someone took away his pet.

  “Sorry, man. I guess you heard about Seth’s wife, right?”

  Bay felt the cold chills as they washed over him. “Seth’s wife? Kari Lynn?” He thought of how he’d fucked her and their awful little spat just days before. “Did something happen to her?”

  “She killed herself. It happened a few nights ago.”

  Bay knew the night in question without a doubt in his cold dead heart. She’d left his place and decided that she couldn’t live with herself for what she’d done with him and why. She’d been in a fragile state, and he’d only thrown gas on the fire. “That’s horrible. I hadn’t heard.”

  “Yeah, her father came to look for her. He came to the station, and I went with him to the hotel. She slit her wrists in the tub. We checked to make sure that it was a legit suicide too, in case you’re wondering.”

  But he wasn’t wondering. He knew after what he’d done to her, she’d given up hope. Now Mia was gone, and perhaps Karma was trying to pay him a visit.

  “I hope your girl turns up,” said Darek. “And you let me know if you need any help. I’m going to keep trying to call Corey and Alan, but I thought maybe you’d have a little more luck than me.”

  “I’ll try. If I talk to one of them, I’ll tell them to call you.” He ended the call and went back to wondering where Mia was.

  He tried to dial her number and got no answer, and when he tried to call it again, it went straight to voicemail, which meant she’d turned it off.

  He was just about to call up Lou and have the man go looking for her when Mia opened the door and strolled into the room as if nothing had happened.

  “I got your food. I hope it’s still warm. I had a little accident.”

  “You drove down the street?” He knew that was the dumbest excuse she’d tried to pull on him.

  “No, I didn’t drive. I bumped into someone and fell down. I dropped the food bag and the drinks and fries. By the time I went back to get more, I had realized your Philly might be getting cold.” She plopped the food down on the desk in front of him.

  He examined the bag, which still had a little scuff on the bottom and a damp spot from the spilled soda. Mia had a scuffed knee, and one of the straps was broken on her shoe, which she was busy pulling off of her foot.

  “Damn! These were my favorite pair. Could I buy another?” She gave him a pleading look, but he still wondered how she filled her time. “You were gone a long time.”

  “Yes, I’m sorry
. I got your fries remade and fresh drinks.”

  He opened the container, and most of his ice was melted, and the fresh fries were already lukewarm. “Who did you bump into?”

  “Oh, just this nice man. He helped me up and went with me to get the fries and drinks. I know he felt bad, and since he was a cop, I didn’t think you’d mind.” She hadn’t looked him in the eye, not once, since she’d returned.

  “Look at me.” She lifted her head and met his eyes. “Were you hurt? Is your dress torn?”

  “I’m a little scuffed up, but it’s no big deal. I should have been watching where I was going.”

  “I thought you said he bumped into you.” Bay could tell that she was nervous. “So, what’s the name of this chivalrous policeman who went with you to the restaurant?”

  “His name is Maxwell. He’s was really nice.”

  “Maxwell Smith?”

  Her eyes widened. “I think so; I really didn’t get to ask.”

  “But he accompanied you to the restaurant. Surely, you got his name. I’m only asking because Maxwell Smith works with a friend of mine. And I know what an upstanding guy he is. Maybe I could call and give him my thanks for taking care of you.”

  “Oh, that’s not necessary. I mean, I thanked him.”

  He pushed the soggy sandwich bag away. “Come to me, Mia.”

  She crossed the room a little off-balanced with her shoe in her hand. “Yes, sir.” She stopped to stand beside him.

  “How generous were you with your thanks, Mia?” Her face fell at his question.

  “I just said ‘thanks a lot for your help’ and came back here.” Her heart was racing so fast that he could see her tremble.

  Bay reached out and put his hand around her waist and pulled her closer. “You know, I’ve had women thank me before. They’ve offered me a lot more than words.”

  “It wasn’t like that,” she said, but before she could finish her sentence, he slipped his hand down between her legs and rubbed her panties. “Any reason why you’re so wet?”