Deadly Exposure. Cara Putman
into its soft leather, and then tucked her feet underneath her. She grabbed a notepad. Her pen flew as she wrote down every detail including her impressions and guesses. Her mind raced through the events. By the time she finished, Dani felt energized again.
Sleep would be impossible. Since the rest of her books sat in boxes, she wandered over to Aunt Jayne’s bookshelves. She slid her fingers along the book spines. Nothing jumped out at her until she saw a Bible tucked on top. Dani couldn’t remember the last time she’d voluntarily held a Bible, but Aunt Jayne always valued hers. Maybe the poetry would calm her and help her sleep.
Dani retraced her steps to the chair and opened the book. Its well-worn pages automatically opened to the Book of Psalms. Running her finger down the page, she started to read Psalm 62.
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
The words and the image they conveyed enthralled her. Could He be trusted to be a fortress? After the night she’d lived through, a fortress sounded wonderful.
My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O People; pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge.
The passage sounded strange yet sweetly familiar. The image of a rock of refuge soothed her, pushing the slide show from the theater from her mind. She clutched the Bible as if it were a lifeline. No matter what she’d seen or the questions chasing her, He is my mighty rock, my refuge.
FIVE
“Hey, buddy. Wakey, wakey. It’s eight-fifteen, and the captain’ll catch you sleeping.”
Caleb rolled over with a groan. “What time?”
“8:15.”
“So much for Rikki waking me up.”
“Hey, that’s what partners are for.” Todd’s grin stretched even farther across his face.
“What do you mean ‘partners’?”
“Captain’s decided I get to babysit you.”
“Don’t I get a say?” Caleb forced a frown on his face.
“Nope. Donaldson’s on vacation, Frank got food poisoning last night and Williams is training at the State Patrol Academy. You’re stuck with me, buddy boy.”
Caleb stretched his arms toward the ceiling as he worked out the kinks. Eyeing Westmont’s bright eyes with jealousy, he muttered, “You must have gotten sleep.”
“Comfortable sleep. You need a place closer to town. Anything’s better than that couch.”
“This morning I agree with you, but lakeside living has its advantages.”
“I’m waiting to see ’em.” Todd hooked his thumbs on his belt loops. “Jack’s headed to campus to check with the registrar’s office.”
“All right. Let’s get to work and see if forensics has anything yet.”
Westmont studied him a moment before answering. “It’s too early for them to process much, but the techs’ll finish the house soon. Let’s call Ms. Richards and meet her on the way. I want to hear her story myself.”
A trilling sound echoed from the end of a long tunnel. Its persistent ring tugged Dani from a dream. One filled with the image of a twisted scarf. The trill drilled into Dani’s head.
Opening her eyes, she realized she’d slept curled in the oversize chair. She shifted, and a book fell to the floor. Aunt Jayne’s Bible. She must have fallen asleep reading it. Despite all that had happened, she’d managed a few hours’ sleep. Maybe there was something to the Bible and the God behind it.
As the phone continued to ring, she grabbed the cordless handset from the end table.
“Hello?” Her voice croaked in the stillness.
“Dani Richards, please.”
She struggled to place the voice, and cleared her throat. “Yes.”
“This is Caleb.” At the sound of his tired voice, she tried to sit up despite the blanket tangled around her legs.
“Sounds like you got less sleep than I did.”
A sigh echoed across the line. “Probably. I need to ask you a few more questions about last night. Can we get together this morning?”
Nothing on her calendar sounded worse than starting a day with Caleb. To get to the precinct and on to Channel 17 by her eleven-o’clock meeting, she’d have to run. “It’ll be tough to squeeze in.”
“I could meet you somewhere other than the police station.”
“My office won’t work. Once I’m there, I’m at the mercy of the assignment editor. Maybe I could meet you at the precinct at ten.” She looked at the clock and winced. Even if she flew, it wouldn’t be possible. “No. Just come to Aunt Jayne’s house in forty minutes. I won’t have long, but I guess I can answer some questions.”
“We’ll be there.”
Thirty-eight minutes later, a knock sounded. Dani applied the final touches of blush to her cheeks with shaking hands. The thought of Caleb in her house caused her stomach to lurch and made her feet want to bolt. She hesitated as long as possible before opening the door. Caleb looked weighed down, with bags under his eyes. The man next to him had copper hair and a grin that prompted her to smile in response.
“Good morning. Come in.” She stepped back to allow them to enter.
Caleb pushed from the doorpost and walked in. “This is my partner, Officer Todd Westmont. You probably saw him last night.”
Dani shook her head. “No. It’s nice to meet you, Officer Westmont. Would either of you like coffee? I have a fresh pot.”
Caleb nodded. “Sounds great. Black’s fine.”
She led them to the kitchen. “Have a seat at the island. Anything for you, Officer?”
“No, thanks.”
She poured two cups and handed one to Caleb. “How can I help?” She pulled a stool around the island and took a seat.
“We wanted to review a couple things with you.” Caleb pulled a notebook from his jacket pocket. It looked like the same jacket he’d worn the previous night. “You knew the victim?”
“Not really. I interviewed her about a week ago for a report on food safety. It was hard to understand the topic, but she loved her research.”
Officer Westmont leaned his large frame on the island. “Mind telling me what you saw?”
“I entered her box when Aunt Jayne wandered in before the show. At intermission I remembered who she was, and looked in to say ‘Hi.’ It wasn’t until I faced her that I realized she was dead.”
The officers reviewed the details with her, but she couldn’t add anything to what she’d told Caleb the previous night. “I wish I had more to tell you, but I didn’t see or hear anything.” Dani paused and poured more cream into her coffee. As she watched the coffee and cream swirl together, she searched her thoughts. “She must have struggled, but I was focused on the stage. Cats isn’t exactly a quiet musical.”
She lifted her chin and met Officer Westmont’s questioning gaze. “After I talked to you, I think I saw the usher in the parking garage. A man waited on the second floor and tried to stop the car.” Dani searched for the right words to describe his behavior. “I felt like someone watched me on the second floor, and he seemed so angry. And almost frantic. I don’t know why.”
Caleb considered her, and she fought the warming sensation that spread across her. “We’ll try to find him. It would help if you could tell us anything else about him.”