Devils Among Us (Devin Dushane Series Book 1) (20 page)

Sheriff Bittner offered an official collaboration.
“Gentlemen we’d be happy to assist in any way possible and offer you all the
moderate resources of the Fenton Sheriff’s Department.” He tapped the rim of
his mug with an ink pen more seriously than Devin had ever seen him. “However, if
this is all connected, one thing is crystal clear. Someone that is involved
with these murders has been in my town at least twice in the last month, and
that is completely unacceptable.”

Shane met Bill’s gaze and then gave a very pointed look and
slight nod in Devin’s direction.

Bill sat up and folded his hands on the table. “Of course, Devin,
how could I forget?”

She cocked her to the side still very calm and reserved
during this conversation. “Yes Bill?” Her voice was light and friendly, she
could tell Shane and Adam were bracing for an explosion. They were probably
contemplating locking her in a cell for everyone’s safety. Their anticipation
was cut to the quick.

 “You’re currently on leave from your precinct and way out
of your jurisdiction. I have no right to ask you this, but we would be honored
to work with a detective of your caliber on this case. Will you give us a
hand?”

Her smile could have warmed a polar ice cap. “I never could say
no to a balding man in a government windbreaker.” She tossed a crumpled napkin
at Shane as she bounced out of her seat towards the white board. “See? I told
you I’m adorable and everyone loves me.”

Shane wrinkled up his nose and curled his lip, parroting the
phrase at her back under his breath. Adam rubbed his temples, mumbling. “Nice
Shane, what are you, seven?”

“Maybe six…six and half, it depends on how much she pushes
me.”

The marine-cut state detective, Danny Markham, chuckled, a
deep rumbling from his chest. “She brings the best out in a lot of people, but
she really gets to the two of you. All I can say is good luck.”

Adam smirked. “Spoken like a man who’s struck out.”

Danny waved the fingers of his left hand which was sporting
a wedding band. “Hardly. I don’t know who’d kick my butt harder for even having
that thought, my wife or Devin. Let’s just say I’ve seen plenty try, and they
all crash and burn.”

Adam leaned in pen in hand, as if ready to take notes, but
before he could get his question out Sherriff Bittner’s belly darkened their
corner of the table.

“Would you school girls like to join the murder
investigation, or do you have a sleepover to go to?”

Shane and Adam snapped to attention with a crisp, “Yes,
sir!” but Danny just rumbled again down in his rib cage.

They spent the next ten hours working the files. The
conference table was an avalanche of paper as they dissected interviews,
witness statements and crime scene diagrams. Devin and Danny kept the phone
lines hot with calls to the involved precincts and the state crime lab, and the
fax machine was in a constant buzz. The computers and printers were working
even harder, pulling gigs of data through cyberspace. At the end of the day
they had a lot of information, but still no link to tie these murders to one
suspect. Not that they had any suspects.

Luckily the group all worked well together so despite the
strain of the work the mood remained amiable. Much-needed comic relief though,
came around four o’clock with the ringing of Devin’s cell phone. She glanced at
the caller ID long enough to note it was a Fenton number before she flipped
open the phone.

“Dushane.”

“Hi, Mrs. Dushane. This is Caroline from Great Escapes Day
Spa.”

Devin was standing with one knee on the seat of her chair
leaning across the table to grab a map of the George Washington National Park, but now froze with her hand still hovering above the table.

“Okay?” It was meant to be an acknowledgement of the
introduction, but it came out as a question. Her awkward pose had caught the
room’s attention, and though a few eyebrows rose, everyone kept working.
Blissfully unaware of the stir she was about to cause, Caroline plunged ahead
as if she was delivering news to a sweepstakes winner.

“I’m just calling to remind you about your appointment
tomorrow morning at nine for the half day spa retreat.”

Devin was immediately on her feet. “Spa retreat? I’m sorry.
There’s been some mistake, I never made that appointment.”

Caroline was now sounding a little deflated. “Um, no ma’am
there’s no mistake. I spoke to your husband last week.” There was some tapping
on a keyboard in the background. “Mr. Carter Dushane booked this appointment
last Tuesday and paid in full.”

It was an involuntary reflex to clench her jaw. Carter! I
should have known. She threw her pen on the table with enough force to send a
few sheets airborne.

“Miss, I’m sorry he wasted your time, but that’s not going
to work. I don’t have the time, and I’m
really
not the spa type.”

 “But, ma’am, with less than twenty-four hours’ notice of
cancellation, the costs of the services are non-refundable.”

“Well that’s his problem, not mine.”

Caroline had declined from deflated to desperate, and her
voice was beginning to quaver. “Mrs. Dushane, you just can’t cancel! This is my
first half-day package booking, and everyone here has made such a big deal
about it. I would just be mortified if you cancelled. I promise I’m very good,
and you won’t be disappointed, just please don’t cancel.”

Crap.

“Ok, Caroline is it? Don’t cry. How long does this thing
take?”

“Four hours.”

Devin jerked the phone away from her face, but knew she
still couldn’t use the language she wanted to in a room full of people, so she
settled for stomping her foot. She sighed deeply when she placed the phone back
to her ear.

“Fine, I’ll be there. You said nine, right?”

“Yes ma’am, nine o’clock, and you won’t be disappointed!”

“Right, right I know. See you tomorrow, Caroline.”

At this point no one in the room was even trying to pretend
they were working. Devin didn’t even pause between hitting the end button on
one call and speed dial for the next, but the coward’s phone went straight to
voicemail.

“Carter, a spa day, really? What were you thinking? For
someone who knows me so well, sometimes you don’t have a clue. I’m only going
through with this because the poor girl practically burst into tears when I
tried to cancel. So help me Carter, if she comes at me with cucumber slices or
mud of any sort, I will get on a plane and fly across the country. I know
twenty-seven ways to kill you with my bare hands.” She started to pull the
phone away to hang up, but thought better of it. “And
stop
telling
people I’m your wife!”

With that her phone joined her ink pen on the table and a
few more pages fluttered to the floor as she flopped into her chair.

There was about ten seconds of silence before Shane couldn’t
control himself any longer.

“Twenty-seven huh? You’ve counted? Not twenty-five or
thirty?”

Devin’s jaw twitched to keep her from smiling. “I’m sure for
you I could come up with a twenty-eighth if I’m real creative.”

The first chuckles were beginning as snickers.

“I wouldn’t want you to mess up your mani-pedi.”

“The fact that you even know that term speaks volumes.”

Shane took his verbal defeat gracefully as the room erupted
into a roar of laughter. He met Devin’s gaze across the table and gave her a
wink. She grinned back, this was just what everyone needed at that moment.

At seven o’clock they agreed to call it a day. They weren’t
on to anything that was going to crack the case open that night. As Devin
gathered her things to try and leave for the third time, she finally snapped at
the rest of the group that was dragging their feet about letting her leave
alone.

“No, Adam, for the second time, I do not have the Chester County file, and I already helped you look for it.” She rounded on Bill and Danny
next. “I’m positive I don’t want to have dinner or grab a drink” —she held up
one finger in front of the Sheriff to cut him off— “and no, Dad, I will not
call you when I get home safely.” Scooping her keys off the table, Devin sailed
through the conference room door. “Goodnight, gentlemen. I’ll see you tomorrow
afternoon, after I…spa.”

There was a chorus of mumbled “G’night, Devin’s” in her
wake.

The heat actually wasn’t oppressive when she stepped out
into the early twilight. Devin always loved this time of year when the days
were extra long. She worked so much it was nice to have an extra opportunity to
enjoy a little bit of the summer. The street was quiet as she slid onto the
Mustang’s white leather seat, still warm from the heat of the day. Rolling the
window down, she leaned her head against the frame for a moment to take in the
solitude she was about to disrupt. The peace was lovely, but, as she suspected
her aunt had been before her, Devin was a rock-n-roll kind of girl. Pressing in
the clutch and flipping the key over the Mach 1 growled to life, echoing off
the surrounding buildings, and she decided to take the long way home.

The entire drive Devin caught glimpses of a pick-up truck
following her. She considered trying to shake it, but what good would that do
in a town the size of Fenton? Spinning the car around in a game of chicken also
crossed her mind, however in the end the subtle approach won out. She parked in
her driveway, sprinted to the trunk to pull out a pump action 12 gauge shotgun,
and leaned casually against the bumper to wait. Predictably less than a minute
later, a diesel truck eased down the street. When Devin came into view the
driver’s eyes went wide and then rolled in exasperation as he jerked the wheel,
pulling in the driveway behind her car. Shane switched the engine off shaking
his head as he jumped out.

“A little dramatic, don’t you think, Devin?”

“Keep sneaking around and you’re going to end up shot.” 

“Why do you have to be so hard-headed about this?” They were
standing in the three foot gap between the bumper of her car and the grill of
his truck. Shane kept his left hand on his belt and his right braced tightly
against the hood of his truck to keep from shaking her. “Everyone’s just
concerned about your safety. We care, ok?”

Devin turned her face away abruptly swallowing hard. This
was bad, very bad. People who cared got hurt. The redemption tattoo on her
wrist felt like it was on fire. Shane was talking, but she hadn’t been
listening. “…so I’ll just sit out here in the driveway…”

“You people aren’t going to leave me alone, are you?”

“Nope.”

She sighed, laying the shotgun across her shoulder. “What do
you want to do?”

Even in the darkening yard, she could see his surprise.

“Well…we’ve been cooped up all day. I could really use a run
to get the blood flowing again.”

“That actually sounds like a good idea, and you can’t
possibly talk as much while you’re running.” She rolled the windows up and
locked the Mustang. “Let me just get changed.”

“Perfect. I brought running clothes.” Shane rummaged his gym
bag out of the truck and followed her across the yard.

Devin smiled with her back to him.
Finally the
opportunity
. “That’s good, because that shirt makes you look like a swimming
pool.”

Shane never missed a beat. “Do you want to dive in?”

She waved the shotgun in the air. “Still carrying a gun!”

“You won’t shoot me.” He grinned down at her as he trotted
up to her side on the porch steps.

“Try me.”

 Neither one was keeping eye contact anymore as they did a
visual sweep of the porch for any new psychotic calling cards. Finding none,
Devin unlocked the door to an anxiously awaiting Bo, who was thrilled to see
Devin, but bared his teeth at Shane and sent a flurry of deep howling barks in
his direction until Devin was able to wrestle him out on the porch. He remained
with his nose pressed to the crack of the front door for several minutes,
making his displeasure known before huffing off into the yard.

“Sorry, I forgot Bo doesn’t like you.”

Out of breath, Devin leaned on the hall table, her hair clip
had been knocked askew and half her dark curls were falling around her face as
she smiled sheepishly.

Shane was standing shocked in the doorway to the dining
room, clutching his gym bag to his chest with one hand and holding the shotgun
she had thrust at him with the other.

“Since when does Bo not like me? I’ve known him since Henry
got him as a pup!”

“Probably since that night I told him to attack you.” Giving
up on the clip, Devin pulled it out and let the whole mass tumble down.  “You
can change in the bathroom—it’s right through there, and I’ll be down in a
minute.” Devin jogged up the stairs, knowing Shane was probably watching her.
He always seemed to be behind her when she left a room. She’d have to make sure
he jogged next to her or in front. Pervert. She was securing her ponytail as
she bounced back down the steps a few minutes later in black spandex shorts and
a purple tank top.

“Hey, do you need any water before we go?” She was answered
with silence. When she reached the bottom of the steps Devin glanced back at
the bathroom door and saw it was open and the light was off. Retracing their
route through the house she called a little louder.

“Shane! Do you want some water?”

She opened the front door to see if he was already outside
stretching, but all was quiet. As she began to turn away from the door, a furry
explosion of barks flung itself against the screen. Devin’s heart slammed into
her chest.

“Geez, Bo, what are you trying to do to me?
Hush
.”
Still shaking her head at the dog she spun around in the hall, only to have a
dark form standing inches from her. He was so close she could feel the heat of
his breath on her face and smell the spice of his aftershave. Adrenaline again
threatened to throw her heart into overdrive. Before her ponytail even settled
from turning around, instinctively both of her hands shot out against his chest
intending to shove him away. Instead, an iron grip braceleted her wrists,
pinning her where she stood.