Secrets Among the Cedars (Intertwined Book 2) (5 page)

Kathryn parked on the street and inched her way up the sidewalk to the entrance of the charming white church packed into the corner of 2
nd
and E Street. People stood on the lawn shaking hands, patting backs, smiling at each other. Stained-glass windows above paned windows glinted in the morning sunlight. Freshly stained rails on the handicap ramps on both sides of the building sent the message that people who the world would consider imperfect were welcome and loved here. The church was built in 1922 and had probably seen a lot of people come and go through its doors who weren’t sure if church was the place for them, and it looked like it had survived. Openhearted and full of charm. That's what this place was. It could obviously handle a woman like Kathryn who hadn’t stepped foot inside of a church for years.

Several people greeted her before she headed up the red brick steps and through the double wooden doors into the foyer, so she must be welcome. She straightened her blue pencil skirt and adjusted her purse strap on her shoulder. Why had she dressed as if she were going to court? And why hadn't she thought to search for a Bible at the condo? Now everyone would know she wasn't a regular churchgoer.

As she strolled into the sanctuary, she stepped back into her past. This was like Grandmother's church. There weren't many people here, but those who were, nodded and smiled. She'd sit on the back row and slip out at the end of the service undetected. No, that wouldn't work. In order to find out the town's gossip and uncover any evidence about the case, she'd have to stay and meet some folks afterward.

She scanned the sanctuary then a hand waving in the air invaded her nostalgia. This was not a simple casual wave, this was a "come over here and sit with me" kind of wave. The hand was attached to Phil, who sat by himself on the third row. This man was everywhere she went. But she couldn't accuse him of following her this time. He motioned for her to come and sit with him. He didn't have to ask her more than once.

Chapter Five

Somehow, Phil had managed to focus on Pastor Todd's words and not let the professionally dressed beauty next to him distract him from the message. "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Pastor's words were Jesus' words, and their truth rang out into the congregation, echoed off the walls, and penetrated Phil's heart. He chewed on his thumbnail and bounced his right leg on the ball of his foot.

Where was his treasure? It used to be in his career in New York and his future with Maria, earning the big bucks and gaining popularity. But he'd left that behind. Even when he'd practiced law in Savannah, his heart hadn't been content. So he'd given all of that up to live here in Cedar Key, and he still felt empty most of the time.

What was he running from? Why did he have to hide here in this out-of-the-way, almost-forgotten place? Was he wasting his life here?

Kathryn reached into her purse and pulled out a tissue. She wiped her eyes and sniffled. Was she running from something too? Maybe she was as dissatisfied with her career in law as he'd been. Being a defense attorney wasn't easy. There's no way being a prosecutor could be any easier. If only he could reach out to her, but what she needed wasn't comfort from him. She needed the comfort that only God could give her. Did she know that though?

Phil shouldn't judge her. He didn't know her heart. But something in her eyes said she was lonely and wondering about her purpose in life. He stretched his arm across the back of the pew and patted her shoulder three times. He had to take the chance that she wouldn't run from him. Kathryn faced him and smiled with a glimmer in her eyes. She'd accepted his gesture of kindness.

After church, several people introduced themselves to Kathryn. This was Phil’s opportunity to ask her to lunch before she got away from him. And before Tom Smith, who looked like an arrow headed for a bull's eye, invited her first.

"Would you like to go to lunch?"

She crossed her arms and encircled her elbows with her fingers. A cute habit she'd probably done since she was a child. "I'm not sure."

"Aren't you hungry?"

"Yes, I am."

"But you're leaving?"

"No, I'm staying a few more days. I have to find that weapon." She looked at the ceiling and groaned and then nodded at Mrs. Edison, who gave Phil a smile and winked. That old lady was determined to find him a wife.

"Well, you've got time for lunch then. I won't take no for an answer."
Come on, Kathryn. Join me.

She twisted her leg and bit her lip. "Okay, I'll follow you."

He scooted her out the door before Tom could get to her. Victory! "Is it all right if I ride with you? I walked this morning."

She twisted her mouth into a pucker and squinted. "You're sly."

"Why am I sly? I didn't plan this. I didn't know you'd be here."

"Oh, yeah. You're right." She laughed and led him to her car. A very practical charcoal gray Honda.

Phil would've guessed her to be a fancy car kind of lady. So she was sensible and not frivolous. This was a good thing. He climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Please excuse the mess." She threw a plastic bag to the back seat.

"You should see my SUV."

"So where are we headed?" She cranked the car and the twang of country music came through the speakers.

Phil didn't like country music, but he didn't mind it so much while in the company of this country girl. "How about the sandwich shop again?"

"Sounds perfect." Kathryn eased out onto E Street.

"So you're still coming up with zero?"

She growled. "Yes! And it's driving me crazy." She squeezed the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white.

"What have you found out since I saw you yesterday?"

"Without divulging too much information, the man who runs the grocery store is a little bit threatened by my presence here."

"How so?" He turned sideways in his seat to get a better look at this serious-minded woman whose looks and allure distracted him from the matter at hand.

"I asked him if he knew anything about the murder or the weapon when I was at the store yesterday, and he told me I should mind my business. He said there were secrets here that were better left buried."

"What? So he does know something."

She nodded.

"Do you want my help?"

She sighed and halted the car at a stop sign. "I didn't think I was going to need any extra help, but now I think I do. My investigators came up empty and so did the detectives. I think it's time for a local to step in. But I have to know I can trust you."

Finally. She was letting her guard down. "You can trust me."

"Of course you say that, but I have to know for sure. Do you mind if I run a background check on you when I get back to my condo?" She raised her eyebrows in obvious hopefulness.

"Nope, I don't mind at all."

"How much do you charge?"

"I'm not charging you anything. You've got me so curious about this, I want to do it for free."

"No, I'm going to pay you."

"I'm not going to charge you. I want to help you put this guy away."

"I want to put him away too." They got out of the car and climbed the stairs to the restaurant. “Well, I want to put the killer away.”

“Is there a difference?”

She nodded. “I’m not convinced that he is the killer.”

“You’re not?”

“Not entirely. It doesn’t make sense that a man with his power and connections would dirty his hands on the murders of four seemingly insignificant men.”

Phil held open the door for her. "The porch again?"

"Sure." They found a table with a clear view of the Gulf.

“So you’ve got to find the weapon and pray there are fingerprints on it to prove whether your guy is the killer or not?”

“That sums it up. He’ll go free if I can’t find the gun. He might still go free once I find it if his fingerprints aren’t on it and if there are no witnesses to come forward. For his sake, I hope that happens if he’s innocent. It makes me very angry that he won’t talk. I may not be sure he actually pulled the trigger, but I know he knows who did. You’d think he’d want to clear his name.”

“Not if he ordered the hits.”

“But would a man go down for something he didn’t do when he could pin it on the guy who did?”

“In my experience, yes. If he ordered the hits and then turned the guy in, he’d be killed in prison. He’d take his chances with the prosecution not being able to prove their case over ratting someone out. Anyone who would accept the job of knocking off four men would have no qualms about taking out the boss man.”

Kathryn cleared out the corners of her eyes and ran her fingers underneath her lower lid, smoothing out her eyeliner which had smudged in church. This case could possibly be unsolvable, and the stress was apparent in her eyes. “It’s very likely that four men died, and their murders won’t ever be avenged.”

“I’m sorry.”

They ordered when the waitress came. "Enough talk about the case. It’s depressing. Cedar Key is much more interesting to talk about.”

“Cedar Key? There’s not much excitement happening here.”

“Exactly. I love it here and hope to come back once this case is finished when I can enjoy myself and stop being so bogged down with investigating and so paranoid."

"Paranoid?" Phil took a bite of his burger and wiped his chin with a napkin.

Kathryn scrunched her face. "You'll laugh."

"Never."

Kathryn studied his eyes, obviously measuring his trustworthiness. "When I left the condo this morning, I noticed a note taped to the front door. I broke out into a sweat. I got the salad tongs and a gallon-sized plastic bag and turned into a forensics investigator. I didn't want to damage any of the potential DNA that could be on the note." She scowled. "You're laughing!"

"No, I'm not.” But he was. “Please, continue. I just have a funny feeling about where this story is headed."

"I must've looked like a regular Sherlock Holmes or something when I pulled the note away from the glass with the tongs and stuck it into the baggie. I used another baggie as gloves to open the note."

"What did it say? Who was it from?" He leaned closer in. She weaved a fascinating tale. Or was it the glow in her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes that captivated him?

Kathryn chewed on her bottom lip for a few moments and then laughed. "It was from the rental company letting me know they'd added chlorine to the pool and to wait an hour before swimming."

Phil roared with laughter and nearly fell out of his chair. This woman was a breath of fresh air, and she didn’t even know it. She wasn't as intense as he'd thought she was when he first met her. She was a delight. He had to find a way to see her after she left Cedar Key.

Kathryn threw one of her fries at him. "You said you wouldn't laugh."

"Sorry!" He covered his mouth and snickered. She was adorable when she played at being angry.

"Now you see why I'm anxious to get this case solved? I'm utterly paranoid."

Maybe she was a bit paranoid, but she was the cutest paranoid he’d ever seen. Maybe he could be the hero she needed. "I want to help you, but I have to know the details. All right?"

“I already told you the main points.”

“Vaguely.”

She took a sip of her water, wiping water droplets from her lips, and conceded. "I live out in the country off Highway 278 where nothing too violent ever happens. 278 runs east to west and dumps into the airport in Atlanta. It has become a popular route for running drugs. Everything from cocaine to meth to marijuana. You name it, we've got it. Occasionally, the big drug lords come into our area instead of sending their goons, and incidents of crime always go up when they’re there."

"I know all about that, being from New York." He winked.

She nodded and swirled a fry in her ketchup. "About two months ago, a drug deal went bad. A couple of guys decided to mix sugar in the bags with the cocaine.”

“Ouch. Not smart.” He’d seen that before and it never ended well.

“Nope. When the transporters got back with the goods, my guy—or one of his thugs—killed them for not testing it first. He and two of his associates then came to my county and killed the guys who sold the cocaine-sugar mixture to them.”

“You gotta be kidding.”

“I wish. The police arrested all of them and charged the two associates with accessory to murder. They bonded out and no one has seen them since. The main suspect is sitting in our jail without bail because he’s a flight risk since he’s charged with murder, but we can't convict him without the weapon. We’re not really sure who pulled the trigger. It could have been one of his accomplices.”

“That’s insane.”

“Tell me about it. As you probably know, weapons are usually disposed of before anyone can find them. When the accomplices were in jail, someone overheard them talking about the gun being hidden somewhere in Cedar Key, so investigators came down here and tried to find it. When they failed, I decided to try to find it myself."

"Why Cedar Key?"

"I don't know, but this is where we’re concentrating our efforts because of what those two men said in jail. Where my team
was
concentrating its efforts. Everybody gave up but me. This guy is going to go free if I don’t find the gun.”

“Providing he’s guilty.”

“Right, providing he’s guilty. If he’s not guilty, then I don’t want to convict him of murder. He’s going to be charged with accessory to murder though. He’s going to go down for something. I’m just not one hundred percent sure what yet.”

"I'm in. I know you can't tell me anything else until you check me out, so you go back and do that.”

“Thank you. I only have until Tuesday night to find it. My D.A. says I have to be back in court on Wednesday morning.”

“For the trial?”

“For jury selection and then the trial, yes.”

Phil cocked his neck. “That quick? It normally takes years on something like this.”

Kathryn raised both palms in the air admitting her confusion regarding this turn of events. “Since the D.A. refused to offer a plea, the defendant has decided that a speedy trial would be in his best interest over a fair trial because he knows we don’t have a weapon, and he knows without it, we’ll have no choice but to drop the charges.”

“Interesting. Sounds like he’s got you where he wants you.”

“He thinks he does, and that’s why I’m determined not to let this case go to trial without the gun.”

“Okay, I’m hooked. I'm going to Savannah tomorrow to check on my house, but I'll cut my trip short and be back by late afternoon."

"How will you get there and back so fast?”

“I’ll fly. We’ve got an airstrip.”

Kathryn rubbed her hands together and smiled. “Thanks again for your help. I've got to find the evidence to put Louie Ezzo and his thugs away for good."

#

How was it possible that the first pleasant woman Phil had met in years was Maria's friend and also Uncle Louie's prosecutor? The woman he'd just committed to help solve her case. He should win an award for his bad luck.