Desert Bound (Cambio Springs) (8 page)

“But I’ll do what I can. I do have some latitude in my own… investigation.”

A grateful smile spread over his face. He leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on her forehead. “Thanks, baby.”

“Don’t—” She lifted a hand and stepped back. “Don’t call me baby, Alex.”

He winked at her, then turned to walk back to the parking lot where his men were gathered. Jeremy lifted a knowing eyebrow as he passed Alex and headed toward Ted.

“Not a word,” she said, grabbing the body bag and walking back toward the body. “Come on, Deputy. Let’s do this before it gets hot.”

Ted had discovered last year that it was a particular kind of torture to examine someone she’d known in life. She tried to separate herself from it. Tried to view it just as a body. 

But inevitably, she’d have a thought like, ‘Gee, I didn’t know Marcus tattooed his kids’ names right over his heart.’ Then she’d get choked up because half of that tattoo had bite marks in it and the other half would never be seen by those kids he’d loved so much. Kids she could picture, even if she didn’t know them well. And their hilarious mom with the sassy blue hair that Marcus had tattooed in a pin-up pose on his shoulder. Josie had everyone rolling in snake jokes the first time she’d ever visited Cambio Springs. Marcus had adored her.

Sometimes, life just sucked.

And it especially sucked when she found the evidence she was looking for lodged in one of his ribs. She suspected it had banged around his ribcage for a while, tearing into his internal organs like a lethal pinball. Bleeding would have been extensive. Death would have been quick. 

The bullet was heavily deformed from impact, but she carefully bagged it to turn in to the Sheriff-Coroner’s office in San Bernardino. All her pictures and notes would go along with the body, but not before she made copies for her own records. She was tempted to cut into him more, but knew that doing that would only compromise the larger investigation. She was a consultant. That was all. And she knew she didn’t have the equipment for a full autopsy. 

And the county would demand one, especially for a victim like this. A well-loved business owner and family man, living out of state, but with strong ties to the community. The county prosecutor had no idea that in Cambio Springs, justice often took a decidedly vigilante turn.

She heard someone come into the office. From the thump of the boots, she was guessing Caleb. The suspicion was confirmed when he walked right in after a perfunctory knock.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” She pulled pulled off her gloves and used a spare rag to tug up the zipper on the body bag. “Call the ambulance. He’s going to the main office.”

“Murder?”

She nodded and held up the small bag with the bullet. Caleb took it, looking it over with a practiced eye. He might not have intended to use his formidable deductive skills when he moved from Albuquerque to the small town in the California desert, but sadly, they hadn’t been allowed to get rusty.

“It’s a nine.”

“Positive?”

“Pretty sure. Send it in. Their ballistics lab will be able to confirm.”

“Nine millimeter handguns are common around here.”

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Common everywhere.” He pulled out his phone and punched a few numbers while Ted started throwing garbage into the red medical waste bags she’d set out before she started the exam.

“Dev?” Caleb was talking to the Sheriff’s deputy that covered their area. “Yeah, send them over. …Uh huh. …Yeah, I’ll call you when we get the report. Thanks, man.”

Dev and the elders in his tribe were some of the few outsiders who knew about the shapeshifters of Cambio Springs. But since they didn’t appreciate attention any more than the Springs shifters did, a tentative alliance had formed.

Ted and Dev had once tried to form a more personal alliance, but Alex had stepped in the middle of that almost immediately. Dev hadn’t given up easily, but there was only so much of her shit that he’d been willing to put up with. When Dev figured out he wasn’t making any headway, he’d stepped back. He didn’t seem all that broken up about it, considering how quickly he’d moved on, but Ted still considered him a friend.

“They’ll be here in about fifteen minutes.”

Her eyebrows raised. “That’s quick.”

“Well, I called awhile ago. Gave them a heads up. I had a feeling.”

Ted didn’t question it. Whether it was his Navajo uncle’s
hatałii
blood, or just a practiced sixth sense, Caleb Gilbert often had very accurate “feelings” that turned into substantial leads. And now that he’d married a hawk shapeshifter and drank the water of the fresh spring, developing an ability to turn into
other people
, the feeling of ‘other’ her cat sensed in him had only grown stronger. Ted wondered if he even realized it.

She felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out and noticed three calls from her mother and two from Alex.

“Is that McCann?” Caleb asked.

“No.” Not this time anyway. “My mom.”

“No doubt there’ll be an elders’ meeting once this all comes out.”

“Your favorite activity, Chief.”

Technically, as a city employee, Caleb worked for the Elder Council that ran the Springs. Seven of the oldest residents of the town, one from each of the seven original families. Her great-uncle was on the council, but her mother would take over eventually, as she was the most dominant in their family. Alex’s dad was also a member, even though he wasn’t the oldest. But then, Robert McCann had always set his own rules.

“Listen, Ted…” 

“Hmm?” She was blinking and trying to remember where she left her keys. It was past three o’clock, and even though her air conditioning was cranked, she needed a nap.

“I know McCann’s going to dig for his own answers. I get that.”

“And you’re going to try to warn me not to give Alex any information on the investigation.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Ted stepped around the exam table and set a thick file on top of the body bag that contained the remnants of Marcus Quinn, one of Alex’s friends. 

“Caleb, I’ll tell you the same thing I tell everyone in this town: I don’t work for you. I don’t work for the Elder Council. I don’t work for the police. I don’t even really work for the county. I’m just a consultant.”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m not sure what that tells me.”

Ted smiled and patted his cheek before she walked past him. “It means you’re not the boss of me. But I’m sure you can wait for the ambulance, because I’m heading home.”

“Please don’t involve McCann in this investigation, Ted.”

That’s right, her keys were on her desk. “They have my number if they have any questions.”

“Ted?”

She stretched her shoulders, eager to be home so she could shift and climb. After this day, she needed it. 

“Ted?” he called again, even more impatient.

“Good night, Chief. See you when I see you. Tell Jena I said hi.”

Chapter Six

Alex was sitting with Josie Quinn, Marcus’s widow, drinking coffee in one hundred degree heat and listening to Marcus’s mom, Delia, weep openly as her sisters tried to console her. Josie took a deep breath and set her coffee down.

“I’m not handling this very well, Alex.”

“No one expects you to. You just lost your husband, Jos. I can’t imagine—”

“I don’t mean that.” Her choked voice said otherwise. “Them. All the weeping and carrying on from his mom. His aunts. Like they were so close. Marcus could hardly wait to get out of this house. You know why.”

Because his dad was a shifty bastard who yelled at his wife and kids almost as much as he drank. And his mom stood there for years and took it until her old man got drunk and ran himself into a telephone pole on the way back from his girlfriend’s house in Blythe.

Alex nodded, then glanced at Josie and Marcus’s oldest daughter, who was entertaining her little brothers with a board game by the window air conditioner. He had to hand it to their parents. Josie and Marcus might have been tattooed and dyed from top to bottom, but they let their kids be who they wanted. Their daughter, Kasey, looked like a tiny version of a Disney princess. Completely opposite her mom with her bright blue hair, bird tattoos, and piercings. Still, the sheer amount of love that poured off of Josie was mirrored in her daughter’s gaze when she happened to look over. They shared a small, sad smile, before Kasey was distracted by the boys again.

“You still moving back?” Alex asked.

“She’s ten now. How much longer do I have?”

“Depends. I’d say anywhere from a year and a half to three years. That’s about average for girls.”

Josie nodded and swiped at the tear that ran down her cheek, marring the thick black liner. 

She pursed her bright red lips and said, “Then we’ll be back. Marcus said this was the best place for the kids once they changed.”

“It will be. I promise. They won’t have to hide who they are from their friends. They’ll have people who know what they’re feeling. And not everyone is like Marcus’s family.”

“I know. And he had some good friends here.” She glanced toward the kitchen and the dramatic, sobbing women. “Normal ones.”

“You let me know what you need. Anything. You know that. We’ll figure out a place for you to live. Get you set up. Help moving. Whatever you need. When you’re ready. How’s the business? Is that going to be enough for you guys?”

“My brother and Marcus were half and half once they expanded. Chris will have to hire someone, but I’m sure they’ll be fine. They still have the contract for the resort, right?”

“Of course. The plans were all done. So if your brother—”

“Chris.”

“If Chris can come down or send someone else that can do the on site supervision, I don’t see how there could be a problem.”

“Chris…” She looked worried. “He doesn’t know. About you guys. About the kids.”

Alex nodded, hoping to sooth the fear in her eyes. “I’ll let everyone know to be careful. If he doesn’t need to know, he won’t. It’s for the best.”

“He can be… well, he’s kind of judgmental. I don’t know—I mean, he’s a good guy—but I’m not sure how he’d react to…” She glanced at the kids. “Scales.”

He felt the corner of his mouth tick up. “You know, tortoises are a possibility, too.”

“Shit, Alex.” Josie snorted through tears and slapped his shoulder. “Don’t joke about stuff like that. Snakes were bad enough. I don’t want my babies carting shells around.”

“It’s not that bad. Very tough shifters, desert tortoises.”

“I hate you a little right now.”

But she was smiling and looked more like herself again. “I can handle it. You’re not the only woman who hates me.”

“Still no luck with your ex, huh?”

He cocked his head. “How—”

“Marcus tells me everything.” She caught herself. “Or he did.”

He spoke, trying to distract her. “I knew he was a gossip. Never should have had him pass that note for me during study hall.”

Josie laughed through her tears. “You guys… He thought the world of you, Alex. I’m sure your girl will come around, too.”

Alex thought about Ted giving him a hug the day before. Knowing when he was hurting, even if he covered it with anger.

“I haven’t given up yet.”

“Good.” Her eyes glassed over again, and she glanced at her kids. “When you find the right one, it’s worth the work.”

A loud cry erupted from the kitchen, and she glanced at Marcus’s mom over her shoulder. “You know, he sent her money. Every month. Not once did I hear her say thank you. Even though she never stood up for him, he still took care of her.”

Alex swallowed the lump in his throat. “He was a good man.”

“The best.”

The cool wind from the air conditioner picked up and Alex felt a blessed breeze waft over him. He was still in his work shirt and jeans, having come straight from the job when he got Josie’s call that she and the kids had arrived at Marcus’s mom’s. 

“You know, the Chief of Police is going to come by, right?”

“I figured. He a decent guy?”

“Yeah.” Alex nodded, even though he’d had his problems with Jena’s new husband. “He knows everything about us. Married to one of my friends now, but he’s from New Mexico originally. Good detective. Tried to come out here and retire, even though he’s young.”

“That didn’t work out so well, did it?”

“No, but he knows his stuff.” He shifted toward her. “You know he’s gonna ask a bunch of questions about Marcus, right?”

“Yeah.”

“There anything I should know about? Anything that’s gonna upset you if he asks?”

She sniffed and shook her head. “Not really? I mean, you know Marcus, he’s… Everyone liked him, Alex. He was fair to the guys that worked with him. He was a good dad. A great husband—”

“You know Caleb’s going to ask if there were other women.”

Josie just started laughing. “As if he’d ever have the nerve to talk to them. As good-looking as Marcus was, he was a total wuss around girls. I had to throw myself at him to get him to make a move.” She kept laughing, and Alex had to admit he was relieved. Glad there were no skeletons that Marcus’s widow would have to deal with.

“He looked tough, but he was a big softie,” she said. “If there was anything that led to this, it might have been that. Him trusting the wrong person or thinking the best of someone he shouldn’t. He always wanted to give people the benefit of the doubt, even when they screwed him.”

That pricked a memory of something he’d mentioned to Ted. “Do you know Joe Smith?”

She scrunched up her face. “Allie’s Joe?”

“Yeah, I heard that he and Marcus got into it at the Cave a while back. Right before Joe took off.”

That surprised her. “Allie’s husband took off?”

“Yeah.”

“That rat!” She glanced quickly at her kids, who were all looking at her, then she turned back to Alex. “You know, Marcus mentioned that Joe borrowed some money from him and wasn’t paying him back. But he mentioned it in passing, like it wasn’t a big deal. He did that. He’d loan money to people, but never more than we could afford or anything. I didn’t even think about it. I doubt he did, either.”