Murder at Eagle Summit

The other officer, T. Franklin, lifted a shoulder. “You’re going to have to tell us.” He stepped aside and gestured for Liz to enter.

She took a step forward and stopped. A shudder ran down her spine. The sight that greeted her was hauntingly familiar.

The couch cushions had been pulled off and tossed aside. Books lay strewn over the floor in front of the empty bookcase. Sheet music littered the floor.

“Oh, no,” said Caitlin behind her.

“Not again.” Jazzy’s whisper echoed her thoughts.

Liz’s hand rose involuntarily to her throat. Once before she and her friends had been the victim of a break-in when their trio was hired to play at an out-of-town wedding. Only, then she’d been present when the intruder arrived.

But that was four months ago. That man was in prison for murder.

“As far as we can see,” Officer Franklin said, “your television and stereo are here, and your computer is in the other room. We need you to walk through, and without touching anything, tell us if you notice anything missing.”

“The bedroom looks worse.” Liz winced at Officer Lawrence’s sympathetic warning.

While Jazzy, Caitlin and Mrs. Evans waited by the door, Liz stepped slowly across the living room. Hands clasped to keep from picking anything up, she did a mental inventory. CDs and DVDs were scattered around the floor. Were any missing? Impossible to tell. Sheet music…well, she wouldn’t know until she went through it, but she couldn’t imagine anyone would want her cello music. Her DVD player had been pushed cockeyed, but it was still there. Still showed the correct time, even.

Bracing herself, she headed for the bedroom. The officers followed. Bile churned in her stomach when she saw the mess the intruder had left: dresser drawers upended all over the floor; the mattress shoved off the box springs; the contents of her jewelry box scattered across the top of the dresser.

Her computer desk drawers had been dumped and her personal papers strewn everywhere. Bank statements, receipts, letters, all littered the room. Hard to tell if any were missing. She’d have to alert the bank and her credit card companies, just in case they’d taken something, or made note of her account numbers. But the computer was still there.

“Do you have any firearms that may be missing, Miss Carmichael?”

Liz whirled toward Officer Franklin. “No. Nothing like that.”

“How about the jewelry?” asked Officer Lawrence. “Is it all there?”

Liz’s fingers hovered over the brooch on her blouse as she inspected the tangle of necklaces, earrings and bracelets. She didn’t wear much jewelry, and didn’t own any expensive pieces. A couple of pieces from her grandmother had sentimental value, but there was certainly nothing a thief would want.

“I don’t understand.” She looked at the officers. “There doesn’t seem to be anything missing.”

“Well, count yourself lucky.” Officer Franklin’s smile flashed on and off again. He turned on his heel and headed back toward the living room.

Looking at the disaster all around her, Liz didn’t feel very lucky.

Officer Lawrence offered a more genuine smile. “It might have been kids looking for cash. We’ll dust for prints and see if we can find anything. In the meantime, here’s my card. If you discover anything missing, you be sure to let us know, okay?”

Throat tight, Liz nodded. She followed the woman back into the living room, where her friends rushed forward to enfold her in a group hug.

“You don’t have to stay here,” Caitlin whispered. “You can come home with me tonight.”

Jazzy’s head nodded against hers. “Tomorrow we’ll come back and help you clean up. And we’ll get new locks for your door and windows.”

Liz returned the pressure of their embrace. She had never been more grateful for her friends.

From his vantage point on the other side of the parking lot, Jason slumped low behind the steering wheel and watched the shadowy figures moving back and forth through the window. Dark sheets of rain shrouded his car and protected him from the cops’ sight.

He fingered his cell phone. Duke wasn’t gonna like this. But putting off the call only postponed the inevitable. He dialed the number.

The call was answered on the second ring. “Did you get it?”

“It wasn’t there.”

The sound of soft swearing greeted his news.

“You’re sure you aren’t mistaken.”

Jason’s teeth snapped together at the implication that he couldn’t handle a simple job. When he could reply in an even tone, he said, “I’m sure. I know everything that girl has in her apartment. It ain’t there.”

The silence on the line went on longer than Jason’s patience. “You want me to nab her?”

“No.”

The answer was quick, too quick. Was Duke thinking about taking him off the job? Jason couldn’t afford that. His take on this job was gonna pay off some pressing gambling debts.

“It won’t be like before.” He gulped, remembering Duke’s blistering tirade when he’d roughed up an old guy last week. Duke had been furious with Jason, but who knew the guy would come home early and catch him? At least he got the goods, and was well away before the cops arrived. “Let me talk to her nice. I’ll bump into her in a restaurant or something, pour on the charm. I’ll get it out of her.”

“I don’t want to risk you being seen. Again.” The last word dripped derision. “Besides, I don’t think that will be necessary. Our friend says he can get Miss Carmichael out here, and he’s confident she’ll bring it with her.”

“But that’ll take months.” Jason did whine then. He needed money now. “I’m sure I can—”

“Don’t do another thing. You just get yourself on a plane.”

“The job’s still mine, though, right? You ain’t gonna take me off of it after I put in so much time?”

The low chuckle could have been insulting, or it could have been meant to comfort him. Jason gnawed his lower lip. He didn’t want to tick the guy off.

“Don’t worry, my friend. I’ve got several little tasks lined up to keep you busy until Miss Carmichael gets here. Just come home.”

The line went quiet.

Jason straightened in the seat and reached for the ignition. As he started the rental car’s engine, a shadow walked across the apartment window. Too unclear to identify, but it could have been her. He shifted into Drive, and when the car started to roll forward, he touched a finger to his forehead in a farewell gesture.

“I’ll be seeing you, girlie.”

TWO

Six Weeks Later

“What are you doing on your day off tomorrow?”

Deputy Tim Richards picked up his Coke and took a pull on the straw before he answered. “Skiing with the wedding party.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember.” His lunch buddy, Deputy Adam Goins, unwrapped a cheeseburger as he answered. “This weekend’s the wedding thing.”

“Uh-huh. The others are out on the slopes right now without me, in fact.” Tim glanced through the fast-food restaurant’s windows. High above their cruisers, an American flag flapped wildly in a strong breeze. The vivid colors stood out starkly against a totally white sky that held the promise of powder soon to come. In fact, a few wind-whipped flakes were already stabbing at the glass. “That’s all right. I wouldn’t want to be out there today, but tomorrow’s going to be great.”