CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
We stumbled out to the living room while my fingers fumbled to call the police station.
“Amber, this is Summer. Is Luke still there?”
“He’s over at the impound lot with Deputy Dixon.”
Dammit. “Okay. Thanks. I’ll call his cell.”
“Why didn’t you tell her?” Dixie asked as I hung up the call.
“Because that guy’s been dead for a while—probably since soon after I saw him, based on the fact he’s still wearing what he had on at the church and . . . his face. And Luke’s looking at the van with Deputy Dixon.”
“We could call Cale or Willy,” Dixie said.
“Luke would be furious. He’s going to want to see this himself.”
“You should wait,” Bill said. “This gives you a chance to look around.” He’d lowered his camera and obviously wasn’t filming.
“But if we look around, we’ll be tampering with a crime scene.”
Beads of sweat dotted his upper lip. “So we’re careful. We can erase the last part of you finding the body and head back to his bedroom to snoop around. Then I’ll film you finding the body. If we play it this way, you’re not knowingly tampering with a crime scene. It’s all about intent.”
“He has a good point,” Dixie said.
He did, but it still felt wrong.
“That guy was in Otto’s apartment for a reason,” Bill said. “He was looking for something. Maybe we can find it.”
“And somebody found him in here and killed him. They probably found it themselves.”
Bill looked away, but not before I saw the conflict waging in his eyes. I was facing the same war.
“Look,” he finally said when he turned back to me, “I didn’t want to tell you this, but I think you have a right to know.”
My back stiffened. “What?”
“Lauren’s totally sabotaging this show. She’s making you and Dixie look like first-class idiots.” Once he started spouting off, he quickly picked up steam. “On top of that, she’s buying the sheriff’s version of what happened in the woods. Why do you think she got upset that your stalker had Otto’s bike? It doesn’t fit with her narrative. She doesn’t want you to find out the truth. She wants the other version to stand. Better ratings.”
My jaw dropped.
We were silent for a few moments before Dixie said, “We have to look, Summer.”
“No, we don’t.” Now that I was trying to reason this through, I was rethinking the idea of involving Luke. This was clearly wrapped up in the whole mess of Otto and Ryker—and Luke clearly thought Teddy had something to do with that. “I’m calling Cale. He’s investigatin’ Ryker’s murder, and I suspect this one’s related to his.”
Dixie headed for the bathroom door. “I’m gonna take a peek at him. There’s a chance I might recognize him.”
“Dixie . . . ,” I warned. “Prepare yourself. It’s bad.”
She glanced back at me with a grim look, then stepped into the small opening to peer around the door. After a couple of seconds, she came back out, her face pale.
“You know who it is?” I asked, even though it was obvious that she did.
“It’s Ed.”
“Ryker’s friend and partner Ed?”
She nodded. “He cut all his hair off—it used to be several inches longer—but it’s him.”
That settled that. I found Cale’s number and called him.
“Summer,” he said when he answered, “you doin’ okay? You sound kind of shaky.”
“Oh . . . yeah.” I’d momentarily forgotten about my stalker. “I found another dead body.”
He paused. “By the lake again?”
“No, in Otto’s apartment.”
“Shit.” He paused for several seconds. “Do you happen to know who it is?”
“Dixie says it’s Ed.”
“Ed Reynolds? In Otto’s apartment?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you still there?”
“Yeah.”
“I need you and Dixie to go outside and wait for me, okay? I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Then he hung up.
I glanced up at Dixie and Bill, but Bill was filming again.
“Cale told us to wait outside.”
Bill followed us to the front door. I grabbed the hem of my dress and carefully turned the door handle, hoping I didn’t rub off any potential fingerprints.
We didn’t have to wait long. We’d barely had time to huddle into a small circle outside of the apartment, all of us shaken, before Cale’s cruiser sped into the parking lot. After he parked, he walked quickly toward us. He cast a glance from me to the partially open door.
“How’d you get in Otto’s apartment?”
“His sister gave us a key.”
He frowned. “I thought the sheriff’s deputy told her to stay out of it until they had a chance to come by.”
“I called her earlier to get permission, and she never mentioned it.”
“What did you touch inside?” he asked in a deadpan voice.
“Nothing,” I said. “Except for the door handle to get out. I grabbed it as lightly as possible with the hem of my dress.”
“Did you disturb the body at all?”
I cringed. “No. He’s behind the bathroom door. The door only partially opens.”
“And you think it’s Ed Reynolds?”
I glanced at Dixie.
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“This is important,” Cale said, holding my gaze. “Did you take anything out of the apartment?”
“No,” I said in surprise. “We smelled something dead as soon as we opened the front door, and I knew right away we shouldn’t touch anything.”
“And why didn’t you call me then?” he asked, getting irritated. “What on earth possessed you to go inside?”
“Because Luke was tied up with Deputy Dixon, and I know you’ve got your hands full with Ryker’s murder investigation. For all we knew, it was a dead cat. We would have called animal control for that.”
“Why were you here at all?” he asked, working up a snit.
I lifted my shoulders and stared him in the eye. “I’m investigatin’ a case, Cale Malone.”
“You’re not a real private investigator, Summer. Leave the investigatin’ to the professionals.”
I gasped in outrage. Sure, he was right, but he didn’t have to be so blunt about it. Besides, there was no denying I did have my license . . . qualified or not.
“How is it that Luke is lettin’ you do this anyway?” he asked.
That one loosened my tongue. “Excuse me? What in the hell makes you think Luke Montgomery has any say in what I do?”
He groaned and took a step to the side. “Oh, come on, Summer. It’s obvious to everyone you two still have a thing for each other, and he’s bein’ extra vigilant with anything to do with you. I’m surprised he’s not sittin’ in the parking lot, watchin’ you even as we speak. Why’d you call me instead of him? Did you two have another fight?”
“Because he’s meetin’ Deputy Dixon to look at my stalker’s van.”
Bewilderment filled his eyes. “What?”
“You haven’t talked to him?”
He looked unsettled. “No. What stalker?”
“He probably didn’t have time to call you,” I said as my anger faded slightly. “It all just happened over the last hour or so.” I gave him a quick explanation.
He shook his head. “Jesus. You sure do have a way of courtin’ trouble.”
“Gee . . . thanks.”
“Say, I wanted to apologize for asking you to keep that secret for me. I know you told Luke, and I want you to know that I’m not holding a grudge.”
“Cale . . . I’m sorry. It seemed kind of important.”
“No big deal.”
Bill shifted his weight, looking anxious. “If we’re gonna get to our location on time, we need to get going.”
“Can we go, Cale?” Dixie asked, looking only slightly better.
“Yeah,” Cale said, motioning toward the parking lot. “If I have any questions, I know where to find you.”
When we got to the parking lot, Bill put his camera into his car. “Who do you think killed all these guys? Three dead men in a matter of days. This town seems pretty small for that many deaths.”
I thought about my conversation with Teddy the night before. “Teddy told me to be careful. That something was brewing.” I hesitated, then added, “He told me to stay away from Luke.”
“Why?” Bill asked.
“Teddy and Luke haven’t gotten along since Summer left town,” Dixie said. “But now Teddy hates Luke after . . . the fire.”
“What fire?” Bill asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “But I think this is more than bad blood between the two.” I caught Dixie’s gaze. “I think it has something to do with Ryker.”
Dixie’s eyes flew open. “Ryker?”
“I don’t know what. All I know is that he’s nervous.”
Dixie’s breath came in short pants.
“This doesn’t leave this group, understood?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Bill said. “I’m not telling anyone.”
“Dixie?”
“Yeah,” she said absently.
“Okay, then, let’s go. We still need to change.” I glanced up at Otto’s apartment, surprised to see Cale still watching us. He gave a wave then went inside.
Did he think I had something to with Ed’s murder? Why had he been so intent on asking if we’d taken anything out of the apartment?
It only took Luke two hours to turn up at the haunted house.
Dixie and I were filming a scene with a paranormal investigator Lauren had brought in from Asheville, North Carolina.
“Lauren couldn’t find a closer one?” Dixie had asked after we were introduced. “Sissy Trotta claims to see ghosts all the time.”
Karen leaned in and whispered, “But Piper Lancaster has a one hundred percent success rate. Plus, she’s young and pretty. People would rather see her than some eighty-year-old bag of bones.” She paused. “And she’s doing it for next to nothing.”
“Hmm . . . ,” I murmured.
Piper seemed too normal to be a ghost hunter. I would have expected Lauren to go for someone more flamboyant. And maybe Lauren had expected her to be that way, because she started giving Piper a pep talk after our second take, telling her to show more energy and demonstrating with big, sweeping hand gestures.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Luke standing in the doorway. We’d just finished shooting the scene, so I had no idea how long he’d been standing there, but the expression on his face suggested he was vacillating between concern and irritation.
Obviously he’d heard about us finding Ed Reynolds.
Watching him now, I couldn’t believe Luke could be as dangerous to me as Teddy had insinuated. But I also couldn’t believe Teddy was linked in any way to Ryker’s or Otto’s deaths.
So were both men wrong, or was one of them right?
“Summer.”
“Luke.” I wanted to do more than just walk over to him, but we were surrounded by the crew and under Dixie’s watchful eye. Besides, I wasn’t sure whether his irritation or his concern would win out.
“Why didn’t you call me about finding Ed Reynolds in Otto’s apartment?”
Irritation it was. I crossed my arms over my chest. “You were busy.”
“You should have called me anyway.”
“I called Cale.”
Hurt filled his eyes, making me feel even worse.
“I stopped by the apartment and . . .” His eyes softened. “Finding two dead bodies within a matter of days. Are you okay?”
His concern had won out, and my heart melted just a little. “I’m fine. Mostly.”
“How are you feeling physically? You look better today.”
“I am.”
He glanced down at the ground and pushed out a breath. “Deputy Dixon and I looked at the van together. Sebastian Jenkins had his own little shrine to you in that van, and based on photos on his phone and his camera—and one we think is yours—he really has been watching you since you came to town.” He paused and looked up at me. “Summer, he was out at your farm. There are photos of you standing on the farmhouse front porch from the first night you got back into town.”
“How do you know it’s from the first night?”
His voice lowered. “I remember what you were wearin’. The blue in your shirt made your eyes look even bluer.”
I stared at him, dumbfounded that he remembered.
“We don’t have much to hold him on other than stealing Otto’s bike and your camera and refusing to pull over after he ran off. Jenkins lawyered up, and I’m certain he’s gonna get sprung at his arraignment tomorrow.”
My heart leaped into my throat. “You mean he gets to go free?”
“He’ll have a trial, but I’m positive the judge will let him post bail. The charges aren’t serious enough for him to withhold it.”
“So he can follow me again?”
“Not if you file a restraining order. Judge Waldo says he’ll see you today in his chambers and issue it tomorrow at the arraignment.” He paused. “You’ll be safe in Sweet Briar, Summer. He’ll be forced to stay a hundred feet away from you, but only in town. Once you leave the city limits, he’s free to do what he wants. And the judge says he’ll make sure Jenkins is aware your farm is also within city limits.”
“He’s comin’ in on a Sunday?”
“He thinks this is important enough to warrant it.”
“Okay,” I said, feeling nervous. Would Sebastian Jenkins really obey a restraining order?
“You need to go to the courthouse to see Judge Waldo at five. After this morning, I suspect Lauren will be eager to add more drama, so be sure to play it up to get her to let you go.”
“Good thinking. Thanks.”
He turned to leave, then spun back around, his jaw clenched. “Oh, and one more thing—your investigation into Otto Olson is done.”
“Say what?”
“Another dead man? You’re done. It’s too dangerous.” Then he turned around and walked to his car.
Seriously? He thought he could issue an order and I’d just obey?
“Can we bother you to join us, Summer?” Lauren asked from the doorway. “Or will you let us know when filming fits in with your schedule?”
I couldn’t wait until this show was finished.
I walked toward her. “Chief Montgomery came to tell me I need to go speak to Judge Waldo at five.”
“What in God’s name for?”
“I need to file a restraining order against Sebastian Jenkins, the guy who showed up this morning. Turns out he’s been following me since Karen brought me into town.”
Her eyes lit up with excitement.
I added, “He followed me out to the lake too. He was the one who took Otto’s bike.”
“Karen,” Lauren said, looking behind her, “you need to rearrange the shooting schedule for this afternoon. We’ll wrap up here with Piper, then we’ll all go by the courthouse.”
This was going to be a circus.
We shot the scene again, and Piper tried to play it more over the top, but she seemed to be more of the touchy-feely type than the woo-woo type. She told the owner she felt something disturbing in the house, but she couldn’t be sure if it was the spirit of a deceased person or the energy of her soon-to-be-ex-husband. Lauren shot several takes of Piper smudging the house with burning sage, and then Dixie and I promised to check on the owner’s husband.
We headed downtown after we finished.
The courthouse was uneventful—much to Lauren’s dismay. The judge refused both her request to film in his chambers and her request to interview him on camera, so Lauren made me sit outside the courthouse while she asked me questions about my stalker and what I knew about him.
“Are you living in fear?” Lauren asked.
“While it’s concerning that a troubled individual will possibly be in the area,” I said, “I trust the Sweet Briar police to take care of any adverse situations that might arise.”
“What the hell kind of answer is that?” Lauren snapped.
“What exactly do you want me to say, Lauren?” I asked with forced patience.
“Oh, I don’t know, Summer. Perhaps show a little emotion? Act a little scared? Be thankful that your boyfriend’s there to take care of you?”
“You want me to say I’m scared? Sure, I’m freaked out, especially since the guy’s getting out tomorrow. They gave me a restraining order, but how many times do those get broken? All the same, I don’t expect the Sweet Briar police to babysit me.”
“Do you think your boyfriend will insist on personally taking care of you?”
“If you’re referring to the police chief, we dated when we were in high school. We were kids. We’re adults now, and we’re not together.”
“Then why is he so interested in your well-being? He came to the hospital while you were still in the ER.”
“I’m sure Chief Montgomery would be concerned about any other citizen in his town.” I wasn’t going to admit to her that he was still interested in me.
“Then why does he keep showing up and checking on you?”
“I guess you’ll have to ask him.”
Lauren leaned forward and gave me pleading look. “You have to give me something, Summer. Tell me how it feels to come home and find out that your high school sweetheart still cares about you.”
I wanted to come back with some snappy retort, but instead my cheeks flushed.
Lauren smiled and mouthed, Perfect. Then she yelled “Cut” and told everyone to head back to the office. “Summer,” she added, “can I have a word.”
“Of course,” I said, bracing myself for her sharp tongue.
We moved a few feet away from everyone else. “Summer, I’m going to be frank,” she said with a grim face. “This show is crap.”
“Well, it’s no wonder,” I blurted out before I could stop myself. “It’s totally fake.”
Her brow lowered. “I don’t think you appreciate the situation. We’re in big trouble. If the first few episodes are awful and the ratings suck, they’ll cancel the rest. Then you won’t get paid the full amount, and I won’t get to move on.”
Well. Crap.