Kacey knew her killer.
I called Emma to come back from the shoreline and stood up from my thinking place. I dusted the sand off my hands and clicked Emma’s leash back on her collar. I needed to talk to Austin.
By the time I needed to leave for work, I hadn’t had any luck reaching him by phone. I packed my notebook in my tote and took off for town. If Austin was at his store, I’d stop in there and see if I could get a list of people who knew Kacey that well.
The bike rental shop was closed when I arrived. It looked like it hadn’t been open for a week, and it had a handwritten sign on the door apologizing for the closure due to a death in the family. Well, that and an almost arrest of the shop owner. I went around back to the door where I could walk up the three flights of stairs to Austin’s apartment.
I was a little winded when I reached the top floor, but that was probably due to the fact I’d run earlier, certainly not the donuts I’d had for breakfast and an early lunch. I knocked on the door. No answer. I knocked again. Nothing. Tempted, I tried to twist the doorknob. Locked. Defeated, I wrote a quick note and slipped it under his door. Hopefully he’d call me soon.
I started down the stairs and heard the door to the stairwell open. My luck was changing. I sped down the stairs to the second floor and stopped in my tracks. Amy was walking toward me.
“What are you doing in Austin’s apartment?” Her cold stare made me a little angry.
I leaned against the stair rail. “I wasn’t in his apartment, I was looking for him.”
“Sure, like you didn’t know your boyfriend carted him off to the station a few days ago.” Amy shook her head. “For the sake of our friendship, at least you could do me the favor of not lying to me.”
“I wasn’t lying.” My voice rose a little, and the words echoed in the stairwell. “Look, I thought he’d be home by now and I wanted to ask him some questions about people Kacey knew. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“So you’re snooping again. Does Greg know?” Amy’s eyes narrowed as she waited for my answer.
“No, he doesn’t. And he doesn’t need to know. I’m not doing anything wrong.” I felt my cheeks burn a little at that statement.
“Well, maybe we’ll just see what he thinks about that.” Amy put her key into the lock and disappeared into her apartment, slamming the door on me.
I stood at the door, shocked about what had just happened. I leaned closer to the door. “You just keep your nose out of things, Miss Amy. If you don’t, I’m sure there are a few things I can mention to Justin. Like how you turned on the GPS on his phone so you could find out where he went on his boys’ nights.”
The door flew open. “You said you wouldn’t tell him about that.” Amy’s eyes were wide and crazed. “You promised.”
“Then don’t be a tattletale to Greg.” I started down the stairs, then turned back, leaning against the stair rail. “We’ve known each other too long, and we both have a lot of ammunition in our arsenal. Can’t we just stop?”
“Whatever.” Amy closed the door again, this time a little quieter, but it still echoed in the empty stairwell.
I stood stock-still, suddenly realizing I might not ever get my friend back. Tears filled my eyes, but I wiped the back of my hand over them to keep the tears from falling. I wouldn’t cry. By the time I’d reached the shop, I’d kept that promise and now my emotional center bubbled like lava. Amy Newman was a self-centered egomaniac who could just disappear. I pushed through the front door and the bell clanged and the door slammed against a chair someone had left in the wrong place.
I picked up the chair and pushed it next to a table a few feet away. The table rocked with the force, and I had to steady it to keep it from falling over, too.
“Uh-oh. You’re steamed. Who got you riled up?” Toby waved me over to the counter. “Come over and tell Uncle Toby all about it.”
“Does that line work on anyone?” I went to the counter and put my purse on one stool and climbed up on another. “Pour me a double-shot mocha with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle.”
Toby glanced at the clock. “It’s already five, you sure you want a double-shot?”
I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to summon a superpower I didn’t possess. The one that kept people from saying stupid things. “Just do it.”
Toby held up his hands. “Fine, just don’t be blaming me when you can’t sleep tonight. I’ll be out on patrol and not even available to play rummy with you.”
A smile played on my lips, but I forced it away. “I don’t play rummy at night.”