“Give me as detailed a description as you can,” the detective prods her.
“He was about fifteen feet from me and my headlights illuminated him pretty well. Five-nine, maybe hundred and sixty pounds. Dark brown hair to shoulder, full beard and mustache. Jeans, black boots, and a long-sleeved dark t-shirt. Leather cut with an MC patch on the front that I couldn’t see all that well, but I saw a larger one on the back when he turned to run. Had a skull on the back. Oh, and he had a teardrop tattoo under his right eye, at least I’m pretty sure that’s what it was, but it all happened so fast. I’m not sure how much that helps.”
I stare at Lorelei, my mouth agape. How did she get all that in the few seconds she saw him? How in the hell did she see that tattoo when I was almost face to face with him and didn’t notice it. Or maybe I did notice it but it just didn’t register. Or perhaps it registered but I’ve forgotten it because I was more worried about not getting my throat slit.
Let’s face it… I’m practically useless at this eyewitness stuff. All I had was greasy hair and a preference for beer and hot dogs, which granted… if they had tracking dogs, they might be able to sniff him out based on that.
Detective Blanton nods as he types the information in, his mouth moving silently as he talks to himself at the same time. When he finishes, he looks up at me. “Did he say anything at all? Have a distinct accent? Anything else you can remember?”
Shit! He did talk to me and I didn’t even remember it until he asked. Absolutely fucking useless, and I’m thinking there’s even more I’ve forgotten and he’s going to need to interview me several more times to get the entire store.
I nod effusively. “He said he had orders, but that he was going to have fun first.”
“Orders?’ the detective asks with raised eyebrows, and Rand comes to a standstill. I can feel the shock and anger vibrating off him, but I don’t dare look. I know what he’s thinking.
“Yeah… he said something like ‘orders were clear’ but that he wanted to have some fun first,” I confirm.
“Son of a bitch,” Rand says as he comes to the same conclusion I just did.
“Did someone have motive to hurt you?” the cop asks as he looks at me but cuts a quick glance at Rand.
I nod, but Rand answers for me. “Her late husband’s oldest son, Kevin Vaughn. Cat’s owed some money from the estate and he’s claiming there’s another will cutting her out. We’ve asked for a signed copy and he was supposed to deliver it today, but he never showed.”
“What kind of money are we talking about?” the detective asks, now very interested in this turn of events.
“Five million and a house here in Jackson,” I provide.
“And what is the estate worth?” he asks.
I shrug. “I don’t know. Samuel was a billionaire. But a lot.”
“And you think five million out of a billion plus is worth killing you over?”
It’s a fair question and it’s something I’ve thought about to the extent I never understood why Kevin wouldn’t just let me have that. It was nominal in the grand scheme of things. “No, I don’t think that’s something that should cause someone to want to kill me,” I tell him with a measure of confusion. “But he kicked me out of my house, shut all my access to money off, claiming there was this new will that cut me out completely. He’s not been able to produce that, and he made an offer to buy me off a few days ago.”
“Buy you off?” Detective Blanton asks.
Squaring my shoulders, I tell him bluntly, “Five thousand dollars or I could move into the Jackson house and be his mistress.”
If this surprises the detective, he doesn’t let it show, merely bows his head over the iPad and notes that. He asks for contact info for Kevin as well as Richard, confirming where he can get up with me for more questions if needed and so he can keep me updated. With Lorelei and I both assuring him that’s all we can remember, he goes outside to oversee the other cops in searching around the house for evidence.
Rand walks up to me and holds his hand out. I take it, and he pulls me from the couch. “Come on, let’s get you upstairs, fed, and then ready for bed.”
I nod with a tired smile and turn to Lorelei as she stands from the love seat. “I know we haven’t been formally introduced, but thank you for saving my life tonight. And seriously… all that stuff you remembered about what he looked like… you, madam, are a fucking legend.”
She grins and leans in to give me a hug. “My pleasure. I’m just glad you’re okay.”