Read Online Dear Killer (Marley Clark Mysteries) by Linda Lovely - Free Book Online Page B

inside.
Unwilling to leave Sammie and Amy sitting unprotected in the car while I dealt
with the Cuthbert boys, I stopped by the security gate and requested another
patrol car to ferry the girls home.
    “Ask whoever plays chauffeur to make sure a responsible
adult answers the door,” I added. “Have him tell the parents to expect a call
from me.”
    My fervent hope? That the chief wouldn’t answer the knock at
the Dixon door. Sammie and her mom lived with my boss, who’d want to tear the
twins limb from limb for corrupting his granddaughter.
    I wanted the Cuthbert boys locked within their mansion
before Chief Dixon heard about tonight’s activities.
    ***
    On the ride home, the boys turned uncharacteristically
quiet. I marched them to the front of their modern-day castle and rang the
bell. I expected a long wait while Grace and/or her boyfriend Hugh gained
consciousness. The door ripped open instantly.
    Though it was three in the morning, Hugh was dressed like
Batman. Black leather pants, a black long-sleeved silk tee, and shiny black
boots comprised his kick-ass stealth ensemble. His hair was slicked back with
goop. Either he’d just doused himself with cologne or his fragrance-of-choice
had more holding power than a pissed-off skunk.
    “What?” Hugh barked, eyeing my delinquent charges.
    “I found the boys in a clearing at Beach West. We have a midnight curfew for children under eighteen. But that’s not the biggie. They were
drinking, smoking pot, carrying a weapon, and had twelve-year-old girls in tow.
They coaxed those girls into the woods in the middle of the night while there’s
a murderer at large. I want to talk with their mother. Now.”
    “Get in here,” he yelled at the boys. They moved, but behind
his back they choreographed mocking gestures.
    “Would you please get Grace?” I asked again.
    “Afraid that’s impossible,” he said. “Her health is fragile.
She’s on medication. No way I could wake her. Even if I could, she’d be groggy.
Tell you what, I’ll catch her up when she comes to. You come back, say,
five-thirty tomorrow afternoon. Believe me, Henry and Jared won’t cause more
trouble,” he added. “I’ll sit on the runt bastards. I don’t mean to be rude,
but I’m expecting a call. Doin’ business in another time zone. Goodnight.”
    The door shut in my face before I could suck in a breath to
protest. Though angry enough to bang on the door, I figured Hugh spoke the
truth: Grace would be blotto. Odds were good the boys would stay put the rest
of the night. Tomorrow was plenty soon for a roundtable with this dysfunctional
crew. By then Chief Dixon would have cooled down sufficiently to join the
party.
    The radio crackled as soon as my car cleared the Cuthberts’
drive.
    “Marley,” Chief Dixon’s voice boomed through the speaker.
“What the hell are you doing? Do you still have those pissants in your car? Are
you at the Cuthberts? I’m coming over.”
    It took a few minutes to calm my irate chief. Told him he’d
have ample opportunity to kick butt at tomorrow’s conference.
    Before hanging up, I reminded him of my off-island plans for
the morning. “But, don’t worry, I’ll be in your office by four-thirty.”
    ***
    The next hour of my night shift proved routine. Making a
second swing by the Cuthbert estate, I drove to the end of Dear Drive and
parked in the cul-de-sac overlooking Mad Inlet. The thready sound of a small
outboard floated across the water.
    Island skippers seldom ventured out so early. Had the
Cuthbert twins taken their gangsta act on the water?
    A small skiff headed toward open ocean. Beyond Dear’s
sandbars, it could go anywhere—Hilton Head, Fripp Island, Wilderness Point Park.
All were within easy reach when the ocean was calm, as it was tonight. A sliver
of cloud-shrouded moon revealed only a blotchy silhouette on the dark water. It
was impossible to tell if the boat carried more than one person.
    Waves from the wake slapped at nearby pilings. The