Smoky Mountain Investigation (3 page)

Another chuckle. “No way.”

She hated to ask, but she did. “Any special someone in your life?”

When Nick paused, her heart gave an irrational thump. Her rotten day took another nosedive. Kylie picked up her drink and took a sip, feigning nonchalance. She wanted to be apathetic about Nick, distanced from the pain of a teenager’s broken heart. Whatever infatuation they’d shared had died along with Conrad. It was time to grow up and move—

“No one special,” he finally blurted.

Her heart danced in her chest. She looked up and caught him staring at her. His firm mouth twitched into a smile, deepening the glint in his rich dark eyes.

Heat rose up Kylie’s neck. She hoped he couldn’t read her mind. She managed a stiff smile. “Well, there’s still time. You’re not over-the-hill yet, either.” Crazy to even care.

Silence stretched between them.

She set down her cup and leaned a fraction closer, ready to change the conversation to something less personal. “Tell me about the army.”

“The army.” Nick smiled slightly. Settling back in his seat, he linked his hands behind his head. “Let’s see. I served ten years. During that time, I witnessed too much war, too much destruction and too much death.”

Images of recent news-broadcast footage assembled in Kylie’s mind. Her heartbeat stumbled. She couldn’t believe Nick had been in the middle of that. “Delta Forces, I hear. Pretty intense?”

He nodded his head. “Could be. Even brutal at times. But good came out of it. Lives were saved.”

Admiration for his commitment filled her chest. “Will you be going back?”

“Nope. I’ve done my time.”

Kylie smiled; she couldn’t help it. “Well, you’re quite the hero around here.”

“Hero.” Nick straightened in his chair. His jovial expression turned stormy. “Hero is the last thing I’ll ever be around here.”

* * *

“The story is yours, Kylie.” Max shifted his stance and pulled open the file drawer.

“But Doug Landers is ready to jump in.” Kylie fought off a sigh. “At the moment, I can’t even differentiate between facts and emotions.”

Max pulled several folders from the cabinet and shut the drawer with a clink. “Use it to your advantage. Make the story real. Passion, pain, every emotion will bleed through the pages and grip the readers.”

Great.
Kylie exhaled, blowing out slowly. “Reporters are supposed to be objective, Max, not part of the story. I’ll be happy to consult, edit Doug’s draft and even give an interview.”

“It’s yours, Kylie.” Max tossed the files on his desk. “Keep it real. Keep it fresh. Keep it coming. Hopefully, the madman will call again.”

“Uh, thanks. But once was plenty.”

“By the way, I contacted the Asheville police this morning. They’ve got some newsworthy facts waiting for you.”

“Wonderful.” Kylie turned and plodded out the door, praying for patience and a speedy resolution to this murder.

She headed outside and into the bright afternoon sunshine. Max was even crazier than usual. Hoping the killer would call again. She shivered at the thought.

Kylie was still wrestling with annoyance when she parked in front of the municipal building. She pulled her notepad from her satchel and got out of the car. Taking a deep breath, she hiked up her chin and squared her shoulders.
Okay.
She could do this. She segued into reporter mode, forcing her attention from all discomforting thoughts. If she had to do this assignment, she’d give it her best. She hiked her purse higher on her shoulder and walked into the building.

In the main lobby, she checked in with the clerk and wound her way down the first-floor hall, which teemed with attorneys and their clients, catching snatches of agitated conversation on her way to the elevator. She stepped in and punched the button to the fourth floor. The elevator started to rise, lurched, then ground to a halt. The lights blinked off.

Blackness filled Kylie’s view.
Okay.
She ordered herself to stay calm. She dug into her purse and captured her phone. With the touch of her finger the cell fired up. She used it as a light to locate the panel of buttons on the wall. She punched four. Nothing. Then she flipped the emergency switch. Same.

Drumming her fingers against the side of her thigh, she waited. Auxiliary power should kick on any moment. Several long moments passed.

She punched the floor button again. Gears screeched, the car rattled, no other movement.

If maintenance was affected by the recent city budget cuts, she was quickly becoming a proponent for higher taxes.

Kylie inhaled, the air already stuffy. She fumbled to punch 911 on her phone and held it to her ear. Silence.
No service.

With all the people in the building, maintenance had to have been notified by now. Reasonable thoughts, which rapidly deteriorated with each passing second.

“Anytime now.” She spoke to the emptiness around her.

Lights blinked on.

“Thank you.” She drew in a breath of relief.

The elevator edged up one floor before slamming to a halt, knocking Kylie off-balance. With arms flailing, she reached for the handrail to steady herself, but the car lurched again, the force so great that her feet went out from under her. She went down hard, her bare knees smashing into the floor. Darkness blinded her again.

Lord, I’m getting nervous here.
Kylie picked herself up. Clenching the handrail with one hand, she used the other to smooth her skirt.

Pain searing through her, she grabbed for a calming breath.

Music trickled into the car and broke the silence. Eerie and empty as the air around her.

Her heartbeat picked up. For a breathless second, the horror of the previous night suffocated all logic.
Never more than a heartbeat away...

The caller’s words ripped through her mind. Panic bottled in her chest, making it hard to breathe. Was he close by? Could he be watching her?

Calm down.
She forced her breathing to slow. She’d watched too many old episodes of
The Twilight Zone
with her sister.

A jolt, then emergency lights flickered on, casting a dull glow around her. The elevator started to rise, steadily ascending, passing the third floor, then the fourth. Kylie stared at the glowing numbers, willing the car to stop. It didn’t matter where, she was getting off.

Halfway between the fifth and sixth floors, the elevator stalled.

Patience evaporated, Kylie slammed her fingers into the buttons on the panel. The elevator inched upward.

Please, Lord, help me get out of here.

She pressed her back into the corner of the car, bracing herself and whispering prayers as her fingers white-knuckled the wooden handrail. She held her breath. A second passed. A pulley squealed. The elevator made a rapid descent, whizzing down the shaft. She closed her eyes, teeth gritted, her pulse thumping steadily in her ears.

Just when she thought all hope was gone, the car stopped and bounced. A scream caught in her throat, shock and fear rising as she lurched forward.

For a frozen moment, Kylie regained her breath and flipped the emergency switch again. Lights flashed for a half second before darkness shrouded her.

“Help!” She startled at the shrill echo of her voice.

Stay calm.
Short breaths billowed from her lungs. One moment. Two—not working. “Help me!” She pounded on the wall. “Somebody get me out of here!”

Lights flickered on. The elevator started to ascend. She slumped against the wall again and watched as the blinking numbers above the door rose. Two. Three. Four. The lumbering machine finally ground to a jittery stop. As the heavy doors screeched open, she burst out and collided with a broad uniformed chest.

After a stunned moment, Kylie grasped the situation. She inched back and lifted her gaze. A pair of amused blue eyes stared back at her.

“Hello, Kylie. Are you okay?”

“The elevator.” She gestured behind her before slapping a trembling hand against her rapidly beating chest. “I was trapped. No lights. The elevator stalled, then fell—” She ran out of breath before finishing.

A wrinkle formed between Detective Dave Michelson’s eyes. “Security called about someone stuck between floors. You must have been the one screaming.”

Several other officers stood around him. With shrugs and mumbles, the group dispersed.

Half embarrassed, half relieved, Kylie nodded, and a breath flitted between her teeth.

“I’ve never been trapped in an elevator before,” she mumbled, for a lack of anything better to say.

“It happens sometimes.” Dave scratched beside his nose. “Probably just an electrical malfunction. The maintenance crew is already looking into it.”

Just a malfunction?
She forced a nod, her heart still racing.

The day was not shaping up as she’d hoped.

THREE

I
nside the municipal building, Nick trekked up the last flight of stairs and stepped onto the fourth floor. As he wandered down the hall toward the police department, the sound of a woman’s anxious tone quickened his steps.

A few weeks ago, he’d left the military and vowed to leave his training behind, live a peaceful life and mind his own business.

Too late. His heart rate sped up and his thoughts churned into full investigative mode.

He rounded the corner, his rapid steps heavy against the wood floor as he entered the elevator lobby. To his surprise, Kylie stood in plain view in front of the elevator. Her glossy dark hair, tied in a ponytail, bounced against her slender neck as she pivoted to look at him.

“Nick.”

He wagged his brows. “We have to stop meeting like this.”

An uncertain smile quivered up at him. An unexpected heat filled his chest. She was getting to him, all right.

“Nick Bentley,” the tall, burly officer greeted him, redirecting his thoughts.

Nick shook Dave’s outstretched hand. “It’s been a while, Dave. Hope you’re doing well.”

“Just fine.” Dave canted his head toward Kylie. “I wish I could say the same for her.”

Nick met Kylie’s concerned gaze. “Still a little unnerved about last night?”

She half nodded and then shrugged. “You could say that. Add a heart-racing ride in a possessed elevator and, well...my nerves haven’t settled quite yet.”

“So you were the one stuck in the elevator?”

She bobbed her head, looking dismayed. “Yes, I was. And I wouldn’t recommend a ride like that to anyone.”

He gave a slight chuckle. “Are you okay?”

She pushed hair from her face. “A little frazzled, but fine.”

“I can understand you being on edge after last night’s events. I’ve had a tough time getting the murder off my mind. I came by this morning in hopes of gathering a few details. Apparently you did also.”

“Yes. Sorry to say.”

“Another article?”

Kylie answered his question with a tight smile.

Curiosity brightened Dave’s expression. “Nick, you’re in law enforcement, aren’t you? Part of the military police?”

“Something like that.”

“Delta Force. The army’s most elite top secret task force,” Kylie put in.

Nick still couldn’t believe Kylie had kept up with him. A wave of guilt tightened his chest. To think how hard he had worked to forget this town...and her.

Dave nodded. “You sound like a good resource to have around here. Small town or not, the department stays busy, but mostly due to being understaffed. I’m chief investigator, with only three on my staff. If you have time, any input would be appreciated. We’re not too well versed on murders of this caliber.”

“I don’t know about that.” Nick waved off the compliment. “I’m sure you guys are more than capable, but I’ll be happy to take a look at any evidence you have.”

Dave ushered them into a corner office under the speculative gazes of other law-enforcement personnel.

Nick took a seat beside Kylie. Dave shut the glass door and joined them at the table.

“So, what do you know so far about our John Doe?” Kylie started, flipping open her notepad.

Dave folded his thick fingers on the marred wooden table. “The forensics team is working on the details. What we do know is that robbery wasn’t the motive. The victim’s wallet was discovered in some bushes a block from the homeless shelter on Oakmont. There were eighty-eight dollars in it, along with his ID and Social Security card.”

Nick figured as much. “So who was this unlucky person?”

Dave adjusted his bulky frame in his seat and canted his head. “The victim was Robert Tucker. He lived at the shelter. Showed up here about a month ago. No one there knows much about him. He pretty much kept to himself.”

“Anyone see him the day of the murder?” Nick sorted through some pictures of the victim on the table.

“Actually, earlier in the day Tucker was in an altercation with another patron of the shelter and he was asked to leave.”

Kylie stopped writing and glanced up from her notes. “Do you consider the man Tucker had the altercation with a suspect?”

Dave gave a firm shake of his head. “No, we’ve already ruled him out. He ended up in the hospital with a broken arm and head fracture and is still there.”

“Nice guy, Tucker was.” Nick gave a low whistle.

“Did Tucker have any issues with anyone else at the shelter?” Kylie scratched her temple with the end of her pen.

Dave shrugged. “At the moment we don’t have those details.”

A lump formed in Nick’s throat. His hope for a quick resolution to this case slipped away. “Do you have any suspects at the moment?”

“No. That’s something we’re working on.” A flat coolness blanketed Dave’s tone.

If Nick hadn’t known Dave, he would have thought years on the force had made him callous. A coping strategy Nick had seen often. Hardened to the tragedies of others. One of the reasons he’d left.

“Does anyone at the shelter have information on Tucker’s family members, distant or local?” Kylie’s hopeful tone escalated a bit.

A shrug from Dave. “Not that I’m aware.”

Kylie noted a couple more details on her pad.

Nick’s mind raced with questions. But only one seemed pertinent. “The victim was bleeding from a wound on the neck, correct?”