Page 46 of In Cold Blood (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #1)

T he tension was palpable.

Harry Carter was in the middle of pouring a pint when they entered.

He looked up and met Noah’s gaze. That same slimy smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Noah scanned the room. He went around the back and scanned the kitchen then shook his head.

All the while Harry observed them, still pouring.

“Officers. Two visits in one day. I feel special.”

“Where’s Dax Jameson?” Callie asked. Noah was doing his best to take a back seat but was biting at the bit to throw in his two cents.

“I’ll be right with you,” Harry said, taking his time finishing up. It was clear he was moving slowly on purpose. He motioned with a finger for them to follow him out back into a quieter area as they were drawing the attention of curious patrons.

He pushed through the double doors and led them to a small office, where he motioned for them to go inside. Once in, he closed the door behind him. “Please. Take a seat.”

The room was cramped. It held a desk covered with piles of paperwork, a Mac computer, and a coffee cup. The wall had a whiteboard showing a breakdown of shifts, who was on, and who had canceled.

“We’ll stand.”

Noah stood in front of the board. He noted that Dax was working on the Friday in question and it had him listed until two that evening.

“Okay. How can I help?”

“So, where is he?” Callie asked.

He pointed to the whiteboard. “Dax isn’t working today. Why?”

His gaze bounced between them. Noah couldn’t hold back.

“Why didn’t you tell us that Dax didn’t work until two on June 3?”

He shrugged. “Because you only asked about me.”

“He was the patron that night, wasn’t he?” Noah said.

“I’m sorry, I don’t follow.”

“The night my brother was called out to here. The night he died. Dax was the one who got into a fight with Cyrus. That’s why the patron wasn’t here and they never pressed charges.”

“I’m sorry, you must have it confused with a different night.”

Noah stepped forward. “Enough games. You sent him and Cyrus home.”

“Oh. Right. Of course. Yes. It slipped my mind. The focus that night was on Cyrus. Yes. Dax was involved. He came to Cyrus’ aid. He unfortunately was struck. But I can assure you, as I told your brother. It was a patron and they didn’t wish to press charges. We left it at that.”

“Well, we can clear that up. Where’s the video footage of that evening?”

Harry leaned back in his seat and tucked his hands into his jacket. “We no longer have it. We only keep it for twenty-four hours. No real need to keep it beyond that if nothing has happened. ”

“Yet something did.”

“It was resolved.”

“Of course it was.” Noah took another step forward in an intimidating manner. “And of course, because you hire criminals, I imagine they have a good reason to vouch for you.”

“I’m sorry?” He leaned forward.

“Like you being here until two in the morning.”

“I was and I don’t appreciate your accusing tone.” He turned toward Callie. “What the hell is this, deputy?” he said. “I have a good mind to speak with Sheriff Roberts.”

“Noah,” Callie said in a low voice.

Noah stared him down.

Callie continued. “Mr. Carter. Look, we are just trying to locate Dax. Do you know where he might be?”

He lifted his hands. “Try his phone.”

“We have.”

“Then how would I know? It’s not like I keep track of what my employees do on their days off.”

“Does that extend to Cyrus?” Noah asked.

Harry rose and made his way around, opening the door. “You know, I think we’re done here. I’m very busy and this conversation is over.”

Noah got close to him. “An employee of yours is dead. My brother is dead. We have a game warden’s body that has been found, and a BCI investigator in the hospital. It’s over when this investigation is over and not before.”

“Unfortunate but not my problem.”

“You better hope it’s not your problem. You see, I don’t know what game you’re playing here but let’s be clear, Mr. Carter. Secrets don’t stay secrets forever. Lies have a way of catching up with people.”

There was no fear in his eyes. No backdown. This was a man who was used to addressing law enforcement. He puffed out his chest. “Who the hell do you think you are coming in here and making these accusations? I want you off my property now. We are done!”

“We are done when I say we’re done! You want to play games. Try me.”

Noah felt Callie take his arm. She gave a tug leading him out as he glared at Harry. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Carter.”

Callie pressed Noah forward. He could feel the rage building inside. It wasn’t until they were outside and away from the building that Callie let loose.

“What the hell was that back there?” she yelled as she pointed toward the pub.

“That motherfucker is lying through his teeth.”

Callie squinted at him, shifting her weight from one foot to the next, looking off toward the road before locking eyes with him.

“What part of ‘take a back seat’ do you not understand?” She shook her head.

“This was not a good idea. One call to Roberts. That’s all it takes and they will pull your ass from this investigation. ”

“No, they won’t.”

“What?”

“This is a State investigation. The shooting of a cop. BCI oversees it. They want me here. Not Roberts. You heard him. They changed their mind. I don’t know why. Or who made that call but they did. And until they find a replacement, if they find one at all. I’m all you’ve got.”

“Well, then you better dial it back.”

“Or maybe you need to dial it up. When I came back, people told me things had changed in this town. By the way law enforcement is handling things, I can see why. There is a lack of respect.”

“Respect is a two-way street. Of all people you should know that. ”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I know about you and your father, Noah.”

“Has he been speaking to you?”

“It doesn’t matter.” She shook her head.

“Well, obviously it does. Go on. Say what you want to say.”

“Let’s just forget it. We need to find Dax and find out why your brother went out of his way that night and never logged it in his report.” She went to get back in her cruiser.

“I think I can answer that. Dax was his informant.”

Hand on her door, she frowned.

“I thought you knew,” Noah said.

“He never mentioned having an informant.”

Noah climbed into his Bronco. “By the sounds of it, he never said a lot. I guess he had trust issues.” He fired up the engine and headed back to the office to see if the tech guy had managed to get into his brother’s computer.

Callie contacted dispatch to notify patrol officers to be on the lookout for Dax.