Page 8 of Shadowed Witness (The Secrets of Kincaid #2)

Eric stood in the reception area outside Mayor Jennings’s office.

Before heading out for the night, the mayor’s secretary had told him Jennings was in a meeting and offered him a seat, but he preferred to stand.

The meeting must be going over. Eric’s appointment was supposed to start five minutes ago, but the mayor was a busy man.

He was just thankful he’d agreed to fit him in today.

A buzzing alerted him to an incoming call on his personal cell. He didn’t recognize the number, but it had a local area code, so he answered.

“Thornton.”

“Eric? It’s Allye J-Jessup. I just saw the guy who attacked me last night.”

He gripped his phone tighter. “Where are you? Did he see you?”

“No—at least, I don’t think so. I was taking photos at Kincaid Lake, but I’m almost to town now.”

“Tell me what happened.”

Tucking his phone between his shoulder and his ear, he withdrew his notebook and took down the details she gave him about what she’d overheard.

“So you didn’t actually see him?” he asked when she paused for a breath.

“Just his boots. But I know it was him. I recognized his voice.”

“Okay. Were they still there when you left?”

“I don’t know. I was afraid for them to see me, so I waited for them to leave the area before I returned to my car. And then I didn’t have signal, so I had to drive a couple miles before calling.”

So they were probably long gone or would be before someone could get out there. Unfortunate. “I’m about to conduct an interview. As soon as I’m finished, I’ll head over there and check out the area. Where exactly did everything happen?”

Keeping an eye on the mayor’s still-closed door, he jotted down the directions she gave him, then asked some clarifying questions. A few times during her responses, she paused awkwardly as if searching for the right word, but he didn’t comment on it.

He scanned his notes. “I think I have what I need for now. Where are you headed?”

“I hadn’t planned that far ahead. I was just trying to get out of there and get signal.” Although calmer than when she’d first called, she still seemed rattled. Understandable.

“Do me a favor. Go home. Lock your doors. Get some rest. You’ve dealt with a lot today.”

“You’ll check things out?”

“I will.”

Her relieved sigh came clearly across the line. “Okay.”

He raised his brows at her quick agreement. “Okay? Really?”

“I trust you. Good-bye, Eric. And thanks.” The line clicked softly in his ear before he had the chance to respond.

He lowered the phone but balanced it in his hand for a moment.

He wasn’t sure if that had been a hint of humor pushing through the exhaustion in Allye’s voice, but her words warmed him.

The feeling quickly faded. Whether she was right about her attacker or not, the conversation she’d just overheard clearly related to a drug deal.

Good news if he could use the information for a bust—which he doubted, based on the lack of many useful details.

Very, very bad news if the men involved realized Allye had overheard and was a potential witness.

And how had she gotten his number? Surely the station wouldn’t have given it out. Maybe from Bryce? That was probably it.

He clicked his pen a few times before sliding everything back into their respective pockets. Like he’d told Allye, he’d head to the park after he was finished here. If the mayor ever got out of his current meeting.

The mission statement mounted in large print on the opposite wall caught his eye. He’d already read it twice, but the first lines drew his attention again: To serve the citizens of Kincaid with excellence and integrity. To encourage job-creation and improve the average standard of living.

Allye’s report of the comment referencing the police force nagged at him. There was obviously another accomplice. Someone with connections? A dirty cop? Surely not.

The door to the office finally opened and local reporter Thomas Marshall stepped into the reception area, followed by Councilman Wesley Nieland.

“Eric! Or should I say Detective Thornton?” Wesley offered his hand as the reporter gave a quick wave and scurried outside. “Good to see you.”

“Councilman.” Eric returned the titled greeting and handshake with a smile.

“Everything going well?”

“Crime doesn’t end, but we’re doing our best.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. Sorry we cut into your time with Mayor Jennings.” Wesley half turned to nod toward the mayor, who now stood in the doorway.

“No problem. It was a last-minute appointment.”

“Well, you’d better get in there. Keep up the good work.” Wesley clapped him on the shoulder and headed down the hall that led to the various council members’ offices.

“Detective Thornton. Come on in.” Jennings beckoned him into the office, and Eric strode across the room to join him. He took the chair Jennings offered and readied his notebook and pen.

This was the first time he’d had reason to visit the mayor’s office, and he scanned the tastefully decorated room as the mayor filled two cups of water from a dispenser.

Framed newspaper clippings and certificates of achievement hung on the wall behind Jennings’s desk and on the wall to his right—all declaring ways the mayor had fulfilled his mission statement over the years he’d been in office. Even Eric was impressed.

“Sorry you had to wait.” The mayor handed Eric one of the cups, then settled into his chair.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk between them and steepling his fingers.

“Now, what can I help you with, Detective? Something about Allye Jessup’s fall, you said?

I’m surprised they put a detective on it. ”

Eric set the cup on the edge of the desk.

“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Mayor Jennings. I won’t keep you long.

I took the report from Officer Moore on last night’s incident and followed up with Allye Jessup today.

There are a few details I’m hoping you can clear up. Can I get your account of the events?”

“Of course. I was working late—campaign season, you know. About seven thirty, I heard a scream. I rushed outside and tried to determine the source. No one was immediately visible, so I glanced between the nearby buildings and spotted Allye at the foot of the steps leading to her studio. She was unconscious, which truly scared me. I realize I shouldn’t have moved her in case she’d been seriously injured, but I didn’t think of that in the moment—I just wanted to make sure she was okay.

I turned her over to check for obvious injury and confirm she had a pulse, then I tried to wake her up.

She came to quickly, but she was very upset, thinking someone was hurt and someone else had tried to kill her.

She must have hit her head pretty hard. I suggested she go to the emergency room, but she refused.

I barely convinced her to let me drive her home. ”

“You didn’t see anyone else around?”

“No. And I got out there pretty quickly. I think I would have at least heard someone running away if they’d been there.”

“Ms. Jessup is certain she was attacked.”

The mayor sat back and spread his hands. “I don’t see how that could be the case. But like I said, she apparently had a traumatic fall.”

“She also has bruising on her neck.”

“She mentioned her throat was sore,” Jennings admitted. “But I assumed it was either from her scream or perhaps from her purse strap. It was a large bag, and she was wearing it cross-body, so it could have twisted around when she fell.”

Eric shook his head. “I saw the bruises myself this morning. A purse strap alone couldn’t have made those marks. They’re consistent with strangulation.”

“Oh.” The mayor looked nonplussed. “That’s ... wow.” His phone buzzed on the desk, and when he reached for it, he bumped a five-by-seven frame with his elbow. The picture fell backward, revealing a family portrait of the mayor with his son and late wife.

Eric studied the image while the mayor responded to a message. The photo had to be at least five years old, before the family had been blindsided by Mrs. Jennings’s aggressive cancer. She still looked healthy here, and Liam, who was now in medical school, appeared to be around eighteen.

Mayor Jennings pocketed his phone and righted the photo. “Sorry about that, Detective. Urgent message from my campaign manager.”

“Not a problem.” He slipped back into interview mode. “So you didn’t see any marks on Allye’s neck last night?”

“No, I didn’t. But it was getting dark, and I could have overlooked them if they were there.”

Eric zeroed in on the mayor’s last words. “‘If they were there?’ Are you suggesting something might have happened after you took her home? Because the bruises are certainly there now.” If Allye was protecting someone, it was possible the attack had occurred later at her house.

“Of course—I’m not doubting what you saw.

And I really don’t mean to suggest anything.

” Jennings frowned and lifted a hand to his forehead.

“I just don’t know what to make of this situation.

I found her literally within a minute or two of hearing her scream, and there was no hint of anyone else nearby.

You know how quiet this part of town is at night. ”

Eric couldn’t deny that. With the exception of the newspaper office on deadline night, the businesses currently on the town square tended to follow banking hours. Even the outliers were usually closed by 6:00 p.m. By 6:30, the area was practically deserted on most evenings.

But that didn’t preclude the possibility of a crime occurring.

Nor did the mayor’s failure to hear anything else out of the ordinary.

The attacker could have retreated quietly or even hidden nearby until the coast was clear.

Harder to believe he’d been able to move a body so quickly and silently, but it still wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Or Allye might have actually fallen, and there was some other explanation for the bruising on her neck.

But what about the conversation she’d overheard today? He tapped his pen against the notebook. Should he bring that up to Jennings?

Normally, he wouldn’t divulge any more information than necessary during an interview, but Jennings was his boss, indirectly at least. And he knew Allye. Rumor around town was that the mayor was dating her mom and the relationship was getting serious. Might as well get his take on the matter.

“I agree the whole thing sounds a little off. But here’s another piece to the puzzle.

” He flipped back a couple of pages. “Allye says she was out taking pictures at the park today and saw her attacker again—overheard a drug deal and a phone conversation. She said he was talking about a mess-up needing to be fixed and the threat of police turning against someone.”

The mayor’s expression clouded. “Really? Does she know who he was talking about—or to?”

“No. But I don’t like the sound of it.”

“Neither do I. That’s ... concerning to say the least.” Jennings frowned. “Was anyone with her that could corroborate her story? Or did she get any photo evidence?”

“No, unfortunately. She was alone and afraid to show herself.”

“That is unfortunate. A photo would have been valuable proof.” Jennings thought a moment, then let out a sigh. “Listen, Detective. I would never doubt Allye’s word under normal circumstances...”

Normal circumstances? Eric left the question unspoken and waited for him to continue.

“But she seems to have been under a lot of stress or something lately. Her mother has been concerned about her. She says Allye’s been forgetting things, not acting like herself.

And with the knock on the head last night?

Perhaps she—” He shook his head and waved a hand dismissively.

“Forget I said all that. Surely she’s not imagining things.

And if you saw suspicious bruises...” He paused again.

“I’m sorry. I really don’t have an explanation for what’s going on.

All I know for sure is what I saw last night. ”

Eric glanced over the notes he had so far. He had a few new details, but everything matched what Moore had passed on from last night’s call. Jennings glanced at his watch. He needed to get back on track and wrap things up.

“So Ms. Jessup refused to go to the ER, then you took her home and called the station?”

“Yes. She was obviously in no condition to drive. I made sure she got safely inside, then I called the nonemergency line and asked for someone to evaluate things, maybe take a look around.”

“Even though you didn’t think anything had happened?”

The mayor shrugged. “I promised Allye I’d report it—that was the only way I convinced her to go home and rest. And I’m a man of my word.

I hated to use city resources on what was likely nothing, but with our low crime rate, I figured there would be someone who could spare a few minutes before the night was out.

And what if I was wrong and something really had occurred? ”

Eric held his gaze. “But you were convinced it hadn’t?”

“As much as I hate to say it, yes. The timing just doesn’t fit. And I can’t unsee finding her crumpled at the foot of the stairs—just like you’d expect if she’d fallen down them.”

“Fair enough.” Eric clicked his pen twice, then pocketed it. He stood, the mayor mirroring his movement, and offered his hand. “Thank you for your statement.”

Jennings gave him a firm handshake. “Thank you, Detective, for making sure Allye is taken care of. She’s the closest thing to a daughter I have. I don’t know what’s going on, but I trust you’ll figure things out.”

No pressure.

Eric inclined his head. “I will do my best, sir.”