Page 91 of Zero Divergence
He told the chief what happened, not leaving any detail out. He didn’t care if the chief thought it was odd Royce was having dinner with him and his family. Keeping their relationship secret was the last thing on Sawyer’s mind.
“Units are on their way to his house, and I’m heading there myself,” Mendoza said. “I’m only a few minutes away.”
“I’m on my way,” Sawyer said, breathing through his rising panic.
“Just stay on the phone with me,” Mendoza said.
“Yes, sir.”
Mendoza kept Sawyer talking by making him account for Royce’s day, which prevented his mind from imagining every worst-case scenario. It was a miracle he didn’t get pulled over as he broke every speed limit and traffic law on his way to Royce’s house.
“I’m here,” Mendoza said. “Two patrol cars are here but Locke’s car isn’t.” That did not make Sawyer feel better.
“I’m two blocks away,” Sawyer said. He disconnected the call once Royce’s house came into view.
He screeched to a halt, threw the car in park, and killed the engine. Mendoza met him halfway up the driveway. “We have shattered pieces of black plastic and glass in the driveway.”
“His cell phone,” Sawyer said. “Humphries probably smashed it so we couldn’t track it.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Mendoza cautioned. “Maybe Royce hadn’t arrived here yet. Officer Dwyer is checking to see if he was involved in a car accident. Maybe you heard the tail end of it when the airbag went off or something. It could’ve knocked him unconscious. I’ve sent Steinman and Riggins to canvass the neighborhood.”
Sawyer knew his life had turned to pure chaos when he found himself hoping his boyfriend was knocked out by an airbag instead of abducted by a serial killer. “There’s one quick way to find out,” he said, holding up the Duke key on his chain. It was the first opportunity he’d had to use it since Royce gave it to him.
Mendoza said nothing as he followed Sawyer up the driveway. He unlocked the door and pushed it open. The first thing Sawyer noticed was the white Marine Corp hat sitting next to a colorful piece of fabric on the table next to the door. What the fuck was that doing there? Then he took in the massive pile of mail.
“Locke doesn’t spend a lot of time here, huh?” Mendoza said when he noticed it.
Instead of answering him, Sawyer said, “There was no weight against the door or sounds of paper scraping against the floor, so he’s been here already.”
“We don’t know for sure it was this evening,” Mendoza countered. Sawyer understood what the chief was trying to do, but it made him want to hurl things.
“I know another way,” Sawyer said, then headed toward the master bedroom. Mendoza didn’t remark about Sawyer knowing where it was, but it was impossible he hadn’t noticed. The man didn’t reach the rank of chief without being damned observant.
The tiled walls in the shower were wet, and the scent of Royce’s body wash was strong in the air. He pointed to the soaked clothes hanging over the shower curtain rod. “He’s been here.”
Suddenly the white dress hat by the front door made sense. Royce had grabbed it to surprise Sawyer. Why had he set it down by the door, then? To pick up the mail? Leaving it there was uncharacteristic of Royce. His brief time in the Marine Corp had a lasting impact on his tidiness. Sure, he was in a hurry and might’ve been nervous about the family dinner, but something had made him pause and set the hat down. Had he planned to pick up all the mail or had a specific item caught his eye?
Sawyer darted out of the room and headed into the kitchen. There on the countertop was a piece of clear tape with remnants of a manilla envelope stuck to it. The picture was becoming clearer in Sawyer’s mind, but it didn’t bring him comfort.
Gesturing to the tape, Sawyer said, “I think Vivian Gross mailed the evidence she had on Humphries to Royce’s house. It would’ve been easy enough for her to find his home address, and she would’ve had no idea he hasn’t lived here in months.”
Mendoza’s brow furrowed, but he listened without interruption as Sawyer explained his theory. “You think Humphries was following Royce and struck when he got the chance?”
“I think someone knew the evidence existed and silenced Vivian. We had assumed the killer stole it along with Vivian’s briefcase and Humphries’s file. What if Vivian mailed it off before Bonita Brothers got to her?”
“That’s a big assumption, Detective,” Mendoza said calmly, but Sawyer saw the spark in the man’s dark eyes. “If your theory is right, Bonita, Humphries, or both, have been trying to track down this information.”
“No one would’ve predicted Vivian turning to Royce for help after her scathing remarks to the media,” Sawyer added. “They were getting desperate.” His blood chilled at the thought. If he was right, Humphries had the evidence and Royce.
“Chief,” Officer Steinman said, rushing through the front door. “A patrol car responding as backup spotted Bonita Brothers’s car abandoned three blocks away.”
“She was lying in wait,” Sawyer said. “She knocked him out, then drove him off in his car.” He couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t smoke restricting his airway this time; it was fear.
Mendoza nudged Sawyer toward the front door, breaking the hold that panic had on him. “Steinman, you stay here and keep the premises secured. Let’s go see if Bonita’s car can give us clues to where she’s been hiding.”
“We’ll need a warrant to search it,” Sawyer said.
“Not to look through the windows,” Mendoza countered.