Alibi (Brantley Walker Off the Books #5) - Nicole Edwards Page 0,18

It would alert other departments so they could assist in locating the vehicle.

Glancing back at Kylie’s sister and the other family members who remained—most had already left for the hospital—JJ recalled the day she’d found her brother. It hadn’t been a traumatic incident like this. She’d found him in his bedroom on his bed. She hadn’t realized he was dead at the time, rather noticing he looked peaceful in sleep. Of course, she’d yelled at him because that was what she’d done back then. It had been the last time she’d ever spoken to him, but unfortunately, he hadn’t heard her.

Swallowing back the emotions she preferred not to dredge up, JJ turned to Baz. “Whatever Brantley needs.”

With a hand on her back, he guided her toward his truck just as he’d done so many times. She’d always thought of it as a possessive gesture, one she found oddly intriguing. When he’d done it before, it had made her feel good knowing he wanted her that way. Now it just felt awkward.

Once they were in the truck and on the road, Baz turned something on just beneath his dash.

When radio calls sounded, she looked at him. “Is that a police scanner?”

He nodded, then turned it up.

JJ’s eyes widened when she heard what they were saying. Someone had located a ’65 blue Mustang with front end damage at a motel just down the road.

“That’s half a mile from here,” she told Baz. “Turn around.”

“JJ…”

“Turn around, Baz,” she demanded. “We can’t do anything at the hospital that’ll benefit anyone. At least this way there’s a chance we might find that bitch.”

“In case you don’t remember, we don’t have badges anymore.”

“So?” She glared at him. “I’ve never had a badge before and it hasn’t stopped me. Just turn around.”

He grunted, but then pulled a U-ey, heading east rather than west toward the hospital.

The radio had gone silent, but JJ held out hope that they’d found Juliet Prince and were taking her into custody.

She fought the urge to push her foot to the floor on the pretend gas pedal that would get them to their destination faster. But as they approached the single-story motel with its rust-stained stucco and threadbare shingles, she leaned toward the windshield, as though that would help her see better. In the parking lot, she noticed a single police car and two officers speaking to a very animated young woman.

JJ wanted to know what the woman was saying.

“Pull in here,” she snapped. “By the Coke machine.”

Baz swung into a spot and hit the brakes, forcing JJ to put her hand on the dash to avoid a head-on collision. She glared at him as she unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed her wallet. She hopped out and strolled to the machine, listening as best she could to see if she could pick up anything.

“She came right in the office and stole my keys,” the woman was complaining. “That’s her beat-up piece of crap behind the building.”

“Was she staying here?” one of the officers asked.

“Room one-oh-four.”

JJ looked over at the door beside her. One-oh-four.

She peered back at Baz, then to the officers. It took a second, but she bought a Coke, then took it to the driver’s side of Baz’s truck. He was frowning at her as he lowered the window.

“Juliet Prince was stayin’ in that room,” she muttered, nodding in the direction of the door.

“She’s not in there,” he said quickly.

“Well, duh.” JJ hadn’t figured she was. “But what if she left her stuff behind?”

“Why would she do that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she just ran over a woman and was runnin’ from the police. She did steal that woman’s car.”

Baz leaned toward her. “JJ, we don’t know that this was Juliet Prince.”

Again, she glared at him. “Don’t be an idiot, Baz. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this shit out. But I’m startin’ to worry about your detective skills. I think they’re a little rusty.”

That was enough to get a rise out of him.

“What do you want me to do?” he asked, his voice grumbly with his irritation.

“Distract the cops.”

His eyebrows shot skyward. “Distract them? And how do you propose I do that?”

“Well, you were a cop once. Figure it out.”

He opened the door, stepped out. “And while I do that, what’re you gonna do?”

She nodded toward the room. “I’m gonna see if she left anything behind.”

Baz shook his head. “No, ma’am, you’re gonna get—”

JJ got closer, went up on her toes so they were almost eye to eye. “Distract