Last Girls Alive (Detective Katie Scott #4) - Jennifer Chase Page 0,23
the rain they had received made the landscape pop.
“Eleven eighty-eight, where are you…” she muttered to herself and glanced at the tiny piece of paper with the neatly printed address once again. No explanation. No other notes of direction. Just the address. Even her GPS wasn’t any help.
Katie drove the police sedan around the block again. “What am I missing?” she grumbled. “There’s eleven eighty-six and eleven ninety… where’s…” That’s when she saw it. A small yellow house tucked back behind two towering trees down a single long driveway. It had climbing vines and two large lemon trees.
She parked her vehicle on the street and got out.
Small stepping stones ran along the side of the drive leading up to a detached single-car garage. The instant aroma of orange blossoms and another sweeter smell filled the air—even though it was late in the season. It reminded Katie of long summers when she was young—before going back to school.
There was a pounding noise coming from inside the small house—like a tool hitting a pipe. Rhythmic and constant. The closer she came to the front door the louder it became.
The front door was wide open.
“Hello?” she said.
“In here,” came the reply.
“Where?” she laughed and stepped inside.
“Here.”
The tiny cottage had a nice-size living room filled with moving boxes, and she spied where there were most likely two bedrooms and a small bath between them.
“I thought you were a detective,” the muffled voice said from another area.
“Just clearing the other rooms first…”
Katie turned to the left and around a corner, finding herself in the small kitchen. White cabinets, a half-size refrigerator, a small butcher block island, and two long countertops rounded out the area. From underneath the sink two legs and part of a torso were visible, the banging sounds continuing.
“What, are you a plumber now?” she said.
The man pushed himself free from under the sink. Chad was still wearing his Pine Valley Fire Department uniform. “What took you so long?” he said.
“This isn’t the easiest place to find.”
He stood up, his sparkling blue eyes fixed on her. “What do you think of the place?”
“I… I like it. It’s cozy.” She didn’t know what else to say. It was tiny, but there was definitely a significant amount of charm.
“Yeah, I know. Small, but affordable. After I do some repairs, I’ll be able to flip it and get something bigger. But for now…” He gently pushed Katie backward and planted a long kiss on her lips.
“Is that your Chad hello?” she giggled.
“Is that your gun?” he countered with a sly expression.
“Sorry, the gun and badge are a part of the package.”
“It’s nice to see you,” he said and kissed her again. “Really nice.”
“I thought we were having dinner. This doesn’t look cook friendly yet.”
“How does pizza and wine sound?”
“That sounds great.”
“Great.” He retrieved his cell phone.
“Oh, I almost forgot.”
“What?” he said.
Katie smiled genuinely and said, “Congratulations on your new house.”
As they relaxed on the sofa eating their favorite combination pizza and sipping a nice red wine, Katie felt relaxed. It was the first time in a couple of days that she’d taken a breath and didn’t feel rushed, stressed, or ready for something unexpected to jump out at her.
Chad studied Katie and said, “What’s up?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve known you long enough to know when something is bothering you.”
Katie chuckled. She had always loved Chad, even when she didn’t know it herself. Growing up with such a great friend through happy and terrible times was something that she had cherished. She sighed.
“I heard about that girl’s body found at Elm Hill Mansion. I figured it was going to be your case,” he said, waiting patiently for her.
“Yep, you guessed correct. It was already one of my cold cases, actually—that’s why it’s our case. It’s actually more complicated than that.”
“Sounds fair enough.”
Katie took another drink of wine and paused. “Yes, but I can’t help but feel that I’m stepping on toes…”
“Why? Hamilton again?” He had known that Hamilton was the detective in charge of Katie’s aunt’s murder case.
“Yes, but…”
“But what?” he said and moved closer to her.
“There’s a new superior that will be watching me… it’s so…”
“Annoying?”
“I was going to say disheartening… I know that the cold-case unit is new, and that I’m still considered a rookie in some ways, but this new undersheriff definitely has her eye on me.”
“Her,” he said. “Oh, I get it. A little competition.”
“No, it’s not like that. I just got the feeling that she wants something, that she’s going to try