Rason & Eliza - Cee Bowerman Page 0,26

she’s scheming. I’d like to hope she’s with her parents or something, but this doesn’t look good.”

“I’m looking out the front window and I don’t see anyone moving around. The door is open and all the lights are on.”

“I’ll call the cops and wait for them to get here just in case someone’s inside.”

I hung up the phone and hit the steering wheel so hard that it sent a jolt of pain up my arm. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down while I dialed 911. Once I’d reported that there might be an intruder in my house, the dispatcher kept me on the phone asking questions. I told her to please get in touch with Cpl. Bragg or Officer Vanover because I had two open cases with them already. She told me they were on duty and she’d dispatch them to my house immediately.

I waited patiently while she asked me more questions and finally saw a patrol car coming up the street with its lights off. It stopped two doors down from my house on the opposite side from where I was parked, and an officer got out and walked across the grass toward my porch. Another patrol car pulled up and I recognized Cpl. Bragg when he got out.

He walked up to the first officer who’d arrived, and they talked for a second before Cpl. Bragg walked down the side of my house to the backyard. I’d told the dispatcher where I was parked, and after a few minutes, Cpl. Bragg walked out onto my porch and motioned me closer. I pulled up and parked in my driveway and got out just as he walked up to speak to me.

“Well, someone was obviously in your house. Nobody’s there now, but there is one hell of a mess. I’ve got a detective on his way now to take a statement from you, and there’s some technicians headed over to take pictures and see if there are any prints they can use.”

“Fuck.”

“Deciphering which prints are recent and which are older might be a problem if you’re thinking this is Ms. Lomeli. I know she was set to go home from the hospital today.”

“She’s never been inside my house.” I sighed. “At least not before today.”

“We’ll see what they find. I know you and I both believe it was her, but until we get some concrete proof, it’s all speculation. I can say that whoever trashed your place was pissed. It was not rifling through your stuff to find something; it was to destroy things.”

“Every room?”

“Just the living room, the master bedroom, and the back porch, oddly enough. The rest of the house is untouched.”

“Can I go in?”

“No.” He shook his head.

“Can I go sit on my neighbor's porch and have a beer while I kick myself for asking her out in the first place?”

He chuckled. “Have a few. You’re going to need liquid courage to face that mess.”

I walked across the street and Atlas came out onto the porch.

“Someone broke in?” he asked.

“Yeah.” I sighed. “They trashed the place and now they’ve got to get fingerprints and evidence before I can go in and clean up the mess.”

“How did she get in?”

I just shook my head and shrugged. I hoped the cops could figure it out.

“You want to stay out here or go inside?”

“I’ll stay out here, if you don’t mind.”

“I’ll go and grab us some beers.”

“Thanks.”

I pulled my new phone out of my pocket and dialed Daughtry’s number. It was almost 10:00 and I hoped he’d still be awake.

“Talk to me,” Daughtry answered. I could hear background noise and people talking.

“I’m sitting on Atlas and Jazmyne’s front porch because while I was out at Mom and Dad’s house today, someone broke in and trashed my house. Cops are here and they’ll probably take a while getting fingerprints and stuff.”

“Shit, man,” Daughtry commiserated. “Is there anything I can do?”

“I don’t think so. I just wanted to call you because I might be late tomorrow. There’s no telling how long this will take.”

“Was it Two Face?”

“Who?”

“Well, her name may be Robin, but she’s damn sure not one of the good guys. She’s crazy but can come off as normal, so I call her Two Face.”

“Are you talking Batman at me right now?”

“Sorry.” Daughtry sighed. “These damn kids have gotten me into these comic books and I’m thinking in superhero speak most of the time now.”

I smiled because I knew Daughtry was loving every minute of it, and his