Finding Shayla Read online

  “That would be great. Be at the station at nine o’clock tomorrow and I’ll have people to help you out.”

  “Thank you, sir. I’ll be there.”

  She left then, went home, and crawled into bed. She felt horrible, and it wasn’t just the hangover. Something about the dead man’s name niggled at the back of her brain. Like she should know him, but how?

  She finally fell asleep and was up before the dawn. She was showered, dressed, and ready to go to Casa Grande. She arrived with a half hour to kill so she drove by Robin Gardner’s house. It was a ranch style, very middle class, nondescript. Was this where he’d been killed? Adrenaline coursed through her body. Soon she’d be inside the house and then the real fun would begin.

  Cayenne drove to the police station and asked for Chief Bryson. He wasn’t in yet, so she cooled her heels in the general waiting area. It was empty except for herself and the cop at the desk.

  A short, balding man walked in and she stood.

  “Chief Bryson?”

  “That’s me. You must be Sheriff O’Leary. Come on back, O’Leary. We’ll go over what’s going to happen today.”

  Cayenne’s stomach tightened. This was her investigation. While she appreciated Casa Grande’s help, she wanted to remain in charge.

  “Now, you’re running the show.” Bryson closed the door to his office. “We’re just here to help. But anything you need. Anything at all. You let us know, ya hear?”

  “Yes, sir. Thank you. I think I’ll just need manpower mostly. Evidence, etc., will be taken back to Lazu for analysis.”

  Bryson nodded.

  “If that’s how you want to do it, then so be it.”

  “Thank you, sir.” She felt like he was judging her. Like she couldn’t handle a murder investigation, but she was bound and determined to prove him wrong.

  “I’ll call some uniforms to go over there with you,” Bryson said. “Then you can get to it.”

  Cayenne nodded. She waited while the chief made some phone calls and then, when she heard a knock on his door, she stood. Six uniformed police officers entered.

  “Here’s your crew,” Bryson said. “Use them as you will. Gentlemen, Sheriff O’Leary here calls the shots. Understand?”

  There was a chorus of “Yes, sir.”

  Cayenne led them out to the parking lot where the sun beat down on them.

  “We’re going to the victim’s house,” she said. “We’re hoping to find evidence that he was killed there. He was killed with a blow to the back of his head with a blunt object, so keep your eyes peeled for anything that might be the murder weapon. Obviously, I’d love to find a pool of blood there, but whoever did this might have cleaned up. We have no idea what we’re going to find, so let’s be sure to look at every inch of that house. Come on. I’ll lead the way.”

  They arrived at the house and searched the perimeter. The locksmith opened the door for them, but Cayenne wanted every spot outside checked. While she was certain they would find red carpet in the house, they had to rule out any evidence outside. The west side of the house was a rock garden with several statues in them. The statues were heavy, too heavy for one person to lift, so she left them there, but made notes they were there.

  Cayenne was hot and sweaty when they finally entered the house. Sure enough, the living room had red carpet.

  “Just like you said,” an officer named Franklin said.

  Cayenne stepped inside. Her nose was assaulted with the scent of cleaners and she knew someone had spent a lot of time cleaning up. But there was another scent. It was fainter, but it was there. What was it? Why couldn’t she identify it?

  “Go over this floor with luminol. I don’t care if you have to spray every inch. I want to know if this is where he was killed.”

  “Sheriff. Look at these.” A uniformed officer was holding two statues of knights.

  “Where did you find those?”

  “On the mantle. I took a picture of them first.”

  “Luminol,” Cayenne said.

  She was still trying to identify the underlying scent that was teasing her. She walked down a hallway and lost it. She went to the other side of the living room where she found the master bedroom. The smell, sweet and flowery, was strong. She walked into the en suite where the smell was stronger still.

  Cayenne knew the smell. But how? She was leaving the bathroom when it hit her. It was the perfume Shayla had been wearing. Shayla? Was she involved in this?

  ***

  Shayla sat at the dining room table, eating the pancakes her mother had cooked for her. She also sipped her coffee made with dark chocolate almond sweetener. It was her favorite and her mom knew it. She hadn’t had any in years. She’d been told it was making her fat and warned he’d better never see it in his house again. She shuddered at the memory.

  “Honey? Are you cold? Should I turn up the thermostat?”

  Shayla forced herself to smile.

  “No. I’m fine.”

  “I’ve let you be for a day now,” her mom said. “I’m ready to hear your story.”

  “He left me, mama. He’d finally had enough and left me. Good riddance, too, if you ask me.”

  “I can only imagine what hell he put you through. Not even allowing you to reach out to your own mother. You’re lucky your father wasn’t around. God rest his soul. He never would have allowed you to marry that horrible man.”

  “He wasn’t horrible in the beginning.” Shayla fought to keep the tears burning her eyes in check. “He was sweet and attentive.”

  She closed her eyes and let her memory drift back to her days in Tempe. She’d been a drama student, naturally. They’d just closed Kiss of the Spider Woman and the whole company had gone out for drinks to celebrate. It had been a successful run and Shayla had been the star.

  People were buying her drinks left and right. She ended up with a table full of wine as she only sipped a little at a time. She needed to keep her head. And getting drunk was something she’d only done once before, and didn’t feel the need for a repeat.

  She sat watching her castmates and crew, keeping her eye on the director, Jimmy Lantrell. He made her heart skip a beat. He was cute as could be with his dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and scruffy beard. He was also insanely talented. And completely oblivious to Shayla when they weren’t on set.

  “Who’s the lucky chap?” a soft, deep voice spoke in her ear.

  She turned to see a handsome blonde standing there. With green eyes and a cool haircut. The sides of his head were shaved but he left it long on the top. And an unruly shock fell to his eyes.

  “What do you mean?” Shayla said.

  “The bloke you were looking at. I wish I had a woman to look at me that way.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You were the leading lady, weren’t you?” the man said.

  “I was.”

  “You were fantastic.” He motioned to the chair next to Shayla. “May I sit down?”

  “Please do.” She turned so she faced the table again.

  “My name’s Robin. I’d offer to buy you a drink but it looks like you’re okay in that department.”

  Shayla laughed.

  “That I am. Hi Robin. My name’s Shayla.”

  “Yes. Shayla Richardson. I’m aware. I’m a huge fan. I can’t believe I’m actually sitting here talking to you. I’m more than a little starstruck.”

  He was handsome, well spoken, and very flattering. Shayla couldn’t fight the attraction.

  “You’re too kind. Would you like a glass of wine? I won’t be drinking all these.”

  “Thank you. You sure you don’t mind?”

  “Not at all.”

  “You’re going to be big someday, Shayla. I can feel it in my bones.”

  “I hope you’re right. Maybe someday you’ll see my name in movie credits,” Shayla said.

  “And I’ll say, ‘I shared wine with her once.’”

  Shayla threw her head back and laughed. R
obin was so charming.

  “I hope you will,” she said.

  The party was winding down with cast and crew making their way out of the small pub. Shayla sighed.

  “I suppose this is where we say good-bye then, Robin. I need to get back to my dorm.”

  “May I walk you? Please? It would be an honor.”

  An alarm went off in Shayla’s brain. She didn’t know this Robin from Adam. Could she trust him to walk her home?

  “I promise to keep you in lighted areas and not do anything untoward. You’ll be safe with me.”

  Shayla acquiesced and Robin proved to be a perfect gentleman. When they got to her dorm room, he merely kissed her on the cheek.

  “Thank you for making my night,” he said.

  “My pleasure. Thank you for making sure I got home safely.”

  “There have been attacks on women around campus, as you’ve no doubt heard. I couldn’t let you be a victim.”

  He turned and left and Shayla was wondering if she’d ever see him again. He hadn’t asked for her phone number, schedule, anything. Oh well, she chalked it up to her first real fan and let herself in her room.

  “Where are you darling?” her mom said. “Are you still with me?”

  Shayla brought herself back to the present.

  “I was just thinking of the night I met Robin. How sweet he seemed. He was attentive without being clingy. He seemed polite and kind.” She shook her head. “How could I have known what a monster he was?”

  Her mom patted her hand.

  “You couldn’t have known. Though I dare say you could have left him. In all those years, I’m sure you had plenty of opportunity.”

  “He would have found me and dragged me back. I’ve no doubt about that. And the repercussions wouldn’t have been worth it.”

  “How can you be so sure he won’t come back now?” her mom said. “How do you know he won’t change his mind and come looking for you?”

  “He’s really gone, Mom. He left me and he’s not coming back. And, as you can see, I’m not going to wait around in case he does.”

  “Will you stay with me? Oh, we could have a lovely visit.”

  “I’ll stay for a while. We do so need to catch up.”

  “Thank you. You’ve made this old lady very happy.”

  “Aw, mama. You’re not old.”

  “Seventy-nine this year. I’d say that qualifies as old.”

  “You don’t act a day over fifty,” Shayla said.

  “Honey, in my heart, I’m still twenty something. Tell me, when you leave me, where will you go? Back home?”

  “I don’t think so. I think I’m going to go to California. Hollywood specifically. I think I’ll finally follow my dream.”

  Her mom clapped her hands together.

  “Oh, it’s about time. You do that, Shayla. You make me proud.”

  Chapter Five

  Cayenne forced herself to focus. Surely Shayla wasn’t the only woman who wore that perfume. Something about that night at the bar kept trying to work its way to the forefront of her mind. She was missing something important from that night. But what?

  Luminol showed a huge puddle of blood on the floor by the fireplace. Cayenne ordered the carpet cut so she could take it back to the lab. There was also some blood on the couch on the other side of the room. Nowhere near as much, but it was there. She ordered the fabric cut away so it could be taken as well.

  The blood on the couch didn’t make sense. The couch was gray, not red. So why didn’t Doc mention the gray fibers? No. Robin Gardner had been killed in front of the fireplace. There was no doubt in her mind.

  She turned back to the officer who’d found the knights on the mantel.

  “What did you find?” Cayenne said.

  He held up one that he’d bagged.

  “Blood all over the base of it.”

  “Excellent job. Go ahead and put that in my Bronco.”

  It was late when they finished going over the house. Cayenne took all the evidence back to Lazu and left it in the morgue for Doc to go over. She drove to the outskirts of town and her modest two-bedroom home. It felt bigger than usual and she felt more alone than she had in longer than she cared to remember. She had a beer and tried to shake the feeling that she was missing something in the investigation.

  But she couldn’t. Something important was missing. Robin Gardner. Had she known him? No. Heard of him? No. So why did she feel like she should know more? And why was Shayla’s perfume in the house?

  Shayla. There was the reason for her mixed-up emotions. Her confusion. Somehow, Shayla had touched something inside Cayenne. Something long since dormant that she’d believed dead. She hadn’t even slept with the woman, hadn’t gotten her number, or even a last name. She needed to forget about her.

  But, again, she couldn’t. Disgusted with herself, Cayenne went to bed. She slept soundly until four o’clock. She awoke with Shayla on her brain. She replayed every moment she could remember of their night together. They’d had such a good time in the bar. And things had been going well in the motel. Until Shayla froze. Which was understandable. Who the hell had done such a number on her?

  Cayenne’s mind wandered back to the brute who’d approached her at the bar. What had he said? Something about not liking her type. What else? It seemed he’d said something else, but Cayenne would be damned if she could remember what it was.

  She drank her coffee on her back deck, looking out over the expanse of rocky wasteland bordered by pine trees. She really needed to landscape, she thought, but when? Definitely not now. Not in the middle of a murder investigation.

  At seven o’clock, Cayenne was at the station and went downstairs to see if Doc was in yet.

  “Mornin’, Cayenne,” he said.

  “What do you know, Doc?”

  “Seriously? I just got here. I don’t know anything. And you brought me all this.” He swept his hand over the pile of evidence. “It’ll take me days to go through.”

  Cayenne grew impatient. She didn’t want it to take days. She wanted, needed, answers.

  “Okay, well here. Let me prioritize for you. The red carpet, the knight, and the gray couch fiber. Those are your priority. That way we can have a murder weapon and scene. The gray fiber is simply because I’m curious. Blood there made no sense.”

  “Understood. Now, get out of here and I’ll let you know when I know something.”

  Cayenne went back upstairs. She felt impotent, so drove back out to the place they’d found Gardner. Maybe she’d learn more there.

  She noticed four sets of tire tracks and radioed in to make sure plaster had been made of all of them. They had and had ruled out Cayenne’s car, Doc’s van, and the deputies’ truck. That left one set of tire tracks unaccounted for.

  Cayenne wandered into the scrub brush and looked for anything that might be significant but found nothing. She drove back to the station and went down to see Doc again.

  “Did you find anything on the tire tracks?” she asked.

  “Honestly. You want me to do everything immediately and then keep interrupting me.”

  “Sorry. But what did we learn?”

  “I learned that they were Cooper Discoverer All Season. Could belong to any four wheel drive vehicle around.”

  “Thanks. You’re a doll.”

  She went back to her desk and called Casa Grande. She spoke to one of the men who’d been at Gardner’s house with her.

  “Hey, did we take plaster of the truck tires in the garage yesterday?”

  “Sure did, ma’am. They’re Cooper Discovery All Season.”

  “Excellent. Well done. Thank you. Please take that truck in as evidence. I want it gone over with a fine-tooth comb.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Have we learned everything from what we gathered?”

  “We’re going through it piece by piece right now. Thanks again.”

  She headed back to the basement to find Doc peering through his microscope.

  “What have you got t
here?” she said.

  “The gray fiber you brought in.” He didn’t look up.

  “And?”

  “Here. Have a look.”

  She sat down and peered at two different slides.

  “What am I looking at?”

  “The blood samples. Notice the blood on the right? It doesn’t match the blood on the left.”

  She stood.

  “So that wasn’t Gardner’s blood on the couch. Who’s was it then?”

  “That would be up to you to figure out.”

  Cayenne laughed.

  “Not without your help.”

  “I’ll try to do some magic and identify it. We’ll see if it’s in the system.”

  “Thanks, Doc. You’re the best.”

  “This is true. You must have come down here for a reason?”

  “Just to see how things were coming along. And it seems like you’re making good progress. Please let me know as soon as we get a hit on that other blood sample.”

  ***

  Shayla stretched in bed. She’d been sleeping so well at her mom’s place. No worries, well, almost none. She knew she had to leave soon. As soon as the cops realized she was the one who’d killed Robin, this would probably be the first place they’d look for her.

  Robin. She’d really killed him. She was a murderer. Wanted by the law. She shuddered. What the hell had she been thinking? That she’d had enough. And no one was going to make it stop unless she’d killed him. So she did. Shayla had done what needed to be done. It was too late to second guess herself now.

  She’d been at her mom’s house for a few days and it sunk in that she needed to leave. Like, that day. She got up and pulled a suitcase out from under the bed. Her mom knocked on the door.

  “Honey? Are you awake?”

  Guilt washed over Shayla. How could she explain to her mom that she had to go?

  “I’m up. I’ll be right there.”

  “Good. Coffee is hot and breakfast will be ready in a few.”

  She’d miss her mom. Who knew when she’d be able to come back? If ever? She blinked back tears and took a deep breath. No time to think about that. They’d had a lovely visit. She was sad to see it end.