Finding Shayla Page 4

  Breakfast consisted of sausages and pancakes. Shayla’s favorite. After, they sat in the living room and finished their coffee.

  “What shall we do today?” her mom asked.

  “Actually, Mom. About that. I need to head out today.”

  “What? You just got here.”

  “I know. I feel that way, too. But I have some friends I’m meeting, so I need to hit the road. Thank you for your hospitality. It’s been so good to see you.”

  “Friends? You have friends? I assumed Robin had cut you off from them, as well.”

  “I looked them up after Robin left. Some people from drama. We’re going to get together for a few days.” For someone who’d never been able to lie well, Shayla found it came quite naturally to her now.

  “Well, don’t wait so long to come visit next time, okay?”

  “I promise. And I’ll keep in touch, okay? You have my new phone number. Call whenever.”

  Shayla hugged her mom, finished packing, and hit the shower. She felt refreshed, recharged, and ready to start a new life. But, where?

  She said a tearful good-bye to her mom and backed out of the driveway, still having no clue where to go. Florida kept popping into her head. But what would she do there? She needed to go to California. Cayenne’s words kept ringing in her ear. She should pursue her dream. But she wasn’t ready to head west again. She couldn’t risk driving anywhere near Arizona.

  New York. That would be a great place to get started on a career. She could work on Broadway. And she could get lost in the city. No one would ever find her. She pulled over, pulled up Maps on her phone, and charted her course.

  Shayla stopped in Chicago. Not that she was tired of driving. She just had never been there and wanted to play tourist. She thanked Robin for being such a workaholic and having socked away a boatload of money. She could do whatever she wanted for a very long time. And right now, she wanted to see Chicago.

  It was muggy. Very, very muggy. Much worse than Omaha and she’d thought that was bad. She missed the dry heat of Arizona, but not enough to go back. Shayla spent several days in Chicago. She took the architecture tour on the boat down the river. She spent hours in the Art Institute. And she ate.

  She was at a restaurant waiting for a deep-dish pizza when she heard someone calling her name. She froze. Who could know she was there? She turned to see a strange woman walking toward her.

  “Shayla! Don’t you recognize me? I’m Daisy. Daisy Reynolds. Though the world now knows me as Destiny Ranger.”

  “Daisy?” They’d been in drama together at Tempe. She recognized her now. But her heart still thudded an uneven beat from fear. She took a deep breath. “Oh, my God. It’s so good to see you. What have you been up to?”

  “Only starring in the hit series, Wit’s End. Do you not watch television?”

  Shayla shuddered. Robin hadn’t let her watch TV. He’d forbidden it. He said it would make her brain softer and her brain was already mush as it was.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m afraid I haven’t watched TV in a while. But I plan to remedy that. Can you sit? Tell me all about it?”

  “I have to go, dear. Are you in town now? Or just passing through?”

  “I think I’m just passing through.”

  “Let’s do lunch tomorrow,” Daisy said. They agreed to meet at a restaurant at one the following afternoon. “It’s so good to see you. Let’s not lose touch again.”

  She kissed Shayla on the cheek and Shayla watched as Daisy made her way out of the pizza parlor. Her pizza was delivered, and she dug in. She hadn’t had pizza since college, and this certainly wasn’t college town pizza.

  Robin had told her pizza would only make her fatter. And he’d always said she was too fat as it was. Shayla ate the pizza with gusto. She didn’t care if she gained weight. At the moment, she could see her ribs. She could afford a few pounds. Fuck Robin. Fuck weight loss. It was time for her to live.

  Shayla went back to her hotel and turned on the TV. There were so many choices now. It took her a while to maneuver through the menu, but finally she found Wit’s End. All seven seasons of it. She settled in with her leftover pizza and enjoyed seeing how successful Daisy had become.

  Chapter Six

  Shayla woke late the next day after watching Wit’s End until the wee hours of the morning. It was a good show and Shayla soon forgot she was watching Daisy and got sucked into the storyline.

  She checked her clock and saw it was after eleven. She had to get a move on if she was going to meet Daisy on time. She took a shower, which was supposed to be quick, but she was loving the endless supply of hot water. Robin only allowed her seven minutes in the shower. The timer was set to turn off the hot water after that. So she’d learned to take quick showers. Those days were gone.

  She dressed in a gray pencil skirt with a pink blouse and hoped she wouldn’t wilt in the heat and humidity. But the taxi was air conditioned as was the restaurant. She waited until one thirty, and was just about to leave when Daisy walked in.

  “Sorry I’m late.”

  “It’s okay. I was just about to give up though.”

  “We really should have exchanged numbers. I could have let you know.”

  “Let’s do that now,” Shayla said.

  They entered each other’s numbers in their phones then Daisy walked up to the hostess.

  “Destiny Ranger. Table for two.”

  The hostess’s face lit up.

  “Certainly, Ms. Ranger. Right this way.”

  Once seated, Daisy grabbed Shayla’s hands.

  “So, tell me. Everything. I want to know about every minute of your life since graduation.”

  “There’s not much to tell. I got married and became a housewife.”

  “Such a waste of talent.” Daisy laughed. “You could have been huge.”

  “Ah, yes. That was my dream. And I’m thinking of following it again.”

  Daisy’s eyes shone.

  “Is that why you’re here? In Chicago? To act? Oh, please say it is.”

  “I was on my way to New York, actually. I just stopped here to play tourist.”

  “No. You’ll settle here. I’ll help you break into the scene. Oh, Shayla. It’ll be just like old times.”

  Shayla’s stomach fluttered. She was filled with the old excitement. Acting was her love, her passion. But she was also scared. Could she hide in Chicago? And what if she hit it big? What if the world came to recognize her face like it recognized Daisy’s? She’d be arrested for sure.

  “I was thinking more of stage acting,” she said.

  “Oh, there’s plenty of that, as well. But you need to become a star. You could do it.”

  “And you’d help me?”

  “Of course. What are friends for? And, speaking of friends, whatever happened to that guy that used to follow you around like a lost puppy? He was so pathetic. What was his name?”

  “Robin.”

  “That’s it. Do you ever hear from him?”

  Shayla went cold all over. She’d killed him. Yes, he’d deserved it, but she’d still taken his life. She pulled herself together.

  “I married him.”

  “You did?” Daisy laughed. “Oh wow. So, is he here in Chicago with you?”

  “No. He left me. So I decided to go on a road trip to New York to celebrate my freedom. And that’s how I ended up here.”

  “Well, his loss. And I’m so glad you’re here. We’re going to have so much fun.”

  “How do you have time for fun?” Shayla said. “Aren’t you hard at work? Your schedule must be grueling.”

  “It’s busy while we’re filming. We just finished filming season eight, so I’m free. Except for a cast and crew party Saturday night. Oh, Shayla, say you’ll go as my guest?”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Dead.”

  “That would be an honor. Thank you.”

  “Oh, no. Thank you. How long are you in town?”

  Shayla shrugged.

&
nbsp; “I don’t know. As long as I want, I suppose.”

  “Great. I’m going to show you the sights and teach you all you need to know to make it big.”

  Shayla brightened considerably.

  “That would be wonderful.”

  “You’re going to be the star you were born to be.”

  “Enough about me, now. Tell me about yourself,” Shayla said. “Have you married?”

  Daisy let out a loud guffaw.

  “Not me. Not yet. Oh, I’ve had a couple of dalliances, but haven’t found just the right person. Yet. Who knows? That might change soon.”

  Their lunch was delivered, and they ate while reminiscing about the good old days. College had been so much fun, and Shayla was saddened that she couldn’t go back and change things. She wouldn’t have ended up with Robin. That was for damned sure.

  She wouldn’t have lived in hell for seven years and wouldn’t be running from the law now. Who knows? She might have even found a woman to settle down with. That thought caught her off guard. She’d never considered a woman before, but after that night with Cayenne, she thought she might be a lesbian after all. If only she had a chance to find out for sure.

  Maybe she’d experiment in Chicago. She wondered if that would freak Daisy out. She needed to be careful. If Daisy was going to take her under her wing, she’d have to be careful not to upset her.

  Her stomach clenched. Not upsetting someone. That’s how she’d lived her life. Is that really how she wanted to live it now? She took a deep breath. She was overreacting. She was free. She could live her life how she wanted. Everyone else could be damned.

  “You okay?” Daisy said.

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “You just went pale. Did lunch not agree with you?”

  “No, it did. I’m sorry. I just, well, I was thinking of my marriage and what a debacle it was.”

  “I’m sorry, hon. But you’re free now. And we’re going to trip the light fantastic.”

  ***

  Cayenne sat at her desk staring at the paperwork in front of her. There were mounds of it, and she had to go through each piece. There were reports, findings, questions, and more reports.

  She flipped through it and let out a sigh. She had to dig in. She just wasn’t feeling it. She’d had a lot of help from the Casa Grande police, but that required paperwork, as well. She turned on her computer to check her email. The paperwork could wait.

  Cayenne opened an email from Chief Bryson. They’d learned something important that he didn’t want to send over email, and he wanted her to call as soon as she could. She picked up the phone.

  “Bryson here.”

  “Chief. It’s Sheriff O’Leary from Lazu. You found something?”

  “Yes, ma’am. We finally tracked down Gardner’s bank. Turns out our Robin Gardner was married, as we suspected. The wife, now missing, is one Shayla, that’s S-h-a-y-l-a Gardner. We’re looking everywhere for her in case she met the same fate as her husband. I suggest you all comb the underbrush there and make sure she’s not laying where you found her husband.”

  “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

  Cayenne hung up and sat back heavily in her chair. Shayla. How many Shaylas could there be in Casa Grande? And then she remembered what had escaped her. The giant homophobe and the bar that night.

  “Go home to Robin.” That’s what he’d said to Shayla. Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

  Her head reeling, she knew her first order of business would be to find Shayla and find out exactly what had happened. She knew Robin had been abusive. At least that’s what Shayla had said. But, how abusive? Had Shayla killed him in self-defense? Had Shayla killed him at all? And where was she now?

  Cayenne needed to do something. She needed to be active. She needed to find Shayla. But first, she needed to get through the mounds of paperwork on her desk. She finished around four and went down to see Doc.

  “What can I do for you?” he said.

  “Did we ever get a match on the blood from the couch?”

  “The gray fabric? That’s a negative.”

  “Shit. So we’re still spinning our wheels here.”

  “We have the murder weapon and the location. That’s something. All you need now is a suspect.”

  “I may have one. I just need to figure out how to find her.”

  “Her?”

  “I’m betting it was his wife. I’m also betting it was self-defense. But I’ll have to prove both.”

  “Get on it, sunshine. You’re not proving anything standing around down here.”

  Cayenne checked her watch again and knew there was no way to get to Casa Grande before the banks closed. She’d go there tomorrow.

  “I’m going to go back to Casa Grande tomorrow,” she said.

  “Good for you.”

  “I better let the guys know. Thanks, Doc.”

  She went back to her desk, texted her deputies that she’d be in Casa Grande the next day, but would be reachable on her phone. She went home, packed an overnight bag, and drove to the city.

  Cayenne checked in to her regular motel and went back to her bar of choice, right across the street. She settled in with a whisky and kept her focus on the door, hoping against hope that Shayla would come waltzing in.

  Soon it was midnight and Shayla hadn’t shown up. Tired, disgusted, and fairly buzzed, Cayenne went to her motel and passed out. She awoke seven hours later, made coffee, showered, and dressed in her uniform.

  She was at the bank when it opened. It was a local bank, small and not busy. She liked it. A smartly dressed woman came out and asked if she could help Cayenne.

  “Yes, I need information on a bank account. Is there somewhere private we can talk?”

  “Of course. Please, follow me.”

  It was a pleasure to follow the young woman with the tight ass and small waist. It had been too long since Cayenne’s more basic needs had been met and she was reminded of that sharply as she looked at the woman who now sat behind a desk looking at her.

  She shook her head. She had more important things to worry about than getting laid. Though it might be nice to let off some steam carnally.

  “How can I help you, Sheriff?”

  “I need to know if withdrawals are being made on this account.” She handed the woman the account number Chief Bryson had given her.

  “That account has a zero balance,” the woman said. “It looks like there were several large withdrawals made and then she called and asked to close the account.”

  “Where were those withdrawals made?”

  “Omaha.”

  “Can you see where the funds were transferred to?”

  “All I can tell is that it was a Wells Fargo account. I can’t see the account number. I’m sorry.”

  “Can you tell me how much was in the account? And if they had a savings account as well?”

  “There was seventy thousand in the checking account and over five hundred thousand in the savings. Which has also been closed.”

  Cayenne stood.

  “Thank you for your time.”

  She stepped into the baking sunlight and slipped on her shades. She needed to find out where the money had gone. With that kind of money, Shayla would be able to live on the lam for a long time. Too long. Where had she gone? Obviously Omaha. But had she settled there? How the hell was Cayenne going to find her there?

  She let out a long breath and got in her Bronco. She drove back to Lazu determined to find Shayla and get her side of the story. But how? And where to start?

  She pulled up Shayla Gardner in the database. She was clean. But she dug into her past. She’d been born Shayla Richardson and had grown up in Omaha. She’d come to Arizona to study drama.

  Cayenne dug deeper. Shayla’s father was deceased, but her mother was still alive. She was Victoria, Pippi, Richardson. And she still lived in Omaha. It was all coming together. Surely Shayla had gone to visit her mom. Was she still there? Most likely since that’s where she’d set up a new bank account. But she
’d used a national bank this time so she could be anywhere.

  Still, it was the only lead she had. She booked a flight to Omaha for the following day. She called a staff meeting.

  “I’m going to Omaha tomorrow,” Cayenne told her deputies and Doc. “I have reason to believe the person who killed Robin Gardner is there. I’m hoping it will be a quick trip, but I don’t know that. Keep working hard here and reach out to me with any new discoveries.”

  She dismissed them and went home to pack.

  Chapter Seven

  Cayenne had the cab drop her off at the central police station in Omaha. There was a car waiting for her there. She checked in at the front desk and waited to meet with the chief.

  A hulking man with salt and pepper hair and a thick black mustache came out to greet her.

  “Sheriff O’Leary?” He extended a meaty hand. “I’m Chief Bremer.”

  Cayenne stood and shook his hand.

  “Thank you so much for your help, sir,” she said.

  “My pleasure. Now, come on back to my office and I’ll see if there’s any more help I can lend.”

  She dutifully followed him to his office, cursing internally at the time she was wasting. She sat across his metal desk from him in an uncomfortable faux leather chair. He folded his hands on his desk.

  “Tell me, Sheriff, which of our lovely citizens are you investigating?”

  “Actually, it’s a former citizen I’m interested in. A Shayla Gardner, nee Richardson.”

  Bremer shook his head.

  “Doesn’t ring a bell. What sort of trouble is she in?”

  “Well, she disappeared after her husband was murdered.”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “And she’s not presumed dead, as well?”

  “No. We believe she was in Omaha as recently as three days ago. She closed her bank account and opened a new one. My deputies are trying to track down that account number as we speak.”

  “Does she have any ties to the community here?”

  “Her mother, Pippi Richardson, lives here.”

  “Don’t know that name either. She must be a law-abiding citizen. You figure her daughter for the killer?”

  “We just want to question her. She looks a little guilty running away, but we have reason to believe the victim was abusive. I really just want to get her side of the story, you know. Find out what really happened.”