Cover Your Eyes (Morgans of Nashville 1)

The judge sighed and glanced at her notes. “And he has no priors?”

“Correct,” Rachel said.

The judge shook her head.

“I would also add,” Rachel said. “That Ellen was dating two other men at the time of her death and it is possible that either could have killed her. I know we aren’t trying the case now but there is enough today to lower the bail from one million dollars to ten thousand dollars.”

The judge smiled. “Nice try, Ms. Wainwright. Bail is set at one hundred thousand dollars and the defendant is ordered to stay in the Nashville area until trial unless he has permission from the court.” She banged her gavel.

Deke shook his head and then left the courthouse as McMillian turned to thank Rachel. “Thanks, Ms. Wainwright.”

She gripped the handle of her briefcase. “You have a bail bondsman?”

“Yes.”

She handed him her card. “As soon as we have a court date, I’ll contact you. Don’t leave Nashville.”

“No, no, I won’t.” Tears welled in his eyes. “Thank you again, Ms. Wainwright.”

She left the courthouse knowing if she hustled she could beat the evening traffic. As much as she needed a run, her shoulder still ached and she wasn’t ready to jog alone at dusk.

Outside she fumbled with her briefcase, keys, and coffee when a shadow cast over her. Tensing and heart racing, she gripped the handle of her briefcase, ready to swing. She looked up to see Detective Morgan glowering at her. His menace didn’t dampen her relief. “How is your afternoon been going, Detective?”

“Not great.” He shoved his hand in his pocket and leaned toward her. “A cold-blooded murderer scored bail.”

“If you are referring to Mr. McMillian, you must use alleged in your sentences when you talk about him.”

“Nothing alleged about it, Ms. Wainwright. The guy killed Ellen. He picked her out of a crowd, stalked her, finally convinced her to go on a couple of dates and when she didn’t want to see him again, he killed her.”

Her skin prickled, singed by his fiery intensity. “Nice theory but no proof.”

“I’ll prove it. Make no mistake. Let’s hope he doesn’t kill anyone in the interim.”

She dropped her keys, cursed, and then crouched to pick them up. “You are being dramatic. The guy has no criminal record.”

“Dig a little deeper. No formal charges have been filed but talk to the women who work with him. He’s made several of them nervous.”

“He makes them nervous. Please. That doesn’t mean he killed Ellen.”

He studied her, his frustration reminded her of an adult talking to a child. “Be careful around him. He’s clever and he could easily turn on you.”

She unlocked her car door. “I’ll keep that in mind. By the way, how is my DNA coming along?”

“You’ve a one-track mind.”

She tossed her briefcase and purse in the backseat, grateful to have the weight off her shoulder. “So I’ve been told.”

“How’s the shoulder?”

“Hurts like hell. Have they done Lexis’s autopsy yet?”

“Today. The medical examiner will release her body soon.”

Suddenly the fire and vinegar seeped from her bones. “Good. You’ll let me know when I can take custody of her?” She couldn’t bring herself to say body. A simple word but it reduced Lexis to a thing and she couldn’t do that.

“Sure.” His own heat and fire still radiated, but it had cooled. In the courtroom he’d been all business and now she saw the face of the man who’d come to the hospital for her. That man she could almost like.

“Thanks.”

“Had any trouble?”

“No. But I’m as nervous as a cat.”

“Good. Stay that way and be careful.”

“Always.”

Deke was still irritated with Rachel when he arrived at the medical examiner’s office. Despite her know-it-all attitude, she was wrong about McMillian. On a hunch, he’d called dispatch and requested all uniforms to keep an eye out for McMillian, especially if he made a move on Rachel who would be an easy unsuspecting target.

KC spotted Deke and pushed away from the wall as he studied his notebook. “I won’t miss these dates of ours, Deke.”

Deke crossed the lobby. “I can’t see you retiring. Hard to believe today is it.”

Weariness weighed KC’s shoulders. “It’s time. I’m a dinosaur. You’re the new guard.”

“So what do you plan to do with yourself?”

“Heading east to see my son.”

“What about Brenda?”

“She’s working and her mother is sick. And it doesn’t seem right to take her to meet my boy. She’s younger and well, I’m not ready to take her to prime time, if you know what I mean.”

“Sure.” Deke pressed the elevator button. “I hear there’s a party for you tonight.”

He grinned. “A hell of a blow-out. Cannot wait. Georgia said she’d sing.”

“So I hear. You going to spend more time with Brenda after you get back into town?”

He laughed. “Sure. But the trick will be not to piss her off. She’s already annoyed when I’m underfoot on my days off.”

“Trading one danger for another.”

“Murders I get. Premenopausal women not so much.”

Laughter rumbled. “Christ, KC, that’s a big word. I didn’t realize you knew it.”

“It’s another disadvantage of getting old, my boy. Your day will come.”

“I’m not getting married again. I’m no good at it.”

“Maybe you never met the right woman.”

“My wives were good women. I was the wrong guy and that’s never going to change.”

“That’s a bit dramatic.”

“Nope. Just practical.”

Deke pushed into the exam room. As soon as he saw the exposed body of Lexis Hanover, all good humor vanished.

Dr. Heller appeared dressed in scrubs, her dark hair pulled in a tight ponytail. “Gentlemen.”

In this room Deke never felt in his element. Crime scenes he understood because they told a story that he could figure out. But in the autopsy room he was an outsider.

“I finished the autopsy.” She moved to the pale, still, brutalized body now marred by a large Y incision on her chest. “The blow to her head killed her.” She pointed to the crushed right side of Lexis’s skull. “This blow killed her quickly. But judging by the wounds on her knees and elbow, I’d say this was not the first strike. I’d say your killer tortured her before killing her.”

Deke studied the shattered knees and the elbow. “The majority of Dixie Simmons’s blows were to her face. Lexis Hanover sustained injuries all over her body.”

“Her face was all but obliterated. But not in the case of Ms. Hanover. Her features are still recognizable.”

KC rubbed the back of his neck. “Dixie was pretty. Sexy. Lexis was smart. Had more the librarian look. Two very different victims.”

“And then there is Rachel Wainwright,” Deke said.

KC frowned. “I heard about her attack. Happened outside her office.”

Deke nodded. “Struck with a blunt object. But she heard her attacker coming and dodged at the last second. Hit hard but avoided the killing blow.”

Dr. Heller reached for a sheet and pulled it over Lexis Hanover’s body. “Ms. Wainwright called earlier to see when we’d release Hanover’s body. Professional, but she sounded upset.”

“They were friends,” Deke said.

“So we got an Annie lookalike that’s killed,” KC said. “A woman stirring up Annie’s case attacked. And Hanover had the letters.”

“What letters?” Dr. Heller asked.

“Letters apparently written by Annie Dawson were sent to Rachel. She’d sent them to Hanover for authentication.”

“It all goes back to Annie,” KC said.

Deke nodded. “Was there anyone else you and Buddy suspected before Max gave you the big tip?”

/> KC rubbed his chin. “We vetted the husband, cleared him soon enough. Checked out the bars where she sang but no hits. Talked to her roommates, pastor, and her boyfriend from high school. They all checked out.”

“You suspect any women?”

KC shrugged. “Her roommates were Beth and Joanne. I remember Beth didn’t like Annie at all. Not at all. But she died about a decade ago.”

“How’d she die?”

“Believe it was a car accident.”

“Was it in Nashville?”

“Believe it was.”

“Do me a favor and pull any reports on her.”

“Why?”

“Can’t say, exactly. But I want more details.”

“You didn’t get all the letters.”

“I got all the letters at that woman’s house. All of them. I was careful.”