Lei floored it. Her new vehicle answered with a surge of power that flung her back against the contoured seat. She was gaining and began pulling alongside, laying on the horn.
In answer the other truck pulled ahead, weaving to keep her behind. It cranked a left turn, gravel flying, onto a dirt side road, headlights bouncing crazily. Lei followed, frowning as they both had to slow down, bucking through potholes.
The black truck rained gravel and dirt on her shiny new hood as her high beams danced over the landscape. What the hell was she doing? Was this chase another bad move like letting Keiki off her leash? Self-doubt assailed her as Lei hit a particularly deep rut and banged her head on the roof as she levitated off the seat.
Still, it was the only lead she had…
The dirt road wound down into a steep canyon bisected by a stream. Water flowed across a low, rutted cement causeway. The black truck hit the stream, water arching up and raining down on Lei’s windshield, blinding her. As they hit the water her Toyota hydroplaned, fishtailing and spinning sideways. It stalled, facing upstream, one of the front tires dropping off the edge of the cement into deeper water.
“Fuck!” Lei screamed. She turned the key-her truck roared back to life and she put it in four-wheel drive, easing backward on the slippery causeway until all four tires were back on the surface. Then with a careful turn, she headed out of the stream and onto the dirt track. By the time she got to the top of the canyon, the black Toyota had disappeared without even a dust cloud to mark its trail.
Chapter 25
She pulled into her garage, snapping shut her phone from calling Stevens to let him know about the chase. Her vehicle dripped from the car wash, fortunately no worse for its first off road adventure. She returned Keiki’s happy cries of welcome with an ear rub through the fence and was unlocking the house when Stevens’ unmarked Bronco pulled up at the curb.
“Good thing I was already on my way over.” He strode to the porch. Lei switched on all the exterior lights. She really needed to replace that sensor light on the side of the house, she thought as Stevens followed her inside.
Reaction was setting in, and trembling in her hands had progressed to waves of shivering. She suddenly wondered what she’d have done if the black Toyota had pulled over and let her approach. She had her Glock, but no creds or handcuffs with her, not to mention any grounds for an arrest.
Maybe it was a good thing the chase had ended the way it had.
“I’m cold.” She went into her room, pulling the fluffy comforter off her bed and wrapping herself in it, collapsing on the couch. Stevens went to the fridge and pulled out two of the Heinekens, uncapped them and handed her one.
Lei took a long drink, burped, sighed. Stevens sat on the battered coffee table facing her, elbows on his knees, blue eyes intent.
“So you chased him,” he said. “Let’s start there.”
“I don’t know it was him, not really. I just had a feeling.” She took another sip of beer, scrunching the comforter tighter. “Anyway on my way home from class he came out of nowhere, that same black Toyota truck. I followed him out of town, tried to get him to pull over. He turned off on a cane road. My truck spun out on the causeway and I lost him. End of story.”
Stevens got up, went to where the futon was folded next to the couch, pushed the coffee table out of the way, laid it on the floor. The sheets were folded inside, and without a word he spread them, straightened them, banged his pillow into shape and lay down, his arms folded behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling.
“Someone’s driving a black Toyota truck that you’ve chased twice. And you have no idea if this is the guy, really.”
“Basically.”
It did sound ridiculous when put that way. “My gut tells me it’s him, though.” She yawned, going to the fridge. “If I weren’t so hungry I’d fall asleep.”
They ended up eating bowls of Cheerios at the kitchen table, and Lei said, “I gotta tell you something I keep forgetting to let you know. I’m going out with Tom on Saturday.”
“What? Are you kidding me?”
“He ran into me in the park, asked me out. I thought I might be able to get some information out of him.”
“There’s a lot we don’t know about this situation. I don’t think it’s safe to assume anything. This guy has the means and opportunity to be the stalker. He could have another pickup somewhere.”
“I thought I’d take a chance on it. You know, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
“Stupid idea-lotta people have died trying that one.”
“Maybe I just want to go out with him. He’s kinda hot.” She peeked up at him from under her lashes.
“I’ll show you hot.”
He reached over and hooked an arm around her neck, pulling her over. She squeaked in surprise as he kissed her, a thorough exploration that made yesterday’s kiss seem like kindergarten. Lei blinked when they finally came up for air, touching swollen lips with her fingers.
“Thought we weren’t supposed to do that.”
“You were trying to make me jealous, and it worked. Damn your womanly wiles.” He spanked her on the butt and gave her a gentle shove toward the doorway. “Off to bed with you before I get into even more trouble.”
Dawn was bleeding up into the sky as he hefted Mary up out of the bed of the pickup truck. He carried her over his shoulder across the damp grass of the deserted park, shadowed by tall ironwood trees and steep cliffs. The occasional car whizzed by on the bridge far overhead. Her cuffed hands, dangling limply, banged into the back of his thighs.
He walked to the edge of the rushing stream, where the exposed black bones of the earth jutted up, a jumble of lava rocks. He dropped Mary there, her head bouncing off the stones, her body a white-wrapped mummy. He leaned down, hearing a faint whistle of breath slip past her lips. She was still alive, but barely. That asthma was a bitch.
He’d had to Taser her last night, and then drug her for their activities. Couldn’t afford to keep her any longer.
The roiling brown water was only feet away. He unwrapped her and threw the sheet far out into the stream. He arranged her long black hair over her body, scraped under her battered fingernails one more time with a toothpick to remove any remaining evidence, and took a last picture, taking care with the composition. He pinched her nipple with a gloved finger.
“Bye, Mary.”
He nudged her with his foot, and she slid off the rocks and rolled facedown into the stream with only a small splash. He put his camera on multi-frame and clicked off half a dozen shots as the current caught her and carried her out to sea, her hair a dark flag behind her.
She never once lifted her head for a breath.
Chapter 26
Lei pushed through the doors into the station. Her hair was still damp from her run and a few handfuls of CurlTamer, and there was a spring to her walk. Stevens had been gone when she got up, but she still felt a little bubble of happy when she thought of the coffee he’d started and the neatly folded bedding and futon.
Sam looked up from his crossword.
“Hey girl. You looking sassy.”
“Feeling sassy, thank you,” she said, as she gave his collar a tug. “How’s the crossword?”
