When it headed toward Midtown and into the Lincoln tunnel, she frowned. New Jersey? She tailed him for a good thirty minutes until he pulled off the parkway and into a large truck stop. He parked the car by the lone diner, and she had kept going, circling around the back once before making a U-turn, heading back into the parking lot. She picked the space at the end of the lot and turned off the engine. And so, here she was, thinking about her next steps while kicking herself for the poor choices she made when it came to Lucas Anderson.
Why couldn’t she just let it go? Well, for one thing, there really was no other leads in the Dixon case. The one or two possibilities she had didn’t pan out. A former cellmate who supposedly had a beef with him died in prison a decade before. All other known associates were dead or so old themselves that there was no way any of them could have committed such a violent murder. His other accomplices were still in prison. He didn’t even have any family. Dixon was abandoned as a child, grew up in the system, and was left to fend for himself the moment he turned eighteen. It was like he was a ghost outside prison.
Speaking of ghosts, whoever their killer was seemed like one too. The crime lab didn’t find any traces of DNA on the body, which was highly unusual for such a violent murder. No footprints, or vehicle tracks either. It was like whoever did this magically appeared in the alley, beat the shit out of Dixon, and then just disappeared into thin air. Which made her think it could be a professional hit, and Lucas Anderson was certainly rich enough to hire someone. But then again, a killer for hire would use something clean, like a gun or poison.
It was all too much, too many coincidences and she was far too invested in this thing to let it go. She would have to see this through. Decision made, she exited the car, pulling her coat closer to her body. There was no way she could enter there without anyone noticing her. It was far too empty and her suit would stand out amongst what she could imagine the clientele was like.
She waited, and an hour later, he emerged and walked to his car. Much to her surprise, someone emerged from the back seat and slipped in the front. Huh. She didn’t even notice anyone was in the car. She watched him drive out of the parking lot before starting her engine and turning toward the direction where the Aston Martin went. The road wasn’t too busy, so she had to make sure she stayed behind. There were more cars on the highway, so it was easier to follow him while staying far enough away.
She thought they’d be heading back to Manhattan, but to her surprise, he took the next exit into an industrial zone. Her alarm bells went up. Maybe she was right to follow him. Why would the soon-to-be CEO of one of the biggest corporations in the world be sneaking off into the middle of nowhere in Jersey? Surely he had lackeys to do his dirty business. Unless this was personal business.
The road was taking them deeper and deeper into the area that housed many of the factories and refineries in the Garden State. She trailed behind, but there were fewer vehicles as they went further, and soon it would be obvious she was tailing them. And, he must have realized it, because there was a roar of an engine and then taillights ahead of her disappeared down the road.
“Fuck!” She stepped on the brakes and slammed her palms on the wheel. There was no way she could keep up with a sports car, not at that speed. It’s not like she was in her jurisdiction either, and if she attempted to stop him for speeding, it would definitely look like harrasment. She supposed she could keep going, but she had no idea if Lucas had kept going straight or turned off into one of the many facilities in the area.
From this point on, she could only go back to Manhattan. However, before she could turn around, a pair of headlights appeared in the distance, growing larger as it drew close. The green Aston Martin was unmistakable, even in the dark. It slowed down as it passed by her car and even though she couldn’t see the driver, she could feel him looking straight at her.
She tried to contain a shudder. He knew, the bastard. Knew it was her following him.
Chapter Nine
Thoughts of the consequences of her actions coming to bite her in the ass kept her up that night. However, she didn’t think it would happen quite so soon. Like, the moment she walked into the precinct.
“Detective.”
She turned her head toward the hissed whisper. “What’s up, Winters?”
Sergeant Winters’s lips were pursed together. “Captain wants to see you.”
“Okay.” The look on the other woman’s face told her there was more. “And?”
“And he’s not alone. Deputy Commissioner Aarons is there with him.”
Now that raised alarms. “The deputy commissioner?”
“Yes.” Winters’s eyes darted around. “And someone else. Some business-type guy in a suit.”
Fuck. She hoped it wasn’t who she thought it was, but her luck wasn’t that good. When she glanced over at the captain’s office, the blinds were drawn closed. Dammit.
With a deep breath, she strode to her desk and deposited her purse, then headed into the office. A sharp, “Come in,” followed her knock. As she entered the office, she kept her gaze on Captain Bushnell, who was seated behind his desk, while ignoring the other occupants of the room who sat on the chairs across from him. But she didn’t need to look at the dark-haired man to know who it was.
“You wanted to speak to me, Captain?”
Bushnell’s face
