Carolyn could have told Mack any number of stories, but if he’d threatened to tell Misti what he suspected, Carolyn would lose everything. It gave Carolyn the perfect motive to kill Mack.
I shook my head in wonder. This had to be the connection. “Can I take one of these? I’ll bring it back. I just want to check something out.” I wasn’t ready to tell Austin any of this until I was certain it was true.
He shrugged. “Sure. Go ahead.” Although he was curious, he’d thought of Macie as being dead for so long that it didn’t even cross his mind that she could still be alive.
“Thanks.” I took the best photo that closely resembled Ava, and slipped it into my purse. Even if I didn’t get a chance to talk to Carolyn tomorrow, I could show it to Misti and tell her what I’d found. She might not believe me at first, but she deserved to know it was a possibility. And if she still doubted, DNA tests would confirm it. Still… it would change her life.
I smiled at Austin. It would change Austin’s life too. He’d have a sister… a brother-in-law, and a niece. A whole family to help fill that empty place in his heart. “I have a lead that looks pretty good, so hang in there. By tomorrow, I should know who killed your father.”
His brows rose in shock. “Really?”
“Yes. That’s all I can say for now, but I’ll be in touch.” I glanced at Coco. “Coco. Ready to go?”
He jumped to his feet and woofed. Home?
“Yup. Let’s go home.”
At home, I found Josh and Savannah eating breakfast. We spoke about our schedules for the day, and I hurried upstairs to take a quick shower. I emerged to find that I’d missed a call from Dimples. I quickly called him back, and he picked right up.
“Shelby… I need you at the station. Can you come?”
“Uh… sure. What’s going on?”
“The charges against Dex and the bartender are being questioned. I need you to come in and verify what happened last night.”
“Oh.” I sighed with relief. “Sure. I can do that.”
“Good. And… just so you know, Willow’s on her way in as well. Word is she’s called the chief a few times to complain. I think she might throw something at you… and maybe include me as well. I think it’s about what happened last night.”
“What do you mean? She wasn’t even there.”
“I don’t know that for sure.”
“You think she might have come late and seen Ramos?”
“It’s a possibility, but your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that she’s got something up her sleeve. At least you’ll know what is it, and we can figure it out after you get here.”
“Damn. Okay. Thanks for the warning. I’ll be there soon.”
Wanting to look good, I took some extra time with my makeup and hair. Because things were heating up at the station, I slipped on my navy jeans, pairing them with a purple shirt and my navy blazer, making me look pretty darn sassy.
It didn’t hurt that I wanted to look good in case I managed to fit in a motorcycle ride after it was all over. By then, I might need something to help with my stress levels, and I was sure Bob would agree.
Feeling confident, I left after a quick goodbye to my kids and Coco.
I strode into the precinct with my badge around my neck and a confident swagger, although I had to admit to a case of nerves. What did Willow have on me? Was it just jealousy, or was there more to it? I guess I’d find out soon enough. Still, it couldn’t be anything serious. If only my stomach would stop churning, I might believe that.
Stepping into the detectives’ office, I looked for Willow, wanting to hear her thoughts before she pounced on me. Dimples caught sight of me and waved me over, thinking that Willow had just arrived and was entrenched in the chief’s office. He didn’t like it.
I sat beside him. “Really? And you have no idea what she’s saying?”
“Not a clue.”
“Damn.”
“Since you’re here though, we can go over what happened last night.”
“Okay… and we put you in Ramos’s spot, right?”
He grimaced. “Yeah… we’ll say you called me instead of him. I was late, so I missed you at the bar. Everything else is the same.”
“Okay… got it.”
He let out a sigh and leaned his elbows on the desk. “Your testimony works for last night, but not for Brock’s murder and what they did to Sophie.”
“Oh… so what do we need?”
“Well… the murder weapon would be nice. But, beyond a confession, which neither of them will give, I think the only way for this to work is to get them to turn on each other. With your help, we might be able to do that.”
“Right. Sounds like I need to talk to them.”
Dimples glanced at the chief’s office, wondering what Willow could be saying to keep him in there for so long. “It might be good to do that before they’re done in there.” He picked up his phone. “I’ll have them bring Dex up to the interrogation room.”
After Dimples finished his call, we had to wait for Dex. Each second we waited I worried that the chief’s door would open, and I’d get the boot. Finally, we got the signal that Dex was ready, and I leapt up to follow Dimples into the interrogation room.
Dex sat with his wrists in handcuffs, locking him to the table. His swollen and bandaged nose, along with the black-and-blue swelling around his eyes, made him look like he’d been in a fight and lost. The goatee he’d been wearing was gone, so it must have been a
