Page 102 of Charmed Forces
“Detective Crump got the coffee? Did he give it to you?”
“That’s the thing, I don’t remember. I guess so. I know I had coffee because I could taste it later that night when I got to your house. But I don’t remember Detective Crump arriving, or handing it to me, or even drinking it but I guess I must have. The rest is a blur. No, there’s something else. Wayne said Crump called a second time, just before I got back with the pizzas, and Crump said they’d be later than anticipated because they had to catch up on something. I don’t remember what. He said Desmond and McGinney should take off, but when I got there, Desmond was still there and since I brought a couple of pizzas, he decided to stay for a slice.”
“What about McGinney?”
“She’d taken off already in their car. Her kid was doing a recital and she wanted to watch it now they were being relieved.”
“What else do you remember?”
“We ate the pizza in the living room. Desmond got a call and went upstairs to take it. After that... not much. I remember waking up, finding everyone dead and my gun in my hand. I totally freaked out. I think I must have dropped my gun. Then I was outside. Then I was in the street somewhere, and then I was at your house. My memories of it are like snapshots. I must’ve recognized your street but I can’t say I headed for you initially even though I knew from the safe house location that your house wasn’t far away. I was so out of it.” Daniel heaved a breath. “That’s it. I’ve wracked my brain for days but I don’t remember much else. Snippets maybe. Talking.”
“Talking?”
“A shout. I’m not sure. But it had to be Detective Crump, right? There had to be something in the coffee, right? No one felt weird after the pizza but I know I drank the coffee and everything got fuzzy after that.”
“When we sent Daniel’s blood to the lab for analysis,” said Maddox. “I asked them to run an extended tox screen. That’s why I was at the morgue when I ran into you, Lexi. I was asking them discreetly to run further tox screens on the Denneys and Detective Desmond too.”
“And Wayne,” I reminded him.
“Uh, guys,” said Farid. He stared through the slats of the blinds he eased apart.
“Why didn’t you include Wayne?” I pressed.
“Guys, anyone invite Detectives Crump and Hertford to the party?”
“No,” said Solomon.
“No,” said Maddox.
“Didn’t think so,” said Farid. “But they just turned up.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“I thought I knew what was going on but now I’m not so sure,” I said to Solomon as the group split up. Fletcher, Flaherty and Daniel hiked their bags over their shoulders and took off through a hole in the wall that was concealed behind a bookcase pushed aside by Fletcher. On the other side was another unoccupied office space that spanned the other half of the building and from what I recalled while driving around it, there was at least one other street exit. Their vehicle had to be closeby even though I didn’t see it. As they departed, Fletcher stuck his head back through the hole and said they had another safe house for backup and would proceed to meet Maddox and Farid there.
“We’re going to take off via a different route,” said Maddox after he and Farid returned the bookcase to its place. “I’d prefer we weren’t all seen together at this point.”
“We still have a case to make,” added Farid. “And we don’t need any interference.”
“We’ll be in touch.” Maddox squeezed my shoulder as we passed. “Don’t blow up their car or do anything crazy,” he added.
“I don’t even knowhowto do that,” I said, affronted at the very suggestion.
“Ten bucks says you’ll learn before the year is out.”
“Ten bucks says I don’t,” I said. “Easy money.”
“Deal.” Maddox flashed a smile that suggested he knew the future and it was going to go according to his prediction. I was determined that it wouldn’t but I knew how my life took so many unexpected turns. He and Farid slipped out the door, their shoes clattering on the metal steps.
Delgado, Solomon and I waited a beat then hurried out after them, aiming for the car. Maddox and Farid were long gone, leaving me to wonder if the safe house was one they were already familiar with.
“Wait,” I said as Solomon unlocked the doors with his key fob.
“For?”
“How did they find us?” I asked. “There’s absolutely no reason for them to come here. Not right after they arrived at the previous safe house.”
“They didn’t follow us,” said Delgado. “I checked.”