Warrior, Fatal & Flawed Page 7

  We got out of our seats and paused, looking at each other over the roof of the car. CeCe’s face was creased with worry.

  “It’s going to be okay, Ce.”

  She nodded and took a deep breath. “My favorite part of investigating. Yay.”

  I chuckled at her sarcasm as I met her at the front of the car and took her arm, turning to check out the gym as we walked toward the double doors.

  Inside the gym was a flurry of activity. On one side, people were sweating at weight machines and a long bank of cardio machines, including treadmills, ellipticals, bikes and other more dangerous-looking contraptions.

  On the other side, a couple dozen adults and teens took turns on what looked like obstacle courses. A couple of muscle-bulging men clanged up a salmon ladder as a gym employee worked with them, and some women gingerly worked their way through a balance course.

  This place was intense.

  “Welcome in, ladies. May I help you?”

  We turned toward the voice behind a horse-shoe-shaped counter in the center of the activity.

  “We dropped by to see Buddy Johns. Is he around?”

  “Buddy? He’s almost always here. Let me get him for you.” The young woman behind the counter walked toward the men at the salmon ladder, then turned and pointed back toward us. I smiled self-consciously.

  The man I thought was a gym employee turned around and I recognized him as the bald man I had run into as I left the studio last night. He walked confidently toward us, glancing at the activity around him and nodding in appreciation.

  “Hi, I’m Buddy. What can I do for you?”

  I stuck out my hand, which he shook. “I’m Mariah Stevens. I own The Yoga Mat in Jasper. You came to our studio when you were in town.”

  Buddy nodded vigorously. “I really enjoyed the vinyasa class, and the vibe in the studio was awesome. I’d had a tough day, so I really needed the workout and the savasana.”

  “I’m glad the studio was there for you. Sorry you had a tough day. Business-wise, you mean?” I was pretty sure it wasn’t business, but I didn’t want to make it seem like I was prying too much.

  Buddy shook his head, then ran a hand over his bald top. “No, I-I-well, it’s a long story, but an ex-girlfriend died, was killed, actually, that day, and I had just heard the news.”

  CeCe covered her mouth in surprise, which I thought was a touch over-acted.

  “I’m so sorry. How did you hear?”

  “I went to the hotel where she said she was staying, and the clerk at the front desk told me she had been killed that morning or the night before.”

  “What was she doing in Jasper?” CeCe jumped in. “I’m sorry, I’m just not following.”

  Buddy peered at CeCe more closely. “I’m sorry, what was your name again?”

  CeCe introduced herself. “I don’t mean to pry, but we don’t get many murders in Jasper, at least, we didn’t use to.” She muttered that last bit under her breath, and it was all I could do not to give her a stiff elbow to the ribs.

  Buddy nodded like he understood. “I don’t know what she was doing there. I started getting texts from her that her boyfriend was going to dump her in Jasper, and could I come and get her? I didn’t think much of it at first. Serena, that’s her name, can be, I mean, could be, a little over-dramatic, if you know what I mean.”

  I nodded with what I hoped was a sympathetic look on my face, trying to keep him talking.

  “Anyway, I didn’t give it much thought until I got up yesterday and she had left me a text that she feared for her life, that her boyfriend was drunk, and she was afraid he would hurt her.”

  I gasped. Was that the truth? Did Lee drink too much and threaten Serena?

  “She sent it to me sometime the night before. I go to bed pretty early because of this.” He waved his hand to take in the gym. “And I had meetings I couldn’t get out of, so it was noonish by the time I headed to Jasper. She never answered my texts. She was already dead.”

  He rubbed his eyes as if he could make the memory disappear. “Even though we’d been broken up for a couple of years, we’d still kept in touch off and on. My girlfriend now says I’m too soft-hearted, but there’s no way I would have left Serena – or anybody – alone in a situation where they felt they were in danger.”

  “You didn’t get to Jasper until the day after she died?” CeCe leaned toward Buddy, her eyebrows raised and her look intense.

  “Yeah, that’s right. I was too late. I guess her boyfriend did just what she was afraid of.” Buddy took a deep breath and turned his sharp gaze back to me. “I hung around Jasper for a while, not really knowing what to do, and I saw The Yoga Mat, so I went in and Stormy set me up with a class.”

  “What did you do after the class?” CeCe crossed her arms and stared at Buddy, her look challenging.

  He seemed puzzled by CeCe’s demeanor. “I drove home.”

  “Straight home?”

  Buddy shrugged. “Yeah. No, wait, I stopped at that little store in Jasper to get a snack before the drive. They didn’t have much in the way of protein bars, though. There was way too much sugar in them, so I just got a banana.”

  He looked at CeCe. “Are you a cop? Is that why you’re asking me so many questions?”

  “No, I told you, I own the coffee shop in Jasper. We would have fixed you up with a nice healthy sandwich for your drive.”

  Buddy smiled. “That would have been nice. I’ll keep that in mind next time I go to Jasper.”

  “CeCe’s just nosy,” I butted in. “Like we said, we don’t get a lot of murders in Jasper. Did you tell the Sheriff’s Department any of this?”

  Buddy recoiled, horror filling his face. “No. Why would I? I didn’t have anything to do with Serena’s death.” He scrunched up his shoulders and took a breath. “Not that it’s any of your business, but in my past life, the cops and I did not get along.”

  CeCe and I exchanged a quick glance, but not quick enough.

  “Look, it was addiction and the things addiction can fuel. Getting clean and starting this place turned things around for me.” He looked me directly in the eye. “By the way, you never did say why you stopped in.”

  My smile was genuine even though my words contained a teeny-tiny lie. “We came up to hit the big box stores for supplies, and when Stormy said you owned Sky High Gym, I thought I would stop by and check it out, you know, professional courtesy and all that.”

  I turned around, admiring the hustle and bustle.

  “What do you think? It’s not The Yoga Mat.”

  “It’s not,” I agreed. “I love how engaged and focused everyone is on what they’re doing. There’s a lot of good chi here.”

  Buddy’s smile grew broad and he flushed. He touched his hand to his heart as he briefly ducked his head. “Thank you. That means a lot, coming from you. You’re welcome to stay for a class if you’d like. A beginner’s class is going to hit the obstacle course here in a few minutes.”

  The flow of people in the lobby had steadily increased as we talked. I glanced at my watch. “We probably need to get back to town, but I will definitely save time the next trip.”

  We said our goodbyes and CeCe and I headed back around the corner to the car.

  “Well, what do you think?” CeCe asked as we slid into the front seats. “Is he the killer?”

  I slowly shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Me neither.”

  “He didn’t even get to town until after Serena died.”

  “He could have lied about that.” CeCe clicked in her seatbelt and looked at me. “He has a police record, even though he didn’t say what it is. Neil could look that up for us. Plus, he is strong enough to kill someone and smart enough to cover his tracks.”

  “How did you get that from the ten minutes we talked to him?”

  “He goes to yoga. Smart people go to yoga. Less smart people don’t.”

  I turned my head to stare at CeCe, who was unwrapping the remains of her sandwich. My
mouth opened a few times but closed again. Finally, I started the car. “I don’t even have a response for that.”

  Chapter 13

  The car jerked a little, then died. I tried again and it started right up. As I backed it out and turned it around the corner of the building, I made a note to myself to take it in to Garry’s shop for a check-up.

  “Did you want to stop at one of the box stores for supplies?” CeCe asked between munches.

  I shrugged and then shook my head. “I probably should, but our list isn’t too long yet. And I really just want to get home right now. I’m glad we came and talked with Buddy, although it doesn’t do much for our suspect list.”

  “We can’t just mark him off, though. Besides, are you going to tell Josie?” CeCe knew this was a loaded question. I could practically feel her eyeballs burning into the side of my skull.

  “Stop staring at me.”

  “Answer the question.”

  I drove in silence for a few moments.

  “I don’t know. I mean, I get why she’s mad at me and wants to handle the investigation by herself. I get it. But the other part of me is highly offended. I mean, she didn’t even acknowledge- WHOA!”

  The car hit a bump in the road, and we veered off toward the side. I pulled on the steering wheel to right us even as I glanced in the rear-view mirror to make sure no cars were near me. A little gray car was behind us but seemed distant. More cars were coming up on the side.

  “What just happened?” CeCe sat bolt upright, ping-ponging her gaze between me and the highway in front of us.

  I grappled with the steering wheel, my shoulders tightening up and my heart pounding. The steering wheel turned, but the car didn’t respond. A turn loomed before us and the little gray car was getting closer. An SUV appeared next to it, speeding up in the passing lane.

  “It won’t turn. CeCe, I don’t know what to do.”

  “Stop the car, Mariah!”

  “I can’t. The cars behind us will hit us. They’re too close.”

  Still, my car wouldn’t respond. I gently pressed on the brake to slow down, but the gray car was practically on top of us and could not veer into the passing lane with the SUV there. I knew I couldn’t stop suddenly. I hit the turn signal and touched the brakes a few times trying to slow down the little gray car.

  As we reached the turn, I let the car ease off the road, then slammed on the brakes as we slid onto the short gravel shoulder. The car tipped, and I felt us start to roll. CeCe tucked her head into her lap and I crossed my arms over my head as the car flipped over. As it righted again, I started to breathe a short-lived sigh of relief. The car tipped again, then righted. On the third tip, the car stopped with a crunching sound. We were sideways but we had stopped.

  “Ce, you okay?”

  “I think so. Wait, I feel blood, I feel blood!”

  Her hands went to the top of her head. I looked over and touched her scalp.

  “It’s just water, CeCe. The bottles spilled.”

  “Are you sure? It feels like blood.” CeCe’s voice was starting to get higher pitched as panic set in. I had to get us out so she could calm down.

  I turned the key in the ignition, but nothing happened. So the electric windows wouldn’t open. I started to push on the door, but the angle was awkward.

  “CeCe, I’m going to have to stand on your seat to get the door open.”

  “Okay.” Her voice was small.

  “CeCe, I need you to rally here. Take a few deep breaths.”

  I waited for her to calm down. Finally, she nodded and started to breathe. “That’s better. I’m feeling better.”

  Just then voices and the sounds of someone trampling leaves and sticks reached our ears.

  “Are you all right in there?” someone hollered.

  “Yes, we’re okay, but we can’t get out,” I yelled back.

  The car moved slightly as someone climbed on it. CeCe screamed.

  A bearded face appeared at the window above me. “I’m going to try to open the door, and he is going to pull you out.”

  Another face popped up above us.

  “Do you think it’s safe with them?” CeCe whispered.

  “No, CeCe, they waited and waited for someone to slide off the road so they could rob them in their overturned car after they rescued them.”

  “Things like that have been known to happen.”

  “Shut up, CeCe.” I meant that with love, but I just couldn’t give in to the fear right now.

  The bearded guy opened the door. The car creaked again. CeCe caught her breath. I reached out a hand to steady her. She grasped mine and held on.

  The other man stuck a hand toward me. I reached up and grabbed his forearm, then gently pried CeCe’s hand from mine so I could unhook my seatbelt. Pushing with my feet and him pulling on my arm, I reached the top of the car and scrambled out the door. The two men held my arms as they lowered me over the side. More hands grabbed me from below and settled me on the ground.

  “There’s one more in there.” I pointed back up to the car. The hands around me belonged to several young men and a woman.

  “Are you okay, ma’am?” she asked.

  I nodded, my eyes fixed on the two men on the car, bending over to reach CeCe. The car creaked again and CeCe screamed. We all froze and waited as the car settled. I could tell now that the car wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry. A massive tree had stopped our fall.

  Within a few moments, the two men had CeCe through the door and the people on the ground reached for her. CeCe arched a shaky hand toward them.

  Flashing lights appeared up where we had tumbled off the edge of the freeway and officers appeared at the edge.

  “Everyone okay? Do we need an ambulance?”

  Our rescuers looked toward CeCe and me. CeCe waved a hand away.

  “I think we’re okay,” I told one.

  “Everyone is okay. No ambulance, just a tow,” he called up to the officers.

  Between talking with the sheriff’s deputies from the neighboring county to hitching a ride with the tow truck back to Jasper, CeCe and I didn’t have much time to talk. On the ride to Jasper, she sat curled up, her head leaning against the window. She seemed to have gone inside herself.

  “Are you hurt anywhere?” I asked in a whisper.

  She shook her head, then leaned back in the seat and rested her head on the back, turning toward me.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared in all my life.” Her face filled with sadness.

  I reached out and touched her cheek. “Not even when a killer was pointing a gun at us?”

  She barked out a laugh, then her face turned wistful. “Well, maybe the second time I’ve been that scared. You sure keep things interesting.”

  My eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry I keep getting us into these scrapes.”

  CeCe reached out and took my hand. “I’ve gone willingly. We’ve done a lot of good, too, my friend.”

  We held hands as we sat in silence for a few miles, then we each turned back to stare out our windows until the tow truck pulled into Garry’s Auto Repair.

  Garry himself was there to greet us, helping us down from the truck and giving us each a hug. “Are you girls all right? I’ve been worried sick.”

  We assured him we were and brushed off his ministrations, so he stuck his head into the shop and called for Adam. Garry turned back toward us. “It’s his day off, but I called him to come take a quick look at your car. He’s a genius with cars.”

  While Garry, Adam and the tow truck driver got the car into the bay and up onto the risers, CeCe and I ducked into the bathrooms to clean up and begin to feel human. When I came out, feeling relatively human again, Adam and Garry’s heads were ducked under the hood.

  They straightened up, puzzled looks on their faces, then bent over again. After a few more minutes, Garry straightened up, one hand on the top of the hood, one on his hip. He kept looking inside the car and shaking his head.

  After s
everal minutes, they straightened up and waved for CeCe and me to come over. They kept looking at each other, then back at the car.

  “How bad is it, Garry?” I tried to joke, but the look on his face told me I wouldn’t be happy.

  “Worse than you think, Mariah.” He motioned toward the car to show me something, but frankly I didn’t know what I was looking at.

  “I don’t see it, Garry. What’s going on?” I straightened up and fixed my gaze on Garry, hands on my hips. “Just spit it out.”

  “Mariah, the line on your steering column was cut,” Garry said, pointing into the car. “This wasn’t an accident.”

  Chapter 14

  The air whooshed out of my lungs as I stared at Garry, barely comprehending what he was saying.

  “You’re saying someone cut my steering line? On purpose? I don’t understand. Why would someone do that?”

  Garry shrugged his shoulders, exchanging a solemn look with Adam. My gaze found CeCe, who stood with one hand pressed to her mouth, her eyes as wide as mine. A tear slipped from her eye and she sniffed.

  “Mariah,” she gasped. “Someone tried to kill us.”

  We fell into each other’s arms, letting the tears flow. My mind raced as I tried to figure out who would have tried to hurt us. I refused to think someone would actually try to kill us. Solid thoughts refused to gain traction in my brain as I sought to comfort CeCe even as I watched Garry and Adam huddle around my car.

  At some point, Garry guided us into two metal chairs on the side of the garage and apparently called my sister.

  Cindy and Josie showed up minutes later, banging through the garage door, their eyes darting around the garage until they landed on us. Cindy hugged me fiercely, then stepped back and looked at me.

  “What is going on, Mariah? What were you two doing in Sacramento? Why didn’t you tell me you were going there?” Cindy’s head bounced between CeCe and me, then settled back on me. “The studio’s supply list isn’t long enough yet for a big box trip. I know because I just added hand sanitizer to it last night.”