Race Against Time Page 9

  “And?”

  “This has got to stay here, between you and me.” Brody shifted to face her better. “He left the name William. We checked with the County Manager and there have got to be at least forty Williams in York County. We’re in the process of narrowing them down.”

  “I see.”

  He sighed and leaned back. “So you’re stuck with me all day.”

  Madison wondered if what he really meant was “I’m stuck with you all day.” She said nothing.

  “What’s on your schedule?”

  Her schedule? It seemed like the last thing on her mind at the moment. What did she have lined up? “I’ve got three or four appointments. I’ve got to do some photo shoots. I’m two days behind already.”

  “Consider me your chauffeur, then.”

  “I feel like you’re more of a babysitter.” She frowned.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Being near you will only help the investigation. There may be some clue we’re missing that I’ll pick up on by talking with you.”

  Madison still felt like she was being babysat, but she didn’t argue. Deep inside, she’d feel better if Brody were nearby, anyway.

  Maybe, in some kind of twisted way, he was an answer to her prayer.

  * * *

  “How’s it going staying with Kayla?” Brody asked an hour later as they started down the road.

  Madison shrugged. “It’s going fine. I’m glad Kayla opened up her house—it was very kind of her.”

  “I’m kind of surprised you’re not staying with another friend by now.”

  She glanced over at him. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you certainly have friends around here yet you’re choosing to stay with Kayla.”

  Madison shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

  “Explain, then.”

  Did she have to? The man had put his life on the line for her. It seemed the least she could do was make conversation with him for the duration of the car ride. Besides, this seemed unusual for him. He usually seemed to prefer quiet. “I grew up around here so, sure, I have friends in the area. But so many of them were friends with Reid and me. When he died…I think his death just reminded them all of how fragile life was. It was inevitable that our relationships changed.” She sighed. “They pulled away, I pulled away…I’m not sure which one exactly. Probably both. I just know that suddenly we weren’t having dinner every Friday night together anymore. It just seemed easier that way.”

  “That must have been painful.”

  “In a way, yes, it was. But in another way, life got busy. Being a single mom is no small task. Every spare minute I have is either spent working or with Lincoln. I know I should probably try to be more balanced and make more time for me, but it just hasn’t worked out that way. Friendships kind of got placed on the back burner.”

  “Lincoln seems like a really good kid.”

  Madison smiled when she thought about her son. “He is. He’s like his father in so many ways. He’s got his outgoing, talkative nature and the same adventurous spirit. That boy keeps me on my toes.”

  “And he’s got a great name. I like that…Lincoln.”

  Madison smiled again. “Reid and I talked about naming all of our kids after former presidents. We figured we could have a Jefferson, a Jackson, a Carter.” Her smile slipped. That dream would never become a reality.

  “What if you’d had girls?”

  “We talked about naming them after presidents’ wives. However, no one would have picked up on our pattern, though. There was an Abigail, a Hannah, an Elizabeth, a Rachel.” Madison’s smile faded. “But all of that doesn’t matter anymore.”

  “It sounds like you and your husband had something good together.”

  Madison looked down at her hands a moment. “We did. It was like losing a part of myself when he died. I never want to go through that again. Never.”

  “Maybe that’s the real reason why you let go of your friendships.”

  Her head snapped toward him. “What do you mean?”

  “Getting close to people requires risk. It sounds like you don’t want to risk any more than you have to.”

  “Interesting theory from someone who doesn’t know me.”

  His eyes softened. “Sorry. I overstepped my bounds.”

  Madison released her breath, trying to relax instead of biting Brody’s head off. Maybe he’d gotten too close to the truth. “No, it’s okay. I get a little defensive sometimes. Everyone seems to have an opinion on how I should move on since Reid’s death. I say that until you’re in my shoes, you have no idea.”

  Silence fell for a minute.

  “What about you? You ever been married?” The man was certainly handsome enough. He was the kind of man who turned heads wherever he went. Perhaps he wasn’t the type to settle down, though.

  “Nope, never married.” He said nothing else.

  “Oh, come on. You’ve got to divulge more than that. Especially since I practically just told you my life story…at least, the hardest part of my life story.”

  He shrugged, and Madison noticed a sort of tension about him. “There’s not much to tell. I guess you could say that I made some mistakes in dating, and my choices led to a lot of hurt. I’m trying to do the right thing now. Doing that means not dating until I get my head on straight. And sometimes I don’t ever feel like I’ll get my head on straight.”

  “What does that mean, Brody? What kind of mistakes could you have possibly made?”

  “People called me a player. I don’t know if I deserved that title, but I do know that I enjoyed not being committed. And, as a result, I made some poor choices.”

  Madison nodded, deciding not to ask him any more questions. She had a feeling it had been a huge step for Brody to even have shared that much. Men like him didn’t like admitting their weakness. Madison thought that when a man admitted his weakness, it made him seem even stronger, though.

  It was, on the other hand, good to know that he had no interest in dating. That should make their time together a lot more relaxed. She hated the games that singles seemed to play with each other, especially as they got older. She hadn’t wanted to be thrust into the world of being single again, and she didn’t welcome it with open arms. No blind dates for her, no one fixing her up, no online dating. She just wanted to be single and happy.

  She couldn’t deny, however, that she did miss the companionship of being married, of having someone to share your life with. She missed having a man around to help take the trash out and to take the car into the shop. She missed having someone to appreciate special dinners that she worked on for an hour or to tell her on occasion that she looked nice.

  “We’re here.”

  Madison focused on her surroundings and saw they were at the high school. She snapped away from her thoughts and turned her attention back to her photography.

  Brody raised his arm in a half stretch, the small car hindering anything bigger. “You mind if I go to the baseball field with you? I have to stretch my legs for a minute.”

  “Absolutely.”

  They walked silently through the heavy summer sun toward the baseball fields. Madison could see the players pitching balls to each other. Seeing it reminded her of the promise Brody had made to Lincoln—that they would play catch. She hoped that Brody planned on keeping his promise. Because the only thing Madison feared even more than getting hurt herself was having her son get hurt again.

  TEN

  Brody watched Madison as she knelt on the grass to snap some pictures of the baseball players. There was a lot more to the woman than he’d initially assumed. When he’d first met his neighbor, she’d seemed friendly enough, but most women he’d encountered who were as pretty as Madison were either overly confident or
painfully insecure. Madison had neither of those traits. Instead, she was down-to-earth, honest and kind.

  And Brody was attracted to her. As much as he tried to deny it, he was. The more he was around Madison, the more his attraction seemed to grow.

  At least they’d both made it clear that they weren’t interested in a relationship.

  No, he didn’t deserve to be in a relationship. He’d made a lot of mistakes in his partying days. He’d caused irreversible heartache. Though he’d been largely misunderstood, he’d still hurt a lot of people through his refusal to commit.

  For a long time he’d blamed the women he’d dated. After all, he’d said at the time, they’d been the ones who’d assumed the relationship was more than it was. But Brody should have been clear from the start about his intentions. If he couldn’t see a future with someone, he didn’t want to stay in a relationship with them.

  “I heard about what happened last night.”

  Brody turned and saw Daniel appear beside him. News did travel fast in these small towns. The news media would catch wind of everything before long. Then the pressure on the Sheriff’s Department would mount even more. The FBI might even be called in.

  “It was a rough night.”

  “Kayla said someone broke in while they were at home. That takes some nerve to come back a second time. Makes me want to find whoever’s doing this and give them a piece of my mind…to say the least.”

  “That’s for sure.”

  Brody’s gaze scanned their surroundings, as he often did, looking for anyone who was out of place. Everything appeared peaceful and normal. The baseball team grinned for photos in between punching each other and putting rabbit ears behind their teammates’ heads.

  Daniel stared in the same direction. “Madison’s a nice girl. A great photographer.”

  “I haven’t seen her pictures yet, but I hope to one day.”

  “You should get her to show you. She’s an ace with the camera. She can capture emotions that most people miss.” His tone filled with admiration. “She’s kind of like that as a person, too, you know? It’s like she can see who people really are.”

  “I didn’t realize you knew each other that well.”

  “We go to church together. We’ve hung out a few times otherwise.”

  Brody nodded. Had Madison dated Daniel? Madison had said she had no interest in dating. But the way Daniel had said “hung out” implied more. A moment of—what was that emotion—jealousy?—shot through Brody. It didn’t matter if Madison had ever dated Daniel or not. She was free to do whatever she wanted. Besides, Daniel was a nice enough guy.

  “Are you two…?” The way Daniel waggled his eyebrows made it clear he meant to ask “Are you two together?”

  Brody shook his head. “I’m just doing my job, and right now my job includes watching out for Madison.”

  Daniel nodded slowly. “Sorry. I should have known better. Kayla told me you weren’t the type to commit, anyway. You like to keep your options open.”

  Brody assumed the man was just trying to make small talk to get on his good side since Daniel obviously wanted to date Brody’s cousin. He was never a big fan of small talk, however. “I’m not the type who likes to lead women on.” He’d have to have a talk with Kayla. He could only imagine what his cousin had told Madison about him. No wonder she acted so distant. Not that Brody wanted her to act otherwise.

  Madison appeared with her camera in hand a moment later. She wiped at the mixture of dirt and grass stains at her knees. Sweat glistened on her forehead, thanks to the August heat. But she still grinned, as if she didn’t mind. “I think I’m all done. I’ll have these pictures back to you in a week. Does that work?”

  Daniel smiled. “Perfect.” He extended his hand to her. “Thanks for coming out.”

  Brody resisted the urge to slip his hand onto Madison’s back as they walked away. Daniel’s words still bothered him. Brody wasn’t a player. He’d just never met the right person for him.

  He glanced briefly at Madison.

  And he wouldn’t even fool himself into thinking she was the right person. At least not until he became the right person. But that would require first paying for his mistakes.

  * * *

  Inside Brody’s car Madison lowered her camera and looked at the detective. He had the oddest expression on his face, one that she couldn’t read. Perhaps he was annoyed again? That seemed to be a common emotion for him. She didn’t want to spend the energy trying to figure his mood out, though. She had enough other things to figure out first.

  She cleared her throat. “I’ve got about thirty minutes until my next appointment.”

  He slipped his seat belt on. “You mind if we make a quick stop on the way there?”

  “Sure thing, chauffeur.” She leaned back into her seat. “Where are we going?”

  “The grocery store.”

  “You need to do some shopping?”

  “No, I’m trying to figure out where the killer got these egg timers. If we can track them down, then maybe we’ll be one step closer to finding the culprit.”

  “Don’t you think there’s a better chance he got them online? Would he be that brazen to actually buy them here in town?”

  Brody shrugged. “He’s playing with us, so he just might be. Everyone slips up sometime. Everyone. This guy is no different. Somewhere he’s left some evidence. He’s left a clue that he didn’t mean to leave. We’ll find it, given time.”

  They pulled into the hometown grocery store. Bigger stores were located off the main highway through York County, but people often stopped by Alfred’s Place for last-minute needs. Madison rarely did, especially since those last-minute “needs” for most people seemed to be alcohol or cigarettes. They were the main items advertised on signs and posters in the windows.

  Madison stayed at Brody’s side as they entered the store. Like any true small-town grocer, this was a place where patrons could buy motor oil, bug spray or fresh pastries, all on the same shelf. The place usually had locals outside gabbing in the gravel parking lot or groups of workers from the local seafood plant gathered around the coffee pot inside, wasting time until their shifts started.

  A bell jangled as they stepped onto the stained linoleum floor of the place. The owner, Alfred Adams, looked up from sweeping in front of the check-out counter. The fifty-something-year-old man had a graying goatee, olive complexion and tattoos running up and down his arms.

  “Afternoon,” he mumbled. “Hot day out there, ain’t it?”

  “Without any breeze it is.” Brody stepped toward him. “I’m looking for an egg timer. The white ones that you twist. Do you sell those here?”

  “Sure do. Look down that aisle over there with the car air fresheners. I should have at least two.” He nodded across the store, directing them to the corner at the back.

  Brody and Madison exchanged glances as they started that way. She reached the timers first, gravitating toward them on the shelf. Madison handed one to Brody before picking up one herself. She examined it a moment, picturing the ad that had come with it. Don’t Let Time Run Out on Our Special—it had seemed like a clever little advertising slogan. Instead, it had been part of a killer’s long thought-out plot.

  She looked up at Brody. “From what I remember, it looks like the same kind.”

  Brody turned it over and looked at the manufacturer. “It’s the same brand.” He gripped the device and walked back to Alfred. “You been selling these for a while?”

  The man thought about it a moment before shrugging. “For as long as I can remember. Why do you ask?”

  “Do you remember anyone coming in here in the past six or seven months and purchasing multiple timers?”

  The man was quiet again before shrugging. “Not that I can remember. Not the ki
nd of thing I think about. Course, I’m not the only one who works the counters in here. Someone else could have sold some. I usually only keep three in stock, though.”

  “Do you have any way of tracing who you’ve sold these to?”

  Alfred snorted and shook his head. “Son, I’m what you young folks call ‘old school.’ I don’t keep records like some of these new stores. If I see something’s getting low, I order more. That’s about it when it comes to inventory for me.”

  Madison’s hopes plunged. This could have been the lead they were looking for. Now it appeared they were no closer than before.

  “Is everything okay, detective?”

  “We’re trying to track down some leads in an investigation. If you can remember anything about those timers, I need to know.”

  Alfred paused from sweeping, his eyes at once curious. “I heard we had a serial killer on the loose. Are these timers connected?”

  Brody stiffened. “A serial killer? Where did you hear that?”

  “On the news this afternoon. Lead story. I never thought about locking my doors before. You better believe I will be tonight, though.”

  Madison felt her face drain of its color. She prayed that Brody wouldn’t draw any attention to her, to give Alfred any clue that she was one of the intended victims. The last thing she wanted was to answer everyone’s questions.

  Brody scowled and pulled a card from his pocket. “If you think of anything, give me a call.”

  “Will do.”

  Brody put his hand on Madison’s back to guide her out of the store. He led her to his car, and she glanced at her watch. They had just enough time to make it to her next appointment.

  Just as they pulled away from the grocery store, an explosion shook the car. Madison turned around and saw the grocery store was in flames.

  * * *

  Madison gasped as she watched the flames that engulfed the old grocery store. The whole place was lit with fire. There was no way Alfred had survived. Even by the time Madison and Brody had arrived back on the scene, flames had licked every inch of the old wooden building. Three fire trucks surrounded it now and their hoses doused the fire. Numerous other safety vehicles surrounded the place.