Chapter 31

We had spent so much time talking about what was going on and deciding what to do immediately, that by the time we were ready to discuss Magic, we were interrupted by a knock on the door.

I went to answer it, but Dalton quickly pulled me back. “We don’t know who it is,” she said.

Jordan went to the window and looked out without moving the drapes. “It looks like the police. There are two uniforms and a pair of men in suits.”

Dalton waved me away from the door. “Let me answer. The Syndicate could be using a ruse.”

I frowned at the thought that they would target me so soon, but I didn’t argue. I pressed my back to the wall next to the door. Jordan and the others all went to the bedroom and shut themselves in. If a fight broke out, they would still be in danger, but hopefully this was exactly what it looked like.

Dalton gave me one more look and then opened the door. “Can I help you?” she asked.

“I’m Woodruff. This is Holloway,” said a somewhat gruff voice. I could only imagine that they flashed badges because they didn’t use titles. “We’re looking for Sheriff Dalton and Seth Connors.”

“May I see some Identification?” Dalton asked. They must have produced something because she stood there looking from one to the other for a moment before stepping out of the doorway. “Come in,” she said.

The two men walked in and looked around, spotting me instantly. The taller of the two had graying hair, a walrus mustache and a rough exterior. He looked like he had seen and experienced it all. The other one looked like a nerd who had escaped from a science lab. He didn’t wear glasses but his hair cut and style suggested he was detail oriented. The part was razor straight and there wasn’t a single hair out of place. His eyes moved around the room like he was going to be tested on what he saw here later. Maybe he would be? I didn’t know.

“I’m Sheriff Dalton,” she said, pulling out her wallet and flipping it open to a very real looking badge. “This is Seth Connors.”

The taller detective looked from her to me and back again. “We scoured the parking lot and surrounding area around Brozos House. We didn’t find anyone matching the description you gave us.”

That worried me. If Neil slipped away from the police, he could be anywhere.

Woodruff looked at me pointedly. “Do you have the note?”

I nodded. “Yeah, let me get it.”

I went to the bedroom. Vanessa was the last one who had it. I didn’t want the girls to be involved in this discussion but the shorter Detective, Holloway, followed me.

“Vanessa, where’s the note?” I asked her.

She handed it to me and I turned and offered it to Holloway. He had a big plastic bag held out. I dropped the note inside. He looked at me and then the others. “How many of you have touched this?” He had an accent that I didn’t recognize.

I thought about it and looked around. “All of us, I believe.”

“I didn’t,” Emma said and waved her hand.

Holloway rolled his eyes and waved at the door. “Okay, all of you, out.”

We filed out, one after another. Dalton didn’t look happy, and I didn’t think it was because the detectives had found the girls. I gave her a questioning look but she shook her head.

“What’s this?” Woodruff asked.

“Apparently, they’ve all been taking turns reading the note,” Holloway said. He turned to us and said, “Line up over here. We’re going to need your prints to eliminate them.” He stepped to the doorway and said something to the officers outside, but he never took his eyes off of us for more than a second.

Woodruff, in the meantime returned to talking quietly with Dalton. It wasn’t like there was a lot of noise to cover what he said, but he spoke in a manner that made it clear what he had to say was only for the Sheriff to hear.

An officer came in with a large case. He set it on the end of the bar and looked up the line. He pulled out several cards and a plate of ink. One at a time, he took our prints, and added our names to the cards. When we were each finished, we washed up in the sink and grabbed paper towels to dry off with.

When the officer got to Emma, she asked, “Do I have to do this? I didn’t touch the note.”

The officer looked at Holloway who looked up at Emma. Yes, she was taller than he was, by a lot.

Without a word from Holloway, Emma said, “I’m a doctor at Medical Center Arlington. I work in Cardiology.”

Vanessa and Cassandra exchanged looks, seemingly impressed.

“Do you have your ID?” Holloway asked. She nodded and pulled it out of her clutch. He looked it over and then waved her to the side.

The rest of us, however, had touched the note. When they had all of our finger prints, Woodruff took me and Dalton over by the couch. “Mr. Connors, when did you receive this note?” He was looking at it through the clear plastic.

“I was at a photo shoot, working.” I nodded at Sammi. “Sammi was with me. We were wrapping up when she went back to her SUV and found the note.”

Woodruff looked at Sammi and waved her over. She sat next to me. “Did you see the person who left this note?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, it was pinned under the windshield wiper.”

“Did you see anyone near your truck?” he asked.

She shook her head again. “The way everyone was parked, he could have been hiding anywhere nearby.”

“How long were you away from your truck?” he asked.

“A couple of hours,” she said. “I didn’t have any reason to go to it.”

He nodded. “Then the note could have been left any time while you were there. Did you open the note when you found it?”

She nodded. “I didn’t know who it was for until I opened it.”

He nodded at the others. “Other than them, have you shown this note to anyone else?”

“There were a few others who were here earlier that know about it, but they didn’t handle it,” I said.

He nodded and looked at the note. “The writer seems to know all of you, but is focused on you,” he nodded at me. He read it again and then looked around the room at everyone. His gaze stopped on Dalton for a moment and then he grunted. “I’m not going to ask you too much about your personal life right now...”

I shook my head. “You need the information. Ask.”