Why would the police let him choose to wander the state—and worse, provide cover for him?
“It makes little sense to me.” The lines on his face were carved deep. “I think the state police have lost their minds. He’s convinced them he needs to be in Savannah to see his son. And they’ve allowed it.”
“Why are they listening to him?” She held up her hands. “I don’t understand.”
“It doesn’t matter why.” He cut her off, curtly. “All that matters is that he intends to kill you. He will get away from them, and he will track you down.” He glanced around the little cottage, eyes narrow. “This is a good place to hide. Using an assumed name to rent it was smart. But the simple truth is, if I can find you, so can he.”
“What am I supposed to do?” she asked, helplessly. “Stay here and hide? Go somewhere else and hide? Run across the country and hide?”
She was scared and angry, but Lee didn’t flinch.
“My advice is, stay on the move. Find somewhere new to stay every few nights—hotels, rented apartments. Be very careful walking in and out of the office—it’s the one place he knows to look for you.” He angled his body forward, his eyes holding hers intently. “Whatever you do, don’t try to go after him. I am tracking him. I have contacts in the state police who are helping me. I will find him. And I promise you, I will put an end to this.”
His voice was stiff with resolve. “I’ve lived with this guilt for seventeen years. Martin Dowell is not the only one with a score to settle.”
26
After Lee left that night, Harper found sleep impossible. All her questions had been answered at last, but the truth was far worse than she’d imagined. She paced the house, going over and over it all in her head. More than anything she wished she could call Lieutenant Smith and ask him what to do. But he was gone. She had to face this on her own.
When she was too tired to keep walking, she pulled out the Glock and set it on the table next to Lee’s empty mug. Then she curled up on the sofa with Zuzu beside her and waited for the sun to rise.
When it finally came, the morning was bright and sunny, but the weather reports carried dire predictions of another late-winter storm looming.
“Get those coats back out of the attic,” a TV weather reporter warned, perfect teeth flashing white. “Old Man Winter isn’t done with us yet.”
It was hard to believe, the day was so warm and springlike. When she walked into the Savannah police headquarters late that morning, the sky was a clear, crystalline blue.
At the reception desk, Darlene was flirting with a tall, wiry patrol officer. He gave Harper a curious look as she approached, her scanner held loosely in one hand.
“Your watch must be broken,” Darlene decided, surveying her with a smile. “Because this is too early.”
But Harper was in no mood for banter. “I need five minutes with Blazer,” she said. “Is he in?”
Noticing her tone, Darlene grew serious. “Go straight back,” she told her. “He’s in his office. I’ll let him know you’re coming.”
Harper hurried across the room as the desk officer released the lock on the security door. On the other side, she threaded her way through the morning throng, looking neither left nor right. Blazer was setting down his phone as she walked in.
Harper didn’t mince words. “The man—he came to my house last night.”
The lieutenant’s eyes widened. He motioned for her to sit. “What happened?”
“He wouldn’t tell me his full name, but he called himself Lee. He’s ex-FBI.” She spoke rapidly, rushing to get it all out. “He said Dowell’s under state police protection. They think he’s giving up his organization but it’s a ruse to get at me. Lieutenant, he says he’s already in Savannah.”
Blazer’s brow furrowed. “That can’t be true. They wouldn’t bring Martin Dowell into my jurisdiction without notifying me.”
But she could hear the doubt in his voice. He knew it was possible. If Dowell was under some sort of modified witness protection, they wouldn’t tell anyone where he was.
“Lee said Dowell convinced them he needed to see his son,” she said.
Blazer picked up a pen and turned it over in his hand. “I spoke to my FBI contacts yesterday, and they verified state is working with Dowell—they don’t approve, but state is off-roading here.” His face hardened. “If they brought that thug into my town without due notification, they’re crazy.”
The air conditioner blew cold air against Harper’s neck, making her shiver.
“They think he’s going to crack the Southern Mafia for them,” she said. “Lee thinks Dowell’s going to get away from them and find me.”
There was a brief silence as the two of them exchanged a look.
Blazer broke it first. “You’ve got the gun?”
She nodded.
“Good.” His tone was grim. “I’ll increase patrols at the newspaper. Let the security guards at the paper know. I’ll alert the Tybee PD to have more patrols at your house.” He paused to think, studying her like a problem. “Actually, I’ll see if I can get the sheriff to station a county deputy there overnight. I think it’s time to get them involved, too. If Dowell really is in town, we’ll need every resource we can spare.”
“Thanks,” she said. “Lee thinks I should stay on the move. Find new places every few nights.”
He considered this. “Stay there for the next couple of nights at least. I’ll make sure you’ve got security. I can’t protect you if you’re constantly moving.”
She nodded uncertainly. Everyone was giving her conflicting advice. Who was right?
“Let me know if this Lee person reappears,” Blazer continued. “I’d like to have a word with him.”
The meeting was over. Harper stood to go, but the lieutenant stopped her.
“By the way, you haven’t heard from your friends out at Tybee, have you?”
When she gave him a puzzled look, he clarified, “Rayne’s housemates.”
With everything that had been going on, she’d pushed the case to the back of her mind. Suddenly, the conversation she’d had with Cara flooded back. Had that only been last night?
“Why?” she asked. “Is something going on?”
“No, and that’s the problem. Daltrey and Walker, they’re working the case well but without physical evidence, and with those three backing each other up, we can’t pin it down. I was hoping they’d let something slip with you.”
“I talked to Cara last night,” she told him. “She told me she was afraid of the other two. She suggested she’s starting to wonder if one of them was the killer. But she said she didn’t know for sure.”
Blazer looked interested. “Did you believe her?”
Harper thought of Cara whispering on the phone, the tense timbre of fear in her voice.
“There’s definitely something going on. They’re not a cozy group anymore.” A thought occurred to her. “Actually, Allegra’s playing a gig tonight at the Library Bar. I’ll try and talk to her. I think she trusts me. Maybe I can get something out of her.”