“And I could go back to teaching art when I’m not required to be here to do the sketches all the time. I can garden and do some other things I enjoy doing. I feel like I’m kind of back in the rat race again. I really liked working part-time. I thought I would get used to working with dead bodies, but it’s not happening right away. And it’s not as fun for me now.”
“Then I think you have your answer,” Adam said. “When did the chief need an answer?”
“I told him I would tell him tomorrow.”
“Sure, you could sleep on it,” Tori said.
Tori was right about the way Sierra stressed every time she had to see a dead body. “Actually, you’re right, Tori. I’ve been hoping the chief would find someone else for the job and I would go back to what I was doing. I just needed to bounce it off you guys. So I’m ready to just give the chief my decision, and the other guy won’t have to wait to learn that he has got the job.”
Adam pulled Sierra into his arms and kissed her. “I just want you to be happy, no matter what you decide.”
“Doing part-time work.” She kissed him, glad he was leaving the decision-making up to her. “Thanks, guys. Uh”—Sierra glanced at Tori—“did he tell you?”
“You’re mated?” Tori asked, whispering.
“Yeah.” Sierra smiled brightly and Tori gave her a hug.
“I’m so thrilled for the two of you.” Tori gave Adam a hug too. “Finally, you did it. And no, he didn’t tell me.”
“Yeah, we finally did it. We told Cassie this morning, but I’m sure the word will soon spread. Be back in a sec, but don’t wait on me. I know you’re busy.” Then Sierra returned to the office and knocked.
The chief was on the phone, but he motioned for her to come in.
“Same arrangement as before. Part-time. Witness sketches only, except for when the new guy gets swamped and needs me to help,” Sierra said to her boss.
“Are you sure?” the chief asked.
Sierra nodded. “I’ll be glad he has the full-time job, but I really enjoy doing this part-time. So we’re good.”
“All right then. You’ll keep this job until he can move up here and you can switch with each other.”
She thanked the chief and felt so lighthearted and happy. She knew this was the right decision to make. To Sierra’s surprise, Tori and Adam were still waiting for her to tell them what the final decision was. They were so sweet.
“I did it,” Sierra said, smiling. “I feel great. I’ll work full-time until he gets to Portland and can take over. I really am relieved.”
“I’m so glad,” Adam said and gave her another hug and kiss.
Tori gave her a hug too. “I knew it. Okay, we’ve got to go do some interrogations. We’ll see you in a little bit.”
Sierra smiled, but then she got a call to do another dead-body sketch. Man, was she hoping the new guy would get here soon. She grabbed her camera and was about to head out when her boss called out to her. “He’ll be here Wednesday.”
“Okay, great.” Yes! Only two more days of doing dead-body sketches. She took off to get this one done.
Chapter 27
After Adam called Josh to let him know he was mated to Sierra, he and Tori headed into the interrogation room to speak to Kinney first in the small room featuring a table, three chairs, and a one-way mirror.
“Okay,” Adam said to Kinney, taking a seat in front of him while Tori stood nearby, “we know you were in jail with Burt Barnes and Ollie Thomas, the carjacker, who tried to kill you.”
Kinney stiffened.
“Do you want to tell us about it?” Adam asked.
“I did my time,” Kinney said.
“Right, for the burglaries you were convicted of. But the rest?”
Kinney smiled. “You don’t have anything else on me.”
“Okay, so don’t you want to get these guys after they nearly killed you?”
“Only Ollie did that. And he’s dead.”
“Good thing for you. What if Dover tells the rest of the guys loyal to him to finish the job? That’s who gave the orders, right?”
Kinney cleared his throat.
“Do you need some coffee? Water?” Tori asked.
“Uh, coffee, thanks.”
An officer soon brought him a cup of coffee, and when he left, Adam said to Kinney, “Dover ordered your death, right?”
“I can’t say for sure. You would have to ask Ollie, and he’s dead.”
“Who were the others in the car with him? The driver? The other passenger?”
“I don’t know. It was like I said. I couldn’t see the one in the passenger seat.” Kinney took a long, deep breath. “Ah hell, the driver was”—he let out his breath—“Victor Freemont.”
“The guy that’s having a fling with Phyllis.” Adam let out an exasperated sigh. “Why didn’t you tell us that before?”
“Victor would want me dead. And yeah. Dover would be pretty sore at both Victor and Phyllis if he learned they’re together.”
“So why was Ollie trying to kill you?”
“I was trying to go clean.”
Adam wasn’t sure what to believe.
“I know you don’t believe it, but I promised my wife and my daughters I was going straight. I’m on parole, I have a job, I’m working hard, and I don’t want to lose my family. My wife will leave me if I go back in.”
“Dover wanted you on a new job?”
“Yeah. To steal the car of the woman who testified against him for breaking into her hotel room. I was supposed to help kidnap some random kid off the street and dump the hostage at the woman’s house, then call the police to say the kid was tied up there and frame Sierra Redding. I wasn’t going to do it. Like I said, I’ve done my time. I don’t want to get involved in any of Dover’s revenge plots. But once you work for Dover, he thinks he owns you. For life. No one says no to doing a job for him.”
“But you did.” Adam admired Kinney for finally trying to do what was right. He just wished he’d informed the police that Dover was planning to send his henchmen to do the job for him before it happened.
“And look where that got me. Nearly dead.”
“Do you know of any others who refused to work for him that he had killed?”
Kinney ran his hands through his hair. “No. Look. He’s angry that the woman who did my witness sketch put him away. No one’s done that to him before. He blames her. He wants revenge. Until he can force her to recant what happened—say that she did have a dog, the one in the hotel room—so he can get his sentence reduced, maybe even commuted, he’ll continue to cause trouble for her.”