Which isn’t helping.
‘I’m sorry,’ Erin murmured. ‘I only met Mercy a few times when she was here before, but I liked her. She’s a strong woman.’
‘That she is,’ Rafe said, and even he could hear the pride in his voice.
Erin chuckled. ‘So it’s like that, huh? Well, good luck, big guy. I’ll get you a vest from tactical storage just in case Gideon goes all caveman protective on your ass.’
Rafe was not even going there. ‘Why did Burton snap the woman’s neck if he had a gun?’ He squinted at the photo, using thumb and forefinger to enlarge it, studying the weapon, inwardly sneering at its flashy gold color. ‘That’s an FNX-45. It would have killed her and anyone standing behind her. So why not just shoot her?’
‘I don’t know. If I hear anything about that, I’ll let you know.’
Rafe relaxed against the railing and considered his question. ‘The gun might not have been loaded, but I think that’s unlikely. Ephraim Burton doesn’t strike me as someone who’d wave an unloaded gun around. It’s definitely not the same gun he had at the airport last night.’
‘How do you know?’
‘I got a glimpse of it on the airport’s security footage, and, for starters, the grip is all wrong. Second, his was a revolver, and third’ – he made a face at the suppressed weapon’s exterior – ‘it wasn’t gold, for God’s sake.’
She bit back a smile. ‘Fair enough.’
‘Who carries an actual golden gun?’ he grumbled, then winced. ‘You’re going to get mad at me, but in my experience, it’s mostly women who go for the flashy guns.’
She nodded with distaste. ‘It’s true.’
‘Plus, last night’s gun didn’t have a silencer. It was a Smith and Wesson .38 Special. Snub-nosed. So . . . not the same gun.’
She smiled at him with genuine affection. ‘I’ve missed you, partner.’
‘Same goes. You get yourself a new partner yet?’
‘Nope. I’m on desk duty still. Which totally sucks but does allow me to eavesdrop on other conversations. Which is how I heard about this robbery.’
He felt a frisson of relief that he hadn’t lost her yet. ‘Why wasn’t he carrying this gun’ – he pointed to the photo on her phone – ‘last night at the airport? It’s bigger, flashier, and less easy to conceal, but more powerful than the .38 Special.’
‘Maybe he didn’t have it with him.’
‘Maybe. Maybe he stole it. It’s gold, for God’s sake. I can’t see him buying a flashy gun like that.’
‘Possible. Still doesn’t explain why he used precious seconds to snap the vic’s neck.’
They sat in silence for a full minute, each of them thinking. Rafe ran various scenarios through his mind, chucking the ones that seemed most unlikely. ‘He got away from the airport last night in some lady’s minivan. June. Can’t remember her last name.’
‘Lindstrom,’ Erin supplied.
‘Oh, right. Have they located her yet?’
Her brows lifted. ‘You think the gun was hers?’
‘I don’t know. But both Gideon and Mercy believed that Burton would kill the woman.’
Erin raised her forefinger. ‘Hold on a minute.’ She scrolled through her contacts, then dialed one of them. ‘Hey, Tiff, got a minute?’
Should have thought of that myself. Tiffany Snow was their lieutenant’s right arm. Not much happened that the clerk didn’t know about.
Erin laughed quietly. ‘Sorry. I was rude to swan in with coffee and not bring you anything. I’ll bring you a latte tomorrow morning.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Yes, of course it’s a bribe. Can you tell me if they found the Lindstrom woman yet? She’s the—’ Erin exhaled, shooting Rafe a grim look. ‘Damn, I kind of knew she was dead, but I didn’t want her to be. Do you know what kind of weapon?’ Again she listened, then nodded. ‘Got it, thanks. Any other bodies turn up? With either gunshot wounds or snapped necks?’ She pulled the phone from her ear and muted her end. ‘She’s checking.’
‘What caliber gun was used to kill June Lindstrom?’
‘Thirty-eight. Bullet was still in her. It’s on its way to Ballistics.’
‘Maybe he didn’t want to use that gun again,’ he mused. ‘Maybe he didn’t want to leave a trail.’
‘Maybe. Lots of maybes, partner. Hold on, Tiff’s back.’ She unmuted her phone. ‘What do you have?’ She listened, her eyes growing wide. ‘Really? Well, that’s a helluva mess. Thanks for this. You’ll let me know if anything else comes up?’ She disconnected and met Rafe’s gaze. ‘A Santa Rosa woman was found dead this morning. Broken neck. Cops are at the scene right now.’
‘June Lindstrom’s minivan was found in Santa Rosa last night,’ Rafe said quietly. ‘Burton was seen getting out of it, but the security cameras lost him when he ducked into an alley.’
She blinked at him. ‘Where did you hear that?’
‘Gideon,’ he said grimly. ‘I’d almost forgotten that, with all the other shit going on.’
Erin lightly banged her head on the wall behind them. ‘Why can’t we share information with the FBI?’
Rafe’s grin was razor sharp. ‘We are.’
Her lips curved. ‘Yes, we are.’
‘Mom’s making a huge dinner this afternoon. Gideon’ll be there. We may or may not talk more about this, if you want to join us.’
‘I just might. What does all of this mean for Mercy?’
‘I don’t know. I’ve asked her to remember stuff about Eden, anything we can use to track their movements.’
‘And?’
‘We might have something. Furniture and other crafts, made there and sold or traded outside.’
She drew herself straighter, then faked a few coughs. ‘Oh my, I may have had a relapse. I might have to take a few days off. Whatever shall I do with all that spare time?’
He snorted, despite the gravity of the situation. ‘I really do miss you. When we find a lead, I’ll let you know. Until then, you might be able to help more in the office.’
Her frown came as close to a pout as he’d ever seen, surprising him. ‘You’re no fun.’
‘And you’re Miss By-the-Book.’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘Which makes me wonder, what gives?’