The Devil's Water: Scenic City Murder Series #1 Read online

  “Tails.” Tasha called as she watched the quarter spin in the air. Ray caught the coin and laid it on his other hand. “Tails it is.”

  Ray racked the balls and Tasha tried to remember everything she’d ever been taught about pool. Hit ‘em dead on and even. Drive the stick into the cue ball she thought as she pushed the wooden pool cue and slapped the cue ball into the neatly and tightly placed bundle of balls. They separated uniformly and two balls, a striped and a solid, landed in opposite corner pockets.

  “Damn, girl! You aren’t too rusty!” Ray yelled out from his barstool with a mouth full of pretzels.

  “Nah, I’m just lucky.” She said as she rubbed chalk on her cue and surveyed her possibilities. She could tell right away that she was going to have more options if she chose the solid balls. She bent over and lined up her shot. Taking aim, she struck the cue ball on the bottom left, driving the yellow 1 ball into the side pocket. The cue ball drew all the way back to the other side of the table with the English she had applied. Tasha had left herself perfectly set up for her next shot.

  “Are you sharkin’ me?” Ray asked laughing.

  “Well Ray, I’ll fess up. My dad played a lot of pool and we used to have a pool table. I was raised playing.” She said as she made her next shot dead center into the leather pocket. Once again, she’d left herself with a perfect corner shot on the 6 ball. She drained it and proceeded to make all the rest of her shots as well.

  “Damn! You ran the table!” Ray exclaimed. “You want to go again?”

  Tasha looked at her watch. It was getting late. “Maybe next time.” She said, smiling at the young man. “I really need to get home.”

  “No problem. Hey, I’ll walk you out to your car.”

  Tasha and Ray put their pool cues on the wall and walked back up to the bar. Seamus Malone was still chewing on his stogie and talking to one of his customers. When he finished, he ambled over to where Tasha and Ray were standing. “What’ll it be, Tasha?” he asked.

  “It’ll be the check. I’m hittin’ the road.”

  The fat Irishman feigned a look of surprise. “You? I figured you’d close the place down.”

  “Not tonight Seamus but surely some other time.” She said smiling.

  She watched as Seamus walked over to the cash register and retrieved the bill sitting beside it. “Cheap night, tonight.” He said handing it to her.

  Tasha surveyed the ticket and gave Malone some money.

  “You have a good night, honey. Be safe driving home.”

  The night air was cold, making Tasha wish she’d worn a coat. Ray walked beside her as she made her way to the car. “So I’ll see you around, I guess.” He said as she reached in her purse to retrieve her keys.

  “Sure. Now that I’m on Christmas break, I should be here most nights.”

  She unlocked her car door and lifted the handle. Glancing back up at Ray, she thought, once again, how young he looked. “Listen, you take care.” She said as she reached up and put her hand on his cheek.

  “Sure thing. Hey, can I have a hug?”

  “Of course.”

  Ray reached for Tasha and embraced her. Tasha noted that there wasn’t anything lascivious about it. She believed the kid genuinely liked her and that he really just wanted a hug.

  “Bye, Ray. I’ll see you later.”

  “Hey, I’ll be practicing my billiards and next time I’ll be ready for you.” He said.

  Laughing, Tasha got in her vehicle and shut the door. Moments later, Ray watched as her car moved across the parking lot toward the exit. As she pulled out onto the highway, Ray turned and headed back toward Malone’s. He had no clue that he, along with everyone else that Tasha knew, were in terrible danger.

  CHAPTER 35

  It was 8:37 the next morning and, for once, Tasha Yoder wasn’t in the throes of a hangover. She’d gotten out of bed, made herself some breakfast and started working on her filthy domicile. She was mostly through the bathrooms. She had a good start on the bedrooms and kitchen when the phone rang. Tasha wanted to curse the gods since she had been so busy being a ‘good girl’. Instead, she walked over to the portable and picked it up.

  “Hello, Tasha?” The voice said on the other end of the line.

  “Yes” Tasha answered. The caller sounded familiar but she couldn’t quite place him.

  “Good morning! This is David Campbell. I wondered if you had a minute to talk.”

  “Oh, sure David. What’s up?” Tasha felt her pulse speeding up.

  “Well, I was just wondering if maybe we could meet for a cup of coffee some time. You know, talk about the case or whatever.”

  “Uh..well, yeah. I guess that would work.” Tasha said. Her heart was beating very fast and she was trying to control her breathing.

  “Well, how about tomorrow? We could meet at Moe’s. You know where that is?”

  “Oh yeah. I haven’t been there in a long time though.” She said.

  “How about 10:30? Sound good?” he asked.

  “10:30 it is.” She signed off the phone and wondered why the hell David Campbell was basically asking her for a date. She had to wait a full two minutes until her pulse slowed down. My God. One of the cutest guys in Chattanooga was asking her out. But why? She had to call Clutch and let him in on the news. She picked up the portable and dialed his number.

  “Hello?”

  “Clutch, this is Tasha. David Campbell just asked me on a date.”

  “Well, that’s great news Tasha!” Clutch responded.

  “Yeah, just out of the fucking blue. I’m glad I wasn’t drunk this morning.”

  “Well, things work out for the best usually.”

  Tasha noticed that Clutch’s voice seemed a bit too prepared. Like, maybe this wasn’t the first he knew about it.

  “I think it would be wonderful if you two kids got together.” He said.

  “Clutch?”

  “Yeah, hon.”

  “Did you know about this?”

  “Well… Not exactly. I didn’t know he would call you.”

  “Goddammit, Clutch! I told you I didn’t want a commitment. You knew I didn’t want you to meddle in this.”

  “I’m sorry, Tasha. I just thought that it was clear the two of you were interested in each other and I wanted it to stand a chance.”

  Tasha said nothing and there was silence on the phone line for almost a minute. Suddenly, she heard a bark in the background. “What the hell is that?” she asked him.

  “That’s my new friend. His name is Lord. I didn’t name him. He came with the moniker from the shelter.”

  “You got a dog?”

  “Yeah. I figured I needed one with all the shit that’s been going on.”

  “What kind of dog is he?”

  “Well, mostly a shelter mutt but he has some Mastiff in him. I’m not sure what else. He’s gorgeous.”

  “How is Happy dealing with Lord?” Tasha said, cutting straight to the point.

  “Well… not that great but he always has room to improve.”

  “Yeah, what’s that mean?”

  “Well, Happy hisses at Lord when he is around him. I really didn’t think that much about it. I figured they would warm to one another as time went on.”

  “And?”

  “Well, Happy left a gift in the middle of the kitchen, not twelve feet from his litter pan, yesterday morning. He has never done that.”

  “Sending you a message, huh?” Tasha asked.

  “I guess so. I hope they’ll grow accustomed to each other.” Clutch replied.

  “By the way, not to change the subject but… why in the fuck do you feel like my sex life is your business?”

  “I don’t, honey.” Clutch answered tenderly. “The only thing I want is your happiness. I think David might be able to help you find a happier life. That’s all. I’m sorry if I overstepped my bounds. Forgive?”

  “Well…OK. Just assure me you aren’t gonna pull some shit like that again. I gotta meet him for coffee tomor
row morning. We’ll see where it goes.”

  “Alright. I’ll mind my own business from here on out. Just promise me you’ll tell me how things fared.”

  “You’re really pushing it.” Tasha said, more than a little irritated.

  There was another long pause on the phone line as both parties had come to a stalemate.

  “Just have fun.” Clutch finally told her.

  “Just stay out of my love life. I’ll let you know something tomorrow night. Ciao.” Tasha said as she hung up the phone.

  CHAPTER 36

  Moe’s coffee shop was one of the last of its kind. An independent coffee house, it had been around since 1968 but was getting crowded out by other major coffee chains like Starbucks. It served any kind of brew you might want from all around the globe. It was located in the heart of downtown Chattanooga and the baristas who worked there were just glad to have a job slinging mugs of java. They had full benefits and the promise of Moe Jorrel, the owner, that they would be around as long as he. Moe happened to be there the morning that Tasha Yoder entered his establishment.

  “Hey Moe!” She called to him as she came in and found a table.

  “Hey, do I know you?” the small Italian man asked, his brown eyes flashing and a grin on his face. Moe was playing with her and he had a wicked sense of humor. Moe’s mother had been of Italian descent and Moe’s father had been part Gypsy.

  “Been a long time, Moe.” Tasha said. “I haven’t been in here in ages. I’ll take a House Blend with a gingerbread cream. No sugar. It’ll make me think of Christmas.”

  “Christmas is on its’ way, darlin’. How long do you not have to answer to anybody?”

  “We go back to school on the fifth of January, Moe. I ain’t accountable to anybody ‘til then.”

  “Well, party hearty girl. Happy New Year and Christmas to ya.”

  “Thanks, Moe.”

  Tasha sat at her table sipping on coffee and watching the action outside. She hadn’t seen any sign of David but she figured he’d show up eventually. She blew the steam coming off her drink down in her cup and tried not to sneeze as the vapor entered her nasal passage. She noted that her cup of joe smelled like the holidays personified. She tried to not get too down on herself. My God. She was an ex-FBI. A federal agent. She had recommendations and ribbons and certifications. She had a storied career cut short by alcohol. That was her only sin. Alcohol. The Devil’s Water. Now she had no one to celebrate the holidays with and the solitude made her a little sad. Tasha switched her view from Moe’s parking lot to the front door hoping to get her mind on something else. Just then, a man with a smooth blonde coif entered the coffee shop. His pencil thin mustache and neatly combed hair made him look like the cover of GQ magazine. My God, he was good looking. He strolled to the counter and ordered something from Moe. In less than a minute, he turned back toward the tables and scanned the room. He was holding a Styrofoam cup in his hand that had steam rising from it. Suddenly, it hit Tasha that David Campbell had put a rinse on his hair. It looked fabulous.

  “David!” Tasha said in a loud voice raising a finger to motion him over.

  He turned and looked at her. In a moment, his face registered recognition. “Tasha!” he answered. He hurried up to her and they embraced. “Take a seat.”Tasha told him.

  “Sure.”

  “So what do you want to talk about?”

  “Well… I heard that this guy… Gary Berndt is responsible for the murders.”

  “Well, that’s really old news but, yep. That’s what we got from the cops. He’s a really bad guy. He was a complete psychopath.”

  “We did as much as we could at the morgue. I will tell you, however, that I have a hunch other hands were at play.”

  “What do you mean? You think Berndt didn’t act alone?” Tasha asked, her eyes wide.

  “I think so. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. Did you ever suspect that maybe there were two killers?”

  “Well, I have to tell ya David. It is a theory that Clutch and I talked about. We ruled it out though. It’s pretty farfetched. At least we thought so.”

  She stared straight ahead into his pretty blue eyes and long lashes. At that moment, Tasha realized that he would’ve been attractive as either male or female. Some people were just made that way. “Did you know that you look just like a guy in ‘Prisoner of Zenda?’” she asked suddenly.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It was a movie made back in the day. I mean, far back. Like black and white. It had this guy in it named Ronald Coleman. He was a silent star before the talkies but, unlike so many folks from that time, Ronald actually had a good voice. Smooth like silk. Plus he was devastatingly handsome.”

  “So you think I look like this Coleman man?”

  “No. You look like this other guy in the film who was even better looking than Ronald. His name was Douglas Fairbanks Jr. He was the son of Douglas Fairbanks and stepson of Mary Pickford. They, of course, were involved in movies themselves. They also were a part of heading up United Artists movie production company…” Tasha had gotten so carried away that she hadn’t even noticed the look on David’s face. When she came back to earth, she finally realized that David looked like he was going to take a nose dive right into his cup of cinnamon bliss tea. He was so bored, his eyes were beginning to cross.

  Tasha blushed. “Sorry.” She said looking down at her lap. She felt like a complete idiot.

  “Oh, no. That’s fine. I was just thinking that most people say I look like Anderson Cooper.”

  “The news guy? Gloria’s son?” Tasha asked. Her brow creased and her eyes narrowed as she focused in on him.

  “Nah. I don’t see it.” She finally said.

  David smiled and brought the cup of tea up to his lips. “Yeah, I never really saw it either. By the way, I didn’t realize you were on a first name basis with Ms Vanderbilt.”

  “Yeah, I’m just full of surprises. That’s me.” Tasha laughed.

  “So… you have a strong link to Mclutcheon. How long have you been involved with the case?” David said, turning the conversation around.

  “Since the beginning, pretty much. I mean, all that crap you read in the paper was true. Clutch and I have been bouncing ideas off each other for months now.”

  “But it panned out. You got your man.” David acknowledged.

  “Yeah, before he got me. I feel safe now.” Tasha took a sip of her coffee and noticed that David was smiling at her. Of course, she thought, he would have big huge wonderful dimples located perfectly beside his full lips.

  “Well, no worries now.”He said as he leaned in closer. “So, enough about the case. Let’s talk about you.”

  Tasha felt her pulse speeding up as she watched him take her hand and hold it in his own.

  “I assume you got into law enforcement because of your father. You must’ve been pretty good because you climbed the ladder all the way to Quantico.”

  “I was good at what I did.” Tasha said, almost in a whisper.

  “So what happened?”

  Tasha could see that David’s eyes were focused intently on her. She never had liked being questioned about life during and right after the FBI but his warm hands felt gentle and soothing. He had an allure that was hard to resist and, as his eyes softened, a cherubic grin played across his melon colored lips.

  She smiled back at him. “Life happened. Look David, I’ve made some good choices and some bad ones. Eventually, you reap the benefits or pay the piper. I had great fun with the former but, lately, I’ve had to do a fair share of the latter.”

  “But you’re so good at what you do. I mean, you helped bring down the bad guy.”

  “Yeah, and I’ve made a lot of enemies. Not just the sociopaths I’ve helped lock up but also folks who depended on me. You know, guys who made a huge gamble on me and bet the farm. I let them down David.”

  “I don’t even see how that’s possible.”

  “Well, it was definitely possible. Once I started down the
path it moved from that to probable and then to a fucking sure thing.” Tasha smiled but the sadness in her eyes betrayed the expression.

  “But now you’re a teacher. That’s an admirable profession. You teach all these young minds the tricks of the trade. I’m sure you’re an invaluable faculty member.”

  “I teach part time. I deal with kids who think they’re going to be the next Alex Cross or Lucas Davenport. Most of them won’t even pursue a career in law enforcement. Other times, I deal with students who take my courses thinking it’s going to be just like working a case with Mariska Hargitay or Jeri Ryan. They take my class as some form of entertainment. They think police procedure is one great big fucking TV show. Out of those two possibilities, I’m not sure which is worse.”

  “But what about the kid who actually does get something from you? The kid who is willing to stick it out and just might be police chief some day. You do it for that kid, Tasha. That’s why you got in it in the first place.”

  David was talking low and soft. His eyes were still focused intently on Tasha.

  “Actually David, I got into this line of work because I needed something to supplement my savings and the inheritance my folks left me. I’m really not as good a person as you seem to think.” She smiled and David chuckled in response which relieved her. Tasha was really needing some levity.

  As if he could read her mind, David let go of her hand and leaned back in his chair. He grinned, heaving a huge sigh. “Sorry.” He said. “I didn’t mean for our discussion to get so heavy.”

  “So what’s your story?” Tasha asked. “Tell me all about yourself. It’s the least you can do since Hank Gamblin let all the people of Chattanooga know my story.”

  “My story isn’t nearly as interesting. I’ve worked as an autopsy assistant for many years now. I’ve always been involved in the medical field one way or another. This job that I have now is the best though. Limmel is a great guy to work for.”

  “He just seems so prim and proper. A perfect southern gentleman.”

  “Yes. He has an amazing mind. He isn’t always so prim and proper, though. Sometimes, he can let his hair down. Especially if he has a glass of really good Scotch.”