Blood in the Ozarks

20. No Mistake

Every time I closed my eyes I saw Lynda outside my hotel room door. Even after I'd changed rooms, all I could think about was the thick splotches of red that coated the hallway beyond the door.

I spent a few days interviewing witnesses and trying to make sense of her death. But in the end I didn't know what to think. And when I can't think, I end up at one place.

I decided to start my day early and take all my endless thoughts to my new favorite diner. I was going to start from scratch and one by one review every student in the college's directory—a task that required a bottomless cup of coffee and probably a few breaks to hear about Yvonne's day.

Yvonne waved at me from behind the counter while she kept one hand firmly planted on her hip and her eyes locked on Ernie in full sass-mode. I yelled a hello and then turned to find a seat at an open booth.

But I was stopped in my tracks by a lone figure taking up one of the worn down booths. Only the back of his head and the slope of his broad shoulders were visible, but I would have known the owner of that dark hair and battered jacket even if he was a mere outline in the dark.

Without a word, I slid my bag across the vinyl bench seat and took up residence across from Tommy Ortega.

He set down the cup of coffee that had been midway to his mouth. His eyebrows raised in amusement. "Ross, did you just willing sit with me?"

"Don't flatter yourself."

"Why would I? You already put me in my place last time I saw you."

His words stung, yet I knew I was the one that caused them to be delivered so harshly. The last time Ortega and I had been in the same room was the night of Lynda Blackwood's murder. We'd exchanged a few short texts since then, all related to the case, but this was our first face-to-face interaction since that night.

"Look, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings—"

"My feelings?" he sputtered. "Ross, you'd have to do a lot more than kick me out of your bed to hurt me."

Surprised, I stared at him for a beat. Then I began to get my laptop out of my bag to work. "Good," I agreed. "I'm glad we're on the same page then. The other night was a mistake and we can move on."

"Sure, we can move on. But what happened was no mistake."

Ortega leaned forward and his words came out in a fierce low whisper across the table. "I've made my intentions clear to you, Ellery. I want you. I want all of you. As my partner, in my bed. All of it. You're the only one who wants to forget everything and pretend like you and I never happened. And you know what? Tough luck, sweetness, because we did."

My body felt heavy with the weight of his confession. On the surface I was asking him to move on, but deep down I knew that as long as I had to continue seeing his face I couldn't. But that didn't mean I wanted to quit my job, end my engagement, and run away together. To know that he was all in...well, I didn't know what to do with that information.

A slight sigh escaped my lips and then I reminded him, "There is a reason things between us didn't work out."

"Is that reason him?"

There was only one him he could be talking about. We'd ended things long before Cian and I started dating. Our relationship ended the day Tommy Ortega threw down his badge and left the bureau. He'd made a clean break with everything that day, me included.

But even if he hadn't turned his back and walked away, I don't know that our relationship would have survived anyway. We'd always teetered on the edge of volatile. When stubborn meets impossible, there aren't a lot of happy endings.

"You know that's not why."

"But it is now, isn't it?"

"He's my fiancé," I pointed out.

"So was I once."

Emotion tickled the back of my throat threatening to send tears up like waves. But then I took a deep breath and choked all the feelings back down. I didn't know why he was so hell bent on turning my life upside down, but I could no longer deal with it.

"I can't hash this out with you right now. I didn't come here to fight with you. I sat down to tell you about the case. Can we please table this and move on?"

He held my gaze for a moment, forcing me to think of the last words he'd said.

I didn't budge.

At last he gave a single terse head shake. "Fine."

As if to prove he was letting the topic go, Ortega leaned back against the cracked vinyl booth and spread his arms across the back of the seat in a welcoming stance.

"I've got news to share too," he said. Despite his posture, his voice remained tight with anger.

"Me first," I carried on. "We have more than one witness that saw a man walk into the hotel with Lynda. And both witnesses said the man was in his 20s with a slim build. Sound familiar?" As much as I tried not to deliver my news with a smugness, there was a tang of 'I told you so' coating my voice.

Ortega rubbed his stubble covered jaw. "I will admit that sounds like the guy from the bar, but I stand by stopping you from confronting him. That could have been you in the hallway instead of that bartender."

"Or we could have prevented another murder."

"Or been part of one."

He was trying to create a new argument, but I refused to take the bait. I changed the subject. "What's your news?"

A gleam hit his eyes and his trademark smirk followed. He had something good.

"One of our victims was texting a burner phone."

I waited, my eyes wide urging him to continue.

"And so was another victim."

I felt my spirits lift. "You mean the same burner phone?"

"Yep." His lips smacked with a pop on the p.

The Imperial March began to play from my pocket. Grinning, I held up a finger to Ortega as I slid my phone out of my jeans.

As adrenaline began to rise in my veins, I answered the call excited to share the news Ortega had just given me.

Heart thumping in my ears, I answered the call. As I spoke to my fiance, I avoided the weight of Ortega's gaze. "Cian. We might have a lead."

"That's great, babe," Cian responded in his typical chipper tone. "Where are you? You're not at the hotel."

The adrenaline I had began to give way to a wave of nervous anxiety.

"How do you know I'm not at the hotel?"

"Because I'm standing in your hotel room and you're not here."