I’m Watching You (Richmond Novels #1)

Chapter Seventeen

Tuesday, July 8, 3:20 P.M.

Kendall was very pleased with herself. She and Mike had shot her evening report and it had gone better than good. Lindsay’s past made great television. This newscast was going to get Kendall noticed.

Her phone rang. Without taking her eyes off the road, she pulled the phone from her purse and flipped it open. ‘Kendall Shaw.’

‘You’re a hard woman to find.’ The deep male voice sounded smooth, confident, but she didn’t recognize it.

‘Who’s this?’

‘Detective Jacob Warwick, Henrico County Police. Your phone has been busy all morning.’

Damn. She thought about the film footage of the delivery truck at the shelter. That was the kind of information she should have shared with the cops first thing this morning. An obstruction of justice charge would not help her career.

Kendall kept her voice smooth. ‘Sorry. Running down leads on a story. What can I do for you?’

‘I’d like to chat with you about the shelter murder and review your tape from yesterday.’

She kept her voice cheerful. ‘Sure. What time works for you?’

‘Now would be nice.’

The steel behind the words left little room for argument. And she wasn’t about to piss anyone off at this point. ‘I can swing by the station and get a copy of the footage.’ No need to mention she had one at home. ‘It will take me at least a half hour to get the tape and meet you at my office.’

‘I’ll meet you at the at station office.’

Her mind turned. Maybe she could even score a quote or two from Warwick. ‘See you in a half hour.’

Kendall arrived at the television station fifteen minutes late. When she rushed into the lobby, she spotted the detective immediately. He was staring into one of the station’s trophy cases, his hands clasped behind his back. He had a relaxed way that she suspected was deceptive. ‘Detective Warwick?’

His smile didn’t reach his piercing eyes. ‘Kendall Shaw.’

Kendall crossed the lobby and accepted Warwick’s hand. His grip was powerful. ‘Good to meet you.’

‘I appreciate the help.’

‘If you will follow me, I’ll take you upstairs. I can burn a copy of that footage onto a CD for you.’ The west wing of the Deco-style building was littered with ladders and plastic tarps. ‘Excuse our mess. We’re undergoing a huge renovation.’

‘No problem.’

They wound down the narrow corridors. ‘Would you like a tour of our newsroom?’

‘No thanks.’ He flashed even, white teeth. ‘Maybe another time.’

‘Sure.’ Under his easygoing demeanor was steel. ‘When the renovation is done, all this is going to be gone. From what I hear, it will all be very sleek.’

‘Really?’

So much for small talk. She led him to a news edit bay, a small glassed-in room off the hallway furnished with a computer station. She sat down on the swivel chair in front of the computer. ‘The station’s new P2 cameras are equipped with hard drives, so there’s rarely a tape anymore. With luck we still have the footage. Generally, when we’ve filed the story, we dump the raw stuff to clear space on the computer.’

Warwick frowned. ‘Let’s hope it’s still here. The other stations didn’t have anything.’

Kendall punched a few buttons and opened a file. ‘You’re in luck. The footage is here.’ She burned a CD and handed it to him.

‘Thanks.’

She rose and had to look up to meet his gaze. ‘No problem.’

When he nodded and started to turn, she said, ‘I hear Lindsay had a rough past. Think there is any connection between this murder and her mother’s death?’

The comment surprised Warwick. ‘You’ve been doing some homework.’

‘That’s my job. Do you think the two killings are linked?’

His expression was unreadable. ‘We don’t discuss the details of an active case.’

‘Just seems odd. Her mother is the casualty of a domestic murder and this latest body is dumped behind a women’s shelter.’

‘Can’t help you.’

She’d have better luck getting blood from a stone than information from Warwick. ‘Thanks.’