“This is a high-profile case.” Sean wrote something on the pad he held. “Can we narrow down the time and place where the rat could have been put in your trunk? Then I can check security cameras to see if I can catch the person on tape.”
“During lunch, I usually eat in my office at the courthouse, but today I needed to get away. The atmosphere is tense. Since we were getting near the end of the selection of jurors, I announced a two-hour lunch period. I still ate in my office and decided to lie down on the couch and take a nap. Since this case began, I haven’t slept as well as I usually do. But I couldn’t fall asleep. So I decided to go shopping for summer clothes for the kids. The dead rat wasn’t in the trunk when I put that bag in there after visiting the store I usually get their clothes at.”
“What store?”
“Clothes Galore on Main Street.”
“Did you go right back to the courthouse?”
Aubrey looked away from Sean’s intense gaze. “No. I went to Sweet Haven Parlor and had a double scoop of cookie-dough ice cream in a waffle cone. Indulging always manages to cheer me up.”
He chuckled. “I’ve been there before. Their ice cream is great.”
“What flavor?” He made her feel at ease during this tense time.
“Chocolate. Don’t tell anyone that’s my weakness.”
She laughed. The sound surprised her even more. For the past thirty minutes, she’d been tied in knots, and in a brief time he’d gotten her to laugh. But she quickly sobered as he wrote on his pad. This visit was about someone leaving her a message. She couldn’t take that lightly.
“I’ll check the security cameras at the courthouse and Sweet Haven Parlor, if they have any. Did you go anywhere else?”
“No. I came right back and had only a few minutes to get to my office and put on my robe.”
“When you drove home from the courthouse, did you stop anywhere and leave your car unattended?”
“No. After this week, all I wanted to do was get home.”
Sean stood and pocketed his notepad. “Show me your car.”
“Let’s go out front. I’ll raise the garage door. If we go through the kitchen, my children will want to come with us. They’re curious and ask so many questions.” They reminded her of her husband in that way. He’d always proclaimed that was what made him a good investigator—and what had probably led to his death. She shivered at the thought.
As she exited her office, laughter from the kitchen drifted to her. She smiled. No doubt Sammy and Camy were competing at clearing the dishes from the table.
“Your kids sound like they’re having fun.” Sean opened the front door.
“They love to compete with each other but are quick to stand up for one another when needed.” Aubrey put in her code on the pad at the garage. The noise of the door rising filled the quiet. She hoped her kids didn’t get curious at hearing the sound and want to check it out.
As she approached the rear of her car, she popped the trunk. The odor of the dead rat overwhelmed her even more than before. Shivering at the sight, she pinched her nose and gestured toward the rat.
Sean took pictures of it then put on gloves to handle the rat. “I need something to put this in. Can I use the bag your children’s clothes are in?”
“Sure.” She moved toward Sean and picked up the bag to remove the outfits. As she pulled them out, something dropped onto the concrete. She heard it before she saw what came out of the bag. Clutching the clothes against her chest, she intended to kneel and pick up whatever fell.
“I’ll get it.” After putting the bag with the rat on the floor, Sean squatted and reached under the vehicle. When he stood, he held his palm out flat toward Aubrey.
She stared at her husband’s hammered-gold wedding band with her name engraved in it. It had been missing since his murder.
The twins’ outfits fell to the concrete as her legs gave out.
Sean quickly clasped Aubrey’s upper arms and held her upright. Her wide, dark brown eyes stared through him while color drained from her beautiful face and her short dark hair lay in contrast to her pale skin. “What’s wrong?”
She shuddered, opening her mouth for a few seconds but shutting it before saying anything. She took the ring from his palm. Tears glistened in her eyes. She closed them and inhaled a deep breath.
“Aubrey?”
She swiped a wet tear track from her cheek, straightened her shoulders and looked at him. “That’s Samuel’s wedding ring. When he was murdered, the killer took his ring. My name is engraved inside. I didn’t think I would ever see it again, especially not among my children’s clothes.”
No wonder she was stunned. “So whoever left the rat was either your husband’s killer or knew the guy.”
“And neither is good news. Why now, after two years?”
“A connection between Villa’s trial and Samuel’s murder?”
“Possibly. Both involved drugs. Villa is a lieutenant of the Coastal Cartel.” Aubrey held up the ring. “And they’re sending me a message.”
Sean glanced over his shoulder to where his SUV was parked in the driveway. Darkness had settled over the landscape. “Let’s go inside and talk about this. What kind of security system do you have?”
“I have an alarm system with a couple of cameras inside, as well as motion detectors by the porch and garage.”
“Any cameras outside?”
Aubrey shook her head then turned her attention in the same direction. “What if they’re watching me?”
“You need to get a couple for the front and backyard.”
“I’ll call my company tomorrow and arrange for them to add them as soon as they can.”
Sean scooped up the clothes at their feet and gave them to her, then picked up the bag with the dead rat. “Go inside. I’m locking this in my vehicle, then we’ll talk some more.”
She nodded, but before she reached the garage entrance into the kitchen, a little boy with brown hair opened the door and poked his head out.
“Mama, I’m hiding from Abuela.” Sammy clamped his gaze on Sean, and his eyes grew big.
“Let’s get inside.” Aubrey hustled her son into the house and waited for Sean to leave the garage before putting the door down. “I’ll let you in at the front.”
Sean hurried to his SUV, his gaze sweeping the terrain for anything unusual. He assessed several places where someone could possibly
