Dead Cold Mysteries Box Set #3: Books 9-12 (A Dead Cold Box Set), Blake Banner [reading in the dark TXT] 📗

We are not in the jurisdiction of the 43rd Precinct here, but Detective Dehan and I have the authority to act to prevent a felony in any part of the state of New York. So I am going to tell you exactly what is going to happen. Detective Dehan is going to stay here and keep an eye on everybody in this room. And if you insist on going to this meeting, then I am going to come with you…” I looked around at them, one by one, and added, “And be in no doubt that if I have to use lethal force to prevent a homicide, I will do so.”

May pulled herself erect. “Now you are threatening to kill us?”

Dehan turned on her. “Are you planning to kill somebody, May?”

“Of course not!”

“Then we won’t need to use lethal force to stop you, will we!”

There was sudden movement from the sofa and Jasmine turned to face us, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She looked around, frowning. “What… Donald, darling…?”

He spoke without looking at her. “You had one of your episodes. You had better go up to bed.”

She sat up. “I am so sorry. Did I ruin the evening? Did you eat the pies…?”

Donald looked at May. “May, would you mind…?”

“Of course!” She scowled at me and Dehan. “I’ll be glad to get away from here. I don’t think I can stomach much more of this stench of bacon!” She stomped over to Jasmine and helped her to her feet. “You OK, honey?”

Jasmine smiled at her. “Yes, of course, thank you so much. Just very sleepy.”

They proceeded slowly up the stairs and along the galleried landing to the right to what I gathered was the master bedroom. There they went inside and closed the door.

I turned to look at Paul. “I am not enforcing the despotic laws of a police state, Paul. We have very reasonable grounds to believe that a homicide might be committed. Frankly, I don’t care if it’s committed by aliens or humans,” I gestured at him. “You yourself are afraid for your life.” I gestured at Don. “Don is worried you might be killed. I don’t think there is anybody in this cabin who is not worried you might be killed if you go out there. So you tell me. What do you think my duty is as a New York police officer?”

Colonel Hait was nodding. “There is no question, you are absolutely right, Stone. I cannot argue with that.”

Paul sighed. “I hear you. You’re right. It’s obvious. But still…” He looked at me and shrugged. “I would rather go alone.”

I shook my head. “Not going to happen. Forget it. Not on my watch.”

Don grunted. “We seem to have reached something of an impasse.”

Dehan shook her head. “No impasse. It goes down the way we say or it doesn’t go down at all.”

Stuart snorted and shook his head. “And you say this is not a police state! Yet here you are, ordering us around and threatening us with violence!”

Dehan turned to look at him and for a moment I thought she was going to smack him around the back of the head. Instead, she said, “I don’t give a damn about your politics, Stuart. All we want to do is keep your sorry ass from getting killed, and catch your son’s murderer. I’m sorry if that runs counter to your damned ideology!”

He had the good grace to look troubled, but before he could answer, the door opened upstairs and May came out on her short, powerful legs and came clacking down the stairs again.

“She is resting peacefully.”

She said it like she had pulled off something nobody else could do. She sat next to her husband, with a little waggle of her head, and almost simultaneously Don levered himself to his feet with a grunt and a sigh.

“Well, Paul, the choice is yours. I am exhausted, so I am going to retire for the night. I wish you good luck, whatever you decide.”

Paul stood, too. “It seems history is repeating itself,” he said. “There is no point in my going if you are going to be there wielding a gun, Detective. Who knows, maybe it’s for the best. I think I’ll retire too.”

I stopped him. “Paul, at what time did you come up to the cabin today?”

He stared down at me, momentarily taken aback. “I came up early this morning, with Don and Jasmine. I guess we set out at seven, got here about eleven thirty.” He shrugged. “They can confirm that for you.”

I nodded. Colonel Hait stood then, muttering, “I’ll be turning in, too!” And as if on cue, Stuart and May followed suit.

Stuart glanced at me and Dehan and said, sourly, “You certainly make your presence felt, don’t you?”

I smiled at him and stood too. In a loud voice, I announced, “Detective Dehan and I will take it in turn to keep watch. We’ll sleep on the sofas.”

Nobody answered. They all filed up the stairs and made their way to the various bedrooms. The doors closed one by one, and within a few moments the house was silent.

Twenty

Dehan and I sat staring at each other across the bearskins. There was absolute silence from the upper floor. Dehan stood and came to sit on the rug in front of the fire, where we could talk quietly without being overheard upstairs. She held out her hands to the flames and the rich orange light played on her face. For a moment I regretted that we were there professionally.

“Stone, none of this makes any sense. If Paul is our man, why is Jasmine telling him to go out in the forest in the middle of the night?”

I nodded to show I agreed, then shook my head and shrugged to show I didn’t know