Free Shadow Play by Iris Johansen Page A

She’d known Pete for years, and she liked and trusted him. “Know what?”
    â€œA murder practically on his doorstep would interest him.”
    Shock surged through her. “Murder?”
    â€œThe FedEx driver was shot at close range. No one heard the shot, so we think the weapon had a silencer.” He looked around at the trees lining either side of the road. “No houses. So far, we have no witnesses.”
    â€œMurder,” she repeated numbly.
    â€œShe said that the company dispatcher phoned her about the truck,” the police officer said. “We wouldn’t allow that, would we, sir?”
    â€œNo way,” Pete said flatly. “What’s happening, Eve?”
    â€œI have no idea.” She shivered. That pleasant young man to whom she’d given the reconstruction only hours ago was dead. “The man who phoned me said he was the dispatcher and there had been an accident. The package I’d given the driver was missing.”
    â€œNo accident. And we haven’t had a chance to determine if there was anything missing from the truck.” Pete turned and headed for the truck. “But I think it’s time we checked it out. I’ll talk to one of those FedEx bigwigs and see if they can pull up the info.”
    Officer Maddox grimaced. “Look, I’m sorry that I wasn’t more helpful. I was just trying to do my job.”
    â€œAnd you did it,” Eve said. “I must have looked pretty wild when I jumped out of that Jeep. And my story was just as improbable. Don’t apologize.”
    Pete came back fifteen minutes later. “A record of a package being sent by you at 12:42 P.M. No package in the van. We’ll go through the entire van later for other missing packages but that’s a positive.”
    â€œI don’t believe you’ll find any other missing packages,” Eve said. “I think he got what he wanted.” Her phone rang. “It’s Joe.”
    â€œAre you okay?” Joe said the instant she picked up.
    â€œYes, I’m not the one who got shot. It was that poor driver.”
    â€œYeah, I got Pete’s message. Right before I got yours. It scared the hell out of me. I’m on my way,” he said tersely. “Are you at the crime scene?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œStay there. Stay with Pete. Twenty minutes.” He hung up.

 
    CHAPTER
    4
    Joe arrived in fifteen minutes, and he fought his way through the police and media crews that had just arrived to where Eve was standing in the trees. “Talk to me.” His expression was grim. “Tell me everything.”
    â€œThere’s not much more to tell.” She went over the entire phone conversation in detail. “He said he was a dispatcher. At first it sounded legitimate, then it got weird. It bewildered me. And all that about the police and FedEx reps coming to see me didn’t sound right. I’ve been standing here trying to piece it together.”
    â€œAnd what did you come up with?”
    â€œThat he wanted me to be suspicious. He wanted me to suspect something wasn’t as it should be.” She met his eyes. “He wanted me to go try to find out the truth.”
    â€œAnd you did it.” His jaw tightened. “He could have ambushed you, too. Just as he did that FedEx driver.”
    â€œYou know I keep a gun in the glove box.” She added, “And I was already suspicious. I wouldn’t have been that easy.”
    â€œNo, you wouldn’t.” His hand reached out and gently touched her cheek. “But I think you wouldn’t have been so eager to run out of the house if your precious reconstruction wasn’t in danger.”
    â€œI don’t know if I would or not.” She could feel the fury that she had been trying to subdue start to rise. “I do know I’m angry as hell that Jenny’s reconstruction was stolen. All I have now are those computer photos that