Free Death Before Diamonds (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 10) by Mary Maxwell Page B

of the yellow plastic gadget beneath a streetlamp.
    “Did you get a good look at it?” I
asked. “Have you seen a Taser before?”
    Rex winced again. “It was…” His
head dropped back onto the pillows. “…um, sorry, Miss Reed. This is hurting a
lot more than before.”
    I got up from the chair and went
toward the hallway.
    “You leaving now?” he called in a
gravelly croak.
    “I’ll be back in a flash,” I said.
“I just want to let someone know that you’re having a lot of discomfort.”
    He smiled, closed his eyes and
moaned softly. “Thank you. I’ll be right here when you get back.”
    By the time I returned a few
minutes later with one of the nurses, Rex was snoring loudly.
    “I’ll check on him again in a half
hour,” she promised.
    “That would be great,” I said.
“I’ll probably stop by tomorrow to see how he’s doing.”
    “Are you a friend?” the woman said.
“Or a family member?”
    “We just met the other day,” I told
her. “He’s in town trying to find his brother.”
    She nodded. “Are you Kate?”
    “Yes,” I said. “I’m Kate Reed.”
    The woman smiled. “He told me to give
you something if you came by.” She walked over to the bedside table, opened the
top drawer and removed a large white envelope. “I could probably get fired for
doing this,” she said, holding the package in my direction. “But he seems like
a really sweet guy. He asked me to give these to you.”
    I accepted the package and asked about
the contents.
    “It’s his phone,” she said. “And a
bunch of photographs that he had in his pockets.”
    “And he wanted me to have them
while he’s in here?” I asked with a doubtful smile.
    The woman shrugged. “What can I
tell you? He kept repeating it over and over: ‘Give everything to Kate Reed. Give
everything to Kate Reed.’ You must’ve made a strong impression on him if you
two just met.”
    I smiled again, but didn’t comment
on her remark. Instead, I asked why the police hadn’t confiscated the items
after Rex was found downtown.
    She shook her head. “I guess the
paramedics scooped them up first,” she said. “They were on the ground
underneath a bag.”
    I’d forgotten about the backpack
Rex had over his shoulder when he came to see me at Sky High.
    “Where is the bag?” I said.
    She pointed at the bottom drawer in
the table. “It was empty when they brought him in.” She smiled and reached for
the handle. “Do you want that, too? He didn’t mention it, but he was very
adamant about giving the phone and those snapshots to you. The guy’s obviously
been through some pretty rough times lately. I didn’t see any harm in doing one
small kindness for him.”
    I smiled at the woman. “I’ll take
the phone and pictures,” I said. “But why don’t we leave the bag where it is
for now. Does that sound okay?”
    “Works for me,” she answered.

CHAPTER
15
     
     
    When I got outside to my car, I put
the envelope holding Rex Greer’s phone and pictures on the passenger seat. Then
I called Zack to let him know that I wouldn’t be back after all.
    “That’s okay,” he said, ever the
understanding gentleman. “I know you’re trying to help that guy find his brother,
so I’ll see you tomorrow. Just make sure that you’re being careful, okay?”
    “You’re the best,” I said.
    “Ditto,” he replied. “I love you,
babe.”
    “Love you,” I said. “Now, forever
and always.”
    After a few more whispered words, I
promised to call as soon as I had finished my next errand.
    “Go on then,” Zack said. “Take that
stuff to Trent and give me a buzz when you’re safe at home.”
    The drive to the Crescent Creek PD
headquarters gave me a chance to practice two different versions of my story.
But by the time I walked through the office door and sat across the desk from Trent,
I was too tired to do anything more than go right for the truth.
    “I have Rex Greer’s phone and some
other belongings,” I said, putting the