Free Deadly News: A Thriller by Zooey Smith Page A

We’ll stay here till then. I don’t think anything would happen, but…”
    Abby nodded. “Yeah. Better safe than sorry.”
    Fe went to the door and fastened the security latch. “Shit. You know, this is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
    “Great.”
    “Eh, I know.” She then pulled her phone from her pocket and made a call. “Lieutenant, it’s Heighton.
    “I’m here with Abby Mel—
    “Right. Well, she just got a strange call.
    “Got it in one.
    “Oh yeah, on speaker, I heard most of it.” She looked at Abby. “What’s your number?”
    Abby gave it.
    Fe relayed this to the lieutenant. “That’s just what I was about to ask.
    “I do. If nothing else, maybe we can see who they are. Abby thinks, based on some of the things the caller said, that he could see us.
    “That was her idea, him or someone working with him.” She looked to Abby again. “How detailed was it? How much did he know? Did he say anything about Ecks?”
    “Damn”—Abby shook her head, exhaled—“he knew you were with me. I— I can’t really remember what else, I was shocked, you know. Nothing about Ecks though. I—” She shook her head again. “No, that’s all I can remember for sure.” Seeing Fe’s look, she hastily added, “But it was a strong impression, enough that I wanted to come back in here.”
    “You did seem spooked,” she said to Abby, then, back into the phone, “LT?
    “Yeah, she’s not sure. He knew he was on speaker though.” Fe nodded as she listened. “Thanks.
    “Yeah, that’s the room.
    “Straight to your office, I won’t even let her use the bathroom.
    “Okay.” She hung up. “Looks like we’ve got some waiting to do.”
    They waited in the hotel room until Fe got a call from a fellow plainclothes, letting her know they were there, and were coming up. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Fe went to it and looked though the peephole, then opened the door. “Guys,” she said, gesturing to them to wait. “We’re already ready.” She motioned to Abby, who was standing by the bed. She positioned Abby between herself and the other officers, then they locked up and left.
    As they walked through the hall to the elevator, Abby felt like royalty, or a prisoner.
    No one assaulted or ambushed them on their way out, and they made it to the unmarked vehicle waiting outside, with two more officers in it.
    “They went all out,” Abby said, getting in.
    Fe got in next to her. “We sometimes do.”
    At the station, it was as Fe had promised, and Abby was taken straight to the lieutenant’s office, by which time she did actually have to use the bathroom. Fe just laughed, probably taking it as a joke, but Abby had been serious.
    So now, she sat in a seat across from the lieutenant, who was standing behind her desk with arms resting atop a large leather executive chair, trying not to move around too much, lest she disturb her bladder or make the lieutenant suspicious, which she already was in spades.
    “And that’s all he said?” the lieutenant asked Abby, for the third or fourth time.
    Abby nodded. She rubbed her legs together, then crossed them. “He said he’d”—she frowned—“‘be in touch’, were I think his words.”
    The lieutenant lifted her head toward Fe, who was next to Abby, also present was Detective Masterson, who was sitting on the lieutenant’s desk like he owned it and Delano, who was more respectfully leaning on the edge of a chair, mirroring the lieutenant. “Sounded like a nut-job?”
    “Definitely,” Fe confirmed. “The way he spoke”—she shook her head—“it was just weird, his intonation. Didn’t make much sense either, what he was saying.”
    “If he’s crazy,” Masterson said, “don’t get too wrapped up in his words. Most are going to be bullshit.”
    There was a silence, and they looked expectantly at the lieutenant. Even Masterson pivoted his large frame toward her.
    “We don’t have a hell of a lot to go on here. No