Free Dark Passing (The Ella Reynolds Series) by Liz Schulte Page A

care of myself and bundle up. She’d have cocoa waiting for me when I got home. I smiled a little at her mothering. It had been a long time since I lost my mom, and it was sort of nice to have someone to call with things like this. I turned the interview back on and taped part of it with my cell phone. He said that I couldn’t remove evidence, not that I couldn’t copy it.
    Fagan charged into the interview room minutes after I turned off the VCR, his eyes hard and irritated. “Was I not clear about what I meant by ‘keep me in the loop,’ Ms. Reynolds?”
    I narrowed my eyes. I was keeping him in the loop, more than I wanted to. “I told you about the meeting.”
    “Thirty minutes before. When did you set it up? Who are you meeting?”
    “I don’t know her name. She approached me and said she wanted to meet somewhere private. She’s high strung, nervous… I don’t think she trusts the cops.”
    Fagan leaned against the wall. “Probably a meth addict. You’re wasting my time.”
    “Could be, or she could know something.”
    “Where are you meeting?”
    “Liberty Park by the benches.”
    He threw his arms up in the air. “Of course you are. Have you been to Liberty Park?”
    “No.”
    “It’s all soccer fields, and closes at dark. The closest I’d be able to set up surveillance without being noticed is too far away to do you much good if you’re attacked.” He ran a hand through his hair and sat on the corner of the table. “Would you like a taser?”
    I considered it, but didn’t really want one. Knowing how jumpy I could be, I’d probably end up stunning an innocent late-night jogger.
    “No, that’s okay. If I see someone coming toward me, I’ll run to wherever you are. If I don’t see the person approach, then all the tasers in the world won’t help me.”
    “You’re going to wear a microphone”
    “I’d prefer not.”
    “I don’t really care what you prefer.” He raised an eyebrow, daring me to challenge him.
    “Fine. Make it quick. I’m going to be late.”
    ****
    I walked into the park fifteen minutes late. I couldn’t see Fagan but glanced at the tree line he’d said he’d be parked behind. It would be a pretty good run if things went sour. The flat fields stretched out in front of me, but it was too dark to make out much along the edges. As my eyes adjusted, I saw the dim outlines of goal posts and a shorter jumble I took to be the benches. The frozen grass and snow crunched under my boots and the bitter wind made me keep my head down. One thing I didn’t see as I trudged toward the benches was the girl. She could’ve been hiding off in the shadows or maybe she left when I didn’t show up on time. I flexed my fingers, trying to keep the blood circulating in my hands. The snow around the benches was undisturbed. I used my cell phone to light the area and didn’t see any footprints leading in or out. Maybe she was later than me.
    I jumped up and down to keep my blood moving as I waited. After thirty minutes, I decided she wasn’t coming. Fagan would be insufferable, but I wasn’t going to stand in the cold all night waiting. I waded through the snow toward the trees and noticed a lumpy looking pile. I eyed it carefully, waiting for it to move or jump at me, but it never even twitched. I took a deep breath. Just a downed tree. Don’t freak yourself out.
    I kept my eyes locked on the mound as I steadily moved forward. The ground around it seemed darker than the rest. It’s just shadows from the trees. I tried to convince myself, but my stomach twisted, and I stopped walking.
    Damn it.
    I had to look. I couldn’t not look. I veered to the left and slowly approached. My nose and sinuses burned from the cold. I used my cell phone as a light again, pointing it toward the ground. A crimson mess marred and melted the white blanket of snow covering the ground. The mound in the center could only be one thing. A body.
    I stared numbly. I couldn’t move as different parts of my