Page 38 of Whispers Left Behind
As Alex adjusted his collar so that it rested smoothly over his suit jacket, Joe lowered his gaze to the badge clipped to his belt. He had honestly expected to have a brief conversation about Rachel Hanson, the man’s previous employment, and clear up any misunderstanding that might have taken place at the Fallbrook dealership. What Alex hadn’t anticipated was Joe Cider’s fight-or-flight instinct to kick in. From the way Cider’s smile faltered and eventually faded, flight had won hands down.
“Shit,” Alex muttered under his breath when Joe spun around and bolted across the parking lot. “Cider, don’t do this!”
Alex had no choice but to surge forward. The soles of his shoes pounded against the pavement as he took chase. The pursuit had them weaving through the parked cars in the lot before spilling into the small intersection. Mott wasn’t that large of a town, but Cider had the advantage. He had knowledge of every alley, road, and parcel of land that could aid him in disappearing from sight.
Cider suddenly darted across the street, narrowly avoiding a vehicle whose driver had to slam on her brakes to avoid hitting Alex. The brief interruption had him slowing down and deviating from his path. As the woman pressed her horn in anger, Alex managed to veer around the back end and spot Cider already running down the sidewalk.
“Damn it.”
Cider glanced back before darting down a narrow alleyway. Alex’s breathing was ragged, and the frigid air seared his lungs. It didn’t help that his leg muscles were protesting with every lunge forward.
Not wanting to get caught off guard, Alex was forced to slow his pace as he entered the alleyway. The rattling of a chain-link fence being made and the sight of Cider attempting to scramble over the barrier had Alex picking up speed. Without hesitation, he jumped with the intention of snatching Cider’s pant leg.
Alex missed the fabric by mere inches.
The thought of his gym bag on the floor by his desk at the station came to mind as he climbed over the fence. He didn’t land gracefully, but then again, neither had Cider. Fortunately, there was an open field ahead of them. The only plausible explanation for taking such a barren route was all-out panic.
Alex’s body ached from exertion, but he would be damned if he had to explain to Kinsley that he couldn’t keep up with a man at least ten years his junior. He allowed his pent-up frustration and anger over Laura ending their relationship to fuel him. He pushed himself to run faster, closing the distance between them.
There was a small house up ahead with two empty laundry lines. Cider would have to duck or go around them. Either way, Alex had the advantage.
Seizing the opportunity, he lunged and managed to tackle Cider to the ground. The man thrashed beneath Alex’s weight. Unable to get a good hold of Cider’s arms to pin him into thedry grass, they grappled with each other until Alex managed to finally grip the man’s wrist and yank his arm to put pressure on his shoulder.
Unfortunately, Alex’s effort had not been in time to stop Cider’s elbow from connecting with his jaw.
“Okay! Okay!”
“Don’t move,” Alex yelled as he reached for his handcuffs. “You have the right remain to remain silent. Anything you say…”
By the time Alex was done reciting the Miranda rights, a woman wearing an oversized jacket had stepped out onto her front porch. She already had a cell phone pressed to her ear.
“Stay down,” Alex muttered as he shifted to a kneeling position, refusing to sit his ass on the cold ground. “Ma’am, please tell the police that an FPD detective is on the scene. Have them send a patrol car this way.”
Alex rested a forearm on his knee, taking a moment to draw some oxygen into his lungs. He could barely move his jaw from side to side. Kinsley was going to give him hell over this injury.
He hadn’t given real thought to taking the sergeant’s exam, but he was beginning to understand the reason behind Laura’s choice to do so. Granted, a promotion meant more paperwork and responsibility, but it beat the hell out of chasing perps and pulling a hamstring.
“Why run, Cider?”
Alex didn’t get a response to his question until forty minutes after a patrol car had transferred Joe Cider to the sheriff’s office, which just so happened to be located inside the county courthouse. The officer had dropped Alex off at the used car dealership to pick up his car. After explaining to the owner that he would be short a salesperson for the rest of the day, Alex drove over to the courthouse to conduct his interview.
Seeing as Cider hadn’t requested a lawyer, Alex would take advantage of that poor decision. He pulled out a chair from themetal table without a word. One of the officers had handed him a cup of coffee, which he had gratefully taken before entering the small room.
“I know what you’re thinking, and you’re wrong. I didn’t kill her, man.”
“Kill who?” Alex asked casually as he lifted the steaming cup to his mouth. He took a drink, not minding the hot temperature. “I don’t recall accusing you of murder, Joe.”
Under normal circumstances, Alex would have addressed Joe by his surname. Given that the man forced Alex to chase him down through town, across an open field, and into someone’s front yard, he wasn’t in that good of a mood. Add to that the pain in his jaw, and he would go so far as to say he was very irritable.
It was evident that Alex’s response had caught Joe off guard.
“Seriously?” Joe glanced from Alex to the door and then back again. It was as if he were expecting two large officers to come barging into the room to cart his ass off to jail. When Alex continued to drink his coffee as if he had all the time in the world, Joe eventually emitted a sigh of relief. “Shit. I thought this was about…never mind. Forget I said anything. I overreacted, man. I didn’t mean anything by it. Running from you, I mean. Mind taking these cuffs off?”
“You worked at Birdie’s Auto in Fallbrook last year,” Alex pointed out, not addressing the handcuffs.
“Is that what this is about?” Joe not only smiled, but he began to reveal a lot of information that Alex would pass on to the management of said dealership. “You can’t prove anything. Iallegedlygot some from some customers. So what? Like I said, no one can prove it, and I can think of at least three other salespeople who take kickbacks all the time. I’ll give you names, if you want.”
“Allegedly?”
