Dragon Walk Read online

  Esther nodded. Randall patted her hand.

  “But that brings up another question,” Lacey said. “What happens to his mother? I don’t believe she’s capable of living alone. She’s in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and has short-term memory loss.”

  “Yeah, we suspected that,” Shaw said. “We’re having the county step in and see what can be done. They’ll find a place for her, see to her care. It won’t be a luxury resort, but it’ll keep her safe.”

  “And what about Greg?” Esther asked suddenly. “I know there’s nothing you can charge him with, but we agreed with Corey’s assessment. He would have hurt Maddie eventually. He’s more of a monster than Corey is.”

  The captain steepled his fingers under his chin. “No, we can’t charge him, but we can watch him. He’s on our radar, don’t you worry. If we hear even a peep about domestic violence from him, we’ll use the full extent of the law on him. I promise you that.”

  Esther nodded, her gaze falling from the captain to the floor at her feet. “I guess that’s everything, then?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Unless you have any questions.”

  She shook her head tiredly. “No. No questions.”

  Randall put his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go home, okay?” he said softly.

  Together they rose to their feet.

  Lacey, Sam and the captain did as well. They all shook hands.

  “Thank you, Captain, for hooking us up with these two.” Randall angled his head at Sam and Lacey. “Without their help, I daresay we’d still be chasing our tails.”

  Shaw leveled a look at the duo. “I knew if anyone could break the case, these two could.”

  Lacey felt her face infuse with warmth. She and Sam traded brief smiles.

  “We’re just glad we could help,” she said.

  “All right. Get out of here,” Shaw ordered with mock severity. “I’ve got plenty of work to do.”

  The four left his office, stopped to say goodbye to Shirley, and walked out of the building into bright sunshine.

  The Grand Cherokee was parked next to Lacey’s Toyota.

  “Oh,” Randall said before they split up to go to their respective cars. He reached into his coat pocket. “When you started, you said your fee was based on how successful you were, and how much value we found in it.” He handed Lacey a check. “I don’t think there are any words to tell you how much we value what you did, but maybe this will give you an idea.”

  Lacey stared down at the four-figure check in pleased shock, then showed it to Sam.

  Both of them swiveled their heads toward the McClures.

  “Thank you,” Sam said simply.

  “But… but—” Lacey stammered.

  Esther stepped forward, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “No, thank you,” she said, hugging them both. “You found our daughter. You gave her back to us.”

  Smiling tremulously, she stepped back and let Randall guide her to their car.

  Lacey and Sam were still standing there as they waved and pulled away.

  Lacey looked down at the check again. “Holy shit,” she whispered.

  Sam put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. “We keep this up,” he said, “I can quit my day job, too.”

  Lacey grinned at him. “Full-time crime-fighters?”

  He shrugged. “Stranger things have happened.”

  She nodded. “That’s for sure.” She waved the check in front of his face. “I think this calls for a celebration. What time do you pick up the kids tomorrow?”

  “Noon. Why?”

  “I’ll make you a deal,” she said. “How about I come over about five? I’ll bring dinner.”

  A slow smile curved Sam’s mouth. “I like the sound of that,” he said. “That’s a deal.”

  “Good.” She leaned up and brushed a kiss across his mouth. “Come on, partner. Let’s go to the bank.”

  ~~~

  SIXTEEN

  At five o’clock on Saturday, Lacey pulled up next to Sam’s truck and got out carefully, balancing the pizza boxes in one hand. Before she reached the door, it was flung open and Kenzie dashed out with a squeal of delight. The nine-year-old charged forward and wrapped herself around Lacey.

  “Careful,” Lacey laughed, hugging back with one hand. “Don’t make me drop these. We’d have pizza piles instead of pies.”

  Lacey felt the boxes being lifted from her hand. “I got it,” Sam said.

  Free of her burden, Lacey gave Kenzie a big return hug. With the girl still glued to her side, she turned to Daniel. “Hey, kiddo, come here and give me a hug.”

  Daniel blushed bright red and toed the ground. “Aw…”

  “I know, I know,” Lacey said. “It’s terrible the things you have to put up with. Come on, I’ll make it quick.”

  She held out an arm and Daniel ducked underneath, sliding one arm around her for a brief squeeze. She held him a moment longer, smacking a kiss on his cheek.

  “Okay, go. Tell your dad to turn the oven on to four twenty-five.”

  Smiling secretly, Daniel ran after his dad. Lacey and Kenzie followed.

  Inside, Sam was already opening the pizza boxes. “What do we have?” he asked no one in particular. “This looks like half cheese…”

  “That’s mine!” Kenzie said.

  “And half pepperoni.”

  “That’s mine!” Daniel answered.

  “And this one,” Sam continued, “ looks like half veggie…”

  “For the health freak in the family,” Lacey said, angling her head at him.

  “And half ground beef and black olives,” he finished.

  “So that must be mine,” she said. As Sam slid the pizzas into the oven, she got plates out and Kenzie got napkins.

  “Timer?” she asked.

  “Got it. We’ve got twenty minutes.”

  Lacey turned to the kids. “Just enough time to have a little talk. Come on, you guys.”

  In the living room, Lacey sat on the couch and Kenzie plopped down next to her, cuddling up close. Lacey put her arm around the girl. Daniel took the chair next to the couch, leaving the space on the other side of Lacey for his dad. Sam settled next to Lacey, his arm across the back of the couch.

  “So I didn’t get a chance to explain a few things before I moved out a couple weeks ago,” she started. “And I’m sorry for that.” She locked eyes with both kids. “I want you to understand that it had absolutely nothing to do with you two. You did nothing wrong, so don’t read anything into it. I love you guys. Always have, always will. You got that?”

  Both kids nodded.

  “I love you, too, Lacey,” Kenzie said sweetly.

  “I know you do, honey.” Lacey hugged her tightly. “I know you do.”

  “What about Dad?” Daniel asked.

  Lacey turned toward Sam and took his hand, lacing her fingers between his. “I love him, too,” she said, meeting his eyes directly.

  “Then why did you leave?” Kenzie asked.

  Lacey frowned. “See, this is the hard part. People can love each other but still have very different ideas about things. Just because they love each other, that doesn’t mean they agree on everything.” She thought a moment. “Just look at the pizzas we put in the oven. There’re four of us, and we all love each other, but we’ve got four different kinds of pizzas.” She looked down at Kenzie. “Would you want to eat your dad’s veggie pizza?”

  “No!” Kenzie giggled.

  “Or Daniel’s pepperoni?”

  “Ugh, no!”

  Daniel laughed, too. “Mom and Ed put anchovies on theirs.”

  “Yuck!” Kenzie said.

  “See?” Lacey said. “Everyone has different ideas about what to eat. It’s the same for lots of other things.” She paused. “Because of that, living together can be hard. People have different ideas about what to do, what to say. Your dad and I”—and she glanced at Sam—“have some differences to iron out. And I felt like we needed some space to do that.” She smil
ed back at the kids. “We’re working on it, okay? I have no idea how it’s going to turn out, but we’re giving it our best shot. And no matter what, we still love each other, and we still love you.” She hugged Kenzie again, tapped Daniel’s foot with her own.

  “So does that make sense?” she asked. “You okay with that?”

  “Yeah,” Kenzie said. “So will you sleep over with us tonight?”

  Lacey peered at Sam. He regarded her quietly, his black bottomless eyes sparkling.

  “Maybe,” she said, smiling. “We’ll see, okay? We’ll just see what happens.”

  ~~~

  SEVENTEEN

  The setting August sun burnished the walls of the Griffith Observatory, warming the stately three-domed building with a golden glow. The assembled group stirred restlessly in folding chairs set up in front of the iconic Los Angeles landmark. The local TV stations had reporters and cameramen in place, just waiting for the outdoor press conference to start.

  Lacey fidgeted in her chair. She wasn’t crazy about this. She and Sam had just done what they were hired to do. They’d been paid—handsomely. They didn’t need any other recognition.

  “Stop,” Sam said softly. He covered Lacey’s hands with one of his, stilling her nervous fingers. “Relax,” he advised. “It’ll be over soon.”

  She nodded, sighing. Not soon enough. She glanced behind them. Kenzie and Daniel were all smiles, as well as their mother, Christine, and her husband, Ed. Next to them, the McClures beamed. Randall gave Lacey a thumbs up.

  Suddenly conversations dropped to murmurs. People shifted in their seats.

  Captain Shaw approached the podium and the microphone.

  “Good afternoon.” His voice boomed out accompanied by squealing feedback. He adjust the mic and tried again.

  “Good afternoon. I want to thank all of you for coming out here today.” He paused, shuffling notes. “As you all know, the Los Angeles Police Department is dedicated to preserving the safety of the citizens of our great city. We do our level best to keep everyone safe. But unfortunately, as lofty as that goal is, it’s not always attainable.” He drew in a deep breath. “When the unthinkable happens and someone is murdered, we all grieve. We grieve the loss of life; we grieve the failure to ensure safely. But we do not dwell there.

  “We do not rest until we have brought the perpetrator to justice. We do not rest until we have examined every clue, followed every lead, investigated every suspect. We do not rest, although sometimes, even for all our effort, the truth still eludes us.”

  He stared out over the crowd. A few cell phones clicked pictures, but no one spoke.

  “In the case of Madison McClure’s disappearance, we were at a loss. Her disappearance was so sudden, so unexpected, and so complete, we had nowhere to go. We were at a standstill.

  “Desperate times call for desperate measures. The usual protocol was not working. All our technology, our training, our dedication was not enough. Our usual methods were not bringing results, so we had to resort to unusual methods. Unusual people. Unusual tools.

  “It’ll come as no surprise to you that the LAPD doesn’t normally consider the supernatural, the paranormal. We’re not geared for that. But this case was so perplexing, we had to do just that. A pair of private investigators were brought in, a pair with exceptional—extraordinary, really—talents. A man and woman who, through their amazing sensitivity, laser-sharp instincts and relentless research, did what the LAPD had been unable to do. They found Madison.”

  There was a smattering of applause. Shaw held up a hand for quiet.

  “You may have heard their names before, as they have worked on other cases, often behind the scenes. They don’t seek recognition. They don’t seek acclaim. But I promise you, if you did not know their names before, you will now. Because I know they will continue to do their amazing good work. So right now, let me bring them up here. Let me introduce to you Lacey Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud.”

  Applause erupted; people cheered. Captain Shaw motioned for Sam and Lacey to join him. Reluctantly, they did.

  More clapping, whistles and cheering. Lacey felt her face flame. She tried to edge back behind Sam but Shaw wasn’t having it. The captain pulled her forward to more applause.

  Only after several raucous minutes did Shaw finally motion for quiet. “All right, all right. Let’s not embarrass these good people too much. They’ll never trust me again.”

  Good-natured laughter rippled through the crowd.

  “It is my great pleasure to present to these two private citizens and selfless civic guardians the LAPD’s Certificate of Merit.”

  To a roar of applause, Shaw pulled out two framed certificates. He handed the first to Sam, shaking his hand firmly while photos were snapped. Then he handed the other to Lacey. She put out her hand, but the captain surprised her by pulling her into a bear hug. People laughed, cheered and took more pictures.

  “Get up there and say a few words,” Shaw said.

  Sam motioned for Lacey to go first. She might have balked but knew she was cornered. She stepped hesitantly to the microphone.

  “Thank you for this.” She held up the certificate and tilted her head at the captain. “I—it’s a great honor. And I absolutely could not have done it without my partner. Sam?” She waved him forward to join her at the podium.

  He looked pleased but distinctly uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, leaned down toward the microphone and said, “Thank you. Ditto.” He slid his arm around Lacey and the two of them held up the awards. The crowd went wild.

  Shaw edged around them. “The reception follows immediately inside the observatory. Enjoy.”

  ~~~

  “Oh, my God,” Lacey said thirty minutes later. “We’re going to be on every TV station in the city.”

  Sam chuckled. “No, just three. Or maybe four. I don’t know. I’m glad they only wanted sound bytes and not in-depth interviews.”

  They walked toward the front doors of the observatory. Inside, they knew, were more people waiting to congratulate them.

  “You did hear KTLA saying they want us on the morning show?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” He sighed. “What’s next? The Late Show?”

  “Saturday Night Live,” she joked.

  Sam groaned.

  They pushed inside the observatory and were immediately surrounded by well-wishers. There were several uniformed officers, plainclothes detectives, family and friends. Tommy Belvedere stepped up to Lacey. “Glad to see you getting positive media coverage at last,” he said.

  She blinked at him stupidly, then laughed. “Yeah. It is about time, huh?”

  “And well-deserved,” he said. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “You go, girl.”

  Lacey was wickedly pleased to see Sam drawing a bigger crowd than she was. He was, after all, the star of the team. She knew he’d hate all the attention, but he seemed to be holding his own.

  “Lacey.”

  She turned to find Vanessa beside her. “Hey, hi. Thanks for coming.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it.” The redhead grinned. “Funny, I don’t see Greg or Brad here.”

  “No, and you probably won’t. I think they’ll both be keeping a low profile for a while.”

  “Good,” Vanessa said emphatically. She took Lacey’s arm. “Come over here. I want you to see something.”

  Vanessa pulled her through the crowd and around the open center of the rotunda where the Foucault pendulum hung. On the far side, beneath the high ceiling of stars and constellations, reared Maddie’s dragon.

  “Oh!” Lacey said. “Wow, it looks great.” In the clear open space of the observatory, the dragon gleamed, its full beauty on display. “How did this happen?” she asked.

  Vanessa shrugged. “The McClures offered it to me to put in the shop, but I really didn’t have the room for it. So they called around. The dragon’s on permanent loan here. It seemed fitting, since Maddie loved Griffith Park so much. And others can appreciate Corey’s art, even if…”
Her voice broke.

  “Yeah,” Lacey said. “Even if.”

  “And speaking of,” Vanessa said. She pointed her chin beyond Lacey.

  The McClures made their way over. Esther hugged Lacey and Randall patted her shoulder.

  “Congratulations,” Esther said. “So well-deserved.”

  “Thanks,” Lacey said. “I think it’s wonderful to have Maddie’s dragon here.”

  The McClures smiled at each other. “It seemed right. Felt right. It’s so beautiful, it needs to be seen and appreciated. In time,” Esther said, “the worst parts of the story will fade.”

  “They will,” Lacey said. For others. But not for you.

  “We also wanted to let you know that Mrs. Erickson is being cared for.”

  “The county?” Lacey asked.

  Esther shook her head. “No. We, uh, we created a fund for her. We had her moved into a topnotch Alzheimer’s care unit. She’ll get the very best care as long as she lives. Vanessa and I have been visiting her when we can.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Lacey said. “I’m so glad. She’s got to be terribly confused by the changes. Especially not having Corey around.”

  Esther smiled. “We also made an arrangement with a nearby florist. They’re delivering fresh flowers to her every day. They say they’re from Corey.”

  Lacey felt tears pricking her eyes. “That is so sweet,” she said. Impulsively she hugged Esther, then Vanessa. She laughed as she wiped one eye. “That’s a much better way for him to be remembered.”

  A muffled squeal caught her attention. Kenzie pushed through the crowd to get to the dragon. Her eyes wide, she hesitated before it.

  “Can I touch it?” she asked Lacey.

  “Sure. Just be very careful.”

  Kenzie ran her fingers over the gleaming polished wood.

  “Wow, it’s so smooth. Where did it come from?”

  Lacey noticed Sam and Daniel joining Kenzie. Joining the circle of friends and family.