He looked up at her as she took his hand, and found that she was smiling.
“You’re very sensitive aren’t you? I wouldn’t have guessed that, and no, I don’t know if we’ll ‘go the distance’, but I’m not looking for a fling either. I want something real just like you do.”
“You must think I’m an idiot. I’m trying to dump you and we haven’t even gone out yet.”
Heather laughed.
“I don’t think you’re an idiot; I think you’re sweet, and honest, so I’m going to be honest with you, as soon as you solve this case and we can see each other, expect me to come find you. Maybe you won’t ask me out, but I will ask you.”
Parker placed money on the table for the food and then stood.
“I need to go.”
“All right, but where are you going?”
He smiled. “I have a case to solve.”
“And then we’ll figure things out, right?”
“Right,”
Heather walked him to his car and stood beside it as he started the engine.
“I don’t work tomorrow, but I’ll be in the next night. Stop by, okay?”
“I will.”
“Or you could call, just to talk?”
“I’ll call you tomorrow, just to talk,”
She leaned down with her arms resting on the door and stared in at him through the open window.
“Hey Rick,”
“Yeah?”
“One kiss wouldn’t hurt, would it?”
“You’re still part of an ongoing case, but then again, I am technically on medical leave.”
Heather grinned, leaned in, and they shared their first kiss.
When they separated, she blushed,
“I’ve wanted to do that for a while now.”
“It’s crossed my mind once or twice too.”
Heather sighed.
“I have to get back to work.”
“All right,”
“Hey,”
“What?”
“I’m not your ex, you know?”
“I know.”
“Good, now go catch the bad guy,”
He smiled. “I’ve never wanted to solve a case more.”
Chapter 17
That evening, Parker called Jo from his home and could hear the smile in her voice.
“You’ve found something?”
“Yes, your hunch was right. Timothy Hearn and Nico Umbria do know each other. On the night Umbria was arrested for the B&E, one Timothy Hearn was arrested for a DUI. They were cellmates until their lawyers appeared.”
“And now they’re possibly partners. If I hadn’t run into Hearn at Taggart’s I never would have thought of there being a connection, but I found his interest in buying the bar too coincidental. I think he hired Nico to harass the Taggarts into selling cheaply. Patrick Taggart told me that he would love to sell the bar, but he doesn’t own it, his grandfather does.”
“Do you think Hearn can lead us to Nico?”
“Not willingly, and right now all we have is conjecture.”
“Do you think he knew about Nico murdering Woolley?”
“I don’t know, but I think we can use what we know to lure Nico in, and once we have him, we’ll sweat him about the murder.”
“Maybe we’ll learn something useful when we meet with the old man tomorrow.”
“I am curious about why he wants to talk. I’ve always heard that he hated cops, a holdover from his days as a bootlegger.”
“Speaking of meetings, how did your meeting with Heather go today?”
“We had a very nice lunch, and, we grew a little closer I think.”
“I bet you’d like to get real close, hmm?”
“You have a dirty mind.”
“Like you don’t?”
“Guilty as charged,”
“Well, I hope things work out there. She and I spoke some while I was playing bartender, and I like the girl, she reminds me a bit of my daughter.”
“I forgot; you have a daughter her age, don’t you?”
“Yeah,”
Parker sighed.
“What’s the sigh for?”
“I’m too old for Heather.”
“Did she say that?”
“No.”
“Then go for it,”
“Yes ma’am,”
“Don’t call me ma’am; it makes me feel old.”
“Welcome to the club,”
The following morning they entered the study of the Taggart home and met Nathanial Taggart.
The man was little more than a shrunken bundle of wrinkled flesh until you looked into his eyes. Once your eyes met his, you knew that despite his advanced age that he was as sharp and aware as anyone.
When the old man’s eyes fell on Jo, his mouth opened in a nearly toothless grin.
“Young lady?”
Knight eyed him suspiciously. “Yes sir?”
“If I was fifty years younger I’d be all over you,” The old man looked up at his grandson. “You didn’t tell me the frail was a sweet piece of ass... and she’s just barely a Negro,”
Jo gave a little laugh.
“That’s insulting on so many levels that I don’t even know where to start.”
Parker stepped closer to the old man.
“What did you want to talk about?”
The old man spoke in between a series of gasps, his breathing obviously affected by his age.
“I didn’t want you cops involved... but since my grandson is spineless, you are involved... and since you are, what are you doing to... to stop this asshole Umbria?”
“For one thing, we suspect that someone is behind his actions, and we’ll be talking to that someone when we leave here.”
The blue eyes twinkled amid the puckered face.
“You’re talking about Timothy Hearn.”
Parker and Knight said nothing and were impassive at the old man’s insight, but his grandson looked shocked.
“Tim Hearn is behind our trouble?”
“He’s someone we want to talk to,” Parker said.
Patrick’s face screwed up in confusion.
“I was his father’s best friend in high school, why would he send an animal like Nico after us?”
The old man waved away the question.
“It’s just business,”
“Actually it’s murder,” Jo said, then added, “Is there anything else Mr. Taggart?”
“No doll, but I will say this... either you two end this soon... or I will. No punk like Hearn is gonna muscle in on... on my bar.”
Parker looked over at Patrick.
“We’ll keep in touch, and we’ll let ourselves out.”
Once they were back in the driveway, Parker asked Jo a question as he massaged his bad shoulder. He had taken off the sling and just let his arm hang loose, but it had put pressure on the stitches.
“What do you think?”
“That’s one nasty old man, but he’s sharp, although we didn’t learn anything new.”
“I did get one thing of value from that meeting,” Parker said.
“What’s that?”
“After meeting him I feel as young as springtime.”
Five miles away, in the rear parking lot of a donut shop, Timothy Hearn was in his car, meeting with Nico Umbria.
Nico had just climbed into the passenger seat when Hearn shouted at him.
“Those punks you used nearly killed a cop!”
“You want to say that a little louder? I don’t think everyone heard it.”
Hearn looked around. “There’s no one else back here.”
“Still, I don’t like being yelled at. The last guy who yelled at me was Charles Woolley.”
Hearn hung his head.
“You killed him, didn’t you?”
“It was self-defense. He had me in a bear hug and was crushing my ribs, so, I had to use the knife.”
“All right, but what about the other day? You never said anything about shooting up the
bar. I thought that they were only going to cause some damage.”
“It’s all good, since it got the same result; you told me on the phone that the place was dead.”
“Yeah, but Taggart still won’t give me an option to buy.”
“Why do you want that dump anyway?”
“I want the land more than the building, and once I have it, I can remodel the bar and bring in a bigger crowd.”
“Good, that gives me an idea,”
Hearn gave him a worried look.
“What kind of idea?”
“Never mind, you got the money you owe me?”
Hearn passed over an envelope that held three thousand in cash.
“There’s something else we gotta talk about.” Nico said.
“What?”
“My alibi.”
“What alibi?”
“You, you’re gonna be my alibi for Charles Woolley. If the cops ask, I was with you that night at your house. You were home that night, weren’t you?”
“Yeah, but I can’t do that. If they tie you to the murder then they’ll indict me too.”
“I’m in this mess because I was working for you, so either way you’re involved, and if you don’t give me an alibi and I get caught, I’ll say I killed him under your orders.”
“No one will believe that.”
“The cops will, they would love to get two for the price of one.”
Hearn cursed, and when he remembered that Parker was the one investigating, he grew cold from fear. He had slept with the man’s wife, was still sleeping with her. There would be no benefit of the doubt there.
“I’m screwed if they ever arrest you.”
“That’s right,” Nico said, “but as long as we stick to our story that we were together at your house, they won’t be able to do shit.”
“All right, but you can’t hide from them forever.”
Nico grinned. “I don’t plan to.”
When Parker and Knight returned to the station, Parker learned that he had a visitor.
When she was pointed out to him by the desk sergeant, he saw that she was a good-looking woman in her fifties with auburn hair. She was seated near the windows and looking over at him with a quizzical expression.
As he grew closer, he saw the resemblance, and knew that she must be Heather’s mother.
“Mrs. Jones?”
“That’s right, and you’re Detective Parker?”
“Yes, how may I help you?”
“May we speak somewhere in private?”
“Sure, um, follow me back outside.”
Parker led her around to the side of the building where a white, wooden gazebo sat amid rows of flowers. There was a bench inside, and they sat and stared at each other.
“Is this about Heather?”
Lyla Jones studied him.
“You’re a big man, Detective. How tall are you?”
“Six-four and a half,”
“And you’re handsome too; I see she was right about that.”
Parker waited, mostly because he didn’t know what to say.
“Heather doesn’t know I’m here.”
“Why are you here?”
“I wanted to get a look at you, and frankly, I want to know your intentions.”
“My intentions?”
“She’s never directly said that you two were dating, but I know my daughter, and I know when someone has won her heart.”
“We’re not dating, but we are... interested in each other.”
“How come a man your age isn’t married?”
“I’m recently divorced,”
“Why?”
“Excuse me?”
“I want to know why you’re divorced. Were you caught cheating?”
“It was the other way around,”
“Your wife cheated, why is that?”
“You would have to ask her about that.”
“Any kids?”
“No.”
“Do you gamble?”
“Usually only when I’m on vacation.”
“Are you a smoker?”
“No.” Parker answered, while thinking that he now knew what it felt like to be interrogated.
“What about drink?”
“A whiskey now and then, and beer a few times a week.”
“Just how old are you?”
“I’m forty.”
“You do know that my daughter is only twenty-two?”
“Yes ma’am, I am aware,”
“Her father was fifteen years older than me, so I know that the age thing isn’t always a problem.”
“Has Heather dated older men in the past?” Parker asked.
Lyla Jones smiled.
“My daughter doesn’t have any Daddy issues if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I guess I was,” Parker admitted.
“If you’re so interested in Heather then why aren’t you dating her?”
“She’s part of the investigation I’m working on, she’s on the peripheral, but still connected. Until the case is resolved, dating her would be unethical.”
“Then I guess you best solve that case, hmm?”
“Yes.”
Lyla Jones stood and Parker followed suit. She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing.
“You seem all right, but don’t you ever hurt my daughter or I swear you’ll regret it.”
“I would never hurt her, and I’m glad we’ve met.”
“Um hmm, goodbye Detective,”
Parker watched her drive away. When he went back inside, he found Jo waiting for him.
“Did that concern the case?”
“No, that was Heather’s mother.”
“So, did you pass scrutiny?”
“Absolutely.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I’m still alive,”
A man entered the station and both Parker and Knight looked at him in surprise. He saw the expressions on their faces and smiled as he offered his hand.
“Hello detectives, my name is—”
“—Umbria, you’re Nico Umbria,” Parker said, and then he took Nico’s hand and shook it.
Chapter 18
Nico Umbria sat across from Rick Parker with a confident smile lighting his face.
“I heard from my friend, Tim Hearn, that you were looking for me, and so I came in to talk.”
They were in one of the all-white interrogation rooms. Jo stood as Parker and Nico took the only two seats. She was leaning against the door, studying Umbria.
“Timothy Hearn is a friend of yours?” Parker said.
“That’s right, although I hear that’s not true for you. He stole away your woman, didn’t he?”
“We’re not in here to talk about me. We have questions for you.”
“Fire away; I’ve nothing to hide.”
“How well did you know Charles Woolley?”
“I met Woolley once. Patrick Taggart was there, he can tell you.”
“And that was your only meeting?”
“Yeah, the dude was a jerk. He threatened to kick my ass and all I did was offer to buy the bar.”
“What do you know about the string of vandalism the bar suffered a few weeks ago?”
“Not a thing,”
“And the attack the other day?”
“I heard that was done by some gang.”
“The gang is called, Muerte Soldado, and it was our understanding that you’re a former member.”
“I’ve never belonged to a gang.”
“The Camden P.D. says different,”
Nico shrugged.
“They’re wrong, what can I tell you?”
“You can tell me where you were the night Charles Woolley was murdered.”
Nico opened his mouth and then shut it. He was just about to say that he was with Hearn that night, when he realized that Parker hadn’t mentioned a date. Some of the cockiness left his manner, as he realized that Parker was no fool.
“Tell me when he
was murdered and I’ll try to remember where I was.”
Parker gave him the date, and Nico made a show of searching his memory.
“I was at Tim Hearn’s that night, yeah, the two of us were watching TV.”
“And he’ll back that up?”
“I guess he’ll remember.”
Parker stood.
“We’ll be right back Mr. Umbria; please wait here,”
When they stepped out into the hallway, they found Chief Howard staring at Nico through the one-way mirror.
“What do you think, Chief?” Jo said.
“He’s lying.”
“I think so too, but he must think that Hearn will back him up.” Parker said.
“Mr. Hearn is waiting in my office with his lawyer.”
“He’s here with his lawyer? That was quick; we just called him when Umbria arrived.”
The chief laid a hand on Parker’s shoulder.
“Jo will be talking to him alone, Rick.”
“Why, because he slept with my ex-wife?”
“That, and, Rachel is here with him,”
“I see; they’re trying to upset me, probably hoping that I’ll do something stupid.”
“Which you will not do, because you won’t be anywhere near them,” the chief said.
Parker ran a hand through his hair.
“Gabe, I can handle seeing them together. Rachel and I are divorced.”
“I’m sorry, Rick, but no, and to tell you the truth, I should probably take you off this case now that Hearn is a part of it.”
Parker raised his hands in surrender.
“No, don’t do that. You’re right, Jo can handle Hearn.”
“Is there anything in particular you’d like me to ask him?” Jo said.
“Yeah, ask him why he’s such a prick.”
Jo laughed as the chief shook his head.
“See, this is why you’re staying away from him.”
Jo sat behind the desk in the chief’s chair as he stood beside her. Across from them in a set of three chairs were Hearn, Rachel, and Hearn’s lawyer, a white-haired man named Manetti.
After introductions were made, Jo studied Hearn and thought that he looked nervous; she also noticed that Rachel was gazing at her with a critical eye, as if she were making a judgment about something.
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