I took in his new outfit, impressed by the fluffy fur. “I’m okay and so is Bud.”
Pierce sat across from us, looking irritated. Since it was his default setting, I didn’t worry too much about it. “The uniforms brought you in from the Timber City Mall?” he asked.
Bernie nodded. “Yes. It’s almost Christmas, so we spend every day at the local malls. Tomorrow we’re having a blowout in the Spokane Valley Mall with all of the Kringles in one place, and the next day, on Saturday, we’ll be here at our mall. Everyone loves my new suit.”
I shook my head. “I thought you were going to lie low until we figured out who keeps shooting at you?”
“I’m Santa,” he said quietly. “Santa doesn’t hide.” Then he grinned, showing he’d gotten new dentures. They looked nice.
Pierce noticed as well. “New dentures?”
“Yeah. Early Christmas present from Flo,” Bernie said happily.
I kept a sigh from emerging.
“She’s already spending her inheritance on you?” Pierce made a notation in his book.
Bernie lost the smile. “Geez. You sure know how to be a downer.”
I nodded. That was true. “Who wants you to go to jail, Bernie?”
“I don’t have any enemies,” Bernie said. “Except for Hoyt Forrest. Why don’t you ask him if he shot at me and then attacked Anna today?”
“He’s on his way in,” Pierce confirmed. “I’ve been trying to find him since you were shot at the other night, and apparently he’s been out of town and just got back. We’ll see what he has to say.”
That reminded me that I still hadn’t had a chance to track down Hoyt’s ex-girlfriend and see what I could find out. As things were going, Bernie was still a good suspect in Lawrence’s murder, although the fact that somebody wanted Bernie out of the way might work in his favor if it was the real murderer. Unless it was Hoyt trying to exact revenge for his father’s death, in which case, Bernie was the only viable suspect right now. Except for Flo.
Pierce ran Bernie through a gamut of questions, and I kept alert to make sure my client didn’t say anything that hurt him. Basically, Bernie didn’t know more than either of us. Finally, Pierce let him go with a stern warning to stay in the local area.
I walked Bernie down the stairs to the front door. “I really wish you’d take some time off.”
“After Christmas.” Bernie adjusted his Santa hat on his head. “With Mick and Lawrence gone, we’re down a Santa. Managed to talk Earl into joining the Kringle Club, but he hasn’t been trained completely, and his ‘ho-ho-ho’ is a little weak.”
I frowned. “You’re in danger.”
“So are you.” He patted my arm and ambled outside.
True. Very true. I jogged back up the stairs and almost ran into Pierce in the hallway. “I’d like to watch you interview Hoyt.”
“Sure.” Pierce strode into his office and then emerged with a sparkling red file folder. “I did a deep background check on Sharon Smith now that you found her, had some colleagues in Montana speak with her neighbors, and confirmed her alibi for the night Lawrence was murdered.” He handed over the folder.
I watched as sparkles fell lazily to the ground. “Where do you find these?” He always had a bright and sparkly folder for me when he was being nice and sharing information.
“In the storage closet. Nobody wants them, and they remind me of you.” He watched as two uniformed officers placed Hoyt in an interrogation room down the hallway—the same one we’d just vacated. “You can watch, but don’t leave the station while I’m in there.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked back down the hallway to enter the interrogation room.
I hustled after him, going around the corner to the quiet viewing room and walking up to the two-way mirror.
Hoyt hadn’t shaved since I’d seen him last, and his beard was fuller than I would’ve expected. His eyes were bloodshot, and stains dotted his plain T-shirt. He’d taken off his coat to place around his chair and looked like a walking headache.
Pierce drew out his chair. “Where have you been?”
“At a buddy’s cabin outside of Whitefish,” Hoyt said, his voice rough. “Ice fishin’ and drinking. A lot.”
Pierce waited a beat. “Where were you last night?”
“Got home around midnight and crashed,” Hoyt said, flattening his hand on the table. His knuckles were scratched and looked swollen.
“What happened to your hand?” Pierce asked.
“I told you I was ice fishin’,” Hoyt hissed. “It’s not like normal fishing.” He looked around the small room. “Why don’t you go do your job and make sure the case against McLintock sticks? The bastard and his bitch killed my dad for money, and you know it. Everyone knows it. But you’re so far up his lawyer’s ass that you can’t manage the job.”
I couldn’t see Pierce’s face, but his shoulders tightened just enough for me to notice.
He didn’t move otherwise. “Somebody has shot at McLintock twice, and earlier today somebody threatened his lawyer to drop his case. Uniformed officers found you at your place of business, where you could’ve easily gone afterward. The police are serving warrants on your home and the bait and tackle shop, and if they find a taser, I’m arresting you.”
Hoyt smiled and the sight wasn’t pleasing. “I have a taser, as do most folks around here. That’s not probable cause, and you know it.”
“How much do you owe in gambling debts?” Pierce asked, smoothly changing topics.
Hoyt shrugged. “Nothing now, but I’d rather have my dad than money, so don’t go there.”
“Any chance a loan shark took out your dad as a warning? Or to get paid?” Pierce asked.
I stood closer to the window. Huh. I hadn’t thought of that.
“No.” Hoyt clasped his hands on the table. “Not a chance. It was that Bernie asshole. Period.”
“Speaking of whom, were you aware that your father set Bernie up by drugging him and convincing him that he’d slept with Sharon Smith, the woman your father included in his will?” Pierce asked.
Hoyt shrugged. “I knew something was up with the apartment, but I didn’t pay attention. Good for Dad. We play to win, you know.”
What a jerk.
Pierce took more notes. “You’re going to walk me through your activities during the last week, hour by hour. Then you’re going to give me a full list of anybody you owe money to as well as the amounts owed. Start at the beginning.”
I pulled a chair closer to the window so I could sit. Was Hoyt the guy who’d shoved me against the building?
Chapter 32
I didn’t learn anything of significance by watching Hoyt’s interview and had a uniformed officer escort me around the park to the prosecuting attorney’s office, where I used to work. Before Nick fired me. Somebody had placed a pink tree in the corner of the reception area and had half decorated it with silver bulbs. There was nobody behind the reception desk.
Nick walked out of the nearest office, my old office, reading a case file. He looked up, glanced at the tree, and sighed. “We ran out of bulbs. Just sent the receptionist to buy more.”
I looked around. “Where is everyone?”
“Either in trial, depositions, or on vacation already,” he said, not sounding happy about any of it. “What are you doing here?” Without waiting for an answer, he turned on his polished black shoe and headed down the hallway.
I followed him, noting his dark gray suit that he’d partnered with a yellow power tie. “Are you in trial?”
We reached his corner office at the very end of the hallway, and he stretched his long legs over several file boxes before striding around his desk, yanking his tie free as he went.
His jacket went on his chair, and his tie ended up on his desk next to three empty coffee mugs. “Yes to the trial, no to why you’re here.”
I stepped around the boxes and lifted a couple of notebooks off a leather guest chair before sitting and crossing my legs. “You know w
hy I’m here?”
“Nope.” He released the first two buttons on his shirt and then did the same with the ones at his cuffs, rolling up his stark white and very pressed shirt. “Don’t care.”
I frowned.
Nick Basanelli was something to look at, and I wouldn’t mind if he and my sister got together. They’d make the most beautiful babies. His dark hair was a little ruffled from the snow, since he’d probably walked back to his office after trial. He was long and lean, and his brown eyes made women twitter from the jury box.
I angled my head to see five jewelry boxes behind him on his credenza. “How many women do you buy presents for during the holidays?” Maybe he wasn’t a good fit for Tessa.
He rolled his eyes and reached for the five boxes, slapping them on his desk in front of me and opening all five. “They’re on loan from Duke’s. From my Grandma Basanelli.”
I covered my mouth and tried really hard not to laugh. I failed. When I’d recovered, I leaned over to look at the selection, which ranged from a delicate St. Christopher medallion to a simple diamond heart. “None of those look like Tessa.” Although, the emerald and sapphire necklace in the Celtic Knot kind of looked like Donna. “Your grandmother just borrowed these?”
“Yep. I’m supposed to choose and return the others by end of day tomorrow.” He shook his head. “Your sister and I haven’t even gone on a date.”
“Do you want to date her?” I asked straight out.
He flipped the boxes closed, one at a time. “No.”
My jaw nearly dropped. “Then you’re nuts. She’s amazing.”
He finished and leaned back in his chair, making the expensive leather protest. “The Albertini women are a pain in the ass and way too much work.”
Yeah, he probably had a point. Well, about the pain in the ass part—not about the too much work part. “Fine. If you don’t have the balls to go out with Tessa, I’m not wasting time with you on that.” Then I remembered why I’d sought him out and tried to plant a smile on my face. “However, it’s the season to be charitable, and I need you to do your job.”
He just watched me. “What?”
I told him about Violet and the boy with the expensive lawyer out of Spokane. Nick wouldn’t like that last part. Then I wound down, hoping he’d do the right thing.
“I don’t like the part about the Spokane lawyer, but it’s Boxer’s case, and you need to talk to him.” His jaw was set.
“Who is this Boxer, anyway?”
“Smart lawyer out of Los Angeles, and I don’t want to lose him over his first case,” Nick said.
I sighed. We’d been through this before. “Well, he’s off to a bad start by going after an innocent girl. Violet is a good kid, and now she has a chance with Yara and Buddy. Make it easy on everyone and just dismiss that case. It’s stupid, anyway.” I looked at the jewelry boxes. “It’s Christmas, Nick.”
His eyes narrowed.
I squirmed in my chair, having seen that look before when he was about to strike in the courtroom. “What?”
“I can’t dismiss, but I can plea it down to a petty charge that is taken off her record the second she completes fifty hours of community service.”
I brightened. “That’s a good deal. For Violet and the boy?”
“Of course,” Nick said smoothly.
“Can the community service be conducted in Silverville?” It’d be easy to find Violet somewhere to volunteer over there, probably at the animal shelter.
Nick smiled. “Sure.”
I eyed him, my instincts pricking wide awake. “What’s the catch?”
“Well, I’ll have to pass a good case to Boxer to get him to agree and not quit on me, and then I’ll have to do the paperwork, which I don’t have time to do. So it’ll cause me more than a little bit of irritation,” he said.
“It’s the same result that we’d get if we went to trial, probably,” I muttered.
He nodded. “If that. But this is a sure thing, and it’ll go away. I just need you to do one little favor for me.”
I frowned. “You want me to do you a favor because you’re doing your job?”
“No. I’m doing Boxer’s job. Favor or not?”
“Fine.” I blew out air. “What is it?”
He drew out the moment like any good trial attorney. “Talk your sister into going to the Elk’s New Year’s Eve Ball with me.”
I blinked like I’d been sprayed with water. “You don’t want to date her, remember?”
“Oh, I remember. But if I take her to the ball, and we decide to go our separate ways at the end, then I will get my grandmother off my back. It’s simple.”
“Why don’t you just ask Tessa to go? I’m sure she’d love to get our grandmother off her back.”
His eyebrows drew down. “I did, and she told me to get bent.”
A chuckle burst out of me before I could stop it. “Come on, Nick.”
“That’s the deal, Albertini.” He turned to his computer, ignoring me.
“Fine.” I stood and kicked over one of his boxes while leaving his room, soon finding myself out in his reception area, where Jolene O’Sullivan stood, looking at the sad pink tree. I paused and then tried to sidle to the door.
“Already saw you,” Jolene said, turning to face me. “Were you and Nick meeting about the Santa murder?”
At least she didn’t have her photographer with her.
Movement sounded down the hallway. “Anna? Wait a minute. I need to put a couple of stipulations on the deal,” Nick said, coming into view and halting instantly.
“What deal?” Jolene asked sweetly, her blonde hair in a ponytail.
“No comment,” Nick bit out. “Get out of my office.”
Yeah, I wasn’t the only person who often starred on the front page of the Timber City Gazette, although Jolene was usually kinder to Nick. Probably because he was cute.
She batted her eyes. Like really full-on had those eyelashes fluttering. “Now, Nick. I thought we had a good working relationship.” Somehow, she purred the sentence.
I’d never met anybody who could purr words until now, and she sure the heck had never talked to me like that.
“We don’t,” he retorted. “Now please leave.”
“You need to go on the record about the Santa case,” she said, losing the purr. “The public has a right to know if we have a psychotic Santa going around stabbing people in the back.”
Nick moved and opened the door. “No. Comment.”
She swept by him, her head up. “I’ll be back.”
He shut the door and faced me. “Did she hear us talking about our agreement?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Good. Tessa has to wear a dress to the ball and look like she’s making an effort.” He walked back down the hallway, disappearing from sight. “There will be pictures and proof that I tried.”
I walked to sit by the pink tree and pulled out my phone, calling Tessa.
“Hey,” she said. “What’s up?”
“Do you love me?” I asked quietly.
She was quiet for a couple of moments. “What did you do?”
“Nothing. But I need a huge favor.” I told her the entire story and could feel her temper pulsing over the line as I finished. I gulped and kicked more snow off my boots.
“Oh, he wants a date? Yeah. I’ll give him a date.” Her voice was almost hoarse. “But you owe me one. I drew Aunt Rachel in the Christmas lottery, and I love her, but….”
I sighed. Yeah, Aunt Rachel was tough to buy for. She was a sweetheart but didn’t have hobbies or collections, and she bought what she wanted. I had an idea. “Okay. I’ll trade you Aunt Rachel for Knox since I drew his name. I already bought him a cool cross.”
“Deal,” she said, now sounding amused. “Tell Nick he has a date and I’ll dress appropriately. Do not tell him that he’ll regret this stunt with every ounce of his being by the time I’m done with him.” She clicked off.
“No problem,” I murmured.<
br />
The door opened and Bud walked inside. “Pierce told me to pick you up here when I was done.”
I stood, looking him over. His eyes were clear and his stance set. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. The doctor cleared me. It’s not like I haven’t been tasered before.” Now he looked irritated. “When we find whoever did that, I’m going to have a fine discussion. For now, where do you want to go?”
“Give me just a sec,” I said.
He looked at the tree. “That’s depressing.”
“Right? I’ll be back in a minute.” I wandered back to Nick’s office. “Talked to Tessa, and you have a deal.”
He turned to face me, his expression clearing. “Seriously? That easy?”
“She’s my sister,” I said. “Of course she wanted to help me out, and more importantly, she wanted to help Violet. Tessa is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and you’re a moron for not just asking her out and falling in love. But that’s your problem.”
“Fine.” Truth be told, there was a gleam in his eyes I didn’t know how to interpret.
I moved around the boxes with trial notebooks until I reached the edge of his desk. “With one caveat. This is now mine.” I took the necklace with the Celtic Knot. Aunt Rachel would love it.
Chapter 33
I walked outside Nick’s office with Bud on my heels, his solid presence giving me some sense of peace, although I just couldn’t figure out who’d pushed me against that brick wall. The man had felt solid, but he’d been wearing quite a bit of clothing, so who knew.
Bud looked down at me. “Where to now? How about nowhere? How about we stay at the station and do some paperwork?”
“Can’t. Have to at least get Bernie off the hook before I take that vacation,” I said, feeling the clock ticking down. Usually, Jareth had sent his Christmas card by now, and nothing. Well, unless the roses, heart, and dead body were gifts from him. I swallowed down panic and pushed open the door, noting that the snow had finally stopped falling, leaving the world white and sparkly. The clouds had even parted to reveal blue sky and a weak sun that increased the glitter across the snowy carpet. “How about some ice cream?”
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