Jackie said, “Well, wasn’t that perfect timing?”
Charles leaned over from the driver’s seat. “We found William dead in his bedroom. His head was bashed in. Now get in the damn car before we have warrants out for our arrests.”
So much for Charles not wanting to be the bad guy.
“I’ll follow you in my car.” Jackie started to walk away.
Charles jumped out of the car and cut Jackie off. He gently took her by the elbow and steered her to the back door on the driver’s side. “Get in. I’m not going to track you all over Salinas again today. We’ll bring you back to your car later.”
Jackie didn’t protest. She climbed into the back seat as I got back into the passenger side. Charles had the car rolling before we had the doors closed.
Just as Charles maneuvered the Land Rover into a parallel parking space on Lincoln Street, my phone rang. I looked at the caller I.D., and saw it was Nick. “Oh, no.”
“What?” Charles and Jackie said in unison.
“It’s Nick,” I answered. “I haven’t seen this number on my phone in a long time.”
“Where the hell are you? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago.”
“Oh, well, nice to talk to you, too. We’re out in front of the police station, just getting out of the car, as a matter of fact.” And I was. I stepped out of the car and jaywalked across the street. Charles and Jackie trailed after me, close on my heels.
“I do have other business. It would’ve been nice of you to show up on time.” Nick hung up.
We walked into the police reception where I expected we’d have to tell the officer at the desk we were here to see Detective Christianson, but alas, Detective Mason was there to greet us.
“Hello again.” Charles and Piper did a double kiss on each cheek as if they were old buddies. Barf.
Charles shoved Jackie forward. “This is Jackie Baccarin, she’s a friend of ours. Detective Christianson is expecting us.”
Piper smiled and led us back to the inner workings of the cop shop.
I leaned in close to Piper. “Is he in a bad mood?”
She looked over her shoulder. “Who, Nick? I’m not sure Nick knows what a bad mood is.”
I knew it; they were doing it. She was completely blindsided by having sex with him. Not that I cared, but I would feel bad for her when he dumped her and moved on. Nick never did stay in a relationship long.
I felt a vibration, then my phone rang, “Hello, it’s your mother calling.” I answered quickly, thinking I needed to change that ringtone.
“Hi, Mom, I can’t talk right now. I’m at the police station.” This was going to go over well.
“The police station?” The alarm in her voice was audible.
I knew this was going to happen. Why did I tell her I was here? “I’m visiting with Nick.”
“Oh, tell Nick hi for me.” A beat, then she said, “I thought you were through with him.”
“There’s nothing to be through with.” We’d reached Nick’s desk. “I gotta go. I’ll call you later.”
“Tell him hi.” She disconnected.
Nick stood when he saw us. “Let’s go to a conference room. It’s a little cramped in here.”
We all turned right back around and left the homicide department for the main police room. Nick led the way to a conference room across the hall.
I watched him walk away, remembering what it was like to spend time with him. Riding in his Boxter, laughing… Oh, stop, just stop it. But seeing him in those slacks with the V-neck cashmere sweater, I wanted to get my hands on him just one more time. Really, this had to stop.
Piper said, “Can I get anyone some coffee, water, soda?”
Charles said, “No thanks.” Jackie and I shook our heads.
“Nick, anything?” She drooled.
He ignored her and pulled out a chair for Jackie and me. Piper left the room.
“Let’s get started. We’re already way behind. But on a positive note, I have more information than I had thirty minutes ago.”
Nick sat on the other side of the table. Charles stood by the door.
“So what do you need from us?” I said.
Nick looked at Charles. “Can you please lock the door?”
Charles looked at the door, then Nick, then the door. “But, Det-- I mean Piper is…”
“Please lock the door,” Nick said, more firmly.
Charles locked it.
“Here’s the deal,” Nick started, then stopped and looked pointedly at Jackie. “You were in that house.”
Jackie started to protest, but Nick held up his hand.
Charles looked at her. “Jackie?”
“Don’t say anything, Jackie. I’m not recording, but when Piper gets back in here, we will be.” Nick looked at me. “This is a favor I’m doing for you.”
“Me?” I was shocked. I hadn’t heard from the man in months, and now he’s doing me some sort of favor?
To Jackie, he said, “Your fingerprints are all over that damn house. Don’t even try to tell me you weren’t in there.”
I looked at Jackie. “You lied to me?”
Charles got right in her face. “You lied to me?”
Jackie just stared forward. She didn’t deny anything. She didn’t speak.
I turned my chair toward her. “What the hell is going on? Jackie, tell me what’s going on.”
Jackie sat calmly. “I plead the fifth.”
Charles slammed his hand on the conference table. “The fifth? No, you don’t.”
I stood. “Charles, calm down. Getting upset isn’t going to help things.”
This was bad. First, Charles never lost his temper. Second, he hated being lied to. Third, I was caught in the middle.
He turned on me. “Calm down? Calm down? We broke into a house where there was a dead man, and you want me to calm down?” Charles paced. “And you, Jackie, you knew there was a dead guy in that damned house, and you let us break in. Calm down?”
Now he was repeating himself, another thing he didn’t do. This was really bad.
“Charles, did I hear you say you broke into William Garrison’s house?”
Oh, no. I wanted to crawl under that table and dig a hole to China.
Suddenly Charles calmed considerably. “Excuse me?”
“Never mind. When Piper gets back in here, I’m going to have to arrest you, Jackie.”
Jackie’s eyes went wide. “What?”
“There was no reason for your fingerprints to be in that house, and they were everywhere: the kitchen, the living room, and the picture frame of your daughter with William’s daughter. What were you doing in that house?”
I stepped in before Jackie replied. “Were her prints on the murder weapon?”
Nick said, “There was no murder weapon. Whoever did this took it with them.”
I looked at Jackie. She stared at the wall. Charles stared at her. Nick stared at all of us. This interview, and this day, weren’t going as I’d planned.
“If Catey was friends with William’s daughter, Anna, there’s reason for Jackie’s prints to be in the house. Maybe she’d picked up Catey from the house before.” Charles sounded like a lawyer.
“Plausible,” Nick said. “Jackie, did you know William Garrison was Anna’s dad?”
Jackie finally came to. “Let me tell you something, Nick. If that son of a bitch hadn’t been dead with I walked in that house, I would have killed him myself.” She stood. “Arrest me, because whoever killed that low life scum should be given an award. I’d gladly go to prison to be sure that man would never prowl after another young girl.”
“Okay, Jackie, you’ve said enough.” I was getting scared. I didn’t want to see my friend go to prison.
“Did you look at his laptop? It was out there in the open. And guess what? Right before I arrived at his house, he sent my daughter,” Jackie’s eyes welled and her voice cracked, “my precious fourteen-year-old daughter, a picture of his penis. So understand this, if
I’d have killed him, I’d have tied him up and clipped his penis off, one snip at a time with toenail clippers. Then I’d have left him there to bleed out as I cut off his balls.”
Both Nick and Charles’s hands involuntarily moved to their crotches. I even felt a bit of a cringe.
Nick walked across the room and unlocked the door. Piper walked in, but she didn’t have any of the amenities she’d gone out for. She walked up to Jackie and said, “You are under arrest for the murder of William Garrison…” She put her hand on Jackie’s arm and walked her out the door.
I could see Jackie tense in Piper’s hand as they walked away. Then she turned, “What about my kids?”
“I’ve got it, honey,” I said. “I’ll pick them up, and they can stay with me tonight.”
Charles stopped Piper before she was out the door. “Jackie, I’m on top of things. We’ll get this straightened out, I promise. And I don’t make promises to anyone, you know that.”
Jackie kissed Charles on the cheek, and the two women walked away.
“And don’t ever lie to me again.” Charles admonished, and then turned to Nick. “You really are an asshole, aren’t you?”
“Watch it, Charles. I’m still a cop.”
“So arrest me for calling you an asshole, and you’ll have two innocent people in your jail cells tonight.” Charles spun on his heel to leave.
“And don’t get involved in this case either, Charles,” Nick yelled after him.
Charles turned back and stalked toward Nick. Standing right in his face, he said, “I could give a rat’s rear end if you find the killer. That pervert deserved to die. But I do care that you are booking my friend, an innocent person, on murder charges. So the only thing I’ll be doing is trying to prove her innocence.” Then Charles pointed in Nick’s face. “And you’d better not get in my way.”
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Nick backed up a step. I thought for sure he was going to punch Charles in the face. Instead, he turned and looked at me.
“I can hold her for forty-eight hours without filing any charges. Got it? You have forty-eight hours. Understand, this isn’t about being friends. If she’s guilty, I’ll put her ass away for life.”
Charles backed down a bit. “Deal. But you’d better make her comfortable while she’s here.”
Nick just walked past Charles without acknowledging him. He didn’t even look at me as he left the room.
I just whispered, “Forty-eight hours.”
34
When I arrived at Jackie’s house, both Corey and Catey were home. Corey was playing X-Box in the living room, and Catey was sitting at the kitchen table doing what looked like math homework. I really hope I wasn’t expected to help with the homework, since it all looked like foreign scribbles to me.
I knew they weren’t identical twins (opposite sex and all), but they looked so much alike. And as much as I hate their father, I’m so glad they didn’t get Jackie’s red hair. Both were more of a strawberry blonde. They did, however, inherit her pale skin. Corey embraced his good looks: strawberry-blonde, pale skin, and light blue eyes. Catey, on the other hand, had saved money to have her hair highlighted, and could tell the experts how to make a spray tan look real.
“Where’s Mom?” Corey stopped killing people in his game long enough to grant me some attention when I walked in.
“Come sit with me and Catey in the kitchen,” I said. I ran my fingers through my hair, not sure how I was going to explain.
Corey reluctantly stopped his game and followed me. He sat next to Catey and stared at me.
I sat across from them and lied. God help me, I lied. “Your mom is working with the police tonight. She’s probably not going to be home until very late, so she wants you to stay with me.”
In stereo, Corey and Catey moaned, “What?”
“What’s she working on?” Corey asked.
I looked at Catey, who conveniently looked away. “There’s a case she’s involved with, and she’s helping the police with some of the evidence.”
“Cool. What kind of case?” Corey found this almost as interesting as his game.
Catey chimed in. “Corey, when will you ever learn? Mom and Mimi love to keep their secrets.”
“Not secrets. It’s called confidentiality. We can’t reveal the details of cases we work.” I was hoping this would quash any further questions.
“Whatever. It’s not like we’d know who these people are anyway.” Corey still looked disappointed that he wasn’t going to get the goods.
“I think I’ll just stay here,” Catey said.
“Gee, thanks, nice to feel so loved,” I said.
“It’s not that,” she explained. “It’s just that we have all of our stuff here. And I have so much homework.”
When I walked in, Catey didn’t look like her mind was on her homework. She’d been staring off into space, but I didn’t dare mention that now.
“Tell you what. Corey, you can bring your box thingy and play on my fifty-two inch flat screen.” I paused as Corey’s expression said it all. “And I’ll order out for pizza, anything you want, and we can watch scary movies until it’s time for school in the morning.”
Corey jumped up. “Mom’s going to be pissed! I’m so doing this.”
Catey slammed her math book shut and started packing her things into her backpack. “It looks like there’s no way out of this, so I want garden vegetarian pizza.”
God, I was going to suck at being a parent. I just lied, and then bribed these kids. “Fine.”
Corey jumped up and went into the living room to disassemble his gaming gadget so he could bring it to my house.
“I’m ready,” Catey said, as she slung her backpack over her shoulder.
“Catey, honey, toothbrush, clean underwear?”
“Oh, yeah.” She shuffled at a snail’s pace toward her bedroom.
* * *
It was dark by the time we arrived back at my house. I reached for my driver’s door to get out of the car, and a hand came from nowhere and opened the door for me. I jumped and screamed.
“Holy shit.” Now, I’d like to say I’m not normally the jumpy type, but I am.
“Hey.”
“Seriously, are you trying to kill me?” I said.
“Not really.”
The twins snickered.
I tossed my keys to Corey. “Go in the house. I’ll be in in a bit. And let Lola out to pee, please.”
“No way, she won’t come back in the house for me,” Corey said.
A little impatient, I said, “Then just leave her out.”
The kids ran to the house, and I got out of my car, but left the door ajar. “What do you want?”
“I don’t want you to be mad at me for doing my job.” Nick stood solemnly, and I could see his gray eyes shining from the interior light of my Land Rover.
“It’s hard not to hate you right now.” I couldn’t lie about that.
“Come on, Mimi, it’s my job. I’m a homicide detective, remember? Unlike you, I don’t get to pick and choose my cases. And this one is my case.”
“Well, you and Piper have a good time detecting then.” I tried to move past him.
“Piper Mason is a good detective.”
“When she’s not puking all over your crime scene.” Oh, that was mature, Mimi, so mature.
“I just came to tell you that I’m looking at all other avenues. I don’t think Jackie is guilty either, but Piper thinks there’s enough evidence to convict her. All we needed was the murder weapon.”
“Well, go find it.”
Nick looked down, before looking me in the eye. “We already did.”
I took a deep breath. Oh, the relief. “So Jackie is on her way home?”
“We found it in the back of your Toyota pickup, Mimi.”
Remember the puking thing? Well, the bile was working its way into a frothy bubble with those words. I tried to respond, but I couldn’t.
“That’s not even funny, Nick.” I pushed him
away and started toward the house.
Nick grabbed me by the arm. “Have you ever heard of obstruction of justice?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“The murder weapon was in the back of the truck Jackie was driving. You said you saw her in it, didn’t you?”
I thought back. I couldn’t remember, but…“Yes, she was sitting in the Toyota when we arrived at William’s house.”
“And you didn’t see the bloody baseball bat in the bed of the pickup?”
“I didn’t look in the back of the pickup.” I hesitated. “Nick, Jackie is a detective, too. She’d never be stupid enough to put the murder weapon in plain sight in my vehicle. This smacks of set up.”
“And who would want to set Jackie up?”
“Well, someone…” I fought my head for an answer, “someone.”
Nick nodded. “There’re a lot of explanations. I’m going to get to the bottom of this, I promise. And when I do, I only hope that Jackie is just caught in the middle and not the culprit.”
I felt my body slump. I was exhausted. My day had started with me feeling like a cougar, and now, I felt rode hard and put away wet. Overworked and unloved.
Nick stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me. I stiffened. It should have felt good to be held like that. I tried to hold out, but I gave in and hugged him back. I needed something solid in that moment. That cashmere sweater was as soft as I’d imagined, and the muscles felt harder than I remembered.
I don’t think he had been holding me for more than a few seconds, when I heard someone call my name. I looked up to see a man dressed in plaid skater shorts and a pink polo shirt. He was tall, well built, and damn it, he was handsome, tattoos and all.
I broke away from Nick’s embrace. “Hey, Sebastian. How are you?”
I was a little creeped out that he was at my house, but I would never let on to Nick. I walked over and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him on the lips. It was all I could do to keep from laughing when I saw the look on Nick’s face. Well, he had Piper, and now I had Sebastian.
“Sorry I’m late. I was detained. Come on inside.” Oh, this was fun.
Gotcha Detective Agency Mystery Box Set Page 27