by W L Knightly
“I’m sure they are working on it, dear.”
“And then I want you to retire for good. I mean, I want you totally out of it. I don’t care what Senator Young wants. I want us to be able to travel at our leisure and stay put at our leisure.”
“I’ll make sure he knows it.”
She zipped up the bag and went to the bathroom, promptly returning with her makeup bag. “I guess the good news was that I hadn’t unpacked everything.”
“I promise it will be all better when you get back.”
“Are you sure you can’t come with us?”
“I’m sorry, love. I’ll be along soon. And besides, you and Celeste will have time to do some shopping.” He looked out the window and felt the weight of all that was happening coming down on him. He hated to see her that way, and he had wished that they had taken care of Madden a long time ago. They knew the man was only going to cause problems, and now, he had.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see his wife’s face full of concern. “You’ve got that look on your face. The one that scares me to death.”
“I’m all right, Joanie.” He thought of Callie O’Connor and wondered if he should bother telling her about her friend’s husband. The women weren’t terribly close but had always volunteered for the same charities.
“I don’t believe you, Cane. Tell me what’s going on.”
“You used to say you didn’t want to know everything.”
“I lied. I’m an old woman now, and I’ve changed my mind.”
It wasn’t as if he could tell her everything. “I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to worry, but—” He paused, and Joanie put her hand on his arm.
“What, Cane? Tell me.”
“It’s Patrick O’Connor. He was killed. The same man that killed Judge Mathews killed him.”
She put her hand over her mouth. “Come with me, Cane.”
“Now, Joanie, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m going to be fine. I’m not involved, and I’ll be along tomorrow.”
“A lot can happen in one day, Cane. You’ve said it a million times. One hour, one moment, it can change a life.”
“I was talking about decisions, Buttercup.”
“Stop it,” she said. “I’m being serious. And I’m talking about decisions too. The decision to come with me over staying here. If I have to go away because of it, then so do you.”
“Please, don’t argue with me on this. I just have my one meeting. I’m staying in, and in this neighborhood, no one is going to be able to get in and mess with me.”
She gave him a sideward look. “Now, we both know that’s not always true. The guard is asleep half of the time, and—”
“You’re worried for nothing. I’ll call the guard. I’ll call Detective Thomas and tell him to send in backup. I promise.”
She looked at the clock beside the bed. “Celeste will be here any minute, and we’ll have to leave right away if we’re going to make our flight. Please, Cane.” She searched his eyes. “I won’t be able to have a good time without you there. I’ll be worried all night.”
“You’ll be so busy shopping, you’ll forget all about it. Why don’t you and Celeste go to another show? There’s mad money in the account. Treat our daughter to one of those decadent handbags she loves so much.”
He was nearing aggravation, but thankfully, she gave in, grabbing her handbag and giving in to anger herself. “Fine, I’ll just go without you and return a widow. It will teach you a lesson to not listen to me.” She was nearly down the hall to the stairs when her phone rang. “It’s Celeste,” she said, picking up. “I’m on my way down.”
“You’ll have a good time, Joanie.” He pulled her to a stop and gave her a kiss as she tucked the phone into her bag. “Hey, I’ll be okay. Buy me a new tie?” He gave her another peck.
“I guess. Maybe I’ll let you wear it to your funeral.”
“Stop with that talk,” he snapped. She was weirding him out. She wouldn’t have been joking about such things if she knew just how much hot water he was in.
He walked her out and helped her into the car.
His daughter, Celeste waved from the cab. “Hey, Daddy.” She put down her window. “We’re in too big a hurry to get out. Come around and give me a hug!”
He hurried around and hugged her neck. She had grown up to be a beauty just like her mother, and while he was going to miss them both, he wasn’t worried about seeing them again. He knew he would. He had to. Besides, he had things under control.
“You have a good time, and take care of your mother. She’s a bit mad at me.” He winked at his little girl and then stepped away from the car.
“Will do, Daddy. We’ve got to go.”
He blew a kiss to Joanie, who still had a worried look in her eyes, but then she smiled and patted her daughter on the leg as if to reassure her. “He’s just being a stubborn old goat again. Nothing new.”
The driver drove away, and Cane stood watching them until they were well down the road and to the gates.
Then he looked back at his house from the end of his drive and let out a long sigh. The large house was his castle, and he was king. Nothing could hurt him there.
He went into the house and straight to the kitchen, where he decided to find a bite to eat. He had missed breakfast fucking around on the phone with Senator Young, and now that it was lunchtime, he was ready for a bite to eat.
As he searched through the fridge for sandwich makings, he thought of Joanie and how afraid she’d been. He knew he needed to call Detective Thomas, but with Michael Young’s plan in play, he felt like he needed to wait for word.
“I’ll give that asshole until four o’clock,” he mumbled to himself. That would give them plenty of time to send an officer down his way.
It wasn’t like anything was going to happen in the daytime in his secure neighborhood. Nothing crazy ever happened around there, and unless you counted Old Man Spencer down the street, who had a heart attack on his front lawn and impaled himself on a sprinkler head, nothing exciting had ever happened in his neighborhood.
He stacked his sandwich high and then went to his favorite chair in his study and turned on the TV, hoping to find something interesting to watch. After flipping through a few channels and passing over a couple of court-themed programs, he settled on a program about space aliens. He needed something out of the norm to keep him from thinking bad thoughts, and this was just the type of stuff that brought him back to happier times when he was a kid who loved to read about aliens and spacemen.
He had always wanted to be an astronaut, and if his father hadn’t fucked up those plans, he might be retired from NASA with a few trips to the moon under his belt instead of worrying about some fucking mistake he’d made years ago. He had so wanted to please the senator, so much that he’d let him sell out for that fucking junkie kid of his.
In hindsight, it wasn’t worth it, and representing Young hadn’t done anything for him in his later years but give his wife a little more spending money to buy shit she didn’t need. He had called it her mad money, and if Joanie knew the truth about its origins, she would have left and taken him for all he was worth. He had made it his business to keep her happy.
Happy wife, happy life, but it didn’t mean he’d been perfect. But there came a time when all the other women and all the money and power just didn’t mean anything. He had learned that after a long life with an understanding and forgiving wife, and he had vowed to make the last part of their lives together better.
He finished the sandwich and then got up to put his plate in the kitchen sink. When he was nearly down the hall, he heard something upstairs. “What the hell?” He stopped and listened to see if it happened again. But after what felt like forever, he didn’t hear a thing.
He went to the sink and dropped off the plate. Then he decided to do something he hadn’t done in weeks and headed upstairs. He went to his master bedroom and noticed Joanie had left a pair of shoes on the bed,
so he carried them to her closet and then put them away. Then he walked over to his side of the room, opened his closet, and stepped inside. He pushed a few buttons on a control panel on the wall near his shoe rack and waited as it opened up.
He smiled as the smell of his tobacco hit his nose. His fine, Cuban cigars had been locked away in the humidor for years, and he only indulged in one now and then. He took one out and brought it to his nose, smelling the rich aroma. As he tucked his gold lighter into his pocket, he couldn’t wait to light the tobacco and breathe it in. He snipped the end and then hit another button to close his humidor, which was a gift from his wife when they had drawn up the plans for their house.
He was so wrapped up in the scent of his cigar as he walked out of the closet that he didn’t notice he was no longer alone.
He closed the closet door and then reached into his pocket for the cigar. As he lit it, breathing in the thick, delicious smoke, there was movement right behind him. Before he could turn, someone had grabbed him, their arms coming around him faster than he could react, squeezing the life from him, with the sharp needle already buried deep inside his neck. A warm feeling came over him before he went out.
Chapter 27
Jake
After leaving the office, he extended his lunch with some actual food and then arrived back at the station with a peace offering from Speed’s in the form of a slice of coconut cream for Jo. He hadn’t liked the way things had been said and decided the friendly gesture was not only necessary, but a smart move to smooth things over.
“I’ve never heard you whistle,” said Jo when he walked into the room. “Where have you been?”
“You needed a breather, and so did I. Plus, I took an extended lunch and brought you back a slice of pie.”
She looked at the bag like it was going to bite. “Thanks, I think.” Jo huffed and left the pie where it sat.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Usually a breather is just minutes. You’ve been gone for hours now. We still have to go and check on Preston.”
Jake’s eyes widened. “Fuck, I forgot to tell you they’re home.” He felt two inches tall as her expression changed from one of disbelief to anger.
“Why are you just now telling me, and how could you just blow off half the day when we have to go and warn a man about his safety?” She got to her feet and grabbed her bag. “We have to go!”
Jake followed her out. “Where have you been?”
“I went to the lab for half an hour and came back here, hoping you’d stopped being an asshole.”
“I was not being an asshole, but whatever. And if you were so worried about Preston, why didn’t you go by yourself? You’re running this show, aren’t you? I mean, that’s what you want, isn’t it? You will be soon enough, so you might as well start now, right?”
She had opened her mouth to speak but pulled her lips in tight instead.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He walked over to his car, and she stopped and stared at him. “What? Are you coming?” He had spent a sensual afternoon relieving all of his pent-up stress, and it took being around Jo for two minutes for it to all come back. The woman drove him crazy.
“Maybe I should take my car. You know, so I’m not depending on you for anything?” She raked her hand through her blonde waves.
“Stop it.” He looked away, opened the car door, and got in. “I’m not waiting all day, Jo.”
“Yeah, and I did. I guess that makes me a fool.” She shook her head and then walked around the car to get in. “I want us in this together, Jake.”
He hated the feelings between them. One minute, he was ready to retire and tell her to have a good life, and the next, he was wishing he hadn’t been gone the past three hours. What have I done? He blew out a long breath as he started the car.
They drove across town to the gated community where Preston lived. Jake stopped at the gates and showed his badge. “I’m here to see the Prestons.”
“Oh, you won’t find them home, I’m afraid. I heard they left right out again. Another trip. They must have been bitten by the travel bug.”
“You mean they left again since this morning?”
“Yeah, I wasn’t on duty at the time, but Bert, the man who was here before, said that we were asked to keep an eye on the place. That they would be gone a while.”
“And Mr. Preston was with her?”
The man shrugged. “As far as I know.”
“I’d still like to drive over to the house and take a look around outside.”
The man hit the button on the gate. “Suit yourself.”
Jake rolled up the window and drove forward. “I can’t believe they’re already gone again.”
“Yeah, it’s like he already knows. Maybe my father got in touch with him too. It would make sense.” She looked out her window at Cane Preston’s house. “Does it look like anything is out of place?”
“Not in the front. But maybe we should see if we can go around back? If you think it’s even necessary.”
“You know as much as I do. You decide.”
He wasn’t going to get in a battle of decisions with her. “Come on, Jo. We’re getting nowhere with this if we can’t work together.”
“Fine,” she snapped. “Then let’s get out and take a look around while we’re here.”
They parked the car in the circle drive in front of their home and went immediately to the front door where Jo pounded her dainty fist. “Spokane PD.”
Jake listened for movement behind the door as he tried not to look Jo directly in the eyes.
“I don’t hear anything,” she said. “Do you want to go around back? At least make sure their house is secure since we’ve come all this way.”
“Sure. There should be a gate.” He led her around to the side of the house, and sure enough, their ivy-covered stone fence had a gate. “If you were going to leave and secure your home, would you leave the side gate open?”
“Not even a little,” said Jo, pointing toward the gate, which had been left open a few inches. “Let’s see if this is all we find.” She kept her eyes on the stone path as they walked to the back. Much of the landscaping had yet to be filled, and there were empty spaces in the brick flowerbeds.
Something caught Jake’s eye, and he walked over to the unit. “Look at the size of this boot.”
“That’s one hell of an impression, even for a man of that size.” She knelt down and put her hand next to the print. “I doubt that Preston was mucking around in the yard.”
“He’s not a very big man in stature. I would doubt that’s his print, but it doesn’t mean someone else couldn’t have been here to visit. And let’s face it. As much as we want to make something out of the gate, they could leave it open like that for packages or someone tending to the pets while they are gone.” He took out his phone. “I’m going to try his number just to see if the asshole answers this time.” He let it ring, but it went straight to voicemail. “I don’t understand people who don’t answer their fucking phones.”
“Agreed.” She let out a long breath. “I just wish we’d gotten here sooner. I’d have liked to question Preston.” Jake was about to say something, his frustration growing with each minute as the tension built. But then she reached out and touched his arm. “I’m not blaming you. You were right. I have to learn to do this all on my own. I guess I was just using you as a safety net. But I’m strong, and while I’d really rather not do this job alone, I know I can.” She took a deep breath. “Sorry I put the blame on you. I have to stop letting men do things for me. I have to take responsibility.”
“That’s not the worst thing in the world, you know? Letting men do things for you doesn’t make you weak.”
“Come on, Jake. Even you gave me flack about my dad paying my way in.”
He couldn’t argue that. “Let’s get back to the office. Hopefully, we can figure out where Preston is going from his secretary. Maybe you could call her on the way.” Jake wanted to find him as
soon as possible and felt horrible that he’d let him slip away. If he had just gone in and told Jo about the man being back in town, they could have at least questioned him.
She had her phone out, dialing the number, as they walked back out to the car. She put the phone on speaker as it rang.
“Preston and Abel, this is Gloria.” The older woman’s voice was monotone, and Jake figured the day had worn on her from her weary tone.
“This is Detectives Calloway and Thomas. We wondered if you could tell us where Cane Preston and his wife went today. They guard said they went out of town.” They both got into the car, and as Jake shut his door, the woman went silent.
Finally, Gloria’s audible sigh mirrored Jake’s own mood. “Mrs. Preston left this morning, but you should be able to find Mr. Preston at home. He’s leaving tomorrow.”
Jake had not expected to hear that. “Tomorrow? So, he didn’t leave with his wife?”
“No, he talked to me earlier this morning before she left. He has a meeting in the morning, and he is going to leave shortly after. I’ve already made the arrangements.”
“When was the last time you spoke with him?” asked Jake.
“This morning was the last time. Why?” Her voice took on a suspicious tone. “Do you think something has happened to him? Have you tried to call him?”
“Yes, but there was no answer.”
“He knows you want to talk to him. I don’t know why he’s being so stubborn, but he’s that way sometimes. Perhaps he went out to play golf. Have you tried the course?”
“No, ma’am. We haven’t.”
“Well, it’s not unlike him to go out to the course for afternoon golf, and it is a beautiful day.”
“That’s a great idea. Thanks, Gloria.”
“Maybe I should have been the detective,” she said with a cackle. Then she ended the call.
Jake and Jo exchanged a look. “I’m not sure if I like her or not,” said Jo.
“Like or loathe, stay on her good side. She makes the officers fudge, remember?”