by W L Knightly
Jake hadn’t really wanted the complete rundown, but he knew better than to argue. If there was anything he was sure of, it was that Jo was never going to shut up once she started.
Jake broke the seal on the door, and they went inside, seeing the aftermath of the crime, which was a lot of missing carpet and several pieces of the bloodied wall. “He’s sure to have a study in this place. Everyone has a home office these days.”
“I didn’t see one when were here before, but then again, I wasn’t looking for one either.”
“Come on. It’s got to be down the hall.” He led her past the backdoor where the man’s pet had taken his last breath and then around the corner to a back room that looked like the master.
“This must have been his bedroom,” said Jo, who walked past him over to an arched door. “In here.” She waved him in, and when he got there, she’d found the man’s office. “I think this was a walk-in closet. Or a dressing room. He must have converted it. Look at the built-in shoe racks. He’s using them for paperwork.”
Jake shook his head. Leave it to a woman to notice that. He had never really seen a shoe rack like it before, if that was what it was. He’d give her the benefit of the doubt and move on. He had to find the files.
“Isn’t this exciting to you in the least?” asked Jo. “I can’t imagine giving this up. Of course, I can see how it would get to you after a while, but knowing I’m doing something worthwhile with my time is what will keep me going. My mother was hardworking. She raised me alone, and I never wanted for anything. Even when my father wasn’t around.”
He had just assumed she’d come from the perfect home, mother and father married her entire life, a little white picket fence in their yard, with a tire swing for little Josephine. He decided not to ask her about it. “That’s because you’re just starting out.”
“Well, it took me a while to figure out I wanted to be a detective, and then it was a challenge to find a department that would take me seriously.”
“Still looking, huh?”
She gave him a sideward look, then turned her attention back to the task at hand.
As Jo looked on the shelves and in some of the handier places, Jake opened the bottom drawer of the messy desk. “Bingo,” he said while thumbing through a couple of the folders. “These are his case files.”
He put the folders on the desk, and Jo wasted no time looking at them.
“What are the chances that these are his dirty files?” Some photographs fell out of one of the folders when she picked it up.
Jake picked them up and realized they all had one thing in common. They were all cock shots, and the men pictured, at least a couple of the ones stupid enough to show their faces, were men he knew. “I’d say that you’re on the right track.”
She reached for one of the photos, and her eyes widened. “Oh, wow!” she said, looking away for only a brief moment. “Do you think he was blackmailing men with these?”
“Maybe he kept them for insurance. Kind of a you keep my secret, and I’ll keep yours thing?”
“So, maybe someone with this kind of secret decided to kill him.”
Jake shook his head. “No, I’m not going in that direction. These could be as simple as an old-fashioned spank bank.”
“Spank bank?” She looked up at him and put the photos back in the folder. “What does—Oh!”
They gathered up the stack of files and left the rest of the crap behind, confiscating the photos in a sealed envelope so one didn’t fall out and ruin someone’s reputation unnecessarily.
“So, do you have one?” Jo asked, getting into the car.
Jake shut his door and reached for his seatbelt. “Have one of what?”
“You know, a spank bank?”
“If I did, it wouldn’t have those kinds of photos.”
“So, is that a yes or a no?” Even though she was clearly humored, Jake kept a straight face.
“You’re impossible. I can’t really answer that, now can I? And if I’d asked you the same question, it would have cost me my job.”
“You don’t even want your job.” She giggled a minute longer, then finally once Jake had pulled out of the drive, she turned to him with a serious face. “I do have a Firemen of Caliente County Calendar.”
“Firemen, huh? I guess you have a thing for Jakes?” He laughed but could tell by the look on her face it went way over her head.
Her cheeks turned red. “What do you mean?”
Jake laughed. “For firemen? They call them Jakes.”
“Oh.” She shrugged. “Then you should have been one. Jake the Jake.” She giggled and then rolled her eyes. “How did we get on this subject?”
“You were being nosey about my sex life.”
“It was a yes or no question,” she said, turning her attention to the window beside her.
“The answer is no. I mean, unofficially, maybe. But no.” He shook his head. “You’re nuts. You know that? Asking me that.”
“I’m just making conversation. Besides, I’ve never heard of it until today, and I like talking to you.”
Jake laughed. “I can tell.”
“Does it really bother you that much?”
“I’m already getting used to it. So, hey, you still want to stop and get something?”
“Sure, wherever you want.”
“You’re not a picky eater?” He didn’t know if she had some special diet to keep her perfect figure.
“No. Anywhere is fine. I trust you.”
Before she could name somewhere he didn’t want to eat, he turned off the road into the parking lot of Speed’s.
“Here again?” She gave him a blank stare.
“Did you not find the food acceptable before?”
“It’s fine. I just thought we’d go someplace different.”
“I always eat here. Why go anywhere else when Speed’s has it all?”
“Okay,” she said with a shrug. “I guess I better get used to the menu.”
“At least for the next two weeks.” He led her inside, and Ruth Anne waved as he went to sit in his usual booth across the room. He liked to put himself in the back so he could see what everyone else in the place was doing. Not that he cared, but he just didn’t want his back to anyone.
Ruth Anne came over with a cup of coffee and then looked to Jo. “What do you like to drink? Coffee again? Sugar and cream?”
“Um, no, I think I’ll order some food,” she said, giving Jake a sideward look. “I’m not sure what’s good. What do you recommend?”
“It’s all good,” mumbled Jake, opening a folder from Gaines’s house.
Ruth Anne chuckled. “He’s not fooling. Let me get you a menu, sweetie. Jake hasn’t used one in years.”
“I know what I want, and so do you half the time, so why should I?” Jake hadn’t taken his eyes off the page he was reading.
As Ruth Anne went to fetch the menu, Jo leaned in close. “Does she just bring you something to eat off the menu, or do you order?”
Jake noticed a name on the page that stuck out to him. Jeff Bonham.
“Do we really have to look over those folders while we eat? I’m a little worried what we find might make me lose my appetite.”
“Wait,” he said, holding up a finger for her to give him a minute. “I think I found something. Take a look at this.” He turned the folder around and pointed to the man’s list of aliases.
Jo read quietly for a moment. “The Noose?” She looked up at him with a grin. “Is this our man?”
“Not exactly. He’s locked up in the Mead unit. But I know him, and he might have hired someone to do this to send a little message. I say we should go and check him out at the very least. Who knows? If he’s not responsible, he might have heard something from being on the inside.”
“It’s definitely worth the trip,” she said. “Especially with a name like that. What are the odds?”
“A billion to one,” he said with a shrug. “But I feel good about it.”
Chapter 8
Jake
After having a nice lunch, where Jake ate meatloaf and Jo had a turkey club on wheat, they ate pie for dessert and then called in to let the Mead Unit know they were on their way. After a long process to get in the gates, Jake signed his name and then went through the checkpoint for his weapons, while Jo waited her turn.
He hoped The Noose would be led down to the interrogation room, but he needed to make sure they took every precaution. “I want to make sure he’s cuffed to his seat,” he told the guard. “I don’t want to take any chances with my partner. I know The Noose has a bit of a reputation.”
“I’m a big girl,” she said. “I’ll be fine, but I’ve always hated this part.” She took off her gun holster then moved forward as Jake stepped away.
He waited while she signed her name. “Big girl or not, I don’t mess around.” He really didn’t want to have to kill anyone for harming her, but he was already feeling a bit protective of Jo. How could he not be? She was small compared to most cops, and even smaller compared to some of the animals they had locked up at the Mead Unit.
They walked away down the hall where they were told to wait for a guard to take them in, and Jake could tell she was a bit nervous by the way she kept tapping her foot.
“Are you going to let these fuckers in here know you’re shaken?”
“I’m not shaken. I just realized I haven’t been inside a maximum-security unit like this one, where everyone is here for murder and not tax evasion.”
“You’ve never been inside a prison?” He found that hard to believe and wondered how she’d managed.
“Of course, I have. The women’s unit across the yard, actually. They were mostly drug offenders and petty criminals compared to the assholes here.”
Jake had been inside the place more times than he could count, and that was all just part of the job. “You know you’re going to have to come here alone, don’t you?”
“Yes, but how often will that be?”
He could tell she had no idea. “More than you think. I’m pretty sure that most of the guards here know me by name. So the next time you come, you might want to dress down a bit.”
“Dress down? I am dressed down.” She looked at herself.
“Heels and all of those frilly, low-cut tops you wear? They’re going to love you around here.” He didn’t want to scare her, but he hoped that she heeded his warning.
“I’m just excited for not having to wear that ugly uniform anymore.”
She stood there, still looking down at her feet, when one of the guards came into the section where they waited. Jake recognized him as he approached. “Hey, Rick. How’s it going, man? Is our boy ready for us?”
Rick was one of the first guards that Jake had met, and he was glad to see him on duty. The man was tall, and he looked down his nose at Jo for a moment, looking as intimidating as possible. Then he gave a big, goofy grin. “Don’t tell me they gave you a partner; someone to babysit you, I assume?”
Jake gave him a sideward look. “Like I need it.”
Rick looked her up and down, and Jake knew the man was harmless. To the right person. His tall, six-foot-five frame towered above Jake’s measly six-foot-one body, and Rick had enough bulk to make two of him.
“Chin up,” Rick said to Jo. “Hold that head high, or they’re going to give you hell. We have to walk past a few of our unsavory guests to get you where you need to go.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said, holding her nose in the air.
Rick laughed. “Well, now’s the time to say so if you’re not.” He seemed to wait a minute and then let out a breath. “Come on, man. Let’s get this over with. I want to be out of here today at a decent time.”
Rick led them down the hall where there were no doors and no windows, only the occasion eye-level peep panels until they came to another heavy door. “When we go in here, keep your eyes forward. Do not respond to these assholes.”
Jake turned, and Jo gave a nod like she was ready. As they moved forward into the row of cells, the first few inmates they passed all stood against the back wall and stayed quiet. But the next few banged their bars and hollered obscene things, all directed at Jo.
“I see you brought me my snack,” said one man before flicking his tongue wildly between two fingers, one of which was missing at the knuckle. Jake turned his eyes but gave no response for Jo’s sake. He didn’t want to make it any worse than the whoops and cheers for seeing a beautiful woman in their ugly world.
Rick banged his nightstick on the bars. “Against the back walls and keep your mouths shut.”
The room was full of groans, and some comments about Jo were muttered as they finally made it to the end of that section. “Sorry about that,” said Rick. “It was actually pretty tame.”
Jo shrugged. “Honestly, the things I heard and saw were much worse over at the women’s unit.”
“I’ve heard that’s the case,” said Rick, stopping to swipe his badge for the last leg of the tour. “We are going to go in, and I want you to wait. I’ll make sure that we have him secured before you go in.” He went ahead, and as Jake followed, he passed a window where a large man sat looking like he had better things to do.
“That’s him.” Jake couldn’t believe how much prison had changed the man’s looks. He was a lot buffer than usual and had a few more tattoos, including marks on his cheek that looked like he was keeping score; one row of lines that had been crossed out, plus two more. He also had a rope tattooed around his neck. The knotted end of the noose went across his left clavicle, and the rest of the rope went down his arm, fading into a full sleeve. It had been professionally done, long before he had gotten locked up.
“Now I see why they call him The Noose,” whispered Jo.
“Trust me. The reason came long before the tattoo.” Jake rocked on his feet, and when Rick finally gave the all-clear, he looked over at Jo. “Are you ready?”
She took a deep breath and nodded. “Of course.”
As they walked in, a big smile spread across The Noose’s face. “Detective Thomas. How’s it going, Jake? Have you come to bring me a present?” He turned his eyes to Jo.
“This is Detective Calloway. She’s taking my place soon, so you had better be nice to her. She won’t come back and see you if you don’t.”
“I’ll try to mind my tongue then.” He flicked it at her, and Jake saw that it was forked, split right down the middle like a snake.
“We’re here to ask you a few questions about a recent murder,” said Jo, taking the lead, to Jake’s surprise.
“Well, in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been locked up, so it wasn’t me, angel face.”
“I’m well aware, but we were hoping—”
“We want to know if you might have an idea who could have done it. If you’ve recently been in the market for a little revenge? Maybe one of your pals is responsible?” Jake realized he’d talked right over Jo, and while he didn’t mean to demean her authority, that was just what he’d done.
The Noose looked at them both, smiling at them as if he could tell there was a little tension between the two. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who was murdered? I hope it was someone I hated.”
“Assistant DA Elliot Gaines. He was strung up in his living room.” Jake watched The Noose’s face for a reaction. It took about a minute for the slow smile to spread his lips.
“Someone jacked my style,” he said, seeming amused. “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or offended. But if they killed that scrawny little shit, Elliot Gaines, I should say thank you.”
“See,” said Jake. “There’s a good place to start. Tell us why you hated him so much.”
“I have done a lot of shady things, and while I’ve gotten away with most of them, the one thing that landed me here, I didn’t do.”
“That’s what they all say. We were after you for months. Word on the street was you were the one hanging men up when you were done with them.”
“B
elieve or not, I don’t really care. But I wasn’t the trigger man that day, and if all the rumors about me were true, guns were not my style, right? That day, I was laying low and was only along for the ride.” He shook his head. “But look at me. I’m not making a fuss. I figure why bother? Karma and all that. I guess it really did finally catch up to me. Besides, we both know they were looking for an opportunity to get me here.”
“So, what happened with Gaines?”
“That asshole came to me offering me a deal. He said that for the right amount of money, he could make all of my problems go away.”
Jake couldn’t believe that Elliot Gaines thought he had that much power, especially with a man like The Noose who was, at that time, wanted for brutal murders. “So, what did you do?”
“I told my lawyer, and he went to the judge about it, but the judge said that without any proof, it was just my word against his. And since they wanted to pin those murders on me, well, you know how it goes.”
“What Judge did he talk to?”
“Mathews,” The Noose growled out his name. “He didn’t do dick about Gaines. I told my lawyer I thought that he was in on it too, but he was such a pussy that he wasn’t going to take it any further. So, here I am. I didn’t make a fuss. People in here like me.”
“I bet they do. You seem like a man that could get things done no matter what side of those bars you’re on.”
He laughed, looking Jake dead in the eyes. “You want to know if I hired someone to kill him over that? The answer is no, believe it or not. I don’t really care. Elliot isn’t worth my manpower.”
“But you can see why I came to you, can’t you? The killer made a game out of the crime. Does that sound like anyone you know?”
“My boys and me, we don’t play no fucking games.”
“Ah, but you used to revel in the thrill of it. I mean, a man who takes such great pleasure in first beating their victims within an inch of their lives, then stringing them up to die. I’d say that’s a lot like playing with your food before you eat it.”
“Nah, I didn’t do all that. I wasn’t locked up for it, and no one ever had any proof. Now, if you want to get my sentence reduced in the case that did land me here, I’d be willing to help you out.”