by A. C. Mason
“Does he want to question you more about the murders? He’s being inconsiderate of your feelings if he is.”
She frowned. “We’re going for coffee, that’s all.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Remember what Adrien said about him and be careful. He might take advantage of you to get evidence on him. You’re even on a first name basis now.”
She forced a laugh. “Adrien is being overly paranoid and apparently so are you.” Or were they?
“Do what you want, but you should be on guard. Remember, I saw the way he looked at you.” He spun around and almost collided with Caleb.
“Mr. Phillips,” Caleb said. “Nice to see you again.”
“Detective.” Michael nodded and brushed past him out of the room.
“Did I interrupt something?”
“Of course not. Shall we go?” She shoved all the files into a drawer and came around the desk to join him.
He gave a small grin. “You might want to get your coat. It’s pretty chilly outside.”
Heat rose to her cheeks. “That would be a good idea.” She removed her jacket from the coat tree in the corner, all the while a voice in her head kept saying, get a grip, lady…get a grip.
~ * ~
Caleb wondered if asking Jamie to coffee was such a good idea. Too late now. He opened the door and followed her inside The Coffee Mug. The welcoming aroma of coffee and freshly baked pastries filled the air.
“I love the smell of fresh brewed coffee,” Jamie said, taking a deep breath.
“Me too. Especially since I’m pretty sure it’s going to taste as good as it smells.”
She smiled. “You mean the brew at your office doesn’t have a good smell?”
“Maybe first thing in the morning, but otherwise…”
They ordered their choices of coffee drinks and located a table near the front window.
She briefly looked outside. “If only the sun would return.”
“I’m beginning to believe an alien stole the sun and is holding it for ransom.”
She laughed. “And I’m beginning to think you’re right.”
His gaze traveled over her face. “You look beautiful when you laugh. You should do it more often.”
Her expression clouded. “I haven’t had much to feel happy about lately.”
“Was it necessary for you to come in to your office so soon after your sister’s funeral?” He eyed her, assessing her reaction to his question. “Especially since you’re still having some aches and pains from the hit and run.”
She appeared to be contemplating her words carefully.
Why? It was a pretty straightforward question.
“I needed to get my mind off Joanna’s murder, so I came in to look at some files that were on my desk.”
Those same files she had hurriedly swept into the drawer. “It’s dangerous for you to be alone, considering the threats on your life.”
She averted her eyes briefly. “You promised me if we met up in the future we wouldn’t talk about police business.”
“So I did.” I also noticed the names on one of those files. However, if he didn’t discuss police business with her, he might decide to get more personal and tell her again how gorgeous she looked.
“Let me just say one thing, then we won’t discuss anything else related to the murders,” he said, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. “You need to be on guard. There’s a killer out there. He’s told you straight out. You’re his next victim. You can’t go searching for him on your own.”
Jamie lifted her chin and met his gaze. “Who said I was searching for him on my own?”
“No one, but I sense from your demeanor that the pace of this investigation is going too slow for you. I wouldn’t want you to end up in a situation you couldn’t get out of.”
She leaned back in her chair. “You’re right. I am impatient. I want this person caught and punished. It’s not fun living in an emotional turmoil. I’m scared. I’m angry.” Her voice shook.
He reached over and put his hand on her arm. “I know it’s tough. The department is doing everything possible to find the killer. But I also want to keep you safe.”
The bell on the coffee shop door jangled. Adrien stormed inside and marched directly to their table.
Twenty-eight
Jamie looked over to see Adrien rushing toward them. What in the world had gotten into him? “I’m not believing this.”
“Neither am I.” Caleb’s voice sounded like a growl. He pushed the chair back and stood. “Is there a problem, Mr. Blanchard?”
Adrien ignored him and spoke directly to Jamie. “I need to speak to you in private. Now!”
She glared at him. “Is this really necessary?”
He glanced at Caleb. “It’s imperative.”
She squeezed her hands tighter around the coffee cup. “What could possibly be so important for you to come marching in here and demand to speak to me in private? You have no right to order me to do anything.”
“Jamie doesn’t want to talk to you right now,” Caleb said, fixing his gaze on Adrien’s face. “You need to leave.”
“Let her speak for herself.” His voice held a defiant tone.
“Will you leave peacefully if she tells you to go?” Caleb’s jaw tightened. “I’ll have to arrest you if you don’t.”
Adrien’s mouth twisted into a smirk . “I would be out of jail before you could blink and I’d have my attorney file suit against you and the Oak Pointe Police for false arrest.”
“I could arrest you now for disturbing the peace.” Caleb motioned with a wave of his hand. “There are plenty of witnesses in here who would testify to that.”
A woman at a nearby table appeared shocked. Others in the coffee shop stared with wide eyes at the confrontation. One man ushered his female friend out the door.
Jamie couldn’t blame them. Caleb carried a gun. This scene could easily escalate into bloodshed.
She put her hand up to her forehead. This is turning into a nightmare. She rose from her chair and eyed Adrien. “Please leave. You’re causing a disturbance in here. We can talk later if you have something to say to me in private.”
Adrien’s shoulders slumped slightly. “Obviously, I’m too late,” he said. “You and your sister are so much alike. Neither one of you will listen to anyone. Once your mind is made up, no one can change it.” He left the shop without looking back.
Jamie sank back into the chair. “I believe he’s completely lost his mind.”
Caleb returned to his seat and scooted the chair closer to her. “What did he mean by ‘I’m too late’?”
“He’s paranoid to the extreme.” Tears welled in her eyes. “He believes you are out to get him for Joanna’s murder and you’ll do anything to get him arrested.” Caleb’s face looked blurry. Damn these emotions. I can’t see straight.
“He has lost his mind.” His voice hardened. “Or else he is guilty.”
“Please, I’m so tired of this.” Her throat tightened in an attempt to stem the tears. “Take me back to my office.”
“I’m sorry,” Caleb said in a soft voice. “This isn’t the way I wanted this outing to end up.” He leaned closer. “Are you sure you want to return to your office? There’s no telling what Blanchard might do.”
Jamie retrieved a napkin from the table dispenser and dabbed her eyes. “Adrien would never hurt me.” She stared at him for a moment. “How did you want this outing to end? I’m beginning to wonder if Adrien may not be far off in his reasoning. He thinks your plan is to seduce me in order to get information you can use against him.”
He arched his brows. “So that’s what he meant by he was ‘too late.’ You don’t really believe him, do you?”
She met his gaze with a firm one of her own. “I don’t know what to believe, so let’s leave it at this… Considering the current circumstances, we should not be here together in any personal capacity. Unless you need information about Joanna’s business affairs, have news about the kill
er, or I have something I believe you should know about, there should be no contact between us.”
He didn’t say anything for a long moment. “You’re right. Everything is about perception. Our meeting in an unofficial situation gives the wrong impression to everyone. I apologize.”
“No problem.”
“Come on, I’ll take you back to your office. I hope you’ll be extra careful.”
“Don’t worry. I will.”
Jamie walked with Caleb to his truck in silence. She had told him no problem, but there were several problems. She wanted to see him on other than official business and she did have important information that he should know.
Twenty-nine
Jamie’s phone chirped as soon as she returned to her office. Adrien’s name and number appeared on the caller ID. He must have followed us over here to see when Caleb left.
“Is he gone?”
“You should know that,” she said, clenching her teeth. “You’ve been following me.”
He ignored her accusation. “I need to speak to you immediately. I can be there in two minutes.”
“Yes, I’m sure you can.” She heaved a sigh. “Come on.”
Adrien arrived in what seemed like less than two minutes. “I’m glad you didn’t invite him in here.”
“Even if I had, it’s none of your business.” She sat in the chair behind her desk. “Please sit so we can discuss like two sane adults.”
He took a seat but sat right on the edge as if he wanted to be able to leap up and get away if an emergency arose.
Time to be direct. “Tell me the real reason you don’t want me to get personal with Caleb.”
“I’ve told you over and over. He wants to pin Joanna’s murder on me.”
She studied his face. “Why would he believe you killed her?”
“My father provided me with an alibi for most of the night.” He bent his head and stared at the floor. “We were on the phone about business several times, plus a conference call to Hong Kong.”
“And?”
“The cops believe the alibi is contrived. Like people keep saying…the cops look at the people closest to the victim first.”
“If they had any evidence, they would have arrested you by now.”
“Then why does he keep harassing me?” He waved his hands in exasperation.
“From the very beginning you have acted guilty about something, or else you appear to have completely gone off the deep end.”
“What?” He looked incredulous as if his actions since Caleb informed him of Joanna’s death were perfectly normal.
“Think about your actions. Tonight, for example,” she said. “Do you honestly believe your conduct was the behavior of a sane person?”
He blew out a long breath. “I guess not. I just panicked.”
“Is there something else going on besides your grief over Joanna’s death? Can I help you with anything?”
“Not unless you happen to have five hundred thousand dollars lying around.”
~ * ~
Caleb made it inside the building just in time. He glanced out the window when he heard a clap of thunder.
Rain poured down, creating small ponds out of the potholes in the station parking lot. Like the parking lot, potholes were common in many roads around there. Yet, there always seemed to be roadwork going on and the lot was forever being repaved.
He didn’t know why he’d come back into the office. As far as he knew, there weren’t any new leads in any of the four homicides and nothing to lead him to the person threatening Jamie.
These homicides had created a challenge for him. He wanted to see Jamie again, but he couldn’t very well make up excuses to see her. Any time he got together with her, Blanchard appeared and created a rift between them.
Blanchard seemed a likely suspect for a copy-cat murder of his fiancée, but he couldn’t figure out why the man would be killing prostitutes. However, motives weren’t always apparent immediately.
Who the hell was parading around as Martin Verbois? What was his connection to Blanchard or to the murders? Maybe a link didn’t exit, but his instinct told him different. One thing for sure, he needed to go back and check on Jamie. Who knew what Blanchard might do?
Thirty
Caleb parked across from Faith Chapel and rushed across the street to get out of the rain. Even wearing a poncho, he felt cold windblown drops splash against his face. The dark winter sky made it seem much later than four in the afternoon.
Stopping at the entrance, he removed his dripping poncho. A noise a short distance behind him caught his attention. His first thought was that some scumbag was breaking into his truck.
He turned, only catching a glimpse—the shadow of a male figure running away. The man held a plastic bag over his head, his only protection from the rain.
Caleb shook his head. Could be some guy caught in the downpour, but a gut feeling told him differently. The guy had left, so he let his suspicion go.
He opened the door to the chapel and placed his wet raingear on a coat tree right inside the entrance.
Jamie sat behind her desk staring absentmindedly at several files. He cleared his throat so as not to startle her. She looked up and smiled.
Good sign. She might be happy to see me even though we decided not to have contact unless it was about the case.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m as okay as I can be under the circumstances. Adrien left here about fifteen minutes ago.”
“How did his visit go? Had he calmed down?”
She sighed. “Sort of. He seemed calmer when he left.”
“So why are you still here? You should be at home snug in front of your fireplace.”
“With stockings hung by the chimney with care and everything jolly,” she said as if attempting to make light of the situation. “I intended to leave but I dreaded the thought of driving down that road, especially in the rain, to my house. I decided to wait awhile.”
“Highway sixteen can be pretty scary, especially since the hit and run, more so in the dark. Mind if I wait with you?”
“Of course not. Take a seat.”
He sat in a nearby chair. “Will you let me in on your conversation with Blanchard?”
She shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell. He went on and on about how I should not have anything to do with you.” Her voice ramped up a notch. “You’re trying to get next to me so you can railroad him and put him in jail for murder. Blah-blah-blah.”
“You don’t believe that’s what I’m doing, do you?”
“No, but I don’t believe Adrien killed Joanna either. I’m not certain if you truly believe he committed murder or not. I suppose you’re just doing your job and trying not to leave any stones unturned.”
“True enough,” he said. “We still haven’t made any progress on any of the murders. If there’s anything you can tell me that might help…” Like something in those files.
She averted her eyes for a moment. “No, I can’t think of anything.”
He leaned forward and placed his hand on the stack of files. “I saw the names on a couple of these when I came to pick you up. That’s why I tried to dissuade you from investigating on your own. That’s what you were doing, right?”
She looked taken aback, but recovered quickly. “I did go through the files of the victims, but I didn’t see anything that jumped out at me.”
“Would you let me take a look at them?”
She hesitated, then shook her head. “The files are confidential interviews with the women. I can’t allow it.”
“I hate to be blunt, but these women are dead. There may be information that could lead to the killer—details you might have overlooked because you didn’t recognize them as being important.”
Jamie looked resigned. She handed him the file on Kim Hendricks. “I suppose you’re right.”
Caleb scanned through the few pages contained in the folder and grudgingly acknowledged to himself, she was co
rrect. “How about the other two?”
She handed him a second and third files. Neither contained any information that would possibly lead to the killer or killers of his victims. However, by simply scanning through the pages instead of carefully studying them, he could have missed something. He’d reserve that option for a later date.
He had pushed her far enough about the case for one night. “If you’re ready to leave, I can follow you back to your house to make sure you get home safely.”
Jamie looked relieved. “I would appreciate it.” She pulled a clear plastic rain poncho from her purse and slipped it on.
A few minutes later he followed her out of the office.
She locked the front door of Faith Chapel. “My car is parked just around the corner. I didn’t want to be alone in a dark empty parking lot behind the shelter.”
“Smart move. Come on, my truck’s right across the street. I’ll drive you around to your car.”
“We’re going to get wet regardless.”
He stowed his wet poncho in the back seat of his truck. He glanced at her and grinned. “Buckle up. If you don’t, I might write you ticket.”
“To ride less than a block,” she said, laughing.
“Well, I’ll let you go this time.” He started to tell her how great she looked when she laughed. Probably not a good idea to lay it on too thick. She was close to believing Blanchard’s accusation anyway.
On the drive back to her house, Caleb kept a half-car length away from hers. He didn’t want any vehicle to cut in between them. He pulled his truck in behind her car in the circular driveway in front of her home, then followed her up to the front door.
She twisted her key in the lock and opened the door a few inches. She turned to face him as if ready to tell him goodbye. “Thanks for seeing me home.”
Caleb removed his gun from its holster. “I’m going in with you to check out the house.”
Her eyes widened. “You think someone might be hiding inside.”
“You never can tell.” He pushed the door open slowly and proceeded to check the rooms downstairs.