by Mary Burton
“Love and hate,” Deke said, raising two crossed fingers, “are both powerful emotions.”
Tyler stood. “I’m not talking anymore. I’m calling my lawyer.”
Alex studied him. “We haven’t made any accusations.”
Tyler shook his head. “I’m the estranged spouse. That puts me at the top of the list. I know how it works. Throw me under the bus and tell everyone you’ve closed the case.”
Alex took a deliberate step into Tyler’s space. His voice was low, but his words were as cutting as broken glass. “Sheriff Radcliff, I go by the evidence and only the evidence. I don’t care about statistics or the easy way out. If you’re innocent, then we’re square and you won’t see me again.” His tone dripped with ice. “But if you’re lying to me, Radcliff, I’m going to nail you to the wall.”
“I was in law before you got out of high school. Take your best shot.”
Alex’s even white teeth flashed into a very unfriendly smile. “I will.”
Alex thought back to the numbers in Deidre’s personal phone, found in her purse. Leah. Sister. Husband. Work. And the name Tracy Donovan.
He pulled up in front of a brick office building located north of the city. Straight lines, neatly trimmed hedges, and a parking lot with sharp right angles; it wasn’t a surprise when he glanced at the sign out front, which read Hall Engineering.
He parked and moved inside the building, straight toward the desk of a receptionist. She had frosted blond hair, pale skin, and dark brows that made her round face look a little off balance. She glanced up at Alex, her expression clicking from bored to interested in a blink.
“Can I help you?” She tugged a phone headset from her ears and rose.
“I’m here to see Tracy Donovan. I understand she’s an engineer.”
“Can I tell her who’s here?”
Alex pulled his badge from the breast pocket of his jacket. “Alex Morgan, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.”
Her eyes widened. “Sure. Be right back.”
She vanished around a corner, leaving him a moment to pace the carpeted lobby. Within seconds, whispered conversations buzzed as the receptionist wove her way through the maze of cubicles.
A tall woman with short, dark hair appeared in the reception area. She wore no makeup, a black pantsuit with a white shirt, and very sensible flat black shoes.
“Agent Morgan?” Her voice was crisp and sharp, like the lines of the building.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What’s this about?”
“Deidre Jones. Is there somewhere private we can talk?”
A frown wrinkled an already stoic face. “There’s a conference room right here.” Her strides were efficient, no wasted movement, and she twisted the door handle with a sharp flick of the wrist. She flipped on the lights in the room and held the door open for him until he entered, then quietly closed the door behind him.
Alex waited until she sat before taking a seat across from her. “Thank you for your time.”
“What’s going on with Deidre?”
“When’s the last time you saw her?”
The frown deepened. “It’s been a few months. We went out for drinks. What’s going on?”
He tapped an index finger on the polished wood table. “She was found dead in her apartment this morning.”
Tracy’s mouth dropped open before she raised fingertips to her mouth. “Dead? That doesn’t make any sense at all. What happened?”
“She was murdered.”
Tracy leaned back in her chair and squeezed the bridge of her nose. “You’ve got to have made a mistake. Deidre could take care of herself.”
“I agree. She was a top-notch detective. One of the best.”
“Who would kill her?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out. Can you tell me anything about her? I’ve spoken to people who worked with her over the past few years, but no one knew much about her personal life.”
Tears glistened, and Tracy had to clear her throat a couple of times before she could speak. “We’ve been best friends since first grade. Our mothers were friends.”
“As I understand it, her parents are dead and she has a sister. Is that right?”
“Yeah. Her sister’s name is Joy. Joy Martin.”
“She’s scheduled to arrive in town this evening.”
“Joy and Deidre didn’t get along and hadn’t spoken in a couple of years.”
“Was there bad blood?”
“Joy loved Deidre, but she didn’t like Tyler. They got into a bad fight a few years ago. Deidre took Tyler’s side.” She shoved out a breath. “Lately, Deidre said her work and her friends were her family.”
“Was she having trouble with anyone?”
“Her divorce wasn’t all that smooth. Tyler wanted to save the marriage. She didn’t. We spoke on the phone from time to time but hadn’t seen each other because she was consumed by the divorce.”
“Why didn’t she want to work it out?”
“He resented her work and he wanted kids. Though she’d always said she’d like a couple, she loved her job too much to slow down. He felt cheated when she finally made the decision not to have a baby.”
“Did Radcliff make any threats against Deidre?”
“He would call her cell and leave long ranting messages about why they shouldn’t divorce. He sent her letters. Would leave cards on her windshield. But he never said anything threatening. I really do believe the guy loved her.”
“I didn’t find any messages on her phone or letters in her town house.”
“She deleted or tossed them all. She figured he’d get tired of bothering her and back off.”
“Would you say he was stalking her?”
She considered the question. “He was annoying, but he never threatened her. I heard a couple of the messages and I felt sorry for the guy. He did love Deidre. She loved him but said their priorities shifted.”
Had Tyler’s desperation to save his marriage turned deadly? “He said she was having an affair.”
“Deidre made some unfortunate choices.”
“She was seeing David Westbrook?”
“Yes. They met through their running group.”
He’d seen David at Rudy’s the other night before he’d entered the bar. Deidre had been talking to Leah. David had been hovering. “How long had they been together?”
“Since October. But she was planning to break it off. He’s a lot of fun, but she knew it wasn’t going anywhere long-term.”
“Did David want more of a relationship?”
“No. He’s the kind of guy who doesn’t form lasting relationships. She did say he wanted to ask out a friend of hers in the running group.”
“Leah?”
“Yeah, I think. Deidre was fairly certain Leah wouldn’t go out with him.”
“Why?”
“Jumpy. Deidre was sure she had some kind of trauma in her past. And David was too pushy for Leah. You know, she was gun-shy.”
Alex had guessed the same about Leah. And yet she’d gone out with him. “Anyone else who might want to hurt Deidre? What about neighbors?”
She wiped away a tear. “She wouldn’t have known them that well. She told me over the phone she didn’t hang around it much.”
Alex pulled out a card. “If you think of anything else, would you call me?”
She accepted the card, glanced at it, and then met his gaze. “How did she die?”
“She was stabbed.”
Her face paled as she sat back in the chair. “God. Could this be related to the case she was working? I know the case was putting her under a lot of pressure. She wasn’t sleeping well because of it.”
“What did she tell you about the case?”
“Said it was a cold case. Said if she could collar this guy it would ‘close the hymn book.’”
“She said it just like that.”
“Yeah. Just like that.”
“I can contact you if I have more questions?”<
br />
“Sure. Whatever you need.”
Alex waited until nearly six in the evening before he began knocking on Deidre’s neighbors’ doors. Most would be home from work and, if they weren’t settled down for dinner yet, they’d at least have dragged in the door, poured a drink, or marshalled kids to do homework. One way or another, they’d be home.
He knocked on the first door. Inside, he heard classical music and the bark of a small dog. Seconds later, footsteps and then the rattle of a chain. A tall slim woman with red hair opened the door. “Can I help you?”
“I’m with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Agent Morgan. I have questions about the woman next door.”
“I think her name is Deidre.”
“That’s right. Are you aware that she was killed yesterday?”
A barking pug rushed the front door, forcing her to pick the animal up. “Let me put him in the kitchen. I’ll be right back.”
She returned to the sound of the dog still yapping. “You said Deidre was dead?”
“Yes, ma’am. She was killed in her town house.”
“My God. Do you know who did it?”
“That’s what we’re trying to determine. Has she had any visitors lately that would have caught your attention?”
“I work long hours, and I think she did as well. We didn’t see each other a lot and she’s only lived here a couple of weeks. I do remember a tall dark guy ringing her bell a couple of weeks ago, right after she moved into her place. He was on her porch when I came home. He said his name was Philip.”
“Last name?”
“I don’t know. He looked pretty frustrated. Said she had promised to be there. I noticed he waited in his car for at least an hour before he drove off.”
“Did you tell her?”
“No. I honestly forgot about it until this moment.”
“Anyone else?”
“I know she’s dating a guy. Blond. David somebody.”
He showed her a picture of David from the running group. “This him?”
“Yeah. That’s him. Nice guy. Very charming. I came home one night and he was standing on her doorstep with flowers.” A smile tugged at her lips. “I told him she often worked late. He said he knew but was hoping to catch up with her. Knew she’d worked a long day and wanted to cheer her up. So sweet.”
“What did he do?”
“Left the flowers on her porch.”
“Do you remember when she got home?”
“A couple of hours later. I never got to ask her about him.”
Alex handed his card to the neighbor. “If you think of more, you’ll call.”
She glanced at the card. “Yeah, sure.”
The next neighbor was a mother with three bustling teenage boys who were fighting over a remote control. She was a petite woman with short, mousy-brown hair and large eyes that looked a bit harried. She hadn’t met Deidre and hadn’t noticed anyone coming or going. As she spoke, a vase crashed to the floor and the boys went silent. She looked at Alex, asking flatly if he’d arrest all three boys.
He showed her a picture of Deidre.
“Oh, yeah, the lady with the gun. My thirteen-year-old noticed her gun holster one day. He couldn’t stop talking about it. She was dressed in a suit, white shirt, and I figured she was law enforcement. I asked around and found out she was Nashville PD.”
The neighbor across from Deidre’s town house was a man in his midfifties with short-cropped hair and a few gold earrings in his left ear. His T-shirt had a ragged, stonewashed look, but the logo suggested he’d paid up for it. Stonewashed jeans and cowboy boots fit the look of someone wanting to make it in the country music world. Nashville was full of wannabes.
Alex showed him Deidre’s picture. The guy gave it a glancing look. “Don’t know her.”
“Have another look.”
He dropped his gaze. “I’ve never met her.”
“She lives across from you.”
“Okay.”
“You see any detail that caught your attention at her place?”
“No, not really. She was playing loud music a couple of weeks ago. Terrible stuff. This hard rock stuff. I was on my way over to complain, but it stopped before I got to her back door so I let it go.”
“No other issues with her?”
“No.”
“Visitors?”
He frowned. “There was a guy a week or so ago. Standing on the sidewalk, staring.”
“You get a good look?”
“Wore a skullcap, sunglasses, and a heavy coat. I asked if I could help and he said no.”
“You ask for a name?”
“I think it was Phil or Philip. No last name.”
Alex filed the name, thanked the man, and left Deidre’s town house with little more than fragments. He’d skimmed the surface of her recent case files and hadn’t found a Philip. Maybe it was time to dig deeper into her past.
Chapter Nine
Monday, January 16, 7 P.M.
Leah spent the entire afternoon cleaning her house, a ritual to burn energy so sharp her skin felt tight enough to split. By the time she’d finished scouring and scrubbing, her place smelled of pine cleaner and bleach. The floors were vacuumed, the sheets on the bed changed, and the bathrooms glistened. As she put away the last of her cleaning supplies, she moved to the center of her living room and stood, her arms folded. There was no more cleaning to be done. Nothing was out of place or not sparkling. And she wasn’t working tomorrow. Yet the energy still pumped in her veins.
Maybe she could read a book or rent a movie? She considered a trip to the mall; the idea of wandering from shop to shop might pass the time, but it wouldn’t chase away memories of finding Deidre dead.
She shoved out a breath as she sat down and sagged into the overstuffed couch. She reached for the neat stack of magazines on the coffee table and restacked them, lining them up carefully with the edge of the table.
Jesus, Deidre. Who would do that to you?
As she stared at the neat stack, she remembered Philip was a real stickler for a clean house. He liked order, though not enough to do it himself. He liked her to keep their apartment spotless. He always complimented her when she cleaned.
When they’d first married, she’d wanted to please him and so she’d made the effort to clean their apartment often. When her mother had come to visit, she’d joked that she didn’t realize Leah knew how to turn on a vacuum, let alone push one. They’d all had a good laugh at her expense, but Leah remembered feeling pride. She’d considered herself grown-up, and taking care of her grown-up house had felt right.
And then her year of working in the administrative offices of the engineering firm had come to an end and it was time to begin veterinary school. They’d talked about her moving to Knoxville and commuting back when she could, but as the date grew closer, Philip had gotten edgier. He’d become more obsessed with a clean house. Then there’d been snide comments, jokes, jabs and, finally, insults.
Leah had done her best to keep up but found her desire to be around the apartment and Philip dwindling. She could clearly remember the day she’d decided to end her marriage. She’d been up late working on homework for a science class, knowing the extra credit would help her in the fall. She’d overslept that morning and realized she was late for work.
Philip had tried to keep her in bed. “Baby, you still have time.”
She pushed his hands away, impatient and annoyed. “I can’t believe I slept so late. I set two alarms.”
He yawned and laid back on the pillow, not the least bit concerned about her tardiness.
She’d have called him on his callousness if she’d had the time, but she was so focused on pulling on her slacks and sweatshirt and scraping her hair back into a ponytail that she’d swallowed her anger. She’d quickly eaten a bowl of cereal, not thinking about anything other than running to class, left the bowl in the sink, and ran out the door.
Hours later, she’d been pleased with herself when she arrived
home. Philip had been waiting for her. He’d been standing by the sink, where the bowl sat filled with warm milk and bits of cereal. “I think you forgot something this morning.”
She took off her jacket and hung it on the hook by the door. Carefully, she lowered her backpack to the floor as she studied his calm, almost smiling face. “Sorry? What would I have forgotten?”
“The bowl in the kitchen sink.” He sounded almost helpful.
“What bowl?” This morning felt like a lifetime ago.
His smile faltered. “You need to clean it up.”
Defiance sparked hot in her gut as she stared at him. “I’ll get to it.”
“Now.”
The heat ignited. “No.”
Philip crossed the room in three quick strides and, before she could react, slapped her hard across the face. She dropped to her knees, her head spinning and her jaw throbbing. Shock, humiliation, and anger collided. She’d never been hit like that. Never. For an instant, she questioned what she’d said to him. Had she somehow made him hit her?
She didn’t look up at him as she made her way to her feet. When she did meet his gaze, she didn’t see anger but sadness. Tears glistened in his eyes.
“I hate hurting you,” he said.
Apart of her wanted him to embrace her, tell her it would be all right. Just tell me we’re fine. But another part yelled for her to run. Get out of there! Grab your bag and go!
She raised her hand to her jaw, which had already swollen.
“Let me get you some ice,” Philip offered. He turned quickly and vanished into the kitchen. “We won’t worry about the bowl for now.”
The bowl. They were back to the bowl?
Now Leah glanced around at her glistening town house. Furious, she reached down and swiped her hand across the coffee table, sending the magazines splaying to the floor.
She would not stay here.
She would not be afraid.
Deidre’s death wasn’t linked to her past. Philip was dead. Leah had talked at length with the Detective Roseanne Jeffers in South Carolina, who returned his belongings to her. When they arrived, she held Philip’s blackened family ring in her hand, finally accepting he was dead before she gave the entire box to his grandmother.