“So we’ve got a violent man who beat up his girlfriend and made a false confession of murder. It doesn’t make sense. Why would she cover for him?”
“If I wasn’t so jaded, I would say love.”
Leo grinned. “And here I was, pegging you as a hopeless romantic.”
“Oh, please,” she snorted. “You have no idea.”
Leo heard it as a challenge and a dismissal. He was intrigued by the woman, no matter how many walls she put up around herself. The more barriers he had to push through, the more fun it was. Still, he decided to go slowly, he couldn’t scare her off on the first day.
“So if it isn’t love, then why?”
Amelia thought it over, she put herself in Mandy’s shoes. If Lane had beaten her and she covered for him, why? She guessed she wouldn’t want him to go to jail, even if he deserved it. A part of her would still care about what happened to him and nobody wanted to see someone they care about go to jail.
It was also possible Mandy had some kind of loyalty to her boyfriend. Love was often confused with habit and some people believed being alone was worse than being hurt. Mandy didn’t seem like the strongest of women, it was possible she feared being without her boyfriend.
There was also the possibility of emotional abuse. Blake may have convinced her she wouldn’t be able to find anyone else to love her. Abuse rarely stopped with the physical. Why waste energy beating someone when you could do the same with a few words? It was far less exerting.
Of course, there was also another option: She was just crazy. Lane would only have to beat her once and he would be out the door. It was always a mystery to Amelia why women took abuse. Sure, she understood there was a psychology to it, but she couldn’t love someone who hurt her. Even if they did apologize profusely afterwards.
“Maybe Mandy was in denial,” Amelia finally answered. “She said Blake was capable of murder, maybe she was afraid of speaking out.”
“She said he wasn’t capable of murder.”
“No, she said he wasn’t capable of murdering a child. There’s a difference.”
Leo nodded, kicking himself for not picking up on that himself. He silently scolded himself for not listening between the lines. He looked at Amelia and smiled. “You have a good eye for this kind of thing. Or, should I say, good ear.”
“It’s just listening, you hear all sorts of things when you do that,” Amelia said, silently adding and mostly you don’t want to hear any of it.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here to help.”
They fell into a comfortable silence as they barreled down the highway. They were heading back to the station with no real plan about what to do next.
“So why confess?” Leo said, not expecting an answer. When Amelia spoke, he was surprised.
“For money.”
“What?”
Amelia rolled her eyes as if the answer should have been blatantly obvious. “Blake didn’t have a steady job, he hadn’t for a few months. I’m guessing that put quite a strain on their finances.”
Leo felt like giving himself a slap across the face for the second time during their drive. He should have put it together himself, the civilian was completely showing him up.
“So he meets someone at the pub,” Leo started putting the theory together. “They need a scapegoat for murder and he volunteers, being paid handsomely for his confession. In exchange for a life sentence, he and Mandy are bailed out of their financial hole.”
“Which is also why she doesn’t rat him out,” Amelia added. “With him taking the money, she’s financially better off.”
“And if he is physically abusive towards her, she’s probably glad he’s locked up and away from her.”
“Kind of a win-win for her then.”
Leo nodded excitedly. “Certainly makes more sense than some random guy deciding to kill a five year old one day.”
Amelia shrugged, having no idea why someone would decide to kill anyone. Especially a child.
Suddenly a thought occurred to Leo, bringing him back to reality. “This is going to be almost impossible to prove.”
“Maybe they were stupid enough to pay by direct deposit?” Amelia said hopefully. She had heard of stupider things done by equally as stupid people. Once she had heard the story of a guy who robbed the city bank and his getaway vehicle was a bicycle. The police waited for him at the corner of the block and threw a stick in his wheels. Somewhere along the lines it had never occurred to him that speed would be of the essence.
“Maybe they had a written agreement too, while we’re dreaming,” Leo said sarcastically. The glint in his eyes said he was joking. “Or perhaps a bunch of witnesses who will be so overcome by guilt they’ll come knocking on my door?”
“Or perhaps we’ll have to find them,” Amelia responded as the voice of reason. If she could speak with all the guys at the pub, she knew she would be able to find some suspects rather quickly. One question and she would hear the absolute truth.
They reached the police station and battled their way through the media still waiting outside. Commissioner Pace had promised them some more information on Turner so they waited like ravens, ready to pick the bones of the dead.
Amelia hated reporters, she always had. The lies they told were astounding and they knew they were doing it. If someone really believed in something, even if it was wrong, she wouldn’t be able to hear the truth. Their truths were their truths if they really believed it. However, it seemed every time a reporter opened their mouth they knew they were telling the public a lie. It was disgusting, something Amelia loathed in so many ways.
They pushed their way through, noting Commissioner Pace had yet to show his face. He was probably in his office, primping and preening to make sure he was camera ready. Leo shuddered at the thought, it was difficult to respect a man who put his ego above the real police work they were doing. He bet there would be no mention of the evidence that didn’t add up or the doubt cast upon Turner’s confession.
He guided Amelia through the heavy front door of the building, holding it open for her. He was happy he had trusted his instincts and brought her into the investigation. Her presence had already paid off and he suspected she would probably be the only one on his side.
Inside, the corridor was quieter. Only telephones and conversations filtered through the air.
“So what do we do now?” Amelia asked.
Before he could reply, one of the uniformed cops stopped them in their tracks. “Michaels, you have a phone call.”
“Thanks.” Leo nodded toward the officer before turning to Amelia. “Wait in the break room and I’ll be back as soon as I deal with this.”
Amelia slipped into the room as Leo hurried down the hallway. She immediately felt uncomfortable in the station alone. She didn’t belong there and was certain everyone was thinking the same thing.
Two men sat at the end of the table in the middle of the room. They were eating their lunch and eyed her suspiciously. She took a seat and tried to ignore them.
They lowered their voices, making sure she couldn’t overhear them. Their glances her way told her their conversation was firmly about her. Amelia checked her watch, Leo had been gone for less than one minute.
The doorway filled and cast a shadow into the room. She looked up quickly, hoping it was Leo coming to get her. She inwardly groaned, it wasn’t the detective, it was Commissioner Pace. The celebrity cop himself.
“Miss Landau, my office please. I would like to have a quick word with you, if you don’t mind,” he ordered at her. There was no room for argument, despite his words.
She had to fight her instincts to refuse. She didn’t know whether she would punch him in the face or be able to bite her tongue. Leo wasn’t there to hold her back. Still, she nodded and followed him anyway. It wasn’t like she had much of a choice.
Pace closed the door behind her and crossed the room to perch on the edge of his desk. He wasn’t sitting and making himself comfortable, that had to be a go
od sign he wasn’t there for a long conversation.
Amelia stood by the door tentatively. She waited for him to speak first, there was no way she was going to be the one to open the lines of communication. She could wait there all afternoon, she wasn’t going to cave and demand to know what he wanted. He may be the police commissioner, the one they were all supposed to fear, but he didn’t scare her. Show ponies rarely did.
“So, Miss Landau, I hear you spent the morning with Detective Michaels.” It was a statement, not a question. They both knew the facts.
“You heard right.”
“Leo is very…” he crossed his arms while thinking of the right word, “… passionate. And misguided. He likes to think police work needs to be difficult and if it’s too easy then he hasn’t done his job. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“If you are saying that he is thorough, then yes I understand,” Amelia replied, keeping her voice and look flat. She knew exactly where he was going but she wasn’t going to follow without him saying the words. She waited to hear the truth in his lies, waited for one slip up that she could pounce on.
“He is thorough, yes. He is also heading for a disciplinary review if he doesn’t follow orders. Do you understand that?”
“I don’t know how finding the killer of a five year old could be cause for a disciplinary review. So no, sir, I don’t understand.”
The commissioner stared her down, trying to intimidate her. If Amelia was being honest with herself, she was starting to feel it. The guy was an idiot, but he was a powerful idiot and she didn’t like the way he was looking at her. She didn’t want to be in anyone’s spotlight or a blip on any radar. She had enough problems.
“Miss Landau.” Pace stood, taking his weight off the desk and pulling himself up to his full six foot height. “Detective Michaels doesn’t need any encouragement. That is why you are going to walk out of this station and not speak of your adventures to anyone. Am I clear?”
Amelia considered telling him she wasn’t someone that could be bossed around but she couldn’t make her mouth work. His gaze was so intense, so… menacing, that she just wanted to get out of there. If that meant agreeing and following his order, then she was going to do it. For once, she listened to the cautious voice in her head that said listen to the man.
“You’re clear,” she sighed.
“Good. Now, off you go. We’ve all got real police work to do.” He waved toward the door, dismissing her like a child. “And close the door behind you.”
The corridor was empty, Amelia closed the door and hurried along. She was slightly disorientated, not exactly remembering the way back to the front entrance. She searched around, following the neon green exit signs until she reached another door. She hoped it wasn’t alarmed as she pushed on it.
Outside, she had to blink a few times to adjust to the brightness of the afternoon. She didn’t stop moving, heading directly for her car. She wanted to get as far away from the police station as she could get.
CHAPTER 4
Someone was holding her tight. Amelia became aware of the arms and momentarily stiffened, unsure. She opened her eyes and realized she was in her bedroom. The warm sunlight filtered through the windows and cast rays of light over the bed. She turned around to face Lane.
“Good morning.” She gave him a kiss on the lips, trying to enjoy the moment of just the two of them there and the outside world not existing.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he whispered, pushing a stray hair from her face. His fingers brushed her cheek, sending a wave of pleasure through her.
The best part of Lane’s compliment was that she knew he believed it. There was no lie behind his comment, he really did think she was beautiful. It was the best thing she had heard in ages, making her blush.
“And you are charming,” she replied, grinning like a fool. “And sweet.”
He started kissing her neck, planting a trail all along her jaw line and back to her mouth again. She didn’t want to stop him but the alarm clock had other plans. He parted from her to turn it off, flopping back onto his pillow.
“We need to wake up earlier,” he groaned.
“Do you have much on at work?” Amelia asked, trying to cool the flushing in her cheeks.
“A few things, enough to keep me out of trouble.”
“Too much for you to play hooky?” She flashed him a devilish smile, it had the desired effect.
“I’m sure none of it is urgent.” He leaned over again, positioning himself on top of her. She giggled as he tickled her ribs. “You are a bad influence on me, Amelia. A very bad influence.”
He covered her mouth with his before she could reply. She wrapped her arms around him, trying to ignore the niggling voice in her head telling her she should get up and go to work. She had the day off yesterday, she shouldn’t do it again.
But then again, there was no hurry. The stack of documents that needed cataloguing would still be there tomorrow. There were no deadlines in her job.
Watching Lane as he unbuttoned her pajamas took all thoughts of work right out of her head. His fingers sent shivers through her with anticipation every time he touched her skin. He was a drug with dizzying side effects.
He kissed her chest, soft and tender just the way she liked it. The phone rang on the nightstand, completely shattering all the feelings of intimacy between them.
“Ignore it,” Lane whispered, refusing to give up.
The phone kept going. Even when it rung out, the caller just rang straight back again.
“I have to get it, it might be important.” Amelia leaned across, ignoring his moans of protest. She checked the caller ID, it was work. “It’s the office.”
“Don’t answer it.”
“I have to.” She hit the accept button. Lane climbed off her, already heading for the shower. “Hello?”
The receptionist for the city archives was on the line. “Hi Amelia, I just wanted to check you were still coming in today? We have that staff meeting and I wanted to make sure everyone was in attendance.”
“Yeah, I’ll be there.”
They made small talk for a few moments more before closing the line. There was no doubt about it now, she was going to work.
* * *
The staff meeting was completely boring, as it normally was. Very little happened in their world and that is exactly why she enjoyed the job. The most amusing part was listening to her co-workers lie to stay out of trouble. She had so much dirt on people, she could blackmail them to get anything she ever wanted. If she ever decided to use her ability for evil, anyway.
But there would be no blackmail today. Instead, Amelia retreated back to her office and closed the door, grateful for the isolation.
Yesterday had been stressful, she didn’t enjoy it. When Commissioner Pace told her to leave and never come back, she was quietly relieved. She had accomplished her mission, she had got someone to look for the real murderer of the kid, and now she could stay out of it. Just like she wanted to.
Facing the tall piles of paper that was patiently waiting to be catalogued, scanned, and archived, the task was happily overwhelming. Her job would never go away, Amelia would be archiving until the world finally woke up and turned paperless. Judging by the pace of the government, that wouldn’t be for another hundred years.
She smiled and took a seat at the desk, starting with the piles closest to her. There was no order to anything, not until she had done her job anyway.
Two hours into it and there was a knock on the door. She rarely got visitors unless it was people dropping off more documents for her. Even then, they rarely knocked.
“Come in,” she said tentatively, needing to see who it was so she could turn them away again. Her eyes were glued to the door until it revealed all.
Detective Leo Michaels stepped in, peeking around the door cautiously. His face spread into a smile when he saw he had the right office. “Miss Landau, thank God. I thought this place was a never ending game of what’s behind th
e door.”
Amelia stood, instantly wary. “Detective Michaels, what are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.” He grinned. “You ran out on me yesterday so I thought I’d make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine, you shouldn’t have worried about finding me,” Amelia said carefully, she wasn’t sure how much he knew about her conversation with the commissioner. She also didn’t know how much he needed to know about the conversation.
“We need to get moving, I’ve got some new leads we have to follow up. Do you have to tell your boss or something?”
Confused, Amelia felt like she was already a step behind whatever he was talking about. “I thought the case was closed.”
“Oh, it is.” Leo waited for dramatic effect. “I was placed on suspension this morning for going behind Pace’s back.”
“And you’re celebrating by going behind his back?”
“Yep.”
She took in the information, thinking it was possibly the oddest thing she had ever heard. Yet she couldn’t turn the detective away, he was just so damn charming. Plus, not once had he lied to her. Those two combinations rarely combined in the one person. Amelia was intrigued by him to say the least.
Leo took her hesitation for doubt and suddenly became serious, dropping his bravado. “I’m suspended for two weeks so I figure I’ve got two weeks to find Jordan White’s real killer. I would really appreciate your help if you could spare your time.”
“Couldn’t we get into trouble for this? Commissioner Pace told me to stay out of it.”
“I could get into trouble, I have a direct order. You are a private citizen. I assure you I will keep you out of it.”
Amelia searched for an excuse not to go with him. She had been so relieved to get away from the burden and now he was trying to reel her back in again.
“I have work to do,” she said, hearing the lameness in her voice. What was a stack of papers when a murdered five year old was involved?
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