Liar

by Campbell, Jamie

  “Why does it have to be me?”

  “You’ve got girly shoes on.”

  “Oh,” Amelia admitted defeat. She accepted his help and used his arm to steady herself on the seat. She had to crouch so her head couldn’t be seen over the top. It wasn’t a comfortable position for the long term.

  She didn’t dare ask what the plan was again, clearly Leo wasn’t doing to waste his breath sharing it. They waited in silence, for what she didn’t know.

  Leo prayed his plan would work. He was relying on his knowledge of how the police handled court appearances by prisoners. It was a long shot but the only chance they were going to get to speak with Blake Turner.

  He couldn’t help but wonder at the absurdity of the situation. It was only a few days ago that he was being paid to speak with Turner. It was his job to interrogate him when he confessed to the murder of Jordan White. Now he had to steal time. Time changes things quickly.

  The heavy door opened, they held their breath to listen to the footsteps as they came in. Leo could discern there was only one set – just as he had predicted.

  “Make it quick,” a gruff male voice ordered before the door slammed closed again.

  Leo didn’t waste any time. He whispered to Amelia, “Wait here.” Opening the door, he slid out cautiously.

  Standing at the urinal was none other than prisoner number two-four-one-three, Mr. Blake Turner. He eyed Leo warily, zipping his pants and standing there in front of him.

  “What do you want? I’m entitled to privacy in here,” Blake muttered, no hint of emotion in his voice. “It’s my right.”

  “I know.” Leo kept his voice quiet and spoke quickly. “I just have a few questions for you, I’m here to help. Why did you confess to a murder you didn’t commit?”

  Blake stared at him for a time, trying to work out what to do. He considered yelling for the cop who was babysitting him but thought against it. “I confessed, didn’t I? Doesn’t that mean I’m guilty?”

  In the stall, Amelia hated it when people answered a question with a question, they couldn’t lie if they weren’t stating something. She tried to stay whisper quiet as she strained to hear.

  “Come on, Turner, you and I both know you were paid to confess. All I need to know is who paid you and I can sort this whole mess out,” Leo continued.

  “I wasn’t paid to confess.” I was paid to confess.

  “Who set you up to take the fall?”

  “Nobody. I did it.” Master Lou, I didn’t do it.

  Amelia grinned, trying to commit the name to memory. She wished she had Leo’s notebook to scribble in. She silently willed Leo to continue, he had to keep going so she could get more information and their time was limited.

  “I can help you get out of this situation, Blake,” Leo persisted, much to her relief. “I can keep you safe and make sure they can’t hurt you or Mandy. You just have to throw me a bone.”

  “I told you, I did it.” I told you, I didn’t do it.

  “They’re about to come in here and take you into the courtroom. At some point, they are going to sentence you to life in prison. Do you want to spend your last few months on earth sitting in a four-by-two meter cell? Mandy will just get a call one day to come and pick up your body. Is that what you really want?”

  “It’s the bed I’ve made.”

  A sudden knocking on the door made them both jump. “Come on Turner, we don’t have all day,” the same gruff voice ordered.

  “Last chance,” Leo said hopefully.

  “You’ve got the wrong guy,” Blake said as he walked toward the door. You’ve got the right guy.

  “Ask for Detective Michaels when you change your mind.”

  Leo hurried back into the stall and flipped the lock. They waited there until the restroom door opened and closed again. Everything went silent.

  “How long do we need to wait?” Amelia asked in a whisper.

  “Give it another few minutes.”

  They listened and waited for another five minutes. No-one else came in and hopefully it was enough time for Turner to be taken into court.

  Leo cautiously opened the stall door and gave Amelia the all clear. He did the same with the entrance and they snuck out of the bathroom. They left the court building just as efficiently.

  They returned to the car, Amelia still holding back her information until they reached Leo’s house. He wanted to regroup, update his murder board and work out where the evidence was taking them.

  Harley greeted them at the door, nudging Amelia for a cuddle as she sat down. Leo got straight to work, listing all the new details of the case – Jordan’s paternity, Renee’s bank account, Bree’s listening device, and their discussion with Zoe Mason.

  It occurred to Amelia she hadn’t told Leo about the information Zoe was holding back. “You need to note that Zoe knew about Renee’s bank account. She was lying when she said she didn’t know anything.”

  “Are you sure?” Leo stood, pen poised and ready to write.

  “I’m certain.”

  He wrote the detail under the Zoe heading. “Did you get anything from Turner?”

  She grinned, finally having some good news. “I did. The man who hired him is named Master Lou.”

  “Master Lou?”

  “That’s what Turner knows him as. My bet would be he’s the guy in the Armstrong Inn photograph.”

  Leo nodded. “Your psychic abilities are amazing to get information so specific.”

  Amelia felt the familiar pang of guilt at lying to him. She was looking forward the having the case solved so she didn’t have to anymore. It was weird, she never felt that much guilt when she lied to others. “Sometimes I get information better than at other times.”

  He pursed his lips, as if trying to make a decision. Finally, he asked the question he was having second thoughts about. “Why do you keep your abilities from Lane?”

  “It’s just best he doesn’t know,” she said as she tried to avoid the question. At least her query was answered – yes, Leo had overheard their argument.

  “Why? Is he a skeptic or something?”

  It sounded like a good reason to Amelia. “Yeah, he doesn’t believe in anything he can’t see. He wouldn’t take me seriously.”

  “Can I ask why you’re with him?” Leo ventured cautiously, unable to stop his interrogation instincts kicking in. “I know it’s none of my business but you just don’t seem that happy together.”

  Amelia shrugged. “I love him, I guess.”

  “You guess?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “Explain it to me.”

  She sighed, clearly he wasn’t going to drop it despite her best avoidance tactics. “He’s as good as I’m going to get. He rarely lies to me and loves me. If I have to be with someone, then he’s a good choice.”

  “Gee, sounds like you’re really in love,” Leo replied sarcastically. “Do you loathe people so much you’ve got to settle for a second rate relationship?”

  Amelia stared at him. “Can we get back to the case, please?”

  “Yeah, sorry.”

  “Good.” Amelia turned her attention back to the board, purposely staring at it in concentration so he wouldn’t ask any more questions. It was none of his business why she was with Lane, she was the only one that had to live her life. If she wanted to settle because he was the best of a bad lot, then so be it. It was her decision. “So if Renee is dealing drugs, where is she selling them?”

  “Did you get any feelings on that?”

  “Nope.” If she had spoken to Renee before she died, it would have been a lot easier to answer. “Where do people normally sell drugs?”

  “On the street, usually. They have their territory and word gets around they’re there. Customers come to the dealers and make the purchase once they’re established.”

  “And if Renee had been stealing for at least a few months, she would be established?”

  Leo pointed the pen at her. “Got it in one.”

>   “So where was her territory?”

  “Only one way to find out.”

  Amelia inwardly groaned, it sounded like they were in for a lot of walking.

  CHAPTER 16

  Amelia’s instincts were correct. They had been walking for three hours straight around the city streets of Scribe. No matter how many people they showed Renee White’s photograph to, not one person recognized her. A few admitted to seeing her on television during her son’s disappearance, but that was the extent of the recognition. And Amelia knew they were all being truthful, or at least clearly lying.

  “I’m going to go out on a limb here and say she didn’t sell her drugs on the street,” Amelia said as she collapsed onto a park bench. “Is police work always this hard?”

  “This is the easy stuff. You should be here when we have to go dumpster diving for evidence,” Leo chuckled. He had definitely had worse days on the job.

  “So what’s plan B?”

  “We have to find out who she was selling to. I can drop you home if you like and come back alone to keep going.”

  Amelia shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I can keep up.” Without her, he would be listening blind to everyone he spoke with. As tired as she was, she knew she needed to keep going. Plus, there was a sulky boyfriend at home that she didn’t care to argue with. The drug addicts and prostitutes on the street were far better company.

  An elderly man shuffled over to them, his hands outstretched. He looked homeless and on edge, his clothes filthy while his long hair was straggled. “Have any money? I’m hungry.”

  “You should go to a shelter,” Leo replied. “They’ll give you a feed and a bed for the night.”

  “Just a few bucks, please?”

  Amelia stared at the man, by far he was in one of the worse conditions of the night. His arms and face were covered in open sores where he had scratched himself silly.

  “Would you allow us to drive you to the shelter?” Amelia asked. “It’s not far from here.”

  “Forget about it.” The man waved them away and turned to leave. He limped further into the park, tripping and stumbling at every imaginary pebble on the path.

  Amelia couldn’t let him go like that. She raced after him, slipping a twenty dollar note into his bruised palm. “Have a hot meal.”

  “Bless you, thank you,” the man mumbled, truly grateful for the money. He turned and headed in the direction of the nearest twenty-four hour diner.

  Amelia resumed her seat on the park bench. “So where do we go now?”

  Leo couldn’t answer, he was still taken by surprise at her act of kindness. It was the first sign of compassion she had shown.

  “What?” She asked, wondering why he was looking at her strangely.

  “That was really nice of you.”

  “It was just a few dollars, no big deal.”

  “I’m impressed, that’s all.”

  Amelia didn’t know whether to be offended or not. She immediately went on the defensive anyway. “Impressed that I can be nice? You really don’t have a high opinion of me, do you?”

  “No, that’s not what I meant,” Leo tried to backtrack – quickly. “I just thought you didn’t have much tolerance for people. You think we’re all evil or something.”

  “Yeah, well, I have feelings too. I haven’t always been so jaded about the world.”

  “What changed? What made you so cynical?”

  Amelia was well beyond uncomfortable with the conversation. She didn’t know how to answer his question without giving away her true special ability. So, like she did with everyone who got too close, she made sure the wall around her held strong.

  “Don’t pretend you know me,” she muttered as she stood. It was better for him to think she was rude than a confidant. She didn’t need him analyzing her anymore than he already insisted on doing without her permission.

  Leo reluctantly followed, cursing himself for overstepping the line. He couldn’t turn off his interrogating instincts, he needed to know what made people tick. And Amelia was one of the most fascinating people he had ever met.

  Over the course of the night, they spoke to over three dozen people across town. They failed to find Renee White’s selling territory. If she was hawking the drugs she stole from the hospital, she didn’t appear to be doing it on the street.

  Leo dropped Amelia home close to midnight, her feet tired and aching from the walking. She crept inside as quietly as possible, trying not to wake Lane. She had done the right thing and let him know she would be late. It was more than he would normally get, she really was trying her best to repair the damage previously done.

  She crawled into bed, not even turning a light on to see her way around. The moonlight from outside cast dim shadows across the bed, it was just enough to stop her from falling over every piece of furniture.

  Just as she laid her head on the pillow and was about to surrender to some much needed sleep, Lane stirred.

  “You’re home late.”

  “I told you we were canvassing the streets,” she whispered, trying to sound amicable. “Did you have a good day at work?”

  “It was fine. Where did you canvass?” He wasn’t bothering to whisper, considering they were both awake. Nor was he trying to sound particularly amicable.

  “All around. We started downtown and made our way outwards from there. I didn’t realize there were so many homeless people in town, it’s really sad.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Do what?” She asked with genuine confusion.

  “Make up details so I’ll believe you,” Lane replied gruffly. She could see his eyes as the moonlight reflected in them, they weren’t angry but sad. Even though she hadn’t done anything to hurt him, she knew she had caused the sadness. It cut through her like a knife.

  “I’m not making up details, I’m trying to share my night with you,” she tried to reassure him. “I’m sorry I’ve been really busy these last few days. I’m sure we’ll solve the case soon so everything can go back to normal.”

  “The case, right.”

  Amelia was starting to get angry herself now, the last thing she needed after the long day was being accused of something she didn’t do. She tried not to let it come through in her voice but she wasn’t convincing. “It’s a murder case, Lane, a murder case. Someone killed a five year old boy and probably his mother too. I think it’s something important to do.”

  Lane was silent. He let the moments pass as he considered what to say next.

  Amelia wasn’t going to wait. She pulled the sheets up to her chin and rolled over, letting sleep finish their conversation. She closed her eyes and waited for Lane to do the same. She wished she could turn over and see what he was doing but didn’t dare.

  In the darkness, Lane finally asked the question he hadn’t dared to before. “Are you sleeping with him?”

  She wanted to throw the pillow at him and then smother him with it. Instead, she sat up and turned on the bedside lamp. “Of course I’m not sleeping with him. How can you even say that?”

  “Because you’re spending all your time with him. You’ve given up work, you’re never home, and we barely speak. What am I supposed to think?”

  “I haven’t given up work and the only reason we barely speak is because all we do is argue. How can you even think I would cheat on you?”

  Lane shrugged. “I know you don’t love me like I do you.”

  The most heartbreaking part of Lane’s confession was the fact that Amelia knew he truly believed it. There was no lie revealing itself. Even worse, she knew it to be true too, she just thought she had been doing a better job of pretending it wasn’t.

  “I love you, Lane. Maybe if we didn’t fight as much you would be able to see that.”

  “Promise me you don’t have feelings for him.”

  She cupped his jaw in her hands, making sure he could see the sincerity in her eyes. “I don’t have feelings for Leo. It’s purely business. I love you.”

 
“Good. I love you too.”

  “Can I go to sleep now? Please?” Amelia smiled hopefully, surprised she could even hold a conversation while she was so tired.

  “Sure. Goodnight.”

  Finally, they both settled into bed and were able to drift off to sleep. Neither knew for sure where they stood with each other, but at least they were talking.

  * * *

  “I need this coffee so bad,” Amelia sighed, enjoying every drop of the liquid as she cradled the hot mug in her hands. She looked around at the other patrons in the coffee shop, the only other person seemingly enjoying their coffee as much was Detective Michaels.

  “Sorry I got you out of bed so early this morning,” Leo apologized. He had called her at six a.m. and insisted they continue the investigation early. After all the dead ends he had encountered, and with his time limited, he needed the case to gain some traction. There was only one way to do that: hard work. And hard work always began at six a.m. in the morning. Regardless of what time you went to bed the night before.

  “That’s okay. So I keep thinking, if Renee went to Bree Rowland and the district attorney, she must have had something good to tell them.”

  Leo nodded. “Something big according to them both.”

  “Wouldn’t she need to have evidence or something to take to them? Surely she couldn’t just have her word?”

  “I’ve been thinking the same thing. But when we went through Renee’s things, there was nothing there.”

  “Unless it was on the computer?”

  “One step ahead of you.” Leo grinned. “I had a tech look into it, he owed me a favor. There was nothing on the home computer except run of the mill emails and shopping websites. It was clean.”

  Instantly disappointed, Amelia tried to keep the brainstorming going. “So where else would she hide it?”

  “Not at work, I’ve already called Doctor Gatta who cleared her locker. So that leaves bus station lockers, family members, or friends. I think we can safely rule out all of them.”

  Amelia sighed. “There’s a good possibility Renee is going to take her secrets to the grave, isn’t there?”