Intrusions (Carpenter/Harding Book 4)

by Barbara Winkes

  “Damn it,” she said, and found a couple of other choice words. “What the hell is this?”

  Underneath the cabinet ran an almost invisible, razor-sharp wire. Ellie stared, mesmerized, until Derek snapped at her. “Are you just going to stand there?”

  “Hey. Derek. Cut it out. I’m not dying.” Jordan opened the door to a closet, but of course there was nothing to cover up the wound. “Let’s all go upstairs now. I think I’ve seen enough.”

  Her words jolted Ellie into action, and she hurried upstairs to find Mrs. Santos and a clean bandage, not necessarily in that order.

  * * * *

  Predictably, none of the guests had heard or seen anything out of the ordinary, but a number of them doubted that the police had a right to question them.

  “There’s nothing much you can do here right now,” Derek said. “This might need stitches. Let Ellie drive you to the hospital.”

  Jordan wished she had something to argue with, but she couldn’t come up with much. “I could check in on Ms. Ashcroft. Waters didn’t call yet?”

  “No. You do that, but make sure you see a doctor for yourself first.”

  “It’s a scratch,” she said, wincing as the wound pulsed angrily. The blood was already coming through the bandage Mrs. Santos had provided for her.

  “Yeah, whatever. Harding, make sure she sees that doctor.”

  “Will do,” Ellie said, looking pale still, but determined. “Let’s go.”

  Jordan had another reason to give in. Having some alone time with Ellie during the drive gave her the chance to ask some questions that had been on her mind since before the unfortunate encounter with the razor wire. She wasn’t going to waste any time either.

  “What happened down there?”

  “What do you mean? You should know.”

  “I mean…you. We didn’t have that much to drink. Are you coming down with something?”

  “No. I don’t think so.” Ellie sighed, but didn’t offer up any more information.

  “But…?”

  “No but. I got a little queasy, that’s all. Then it got worse. It’s not like the sight of blood makes me sick. I just hate to see you get hurt.”

  “Ellie,” Jordan said softly.

  “All right, you asked for it. Dark places, you know? Cellars, apartments, all that, I thought it was way behind me, but it’s still…It’s hard sometimes. I’ll get over it.”

  “I know. You can talk to me.”

  “Yeah. It’s just…It’s nothing really, and you already have so much on your plate. I don’t want to add to that.”

  “You don’t. It’s not always about me.”

  Ellie smiled when Jordan took her hand at a red light. “Talking things through isn’t your favorite thing. I mean…I get where that is coming from.”

  “I can do better. Now let’s see if we can get Ms. Ashcroft to talk. I really hope stitches is not the only thing I’ll get out of this.”

  She had to do better indeed. Jordan of all people shouldn’t have missed the signs, considering her own intimate knowledge of dark spaces.

  * * * *

  “They didn’t say a word. I didn’t even realize what was happening until I felt the pain. I managed to pull out the knife, but I must have fainted from the shock.”

  Indeed, the depth of the wound indicated that the perpetrator either didn’t have enough time, or they didn’t mean to kill Abigail in the first place.

  Abigail Ashcroft cast them a look that was more irritated than frightened. “I told all of that to Detective Waters. Now please, leave me alone for a few hours, before I have to pick up what’s left of my business.”

  “In case you remember anything else…”

  “Believe me, I know where to find you.”

  “Thank you.” With the way this night had turned out, Jordan had no intention of dragging this out any longer than it needed to be. She would have loved to head straight home, but of course Ellie would have none of it. At least, they were in a quiet area where the ER doctor was able to see her not much later.

  “Have you gotten all your shots?” Ellie wondered out loud.

  “Seriously?” Apparently, that wasn’t the right answer, because Ellie frowned. “Yes, I’m up to date, but I really want to go home. This is a waste of time.”

  The doctor who examined the cut a few minutes later, didn’t think so, and Jordan resigned to the fact that going home was not in the immediate future. Other cases that were more of an emergency than hers required the staff’s attention, prolonging the wait until she could get the necessary sutures done.

  She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally left the hospital a couple of hours later. However, she’d known Ellie would bring up a certain subject once more.

  “We could check on Kathryn quickly,” she said. “It’s not far from here. We could have breakfast after…”

  “I’d rather lie down for a bit before I go back in.” Jordan sat up straighter in her seat when Ellie took the exit anyway. “Um…did you not hear what I just said?”

  “Yes, I heard you clearly. You said we were going to talk, so let’s talk. We don’t know anything at all, why she’s in the hospital. If she’s sick, believe me, you want to know. If there’s something you need to say, you should say it, if only for your own peace of mind. Believe me, I know what I’m talking about.”

  “I don’t doubt that, but…It’s not the same. I’ve said everything. I know I said I’d listen to her side, excuses, no doubt, but she’s the one who said she might not make it. I don’t want us to fight. Not over this.”

  “Trust me?” It was hard to deny Ellie anything, especially when she turned that pleading gaze on Jordan.

  “Eyes on the road,” Jordan muttered. “Yes, of course I trust you.”

  “You go in there for a few minutes, and then we’ll leave. I promise.”

  “The things I do for you.”

  “Because you love me?” Ellie said with a smile, but she kept her gaze on the street ahead.

  “Among other things. All right. Let’s see what she has to say.”

  Even though she’d seen her just days ago, Kathryn seemed aged. She sat up, a tired smile on her face when Jordan entered the room.

  “You came. That’s nice of you.”

  “I don’t have much time.”

  Ellie had come with her, but stayed at a respectful distance as Jordan hesitantly approached the bed. Kathryn reached for her hand, holding it in both of hers.

  “What happened to you?”

  “Nothing.” Jordan retrieved her hand quickly, finding the brief contact unsettling. “I was going to ask you that question though. Will you be able to come, or not?”

  “I don’t know yet. They’re still running some tests.”

  Jordan bit her lip, afraid of what she might say. It wasn’t much of a stretch to assume Kathryn wasn’t in perfect health, considering the ways she had abused her body. The fact that they were keeping her here was troubling. She doubted that most hospitals would keep patients who could hardly afford the care, when there was nothing wrong.

  “Okay. I hope you’re going to be all right, and that I can still see you next Saturday.”

  “Could you…stay for a bit?”

  “I’m really busy right now. We spent most of the night at a crime scene. Sorry.”

  Kathryn nodded. “I understand.” She cast a hesitant smile at Ellie before looking back at Jordan. “Apparently, the numbers are all messed up. I guess once they find the reason, they’ll put me on some medication I can’t afford to begin with. I wonder—”

  She didn’t finish the sentence when the door opened, and Jim Larson entered the room, his surprise showing. “Jordan.”

  The room felt claustrophobic to Jordan all of a sudden. A few months ago, she would have been fine never seeing either of them again, at least that’s what she had believed for many years. The choice hadn’t been hers, but she could make a choice now.

  “We were just leaving,” she said, and this
time, Ellie didn’t protest.

  Chapter Thirteen

  They had managed to go to Ellie’s for a few hours of sleep—not enough—and a quick breakfast on the go. There was no time to even start to process Kathryn’s hospitalization, and what it might mean.

  On her desk, Jordan found a gift basket with best wishes from Ashcroft Cosmetics.

  “Ellie got one of those too,” Kate McCarthy remarked a tad too cheerfully. “How’s the hand?”

  “I’ll survive. You have anything for me?”

  Kate put the stack of folders she was carrying, on Jordan’s desk and opened the first one.

  “Wait, that’s not it. The statements from last night? There was something interesting. Apparently somebody got booted from the guest list, and they weren’t too happy about it. Looks like cosmetics is a real cutthroat business.”

  “Well, we’re lucky no one’s throat got cut,” Jordan remarked. “You want that basket?”

  “I do,” Libby Marshall said from behind Kate. “Forget about it. I was kidding,” she hurried to add when Jordan didn’t answer. She couldn’t care less who took the basket. A photo in the file Kate had left open on her desk, caught Jordan’s attention.

  “Wait. Who’s that guy?”

  “Raphael Deane. Why, do you know him?”

  “Who is he?”

  “The only trace in the Beaumont case,” Kate explained. “The mother who came in on the day you were back from vacation? Someone saw her getting into a car with him, but now they have both vanished. His last known address is abandoned, neighbors know nothing about him or where he might have gone.”

  “Okay.”

  “That’s it?” Kate sounded surprised.

  “I don’t know. He looks familiar. I’ll let you know when I figure it out, and by all means, take that basket. Share it. I mean it. No, seriously.” Jordan pushed the basket towards Kate and Libby. They went back to their work, taking back files and Abby Ashcroft’s gift with them. Jordan sighed in relief. The moment of peace didn’t last long.

  “Handing out gifts to other women?” she heard a familiar voice ask. “What is your girlfriend going to say about that?”

  “She has one of her own. Hey, Val. Do you have a reason to be here?”

  “I do. I want you to be in court for Aleja Santos’ arraignment.”

  “Why? They’re just going to set bail.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m trying to avoid,” the A.D.A. said. “Santos isn’t poor, and her aunt just inherited a sizable amount of money. There’s a flight risk. I need you to testify to what you saw. It speaks to her state of mind, and that she might be a danger to others.”

  “Come on. She would be crazy to run, now that we had another murder attempt related to the Ashcrofts.”

  “I’ve seen crazier things,” Valerie said. “Tomorrow at eight. Be on time, I’ll buy you a coffee afterwards. Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to…”

  Valerie had already left. Nobody seemed to bother to listen to her today…Although, if Jordan was honest, Ellie was probably the only one with no ulterior motives.

  The encounter with Kathryn had told her everything and nothing. She’d still have to wait and see if that conversation was going to happen after all. Meanwhile she had a full day ahead.

  She skipped her lunch break in favor of a visit neither the lieutenant nor Valerie would approve of. Jordan knew she had to try once more before Aleja lost all trust in the authorities and shut down. The consequences would only get worse.

  She didn’t believe that Aleja was responsible for two murders. Maybe she didn’t want her success with Darla to be marred by the memory of a young woman she had let down—most of all, Jordan knew that the confrontation with her own past left her with a chilling image of what could have been. She could have run away, ended up on the streets like Darla. Harbored that anger and get caught up in the system like Aleja now was. If she had anything to offer that would change the direction, Jordan would.

  When Aleja saw her, she shook her head.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I don’t have much time. I wanted to talk to you.”

  “About what? You all made up your mind, didn’t you? With all the things they found in the storage unit, I’m done for. I’m not even so handy that I would need all that stuff.” She laughed bitterly. “So much for the lesbian card, huh?”

  “Focus for a moment, please. The A.D.A. wants me to testify about what happened in the bar.”

  Jordan didn’t like the resignation in Aleja’s expression. “That’s bad, I assume.”

  “It’s not good. Aleja, I need you to work with me here. If someone set you up, they most likely did so for a reason. I want you to think hard. Is there anyone you got in a fight with, anything that you can remember?”

  “My lawyer asked the same question. I don’t know! Hell, I was just doing my job, going out for a drink every once in a while and visit my aunt when I could. Craig sometimes drove me home. We talked. His brother was giving him a hard time after he’d married into that ultra-conservative family. People suck, don’t they? If you can’t stand up for your own family, what kind of person does that make you?”

  “You would stand up for yours, that’s for sure. You care a great deal about your aunt.”

  “Please. She adored him. Besides, she didn’t even know about Sandra. At first I thought it was some random guy, but maybe she knew him, and that’s why she went with him in the first place? Maybe I know him too, I have no idea! She didn’t tell me a whole lot about herself. That wasn’t the point, as you can imagine. I think she worked as a beautician or something. In any case, she was good with her make-up.”

  “That’s something,” Jordan said, even though it wasn’t a whole lot. As far as she knew, Sandra had been unemployed at the time of her death, though her financial records showed some money coming in. The source was yet unclear. “I’ll see you tomorrow in court. Hang in there.”

  Aleja gave her a wry smile. “And why do you care?”

  “Somebody should, don’t you think?”

  * * * *

  “Where have you been?” Derek asked when she finally got to see three missed calls, and called him back. “We have something interesting here. Danielle d’Amour, the woman who was uninvited from Ashcroft’s launch party?”

  “That’s her real name?”

  “Yes, but that’s beside the point. Her firm is quite a bit bigger than Ashcroft’s, and they merged with a pharma company last year. Guess what? That company produces the same heart medication as Aleja’s employer.”

  “That doesn’t prove anything, but at least it could generate some doubt?”

  “Well, I don’t know about that. Aleja worked with them…and so did Sandra Paulson at some point. D’Amour says she fired Paulson months ago and was so busy she didn’t watch the news, so she didn’t come forward. The point is, Aleja probably knew Sandra before they hooked up that night.”

  “So she lied to me. Shit.”

  “She lied to you…when? Jordan, when did you talk to her?”

  “I’ll tell you later. Meet me in twenty, so we can sort all of this out. Doss and Waters are around somewhere?”

  “I’ll find them. See you.” Jordan pressed End Call and then hit the steering wheel for good measure, the resulting pain an unmistakable reminder of last night’s misfortune.

  She arrived at the same time as Ellie and Casey who had a charge in the back of their car.

  “Busy day?” Jordan commented, earning a glare from the young man they had arrested.

  “Tried to steal a car in broad daylight,” Casey told her. “He didn’t get far from there. Ellie’s got some mad driving skills.”

  “I don’t doubt that.”

  “Do you have a moment?” Ellie asked. “We have to get him to booking, but after that…”

  “Sure. Come find me at my desk.”

  As Jordan took the elevator to her floor, she had to admit that for the first time, she had doubts ab
out Aleja. She might have been wrong, but at least there was still the question of motive.

  Had someone influenced her? Jordan was still reluctant to believe the young woman could have planned both murders from the start, and executed them.

  People did the strangest things for love.

  * * * *

  “I’m really sorry.” They had retreated to the break room for a coffee and a shared chocolate bar, and Ellie could finally express what had bothered her the whole day. “I shouldn’t have made you see Kathryn. It’s your decision. I shouldn’t have acted like I did.”

  Jordan seemed surprised at her apology. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t think all that much about it, but it’s okay. You were right. It doesn’t mean all is well, but if I don’t have that conversation now, it might be something I regret later.”

  “It might help you too. There’s so many questions I still have, that will never be answered.” Ellie sighed. “That’s a conversation for another time and place. I just wanted to make sure you know I’m not trying to make your life any more complicated.”

  “Don’t worry. My life would be a lot more complicated if it weren’t for you.”

  Jordan cast a quick look at the still closed door and kissed Ellie. “My house tonight? I need to go to court tomorrow. We could order in…”

  “Hey, Jordan, here’s—”

  Derek didn’t get any further before A.D.A. Esposito stormed into the room.

  “That’s just great, exactly the Jordan Carpenter I remember. Rules are for other people, and every means justifies the end. Are you out of your mind?”

  Jordan leaned against the vending machine, giving the other woman an amused glance.

  “Hey. Stop. I’m sorry, and I already know I might be wrong about Santos. No need to yell.”

  Ellie observed the exchange, intrigued.

  “You practically told her you’re on her side, because, apparently, everyone except Detective of the year Carpenter got it wrong. Forget about the evidence, if you have the gut feeling that she’s innocent, then she must be, right?”