“Is it also possible you wanted to have a face-to-face with him so you could determine if he was the one who attacked Stacy?”
Among other things.
“Do you think he’s the one who attacked Stacy?” I asked.
I didn’t. Tyler Jay was way too tall and too slim. And he didn’t seem to recognize me. Surely the person who came after me that night would recognize me if I walked up to his or her door.
“It’s one theory we’re running down,” he said. “Tell me, did you offer Tyler Jay your condolences?”
I sighed. I think I had known, even if only in the very back of my mind, Ellmann would learn about my phone call to the tip line.
“Hypothetically, maybe.”
“Maybe you can explain about the message you left on the tip line regarding the whereabouts of Tyler Jay, who happens to be a very wanted man in this county.”
“It’s possible I might have run into a guy named Tyler Jay. It’s also possible I thought you guys would want to know where he was.”
Ellmann bit back his response then sucked in a deep breath. After a long pause, he slowly exhaled.
“Zoe, Tyler Jay is a very dangerous man. He kills people. A growing number of people think he enjoys killing people. You can’t be ‘running into’ guys like him.”
“Well, what does it matter now? You guys arrested him, right? He’ll be in prison for a very long time.”
Ellmann shifted, and I saw it in his eyes before he could wipe it away.
“Are you kidding me?” I asked, shooting up off the sofa.
“We went to the address you gave, but by the time we got there, he was gone. His mother won’t say a word. He’s in the wind, probably long gone by now.”
I threw my arms up. “Unbelievable. What use is that stupid tip line then?”
“Tyler Jay will turn up eventually. We’re looking for him harder now because of his possible involvement in this case; we’ll find him. In the meantime, I have to offer you a friendly piece of advice: stay out of this case. Next time, it won’t be friendly. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal.”
“Between you and me,” he added, his voice a bit softer, “the boyfriend isn’t a nice guy. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Why? Would you feel responsible?”
“Yes, I would.”
“Sort of like I feel now, about Stacy being attacked. I was late for our meeting. I should have been there sooner.”
I dropped back down to the sofa.
Ellmann sat down beside me, placing the hat on his knee. He spoke softly.
“If you’d been there any sooner, chances are good you would have wound up in a hospital bed right beside her. Maybe worse. What good would that have done?”
I couldn’t keep the tears out of my eyes. I looked up at him, searching his eyes and face.
“I still feel responsible. I see her in my dreams.”
“Don’t get hung up on that. It’ll only drag you down.”
He was right. But it wasn’t that easy.
We sat quietly on the sofa for several minutes before my guilt subsided enough that my surroundings came back to me.
“Shit,” I said, hopping up.
“What’s the matter?”
“Uh, we need to go.” I looked at my watch as I grabbed my bag. My mother could come home at any time, and I didn’t want to be there when she did.
“Worried about your mother?”
“Aren’t you?”
He shrugged as he stood and returned the hat to his head, as if he’d had more dangerous run-ins. “She’s actually the reason I needed to talk to you.”
“Yeah? What about her?”
“I need to know if you’re interested in filing charges against her for the incident in the kitchen yesterday.”
“Charges? Is there some reason I should?”
He looked down at his shoes, searching for the right words.
“You have to stand up for yourself,” he said. “You can’t let people hurt you anymore.”
He’d looked into me after our chat yesterday. Found out what I didn’t want to tell him myself. That being true, I was rather surprised to see him again so soon. What he now knew about me was, to say the least, a turn off. More often, people found it scary. Some irrationally believed I’d do the same to them. For a cop investigating a crime to which I was distantly connected, no doubt it cast me into further suspicion.
“Believe me, people don’t hurt me anymore. She’s the single exception.”
“I know what happened thirteen years ago, and I know you had several charges filed against you for assault and battery when you were in your late teens.”
“Those files are sealed,” I said, thinking back to the conversation I’d had with Hensley not so long ago. “How do you know what’s in them? Or are you guessing?”
“Relax.” He held a hand out in front of him, palm toward me. “I had a friend take a little peek, just to see what the charges were. Nothing was opened; I don’t know any details.”
I wondered if Hensley had the same friend.
“Well, there you go; I don’t let people hurt me anymore. Of course, I’ll admit it’s harder with my mother. You can’t hit your mother.”
He shrugged in such a way that implied he knew mothers beyond that rule and was trying to decide if mine was one of them.
“You could file charges,” he said. “And, if you wanted, I could help you get the house back. I mean, it doesn’t seem right that you own two houses in the area and still have to rent a place.”
Ah. I was beginning to understand a little better now.
“I was being honest yesterday; it’s simpler if I move. Let her stay here.”
I walked around him. He turned. “If it’s leverage you need, I have some. After our search yesterday.”
I stopped.
When Hensley had dropped by unannounced, I’d been concerned about what he might spot lying around. But by the time Ellmann, Troy, and Troy’s helpers had shown up to actually search the place, my mother’s habits had been the least of my concerns. No doubt they had uncovered a whole host of illegal substances in her room, perhaps elsewhere in the house. For the first time, I was truly fearful of what the cops had found in this house. In the end, it was my house. I’d just barely scrapped out of trouble with Hensley, but Ellmann’s case was still far from closed. And if I was held responsible for whatever had been found, I might not be so lucky a second time.
Slowly, I turned back to face Ellmann. I was practically sweating with the exertion it took to keep my face neutral. Or maybe the sweating was from fear.
“What did you find?” My mouth was dry, and I couldn’t hide that, no matter how hard I tried.
“Everything I found was in her room and bathroom,” he said, his hands up. I knew he was trying to reassure me, but it wasn’t working, not by a long shot. “After I detained your mother, I ran her name, saw her priors. Suspicious of what could be found, I searched her room myself. Troy and the others have no idea what I found, and it’s won’t show up in any report. I could use it to have a conversation with her, however. Help her understand the wisdom in finding her own place.”
“No.” I said it too quickly and too sharply. I took a breath and tried again. “Look, I appreciate what you’re doing, but please, let it go. You don’t know her lawyer; the man’s a snake. Whatever you try to do here while operating in the gray, he’ll turn back on you. Nothing will change with her, and you’ll be out of a job. Or writing parking tickets downtown—whatever happens to cops whose careers have been ruined. Please, let it go.”
He stared at me for a beat. He wanted to press it, but he resisted. Finally, he nodded.
“Let me know if you change your mind in the future.”
I didn’t think him hanging onto whatever drugs he’d found in my mother’s bedroom was wise, for the reasons I’d just mentioned. It wouldn’t have surprised me if she tattled to her attorney, who would then pull Troy’s report
and find no such substances included in it. His twisted and malicious mind would immediately know the drugs didn’t just disappear. He could easily make a fuss, discover them in Ellmann’s possession. And whatever Ellmann had found would not be minimal. Anyone caught with that amount of product would be in seriously hot water, especially a cop, who could then be accused of stealing from a crime scene.
But Ellmann seemed to trust me to a degree, so I could do nothing but return the favor. He was an adult, had been a cop for a while, and seemed to know what he was doing. I had to trust that he did.
I crossed to Zach’s door and knocked. There was no sound from inside, and no one answered. I opened the door and saw the bed was empty; Zach was gone. I had a sinking feeling I knew what that meant.
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered under my breath as I closed the door and turned back to Ellmann. “Look, I really appreciate the thought and concern, but I don’t need anyone to rescue me. Think you’re the only one with leverage?” I kept my voice soft, gentle, considerate of the fact that he was reaching out to me and I was batting his hand away, even if part of that response was out of concern for him. “You know, I’ve never had help, never had a rescuer, so I wouldn’t know what to do with one now. Anyway, given the kind of trouble my mother can get into, it’s probably easier keeping her here. Besides, despite it all, I would feel bad if I kicked her out. She’d have nowhere to go.”
“She’s an adult. She can buy or rent a place like everyone else. She can afford it.”
“So I’m not the only one you looked in to. It’s like I told you yesterday, it’s complicated. I don’t think I’m going to press charges.”
I went to the stairs. Ellmann was behind me. He nodded his head as if I’d given him the answer he’d expected, even if he was disappointed.
“She didn’t think so, either. But she is going to file a complaint with my superiors regarding my ‘unnecessarily cruel treatment’ of her yesterday, so I’m looking forward to that.”
I led the way to the front door.
“I’m sorry. I thought it was great, but I guess everything comes with a price.” I looked up at him. “Remember what I said about her attorney.”
He shrugged. “Remember the night we met? You said something about a detective wearing a uniform. I was working off a reprimand from a particularly scathing complaint. So, your mother’s isn’t the first, and it won’t be the last. Occasionally they’re even true. Between you and me, it was worth it. You know . . . your hair looks nice down. You should wear it that way more often.”
I was surprised by the compliment. It took me a full minute to recover. “Thanks,” I said as I opened the front door and stepped outside. I saw the curb where I’d docked the Lincoln a few hours before was now occupied by Ellmann’s Charger. “That little shit.”
“Problem?”
“How do you feel about giving me a ride?” I asked. “And can we stop for coffee? I’ll buy you a cup.”
_______________
Ellmann pulled into the Safeway parking lot, and my heart sank as I saw the shiny copper of the Lincoln glinting in the morning sun like a beacon for distant and weary travelers. There was no sign of Zach’s truck. Cussing a blue streak under my breath, I thanked Ellmann for the ride, grabbed my coffee, and got out. I stood for a moment, staring at the wonderment of automotive engineering, before I realized Ellmann hadn’t moved.
“You don’t have to wait,” I said, turning back to him.
He was leaning against the open driver’s side window. “It seems like the right thing to do,” he said with a shrug. “And I can’t help it; I worry about you.”
I don’t think of myself as being so pitiful. And I didn’t really like that Ellmann did.
I walked to the passenger side of the Lincoln and dropped to a knee beside the rear wheel. I’d already checked my bag; the Lincoln keys were gone. Zach had taken them from me, not gotten an extra pair from Donald. And Donald had been gone by the time Ellmann and I had left the house. I reached up under the skirt and dragged my fingertips along the wheel well.
Donald had once talked about how forgetful his mother had become in her old age. She was always losing her keys and locking herself out. He was concerned about his own memory, feeling it, too, was beginning to slip, and he had asked me about hiding a house key somewhere on the porch. He’d already hidden a key to his car in one of the wheel wells. He’d told me these were the same things he’d done for his mother when she began locking herself out.
Finding nothing, I stood and went to the front wheel. I could only hope the hidden key was still on the car. It seemed like a long shot, given that the car had been parked at Donald’s curb for quite some time, but it was the best I had going for me.
“Wanna call a locksmith?”
I looked up at Ellmann as I stood. I could get the door open; that wasn’t the problem. I could even hotwire the car, but that wasn’t a good long-term solution, and I didn’t think Donald would be too understanding. In any case, I didn’t want to explain how I could do either of those things, to Donald or to Ellmann.
“If I can’t find a key,” I said, moving to the last wheel, “I’ll need to call a cab.”
“Good thing I waited, then,” he said. “And lucky for you I’ve got a stack of paperwork on my desk I’m avoiding.”
I’d just about given up hope when my arm brushed against something sharp. I reached for it with my hand. There, toward the front, was a small rectangular box that didn’t belong. Gripping it, I gave it a tug. It budged slightly but held strong. Shifting my weight, I grabbed the thing and pulled for all I was worth. Finally the damn thing broke free.
My hand was filthy. The small box was unrecognizable under years of dirt and road grime. Still kneeling, I knocked the box against the asphalt, breaking loose some of the caked-on dirt. When I could see enough of the box, I worked to pry the pieces apart. After some sweating and a lot of swearing, I got the lid back far enough to get the key out. I held it up to Ellmann.
“Victory.”
“Congratulations. It was close there for a second.”
I stood and dusted off the knees of my jeans. “I always win.”
“I’m sensing that. Stay out of trouble.”
He pulled his head and arm inside then buzzed the window up as he drove out of the lot.
I walked to the door, hoping the key in my hand was in fact a car key and not the old woman’s house key. With my fingers crossed, I slid it in the lock. A breath seeped out of me when it turned and I saw the lock pop up through the glass.
That afternoon, I pulled out my laptop. I’d been thinking about White’s offer since I’d left his office. It was a good one, but the bottom line was, I’d been doing property management for a long time now. I’d gotten into it as a means to an end, and I’d stayed in it out of spite. It was a constant reminder of my foolishness and subsequent heartache. White was probably never going to stop pushing to promote me. I was probably never going to want a promotion.
I thought the best plan for my two-week vacation would be to line up alternative employment. I really hated to leave White and White Real Estate, but I thought it might be best for him, all things considered, and I knew it was probably best for me. It was also nice to know I had a good job waiting for me if I couldn’t put anything together in time.
I spent some time updating and polishing my resume then went onto the King Soopers website and completed an application for a management position. While shopping last night, I’d learned the company was hiring. King Soopers wouldn’t be my dream job, but it was a place to start. For good measure, I hit a couple other websites and submitted a handful of other applications.
I had a couple hours to kill before dinner with Pezzani, so I climbed aboard the Lincoln and floated over to Tyler’s mom’s house. Ellmann was probably right; Tyler was probably long gone. That would be the smartest move. But I got the distinct impression Tyler was hanging around for some reason. Maybe that reason had something to do with Stacy Karnes. W
hatever else Tyler was or had done, his feelings for Stacy were genuine. I had seen real pain in him when I’d spoken to him the day before.
As I sat and stared at the house, my mind wandered. I thought back to the day before and my meeting with Tyler. He and his crew had been keeping a pretty close eye on the street, it seemed. They were being extra cautious. So why had Tyler come out and spoken to me? Had he sensed I wasn’t a threat? For all he knew, I could have been a cop.
But if I’d been able to get to him, how had the cops missed him? Had something about our conversation tipped Tyler off that his location had been compromised? Or had he decided to move on simply as a precaution, because he had exposed himself when he’d spoken to me? I couldn’t decide which scenario I thought most likely, and my brain continued to turn the problem over.
I was almost positive Tyler’s mom would prove the best way to track Tyler down a second time. However, the lead seemed like a dead end today. Maybe because it was too soon. Maybe because it was Sunday. I didn’t know. I decided to bag it for the time being. On my way home, I sailed past the other addresses I had linked to Tyler Jay, just in case he happened to be sitting on the front porch or an Escalade was parked in the driveway. Of course, neither of these was the case.
As I drove, my mind drifted back to Stacy. Ellmann had said she’d gone into cardiac arrest this morning and was back in critical condition. I was pretty certain that meant something bad. I was scared it meant she would die.
This train of thought naturally led me back to the lobby of Elizabeth Tower and the night she was stabbed. I wondered again what would have happened had I been on time. And I wondered why Stacy had been there at all. Why was she looking for a new place to live? Why did she want to break her lease and move?
On impulse, I hit the blinker and hung a left, heading back to Stacy’s house. I’d already spoken to Tina Shuemaker, but Stacy lived with two other girls. I could only hope one of them might have some insight into Stacy’s life.
Today the house was shut up and the curtains drawn. There were two cars in the driveway and several more parked at the curb, so I suspected someone was home. I had no way of knowing if any of the vehicles belonged to Tina, but I crossed my fingers she wasn’t there. I’d hate for her to report me to Ellmann a second time.
The Trouble With Murder Page 13