by Style, Linda
She fell back into the chair and pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers. “You say that with a lot of certainty.”
“I have to be certain or I couldn’t do my job. And more important, I’m not about to put the people I care most about in danger.”
Her expression switched from one emotion to another as she struggled over what to do. Would anything change if she told him? Could he really protect them? She’d be a fool not to wonder all of those things. Because he did, too.
He knelt in front of her. “If you tell me what it is, I can’t guarantee the outcome, but I can guarantee that I’ll do everything in my power to keep you and Cait safe. And…I can guarantee nothing will change if you don’t give me the opportunity to find out what can be done. This isn’t the kind of life you envisioned for her, is it?”
Tears welled in her eyes. “No. Not at all.”
“I can help. Trust me, Laura.”
She wrenched away, paced some more. Finally she blurted, “Cait was in the house the night Eddie died. She saw a man there.”
Jordan felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. Had she said what he thought she did? He’d imagined she might have withheld some information about her ex’s gambling debts, or the names of people he owed money, someone she’d seen him with or…or something. Not that her child had been there during her father’s murder.
“Cait was there the night of the murder and you didn’t report it?”
Her head bobbed up and down.
“But if she was there—” He couldn’t believe what she was saying.
“She was staying overnight, but she didn’t see anything happen. She thought her father was sick and called me on the phone…and I went to get her. That’s when I discovered Eddie was…dead.”
“You withheld information?” He couldn’t disguise his shock. “It’s a criminal offense. How could you do that?”
Her face paled. “See…that’s exactly the response I thought I’d get if I told you. But the truth is, I—I thought if whoever killed Eddie knew Cait was in the house, he might think she saw him and come after her…th-that she’d end up like her father.”
“What exactly did she see?”
“She saw a man there earlier talking with Eddie.”
“Can she identify the person she saw?”
Laura hesitated, her arms crossed over her chest. “I don’t want her involved.”
“But,” he said incredulously, “she is involved. And if she can identify the man, we may be able to solve the case.” They might’ve solved it years ago, if they’d had this information.
She swung around, her expression hard. “I don’t give a damn about solving the case. I only care about my daughter. If they knew—”
He placed a hand on her arm. “But someone does know. He knows enough to be threatening you.”
She muffled a sob with her hand. “I—I thought we were okay…and the only way…anyone…would find out she was there was if I said something. And then…” Her shoulders began to shake, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Jordan felt her pain as if it were his own. He enveloped her in his arms, crushing her tight against him. He kissed her hand and her cheeks to dry her tears. “Shh. It’s okay. We’ll work it out.”
Suddenly she pulled back, nearly stumbled. “No, it’s not okay. Whoever has been calling me knows Cait was there. I can’t think of any other reason for the threats. He knows we’re here, too, and I can’t see any way to fix any of it.”
“There’s only one way to fix it—if Cait can identify the person at Eddie’s that night.”
Laura looked at him, her face chalk-white, eyes filled with trepidation. She fell into the chair again, boneless, as if all the energy had drained from her body.
“The thing is,” Jordan said, “if this person wanted to harm her, he’d have done it by now. But instead he’s telling you to back off. That means it has to be someone who doesn’t want to hurt you or Cait if he doesn’t have to. But I can tell you right now, when pushed to the wall, he will.”
The breath she took was so deep, he thought she might break down completely. Then, in a whisper, she said, “When we were at the funeral, Cait told me the man she saw at her father’s was standing across from us.”
“Someone you know?”
“Frank DeMatta.”
He caught his breath. He couldn’t believe she’d kept this from the police. If she’d told the truth, DeMatta would probably be on death row by now.
“But just because he was there doesn’t mean he—”
Yeah, right. He stuffed his hands into his pockets to contain his agitation, to make himself think clearly, not on emotion. It was true that being there wasn’t an indictment. At best it was circumstantial. They had no weapon, no other hard proof. “What did you tell Cait when she told you?”
“I said it couldn’t have been Mr. DeMatta because he’d been out of the country. I said she must’ve dreamed it. She never brought it up again. I can’t imagine she’d remember anything now.”
Even if she did remember, the testimony of a seven-year-old child, three years after the fact, would likely make her an unreliable witness. But it did clear up a lot of things. Damn. If the person Cait had seen was anyone other than DeMatta, Jordan would have no reservations about what to do. But knowing DeMatta had a mole in the department changed everything.
“We need to go back,” Jordan said, a plan developing. “It’s not safe here.”
“What about the threats?
“I’ll take care of it. Trust me.
***
The hum of the tires on the asphalt soothed Laura’s frazzled nerves. They’d left the snow behind and Cait slept soundly in the back seat with her earphones on. It would be another couple of hours before they reached L.A., during which she had to think of some way to keep her daughter safe. Her stomach churned along with her rampant thoughts.
Trust me, Jordan had said. But it wasn’t a matter of not trusting him, although she did have reason to doubt his truthfulness. It was a matter of not trusting anyone other than herself. Every time she’d gotten close to someone, put her faith in another person, she’d been betrayed.
The only people she truly trusted were Rose and Phoebe. Even though she’d made amends with her father, and he’d helped her through a tough time, in the end, he’d betrayed her, too. But she’d been so needy she made herself believe he really cared.
It wasn’t until years later when she was taking college psychology classes that she realized the truth about herself. She’d vowed then and there not to be bound by her own neediness ever again.
She glanced at Jordan, who was off in his own world. He’d been helpful beyond the call of duty, and though she didn’t want to care about him, it was too late. She didn’t want to love him, either…but she did.
Taking their relationship into the bedroom had been the biggest mistake of her life. They were poles apart; he from a wealthy cultured family, she a trailer-trash street kid who’d made more than her share of mistakes. She wasn’t the kind of woman he’d be proud to introduce to his family, so why fantasize? She’d found her place in the world, and she liked it just fine.
While she was studying him, he turned to look at her. “I have a plan,” he said, his voice low. “I think it’ll work.”
“Does it require my participation?”
“Not immediately. I’m going to take you to a friend’s house for a while until… When I’m done, I’m hoping it’ll be safe for you to go back home.”
“How long is a while?” Geez, she sounded like Cait now.
“I don’t know—as long as it takes.”
She glanced back at Cait who was awake now and listening to music again, but Laura still kept her voice to a whisper. “What are you planning to do?”
“I’m going to shut down the Kolnikov case.”
“I’m not following. How will that solve anything?”
“The Kolnikov case is what brought me to you. And it’s obvious my presence in yo
ur life is a threat to the person who’s been stalking you. So, if I remove the threat…” He glanced over at her.
“But—”
“You said it started right after my first visit to the shelter. My guess is that this person is worried that if you know something, you might divulge what you know to me.”
“Why would anyone think I know anything? And if he did, why would he wait until now to do something about it?”
“My guess is he didn’t find it necessary before now. Things changed once I started questioning you about the Kolnikov case.”
“But the Kolnikov case doesn’t have anything to do with Eddie—” She turned to Jordan. “Or does it?”
He placed a warm hand over hers and tipped his head to indicate Cait in the back. “It’s complicated. We’ll talk later.”
Laura closed her eyes. What had she gotten herself into? All she cared about was Cait…trying to protect her…and now she’d put her child’s life in danger. “I’ll do whatever I can.”
He squeezed her hand. “You can help by authorizing me to get your phone records and by telling my partner everything you know, from beginning to end and not leaving out a single thing.”
“Your partner?”
“I’m taking you to his house. When I’m not there, he’ll be there—until we get a resolution.”
“But why tell him? I already told you everything.”
His shoulders tensed. “He might see something I don’t.” Then he paused, his brows drawn together. “I want to make sure my personal involvement isn’t coloring my judgment.”
Her pulse quickened.
“It’s just a double check. We do it all the time.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
LAURA WAITED IN the car while Jordan knocked. The door opened and a large man appeared. She couldn’t see him very well, other than he was about Jordan’s height and had sandy-blond hair. Jordan stepped inside and seconds later came back out.
“Come on. This is where you’re going to stay for a couple days.”
“Are we still on vacation?” Cait asked. “I want to go home and play with my friends.”
“Soon, sweetie,” Laura said, getting out of the car. She was at a loss over what to tell the child. She didn’t want to lie to her, and Cait was too smart to think they were just visiting one of Jordan’s friends.
He led the way inside. “Laura and Cait Gianni, meet Luke Coltrane, one of the crankiest guys I know.”
Cait giggled, then looked away as if embarrassed.
“It’s true,” Luke said, making a snarly face. “Some people think I gobble up little children.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Luke.” Laura smiled and shook his hand. He was a detective; she recognized his name from one of the conversations she’d had with Jordan.
Cait glommed onto her mother’s leg.
“He’s just kidding,” Laura said.
“No, I’m not. But I’ll refrain this time.”
“Ignore him, Cait,” Jordan said. “He’s harmless. Now, let’s get you two settled.” Jordan took their luggage and started toward the back of the house. “Where do you want them?” he asked Luke.
“There are only two bedrooms besides mine, so take your pick.”
The stairway was at the back of the narrow two-story home. Despite the fact that the place needed a good cleaning, Laura liked the antique furniture, the dark wood, old leaded-glass light fixtures and the eccentric architecture. The house definitely had a personality of its own.
Cait clung to Laura’s side as they went up the narrow stairwell and down an equally narrow hallway. Jordan stopped at one of the three doors and flung it open. He reached across to the other side and opened another. “Both bedrooms are small. Take your pick.”
“I want this one, Mom.” Cait indicated the bedroom on the left. “I can see the ocean from the window.”
“I think we should share a room,” Laura said. “Otherwise Jordan won’t have a place to sleep.”
He shook his head. “Not a problem. I like the couch downstairs just fine. And that way I’m in a better position to keep an eye on things.”
“What things?” Cait looked at Jordan with big eyes.
Laura glanced at him, too, hoping he wouldn’t say anything to frighten Cait.
“Actually, it’s the refrigerator I want to keep an eye on. I like my midnight snacks.”
“You’re lucky. My mom won’t let me have snacks.”
Laura took a stance, hands on her hips. “Not true. You have snacks all the time.”
“Fruit. Fruit’s not a snack. It’s food.”
“It’s good for you,” Laura said. “Now, let’s get you unpacked and let Jordan go about his business.”
He smiled, then said softly, “I’ll need about ten minutes alone with Luke.”
She nodded her understanding but cringed inside. He wanted to fill his partner in, to tell him how she’d lied to the police, how she’d obstructed justice. Funny how she’d never really thought about it that way until he’d said it. But she’d do it again under the same circumstances. Without a thought.
“Can we go to the beach, Mom? I want to go to the beach.”
“It’s getting late.”
“Can we go tomorrow?”
“We’ll see.” If this nightmare ever ended, maybe they could get their lives back. Do normal things. Truth was, she couldn’t remember what normal was anymore.
Cait flopped onto the bed. “You always say ‘We’ll see’ when you really mean no. You never let me do anything.”
Laura sighed, lifting Cait’s suitcase to the bed and taking out the child’s pajamas. “That’s because you’re seven years old.”
“Almost eight. Shannon gets to go places all the time.”
“Well, we just came back from the mountains. That’s someplace.”
Cait smiled. “Yeah, I guess, but—”
“No buts,” Laura said. “None of us are going anywhere right now.”
Cait’s face crumpled. “You never want to talk about other things, either.”
Seeing her daughter’s frustration, guilt swept through Laura. If she were Cait, she’d be feeling the same way. And there wasn’t a damned thing she could do about it. “This isn’t the time or the place to talk, but I promise we will when we get home. And I promise I’ll listen.”
“I want to go home now. I don’t like staying away so long.”
“Neither do I, honey.” Neither do I.
***
Jordan found Luke in the kitchen holding a drink. “You can’t be alert if you’re drinking,” Jordan said.
Luke frowned, then held up the glass. “Pure tonic water.”
“You get anything on the composite?”
“Not before I left. If there’s anything, it should be there by now.”
“You tell anyone?”
Luke shook his head. “So, what’s going down?”
Walking over to close the kitchen door, Jordan said, “A lot.” He proceeded to give Luke the Cliff’s Notes version of everything Laura had told him, including the events at the cabin…except the personal things.
“What the hell…if we’d known when we were investigating… She had to know she could go to jail for obstructing the law, didn’t she?”
“She didn’t care about anything except her daughter’s safety. But she’s willing to help us now. Only they need a safe place. I figured this was better than most.”
Luke nodded. “She could still be in trouble for obstruction of justice.”
“I know. I’ll try to get her immunity if she testifies.” Jordan felt edgy, couldn’t stand still. “But I don’t want it to go that far.”
“You sound involved.”
“I am involved. I think I started this whole thing.”
“That’s bull. She started it when she withheld information.”
“Technically true. But she was doing just fine until I showed up.”
“Yeah,” Luke said, cracking a grin. “You’ve got it bad.”
Jordan glared at him. “I’m trying to solve a case and keep two people safe.”
“All good intentions. But you’ve still got it bad. So, what’s the plan?”
“I’m going out. But when Cait’s in bed, Laura’s going to tell you the story from start to finish. Detail by detail. I still don’t know if she’s given me everything and I just need a double check. See what you can do.”
“Gotcha.”
A half hour later, Jordan, on his way into the Robbery Homicide Division, stopped at the front desk. “Hey,” he said to Mary Beth. “Got that information I asked for?”
She looked up, her expression teasing. “What’s it worth?”
He wasn’t in the mood for joking around. He was on a mission. “Do you have it or not?”
She gave him a nasty look and shoved her hair out of her eyes. “Well, sort of.”
“Sort of? Either you have it or you don’t.
“I have this.” She handed him a printout.
“Thanks.” He snatched it from her hand and headed back to his desk.
“Hey, partner.
The two-pack-a-day voice grated on Jordan’s nerves. Jordan turned to see Howie Ralston staring at him from two desks away. Ralston was the last guy in the department he wanted as his partner.
“Yeah. What’s up?”
“That’s what I was going to ask you. You get anything on the Valdez case?”
“I talked to the daughter, told her about her mother.” Jordan went to his desk, laid the printout on top, then sat to read it, hoping Ralston got the message.
“How about the Kolnikov case?”
He kept his focus on the printout. “What about it?”
“I heard you’re honing in on a suspect.”
“You heard wrong. In fact, it’s just the opposite. I’m shutting the case down.” He went back to the printout.
Ralston came around the desk to stand in front of him, apparently wanting Jordan to look up. “Why?”
“Because we’ve exhausted all leads. We’re wasting our time.”