“We’ll take that list now.”
Donna stared at him for a brief moment before looking over the warrant. “I find it hard to believe anyone who walked into this office killed Ashley…or her husband.”
“You’d be amazed who is capable of violence. I’m here to find a killer who brutally murdered your friend. You’ve already wasted an hour of my time. Please don’t continue to waste any more of it.”
Donna snatched the warrant from the counter. “I’ll be right back.”
Zeke shifted his feet as he crossed his arms and leaned against the desk as they waited. “You okay, man? I figured you would’ve been in a better mood since you worked things out with Rina. You’re normally not grouchy with people. I am.”
Ben shrugged. “This case…I don’t know. It bugs me.” He whipped his hand toward the direction Donna walked off. “And seriously, she thinks Gene didn’t hurt Ashley. Sure, he confessed to cheating. She was hurting, though. You don’t need bruises to wound somebody.”
Zeke sighed. “So this is about Rina.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Come on, Ben. It’s bugging you about her father. You know Rina hurts from the way her father treats her. You really jumped down Ms. Delvine’s throat about getting emotionally hurt. You can’t let that affect your job.”
Ben gave him a mock laugh. “Yeah, okay, I’ll work on that, partner. Just like you do so well.”
“Yeah, yeah, we both suck at it. Let’s just solve this case.”
Ben nodded, hoping like hell they did. Soon.
A few minutes later, Donna walked back with the list they wanted an hour ago. A very long list. At least twenty people they had to interview. Not to mention cross-referencing to see if anybody on the list knew Beth, their first victim. Beth and Ashley had to be connected somehow. Finding the connection was proving to be very difficult.
Beth worked at a Salon. She had a different network of friends. She was recently single. Ashley worked at a doctor’s office. She was married. She didn’t go to the salon Beth worked at. Nothing tied them together. Except the one thing he hated thinking about. How friendly, how soft-spoken and generous they were to others.
The more they dug into their lives, the more Ben hated the similarities he saw. They sounded like Rina. They looked like Rina. While he had no evidence to suggest she would be a victim, he worried that she would be by these simple similarities. He wanted to voice his concern to Zeke, but he didn’t. He knew Zeke would just say he was worried about Rina because of their new developing relationship. Maybe that’s where his worry came from.
Crossing off the list of patients took all day. After speaking to each patient, no new insight was gained. Collecting twenty alibis hadn’t been fun. Verifying those alibis had been even more painful. Focused and determined. He had to keep Rina safe.
Tired to the bone, he pulled into his driveway wishing he could’ve pulled into Rina’s instead. It didn’t matter how tired he was. Seeing her face would brighten his shitty day with ease.
Every patient had been interviewed, but they hadn’t tracked down the two consultants and the delivery guy that Ashley dealt with. They also spoke to her sister, Caroline.
His stomach rolled with disgust at the way she treated Ashley, how she slept with her husband, and how Ashley graciously forgave her as if she borrowed a dress and didn’t return it in the time frame she asked of her. Caroline told him and Zeke about the small argument, and Ben figured it had to have been small, that occurred between the two. She expressed her regret to Ashley, her remorse, and she said Ashley, after a few choice words, forgave her. She even told them how Ashley planned to let Gene stew a few more days and then let him come back home. She was forgiving him as well.
Ridiculous. The entire situation. A cheater was a cheater. He couldn’t imagine doing that to anyone. Speaking to Gene again, he couldn’t figure out why he did it in the first place. His pain from losing his wife was real. Heartbroken. Torn. But to Ben, he hadn’t loved her enough to keep it in his pants.
They found him at his brother’s house. He couldn’t stand his own home anymore. He couldn’t stand the fact his wife was murdered and he wasn’t there to stop it. If he never would’ve cheated, he never would’ve been kicked out, and she never would’ve been home alone that night. The guilt was eating him alive.
While Ben thought he was a class-A jerk for cheating on his wife, he still didn’t think he killed her. He was an idiot, like Susan originally said. He divulged everything to them. That he cheated, the things he said to Ashley, and that he confessed the next day after it happened. He explained how he drank himself into oblivion, got into the car and drove to their home, and banged on the door for her to let him in before he finally realized he had his own key. He even told them to arrest him for drinking and driving. He deserved the punishment he said.
Ben actually contemplated doing it before Zeke shook his head with a smirk, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Yeah, the guy was in enough pain for losing his wife so brutally. Seemed punishment enough.
Dr. Everly put Ashley’s time of death to about ten o’clock that night. Gene hadn’t arrived to their home until around 12:30 in the morning. His brother corroborated his story, saying he sat with his brother drinking until midnight when he finally went to bed. He didn’t even know Gene left. Otherwise, he would’ve stopped him. He knew how wasted he had been.
No more. Thinking about the case wouldn’t help his mood, only lower it further. He stepped out of his car and hit the garage door button. Listening to the strumming noise of the door descending did nothing to dispel the thoughts of the case. One big fat mystery. No suspects. No leads. Just nothing.
One thing could distract his mind. The one thing he couldn’t do tonight. Dee said Rina had plans with her. He wanted to thwart the plans with a passion. All he wanted was to see her face.
Walking inside the kitchen from the garage, the light made him jerk in place as he flipped the switch. Loneliness. A deep wrenching loneliness. He felt it every so often, but at the moment, it hit him squarely in the chest. He wanted Rina here and everything to work out. He wanted her in his home, in his life, forever.
Damn, if Zeke wasn’t right. He loved her.
How did he tell her? Should he wait? She was scared to begin with. She would probably run screaming from him if he said those three little words already. They were barely dating yet. Not that it mattered. He knew enough to know his feelings weren’t just lust or something crazy like that. Nothing but pure love. He had an entire year to get to know her.
The way she smiled at the simple things in life. Like a flower blooming in a garden full of weeds. He couldn’t get that smile out of his head the first time he saw it as her and Zoe worked in the yard at Zeke’s house. Zoe had instantly insisted some beautiful flowers be planted around his house the minute she officially moved in. She hadn’t considered moving in official until her house sold. It hadn’t taken long either. Zeke made sure of that. Ben had laughed at the playful bickering between the two as Zeke always insisted she was officially living in his home even though her house hadn’t sold yet. She always countered that it wasn’t official if she could walk out of his home and go back to hers. Until she had nowhere to go but another room in his house whenever he upset her, it was not official. He could still remember the looks him and Rina shared as those two argued about it. The smudges of dirt lining her cheeks as she dug in the dirt, Zeke and Zoe squabbling in the background. He loved her smile.
She always spoke with the voice of reason, as Dee liked to call it. Dee had a nasty habit of saying she was always right, no matter what they were talking about. Between Zoe and Dee, they sometimes couldn’t come to an agreement. Especially how Dee needed to stop buying dresses for the baby before she was even born. Zoe had always reminded her they wouldn’t know the sex of the baby until she went into labor. She didn’t want Dee to waste money buying dresses when it should be trousers. Dee had shaken her head, not caring about the money. Rina had step
ped in, smiled and suggested with her soft voice that Zoe keep the receipts in case it wasn’t a girl. Problem solved.
She always smiled politely, even when people were being rude. Ben had seen rudeness displayed many times, especially when they all went out for a few drinks. Some men, especially the men, just didn’t know how to respect women. Rina always gave them an elegant smile and brushed them off as if they were nothing more than an irritating gnat. He rarely had to step in and help her. Sometimes it irked him because he wanted to. He wanted to be her hero and she never gave him a chance to be one.
She always helped anybody with anything they asked of her. No matter the time or day or how busy she appeared. If you needed help, no matter the problem, she dropped what she was doing. Before he had the courage to ask her out, and she ultimately turned him down, he had plotted many ways to feign any sort of help just to spend a little time with her. He never went through with any of his plans, but he sure made some good ones in his head.
She loved kids. He knew that by the glowing happiness that spread across her face anytime she held Zabrina. He wanted kids one day. He could already see Rina as the mother to his children. He was ready to take that leap.
No matter how mad she got, she always held her temper and voiced her displeasure with a quiet ease. He had to admit, that made him uneasy. She could break him in two with her quiet, soft voice. She already had. Not too long ago.
It didn’t matter. She could break him all she wanted. As long as she always put him back together afterwards. Just a simple, soft touch on his shoulder always managed to glue him back together. When he thought about it, she did touch him a lot like that. Simple gestures here and there. So many little signs he should’ve seen.
Who cared about the past anymore? She was his. She was in his life.
He loved her. He wanted to shout it out to the world. Declare it to any person that asked. How couldn’t he love someone like that? She made it easy.
How could he tell her he loved her? It had to be done in the perfect way. She could go running in the opposite direction if he didn’t.
He pulled a container of meatloaf his mom sent him the other day from the fridge and shoved it into the microwave. Maybe the best way would be to lay it all out for her. Every little thing he felt. No waiting to tell her. She needed to know. Otherwise, he could lose her. Maybe he still would.
At least she would know how he felt. If she still wanted to keep him at arm’s length, then it would be with the full knowledge of his feelings. It would be her fault and her choice. Or his fault for being a coward. He wasn’t positive he could voice those three words.
The seconds ticked down as he waited for the signal his food was warm. He was no coward. He’d tell her.
Five…four…three…
The doorbell echoed throughout the house.
A small smile touched his face. What were the odds Rina decided to stop by his house? She did it once before. Angry, of course, but she stopped by. That had to count for something.
Opening the door with hope, his smile vanished. A man in an expensive looking black coat stood in front of him.
“Can I help you?” Ben kept his hands by his side, his gun hidden, but ready to reach for it if need be. Threatening vibes swarmed him as he stared at the man. Distinguished looking, regal even, but something about the man made him feel threatened.
“Detective Benjamin Stoyer?”
“Who’s asking?”
“Reginald Chastain. You know my daughter, Rina.”
It all made sense. While Rina’s father didn’t show any disgust, anger, or disapproval in his facial expression, it was written in his eyes. He could see the resemblance to Rina as well. She had her father’s eyes, a deep brown, full of depth. When she was upset, she always poised her lips in a straight line that betrayed none of that anger. Just like he did now.
His hair was perfectly combed to the side with one fell swoop, not a piece out of place. He wore black gloves that looked as expensive as his black coat. The wind held a slight bite, but he wouldn’t classify it as cold. Why the gloves? Perhaps he wanted to conceal his fingerprints.
Ben already hated the man. Yet, he was Rina’s father.
“What can I do for you? We both know that you know I am Detective Stoyer. Please, don’t beat around the bush here.”
“Good. I’m glad you see the issue.” Reginald adjusted his glove on his left hand.
“I don’t see an issue. I’m sorry that you do.”
“Your behavior towards Mr. Tollhorn and my daughter was uncalled for. You should be lucky he’s not filing a complaint with the department against you. Rina would like you to leave her alone.”
Ben tried to keep his face just as expressionless. He found it very difficult to do. He imagined Reginald had a lifetime to perfect it. “She told you that, did she?”
“My daughter doesn’t need to tell me anything. I’m her father. I know what’s best for her. You are not what’s best for her. Anthony is better suited for her.”
“So you’re okay with a man physically harming your daughter? Is that what you’re saying?” Ben cocked a brow. “Because he had no problem grabbing her and squeezing her shoulders hard, to the point where I saw her grimace in pain. I guess I’m not surprised.”
“Excuse me?”
“You hurt her just as much as Anthony did.”
“I have never in my life laid a hand on my daughter. You’ll do well to watch how you speak to me.” Reginald pierced his lips in a thinner line, yet his voice didn’t rise in volume.
Ben wasn’t surprised in the least. He now fully understood how Rina never lost her temper. She learned it all from her father.
Ben leaned closer so Reginald could hear and understand every word. Not that he probably would. “You don’t need to touch a person to hurt them. You hurt her every day by treating her with the words you use.”
“Stay away from my daughter, Detective. You have a nice job to occupy your time.” Reginald adjusted his other glove, his eyes never wavering from Ben.
“Don’t threaten me,” Ben said through his teeth. He wouldn’t raise his voice no matter how much he wanted to. His hands clenched. Don’t hit the man. Don’t do it. Rina would hate him for sure.
“I had dinner with the chief of police just last week. We’re very good friends. My daughter is dating Mr. Tollhorn, not you.”
“You can say all you want about my job, about knowing the chief of police, but you will not scare me away from your daughter, Reginald. You’re despicable for even doing this to her. Let her live her own life. She’s not a child anymore.”
“Do not address me as Reginald. It’s Mr. Chastain to you. I don’t repeat myself, but since you don’t hear very well, I’ll say it one more time. Stay away from my daughter.”
“Learn how to respect her. Don’t come to my home again unless it’s to apologize. Goodnight…Reggie.” Ben shut the door, grinning at what he saw in the man’s face after he called him Reggie.
He may be an expert at controlling his emotions, but Ben managed to surprise him and pull a bit out. His jaw had ticked, emphasizing his annoyance at his name being shortened in such a manner. Ben felt triumph in that.
Damn it! He shouldn’t feel that. He was Rina’s father. He could ruin everything. No matter how horrible her father treated her, he knew Rina loved him. Getting in the middle or making her choose a side would tear her apart. He could lose her in the process.
His hand stopped from opening the microwave. Food didn’t sound so appealing anymore.
Ten o’clock. It was late.
Dee said not to bother Rina tonight.
Panic welled inside, weaving together with fear. Why did her father have to show up at his doorstep? So soon as well. He barely had any time with Rina to call her his and her father was already trying to ruin things.
He had to see her tonight. Putting a wedge between her and her father was the last thing he wanted to do. He had no choice. Her father just declared war.
&
nbsp; Chapter 6
Dee scratched deeply onto the notepad, more vigorously than was necessary. “Okay, so we don’t need that much cheese. I mean, I like cheese, but I guess we don’t need that much.”
“Yeah, ten pounds seems a little excessive.” Rina glanced at the pad. “Are you okay, Dee? You’re always making sure Zoe and I are okay, but I guess we forget to ask how you are.”
Dee waved her hand. “I’m fine. I’m glad to see you’re happier.”
“Yeah, I am.” Rina looked away.
Dee dropped her pen. “Okay, what’s with the big sigh? You were happy this morning, but honestly, the longer the day goes on, you just keep dropping into whatever the hell this attitude is.”
“Why aren’t you happy?”
“Quit dodging my question.” Dee primped her hair, rolling her eyes at Rina’s insistence that lingered in her eyes. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Have an argument without raising your voice?”
“Are we arguing?”
“It sure feels like it.” Dee flicked the pen away with her finger. “I wish Zoe was here.”
“That would defeat the point of giving her a surprise welcome back party.”
“I know. It’s just…never mind.” Dee reached for the pen, her hand becoming stiff when Rina closed her hand over hers. “I’m not going to break down. I don’t need coddling.”
Rina withdrew her hand. “My father’s very demanding, very controlling when it comes to…everything. That’s why I wouldn’t date Ben and why I’m still scared to.”
Dee left the pen in its place, slowly bringing her eyes to meet Rina’s. “He’s a good guy. Your father should piss off.”
Rina chuckled. “You always have a way with words.”
Dee smiled back. “You always have a way of putting someone in their place. Even better than me.”
“He’s my father. How can I ignore his feelings?” Rina glanced down at the table. Tracing little circles on the table helped distract her. The concern in Dee’s face was hard to look at.
One Taste of Love (A One Taste Novel Book 2) Page 7