“Don’t worry, Pop. It’s already taken care of.” Mikey pushed play on the MP3 docking station, and opera flowed softly from the speakers.
It was the least Mikey could do to make his pop happy. After all, he’d screwed up, again.
Mikey had revealed secrets to Jasmine that he’d never told Diamond. All Jasmine had to do was dress in sexy lingerie, fix him several gins and stroke his ego. Even when Mikey didn’t trust her, he had a hard time resisting her sexiness.
She hung on Mikey’s every word. She listened. In their private world, she was a goddess. In the real world, she was a fucking cop disguised as a goddess.
Diamond was the only one left he could trust. Getting Diamond to tie the knot and stay loyal to the family was what he was going to do. She owed him that much and more.
*
Later that afternoon, Lily stared at her computer, frustrated. “All of the leads and zero results.” She opened up a web browser and typed: genetic predisposition of serial killers. The results left Lily winded. One article read: Psychopathic behavior can manifest itself in other ways. It included a list of the Signs of Aggression: Behavioral, Cognitive and Psychosocial Symptoms. After reading it, she felt as if she’d had fallen backward and landed on a pile of sharp boulders.
The telephone on Lily’s desk rang. “Homicide, Detective Blanchette.”
“Detective, this is Zina, Ms. Brooks’ former social worker at Braden.” The woman’s heavily accented voice was raspy.
“Yes,” Lily said, retrieving the case file off of Jeremiah’s desk. “Thanks for calling me back.”
Lily and the social worker exchanged a few words then Lily gave her the COD number.
“Ms. Brooks was placed in community custody and had unlimited privileges.”
“Why was she placed in community custody?”
“So she could stay in touch with her job.”
“Where was she employed?”
“At a place called On The Edge,” Zina said. “But most of her calls were to a woman. Someone that she felt she couldn’t trust anymore. I learned that after one of her visits went sour.
“The lady said some not so nice words to my inmate and I had to cut the visitation short.”
“Do you have a name?”
“No. I do remember how well the woman dressed. She reminded me of one of those lawyer types.”
“Any idea why there’s a lock on Ms. Brooks record?”
“None.”
“Thanks.” Lily hung up. If Weeks wasn’t an informant, then who was she? How is she tied to my John Doe?
Lily picked up the photos she’d taken at the crime scene and scanned them thoroughly. Then she took each picture and sorted through the midrange shots of the scene and the up close pictures of the victim.
Ariel Weeks’ left hand was missing her wedding ring, and she was decently dressed. The stone-washed skinny jeans she wore clung to slender legs.
Where was her wedding ring? A married woman would never remove her wedding ring unless she were doing something that she shouldn’t be. Unless she was ashamed of being married. Ariel wouldn’t have been wearing it while undercover, but there wasn’t even a visible dent. Brian claimed they were happy. However, he wouldn’t hand over the letters. A sincere personal decision, maybe?
Whether Brian was hiding something or not, Lily needed a substantial lead that didn’t depend on a spouse.
Lily went through a couple more photographs including close-ups of Ariel’s lower extremities. She noticed something on the woman’s ankle that she had missed earlier. An anklet. Lily lifted the picture and zeroed in on the lettering engraved on the jewelry. Kappa Kappa Gama. She was in a sorority.
Lily grabbed her phone. On the fourth ring, Brian picked up. “Yeah.” His voice was groggy.
“It’s Detective Blanchette.”
“You’ve got some news?”
“What college did your wife attend?”
Silence lingered on the other end of the receiver.
Jeremiah entered the cubicle. “Evan got me that address.”
Lily put her hand up, quieting Jeremiah. She pushed the speaker button and said, “I saw her anklet. That means your wife was in a sorority when she attended college. I can track the information down myself, but you’d make this real easy if you’d just answer my question now.” He’s hiding something. The only way to get it is to push, but add a little honey so he knows you want to help him. “If not, I’ll come get you and interview you here, down at the station. But I don’t want to do that, I know those sweet little babies need their daddy.”
Soft cries echoed from the speaker. “Ariel made me promise not to tell.”
“Tell what, Brian?”
“She said if something happened to her, I’d have to keep quiet to keep the kids and me safe.”
Lily swiveled in her chair and pointed to her partner. “Get Evan and go over to Weeks house’s now,” she whispered. “I don’t want to lose him.”
Jeremiah nodded and ran out of the cubicle.
“My detectives and I are here to help you. I promise to keep you and your sons safe. What’s going on?”
“My wife went to Lington Falls University, where she received her Bachelors in Criminal Justice. She graduated from the academy a year ago.”
Lily shot out of her chair. “Brian, do me a favor. Hold the line and don’t hang up. Will you stay on the line with me?”
“Yes.”
With Brian on hold, Lily called Jeremiah. “Ariel was a cop. I want the family brought here, and I want everything on tape that Brian has to say.”
She tapped the hold button and placed the receiver to her ear. “Brian?”
“I’m here.”
“Good. I’ve got two of my detectives en route to you right now. They’re going to bring you here to me, and we’re going to get you taken care of.”
“I promised my wife I wouldn’t say anything. She didn’t want anything to happen to us. What do I do? Are we in trouble?”
“I’m in the dark just as much as you are. We’ll figure this out together. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Put me on speaker and go pack a few things for the boys and something for yourself. Whatever you do, don’t hang up. Make it quick.”
“Yes.”
If Ariel was VICE, there had to be someone inside the club that she was building a case against, who found her out. If that’s what she was doing, Lily was sure Ibee Walters could point her in the right direction. But would she do so willingly?
Rustling on the other end brought Lily out of her thoughts. “Brian?”
“Detective York and Mills are here. They said they’re going to bring me to you.”
“That’s right. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Lily hung up and rubbed her hands together.
Not only was her victim a mother and a wife, but since she was a cop, she was family.
A family should be together during the holidays.
Chapter 7
Assistant District Attorney Ibee Walters slumped back in her seat and stared at the live news feed displaying on her phone. “There’s a concern in the city of Fort Atkinson after a body was pulled from the Rock River yesterday morning. Another victim, reported to be that of a female was found, but police aren’t discussing the particulars of the case for either person and are trying to notify the families.”
A picture of Ibee popped up on the screen as the reporter continued talking. “ADA Ibee Walters will be handling the case. Her office hadn’t returned our call before we aired.”
“My God, that election photo makes me look older than I feel,” Ibee said shutting off her phone. “What was I thinking when I chose that hairstyle?”
“You were thinking change, which you needed.” Rae, Ibee’s assistant, removed her reading glasses and let them dangle around her neck. “Bleaching your hair blonde and having it in a layered back sweep makes you look sophisticated. The highlights give it an extra touch. I’m glad you kept it.”
<
br /> “Who’s lead on the case?”
“Detective Lily Blanchette.”
Ibee sat forward and tossed the phone into her purse. “Are you sure? Shouldn’t she still be grieving over the loss of her husband? Or on suspension for killing a suspect?”
“The shooting was justified. You know that as well as I do. Internal Affairs cleared Lily a few days after the incident.”
“Sounds kind of quick, don’t you think?”
“I think Lily is the last detective you wanted to end up with this case.”
“There shouldn’t even be a case where two undercovers were killed. Goddamn it! We were this close to bringing in Surace and that little drug store he was running out of that strip club. Biggest bust for Fort and Ariel let things get messy.”
“Ariel met with you two days ago and told you why she wanted out. You backed out of your end of the deal.”
“I only needed one more day. I wanted Surace. All that effort put into the investigation has gone down the drain.”
Rae’s stony expression set Ibee back.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Ibee said.
“That extra day cost the lives of two cops and our witness, Venus. You should’ve pulled them out long before your discussion with Ariel at the diner.”
“You make it sound as if I don’t care.”
“I don’t think you do anymore.” Rae turned and walked out of the office.
Shit. Rae never held anything back. She was the only one willing to stand up to Ibee and call her out. Past the age of retirement, Rae reminded Ibee of her mother: quiet, demure, and fiercely devoted to her work.
Rae doesn’t understand the pressure I’m under. Ibee yanked her briefcase off the desk and left her office. Time to go fishing and see what Lily knows. Maybe I can still save my case. Even if I have to plead down to a lesser charge. Just as long as I get that case on my record before I take office next month as district attorney. That’ll be fine by me.
*
2:44 p.m.
Lily, Evan, Jeremiah, and Alec stood huddled in Sarge’s office, waiting for him to get off the phone with the Chief of Police.
Sarge hung up, typed a few things, and looked up from his computer screen. “The judge will issue a warrant for the Weeks home. As for Ariel’s phone, its department issued, so no subpoena, no waiting. I’ve already called Detective Keys over at the lab. She’ll call Lily or me when she’s done examining the phone.
“Lily, I want you in there with the husband. Get everything he knows about his wife on record. If Ariel went home to her family at night, it’s mostly likely she was doing light undercover. I want to know how many days she was at home, if any.
“Do you think your 80/20 rule will work?”
Lily reached for her legal pad. “Brian seems guarded. He has been since the beginning. I don’t think it’ll work.”
“What’s the 80/20 rule?” Jeremiah popped a piece of gum in his mouth.
“Most witnesses only need a little push to fold like a house of cards—that’s your eighty percent. The other twenty—you have to play them to get what you want from them. There are several ways to do so, but playing on their emotions works the best.” Lily headed toward the interview room.
When Lily entered, she took a seat at the rectangular table across from Brian and pushed the button on the audio recorder. “I’m stating for the record this interview is being taped. Brian, where were you two nights ago, when your wife, Ariel Weeks was killed?”
“I was home with the kids.” Brian scratched his unshaven face.
“The entire night?”
“No. I got home from work a little after 7:30 p.m.”
“What do you do for work?”
“I’m an I.T. Manager at Promits Computers. I was there until about 7:15 that evening.”
“Were you the only one there?”
“No. A co-worker was there. I trouble-shooted an issue on his laptop.”
“Will the co-worker corroborate your story?”
“I’d hope so. I’m not lying to you, detective.”
Lily scooted in a little closer. “I didn’t say you were. Unfortunately, I do have to ask these questions so we can clear up any misconceptions on whether or not you killed your wife.”
“What misconceptions? Who thinks I murdered my wife? I loved her.”
“I understand you’re upset, but I need you to answer my question. Did you have anything to do with your wife’s murder?”
Brian ran his fingers through his hair. “No, I did not.”
Lily wasn’t sure what to think of Brian’s answer. Had she even scratched the surface regarding Brian and Ariel’s relationship? “Do you know who would want to hurt your wife?”
Brian stared at the half-emptied water bottle in his hand. “No, I do not.”
“Did you and Ariel have an argument recently?”
“No.”
“Did your wife come home while working undercover?”
“Ariel showed up to the house a couple times. But she didn’t stay long. She’d kiss the kids and me and leave.”
“When I first met you, you stated that Ariel stayed out late. Staying out late and not coming home at all are not the same. Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”
Brian gulped down the rest of his water, put the cap back on and tightened it.
He’s getting agitated. “Brian? I’m not here to add to your pain. My job is to find the person responsible and, if you let me, I promise I’ll catch the asshole that took the love of your life away. I’m here for you and your sons. Are you willing to let me do that for you?”
Brian nodded. “I didn’t know who I could trust. Ariel warned me to be careful about what I told anyone. That included cops.”
Lily’s intuition had kicked in. The last thing she needed was for Brian to feel like she didn’t trust him, even though it was true. She was sure he was holding something back. Asking for the letters was going to have to wait. “Okay. Thank you for clarifying things. Let’s move forward.”
Again, Lily asked the question about Ariel’s sorority anklet. Again, Brian repeated the same thing he told her over the phone.
Lily jotted down some detailed notes. “What happened after Ariel graduated from the academy?”
“She was asked to do an assignment. They said she was what they were looking for."
“Did she reveal what the assignment was?”
“No. But I was furious when I found out she was a waitress at a strip club.”
Lily leaned back in her chair and exhaled. Brian’s lying. “If your wife didn’t tell you about her assignment, then how did you know that she worked at a strip club? None of those details were released to the media.”
“Two days ago, Ariel opened up to me. She had some growing concern about being identified as a cop and wanted out, but for some reason she changed her mind.”
“Is this the business deal you told me about earlier?”
“Yes.”
“When was the last time you spoke to your wife?”
“Two days ago.”
“I’ll be back.” Lily grabbed her legal pad and stepped outside the interview room. As she rounded the corner, Evan, Jeremiah, and Alec were watching the monitor. “Did everyone catch all of that?”
Evan tugged at his polo. “They plucked Ariel fresh out of the academy, put her on assignment, and she held her own until she was found out. What I don’t understand is how she served time at Braden for a felony and landed a job in law enforcement. No one would consider a person with a felony record.”
Lily tucked the legal pad underneath her arm. “It has to be tied to the undercover work. I spoke with the social worker assigned to Ariel, aka Jasmine Brooks. She was placed in community custody which allowed her to work off ground projects. I’m sure that time was used to meet with her handler.”
Evan said, “Then our victim was never placed in general population, which may be the reason why she was killed. The mob found out and got rid of her.”<
br />
Jeremiah said, “I say our next stop is the club. It’s on Highway 26, South of Jefferson.”
“We need to find out what she was investigating.” Lily looked at Evan. “Is the club in our jurisdiction?”
“Uh …” Evan pulled out his phone and typed a few words. “It has a Fort Atkinson zip code.”
“That’s good enough.” Lily walked to her cubicle and grabbed her keys.
Evan came up alongside Lily and placed his hand on hers. “You’re not going there.” His gaze dropped down to her stomach.
Lily pulled away gently. “Yes, I am. I won’t make a scene.”
“You can’t just show up to a place filled with people who don’t like cops. They’ll pick you out in a minute.”
“I’m just going to see if I can talk with Mikey.”
“I won’t let anything happen to her,” Jeremiah said.
Evan shook his head. “What do you want me to do with the husband?”
“We can’t let him go back to the house until we find out why Ariel believed her family would be in danger. Put him up in a hotel.”
*
4:15 p.m.
Sitting on the upper deck of the eastbound Metra train was a welcomed change of pace for Diamond. She practically had the place to herself. The rocking motion and sound along the tracks as they sped through Harvard, Illinois, made it unlikely that anyone would overhear them. It was the only place she could talk with Mikey without getting caught.
In the last thirty-four hours, Diamond had lost two people she cared for. And the business she was in, it was hard to find someone you can trust.
Now Diamond’s life rested in the hands of her ex-boyfriend. Without him, she would end up just like Ariel and the others.
“I’m scared, Mikey.”
Mikey spit his gum in a piece of paper, balled it up and threw it onto the floor where it rolled and landed in the aisle. “You oughta be. What the hell were you doing at that apartment?”
“Kyle wanted to see me and give me something of Jasmine’s.”
“And what was that?”
“Letters that broad had written about us, the club, and the escort service.”
Her Final Watch (A Detective Blanchette Mystery Book 2) Page 6