“I was married to a cop. I know how it works.” Deena smiled, picked up the tray and headed toward the kitchen.
As Lily reached for her jacket from the coat rack, keys jingled in the lock. She took a step back. When the door opened, Lily was relieved to see a familiar face. Sharon, the woman who had always managed to offer Lily sound advice whenever she needed it during the most critical time of her life: adolescence. Even with Sharon’s busy schedule, which consisted of preparing meals and cleaning the house, she never told Lily she didn’t have the time.
“Oh, my Lily’s come back home. I’m so glad that you’ll be spending Christmas here at your house.”
“You’re not working on Christmas are you?”
“It doesn’t bother me. I don’t have any family left to spend the holidays with except for your mother and you.”
They hugged.
Sharon’s pudgy cheeks were chilled against Lily’s. The smell of crisp air and baked pies clung to Sharon’s coat.
Sharon pulled away, glanced down at the sticky notes next to the cordless telephone and peeled off a sheet from the dispenser. “A woman named Haley called for you. She asked that you call her at this number.” She handed Lily the note.
Lily read it. Call Haley at 414-555-0189. “Did this person say what she wanted?”
Sharon shook her head.
“I’ll take care of this later,” Lily said, putting on her jacket. “Mother’s in the kitchen.” She shoved the note into her pocket and closed the door softly behind her.
*
The narrow path leading away from On The Edge into the deep woods two miles out had been the perfect spot to torture Tommy ‘Ears’ Tedesco about who ordered the hit on the cops.
Sitting in the dark with its headlights off, a rusty ‘92 Buick Roadmaster sat locked in park with its engine idling and a knotted rope tied to its hitch receiver. The muffler kicked out thick smoke as it dangled by a metal bracket.
Quentin signaled to the men sitting in the Roadmaster. The midsized car eased forward—tightening around Tommy’s torso against the trunk of the tree.
“Argh,” Ears cried. “I don’t know nothin’ bout nothin’!”
Quentin signaled to them again. This time, the car rolled forward, pulling even tighter.
Tommy screamed. “Okay … I might know something. But it ain’t much. I swear.”
Quentin waved, and the car’s transmission clunked into neutral, rolled back, loosening the ropes. “Tell me who ordered the hit on those two undercovers without Pop Surace’s permission.”
“It was Mikey,” Ears said, leaning forward and spitting up blood. “But it wasn’t a hit. Leash came to Mikey and told him there was a cop working the club.
“When I asked Mikey if he wanted me to get rid of her, he told me no. He said it was Leash’s problem and to let him take care of it.”
“Why was it Leash’s problem?”
“That’s all I was told. Are you going to kill me?”
Quentin chuckled inside as he picked up the bag of cash off the ground and tossed it at Tommy. The man from the driver’s side got out of the car, unraveled the rope and shoved Tommy into the front seat.
If what Ears was saying was the truth, then the boss’s son didn’t have what it took to be Don. Quentin could make that work to his advantage.
*
Haley Lowe leaned on the horn of her silver Camaro as rush hour traffic sat bumper to bumper on Interstate I-39. “Come on nimrods, I need to get to the office. Why is the traffic so crazy?” she asked, pulling the hair tie off her wrist.
She laced her tangled dark hair through the tie, reached for the knob on the radio and turned it up. “Looks like another day with temps reaching the mid-forties. So shake off your thermals and relax as we play another round of soft rock here on KLLZ.”
The phone buzzed in the dash mount. The real estate company. She clicked the button on her earpiece to answer the call as she signaled to get off at her exit. “Finally.”
The other line picked up. “Blanchette Realty.”
“I’m on my way. I just left Deena’s house. I’ve exited off 39. I’ll be there soon.”
“Your client called twice. Do you want me to start writing the offer and you can finish when you get here?”
“That’d help.”
“Did you tell Deena?”
“Yep and she didn’t want to talk about it. I’ve been sitting on my hands for years, keeping my mouth shut. Then when I think Deena’s ready, she backs away. This time it’s her precious daughter. Lily’s going through some crisis, and Deena refuses to let me talk with her.”
“And you’re crazy if you think she ever will.”
A tone clicked in Haley’s ear. “Wait a sec,” Haley said, tapping the notification on her phone.
Suddenly, a loud chirp sounded from behind her car.
A police cruiser, lights flashing, loomed in her rearview mirror.
“Are you kidding me?” Haley asked turning into the grocery store parking lot. “I’m getting pulled over. I’ll call you back.” She hung up.
As the cop got out of the car, Haley gripped the steering wheel. My day just keeps getting worse. He probably pulled me over because I’m a black female in a nice car.
She rolled down her window as the cop walked up to her car.
“Did you realize you were speeding when you blew that red light back there?”
She squinted at his badge. “No sir, Officer Levins. I didn’t see it.”
“May I see your driver’s license, insurance and registration?”
Haley dug into her purse and glove compartment and handed the police officer everything he’d asked for. “I know that picture doesn’t look like me, but it is. I swear. I’ve lost some weight since that pic was taken.”
“Okay, ma’am.” He took the information and walked back to his car.
Wait, did I pay that other speeding ticket from three years ago? I can’t remember. And if I didn’t, there’s probably a warrant out for my arrest and I’m going to be hauled off to jail. I knew I should’ve just stayed in bed.
Seconds turned into minutes and soon, Haley realized people leaving and coming to the store slowed down to look her way.
The officer got out and strolled back to the window. Haley watched as he filled out something on a pad and handed her the ticket.
Hayley looked at it and back up at Officer Levins. “Two hundred dollars!”
“Next time, make sure you stop at a red light and drive the speed limit.” He started to walk away but stopped. “By the way, you’ve got nice taste in cars.” The police officer continued towards his cruiser.
“Probably thinks I stole it,” Haley snapped, rolling up her window.
*
9:12 a.m.
An hour into Lily’s shift a knock on her cubicle interrupted her reading of the autopsy reports on Ariel Weeks and John Doe. She rubbed her eyes to relieve the strain of searching the database.
“Are we still friends?” Alec asked.
“Have you calmed down?”
“Yeah. You know how I get. It’s never personal with you.”
“I understand.” Lily handed Alec the folder. “This is Hauser’s report on our John Doe. He was bludgeoned to death.”
Alec opened the folder and read the report.
“This one is Ariel’s. Look at the time of death on both.”
Alec skimmed the reports. “It seems like they both expired around the same time.”
“I’m hoping that means the both of them were together at the time. That’ll help to narrow the search.”
“It would.” Alec handed Lily back the folders. “Guess who’s here?” A wicked smile spread across his face.
“She who shall not be named?”
Alec nodded. “She’s waiting for you in the conference room.”
“Joy.”
Lily handed Alec an envelope off her desk. “Give that to Evan. There are pics of our two victims and notes from the case. Tell him I n
eed his friend to get ahold of his old contacts and see if he can find what Ariel was doing at the club. And if he can get a hit on our John Doe, it’d help.”
“Got it.”
Lily raised slowly out of her chair, buttoned up her red blazer and made her way to the conference room where Ibee Walters waited.
“It’s getting to be a habit,” Lily said, as she entered the room.
“What’s getting to be a habit?”
“You coming to me before I get a chance to come to you.”
“This case is getting more attention than I care for and that means the people of the community are going to expect something to be done about it. Which, as you know, falls on my shoulders.
“I’ve come to see if you’ve gotten any leads to help put things to rest. I’ll do whatever I can to push this case and get it before a judge, as long as it’s legal.”
“Legal. I’ve never done anything to bring my ethics as an officer into question.”
“True, but this case is personal for you and every cop in the FAPD.”
Lily listened intently. “Of course it’s personal. I want whoever took a mother away from her children and my John Doe from his family to be arrested. And since you just admitted that Ariel was a cop, I’d like the real truth from you. Not one of your delay-tactic-truths. Is the Weeks family in danger?”
“It’s a strong possibility.”
“What about my John Doe found in the front seat? Do you know his name?”
“No.”
Lily exhaled. “You expect me to believe that when you were on the phone to the medical examiner before I even arrived on the scene? Hauser sent me the autopsy report on my John Doe. He was bludgeoned to death. But you already knew that.”
“It’s my job to know, Lily.”
“Are the Suraces involved?”
“To a degree and it’s all I can say for now.”
“Meaning you know but you won’t tell. Fantastic.”
“I’m in a difficult position.”
“You’re in that position because all you care about is prosecuting cases. Not the people who depend on you to get criminals off the streets. This reminds me of the time you stalled on denying bail for a suspect. You wanted to work the case at an angle that benefited you. It’s always about Ibee. I before E—Ibee before Everyone.”
“Not this time. I have to get back to the office so I can stay on top of this. I’ll give you a heads up if I learn anything.”
After you tidy things up. Lily forced a smile. “I’ll be waiting by my phone.”
Ibee walked around Lily and hurried out the door.
Lily followed Ibee, turned the corner and bumped into Alec. “Were you eavesdropping?”
“No. I was waiting for you to finish your conversation.”
Sergeant Owen rounded the corner. “Get your detectives and head over to this call.” He handed Lily a piece of paper. “A neighbor called it in.”
Alec said. “I’ll go get Evan and Jeremiah.”
Lily read the information given to her. Not him. “Kyle Weeks was shot.”
“According to the neighbor. Get out there fast. I’ll be right behind you.”
Jeremiah met Lily in the hallway with her jacket and the keys to the Charger. Her cell phone vibrated as they ran to their car. It was Detective Keys.
Lily answered the call. “Did you find anything on Ariel’s phone?”
“You betcha. There was a lot of logical data left on the phone.”
Lily cringed as she opened the passenger door and got inside. “Logical data? What is that in cop speak?”
“Data that hasn’t been erased. The last incoming call on December eleventh was from D.R. at 8:43 p.m. There were three outgoing calls to D.R. prior to the incoming call on that same day. The first two were at 4:08, those lasted two seconds a piece. The third call was at 4:10 p.m. it lasted three minutes.”
“The two back-to-back calls most likely went straight to voicemail and the three-minute call Ariel had a conversation with someone. What’s the number?” Lily wrote down the number. “How long will it be before you can retrieve deleted texts or pictures?”
“I’m working to have it to you in a few days.”
“Crap. I really need this now.”
“I know. I’m doing the best I can. But Christmas is in twelve days. You should see how backed up we are here. If the city allowed us to hire like they did at the crime lab, it’d be a different story. Some folks have already taken their holiday vacation.”
“Keys, push this one for me. I’ll owe you one. Please. I might have a family in danger and I need a strong lead. I can’t wait.”
“All right. Let me think.” Keys said, putting Lily on hold.
Lily placed her hand over the receiver. “Our vic placed a call to someone with the initials D.R.”
Jeremiah signaled to get in the other lane. “Diamond Reese?”
“It’s the only one I can think of. I’ll call it in and see if I can get a name to go with the number.”
Keys got back on the line. “I know a guy who’s a whiz at retrieving data. Maybe he can help me out. It’ll cost ya.”
“Thank you.”
“I said maybe. I’ll be in touch.”
Lily ended the call and dialed the station. “Sarge, it’s Lily. Can you see if you can a get a name to match this number?”
“Go ahead.”
Lily rattled off the number. After several seconds she hung up. “You were right. Diamond Reese lives at N3878 Rawson Street.”
“It’s about time.”
Chapter 12
10:05 a.m.
Emergency lights flashed red and blue as Jeremiah pulled up along the curb leading to a row of apartment buildings; one of them belonging to their latest victim.
As Lily stepped out the car, Nick walked over and gave each detective a pair of booties to put on. “Is it Kyle Weeks?” Lily asked.
“Yes, ma’am. Hauser is five minutes out.”
Evan and Alec joined Lily, and Jeremiah and the four walked with Nick up towards the front of the building.
Nick pointed at an elderly woman talking with a female patrol officer. “The neighbor who called it in stated she doesn’t know when it happened. She just got back from a trip. When the neighbor arrived at her place of residence, she noticed Kyle’s cat meowing at the door.
“The neighbor thought it was odd that the cat wasn’t inside. She went to pick up the cat and knock on the door. That’s when she saw bloody shoe prints leading away from the apartment. She opened the door and found Kyle Weeks.”
Lily and the others gloved up and made their way into the building, up the stairs, stepping carefully around the markers leading into the home.
About two feet from the door was Kyle’s body, face down in a pool of his own blood.
As the forensic technicians took pictures and identified each piece of evidence, Lily jotted down a few notes of her own in her notebook. “Shot in the back.”
Evan leaned forward and pointed at a wound near Kyle’s upper torso. “Here’s one here and here.”
“Alec, can you take some pics for us?”
“Yep.” Alec pulled out his camera and began taking photos of the victim and the surrounding scene.
Lily said, “Shot while running away. Jeremiah?”
“No doubt. His pockets aren’t turned inside out, so most likely they weren’t looking to rob him.”
“The victim is out of rigor. We’re looking at least twelve or more hours since it happened.” Lily stepped back and did a double take on the front door. “No sign of forced entry. So maybe Kyle opened the door or someone used a key.” Lily looked down at the markers next to the bloody footprints. “I see two different size impressions.”
Evan said, “We have two perps.”
“At least.” Lily bent at the knees to take a closer look at the footprints. “If I’m not mistaken, this one almost looks like a lady’s high-heeled shoe.”
Jeremiah asked, “How did you come
up with that?”
“Focus on the outsole of the shoe. See how it comes around, making a complete hexagonal design. No midsole. Then a simple triangular point.”
“I’ve learned something new.”
“You know cars, I know shoes.” Lily scanned the crime scene once again. “There’s a couple of shell casings and projectiles.”
Evan said, “Those are 45’s.”
Lily observed a forensic marker leading down the hallway. She advanced further into the house. She removed the flashlight from her breast pocket and shined the light on red spots on the carpet. More footprints leading down the hall. Heels?
Jeremiah came up behind Lily. “Hauser’s here.”
“Okay.” As she turned the corner, she felt the air getting colder. Where’s that chill coming from? Lily looked straight ahead at the double doors. “Come with me.”
Both detectives went into the office and looked around. The blinds for the patio swayed back and forth, clapping together as the breeze found its way inside.
“Don’t touch anything. I’m not sure if forensics has been in here yet.” Lily moved slowly towards the patio.
On the wall next to the patio was a switch. It’s off. “If that’s the light switch to the patio, it means that someone went out this door.”
“What does the light switch have to do with any of this?”
“Unless you’re a stargazer, the only time a person would go out on their balcony at night without the light, is if they didn’t want to be seen. Your question should be—why would the door be left open in the first place? It’s winter and despite the unusually warm weather, the temps dropped down to the twenties. Last night it got down to twenty-one.”
“Humph. Well, whoever it was sure didn’t jump off a second story balcony and into the river.”
“I don’t know what happened. But I do know that another person was here with Kyle. Maybe the person hid out here on the balcony? It’d be nice if that person were a witness.”
Evan walked into the room. “Hauser wants to see you.”
Lily nodded. “I’ll be right there.”
“So we’re thinking Kyle opened the door, the perpetrator shoots, leaves and closes the door?” Jeremiah asked.
“Pretty much. From what I can tell, nothing in the house has been disturbed. The evidence shows the incident happened up front and at the moment there’s nothing that shows me otherwise. I mean, it’s winter. Who’d leave their patio door open?”
Her Final Watch (A Detective Blanchette Mystery Book 2) Page 9