Her Final Watch (A Detective Blanchette Mystery Book 2)

by Marguerite Ashton

  The silver barrel settled against Jeremiah’s temple, firming up any doubts he might have had. He no longer had to run from the mob, they’d found him. Mikey Surace and his boys. His heart drummed in his chest as he wondered which of the three thugs were going to be the one to end his life.

  “I’m a block away from here when I get a call that some moolie cop was in here,” Mikey snarled, closing the door to the mausoleum. “I knew it was you. You’ve got no respect, showing up here.”

  Jeremiah groaned as cramps seized his calves from the weight of his upper body, forcing his knees to rub unwillingly against the hard floor. “You didn’t love her. You didn’t even want to marry her.”

  “The minute you knew she was mine, you should’ve run like the joker. But I guess you were too busy pounding that snatch you lost track of what you were really there to do. Summerfest last year; you and her had a good time, you took her back to a friend’s place where she didn’t leave until three in the freakin’ morning.”

  “Want us to take care of him boss?” one of the big guys asked.

  “You wanna get in trouble by my father?”

  “No boss.”

  “Then shut your mouth,” Mikey said, lowering himself next to Mills. “You’re lucky I can’t touch ya. ‘Cause if I could, I’d make sure you begged for your life, just like Rachel did. Next time don’t make it so easy for us. You get me all excited for nothin’.”

  Jeremiah’s thoughts flipped around in his mind as he tried to remember the last night he spoke with Rachel. The texts? The drug overdose? Did Mikey kill Rachel because of him?

  Mikey stood and said, “Get this piece of shit out of my sight.”

  The two beefy guys grabbed the detective by his wrists and ankles, dragged him outside of the mausoleum and tossed him like a pile of garbage next to a headstone. He was suddenly in his old neighborhood, lying next to a dumpster, left to die after refusing to be initiated into a gang. Their taunting lingered, in the abandoned alleys of those refusing to come out after dark. Only this time, the mocking echoed in the dark corners of the cemetery.

  *

  After filling out her report on the interrogation of Mikey Surace, Lily joined Sergeant Owen and the others in the conference room.

  Sarge said, “You did a good job in there.”

  Lily tossed her notepad on the table. “Not good enough. I wanted a name. Or, the way it’s looking, names.”

  “You got a small lead,” Evan said.

  Lily nodded. “This lead only points me to the killer for Diamond, and possibly Ariel, and Liam. It’s beginning to look like the killer may be a client. A client to both Diamond and Ariel. But what about Venus? It has to be connected.”

  Sarge cleared his throat. “Don’t worry about the Lake Koshkonong case. Let Jefferson handle that. If we get anything, we’ll let them know.”

  “You left out Kyle,” Evan said, scooting his chair up to the table.

  “I think he was killed by a different person.”

  Alec shook his head. “That’s kind of a stretch.”

  “It may be. But Mikey didn’t enter Kyle’s apartment alone. Before Mikey clammed up, his responses to my questions were on the nose. He even told the truth about being there. Then, when it came to the question that I think might implicate his family or whoever he’s protecting, he shut down. There was no way he was going to tell us who was with him.”

  Alec said, “If we’re going to consider the possibility of another killer being linked to the murders, why not hold him until he breaks?”

  Evan turned in his chair and faced his partner. “He’s in the mob, Alec. A member of the mob doesn’t talk to the cops unless there’s something in it for them. Even that’s rare, unless, they are the ones in trouble.”

  “Look, guys, it’s just a hunch. I could be way off. Except, I’m not sure that I am. This case is way too messy for us not to look at the possibility of another suspect.” Lily checked the clock. 5:33 p.m. “Has anyone heard from Detective Keys regarding Ariel’s phone?”

  “Keys is working through the night. Hopefully, she’ll have it ready before the end of third shift.” Sarge replied.

  Lily traced the letters of her notes. “Has Liam’s family been notified?”

  Evan answered. “Already handled.”

  Lily sucked in a breath and swiveled in her chair. “I think that’s it. I’m going back to my desk and reread the file on our victims. See if I’ve overlooked something.”

  *

  7:52 p.m.

  From the hospital window, Mikey could see the emergency entrance and an ambulance pulling up into the parking lot of Fort Memorial Hospital. He’d been there for over an hour, but the doctors wouldn’t let him into see her until an officer could be in the room with him.

  She had gotten worse; there was nothing the doctors could do. Mikey had signed the release papers, not sure if it was what Diamond would’ve wanted.

  As the nurse came in, Mikey stepped away from the window and took a couple of steps over to Diamond’s bed. He looked down at the woman he liked but didn’t love. He’d admired her loyalty to the family and him, which earned respect for her in his mind. But that was all. She’d turned to the cops.

  Why you? Why didn’t you meet me back at the club instead of going to them? Did you hate me that much?

  He bent over the railing and kissed her on the cheek.

  The nurse shut off the machine.

  Chapter 16

  8:30 p.m.

  Lily finished scanning the multiple pages of the report and placed her head in her hands. Nothing new had turned up.

  She felt a combination of fatigue, nausea and hunger all bundled into one. She wanted to snuggle with Max. She wanted to hit the pause button on this case, claim her pillow and fall into a deep coma-like nap and get rid of her mounting sleep debt. She wanted to go home.

  Christmas music and the sound of phones ringing drowned out the discussions from her colleagues. If only she could do the same to the intense emotions that had built up over the last several months.

  “Thought I’d stop by and drop this off to you.”

  Lily looked up and saw Rockabilly Pete.

  He smiled and handed her the postcard found in her truck. “I hated Camp Haven.”

  “You’re Catholic?”

  Pete shrugged. “I’m more of a modern lackadaisical Catholic. Anyway, I managed to get a partial print. But it will be a while before I can get to it. Hauser won’t let me push it through as a priority. So I decided to do some research, on my own, about our old summer retreat, which made the hair on the back of my neck curl.” He took a seat in Jeremiah’s chair. “The resort went bankrupt in the mid 90’s when the owner died. Months later, a club was built on the former resort site.”

  “It belongs to the Suraces.”

  “Aren’t you worried?”

  “Of course I am. I’ll be careful.” Anxiety twisted Lily’s gut. “Anything else?”

  “There’s not much to say about the postcard except that it’s vintage Photochrome. It is a type of offset lithography to create a postcard that resembles a photograph. The process dates back to the 1930’s and measures 3.5 by 5.5 inches before the seventies, when they switched to the continental design.”

  “Which means?”

  “Someone had access to the original card printed in 1974. The image portrays a scene from 1968. This isn’t a modern reprint. Who do you know attended the camp before you?”

  “Just my mother and aunt.”

  *

  Later that night, hunched over the keyboard in her cubicle, Lily stared at her partner’s empty chair. It was his day off, but he’d told her that he’d meet her at McGinley’s earlier and never showed. What the hell?

  Lily picked up the phone and called Jeremiah’s cell.

  Voicemail.

  Since she didn’t have any insight into his past, she wasn’t sure if she should be worried or pissed off. It had been twelve hours since she’d spoken with him. No phone calls. No re
plies to her text. No one knew where he had gone.

  Lily’s desk phone rang. Sergeant Owen’s extension. “Yes, Sir?”

  “I sent a unit over to check Jeremiah’s apartment. Nothing seemed amiss. He probably got called away on something personal before meeting you at McGinley’s. If he doesn’t show up for his shift, we’ll step up our search.”

  “Yes, Sir.” Lily hung up and gathered her things to go home.

  “You can call off the search. I’m back.” Jeremiah said from behind her.

  Lily was so infuriated that she wanted to demand that he tell her where he’d had been. No call. No text.

  Lily spun around and glared at Jeremiah. Dried blood flaked from the corner of his lips. “What the hell happened to you?”

  Jeremiah picked up the postcard from Lily’s desk. “A shiny Ford Falcon. My grandfather used to drive one of these. Where did you get this?”

  “Someone broke into my vehicle.”

  “Do you know who it was?”

  Lily gave Jeremiah the update from Pete.

  “What do you want to do?”

  “There’s not much we can do. I haven’t received any threats, nor has anyone physically harmed me.” Lily stood and dropped some files in the top file drawer. “Are you going to pretend that nothing’s wrong? Where were you?”

  Jeremiah plopped down in his chair. “I had to drive to Milwaukee. Take care of some things.”

  “Ah.” Lily snatched the postcard out of his hand. “My shift’s over. There’s nothing much for tonight.” She turned back around, clicked the button on her computer screen. “See you tomorrow.”

  Lily stalked out, down the stairs and got into her truck. That’s twice, partner, that you’ve left me swinging on the vine. You’re on your own.

  She looked at the postcard once more. Then she shoved her hands into the jacket pocket and retrieved the sticky note from yesterday morning. She looked at the name on the paper. Haley. My cousin Haley from camp? Was that Haley that I ran into at the hospital? I haven’t seen her in years.

  *

  9:40 p.m.

  Lily flipped slowly through the family album, smiling at the images of her and her dad on hunting and fishing trips, family barbecues, and parties.

  Several pages into the album, Lily came upon a photo collage arranged in chronological order depicting her time spent at Camp Haven. “Mother, how old was I when Aunt Jackie died?”

  Deena finished watering the Areca Palm. “Let’s see, you were thirteen when my sister passed away. She didn’t come around that much. I’m shocked that you remembered her.”

  “I remember that she lived in Milwaukee and had a daughter who was older than I was. We used to attend summer camp together. Where is she now?”

  “Where’s who?”

  “My cousin. Wasn’t her name Haley?”

  “Yes. I’ve spoken with Haley briefly. She’s been busy, but is doing well.” Deena sat the watering can down on the living room table. “What prompted you to ask?”

  “I came across a postcard that had Camp Haven on it and I thought of Haley. Why don’t you invite her over for Christmas dinner?”

  “I was thinking about having her over after the first of the year. Give you enough time to get your personal life in order.” Deena reached for the family album.

  “Mother, the last thing I need is to be treated like I’m going to crumble into pieces.” Lily handed Deena the book. “I know you’re worried, but each day I’m getting better. No one knows this, but that night, I told Julius that I wanted a divorce. I honestly believe that is what sent him over the edge.”

  “You can’t blame yourself for other people’s problems.”

  “I know. That’s why I’ve decided to rekindle my relationship with Evan. We both agree it’s what we want.”

  Deena clapped her hands. “That is excellent news. Has Evan asked you to marry him yet?”

  Lily shook her head. “We haven’t had time to think about much of anything. This case has our attention. Other than that, I have my job, I’m content. And having family around for the holidays would make things even better. Will you put something together and invite Haley?”

  Deena turned and looked around the room. “I have an even better idea. We’ll get through December, and I’ll throw a grand party for New Year’s Eve. I’ll invite our family, including Haley and you can invite your friends. We’ll bring in the New Year, right here in this living room. What do you think?”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Good it’s settled. Don’t worry about calling any of the family. Sharon and I will take care of that. All you have to do is invite your friends.”

  Chapter 17

  December 15, 6:30 a.m.

  Max’s paws clacked on the kitchen floor as he circled and plopped down next to Lily’s chair.

  Lily gave him his morning treat and picked up a section of the Rock River Daily newspaper. Her heart flip-flopped as she read the headline posted on the front page. Witness in Murder Investigation Pronounced Dead at Fort Memorial. Lily continued to read.

  Local club manager, Diamond Reese, was rushed to the hospital yesterday morning after she was struck repeatedly by a black four-door SUV, which fled the scene. No one saw who was driving, but sources said that Mikey Surace, who owns the club Ms. Reese managed, was brought in to answer a few questions and cooperated with the police. No word on whether or not he’s a suspect. Ms. Reese succumbed to her injuries late last night.

  Reese who’s originally from Milwaukee was engaged to Surace.

  The club, On The Edge, was the subject of an undercover investigation and was shut down a year ago but has since reopened. Venus Taylor, who worked at the club and had been secured as a witness by the district attorney, was found murdered on the shore of Lake Koshkonong December tenth. The family is speaking out.

  “That owner knew my daughter was underage when he hired her. She said they threatened to kill her if she left. She was afraid of them and told us that family has mob connections,” said Taylor’s father, Jimmy.

  The Surace family has denied rumors about mob ties and said they will work with the police to find the driver of the vehicle that hit Reese. Assistant District Attorney, Ibee Walters, stated that she is working closely with law enforcement to make sure the person or persons responsible will be brought to justice.

  Lily tossed the paper down on the kitchen table. You’re a piece of work, Ibee. She stalked into the living room.

  Deena looked over the rim of her glasses, closed her book and lifted the remote to turn down the classical rendition of Silver Bells. “I thought you were gone.”

  “I was just about to leave.” Lily thumbed through a stack of party invitations sitting on the coffee table. They were decorated with martini glasses and a New Year’s banner. “Trying something different?”

  “Yes. From a new place called Personalized Papers. I even bought stationery.” Deena rose off the couch. “Let’s go see your presents. They came early.”

  “Mother, I said it wasn’t necessary to exchange gifts this year. I told you what I wanted.”

  Deena linked her arm through Lily’s. “I didn’t put the bows on yet, but I think we can make an exception this time.” Deena led Lily into the foyer and gently pushed her daughter ahead of her. “Surprise.”

  Lily closed her eyes and exhaled.

  “What’s the matter? Did I pick the wrong colors? I tried to stay with neutral ones. During my day, the colors were either pink or blue.”

  Lily opened her eyes and moved toward the stacks of gifts wrapped in different animal prints. Large stuffed animals of varying sizes were placed neatly against the wall. She picked up a plush owl and turned it over in her hands. “You promised you’d let me decide what I wanted to do.”

  “You told me you were doing better.”

  “That doesn’t mean I’ve decided to keep the baby.”

  “Placing your baby and my grandchild up for adoption is absurd. You know that I won’t allow a member of th
is family to be separated.”

  “Mother, please, don’t start this now.”

  Deena took a step and touched Lily’s shoulder. “You’re at a critical time in your life, and you’re still numb from Julius. Don’t miss out on this precious moment to enjoy being an expectant mother. The baby is a miracle, not a burden. I implore you to hold on just a little longer to be sure. Solve this case and take some time to think this through. I can assure you that a mother’s bond with her child is forever.”

  Lily drew in a breath and looked away. What about a daughter’s bond with her mother? Can one like ours be repaired? Lily grabbed her gun off the table. She couldn’t think of anything appropriate to say without hurting her mother’s feelings.

  You’re the one who had to have the affair. You treated my sister like she didn’t belong in our family. You’ve lied to me about who my real father was. And you continue to turn this family upside down with your lies and the need to be in control.

  Forgiving her wasn’t as easy as Lily had hoped. What would it take to wipe the slate clean and erase the resentment that ran deep in her heart? The forgiveness well was empty.

  Remain positive, Lily. You’ve gotten this far.

  The doorbell rang, pulsing through the silence lingering between mother and daughter.

  Lily reached for the knob and opened the door. There stood Julius’s dad, Grant, wearing the same clothes she’d seen him in last.

  Lily felt her muscles freeze.

  She wanted to slam the door, but it was as if a force had reached from beyond the grave to keep the door held open. “Grant, I told you I didn’t want to see you again.”

  “Good morning. I wanted to thank you for your kindness for not putting me in the cage to dry out.”

  “You can thank me by not driving while intoxicated.”

  “I’m headed back to Oconto and wondered if you’d send the rest of my boy’s things?” Grant peered past Lily. “Whoa. Who’s the lucky kid?”