Her Final Watch (A Detective Blanchette Mystery Book 2)

by Marguerite Ashton

  Quentin watched from the window as Mikey trotted across to the other side of the dirt road. If he weren’t wounded, it would’ve been easy to pull the trigger and not worry about the fallout. But he was injured. He was in enough pain for now. You’re a lucky man, this time.

  *

  Mikey slid into the backseat of his Denali and settled into the leather seat. “To the club.” As the vehicle pulled away from the curb, Mikey lit up a cigarette. If Pop would’ve let me handle the contract, Mills wouldn’t be alive today.

  He took a deep drag off the cigarette, looked out the window and tried to avoid thinking about his sit down with Pop. But their heated talk from the past busted through Mikey’s mind like a shotgun blast shattering wood. ‘“You’re passive aggressive and have an itchy trigger finger. That kind of impulse will get you in trouble. Worse yet, dead. I don’t want to worry about my son every day when you can use your intelligence and help me expand the family business. Be truthful. Be respectful. Make your money and follow some of the rules about the law.”’

  Itchy trigger finger? You have no idea …

  *

  6:21 p.m.

  For the second time in a span of seventeen days, Lily had been given a thumbs-up and released from the hospital.

  The last few months Lily had seen her fair share of hospital rooms. She hoped she wouldn’t have to do so again for a long time.

  Lily smiled at Evan as he turned the knob and opened the door to her Victorian. She stepped inside and was hit by the smell of new paint and the shine from her wooden floors.

  She visited all the rooms in the house. Everything was in its place, including the new furniture. “It’s beginning to feel like a real home. At least until the baby’s born, then it’ll be a toddler funhouse.”

  Evan placed his hand on Lily’s belly. “Are we going to be parents?”

  Warm tears pooled in the corner of Lily’s eyes. “Yes.” She kissed Evan and buried her head in the crook of his shoulder.

  As Lily’s weight settled against Evan, she thought about everything that had happened over the last day and how tired she was. The wariness on Mother’s face last night. The dinner. I forgot. I’ll call her after we leave here.

  “What’s on your mind, Lil?”

  This moment with Evan was rare. She loved him and wondered if what she needed to say would ruin it. “I think this past year I’ve made some big mistakes.”

  “We all make mistakes. I made the mistake of letting you go.” Evan wrapped Lily in his arms and pulled her close.

  “You’re right. That we all make mistakes.” Lily pulled gently out of the embrace. “Does that mean you’ll forgive Jeremiah?”

  “Oh, Lil. You set me up for that one.”

  “Not really. I mean, for a while, it wasn’t looking so good for me. After our engagement ended, I was on the rebound and married a psycho. You know the rest. It seemed like my life kept spiraling out of control accompanied by a constant round of bad news.”

  “Jeremiah knowingly kept what he did a secret.”

  “Jeremiah made a mistake during an investigation, and it’s come back to haunt him. He did everything he could to protect me. I saw the car. Jeremiah threw me down and laid on top to shield me from the spray of gunfire. You can’t be mad at him. He saved your girl.

  “I thought the four of us were a team. I’m not sure what’s going to happen with Jeremiah after all of this, but he needs to know that he still has us.”

  Evan exhaled. “I’ll apologize.”

  Lily wrapped her arms around the love of her life and clung to him with every ounce of strength she had left. “Thank you.”

  She buried her head in Evan’s chest and inhaled the scent of his cologne. He was wearing the one she bought for him when they were engaged. The combination of mint and lavender once roused Lily’s senses, but now the mint was making her queasy.

  She stepped back, bringing her hand to her nose.

  “Do I stink?”

  “It’s not you. It’s the cologne.”

  Evan unbuttoned his shirt. “I’ll go take a quick shower before we leave. Is everything where it used to be?”

  “Yes.” Lily watched as Evan headed to the guest bathroom and removed his shirt, exposing his fair skin. She’d missed everything about Evan. From their small talks in the morning over coffee to their wind down time in the evenings. There’s nothing or no one standing in your way. It’s time to give Evan all of you.

  Lily strolled toward the bathroom, opened the door and walked inside. Evan’s silhouette outlined his impressive body through the shower curtain. She peeled off her clothes, pulled back the curtain and stepped inside the stall.

  Evan turned, looked at Lily, and pressed his soapy body against her nakedness. “Do I still smell like mint?”

  She rested her head on his chest. “No.” Excitement filled her. “Let’s make love. Right here. Right now.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She slid her hand between them and stroked Evan’s semi-erect cock, bringing him to complete hardness. She spun around, leaned forward and accepted Evan willingly.

  Chapter 22

  Leash trampled fresh goose droppings as he followed upon the heels of his eye candy, Crystal. Those strong legs that had held her aloft twirling, inverted in time with the music on the golden pole, carried her swiftly along the riverbank under the Robert Street Bridge.

  She has found me out. The time has come to get rid of her. Oh, I like it when they run. Makes it that much better when it’s time to kill them.

  Leash pushed harder to catch his sexy prey before the brush line and hill leading to Highway 106.

  “Stay away from me,” Crystal yelled.

  Yell all you want. Your cries are drowned out from the passing cars above. The strawberry scent from Crystal’s hair lashed in the crisp air and clung to Leash’s nostrils. You’re mine.

  Leash dove, tackling Crystal at the ankles.

  Crystal kicked wildly, freeing one of her legs. “Don’t kill me, please.”

  The dancer’s high heel scraped against Leash cheek.

  Leash blocked the next swing of the dancer’s leg, as the right side of his face stung.

  “You’re mine.” Leash clutched Crystal at her sides, pulled her to him and straddled her back, pinning her arms to the ground with his knees. He placed his hands over Crystal’s mouth, her face wet from the tears. “I promise to make it quick.”

  As Leash reached into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around the cold metal, a tingling sensation erupted behind his ears as his thoughts turned to all of the other women.

  One by one, each of the women had been removed from this earth to silence them. He’d stolen from the mob and they had the proof. But with Crystal, he’d been too late. She had gotten to them.

  As Crystal thrashed underneath the weight of his body, Leash pulled the choke collar out of his pocket and slipped it over her head, letting the chain hang loosely around her neck.

  The links clicked as Leash pulled the ring on the collar, slowly cutting off Crystal’s unanswered cries.

  Leash’s mouth went dry.

  He closed his eyes, leaned back; tightening the chain with the weight of his body.

  Crystal coughed and gasped.

  “Don’t struggle. Just let it happen.” Leash stood and jerked the collar upward.

  Soon, Crystal’s body went limp.

  Chapter 23

  December 17, 8:20 a.m.

  Alec stopped by Lily’s cubicle. “Did the doctor say it was okay for you to come back to work?”

  Closing out the program on her computer, Lily turned to face Alec. “He did. The baby’s fine and healthy and so am I. The twinge I felt is normal during the early months of pregnancy.”

  “Uh, okay. Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

  Lily had received numerous congratulations from her colleagues. The one person she hadn’t heard from was Sergeant Owen. She didn’t know what to think of the silence between them, though she did wonde
r if he had planned on putting her on light duty for the remainder of the pregnancy.

  Since she was the only female detective on the team, she didn’t believe there was a precedent for Sergeant Owen to follow. She did know that had she been a patrol officer the policy would’ve had her at the desk the minute the test came back positive. But as a detective, seeing as Lily’s work was generally less hands on, she hoped that her commanding officer might take that into consideration when making the decision.

  Lily’s doctor said she could continue to work, but after what had happened, she was starting to rethink being lead investigator on this case. She would do whatever it took to protect her baby.

  Not having an answer is driving me crazy. I’m going to go find him. Lily stood, looked over the top of the cubicle and locked eyes with Sergeant Owen’s from across the room. Even with several feet between them, Lily could see the disappointment etched on his face.

  Sarge motioned for Lily to come and talk to him.

  “How do you feel?” Sarge asked when she had joined him in his office. He sat in one of the chairs placed in front of his desk.

  Lily sat next to him. “Pretty good.”

  “Why did you keep the news of your pregnancy from me?”

  Lily told Sergeant Owen about her previous plans regarding adoption and what had prompted her to change her mind.

  “I owe your dad,” Sarge began. “When you were born, I promised him I’d watch over you. I’m keeping that promise. He’d want his grandchild in his family, no matter what happened in the past.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because he told me the same thing about my family. Told me to stop being angry about not having one.”

  Lily looked up at her commanding officer. “How is that possible? How can I stop being angry over something that might ruin the emotional stability of my child?”

  “Might ruin. I grew up in the system, Lily. It wasn’t easy being shuffled from one foster home to another. One day I decided to hold onto something I could call my own, so I joined the military. After I finished my enlistment, I joined the police force.

  “The only thing I treasure is my wife and kids, my job, and my detectives. That’s my family. Your dad used to say it takes a squad to raise a little one. That little one you’re carrying will have more than enough family.”

  A sudden lightness swept over Lily.

  Sarge glanced back at the window that looked out into the main hallway. Lily followed his gaze. Evan, Alec, and Jeremiah were standing near the break room, talking.

  “After what happened at Hindle’s, I’ve been going back and forth on whether or not to let you continue with this case. I even offered this case to the others, but they refused. Their loyalty is to you.”

  “I’m honored.”

  “Do you think you are up for another case so soon? Especially, this one.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “What did your doctor say?”

  “I’m healthy. He’s okay with me resuming my regular work duties. I do have a concern about what happened at the café.”

  Sarge turned around in his seat. “When word got out that you’d been taken to the hospital, I got a call from Jeremiah’s former boss in Milwaukee. Did Jeremiah tell you his story?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Sarge leaned forward in his chair. “I don’t care what he did in Milwaukee. He’s an officer in Fort and what he does in his professional life as a Fort officer is my only concern, except when it carries over on to another case or my detectives. If anybody should’ve told me it should’ve been you. What else have you two discussed?”

  Lily took a deep breath and exhaled. She could sense the pressure coming from her sergeant.

  “I’m not asking you to break Jeremiah’s confidence.” Sarge’s expression sobered. “But his past has caused a huge stumbling block for this department and for this case. Hell, if we get enough evidence to prosecute, there could be some serious repercussions. If a defense attorney wanted to make a big stink about how this case was handled, it’d make this entire homicide division look incompetent. So, if there’s anything else that I need to know, for our sakes, tell me.”

  Lily shifted in the seat.

  “I admire your loyalty to your partner,” Sarge said. But if you refuse to answer or if you lie to me, I’ll place you on suspension.”

  Lily took a minute before answering. She really couldn’t think of anything to tell Sarge because she felt in her heart that Jeremiah had told the truth. “No, Sir. According to Jeremiah, I know everything that you know.”

  Jeremiah was in trouble and the Suraces had failed. Lily believed that they would try again.

  “I’ve pulled Jeremiah off the case.”

  Lily rose out the chair. “I understand, Sir. Can he at least be a consult? He has investigated the Suraces before and knows enough about them to keep us ahead in the investigation.”

  “I don’t believe so. I.A. is involved.”

  “But Jeremiah is not on active duty. It’d be like me going to Gus Shaw seeking information for something that I’m stuck on during a case.”

  “Gus has a license.”

  “Jeremiah’s in police protection,” Lily said. “How about this? If you approve, I will delegate Jeremiah to certain parts of the investigation. If I need back-up, I’ll reach out to one of the other detectives.”

  “Smart thinking."

  “You had doubts?”

  “No doubts. Just concerns.”

  Lily nodded.

  “Two things before you go. I’ll let Jeremiah consult on the case until I.A. says differently. Also, you’re going on the desk before your second tri...”

  “Trimester?”

  “Yes.”

  “I agree.”

  Sarge smiled. “Then go back to doing what you do best. And wear your vest.”

  The team was back together.

  *

  11:39 a.m.

  Lily slammed down the phone. “Damn. I can’t get a hold of Brian.”

  Jeremiah said, “I’ll call patrol and have them go see what’s going on. Look. The video of Ariel came back from the crime lab. She was with Dan the day she died.”

  Several minutes into the video, Ariel and Dan exited the elevator and headed over to the bar.

  “Did you see that?” Lily asked. “Back it up a second. There. Don’t blink. Look closely at the man at the far end of the bar.”

  “Brian Weeks. I knew there was something about him that I didn’t like.”

  Lily picked up the picture that she had printed from Ariel’s records and placed it up on the computer screen. “The background in the photo from Ariel’s phone doesn’t match the one on the video. Two photos on two separate occasions.”

  “Brian’s been lying the entire time. He knew all this time where his wife was, what she did for undercover. How did he manage that one?”

  Lily rolled her chair over to her desk and began typing on her computer. “Remember when Brian said he was late coming home from work the day Ariel was killed because he was working on an employee’s computer?”

  “Yep.”

  “Did you ever follow up with that guy?”

  “I did.” Jeremiah flipped through his notes. “He said that Brian was there during that time.”

  “So then how can Brian Weeks be in two places at once.” Lily turned her monitor towards Jeremiah. “See the time and date of the picture?”

  Jeremiah nodded. “Brian couldn’t have been at work at the same time he was sitting at a bar.”

  “Brian lied to us. It’s time to find out why.”

  *

  3:20 p.m.

  The neon light above the Paden Motel flickered off and on, offering tired motorists a place to stay.

  Nick walked up to the driver’s side of the Charger. “The desk clerk said he thinks Brian left the hotel around six-thirty this morning and hasn’t been back since.”

  Lily looked at her watch. “That was almost nine hours ago.” She sc
anned the parking lot. “If you hear anything else, let me know.”

  “Will do.” Nick got into his car and pulled out of the parking lot.

  Lily dug into the breast pocket of her teal blazer and held her dad’s badge in her hand. Things would be so much easier if you were here.

  She dropped the badge back into the pocket, retrieved her phone and texted Ibee. Lily hoped the voicemail Ibee’s left would lead to some good news. “You called?”

  “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “Thanks. What did you want to tell me?”

  “I’ll use everything I know to make sure that the person responsible for Ariel’s death is convicted. I owe it to her family.”

  “It’s not just Ariel that this person has killed. But I appreciate what you’re trying to say.”

  Lily dropped her phone into her breast pocket and started the Charger. As Lily pulled away from the curb, she saw Quentin from On The Edge exit Brian’s motel room, a scowl etched on his face.

  She observed Quentin as he got into his vehicle and drove away. What were you doing in Brian’s room?

  Lily surveyed the parking lot once more. She didn’t see anyone else coming in or going out.

  Lily grabbed her radio and threw the gear in park. “Dispatch, this is badge number 519. You copy?”

  “Go ahead.”

  Lily stepped out of the car. “I need a unit sent over the Paden Motel—800 Blackhawk Drive, room three.”

  “Copy that, Detective.”

  Lily reached into the car, grabbed her vest, and put it on. As she entered the small lobby, she saw an older gentleman sitting in a chair by the entrance to the elevators, reading the newspaper.

  The motel owner’s nephew, a lanky young male with dark curly hair, walked up to Lily. “Hey, Detective.”

  “Jeff, do the motel rooms here have adjoining rooms?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is the room next to number three empty?”

  “Yes. Let me double check.” Jeff trotted over behind the desk. “Room four is…not empty. I’m surprised because he was upset with an extra charge added to his bill. One of the maids smelled smoke in the room, and we charged him for it.”