by Webb, Debra
It was then that Jess noticed just how pale Sylvia’s face was. Her eyes brimmed with tears. “Maybe you should sit down,” Jess suggested.
Sylvia stood there not saying a word.
“Two more hot cocoas coming up,” Dan announced, breaking the awkward silence.
Jess ushered Sylvia to the sofa near the window. “Thanks, sweetie,” she said to Dan when he lingered by the door. “Sylvia would love a cup.”
When it was just the two them with Bear curled at their feet, Jess clasped Sylvia’s hands in her own. “What’s going on?”
Sylvia seemed to snap from the trance she’d drifted into. “I thought my life was...” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Okay. I don’t have any financial worries. My career is great. My love life is...” Sylvia shrugged again. “Sometimes really great. But, you know,” she turned to Jess, “I really believed things were damned good considering the state of the world. Sure, we’ve all done things in the past we regret, but lately I’ve been dwelling on a decision I made half a lifetime ago.” She shook her head. “I’ve been all wrapped up in ancient history and I didn’t see that there was something terribly wrong here and now.”
“Take your time,” Jess offered, “and tell me what’s going on.”
“I received the tox screen back on the judge.” Sylvia pulled her hands free of Jess’s and clenched them in her lap. “The cause of death was cardiac arrest. He was administered a lethal injection of the same three drugs used to execute prisoners on death row.”
Jess felt the new tension stir and start to climb up her spine. “Pratt?”
“I believe we’ll find the same. I’ve put an extra rush on the testing, but I won’t be able to confirm until the results are back.”
Jess rubbed at the worry lines across her forehead with the back of her hand. “If we’re dealing with the same killer in both cases, as my team and I suspect, I doubt he’s finished.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Sylvia wrung her hands a little harder. “Pratt has the eagle tattoo on his scalp. Same size, color, and location as the one I discovered on Rutledge.”
“Both belonged to the same good old boys’ club,” Jess added. Birmingham might be one of the most progressive cities in Alabama, but some things hadn’t changed a whole lot. Women like herself and Sylvia fought hard to attain a level in their careers enviable by most, female or male. In Sylvia’s case, it hadn’t hurt that she was also a senator’s daughter and wealthy. And still, neither she nor Sylvia belonged to that club.
“Should I be offended?” Dan asked as he returned with two more cups of cocoa. He set one on the coffee table in front of Sylvia. Before Jess could ask, he brought hers over.
“Thanks, sweetie.” Jess sipped her cocoa. “Sylvia may have uncovered another connection between Rutledge and Pratt.”
Dan pulled Jess’s executive desk chair around her desk and closer to the sofa. “I’m listening.”
“Both the victims had the eagle I was telling you about.” Jess hadn’t thought much of the tattoo. Rutledge had been a young man at one time. Young men often did wild and impulsive things. There was no reason to suspect it was connected to any aspect of the case.
“Have you found an organizational connection related to the tattoo?” Dan lifted his cocoa but hesitated before taking a sip. “I can’t think of any clubs or organizations that use a single blue eagle as a logo.”
“Whatever it is,” Sylvia spoke up, “Daddy has one.”
At least now Jess knew what it was that had Sylvia so upset.
“After I saw the one the judge had,” Sylvia explained, “I remembered seeing Daddy’s when I was a child. I asked him about it and he said he’d gotten it while he was in the Air Force. When I mentioned the matching one I discovered on Rutledge’s body, Daddy pretended to know nothing about it.” She stared at her cocoa. “I went to see him tonight. After finding the same thing on Pratt, I wanted answers. I demanded to know the truth.”
Jess waited through a tense moment of silence.
“He lied to me.” Sylvia exhaled a heavy breath. “He looked me in the eyes and told me there was nothing to it. He said some nonsense about old buddies making a mistake a long time ago.”
“It’s possible he could be right,” Jess said even as her instincts warned that he had indeed lied to Sylvia.
She shook her head again. “When I left he called someone. Whoever he called, he said they had to talk. That the police were going to start asking questions.”
“If our killer has a list, as we suspect, the senator could be on it.” Jess could definitely see how terrifying that prospect was for Sylvia.
“I’m worried, Jess. I’ve never known my daddy to lie to me. Who would he be protecting?” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I can’t believe he’s keeping something like this from me.”
“We all have secrets,” Jess reminded her. She glanced at Dan. “Most of us anyway.” Jess and Dan had made a promise to each other on their wedding day that they would never keep secrets from one another. “Is it possible your mother would know about whatever this is?”
“I don’t think so.” Sylvia visibly forced herself to sip the cocoa.
Jess doubted she had bothered with dinner. “Have you had dinner? Would you like a sandwich or something?”
“I had a bowl of soup with Daddy while I worked up the courage to confront him.”
“I can’t imagine the senator keeping a secret related to the murder of two men,” Dan said. “He, Pratt, and Rutledge respected one another. There must be some aspect of this you don’t know that will explain everything.”
Sylvia squared her shoulders. “I hope so. Either way I’m taking a few days off work.”
“I can understand you might want to be close to your father right now.” Jess would do the same. “I’ll speak to the senator tomorrow. Maybe he’ll come clean with me.”
“I want to help with the investigation,” Sylvia stated.
Jess was confused. “Why take a few days off then? You’re the ME on this case.”
“I want to be with you every step of the way on this one. I don’t want to be stuck in the morgue. This is a high profile case, Martin will take over if I make the request.” Sylvia gave a nod as if the decision was made. “We’ll consider it a ride along. I’m sure your team won’t mind.”
“But you’re already a part of the team by doing exactly what you do.”
“I won’t take no for an answer, Jess. This is my daddy we’re talking about. I have to be a part of every step.”
Jess looked to Dan. She actually didn’t have an issue with Sylvia being involved, she supposed. As chief of police, the buck stopped with Dan. “I’m game, if you don’t see a problem.”
“If Dr. Leeds is agreeable, then so am I.”
“Martin Leeds wouldn’t dare say no to me,” Sylvia informed Dan.
“I’ll expect you at the office by eight in the morning,” Jess warned.
“I’ll be there.” Sylvia’s relief was palpable.
The baby kicked Jess hard. She jumped and pressed a hand to her belly. “I think someone’s trying to tell me something.”
Sylvia set her cup aside. “I should go and let you get to bed.” She stood. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Jess nodded. “I’ll be there. Night.”
The sound of Dan’s voice reassuring her as he walked Sylvia out made Jess feel warm inside. He was such a good man. She rubbed circles on her belly. This baby was going to be a very lucky child.
Jess got to her feet and gathered the cups onto the platter Dan had used to serve. She shuffled to the kitchen with Bear right on her heels, rinsed the cups, and placed them into the dishwasher. As she straightened away from the dishwasher, one of those harsh twinges twisted in her lower back. She groaned.
“Hold on, little one,” she said softly. “We have a couple of weeks to go yet.”
Her cell rang and she forgot all about back pain. She hurried back to her office and snatched it up. Lori
calling. “Hey, Lori. How’d it go with Mrs. Dority?”
“The guy showed up at her door. She wouldn’t open it since she didn’t know him. He told her he understood and that he had a message for her.”
Jess hoped this was something that would provide a direction in the case instead of simply more questions.
“He told her the man who had put her daughter in harm’s way had paid for his evil deeds and that she could rest easy now.”
“Pratt.” Jess nodded. “Did her visitor introduce himself?” Not that it would have mattered. He would likely have used another alias. Al Hitchcock certainly hadn’t been his name. They had tracked down every A. Hitchcock in the greater Birmingham area. There were only three. None were tall and thin and only one was Caucasian.
“Al Hitchcock,” Lori confirmed. “She described him. He was the same guy who visited Durham.”
The image they’d viewed of the visitor to the prison filled Jess’s mind. “Well, I think maybe we’ve got our guy. We just don’t know who he is or exactly what his face looks like.”
Lori laughed. “It’s a start.”
“That it is. Thanks, Lori. See you in the morning.”
Jess ended the call and headed for the bedroom. She was beat. Dan caught up to her in the hall. “I turned off the lights in the office.” He wrapped his arm around her waist, not an easy feat these days. “I’m going to get you to bed. You look ready to collapse.”
Jess smiled. “I won’t argue with you, that’s for sure.”
Dan guided her to the bathroom and let her take care of essentials while he turned back the covers. When she had brushed her teeth, he helped her into bed, gave Bear a goodnight pat, and then massaged her feet for a few minutes.
By the time he slid between the sheets next to her, she was barely awake.
“I love you, Jess.”
“Love you, too.”
Maybe tonight she wouldn’t dream of murders and serial killers.
Chapter 20
1314 Twentieth Street South, Birmingham
Thursday, April 2, 11:30 a.m.
Buddy had been parked on the street for a couple of hours now. The New Orleans style lofts he had his eye on were located atop the restaurants and shops along Cobb Lane. According to his source, a sweet little X-ray tech over at UAB, Addison Devers had rented a loft at this address when she first moved to Birmingham. Buddy had watched her drive away in that sporty little red BMW ten minutes ago. Since she wasn’t on shift until tonight, she’d either gone shopping or out with a friend. Either way, he intended to get a handle on her intentions.
Her lease on the loft extended another four months. Addison apparently intended to stay a while. What he didn’t understand is why she hadn’t attempted to make contact with Sylvia. She’d had more than enough time to get the lay of the land. By now, she was fully aware that her mother and grandparents were wealthy, prominent people in the community. He doubted her goal was money. She’d inherited a hefty sum from her parents before deciding to give most of it away.
His cell vibrated with an incoming text. He checked the screen. Got her.
Rosey Cunningham, Buddy’s most trusted colleague in the business. Rosey would tail Addison and keep an eye on her while Buddy did a little exploring. He sent a response to his colleague. Don’t lose her.
Buddy climbed out of his Charger and strolled up the block. He moved closer and closer to her door, but he didn’t go straight to it. Instead, he popped into one of the shops and bought a framed print. By the time he was moving toward the door once more Rosey reported that Addison had entered a restaurant downtown.
Buddy climbed the stairs leading to Addison’s apartment. Rosey would let him know if she left the restaurant. Between now and then, Buddy intended to cross a line he rarely stepped over these days. He eased his conscience with the assurance that the effort was for the greater good.
When he reached the door with her number on it, he set the print aside and removed a lock pick from his pocket as if it were a key. A little toggling and the tumblers cooperated. He opened the door, didn’t hear or see a warning that she’d bothered with a security system. Even better, there was no dog.
Inside, he closed and locked the door. For a rich girl, Addison’s taste ran along the lines of minimalistic. The loft was one large space with a single interior door that likely led to the bathroom. Nothing on the walls. She wasn’t exactly a neat freak. A tee he suspected she used for a nightshirt lay across the unmade bed. A bowl and spoon in the sink suggested she’d had cereal for breakfast. Plenty of wine and yogurt in the fridge along with a half empty quart of milk. A half-eaten cheese ball. The few cabinets were mostly empty except for a small set of stoneware, a few cans of soup, and a box of cereal.
A laptop and a stack of papers waited on the table in the center of the room. Buddy pulled out one of the chairs and sat down. He opened the laptop. No password. “Yes!”
The screen went directly to a Google search page. Buddy checked her history and saw where she’d been doing research on the Baron family. He tapped the necessary icon and went to her email account.
He shook his head. “Honey, you have got to stop assuming that your private life can be kept private behind nothing more than a single locked door.”
Addison had emailed back and forth with a couple of women who appeared to be friends from college. The thread of several conversations revolved around her move to Alabama. Addison had shared her quest with her friends. She was curious more than anything. Before their deaths, her aging adopted parents had urged her to find her birth mother and form a relationship. Addison had ignored their advice until after she graduated. Once school was no longer her focus, she’d had no choice but to make a decision one way or the other. Since her arrival in Birmingham she had discussed her biological mother with her friends.
“Hmmm.” Buddy was pleasantly surprised by her emails. Addison considered her mother beautiful and intelligent. She couldn’t decide how to approach her. Then, she’d met a guy and gotten a little distracted.
Buddy’s phone warned he had a new text. He read the update from Rosey. Lunch with male friend.
With a grunt Buddy composed a response. Send me a pic of the guy.
For the past five weeks, Addison’s emails had been more about Mr. Wonderful as she called her new beau. Buddy rolled his eyes and backed out of her email account. He closed the laptop and for a couple minutes moved around the room, checked drawers, rifled through the wardrobe rack. Nothing out of the ordinary. Another buzz of his cell and he checked the screen. A pic of Addison Devers giving a guy a hug expanded on his screen.
“Holy hell.”
The guy in the photo was Detective Chad Cook, Sylvia’s former boy toy.
Birmingham Police Department, 12:45 p.m.
Buddy waited until Cook hurried out of the department’s parking garage. As soon as the guy hit the sidewalk Buddy pushed away from the wall. “Running behind, Detective?”
Cook stalled. For a moment he look startled, and then he relaxed. “Hey, Mr. Corlew. Yeah.” He gestured to the building where the rest of his team no doubt waited for him to return from lunch. “I’m a little late getting back from lunch.”
“I need a few minutes of your time, Cook.”
He glanced at the BPD building. “Sure. Okay. What’s up?”
“You got a new girlfriend?”
He grinned before he could school the expression. “I do. She just moved here from southern California.”
“Let’s take a walk, Detective.”
“I should... ah... get to the office.”
“We’re headed in the same direction anyway. If I slow you down, you tell your boss I held you up.”
Cook shrugged. “Okay.”
“How’d you two meet?” Buddy watched the young cop’s gaze narrow. “I’m not trying to get all up in your business, it’s just that you know Jess and I are really good friends. With the baby coming I’m keeping an eye on anyone who gets close to Jess or any of her associ
ates. After what happened with Spears you can see how she would be concerned about that kind of thing.”
Realization dawned on the young detective’s face. “Oh, man. I didn’t even think of that. I should apologize to the Chief for not telling her about Addi.”
“Actually,” Buddy dodged, “you don’t need to do anything like that. I’m taking care of the background checks quietly and without any fanfare.”
Cook laughed and pointed a finger at Buddy. “I see. Chief of Police Burnett hired you to do this and he doesn’t want the Chief to know. I gotcha. She’d probably be pissed.”
Buddy put his hands up in surrender. “You got me.” Then he dropped them back to his sides and laughed. “What we do to keep the women in our lives happy.”
“I know what you mean.” Cook grinned. “But Addi’s different. She’s thoughtful and confident. We don’t play games with each other’s feelings.”
Damn. Buddy hated to see the guy get hurt like this. The relationship sounded serious. “How long have you two been seeing each other?”
“About six weeks but we’ve officially been dating for one month today. That’s why I’m late. She has to work tonight, so we had lunch together to celebrate our anniversary.”
“How’d you say you met?” Buddy paused at the intersection.
“She came on staff with the surgeon who took care of my leg. I met her when I went back for my six-month follow up. We just hit it off.”
The length of time the two had been seeing each other gave Buddy pause. He couldn’t see it taking a month for Addison to get whatever she wanted from her mother’s former lover. Maybe their relationship was happenstance.
“So you got past the breakup with Dr. Baron?” The traffic light changed and the two crossed the street. Buddy didn’t miss the fact that Cook still had a bit of a limp. Guy almost lost his life to Eric Spears’s obsession with Jess.
“Yeah. She’s an amazing lady and all, but she...” He glanced around as they hit the sidewalk on the other side of the street. “Sylvia wasn’t interested in anything but sex. I kind of want to settle down and have a family.”