It took her a moment to realize he was expecting a response from her. “I’m just surprised to find the chief looking in on me, that’s all. I would have thought somebody else would be on babysitting duty. Thanks for the coffee.”
He chuckled. “Well, that’s true. But you happen to be a part of a bigger case, and it has already gotten a lot of attention in the local news. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see how you’re holding up, especially given your relationship with Mason.” He leaned forward. “Besides, it was one of my men who put you in this position, and that’s not something I take lightly.”
Liz shuddered at the memory of Josh holding her by the collar, his eyes gleaming with malice. “It’s not something I’m likely to forget anytime soon, that’s for sure.”
“I understand you overheard him talking to somebody else on his phone while in the garage. Any idea who that might have been?”
She let her head lean back against the wall and looked up towards the ceiling. “No. I’ve been wracking my brains for any clues, but that’s the one thing neither Alex nor I could figure out.”
Chief Hamilton stood up and brushed his pants off. “Well, that’s a shame. Maybe when things calm down you’ll figure it out. Sometimes all it takes is remembering one small detail for everything to come to light.”
Liz nodded. “I hope you’re right.”
He walked towards the door, but turned at the last minute. “By the way, where’d you stash the phone? Neither you or Alex had it, so I’m guessing you must have put it somewhere safe?”
“It’s in the warehouse office. I stashed the parts separately. You’ll find Josh’s gun there, too. I’m sorry, I should have mentioned it earlier. I wasn’t trying to withhold evidence.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ve been under a lot of stress.” With that, the chief let himself out. Liz went back to rehashing the events of the last few days. It was over an hour before Matt Hagen came in to see her. By that point, she’d paced every corner of the room and her nerves were frayed.
Hagen walked through the door looking as tired as she felt. He set a cup down on the table and took a long swallow from his own. “Please, take a seat, Ms. Harper. I wasn’t sure how you took your coffee. Oh, it looks like someone has already taken care of you.”
“The chief was nice enough to bring me a cup, but thanks. I can always use more.” Liz fought not to wring her hands. “Have you found Jimmy?”
“Yes, we found him. He was bound and gagged in one of the bedroom closets in the house Paul was in, but was otherwise unharmed.”
Liz sank into her chair. Instantly, her knee began to bounce. “What can you tell me about Paul?”
He sat in the chair across from her and leaned forward. “Well, quite a bit, actually. But before we get to that, I have some news.”
She tensed, unsure if she could handle anything else bad happening.
Seeing her reaction, Hagen hurried to continue. “Paul was admitted to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. He has agreed to testify in exchange for a plea bargain. We’ve already heard his version of events and have a greater understanding of what happened and why.”
Liz gulped and blinked back tears. She’d known Paul was involved. With his drugged confession in the living room, of course she’d known. But hearing it confirmed still felt like a twist to the heart. Looking down at her hands, she remembered how it had felt, pumping his chest and struggling to keep the life in his body. “I’m glad he’s alive. Regardless of what happened, I’m thankful for that, at least.”
Agent Hagen looked at her with sympathy, seeming to understand the emotional conflict. “I’m glad I could get there in time.”
“Did he say who overdosed him?”
The question had Matt sighing. “Unfortunately, no. Whoever it was kept a mask on and wore gloves. Jimmy didn’t get a good look at him. All he could say was that he wasn’t very tall and had broad shoulders.”
“That’s not a lot to go on.” Liz rubbed her forehead. “So that means there is at least one person out there unidentified.”
“I’m afraid so, yes.” She watched the agent take a bracing swallow of coffee and then wince. Whether it was from the bitter taste of the coffee or the case, she couldn’t tell.
Liz nodded. “He…” Her voice cracked and she reached for the cup of coffee, taking a fortifying sip of her own before continuing. “It was hard to understand him, especially since I was panicking at the time, but I think he said his sister got him into this. That she was an addict.”
“That’s what he told me, as well. He mentioned that she’d racked up quite a debt and they’d started threatening his nephew. Paul was forced into an arrangement where he created secret compartments in vehicles to help transport drugs over state lines. In exchange, they agreed not to kill his sister or nephew.”
“Oh, shit.” She leaned forward across the table, desperate to convince the agent. “I swear to you I had no idea about any of this! All I knew was that his nephew came to stay with him a couple of months ago. Paul said it was because he’d just finished high school and didn’t have any plans to go to college. I hired Jimmy to help out with some of the office work and to keep him busy. That’s it. I wish Paul had told me. We could have come up with a better plan, gone to Mason for help.”
“I believe you.” He leaned back in his chair and gave her a candid look. “I might not have until I saw the video that Mr. Weston managed to record before being discovered. No one could fake the look of anger and confusion on your face. Not to mention, I think we can both surmise what would have happened to you if you hadn’t managed to get away.
“We’re still going to need your official statement, but as far as I’m concerned, you’re completely exonerated. You simply had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He chuckled. “As cliché as that sounds, it does happen once in a while.”
The twin iron balls of stress and fear sitting in her stomach released. “Okay.” Liz blew out a breath in relief and finally let herself relax back into her chair. “So, now what?”
“Now you’ll need to record all the events that have happened to you these last few days. Be as specific and detailed as possible. Once we’ve reviewed and signed your statement, you’ll be free to go home. There will be some additional proceedings, of course. But, in essence, you’ll be able to pick up your life from where you left off.”
Pick up where her life left off. As if it could be that simple. Everything had changed. “What proceedings?”
“We’re going to need you to testify against Mr. Carver when he goes to trial.” He shot her an apologetic look. “I’m afraid it’s not quite over yet, but that will be something for the future. And there’s still the matter of you stealing two cars, but I have a feeling the district attorney will be having you do community service for quite some time. For now, the important thing to know is you are no longer a suspect in either the drug case or the murder case.”
At the mention of Peter’s murder, Liz was reminded of how lucky she was to be sitting there talking to Agent Hagen. She wished things could have ended differently. “But what about whoever Josh was talking to that night? There’s still someone out there who is pulling the strings of this whole operation. We’re assuming it’s the same person who kidnapped Jimmy and nearly killed Paul, but what if it’s more than one person?”
Agent Hagen stood. “That’s where I come in. This case is a part of a much larger one that I’ve been working on for a while. The good news is we’ve identified one of the key players and managed to expose corruption in the police department in the process. But the fight isn’t over, and probably won’t be any time soon.”
He reached into his wallet and handed her a business card. “Obviously, if you think of anything going forward, you should contact me directly. It doesn’t matter how small you think the detail is. I want you to let me know.”
Liz got up and shook the agent’s hand. “Thank you. I’m sorry for running the way I did.
If I’d known you were this reasonable, it may have been different.”
“It’s always better to come to the police.” His stern expression softened. “But, given the situation, I can see why you made the decision you did. I’ll send someone in with pen and paper so you can get started on your statement. Take care, Liz.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Liz stood in the doorway and contemplated the man in front of her. The oversized bed made him seem smaller than she’d ever seen him. Or, maybe it was the recent events that were coloring her perception. Either way, Paul had always been larger than life in her eyes. Now he’d been reduced to the size of an old man hidden under covers.
His broken cough pulled her from her thoughts. She stepped into the room and hovered over the bed. His eyes welled at the sight of her and he quickly averted his gaze. “Liz.”
She reached for his hand. “Paul.”
“I don’t know how to tell you how sorry I am.” A sob broke through his self-control and he struggled to swallow it back.
“Oh, Paul. Why didn’t you tell me? You know I would have helped you!”
“The last thing I wanted was for you to get caught up in this. Do you think I would have dragged you into this mess if I could help it? My greatest concern was keeping you and Jimmy out of it.” He turned his head away from her. “I failed miserably. I won’t blame you if you hate me.”
“Paul,” Liz squeezed his hand, “I don’t hate you. I just wish you’d felt like you could come to me. Thank goodness it’s finally over and you’re okay.”
The older man shuddered and Liz got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “It is over, right?”
“I…” Paul hesitated and wrinkled his brow.
“What?”
He shook head. “Nothing.” He leaned further back into his pillows. “I’m sure it’s over.”
“Are you still concerned about the person who overdosed you? Do you think they’ll be back?”
Doubt crossed his face before he could chase it away. “No, no. There’d be no reason for him to come after me. I’ve already given my report to the police.”
“Have you remembered anything else since then? What happened at the house that day?”
“After I got the call that Jimmy had been taken, I went straight to the address they gave me. The front door was locked. When I went around the side of the house, I noticed the back door was propped slightly open.”
Liz could see it in her mind’s eye. She’d been in that same spot just hours before. “Go on.”
“Well, I pushed the door in. The house was hot and dark. It was obvious that it had been sitting vacant for a while. As I made my way through to the living room, I thought I heard a sound in the back bedroom. Whoever it was knocked me out before I even knew they were there. Next thing I knew, I was tied to a chair and…” Paul gulped, remembering the high. He looked at Liz, but seemed to see right through her. “I’ve never felt anything like that before.”
“I thought you were going to die.”
Paul wiped his brow. “You know, it’s funny. I was feeling so good with that drug running through my veins that the possibility didn’t even cross my mind until I heard him on the phone. He called someone…”
“Josh.” Now it was Liz’s turn to shudder. She raised a hand to the bruises on her face.
He nodded. “Yes, Josh. He’d called and told him to ‘handle the mattah,’ and suddenly I realized I was the matter that needed to be handled. It was the last thought I can remember before blacking out.”
“Holy shit, Paul.” Liz clenched her fists. Everybody said Detective Matt Hagen excelled at what he did. She could only hope he’d get the bastard that had done this to her and her friends.
*
Alex slumped forward in the uncomfortable hospital chair, grateful that the corridor was empty. He had known this was going to happen sooner or later. In fact, he’d been trying to prepare himself for months. But now that the moment was upon him, he realized the folly of his own hubris.
No one could be ready for a parent dying.
He had thought it would be different this time. He’d lost his mother at such a young age that his memories of her were faded and well-worn, they were like old photographs. A comforting presence, but otherwise stored in a bin in the back of his mind.
He’d hoped that by being older, his father’s passing wouldn’t hurt him so much. Maybe he expected he’d be able to outgrow the anguish. Alex was discovering that wasn’t so.
What made it worse was that he hadn’t been here. He’d been a fugitive, running from the cops while his father laid in a hospital bed, dying alone. A sharp point of sorrow twisted deeper in his gut.
Preoccupied with his thoughts, the sound of rubber soles flopping on linoleum barely registered. It wasn’t until a pair of orange flip-flops stopped in front of him that he looked up.
“Liz, what are you doing here?”
“I heard about your father. How is he doing?”
He couldn’t speak past the lump in his throat as he shook his head. Her expression filled with sympathy. “Oh, Alex. I’m so sorry.”
Alex thought back over his rocky relationship with his father. He’d spent years resenting his father for sending him off to boarding school. Even after graduating, Alex had refused to come home for the holidays, not answering the phone when he called, not being here for him. They had wasted so much time, mired in pride and stubbornness, unable to communicate honestly with each other.
A few months ago, they’d started to make progress towards rebuilding their relationship. When he’d gotten the call, and learned his father was sick, he’d finally been able to set those old resentments aside. He’d worked hard to understand why his father had been so emotionally distant after the death of his mother. Now it was too late. When his father had needed him most, he’d been absent. Chasing after a woman who was just as emotionally walled off as his father had ever been.
Alex didn’t think he could go through another experience like that. Grief quickly changed to a toxic mix of fury and frustration. In some ways, it was a relief. Better to be unreasonable than have to face the tragic fact his father had died alone.
He stood up, needing to get out of there. Not sensing the direction of his thoughts, Liz wrapped her arms around him. He set his hand on her shoulder and held her at arm’s length. “Look, I appreciate that you came down here, but I need some space.”
Alex tried to avoid seeing the way her face fell, telling himself it would be better to nip what they had in the bud before it could get any more complicated. They both had a chance to go back to normal now. Maybe one day they could even be friends.
“Alex…if this is about last night…” Liz looked down at her feet. “I know I didn’t handle things well between us.”
Had it only been last night? An image of Liz moving above him flashed through his mind. No. This was the last thing he needed. He stepped back. “Hey. I get it. We were both under a lot of stress, but I can’t think about that right now. I need to focus on my father’s funeral and getting your sister’s restaurant finished. It’s just…” He looked away, running his hands through his hair before turning back towards her. “I’m sorry, Liz. I gotta go.”
The stunned look on her face punched him in the gut. Before he could change his mind, or say something to make it worse, he turned and walked away.
Chapter Forty-Five
The next morning, Liz woke from a deep and dreamless sleep. The conversation with Alex played in her mind on a loop. It had been hard to reach out to him, but seeing him there alone, in the hospital corridor, had compelled her to set her usual reservations aside. All of which made his rejection cut even deeper. More than she wanted to admit.
She stared up at the ceiling and indulged in the warm comfort of her bed for another moment before forcing herself up to face the day. There was no way of knowing what to expect. Her face had been plastered all over the news and, as of a few hours ago, people still thought she was guilty of
something.
Shaking the disturbing thought away, she got dressed. There was nothing that could be done about it. The police would be able to set the record straight as more of the story was revealed. Until then, she needed to focus on what she could have a hand in fixing.
And that started, first and foremost, with her business. Liz brewed herself a pot of coffee and stood at the counter eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast. She was half-tempted to turn the television on and see what the news was saying about her, but decided she’d find out soon enough.
As she unlocked the back door to the garage, the fear she’d felt the night she’d stumbled on the intruders came flooding back to her. She stood in the doorway and fought to catch her breath. “No! I will not let this place be ruined for me.”
Memories of the afternoons she’d spent here with her father and Paul came surging to the forefront of her mind. The way her dad would sing loudly and off-key, or the hours Paul had spent teaching her the inner workings of an engine.
This was where she’d fixed her first car, helped her first customer, and discovered who she was. It was more than just a business; it was her home. She’d be damned if she’d let a few assholes take away something the three of them had spent so much time building.
Noise from the front office startled Liz. Oh no, not again! Moving stealthily, Liz grabbed a crowbar before cautiously making her way down the hallway. Somebody was moving behind the counter in the front room. Jimmy looked up to find her arm held up above her head, ready to swing. He raised his hands in alarm. “Whoa! Liz, it’s just me!”
Feeling equal parts foolish and relieved, Liz lowered the crowbar. “Jimmy!” She quickly rounded the corner and caught him up in a giant bear hug, ignoring the pain in her ribs. “Thank goodness you’re okay.” Pulling away from him, she assessed his face and noticed the bruise blooming across his cheekbone. “Are you okay?”
Secret Need (The Harper Sisters Book 2) Page 21