Julius chuckled and looked over at Morgan standing by the entrance doors leading into the pub. “Your friend’s waiting for you.”
Lily removed the key from the ignition and hopped out. “Everyone’s inside. Do you want to go in and sit with us?”
“None of them like me.”
“They like you. They just need to get used to you.”
Julius kissed her forehead and they walked toward the pub. “I’ll go in for a few minutes, but then I better get back to the office. I’m working on a fresh story.”
“Is it about my case?”
“Yeah. But don’t worry. I know the rules. We’re to keep our work lives separate.”
Any other time, Lily would have chuckled at Julius as he pretended to be Mr. Bailey, his boss who took great pride in his paper when it came to reporting the truth, but not tonight.
“Let me go with you. We can grab a bite to eat before you head in. Bruce won’t mind.”
Julius shook his head. “It’s a brainstorming session. There’ll be me and four other reporters.”
Lily snatched her hand out of Julius’s.
“What’s the matter, Babe?”
“Will that tart be there?” Lily asked.
The door to the pub swung open and a couple exited McGinley’s.
“Take your time,” Morgan said, going into the pub.
Julius’s gaze darted around the parking lot before finally settling on Lily. “Are you jealous?”
“No. I’m pissed off,” Lily said.
“Excuse me?”
“I saw you. With her. Last night at the crime scene. The others noticed my husband and that broad being cutesy under the umbrella? Her touching you as if she was your wife?” Her heart thumped, heavy in her chest. “I’m beginning to think you like the attention she’s giving you.”
“You misunderstood—”
“I don’t give a damn what you think I misunderstood. I know what I saw. How could you do that?”
“I’m sorry, Babe. I told a joke and she thought it was funny. I screwed up.”
Lily squeezed her eyes shut to keep back the tears she so desperately wanted to set free. “I’m sorry. I know things are crazy between us. Our relationship isn’t—”
“We’re fine.” Julius pressed his hand against the small of her back and pulled her into an embrace. “It won’t happen again. I promise.”
*
Bluegrass music filled the dimly lit McGinley’s Irish pub, while a digital clock counted down the days, hours, and seconds to St. Patrick’s Day.
Lily found her way over to the others and scooted inside the booth next to Evan.
“At least you sat by me this time,” Evan said.
“It was the only seat left,” Lily said.
“Then you’re still mad at me?”
“I’m still mad.”
“Where’s Julius?” Morgan asked.
“Restroom,” Lily replied, looking over her shoulder.
A beautiful waitress who looked like she belonged on the catwalks of New York zigzagged her way through the standing crowd with expertise and placed drinks in front of everyone.
“I got it,” Alec Weber said, plucking a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet and placing it on the serving tray. “We missed you, Lil. Glad you’re back.”
The waitress turned and left.
Lily squeezed juice from a lemon into her iced tea and smiled at Evan’s partner. “Thanks.”
Alec ran his hand over his shiny dome as he studied the scene of women in tight dresses. “Is Julius hanging out with us?”
“No, but he’s stopping here on the way out. So be nice. I told him you guys liked him,” Lily said.
“Why’d you do that?” Alec asked.
“Knock it off, Alec! My husband’s a decent man.”
“Uh, your husband is a dick. Not to mention you dated him for, like, ten minutes before you married him. What’s the skinny on that anyway?”
“He asked me at the right time,” Lily said, glancing at Evan. Her ex forced a smile, leaned forward and took a sip of his ale. The brave face Evan put on did not mask the hurt Lily saw in his eyes. “Can we change the subject?”
“Fine with me. Besides, it’s no secret it should’ve been Evan and you who got hitched.” Alec looked at his phone. “Is Julius even coming back? It’s been at least ten minutes.”
Evan finished off his drink and slammed the glass down on the table. “Leave her alone.”
Heavy silence lingered among the friends as the band ended their song.
Lily turned and was relieved to see Julius headed towards her.
When Julius reached the table, he took Lily by the hand and pulled her to him. “My boss just called. I gotta go. See you at home?”
“Can’t it wait?”
“No.”
But we never see each other, Lily wanted to say. Even when she was on her honeymoon during her time off, she never had any quality time with Julius. He was always working on assignments.
Maybe I should have kept Max. At least I’d have someone waiting at home for me. If only my husband had found a way to get past his jealousy about Evan and been more accepting of Max, I wouldn’t have left him behind.
Julius tilted his head. “Babe?”
“Yeah. See you at home.”
Julius gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and dashed out of the pub.
Lily slid back into the booth next to Evan, laid her head back and looked up at the ceiling. Lord, please cut me some slack.
If only the two of them could make time for one another, it might help her see where their relationship stood.
Evan nudged Lily with his elbow. “Don’t let Alec get to you. He’s just being over-protective.”
“I know.”
The lead singer of the band began playing a familiar tune, strumming his mandolin. Mountain Livin’: her dad’s favorite song. ‘“It takes me to a different place,”’ he said when he heard it.
Lily needed his advice on how to approach her case that was now tied to her sister’s death. She needed his words of wisdom about how to find happiness with her spouse. She wanted to know how things were going between him and Mother. She just wanted to talk to him. She picked up her phone and tried his number. No answer. For the second time that evening, tears welled up in the corners of Lily’s eyes.
Morgan got up, came around to Lily’s side of the table, and motioned to Evan to move over next to Alec. “Let me in,” she said.
As soon as Evan scooted over, Morgan sat down and wrapped her arm around Lily. “Whatever you do, don’t cry. If you get to bawling then I’ll be bawling. And then you know what we’ll have? Two chicks crying in front of guys.”
Lily forced a tiny smile.
“That’s better,” Morgan said. “If that didn’t work then I was going to plan B.”
“Plan B?” Lily wiped away the tears with the back of her hand.
“I was going to teach you how to Bucky.”
Everyone laughed.
“And doing the Bucky in this neon green dress, it’d be a frightening sight.”
Lily’s cellphone buzzed on the table; a text from Julius.
“Made it to work. Thanks for being you.”
As Lily texted a message, Evan said, “You did a good job with Martinez.”
Lily dropped her phone into the breast pocket of her blazer. “I want this case put to rest.”
“It’ll get there.”
The waitress walked up to the table. “Another round?”
Evan stretched out his arms and stood up. “I better head home.”
“Me too,” Lily said.
Morgan rose and Lily slid across the booth seat to let Evan out.
As Morgan, Evan and Alec finished getting ready, Lily left, making her way to the bar.
“Sean!” Lily called.
“Hey, Lily,” he said, placing glasses in the sink.
“Do me a favor.”
“Anything.”
“Can you keep a
n ear out for anything regarding Celine?”
“I can!”
“You’re awesome,” she said, heading out the door.
“See you guys later,” Lily called, unlocking the door to her vehicle.
“Will we see you at the poker game tomorrow?” Alec shouted across the parking lot.
“I’ll be there.”
Hopping into her truck, Lily started the diesel engine, bringing it to life. After a few moments of letting the motor roar, she rolled down the passenger side window, waved, and pointed her truck towards Madison Avenue.
Chapter 6
October 24, 6:50 a.m.
Lily rubbed Julius’s forearms as she snuggled in closer, letting him spoon her. His hardness rubbed against her naked backside. “Nice recovery time, but we just finished.” She brushed her fingers over the fine hairs layering his light skin.
“That was ten minutes ago,” Julius said nuzzling her neck. “Besides I thought you have the day off?”
“While the case is ongoing, I truly don’t have a day off.”
“I know. I know,” Julius said, lifting his head. “Do you have any regrets marrying me?”
“For the third time, no. Why? Do you?”
“You’re my reason for living.” He sat up and put on his boxers. “Will you at least let me cook you breakfast before you bury yourself into your cop world?”
“Yes, please.”
“Denver omelet, wheat toast and fresh fruit sound good?”
Lily nodded. “Love you.”
“Ditto.”
After her husband left the room Lily picked up her cellphone off her nightstand and froze, staring at the unopened condom. Oh no. She fell back against the pillow, trying to remember the date of her last menstrual cycle.
She touched the calendar on her phone and started counting.
She couldn’t remember the date she had her last period, only that it was sometime in early October.
Lily’s phoned chimed with a text from Morgan.
“I’ll be over around noon to pick you up.”
“See you then.” Lily switched over to her work email. Nothing new. She rolled out of bed, took a quick shower, got dressed for her morning jog and left the house. As she started down the driveway, the evidence in Celine’s folder circulated in her mind. Everything about Celine’s case and her current one matched.
Whitewater University.
All three were posed the same way with a ring on their finger.
Multiple stab wounds. The only difference was Celine had more stab wounds then the other two victims. No matter how one looked at it, all three were rage killings.
Did Celine know her killer? Was it personal? If she was dating someone, why didn’t Celine tell her? Her chat messages showed that she’d been talking to CtryGeek23 for at least a month before she was killed. And the texts were from a throwaway phone.
Lily stopped as she reached the end of the corner. She jogged in place, waiting at a stop sign for a car to pass by. Soon she was on the other side, using the bike trail to cut across the park. One thing was for sure, the killer doesn’t have a penchant for a certain type of woman.
What about the ring? The cloths?
For whatever reason, it was important to the killer to leave a ring on his victim’s wedding finger. But why?
Ten minutes later, Lily was jogging back up her driveway. She stopped and glanced up at her Queen Anne Victorian, skipping the wraparound porch and turret until her eyes found the window looking into the attic.
Can’t wait to get in that attic and restore it.
*
10:17 a.m.
Julius sprinted across the street from the court house as the soft rumbling of thunder filled the skies, and the clouds opened up; pouring down sheets of rain. Fat, heavy drops soaked through his top coat as he yanked on the door handle of the Hindle Café. He shook himself as dry as possible before stepping up to the counter and ordering.
Peeling a flaky layer off his croissant, he approached the high table located in a secluded corner of the café where Assistant District Attorney Ibee Walters tapped away on her tablet. “I got something on that Riley Street killing? My source says it’s tied to the mob.”
Ibee looked up from her tablet. Her winged eyelashes overshadowed her strong facial features including her chocolate brown eyes that matched her skin. Even with the dimple on her upper cheek, her compressed lips and deadened smile had all the warmth of a crucifixion spike. Definitely not the woman a parent would want to bring their child to for a little door-to-door trick or treating.
The A.D.A sat back and stared hard at Julius. “The Suraces?”
“Um-hm.” He tossed his briefcase onto a chair and sat down in the one next to it. He reached into the case, pulled out a thumb drive, and handed it to her. “I think this might look good to your voters for the upcoming election.”
“It would,” Ibee said, placing the drive into her purse. “You know what would also work? Is if you arranged for someone at your paper to interview me. Elections are eight days away and I need a feature. One that shows all of the things I’ve done to keep our city safe.”
“All the things?”
“In order to remain the reporter on my list who gets first dibs on a story, you need to make this happen or you’ll drop straight to the bottom.”
Julius poked at his croissant. “I’m sure the Rock River Daily would consider writing what you want, as long as it’s paid for.”
“That’s not how it’s going to work. You get one of those new girls fresh out of reporter school, desperate for her first piece, and send her my way.” Ibee leaned forward and whispered, “Can you imagine what the little wife would think if she found out her husband kowtows to me because he’d rather sit on his hands than do the work of a real reporter.”
Julius squirmed in his seat and looked out the window facing the court house. “I know someone who, for whatever reason, thinks you’re a good person. I’ll send her your way.”
“That’s better. Now the second I get something about the County Road K case, I’ll be in touch.”
“Don’t bother. My first article on County Road K is almost finished.”
“You’ve got a source?” Ibee asked, licking her lower lip.
He ignored her and finished his food.
Ibee smiled. “Damn. I don’t believe it. You have something that could be useful and you’re not sharing.”
Did this broad really think that after what she said to me, I was going to tell her what I have? She’s nuts. No, lady. I’m not going to continue rolling over and being your lap dog. “You’ve got it. I’m not sharing.”
Ibee’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t pull this ‘I’m not going to reveal my source’ crap. After everything I’ve done for you, now you want to leave me hanging high and dry. Why? Because some person wants their four seconds of fame?”
“I kept my promise and got you the street info on the Riley case,” Julius said, gathering his briefcase. “I’m gonna give you another tip from the streets. If you’re not careful, the way you talk to people is going to catch up to you.” He turned and walked out.
*
Ibee took a deep breath and pounded out a quick message on her phone. I may not be able to get it out of you, but Collin will. “Check with Julius. He has info about your daughter’s case.” She tapped Send and dropped her phone into her purse.
She exhaled slowly and watched as Julius jetted across the street and hopped into his blue Ford Ranger. He’d crossed the line. If he wasn’t careful, she was going to put together a nice little file on him. Everyone has secrets.
In that quick second, Ibee thought of at least two secrets of her own that, were they to get out, would cost her the election: one that would have her father wanting to shame her in front of the whole congregation. She’d gotten this far and no one was going to get in her way. No one.
*
12:06 p.m.
Evan clicked off the television, picked up the two wine glasses from the
card table and sat them on the kitchen counter of his studio apartment. Alec would be there any minute to pick him up, so Evan could make good on his promise to help set things up for their poker game.
Max, his black Labrador, sat by the door, whining.
“I just took you out. What’s the matter?”
Max’s ears perked up at the sound of heels clicking across the wooden floor. As a woman emerged from the bathroom, Max barked.
Her blue dress hung loosely on her petite frame. She cinched the belt tightly around her waist and snatched up her coat. “He’s probably waiting for me to leave.”
“No. I think he misses my ex.”
“Do you miss her?”
“Things are getting better.”
“Is that why we’ve only seen each other twice this month?”
Evan rubbed behind Max’s ears and pulled a treat from his pocket. “I told you my job takes a lot of my time.”
There was a knock on the door. Evan slid the clasp back and opened it. “Hey, Alec.”
“Are you ready, man?”
Evan looked back at his date. “I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you?”
“Don’t bother,” the woman said, blowing past the both of them.
Max gently licked the treat out of Evan’s hand, walked over to his mattress lying on the floor, and plopped down.
Flashes of Max waiting by the door for Lily swirled in Evan’s head as he scanned the empty apartment. He thought he had erased everything that reminded him of their three years together. And then he looked over at Max, the sweet little Lab he had brought home to Lily for her birthday two years ago; he was that lasting link between them.
Evan still loved her. But he refused to put her through any more heartache. As if backing out of their engagement hadn’t been enough. I miss you, Lil. Even if I told you why, you’d hate me. She deserved to be happy.
*
12:22 p.m.
Morgan rapped at Lily’s front door. After a few minutes of no answer, she opened the door and stuck her head inside.
“Hey, Lady! What’s taking so long?” Morgan yelled.
“Be right with you,” Lily said from the upstairs bathroom.
Morgan stepped inside.
Once you were a member of the force, you were part of a family. Lily was like a sister. No questions asked, but in all the years they had been partners, she wondered if they really knew each other. What is known was mostly only work related, and at times that was all they needed. They were partners and best friends, but did it all come just from being on the force?
Promised Lies (A Detective Blanchette Mystery) Page 4