Promised Lies (A Detective Blanchette Mystery)

by Ashton, Marguerite

  She undid the straps on Evan’s wrists and helped him to his feet.

  “Where were you? Did he hurt you?” Evan asked.

  “I’ll explain later.”

  On their way out, Lily stared at Julius’s lifeless body. She was relieved but not satisfied. She wanted Julius to rot in prison, to pay for what he did. Instead, he had taken the coward’s way out.

  Daylight peeked through the hospital blinds in Lily’s room. She hadn’t slept much, unsure whether she wanted to shut her eyes and relive the hell she’d endured the night before.

  “Thought I’d stop by and visit,” Evan said, walking into Lily’s room.

  “I’m glad to see you’re going to make it.”

  Evan sat next to her on the bed. “Sure. I got a few stitches. You on the other hand, were thrown in a hole. How are you feeling?”

  “Like crap. I can’t wait to get out of here, but the doctor is waiting for my test results to come back.”

  “Last night makes twice that you’ve come to my rescue. I’m—”

  “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

  “You know that’s not how it’s supposed to work. It’s usually the guy who saves the gal.”

  Lily laughed heartily. “If Morgan were here, she’d disagree with you.”

  “Yes, she would.”

  Evan had risked his life wanting to save mine. “Why’d you go in the house?”

  “For me, there was no room for negotiation. I went in knowing he’d kill me no matter what the truth was. But I had to know. So, I went. When I got in, he cold clocked me, took my gun and tied me up.”

  Lily smiled and touched the cut on his forehead. “Cold-clocked you? Is that what you call it?”

  “That’s what we’re calling it,” Evan said, reaching for Lily’s hand. “He threatened to kill you if I didn’t do what he wanted.”

  “What was that?”

  “He wanted me to give you this.” Evan handed Lily a yellow sheet of paper.

  Lily opened the letter and read:

  One thing that separated you from the women I’ve killed was your strength and honesty. You were strong when needed, but loving and caring.

  Now my Mama, on the other hand, was a bully. The woman I had once adored lorded over me with her sexual demands. “If you don’t pour my vanilla bubbles into my bathwater, you’ll have to make it up to me.”

  After Mama got sick I’d sit and go through the photo album, looking at pictures of her when she was younger and put them together with the stories Daddy would tell when he was in one of his drunken stupors. He loved talking about how sweet she was when they were dating. I only wished I’d known Mama when she was that person.

  After I entered high school, Daddy refused to talk about it. He said, “Your mama was a sick woman and never got the help she needed.” It was as if what Mama had done to me was forgotten. It was now a dirty secret that got buried. That made me angry.

  So I decided to take control. The other women were a fantasy. In one way or another, they resembled Mama when she was younger. I got to do what I wanted to them, tell them my story and ask them the one question that would determine what I would do to them next:

  If they would marry me knowing what they did.

  Some answered yes, but their eyes deceived them; breaking a promise that they’d just made to me. Did you know that a person’s eyes always tell the truth?

  Then there was that one who looked at me with disgust and told me no.

  But not you, Lily. You accepted my proposal and meant it. That was my chance to start over.

  My reason for living is gone.

  Lily finished reading Julius’s confession, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. “Nadia was the one that told Julius no. That’s why he hid her in the dumpster. She rejected him.”

  “This case will follow me into my retirement,” Evan said.

  Sarge came into the room and stood at the foot of the bed. “Ryan’s alive. He’s going to pull through.”

  Relief coursed through Lily. “How much trouble am I in?” She handed the letter to Sarge.

  “Pretty deep,” Sarge began. “Internal Affairs is going to pick the three of us to the bone about this. I understand why you took the package home, but if Julius was still alive, it probably would’ve never made it to court.

  “I’m keeping your gun until I.A. is done with their investigation. You’re suspended from normal duty.”

  “Yes, sir,” Lily said, pushing herself up in bed. “Is it true, about Sanchez?”

  “Yes.”

  “How? I had a tail on Julius for the last two nights.”

  “Don’t know. The good thing is Joshua was able to identify Julius from a photo array as the one who was over there the night Sanchez was killed.

  “I.A. believes we screwed this case up. I don’t feel that way. You kept pushing until Sanchez’s partner was found. You’re dad would’ve been proud.”

  Lily’s mouth dried. “Dad knew about Julius.”

  “Not until the end.” Sarge went into brief detail and updated Lily with the information Evan had gotten from Gus. “He told Rail he wanted to be sure.”

  When the doctor entered, silence fell over the room. He had a grim expression on his face as he approached Lily’s bed. “I need to talk to you in private.”

  “Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of them.”

  “Because of the situation, I strongly suggest that you hear this first,” he stated.

  “Okay.”

  The doctor pulled the privacy curtain as Evan and Owen vacated the room. “When we did your urine analysis, we found something.”

  “Like what?”

  “You’re pregnant.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “We ran it twice. You’re approximately five weeks. You’ll need to schedule an appointment with your gynecologist. Do you have any questions?”

  “It’s just…I can’t…Can you run it a third time?”

  “I understand you’re in a tough position. That’s why I had the lab double check. If you need anything, press the nurse call button.” The doctor placed her chart on the door and left.

  This latest news felt so surreal. She was pregnant by the man who’d brought unbelievable terror to others.

  A few moments later, soft tipped heels clacked against the hospital floor leading into Lily’s room. The hospital privacy curtain hid who was on the other side, but the smell of Deena’s expensive perfume gave her away.

  Deena stepped out from behind the curtain and handed Lily a bouquet of flowers. “You’ve had a long ordeal. Let me take care of you.”

  “How long have you been here, Mother?”

  “Long enough to hear I’m going to be a grandmother. This is fantastic news.”

  “Wait. I need time to think.”

  “What’s there to think about?”

  “First of all, I need to decide if I’m keeping the baby.”

  Deena grimaced. “You already know the answer.”

  “Don’t start with the ‘because we’re Catholic’ speech.”

  “That’s part of it. However, the baby you’re carrying is still a Blanchette. The baby needs to remain with the family.

  “Not to mention, you should consider rekindling your relationship with Evan. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  “To you it makes sense.”

  “Do you want to be alone during your pregnancy? Or worse, after the baby’s born?”

  Anger swelled up inside of Lily. “You should hear yourself. This has nothing to do with you caring about my health or the baby I’m carrying. This has to do with you and the house. You’re still trying to control everything and put together the perfect little family.”

  “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

  “Deena, Lily needs to rest,” Evan said, returning to the room.

  “I’ll leave,” Deena said, kissing Lily on the cheek. “At least consider letting me help with my grandchild. I can make it up to y
ou by doing right by the little one. She’ll attend the best schools from pre-k through college. I already have one in mind for her first years.”

  Deena smiled and left.

  Mother heard nothing I said. Lily fell back against the pillows, letting out a breath. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  Evan took Lily in his arms. “I love you.”

  Lily held on tight, pondering her response carefully. The round of emotions over the last twenty-four hours reminded her of the waves along Lake Michigan, capturing whatever was in its path and carrying it out into deeper waters. Do I tell Evan I love him? Is it too soon? She knew where her heart belonged. If she hadn’t survived, Evan would’ve never heard those four words. “I love you, too.”

  Evan squeezed Lily tighter in a loving embrace. “It feels good to be with you.”

  Questions of uncertainty filled Lily’s head. Should I keep the baby? Will my baby suffer emotionally and physically because of who his father was? Will I be able to protect him from everything pertaining to Julius?

  Then it came to her: the one thing she was sure of was she was a Blanchette and not a Montejack.

  As much as Lily hated to admit it, Deena was right. Even if it was in name only, Lily’s baby would carry on the Blanchette legacy.

  Her phone chimed a text. It was from Oscar. “Thought you wanted to know. The DNA found in the two women matched Sanchez.”

  A moment of satisfaction passed over Lily as the final puzzle piece was put in its place.

  Chapter 40

  The next day, Lily tucked her infinity scarf into her coat, walked past the marker that had Section D engraved on it and over to the bronze headstones where Collin’s and Celine’s graves stood. Daylight draped over patches of grass that covered Celine’s burial site and a mound of dirt where her dad had been laid to rest.

  A new reality for Lily had set in as she placed only the carnations and roses this time on her sister’s grave, and a small flag with the letters FAPD on her dad’s.

  How much time would pass before she could think about them only once a day instead of constantly?

  She needed time. Lots of time. Maybe if she hadn’t married Julius, she’d be planning for the upcoming spring fishing trip in Lake Geneva.

  “In a way, I guess me bringing Julius into this family had nothing to do with the reason you’re no longer here. But I’m struggling with that right now. My heart wants me to believe that you died doing what you’ve always done; solving a case. Only difference was it had to do with your family.

  “I love you, Dad.”

  After leaving the cemetery, Lily found her way back to the colonial and began cleaning out Celine’s closet and dresser drawers, filling up plastic sacks while Sharon fell in behind her with the vacuum and duster. She knotted the final trash bag, hauled it out of Celine’s room and set it next to the piano.

  The front door opened and closed as the vacuum hummed in the background.

  Mother’s heels struck the floor with force. “What are you doing?”

  “I’ve cleaned out Celine’s room. Now I’m headed to Dad’s part of the house.”

  “I was going to have Sharon do it, but I’ve been so busy. I’ve had two closings back to back and, well…,”

  “I’m handling it.”

  “It’s probably best.” Mother brushed her hands together. “Seeing as they both hated me before they died.”

  “Let’s not go down this road.” Lily walked toward her dad’s study, trying to control her emotions. Her mother wanted to play the pity card when she should be trying to apologize for all of the pain she’d caused in the family.

  Deena came up behind her. “How long do you plan on holding a grudge?”

  “As long as you continue to lie to me.”

  “You know everything there is to know about my mistakes.”

  “I doubt I know everything.”

  Deena’s shoulders sloped. “You think that little of me?”

  Lily stepped into Collin’s study, inhaled the faint smell of cigar smoke and looked at the thin sliver of light penetrating through the partially opened curtains and onto the baby pictures of her and Celine sitting on Collin’s desk.

  The wedding photo of Deena and Collin waving from their limo before heading to the airport sat on the opposite side of the laptop. Lily’s hopes disintegrated as she picked up the frame, rubbed her hand over the glass and refreshed the story she’d been told ever since she was little. ‘“I was two months pregnant with you when your dad and I got married.”’ She turned to her mother. “I think you’ve told me only what you want me to know. There are a few things that don’t make a lot of sense. Questions that remained unanswered.”

  “Why can’t we move forward and start rebuilding our family?” Deena remained in the doorway. “We’ve got so many good things coming our way. You’ve got a baby on the way. Christmas is around the corner and the New Year; we can use that as our reset button.”

  Lily slammed the photo down, snatched up the case holding her dad’s shield and favorite cigar cutter off his desk, and blew past Deena. “I’ll finish cleaning out Dad’s office this weekend.”

  “I don’t want us at odds. You’re the only member of my family that I have left.” Deena’s heels clicked rapidly as she trailed behind Lily.

  “My rep is waiting for me at the office of Internal Affairs. I don’t want to be late.”

  “We can still do dinners and our holiday parties. It’ll be like old times. Family time. That’s what you want, isn’t it? In so many ways you’re Collin’s daughter. He would’ve wanted us to hold it together.”

  Silence breeched Lily’s words as anger corroded her insides.

  Just shut up, Mother!

  She’d never craved the need to shake her own mother as much as she wanted to at that moment. Only Deena could toss in a dig about the person Lily loved and respected, thinking she knew what was best for her daughter and not feel any remorse.

  “Face it. You need me to help you through your difficult time with Julius. I mean you still have on your wedding ring.”

  Again, silence.

  Deena clutched Lily’s sleeve, stopping her inches from the front door. “Don’t leave me to live in this house alone.”

  Lily snatched out her mother’s grip and held back her screams. “You wanted to stay in the house and I let you. That’s all you’re getting from me.” She stormed out of the house without looking back.

  *

  Lily trotted up the stairs to the police station, caught the elevator to the second floor to Internal Affairs and was met by her union representative. He looked young but to her surprise, he spoke with the voice of experience.

  “My name is Brian and I’ll do all of the talking unless Vaughn asks you pointedly. If there’s a question I don’t think you should answer, I'll interject. Are you nervous?”

  Lily twisted the gold band off her finger. “Not really. I just want to get this over with.”

  “Before we go in, I need to know how much you love your job.”

  “My passion for my job runs deep. My dad and grandfather were both cops and there’s nothing else I want to do.”

  “That’s all I needed to hear.”

  On their way in, Lily tossed her wedding ring into the trashcan and entered the interview room where Robert Vaughn, dressed in a gray three-piece suit that almost matched the color of his hair, sat at a table reading what she believed was her file. On the opposite side of him sat two other investigators, a man and a woman who watched her as she came in.

  Lily and Brian took their seats across from the investigators.

  Vaughn grabbed a pitcher of water and filled the glass in front him. “I want to inform you Detective, that this session is not being taped.”

  Lily looked at her representative.

  Brian held up his hand to keep her quiet.

  “We’ve gone over the string of events that happened during the course of this investigation in which you were assigned as lead, Detective B
lanchette. The one most troubling was during a legal search and seizure process held at the home of Thomas Sanchez. One officer stated he saw you banging on the window of Officer Nick Levins cruiser demanding that he roll down the window so you could speak with the suspect. The witness heard you say, ‘“Get some balls,’” and has stated that you seemed out of control. Is that a fair assumption?”

  “No. I said to tuck in your balls. An officer had been shot and might die. I wanted answers.”

  “You don’t think you were out of line? Losing your temper like that?”

  “No, Sir.”

  “That’s not the answer I wanted to hear. You’re lucky that we’re not adding the incident with Detective Danvers to your personnel jacket.”

  “Robert, this isn’t a criminal investigation. My client came here to answer questions about the shooting of her husband, Julius Willer. We both know it was a clean shoot. She saved herself and two other officers from being murdered by this man. The man who killed six people, two of them being members of her family.”

  “Your client also took home evidence that was part of the case she was investigating.”

  “That was all explained in the report. Detective Evan York stated that my client was reluctant to take the package and made an effort to get ahold of him when she realized it was evidence. My client also called Sergeant Owen who confirms the conversation.” Brian reached into his briefcase and placed a flashdrive on the table. “Everything else you need is on there. The video she filmed per her sergeant, including texts she sent to her partner, Detective York.

  “Also included are digital copies of her psychology evaluations, which show no sign of depression due to the job. We’re all aware that she’s never used her service revolver until the night in question. Her teammates also agreed that they trusted her judgment even after she’d gotten the horrible news about her dad.”

  “Bad judgment on her sergeant’s part.”

  “Then I guess you’d take that up with him. For the record, I want it noted that my client was already seeing Dr. Landon Montejack on a regular basis without the input of the police department. It’ll reflect that Detective Lily Blanchette was being responsible in her job and being considerate to those around her.”