The Pursuit of Lies, A Romantic Suspense Novel (Book #4, Paradise Valley Mysteries)

by Debra Burroughs

  Emily noticed Colin holding his side, which told her his pain pills were wearing off. “Do you need more medication?” she asked before they rang the doorbell.

  “Yes, but let’s say hello to my folks first.”

  She nodded.

  Colin pushed the doorbell button and shortly after the matte-black front door opened.

  “Mom, it’s me.” Colin pulled the glasses off and smiled at her.

  “Colin?” She squinted and leaned her head forward. “Is that really you?”

  “Yes, Mom. Sorry for the disguise. And this is Emily.”

  Mrs. Andrews’ eyes filled with tears, her gaze moving from Colin to Emily and back to her son. She stepped back and to the side. “Come in, come in.”

  Colin entered first, with Emily close behind.

  “Jim, come quick!” His mom hollered toward the back of the house.

  Colin’s dad lumbered down the hallway. “Who’s here?”

  Tears flooded Colin’s eyes as he tore off the wig and mustache. “It’s me, Dad.”

  “Colin?” Jim’s shuffle quickened. “What on earth?”

  Colin raced toward his dad and pulled him into a hug.

  “So this must be Emily,” Jim said, once Colin released him.

  “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Emily said, sticking out her hand.

  Jim took her hand and tugged her into a hug. As soon as he let go of her, Donna opened her arms to Emily and she gladly accepted her embrace.

  “I don’t usually look like this.” Emily fluffed her flowing wavy blonde wig.

  “I assumed that when I saw Colin with that crazy get up.” Donna giggled. “Besides, we have seen photos of you.”

  “Oh, of course.”

  “Why don’t we sit and we can talk,” Jim suggested.

  Colin took Emily by the hand and led her to the sofa that sat below the huge picture window. Donna took a seat beside them and Jim claimed one of the club chairs positioned opposite the couch.

  “Don’t get me wrong, Colin, your mother and I are obviously thrilled to see you, but is it okay that you’re here?”

  “What makes you ask that, Jim?” Donna frowned and tilted her head.

  “The disguises. What’s going on?” Jim leaned back in his chair. “The truth—all of it.”

  Emily looked into Colin’s eyes, which seemed to be asking her how much he should share. She shrugged her reply.

  “I don’t want to upset you, Dad. It’s probably best if you and Mom know as little as possible.”

  Jim leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Colin Michael Andrews,” he said sternly. “I’m your father and I have a right to know what’s going on with you. Your mother and I have been sick with worry over what little you and Ernie have told us. We have to be told more than simply that you’ve been arrested for murder and you didn’t do it.”

  Colin sat back and laid an arm along the top of the sofa behind Emily. He drew in a long breath. “All right then. Here it is.”

  He explained to his parents about the murder and the arrest, the fights in jail while he was held over for his arraignment. Ernie had already phoned them about the emergency surgery to stop the internal bleeding from the beating he took. He went on to detail his and Emily’s plan to drive through the night to see them, but more importantly to meet with a potential suspect who may have been the one who actually committed the murder and set him up to take the fall.

  “I assure you both that I am not guilty of what they have accused me of, and Emily is helping me to prove it.”

  “We never doubted your innocence, Son.” Jim leaned back in his chair.

  “No, never,” Donna chimed in. “And Emily, you are an amazing woman to stand by Colin and help clear him.”

  “You have no idea, Mom.” Colin’s arm slid off the back of the sofa and around Emily’s shoulders.

  “Well, Dad looks like he’s getting tired,” Donna said, gazing at her husband. “He’s been up since before six this morning. I’d better take him to the bedroom for a nap.”

  “Come on, Donna, I’m not a child,” Jim admonished.

  “Jim, you know what the doctor said—not to let you get overly tired.”

  “Oh, all right.”

  “How about you two?” Donna rose from the sofa. “You want to lie down for a while after driving through the night?”

  Colin struggled to pull himself off the sofa, grimacing at the pain in his side. “Sounds good, but I could use something to eat so I can take my pain medication.”

  Following a light breakfast, Emily removed her wig before she and Colin snuggled up on the bed in his old bedroom and drifted off to sleep for a few hours. Emily woke first, a little after one in the afternoon, and climbed off the bed to let Colin snooze.

  Digging her phone out of her purse, she tiptoed across the room and took a seat at the desk. She called Dr. Walters at the County Medical Examiner’s office back in Boise to see if he could give her more in-depth details regarding the murder. She snuck a quick peek at Colin, to make sure he was still sleeping, before dialing the ME’s number.

  Chapter 21

  “Hello, Dr. Walters. This is Emily Parker.”

  “Yes, Ms. Parker. What can I do for you?”

  “Doc, I’d like to get a full report on Allison Laraway’s autopsy. It’s critical that the defense knows what the DA knows.”

  “I’m sure the DA has already sent the report to Colin Andrews’ attorney.”

  “Yes, but I’m looking for more.”

  “I don’t understand. If you’re asking me to help you get Colin off, then—”

  “No, I want you to help me find the truth, Doc.”

  “Well, I can’t be caught giving information to Colin Andrews. The DA will have my head.”

  “Not Colin—me.”

  “Six of one, half dozen of the other—what’s the difference?”

  “I need your help to catch the real killer, Doc, and I don’t believe it’s Colin.”

  “With all the evidence the cops have, you really think he didn’t do it?”

  “I don’t believe he did, but I have to know for certain. That’s why I need your help to find the truth—whoever the real killer is.” Emily ran her hand through her hair to cover a quick glance at Colin to confirm he was still asleep.

  “Well, that’s what I want too.”

  “I’m glad we’re after the same thing, but you probably don’t want me to come down to your lab. So, do you think we could Skype or FaceTime? I’d rather talk to you face to face than over the phone.”

  “All right, but I don’t want anyone else knowing about this conversation.”

  “Do you know how to FaceTime?”

  “Yes, my son taught me. He lives back east, so we keep in touch via FaceTime.”

  “That’s good. Give me a few minutes and I’ll ping you when I’m on.” Emily glanced over at Colin again and he seemed to be asleep.

  She dragged her laptop out of her leather bag and set it up on the desk, angled so Colin would not show up in the background.

  “Hello, Doc,” Emily greeted once she had gotten online and connected with the man, seeing his face and thick white hair fill her computer screen. “Can you hear me okay?”

  “Good morning, Emily. Everything seems to be working.” The doctor turned his head away from the screen for a moment. “Just so you know I have Detective Karl Kingsley sitting over there in the corner. I thought about and decided I’d better protect my backside.”

  “Hello, Ms. Parker,” Emily heard Kingsley say.

  Emily’s stomach tightened. What if Colin woke up and somehow gave them away? “The defense has every right to have all the facts, Doc.”

  “I know, so go ahead and tell me, what did you want to know?”

  With the detective watching, she worked to keep her face and her voice pleasant. “Can you walk me through your findings? I’m hoping maybe something will trigger a small detail that was left out or anything that made you wonder—”
>
  “Wonder what? Do you think I left something out of the autopsy report?”

  “Of course not, but you know how sometimes you can have a feeling about something, but it’s not an actual fact, so it never gets in the report.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, I know that over the years you’ve done a bit of profiling.”

  “Yeah, as a hobby, not professionally.”

  “Oh, yes, of course, I know that. But let’s act as if you were profiling Allison Laraway’s killer, what would you say? You know—what is your gut telling you here, Doc?”

  “Hmmm, let me see.” He paused and his gaze drifted up to the left side of the screen.

  From watching Dr. Walter’s facial expression and eye movements, Emily could tell he was honestly trying to think it through.

  “As you already know, Ms. Laraway was stabbed nine times in the chest. It appears, because of the minimal blood loss, that the first stab went directly into the heart and stopped it, whether by accident or on purpose, I can’t say. But what I can tell you is that Colin, or whoever stabbed her, must have been extremely angry.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “This stabbing reminds me of the movie Psycho—you know that old movie?”

  “Is this really necessary?” Kingsley asked.

  Dr. Walters halted and turned toward the man. “You’re only here to observe, Detective, so please let me continue.” He came back to the screen and went on. “The Psycho movie, where Norman Bates stabs the woman in the shower at the Bates motel, like this?” Dr. Walters demonstrated the furious stabbing with his right arm flying up and down.

  “Yes, I remember that old movie. The guy was really nuts. I had nightmares for months after I watched that scene. But what does that movie have to do with this murder?”

  “Well, sorry to say, that’s the way Ms. Laraway was killed. Whoever stabbed her had to be filled with rage like ol’ Norman Bates.”

  “What do you mean?” Kingsley asked. “Colin Andrews stabbed the woman.”

  Dr. Walters whipped his head around toward the off-camera voice. “Detective, please.”

  Emily caught movement in her peripheral vision. Colin was standing off to her side. His eyes were lit up and his arms were flailing about excitedly. From where he stood, Emily assumed he could see the computer screen without being picked up by the laptop’s camera.

  Keeping her hand low, she wagged it around, attempting to shoo him away, trying not to let on that she noticed him, so the doctor wouldn’t pick up the fact that someone else was in the room with her.

  “That’s exactly the kind of thing I was looking for, Doc.” It was time to end this conversation. “I truly appreciate your help. We’ll find whoever did this horrific thing and put him away.”

  Detective Kingsley jumped into camera view behind the medical examiner. “We already know who did it.”

  “Emily, you really believe Colin Andrews didn’t do it?” Dr. Walters asked.

  She could see Kingsley spin away in exasperation. “I’m sure of it, Doc,” she said.

  “Well, call me anytime, Ms. Parker, if you have any more questions. I’ll do whatever I can to help see that the right person is put behind bars for this heinous crime.”

  “Thanks, Doc. I’ll be in touch.” Emily closed the program and turned toward Colin, whose eyes were bulging and his face growing red, as if he was about to explode. “What is it?”

  “I think I know who might have killed Allison. Like Doc Walters just said—Bates!”

  “You mean like Norman Bates?”

  “Yes, but the guy’s name is Kevin Bates. Hearing his last name again made me think of him.”

  “Was he on the list?” Emily asked.

  “No, because the records probably show my partner as the arresting officer.”

  “Okay, so tell me, who is Kevin Bates?”

  “When I was still a patrolman, there was an accident where a little girl was killed. She was about six years old, riding her bike, and she was hit by a car. My partner and I were first on the scene.”

  “Did the driver stop?”

  “Yes, but it was too late. The little girl died on impact.”

  “How does this Kevin Bates fit in?”

  “He was the girl’s dad.” Colin paused, appearing to think back over the accident. “The driver claimed the girl darted out into the street from between the parked cars and he couldn’t stop in time.”

  “I don’t understand. Why would the girl’s dad want to set you up for murder? It sounds like nothing more than a terrible accident.”

  “The driver was a twenty-one-year-old college student who lived in that neighborhood. His father was a police detective I knew, and he showed up on the scene about the same time my partner and I did. Mr. Bates claimed the driver was texting while he was driving, that he saw the phone in the guy’s hand, but when we went to search for the phone, it was missing. The driver started to deny it and his father told him not to say anything.”

  “Did you believe him?”

  “We searched the car and the driver, but we didn’t find a phone on him.”

  “Do you think his father could have taken it to protect his son?”

  “Could have, but I couldn’t accuse him. I had no evidence pointing to that.”

  “Couldn’t you have gotten his phone records from the cell company?”

  “We did. It showed he had received a text about five minutes before the accident, but it didn’t show him sending one out. The last thing it showed was a call to his father.”

  “You think he might have been writing a text and it was never sent? Maybe even erased by the father before anyone saw it?”

  “It could have happened that way, or it could not have. It was all conjecture. I was trying to make detective, so accusing a senior detective of something like that without any proof would have been suicide to my career.”

  “So, you think that’s why Kevin Bates might have it out for you? After all these years?”

  “No, that’s not even the half of it.”

  “What else happened?”

  “As you can imagine, after losing their little girl, he and his wife were grief-stricken. Then, seeing the young man that killed his daughter get off scot-free…well, that just made him absolutely furious.” Colin shook his head slightly. “That’s a bad combination.”

  “What happened?”

  “The young guy was still in college and Bates apparently stalked him, waiting for a chance to confront him. He waited for the kid outside of a bar a bunch of the college kids liked to hang out at. The kid came out one night by himself and wandered down the street to his car. Bates was waiting for just this kind of opportunity. He had a baseball bat, and he beat the guy within an inch of his life. Put him in intensive care. The kid nearly died.”

  “How did you know it was Kevin Bates who attacked him?”

  “When the driver was up to it, he gave our sketch artist a pretty good description of his attacker. I recognized him from the drawing. Worse yet, the young man’s dad, the detective, recognized him too. I had just made junior detective that week, so I grabbed my partner and we hurried to the Bates’ house to make the arrest before the driver’s dad got there.”

  “You think the other detective would have hurt Mr. Bates?”

  “He was pretty much of a hot head, so yeah, I think he would have beaten him badly before arresting him. Probably accuse him of resisting arrest.”

  “What happened after that?”

  “I was called to testify at Bates’ trial about the vehicular accident that set the whole thing in motion. His wife sat a couple of rows behind him and cried through the whole thing. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.”

  “Poor guy, losing his little girl like that,” Emily said.

  “It gets worse.”

  “How?”

  “His wife was so distraught over the loss of their daughter, and then with her husband being sent to Folsom Prison, I heard she c
ommitted suicide a few months later.”

  “Oh, Colin,” Emily gasped.

  “We’ll have to see if he’s out of prison yet and where he is,” Colin said. “I don’t know for sure if Bates is our guy, but he’s certainly worth checking out.”

  “Does he have the tech skills to pull off this frame job?”

  “Yeah, I believe so.” He nodded. “As I recall, he was a software engineer of some sort. And I remember hearing he had mad skills, the kind of person who could probably hack into the Pentagon’s network if he wanted to.”

  ~*~

  Colin shot off an email to one of his contacts in the SFPD and asked for all the information he could gather on Kevin Bates. He received an immediate reply, stating he’d get back to Colin as soon as he had it collected.

  Next, Colin phoned his good friend SFPD Detective Charlie Spencer, who had been digging up information on the felons that Colin and Ernie had given him. Charlie had approached the suspect, Bruce Younger, the man that made the trip to California necessary, and they had set an appointment to meet that day at three p.m.

  “I’ll pick Younger up and you can question him, Colin.”

  “I’m sure you know I can’t do it at the police station. We’ll have to pick another location.”

  “Yeah, I figured. Where do you want to meet? Golden Gate Park? Ghirardelli Square?”

  “Somewhere there are no security cameras.”

  “How about the beach across from Playland? Or the parking lot of the Cow Palace?”

  “The beach sounds best. Emily and I will be in disguise, but I’d rather avoid any cameras, if possible.”

  “Disguise? How will I know you?”

  “I’ll have a brownish-red wig and dark mustache, and I’ll be with a good-looking blonde.”

  “Talk about standing out in a crowd,” Charlie chuckled.

  “As long as no one can pick me out of a line up, I’m good with that.”

  “Okay then, meet us at the northern-most bench between the beach and the parking lot.”

  “Thanks, Charlie. See you at three.”

  ~*~

  Colin and Emily said their good-byes to his folks, once more wearing their disguises. Following the tearful farewell hugs, they were on their way to confront Bruce Younger.