Uncertain Calm (Uncertain Suspense Series Book 1)

by Jamie Lee Scott

  August to October was crazy busy for the grape harvest in Northern California.

  “Easy enough. I’ll call the main office, find out where Gloria is working, and we’ll go from there.” Wyatt stood and walked away, not waiting for my response.

  He was right. We couldn’t wait for them to come to us. Gloria said she may be able to talk to me today, but I didn’t have all day to wait around. What if when she was ready, I wasn’t? No cat and mouse for this. We needed answers.

  I pulled out my cell phone and looked up Gloria’s number. I sent her a text.

  HARPER

  It’s Officer Leigh

  I waited a few minutes, not sure there’d be a response.

  GLORIA

  I can’t text at work

  HARPER

  Where?

  GLORIA

  Where what?

  HARPER

  Where are you working?

  GLORIA

  What do you care?

  HARPER

  You can tell me, or I can look it up and call your employer

  GLORIA

  Tappit Winery

  HARPER

  My partner and I are on our way

  GLORIA

  NO!!!!!

  HARPER

  YES!!!!

  HARPER

  And if you aren’t there, I’ll send INS for all of your friends

  No response. I waited another few minutes.

  HARPER

  Gloria? If you don’t text me back I’m calling INS now

  GLORIA

  I’m here my boss is watching we have a break in 30

  I slid my phone to lock the screen and went to find Wyatt. I found him in Oliverez’s office, and knocked on the open door.“Excuse me.”

  Oliverez looked up. “Burke was just updating me on the Cabrera murder case.”

  “That’s what I’m here for. We need to get to the Tappit Winery ASAP. Gloria’s there, and they’re going on break in thirty minutes or so. We may be able to chat with her.” I stayed in the doorway.

  Wyatt looked at Oliverez.

  She said, “Go.”

  Wyatt jumped up and hustled down the hall. I followed behind, but at a slower pace.

  “Come on,” he said, waving his arm.

  “I’ll meet you at your car.” I couldn’t walk any faster without getting dizzy.

  “You shouldn’t be at work today.” He jogged away from me, then looked back. “I’ll bring my car to the loading bay. Meet me there.”

  “Oh, thank God,” I said to myself. I turned right and walked the twenty-five feet to the loading bay.

  The radio noise crackled nearly the entire ride out to Tappit Winery. We were 10-7 (out of service), so we weren’t taking any calls.

  “Heard back from any of the news stations?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I’ve heard plenty, but not what I wanted to hear. That’s what I was talking to Oliverez about. We keep getting stonewalled. Someone has footage of that shooting, I just know it. What good does it do them to keep us from finding a killer?” Talking about it gave Wyatt a lead foot.

  “Maybe she can get someone to give up the goods. If we get enough evidence, we can get a warrant.” I looked out over the vineyards that ran for miles on either side of the highway. My phone vibrated.

  I expected it to be Gloria, blowing us off. It was a text from Thomas.

  Turns out I’ll be home late tonight. Dinner?

  I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. I turned to look out the window, so Wyatt wouldn’t see.

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “Nothing. It’s a personal text.”

  “Jessica?”

  Jessica has been my best friend since high school. The girl who knew more about me than I knew about myself. At least until the last year. She’d been best friends with Wyatt during our marriage, too, and the divorce had been hard on us. I hadn’t talked to her much lately.

  “Not Jessica. I haven’t heard from her since I got out of the hospital.” My tone, I hoped, made it clear that I didn’t want to talk about her.

  “I talk to, or get a text from her, at least once a week,” he said. “She seems very happy with her new man.”

  I didn’t even know she had a new man. But I wasn’t going to say anything to Wyatt about it. Instead, I said, “It was Thomas. We had dinner last night.”

  That shut him up about Jessica. That shut him up all together.

  “I think I’m going to go back into therapy.” I had to give him something after the Thomas remark. I knew he wasn’t ready for me to start dating.

  “Really? Is everything okay?” He looked at me for a moment before looking back to the road.

  “Yes, and no. I didn’t expect my first days back on the job to involve so much shooting and death. It’s taken a toll.” I cleared my throat. “Nothing I can’t handle, but I want to be able to talk to someone, who isn’t a cop, about it.”

  “Is it too soon?” He reached across the console, looking for my hand.

  I crossed my arms over my abdomen. “No, it’s not too soon. I can do the job. This isn’t the norm, and you know it. Two shootings in two days. This is craziness.”

  “I agree. And you’ve put a hundred and ten percent into this investigation. I can see in your eyes…and your head, that it’s getting to you. Are you having nightmares?” He’d taken his foot off the gas, and was driving below the speed limit. He looked at me longer than he should have.

  I looked at the road for him. “Wyatt!”

  He looked back to the road.

  “Yes, I’m having some nightmares. They started after my first day back. Not bad, but enough that I think I should talk to someone. I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. And I don’t want this to go any further than us. Please.”

  “Are you talking to me as your superior, or your ex-husband?”

  “Whichever it has to be for you to keep this between us.” The pleading in my voice made me sick.

  “It’s just nightmares?” He pulled into the driveway of the vineyard, and stopped the car. He turned to look directly at me.

  I sucked at lying to him. And when he looked in my eyes, I was a goner.

  “Ochoa’s been hanging out with me in my cruiser.” I couldn’t look back at him.

  “Holy shit, Harper, this is a big deal. Why didn’t you say something? Oh, my God, this is not good at all. I’m going to have to take you off patrol.” He bounced his forehead on his steering wheel. “Shit, shit, shit.”

  “I haven’t seen him since yesterday. I think he’s gone. I’m okay. I’m going to get help. I promise you, I’ll get help as soon as we solve this case.” I grabbed Wyatt’s forearm. “Please don’t put me on leave. I can’t have this case start over from scratch. It’ll never get solved. The killer will go free, and Danny won’t get justice. Please, Wyatt, I’m begging you. I’ll get help. I promise.”

  He lifted his head and looked at me. The sorrow in his eyes nearly killed me. “You’re not riding in your patrol car alone. We’ll ride together until this case is solved. Then you’ll take a leave of absence until your psychiatrist clears you. I’m not going to tell the chief what’s going on in your head, but if Ochoa comes back, and you don’t tell me, so help me God, Harper, I’ll kill you myself.”

  “While we’re being honest, I didn’t walk into a door last night. I drove into a ditch. Ochoa, or I, because of Ochoa, drove my truck into a ditch, trying to roll it.” I looked at the computer on his dash, mentally saying the QWERTY letters in my head.

  “Do you have a death wish? Do you want to die? I don’t know you anymore. Sometimes you’re my old Harper, the one I knew before the kidnapping and shooting, and other times you’re someone else altogether. I want my old Harper back. Whatever it takes.” He grabbed my cheeks with both hands and kissed me on the mouth.

  I couldn’t help it: I loved him with all of my heart. I kissed him back. My heart melted, and I wanted to be my old self again, too. I didn’t know how to tell him, I�
��d never be that innocent girl again. After only a moment, I pulled away.

  “We have a murder to solve first.” I pointed up the driveway. “We don’t have time to waste.”

  Disappointed, Wyatt agreed, and he put the car in gear. Dust rolled behind us as we crawled along the one lane driveway.

  Harvest was in full gear, and every vehicle, and piece of equipment were being used. I couldn’t even count the number of people milling around that morning. Men and women who looked seasoned in the ways of the grape harvest, walked the rows between the vines. Companies made good money offering their services for a one day harvest.

  It looked as if they were just coming out of the vineyards. A police car in their midst ruined the relaxed atmosphere of their break.

  When a young girl stepped out of a group and headed toward us, and they saw we had no intention of rousting the rest, the noise level grew, and the tension lessened.

  I smiled. “Gloria?”

  She smiled back, “In the flesh.” She looked back at the crews, then back to us. “I only have a few minutes.”

  She stood about five feet tall, a little wide in the hips, and flat in the chest. Her hair was pulled back and held captive in a purple bandana. Her cheeks were plump, but she wasn’t fat. She wore tight jeans, a flannel shirt, and sneakers on her feet.

  “Danny was your boyfriend?”

  Tears welled in her brown eyes. “My fiancé. We were going to go to Vegas after the harvest to get married.”

  “Really? Maria didn’t say anything about that.” Weird she didn’t mention it.

  “She didn’t know. It was all hush hush. Maria didn’t even want Danny to date.” She looked around. “Danny and I met through Ricardo, his cousin.”

  “So, his cousin knew about you eloping?” Wyatt asked.

  “He found out the day before Danny died. I used to date Ricardo, but I didn’t love him. I’ve always been in love with Danny. I’m…” she started crying, tears rolling down her cheeks, snot running over her lips. She rubbed her belly. “I’m having his baby.”

  And once again, there’s an “Oh, shit,” in this case.

  “And Maria didn’t know?”

  “That’s why we were going to get married. Then Danny was going to tell his tia. She’d be so mad. Ricardo was going to tell his mom, but I begged him not to. Danny and I told him about the baby and the wedding, because he was going to be Danny’s best man. Go to Vegas with us. Oh, but he was so mad, furious.” She sniffed and wiped her face with her sleeve.

  “Have you talked to Maria about the baby since Danny died?” This was going to be difficult for Gloria. “Raising a baby alone is hard. Maria would want to know her great nephew or niece.”

  “Ricardo said he’d raise it as his. We’re going to get back together now that Danny is gone. I haven’t told Maria, because Ricardo said it might break her heart.” She looked to see everyone was going back to work. “I might tell her after the funeral.”

  She started to walk away.

  “Wait, we need to know about Rosa. And her supervisor. What happened?”

  “Oh, that. Juan. He thinks he’s a ladies man. When the girls don’t like him, he forces himself on them. He’s a pig. Some of the girls, they let him have sex with them, because he gives them privileges. The others, it’s one time. Rosa, it was bad. She’s not like us, not Mexican. Guatemalan.”

  “What was so different? Rape is rape?”

  “He picked her up early, in the van he uses to get the people who don’t have a car. He drove into an alley, put his hand over her mouth, then duct taped her hands, pulled her pants down and raped her. Then when he was done, he said if she told anyone, he’d make sure she was send back to Guatemala.

  “Danny said he saw the van when he was coming out of a 7-11, and he walked down the alley to see if Juan’s van had broke down. When he looked in the van, he saw Juan zipping up.”

  “So Danny didn’t see the rape?”

  “No, but he asked Rosa about it. She lied and said it wasn’t her at first. Then, when Danny said he could protect her, she told him everything. She’s pregnant, too.” Gloria rubbed her belly again. “Who is going to protect her now?”

  “Where is she?” I asked.

  “No one knows. She didn’t come back to work. When everyone heard about Danny, they thought for sure Juan killed him. Everyone is afraid of Juan. But not Danny. He marched right up to him in front of all of the workers, and told him if he ever saw or heard of him raping another girl, he’d cut his balls off. Juan just laughed at him.”

  “That had to be embarrassing. What did Danny do?” Wyatt asked.

  We looked and nearly everyone was gone.

  “I have to go. I’m going to get docked pay if I’m late.” She ran off, but turned and yelled, “Danny kicked him in the balls.”

  I looked at Wyatt. “What do we do with this?”

  “We get a warrant. We search Juan’s vehicle now, and we search his house.”

  “What are we looking for? So I can write it up?”

  “Smallest we can go at this point is a .38, maybe a snub nose.”

  We wanted to look for the smallest item possible, so we’d have an excuse to look in the smallest nooks and crannies of this prick’s personal spaces. And if we found other places to look, well, we’d get a warrant for those too.

  CHAPTER 17

  Turns out, Wyatt wanted to make sure Juan didn’t go anywhere while we got the warrant, so he left me to stand watch at the vineyard, while he wrote up the affidavit for the warrant. He sent me a text to let me know he had just the right judge in mind for this one.

  I sat on a bench in the shade and watched the field workers move efficiently along the rows of grapes. I was amazed at how fast they were able to hand pick the grapes. I’d never even considered the process of how my delicious wine came to be, and how hard these people worked. I hoped they were well compensated.

  When I got bored, I sent Thomas a text. I hadn’t responded when I was in the car with Wyatt, because I didn’t want to seem too eager. And because Wyatt would’ve looked over my shoulder.

  Let’s make something easy, like pasta.

  Then I looked up the phone number for West Coast Post Trauma, and gave them a call. When I got the switchboard, I tapped in the extension for my counselor.

  “This is Melody Windsor.” Melody’s voice sounded like Macy Gray’s, too many years of smoking and booze. Only Melody had never smoked or drank.

  “Melody, it’s Harper. Harper Leigh.” I hoped she remembered me.

  “Well, Nelle, how the hell are you?”

  She called me Nelle, because that was Harper Lee’s real first name. She was the only person who didn’t make To Kill A Mockingbird jokes. She only called me Nelle.

  “You remember me.” I was thrilled.

  “How could I forget? I’m assuming you aren’t doing so well, or you wouldn’t be calling.”

  I sighed heavily before responding. “Ochoa may have tried to kill me last night.”

  Silence, then, “Nelle, do you have a death wish?”

  “I don’t, I really don’t. And I just met a really cute, nice guy. I don’t know why I did it.”

  “So you can admit it was you?” She wasn’t condescending. This was what I liked about WCPT, they called it like it was. No bullshit, no talking down to us.

  “Who else would it be?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Ochoa, your scapegoat?” Plain as day. She knew me well.

  “It was all me, even though I saw him grab my hand as if he was pulling the steering wheel.” Admitting it was me helped.

  “You’re doing fine, Nelle. Remember when you couldn’t admit it was you?” I heard her tapping keys on a keyboard. “Are you back at work yet?”

  “For a couple of days.”

  “Is that what triggered it?” The concern was heavy.

  “Yes.” I knew for certain it was the cause.

  “Then you need to work through it. Have you been doing your exercises?” I
loved that it was a reminder, not an admonishment.

  “Nope.” If I lied, she’d know.

  “Let’s start there.” More key tapping. “When do you have a day off?”

  “I’m working a case, so I’m not sure. It’s a murder, and I could take a day, but I want to make sure I get all of my evidence logged. I want to solve this one. I need to solve it.” There was a desperation in my voice.

  “I understand that murders need to be solved, but what’s so important here?”

  I broke down. The tears came before I could stop them. Damn it. I looked around to be sure no one could see. “He was just a boy. And he was killed in his front yard. An innocent who was standing near me, just a few feet away. I just need this, that’s all.”

  I was sobbing by the time I said the last words. I wasn’t sure she even understood me.

  “Okay, I get it. Some are more personal than others. But remember, we need to distance ourselves. Let it go. If you solve it, will you be able to let it go?” Her professional demeanor grated on me now. I wanted her to be caring, and reach through the phone line with a hug. That wasn’t her way. Her way was to make me tough.

  I didn’t want to be tough.

  I had another call come through. I looked; it was Wyatt.

  “I’m on duty, and I have a call from my sergeant. I’ve gotta go. I’ll make an appointment as soon as I can. Thanks.” I hung up without waiting for a response.

  As I switched to talk to Wyatt, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Melody.

  Hang tough. See you soon.

  I smiled.

  Answering Wyatt, I said, “What’s up?”

  “We got the affidavit written up. I’m going to get it signed, and I’ll be right back. We have one for his vehicle and his residence.” He sounded out of breath.

  “Have you been running?”

  “I’m trying to get back before Ochoa sits down next to you.” He wasn’t being facetious.

  “I’m fine. See you in a few.”

  I watched the workers, played a few rounds of Candy Crush while I waited, and before I knew it, Wyatt was back.

  I walked to his car as he pulled up. “What’ve we got?”

  “I have the warrant. I was able to pull some information based on his first and last name, and his work history.” He tapped keys on his computer. “We have his arrest records, address, the works. He drives a blue Honda Civic.” As he read off the license plate, I looked around.