by Karen Rose
‘Which is why you’ve pushed so hard on these investigations. To prove yourself.’
‘One of the reasons.’ She absently scraped at a chip in the table’s veneer. ‘But mostly because they haunt me. All those innocent people victimized because Silas was a damn coward who allowed Lippman to bully him into sacrificing his integrity for the safety of his family.’
‘But in trying to set things right, you’ve put your own family in the line of fire and you’re wondering if it’s worth it.’
She looked up then, met his eyes. Dark, intense, and focused on her face. And so full of understanding that her own eyes stung. ‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘Hell of an irony, ain’t it?’
‘Yes. But you couldn’t live with yourself if you looked the other way. You’re not wired that way.’ He leaned forward, his hand covering hers. ‘It’s what makes you “you”. And we will find out who’s targeting you, no matter how many there are or how long it takes.’
‘You make me believe it’ll happen,’ she said quietly. ‘I’d started to doubt myself.’
‘I know. Everybody’s allowed to wallow a little in the pity-pool.’ He squeezed her hand hard before releasing it to retreat back in his chair. ‘Time to get out of the pool.’
‘You’re right.’ Squaring her shoulders, she cleared her throat. ‘Rossi’s personnel file?’
‘From 2007 to 2009 Rossi was partnered with a detective named Danny Kersey in the robbery division. Kersey was senior, Rossi was newly promoted out of a squad car.’
‘I don’t know Kersey either.’
‘Silas did. Kersey appears in one of the reports.’
She frowned. ‘Which one?’
‘One of the reports in the green folder.’
She felt her cheeks heat, this time in shame. ‘I should’ve looked at them first.’ But she hadn’t because the dates in the folder made her uncomfortable.
‘We always wish we’d checked the last place first,’ he said kindly and she knew he knew why she hadn’t looked at them. ‘Kersey and Rossi were investigating what appeared to be an ordinary home invasion and robbery. Then the daughter of the homeowner was found raped and murdered the following day. They handed the case over to Silas who was working solo.’
‘Because I was out on bereavement leave. What else?’
‘Silas arrested a homeless man for the burglary, rape, and murder. That’s all Silas had in his file. There was a short reference to Kersey’s burglary investigation. A sentence or two, if that. Rossi was never mentioned, even though he was Kersey’s partner.’
She gave him a sharp look. ‘You remember Kersey’s name out of all those reports?’
‘No. I wish my memory was that good. I took notes on the reports in that green folder while you were asleep. Alec wrote a database to compare all the names from the notes you’ve been taking all along, mine from last night, and what he calls “extraneous” documentation. Things like Rossi’s personnel file, class lists from the Academy, stuff like that.’
‘Wow. What a useful assistant.’
‘Sometimes.’ Clay smiled. ‘Sometimes he’s just a pain in the ass.’
She found herself smiling back, comfortable with him now that they were talking shop and not . . . feelings. ‘So where is the report with Kersey’s name in it?’
‘Locked in the closet under the stairs. I didn’t want to risk having your daughter see them.’
‘Thank you. I appreciate that. Is there a place we can sort through the box of files? Where she won’t overhear? She agreed to go upstairs far too easily and I know from experience that she has ears like a bat. The boathouse is small, but she won’t hear us there.’
‘The boathouse doesn’t have a table where we can spread the files out, but the boat does.’
‘The boat? Wait. Clay, wait.’ But he was out of his chair and out of the room before she could blink. Stevie had no choice but to grab her cane and follow him.
Baltimore, Maryland, Sunday, March 16, 9.45 A.M.
‘And on Tuesday you cut the ribbon at the groundbreaking for a youth rehab center in Reston. Wear your black Armani, with a blue tie. You wore the gray Huntsman with a red tie to the ribbon cutting last week and we want each event to appear different. For the Facebook posts, dontchaknow. Here’s your speech. I’ve marked all the places you need to get choked up.’
Robinette saw Brenda Lee slide the typed page across his desk, but his main focus was on his laptop which displayed the feed from the camera aimed at the door to Fletcher’s office. Fletch had arrived forty-five minutes ago and still hadn’t reported in, as ordered.
That his summons had been delivered was not in doubt. The guard shack had reported in, seconds after Fletcher’s car passed through the gates.
He now regretted not putting a camera in Fletcher’s office itself. He hadn’t done so because Fletcher’s office was one of the places they met for sex and Robinette sure as hell didn’t intend to give his security guards a show. But that was then.
Now was a totally different story. He’d have a camera installed by the end of the day.
‘Then on Wednesday,’ Brenda Lee continued, ‘you have a ten A.M. coffee at the Capitol in DC with the junior congressman from Louisiana to discuss your donation to the public school system in your old parish. I suggest you go nude, with your ass painted red like a baboon’s.’
Robinette’s eyes shot to Brenda Lee whose strawberry blonde brows were lifted in annoyance. ‘I was listening,’ he grunted, returning his attention to the screen. ‘Monday, city planner for a dinner meeting at six. Tuesday, ribbon cutting, black Armani, be sure to cry. Have the guy with the red ass-paint in my dressing area by six A.M. on Wednesday.’
Brenda Lee laughed. ‘You make me crazy, you know that?’
‘I get the job done, don’t I?’ Come on, Fletch. Open the damn door. I don’t have all day.
‘I have to say you do. Last night you were at the top of your game. Nice speech. Excellent delivery. Even I believed you were humble.’
‘No, you didn’t.’
‘No, I didn’t. I know you far too well.’ She hesitated. ‘Robbie, are you okay? You’ve seemed a little . . . off for the last few days.’
‘Yeah, just fine.’ Except for the fact that Henderson’s running amok, Fletcher stabbed me in the back, and Stevie Mazzetti is still alive. He flicked a glance at Brenda Lee. ‘Really.’
‘Okay, whatever you say. I have the rest of your schedule here. You can review it at your leisure.’ She placed a folder on the edge of the desk. ‘Call me with questions. Or about anything else. I know this isn’t an easy week for you, no matter how you choose to play it in front of the team. Losing a child is never easy. And your circumstances were harder than most. You lost your wife, too – and at the hand of your son.’
Well, no, actually he hadn’t lost Julie at Levi’s hand. I lost my wife at my very own hand. Because she was too damn smart for her own good. And mine, too. She’d put two and two together and realized she’d lost her first husband – also at Robinette’s hand. Her mistake had been in confronting him about Rene’s murder.
Lesson number one: Never confront a killer. He’d been so startled at her accusation that he’d killed her before he’d given it any thought. Lesson number two: Lock your office door when killing your wife. Because her lead chemist had popped his head in just then.
So of course Robinette had had to kill him, too. And that was when his nightmare with Mazzetti had begun. The bitch had known. Somehow she’d known from the first moment.
Lesson number three: Don’t put off ’til tomorrow what you should do today. I should have killed Mazzetti eight years ago. Should have found a way to make it look like an accident. Or even a suicide. She’d been so depressed after her husband and son were killed, no one would have doubted it.
But he’d been waiting for the ‘right time’. There never was a right time. He should have been smart and made the right time. But Mazzetti had rattled him. She’d known he’d killed Julie and she would not gi
ve up trying to prove it. He’d panicked. The bitch had made him panic. He thought he hated Mazzetti for that most of all.
Because in his panic, he’d sacrificed his son. Pointing the cops in Levi’s direction hadn’t been hard. The kid had been a junkie and when Julie had died, the boy had lost it, staying high all the time. He’d figured Levi might do a little time. Maybe get sentenced to rehab.
He hadn’t meant for Levi to die. Hadn’t anticipated the bitch cop would murder his son. But she had. And when he was done with her, she’d be damn sorry she had.
‘Don’t worry about me, Brenda Lee,’ Robinette muttered, conscious of her worried stare. ‘I’ve moved on. I don’t think about Julie anymore. I have Lisa now.’
‘I wish I believed that,’ she said sadly. ‘But I don’t.’
Ah. Finally. The lab door opened and Fletcher appeared, turning toward the elevator to Robinette’s office. Took you long enough, Fletch. His chemist would be here in minutes.
Robinette gave his full attention to Brenda Lee, who looked alarmingly tired. ‘What about you, BL? Are you all right?’
Her smile was tight. ‘No complaints, boss.’
‘You never do complain.’ He knew she was in constant pain and had been since the day he’d pulled her out of a wrecked Humvee on the side of an Iraqi road, seconds before it went up in flames, having been targeted by an insurgent’s rocket launcher.
She shrugged. ‘Doesn’t help. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a kite to fly with my son.’ Her motorized wheelchair whirred as she put it into reverse and did quick K-turn.
‘Excuse me? Did you say a kite?’
‘I did indeed. Dax and I joined a kite club. Gives us mother/son bonding time. Why don’t you come with us, Robbie? It’s fun, and that’s something you haven’t gotten a lot of lately.’
He smiled. Brenda Lee was one of the few people he could just be with. ‘Would you believe me if I said I was tempted?’
‘Yeah, I think I would. But don’t wait too long. March is halfway over already and April’s lousy weather for kiting. Can you hit the buzzer?’
Robinette pushed the button attached discreetly beneath his desk, signaling the receptionist on duty outside his door. Immediately the door was opened and Brenda Lee wheeled herself out.
He heard her exchange greetings with Fletcher out in the hall and fought the urge to drum his fingers on the granite of his desk. Stay calm. He didn’t want Fletch suspecting that he knew about Henderson. He wanted to see the look on Fletch’s face when he sprung his accusation.
Because, he supposed, a piece of him didn’t want to believe Fletcher was capable of such complete and flagrant disregard of a direct order. He didn’t want to believe that his oldest living friend would go behind his back like this.
Henderson’s carelessness had opened the rest of them up to potential scrutiny that could land them all in jail. Or worse. They needed to distance themselves from any police attention. Henderson had known that as well as any of them and now needed to be contained.
Fletcher closed the door. Gave Robinette a distracted nod. ‘Robbie, I need to talk to you.’
Robinette watched Fletcher pace the length of his office. ‘I sent for you,’ he said calmly.
‘I know. But let me go first.’ Fletcher turned to face him. ‘I saw Henderson last night.’
Robinette managed not to blink although it was hard. He hadn’t expected Fletch to come right out with it that way. ‘Why?’
‘I got a call around ten. Henderson had tried to call you first, but you were at that event.’
‘I told you to sever contact with Henderson. Why didn’t you?’
‘Because I’m a doctor. Even if I can’t practice anymore, I’m still a doctor and I took an oath. If someone begs me to help them, I’m not going to say no. I couldn’t live with myself if I’d let Henderson suffer, knowing I could have done something. If you’re angry with me, so be it.’
‘I’ll be honest. I am angry. I gave that order to protect us. I didn’t respond to Henderson’s calls last night for the same reason. If Henderson is caught and tells the authorities the order to deal with Mazzetti came from me, we could have claimed ignorance, that the accusations were those of a disgruntled and perhaps mentally ill former fellow soldier. Because you answered the call, you’ve put us in a bad position.’
‘I’m sorry. But I’ll be honest. Given the same situation, I’d probably do it again. And it’s not that bad anyway. If anyone asks, I’ll just say I was responding to an old Army buddy in need. That I’m not a doctor anymore works in my favor. I don’t have to report bullet wounds.’
‘But that you had contact at all forges a link the cops can follow straight to us.’ Robinette sighed, a mixture of relief and frustration. There had been no betrayal. Just Fletch being Fletch. Still, it was a problem. ‘What am I going to do with you?’
‘Do you really need an answer to that question?’
Robinette’s groin twitched. He ignored it. Mostly. ‘Where did you meet Henderson?’
‘At the Key Hotel.’
It was the same hotel Westmoreland reported. There was no lie here. No duplicity. Therefore, no need to install cameras in Fletcher’s office after all. Still, he needed to be certain.
He motioned for Fletcher to come around his desk, hitting another discreetly placed button to lock his office door. Fletcher obeyed, dropping to kneel between Robinette’s thighs.
‘I hated knowing you were with Lisa last night,’ Fletch whispered.
Robinette watched those capable hands ease his zipper down, all the while studying his chemist’s eyes. He saw discomfort and regret and guilt. Understandable and all in total sync with Fletcher’s character.
‘I know. But Lisa’s temporary, a means to an end. You and I will go on long after she’s just a memory.’ Then he closed his eyes and let Fletcher . . . attend to his needs.
When they’d finished, he gripped Fletcher’s chin between his fingers. ‘Have you heard from Henderson since you left the hotel last night?’
Fletcher’s eyes flickered, so minutely Robinette almost missed it. ‘No. I didn’t have any antibiotics in my kit, but I left a few painkillers from my last dental surgery. I’d be surprised if Henderson is awake enough to call anyone.’
‘All right. If you’re contacted again—’
‘I know. I’ll tell you immediately.’ Fletcher rose. ‘I’ll be down in the lab if you need me.’
Robinette released the lock, his eyes focused on the door after Fletcher left. Fletcher had lied. He’d seen it in that tiny flicker. There had been additional contact between the two. And if a person lied about one thing, it was extremely likely they’d lied about others.
He picked up the phone, dialed his IT guy and ordered a camera to be installed in Dr Fletcher’s office before this day became night. Then he called Westmoreland.
‘Where are you?’ Robinette demanded.
‘About fifteen minutes from Maynard’s house.’
‘I want updates every hour.’ Starting now, he’d be keeping a tighter leash on his operatives.
‘Okay,’ Westmoreland said uncertainly. ‘Why?’
‘Just do it.’ Robinette hung up and stared straight ahead. At nothing at all.
Wight’s Landing, Maryland, Sunday, March 16, 10.05 A.M.
This, Clay thought, was going far better than he had anticipated. He’d been watching Stevie eat breakfast with her daughter, not able to stop thinking about the look of unguarded desire in her eyes as she’d looked up at him in that moment before sleep had claimed her.
He’d been wondering how he’d get her alone so he could try to achieve that same look now that she was awake. Unless she wasn’t thinking about me.
Second best. You’d always be second best.
Clay shoved the doubt away before it could take root. He’d stick to the plan. Protect her until the scum that would harm her were culled. Until she was herself again. Until the loss of her husband was no longer the first thing she thought of
when she thought about them together. And she did think about them together. He’d stake his life on it.
For now, he had her totally alone.
‘This space is surprisingly large,’ Stevie said, turning a three-sixty in the middle of the boat’s cabin. ‘And surprisingly steady.’
Clay rolled the suitcase filled with reports to the small table next to the galley. ‘The bay’s calm today. Yesterday would have been rougher.’
‘Then I’m glad it’s not yesterday. For a lot of reasons. Whose boat is this?’
‘Dad and I own the Fiji together. He got it after Mom passed. He needed something to do and he’d always loved to fish. He has fun with his clients, supplements his pension, and I know he’s socially engaged and not sitting out here alone, pining for her. At first I was afraid I’d lose him, too. He was such a wreck without her. You always hear about spouses that just check out after the other one—’ Hell. Way to go, Mr Chatty. He could have sliced off his own tongue.
She looked over her shoulder, no smile on her face. ‘After the other one dies?’
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t think.’
‘That’s okay. I know my family and friends worried that I might do exactly that. I might have if I hadn’t had Cordelia.’ She looked around again, her eyes everywhere but on him. ‘This is good of you, Clay. To care so much about keeping your dad happy. Izzy, Sorin, and I should figure out some activities for my dad. He retired recently and just makes my mom crazy.’
‘I like your parents. They were very kind to me when I visited you in December.’
‘They like you too,’ she said ruefully. ‘If it makes you feel any better, I got a ration of shit from my family over what I said to you in the hospital that day.’
‘It does make me feel better actually,’ he said and she laughed. Just a little laugh, but it made him feel ten feet tall and bullet-proof.
‘Glad to oblige.’ She slid onto the bench seat and took out her laptop. ‘Can you get me Silas’s report that mentions Kersey? I want to find Kersey’s report on that burglary in the department’s database. He would have had to close his case, even just to say he’d passed it on to Homicide. Also, do you have a landline on this boat?’