All the Hidden Sins

by Marian Lanouette

  “You have visitors,” she said as she turned toward him.

  “Mrs. Russell? Kyra Russell?” the tall officer asked, the other one stood at attention.

  “Yes?”

  “Mrs. Russell, a Tom Russell has sustained serious injury tonight when he was attacked after leaving a bar in downtown Wilkesbury.”

  “Is my son okay? Is Tom okay? What happened? Where is he?” The questions tumbled from her mouth. Jake pushed to his feet.

  “Mrs. Russell, can we come in?” The tall officer continued to address her. The other one stood quiet.

  “Yes.”

  She opened the door wider to let them in. Jake walked over to her and put his arms around her shoulder, drew her close to him. He nodded to the cops. Santos he knew, and respected. Anderson he didn’t trust.

  “What happened, Santos?” Jake asked.

  Kyra disengaged herself from his arms as she pushed the door closed. “Officer, answer my question. Is my son okay?”

  “Mr. Russell was alone at the time of the attack,” Officer Anderson said.

  “I don’t understand. Why was he attacked?” The cop ignored her.

  “Where were you tonight between eight thirty and nine thirty?” Anderson continued to question her.

  “I was right here with Jake,” Kyra said, bewildered.

  “Lieutenant…this is kind of awkward…I need your whereabouts between the same time frame?” Officer Santos asked while Anderson studied Jake’s face.

  Kyra jumped in. “Why?”

  He looked from one uniform to the other. “Because he believes you and I were behind the attack. Isn’t that correct, Officer Anderson?” Jake stared hard at the cop.

  “Mr. Russell said his attacker told him the beating was from Kyra Russell. The attacker also said, and I quote, ‘Jake said the next time the beating would be worse.’ Lieutenant, do you know Mr. Russell?”

  “Yes I do, Officer. I had the displeasure of meeting him a few of weeks ago when he tried to attack Mrs. Russell. I had to pull him off of her. They’re in the middle of an ugly divorce and custody battle. Russell is a devious man, he might’ve arranged the beating himself to gain the court’s sympathy. In fact, Mr. Russell tried to rape her when I was at her condo visiting. It’s on the record. Here’s my statement for your report: outside of the incident where he tried to rape Mrs. Russell, I have never laid a hand on him nor have I ordered anyone else to lay a hand on him. He’s being vindictive to Mrs. Russell by incriminating her, and me by association.” Christ, this was going to be all over the station house tomorrow.

  “Thank you, Lieutenant. Mrs. Russell, the attacker, according to Mr. Russell, stood about five-feet-eight inches tall, with wheat-colored hair. He guessed the attacker’s age around thirty-five to forty, with a stocky build. Do you know anyone who looks like that?” Kyra stared at the officer.

  “Mrs. Russell?” The officer prompted.

  “My foreman at work looks like that, but Tom knows him. Officer, this doesn’t have anything to do with me. I’d never hurt Tom, for crying out loud. I need to find out where my son is.”

  The description clicked something inside of Jake. “I have a case that might cross with this. One of my suspects matches that description.”

  “I’ll look into it, Lieutenant.” Officer Anderson turned from him toward Kyra.

  “Who are you calling, Mrs. Russell?”

  “I’m calling Tom—where is he?”

  “He’s outside in the cruiser.”

  As Kyra started to rush outside Anderson stepped in front of her and blocked her exit.

  “I can’t see him?”

  She looked up at the officer. Jake stepped over to Santos, not Anderson, and started speaking in a low tone.

  “Lieutenant, Miller is after your ass. Lieutenant Stein was on call tonight but he called Miller in to take this one when he heard your name mentioned. Watch out,” Officer Santos whispered.

  “Thanks, Jose, I will,” Jake said.

  “I need to see how he is and where my son is. If I can’t go out there, bring him in here,” Kyra said, as she walked up to Jake.

  The officers were doing their duty, but the lack of leeway bothered Jake. Who had set up this situation? Not Miller this time, but it had to go back to Kyra’s gambling and her connection to Lucci.

  * * * *

  When the cop blocked Kyra’s path Jake had taken out his phone to call Shamus. The way this was going down, he was sure it tied back to Kyra’s gambling, Lucci, or Stack’s death. Or some combination of the three. First, he’d need to find the connection. The description fit one of the guys who’d abducted Church. One of Phil’s men? He looked at Kyra while he waited for the captain to answer. When he did, Jake explained everything to him.

  “Why are they questioning you?” Captain McGuire asked.

  “Because the attacker used my first name.”

  “You’re not the only Jake in the city.”

  “I’m the one dating Kyra Russell though,” Jake said, holding back his temper at being played.

  “Innocent or not—” Jake went to interrupt him, but the captain forged on. “I know you’re innocent, but it’s going to put you in front of Internal Affairs. I won’t be able to stop that. Who’d go out of their way to throw you to them?”

  “Several.”

  Crap, life’s gotten a hell of a lot more complicated. His eyes bored holes through Kyra. Now, more than ever, they had to finish their conversation. Glassy eyes told him she was in shock. Or she deserved an Oscar for her performance. The first priority was to get hold of any and all information on Tom Russell. The captain’s voice pulled him back to the here and now.

  “Jake?”

  Yes?”

  “I said we’ll meet the first thing tomorrow morning, around seven.”

  “I’ll see you then.” Jake hung up, walked back over to Kyra.

  “I’m going outside to talk to Tom, you stay here,” Jake said.

  “Ah…Lieutenant…I can’t let you talk to the victim yet.” Officer Santos looked uncomfortable.

  “Jose, have you ever known me to hurt a suspect or victim?” Jake asked.

  “No, sir, but I have my orders,” Santos said, as he adjusted his collar.

  Of course he did. Jake and Jose’s boss didn’t get along, not since Jake had cost him a promotion and got his brother thrown off the force. As the investigating officer on a police brutality case five years ago, Jake hadn’t invoked the “Wall of Blue.” The officer had been found guilty of excessive force and, instead of being fired, he’d been demoted. It took young Miller a couple of years to re-earn his stripes. His brother, the captain at the time, who’d encouraged the excessive force, had been fired and lost his pension. Sergeant Ralph Miller had been gunning for Jake ever since.

  Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang again. This time Officer Santos answered the door. Standing there were Captain Shamus McGuire and Sergeant Miller. Miller walked over to Anderson and Santos, the captain walked over to Jake.

  “Cap, why are you here?”

  “I looked up to see who was running the investigation and decided to take it over to cut through all the BS.”

  “Thanks,” Jake replied. McGuire always had his back.

  McGuire walked over to Anderson, Santos and Miller.

  “Officer, if Mr. Russell’s injuries are serious why isn’t he at the hospital?” McGuire asked, addressing his remarks to Officer Santos.

  “He requested a visit with Mrs. Russell, Captain,” Officer Anderson answered for Santos.

  “An injured victim belongs in the hospital, Anderson. This is quite unusual. You’ve put the department in a situation that might wind up in a lawsuit unnecessarily. I’ll have your report on my desk first thing tomorrow on the reasons you overlooked the victim’s health to grant his request. Depending on your report, this
might put a black mark in your file,” McGuire said, making his displeasure clear.

  “Officer, if you allow Mrs. Russell to see Tom Russell, make sure she’s not alone. She had him arrested for an attempt of rape two weeks ago. His actions tonight are probably retaliation for that. Understood?” Jake asked. “And remember she has rights too.”

  “Yes, sir,” Santos said.

  Jose Santos was a good cop. Jake liked him. Too bad he was caught in the middle of this. Sergeant Miller would throw him under the bus the minute this scenario played out wrong. The only thing this was going to do to Jake was inconvenience him for a while—having to deal with IA was a pain in the butt—but it never scared Jake like it did other officers. He knew he was clean and he’d prove it. The real questions were who had beat up Tom Russell and why?

  He watched Miller approach them.

  “I’m sorry to inform you that you have an appointment tomorrow morning at nine o’clock with Internal Affairs.” Sorry my ass. Miller’s feral grin spoke for itself.

  “IA isn’t a problem for me, Miller. But I see you still haven’t developed proper investigative procedures.” Captain McGuire put his hand on Jake’s shoulder to stop him.

  “This isn’t the place for either of you to air your dirty laundry. Sergeant Miller, there should have been a more involved investigation into this matter before you notified Internal Affairs. Your treatment of a decorated officer is deplorable. Your personal likes and dislikes don’t belong at a crime scene nor on the job and will be noted in your file.” McGuire walked over to Officer Santos and whispered to him.

  “Payback’s a bitch,” Miller whispered to Jake before he turned away and joined Santos and McGuire. It cost Jake to hold his tongue. After a few minutes, he checked up on Kyra who sat on the couch.

  “Are you okay?”

  “No, Jake, I’m not. No one’s told me where my son is.”

  Jake walked Kyra over to the four cops. “Cap, Mrs. Russell has asked several times about the location of her son. She’s yet to receive an answer. She has also inquired about Mr. Russell. Can I take her outside to talk to him?”

  “No, she can’t speak—” Miller said.

  McGuire interrupted Miller’s answer. “Mrs. Russell, I will take you outside. Why isn’t your son with you tonight?”

  “My husband…ex-husband…has temporary custody,” Kyra stated. Jake saw her embarrassment.

  McGuire escorted Kyra out of the condo to the cruiser, leaving Jake and Miller alone with the two officers who worked directly under Miller.

  “This isn’t over, Carrington.” Miller stormed out the door without another word.

  “I’d watch your back, Lieutenant. Miller’s one mean son of a bitch,” Santos whispered. Jake nodded to him. He stared at the door Miller had slammed shut.

  Fifteen minutes later, alone with Kyra, Jake sat down next to her on the couch and wrapped his arms around her. Drained of emotion, Kyra’s tears flowed as he held her.

  “Trevor’s okay?”

  “Yes, he’s with my in-laws again. Poor Trevor. He can’t stand my mother-in-law. He said she’s mean. Let me tell you, the kid’s correct in his assessment.”

  Kyra blew her nose into the tissue he’d supplied during her crying jag. He got up, grabbed the box this time, and handed it to her.

  “I’m sorry I have to ask this. But did you have anything to do with Tom getting beaten tonight?”

  “Oh my God, Jake, no. I’d never do anything like that to anyone, especially Trevor’s father.”

  He didn’t doubt her. “Okay, asked and answered. Who are his enemies—personal or business?”

  “No one.”

  “Was it Phil Lucci?”

  Her eyes widened, then filled with anger. Her voice high. “What is your freaking fixation with Phil Lucci?”

  “Calm down.” He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “I’m not fixated on Phil Lucci. But I don’t believe in coincidences. Today someone tried to grab you from a garage, then later in the day someone attacked your husband.” Jake stared into Kyra’s eyes as he tried to gauge her reaction to his logic.

  “Let’s get something straight right here and now. Tom is no longer my husband. Joe didn’t try to kidnap me. He was leaning on my car. And yes, he was insistent, even grabbed my arm…but he wasn’t going to hurt me.”

  “This is why we have homicides. People read situations wrong all the time. That man had plans to get you into the car one way or another. The only thing that stopped him from forcing you to go with him was me on the phone. Why don’t you get that?”

  “For what reason? I have nothing he wants.”

  He turned his head away in disgust. He’d been in this situation many times with a victim. It staggered him, her inability to comprehend what had happened in the garage with Dillon this afternoon. Or the danger it presented.

  “Kyra, someone has a hard-on for either you or Tom. I’m guessing it’s you. I’m also guessing that whoever did this is sitting back laughing, knowing he also threw me into the mix. That points to one person, whether you like it or not. What does Phil Lucci have on you?”

  Chapter 33

  Speechless, Kyra stared at Jake. Words stuck in her throat. Did she dare trust him? Was she in danger? If he arrested her, how much time would she have to spend in jail? If Phil had beaten up Tom, was she an accessory after the fact? The questions swirled around in her head. It made her dizzy.

  “What do you mean, ‘have on me’? For Pete’s sake, Jake, this isn’t the movies. I don’t work for Phil Lucci. I have nothing Phil Lucci wants. I’m tired of answering these questions. Is this how you’re going to justify dumping me?”

  “Kyra—”

  With tears in her eyes, she turned away from him, pushed off the couch to stand, then pace. She started to turn back, not realizing he’d come up behind her. She slammed into a wall of muscle. Jake’s arms encircled her as he held her to his body. She loved when he did that. Relaxing into the embrace, guilt overtook her. She tried to spin out of his arms but he snugged her to his body before he released her and ran his hands up and down her arms before he rested them on her wrists.

  “Look at me.”

  She raised her head, looked into his beautiful green eyes, and lied. “He has nothing on me. What stupid person beats up Tom to get back at me? I don’t give a rat’s ass what happens to Tom as long as Trevor is safe. It’s you that someone’s trying to incriminate. Why mention you, if this was payback for me?”

  “It’s not me,” he said, never breaking eye contact with her.

  “After today’s incident the one person who comes to mind is Joe Dillon.” She grinned inward. Excellent, Kyra, throw Joe under the bus.

  “I’ll mention it to the investigating officer.”

  * * * *

  Damn it, she lied to my face.

  Her pulse had jumped when he held her wrists. He needed the truth and it looked like she wasn’t going to give it to him. He made a decision.

  Jake released her. Sat on the couch with his head in his hands as he reviewed everything. He raised his eyes and pinned her with a look.

  “I’m going to get my answers, Kyra. Whether they come from you or someone else, I will get them.” He pushed off the couch. He towered over her. “I’m leaving.” He walked to the door, grabbed the knob, froze when she called out to him.

  “I don’t know what you want me to tell you. I have no answers.”

  He opened the door, stepped over the threshold, turned back one last time to give her another chance to speak.

  “Jake, please listen…”

  “Do you know a Detective Stack?” Changing tactics, he watched for a reaction, a knowledge of the subject. He got none.

  “No, should I?”

  “How about a Saul Church?”

  “Same answer.”

  He believed she told the t
ruth this time. That was something.

  “Who beat up Tom tonight?” he asked again.

  “I told you, I don’t know,” she screamed.

  Disgusted, he left without another word.

  * * * *

  Why were Jake and the police accusing her? She didn’t have anything to do with Tom getting beat up. And who were those other people he asked about? Did she burn them?

  Had she seen the last of him? No, not in a million years. Her luck wasn’t that good.

  Collapsing back on the couch, she let the tears flow again. How was she going to get out of this mess? She tried to push up off the sofa, but her legs went to jelly beneath her.

  She reached for the end table, grabbed her cell, and pressed in Tom’s number. He answered on the third ring.

  “What do you want?”

  “I wanted to make sure you got treated. Are you alright?”

  “What a stupid question. Of course I’m not okay. You didn’t have anything to do with this, did you?”

  “No. I told you that before.”

  “Are you serious with that cop?”

  “No. We’re through.”

  Tom didn’t reply. “Tom?”

  “He’s a fool.”

  “Thanks. Do you need anything?”

  “I want our family back together…”

  “It can’t be fixed, Tom. Do you need me to pick up Trevor from school tomorrow?”

  “No…okay, yes, we can go out to dinner after you drop him off.”

  “Tom…” She didn’t hide the annoyance in her voice.

  “I meant with Trevor, Kyra, don’t go freaking out on me.”

  She hung up and started pacing. An idea began cooking in her brain. Tomorrow, she’d pack up all the money she’d gotten from Phil, then get Trevor from school. Together they’d take off for parts unknown. She’d make it work. All she needed to do was a little research to find the place for Trevor to be happy. Give him back the stability he deserved. Tomorrow she’d buy a new car. Trevor has clothes here. She ran through the inventory at her house. She’d buy whatever else he wanted on the road. She’d pick somewhere warm.

  She walked through the kitchen to the connecting door to the garage and opened it. She rarely used it because most of her stuff was stored in there. Kyra grabbed her GPS from the car then returned to the living room. She lifted the lid to her computer and signed on. The more she researched, the more excited she got. Men were a complication she didn’t need or want. Goodbye Jake and Tom and good riddance Joe and Phil. From now on it was her and Trevor. Nothing else mattered. There’d be no stress in her life. With her destination chosen, Kyra poured herself a drink, put her feet up on the coffee table, and closed her eyes.