By the time he pulled into the parking lot of the convenience store, he had already decided what he needed to know from the manager. He walked across the parking lot digging out his badge as he went.
Inside, a bored looking clerk wearing an orange smock looked up at him her lips pressed together in a thin line. And not surprisingly, her expression didn’t change as he approached the counter.
Jack flipped his badge open. “Is the manager around?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed and her features hardened as she yelled across the store, “James, there’s a pig here to see you.” She practically spat the insult at Jack.
A moment later, the manager stood in front of Jack. He was taller than Jack, and looked eerily similar to the character Lurch from The Addams Family. He was far too skinny, with a hollow face, but when he spoke, his voice was surprisingly deep.
“I’m James Eldred. I manage this store. Is there a problem?” His features, too, were hard and skeptical, though his eyes didn’t convey the same dark look the clerk had shared.
“No problem,” Jack kept his arms by his side, and tried to remain relaxed.
Eldred’s features relaxed and his eyes brightened a bit.
“I would just like to ask you a few questions about Ronald Parker.” The man’s eyebrows crept toward his scalp as he took a half a step backward.
“What has he done? Is he in some kind of trouble? If he is, I don’t have nothing to do with it.”
“I don’t know what he has done. That’s what I am trying to find out. His girlfriend, Patricia Simms, was murdered. And I’d like to have a conversation with Parker. See if there’s anything he can offer up that might help us figure out who killed her.”
The tall man wavered and, for a minute, Jack wondered if the reaction he was seeing was surprise or something else.
“He wasn’t –”
Jack’s phone rang, interrupting Eldred. Jack answered.
“Roe, it’s Sinclair.” Jack always found it funny that even after several years, Sinclair always identified himself when he called.
“What’s up?” Jack wanted to get back to his conversation with the store manager.
“Got an ID on the guy that shot up the precinct and I thought you might want to know. His name was Ronald Parker.” Sinclair paused.
“Ronald Parker? Are you sure?” That changed things.
“Positive. He lives at –”
“I know.” Jack glanced at Eldred, who seemed to be taking in every detail of the conversation Jack was having. “I’m a little busy. Let me check back with you in a few minutes.”
Jack ended the conversation and turned back to Eldred. “Ronald Parker is dead.” He gave Eldred the details.
“I knew it was gonna happen eventually.” Eldred’s shoulders visibly sagged. “I just didn’t expect it to happen like that. I figured more likely that girlfriend of his would get tired of being his punching bag and she’d kill him. He and his girlfriend got into it again a couple of weeks ago, and I know she left him.” He shoved his hands deep into his pockets.
“He could be pretty nasty to everyone, but that was doubly true for her. I guess she finally realized that he wasn’t going to change, no matter how bad he might want to.”
“Did he make a regular habit of beating his girlfriend?”
“Not to hear him tell it. But there were two times that I know about for sure since he started working here about a year ago. They fought all the time. The woman had a way of pushing his buttons. Most times he would just leave there and come to work early, but a couple of times that I know for sure, she got the better of him.”
Eldred shifted his weight, then pulled his hands out of his pockets and started moving things around on a nearby shelf. “He would hit her, and she would call the cops. He went to counseling, and I guess he hadn’t hit her in a while. But then they had that bad fight, and he beat her up pretty bad. Instead of calling the cops, she just left. I guess she figured she’d been that route before and it wasn’t doing her no good. When she left, it left Ronald in a bad way, though.”
“What do you mean?” Jack asked.
“Well, like I said, this last fight was a really bad one. She went completely nuts on him, and he had the marks to prove it. She accused him of sleeping with her daughter. And he said he wasn’t, but that girl, well, just say that she’s a wild child. Always into something. Trying to get attention, I always said. Not long before the fight Patricia sent her to live with her father.” Eldred continued rearranging items on the shelves closest to him as he talked.
“Anyway, when Patricia left, he just quit caring about anything. Most nights he’d just sit here and sulk. Wouldn’t say a word through a whole shift.” The man looked around and lowered his voice. “I wondered who he missed most, Patricia or the girl.”
“So was he here last Thursday night?”
“Yeah, he was here last Thursday. Said he was going to see Patricia when he got off. He seemed pretty happy about it. I don’t know, maybe they were going to get back together. I gave him the weekend off.”
Jack closed his notebook and slipped it back into his shirt pocket. “Thanks for your help.” He shook Eldred’s hand and walked slowly back to the car, trying to decipher what he’d just learned.
Patricia’s boyfriend could not have killed her. He was at work when she was murdered. Maybe he stormed the precinct because he was scared about the domestic abuse, or he thought Patricia had filed abuse charges against him, but he didn’t kill Patricia.
As he fought stop and go traffic, Jack turned the facts he had on the Simms case over in his mind. He had two dead women, a dead boyfriend with a good alibi, and no killer. Whoever killed Patricia Simms didn’t rape her, and they didn’t want her money. They just killed her. And the only motivation seemed to be some perverse pleasure in killing her. There was something more to this case. Something he just didn’t see yet and he would bet Tim Burris had some connection.
TWENTY-FIVE
Jack glanced up at his condo when he pulled into the parking lot. It had been a long, frustrating day. All he really wanted was to sit on his balcony with a cold drink and relax. His muscles felt like lead as he trudged to the elevator and pushed the button for his floor.
Just as the doors closed, a slim, well-manicured hand showed between them, causing them to slide back open again. Jack’s gaze dropped to the floor. He had to consciously hold back the frustration at having to share the elevator with someone else. His neighbors were nice enough, but he didn’t feel like being social right now.
“Jack. I was just coming up to see you.” Dana’s soft voice brought Jack’s head up. Frustration turned to pleasure. The only thing that sounded better than spending a night alone sitting on his balcony was spending the night with her.
“Dana.” He stood taller, the weariness gone, replaced by a sudden burst of energy. He smiled. “I’m surprised. Pleasantly. You’re just the ray of sunshine I needed.”
The corners of Dana’s mouth twitched. “Really?”
“Yep. Really. I could use the company. It’s been a tough day.”
Dana nodded, but her lips had curved into a full smile. “It’s over. And tomorrow is a new day, right?”
“True. So what brings you over here to see me?” The elevator stopped at Jack’s floor. He held his condo door open for Dana.
She stepped inside and looked around his apartment. “Nice place.”
He shrugged. It wasn’t lush by any standard, but he did enjoy comfort and style. Dark wood and deep colors were his very masculine decorating choices.
Her gaze settled on his eyes. “I just thought I might check on you. I’ve tried to call a couple times today, but you didn’t answer. Or call me back.”
“Sorry.” He pulled his phone from the holder on his belt. “I turned the volume off and forgot to turn it back on.”
“How’s Kate?” Dana dropped onto the end of a large leather sofa.
“She’s healing.” Jack tried to keep the bitterne
ss out of his tone, but he must have failed because Dana’s forehead wrinkled.
“And?” Busted.
“And we’re not exactly speaking right now. She lied to me and I’m a little…no, a lot, ticked off at her. I really don’t want to talk about her right now, though.” Anger swelled in his chest again and he paced from one end of the room to the other.
“Okay. Sorry.” Dana held her hands up like she was surrendering.
Dang it. Would he never learn? “Sorry, Dana. It’s just been a tough day.”
“It’s okay.” Dana stood. “So, two questions.” She took three steps toward him.
“What have you got to drink? And are you hungry?”
Jack didn’t have to think about either question. “Tea. Sweet. Southern-style, of course. And yes, I’m starving.” And he was, though he hadn’t realized it until Dana asked the question.
“Good on both counts. Let’s pour some tea, scrounge up something to eat, and take advantage of this fantastic weather.” Dana tucked her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans and inclined her head toward the balcony.
Could she read his mind? A woman after his own heart. They put together a decent meal from the paltry offerings in his fridge and ate in relative silence on the balcony as the sun dipped below the Gulf of Mexico. When they finished, Dana gathered the dishes and deposited them into the kitchen sink. Jack watched her move, amazed all over again at the grace a woman of her stature could display.
“More tea?”
Jack said yes, just so he could watch her a few seconds longer.
When she returned to the table, she bent close to his glass to refill it. He caught a glimpse inside her shirt. Nice. Then chastised himself for being a louse. Dana dropped back into her chair opposite him, not seeming to notice his inappropriate glance.
She tucked one long leg beneath her and focused on the dying light over the Gulf. “How’s your investigation going?” Her face was bathed in the glow of the setting sun. She really was naturally beautiful, and the light only served to enhance that beauty.
“It’s slow, if I’m being honest.” He would tell her as much as he could. She was a professional. And her patients were involved.
What about Kate’s suspicions?
What about them? If Kate was right, and he was sure she was wrong, then talking to Dana was the best way to find out, right?
“We’ve been following leads, but everything just dead ends. Kinda the reason I was so frustrated this evening. I thought Patricia Simms boyfriend might be a person of interest. But he was working the night she was killed. And he’s dead now. He’s the guy I shot when he took a hostage at the precinct the other day. If he had been the killer, the case would be over.”
Jack took a long drink of his iced tea. The sweetness of it washed over him, cooled him. Relaxed him, even. He was still enjoying the effect of the tea when he placed the glass back into its puddle on the table. His hand remained beside the glass as he traced a finger through the water that had condensed on the outside of the glass then pooled on the table.
Dana pulled his hand away from the water then laid hers over the top of his, effectively stilling the nervous energy that played out through his fingertips.
“That and Kate?” Her question was quiet, gentle.
“Yeah. Kate too.” Jack intertwined his fingers with hers, liking the warmth of her palm against his and the strength with which her fingers returned his grip. At that moment he made the decision to tell her at least enough about what happened with Kate so she would understand his anger with her. He didn’t want her to dislike Kate. They had to work together from time to time. But he did want her to understand that it wasn’t some simple misunderstanding.
“She withheld some information from me. Didn’t tell me about an incident in her past. And she should have. It affects me. I would have been much more understanding if she had just been upfront about it.”
Dana remained quiet for a long time, her hand still entwined with his. Jack knew she was waiting for more, but that was enough. She didn’t need all the gory details. They would anger her, or worse, make her worry, and he didn’t want either of those to happen. Best to keep some details to himself.
Besides, she didn’t need to know that Kate suspected Dana was involved in this mess somehow. It wasn’t important because Kate was wrong and he was going to prove it to her. Maybe then they could repair their partnership and move on. And if he was being honest, he really wanted that.
He didn’t like being angry with Kate and he missed working with her. Another truth was that he also felt like a real jerk for not being around to help her while she healed after the accident. But then, him not being available to the people he cared about seemed to be the theme in his life. One he would change as soon as this case was over.
*~*~*
The silence stretched out between them until Dana decided Jack wasn’t going to tell her anything more. She made a mental note to find out what was in Kate’s past. It could be something useful to know.
“What’s happening with Tim?” She leaned further in Jack’s direction, released his hand and drifted her fingertips across the muscles in his forearms.
“As a matter of fact, his name came up in the investigation.” Jack sat a little straighter, pulling his arm away. “I can’t believe I forgot to call you about this.”
“Call me about what?” Dana remained casual, but warning bells sounded in her head. She prepared herself to have the appropriate reaction, no matter what he said.
“It’s about another one of your patients. Karen Whiteside. She was the second victim.”
Oh that. “Oh.” Dana dropped her head forward and let her shoulders droop. “Wow.” The single soft word was the only one she offered for a long time. When it seemed appropriate, she asked. “What else?”
She sensed Jack looking at her and schooled her reaction. A single tear fell into her lap as Jack told her about the visit with Karen Whiteside’s daughter.
“It turns out Jenny was also seeing Tim.” Jack’s voice was flat as he finished the story.
Dana looked up, genuine disbelief painted across her features. “He was?” Anger built behind her features. And maybe a little relief. Maybe Tim’s stupidity could be used for good here.
“He was. So now I have another reason to bring him in. As soon as I can find him.”
“Do you think he’s responsible for these murders?” Dana needed to be careful here, but she’d been presented with an opportunity and she wasn’t going to let it slip past.
“I do. Simms’s boyfriend didn’t lose it in the precinct because he was a murderer. We may never know what caused that. But the night Simms was murdered, the boyfriend was at work. That makes him innocent. Of murder, anyway.” Jack ran his hands through his hair.
“And you don’t have any other suspects?” Dana breathed shallowly. Jack wouldn’t have sat through a dinner with her if he knew. He wouldn’t have allowed her to touch him. She knew that. But doubt still tried to destroy her confidence.
She watched as Jack started to answer. “We…” He clamped his mouth shut, swallowed, and then started to speak again. “I don’t. No.”
What was that all about? Still, the short answer was enough, and Dana made another decision. It was risky, but she knew she could pull it off.
“I’ll help you as much as I can, Jack.” She took his hand in both of hers and turned to face him fully. “I’ll let you see whatever records you need to see if it will help you track Tim down and put him behind bars for the rest of his life.”
TWENTY-SIX
Jack stood in front of a high-wooden reception desk waiting to be acknowledged. Dr. Mercer was the court appointed therapist Tim had been assigned to see, and according to what Jack had been able to learn, the doctor should have seen Tim at least once by now.
When Jack called for more details about the visit and to find out when the best time to talk to the doctor was, the receptionist had been rude, refusing to give him information about Dr.
Mercer’s availability. Jack decided to drive over and get the information in person. It was the most successful way to find out what he needed to know.
Now he had plenty of time to look around the office as she maintained complete focus on the computer screen in front of her, fingers flying over the keyboard.
The waiting area was well-appointed, but deserted. A large leather sofa, three wingback chairs covered in matching velvet, and several dark wood tables were arranged comfortably in the room. Live plants gave the room warmth that plastic ones never could.
No television. Only quiet instrumental music, piped from some hidden stereo, broke the sound of the keyboard. He didn’t even hear a phone, though the receptionist had answered twice but barely missed a stroke in her typing.
Finally, her fingers stilled and she turned her intense gaze on Jack. He flashed open his badge. “I need to speak to Dr. Mercer regarding an investigation.”
A scowl scrunched her pretty features together. “He’s with a patient. You can wait.”
“Fine.” Jack put his badge away and tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans and started pacing the room. He’d barely made one pass around the waiting room when the receptionist opened a door beside the desk.
“Follow me.” No please. She led him silently down a long hallway to the only doorway that stood open. “Dr. Mercer will be in as soon as he’s finished.” She walked away without a smile and without closing the door.
The office was a stark contrast to the waiting area. Dark wood furniture, a desk with two chairs sitting in front of it, and a large book shelf were the only similarities. Papers and books were piled on every available surface. A dead plant sat in one corner of the office, its withered leaves scattered on the floor around it and a spider happily repairing a web between two branches.
Biloxi Sunrise (The Biloxi Series Book 1) Page 15