by Leonie Gant
I could feel Griffin tensing beside me. “He may be following Ramos if he suspects she killed Jolena.”
“He wasn’t being very subtle about it. Both Miss Betsy and I spotted him. He drove off when Miss Betsy went to confront him.”
Griffin groaned. “Why would she do that? Approaching a strange car that may be following you is not one of the smartest moves a person can make. She does know that, doesn’t she?”
“Probably, but this is Miss Betsy we are talking about. I wouldn’t put it past her to try to drag the guy out of his car if he hadn’t driven off.”
My phone rang and I reached over to grab it.
“Hello,” I said, frowning at the unfamiliar number.
“Is this Trudie Eyre?” I tried to place the slightly familiar voice.
“Yes. Who is this?”
“It’s Detective Desmond Pickett. I was wondering if you could come down to the precinct.
“Why?” I asked suspiciously.
Pickett sighed. I could tell he was one of those people who preferred it if you just accepted what they said blindly and didn’t ask any questions. If that was the case, today was not going to be one of his lucky days.
“I would appreciate your assistance with some issues that have come to light regarding Jolena Aaron’s death.”
“Really?” I couldn’t help the suspicion in my voice.
“Yes, a new line of inquiry has presented itself and I just wanted to go over your evidence again. Make sure we haven’t missed anything.”
“Now?”
“Yes, I would really appreciate it.”
I could tell that had been painful for him. If I listened hard enough, I could hear him grinding his teeth. My experience with Detective Pickett gave the indication that he wasn’t someone who would easily ask for help, especially not from a civilian.
“I’ll come straight in,” I said before turning off the phone.
“What’s going on?” Griffin asked, instantly on alert.
“According to Detective Pickett they have a new lead and he wants me to come in and go over my evidence again.
Griffin frowned. “That sounds strange. Did he say why he wanted to see you in particular?”
I shook my head. “He didn’t give any details. Just that he wanted to talk to me.”
Griffin grabbed his keys. “I’ll drive you in.”
I hadn’t expected anything else.
Chapter Twenty-One
Pickett was waiting for us at the precinct. He gave Griffin a cursory nod when he saw him behind me.
“Thank you for coming in, Trudie. If you’ll just follow me to an interview room, we’ll get this done as quickly as possible.”
I left Griffin and followed Pickett towards the interrogation room that I had come to know so well.
At the doorway he turned and gestured me inside.
“Please take a seat. I’ll be right in.”
As I stepped through the door I was shocked to find Vale handcuffed to the table and was even more surprised when the door was closed firmly behind me. I suddenly had a very bad feeling.
“What’s going on, Vale?” I asked nervously.
“Looks like they want you and I to have a little chat,” Vale said humorlessly.
I had no problem with having a chat with Vale. I did have a problem with being put in a room with a man who was handcuffed to a table. To my limited understanding, that meant that someone thought he was dangerous. Most likely the police officer who put me in here.
I cleared my throat. “Seriously, Vale. I need you to tell me what’s going on?”
Preferably before I started panicking.
“They think I killed Jolena.”
I could feel my jaw drop. “They can’t be serious.”
Of all the ways that I had assumed this case would go, this wasn’t one of them.
“That Detective who shoved you in here with me seems to be very serious. I wouldn’t talk until my lawyer got here. Seems he thought you would be able to get the information out of me.”
Detective Pickett and I were going to have some words. Serious words. Especially about the fact that he seemed to be fine with putting me in a room with a suspected murderer.
“I didn’t do it.”
Vale’s protestation of innocence, while not unexpected for a man shackled to a table in a police precinct, did at least provide me with some small level of comfort.
“Why do they think you did?” I asked, trying to portray a calm attitude while staying as close to the door as I could.
“They found out that Jolena and I dated for a bit in high school. It was so long ago and it wasn’t for very long but they’re building it up as if she was the love of my life.”
“Was she?” I asked, curious in spite of myself.
Vale shook his head emphatically.
“I had a few girlfriends in high school and I’ve had a lot more since then. I never even thought about Jolena until we ran into each other a couple of weeks ago at some promotional photo shoot I did. She jumped on the fact that I was now in a band and wanted to come to one of our parties. I wasn’t really keen on it because, you know how those parties usually end up. I really wouldn’t want any woman that I know going to one of them, but she insisted. I wasn’t around when she got thrown out but they think I was jealous of Ash.”
“Were you? I asked.
Vale shook his head again. “Jolena has been nothing more than a vague memory for a very long time. When I ran into her, I barely recognized her. She was the one who came up to me.”
“The police must have something more on you than just the fact that you knew her,” I said carefully.
Vale held my eyes. “When they did the search of the mansion they found a necklace that Jolena wore all the time in my room.”
I was beginning to understand why he was handcuffed to a table. Something must have shown in my eyes.
“I didn’t do it, Trudie. I need you to believe that.”
There was a part of me that did believe him. I liked Vale. But if there was something the police I knew kept telling me, it was that even the best of people are capable of making a bad decision in the heat of emotion.
“Why am I here, Vale? Why do they think that I can get information out of you?”
Vale raised his eyes to mine. “They think that the fact that I hit Ash for putting moves on you puts you in the same position as Jolena.”
That was a statement that was going to keep me up nights. No way did I want to think for a moment that I was in the same category as a murder victim.
My musings about an upcoming bout of insomnia were interrupted when the door was flung open and Griffin stood in the doorway, seething with anger. “We’re done here. I’m taking you home, Trudie.”
I didn’t care what other people said about Griffin. The man had an exquisite sense of timing.
I nodded and started for the door.
“Trudie,” Vale called out. “Can I ask one favor of you?”
I stopped and turned back.
“Could you feed Buddy in the morning? It doesn’t look like my chances are good at getting out of here by then. I don’t want him to suffer.”
“I’ll take care of him,” I said softly and beat a hasty retreat. I wondered if it was possible for a murderer to care so much about a goat.
Outside the interrogation room, Griffin stopped in front of an equally angry looking Pickett.
“You are never to pull a stunt like that with Trudie again,” he said quietly and calmly.
Too calmly for my tastes. I knew what that voice meant. Griffin was already kind of suspended. The last thing we needed was for him to get fired because he punched a fellow detective in the face.
“I am investigating a murder,” Pickett hissed. “Considering your relationship to Ramos I would think that you would be fine with any and all techniques I use to solve it.”
“I am,” ground out Griffin. “But throwing Trudie into a room with your number one suspect is never g
oing to happen again. Try solving this case with proper detective work, not cheap stunts.”
Despite trying to hide it, I could see Pickett wince at the insult.
With that, Griffin grabbed my hand and we walked out. I saw Fletchall smiling as we strode by. He had seen Griffin’s words with Pickett and I could tell whose side he was on.
Driving home, I noted the pensive look on Griffin’s face.
“Are you okay?,” I asked him gently.
“Not really. You seem to have become the focus of a suspected murderer and that does cause me some concern.”
I could understand why that was.
“Also, the fact that a fellow detective was so willing to throw you into that situation makes me a little upset.”
“But to clarify, I personally haven’t done anything to make you mad?”
Griffin smiled tightly. “No, in this situation you haven’t done anything which has caused me to be annoyed.”
“Good,” I said. “I think we should focus on that fact because it happens so rarely.”
Griffin chuckled.
“When did you know what Pickett had done?” I asked.
“About twenty seconds before I opened the door,” Griffin replied.
“This suspension could go on for a long time, couldn’t it?”
“It could,” Griffin conceded. “If it goes on too long I’ll ask Cooper for a job.”
I almost choked. There was no way that Travis would ever give Griffin a job. They may have patched things up between them but I think working together would be a step too far for everyone involved.
Griffin gave me a sideways glance. “I was joking.”
Oh, thank goodness. I was used to negotiating tricky situations but I had no idea how I would have sorted that one out.
“I had a bit of a word with Fletchall about being around the bachelorette party,” Griffin continued.
“What did he say?”
“According to Fletchall, before Pickett found the link with Vale, there was a theory that Jolena wasn’t the primary target. They thought maybe Ramos was in danger.”
“He was there to protect Ramos?”
Griffin nodded. “That scenario isn’t looking very likely now that we know about Vale’s history with Jolena but earlier today it was a very real fear.”
“I guess that explains it,” I said, a bit distractedly.
Griffin glanced over at me. “What’s wrong?”
“Something’s not feeling right,” I said. “I just don’t see Vale killing Jolena. According to him, they broke up when they were in high school. He said he wasn’t overly happy with the fact she got involved with Ash because he knows how lousy Ash is with women, but he wasn’t jealous.”
“Of course he’s going to say that,” Griffin said gently. “He knew that Pickett was watching every word he said to you. It is a strong possibility that everything he said was a lie to bolster his defense.”
I looked out of the car window. Griffin was probably right but there was still a part of me that was having trouble believing in Vale’s guilt.
“Is the search finished at the mansion?” I asked.
“Yes,” Griffin said distractedly. “From what I heard, the band is staying in a hotel at the moment so the place is empty, but the search has finished.”
“So I can go and feed the goat tomorrow morning?”
“You’re really going to feed that goat for him?”
“Nobody else is at the mansion. From what I know about the other guys, none of them would have even thought about Buddy when they got out of there.”
“Don’t you hate that goat?”
“It’s more a case of mutual loathing,” I said. “But I’m not going to neglect it just because I don’t like it.”
“Fine,” said Griffin. “Tomorrow morning we go feed the goat.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
As I juggled my coffee and purse the next morning, Griffin came out of the bedroom frowning down at his phone.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Just got a text from Ramos. It’s a bit garbled. Almost sounds like she’s drunk.”
“Have you tried calling her?” I asked, the concern evident in my voice.
“Yeah, keeps going through to her voicemail.”
“She wasn’t drinking much yesterday, but I guess she could have started after she went home.” I chewed my bottom lip. “You need to check on her. She made a comment yesterday about her head not being in the right place. Maybe she did something she shouldn’t have.”
Griffin’s phone went off again and he looked down. “I think you’re right. She sounds like she’s in trouble. She’s asking me to meet her.”
“I think that would be a good idea.”
“Are you going to be okay?” Griffin stopped me by putting a hand on my arm, his eyes full of concern.
I nodded. “The band isn’t at the mansion. Vale’s in custody. The place will be quiet and Jorge will probably get there early today. He always does. I’m going to feed Buddy and then I am going to come home and speak to Monique about this job and maybe having a bit of a break for a while. I’m going to see if I can get one of the easy jobs next time. Lord knows, I think I’ve earned it.”
Griffin smiled. “I think that’s a great idea.”
“I’ll meet you back here in a couple of hours and we’ll get ready for the wedding,” I said.
“Yes,” Griffin said distractedly, frowning at the messages that seemed to be coming through on his phone. “Something is wrong here. She sounds…lost.”
I looked over the messages that were coming through. “You need to go to her now,” I said firmly. “I had a feeling she was coping with everything too well. You guys are so stoic all the time that the rest of us forget that you are still human. Just take care of her. If you can’t make it to the wedding, I’ll give your apologies.”
“I’m not standing you up for a wedding,” Griffin said firmly.
I waved my hand around. “As of yesterday there was only a fifty-fifty chance that the wedding was actually going to happen. I might just end up with a day picking up the pieces with Crystal.”
Griffin grabbed his jacket and gave me a quick kiss. “I’ll try to be back as soon as I can,” he said.
“Don’t worry if you can’t,” I said. “Ramos needs to come first today. I’ll deal with everything else.”
As I drove to the mansion I felt tense with worry. Ramos seemed to be copping so many hits lately. I knew Griffin wanted to be there for her but was feeling helpless and that was never something he coped with well. Like so many men, he was a fixer. There was a problem so there had to be a solution. Unfortunately, regardless of what Pickett and Fletchall discovered, there was no fix for this situation.
As I pulled up at the front entrance the security guys at the gate waved me through.
“Everything okay?” I asked as I showed my ID like I had every day for the last month.
“All quiet,” the security guard said. “You’re the first one to arrive. Cops have finished and everyone left yesterday. Word is they’ll be coming back later today or maybe tomorrow. Why are you here?”
“Did anyone by any chance take the goat with them?” I asked.
“There’s a goat here?” chimed in the other security guard.
That comment filled me with confidence. Obviously the job description for security guard at the entrance literally meant just the entrance.
“The drummer’s goat. I just need to feed it.”
“Not a problem,” said the guard as he opened the gate and waved me through.
With any luck I’d be able to get work done and get out of here in no time at all, ready to tackle the disaster that I was pretty sure Roxy’s wedding was going to be.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I cursed roundly as I looked down at an empty pen.
“I hate you, you stupid goat. You know that, don’t you?” I called out in frustration.
I had just wanted to feed the d
amn goat. All my hopes of this being an easy morning went flying out of the window.
I took in a deep breath. I had dealt with the antics of Hollywood divas, lecherous husbands, spoiled pop brats and directors with no self-awareness without coming unglued. I was not going to be beaten by a goat. I just needed to go looking for him again. I went around to all of the doors on the mansion only to find that they had all been locked. That was going to be a problem when I needed to start working but for now I was going to count my blessings. The thought of what Buddy could have done to the interior of that house overnight with nobody to stop him didn’t bear thinking about. That meant he must still be outside. That limited the damage he could possibly do. At least I hoped it did.
I gave a cursory look of the grounds. I needed to be smart about this. The last time he had gone missing overnight I had found him by the lake. I figured that was a logical place to start looking for him. If he had been frolicking all night long, it was safe to assume that he would be thirsty. The early morning chill brought to mind the last time I had gone looking for Buddy by the lake and I shivered involuntarily. In that moment I wished Griffin hadn’t got that message from Ramos because I think I would have felt a lot better with him by my side.
As I got closer to the lake I noticed what looked like a lump lying next to the shore. Feeling my heart rush into my throat, I raced over. I dropped to my knees and turned what I could see was a body over. I reared back when I saw who it was.
“Oh my God, Vale,” I said as I shook his shoulders. “Wake up.”
I put my ear to his chest and was reassured when I heard the steady thump of his heart. I could also see his chest rising with every breath. I shook him harder. “Vale, wake up. You need to wake up now.”
I reached blindly for my purse and was stopped when a hand clamped around my wrist. I looked up in shock to see Detective Fletchall holding onto my arm.
“Thank goodness you’re here,” I said. “Something is wrong with Vale. We need to get an ambulance for him straight away.”
Fletchall let go of my arm, kicked my bag into the water and pulled out his gun and pointed it at me.