Jane shot straight up in bed, her heart pounding and a sheen glistened across her skin. She looked around the room, knowing he wasn’t there but hoping he was.
“Peter,” she murmured.
She sank back on the bed, feeling like she was going to come out of her skin and cry at the same time. Every nerve ending was alive and aching for his touch. She looked over at her alarm clock and sighed; five in the morning. She wasn’t going to get back to sleep now, not with the way she felt. Time to get up.
She threw back the covers, and tossed her damp nightgown in the hamper, and threw on her sweats. Then, walked over to the yoga mat she kept under the window facing the street. She went into her meditative pose and thinking about the upcoming day. She started work today at eight. While her nerves weren’t tightening her stomach; anticipation was making it flutter. She was switching from Homicide to Cold Cases. They had too many Homicide detectives in the department here so they transferred her to Cold Cases. She didn’t mind too much about the switch; she had been thinking about transferring out of Homicide for a while now. Now was as good of time as any.
By the time she was finished with her workout and shower, the sun was shining bright. Afterward, her and Luke, walked across the yard to Alex’s for breakfast. She was on the porch steps when she realized she forgot the muffins she baked.
She turned to her son and handed him her bag, “Here, buddy. I forgot the muffins, go on in and tell Aunt Ali I’ll be back in a minute. Okay?”
He nodded, “Okay, Mama. Don’t forget the jam!”
She ruffled his hair and walked back to her side. Sure enough on the kitchen counter, was the basket of blackberry muffins. The jar of blueberry jam sitting next to it. She shoved the jar into the basket and grabbed the basket, heading back out the door.
Chapter Four
Pete dropped his bag down on the bench behind him, and opened his locker, took out his spare uniform out, undressing as he did so. His newly cleaned uniform was unfolded from the bag and hung up in his locker. He shoved his bag in it before shutting it again. He grabbed his travel mug and took a healthy gulp of coffee. God, he was tired. It was ten in the morning and already he was on his third cup of coffee, it had been like this for weeks. He’d sleep, dream of Jane and their time together usually in bed. But before he reached his end, the dream ended and he woke up tired and very frustrated.
He scrubbed a hand over his tired face. It had been like that for weeks now; he was so exhausted all the time. On the other hand, though, he was in great shape from all the running he had been doing to relieve his frustration. He had just sat down in the kitchen when a call-out came. He sighed, a three-car pile-up. He looked down at his mug, “I’m going to need more coffee.”
***
Captain Jim O’Malley was six-six of bulging strength. He also was bald as an egg and had skin black as the night sky. Even sitting down looking over her file, he was an imposing man, it didn’t hurt his desk and office was the size of a postage stamp. Jane was sitting in a small chair across from him, fighting the urge not to fidget. After what felt like hours, he closed her file and looked up at her.
“Your records show a decent arrest record, you passed all your tests with flying colors and met the test requirements for the out-of-state transfers. And you just passed the exams and made Detective. But you never worked Cold Case before; you went from the Academy to Patrols to Homicide.” He gave her a penetrating look.
You’re being transferred to Cold Case because Homicide had no openings; if a position comes up are you going to jump back over? Because while this is a small unit, all my people are dedicated to their cases. Can I say the same about you?”
This was a test, she decided; to gauge her reaction. She decided to answer honestly; the worst he could do was deny her transfer to his unit and send her somewhere else.
“I have been a cop for many years, I joined right of high school and served my city proudly. I’ve been lucky enough to work with a great group of people and will miss them. But loyalty is not a question of me; you can ask my former Captain.” She sighed and broke eye contact briefly before looking at him again, “But I will admit I didn’t fight when they talked about the transfer to a different unit. I was starting to burn out like a lot in Homicide, and had been thinking about transferring.” She shrugged, “Moving to Mississippi was the push I’ve been needing.”
The silence stretched on before he finally spoke, “I also see you’re a single mother.”
She nodded, “Yes I was lucky to have a great support system during and after my pregnancy, that allowed me to be able to work after he was born.”
He looked back over her information, “You’re also lived on your family’s property. So you are in a new town and don’t know anyone.”
She gave him a steely look. “My cousin has moved down here as well with us; she will take him for the summer and we’ll be rotating out days with each other once he’s back in school. Then either go to his after-school program or with my cousin.” She gave a big grin, “I also have discovered a host of honorary aunts and uncles that have been telling me how happy they’ll be to take him on the days I need to work or work over-time.” He let out a sigh, she hid a smile; she had just blown his two main reasons away for not taking her on.
“We’ll try you out for a month. If I don’t think it’ll work out or you don’t have what it takes to be in here, I put you in for a transfer in Homicide or another unit.” They both stood her hand out to shake his, “Thank you, Captain.”
He shook it briefly before letting go and walking to the door, “The last desk on the right is yours. Your month to prove your capability starts now.”
***
The building that housed Donovan Construction and Restoration was much like it’s owner, Alex mused as she sat in Jane’s Charger parked just outside of the office doors.
It was a good-looking Victorian, like most in this part of town, painted off-white with black shutters, and a simple landscape that made it an elegant look.
Alex was nearly fifteen minutes early for her appointment with Connor Donovan and didn’t want to seem over eager. So, she was killing a few minutes before getting out of the car. Although she was eager for the experience and work, she didn’t want to appear that way. While her major had been Criminal Justice, her minor had been Architecture. One she had worked hard over the years to complete - specializing in restoration and preservation. Being able to gain the experience with a company like Donovan’s Construction and Restoration would be a very good start.
A few more minutes went by and she decided enough time had passed. Alex got out of the car and walked the short distance, up the flagstone steps to the stoop, and opened the French doors. She walked in and saw a table and chairs sitting in a corner, and a dark red loveseat on the opposite wall. Across from it was a small office that must be the secretary’s. A French door was opened to show a large, but clean oak desk in the middle of the room with several small and large wooden file cabinets lining the walls. An empty chair sat in front of and behind the desk.
A cup of tea sat steaming on the desk, but the secretary was not at the desk. A second later, she heard a door open down the hall and saw a woman come out of the bathroom. Alex was standing out of sight, but not enough were she couldn’t see her coming down the hall. The woman was average height and build with long silver-blonde hair pulled back in an elegant bun. Her modest skirt and blouse were neat and impeccable. She walked around the desk and sat down, Alex decided to make her presence known and stepped out of the shadows.
Liz was sitting down and about to pick up her tea cup when she saw someone come out of the shadows of the lobby.
She covered the sudden pounding of her heart with a smile, “Hello, I’m Liz. Do you have an appointment with us?”
A tall attractive blonde come into the soft light in the hall. She wore her hair up and was wearing a stylish dark blue shift dress, a black attaché case in her left hand. She looked to be in her mid-to-late twenties.
; “Hello, I’m Alex Williams; I have an appointment with Liz and Connor Donovan.”
***
Jane put the last file in the box on the tall shelf and sank back on the ladder she stood on, before getting up again and continued along the long line of file cabinets. She had just reached the B’s when she came across a file in the drawer she opened.
“Regina Brown,” she mumbled; her great-grandmother’s name. She had raised her aunt and mother after their parents’ death when they were ten. She had also died and left the then fifteen-year-olds alone and running scared of separation and horror stories of foster care. The odds of there being another Regina Brown in this town were slim.
Why she was in unsolved murders she didn’t know. The woman was in her sixties with heart problems; her and her cousins were told she had a fatal heart attack. She opened the file and sure enough the image of a graying Gina stared back at her. What she saw as she flipped over the police report horrified her.
Jim O’Malley looked up at a knock on his door and saw his newest member standing in the doorway.
She walked over to his desk and laid a file on it, “What can you tell me about her case?”
He saw it was Regina Brown’s file and was silent for a long moment before he sighed and leaned back in his chair, “You sure you want to hear it, because it ain’t pretty.”
She sank into a chair, looking younger than her age, “I just found out my great-grandmother was brutally murdered, not dead of a heart attack like I was always told. And my mother and aunt were the prime suspects until the Coroner cleared them. Besides,” she swallowed back the bile in her throat as she remembered the crime scene photos. “…Nothing could be worse than seeing those photos,” gesturing to the file.
It turned out she was wrong.
***
She could hear crying from the foot of the stairs. Alex had forgotten her phone and came back into Jane’s house through the kitchen back door and heard the sound of crying. She knew it was Jane; and knew whatever had her so upset was bad if the calm and collected Jane was in this state.
She made her way up the stairs; after checking on Luke and seeing him still sound asleep. As she got to Jane’s room she could hear it from her in suite bathroom and realized it was more than crying.
No, not crying, she thought. More like sobbing would be a better description. Heart-wrenching, chest-hurting sobs that echoed in the room, despite the closed door. She could hear the shower going and without thinking, opened it and wished she hadn’t. The steam was so thick she could barely make out the mirror or sink. But she could see the huddled figure clearly on the shower floor. She pulled back the curtain and a red-eyed Jane looked up at her.
Tears streaked her face, and the expression on it was painful to look at, no one should have that much pain in their eyes. “Jane, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
Jane silently shook her head.
***
She reached over and turned the water off, pulling a thick towel from the rack behind her and wrapped it around Jane’s shoulders before grabbing another one and began towel drying her saturated hair.
She looked down at Jane’s tear-streaked face, “Can you stand?” She nodded, gradually getting to her feet and with Alex’s help stepped out of the tub, “You okay here while I get your bathrobe?”
Jane whispered a hoarse, “Yes.”
She continued to dry off; Alex left and returned shortly with her long white robe, helping her into it before cleaning up the water and tossing everything in the hamper while Jane made her way to her bed. It wasn’t until she felt Alex gently brush her hair out that she realized how much she must have scared her with her crying jag.
She put a hand back on Alex’s stopping her brushing mid-motion. She looked back at her with a weak smile, “I’m fine Ali. I’m sorry if I scared you.” Alex leaned over and gave her a quick hug, “You definitely had me concerned. What had you so upset; I can’t tell you the last time I’ve seen you so upset.”
She turned around on the bed, facing her petite cousin. “What’s wrong, Janie?”
She wiped her face, “It’s not pretty, Ali. You sure you want to hear it?” She smiled at her friend, her family; her rock threw this past year, “I’m listening.”
She took a deep breath and exhaled in a heavy sigh. “I was filing a couple of old cases when I came across an odd one, “Regina Brown.’ When I opened it, I saw the name wasn’t a coincidence.” She sighed, “It was Gina.”
She looked up at her, “Our Gina, great-grandma Gina. Apparently mom failed to mention she hadn’t died of a heart attack like we’re always told; she was murdered.”
She shuddered, “It was brutal,” her voice cracked, “It was a home invasion gone wrong, but that wasn’t the worse, they butchered her.” She turned her head away, looking over at the covered window facing her bed, “I lost count of the stab wounds. To make it worse, they also strangled her. It doesn’t make any sense; they didn’t even really take anything of value. They took money she kept for emergency and the TV. That was it.”
“They left her wedding rings on her and didn’t even touch her jewelry box. Between Gina’s and Grandma Eve’s jewelry, they had at least a few hundred right there and a necklace worth more than that.” Jane looked back at her, “Do you remember that ruby necklace that’s been Great-Grandpa Brown’s family for so long?”
Alex nodded, according to their mothers; it had been in their great-granddad’s family for years. It was the only thing of real worth outside of his guns, Eli brought with him to this country. It was a gorgeous ruby and diamond necklace that had been a gift to a long-ago ancestor; it had also been worn by nearly every bride in the Brown family for generations, including her.
She looked up at her, her expression puzzled, “Ali that necklace was worth a fortune back then; even a street thief could tell it was worth money. Nothing about her case made sense.”
She hugged her tight, running a hand over her hair, “You’ll figure it out soon. Don’t you always crack the case handed to you?”
Hours later, after Alex left and Jane drifted off to a fitful sleep. Jane’s eyes popped open and she was awake in a flash. She laid there for a long time though, thinking over Alex’s words before getting up and padded down the hall to Luke’s room. Opening the door slightly she saw by the night light he was still sound asleep, his favorite stuffed lion tucked in his arms. She pulled the blanket up around him, kissing his forehead before shutting the door. She went downstairs and started a pot of coffee and set down at the table and pulled out the file that held Gina’s case and began to read it.
Alex was stepping out of her bathroom, freshly showered when she heard something most people wouldn’t hear. The sound of a floorboard creaking under foot. In seconds, she had her jeans on over her pajama shorts, shoes pulled on and her 9mm in her hand. She walked on silent feet out and into the hall, her gun out and safety off. After sweeping the rooms upstairs she made her way downstairs and swept through the hall and living room before moving onto the kitchen. At the back door, she saw a shadowy figure.
“Freeze!”
The shadow stood still. She flicked the light switch on with her elbow. The hooded figure had their back to her.
“Turn around, slowly. If I see you make a wrong move; I’m going to have a new color on my kitchen wall.”
The person turned around a wide smile on her face, “Is that how you greet all your guests, Ali? Cause, I gotta say your hospitality is something to be desired.”
***
Jane gulped her fourth cup of coffee of the morning and nearly burnt her tongue on the hot liquid. She set it down on her desk with a grunt; she hated Precinct coffee.
It always looked like tar and tasted like old socks, but with little sleep and an energetic seven year old screaming in her ear this morning, “Aunt Simmi is here! Aunt Simmi is here! Can I ride in her cool car?” She needed all the caffeine she could get. She was finishing the paperwork on her assigned case and was due to start her next
one, all the while, thinking of what she read last night and what notes she had complied.
It had been a pretty much open-shut case. They shut her file almost the instant the Medical Examiner ruled out her aunt or mother had nothing to do with her death. Both girls had been seen waiting tables at the local diner the day she was murdered. There had been no way, they could have pulled away from the dinner rush hour to get to the house, kill her, stage the robbery, and get back without being detected.
There was also the old prejudice against Gina for one, being Choctaw and second, for marrying a Russian man at the height of the Cold War. According to Connor and Colt, it didn’t seem to matter to most people, Eli and Gina had served their countries proudly in World War II and continued to help their country in any way possible. Gina as an Army nurse until she retired to a civilian hospital after her mother and aunt had been born. Eli as a decorated Russian Naval officer, then later, became an aerial mechanic.
She was broken from her thoughts at the sound of a file being slammed on her desk; and looked up to see a smirking detective standing over her. She inwardly sighed and braced herself for the arrogance that was Detective Jonathan Wilson; also known as the pain in her ass for the last two weeks she started here. The man was like a dog with a bone, wouldn’t let go; it made him a good detective but a lousy co-worker. And a seriously annoying man.
He leaned against her desk, “So, Jane...”
She inwardly sighed. Here we go again.
The man was determined to be the first guy to receive a date with the private and mysterious cousins. He’d been asking her out since the day she set foot in the precinct.
Well, ‘nice and tactful’ Jane was not in this morning, so it was time for him to meet ‘bitchy Jane’. She held up her hand before he opened his mouth, “Save it Jon. I’m operating on little sleep and a lot of caffeine. I’m in no mood to be nice, so due me a favor … get lost. Stop asking me out, cause I ain’t gonna say yes.” She turned back to the file she’d been reading. His jaw was sitting on his chest and stood there for several seconds before he shut it and started walking away when she thought of something else.
Letters to Jane (Mississippi Book 1) Page 3