by W L Knightly
“Just that I think I know who the killer is.” He heard the sound of a horn honking. “Where are you?” He looked out of the nearest window, seeing it was barely morning. The sun’s soft glow was just breaking the horizon.
“I’m going home,” he said with an aggravated tone. “It’s a long story, and I’m more interested in what you have to tell me. Who do you think it is?”
“Remember a case back a couple of years ago. It happened several months before you took over, but you might remember it. I was wrapping it up at the time. A woman and her daughter were killed in a burglary. They came in on the robber, and he killed them with the knives owned by the father.”
“I do remember that,” said O’Connor.
“Yeah, there was a high-ranking official involved. Do you remember any of it?”
The Chief went quiet for a moment as if he was recollecting the case. “Um, yeah, I seem to remember something like that. But you know, it has been so long now that it’s hard to say. I’ve had a lot on my mind, and then there’s this Hangman stuff.” He didn’t sound too convincing.
“I can’t seem to remember it, and I searched most of the night last night with no luck. There doesn’t seem to be anything in the casefiles, and I remember the young man I accused got off. His rich daddy helped him.”
“You can’t remember? It was your case.”
“No, I’m afraid I can’t. I have tried, but there’s like this block in my brain that won’t let me remember. It’s all on the tip of my tongue, like a dam waiting to break.”
“Well, there has to be a file. You’ll find it. Are you sure you’re looking in the right place?”
“Yes, we’ve not only pulled the casefile but some of Judge Mathew’s own personal files and the prosecutor’s files. Guess who that was?”
“Gaines,” said O’Connor. “And I’d bet if you look into Nina’s records, she’s involved too.”
“Her reprimands were sometimes vague. They didn’t list specifics cases, just loose lab citations from Kevin. I thought about asking him what was going on.”
“I just thought you’d want to meet up and do a little fishing. I’ve got a new rod and reel I want to show you, and I’m going a little crazy from being cooped up.”
About that time, Jo rose up, sitting at the other end a moment before glancing over at him with sleepy eyes. She got up and headed for the kitchen.
“Okay,” he said, knowing there was more than fishing going on. He didn’t want the chief to know he was at her house, or that they’d both fallen asleep on the couch together the night before. Even though they were on opposite ends, it still felt like he shouldn’t run his mouth about it. “Where do you want me to meet you?”
“Do you know where Saints Point is?”
“On the lake? Yeah. I do.”
“Meet me there at seven-thirty. I’m sure you’ll catch a big one.” He hung up the phone.
Jake let out a long breath, knowing there was something going on with the chief, and he hoped that he had a chance to see him before the Hangman decided to interrupt their “fishing trip.”
“Was that the chief?” asked Jo, who stood in the kitchen door.
“Yeah. Something’s up. He said he’s on his way home but didn’t say where he’s been, and then he asked me to go fishing with him.”
“Fishing?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he thinks we’re being spied on.”
“Do you think he’s just cracking up?”
“No, but he didn’t remember anything about the case I mentioned, which is strange. I mean, yeah, I’m fucked up in the head, so I don’t know things, but him? I know we go through a lot of cases, but that one? Even I remember most of it, if not the important things.”
“Maybe he was afraid to say he remembered over the phone. Maybe he’s going to tell you everything, and we’ll be done with this case by the end of the day.”
“Not likely,” said Jake. “But I like your enthusiasm.” He got up from the couch and walked over to join her in the kitchen. “Are you making coffee?”
“Yeah, I thought you might like to have a cup. How did you sleep?”
“Like a baby. It’s amazing how that works, right? But you? You had a nice warm bed you should have gotten in.”
“I must have fallen asleep reading. I don’t really remember.” Her cheeks turned a bit red, and he had a feeling she wasn’t being honest. She handed him his cup and then started her own.
“Well,” he said with a teasing tone. “We have to keep this between us.” He took a sip of his coffee and savored the flavor.
She smiled and played along. “Oh? Do we?”
“Yeah, we can’t let the others know we slept together.” He liked the way her cheeks reddened at the mention. Nothing had happened, and he doubted it ever would, but it was fun to tease her about it all the same.
“On my couch? Right in front of the evidence board and the casefiles?” She covered her mouth. “How tawdry of us.” She giggled, and he joined in with a hearty laugh.
“Seriously though, I feel rested. Thanks for letting me crash again.”
“No problem. Did you ever find anything after I fell asleep?” She took her coffee from the maker and walked over to pull out a chair. “Or did you nod off first?”
He joined her, pulling out a chair and watching the sun come up in the distance. “I think we both drifted off to dreamland about the same time because I can’t remember.”
“Speaking of dreams, did you have any?” Jo looked him in his eyes.
He shook his head. “No, I don’t remember anything.” Things were a little awkward, and he laughed inside, thinking of how much she made him feel like a nervous kid. “I think we might not find anything. What if the Hangman made sure that the files were missing? It’s possible he or even the judge had that buried. It seemed like the rich boy’s daddy had the power to make that kind of thing disappear. I think he was a politician.”
Her face paled. “Let’s hope not. I don’t want there to be any hitches in bringing the killer to justice, and things could get messy with politicians involved.” She made a face, and he wondered if her aversion had anything to do with what O’Connor had said before.
“So, when do you have to meet the chief?” she asked before taking another sip.
“Seven-thirty. I have to run home and change, grab my fishing gear if I can find it. I guess I shouldn’t procrastinate.”
“Well, I guess I’ll just sit around here and wonder what’s going on until you get done.” Her tone was tinged with bitter like the coffee.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you out of it. It’s just that he wanted me to come alone.”
“It’s fine,” she said with a disappointed tone. “I just wanted to go fishing. I’ve never been.”
“Maybe I can take you sometime. It’s really good for clearing your head. I like the peace and quiet of it.”
“Are you offering to take me?” She seemed surprised that he would.
“Yeah, I guess I am if you really want me to. I mean, I think it would be fun, but I have to tell you, I’m pretty good, so you can’t let that discourage you.”
“I’ll try not to.” She rolled her eyes as he downed his coffee, peeking over the cup at her.
“Well, I guess I should go. Thank you for the hospitality.”
Her eyes widened. “Your car.”
“Shit.” He had ridden with her. “It’s at the station still.”
“I’ll take you to it,” she said, getting up and putting their empty cups in the sink. “I have a few errands to do this morning anyway.”
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s no trouble, really.” She went to the living room, and since she had slept in her clothes, she grabbed her handbag. “Let’s go.”
They left the house together, and when he got to his house, he realized he didn’t want her to go. “Thanks again, and I guess I’ll call you if I learn anything.”
“Call me even if you don’t,” she said with a shy smile
.
“Will do.” He went to his door as she drove away and after a quick pit stop to grab his things and change into something more appropriate for fishing, he took his gear to his car and headed out.
He didn’t live but two miles away from Saints Point and had docked his boat there many times himself. He saw the chief’s car waiting, and he stood out by a smaller aluminum boat.
“I hope this is worth it,” said Jake before he got out of his car. He walked up to the chief and held out his hand. “Good to see you in one piece.”
“Yeah, well, I guess we’ll get some fishing in while I tell you what’s going on. And I can’t think of a safer place than on the water.”
“You think you’re being followed? Or bugged?”
“Both maybe. I’m not sure.” He got aboard the boat. “Get your gear and push us off. We’ll paddle out to my favorite spot.”
“Sounds fine.” He went and fetched his gear, and after they were away from shore from his push, they put the paddles to work.
Chief O’Connor cleared his throat once they got on their way. “Last night, I was at the Rockford Hotel.”
“Alone or did you have a companion?”
“It wasn’t like that. Let me finish.” He took a deep breath and blew it out before continuing. “You asked me how come the Hangman needs revenge on me. It’s because I have done bad things in my career. I guess he’s heard a thing or two.”
“Do you remember the case I was telling you about?”
“Not enough to do any good, Jake. But I wanted to come clean to you. You see, when I was back in New York, I had to do a lot of things that I wasn’t proud of. The local government was tied in so tightly with the PD that I had very little choice in how things were handled. I saw lot of things going down and didn’t do a damn thing about them, and sometimes, I’m ashamed to say, I allowed them to happen in front of me and didn’t do anything to stop them. I don’t want to go into details with you. I’m not proud of myself. But what I need you to know is this.” He looked up from his fishing pole and met Jake’s eyes. “When I came here, it was to get away. My last dirty deed was getting my transfer. I had the process expedited, and with the help of a few crooked politicians and judges, specifically Mathews, I landed the job here. I did it so I could start over fresh, and since my first day here, I’ve wanted to do better. You’ve got to believe that.” He glared at him with pleading eyes.
Jake didn’t know what to think about what he was being told, but he had to give the chief the benefit of the doubt. “I believe you.”
“But I can’t say I have. I only got wound tighter. I knew of the past coverups and let them be. I didn’t do anything when I could have, and I’ve let the higher ups run the show just like always.”
“It’s never too late to do the right thing, Chief.” He hoped he could encourage him to give him the answers he was seeking. “What were you doing at the Rockford?”
“I wish I could tell you, Jake. I need you to trust me on this one. It’s best to let it all play out. The man deserves justice. That’s why he told you to back off. I’m asking you now. For your sake, and for Jo’s.”
“You aren’t going to tell me?” He looked up and realized they were done talking.
The chief steered the boat back to the shore. “There’s a trail through the woods that will take you right back to your car.”
“What does this have to do with Jo?”
“She’s new to the job, Jake. This one is too dangerous to break her in. Let it go.” He turned away from Jake, and while he wanted to stay and throw a fit, he knew the man wasn’t going to talk. They were done. He got out of the boat and found the trailhead that led him back to his car.
Once inside, he tried to call Jo and tell her what the hell had happened, but she didn’t answer. He didn’t know what to think but knew the chief needed his time alone on the water. He stared out over the hood, thinking how much he needed it too.
Chapter 20
Jo
As Jo drove away from Jake’s house, she took a deep breath and raked her hand through her hair, hoping it wasn’t as messy as she felt. She had the same clothes on as the day before and a crick in her neck from sleeping on the couch with Jake. She thought about going to her bed when he fell asleep but couldn’t let herself leave him there all alone.
She wanted to be around in case he woke from another nightmare, but there must have been something to the couch of hers after all because he didn’t budge. She had stared at him off and on for an hour, reading through the casefiles, and now she was going to try and talk to the one person who might know something about the case that Jake couldn’t remember. She just had to run by the store first.
With so much going on, she needed groceries, so she pulled into the superstore and found a place to park. She hadn’t ever done investigation work, but when she ran across the woman’s number in the files, she had to try it out.
She waited until she got lined out with a shopping cart and said hello to the door greeter before she took out her phone and dialed the number she’d programmed. With any luck, it still worked.
After a few rings, the woman answered. “Hello?” Her tone was steeped with suspicion.
“Linda? This is Detective Calloway, Jake’s replacement.” She hoped the woman would remember her. She had seemed so pleasant in the office.
“Yes, this is she. What can I do for you?”
“I hate to call about business on a Saturday morning, but Jake was trying to jog his memory, and I thought that maybe you could help.”
“Why didn’t Jake call me himself?”
“Because he had somewhere he had to be, and I told him I’d call you. I hope it’s no trouble.”
“I guess that depends on what you want to know.” She sounded a bit put off.
Jo rolled her eyes and let out a breath as she pushed her cart to the pharmacy department and found something for the pain in her neck.
“There was a case several years ago. A mother and daughter were murdered. I was wondering if you remember the case and the name of the family.”
The phone was silent, and then suddenly, Linda cleared her throat. “I do not recall any such case, and I’m afraid my daughter is here to pick me up. I have to go.”
Before Jo could speak, the line went dead. “Bitch!” she said a little too loudly. She turned and noticed an old woman staring at her like she’d called her the name. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry.” She tossed the pain medicine into the shopping cart and made her way out of that aisle.
The lady had known more than she was letting on, and Jo couldn’t help but think she had something to do with the disposal of the casefile. Perhaps she’d deliberately not given it to them, or maybe she’d disposed of it long ago.
She had to tell Jake, but he was probably already on his way to the meeting with the chief, and she didn’t want to call and look like she was being a nosey fool, even though she wanted to be. She hated being left out of it, and even worse, she hated being kept in the dark about a case that she should be leading.
She made her way across the store to the food department, and when she spotted the coconut cream pies, she thought about Jake. Those couldn’t be as good as the ones at Speed’s, and she made up her mind then and there to go there when she left and grab a bite as her stomach rumbled.
As she considered what food to buy, she thought about Jake and how he had already been over twice and how it might be a good idea to grab a few things he might like. She decided that one night, she might actually attempt to cook a real meal for him.
The thought had her smiling, and she had to admit that Jake had been making her smile a lot lately. She had come into the job thinking that he’d resent her, that he’d be the type to give her a hard time about being a woman or not getting the job done, but instead, he’d been so different than she expected.
For one, he was attractive. He was about ten years older than her, but he looked a good five years younger than his actual age. She didn’t mind the age
difference. Sure, he looked at her as if she were a child, but that was only because she looked much younger too. Or so she’d been told.
She went to the produce section and found herself thinking about Jake still and how she wished she could find a man like him, someone to go grocery shopping with and perhaps settle down. He understood her lifestyle, and that was why he was so perfect, but she knew that he would never go for it. They were partners and nothing more. And he probably hated shopping. He didn’t even go anywhere unless he had to, and it wasn’t like he needed many groceries, eating at Speed’s every night.
Before she could get too negative, her phone rang, and her heart raced for a moment thinking it was Jake. But when she saw it was her father, she sank a little inside and hesitated before she answered. “Hello, Father.”
“Hello, darling. I guess it’s too much to ask you to call me Daddy?”
“What do you want, Dad?” It was the closest he was going to get, like it or not.
“I thought I’d call and see what my angel is doing for breakfast. I found this new place in town, and I’d like you to meet me there in half an hour if possible.”
“I’m at the store. I’m not even dressed to dine in anywhere.” She wasn’t going to tell him that she had company overnight.
“Why not? Don’t tell me you’re wearing what you had on last night. I would hate to think that my daughter was doing a walk of shame through the grocery store aisles.”
“Then don’t think it. As a matter of fact, just put the idea of me and anyone out of your mind, and any other part of my personal life.”
“Don’t be too touchy, darling. Are you seeing someone?”
Part of her wished she could say yes, but it would be best not to tell him anything. “No, of course not. And it’s not like I’d tell you if I was. You’d probably have him killed.”
“Now, that’s not nice,” he said. “I’ve never hurt anyone. I’ll give you an hour. I really want to see you.”
“I thought you were taking me to dinner.” She shook her head as he gave a sound of disappointment.