“I’m Lieutenant Longo,” Nick said. “I have to ask you to pull yourself together right now. Anything you give us will help the others come out of this alive. What’s your name?”
“Adeline Smith,” she replied, swiping at her tears.
“Adeline, you need to be exact. How many people are in there? Is anyone hurt? How many gunmen are there? Where are they located?” Longo shot questions at her.
Jake’s opinion of her went up as she composed herself.
“There are two tellers behind the counter. The assistant manager’s at the counter with the second guy, at least he was when I came out. There are two gunmen, three customers…oh, and one was shot in the leg. He’s a regular customer. Officer Tommy Sullivan. It isn’t bad. We were able to stop the bleeding by applying some pressure to it.” Jake appreciated how she tried to control her shaking.
“Adeline, you did great. Go with these detectives. We’re going to keep you away from the press until this is over. Are you going be okay?” Nick asked.
“Yes, is everyone else going to be?”
“We hope so. These detectives will take your statement,” Longo said.
Louie started to escort her to the ambulance. Adeline leaned over and thanked Jake for helping her.
“No problem. You sure you’re good? The EMT is going to check you anyway, to be sure,” Louie said
“I’ll be fine. But I’m worried about the others. If I’d known they were going to let me go, I would’ve let someone else go out. He put a gun to my head… I thought I was a goner.” She finished her statement, then leaned over and threw up.
Jake motioned for the EMT. Louie took the rest of her statement before he handed her off to a patrolman and then headed back to the command post.
“How is she?” Nick asked.
“She’ll be fine. The gun to the head freaked her out,” Louie said.
“That’ll do it.”
“What do they want?” Jake asked.
Louie added a question of his own. “Did they call Noones yet?”
“Yes. They want the usual,” Nick Longo replied to both.
“It’s not like they’re going to get away with it,” Jake said. Everyone’s radios crackled to life.
It seemed the Channel Eight News chopper had picked up a hot pursuit on Route 8, heading from Wilkesbury to Bridgeport. The state police had tried to pull over a car on a routine check when it took off. They were now closing down entrance ramps, rerouting any cars not involved in the pursuit. There is never a dull moment in this job.
After seven long hours, the bank robbery suspects gave themselves up. Both gunmen incurred layoffs and had run out of money, with no job prospects in their futures. When questioned, they said they had run out of food to feed their families and after a night of drinking the idea came to them. It never shocked Jake how stupid most criminals were, but these two took the cake
The pursuit on Route 8 ended fast. It had nothing to do with the bank robbery as first reported.
On their way home, Louie reminded him again about the party for Marisa the following week. Tomorrow they’d handle the paperwork for this incident. Though a long day, he’d put in time on Eva’s file tonight. He had to go into the meeting prepared. “What, do I look like I have no memory?” Jake asked. If Louie was setting him up again…he’d… Never mind, he thought, it isn’t worth it.
“No, Marisa said to remind you. Gigi keeps asking if you’re coming.” Louie fluttered his eyelashes.
“Great. Can’t you douse this before the party?”
“No, you can do it. It’ll give you a lesson in parenting.”
Jake shot him the snake eye. “For Marisa.” Jake changed the subject. “Does Sophia want me to bring anything?”
“No, we’re all set. Sophia hired the band and the bartender last week to lock them in. Good thing I’ve got a job.”
“You’re not fooling anyone. You get into this as much as Sophia.”
“You’re right, I love it.”
Jake dropped Louie off at his house before he headed home.
* * * *
Outside of struggling with his emotions all week, Jake focused his concentration on the cases at hand. Otherwise it was a quiet week as they fell into the routine of murder—following up with witnesses, the M.E., and the lab. Like Shanna Wagner, Chelsea Adams was well-liked, minded her own business, and hadn’t caused any ripples until her divorce. Taking a husband to the cleaners could gain a person an enemy, he mused.
A long, tedious day, had gotten longer when Jake stopped by the nursing home and visited his mother. She showed a few sparks when he walked into her room, but who knows? Long ago, she’d forgotten she had another child who needed her.
At home, he decided to continue to explore through Eva’s files in small increments. Small doses were all he could handle in his melancholy mood. Each crime scene photo stabbed him in the heart. His father’s neat print in the margins jumped off the pages. Jake bogged through his detectives’ incident reports and evaluations to make sure no details were overlooked. Again, it hit him how similar Eva’s and Shanna’s cases were. The third box he opened hit hard. A sampling of Spaulding’s stained shirt and jeans still held the coppery smell of blood. Eva’s blood. His father’s fellow officers had made sure he had all the evidence he’d need in the future if new evidence surfaced. Knuckling away a tear, he rummaged through the box. A sample of George Spaulding’s brand of cigarettes, along with a smoked one, were stored in sealed envelopes. Jake decided to give one of the samples to Burke to have it tested against the recent samples of DNA collected from George. Though he thought he wanted Louie here, he found this first time through was better alone. It had been years since he’d subjected himself to the trauma. Maybe when he got to the fiftieth time through the file he’d be able to control his emotions.
* * * *
The next day, Jake woke to a typical rainy New England April day. The temps dropped to the low fifties. His concession to the weather was a heavier sports jacket. When he got into the station and sat at his desk, he put a call into Chief Beau Taylor.
Jake got him on the first try. “Chief, it’s Jake Carrington from Wilkesbury, Connecticut.”
“Please call me Beau. How did your situation turn out?”
“We got the guys. The officer who got shot is doing great. Thanks for asking.”
“Good. I checked on Jeffrey Adams and his perky new bride Lola. I do need to tell you—she had quite the mouth on her. I thought I was talking to a trucker.” Beau laughed. “She wasn’t happy to see me.”
“No?”
“No. She started off telling me she wasn’t going talk to me without an attorney before I even explained why I was there. It got my eye a-twitching. Y’all understand my meaning, Connecticut?”
“I do, Chief. Who told her about the murder?”
“She said she got a call about the ex-wife’s murder. She knew someone would come and start bothering them with questions. I pointed out Mrs. Adams wasn’t happy about being dead, either.”
Jake let out a laugh. “Sorry to interrupt, I would’ve loved to have been there.”
“Oh yeah, a refreshing break in my routine. I told her to call her lawyer and we’d settle my questions at the police station. After a staring contest, the ex-husband said they’d be happy to answer any questions I have. Imagine that.”
“I’m imagining. Did they give you anything?” Jake laughed. He could see the scene play out.
“Well, the ex-husband worked all weekend at his second job. He’s an assistant manager at a small restaurant here in Neptune. His alibi checks out. Now his shy, delicate wife claimed to have spent the weekend with her girlfriend over in Miami while her husband worked. I called her girlfriend. She hemmed and hawed when I asked her to verify Lola’s visit on the sixteenth. At first, she agreed, until I told her that if she lied, she would
face charges, including prison time. Understanding the severity of the situation, she immediately corrected her previous statement. Said she hasn’t seen Lola since her wedding. Connecticut, do you want me to verify flights on my end?”
“Thanks, Beau, I’ll check them out from here. Can I get the girlfriend’s information in Miami? I appreciate your time on this. If I run into any problems with the flights, I’ll give you a call back.”
“Anytime, Connecticut, I’ll fax over my report and the info on the friend.” Beau hung up.
“What’s that all about, Jake?” Louie asked.
“Well, we might have to head down south,” Jake said, pulling out the phone book.
“Awesome, I’ll pack the sunscreen for you. What have you got?”
“What I got is a liar.”
“Florida got good information for us?”
“Yep. The new, younger wife doesn’t have an alibi for the weekend. The ex-husband does. He needs to work two jobs to support the new and improved model.”
“The poor fellow, my heart bleeds,” Louie snorted. “Where was the current wife?”
“Lola said she spent the weekend in Miami with her girlfriend. Girlfriend gets all nervous when it’s explained to her that she could go to jail if she lies—she recants. She hasn’t seen the current wife since her wedding last year.”
“‘Oh, what a tangled web we weave…when first we practice to deceive.’ I love that quote by Walter Scott in ‘Marmion,’” Louie said.
“You have a quote for everything.”
“Hey, we can’t go down south until after Marisa’s party. She’d kill us. I’m already taking enough grief from her over the party we won’t let her go to.”
“Don’t worry. If we have to go, it wouldn’t be right away. We have other leads to pursue first.”
“Good, ’cause I’d hate to miss how you’re going to handle her friend Gigi who has, and I quote Marisa,” Louie brought his hands together and fluttered his lashes. “‘She has the world’s biggest crush on Uncle Jake.’”
“I owe you one for this.”
As promised, he walked into the conference room at three and updated Shamus, Burke, and Kraus on the evidence in Eva’s case. He held back his personal feelings as McGuire had asked. Though it wasn’t said, his men understood he’d be working the case too. While he was in the meeting Louie ran the airlines to see if Chelsea’s ex-husband or his new wife were in town on the weekend of April sixteenth. After updating Burke and Kraus, Jake left the meeting and turned his attention back to the Adams case.
Chapter 4
At one on Saturday afternoon, Jake walked into Louie’s house. The sounds of seven-year-olds running around, screaming at the top of their lungs, pierced his ear drums. He dodged a few as he passed the living room. Louie Jr., whom everyone called LJ to distinguish between father and son, sat with his friends, playing some video game and ribbing each other.
Jake caught LJ’s eye and nodded as he worked his way to the kitchen.
“Hey, Uncle Jake, Dad’s out back,” LJ shouted.
The kitchen was organized chaos. Sophia, Louie’s Italian beauty, was in the center of it, talking to a dark-haired woman in a low-cut red sundress and a short jacket. The unknown woman was five-nine in tall heels that showcased her long, shapely legs. She laughed at something Sophia said and the sound vibrated through him. Large gold hoop earrings dangled from her ears, a gold bracelet and an emerald ring sat on her right arm and hand, respectively. She wore nothing on her left. Good detecting, Jake, he thought.
Sophia moved around the kitchen while they spoke, each movement automatic. Food dishes containing different kinds of treats littered the counter. In his peripheral vision, he saw Sophia pull something out of the oven. It smelled wonderful, and kicked in his appetite, though he never took his eyes off the other woman who dipped a chip in some concoction before bringing it to her red lips. His eyes tracked each movement. As the chip disappeared between her lips he had to swallow hard.
They hadn’t noticed him yet. He cleared his throat. “Hey, gorgeous, you’ve outdone yourself this time. Whatever it is, it smells great. Let me be the first to taste it.” He leaned down to place a kiss on Sophia’s cheek as he snuck a piece of meat off a tray. She whacked his hand with the spatula in her hand. “You lucked out with the weather today. Hot and sunny and I thought for sure we’d be rained out,” Jake said as he chewed.
“Oh, I put my order in. It wouldn’t dare rain on my picnic,” Sophia said, pinning him with her chocolate-brown eyes, as she turned toward the woman at the counter. “Jake, glad you made it. This is my friend Mia Andrews.”
Mia held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Sophia talks about you all the time.”
He took her extended hand, surprised at the firm handshake and pleased with the soft skin, each sensation shooting through his body. Jake wished he’d dressed for the party. Instead he’d worn broken-in jeans with boots, a collared cotton shirt, the sleeves rolled halfway up his arms. He had a thing for belt buckles. Today he wore a silver American bald eagle.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mia. I’ll have to speak with Louie. He never mentioned you.” He looked over at Sophia.
“Louie’s out back, Jake. He’s on grill duty. You should go help him,” Sophia said.
“It looks like you need help in here. What do you need me to do?” He didn’t want to leave the kitchen or Mia until he got to know her.
“She won’t accept any help. Everyone’s offered,” Mia said.
“Oh, that’s our girl. Come on, Sophia, what do you need?” Jake pushed.
“Nothing. Everything’s done. We’ll take them out when Louie finishes cooking. In fact, let me check with him to see how he’s doing out there. I’ll be right back.” Sophia left them alone.
“Subtle, isn’t she?” Mia said, flashing him a wide smile.
He swallowed hard as she locked her deep ocean blue eyes on his. He forced himself back to earth.
Marisa and her friend Gigi came running into the kitchen and saved him from making a fool of himself. He’d almost forgotten the reason for the party.
“Is that for me?” Marisa said, stretching out her hand.
He looked down at the wrapped pink box in his hands. “I don’t know. It’s for the prettiest fourteen-year-old girl who happens to have a birthday in a couple of days. Know anyone who fits that description?” Marisa threw her arms around him and gave him a hug as she planted a kiss on his cheek and tugged the package out of his hands.
“Thanks, Uncle Jake. What is it? It feels light.” Marisa shook the box.
“I guess you have to open it to find out.”
“I can’t. Mom said I have to wait till after we eat to open my gifts,” Marisa said, frustrated.
“We always break the rules. Your mother expects it of us. Go ahead. Open it.” Jake encouraged her with a wink.
Marisa tore at the wrapping paper like a crazed dog searching for food. “You better hurry before your mother comes back in.” Jake urged her on.
“You’re a bad influence, Jake,” Mia said.
“No, he’s not.” Marisa scorched Mia with a look.
Sophia came into the room. She looked from him to Marisa, then back at him.
“Jake!” she yelled. He started laughing.
“You’re the best, Uncle Jake! Look Gigi, it’s a gift card to the mall. How’d you know? Now I can get the outfit I’ve been wishing for. Thank you!” She threw her arms around him. Jake lifted her off the floor and swung her around before lowering her back down. “Mom, can we go to the mall tonight, after everyone leaves?”
“No, not today, we have company. We’ll go tomorrow. Jake, this is way too much. You shouldn’t have,” Sophia said, looking over Marisa’s shoulder at the gift card.
“What good is money if you don’t spend it?” He wrapped an arm around Sophia’s shou
lder.
* * * *
Mia watched the exchange. She felt like an intruder, though it gave her some insight into Jake Carrington. When Sophia had suggested she meet him, she’d agreed with reluctance and skepticism. Cops were bad news. They lived hard. They played hard. Sophia and Louie must be the exception to the rule. Sophia had pushed until Mia had agreed to come to the party. Now, she was glad she did.
She liked the way he looked. Handsome in a rugged sort of way, and boy could he fill out a pair of jeans. His unusual hair color—a dark auburn, emphasized his vivid green eyes. She bet women fell at his feet. He was over six feet tall. She didn’t have to worry about towering over him. His muscles bulged against his shirt when he lifted Marisa off the floor. No, he wasn’t what she’d been expecting. It was a nice plus that he was good with children, or at least with Sophia’s children. It was clear he was a member of this family.
“How do you know Sophia?” Jake asked Mia, pulling her back into the conversation.
“Oh, we work out together.”
“Well, it shows…” As an afterthought, he added, “On both of you.”
“Real smooth.” Sophia patted him on the shoulder. “Jake, aren’t you going outside to say hi to everyone?” Sophia asked.
* * * *
With some reluctance, he excused himself and found Louie right where Sophia said he would be, on grill duty. With a beer in one hand, a spatula in the other, Louie wore one of those cook aprons. It read, Don’t bite the cook. Chef humor, Jake figured, though he didn’t get it. Louie’s shorts showed off his knobby knees. On his head, he wore a Yankees baseball cap. In this crowd of cops and wives alike, after a few drinks, that hat could get fists flying, he thought. Yankees or Red Sox? He loved the Yankees, win, lose or draw.
“Aren’t you the height of fashion?” Jake greeted him.
“Oh yeah.” Louie held out his apron, took a bow. Looking around Jake, he raised his eyebrows.
“What?”
“Where is she?”
All the Deadly Lies Page 7