Sykes looked at her, saying nothing.
“You do believe me, don’t you?” Jess asked.
He relaxed back in his chair. “It’s an interesting story Mrs. Parks,” he finally said. “The only problem is, your sister claims that she was in Mexico, shopping, at the time of the murder.” He laced his hands behind his head, never removing his eyes from Jess’s face. “Since one of you was there in Mexico and one was here committing a murder, we have a little problem. One of you is lying.”
Jess’s face crumbled as she looked down into the cold remains of her coffee. “But...I wouldn’t have come and told you this...if...if it were me.” Her voice sounded weak and pathetic, even to her own ears. “I mean, I was worried that you might arrest me for the smuggling...”
He sat forward and looked her straight in the eyes. “Look, I’m not interested in nailing you on the smuggling. I’m homicide, not vice.” He paused. “But I am very interested, in catching the person who killed your father.”
He sat back and studied her thoughtfully. “But as to your coming to me with a made up story, you might do it if you were afraid that Maria was going to tell me the same thing she told you. That she saw you there that night.” He took a sip of coffee. “Though I have to admit, if it is a lie, it’s a pretty inventive one.”
“So how do I prove to you that I was the one in Mexico?”
He picked up his pen and studied it. “Is there anything that happened there...something we could verify, that your sister wouldn’t know about?”
Jess paused. “I don’t know. I’d have to think about it. The thing is, I pretty much told Ally everything that happened. I mean, she quizzed me in such detail afterwards.”
Jess remembered that night. How Ally wanted to know all about her trip. At the time Jess thought it had been out of sisterly concern, but now she saw that Ally had a more insidious motive.
“Okay. Well, if you think of anything, let me know.”
Jess stood up and tossed her cup into his trash. She was even more confused now. Granted, she wasn’t going to be arrested for smuggling, but what if, in changing her alibi and telling him the whole story, she’d handed him the evidence that he needed to convict her?
Feeling sick to her stomach, she walked out to her car. There had to be something that she hadn’t told Ally about.
Some small detail…
CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
Jess drove out of the parking garage and onto Civic Center Drive, nearly getting sideswiped by a police car that came roaring out of nowhere, sirens blaring. She told herself to focus on the here and now, but all she could think about was her trip to Mexico. There had to be something. One incident that she hadn’t told Ally about. Something that would prove that she was the one who'd been in Mexico and Ally wasn’t.
She took a right on Burton Way and thought back to man who’d been watching her at the Flores café. The one who’d offered to help her with her car. Had she mentioned him to her sister? She didn’t think so, but it was doubtful that the police would be able to track him down anyway. A random stranger on a crowded Mexican street? Finding him would probably be impossible.
As Jess stopped at a red light, heading onto Little Santa Monica, she noticed a handsome motorcycle cop in the lane next to her. He was giving her an admonishing look and she remembered her seatbelt, quickly buckling herself in. He looked at her for a moment then turned and faced forward, obviously not intending to give her a ticket. Thank goodness.
Jess glanced at him again. He was right out of central casting with his square jaw, tanned skin and dark sunglasses. Were the cops in Beverly Hills really better looking than in other places? She couldn’t place who he reminded her of, but he looked like someone she’d seen recently. Probably some actor.
He zoomed off ahead of her when the light changed and she sighed in relief. Continuing more slowly down Little Santa Monica she came upon the minor accident that the police had obviously been rushing to. The motorcycle cop who had just passed her was now standing by the rear-ended car. He really did seem familiar.
She drove on, still thinking about Mexico but the motorcycle cop's face stayed with her. Then she realized why. The proof she’d needed had been staring her in the face all along!
"Of course," she said aloud, shaking her head. At the first opportunity she made a u-turn and headed back to the police station.
CHAPTER FORTY
"I need to talk to Detective Sykes,” Jess said breathlessly to the policeman at the front desk. “I was just here. I just thought of something.”
He nodded and picked up the phone to dial Sykes. It seemed to take forever but finally he told her to go on back. Jessica approached and Sykes looked up from his phone call, then motioned for her to take a seat.
He covered the mouthpiece of the phone. "Be with you in a minute," he mouthed. He listened for a few moments more, then nodded. "Yeah. Okay, get back to me when you have it.” He hung up the phone, then looked at Jess. "Back so soon?”
"I thought of something. About Mexico.” She was standing in front of his desk, too excited to sit down."On the way back through customs, I dropped my…er…Ally's purse. Her ID fell out and I didn’t realize it then. But as I was driving back, this cop––a highway patrolman I think––came up and gave me the license back."
Jess could see Sykes studying her.
"You never told your sister any of this?" he finally asked.
"No, I did. I mean…I told her about the license part," Jess paused to take a breath, "but I never told her the rest of it. That he asked me out on a date. That he said he'd show me around Mexico and then wrote down his phone number. I rushed through that part of the story because I was so tired and just wanted to get home. Besides I didn’t think it mattered."
Sykes nodded and made note on his pad.
"Do you still have his number?"
“No. But his name was Bob...I think…” She frowned, trying to remember, then shook her head. “ I don’t remember his last name. He wrote his number down on a piece of paper....but I tossed it out the window after he left.”
"So we can add littering to your long list of crimes," Sykes said, his expression unchanged.
So unexpected was his stab at humor, that it took Jess a few seconds to realize the he was joking.
Sykes stood up. "Okay. I'll look into it. I'll be in touch."
Jess nodded and feeling lighter for the first time that day. She smiled to herself as she walked out. All Sykes had to do now was find that cop and he would realize she was telling the truth. And that Ally was lying.
CHAPTER FORTY ONE
Jess drove towards home, wishing she had Danny that night. More than anything she wanted to see him, if only to give him a hug. She checked her watch and realized he was probably just getting back from little league practice. Without thinking, she turned onto Lars’ street, but even from afar, she could see that his Mercedes wasn’t in the driveway.
Driving slowly by the large white Victorian house that had been her home for seven years, she remembered how she felt when she first moved in––that this was a house she would live happily ever after in.
When she discovered the affair, everyone had counseled her against leaving. "Keep the house––and kick him out," was the general consensus. But it had been in the Parks’ family for generations and felt too much like their house for her to ever feel comfortable there again.
Besides Lars would never have willingly left the house. It seemed easier at the time for her to move out.
Jess drove down Doheny and considered popping over to the park to say, hi, to Danny. Lars surely couldn’t have a problem with that, could he? Normally he wouldn’t want Jess around during “his” time with Danny, but he’d been acting so nice to her lately, maybe he wouldn't mind this one time.
It was strange. How accommodating he was being lately. In fact the more she thought about it the less sense she could make of it. On the one hand he was acting all concerned and trying to get back together with her, wh
ile on the other hand he'd set up the Zach episode in Texas in an attempt to get the better of her in court.
It didn’t make sense. But then again, maybe it was just classic Lars. Keeping all his bases covered. He was probably still looking for another chance to screw her over––literally or figuratively. Well, she wasn't going to give him that chance. Not now. Not ever again.
As she drove by the park. She didn’t see any sign of Lars, Danny or any of the other kids, so she continued on.
By the time Jess got home from the grocery store and the dry cleaners, it was dark and she had a slight headache.
She pulled her car into her driveway and cut the engine, wondering, as she got out of the car, just how long it would take Sykes to track down that highway patrolman. If only she hadn’t thrown away his note, or had at least remembered his last name.
As she made her way up the pathway to her front door, she thought about calling Sykes to check on his progress. But she could just imagine how irritated he would be at her impatience. She would force herself to wait until he called her.
Walking up the steps to the porch, she heard a strange rustling sound to her left. She glanced over but didn’t see anything. Still, her hands trembled slightly as she fumbled with her keys. Of course, today of all days, she'd forgotten to turn the porch light on before leaving the house.
She turned the deadbolt, then quickly removed the key and began fumbling around on her keychain for the smaller key that would fit the bottom lock––noting the irony that in her attempt at extra safety, she had inadvertently put herself at more risk.
Relax, she told herself, it was probably nothing more than a frog.
Then she heard it again. Wheeling around, keychain still in hand, Jess saw a blur of movement in the darkness. A tall figure was coming towards her.
She froze in fear, unable to scream. Without thinking, she felt for the pepper spray container on her keychain, held it up, and pressed down hard on the button.
A muffled scream came from the figure in black as he spun around and took off down the path.
Jess unlocked the lower lock with shaking hands and quickly went inside. Trembling and drenched with sweat, she locked the door behind her. Her legs felt like they were about to give out and she realized she was still clinging to her purse as though it were a lifesaver.
She hurried into the living room, grabbed the portable phone off the kitchen counter and dialed 911 as she rushed to check the back door and windows to make sure everything was locked. Upon hearing the busy signal, she slammed down the phone. What good was an emergency number if you can’t get through in an emergency?
She found Sykes’s card on the refrigerator and quickly dialed his number. He might not be the one to call about something like this but she had to talk to someone. Right now. She dialed his pager number and sat rigidly by the phone, afraid to move, waiting for him to return the call.
Sweat was prickling her body and she wanted to change her shirt but she felt too afraid and vulnerable. What if he came back?
Sykes would probably tell her try 911 again, that he didn't deal with this kind of thing. But what if it had something to do with her father's case? What if the man who'd come after her tonight was part of the drug smuggling ring she'd betrayed, and was trying to shut her up before she could go to the police?
Ally had warned her that she'd be a fool to report it to the cops, was it possible that this is what she'd been warning her about?
CHAPTER FORTY TWO
Jess jumped when the phone rang then quickly grabbed the receiver with shaking hands.
"Mrs. Parks? It’s Detective Sykes."
Relief flooded through her when she heard the familiar voice.
"Detective, a man just tried to attack me, here at my house..." She tried to continue but her throat unexpectedly caught and tears spilled from her eyes.
"Will you be okay for twenty minutes?" he asked. "It’s the soonest I can get there.”
“Yes,” Jess nodded. His voice was reassuring even through the phone.
“Okay, see you soon," he said and hung up.
Headlights flashed through the living room blinds, accompanied by the sound of a car’s engine. Then the silence was punctuated by the slamming of a car door.
Jess peered through the slats in the blinds to make sure it was Sykes. When she saw his tall figure heading up the walk she hurried to the front door and flung it open before he could ring the bell.
“Oh, hi,” he said, looking surprised.
Seeing him standing there, with his gun in its holster across his broad, solid chest, Jess wanted to hug him in gratitude and relief. Instead she moved aside, and made room for him to enter. “Thanks for coming."
"No problem." He looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, surprised by his concern. “I’m better now...that you’re here.”
She led the way into the living room and Sykes took a seat on the sofa. “Why don’t you tell me what happened."
Jessica nodded as she took the chair opposite him and tried to gather her thoughts. "I...I was just coming in the house, when a man came towards me. I shot him with my pepper spray and he ran off. I tried calling 911 but I got a busy signal."
He didn’t seem surprised to hear it. "Did you get a look at him?"
"No. It was too dark. And my porch light was off."
"Hnm," He said with a look of disapproval . She wondered whether it was in response to her not getting a look at the guy or because her porch light was off. "Did he say anything to you?”
“No. I mean he screamed when I got him with the pepper spray but that was it.” Her voice quivered but she managed to keep it under control.
"How was he dressed?"
“All In black I think.” Jess paused to look down at her hands, then she looked back over at Sykes. “He was tall. Probably about six foot two and big. Detective, do you think it could have something to do with the case?”
"Could be. Or it could just be a coincidence.” He stood up. “I’m going to take a look around." Sykes headed to the front door and Jess followed behind.
They went outside and she pointed to the bushes to the left of the house. "I heard rustling in those bushes over there."
Sykes shined his powerful Maglight into the area, then slowly walked around the house, studying the grounds carefully.
"Anything?" she asked anxiously after he had made a complete circle around the house.
"Doesn’t look like anything's disturbed. Are you sure there's nothing else about him you can describe?"
Though still in his cop mode, Sykes somehow appeared more accessible to her. Perhaps it was how he treated a victim of a crime, rather than the suspect.
Jess shrugged in answer. "It was so dark, and it all happened so fast. I think he was wearing a baseball cap so I couldn’t see his face at all."
Sykes walked her back into the house. "Look you can file a police report tomorrow, though I doubt it will do you much good."
Jess felt calmer now that this man and his large shiny gun was in her house. She'd never approved of guns before, but somehow, after having a bad scare, she found both the presence of the gun and a man who knew how to use it, very reassuring.
"Listen, I’ll call in and have a patrol car keep his eye on your house tonight.”
“Thanks.” Jess said, sitting down on the arm of the sofa. "You know Ally threatened me not to tell about the drug smuggling...do you think it could be someone from her...er...operation?" Even as she said it, her theory of drug smugglers sounded unlikely.
"It’s possible,” Sykes said, though his tone implied that he doubted this scenario. "In any case, you really need to be more careful when you come inside at night."
He paced back and forth in front of her. ““Make sure to leave a lot of lights on. And get someone out here first thing tomorrow to trim those bushes. And put in some motion sensor lights. It’s a perfect spot for someone to hide."
Jess studied him, deeply touched
by his apparent concern for her safety. Then she thought better of it. It was just his cop's nature coming out. Nothing personal.
"Would you like some tea?" she asked. "Or something else to drink?"
He hesitated. "No, I better get home.” He looked at his watch and turned to leave. “Oh, by the way," he said, reaching into his breast pocket for his notebook. "I tracked down that guy you mentioned earlier...Bob..."
Jess's eyes widened in surprise.
"Bob Smalley." Sykes read the name from his notebook then looked at her for confirmation.
"Thats it!" She jumped to her feet, wanting to hug him but took a step back instead. "Smalley! I knew it was a weird name. Did you talk to him?"
"No, not yet. But we exchanged messages, and he said he did remember meeting a hot-looking blonde named Alessandra Banks on the evening of the tenth, and admitted to asking her out on a date."
"That was me!" Jess yelled with relief. "You see? I was telling the truth!"
He squinted at her, a glint now in his eye. Was he stifling a smile or was that her imagination?
"Yeah, well we'll see," he said. "I haven’t talked to your sister about it yet. It could have been her."
"You have to go talk to her! Right now!" Jess couldn’t believe she was barking commands at him.
"What? Now? It’s damned late.”
"She'll be up--She's a total night owl." Jess looked around for her sweater. "Please. It would be such a load off my mind. I won’t be able to relax until I know you believe me."
Sykes shook his head, but reached for his coat and put it on. As he headed out the door he glanced back at Jess who'd grabbed her purse and sweater and was following him out. "Just where do you think you're going?" He squinted at her forbiddingly.
"I'm going with you," she said, locking the door and making sure to leave the light on behind her. “And if you won’t take me, I'll drive there in my own car."
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