She crawled back over to him.
She leaned in to kiss him, unbuttoning his jeans and reaching inside.He told himself to focus. But damn, she made it hard. Even when he didn’t want her. Hell––didn’t even like her. But she was damned tempting.
He felt the metal snap around his wrist and looked up at her.
“Hey, what the hell was that?” He looked over to see that she’d handcuffed his wrist to the bedpost. He pulled at it, trying to get free. “Hey, get this off. This isn’t funny.”
“Relax,” she smiled, blinking slowly, like a cat, as she climbed on top of him, her robe now fully opened.
“Ally, seriously. You know I don’t like this shit…”
Ally smiled down at him through hooded eyes. “But I thought we’d play a game…”
“Ally, cut it out. I’m not in the mood.” He pulled at the handcuff, trying to get it off.
"Sssh," she whispered reaching over to the nightstand. “I thought we’d play some ‘good cop bad cop.’ And tonight…” she unfurled the long leather whip she’d pulled out of her drawer. “ I get to be the bad cop."
CHAPTER FIFTY
Jess paced nervously around her living room. It was 11:30 and her nerves felt as though they were pricking through her skin. Sykes would be there soon and she needed to have something to give him. When she’d called him and asked him to come over, she’d promised him some new evidence about the murder. But Zach still hadn’t dropped off the tape.
At eleven thirty, Sykes appeared as planned. He seemed to be in a bad mood as he walked into the foyer. "So what’s this all about," he asked abruptly. His eyes scanned her face then looked towards the rooms behind her.
“Come on in,” Jess said in a voice that sounded lighter and more confident than she felt. She led the way into the living room. “The evidence isn’t here yet, but it should be soon.”
He took a seat on the couch, and leaned back studying her as she took a seat opposite him.
"Detective, I know Ally’s secret. How she knew everything that happened to me." Jess looked at him, expecting some kind of surprised response but there was nothing. His gaze didn’t waver for a moment.
“Video cameras,” she said with a hint of triumph in her voice. “That’s what was in the hats. Not drugs. There never were any drugs or any smuggling."
Sykes leaned back against the sofa and frowned. "I guess it’s possible. It explains how she could be in two places at once."
Jess gave an eager nod.
"Are you just guessing?” he asked.
"No. Zach...er...the guy I met in Texas-- the one that Ally denied ever existed. He told me. It turns out he was in on it with Ally the whole time. It was all part of her plan.”
“Her plan.”
“Her plan to kill my father and pin it on me.” Jess was talking too fast but she was too excited to slow down.
“And you have evidence of this? Zach will confirm what you’re saying?”
“I have something even better,” Jess stood and looked nervously towards the front door––willing Zach to walk through it. "It’s a new videotape,” she said with forced calm.
"Yeah? And what’s on this video?"
"Ally. Confessing to the murder."
That got Sykes’ attention. He looked at her in surprise.
“It should be here any minute,” Jess said. She glanced towards the door again then checked her watch. It was midnight. She just prayed Zach would show up soon.
It was after 12:15 and Jess could see that the detective's patience was wearing thin.
"Look," he said, standing up and rubbing the back of his neck. "I’m going. I’ve got to go get something to eat or I'm not going to make it. My brain’s fried and..."
"But what if he comes? Please, just wait a little longer."
He shrugged. "It doesn’t look like he's going to show. He told you he’d be here by eleven, right?
Jess nodded hopelessly as Sykes walked toward the door.
"Detective, why don’ t you let me make you dinner. I'm a really good cook."
He turned and studied her. She couldn’t help but wonder if his detective skills were somehow sensing her lie. Other than macaroni and cheese and hot dogs, she was almost useless in the kitchen. Except for her one specialty. "Pasta?" she said trying to sound lighthearted. She took the coat from his hand, not giving him time to refuse. Then she strode into the kitchen, praying she had at least some of the ingredients she needed.
Sykes shrugged and followed her in, checking his watch again.
In an effort to distract him, she began a steady stream of nervous chatter. She just had to keep him occupied until Zach showed up. And how hard could that be really––she had a six year old after all.
“Dinner’s ready,” she said as she placed the large steaming bowl of penne with vodka sauce, onto the dining room table. “Do you want some wine? Or…”
“Just water, thanks,” Sykes said as he placed his coat over the back of his chair and sat down.
Jess served them each a bowl then took a seat opposite him.
"Mmn,” Sykes practically moaned as he took a large forkful of the rich pasta. "My wife never let me eat this stuff. Too much cholesterol."
He wiped his mouth with his napkin and took another enormous bite. “I guess divorce has its perks," he said.
Jess smiled and took a small bite, chewing politely. She was way too nervous to have an appetite but she wanted to keep the detective engaged.
"How long have you been divorced?”
“Two years,” he said, taking a sip of water. “We share custody of Matt. I get him every other weekend. That’s the downside."
Jess nodded and put her fork down giving up the pretense of eating.
"Detective, can I ask you something?" She looked into his unreadable brown eyes. “Do you really believe that I killed my father?"
He sighed and put his fork down on his plate. "Like I said, you can't tell with people. Looking at you, I'd say no. You don’t have it in you. Your sister seems much more capable of that sort of thing. But I've been fooled before.” His eyes darted away from her momentarily.
Studying him, Jess had the distinct feeling that he was remembering something specific. Some personal betrayal. By his wife, maybe?
She couldn’t help but wonder if he'd been cheated on too. She wanted to ask him about it. To tell him she knew what it felt like, but when he looked at her again his eyes had grown cold.
"But like I said, what do I know? You look innocent enough, but maybe you and she are in it together and are working with each other to confuse everything."
He shrugged and pushed his plate away, then stood up and adjusted his gun in its holster. "This guy’s not coming," he said as he reached for his jacket on the back of the chair. “Thanks for the dinner though.”
Jess was frantic. She couldn’t let him walk out the door. She hurried to her feet and rushed to stand between him and the door.
"But maybe...what if I got it wrong?" She shook her head frowning, wondering if this were indeed possible.
After all, Zach said he'd get her the tape, but did he actually say he would bring it over to her house? She couldn’t remember. "Maybe it’s at his place. I could have misunderstood..."
"You know where he lives?" Sykes was looking at her through narrowed eyes. "I thought you said you barely knew the guy."
"I do. I just…I...we...went there to get the videos. Ally and me. That one time."
Sykes's wary brown eyes considered her for several seconds.
"All right. Let’s go check it out.”
CHAPTER FIFTY ONE
As they drove over to Zach's Jess hoped against hope that she remembered where he lived. She knew the general area from having followed him there that day, but she'd been too anxious and excited to really pay close attention. Besides she hadn’t ever planned on coming back.
Sykes drove down Wilshire, heading east towards downtown, and Jess remembered the familiar signs in Korean, advertising r
estaurants and businesses. She knew it was somewhere close.
"Turn here!" she said as they passed the large church on Normandie. As they drove southward Jess frowned, looking out for the familiar beige building, but she saw only houses. "You know, I think it was one street up," she said, trying to sound certain. If the detective knew just how lost she was, he'd probably give up looking altogether.
He eyed her for a moment, then turned the car up the next street, passing a small car repair shop.
This wasn’t it.
Jess wondered just how much longer the detective would continue searching.
"Go left," she said, hoping to ease him onto the next street without his realizing it.
Unfortunately, ‘left’ led only to a dead end, and to the unwavering gaze of those brown eyes that looked at her without amusement.
Sykes waited, saying nothing, until she could take it no longer. "Okay, I have no idea where he lives. I thought I remembered but I don’t have a clue."
He shook his head.
Was that a look of amusement or irritation? It was hard to tell.
He put the car in reverse, sighing heavily as he turned the car around and drove back to Wilshire. But instead of driving her back home as Jess expected, he reached for the small radio on his dash and keyed the mic.
"I need an address for a Zach..." he looked at Jess.
"Winters," she said, hoping that Zach had given her his real name.
"Winters," he repeated into the mic.
Within a few minutes the female voice on the other end supplied him with Zach's exact name, middle initial included, and his address. As well as his list of priors. Just as Zach had told her, he had been arrested twice for theft.
"Handy," Jess said, nodding towards the mic setup on the dash--she realized the stupidity of her words as they exited her mouth.
"Yeah, we like it,” Sykes grunted as he pulled the car back onto Wilshire and headed further east.
Was that a joke, she wondered as she looked over at the unsmiling detective. His eyes were focused straight ahead. Probably not. The man clearly was all business. How Maddy could find him attractive was beyond her, but then again Maddy found all sorts of men attractive and even, she'd once admitted to Jess, the occasional woman.
Sykes drove east, block after block. As they stopped at a red light near Filipinotown, she could sense him watching her and pretended to be looking out for Zach’s house. She wasn’t going to give him the pleasure of gloating about just how off she'd been in her directions.
They had gone another couple miles and were deep into the heart of downtown when Sykes approached Rose street and made an abrupt left, pulling up to the familiar beige building with the decrepit courtyard out front.
They got out of the car and walked up the two flights of stairs in silence. As they approached 212, they heard a woman’s voice, screaming.
Sykes rapped loudly on Zach's door.
It swung open as though it hadn’t been shut properly and Sykes quickly threw a protective arm out to block Jess from entering.
"Police!” he called out, unholstering his gun. When there was no answer, he walked slowly into the apartment, motioning for Jess to stay where she was. While she nervously waited for Sykes to give the all clear she heard the sound of a commercial playing and realized the sound of woman screaming was coming from a show on TV. Not a real person.
She ignored Sykes's warning and walked in, spotting the TV at the far end of the living room. Taped to the center of the screen was a note with the word, ‘Jess’ written on it.
She reached for it, just as Sykes reappeared from the bedroom, putting his gun back into its holster. “What’s that?”
“It’s the evidence,” she said excitedly, opening it up. The ‘note’ was in fact a thin envelope with a DVD inside it. “Zach must have left it here for me.”
She put the disc into the DVD machine, hit ‘play’ and Zach's face appeared on the screen, looking as handsome and cocky as usual.
“Jess,” he said, looking directly into the camera. “Sorry I couldn’t get this to your place but if you’re watching, I guess you realized I wasn’t coming tonight.”
Jess nodded impatiently-- eager to get on with the tape and prove her sister guilty once and for all.
"Look, I’m sorry" Zach continued, on screen. "But I felt the need to leave town fast. The thing is, babe. I don’t think our plan to frame Ally would've worked…”
“What?” Jess whispered towards the screen.
"No one would’ve believed that story we concocted about the fake blackmail and the video in the hats. They would have seen it for the bullshit that it was...”
Sykes looked from the TV over to Jessica.
She was shaking her head in horrified disbelief.
“Anyway, babe,” Zach said, with a cocky wink. “It was great knowing you and I hope you get away with everything and you get all the money. Oh—and by the way, you should really get rid of the rest of those bullets, don’t want the cops finding them.”
“That’s a lie!” Jess screamed. “He’s lying! I never had any bullets!”
Sykes looked at her coldly. “That’s enough to get us a search warrant of your house.”
Zach continued on screen. “And here's some footage of the other night to remember me by...."
Jess stared, dumbstruck. Not only by Zach’s lies but by the footage that suddenly appeared on the screen. It was a close up of herself and Zach making love on the beach.
At least it looked that way. Though obviously it was a lie. A complete lie.
“That’s not me on that tape.” Jess turned frantically to Sykes. “He’s lying. About everything. I never had any bullets. I never…”
Sykes continued to stare wordlessly at the footage on the screen.
“It must be Ally with him on the beach. She made him say this stuff. Or…” Jess shook her head trying to figure it out. “Or maybe they were both just setting me up again. But he’s lying. Please. You have to believe me.”
Sykes carefully removed the DVD from the machine and placed it into its white sleeve.
“Detective…” Jessica said, pleading, looking tearfully into his brown eyes. But she could see from his expression that it was hopeless. He didn’t believe her. In fact, he seemed almost angry.
“You need to come downtown,” he said.
“But ...that was all a lie. He was lying."
Sykes pulled his handcuffs from his belt and flipped them open. “If you won’t come willingly…”
Was this real? Jess stared at them. “No..." she said, shaking her head. “Please.”
“We’ll track him down. He won’t get far,” Sykes said glancing at her.
For a moment she saw a flicker of something in his eyes. Sadness? Disappointment? Something…she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Then the cold emotionless expression returned.
She stared down dazed, as he led her outside.
CHAPTER FIFTY TWO
Sykes sat back and put his feet up on the desk. He flipped to the sports page and checked the scores. Great. Another loss in a long losing streak for the Dodgers. He cursed to himself and tossed the section into the trash, then he began scanning the metro page. No news on the Parks arrest yet, but it'd probably make the evening paper.
"Hey, congrats on making an arrest in the Banks case,” Morelli said, taking a bite of donut. He held out the box for Sykes.
"Un huh," Sykes grunted, continuing to read the paper. For some reason, he didn’t feel like eating.
He knew he ought to be happy. He’d closed the case after all. But for some reason, he wasn’t. He’d been wrong. His gut had been completely off. He had never really thought that the Parks woman did it. He would have put money on the sister instead any day. And he didn’t like to be off like that.
It was eating at him. How screwy his instincts were on this. She’d been lying the whole time. Lying about everything. Saying she'd only slept with the Winters guy that one weekend in Texas, when there
they were, getting all hot and nasty with each other right there on the beach. That sure as hell was Santa Monica, not El Paso. Not unless El Paso changed a lot in the last ten years.
He shook his head and took another sip of his tepid coffee. Some women were just good liars. The ones that seemed so innocent, especially.
He flipped over to the second page.. Another drive-by in South Central and a murder/suicide in Tarzana. That one that had been all over the news last night, but only warranted a small column on page eight today. Already old news.
His eyes skimmed a story about an unidentified body discovered in an alley in West Hollywood. Some John Doe who was missing his teeth and fingertips––anything that could identify him.
Sykes bet they’d probably never find out who the guy was. That was the way it worked more times than people knew. In real life, people actually got away with murder.
As Sykes read the story, Morrelli walked up behind him, reading over his shoulder. “Ouch. Poor guy, huh? His entire body was covered with welt-- like he'd been whipped to death. Probably a gay thing.”
Sykes nodded. At least it wouldn’t be their case. The West Hollywood sheriff’s department would handle it. He put the paper aside and cursed under his breath.
Time to get back to work. He had to get on the trail of Zach Winters.
The DA wanted to charge him as an accessory in the Banks murder, though once they found him, they'd probably cut him a deal to save himself and testify against Jess. In any case, they had him on that tape, that would do her in, no matter what.
CHAPTER FIFTY THREE
Jessica sat alone in the small grey interview room, her head bowed. At the sound of the door opening she looked up.
"Jessica,” Lars said, as he hurried into the room past the guard, who closed the door behind him.
She burst into tears, when she saw the look of concern on his face.
He hugged her tightly as tears spilled uncontrollably down her cheeks. “Thank goodness you’re here,” she said.
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