DEADLY HOPE a gripping detective mystery full of twists and turns

by Jack Parker

  "Coroner reports that he never inhaled smoke, which means he was dead before the fire was ever set." He answered coolly. He pulled some photographs of the charred remains of the house from the folder on the table. "This is what's left of your house."

  I glanced at the photographs for just a moment and returned my eyes to Detective Green's. I wanted desperately to tell him that it hadn't been my house since I moved out, but I bit the inside of my jaw and collected my thoughts.

  "What was the fire's point of origin?" Again, my voice sounded unlike my own. The natural cadence had changed, and my choice of words surprised me.

  "It started in the bedroom." He answered and fished for another photograph. He slapped it on the table, and I nearly laughed, which I turned into a gasp just in time. The photograph showed my father's crispy body. I didn't feel sorry for him, just sorry that he hadn't been alive to feel the flame seer his flesh.

  "Was an accelerant used?" I wondered as I committed the photo to memory.

  "Not that the fire department could tell." He answered and then winced. He knew I'd just beaten him at his interrogation. He answered my questions because he believed me to be an unintelligent hillbilly who wouldn't know how to hold a proper conversation.

  I leaned back in my chair and met his eyes. "What exactly am I doing here? You people don't have jack squat that says I did anything to that man."

  "Ah, but you do? Do you know what happened to your father? Patrick James Danes. Can you even say his name?"

  "Yeah. Bastard sounds pretty close, doesn't it? Want me to spell it?" Detective Green sat back in frustration. Derrick's face had gone completely expressionless, but his eyes twinkled with laughter.

  "Sheriff, could you please take these cuffs off me?" Derrick nodded. Bruises had formed along my wrists where Detective Green had jerked me around, I guessed.

  "Relax, Green, this girl's never lifted a finger against anyone in her life, not in violence anyway."

  I offered Derrick a tightlipped smile, the best I could do given the circumstances, and leaned back in the chair. I rubbed my wrists, but it only worsened the pain so I let them rest on my lap. "Any chance I could go out for a smoke?"

  "Absolutely no…"

  "I'll take you out back after the interview, Lauren," Derrick interrupted. He was being so nice to me, but I couldn't tell if it was genuine or meant to aggravate Det. Green. The man's face was so red it was turning purple. If he didn't calm down soon, his head might explode from the pressure.

  "Miss Danes, tell us about that day, start from when you first woke up."

  "Seriously? That was like a month ago, and you have my original statement that Sheriff Armentrout took the day after." I rubbed my wrists beneath the table and stared at him.

  "Yes, but I want you to tell me." Det. Green reiterated, and I sighed.

  "Uhh, well, I can tell you my normal routine, which I followed that day. I got up around 7. I probably took a piss and smoked a cigarette because that's what I always do in the morning. Had breakfast with David, Mattison, Luci and Berta around 7:30, which happens every morning. Luci and I went to her office around 8, which again is our normal routine. We did paperwork until about 11, then had lunch on the back porch. I went out for a smoke after lunch." I rolled my shoulders and sighed when my spine between my shoulder blades popped and realigned. I didn't see the point in recounting my statement over and over again, but I would tell them the truth until it stuck… or at least until Luci figured out a plan to get me out of here.

  "Me and David worked on ground plans after that for about an hour."

  "Ground plans for what?"

  "A pathway from Carver Manor to the river that Luci asked me to construct." He nodded in satisfaction, and I found my place in the routine again. "I went back to Luci's office and helped her set up a new computer she'd bought for me, but we're both apparently techno-tarded. We called Mattison a little while later to help us with the cords and wiring and installing programs."

  The memory of the almost-kiss moment I had shared with Luci zinged straight to my belly and started a slow burn to my chest. I breathed deeply and pushed the memory of her hands on my hips, tickling the skin of my back beneath my shirt down until I felt I could control my voice. I hoped that it only appeared I was gathering my thoughts. I'd all but forgotten about straddling her in the office that day, but now that my sense memory recalled my arousal and excitement and panic of the moment, I barely stomped the feelings down again. I glanced up at the two men and cleared my throat. Sheriff Armentrout looked suspicious, like he knew I wasn't telling the whole truth or at the very least leaving bits and pieces out of my story. Detective Green scribbled hurriedly onto a notepad that he held close to his body; I couldn't see it.

  "I helped David clear brush after that until dinnertime, I guess it would have been from about 3 to 7-ish. I ate dinner with David, Mattie and Berta, took a shower, met Mattie in Luci's office about 8:00. We played around with the new computer for a little bit." Mattison's kiss floated through my mind, and I chose to keep that bit of information as well as my spat with Luci afterwards to myself. My complicated relationship with the two women had nothing to do with the investigation.

  "Luci met us a little while later in the office. I don't know exactly what time, probably around 9 or 10. We chatted for a bit, and then I went to bed. Sheriff Armentrout came that night. It was just after 3 when Luci woke me up." I huffed a relieved sigh as the recounting of that day ended and rubbed at my left wrist gingerly. Angry red welts surrounded by purple bruises showed the evidence of the handcuffs. I clenched my jaw. I would not spend the rest of my life in them. I'd rather kill myself than live in a prison now that I knew what true freedom felt like. Luci had set me free, emotionally and mentally from the confines of the chains my father had set in place long before I understood what they were. I refused to go back.

  "That's a lot of details for claiming to not remember them. Do you set up a computer every day? Is that your normal routine?" Det. Green prodded.

  "No, I remember it because it was the day before I found out about what happened. If you knew Luci Pravitas, then you would know that her buying a computer is a pretty memorable experience. She hates them." Where was she anyway? He scribbled something in his notebook and then looked up at me again.

  "And how did you feel when you learned of Mr. Danes' death?" Detective Green asked nonchalantly. His face had returned to a slightly pink color throughout my story, and I made a note to get under his skin again when the opportunity presented.

  "Ask the sheriff. He was there," I bit sarcastically. The men stared at me expectantly. I rolled my eyes. "I was shocked and relieved."

  "You were relieved that your father was dead, possibly murdered?"

  "Detective Green, I don't feel bad about the way I felt and how I feel now. I didn't kill him, but as far as I am concerned, he got what he deserved." I snatched the picture of his body off the table and studied it. The death was too good for him. I tossed the photo towards the balding detective, and it floated and slid off the edge of the table.

  "Why is that?" I clenched my jaw and decided how exactly to answer the question. Ultimately, seeing was believing. I brushed my bangs back with one hand and pointed at the still-tender scar on my forehead.

  "He do that?" I nodded and then stood abruptly. Detective Green mirrored my actions and looked ready to slam me on the table. I turned around and pulled my tank top up in the back.

  "Those are older. Like 10 years ago, maybe. Those are the scars that are easily seen. There are some nice cigarette burns on my legs if you'd like to see them, even more in my mind. But obviously those can't be real, right? You can't see them." Detective Green sputtered as a response, and I snorted. I flopped into the chair and ignore my grumbling stomach.

  "So, yeah, when I say that I was relieved, you can bet your ass that I mean it. And believe me when I say, that if I had killed him, I'd be using the insanity plea. All it would take is Barb telling you idiots that I slept in her storeroom
for months to get away from him. Or Craig Hedrick saying that the bastard poisoned his cows when I moved into one of his seasonal houses a few years back. My mom and sister ran away years ago because of him. I didn't kill him, but I'd like to kiss whoever did, if he was murdered at all. I say that the bastard's heart finally gave out on him while he was smoking in bed or cooking, and that is what caught the house on fire. Either that or a rat chewed through the wiring in the wall trying to get to his rotting body. How the hell should I know? That trailer was on the verge of collapsing anyway."

  Detective Green took a breath to speak, but a knock on the door silence whatever stupid question or comment that was about to come out of his mouth. Sheriff Armentrout poked his head through the door and whispered quietly with whoever had interrupted the interview. Detective Green twisted in his chair and glared at Derrick's back.

  "Okay," he said as he closed the door once more. "This interview is over, Green. Lauren's lawyer is here." I was as shocked as the two men.

  "She hasn't asked for one, and until she does, we aren't obligated to stop." His meaty hand balled into a fist on the table as he set his tense eyes on me again.

  "Will it get me a smoke and a chance to talk to Luci?" I ignored Detective Green and directed the question to the sheriff.

  "I think that can be arranged," Sheriff Armentrout conceded. I smirked at the flustered detective.

  "I want my lawyer." His face turned purple again, but he said nothing. He slammed his fist on the table and stalked out the door. I was surprised to see Ashley's brother Bobby standing outside the door. He'd interrupted the interview.

  "Come on, Lauren," Sheriff Armentrout commanded. He snatched the cuffs off the table, and I held my hands out in front of me.

  "It's just until you come back inside, okay." I winced when the cold steel clicked into place around my wrists. "Your wrists hurt?" I nodded. "I'm sorry about that." He moved to the side of the door and allowed me to pass.

  "Derrick, do you think I killed him?" He sighed and put his hands on his hips.

  "I think you had a lot of good reasons to, and if you had, I would have shook your hand as I cuffed it. But, and I probably shouldn't say this, but no, I don't think you killed him. Unfortunately, we don't have the resources to handle this type of investigation, so the state's in charge until they say otherwise." He was as irritated with Det. Green and the handling of the investigation as I was.

  He led me out of the tiny room and into the main area of the police department with a light hand on my shoulder. I breathed deeply as the cool, fresh air surrounded me. I hadn't realized how hot it was in that little room. Luci stood by a row of chairs and rung her hands nervously; her eyes were flaming with anger, though. David sat to her left, looking as exhausted as I felt, and an older woman with flaming red hair sat to her right. I assumed she was the lawyer Luci had hired.

  "Lauren," Luci's heels clicked sharply as she cross the room to meet me. She awkwardly hugged me around my cuffed hands and then stretched her arm around my shoulders as she turned to face David and the other woman. "This is Katherine Ainsley. She's been my family's lawyer for years."

  I reached out to shake the woman's hand before I remembered that cuffs. I winced as they bit into my wrists again. Her eyes softened sympathetically, and she placed her hands over mine. "We're going to figure this, sweetheart." Her accent was unmistakably Scottish, and now that I was only a couple feet from her, I saw the freckles covering every part of her exposed skin and the light streaks of gray that had begun to eclipse her red hair. She dressed much like Luci in dark slacks with a dark blue dress shirt tucked in and a black blazer. She had a small belly and a few wrinkles but was a very handsome woman. I liked her instantly.

  "I'm am so very sorry about your wait for me." She squeezed my hands firmly and then released them.

  "Katherine flew into Charleston from New York," Luci explained and smiled gratefully at the older woman.

  "Of course, dear. You're my favorite client." She shared a smile with Luci and then set her eyes on Derrick and Bobby. "You two be gone, will ya." It wasn't a request, and the command endeared her to me even more. Derrick cleared his throat.

  "I'm sorry, Mrs. Ainsley, but I have to escort Miss Danes here outside." His voice was apologetic and respectful.

  "Ah, yes. I assumed you might need these." Luci pulled my cigarettes and lighter from her blazer pocket. "I had David return to Carver for them." My mouth watered as I stared at the tobacco sticks in her hand.

  "David, please go home and rest. You've done well today, but I feel certain that Mattison and Berta may require some reassurance." David nodded and stood. He kissed the side of my head affectionately and clomped out the door. His shoulders drooped and his steps nearly dragged across the wooden floor. He hadn't left my side all day.

  Luci led me toward the doors behind David, assuming the two police officers would follow. Her arm never left my shoulders. I immediately turned towards the small strip of grass that separated the courthouse from the parking lot and sat on the ground. The first puff of the cigarette eased some of my tension, and by the end, I had fallen back in the grass and stared at the night sky.

  Derrick and Bobby stood at the corner of the courthouse and watched us, close enough to intervene if I ran but far enough away to offer a modicum of privacy. Luci sat beside me and hugged her knees to her chest, and Katherine stood in front of us with her arms folded against the cool night air.

  "I'm sorry I got you involved, Luci." I flipped the spent cigarette into the parking lot. Let them add littering to my list of offenses.

  "Darling, you are not to blame." I lit another cigarette and breathed deeply. I did so love that burn, and I wasn't ready to go back to that tiny room with no windows just yet.

  "They're hell bent on blaming someone for this. I seriously doubt anyone touched him, but they want to blame someone for… for making the world a better place." My voice caught in my throat as I realized how terrified I was. Luci heard the emotion and leaned into the grass on her side. She tucked one arm beneath her head and placed the other protectively over my stomach. She didn't care who watched her, and that was one of the things I loved so dearly about her.

  "We will figure this out together, Love. Katherine and I will not abandon you." She glanced up at the lawyer who nodded sharply.

  "I assume they will keep you here tonight. Legally, they cannot pester you anymore until I say so. Luci and I will be back first thing in the morning to try and sort this out, but it may take a while."

  Her words were straightforward, direct, I liked that. She didn't waste breath with meaningless platitudes or promises of fixing the situation quickly. She was in this for the long haul. I nodded and turned my eyes back to Luci's. They were filled with anxiety and something else that I couldn't quite place. Fear? Guilt? I wasn't sure. I didn't care. She was here. I wasn't alone, and that was all I cared about in that moment.

  "Luci, I… I'm scared," I whispered so low that I feared for a moment that she hadn't heard me. Her forehead tightened, and the thin line between her eyes creased.

  "I know, Darling."

  "No, not about this. I didn't do anything wrong, and they really don't have enough evidence to say otherwise." I turned my eyes to the stars and puffed on my cigarette. "I've… been with a lot of men. More than a couple were cops, and I know at least two of them were married at the time."

  "And you are worried they may try and harm you in some way?" Katherine interjected. I nodded without looking at her. "We may be able to use that to our advantage if you are officially charged." She bit her thumb nail as her mind began building my defense. I turned back to Luci.

  "You know how to defend yourself, Lauren. Do not hesitate." I managed a small smile. Luci always knew how to instill confidence in me. Her grip on my hip tightened as she leaned towards me. Her lips brushed the corner of my mouth, and I held my breath. She seemed as surprised by the action as I was, but I had no chance to comment on it. We stared at each other, both questioning i
f that had actually just happened. My chest heaved up and down as my mind caught up with actions. I leaned towards her again, determined to respond to her kiss with one of my own, a real one.

  "Time to go, Lauren," Sheriff Armentrout informed us that my smoke break was finished. He'd seen Luci kiss me; I read it in his hard eyes. He grabbed me under the shoulders and lifted me to my feet. My aching muscles protested the sudden movement, and I took a moment to flex my leg muscles before walking. I certainly didn't want to fall over with cuffed hands.

  "We'll be back in a few hours, Lauren. I promise," Luci called as Sheriff Armentrout escorted me back inside the courthouse.

  "Sheriff, may I have a moment with my client?" Katherine's voice was directly behind us, and the sheriff looked over his shoulder.

  "That's her right if you'd like." He pointed his chin at Luci. "She stays outside."

  "Of course," Katherine bit and glared at Luci. She'd allowed passion to overrule her judgment, and everyone knew it.

  I had expected to be returned to the small room, but he steered us down a different corridor. I remembered this place. I was going to one of the cells in the basement. Bobby punched the down button on the elevator and stepped back. It opened immediately, and I was shoved inside against my will. My body felt heavy, and I began to hyperventilate. I didn't want to be locked in one of those cages.

  "Breathe, Lass," Katherine commanded and set a gentle hand on my arm. She'd obviously done this hundreds of times because she knew exactly what to say and how to behave. "Sheriff?" She fixed her eyes on him.

  "Yes, Mrs. Ainsley?" The elevator dinged and opened its doors. The Sheriff pulled me out of the car and led me down a dark hall.

  "I've been informed that Miss Danes has had liaisons with several of your officers. As such, I want her left alone only with those she has not for her own protection." Her voice was firm, unrelenting. There was no room for argument.

  "That can be arranged," Sheriff Armentrout agreed readily. I wondered if he'd been concerned by that same potential scenario. "Bobby will be with her tonight."