by Lynne Stevie
Ottie caught up with me first. He must have seen something in my eyes because he stood back and held out his hands. “Whoa, girl. Take it easy. You look like you’re ready to lose it. Remember where you are and what you’re here to do.”
His voice seeped into me. “Ottie, have you ever seen that…that kind of... I don’t even know what to call it. Is it real? Ottie, tell me, have you ever seen anything like that?” I gripped my own arms for support as I waited for his answer.
“Yes, darlin’, I’ve seen my fair share of death, but this one even tops the shit I saw working for Uncle Sam. But Lexie,” he said in his deep southern drawl, “you have to get cold, logical; this happened on our watch.” He cocked his head toward the house. “I hear Maloran comin’, so take whatever you got going and shove it down. Deal with it later. You got me?”
I shook myself like a dog, cleared my throat, took a deep breath, and remembered my mantra: “attitude is everything.” When Maloran got through the door all he heard was me debriefing my employee.
“Ottie, do we know the time of death yet?”
Ottie gave me an impressed grin that Maloran couldn’t see and answered the question.
“No, ma’am, not officially, but I’d venture to guess it happened between three and six this morning. Riley found the bodies around 10:30 when he went to check on the Janecks after he noticed the front door open.”
I thought the ma’am was a little much, but what can you do? I wondered what had made Riley leave his post and go to the door. “Where’s Riley now?”
We both turned to face him when Maloran said, “We’re transporting him to the station for questioning.”
“I’m sure you understand that our lawyer will have to be present.” Shit, I sure hoped that Riley had enough brains to keep his mouth shut until I could get our attorney over to the station. I wondered how he handled seeing that scene, poor guy.
“Ottie, call Kim. Have her get in touch with Virgil Watson so he can be there when they bring Riley in. As a matter of fact, why don’t you go ahead and take off. I’ll stay here to help Officer Maloran with any information he may need.” Meaning that I’d stay and try to pick up some more tid-bits of information for us, while Ottie reassured Riley that we had his back.
“Got it,” Ottie said, giving me a salute. Then he headed off.
Maloran shook his head. “You’re already in enough trouble busting into a crime scene. Do you really want to stay around here and get into more trouble? What, you want to see the bodies again?”
“Thanks, maybe later.” I swallowed back some acid. That was the last thing I wanted to see again. “But I do have a few questions if you’re willing to answer some,” I said with my own sarcastic smile.
“No, but I have a few questions for you,” He took out a small note pad and prepared to take down whatever I said.
“I’ve already told you, we have confidentiality issues, so there’s nothing I can tell you.” I crossed my arms and mirrored his stance.
“This is beyond a domestic squabble, Alex. You need to tell me everything you know. Your firm is not equipped to handle a murder investigation. Hell, my department’s not equipped to handle this crazy shit. But we’re all those dead people have, so spill the beans. Why were you watching the house?”
Riley had kept his mouth shut, points for him. But Maloran was pissing me off.
“First, my name is Alexandria. Second, I don’t even know if those are my clients in there. Have you positively identified the bodies, Detective Maloran?” Shit, I was turning into my grandmother with the whole full name thing.
“Not officially, no.”
“Then I am not at liberty to tell you who my client is or why I was watching this residence.”
Maloran reached a gloved hand out, touched my forehead, and lifted my bangs.
“Jesus, your head is bleeding. I thought your hair was just wet with sweat, but a big red drop just landed on the bricks. Here.” He pulled out an old-fashioned handkerchief and pressed it to my head. “Sit down over here on the knee wall. You’ve had your own drama the last few days. Are you sure you want to get involved with this?”
Trying to bat his hand away, I said, “Is that a rhetorical question?”
He just laughed and held the hanky in place.
“I must have just gotten a mosquito bite or something; it just started itching, that’s all. So will you answer my questions or not?” I pulled the hanky away to look at it. Damn, I really was bleeding. I put it back up to my head.
“I’m curious about what questions you have, and I’d like to hear your reaction to the scene, so go ahead and ask. Maybe I’ll answer.”
I checked to see if I was still bleeding. Not as much, but my skin still itched.
“Okay. Where’s the head? Why isn’t there any blood? Were they killed in another room?”
He took a deep breath. “Nope, I can’t answer any of those questions. So do you have anything you’d like to tell me about your involvement?”
“Nope. Thanks for nothing, then. I’ll be on my way.” The bleeding had mostly stopped and I thought about handing him the bloody hanky, but I decided to shove it in my pocket instead.
“Alexandria,” he said, exaggerating my full name. “You know I can’t talk about an investigation. Hell, I’m already in enough trouble for allowing you to see the scene.” He took a step closer, and his expression changed to concern.
“Have you heard any more from the man who attacked you?”
I took a step back, almost tripping over the knee wall.
“You’ve got enough on your plate,” I said, motioning to the house, “without worrying about little old me. Good luck. If you need our help, you’ve got my number. I’m heading to the station to get Riley out of hock.” I pushed past him toward the side of the house; no way in hell I was going back in there.
“See you soon.” I waved over my shoulder.
“Alexandria. Mrs. Lewis. You’re not planning to leave town in the next couple of days, are you?”
That stopped me. We were back on formal ground, not a good sign. “Why?”
“Just covering all my bases,” he said with a fake smile.
“I don’t have any scheduled trips, but you never know where a case may lead. Do I need to consult with my attorney?”
“Oh, I hardly think that will be necessary, Mrs. Lewis.”
“Am I a suspect, Detective?” My head started to itch again. It wasn’t as bad as when I was inside the house, so I was able to ignore it.
“Everyone is a suspect until I figure this out.” Then he turned and walked to the patio door. “Don’t leave town.”
I took off the other way. When I got around to the front of the house, I noticed that the rookie had been demoted to directing traffic. A double homicide is big news in our small town, and it seemed like every neighbor and newshound was on the front lawn, waiting for a show to begin. Morbid curiosity is always a mystery to me. Maybe if we stopped splashing every gory detail on the news every hour the sickos wouldn’t try to outdo each other.
Knowing the things I know makes me wish I were naive again. I’ve seen my share of domestic violence, but nothing compared to the horror that was inside that house. I wouldn’t sleep tonight without a stiff drink and maybe a good cry.
I felt shaky, and I hoped that William had disobeyed my order to go back to B’s. The farther I walked away from the Janecks, the more emotionally tired I got. I was happy to spot William standing by the limo on the side street where I’d left him.
As soon as he saw me, he rushed to open the back door, and I hurried as best I could. If I could just make it into the car, I could fall apart in privacy. William helped me in and then walked around to the driver’s side. I was suddenly so cold that I started to shiver, but the car was warm from the afternoon sun and that helped. As I tried to hold myself together, William slid behind the wheel and started the engine.
“Miss Alexandria, where would you…” But as he turned to ask, he cut himself sho
rt. “Miss Alexandria.” The concern was obvious in his voice.
Pulling my knees up to my chest and closing my eyes, I tried to shut out the vision of the torso on the floor; I couldn’t even call it a person. I started to laugh, tense with shock. I shook with laughter and nervous energy.
“Miss, you’re bleeding and you’re as pale as a ghost. I’ll get the first aid kit. Just hold on, everything will be all right.”
William retrieved the first aid kit and got in the back with me. The antiseptic that he cleaned my forehead burned my skin, and cleared out much of the fog in my brain. By the time he was ready to put a big band aid on the scratches, I was able to stop him.
“William, it’ll heal faster if it’s not covered up, besides I don’t want everyone distracted by that huge band aid.” I held his hands away from my face. “Look.” I shaped my bangs back over the scratches. “My hair covers most of the damage. Besides, it’s just a few scratches. Head cuts always bleed a lot. Thanks for patching me up, I’m fine now, really.”
I straightened myself up. “I really appreciate that you stayed to make sure I had a ride. Can you take me to the police station downtown? I have to see a man about a murder.” Yep, definitely starting to feel more like myself.
William gave me a skeptical look, but he gave in to my request and within a few moments we were on our way to the station.
Chapter 8
Tangled in Thorns
The dense scrub that surrounded the Janecks’ neighborhood went by in a green blur as we headed into town. Every time I blinked I saw the naked torso with the ripped muscle and skin where the appendages should be. Of course, I’d recognized that the naked form on the floor was female, but now I understood how I knew it was Mrs. Janeck. The drive was giving me time to remember all the details.
Both times I met with her; she’d worn a thick, intricate gold necklace shaped like a lariat. I’d admired the originality of the design and even tried to describe it to Alan one night. The ends were tassels with rubies woven into the points of all the gold braids. The lariat held a huge engraved crystal surrounded by a border of shiny black stones. The necklace was distinctive and very old, if I had to guess. I’m positive it was that chain that had been placed in the shape of a bow on the woman’s torso. It was Mrs. Janeck who had been torn to pieces, I knew it. But the crystal had been gouged out. Why take the stone and leave the necklace?
“Miss Alexandria.”
I’d heard William, but I couldn’t tear my attention away from the vision.
“Miss Alexandria.” William’s voice sounded like he was calling me from a long tunnel. “Don’t make me call your grandmother.”
That threat brought me around laughing. “What would you tell her, William—that I’m as crazy as she is? Relax; I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
“I was worried, Miss,” William admitted. “I have been trying to get your attention for a couple of minutes.”
I realized then that he was in the back seat with me, holding my hand away from my forehead. Crap, I’d been scratching again.
“I was thinking about the murders,” I said shaking him off. “Not the most appealing image. Where are we?” I looked around and noticed the statue in front of the police station.
“Great, we’re here.” Turning back to William, I said, “Thanks for driving me, and...waking me up. Can you wait for me? I may need a ride.” It irritated me to ask. I hate not having my car.
“Of course, I will stay. I am in your service until your grandmother makes more permanent arrangements for your protection,” he said, releasing my hand, obviously satisfied now with my lucidness.
I stopped him as he reached for the door. “I don’t need your protection.” I took a deep breath before I switched topics. “Ah, William, what’s wrong with B? Delusions of immortal beings. You must know it’s not healthy to encourage her. Does she need medication? Has she seen a psychologist?”
He just gently took his hand and lifted my bangs to see the damage I’d caused scratching my forehead.
“Not much damage done, Miss. You’re already healing.” Then he raised his head and looked over my shoulder. “Your co-workers are exiting the station. Would you like me to catch them before they get to their cars?”
“Oh, I’ll get ‘em, thanks.” I opened the door and yelled at them. While they walked over, I said, “This conversation isn’t over, William. We’ve got to talk about B.”
He just nodded. “I’ll be waiting here for you, Miss.”
I met the guys on the sidewalk in front of Jolly’s Diner and thanked Mr. Watson for his help. He’s been our family and business attorney for as long as I could remember. I had a thought as he turned to leave.
“Mr. Watson, are you still working for my grandmother?”
“Yes, Miss Alexandria. I see you’re using her car today. Does she need me to call on her?”
“No,” I said, “just wondering.” If B really was crazy, I might need his help later to get her to a doctor. “Thanks again for springing Riley.”
“Just doing my job. Do not let the police strong-arm you. They have nothing in the way of evidence or leads. They’ll speculate and fish for confessions. Do not talk to them alone. Are we understood?”
“Thanks for your concern, Virgil.” His fatherly tone made me use his first name. “We’ll be on guard. I’ll call you if they want to question any of us again.”
“Good. Have a nice afternoon, Ottie, Miss. Now, Riley, don’t get into any more trouble today. You hear?”
Riley just nodded and said, “Thanks.” He looked haggard. I guess I’m not the only one who wishes they could erase those images from their mind.
Since none of us had had lunch, Ottie suggested we get something to eat. Food was not high on my list of desires, and from the look on Riley’s face, he wasn’t interested, either. But Ottie was insistent, so we all went into Jolly’s Diner.
The aroma was incredible. The smell of coffee and frying bacon, hamburger, and onion made my mouth water. Meat sizzled on the grill. The clattering of dishes being cleared from the lunch rush reminded me of how busy this little place usually was. On a normal day I would have been in greasy food heaven, but I just couldn’t get excited about eating, not with those images so fresh in my mind.
Riley and I picked at our burgers and fries, while Ottie devoured two double cheeseburgers, onion rings, and one of the milk shakes for which the diner is famous. Their shakes are served in those tall metal containers, and so thick you need to eat them with a spoon.
I noticed that Riley loosened up a little after his second Coke. I surveyed the sparse crowd and figured that this was as good a place as any to find out what he knew. He took a deep breath, put down his french fry, and wiped his hands with his napkin. He knew what was coming.
“Riley, can you tell us what happened?”
His green eyes fell to the table as he began. “I relieved Ottie at about three this morning. It seemed strange to both of us that there had been no action at the house since Mr. Janeck came back from his dinner the previous night. Well, you know—you saw him,” he said, nodding at me.
I nodded agreement.
“I sat and watched the house. Then around ten this morning I realized that the front door was cracked open.” He leaned forward, his voice pleading. “I swear I didn’t leave my post or fall asleep. No one could have gotten in or out the front door without my seeing them.”
“It’s okay, Riley. We were just watching to see if he’d leave or have a visitor. We weren’t on security detail. Hell, we didn’t even have surveillance on the back door.” Just then I had a thought. “Ottie, big house like that, all that jewelry she wore—did the Janecks have a security system?”
“I’m not sure, but it doesn’t matter now, anyway. It’s a police investigation. We won’t get access to the files,” he said leaning back and rubbing his belly.
“You never know with Devon in our corner. All those computer geeks stick together. I’ll ask if he has a contact. I h
ave to talk to him about my phone anyway.” My mind raced ahead. “Sorry, Riley, go ahead.”
“Well, after I noticed that the door was open, I went to check it out. I knocked on the door and yelled. When nobody answered, I went in. I should have called it in, I know. I was just curious, and it was so quiet. I had no idea that I would find… them.”
He swallowed hard as if to keep the Cokes from coming back up, then he sat up straighter. “You… did you guys see it?” His eyes were large and glassy, and he was shifting his head back and forth between Ottie and me like he was watching a tennis match.
“Yeah.” Ottie answered first, looking at Riley with obvious pity.
Then they both shifted their gaze to me, “I saw it, too. What happened after you found them? And how did the scene look when you found them?”
Riley described how he’d found the bodies. He hadn’t disturbed the scene. He’d been shocked, but he’d called Ottie and the police right away. He even kept his protein bar down until he got across the street, keeping the scene clean. That was it until the cops arrived.
We don’t train our employees to handle murder scenes. I was proud of him, and I let him know it.
After we paid the check, Ottie said that I could tag along with him back to the office, since that’s where my car was anyway. So I asked William to take Riley home. William wasn’t happy about it, but he didn’t raise too much of a fuss in front of the others. I couldn’t care less about his issues or B’s. The drive with Ottie would give us time to talk about this case, and that’s what was important right now.
The moment he turned the key in the ignition I was talking. “Ottie, what did you make of the necklace? You noticed it was placed in the shape of a bow over her heart?”
“Yeah, I noticed.” He ran his fingers through his hair, a tell-tail sign that he was stressed. “What a whack job. I’m sure it was some sort of message. Hell, who knows and who cares? Leave it for the police. No one’s paying us to work this case anymore. We’re out.” His eye brows rose slightly as if he was asking instead of telling.