Reading Between the Crimes

by Kate Young

  “Only you.” I put my earbuds back into the case and zipped it up in my purse.

  “I know. Want a beer?” She took a deep sip from her cup.

  “Yes. I mean, I’m here, right? And after the day we’ve had”—I moved aside to allow a group of giggling college girls pass—“and what I found out about my family today, I need a beer.”

  “Good. Me too.” Mel dropped her empty cup into the metal bin, and we went to get in line. “I lost LJ because of stupid Tim.”

  “Seriously? Tim?” Seeing her ex always riled her up.

  “Yep. He’s dating Patsy’s cousin.” She rolled her eyes.

  “I bet Patsy loves that.” Our friend Patsy used to belong to the Jane Doe Book Club. But after a disagreement last year, she’d decided it was no longer for her.

  We got our beers and sat on one of the cement benches in the middle of the square. The amphitheater was lit up brightly, and the smell of smoke from the barbecue food truck filled the air. For a couple of minutes, I just let myself breathe. Then I told Mel everything.

  “My God.” Mel looked dumbfounded. “Your poor mom.” She raised her brows. “And uncle.”

  I nodded and sipped from my cup.

  “But how does that help Harper?” She turned, her eyes wide, and grabbed my arm. “I didn’t mean that how it sounded. We can totally discuss your family issues first. I just meant when Bea gave it to—”

  “It’s fine, Mel. I knew what you meant. I assumed that what Bea gave us would help Harper too.”

  “So we got nothing.” Mel finished her beer.

  “Yep. From the computer anyway. We still can place LJ at the scene of the crime. And we have Bea’s testimony that she overheard LJ talking to my attacker. Which now I believe is linked. He wanted to scare me away from helping her. I won’t stop, though.”

  Mel pointed. “There he is!” She grabbed my arm and pulled me upright. My beer fell from my hand. I stooped and picked it up, dropping it in the next available trash bin as we stalked after the man Mel identified as LJ and his date.

  “Are you sure that’s him?” In the dark, it was tough to tell. When I’d seen him before, when Mel called, he had been wearing a faded denim jacket. This guy wore a dark denim coat, and the woman hanging on him wore a leopard leotard.

  “Yes. It’s him.”

  We were heading up the sidewalk toward Smart Cookie and Cousins Investigative Services. We were on the opposite side of the street from the businesses. LJ and his group must be leaving because this far up there was nothing but parking lots. Fatigue began to settle in my bones from the day, and I lost my desire to chase LJ down.

  “Hey, Mel.”

  She turned around and paused. “What?”

  “I think we need—”

  The sound of glass exploding and a chorus of shouts and screams split the night air. Mel and I gripped each other. Our bodies quaked. It took me a minute to orient myself and understand what had taken place.

  “Oh my God!” I spied flames licking out of the office building across the street and a few yards ahead. Cousins Investigative Services and Smart Cookie blazed. I ran up the road but didn’t dare cross the street.

  My face and hands tingled. Mel shouted into her cell phone. She probably wasn’t the first to dial 911 with all these people here. Police sirens were blaring. The fluttering in my chest had me panting. I spied a couple of people on the ground by the office. I rushed over and went to my knees. They were the college kids I’d seen earlier. “Are y’all okay?”

  Over the cacophony, I could hardly hear a response. One of the girls was crying, and her arm looked cut up. I ripped off my jacket and wrapped it around her arm. “Come on. It isn’t safe to stay here.” I managed to get the group of four on their feet and across the street. EMTs arrived, and I waved them over.

  I heard Melanie shouting, and I got up, smiling at the young, dark-headed girl who was having her wound cleaned. “You’re going to be okay.”

  “Thank you,” she said in a small voice and through a watery smile.

  “Teresa!” Melanie waved to her cousin, who came running up the street toward Mel. “Oh, thank God! Thank God! I thought you might still be inside.”

  “Teresa.” My hands went to my face. I hadn’t even thought about the possibility she might be inside.

  Mel opened her arms to her cousin as Teresa stood there bawling. “No. I just got back from dropping off the catering order. I parked the van out back and got a bit distracted because some idiots spray-painted graffiti on the backside of Cousins.”

  “What?” I gaped.

  “Yeah. I was on the phone with the police to report it while I was walking to my car, and I heard the explosion.”

  “You aren’t hurt, are you?” I searched Teresa’s face. She shook her head. The shorter woman kept mopping at her face with the bottom of her apron. “Everyone else left before you did?”

  “Yes. No one else is inside. I locked up when I left.”

  “Good.” I let out a little sigh of relief.

  “Someone did this.” Melanie waved her hand toward our buildings. “My shop, my beautiful shop!”

  Teresa let out a huge sob, and Mel wrapped her arm more protectively around her shoulders. I took Mel’s free hand, and the three of us stood there helplessly as firefighters pulled up and rushed into action.

  The temperature had dropped, and my breath made small white puffs in the air. I stood there, dazed, staring at the flicker of fire while the firemen unrolled the hoses from the truck, and a second team ran into the building. I hardly registered the next few minutes. A young EMT wrapped a silver thermal blanket around my shoulders, and I started to tell the man I hadn’t been in the building, but I couldn’t form the words. My mind swarmed with a flurry of worries. The warmth of the blanket didn’t make it to my weary bones.

  The two front windows were nothing more than frames now, and the door was gone.

  Both hands went to my head. I spied a couple of extra firefighters running into Smart Cookie. Black smoke billowed out of the windows of the business sweet Mel had worked so hard to build. My eyes still stung, and I had difficulty focusing as I searched for where the police or EMTs had taken Mel and Teresa.

  “Lyla.” Rosa was in my face. “Lyla!”

  I shook my head, clearing it. “Oh, Rosa.” I wrapped my arms around her neck, hugging her tight. She perfunctorily patted my back, but I could tell it felt awkward for her, and I let her go. “Sorry. I’m just …” I couldn’t think of how to finish my statement.

  “It’s okay. Come on. The press’ll be here any minute. You’re in no condition to deal with them. Where’d you park?”

  “Yeah,” I said, my voice sounding croaky. I cleared it. “I parked behind the brewery.” I nodded in that direction.

  “Oh God! Uncle Calvin!” I started fumbling with my phone. “I have to call him.”

  Rosa’s hands closed over mine. “We’ve called him. We’ll let the firefighters handle this, and we’ll go back to your place and have a conversation.” I glanced over and noticed they’d manage to put out the flames and let out a little sigh.

  “My place,” I mumbled. Today had just been too much.

  “Yes. Or we can go down to the police station. The chief thought it might be better if we go to your house. With all the media coverage of your family.” The way Rosa looked at me now shook me out of my funk.

  I nodded. “My house is fine.” I moved out of her grasp. “I’m good.”

  “You’re sure?” She sounded concerned.

  “Yes. Where are Mel and Teresa?” I shot another glance over my shoulder and spied the two of them, speaking to someone who looked like the fire chief, and staring at the now extinguished fires. Thank God! As Rosa had predicted, several media vans had arrived on the scene.

  Mel waved in my direction, and I stopped. “Rosa, thanks for checking on me. I’m good now. I’ll see you or whoever is coming to my house to take statements.”

  Rosa furrowed her brow. “Are you mad
at me?”

  My shoulders slumped, and I closed my eyes. What a god-awful day. I was starting to question the motives of my friends. “No.” I opened my eyes and gave her a small smile. “Just a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”

  She grinned at my reference to her nephews’ favorite book. She’d told us how every time she saw him, he made her read it no less than a dozen times, and if she skipped a page, he’d know it, even at bedtime when his eyes were closed. “Okay.”

  As I drove away with nothing but the sound of the tires on the asphalt to focus on, I couldn’t get LJ out of my mind. He had to be behind this. Had to. He’d been at the scene of the murder. He’d been at the crawl tonight. He had the most to gain if Harper went away for good. Bea said she’d overheard the conversation, and now I was going to tell Quinn. I didn’t care if, in the process, I got a slap on the wrist about the computer. Or exposed my family’s past. This had gone too far. Someone could have died in that fire. Enough.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Uncle Calvin, Melanie, Rosa, and Quinn all sat in my living room.

  Mel and Calvin were on the couch. Rosa sat in a dining chair, taking notes, next to her boss, who sat on the edge of the chaise lounge.

  Quinn spoke evenly and calmly. “The preliminary report is that the fire began in the back of the office and appears to be electrical. Which doesn’t exactly go alone with the graffiti we found on the back of the building.”

  “Any ideas on who the artists could be?” I leaned forward. Graffiti was the least of our worries. Unless it could be linked.

  “I was just about to get to that. We had a call about a group of kids vandalizing buildings. We’re taking a look at the security footage you forwarded Calvin and those from the surrounding businesses.” Quinn glanced up and made eye contact with me. “And it looks like the same group of kids were caught, but the message is exactly the same as the one Morales said to you.”

  “Strike the shepherd?” I asked. Linked.

  “Yes,” Quinn said. “Except this time, they managed a complete thought. Strike the shepherd so the sheep may scatter.”

  I nodded. “LJ works as an electrician, and as I mentioned to Detective Battle, was at the Ross’s on a call the night his father was murdered.”

  “What?” Calvin studied me.

  “And,” Melanie rushed to add, “he was at the crawl tonight. I saw him. And Bea said she heard him on the phone the morning of the attack, giving Lyla’s description to someone.”

  “Do you have any evidence to back your claim?” Quinn asked.

  “Yes,” I replied. “I spoke with Mrs. Ross and had a look at the work order. It wasn’t signed by LJ, but when I called his office, the scheduler confirmed he was the second electrician they sent out on the Ross job. Just take a picture of LJ and show it to Spider.”

  Calvin’s eyes swung toward me. “He’s awake?”

  I nodded. “That’s what Detective Battle told me this morning. And he said the guy was talking. Apparently blathering that someone representing me paid him to attack me and shout those exact words.”

  This got a reaction from Calvin. His eyes hardened. “Why am I just hearing about this?”

  “Because it’s being handled by the police.” I waved a hand toward Quinn. “Obviously, I agreed for the police to check my bank records. Especially since Spider claims I also paid fifty thousand for a hit on Leonard Richardson as well. Detective Battle asked if Mother were involved too.”

  Calvin’s jaw clenched.

  “This is the first I’ve heard of this,” Quinn told us both.

  “I thought you were liaising or whatever.” I gaped.

  “I’ll make some calls and make sure someone gets a photo of LJ in front of him. We’ll certainly need to speak with him about this fire as well.”

  “Oh, now we all feel better.” Melanie let out a snort.

  “He might have other gang members making a buck even after he got picked up. There’s no accounting for criminals,” I added.

  Rosa lifted her pen. “Chief, you also had calls from Piper Sanchez.”

  Quinn glanced over at Rosa. “What calls?”

  “She left messages for you about this case.” She lifted a brow. “The heads-up message?”

  “What? Just spit it out, Landry.” Quinn sounded irritated.

  “Ms. Sanchez claimed LJ threatened her when she inquired about his whereabouts the night of the murder. And he mentioned that ending, um”—she cleared her throat—“bitches like Piper and Lyla would make his day.”

  Go Piper! She was growing on me more and more.

  “Why am I just now hearing about this? Did she file a formal complaint?”

  “The call came in right before we heard about the fire, sir.”

  “Get back to the fire, Daniels. It’s getting late. What kind of damage are we looking at?” My uncle looked like he was ready to blow a gasket.

  Quinn cleared his throat and got back on track; I guess he needed to feel in charge again. “Your office is completely destroyed.”

  I gave Rosa a little head nod. She seemed energized by fieldwork.

  “What about my cookie shop?” Mel nibbled her bottom lip, and I reached out and took her hand.

  “I’m afraid the kitchen sustained the most damage.”

  “Oh God! We just spent twenty grand on the new commercial ovens.”

  “The good news,” Quinn said, softening his tone, “is that the rest of the store was mostly unscathed.”

  Mel wiped her pale face, which a couple of tears had streaked. “I know its dumb to be so emotional over a kitchen when this could have happened when the staff and customers were in the store. And you’re dealing with the gang and LJ’s bullshit. He should be hanged, by the way.”

  I wrapped my arm across her shoulders. “It isn’t dumb. You worked hard to build your business. It’s a loss, for sure.”

  “Not dumb at all.” Rosa rose and sat on the other side of Melanie, patting her knee.

  Mel rested her head on my shoulder and took Rosa’s hand. “Thanks, y’all. But I feel so foolish.”

  We tried to soothe our friend, making noises about her reactions being completely normal and understood.

  “Quinn, are we done here? I think everyone is exhausted.” Calvin rose.

  “Yes. I’ve recorded Melanie’s statement, and I got Teresa’s before she had to get home to her kids. I’ll have my officers getting in contact with the company to check up on LJ Richardson. It’s best if we cover our bases. And we’ll do our best to round up the vandals from the surveillance footage. They should roll pretty quickly.”

  Calvin nodded. He kept flexing his hand, open and closed. He seemed to be staring at nothing. I rose and walked Melanie and Rosa to the door, hugged them both, and promised to speak to them later today. I was dead on my feet.

  Quinn and Calvin exchanged quiet words while I stood propped up against the open door. Too tired to be annoyed by the secrecy of their communication, I closed my eyes and ignored them. I’d find out soon enough, and all the indignation over being excluded evaporated.

  Quinn’s footsteps alerted me that he’d reached the place where I stood. “Give me a second outside.”

  Nodding, I covered my mouth while I yawned and stepped out on the stoop with him.

  His eyes searched mine. “You okay here alone?”

  I nodded firmly. “Yes. I’m fine.”

  “I got word Harper has been released into your Mother’s custody.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “That was fast.”

  “It seems your mother can move mountains when she wants to.” He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. Fatigue was written all over him too. “I didn’t know Battle came by to rattle your cage. I would have put a stop to it if I had.”

  “He’s just doing his job. I don’t really believe he thought I was involved. He’s just thrashing the bushes to see if any surprises come running out that might help the defense. Which tells me something. I’m too t
ired to formulate what yet. But I will.”

  “You’re a smart lady.”

  I squeezed his arm and held his gaze. “Thank you for everything.” I wanted him to have no questions about my sincerity.

  He covered my hand with his. “I care. You know that.” His eyes were downcast when he spoke next. “I know you aren’t interested in me romantically. I understand that too much has transpired between us. I’ll always be your friend, always be here if you need me.”

  “I appreciate it. I truly do.” I dropped my hand and stepped back inside. I wasn’t against having a friendship with Quinn, and it was refreshing to hear that he understood where we were.

  He lifted a hand as I closed the door. I gave him a small smile through the crack.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “Tell me what the hell you were up to today,” Calvin asked when I turned back toward the living room. “For a fact, I know Jenkins notified you that we are no longer working on the Richardson case. And I get a notification of your searches, just in case you’re considering lying to me.”

  “Calvin, do we seriously have to do this now? It’s after midnight. Emotions are running high. Yours and Mel’s businesses just suffered serious fire damage, Mother is housing a murder suspect, and I believe LJ has some vendetta against me and quite possibly you. Please. Please.”

  He kept his gaze trained on me, and he hadn’t moved a muscle.

  Fine. I blew out a breath and counted to five. I guess we were doing this now. “I know.”

  “What do you mean, you know?” He narrowed his eyes at me.

  “It means what it sounds like exactly. Do I need to say it aloud?”

  “Yes.” The one word sounded loaded.

  I threw my hands in the hair and let them drop and slap against my thighs. “Fine then. I know why mother has taken an interest in Harper Richardson. I know why she doesn’t want me involved. What I don’t know is why she never informed my father before running off and offering her place up as a jail cell for Harper, but hey, no one tells me anything.”

  “What?” Calvin looked blindsided. “She what?”