“Well, that explains it. Anybody who lives around here or has been in here before knows that Johnny Blues is a place where cops hang out. No one in their right mind would come in here causing trouble.”
“I know. Apparently, he didn’t know where he was.”
Frank nodded his head in agreement before turning his attention back to Amber.
“So, Detective Davis, have you figured out the connection between the two murders yet?” Amber stopped in mid-chew, snapping her head around and looking at Frank like he’d lost his mind. After swallowing her food, she began to speak.
“Did you not see me being harassed by that clown when you came out of the bathroom? As a matter of fact, what took you so damn long? I thought it only took a man a few seconds to relieve himself.”
The look on Amber’s face revealed annoyance and irritableness. Her voice indicated that she was being standoffish. Frank stared at her for a few seconds before closing the distance between the two of them.
“Detective, I don’t know what your problem is, but I suggest that you adjust your tone when your talking to the senior detective. Do I make myself clear, Detective Davis?”
“Yes sir,” Amber said humbly.
Frank placed his hands on her shoulders. “Hey, whatever it is, if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here okay?”
“Okay.”
Frank stepped back and took a deep breath. His partner wasn’t easily shaken, so whatever it was that had her on edge, he hoped she could get it under control. Since he wasn’t sure where her head was, Frank decided to just tell her what theory he’d come up with.
“Well, I’ve been thinking about the two cases, and the one thing that makes them similar is that both couples were mixed couples.” Amber cocked her head and looked up toward the ceiling. She thought back to the two crime scenes and instantly felt like an untrained rookie. Slapping herself in the head Amber uttered, “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Amber. Hell, it took a comment from my neighbor Sadie for me to figure it out.”
Amber smiled. She suddenly didn’t feel like an incompetent detective. It wasn’t that she had low self-esteem, but the obvious clue that she had missed made her feel that she was slipping.
Another thought occurred to her while she was thinking about what Frank had told her. Her mouth fell open as she looked at Frank.
“I’ve already thought of it,” Frank said, reading her mind.
“Captain Snyder is not going to like this,” Amber said, shaking her head.
Not at all,” Frank cosigned.
26
Although the occasion was far more tenuous than it was when they’d first dined there, Reds was still the same romantic restaurant it was when they went there on their first date. Reds was famous for its seafood. Nearly every resident within a twenty-five miles radius had heard about the succulent crab legs and perfectly seasoned shrimp. Even the appetizer menu caused customer’s mouths to water. The lobster bisque soup was to die for, as was the moist and tender crab cakes. Red’s only drawback was that it was a bit pricey, but anyone who’d had the pleasure of dining there before knew that their exorbitant prices were well worth it.
The crab cakes had always been a favorite of Marie Snyder’s. She’d never had them before going to Reds and decided to throw caution to the wind by ordering them. One bite. That’s all it took for her to get hooked. From then on out, Marie made sure to order them whenever she visited the place. That’s why she was especially disappointed that they wouldn’t be available for the next couple of weeks. She stared at the waitress just long enough to make the young lady uncomfortable before responding.
“Out of crab cakes? Are you freaking kidding me? I’ve been coming here for years and this has never happened. Could you please explain to me what’s going on?”
“I understand, ma’am, and I’m very sorry, but the problem isn’t on our end. Our suppliers have done a recall on crab meat. From what I understand, there’s been speculation of possible contamination, so the manager doesn’t want to take any chances.”
Marie shook her head and rolled her eyes. Her mouth had been watering for crab cakes from Red’s for nearly two weeks.
“Can’t they just make them without the crab meat?”
As soon as the words left Marie’s mouth, she wanted snatch them back. The urge to slap herself across the face set in, knowing that she’s just made an absurd statement.
“Crab cakes without crab meat ma’am? So basically, you want an egg and mayonnaise patty?” the waitress asked, citing the second and third main ingredients in crab cakes.
Her husband, Donald, who was sitting across the table from her, did his best to hide his annoyance at his wife’s ignorant statement. Marie thought about how silly her statement had been and chuckled.
“You know what? Delete that question. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking. Let me just have the lobster dinner with asparagus and a baked potato.”
The waitress remained stone faced as she wrote down Marie’s order.
“And for you, sir?” she asked.
Donald took his time gazing over the menu as the waitress patiently waited.
“Oh my God,” Marie mumbled, which only served to make Donald take longer.
Another twenty seconds passed before he said, “You know? I think I’m gonna switch it up today. I think I’ll take the prime rib, with mashed potatoes and green beans.”
“Excellent choice, sir. Would either of you like anything to drink?”
“Just bottled water for me, please,” Marie said.
“And for you sir?”
Donald stared at Marie for a few seconds before shaking his head. “You now what? Forget the bottled water. Bring us a bottle of red wine.”
The waitress’s eyes traveled from Marie to Donald. She opened her mouth to verify the change with Marie, but Donald cut her off.
“That will be all. Thank you,” he said, dismissing the waitress as if he were a teacher dismissing his students at the end of class. Marie glared at Donald. He glared right back. Not wanting to reveal the true potency of her anger, Marie took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
“You see, Donald, that’s what I’m talking about. You’re always trying to control me.”
“Oh please, Marie. No one’s trying to control you. I just think you’re a little tense and need to relax.”
“I don’t need you telling me what I need and what I don’t need.”
Donald sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Jesus, Marie, why are you always so damned defensive?”
“I’m not being defensive.”
“The hell if you’re not! Every time I say anything to you, you act like I’m offending you,” Donald said, a little louder than he intended to.
Marie smirked and folded her arms. “Now I know you don’t want me to get loud in here,” she warned.
Donald held up his hands. He knew firsthand how capable his wife was of being extremely loud when she felt it necessary.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice. It’s just that—”
“Is everything okay over here?” a young man asked, approaching their table.
“Who the hell are you?” Donald asked, angrily. The young man had some nerve to butt into his and his wife’s business.
“I asked if everything was okay over here,” the stranger said, ignoring Donald’s question.
“None of your damn business! Whatever is going on over here is between my wife me. Beat it!”
“Wait. Did you say that Captain Snyder is your wife?” the young man asked.
“Yes. Wife. And who in the hell are you, anyway?”
“This is Officer Timothy Jordan,” Marie told her husband.
“Well, his ass needs to be out somewhere fighting crime instead of dipping into our business!”
Timothy’s countenance turned hard. He wanted to punch Donald in the face.
“Sorry boss. I didn’t know he was your husband. I thought yo
u were in some kind of trouble or something,” he said. He continued to stare daggers at Donald as he spoke.
“What are you doing here, Tim?”
“Me and a few of the other officers thought we’d spoil ourselves tonight and check this place out. We’ve heard good things about it.”
Marie looked in the direction where Tim had come from and saw two other officers staring at them.
“Tim, go back to your table. Everything is fine here.”
“Yes ma’am, and like I said, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that he was your husband. Frankly, I think you can do better,” Timothy said, just above a whisper.
“What the hell did you just say?” Donald demanded.
“Hey, you’re out of line Jordan! Now apologize to my husband,” Marie told him.
Upon hearing his wife come to his defense, Donald folded his arms and shot Timothy a condescending look. The fire in Timothy Jordan’s eyes could’ve burned a hole directly through Donald. He softened his facial expression after taking a quick look at his boss.
“Sorry, sir,” he said, just before turning and heading back toward his table. The other two officers, who had stood up and were ready in case they were needed, were also staring in Marie’s direction. After locking eyes with their captain, they nodded their heads as a show of respect. She nodded and turned back around to continue her evening with her husband.
27
“You must really be a great boss. That guy was ready to fight me over you,” Donald said, shaking his head.
“He wasn’t going to fight you Donald. He just wanted to make sure I was okay.”
“Is that right?” Donald leaned to the side and glanced toward the table where Officer Jordan and his co-workers were seated.
“I beg to differ. He still looks like he wants to take a swing at me.”
“Oh, please. Like I told you, he just wanted to make sure that I was okay.”
“Why are you defending that clown?”
“I’m not defending him. I’m just telling you.”
Donald cocked his head. He looked at his wife and then back toward Timothy’s table and frowned.
“What the hell are you frowning about?” Marie asked.
“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I would think you and that youngster had something going on.”
Marie’s facial expression twisted. Anger bubbled up in her gut. She couldn’t tell if her husband was serious or just joking around, but either way he had a lot of nerve.
“Something going on? Have you lost your damn mind?”
“Not at all. As a matter of fact, it looks like he’s got a crush on you.”
“Whatever Donald.”
“Jesus Christ, I was just joking around, Marie.”
“That’s your problem Donald. You’re always joking around.”
“Look, I’m sorry, okay? Now, can we discuss why our marriage is going down the toilet?”
“Our marriage is going down the toilet because you want me to give up my career for you. You want me to walk around the house bare foot and pregnant.” That, and your cheating ass ways, she thought, silently.
“Come on Marie. I never said that.”
“No, you didn’t say it, but you damn sure implied it.”
“How Marie? How in the hell did I ever imply that?”
Marie looked at her husband like he had two heads. “What do you mean how? How many times over the last six months have I heard you tell the kids that I love my job more than I love my family?”
“First of all, Donald, our kids are grown. Gary is twenty-two and Kylie is twenty, so you can stop trying to blow smoke up their behinds about me loving my job more than I love them. They know better than that, and quite frankly, I resent you for putting that in their heads.”
“Oh, I didn’t have to put anything in their heads, Marie. They’re not blind. They can see the lack of time you spend with us.”
“Gary is busy chasing girls and Kylie is busy with college. They have their own lives and are not concerned with how much time I spend at the precinct.”
“Uh, should I come back later?” the waitress asked.
“No, everything’s fine.”
“Okay. Your food will arrive shortly,” the waitress told them as she poured an equal amount of wine into both glasses. Donald smiled as he picked up his glass and encouraged Marie to do the same. Following his lead, Marie gave him a light smile and lifted her glass in the air.
“Let’s toast,” Donald said.
“To what?”
“To getting back on track.”
Marie forced a smile. She appreciated what her husband was doing but it was too little, too late. Especially since she’d found out that he was having an affair. She took a few sips of wine and Donald immediately refilled her glass. Marie gave Donald a strange look before smirking.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to get me drunk.”
“And why would I have to do that? Were married. I shouldn’t have to get you drunk anymore.”
“Is that right?”
Donald felt his nature rise. He wanted his wife so badly, that he seriously thought about telling the waitress to box up their food. Slowly the smile on Donald’s face began to disappear as Marie reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She looked at the ID and saw that it was Frank. The minute her phone rang, Donald knew that there was a good chance that their dinner was about to come to an abrupt end. He prayed that wasn’t the case, but he wasn’t holding out hope.
“Yeah Frank. What’s going on?”
“Hi Captain Snyder. I’m sorry to call you on your day off, but Amber and I think we may have discovered a connection between the two cases.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense Detective. What is it?”
Just before Frank could reveal to her what he and his partner had discovered, a loud crashing sound reverberated from outside the restaurant. It was so loud, Frank could hear it on the other end of the phone.
“Captain! Captain! Are you okay, ma’am?” he yelled.
“Yes, I’m fine. Something’s going on outside. I’ll have to call you back.”
Marie hung up before Frank had a chance to respond. Leaping to her feet, she quickly made her way to the exit to see what had transpired. Donald was right on her heels. Not because he was worried that something would happen to her, but because he was nosy.
“Get back, everyone,” she said, holding her up badge. Marie forcefully pushed her way through the crowd. Once she got to the door and pushed it open, she quickly noticed what had caused the loud bang. Smashed headfirst into a telephone pole was a shiny black 2018 Cadillac Escalade.
“Hey! Everyone sit back down,” Marie yelled, when she turned around and saw the crowd standing near her. She looked toward the table where Timothy Jordan and the other officers had been sitting and was surprised to see that they had left.
“Damn! You,” she said, pointing at the waitress. “Call 911! Donald, stay inside. I’m gong to go out there and see if anyone is hurt!”
Donald opened his mouth to object, but Marie had already turned and headed outside before he could. Onlookers were already taking out their cell phones, getting ready to snap pictures. Marie didn’t have time to admonish them. She had to make sure that whoever was in the vehicle was okay. Before getting to the car, she surveyed the scene. The hood was bent so badly, that it looked like a tent. One of the tires was flat. The headlights were both shattered on impact. The grill was broken into small pieces scattered across the ground.
The Cadillac symbol that normally rested on the front of the vehicle had disengaged from the truck and was now a good thirty feet away from it. Marie ran to the driver’s side of the car and glanced inside. The air bag had deployed, and the head of a middle-aged African American woman lay motionless on it. A slow stream of blood ran from her nose. Her eyes were half shut. Marie slowly and carefully began opening the door. It was barely halfway open when the strong smell of liquor slapped her
in the face.
“I should have known,” she mumbled.
Once she got the door completely open and was sure that the woman wouldn’t fall out, Marie zeroed in on the woman’s chest. A sigh of relief filled her body when she saw that the woman was breathing.
“Ma’am, can you hear me?” she asked, hoping that she could jar the woman awake.
“Is she okay?” a voice behind her asked.
Marie turned to see who it was and instantly got pissed.
“Donald, I told you to wait inside!”
“Hey, don’t yell at me, and the only reason I came out here was because I was worried about . . . Jesus Christ, what the hell has she been drinking?”
Marie was just about to read him the riot act when the ambulance came streaking down the street.
“Donald, please go back inside and let me do my job. I’ll be back in as soon as the EMT’s take her away.”
“But—”
“But nothing, Donald. Please go.”
“This has nothing to do with your job, does it? You’re making me go back inside because I’m white.”
A twisted frown formed on Marie’s face for a few seconds before she burst into laughter. She wanted to get mad, but her husband’s ability to make her laugh had surfaced once again. His sense of humor was one of the things that attracted her to Donald in the first place.
“Donald, please,” she said, still chuckling.
“Okay, okay, I’m going,” he said, scampering away.
The ambulance pulled to a stop on the opposite side of the street. Marie watched as two paramedics got out and quickly made their way to where the accident had occurred. When they were close enough, Marie showed her badge and identified herself.
“How bad is it, Detective?” one of them asked. He was a freckled-faced Caucasian man with a slicked-back hair and a tattoo on his hand that read simply ‘I save lives.’ Marie thought that it was narcissistic, but at the moment, she had neither the time nor the energy to debate him on it.
“I’m not sure. She was unconscious when I got out here. Judging from the odor permeating from the vehicle, I suspect that alcohol was involved.”
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