“Hey, guys. Hey, Cap. How are you doing?” Carla asked Maria.
Marie shrugged. “It comes and goes,” she said softly. Carla slid into the booth next to Marie and put her arm around her. She was very fond of her boss.
“It’s going to be okay, Cap. We’re all here for you whenever you need us,” she said, squeezing her boss tightly. Marie hugged her back. After they broke their embrace, Marie looked at Timothy.
“Hello Officer Jordan.”
“Hi Captain Snyder. How are you holding up?”
“I’m surviving, but I can’t say that it’s been easy.”
“I could only imagine,” he said.
Marie starred at him for another few seconds before the sound of Ryan Turner stole her attention away.
“Captain Snyder, I am so sorry about your loss. My condolences to you and your family,” he said sincerely.
“Thank you, Ryan. Your concern is much appreciated.” Marie cut her eyes back to Timothy before closing them. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly.
“You know, Donald had been on me for a few weeks to get cameras mounted around the house, but me, being the procrastinator that I am, kept putting it off. Had I not done that, we probably would have already caught the bastard that killed him.”
“Don’t do that, Cap. Don’t blame yourself like that. This isn’t your fault,” Frank said to her.
“No? Then who’s fault is it Detective? Because it sure as hell isn’t my poor husband’s.”
Tears leaked from the corners of Marie’s eyes. Amber reached down, grabbed a napkin out of the dispenser and handed it to her.
“I’m sorry, guys. I don’t mean to be a wet blanket. I just can’t believe that my husband is gone.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize to us for, Cap,” Carla said. “I can’t imagine that any one of us standing here would react differently if we were in your shoes.”
“Thanks, Carla. I’m sorry, but maybe it was a mistake for me to come out so soon. I think it would be better if I went back to the hotel.”
“No problem, Cap. We understand. We’ll be glad to take you back to the hotel.”
“You don’t have to do that. You guys stay here and have fun. Carla, would you mind dropping me back off at the hotel? From what I’m being told, I won’t be able to move back into my own home for a couple of days still.”
“No problem at all, Cap. I’ll be glad to,” Carla said. After sliding out of the booth, Maria gave Frank, Amber, and Ryan hugs. When she got to Timothy Jordan, however, the hug became half-hearted. Noticing the difference between the way Marie hugged him and how she hugged the other officers, Timothy Jordan quickly separated his body from hers and took a step back. The strange look on her face caused him to glance toward the other officers. He opened his mouth to ask her why she gave him such a peculiar look but thought better of it.
“I’ll talk to you two later,” she told Frank and Amber. “If you hear anything from the investigating officers before I do, please let me know.”
Since she was the captain of the police force, Marie doubted that they would get any information before she did, but she just wanted to be thorough. Frank continued to watch Marie closely as she and Carla headed toward the exit. Something about the entire scene seemed off to him. Marie was treating Timothy Jordan like he had the plague, and it had Frank wondering why.
“I’ll be right back,” he told the rest of them as he moved to follow Marie and Carla. When he got outside, Frank glanced around the parking lot, trying to locate the two ladies. It took him about five seconds to do so, but when he did, he yelled out to them. Hearing Frank’s booming voice caused them to stop just before getting to Carla’s car. Frank went into a light jog as he made his way toward the two women.
“Okay, Cap, what’s going on?” he asked when he caught up to them.
The two women looked at each other and sighed. They hadn’t planned on telling anyone this until they had proof, but since Frank sniffed out that something was up, they figured they might as well let him in on their thoughts.
“You guys may as well tell me what’s going on. Or have you forgotten that I’m a super-human detective and will find out anyway,” Frank said with a smile.
“Oh, brother,” Carla said, rolling her eyes. “I guess we’d better tell him then. We wouldn’t want him to figure it out by himself and make us look bad.”
“I guess so,” Marie said, smiling softly. “I asked Carla to keep an eye on Timothy Jordan. I thought it was very strange that he showed up at my house, claiming that he wanted to apologize. He could have done that the next day at the office.”
Frank thought about what his captain was saying, and it made sense to him. He also thought about what Amber had told him regarding Timothy’s apparent dislike for Caucasians and wondered how in the world the academy let a racist make it through their training program.
“That does sound suspicious. Well, please keep me in the loop. I’m going to go back inside and tell Amber that I’m ready to go.”
“I’m sorry, Frank. I know you and Amber meant well, but I’m afraid that I’m not going to be good company tonight. I’m just going to have Carla take me back to the hotel.”
Marie hugged Frank and walked around to the passenger’s side door. She smiled faintly as she got inside.
“Don’t worry, sir. I’ll take good care of her,” Carla said when she saw the worried look in Frank’s eyes.
As Frank watched Carla pull out of the parking lot, he couldn’t help but wonder if Marie and Carla were on to something. He would hate to think that Timothy Jordan was a racist, cold blooded killer, but Marie’s instincts were usually spot on. He decided right then that he would have to keep a closer eye on the officer. Frank turned and started walking back toward the bar. Suddenly, he didn’t feel like being there. He thought about calling the detectives assigned to the case and asking them if they had made any progress in the case but elected to wait until tomorrow. When he got back inside, he found Amber sitting by herself.
“Where the hell did Ryan and Timothy go?”
“The hell if I know. Timothy said he had something to do, and since Ryan rode with him, he had to leave too. You were out there kind of long. What’s going on?” Amber asked.
“Well, come to find out, Marie has Carla keeping an eye on Timothy. Turns out, she’s suspicious of him too.”
“Really? Well, heaven help him if he turns out to be the one who killed Marie’s husband.”
“I hear you partner. Listen, I hate to leave you here alone, but I need to go home and spend time with my kids. I haven’t really talked to them too much today.”
“No problem, partner. After I finish this beer, I’m going to get out of here too.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Frank said as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like? I’m paying for your beer.”
“Thanks, Frank. I appreciate it.”
“No problem, partner.”
“You want to hear something funny, though? Jordan actually offered to pay for it, but when he reached for his wallet, it wasn’t there.”
Frank frowned. “You think he was pick-pocketed? In a police bar?”
“Nah. I think he just left it home or lost it somewhere.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right. He does seem kind of . . . What’s the word I’m looking for?”
“Goofy?” Amber answered with a light smile.
“Bingo! Well, let’s just hope and pray that he’s too goofy to commit murder. I’ll see you tomorrow, partner.”
“Wait, have you talked to either Hughes or Phillips?”
“Not yet. I’ll probably give Hughes a call tomorrow and see if he found anything.”
44
Frank Jr. lay back on his bed with his cell phone resting on his chest. He had just about dozed off when it vibrated. A smile spread across his face when he looked at the screen and
saw who it was.
“What’s happening, baby?” he asked, trying to sound cool.
“Not much. I told you I was going to call you back later. Why do you sound so surprised?”
“I’m not surprised. I was just messing with you,” Frank Jr. lied. He knew he would have sounded stupid had he told her the real reason he answered the phone in that manner.
“Yeah, whatever. You know you’ve been sitting by the phone waiting for me to call.”
“Oh, I see you think you all that, huh?”
“Nope. You think I’m all that,” Kisha said, sassily.
Frank Jr. thought about what she’d just said before he responded. He wanted to craft a response that would complement her without causing her head to swell with arrogance.
“Well, let’s just say that we both have it going on,” he said, smoothly.
“Okay. I’ll agree with that. We both have it going on. So, tell me,” Kisha said, getting down to the real reason she called, “what happened between you and Harold? I heard you put the beat-down on him.”
The admiration in her voice wasn’t lost on Frank Jr. Apparently, Kisha thought highly of a man who could defend himself.
“That punk disrespected my sister and I had to put these hands on his ass.”
“Oh, I see,” Kisha said, slightly disappointed. She was hoping that their fight had something to do with her. It would have done her ego a world of good to know that he was defending her honor.
“What’s wrong?” Frank Jr. asked, not catching on.
“Nothing. I was just wondering what went on between you two. Especially after what happened at the movie theatre.”
It took a few seconds for the light bulb to go off in Frank Jr.’s head, but when it did, he realized what Kisha was thinking.
“Oh, don’t get it twisted, though. I was ready, willing, and able to beat the brakes off that clown for bothering you too.”
“For real?” Kisha asked, her smile lighting up her bedroom.
“You know it.”
Before the conversation could go any further, Frank thought he heard sniffling coming from the hallway.
“Hey, Kisha, hold on for a second.” Frank got up and strolled toward the hallway. He stood in front of his door for a few seconds, wondering if he was hearing things or if he actually did hear something. When he heard the sniffles a second time, however, he opened the door and peered out. He looked toward his sister’s room and saw her just about to enter it.
“Rhonda? You okay, sis?”
“I’m okay,” she said, nodding her head. Frank Jr. looked at her closely and could see tears dancing in her eyes. Something was definitely bothering her. Frank watched his sister as she went into her room and closed the door.
“Hey, Kisha. I’m going to have to call you back. Something is going on with my sister.”
“Is she okay?”
“I’m not sure. I have to go check on her right quick.” Without even saying goodbye, Frank Jr. hung up and headed toward Rhonda’s room. He listened for a few seconds before knocking on the door.
“Rhonda? Can I come in?” he asked.
Rhonda remained silent. She honestly didn’t feel like dealing with her brother’s judgmental attitude.
“Rhonda?”
“Go away, Frank. I don’t feel like talking right now.”
Ignoring his sister’s pleas. Frank Jr. turned the knob and cracked the door. He didn’t want to barge in, but he was genuinely concerned about his sister.
“Well, that’s just too bad, because I’m coming in anyway.”
Frank Jr. slowly pushed the door open and walked into his sister’s bedroom. He looked around and saw that her room was unusually unkempt. Rhonda was borderline OCD, so to see her room looking as shabby as it did let him know that something was weighing heavily on her mind. When he looked at his sister, she was staring daggers at him. Throwing caution to the wind, he walked over to her and sat down beside her on her bed. The two of them sat in silence for about ten seconds before Frank Jr. decided to speak first.
“Rhonda, are you going to tell me what’s going on, or am I going to have to call Dad and tell him that you’re in your room crying?”
“Ain’t nobody crying, Frank.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Frank said, shrugging his shoulders. “I’ll tell him that you are anyway.”
Rhonda rolled her eyes. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that her brother would make good on his threat and call their father.
“Look, Frank, this is something that we’re just not going to see eye to eye on, so I really don’t think we should talk about it.”
Frank studied his sister closely. He could clearly see her struggling with her emotions. It was then that he decided to listen to what she had to say without judging her. Even though they had different views on certain things, he loved her dearly and would always be there for her.
“Just tell me what’s bothering you, sis. I won’t say a word. I’ll just sit here and listen while you get it off your chest.” Frank wrapped his arm around his sister and pulled her close. Rhonda responded by resting her head on his shoulder. After taking a deep breath, she commenced telling her big brother what waws on her mind.
“Frank, I just don’t like Ms. Ponder intruding on our family time like that. She may be our principal, but she had no right to do that. And did you see the way Daddy looked at her? His eyes were about to pop out of his head! What about Mama? Did he forget that he has a wife? I don’t like it Frank. I don’t like it at all. I know Ms. Ponder is pretty, but she’s nowhere near as pretty as Mama.”
Rhonda pulled her head away from her brother’s shoulder and looked him directly in the eyes. Frank Jr.’s heart nearly broke when he saw the tears that had welled up in them.
“Frank, do you think Daddy still loves Mama?”
“Of course, he still loves Mama. Didn’t he tell you that already?”
“Then why is he messing around with Ms. Ponder?”
“What?? Rhonda, you’re talking crazy. Just because she came to the same restaurant where we were doesn’t mean that her and Dad are messing around.”
“She came to our house too, Frank, and all I know is that when Mama gets out of the hospital, Ms. Ponder is going to have to find herself another target.”
Frank Jr. wrapped his arms around his sister and again pulled her down on his shoulder. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that their mother would probably never come home.
45
Mike Hughes sat behind the wheel of the police-issued Crown Victoria and stared intently at Marie Snyder’s residence. He’d been doing so for the last fifteen minutes. It irked him to no end that neither he nor his partner, Detective Shelton Phillips had been able to find any clue as to who may have been responsible for the murder of Donald Snyder. Hughes took one last drag from his cigarette before flicking the butt out the window and onto the pavement. He then ran his meaty hand over his face, before shaking another one out of the pack and repeating the process. Phillips, who’d been occupying his time by looking at pictures of women on a dating site, cut his eyes toward his partner.
“Milton, how long are we going to sit here, man? I told you that I had plans later with this woman I met last week.”
“Is that right?” Hughes said with a smirk. “Well, your plans are just going to have to wait, my friend. We have a murder to solve. And not just any murder, I remind you. We’re talking about the murder of our captain’s husband.”
A frown formed on Phillips’s face as he blew out a breath.
“No, Milton, you don’t have to remind me.”
“Then stop complaining and start using that lump sitting on your shoulders for more than housing a hat.”
Phillips stared at his partner in disbelief. He and Hughes had traded wisecracks from time to time, but he had never insulted him up until now.
“What the hell is your problem, man?” he asked.
Hughes closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the headrest. He
hadn’t meant to be so short with Phillips, but he felt like they had missed something when they examined the crime scene.
“Sorry about that, partner,” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to snap at you, but something doesn’t smell right. Normally, when this sort of senseless murder is committed, the perpetrator would almost always slip up somehow.”
“True, but we went over that room with a fine-tooth comb and didn’t find a thing––period. We even went over the adjoining rooms and still didn’t find anything.”
“Shelton, I’m telling you, as God is my witness, I’d be willing to bet every dime I have that we’re overlooking something.”
“Okay partner, I’ll tell you what. Let’s come back and give it one more shot tomorrow. But if we don’t find anything, we close the crime scene and release the house back to Captain Snyder. Knowing her as I do, I’d bet she’s tired of staying in that hotel.”
Hughes chuckled. “Hell, I’ve known her longer than, you and I’d bet the same thing. Okay, partner, you’ve got yourself a deal.”
Hughes started the engine and pulled off down the street. He was more than willing to come back the next day and let his partner prove to him that there was nothing to find. What his partner didn’t know, however, was that Hughes had an ulterior motive for solving the case. Oh, he definitely wanted to find who’d killed Captain Snyder’s husband. But if everything went according to plan, Marie Snyder would be taking an extended leave and he would be stepping right into her shoes. Although he kept it to himself, Detective Hughes was very disappointed when Marie was chosen as captain over him. It was a friendly competition. They were both vying for the job, but in the end, her length of service was the deciding factor. He wished her well, but the burn never completely went away.
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