McAllister Justice Series Box Set

by Reily Garrett

  “Remie is still settling into the ME’s office. I’ve given her about as much slack as I can handle. And, she’s determined we’re going to live on the farm she inherited. Can you see me in coveralls holding a pitchfork?” After his own near-death experience, he’d stopped wearing suits, but still shied away from jeans and t-shirts.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The doorknob turned on Billy’s second round of knocking. Inch by inch, it opened to reveal Johen Claver’s wide eyes and hesitant smile. “What can I do for you—Detective Patterson is it?” The associate attorney kept his gaze on the less angry appearing cop.

  “Yes. We’d like to come in and ask you a few more questions. Do you mind?” Royden smoothed his expression to one of friendliness. Billy’s usual scowl tended to discourage open-mindedness.

  “Or you can come down to the station and sit in an interrogation room.” Billy set his foot over the threshold to prevent Johen from slamming the door in their faces.

  The homeowner sighed. “I have nothing to hide. Come in.”

  The defensive scratch in his voice caught both detectives’ attention. A second’s glint in Billy’s eyes declared intent to dig deep into extracurricular activities.

  “Let’s have a seat in here, gentlemen.” Johen gestured to a small den off to his left.

  Royden surveyed the neat interior. Relatively new furniture held brightly colored cushions while hardwood floors gleamed with the skylights’ rectangular patches of light flooding the living room. An open floor plan revealed the kitchen and eating area beyond, leading to a Florida room. He noted the plants there but decided to wait to spring the trap.

  Once seated, Johen looked expectantly from one detective to the other. “If you’re here about the threats to Abby McAllister, I’d think that would be a conflict for both of you. Your reputations precede you when it comes to protecting her.”

  Leave it to a lawyer to go on the offensive.

  “Which is why we’re investigating the death of a young woman whose remains were found not far from here.” Royden cleared his throat, wishing he could wipe his guilt away. He’d had nightmares of Charlee’s death. Someone so vibrant and full of life didn’t deserve that ending.

  “I didn’t have anything to do with that. I heard you found a body in an open grave behind an apartment complex. It was in the papers.”

  Suspicion came naturally to some professions, attorneys one of them. The fact his gaze bounced between the two detectives could come as a matter of habit.

  “You stay well-informed,” Billy replied.

  “Who was it? Since the news reports stated it was an open grave, I imagine lots of local critters went at the body, but considering the location, there couldn’t have been too much damage before someone found it. They haven’t posted a picture of the victim yet. Haven’t you identified her?”

  Royden covered his eyes, unable to remove the picture of his ex-girlfriend in an open grave. From preliminary reports, the killer tortured Charlee before death gave her release from agonizing pain. His remaining bagel and coffee burned up his chest. He swallowed hard before facing Johen.

  Billy’s measured look pointed out the obvious. The attorney didn’t know the killer had boiled the bones clean. A detail they’d held back. Johen probably knew nothing about the doctor’s death.

  “I hear you’re competing with several others for a promotion at work.” Billy’s change of subject coincided with Johen’s heel bouncing on the carpeted floor.

  “There’re five of us, though Abby was the only other that had a shot at it.” As if just realizing his poor word choice, Johen scrubbed a hand down his face.

  “Do you mind if I use your rest room?” For once, Billy’s expression held nothing but innocence.

  “Help yourself. Down the hall, first door on the left.”

  Royden wasn’t sure what his partner hoped to find yet knew he was out of the loop.

  Johen held his hand up to punctuate his point. “Look, we’re competitive, but it’s not worth killing over. If I don’t get promoted this time, I’ll get it in another year or so. I’m not a killer and I don’t wish Abby harm. Hell, I’ve asked her to dinner several times.” His apologetic glance slid to Royden.

  “How’d your wife feel about that?” Royden couldn’t keep the edge from his tone.

  “A working dinner. Some may consider her a ballbuster, but she’s sharp as hell. She has an edge I don’t.”

  Minutes later, Billy retuned, a slight grin tugging one side of his mouth.

  He’s holding a mental hatchet.

  “Where were you Sunday night?” Billy’s fingers thrummed his thigh in time with the bluesy music piped over an intercom.

  “At home, in bed with my wife. She’s gone to the store now.”

  “Does your wife take a sleep aid at night?” Billy cocked his head to the side, waiting.

  “What? How’d you know that? Did you go snooping through our med cabinet?”

  “Please answer the question,” Mr. Claver.

  “Yes, she does.” The tic at his left eye increased while his right cheek bulged from tongue pressure.

  “Before you ask, I was with my family all weekend when you and Abby were at the caverns. I have no intention of hurting her.” Johen enunciated his response, directed toward Billy.

  “You seem to know a lot about Detective Patterson and Abby’s whereabouts.” Billy’s glare added a nonverbal threat.

  “Seriously? She’s the talk of the office. There’re more stories and conjectures circulating about her than anyone I know.”

  “I guess the fact someone broke into her office caused quite a stir.” Royden watched the attorney carefully.

  Johen’s gaze slid to the outside window as he paused to rub his hands down his pant legs. Tightness about his eyes narrowed his gaze. “Yes, detective. Her very presence distracts us all these days. We never know what’s going to happen next.”

  After a few more questions, Billy nodded to Royden and stood. “I assume you don’t have any plans on going anywhere?”

  “Of course not. Why would I? My entire life is here.”

  Royden gestured to the sunroom. “Mind if we have a look around? Since you don’t have anything to hide, I can’t imagine that being a problem.”

  “Go ahead. I don’t care.” Lack of trust and uncertainty coincided with the sheen on his face. Johen wiped the beaded moisture from his brow. “Let me give you a tour so you don’t get lost.”

  Confusion knitted the attorney’s brow, but the only question eliciting an off response had centered around Abby’s office. If he worked in tandem with a killer but didn’t know of specific plans, only a sideways approach would elicit the answers they sought.

  Royden stepped inside the sunny room with white wicker furniture and a small TV despite the homeowner’s attempt to lead them elsewhere.

  “Ah, I see you grow orchids. They’re beautiful. I wanted to start growing some but not sure they’d survive. Billy pointed to the small leaf of one plant. “Don’t they require special soil?”

  “You don’t grow them in soil. It’s a special mix of bark and whatever... that allows you to see the roots. When they turn gray, they need water. See all the tiny holes in the container? That lets it drain and allows me to better see the health of the plant’s bottom half.” Johen picked up the nearest pot to demonstrate his meaning.

  “So where do you get the mix?” Royden closed the distance and inspected the plant close up. “This is nice.”

  “My, ah, friend started me on them. She’s really into that stuff. Says it’s all in the mix.” Johen licked his lips and cocked his head down, a prey’s instincts of wariness.

  “Huh, that sounds great. Could you put me in touch with her so I might ask her about it? I think I’d like to try it before I kill everything in the kitchen window.” Royden picked up a piece of the bark. Looks pretty unique. She some type of genius?”

  “Yeah, probably is.” Johen’s lip curled as he dry-washed his hands. “She s
eems to know a lot about dirt. Really does her research. If you want, you can take a bit with you. They don’t need much.” His enthusiasm for plants matched his aversion for the person instigating the hobby. The contradiction was a red flag.

  Royden pulled out an evidence bag. “Sorry, this is all I have to carry it with, but thanks.” As an afterthought, he added, “Hey, you mind if I share it with a friend?”

  “I don’t care what you do with it.” Hesitancy mixed with mistrust slowed his words.

  Billy shoved his hand in his pocket. “Sorry... phone’s vibrating. I’ll step outside and take this call. Probably my girlfriend wanting me to bring her lunch.”

  “Why don’t you take this and stick it in the car?” Royden handed him the sample of soilless mix.

  Billy grinned before heading toward the front door. Several minutes passed before he returned. “Are we set, partner?”

  “Yep.” As if on cue, Royden turned to Johen, his demeanor changing from friendly to businesslike. Not surprising, his partner took the lead.

  “Johen, where did you go the night someone broke into Abby’s office?” Billy’s tone deepened, taking on the threat in his stance.

  “I was home, like every other night. What’s going on?”

  “You’re saying if we took that sample of your potting mix, it won’t match the evidence found in Abby’s office?” Royden knew he’d thrown the dice, but the stakes were high, and he wanted a lead.

  If Johen knew of the mix’s rarity, he also knew he was in a catch-22 position. Not handing over a sample would’ve made him look guilty.

  “What? I never heard about any evidence.” Johen glanced from Billy to Royden. I asked Abby... As if in pain, he closed his eyes. “I want that sample back. That’s an illegal seizure, fourth amendment violation.”

  “No... that was evidence given, freely and without restrictions.” Billy’s grin widened.

  “I don’t have anything to do with this. Someone’s trying to frame me.”

  “Who would do a thing like that to an upstanding young attorney? You saying that someone’s trying to mess with you, too? That you’re a victim?” Derision colored Royden’s tone. “Seems we have an epidemic, partner.”

  “You’ve got nothing. Any number of people could have that mix.”

  “Hmm. Um, no. It is not sold commercially. It’s made for a special customer, only one in fact.” Billy edged closer to the suspect.

  “Abby grows orchids? She has trouble with one African violet on her desk.” Johen backed away from Billy and into the shelf of plants behind him.

  “No. Not Abby,” Royden confirmed. “Why would you think she’d break into her own office?” Billy asked.

  “I… I don’t know. I want you out of my home. My girlfriend gave me the soil. She’s been teaching me how to grow these damn things.”

  “Name and address?” Billy asked.

  “Sophia Garrison. I… I don’t know where she lives.”

  “So, you’re claiming you have a girlfriend but don’t know where she lives?” Royden arched a brow and waited.

  “We haven’t gotten that far.”

  “What—you haven’t gotten into her pants, yet?” Royden shook his head. Abby’s assessment of her colleague proved spot on.

  No wonder it’d taken so long to build their relationship. She had every reason to be suspicious considering the men she’d met.

  “Do you at least have a picture of your accomplice?”

  “Um, no. And I’m not complicit in anything.” Crimson spread up the attorney’s neck. “She’s short, has a slight southern accent, and wears her hair in a black bob.”

  “What do you say, partner? Should we put out a bolo for a short girl with black hair?”

  “Oh, god. It never occurred to me she was setting me up.” Johen paled, shaking his head. “Please don’t tell my wife.”

  “We can’t make any promises she won’t find out. You know how these investigations go.” Billy’s confidence declared it a certain outcome under specific circumstances.

  “I want you to leave. Now.”

  “Okay.” Billy smiled. “We’ll just run the evidence to the lab and ask for a rush. When it comes back a match, we’ll meet you at your office to put you in cuffs in front of your boss.”

  “Or... we could wait until late in the evening and take him from home, in front of his family.” Royden sealed the deal to get the suspect’s cooperation.

  “I’m not trying to hurt Abby! And I didn’t kill anyone.”

  “Then you can either help us or wait for us to come get you.” Billy smiled in the face of the attorney’s rage.

  “I am not the one who’s messing with her.” A voice that was too loud, eyes impossibly wide and showing the whites all around, along the suspect’s feet shifting to face the door depicted three tells, a cluster of deception.

  With the sample obtained from the CEO, along with his testimony concerning the mix’s origins, they stood an excellent chance of the DA liking the case. It was time to narrow the list of suspects and starting with small fish proved the path of least resistance. Johen seemed a viable suspect for the break-in but not the attempts on Abby’s life. His alibi over the weekend and during the New Zealand vacation had previously checked out.

  “Now the question you have to ask yourself is this. Do you want to cooperate and make this easy? Or would you like to wait until we have the warrant and come take you away in cuffs.” Billy made a move to retrieve his metal bracelets from a back pocket.

  “Dammit. I didn’t do anything, but I’ll work with your sketch artist to get a composite drawing.” A bleak outcome surfaced in the attorney’s gaze, knowing his girlfriend had used him for her own ends. “The sex wasn’t that good. Hell, I don’t even remember it.”

  “Well, that’s gotta be disappointing.” Billy shook his head. “The DA’s gonna love this one.”

  Johen hung his head. “I just wanted the promotion. I haven’t killed anyone.”

  “You didn’t arrange for the wife and daughter’s accident?”

  “What? No, no, no. This can’t be happening. I didn’t do that! I wanted to handle the case, yes, but I had no reason to hurt them.”

  Royden’s hand on the man’s shoulder took the starch out of the suspect’s spine. Sagging shoulders in defeat, he followed Billy to the door.

  The theme song to a popular crime show on TV halted Royden’s step as he snagged his cell. “Hold on a sec, Billy. Abby’s calling.” His gut told him trouble approached with the momentum of a freight train.

  “Hey, sweetheart. What’s up? Everything okay?”

  “I think so. I just got a call from Lottie, but she hung up before I could question her. She said her ex called and that he knows where she’s staying. She went out to Mt. Hood Forest to hide. I’m changing my clothes and going over to calm her down so I can get her out of there.”

  “What? Hell no. You wait until I get home. I’m going to drop Billy off at the station and we’ll go together. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

  “No need. I’ve learned my lesson, cowboy. I called and explained the situation, asked for a police escort. The barrack has a unit en route.”

  “Damn it, Abby. Wait. I’ll go with you.”

  “No, Roy. I’ve got backup. I’ll be safe. I need to go now.”

  “Damn. Leave your phone on.” He waited, wondering if she’d come back with a smartass remark.

  “It’s not fully charged, so I’ll turn it on when I get there.” In her typical go mode, she disconnected the call.

  By the time Royden pocketed his phone, sweat dripped down his temple, not cooled by the morning breeze. “Let’s go. I got a bad feeling about this.”

  Billy settled their prisoner in the back seat as Royden waited impatiently. Once behind the wheel, his partner spoke. “I agree. Something doesn’t feel right. I’ve felt all morning like I’m being watched.”

  No sound emerged from under the hood when the key turned in the ignition. “C’mon dammit.” Bi
lly tried again. “This thing never fails.”

  “Let me take a look,” Royden murmured on exiting. Fate often threw bad timing at him, but this didn’t feel coincidental.

  He didn’t know a lot about cars, but sabotage could be easy enough to spot if wires or hoses lay disconnected. They’d been in the house for twenty minutes, the car out of their sight. Someone could have managed to tamper with it then walked down the street, but he hadn’t informed anyone about the day’s agenda.

  Under the hood, nothing seemed out of place, the distributor cap wires remained attached, as were the battery wires. Since he’d heard no clicking noises, he couldn’t immediately point to a faulty starter. He scanned the quiet street in either direction, finding nothing alerting him as off.

  “Turn on the headlights, Billy.” Dual beams declared the battery charged. “Maybe it’s the ignition switch.”

  Beside him, his partner grumbled obscenities. “I’ll call it in. It shouldn’t take long to get someone out here.”

  The only thing more frustrating than waiting was listening to Billy growl threats against fate. “Royden, call Abby. Tell her I said to wait up.”

  “I can’t; she turned her phone off due to low battery. I can, however, call the station and get hold of the officer escorting her.” Royden retrieved his cell and punched in the numbers. After making his request, he waited for the officer to return the call instead of announcing the issue over the radio.

  When his cell finally rang, he’d run out of patience. “Patterson.”

  “Hi. This is trooper Fadden. What do you need?”

  “Is Abby in the car with you?”

  “No, sir. She insisted on driving her own vehicle so she could take the subject to another location.”

  “Where are you headed?”

  “We just turned off Route 26 onto a spider road in Mt. Hood National Forest. She’s pretty determined to get there quick. She said it wasn’t far.”