Photo Bombed

by Daria White

  Exiting the automated doors, she ran into Nicole. Her friend’s arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes looked red.

  Bianca cleared her throat. Despite her disappointment in her friend not confiding in her, she hugged Nicole. “I’ve called and texted.”

  Her friend nodded once they broke their embrace. “I’m sorry. I needed some time. This is all so… overwhelming.”

  “How’s Chad?” she asked.

  “Trying to forget being questioned by the police.” Nicole shrugged. “Who would put a towel with Martin’s blood in his gym bag?”

  “Does he go to the gym often?” Bianca asked.

  “A few times a week if not jogging in the park, but he locks up his things.”

  Did someone pick the lock without him noticing? Did Chad know she was here? “I have to say, I didn’t expect to see you here.” Bianca’s skin prickled. Nicole’s secrets were catching up with her. One person was dead. Jordan was fighting for his life. Bianca had been chased and attacked.

  “I had to see him. Is he okay? I heard he woke up.” Nicole’s eyebrows wrinkled.

  “He’s awake, but he needs to rest.” Bianca tapped her foot on the concrete.

  Nicole didn’t speak for a moment. She pressed a hand to her cheek as she closed her eyes. Her eyes shined with more unshed tears. She sniffled. “I can’t imagine what you think of me. Martin and… me.”

  Bianca paced to her car with Nicole at her heels. “We’ve been friends since college. You never told me any of this.”

  Nicole ran her fingers through her loose, blonde curls. “I’m not proud of it. What was I supposed to say, Bianca? I dated an older man for money? I know it was wrong, but I didn’t know what else to do.” She lowered her head. “I was in a horrible place financially, and I didn’t see the harm in him helping me at the time. Eventually I did, but when I called things off, Martin wouldn’t let me go. He was blackmailing me! He threatened to expose me.”

  “So instead you endanger the lives of Jordan, my sister, me, and who knows who else.” Bianca’s eyes bored into her friend. “Did you have anything to do with Martin’s—?”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “I’m not a killer! I know I’m being set up. The police are watching our every move. Priscilla gives me suspicious looks, probably wishing I’d never married her son.”

  “Can you blame her? Since you have a past with her husband?”

  “No, but once I started seeing Chad, she came to accept our relationship.”

  “She never tried to convince Chad otherwise?”

  Nicole shook her head. “If she did, he didn’t tell me.” She rubbed at her arms. “I thought things were getting better.”

  “And Jordan? He would do anything for you.”

  “He wouldn’t kill for me if that’s what you mean,” she said.

  Bianca stared at her friend. What a mess this all was. “I don’t know what I can do to help anymore.”

  Nicole’s lips parted, as if she remembered something.

  “What?” Bianca asked.

  “When Jordan told me how he felt about me, I don’t know why, but I confided in Martin. He told me that Jordan wasn’t good enough for me. It slipped out when I told Jordan I only saw him as a friend. The words came out in the heat of the moment. I didn’t know his feelings for me were that deep. He’s my best friend, but I never saw him that way. He—”

  Bianca raised a hand to stop her. “Wait a minute. You told Jordan what Martin said?”

  “I know it was stupid, but I was young, Bianca.”

  “And Jordan?”

  “He lost it.”

  Bianca spread her fingers out in a fan against her breastbone. It made little sense for Jordan to kill Martin. Then again, he’d fight anyone who disrespected Nicole. He even argued with Chad when he’d found out about their relationship. Jordan had only backed off when Nicole asked him to.

  Had he lost his temper after finding out about the blackmail? Had his aggression and hatred boiled over and he’d killed Martin to protect Nicole? Then Bianca recalled how Jordan had disappeared after their dance together. He didn’t return to the reception. Had Bianca missed the clues? Had she been so blinded by friendship, she’d failed to see what was in front of her?

  Then again, if he’d killed Martin, who’d attacked Jordan? An accomplice? Had his head injury all been a setup?

  “Bianca?” Nicole tilted her head and touched a hand to her arm.

  She gave her friend another quick hug. She wouldn’t worry Nicole with her theories. “The police will find out who did this.” Unless she beat them to it. Then she gestured to the hospital building. “Go see Jordan.”

  Nicole gave a faint smile and then walked inside. Bianca proceeded to her car, and slid into the driver’s seat. Connecting her phone to her Bluetooth, her cell phone rung with Alyssa’s ringtone.

  “I’m on my way.”

  “Mom, can I spend the night at Chloe’s tonight?”

  Bianca turned the corner once the traffic light turned green. “It’s a school night.”

  “I know, but we have a history exam tomorrow and since we’re studying together, I wanted to ask.”

  Perhaps it was a good idea. With Alyssa at a friend’s house, Bianca wouldn’t have to worry about anyone following her daughter. Not after the car chase and Richard’s impromptu visit. Well, in that case she forgot to answer her phone. Yet, she didn’t know what was coming next.

  “When will you be home?” she asked.

  “I’ll be home this time tomorrow,” Alyssa said.

  “Her parents will be there?”

  “Yes, Mom.”

  “Will it be just you two studying or is this a group thing?” Bianca asked, recalling her antics as a teenager. Turning on the Main Street in Edenville, she bypassed the mom-and-pop restaurants.

  “There may be a few others stopping by. Please, Mom?”

  “As long as the parents are there.” Knowing Chloe’s parents, Bianca had little to worry about with Alyssa. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow. You have what you need? Did you pack in advance?”

  No response.

  “You forget I was a teenager, sweetie.”

  “It’s like you know my every move,” Alyssa said.

  Bianca giggled. “I’m your mother, remember that. Love you.”

  “Love you too, Mom.” She hung up with a squeal.

  Bianca laughed as she stopped in front of another traffic light. Resting her arm on the console, she looked out the passenger door window. She spotted Priscilla walking out of the town’s specialty gift shop. Bianca almost rolled down the window to speak but widened her eyes when she saw Priscilla run her hand down her driver’s face and further to his chest. She even leaned in closer but then threw her head back laughing. For a grieving widow, was she hitting on her driver? Then his hand caressed her waist. How much younger was he than her, anyway?

  Bianca gasped. The driver. His face. When her phone rang, she looked at the number on her screen. Connecting her phone to her Bluetooth, she answered.

  “I have something for you.” Detective Sims. “A name of the man in the park who attacked you.”

  “Who?” She pulled forward as the light turned green.

  “Luis Mineo. Age 34. Looks like he’s been working for the Davis family as a driver for the last six months. He favors the driver from the wedding too.”

  “So these are two different men?”

  “Looks like it. The limo driver from the wedding no longer works for the company. He skipped town since then. We brought in Luis for questioning. I’m sending you a picture of him to identify him.”

  Bianca’s phone buzzed. Putting Detective Sims on speaker, she opened the photo. “That’s him.”

  “Thank you. I hate to ask you to come back to the station to identify him in person, but I need you too.”

  The last thing she wanted to do. “Okay. I can come now if that works.”

  “Perfect. Once you do that, we can charge him with assault at least, if not attempted murder,
” he said.

  Bianca’s skin prickled. “Detective?”

  “Yes?”

  “There’s a man with Pricilla Davis and… he looks familiar,” Bianca said.

  Chapter 25

  Bianca eyed the parking lot filled with vehicles and golfers. Carts buzzed along the fairway and she adjusted the cap on her head. Stepping into the parking lot, she sighed as she plotted her strategy in her head.

  Since this week was mild with work, Bianca didn’t see the harm in checking out the golf course. Perhaps someone here knew Martin. Had he come often to play with Richard? Tugging the skin at her neck, Bianca shivered when she thought of how Richard had come up from behind her at her home. She had to stay alert. As she approached the front door of the clubhouse, she froze in her tracks. Detective Sims.

  She breathed in the fresh-mown grass. Swallowing, Bianca adjusted her purse strap on her shoulder. Detective Sims raised an eyebrow and gave her a glassy stare. Was she getting under his skin?

  He stopped in front of her. “Ms. Wallace. You’re here.”

  “Nice to see you again, detective.” She folded her arms over her chest.

  “How are you?” he asked.

  “Doing better. Any news on Jordan’s attacker?” She pointed to the clubhouse behind him. “Any leads?”

  “Is there a reason you’re so invested in this case?”

  “Nicole is my friend.”

  “I understand that, but why get involved?” he asked.

  Bianca rubbed at her neck. “I don’t like good people being blamed when I know they’re innocent.”

  He gave a faint smile. “That’s noble of you, Ms. Wallace, but I can’t afford another civilian getting hurt. You’ve come too close. More than once already.”

  Bianca licked her lips as she pondered his words.

  The corners of his own mouth turned up. “Is there a reason you’re here?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe I came to play.”

  He chuckled. “You golf?”

  “Some women do.”

  He laughed harder, and Bianca’s lips parted to respond, but then she spotted a car on the far end of the parking lot pulling off. A white Honda.

  “You’re kidding?” She sprinted to her car.

  “Ms. Wallace?” Detective Sims trailed behind her.

  “That’s the car. The car from the chase!” She slid into the driver’s seat. Didn’t Judy get her car back? That was the news around town. Was it her driving this time? Someone else with the same model?

  Detective Sims motioned for her to let down the window.

  “What?” She started her car.

  “I don’t need you tailing them. We’ll handle it.”

  “I’m not letting this go, detective.”

  He groaned and walked in front of her car. Her eyes followed him, and when he came to the passenger side, she unlocked it. He slid inside and pointed for her to go.

  Bianca’s vehicle hummed as she drove down the road. Detective Sims got on the phone.

  “So far, they’re heading west on Farming road. I’ll keep you posted. Bye.” He hung up.

  “Requesting backup?” she asked.

  “No.” He released a mirthless laugh. “Are you always this stubborn?”

  “I’d like to say persistent. Determined. Strong-willed.”

  “If you say so.”

  She sighed as both of her hands gripped the wheel. “My dad was a police officer. One of the best cops I knew, but… he was mistaken for a shooter while off duty. They accused him of murder. He died in prison since his heart condition worsened. He never… got the chance to prove his innocence and come home.”

  Detective Sims released a deep breath. “Sorry to hear that.”

  “What about you?” she asked. “Why did you get into the police force?”

  “I grew up in a single parent home. My mom worked two, sometimes three jobs at a time. I didn’t plan on getting involved in gangs, but I did. Next thing I know, I’m fighting a guy from another gang with a knife.”

  Bianca stiffened in her seat as she followed the Honda through a green light. Detective Sims in a gang? He didn’t seem like the type, nor did he possess the bad boy appeal. Yet Bianca listened, not wanting to judge him by his past.

  “Did you…” How did she ask him if he’d killed someone?

  “No, but the guy came close to dying,” he said.

  Bianca breathed easier.

  “But it made me realize I was on the wrong road. It was ruled as self-defense for me, but it was a wakeup call to change. So I did. Graduated high school. Joined the police academy and I’ve been on the right side of the law ever since.” He straightened in his seat. “Turn left here.”

  Bianca did as the Honda pulled into the parking lot of a cheap motel and parked. Her eyebrows furrowed. A cheap motel?

  “Park in the back.” Detective Sims motioned her to a spot to park.

  Bianca eyeballed the external staircases and the seedy characters coming in and out of the building. Putting her car in park, she stared along with Detective Sims to see who got out of the Honda. A red-headed woman. Judy.

  “Judy?”

  “Interesting.” Detective Sims said.

  Bianca’s body heat rose. Was she in on this? This case had just gotten even more complicated. She’d never suspected Judy, but protecting Richard was a good enough motive.

  Judy paced to the double story building with dirty bricks and peeling paint. Outside on the first floor, she knocked on the door. Bianca focused her eyes. Who would open the door? She couldn’t see since Judy went inside the room.

  Taking out her phone, Bianca opened her camera and zoomed in. “Nothing. The curtains are closed.”

  Then Detective Sims leaned over to see. Bianca cleared her throat as the heat from his body penetrated her skin. His cologne tickled her nose, but she only turned her phone for him to see. Bianca ignored the quivers in her stomach.

  “We already have Luis Mineo in custody for attacking you,” he said.

  It was a good thing she’d identified him the other day. Judy exited the room with an envelope. She stuffed it inside her purse. What was in it? Money? Bianca clutched the back of her neck. Is that how Judy got the money to pay her? Then they watched Judy get back into her car.

  Bianca sighed. “It looks like she got what she wanted.” She bit her bottom lip as the wheels turned in her brain. “I wonder if Richard knows about Judy taking money.” She turned to Detective Sims, resting her arm on the console. Maybe—”

  Detective Sims held up a hand.

  Bianca turned and put her car in drive to follow Judy. “What now?”

  “See where she goes.” He rested his hand against her dashboard.

  Bianca didn’t drive too close, but she did her best not to lose her. With one car between them, she turned to keep following. She shook her head. “If Judy was taking money… it makes sense.”

  Detective Sims didn’t hear her last comment. He tapped the dashboard. “Let’s head back.”

  “I thought you said—”

  “Change of plans, Ms. Wallace. I’m asking you to go home.”

  She kept her eyes on the road. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be here.”

  “I only came here to do my job, while keeping an eye on you.”

  “An eye on me?”

  He continued. “I took an oath to protect and serve. You’re not making it easy for me.”

  Bianca headed for the clubhouse. “I’m only here to help Nicole and Chad.”

  “I could charge you with obstruction of justice.”

  She sighed, biting back her sarcastic remark.

  His tone softened. “I’m not saying you haven’t been an asset in some scenarios, but—”

  “I get it. I’m not trying to cause trouble or make things worse.”

  Detective Sims said, “I was beginning to think you liked messing with me.”

  Bianca couldn’t help but rattle him. “I have more important things to do.”

&
nbsp; He chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve met anyone like you, Ms. Wallace.”

  She smiled. “And you never will again, detective.”

  Chapter 26

  Detective Sims didn’t make conversation on the way back. With his faced glued to his phone, Bianca didn’t dare look to see what was on his screen. Instead, she kept her eyes on the road. When she came to a red light, she recalled Alyssa’s shriek when she’d practiced parallel parking in the parking lot. Bianca giggled.

  “What’s funny?” Detective Sims asked.

  “Nothing.” She covered her mouth with one hand, and her snickers persisted.

  “Nothing, huh?”

  She waved it off but answered. “Sorry, I’m teaching my daughter how to drive. It’s… interesting. She reminds me of me when I learned.”

  “How so?” He wanted to know?

  Bianca’s foot switched to the accelerator from the brake pedal when the light turned green. “Parallel parking. She doesn’t quite get it. I didn’t, either. I’m surprised I passed that part of the test.”

  “Even till this day you still can’t?” he asked.

  “Only when I have to, but it’s rare unless I’m downtown. Even then, it takes a few tries.”

  Detective Sims chuckled.

  She glanced at him for a moment but then faced the road again. “Okay, laugh.”

  “No, I was thinking about when I learned to drive. I ran over my mother’s rose garden.”

  “What?” she asked.

  He bobbed his head. “Yeah, I thought she was going to disown me for a moment. She worked so hard in that garden.”

  “I guess we have that in common.”

  “I guess so.”

  From her peripheral vision, she could see him staring. She didn’t dare look. “How would you rate your driving now?”

  “Let’s just say… no one’s gotten away from me in a police chase.”

  Bianca said, “Maybe you should have been driving that day.”

  “That part is over. We got him.”

  She trusted his word. His integrity was evident. Pulling into the parking lot filled with parked cars and trucks, she spotted his police car and parked beside it.

  “Here we are,” she said.