Honorable Death

by Linda S. Prather

  I dialed Dave’s number as I followed him to the cab. “No, just me.” The phone rang only once before Dave answered.

  “Capello.”

  “Meet me in the food court in forty-five minutes.” I ended the call before he could ask questions and climbed in the back seat. “Get me back in thirty minutes, and there’s an extra hundred in it for you.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  “Here’s your phone and SIM card. I took it to the baby shop, Bath & Body, two bathrooms, and then back to our dressing room.”

  “Thanks, Claire.” I inserted the card and downloaded the voice messages from my server. Three from my father, two from my mother, and four from Dave. “Have you got my ticket ready?”

  Claire grinned and pushed the ticket across the counter. The figure was shocking, but nothing Kurt couldn’t afford. “Wow, that was some binge.” I signed my name then ran a hand through my curls, which were plastered to my head.

  “I could put the coat back if you want me to, and the hat.”

  Claire was softly running her hand down the mink, a look of pure delight on her face. On her salary, she would never be able to afford even a fake mink. The tiny scar over her right eye seemed to glow in the soft light, reminding me of the night we’d met. Her husband had almost beaten her to death because she’d burned the chicken. I’d had that same look of delight on my face when I kicked him in the balls before slamming him to the ground and putting on the handcuffs. I hoped the bastard was still rotting in prison. I’d made sure he was charged with attempted murder, not assault and battery. Claire was one of the lucky ones. Not all victims of domestic abuse had a second chance to do things right. “Keep them.”

  “Kacy…”

  I grabbed the bag containing the rest of my outfit and walked away before she could thank me. “Merry Christmas, Claire.”

  Taking the escalator down, I scanned the area below for Silver Hair. He was nowhere in sight, and neither was Johnny. I chuckled, wondering how long he’d stayed outside the women’s bathrooms, waiting for me to come out. A few eyebrows rose when I stopped by the main office to inform them of Claire’s gift. I didn’t care what they thought; the last thing she needed was to be accused of stealing when she left that night.

  Forty-three minutes had passed when I finally made my way to the food court. Dave was sitting with his back to the wall at the only table that gave him a view of both entrances.

  I waved and maneuvered through the tables to join him. “Care to buy me a coffee to go?”

  He grumbled but headed toward the line. A couple headed for the table, and I grabbed the seat Dave had vacated, keeping my eyes on the entrances as I listened to the voicemails. The first two from my father were heavy breathing. I wonder if he knows he sounds like a pervert? I erased them and listened to the third, which was a “call me the second you get this” message. My mother’s calls were more of the same with “urgent” tagged on at the end. I listened to Dave’s messages as I watched him waddle back to the table. Three hangups and one “where the hell are you?” I didn’t give him a chance to sit down, opting to head out before Silver Hair found me. “We’ll talk in the car.”

  “You got that right,” Dave mumbled.

  I held up one of the stiletto boots for him to see. “Don’t piss me off, Dave. I’ve been walking in these things for two hours, and my feet are killing me.”

  “You bought those things?”

  The wind outside was getting vicious, and I wrapped my coat closer, missing the heavy mink. “Christmas present from Kurt and Katherine. I’ve got leather pants and a cheetah-patterned top to match. I’ll wear them to their party. Want to come?”

  Dave chortled. “I might do that.”

  I searched the parking lot while I waited for him to unlock the doors. The blue Honda was a few rows over, but the red Pontiac was missing. “We need to move Simon to a rehab center. He overdosed, and I had to give him a shot of Narcan. The cab driver was carrying it.”

  Dave clicked his seat belt and started the car. “That’s not good. That driver has blabbed about it all over town by now.”

  “Trust me, Dave, when I left him, all he wanted to do was get rid of me and forget today ever happened.” I nodded toward the Honda. “We can’t get close to him without them following. Any ideas?”

  Dave pulled into traffic and sped up. “I’ve got a CI that owes me a few favors. He knows a place. Not a rehab center but as good, and they don’t ask a lot of questions. I’ve used them before with other CIs.”

  “Call him and set it up. I’ll visit the Wilsons later tonight and see if I can drum up some money. The best thing Simon can do is disappear until we find out what the hell is going on.”

  Dave placed the call to get the ball rolling, keeping his instructions simple, but ending with a threat if anything happened to Simon. He ended the call and shot a glance my way. “Where to now, partner?”

  “Kurt and Katherine want to talk. I think it’s time they gave us that interview.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  No limos lined the driveway, and no valet rushed forward to open my door. The Christmas lights were lit, but something about the house was different. The shadows around it seemed deeper. I struggled to pull out the word niggling at the back of my mind. Threatening.

  My feet turned cold the way they used to when I was small and strange noises would frighten me. I shook off the feeling. The house hadn’t changed. I had. It had never been inviting. Never a real home. Always screaming of dark secrets. Secrets I’d ignored because to delve into them meant destroying the small illusion I had of family.

  “You okay, Kacy?” Dave had parked the car and was waiting for me to make a move.

  “Peachy.” I unclipped my belt and reached for the door handle. “Come on, partner, let’s do this.”

  Hilda answered on my first knock, and this time, I took a more formal stance. “Detective Lang and Detective Capello to see Mr. and Mrs. Lange.”

  “Come in.” She opened the door and stepped aside. “Please wait here.”

  “Not exactly a warm welcome but better than last night.”

  “It’s still early, Dave. Don’t get your hopes up.” I shuffled from one foot to the other as we waited. Five minutes passed, and even Dave was getting antsy.

  “Maybe we should go look for them ourselves.”

  We were caught in another of my father’s little games he liked to play. He’d told me to call. I hadn’t, and therefore, I could wait until he was ready to receive me. It worked when I was younger because I’d craved his approval, until it finally sank in that I would never be good enough to be a real Lange. “I think you’re right, Dave. Let’s go.”

  I led the way down the hallway, through a small alcove and into the formal living room. My father was standing near the mantel, with my mother seated to his right. The two of them were watching the clock tick slowly. It felt good to see the looks of satisfaction disappear from their faces, replaced by what I could only call astonishment that I had broken the rules and not waited the customary half hour to an hour for them to beckon me. “I got your messages that you needed to talk. Detective Capello and I have a few questions for you also.”

  Anger crossed my father’s face for a brief moment before he regained control and smiled. “Hilda was coming to get you. Please have a seat.”

  I sat on the edge of the sofa, and Dave sat beside me. “You said it was urgent, Katherine. What did you want to talk about?”

  She eyed Dave and sipped from her glass of wine. “This is a family matter, Kassandra, and I’m not comfortable discussing it in front of strangers.”

  “Dave has been my partner for five years. He’s not a stranger, and this isn’t a social visit. It’s a murder investigation.”

  Kurt cleared his throat and sat on the edge of Katherine’s chair. “I called you to let you know Primm won’t be following you anymore. I apologize if that upset you. We became concerned when you didn’t answer our calls. As you said, this is a murder investigation. We’v
e lost one child. We don’t want to lose another. Where were you today?”

  The ME had estimated Kyle’s death approximately twelve hours before his body was found, which made it somewhere in the neighborhood of early Thursday morning. The torture would have gone on for hours Wednesday night. “I was working. Where were you Wednesday night and early Thursday morning?”

  Katherine gasped, and Kurt placed a hand on her shoulder before answering. “We were home, hosting a dinner party. I can give you a list of the guests if you’d like. Surely you can’t believe that we had anything to do with Kyle’s death.”

  My hands clenched at my side, and Dave intervened. “Of course not, Mr. Lange. It’s customary to ask these questions of family.” He smiled at Katherine. “We understand Kyle contacted you last week. Tell us about that conversation.”

  Katherine shrugged and glanced at Kurt before answering. “He said he wanted a million dollars. I laughed and hung up.”

  “Did he say why he wanted a million dollars?” Dave asked.

  “I didn’t ask, Detective Capello. That was the first time I’d heard from Kyle in years. No Mother’s Day cards, no birthday wishes, no ‘thank you for raising me.’ Just money, money, money. That’s all he ever wanted from us.”

  If we stayed any longer, I would wind up screaming all the horrible things I’d stored inside for years. I rose, and Dave followed suit. “Thank you, we’ll let you know if we need that guest list. In the meantime, look into extra security. Whoever killed Kyle is looking for something.” I stared straight into my father’s eyes. “They haven’t found it yet.” I crossed the room and headed for the front. “Don’t bother calling Hilda; we can find our way out.”

  Dave was rushing to catch up with me by the time I opened the front door and stepped outside. Pressure was building inside my head, and I gulped the fresh air and counted to ten three times.

  “Come on, partner. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.”

  “You keep spending all this time with me, and Martha will think we’re having an affair.” I gave him a weak smile and walked to the car. “Take me home.”

  “Not gonna happen. We need to talk, and that’s always better over a cup of coffee and a doughnut.”

  I was tired of talking. That seemed like all we’d done for the last twenty-four hours. “What do you want to talk about?” I climbed in and fastened my seat belt. “Besides, I’m tired. Can’t it wait until morning?”

  “Depends. What did you do with your phone while you were out this afternoon? You said both your parents called, and Lange was awfully interested in where you were.”

  “Claire ran it around the mall to different departments and bathrooms. I hope it drove them crazy if they were tracking it.”

  Dave’s hands tightened around the wheel, and he gunned the motor and scratched out of the driveway. “Where’s Claire live? If they think she knew where you went, they’ll be going after her.”

  My heart skipped a beat at the thought of Claire in the hands of those monsters. “She’s at 79 Bourbon Street. She was off work at five. She should be home by now.”

  Dave flipped on the lights and sirens.

  No good deed goes unpunished. I didn’t know who’d said it, but I hoped they were wrong. “I should never have gotten Claire involved in this.”

  Dave weaved in and out of traffic like a pro. “Don’t think that way, Kacy. We’ll be there in five minutes.” He flipped off the sirens and lights as he skidded onto Bourbon. “Make that one minute.”

  I was out of the car before Dave had time to stop in front of the small brick house. The scream and sound of a shotgun blast were simultaneous. I jerked my Glock from its holster and yelled over my shoulder, “Call for backup.”

  The movies always showed detectives and police officers kicking in doors, but that wasn’t as easy as it looked. And not real bright when you don’t know what’s waiting on the other side. Those thoughts raced through my mind as I took the porch steps two at a time. Dave was beside me before I reached the door. “Did you call for backup?”

  “Yeah.” He pounded on the front door. “Police, open up!”

  Deep heart-wrenching sobs drifted through the door. “Claire, it’s Kacy. Open up!”

  I heard the lock click, the door flew open, and Claire stumbled forward into my arms.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Guilt weighed heavily on my heart as I waited for Claire to finish her shower. It had taken an hour to calm her down enough for me to convince her to wash off the blood that had splattered onto her face and clothing. The days ahead would be tough on her. Taking a life was never easy, even if you had no choice.

  A soft knock sounded on the bathroom door, followed by Dave’s worried whisper, “It’s me.”

  I guess it’s time to face the music. I opened the door. “She’ll be finished in a minute.”

  “Brought the two of you a cup of coffee. Figured you could use it.”

  “Thanks.” I took the coffee and placed it on the sink, then stepped out and closed the door behind me. “Are they done yet?”

  “Still fingerprinting. The body’s been removed. They’ll want her clothes, but I convinced them to let us do the interview here. The knife he was carrying shows it was self-defense. She won’t have any problems there.”

  “Any way to clean up the blood before she has to see it again?”

  Dave shook his head. “Best to wait until morning on that and get a professional crew in here. If she steers clear of the bedroom, she should be okay.”

  I ran a hand through my short curls then rubbed my eyes. “If you can arrange it, I’ll pay for it. She wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for me.”

  “This ain’t your fault—you hear me? If the blame goes anywhere, it goes on Kyle and the thugs he hung out with.”

  Dave was right, but it didn’t stop me from feeling guilty. Not only about Claire, but also about Kyle. If I’d made more of an effort to be there for him, kept in touch more often, maybe he would have changed. The fact he’d kept our photograph told me there was still good inside him. He’d cared about me, and in his lowest moments, he’d remembered the good times.

  The water turned off in the shower, and I reached for the door. “I’ll get her clothes for you.”

  Dave nodded, and I slipped inside and passed him the bag containing Claire’s soiled clothing. “Give us a few minutes, and we’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

  I liked to tease Dave about Martha thinking something was going on between us. We would both laugh, because there was no attraction on either side, but sometimes, I envied Martha. Dave was a super guy, and I was reminded of how super when we came upon a situation where a woman had been beaten, raped, or brutalized. In those situations, a man wasn’t often welcome, but Dave always was. He genuinely cared about the victims, and they felt it. He walked them through their statements calmly and at their own pace. He would sit with them all night if they needed him to or sit outside in his car and watch the house if they were scared. I refilled our coffee cups and returned to the table. We’d agreed Dave would do the interview since I was much too close to the situation. And too damn tired to think straight.

  “Thanks, Kacy.” Dave took his cup. “Do you feel like talking about it now, Claire? If you don’t, we can do this tomorrow.”

  “No, let’s get it over with.” Claire reached for my hand, and I let her hold it. Affection and comforting wasn’t part of my normal nature. Having received none as a child, I’d grown up with no idea how to do it, but if holding my hand made it easier on Claire, I was going to let her.

  “What time did you arrive home?”

  “I’m not sure. It was a little later than usual as the roads were slick. Five thirtyish.”

  “Did you notice anything out of the ordinary? Footsteps in the snow or a light on in the house?”

  Claire shook her head. “Nothing.”

  Dave relaxed and sat back in his seat. “Why don’t you tell me in your own words what happened?”

  “I c
ame in like I always do. Went to the bedroom to hang up my things and change. When I came out, he was in the hallway, and all I could see was the huge knife in his hand.” Her body trembled, and she let go of my hand to steady the cup she was holding. “I ran back into the bedroom and tried to slam the door, but he shoved it open. I think I screamed, and he slapped me. I fell near the closet and remembered the shotgun was there. I grabbed it and told him to leave me alone.” Claire started to cry. “I just wanted him to go away.”

  “Take your time, honey.” Dave reached across the table and patted her hand. “We got all night if you need us.”

  Claire inhaled a quivering breath and continued. “He laughed and said something like ‘all you bitches are the same.’ Then he said I was going to tell him what he wanted to know or he would slice me in tiny pieces and feed me to his fish.” Claire’s eyes enlarged as her cup rattled against the table. “Why would he do that? I’ve never seen him before in my life. I don’t know what he wanted to know.”

  “What happened then, Claire?” Dave’s voice was gentle. The same tone I imagined he used with Mary Elizabeth and Tina Fae.

  “I was crying, begging him to leave, but he kept coming toward me. I closed my eyes, screamed, and pulled the trigger. Right after that is when I heard you at the door.” Her gaze went from me to Dave. “Can one of you tell me what this is all about?”

  “It’s my fault, Claire.”

  “No, it isn’t.” Dave pushed back his chair and paced the small area between the table and the stove.

  “I’m telling her the truth, Dave.” I took a sip of coffee and closed my eyes for a moment. I opened them and met Claire’s anxious gaze. “When I asked you to help me this afternoon, I needed to see a witness that might have information about my brother’s death. The man you killed had been following me all morning. That’s why I needed the disguise. When you moved my phone around, he must have seen you and thought you knew where I had gone. I’m sorry. I should never have gotten you involved in this.”