A Lie in Every Truth

by Jamie Lee Scott

  I’d have guessed Michael to be a smidge over six feet tall and slim, so maybe one-ninety or so. He had greasy looking black hair (from the pomade he used, I guessed), long on the top and nicely trimmed on the sides. He had a good barber. His dark hair and eyes made him look mobbed up. I wondered if I’d think that if I didn’t know better.

  “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. I haven’t seen my dad in too long. And he thought I was dead. He’s not going to see me when he gets to heaven, and I want him to be able to look down and see me at the cemetery. I really wanted to attend the funeral at the church, but it’s too risky.”

  His dad had as much a chance of going to heaven as I did. Actually, my chances were much greater than his dad’s.

  “What do you plan to do after the funeral, Michael?” Max asked.

  It was the question on my lips, too, but he asked it first.

  “Maybe go back home and get my old life back. It’s been a long time, and with no trial, I can’t be held accountable. Even though I grew up in Chicago, I don’t feel like it’s home anymore, and I’m not staying in the Podunk town where WITSEC placed me.”

  Going back to his old life was not an option. Of course, it wasn’t my place to tell him. And I didn’t, exactly. “Maybe you should reconsider. Wait it out. You know, wait until the stress of your dad dying settles.”

  “What does that matter?” Michael shifted in his chair. “I plan to visit my mom first. She’ll be over the moon to see me again.”

  I didn’t have the heart to tell him about how his mom had taken over.

  Max had no problem with it. “Your mom might not be so happy. This is her family now.”

  “My mom moved back to Italy. She probably won’t even be at the funeral. After the funeral, I’ll go see her.”

  Jared glared at Michael. “How do you know this? You shouldn’t even be snooping around your old life. It’s dangerous.”

  Michael shrugged. “She left my dad here. He died alone—”

  “Or with his mistress,” I interrupted.

  Michael slammed his hands on the table. “No! It’s not like that.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You can do whatever you want after this. You’re no longer in WITSEC. You get to keep your new identity, but you will no longer have protection, and if you get made, you’re on your own.”

  “Where’s home?” Max asked. “I thought your family was from Chicago.”

  “My family spends time in Illinois and California. I think I like the California weather better.” He didn’t look Max in the eye when talking to him.

  “Let’s just get through this funeral. I have last minute plans this weekend,” I said.

  We spent the next hour going over the logistics. Jared had gotten permission to exit the hotel through the kitchen. Max would put on an overcoat with the collar pulled up and a hat, because we had to conceal his blond hair. He’d also be wearing sunglasses. There was a marked age difference, but we had to work with what we had. Then we’d get into the Expedition Jared had left with the valet, and he’d go out the back and get into another Expedition parked at the employee entrance to the hotel.

  With just the three of us helping Michael, this was all we had. Both cars would arrive at the cemetery at the same time. Michael and Max both wore bulletproof vests, which would do nothing for them if the kill shot was a head shot, but I’d be watching Max, and Jared would be watching Michael. Neither of them would get close enough to get made by any of the funeral attendees.

  The service at the Catholic cemetery was short and sweet, and well attended. Max and Michael blended, but stayed on the periphery. Jared and I stayed a little further back. Not only was the funeral attended by mourners, it was attended by other crime families, and a slew of cops. Everyone hoping for a peaceful transition of power.

  Michael was wrong. His mother did attend, and so did the mistress. His mom took her rightful place at the front, and the mistress, whose name I couldn’t remember, stood a few rows back. I wondered if she’d get anything from the will. Probably not. Not if she intended to live, anyway. Michael’s mom didn’t look like the type of woman to mess with.

  We drove back to the hotel while everyone gave their condolences to the family, and Max and I packed up as Jared and Michael said their goodbyes.

  I tapped Michael on the shoulder. “I just want you to know, if I ever see you again, I’ll kill you myself.”

  I didn’t wait for a reaction as I walked to the elevator.

  On the way back to the airport, Max said, “I thought we were staying for the weekend to catch a play?”

  “We need to head home,” I said. “Then we have to make a detour.”

  Eighteen

  Mimi

  Clive looked happier this time, smiling and greeting Uta like they were old friends. But I felt something under his mannerisms. Maybe it was sadness. Even if they were having marital problems, he seemed to love Edie like she was the love of his life.

  When Uta ushered him in, I stood and said, “Clive, please have a seat.”

  He came in, still smiling and sat down. “Uta said you had more questions after looking over the case.”

  “We do,” I said, settling in, happy to see he wore no shoes. Such an odd request.

  He sniffed. “Uta said you just had your rugs shampooed. I’m surprised I can’t smell the detergent. It usually makes me nauseous.”

  I cocked my head, like I hadn’t thought about it. “You’re right. There never was an odor. But I’m so glad to have them done. We get so much traffic, and I love my large area rugs.”

  The rug we discussed was ten by sixteen and laid under the furniture in my office. Too many chairs moving around weren’t good for the hardwood floors.

  “So, what’s happening with the case?” Clive got right to it, almost eager for news.

  “There are some things we need to ask you, as the spouse of the victim. We probably should have asked this before, but it’s better now that we’ve had a look at the evidence and the actual scene.”

  Clive nodded. “Sure, ask away.”

  “First, I wanted to let you know, hesitation marks were found on Edie, which indicates possible second thoughts. So, I was wondering, was Edie ever diagnosed with depression?”

  Clive considered before answering. “I can’t say I know everything about her doctor’s visits, but I don’t think so.”

  “What about mentioning suicide previously?” I asked.

  “Absolutely not. Edie loved life.” He sat forward, adamant.

  “I looked into Edie’s background and saw she had a bachelor’s degree from Santa Cruz. Liberal studies. But I asked my mom, and she said she didn’t think Edie ever had a job. Is that correct?”

  “She didn’t need to work. She was a wife and mother, and that’s enough.”

  For her maybe, or to be precise, you, I thought.

  “Okay.” I let the word hang in the air for a moment before adding, “What about hobbies? Did she like to knit, paint, or anything like that?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know if you’d call it a hobby, but she liked to garden. Or at least she worked in the backyard when she wasn’t sleeping.”

  I looked down at my notes. “When you were separated, was she dating anyone?”

  Clive grimaced. “Not that I know of, and what does this have to do with her death?”

  Piper walked in. “Her family, hobbies, and relationships all play into why she would take her own life.”

  Clive turned to look at her. “Like I keep saying, she was murdered. No way would she kill herself.”

  “And you said she’d never mess up her face, because she wouldn’t want to be seen like that. Yet her face didn’t look nearly as bad as the back of her head,” Piper said, sitting down next to Clive.

  Nothing like getting to the point. I had a feeling Piper didn’t much like Clive. The whole perfect wife thing made my stomach crawl, too, but it worked for some people. Thank goodness Nick didn’t care, or I’d be screwed.
r />   He shifted to the far side of his chair, away from Piper.

  “I looked up her criminal history, and she was arrested on drug charges about five years ago. Does she do drugs?”

  Clive jumped up. “Those charges were dismissed. She was pulled over and they searched her car. She had Xanax in her purse, but it wasn’t in the prescription bottle. She proved the prescription was hers, and the charges were dropped.”

  I knew this, but I wanted his reaction.

  “Okay,” I said. “That clears that up.” I marked a line across the piece of paper in front of me.

  “Any medical issues?” Piper asked.

  “She had a hysterectomy when she was forty. Other than that, no.” He sat in the chair again.

  “So that’s physical. What about mental? Depression, bouts of being manic?”

  “I guess being awake for days on end is manic, but I think she’d been trying meth. Maybe. I want to deny it, but what else would make her like that?”

  Just to rattle his cage, I said, “Bipolar disorder. People with this disorder often go through manic phases. I once had a friend who left her husband, bought a Corvette with her credit card, then took off across the country. Drove straight through without sleep. She hit the depressive phase once she arrived on the East Coast. Got a cheap motel room and slept for days, then called her husband to come pick her up.”

  Clive shook his head vehemently. “Nope. No way. She’d never do something like that.”

  “Then why did you two separate?” Piper asked.

  “We had our personal reasons. But we always worked it out and she came back.”

  She came back. That was telling, wasn’t it?

  “I thought you said you got an apartment?” I said.

  “It was mutual, I guess. Sometimes I left, sometimes she left, but she was always the one to come to me. And because I can’t, um, couldn’t imagine my life without her, we reconciled. I can’t tell you how lost I am without her.” He looked down to his lap for a moment, as if composing himself, then looked back up.

  “Had she been upset about anything recently?” I asked.

  “Not that I could tell,” Clive said. “Like I said, she was just mean. Flew off the handle for no good reason. Chucked a cast iron skillet at me one night.”

  He played with the inside seam of his jeans.

  “What about her friends? Have you heard from them?” Piper asked.

  “She didn’t really have any close friends. Not in the last five years or so. She mostly stayed home. She and Lydia used to be close, but they kind of drifted apart. Not sure why.” He continued to pick at the seam of his jeans in the area around his knee. Then he cleared his throat.

  “Water or a soda?” I indicated to the tray on my desk.

  “No, thanks. Let’s just get through this. I have a meeting at the funeral home after this.”

  “You said she never talked about suicide, but had she ever attempted it?” Piper asked.

  I was stuck on the funeral home. Lydia had mentioned Edie didn’t want a funeral. I wondered if he’d honor her wishes. I should have asked, but I didn’t. That part wasn’t my business.

  Clive turned toward Piper, looking her in the eyes. “If she’d never mentioned it, why on earth would you think she’d attempted it?” The venom in his words sounded real.

  “Okay, well, lots of people never say a word, then take their lives,” Piper said, staring him down.

  “Anything you want to ask us?” I said, not sure what else to ask, since he had contradicted everything Zoe had told us.

  “Do you see the possibility of murder? I mean, no way was this suicide.”

  Piper shook her head. “The coroner ruled, and he disagrees with you.”

  “Clive, you’re not telling us everything,” I said. “What was going on between you two? Were you fighting? Was this the last straw, and she wanted out?”

  He slammed his hands down on the arms of the chair. “No! I had even moved back home. Everything was fine. I’m telling you, it had to be drug related. Maybe she got in deep with her dealer.”

  “Tell us the truth about the drug use,” Piper said, sounding like a psychiatrist.

  Clive looked down and shook his head. “She’d started using meth, okay? She got so upset when she gained ten pounds, and no matter what she did, exercise, starving herself, she couldn’t get the weight off. So, she found a way to get meth.”

  Now we’re talking.

  “Why didn’t you just say this in the first place?” I asked.

  And now I wanted a toxicology report. But I didn’t think it would be back from the state lab yet. They weren’t as fast as my lab.

  “I didn’t want anyone to know. How embarrassing. We aren’t lowlife white trash. We’re upper middle class. People like us don’t do drugs.”

  Piper snickered. “Shows what you know. Lots of upper middle-class people try meth, then get hooked.”

  “Not my friends,” Clive spat back, apparently not liking Piper’s snickering. “The thing is, they found her car across the street from her dealer.”

  I whistled low, and responded as if I didn’t already know. “There’s a detail that might have helped us earlier.”

  Clive hung his head. “I’m sorry. I’m so embarrassed.”

  “Again, do you have any questions for us?” I asked.

  Clive shook his head. “If I think of anything, I’ll call you.” He looked at his watch. “I’d better get going. I hope I’ve been able to help.”

  We all stood, and I walked Clive to get his shoes. I stood in the doorway as he walked to his car. He looked back once, then straightened and got in his car.

  As soon as he pulled away from the curb, I shut the door and went back to my office.

  “Well,” I asked. “What about the shoes?”

  Piper shook her head. “They could be the same size, within half a shoe size, but not the same shoe.”

  “Well, crap. Do you really think he was in the car?” I asked.

  I saw Uta looking at us, even though her head was down. We didn’t have the office door closed, so she probably heard the whole conversation.

  “Someone walked in that dirt, then got into Edie’s car.”

  I nodded.

  “I’m going to take a photo of Edie and go back to that drug house. Ask around. Maybe someone will talk, or at least say if they’ve seen her.”

  I raised my brows, skeptical. “Really? If they’re responsible for her death, you think they’ll admit to seeing her?”

  “You never know. Druggies and criminals are mostly stupid. Maybe I’ll see a tell.”

  I wondered if she was a poker player. A tell was a sign of what a person intended to do, or what kind of cards they had. A tell could be a twitch when bluffing, or any number of things.

  “You go. I’m going to look closer at Edie’s medical records. See if Zoe or Clive are lying.”

  Uta spoke up. “No need. Haven’t you spoken to Lydia today?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Uta stood up and placed a manila folder on the counter. “Lydia had to take the day off. Something about an emergency out of town. But she said to give you this.”

  Whoa, emergency? This was my mom we were talking about. Why hadn’t she told me? “What kind of emergency?”

  “She told me to tell you not to worry; it’s nothing with your family. She said something about Luke needing her.” She must have seen the look on my face. “He’s fine. She promised me it was nothing for you to fret about. And she also said not to call, because she wouldn’t be able to answer the phone.”

  “That really sets my mind at ease. Not,” I said.

  “Anyway, she said it’s easier to get medical records if someone is dead. She also said she wished she’d been closer to Edie in the last few years, so she could have helped her more. Not that it would have changed things,” Uta said.

  “Okay, thanks.” I took the file.

  Piper said, “I’m headed out. I’ll be back in a bit
.”

  “Nick wanted me to take a half day today. He said we have plans for the weekend. So I may not see you until Monday,” I said.

  Piper looked back over her shoulder, “Have a good weekend. I’ll work late tonight, so I can take the weekend off, too.”

  “You know you aren’t required to work weekends unless a case warrants it. Edie isn’t going anywhere.”

  Piper’s smile was wry. “Yes, she is. I’d bet a hundred bucks he has her cremated.”

  I popped the top on one of the cans of iced coffee and opened the medical file Lydia tracked down for us. Now I knew, for sure, who was lying.

  Nineteen

  Mimi

  Nick cooked a simple dinner of pork chops, sweet corn, and garlic mashed red potatoes. Even though it was delicious, I couldn’t seem to enjoy it. The last thing Piper said about Edie being cremated really bothered me. I picked at my food, but ate most of it, not wanting Nick to think it tasted bad. I really wanted to finish eating, take a shower and go back to the office to check something.

  Dinner conversation was all about the new house, and I got shivers thinking about it. My future husband had listened to all my ramblings over the time we’d been together, and I never realized how much he’d been paying attention. The new house would be further from the office and a lot more upkeep, but so worth it. It still bugged me that Charles colluded with Nick on the surprise, but what a wonderful surprise. Suddenly, I couldn’t wait to get this house sold.

  “The realtor planned an open house for this weekend, so I thought it would be a good idea to get away.”

  “What about the new case you picked up?” I asked.

  “Gabe is working it this weekend. He said he needs to work the overtime with a baby on the way.”

  “Not to mention he’s got a hormonal pregnant wife at home on bedrest. I’ll bet that can’t be a lot of fun for him. I know I’d be a hormonal bear if I was pregnant.” I couldn’t even imagine the changes a body went through to accommodate a baby. And that was only the beginning.