by Judith Post
He glanced at his watch. He had a few hours before Danny would come to get him. He'd missed his morning meditation. Better late than never.
He'd meditated, showered, and shaved by the time Danny buzzed. “Come on up. I need a minute.”
When Danny entered the apartment, Enoch’s hair was still damp and his shirttails were out. “You’re getting sloppy. A few weeks of police work and you’re starting to look like me.”
“That’s pretty low.” Enoch looked at his friend’s rumpled clothes. “You do own clothes hangers, don’t you?”
“Isn’t that what the backs of chairs are for?”
Enoch drained the end of his coffee. “Want some?”
“I’ve had enough for a while. Any more and I’ll get the jitters."
Enoch pulled a sweater over his shirt and reached for his coat. “Where are we going first?”
Danny waited for Enoch to double check that the apartment door was locked. “I thought we’d start at the natural food store and interview the people Gail worked with. Derek's talked to them, but I want to follow-up. I should have done it already, but things have been a little busy.”
As they drove down Main Street, Enoch looked at Christmas decorations in store windows. “You're going to your parents’ house, right?”
"Yup, one big happy family for the Christmas feast." Danny turned onto Sherman. "You could come with me. Mom and Dad would love it if I brought a friend.”
“Thanks, but I like to keep a low profile. I think I’ll pass.” It was nice to be invited, though.
"You and Voronika should celebrate on Christmas Eve. You should get her some perfume. Vampires have a great sense of smell, right?"
Enoch raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been doing your homework.”
“That’s what cops do.”
“That’s what you do.”
"Which makes me think…" Danny was silent a moment. “Was the story you told me about your parents the truth?”
“No.”
“I think the vamp girl’s been more honest with me from the get-go than you have.”
“Do you want the real deal?” If Danny was ready for the unadorned truth, he'd tell it to him.
Danny glanced sideways at him. “Maybe it can wait.”
"Just be warned. I never introduce myself as a vampire hunter the first time I meet someone. That makes for some small, white lies, but you know enough that from now on, when you ask a question, you'll get an honest answer."
From the look on Danny's face, Enoch could tell he was unsure about that. "Honesty can be over rated." Danny pulled into the store's parking lot. "Time to work.”
Enoch followed Danny into the store. If and when Danny wanted the entire truth, how would he feel about it? Would he blame Enoch for loosing Caleb on the world? Enoch suspected that Danny wouldn’t be as forgiving as Voronika. Would it change things between them? Only time would tell.
Chapter 26
Danny went to the store’s counter and showed the woman behind it his badge. “I'm Detective Danny Nahler and this is my partner Enoch Smith. We'd like to ask each person who works here about Gail Lahmeyer."
“Oh good.” The woman’s smooth brown hair fell past her shoulders, and she wore no makeup. A long skirt skimmed her ankles above thick, white socks and heavy sandals. Danny liked her eyes. She had a caring face, not attractive, but she glowed with intelligence.
Danny blinked. “Most people aren’t thrilled when we show up to ask questions.”
“But we all loved Gail. We want you to find out what happened to her.”
Danny took out his notepad. “What can you tell us?”
“Why don’t we sit at a table and have coffee while we talk?”
“Okay.”
She poured three cups, one for Danny and Enoch and one for herself. “Care for some quiche or a carrot and raisin muffin?”
“A muffin sounds good.”
She looked at Enoch, but he shook his head. She gave a worried frown. “I forgot to ask if you’d like cream or sugar.”
“No, we’re fine.” Danny settled at a small table. “Now, about Gail.”
“She was older than the rest of us. She tended to mother us.”
Danny had gotten that feeling about Marie Lemmon. Liza Marsdale might have been a motherer too. Katy? Not so much. “How many people work here?”
“Seven. Four part time.”
“And you’re…?”
“One of the co-owners, Skye. My husband and I went into business with my mother.”
“So it’s a family affair?” Enoch asked.
She turned to look at him. “You have a beautiful aura.”
“You can see them?”
“Yes, can you?”
“Yours is like a golden halo.”
She blushed. “Thank you.”
Danny cleared his throat. “Back to Gail.”
“Oh, yes, sorry. We all loved Gail, called her our guardian angel.”
“Why was that?”
“Gail worked at a bakery for years before it went out of business. She brought us the most wonderful recipes—breads, cakes, muffins. Soups too. And she loved finding substitutions to make our food healthier.”
“Substitutions?” Danny frowned.
“You know, applesauce instead of fats and sugars, gluten free breads, that kind of thing.”
Danny wrinkled his nose. “How long did she work here?”
“Eight years.”
“That’s a long time. You must have gotten to know her really well.”
“Like family.”
“Did she have any enemies?”
“Gail? No. How could she?” Skye took a sip of coffee, giving herself time to think. “She had plenty of family problems, though.”
Danny poised his pen. “How’s that?”
“Gail was a widow. Her husband died when their little girl was ten. Angel's thirty-one now.” Skye chewed her bottom lip. "I hate to speak ill of anyone, but that girl's been a handful."
"How's that?"
“She’s divorced, but she spends a lot of time with her ex, and he’s. . . well, my husband says he’s nothing but trouble.”
“In what way?” Danny flipped a page to have more space.
“He’s been in and out of court, mostly drinking violations. Gail always came up with money for legal fees.”
“Why? Don't they have jobs?”
“Angel’s a cashier at a gas station. She’s worked there forever. Never misses a day, got that from her mom.”
“And her ex?” Danny took a bite of his muffin and gave a satisfied moan.
“That’s Gail’s recipe." Skye waited for him to swallow before she answered. “Gary works at a steel mill now. He's a steady worker until he goes on a binge. Gail was their rock, always there to bail them out.”
“She never got tired of that?” Enoch's voice had an edge to it. Danny threw him a quick glance.
“I never saw Gail lose her temper.”
“So everyone took advantage of her.” Enoch made it a statement, not a question.
“Exactly.”
“Anyone else we should know about?” Danny wasn't sure what was pushing Enoch's buttons, but that conversation was for another time.
“She had a sister, Madge. Her husband, Rick, is one of those men who always thinks someone's out to get him. They have three boys. The older two are doing all right, but the youngest was sort of an afterthought…”
“A what?” Enoch didn’t understand.
“He came along nine years after Lincoln was born, and Madge babied him. He’s pretty spoiled, can’t hold a job, mooches off his family in between work. He was always coming to Gail for handouts.”
Danny scribbled down the details. “Has the baby got a name?”
“Lane, he’s nineteen, dropped out of high school.”
Danny shook his head. “Lazy.”
“Not exactly, he just feels entitled.”
“To what?”
“Other peoples’ money—
especially Gail’s.”
“Must be nice.” Danny rethought that. “Maybe not. Anyone else?”
“Not that I can think of, and I’ve tried. We’ve all talked about it here.”
“What about a gentleman friend? Was Gail seeing anyone?”
Skye gave a small smile. “No, Gail always told us that Eddie was the only one for her, that he’d be waiting for her when it was her time.”
Enoch nodded.
Gail noticed. "You believe that too?"
"Loved ones do greet friends and family when they pass over."
Danny sighed. If he wasn't careful, these two would be holding hands and singing Kumbaya pretty soon. “Any customers that she clashed with, made angry?”
“Gail?”
Danny pointed to his notepad. “Can I interview your other employees?”
“Feel free.” A customer walked to the counter, and she pushed herself to her feet. “I have a list of everyone’s names and phone numbers for you. They all agreed that you could call them at home.”
They followed her, and Danny took the list. Then they went to talk to the two employees who were in the store. Each gladly answered questions, but they didn’t learn any more than what Skye had already told them.
When they left, Danny said, “Let’s try the sister next. Are you up for it?”
“I have all day,” Enoch said. "I don't have to be home until dark." The more they packed in during daylight hours and the sooner they caught the clown killer, the better. Then Enoch could spend all of his time protecting Voronika.
Danny looked at the address. “It's not far from here, on Fourth Street.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and her nephew will be home.”
“Yeah, I’d like to meet him.” Danny started the Buick and pulled out on Sherman Street. “Lane sounds like a real winner.”
Chapter 27
When Danny pulled to the curb in front of a narrow two-story, Enoch frowned at its asphalt, brownish brick siding. The house looked tired and dated. A sidewalk split its tiny front yard and led to the front door, covered with black wrought iron bars. A cracked, cement slab served as the front stoop. No bushes or flowers. No shutters or embellishments. Strictly functional. Heavy drapes were pulled at every window, guarding the inhabitants’ privacy. As Enoch stepped from the car, a pit bull threw itself against the chain link fence and barked at them.
“Friendly place,” Danny said, going to knock on the door.
Enoch looked at the bars and the No Trespassing sign in the window. A person would think twice about breaking in here. Hell, most would be too intimidated to go down the sidewalk. Maybe he should have more security at his apartment, something serious for Voronika.
A heavy set man with shoulder-length, salt-and-pepper hair cracked the door and eyeballed them. “What do you want?”
Danny held up his badge. The man took his time studying it. “We’d like to ask you questions about Gail Lahmeyer. I’m investigating her death.”
“Do you have a warrant?”
“To ask questions?”
“We’re not a drug house. You don’t have any reason to come inside.”
“Fine, then come sit in the car with us and I’ll ask you questions there. But I’m assuming you’d like us to find your sister-in-law’s killer.”
A woman with long, wiry, gray hair came to stand behind the man. “Let them in, Rick. It’s about Gail.”
“That’s what they say.” But he opened the door and motioned for them to enter.
The woman led them to the kitchen at the back of the house. She slouched on a chair at a Formica topped table where a cigarette waited. She took a long draw on it and said, “What do you want to know?”
“You’re Gail’s sister?” Danny opened his notepad and clicked his pen.
“Yeah, Madge, and this is my husband, Rick. And him?" She waved her cigarette in Enoch's direction.
"Enoch Smith, my partner."
"I didn't see his badge," Rick said.
"He's a consultant, working with us on this case."
Rick looked Enoch up and down. "What do you consult with him about?"
"I'm a specialist on serial killers. We found your sister-in-law's name on the clown killer's last victim. That's how he I.D.s who he's chosen next."
Madge gawked. "You think the clown killer got our Gail?"
"He intended to," Enoch said, "but her death didn't match his usual pattern, so we need to dig deeper."
Rick snorted. "So your usual mumbo jumbo didn't work this time."
"Don't mind him," Madge said. "The dog barking woke him up. He’s usually asleep this time of day, works third trick.”
“Out of sight of the damned bosses and foremen.” Rick went to the refrigerator and popped open a beer. He didn’t offer to share. “On first and second shifts, the company breathes down your neck. Can’t wipe your ass without them timing how long you were in the john.”
“Where do you work?”
“DSC Plastics, a stink hole of a place, but the pay’s decent. Sweat equity, so I only give them what they pay me for. ‘Course, they’re always trying to get more.”
“And you?” Danny asked Madge. “Do you work?”
“I stock produce at a store six to ten every morning. That way, Rick can sleep when he gets off work. I usually stop for breakfast on my way home to give him some more time.”
“And to say hi to her friends on Wells Street.”
“The bar serves a good breakfast.” Madge took another drag on her cigarette. The kitchen ceiling was stained brown from smoke.
That would be the bar where Katy worked, Enoch thought. Maybe there was some connection between Katy and Gail.
“I only need five hours of shut eye.” Rick finished his beer and went for another. “Only lazy asses do the full eight.”
“Then I’m a lazy ass,” Madge said.
“Didn’t say you weren’t.” Rick listened to footsteps overhead. “Passed it on to Lane.”
Feet clomped down the stairway and a young man with thick, pale hair and clear blue eyes entered the kitchen. He could have been an ad for innocence, Enoch thought, marveling again at how deceiving looks could be. But Lane’s mouth had a droop at the corners, and his smile was too ready. He wore jeans and a muscle shirt that exposed his bulging biceps and various tattoos.
“Hi, I’m Lane.” He extended a hand and a warm grin.
His dad frowned. “No need to turn on the charm. These are two cops asking about your aunt. If you were smart, you’d keep your mouth shut for a change.”
Lane ignored him and adjusted his expression to the appropriate sadness. “Gail? She was a wonderful person. What happened to her is horrible.”
The expression and words were too smooth, too rehearsed. Enoch doubted this boy could tell the truth if life and limb depended on it.
“We’ve talked to the people she worked with,” Danny said. “They all insist that Gail didn’t have any enemies.”
“No one could hate Aunt Gail. She helped everyone she met.”
“Did she help you?” Danny asked.
“All the time.” Lane gave a wide grin. “I’m sure Skye already told you that I’m the rotten apple of the family. She doesn’t like me. Thank goodness, Aunt Gail didn’t listen to her.”
Enoch listened to him, amazed. The boy was good. He was putting a spin on what he knew they surely heard to do damage control.
Danny nodded. “Your mom and dad told me where they work and what hours. Do you have a job?”
“No need to answer that,” his dad said.
“Why not?” Lane’s face looked pinched and sad again. “I had to quit to help a friend of mine. She just lost her husband.”
That interested Enoch. “A divorce?”
“No, her husband was murdered a few weeks ago. His body was found in a field not far from here.”
“On Main Street? Danny’s working that case.”
Lane turned to Danny. “Really? You’re looking for Chad’s killer?”
“Was he the guy with the cap?” Enoch guessed Lane would know the younger of the two robbers.
“Always wore one. He left April with nothing, but since she’s got three kids, she’s getting family assistance, so I’m spending the nights at her place.” He didn’t like the way that sounded, so hurried to add, “She’s afraid in the house by herself at night. Chad’s death was so gruesome.”
“Was Chad a friend of yours?” Danny asked.
“Oh, yeah, we go way back.”
“Do you know why he was walking the streets that late at night?”
Lane pressed his lips tight before saying, “Chad had a small drug problem. I’d guess he was trying to make a score.”
“Did Gail ever help Chad?”
Lane looked surprised. “Why would she? He’s not family.”
“So she only helped relatives.” Danny stated it as a fact, not a question.
“She wasn’t rich. Her money only went so far.”
And most of it went to you, Enoch thought. “Did she approve of your friends?”
“I never introduced them.”
“So Chad would never try to shake down your aunt for money,” Danny said.
Lane thought about that. “He might. When Chad was desperate, he’d try anything. But Aunt Gail was killed after Chad, wasn’t she? I’d guess it was a robbery gone bad, like Chad’s."
"You think someone tried to rob Chad?" Enoch asked.
"No, probably the other way around. Maybe the same person killed them both.”
Enoch narrowed his eyes and stared. “So you suspected Chad robbed people?”
“I couldn’t prove it, but how else would he get the money for his habit?”
Danny wanted answers too. “What makes you think that your aunt’s death was a robbery gone wrong?”
“Chad got his stuff from someone in the neighborhood. I doubt he was the only customer. Angel told us that Gail’s purse was missing.”
