by Kat Martin
“What about the tox screen?”
“Came back this morning. Confirmed Rohypnol in April’s blood. Nothing in Dean’s blood but alcohol, which we already knew.”
“So she was drugged, just like she said. You think the department would support a self-defense claim?”
“The way it looks they probably would. There’s not much doubt about what happened. Dean drugged her, tried to rape her, and she shot him. The guy took on the wrong woman and got what he deserved.”
If the cops accepted what the facts supported so far, the matter could be easily resolved and April would be off the hook.
“Thanks, Heath. Keep me posted.”
“As much as I can.”
Jonah ended the call and phoned Nate Temple. He had worked with Temple before and respected him. Nate said he had spoken to the police then phoned April and reported the status of the investigation so far. He had explained the working theory that she’d acted in self-defense.
Jonah was only mildly surprised to find out April had refused to accept the explanation and take the easy out.
“She’s convinced David Dean was murdered,” Temple said, “and not by her. She wants you to keep working the investigation.”
“No problem.” Jonah found himself admiring the lady. She could save herself a lot of money and a helluva lot of trouble if she just went along with the flow.
According to Temple, after what had happened, the mayor had insisted April take a few days off. Which was good. Jonah needed more information, and April was one of his best resources.
He set up a meeting Monday morning in a little café called Burgers and More, which was close to his office on Blackburn Street and not too far from April’s town house on Bowser. He figured she would relax, be more at ease in a more casual environment.
Seated at a booth in the back, he spotted her through the window, hurrying along the sidewalk toward the front door. She was dressed in a pair of skinny jeans that showed off her long legs and a world-class ass. All that fiery hair made him itch to grab a fistful and hold on while he devoured those plump red lips.
Fortunately, he was a professional. He reminded himself to act like one.
He was waiting for her up front when she walked into the café. High heels pushed her up to eye level with him.
“I’ve got a booth for us in the back,” he said.
“Great.” She turned and walked in front of him toward the rear of the café, giving him a chance to admire her lovely behind. They reached the empty red vinyl booth and she slid in across from him.
“You want coffee or something else?” he asked. “Maybe something to eat?”
“Coffee’s great.”
He motioned to Molly, a longtime waitress, silver-haired and slightly stoop-shouldered but as hardworking as a twenty-year-old. He’d been coming to the café for years. The employees all knew him and he knew them.
“Two coffees, Molly. Black.”
“Right away, Jonah.” She hustled off, then hurried back with two heavy china mugs. Setting them down on the table, she filled them to the brim, turned and rushed off to another table.
“How you holding up?” Jonah asked, lifting his mug and taking a drink. It was scalding hot, just the way he liked.
She raked a hand through her heavy dark red hair, shoving it away from her face. “I’m not sure. Every time I close my eyes I see David lying there in all that blood.”
“It’ll get better in time.”
“I suppose so. You’ve dealt with that kind of thing a lot, I imagine. Maddie told me you were a cop before you became a private detective.”
“That’s right. Undercover work mostly.”
“Why’d you quit?”
He usually dodged the question. For reasons he didn’t quite get, he found himself answering instead. “I got my partner killed.”
“Oh, Jonah, I’m sorry. What happened?”
He didn’t like to think about it, wished he could erase the whole episode from his mind. It didn’t work that way and it never would.
“She was young, still green. We were working a drug bust. I shouldn’t have let her go in with me, but she was gung-ho, eager to bust some chops, and having been there when I was a rookie, I gave in. I let her come along and Jenny took a bullet. Shot just missed her vest. She died on the way to the hospital.”
“I’m so sorry.”
He took a drink of the thick black coffee. “I was exonerated, but it didn’t matter. If I hadn’t let her go, she’d still be alive today.” He released a slow breath. “After that, I needed a break so I took a leave of absence. Three months later, instead of going back, I started working for myself. No more green kids to worry about.”
“No, just your clients.”
Unfortunately, that was true. Some he worried about more than others. “Yeah,” he admitted. “Except for my clients.”
April sipped her coffee. “Why did you ask me to come today?”
Jonah leaned against the back of the booth. “I talked to Temple about the investigation. He says you turned down a chance to make this end, which would have been the easy way out.”
“That’s right. I’m not going to plead guilty to something I didn’t do—even if it was supposedly in self-defense. Would you?”
“Probably not. So what we need to find out is, besides you, who wanted David Dean dead?”
She bristled. “I didn’t want David dead. He could be a royal pain in the ass, but I didn’t want him dead.”
His mouth edged up. April was a beautiful woman, particularly when she unleashed that redheaded temper. “I’ll buy that. So who did?”
She sighed. “I don’t know. I’ve tried to think of anyone he might have had as an enemy, but so far I’ve come up with zilch. David was dedicated to the mayor. He didn’t date much. Gave to local charities. I can’t think of anyone who’d want to kill him.”
“You make him sound like a paragon.”
“He was a jerk. If he didn’t get his way, he got pissy. He could go days barely speaking.”
“Until you agreed to do what he wanted?”
“Sometimes I agreed, but not always. Which is why he’d pressed Mark to fire me. As far as I know, Mark had no intention of letting me go and David had accepted that.”
“I talked to the campaign volunteers who were with you that night at the Derby, Susan Buchanan and Timothy Mahoney. They confirmed that Dean drank too much and that you offered to drive him the few blocks back to his condo.”
“That’s right.”
“Susan said you seemed okay when you left. That supports the theory that Dean drugged you at his house.”
“I started feeling dizzy when I got to my car. I don’t even remember driving him home. In fact, I don’t believe I did.”
“According to your attorney, they released your car this morning. The only prints they found were yours and Dean’s.”
“I don’t think I could have driven that car out of the parking lot, let alone all the way to David’s condo.”
“There aren’t any cameras in the lot so there’s no way to know for sure.”
She slumped back in her seat. “I was hoping the cameras would show what happened.”
“You’re convinced you were drugged at the Derby?”
“Yes.”
“You think it was someone at your table? I haven’t talked to Watt, Schweitzer or Rutherford yet.”
She sighed. “I don’t know. Sometimes we order a pitcher of beer, but we were all drinking microbrews that night. The drinks came in mugs. It could have been the bartender. It could have been someone walking past the table. It could have been anyone.”
Jonah finished his coffee. “Would you be interested in paying a little visit to the Derby tonight? I’d like to get a read on the staff, see if anyone behaves differently around you.”
“Let’s make it the same time you were there that night.”
“Seven o’clock. I’ll meet you there.”
He’d planned to pick her up, but she didn’t know him that well and after what had happened with Dean, he didn’t blame her for being cautious. “All right.”
They talked a while longer, going back over things she had said. Jonah watched for inconsistencies but didn’t find any. He needed to find out why Dean was killed. He had talked to the volunteers who had been there that night, but they were just kids helping with the mayor’s campaign, doing what they saw as their civic duty. He was pretty sure they had no part in Dean’s murder.
That left Watt, Rutherford and Schweitzer. Jonah needed more information about them and he knew where to get it.
He didn’t realize April was conducting her own investigation until things went south that night.
CHAPTER FIVE
AS APRIL DROVE away from the little café, she thought about Jonah Wolfe. There was more to Jonah than she had first thought, more than a hot male body and a darkly beautiful face. More than compelling masculinity and amazing sex appeal.
Jonah felt things deeply. She read the pain of losing his partner in every line of his face. Though the police department had cleared him, Jonah still blamed himself. She thought maybe he always would.
April liked that he cared so much. Deep down, Jonah would always be a cop, and he would always believe in justice. April thought that if anyone could help her find the man who murdered David, it was Jonah Wolfe.
Thinking of David and the murder, April made a quick change of plans, deciding to drop by her office before she went back to her town house. No matter what anyone thought, she hadn’t killed David Dean. She had nothing to feel guilty about and she was determined to find the real killer.
The campaign office was humming with activity when she walked in. Volunteers manned the phones, trying to stir up votes. There was a strategy meeting going on in one corner. Dallas was a huge metropolitan city. The mayor was a powerful figure and the job of getting him reelected was all-consuming.
As April crossed the office, Peggy Watt broke away from the group and walked toward her. In her late thirties, always on a diet to keep her figure, Peggy was a wealthy widow too young to retire. Instead, she believed in Mayor Rydell and she worked tirelessly organizing his busy schedule.
Peggy reached out and caught her hand. “Good Lord, April, are you okay?”
“As good as can be expected, I guess.”
“I feel terrible about what happened. We all thought it was a good idea for you to drive David home. None of us could have imagined him doing something like that.”
“I don’t remember what happened, Peg. I know I was drugged, but I’m not sure David is the one who drugged me.”
Peggy’s blond eyebrows arched up. “What do you mean? It was on TV. They said he gave you some kind of a date-rape drug.”
“I think it happened before I got there. I think someone drugged me at the Derby.”
Peggy’s hand came up to her heart. “Surely that isn’t possible.”
“As I said, I don’t remember. I’m trying to figure it out.”
From just a few feet away, Collin Rutherford walked over to join them. As finance director, Collin’s job was to meet the financial goals of the campaign and keep the candidate on track with fund-raising. At thirty-nine, he was a handsome man with light brown hair and plenty of charm, which helped in his position.
“I’m sorry, April. If I’d had any idea David was that kind of guy—”
“The police are still investigating, Collin. They don’t know for sure what happened. I’d appreciate if you didn’t jump to conclusions until we know more.”
“But I thought—”
“I can’t remember what happened. I’m not willing to indict David without more proof.”
He glanced over her head and drew in a deep breath. He worked hard and was dedicated to winning the mayor’s reelection. Like everyone else, he had done a good job of spinning what had happened so that the mayor wasn’t at fault.
“Whatever you think, April.” He glanced around. “I need to get moving. I’ve got a lot to do before the fund-raiser. Are you still going?”
The fund-raiser was a major event. It was part of her job to be there in support of the candidate. “Of course.”
“Great. Mark needs all the help we can give him.” Collin waved to someone across the room and walked away.
“Listen, I’ve got to get going, too,” Peggy said. “If you need anything, just let me know.” She hurried away and April started walking. She didn’t get far before Brad Schweitzer spotted her, excused himself from the woman he was talking to and intercepted her.
“April. I meant to call you.” Brad was black-haired, good-looking and smart. He was married, with two grown kids, but he and his wife were estranged. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay, Brad.”
“I can’t believe David’s dead.”
The conversation was a repeat of what the other two had said. Brad was shocked and appalled. April was still uncertain.
“If you remember anything about that night you think would help...” she said.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to let the police know.” Brad went back to work and April continued toward the mayor’s satellite office.
On Mondays, the mayor stopped by after lunch to strategize about the campaign and since his personal assistant, Marge Lamb, sat at the desk out front, April knew he was there.
Marge, a heavyset woman with a cap of silver hair and a winning smile, was the person who ran interference between the mayor and his legion of supporters.
“April, I’m so terribly sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
“Thank you, Marge. I’m doing fine, considering, but I appreciate your concern.” She looked at the closed office door. “I see the mayor’s in. I really need to speak to him.”
“His schedule’s packed, but I’m sure he’ll find a moment for you.” Instead of using the intercom, Marge rose from her chair, knocked briefly on the door and went into the mayor’s office.
She was smiling when she came back out. “You can go right on in.”
“Thanks, Marge.” The mayor was sitting behind his desk, an attractive man, fit and trim, with threads of silver in his thick brown hair.
The moment she entered the room, he came out from behind his desk and walked toward her. “April.” Reaching out, he caught hold of her hands and leaned in for a brief kiss on the cheek before he let go.
“I didn’t expect to see you for a while,” Mark said. “I’m so sorry about what happened. I had no idea David was capable of something like that.”
“I appreciate your concern, Mark. I realize this isn’t a good time for a thing like that to happen...not with the election just a few months away.”
“I’ll survive. We’ll replace David and move on. When it comes time to vote, I don’t think people will hold something my campaign manager did against me.”
“The thing is no one really knows what happened. The police think David drugged me. They think he must have been trying to rape me and I killed him in self-defense.”
“Isn’t that what happened?”
“I don’t remember what happened. But I’m not completely convinced it happened the way the police think it did.”
His eyes glinted as he frowned. “You need to consider this carefully, April. The sooner you put this behind you, the better off you’ll be. This can’t be good for your career any more than it’s good for mine.”
“I’m going to find out the truth, Mark. If David was murdered and I was set up to take the blame, the real killer is going to get away with it.”
“I do
n’t know.” Mark shook his head. “This seems like something you should let the police handle.” He walked over to the window and paused to stare out at the people walking past on the sidewalk.
Mark turned to face her. “I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, April, but I need this to be over. I’d appreciate it if you would help me make that happen.”
It wasn’t an outrageous request. The man was running for reelection. Still, her instincts went on alert. “You want me to say I killed David?”
“From what I’ve seen on the news, there’s every chance you did.”
“I don’t think that’s what happened. What if I can’t just go along with the story people want to believe?”
His mouth thinned, disapproval clear on his face. “Then you might find yourself looking for a job. I wouldn’t want that to happen. I have a great deal of respect for you. But I have a lot of people depending on me. This sort of thing could jeopardize the outcome of the election. It could jeopardize their futures as well as mine.”
She clenched her back teeth together to keep from arguing. Mark was her employer. She would be working for him after he was reelected. She liked her job. Perhaps she could find a way to keep it.
She pasted on a smile. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll give it some time, think things over. I’ll see you at the fund-raiser.”
“All right. In the meantime, why don’t you take a few more days off. After what you’ve been through, you deserve a little time to yourself.”
Maybe she did. Or maybe Mark just didn’t want her nosing around the office, looking for clues as to who might have wanted David dead.
“Thanks, Mark. Have a good day.”
April left the office and headed for home, her mind going over the conversation she’d just had. No way was she letting Mark Rydell threaten her. Why had he? Was he really just worried about his campaign? Or was his motive more sinister? Was there a chance he was involved in David’s murder?
As soon as she got home, she was going to get on the computer and do some digging. See if she could find a connection between David Dean and Mark Rydell that went beyond mayor and campaign manager.
