Detective Daddy

by Mallory Kane

  “He’s not. His car’s not here—”

  “Damn it. Have you called 9–1–1?”

  “No, I—”

  “Why not? Why’re you calling me?”

  “I don’t know. I just hit your number.”

  She heard the whoosh of his breath. She could picture the exasperation on his face. “I’ll call them. What’s the address?”

  She had to stop and think before she could recite it.

  “Don’t talk to anybody until I get there,” he commanded.

  Chapter Twelve

  When Ash got to the address Rachel had given him, there were three police cars with lights flashing, and three other vehicles besides Rachel’s parked near the house. He wove his way through curious onlookers and parked on a nearby side street, then loped back to the house. When he got to the door, a couple of uniformed officers were coming out.

  “What’s going on?” he asked them, flashing his detective’s badge.

  “Apparently that hot DNA specialist found the door open and a bunch of blood,” one of them said, jerking his thumb backward.

  Ash had to restrain himself from grabbing the officer’s collar and reminding him that Rachel Stevens was a Ph.D. and senior to him. It didn’t really matter right now. Right now he had to see if she was all right.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Detective Chasen told us to canvass the neighbors.”

  Ash nodded. Once he knew Rachel was all right, he was going to lay into her good for pulling this ridiculous stunt. He couldn’t believe she’d even thought about talking to Campbell alone. He pushed past the officers and opened the front door.

  There was a crime scene investigator in the living room, shining an ultraviolet light on the floor and marking each spot. She looked up. Ash flashed his badge.

  The CSI pointed behind her. “The bathroom,” she said. “Watch my markers. Best way might be through the kitchen.”

  He could hear the low roar of people talking as he wove his way carefully past her and through the kitchen.

  The scene that greeted him in the hallway looked like chaos—just like every crime scene he’d ever walked in on. Back when he was a rookie, it had taken a little while for him to figure out that what looked like utter confusion was actually a very odd but efficient meld of tasks, all of which were priority number one.

  He glanced into the front bedroom and saw Neil Chasen talking to Rachel. He’d leave them alone for now, because he wanted to see the bathroom.

  He was glad Neil was here. He’d been the detective on Rachel’s home invasion, so she’d be comfortable with him. He was an excellent detective and a natural leader, so Ash knew that he’d have the scene walked off, cataloged, photographed and sealed as soon as was humanly possible. Meanwhile Ash knew better than to get in his way.

  Two more officers were standing in the bathroom door. As Ash walked up, one said, “I guess we’d better get going. We’ve got a lot of hospitals to check.”

  Ash stood aside and let them pass. Inside the bathroom, a second crime scene investigator was making a digital recording of the room. When he stepped inside, the CSI glanced up. Ash showed him his badge, and he went back to his camera.

  The walls of the bathtub were streaked with blood and the floor had a pink film all over it, with a ring of darker pink around the drain.

  What the hell had happened here? It looked like the scene of a suicide, but suicides didn’t disappear from the scene.

  Suddenly, a shard of fear ripped through his chest. He took out his phone with a trembling hand and dialed the mansion. His aunt answered.

  “Aunt Angie. Where’s Uncle Craig?”

  “He’s watching TV. I’ll take him the phone.”

  Ash felt relief loosen his constricted chest. “No, that’s okay. Don’t bother him.” But he wasn’t done being worried. “Have you seen Natalie this afternoon?” He hoped he sounded casual.

  “Yes. She ate dinner with us. Ash, what’s going on?”

  So much for sounding casual. “Nothing. I’ve just been wondering how everybody’s doing. When did you last talk to Devin?”

  “Not today. I wish you’d get over here more often. I miss seeing you.”

  “I’ll definitely get by there this weekend or next, okay? I’ve just got a heavy caseload right now.”

  “I know you do, dear. Are you working on your parents’ case?”

  He looked around. “Yeah, I am. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

  “All right. Please be careful.”

  Ash hung up. He had one more phone call to make. He dialed Devin’s cell. After a couple of rings, his older brother answered. Again, relief flooded Ash’s chest. “Hey, Dev, what’s going on?”

  “What’s wrong, Ash?” Devin said sharply.

  Ash cleared his throat. He must sound terrible, the way everybody was reacting to his questions. “Nothing,” he answered. “Just checking to see what you’re up to.”

  “Right. Now, what the hell’s the matter with you?”

  “I’m standing in Rick Campbell’s bathroom.” He could tell Devin things that he’d never tell Aunt Angie or Natalie. “The tub’s covered in blood and he and his car are gone.”

  “What? What happened?”

  “No idea, but we’re working on it. I called Aunt Angie. I was afraid—”

  “Uncle Craig might have snapped?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And now you’re calling me? Well, thanks for including me in your short list of suspects.”

  “Hey. I was worried about you.”

  “Yeah, I know. Thanks.”

  “Later,” Ash said and hung up. He walked down the hall, avoiding the markers, and stepped into the bedroom where Neil and Rachel were talking. Rachel saw him and her fearful, pinched expression softened. She started toward him, then checked herself.

  Neil followed her gaze. “Kendall. Dr. Stevens was just telling me that you were her first call. What time was that?”

  Rachel’s head whipped around. “I told you, it was—”

  Neil held up his hand. “Hold on now, Rachel. This is protocol. Let Ash answer for himself.”

  She nodded. “Sorry,” she muttered.

  “I can tell you right here,” Ash said, pulling out his cell phone. “She called me at eleven minutes after seven. As soon as we hung up, I called 9–1–1. The 9–1–1 call can’t be more than one minute later.”

  Neil consulted a previous page of his notebook. “That’s just about right. What did she say to you?”

  “I’m sure she’s already told you.”

  “I shouldn’t have to remind you that these questions are routine, Detective.”

  Ash nodded. As much as he hated it, Rachel had involved him in this crime by calling him, so he had to co-operate. “I believe I said Rachel, what’s wrong? Then she said she’d found Campbell’s front door open and blood all over the bathroom. I asked if she’d called 9–1–1 and she said no. So I told her I would, and I told her to get out of the house and lock herself in her car. Not that she listened to me.” He glared at her.

  Neil looked at Ash, then Rachel, then back to Ash. He wrote very deliberately for a few seconds.

  “Dr. Stevens. Why didn’t you wait in the car?”

  She shook her head.

  “What did you do between calling Detective Kendall and when the police arrived?”

  “I crouched on the floor, looking at the pool of blood,” she said tiredly.

  “Did you talk to anyone?”

  “No. Not until the two uniformed officers came in. I told them what I’d told Ash, that I had found the front door open and the blood covering the bathroom floor.”

  “I think we probably need to go to the station. I’ve got some more questions for you, and we need to get out of CSI’s way anyway.”

  “You’re taking her in?” Ash asked.

  “Just so I can find out everything she knows about what happened here.”

  “What makes you think she knows anything?”

/>   Neil squinted at Ash, then took out his cell phone and punched a number. “Joe, leave Mason to finish the canvassing. I want you to take Dr. Stevens to the station in her car. Find a room where she’ll be comfortable and get her whatever she wants to eat and drink. I’ll be there soon.”

  He hung up and looked at Rachel. “He’ll be here in a minute. Let’s go outside onto the porch.” He placed a hand in the middle of her back.

  Ash followed them out to the front porch where the officer was waiting. He took over for Chasen and guided her down the steps to her car.

  She looked at Ash. He nodded reassuringly. Then he turned to Neil. “I heard an officer saying they were checking the hospitals. Are you treating it as an attempted suicide?”

  “I’m not treating it as anything. I’m trying to cover all the bases.”

  “Including that Rachel sneaked in here, killed Campbell, set it up as a suicide and carted off his body?”

  “Don’t be an ass,” Neil snapped.

  “Well, don’t treat her like a suspect.”

  “I’m not. I’m treating her like a material witness.”

  “We both know what that means,” Ash retorted. “You don’t seriously think she’s involved in this, do you?”

  “No,” Neil said. “Not by herself.”

  “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” Ash asked. “Are you suggesting that I—”

  “You and your family have a lot of reasons to resent Campbell.”

  “No, we don’t,” Ash said firmly. “He’s been cleared of the murder. We have no feelings toward him except maybe to feel sorry for him for having served twenty years for a crime he didn’t commit.”

  “That’s how you view him? As a victim?”

  Ash’s ears were burning, he was so angry. “Of course. My family didn’t convict him, but we were glad he was locked up. Now that he’s been proven innocent, of course we’re glad he’s free.”

  “You know I’m going to have to talk to them, don’t you?”

  “Ah, hell, Neil. They’re going through so much right now.”

  The older detective shrugged. “You know it has to be done. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t record their whereabouts when this happened.”

  “Well, leave my sister out of it. She couldn’t possibly have done it.”

  “Ash, I understand what you’re saying, but you know I can’t do that.”

  Ash cursed and pushed his fingers through his hair. “Have your CSIs found anything to suggest that any of my family was here?”

  “I can’t answer that.” Neil appraised him. “What was Rachel doing here?” he asked.

  “Hell if I know. The first I knew of her even thinking about Campbell was when she called me earlier.”

  “What do you think she wanted with him?”

  Ash shook his head. “You’re not luring me into that spiderweb. She’d have to answer that question herself.”

  “Yeah.” Neil looked at his watch. “I need to get back there and get started.”

  “How long are you going to keep her?”

  “Depends. Why?”

  “I’m not letting her go home alone tonight. I could sit in on the interview with you.”

  “Nice try, Detective,” Neil said wryly. “You can catch up on your paperwork or something until I’m finished with her.”

  “Thanks for the suggestion, but I think I’ll observe.”

  “Suit yourself.” He turned and called out to CSIs. “I’m heading out. Get me your reports ASAP. This is going to play really badly on the news.”

  Ash got in his car and headed over to the station house, thinking about what Neil had said. He was right. This was going to be a media circus. Once the press found out that Rick Campbell, falsely imprisoned for twenty years, had disappeared and blood had been found in his house, they were going to come after the Kendall family with a vengeance. By tomorrow morning they’d be swarming the mansion like angry hornets.

  But that was probably nothing compared to what the police would do. The task force was already working on reopening the Christmas Eve Murders case. Now they’d focus on his entire family, questioning them about their whereabouts at the time of Campbell’s murder, probing into their private lives, hounding them and treating them like suspects.

  He blew out a frustrated breath and picked up his phone. He needed to warn everybody so they wouldn’t be blindsided this time.

  “THAT’S NOT AN ACCEPTABLE answer,” Detective Neil Chasen said as he paced back and forth behind the straight-backed chair Rachel was sitting in.

  “Well, I’m sorry, Neil, it’s the only answer I’ve got,” Rachel retorted, rubbing her temples with her fingertips. Her head was beginning to hurt and little stars twinkled at the edge of her vision.

  “Let’s try this again,” Neil said. “You went outside to sit on Ash’s porch because you couldn’t sleep.”

  She sighed. “That’s right. It was dark, sometime in the early morning hours. I may have been out there a half hour when a car turned onto the street and cut its headlights. It drove around the cul-de-sac and stopped in front of Ash’s house. I guess it must have stayed there with its engine idling for about three hours. I didn’t want the driver to see me, so I didn’t move but eventually dozed off on the glider. The sky was beginning to lighten when a change in the engine noise woke me up, and I got a look at the license plate.”

  “So then you went inside.”

  “Right.” She nodded and immediately regretted it. “Neil, I’ve got a headache. I wasn’t hungry earlier but now I need something to eat, or at least something to drink. Not coffee. I missed dinner.”

  Neil looked up at the one-way mirror and nodded. Rachel knew all about the one-way mirrors in the interrogation rooms. She’d even stood behind them listening to interrogations a few times. But she’d never been on this side, with a detective standing over her.

  “All right. You’ll have something in a few minutes. Now tell me exactly what you did when you went back inside. Why did you leave Ash asleep on the couch? Why didn’t you wake him and tell him about the car?”

  She rubbed her temples again. “Could we skip all that and go directly to the answer you think is unacceptable?”

  “Sure. We can do that. As long as this time your answer’s not because he called me.”

  She shrugged. “But that is why.”

  Neil rolled his eyes. “Come on, Rachel. You told me you’d had the license plate run, and gotten his address. You’d already decided to talk to him, and I want to know why. That’s the answer that doesn’t work for me.”

  “I don’t have a good answer for that,” she said, spreading her hands. “When I found out it was Campbell’s car parked in front of Ash’s house, it worried me. I was afraid he might be planning to do something to Ash.”

  “That brings us back to my previous question. You didn’t bother to tell Ash, a police detective who deals with that type of thing on a daily basis. Instead you decided to take your dad’s service weapon and go to Campbell’s house alone. Why didn’t you wake Ash?”

  Rachel arched her neck and grimaced at the tightness. “All right, all right.” She didn’t want to go into all the reasons she’d done what she’d done, mostly because she really didn’t know exactly what they were.

  “Of course it would have made more sense to let Ash know that Campbell was watching his house and let him handle it.” She sighed. But she’d wanted to give him something—to solve something for him—so he would have one less thing to worry about instead of one more. If she told Neil that, she’d have to tell him what else was weighing on Ash’s mind. She’d have to tell him she was pregnant.

  “Ash was upset with me for—for several reasons. And Campbell going free is really wearing on him and his family. I wanted to take care of one problem for him.”

  Neil’s brows shot upward. “Take care of?”

  “Oh, for crying out loud, Neil. You know what I mean,” she snapped. The little stars behind her eyes were growing in numb
er. Soon she’d have to lay her head down or risk fainting.

  At that moment a knock sounded on the door. “Thank goodness,” she murmured.

  An officer brought in a wrapped vending machine sandwich and a lemon-lime soda. She tore into the sandwich, which was pimento cheese and surprisingly good, and gulped the soda.

  “Could you just let me write all this out and sign it? I really need to get some sleep,” she mumbled through a mouthful of sandwich. She swallowed, then looked up at Neil. “That’s assuming you’re not going to arrest me.”

  “You know how this works, Rachel. This interview is being recorded. It’ll be transcribed and then you’ll get to sign it.”

  “But the transcriptionists don’t come in until eight o’clock. I can’t stay here that long. Neil, please.”

  “You can go in just a few minutes. Tell me about the phone call from Rick Campbell.”

  Rachel devoured the last bites of the sandwich and washed it down with soda. Then she took a deep breath. She felt a lot better, and the stars were fading. “I got home from work yesterday, and took a nap. I was planning to go to his house around seven-thirty and ask him what he was doing sitting outside Ash’s house. I have a carry permit,” she added, as if that would give her more credibility. From the look on Neil’s face, his attitude about her packing was exactly the same as Ash’s.

  Neil pulled out a chair and sat down. “So you told me.”

  “I’d just picked up my purse and keys when my house phone rang. It was Campbell. He said he wanted to ask me some questions. He wanted to meet me somewhere. He offered to come to my office or meet me in a public place. So I suggested The Whole Bean Thing the next day—today—but he never showed up.”

  “Was that the extent of your conversation?”

  “No.” She paused. “I asked him if he’d been watching Ash’s house. I thought he was going to just hang up, but finally he admitted he had. He said he’d been following me. He’d wanted to talk to me, but Ash was always there.” She looked at her hands. “He said he just wanted to be close to me.”

  Neil glanced up at the one-way mirror, then back at her. “Are you listening to yourself?” he asked. “Campbell was stalking you. And you went to his house!”