Infatuations

by Barbara Winkes

  “It is. Just something I asked her to look into it. That company really worked hard to badmouth the poor woman and her husband.”

  That prompted Ellie to get out of bed and fold her into a hug.

  “What’s that for?”

  “You’re a good person. And I love you.”

  “I love you too. I’m not so sure about the other thing.”

  “You’re still thinking about Kathryn?” Ellie asked softly.

  Jordan sighed. “It shouldn’t be such a big deal, right? I try to be consistent, so I don’t invite her. On the other hand, it would only be a few hours.”

  “Some of the most important hours in our lives.”

  “Yeah, but shouldn’t I be the bigger person in this? The grown-up?”

  “Kathryn should have been the grown-up a long time ago, but she wasn’t. She’s helped with two rather big cases, and she opened her home to Serena and Meg even knowing it could put her in danger. Is that enough? I’m not sure if it would be for me.”

  “I’ll give that some thought. What about you? You’re still okay with how everything went yesterday?”

  “It was a bit quick,” Ellie admitted. “But yes, I’m okay. All right. I guess you need to get going. Is she cute?”

  A non-committal sound was all the comment Jordan was willing to give.

  * * * *

  “Hey, Harding, there’s someone here to see you,” Doss told her as she was passing her by in the hallway. Curious, Ellie went to see Marco Raynor waiting by her desk.

  “Mr. Raynor, it’s good to see you.”

  “I’m surprised I’m saying this to a cop, but I’m glad to see you too. I wanted to thank you for catching Lea’s killer.”

  “That’s my job.”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t think anyone would give a damn.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing you were wrong.” Ellie noticed he was fidgeting. “Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?”

  “No, it’s all right.”

  “Are you sure? In any case, if there’s ever a problem, please let me know.”

  He folded the card she gave him and put it into the pocket of his jeans.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Oh, I actually might have a job lined up. People at the university were shocked that some of their own students were killers. They stepped up the program.”

  “That’s good news. Best of luck to you.”

  “Thanks, Detective. Have a good day.”

  Ellie watched him walk away, wondering if she’d ever see him again. Something was nagging at the back of her mind. No reason, right? Perhaps she was just nervous because the big day was arriving rapidly. Meanwhile, she had a job to do.

  * * * *

  April had already a tall latte in front of her when Jordan arrived at the café across from the station.

  “Good morning. I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait. This might be the only good kind of caffeine I get today.”

  “No problem. This is it?”

  April handed her the thin blue folder. “Pretty dubious business practices. We are looking further into that. I know you’d like to give the widow some piece of mind, but I want you to be vague about what you share with her. There’s still a chance we might get those sons of bitches.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Jordan ordered a black coffee and asked the waitress for the check. She opened the folder and began to skim the pages, evidence detailing on how employees were pressured to push products on clients, punished if they didn’t make the quota.

  “Wait until you get to the end,” April said. “It’s some messed up stuff, but we have to tread carefully. People are afraid for their jobs, here, and in companies they partnered with.”

  “Anyone afraid for their lives?”

  “I’d say that’s a matter of interpretation so far. In any case, the climate must have been pretty horrible.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Any time. And by the way, congratulations on the wedding.”

  Jordan’s surprise must have shown. April laughed. “Word gets around quickly. It’s not the first lesbian wedding in the department, but you know how it is. We are always interested in what’s going on in Homicide.”

  “I guess.”

  “In any case, the more of us, the better. Thanks for the coffee. I hope you’ll find what you’re looking for in those reports.”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  * * * *

  Jordan spent her lunch break reading over the materials, finding confirmation of what April told her. That meant the death of Daniel Kenning had been a suicide. The circumstances were obvious, but there wasn’t enough evidence to suggest a homicide. The least she could do was to give Mrs. Kenning her final conclusion. She already knew that the medical examiner had ruled his death a suicide—what April had given to Jordan showed that Mrs. Kenning hadn’t been crazy to think the company had put a lot of pressure on all employees.

  Fifteen minutes after her shift, Jordan knocked on the woman’s door.

  “Can I come in for a moment? I promise I won’t bother you for long.”

  Mrs. Kenning shrugged. She didn’t seem to have a strong opinion one way or another.

  “I already know there’s nothing you can do. Unless that changed, I’m not sure why you’re here.”

  “We are sure that your husband took his own life,” Jordan said. “I’m so sorry. Even if it wasn’t a homicide, it doesn’t mean you were completely off. It’s out of my hands now, but it seems there is a culture of harassment and threats at your husband’s firm. I promise you that someone will look into that.”

  It wasn’t much, she knew. It wouldn’t bring a grieving widow her husband back.

  “You know, it’s strange, right, that some days, I’m mad at him before anything else. He left me alone to deal with all of this! We could have worked it out somehow.”

  “He didn’t mean to hurt you. In a moment like that, people can’t see any way out.”

  Mrs. Kenning straightened her shoulders. “I know that too. Thank you, Detective. I’m relieved to know someone believes me. Maybe the emails will stop, too.”

  “What emails are you talking about?”

  “They come every day. I don’t recognize the sender, but I have an idea—they want to get back at me for talking to the police, scare me. I’ve lost everything,” she said, sounding desperate. “What the hell do they think I’m afraid of?”

  “Show me,” Jordan said. “I swear we’re going to do something about that too.”

  After reading over the three emails in Mrs. Kenning’s inbox, she excused herself and called April.

  “Hey. I have something you should take a look at. There might be harassment charges to add to your list.”

  “I like this collaboration already.” April laughed. “I’ll pay for the coffee next time. Send it over.”

  Chapter Ten

  Unlocking the door to her home half an hour later, Jordan was surprised to hear laughter from the living area. She walked in on a cozy scene. Ellie and Kate were hunched over the bridal magazines, prompting Derek to say, “I’m so out of here.” No one took him seriously, and he looked quite comfortable with his beer in hand.

  Darla sat next to them, her son Avery playing with blocks on the carpet.

  Ellie all but jumped to her feet and greeted her with a kiss.

  “You’re home! I would have warned you about all this, but I don’t think you read any of your messages.”

  “It’s fine. Who’s cooking?”

  “Giacomo. They should be here in about ten minutes.”

  “I love you,” Jordan said with emphasis, before she went to the fridge to get a beer for herself. She was still switching from work mode to evening with friends, flashes of earlier conversations vivid.

  “Hey.”

  Darla had joined her in the kitchen area while keeping an eye on her son. “Things are going pretty well for you two, I see.”

  “Yes, they are.” Jo
rdan opened her beer, leaning back against the counter, finally relaxing. Once the sender of the emails was identified, it would probably help April’s case. Give Mrs. Kenning further closure. Things were good.

  “You know I still keep in touch with Serena?”

  “How is she?”

  “Doing okay. She found a job, and she’s going to this new place where you can help out and get meals. They teach you how to cook, too.”

  “Is there something you want to tell me?” Jordan winced as her words came out a bit harsher than she’d intended them. “I’m sorry. Long day.”

  “It’s okay, but wow, I can’t get anything past you, can I?”

  “I’m a detective, remember?”

  “All I meant to say was I can imagine it’s difficult. Serena and Kathryn talk…So I got a little bit of both sides.”

  “You don’t really know both sides,” Jordan said, taking a sip from her bottle. “Let’s not talk about this.”

  She was literally saved by the bell. She’d give the delivery person an extra tip for good timing.

  * * * *

  “It’s not like I have a problem with them per se, but where is it going to end? People marrying their brother or sister because they feel like they have the right to do so?”

  On the other side of the door left ajar, Ellie curled her fingers into a fist so hard her fingernails were biting into the skin of her palm. She was counting to ten. She knew that the majority of people in general, and in her workplace, were better educated and more decent than that. She also knew that exceptions were everywhere, and Chris Atwood had been on that list since he called Kate a slut for daring to move on with her life after a horrible loss. Waters, who seemed to be friendly with Atwood, was another one to watch. His casual sexism came as no surprise. She had seen him acting that way with Doss a few times, making her glad that his retirement was near.

  Sadly, age wasn’t the only factor. Ellie was troubled to think that someone of her own generation, even younger, could have such a closed mind, but here it was.

  “Well, things are moving into a different direction now,” Waters answered.

  “Yeah, thank God. No more special rights for everyone who cries discrimination. It’s been overdue.”

  Ellie cleared her throat and pushed the door open. The two men barely noticed her as she walked in. On the bright side, they were alone. It didn’t seem like there were many more colleagues involved in this kind of gossip.

  “Remember those files you wanted me to go through? I think I found something,” she said.

  Neither of them were the slightest bit self-conscious regarding the conversation she’d just overheard. Ellie hadn’t expected it either.

  Waters picked up his coffee. “All right. What do you have?”

  She had spent a day and a half over dusty files concerning a drug dealer who had dropped off the face of the earth after getting out on bail, charged in the recent murder of a young waitress. Waters had opened this case before her promotion. The dealer’s ex-girlfriend had been interviewed, but swore she didn’t know where he was. Silence on the street as well.

  Ellie had gone over a pile of court transcripts and interviews per Waters’ request, in the search for something, anything anyone might have overlooked.

  “What about the girlfriend’s sister?”

  “What about her?”

  Atwood rolled his eyes and left.

  Ellie opened the file she was carrying to a page she’d marked with a sticky note. “I see here that Ashley, the girlfriend, has a sister.”

  “Yeah, I remember her sitting in the courtroom.”

  “Ashley isn’t talking to the police, but maybe her sister will. She might know something about Ashley’s relationship with Lemont that could help us.”

  “It’s a long shot,” he said. Ellie sensed that the lack of progress in this investigation might make him go for it.

  “I could go right now and talk to her, so we can check that off the list?”

  “All right. You do that.”

  So much for live and learn…but at least she’d be able to escape the files. Ellie sneezed three times as she left the building. Dust, that was all there was to it. She couldn’t afford to get sick weeks before her wedding. No way.

  * * * *

  Ashley’s sister Jayne lived in an apartment complex, with a small playground in the back that looked old and rundown, more of a safety hazard than a place to let children play. She reluctantly let Ellie in.

  “I don’t know why you keep bothering Ashley,” she said. “Please don’t take it personally, I just don’t see the sense in it. Ryan Lemont being out of her life was the best thing that ever happened to her. She sure as hell doesn’t miss him.”

  “Your sister told us she doesn’t know where he is.”

  “Then it’s the truth. That’s all I can tell you.”

  Ellie couldn’t yet figure out if her defensive demeanor meant that she was annoyed by the police’s repeat visits, or if she was hiding something. In any case, she planned to find out.

  “You have a pretty good idea of what Ashley and Ryan’s relationship was like.”

  Jayne scoffed. “You bet.”

  “Do you think it’s possible he threatened her?”

  “Only all the time? But I don’t think he’s been around in a while, if that’s what you’re asking. She would tell me.”

  “If he shows up, it’s important that you tell us.”

  “Yeah, we’ve heard that before. I believe he moved on. Things got too hot around here. I guess he thought that this time, you actually have something on him, so he split. As I’ve said, for me and Ashley it’s only a good thing.”

  Ellie took her time to consider the implications of her words. “Did he ever threaten you?”

  “Only when I told Ash to get the hell away from him. Regardless, I don’t want that kind of people around my kids.”

  “I understand. Just let me know if anything changes.”

  Jayne took the card from her, regarding it thoughtfully.

  “You know, I don’t like these types that love to parade their guns and claim to clean up the neighborhood…except lately, it seems to have worked around here. Ryan took off, and I think a few others are gone too. So that’s not a bad thing...right?”

  “These types…Is there anyone in particular?” Ellie thought that this kind of job was best left to the police, but she didn’t share her assessment with the woman now that she got her to open up a bit.

  “I don’t know their names. Big guy in a truck, and a few others.”

  “That’s all right. Please call me if you hear from Mr. Lemont.”

  She had to admit, later when she brought her meager findings to Waters, that the long shot hadn’t panned out the way she hoped it would.

  “It was worth checking,” he said to her surprise. “Back to the drawing board.”

  “I wonder if it’s a coincidence that she mentioned the neighborhood watch.”

  “Yeah, let go of that already. These guys aren’t doing anything illegal, and you don’t want a lawsuit a few weeks into your new job.”

  While she hadn’t forgotten about his approval of Atwood’s stereotypes, Ellie had to admit he wasn’t too far off. She had to be careful—nevertheless she was curious about the hold this neighborhood watch seemed to have in certain areas.

  When she looked up, she saw the lieutenant heading their way. His expression was serious, his tone curt and clipped when he spoke.

  “Hikers found a body near Patton Lake Park. Please tell me you got the right guys the first time.”

  “Sir, there’s no doubt that—”

  “Save it, Harding. We’ll sort this out later. Go and find out what the hell happened.”

  * * * *

  Ellie was lost in thought on the way to the park, and Waters didn’t offer anything to ease her mind. Was it possible? They had witnesses, confessions, DNA all lined up. A man had sat across from her and detailed how much he enjoyed killing homeless peop
le. His deep and disturbing disdain had almost made her sick. A friend of his had set fire to a shelter to “send a message.”

  She hadn’t made a mistake.

  But if that was true, there was an even more disturbing possibility: Another killer. At least she had gradually followed the advice of her colleagues and donned some more practical clothes. The sky had been clear this morning, but now a constant drizzle was coming down. Thank God for small favors, like a coat with a hood.

  Ellie’s day went downhill from there.

  They arrived at the scene where unis had already taped off the area, onlookers surrounding it even in the bad weather. It was like an uncanny déja-vu that only got worse when she got to look at the body.

  “Single GSW from what we can determine at the moment. Bullet’s still inside. I’ll be able to tell you more after the autopsy.”

  Dr. Adams’ voice came if from far away. Ellie’s hand went to her mouth.

  The victim was Marco Raynor.

  * * * *

  The hits kept on coming. Ellie had been excited about the notion that solving the case would bring justice to the victims. Lea. Willie Potter, who, even if the medical examiner’s ruling still held, had been brutalized before. The janitor who had died in the fire, and the men and women who had lost the shelter. She had hoped that closing the case also might lead to new options for some of the people she’d met along the way, including Marco Raynor. Whatever new path he might have gotten on, someone had stopped him brutally, and perhaps the time of fear wasn’t over for the homeless.

  “I guess this tells us something about the context.” Cliff Waters held up the small plastic bag containing a white powder.

  Ellie frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. He didn’t use or deal…no priors in that area.”

  “Perhaps no one had caught him yet, did you think about that? He got into it with someone. Remember what the park employee said. It’s sad, but it seems this guy was always itching for a fight—this time, he picked the wrong people.”

  Ellie crouched down next to the victim. Marco Raynor’s right hand was balled into a fist. She donned latex gloves, took a deep breath. And another.

  “Go ahead,” Dr. Adams told her.

  Trying not to feel and hear what she was doing, Ellie carefully pried his fingers open, her stomach rolling slightly. A torn piece of paper came into view: part of a business card.