‘I would hate myself forever if I hurt you.’
Kari traced the tips of her fingers along his cheek. ‘I don’t believe you would ever hurt me.’
‘Not intentionally,’ Jason said, gazing deeply into her eyes. ‘But we do have a rather complex relationship. When I met you, you were my cousin Roger’s girlfriend. You didn’t even have time to get over his cruel betrayal before we were … involved.’
‘Roger Cline is not part of our lives any more,’ Kari disregarded his concern, utterly enraptured by his smoky grey eyes. ‘We got past him before you left. Reggie understands about how his brother treated women. He’s perfectly OK with you and me being together. Your aunt Sally and even my folks have accepted we are a couple, so the hard part is over.’
‘No, the hard part is that I happen to reside on the other side of the ocean. Once I’m convinced you are safe, I’ll be leaving again.’
‘We can find a way around that,’ she persisted. ‘What else is bothering you?’
Jason lifted one shoulder in a shrug. ‘I suppose I still feel a measure of guilt for not being faithful to Doris.’
‘You told me that Doris wanted you to find another person to love.’
‘Yes, but it isn’t that easy. I do want to move on, but it’s difficult.’
‘Maybe you really don’t care for me?’
‘No!’ he stated adamantly. ‘That is absolutely not part of the problem.’
‘Then what else matters?’
‘A proper courtship between two people is more than a visit every six months. I would feel like a proper heel if we escalated our relationship when there isn’t any future for us.’
‘You’re talking about one of us having to give up their career and move across the ocean. That’s really what you’re saying, isn’t it?’
Jason rested his hands on her shoulders, consumed by the desire to hold Kari close and never let her go. But the future offered an impossible choice. Could she leave the position she had worked for for so long and hard and move to England? Could he leave his position with the CID and start a new life in America?
Kari leaned forward and gently touched his lips with her own. When she drew back, she whispered, ‘If we truly love each other, we’ll find a way, Jason.’
‘Two demanding careers in a relationship almost never works,’ he argued softly.
She slipped inside his guard, arms going about his neck, and subtly rotated around on to his lap. ‘I don’t want to lose you, Jason,’ she murmured, her lips only inches from his own. ‘I’ve fallen in love with you.’
Jason knew in his heart that he would never find another woman like Kari. When she kissed him a second time, he surrendered to his desire and kissed her right back.
The captain stood at Grady’s desk, hands on his hips and an unhappy look on his face.
‘Are we any closer to finding anyone of interest in these murders?’
‘I’m afraid not, Capt’n,’ Grady replied. ‘Ventura claims the Lobos had nothing to do with Dom and Juno’s deaths. But he is looking for payback for Hector being killed.’
‘Oh, we’re in a great position. Two of the biggest gangs in the valley are out for each other’s blood. We’re sitting on a bomb, gentlemen.’ He glanced from Grady to Hampton. ‘It could go off at any minute and tear this city apart.’
Hampton harrumphed under his intense stare and offered up a little news. ‘We tracked down the blue Ford Taurus the reporter saw outside Juno’s place. It had the dent in the front fender, exactly the way she described it.’
‘And?’
‘It had been stolen from a autobody shop. One of the employees left the keys in it overnight. They didn’t report it because they assumed the owner had needed the car and picked it up.’
‘What about prints?’
‘It was wiped clean. We have it over at Impound and are still going over it, but nothing so far.’
‘How about a motive for these murders?’
‘It doesn’t appear to have been linked to the visit of the two girls,’ Hampton reported. ‘Lana Monroe used to hang with Victor, but claims there were no hard feelings about their breakup. The other girl is a friend of Lana’s and was just out for a good time. Lana said Dom became what she termed as ‘overly aggressive’ after a drink or two and they left.’
‘Sounds like Dom,’ Grady inserted. ‘He had a reputation for being abusive towards women.’
‘So what else could this be about?’ The captain was growing desperate.
‘It possibly has something to do with the big monthly drug shipment that comes in from Colombia. You remember the piece Kari Underwood did after those people were chased out of the hills by men watching over a field of marijuana. Well, we believe the reason for shooting at the reporter was because she showed up at just the wrong time and gave the impression that she knew something.’
‘But she doesn’t know anything … right?’
‘She’s totally without a clue,’ Grady answered. ‘We’re guessing one of the drug lords is paranoid and got the wrong idea from her visit.’
‘What about stealing the phones and computer? What was the killer looking for in Dom and Juno’s place?’
‘No way to tell,’ Hampton said. ‘We’ve tried to backtrack the extra money those two had been flashing around, but we’ve hit a stone wall. Other than their regular paychecks, their bank deposits were in cash, as were their last few purchases for the television and Xbox … even the games and DVDs. Whatever they were into, they were getting paid in cash.’
‘But it wasn’t for dealing dope?’
‘Not according to the street informants and the gang unit. I checked with Rick Cory – our most knowledgeable cop on the streets.’
‘Cory is a good man,’ the captain agreed. ‘Before he took over we had a lot more drive-bys and other shootings, with a good many innocent people getting injured or killed. He’s done a lot of good by negotiating peace between the gangs.’
‘And he has the best source around,’ Grady added quickly.
Hampton summarized, ‘Even so, he couldn’t offer any help on these murders. To his knowledge, Juno and Dom were never involved in drugs, other than to buy a small amount of marijuana for their own kicks. And Hector was a small fish in the pond.’
‘Does he have any idea that might fit?’
‘No,’ Grady responded. ‘He reported that no one on the streets seems to know anything about the two shootings.’
‘And we’ve had no luck finding the dealer who is trading with the Colombians?’
‘Cory and the entire gang unit are in the dark. They’ve been trying to find the people bringing the monthly cocaine shipments for over a year, but have come up with zilch.’
‘OK. Well, keep at it. Use all the resources you need.’
‘You bet, Capt’n,’ Grady said. ‘We’re still cross-checking everything from the three deaths and have added in the shots fired at the reporter.’
The captain gave an approving bob of his head. ‘You two are killing my budget, logging all these man hours on a single case. But we need results before this ends up with a dozen people getting killed.’
‘We’re following every possible lead,’ Hampton was quick to reply.
‘Plus we now have the Brit back in town.’ Grady was half serious. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised to see him show up with his own theory or idea one of these next days.’
‘Thanks.’ The captain didn’t hide his lack of enthusiasm, ‘Having an outsider on board, along with his snoopy reporter girlfriend, makes me feel so much better.’
As soon as the captain left them alone, Grady whispered, ‘I wouldn’t mind Keane’s help. We’re like a race car that’s stuck in neutral. We can’t even spin our wheels!’
‘I hear you, partner.’ Hampton heaved a sigh. ‘Now, tell me you’ve got some inkling of what we do next.’
Deciding the best way to help Kari was to find out the who and why of the murders, Jason agreed they should do some investigating on their own. After going ov
er the police list of witnesses and likely suspects, they opted to visit Juno’s older sister. Kari had been on her way to talk to her when the shots were fired at her car. As Rita Orozco was rumored to have been closer to Juno than anyone else in his family, she hoped the girl could offer them some helpful information.
Rita was a caregiver and companion for a moderately wealthy elderly woman. The lady’s residence was an older home, in a nicely cared for area, a short way from the Hogle Zoo. They arrived to discover Juno’s sister unloading some groceries from the trunk of a 2008 black Cadillac CTS. Also in the driveway was a brand-new copper-coloured Volvo sedan.
Kari introduced herself and Jason offered to carry in the remaining packages.
Rita was fairly attractive, an inch or two shorter than Kari’s five-foot-four inch height. She had a woman’s build, and her black hair was well down over her shoulders. Her clothes were much nicer than those of most girls in the homecare field, with a designer purse slung over one shoulder.
‘Weekly shopping,’ Rita explained to them. ‘Ms Lovendaul doesn’t often leave the house.’
‘You’ve a nice car,’ Jason said, admiring the Volvo.
Rita smiled. ‘It’s got everything, including a big monthly payment and sky-high insurance.’
‘We would like to talk to you about Juno.’ Kari explained the purpose of their visit. ‘Do you have a minute?’
‘Let me put the groceries away first. Ms Lovendaul is always concerned about keeping her produce fresh.’
‘Lead the way,’ Jason offered, picking up the final two sacks and then closing the trunk of the Caddy.
Ms Lovendaul seemed happy for some company. She also took a shine to Jason, as soon as she heard him speak.
‘Australian, aren’t you?’ she guessed.
‘English, actually,’ Jason replied, masking his normal frustration.
‘Let me show you my house,’ the woman insisted. ‘I’ve had a lot of work done lately. It’s all so very nice.’
‘Certainly,’ Jason replied politely, setting the sacks on the table for Rita. ‘I can see the place is adequately maintained.’
Kari noticed a slight crease appear along Rita’s forehead, as if she wasn’t happy to have her employer showing a stranger around the house. She discarded the notion as being overly protective and began questioning the girl while she was putting away the grocery items.
‘I’ve been told you and your brother were quite close,’ she began.
‘Juno and I were the last kids at home, you know? We had six brothers and sisters who had moved out by the time we were in junior high. Me and Juno pretty much depended on each other right up through high school. Our folks were getting along in years, so we had to do a lot for them.’
‘And Dominick was your brother’s best friend?’
Rita had been putting some items in the refrigerator. She paused from the chore giving the simple question some thought.
‘Look, I know you and the cops think those two were into something bad, selling drugs or the like. It’s not true. As for Dom and Juno being best of friends, I liked Dom, but I wouldn’t have let my worst enemy go out on a date with him.’
‘I read about his run-ins with the police about battering a girl or two.’
‘He changed after his mother died. It’s like he kind of hated her for leaving him and took it out on every girl he dated … know what I mean?’
‘I think so.’
‘No matter what kind of animal he was around women, he wasn’t a thief or drug dealer. Dom and my brother never got involved with that stuff. Juno was going to get some technical training in auto mechanics and start his own garage. Dom was going to work with him, keeping the books and handling the money. They had plans for a future, Miss Underwood. They wanted to make something out of their lives.’
‘They seemed to have come into some money lately,’ Kari said.
Rita returned to the chore of storing the produce items. ‘Last time I talked to Juno, he said they were doing some odd jobs for people, building stuff or installing carpet, things like that.’
‘You’re sure it was nothing illegal?’
‘Yes,’ Rita stated emphatically, closing the refrigerator door harder than necessary. ‘It had nothing to do with gangs, or dealing drugs, or breaking the law.’
Jason returned a few moments later with Ms Lovendaul. ‘It’s a big, beautiful house,’ he praised to Kari and Rita. ‘It’s plain to see why she needs help taking care of it.’
The elderly woman beamed. ‘Rita helps me with everything I need,’ she said. ‘The girl’s been like a guardian angel to me.’
‘You’re too kind, Ida,’ Rita replied, beaming a smile at her. ‘I’m happy to have found such a wonderful lady to look after.’
‘We won’t take any more of your time,’ Kari said. ‘It was very nice of you to speak to us.’
‘You kids feel free to come back any time,’ Ms Lovendaul invited. ‘We can have coffee next time.’
They thanked both of them for their hospitality and returned to the car. Once on the street, Kari told Jason what Rita had said about her brother and Dom.
‘Yes, Ms Lovendaul had nothing but praise for Rita. She is lonely but sound of mind. There has been a lot of work done to fix up the house lately, minor repairs, a new sink and storage shed, that sort of thing.’
‘Rita is convinced Juno and Dom were not involved in any drug dealing and said they had been doing work on the side for their extra money. That leaves us with robbery as the only motive.’
‘Unless a boyfriend or father of one of the girls Dom abused came calling,’ Jason suggested.
‘I have the name of the last girl Dom assaulted. We’ll check with her next.’
‘Sounds like a good idea.’
‘Oh, Dee called me before you arrived this morning. Her daughter is getting married next month and they are having a bridal shower for her tonight. I hate to—’
‘It’s fine,’ Jason cut her explanation short. ‘Reggie said his grandfather, Tynan, would like to go shoot some pool tonight. I was going to ask if you wanted to tag along.’
‘Not that Tynan isn’t a fun character, and I do like Reggie, but this works out better for both of us. Dee is my best friend at work and I promised her ages ago that I would help with the party.’
‘I’ll ring up Reggie and let him know there will only be the three of us tonight.’
Kari glanced at her watch. ‘After we see this next person, we can stop for lunch.’ She smiled at Jason. ‘I don’t want anything too filling as I’m taking you to one of my favorite restaurants tonight.’
‘Are you certain we will have time before your party?’
‘The place I have in mind opens early for supper. We’ll eat about five.’
Jason chuckled. ‘Might as well spend our time eating. It’s not as if we’re setting the Thames on fire with our investigation.’
Kari threw him an inquisitive glance. ‘I don’t know what the Thames has to do with anything, but I’m ready to eat something.’
CHAPTER TEN
GRADY AND HAMPTON kept the two men separated, one to either side of the interview table. Victor Orozco had spouted off a string of vile names and refused to sit down. He stood with his tattooed arms folded and glared across at the leader of the 39th Street Lobos, Jesse Ventura. Returning the baleful stare, Jesse glowered back; neither of them had yet uttered a word to the other.
‘Now you two listen up!’ Hampton’s voice boomed within the closed room. ‘We don’t want a bloody war in the valley. If there’s one more incident linked to either of you, we’ll round up all of the members of both of your gangs and toss you all in jail!’
‘We didn’t draw first blood,’ Victor said between clenched teeth.
Jesse opened up. ‘Your flunkies killed Hector!’
‘I never gave the order,’ Victor snarled back. ‘If someone wasted Hector, it wasn’t on my order!’
‘Same goes for Juno!’ Jesse fired back. ‘Why would one of
my guys take out a no-account like him? What would there be to gain?’
‘Maybe you thought he knew something,’ Victor surmised. ‘Maybe you are the ones dealing with the Colombians?’
‘We ain’t looking to draw fire from the feds with our enterprise,’ Jesse replied. ‘We prefer working under their radar.’
‘No different for the Hard Corps,’ Victor threw the words back at him. ‘We didn’t have nothing to do with Hector.’
‘Unless you ain’t the big dog who actually runs the Hard Corps any more,’ Jesse said. ‘Maybe someone is looking to move up in your gang!’
‘And it could be you don’t know squat about what your boys are up to either!’
‘All right!’ Hampton’s bass voice again filled the room. ‘This is why we brought the two of you together, to sort this out.’
‘Ain’t nothing to sort out, Porky,’ Victor jeered. ‘If the Lobos want a war, we’ll damn well bury them all!’
‘You cross into our territory or go dissing my boys and we’ll see who gets burned!’ Jesse fired back.
‘There isn’t going to be any war!’ Hampton silenced them both. ‘We believe this is a third party’s doings, someone who wants you two to take the blame.’
Victor removed his hard glare from Jesse and looked at the detective. ‘Why would anyone want us busting caps at each other?’
‘To hide what is really going on.’
‘And what’s the real happening?’ Jesse wanted to know.
Hampton was trapped. ‘We don’t know yet,’ he said lamely. ‘But….’ he hurried to add, ‘we’ve got all of our resources checking this out.’
‘And your resources got zip,’ Victor scoffed their efforts.
Grady, who had let Hampton do the talking, now entered into the fray. ‘We know there was a man watching Dom and Juno’s place. We located his stolen car and figure him as probably the shooter.’ As both gang leaders turned their attention to him, he continued: ‘We also have a preliminary on the car used during Hector’s attack. It had also been stolen and was found abandoned a mile from the intersection where Hector died.’
‘Which is proof of what, dogg?’
One Murder Too Many Page 8
