by Jane Graves
That part had stayed a fantasy.
She walked into the kitchen. “Good morning, Alex. You look like hell.”
He ran his hand through his hair with a grimace. “Gee, thanks.”
She came up beside him and reached into the cabinet for a coffee mug. “Didn’t I tell you to go home last night?”
“Yeah. So?”
“So you didn’t have to stay. I told you that.”
“Now, Val, you know it’s really not in me to be a nice guy. Better take it when you can get it.”
Nice guy. She wanted to argue about that one—strongly—but she couldn’t. Because that was exactly what he’d been. Taking her home. Staying with her because he was afraid the gunman would come for her again. Waking up and making coffee this morning. It was a contradiction she really didn’t understand right now, and it made her more than a little wary.
“How long have you been up?” she asked, pouring a mug of coffee.
“An hour or so. I’ve been checking into some things.”
“Such as?”
“I called Ford. They found the bullet.”
“And?”
“It was a seven-millimeter Remington Ultra Mag.”
“Rifle ammunition?”
“Yeah. Used in the Remington seven-hundred series. That kind of ammo is very weapon-specific.” He paused. “You were shot with a bullet that could bring down a five-hundred-pound antelope.”
Val felt a swirl of nausea at the thought of that. Whoever shot at her hadn’t been messing around. If she had been leaning just a little to the right, then …
She didn’t even want to think about it.
“No wonder you didn’t see the gunman,” Alex went on. “Nobody would have. He was probably a hundred yards away.”
“You’re joking.”
“The angle of your wound shows that the bullet had a slight downward trajectory. I’m betting somebody was shooting from a second- or third-story window. If other people had been shot, then maybe we could attribute it to some lunatic picking people off at random. It happens. But no. One shot.” He paused. “Meant just for you.”
Val sat down in one of her kitchen chairs, her mind spinning. Alex sat down beside her. “But who, Alex? I can’t imagine who—”
“Reichert.”
She looked at Alex with surprise. “What?”
“I saw that den of his. He’s a hunter. Did you know that?”
“Yes, but—”
“I think he’s the one who tried to kill you.”
Val stared at him dumbly. This just wasn’t computing. “We already decided that whoever shot at me was the one who killed Shannon. That means—”
“That Reichert killed his own wife.”
Val felt a cold chill. Reichert had always struck her as a hard man, one who took what he wanted out of life and didn’t give a damn who he screwed in the process. But was he capable of murder?
“What was his motive?” she asked.
“Come on, Val. It’s pretty clear he suspected her of cheating.”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“I think he wanted to nail her and the guy she was cheating with. He kills her; then I wake up and take the rap. He wanted not only to take out his wife but frame the man she was sleeping with at the same time.”
“Now wait a minute. It couldn’t have been Reichert. He was out of town the night Shannon was killed.”
“Maybe he was, and maybe he wasn’t.”
“But why in the world would he have me watching a house where he intended to commit murder?”
Alex pushed his coffee mug aside. “Okay. Let’s suppose instead of staying and calling nine-one-one, I’d left the scene. He’d have nobody to pin the murder on. If he had you watching the house, you could tell the police that I was at the scene at the time the crime was committed. It was his way of making sure someone else took the fall for the crime, with the added benefit of punishing the man his wife was sleeping with. And under those circumstances, nobody would even consider him a suspect.”
Val felt a little breathless. Could that be what happened? Was it possible that Reichert was that devious?
“But if what you say is true, then Reichert wants my testimony. Why would he try to kill me?”
“Maybe he realizes now that he slipped up somehow. Maybe he thinks you saw too much, that you’ll remember something later that he said, or be able to place him at the scene. At this point you’ve given your statement to the police, a statement that implicates me. You’ve already accomplished exactly what he set out for you to accomplish, even if you don’t actually testify in court.”
“You said you saw no one else in the bedroom. How did he get close enough to stick you with a needle?”
“I don’t know. There must be some explanation. We just have to find out what it is. Ford’s going to check out his alibi, then talk to Henderson about getting a search warrant for the Reichert house to try to find that rifle.”
“Do you actually think he’s going to have it lying around the house? If I were him, I’d have dumped it in a lake by now.”
“I’m betting he still has it.”
“A weapon he attempted murder with?”
“I know the type of guy he is. With all that hunting he does, he’s clearly a man in love with his arsenal. I’ve known guys who would junk a gun about as quickly as they’d junk their firstborn son. I’m betting he’ll just hide it until any heat is off. He has no idea anyone suspects him at all.”
“But there will still be nothing to actually tie him to Shannon’s murder.”
“No. But I don’t think it’ll be much of a leap for somebody to consider the possibility that if he shot you, he might also have killed his wife.”
Then Val thought of something else, and her heart nearly stopped. “Alex. Oh, God.”
“What?”
“I talked to Reichert before I put Shannon under surveillance. I told him I wanted to set up a hidden camera in their bedroom in case she brought a man there. He flatly refused. He told me there was no way that Shannon would have the audacity to cheat with another man in their own home.”
“If you’d set up video equipment—”
“I’d have caught the murder on camera.” She hadn’t wanted to believe it, but maybe Alex was right. Reichert was starting to look like a very good suspect.
Suddenly she heard three loud raps on her front door.
“Are you expecting anybody?” Alex asked.
“No. Nobody.”
Alex rose from the table and went to the door. Val followed, watching as he looked out the peephole.
“What the—”
To Val’s surprise, he flipped the locks and opened the door. A man strode into her apartment. Tall. Dark hair. Jeans. Royal blue T-shirt stretched across a broad chest. And he was almost as handsome as Alex.
“Dave?” Alex said. “What are you doing here?”
“Ford called me. Told me what was up.” He turned to Val with a smile. “Hi. I’m Dave DeMarco, Alex’s brother.”
Another five seconds and Val would have come to that conclusion all by herself. The family resemblance was indisputable. Dave wasn’t quite as tall and muscular as Alex, but if he’d been standing next to anyone but his brother, he’d have looked pretty impressive. But while Alex radiated an aura of intensity, Dave’s expression was pleasant and outgoing.
“I’m Valerie Parker,” she said. “Val.”
Dave nodded, and she got the feeling that his knowledge of her extended beyond her name and address. She wondered just how much he knew about her relationship to Alex.
“How did you know where to find me?” Alex asked.
“Ford said you were here.”
“How did you know Val’s address?”
“I looked it up in the phone book.”
Alex turned to Val with disbelief. “Your home address is in the stinking phone book?”
She shrugged. “So what? These days with the Internet, anyone who wants my address can find
it with a couple of mouse clicks.”
“That doesn’t mean you should publish the damned thing!” Alex shouted. “You’re a PI, Val. A lot of your business is catching people doing crap they shouldn’t be doing! Suppose one of them has a grudge and decides to act on it?”
“You don’t have to yell.”
“Do you have any idea how dumb that is?”
“You think everything I do is dumb. Tell me something new.”
Alex glared at her. “Just make sure you have it taken out of the phone book next time.”
Val turned to Dave. “Has he always been this bossy?”
“Yes,” Dave said. “Always.”
Alex shot Dave a nasty look, which thoroughly delighted Val. She’d known Dave for only two minutes, and already she liked him.
“Ford called you?” Alex asked Dave. “Why?”
“Because he figured I was the only one who could keep you from beating the crap out of Henderson.”
Alex frowned. “Why am I going to feel the need to beat the crap out of Henderson?”
“Ford filled me in on what’s been going on. Val getting shot, finding the bullet. But Henderson isn’t even interested in questioning Reichert about it. And since he refuses to connect the two crimes, he won’t ask the judge for a search warrant to look for the rifle.”
“That bastard,” Alex muttered, pacing toward the sofa. “He wouldn’t know how to conduct an actual investigation if his life depended on it.”
Dave turned to Val. “Nice place you’ve got here.”
Val smiled. “Thank you.”
“He’s had it in for me for years,” Alex said, “but he’s never been able to do anything about it. Now the second he has a chance—”
“I like the plaster walls,” Dave said. “And the original hardwoods. You don’t find those much anymore.”
“That’s why I like it,” Val said. “It’s quaint.”
“I have to do something, Dave,” Alex said, his voice growing angrier by the moment. “I’m not going to let him get away with a half-assed investigation. I have to go talk to him.”
“You’ve sure got a lot of books,” Dave said.
“Yeah, I can’t seem to stop collecting them. Every time I go to a used-book store—”
“Hey!” Alex said. “Will you two cut out the small talk? We’ve got a problem here!”
“Uh-huh,” Dave said. “And we’re going to talk about it. Just as soon as you cool off a little.”
Alex’s mouth was set in a rigid, angry line, his fists in tight knots. He glared at his brother for a moment, then closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “Dave?”
“Uh-huh?”
“Is there anything on this planet that rattles you?”
“Oh, yeah. I get rattled every time one of my brothers is on the verge of doing something stupid and I think maybe I’m going to have to knock the snot out of him to keep him from doing it. I just don’t bother to let him know that until it becomes necessary. And it’s not going to become necessary, is it?”
Alex shook his head slowly, then looked at Val. “See the crap I have to put up with from my family? And do you know the scary part? Dave’s the normal one.”
Val didn’t see any crap at all. She saw two brothers who loved each other a lot, who’d probably go to the mat for each other no matter what. Alex was understandably upset, since it was his neck on the line, so right now it was Dave’s job to keep a handle on things.
“Okay, Val,” Dave said. “A couple of questions. First of all, how are you feeling? Is your head all right?”
“I’m doing okay.”
“Second, I want you to tell me if there’s any part of you—any part—that still believes that Alex might have killed Shannon Reichert.”
This guy really got to the point. Val shifted her gaze to Alex and found him staring at her. She could tell he still wondered what her answer might be.
“No,” she said quietly. “There’s not.”
“Okay. Now number three. Who do you think killed her?”
“Well, Jack Reichert’s looking pretty good to me right now, except for the fact that he was supposedly out of town on the night of the murder. I don’t know if he can prove his whereabouts or not.”
“If he’s not a suspect, he doesn’t have to prove it,” Dave said.
“Another thing,” Alex said. “Before you got here, Val told me that when Reichert first hired her to tail Shannon, she offered to set up video equipment in their bedroom to document Shannon’s cheating. Reichert refused.”
Dave turned to Val. “What reason did he give for that?”
“He said she’d never be shameless enough to bring another man right into their home.”
“Or maybe he was afraid of getting caught on camera killing his own wife,” Alex said.
“Okay,” Dave said. “I’ll tell Henderson that. I don’t know if he’ll listen, but I can try.”
“I’m betting he’ll still tell you to go to hell,” Alex said.
“Maybe not. I’m the only one in the family who’s never pissed him off.”
“I’m still not holding my breath.”
“You’ll have to for a little while. Henderson is on vacation for a couple of days. He won’t be back until day after tomorrow.”
“Oh, that’s great.”
Alex’s face looked tight and drawn. Weary. All at once Val could see just how much of a toll this was taking on him, though she knew the world would come to an end before he ever admitted it.
“The rest of the family,” Alex said. “How are they taking all this?”
“I’ll leave that to your imagination.”
“In other words, pandemonium.”
“Oh, yeah. But they’re behind you, Alex. They know you want them to butt out for now, and they’re okay with that.”
“Really?”
“Of course not. But they’ll stay out of your way. And you know they’re ready to help just as soon as you need them.”
Alex nodded.
“I’ve got to get going,” Dave said. “But I’ll let you know what I find out tomorrow.” He turned to Val. “Will you remind Alex every once in a while that maybe he ought to stay away from the police station? From Henderson in particular?”
“In case he forgets?”
“Right. He’s been known to have episodic amnesia.”
“How tragic. Does that run in your family?”
“No. It’s just Alex, thank God. The rest of us were spared.”
“Beat it, Dave,” Alex muttered.
“Nice to meet you, Val,” Dave said. “You be careful now.”
“I will.”
Dave headed for the door. Alex stepped outside with him, motioning to Val that he’d be back in a moment, then pulled the door closed behind him.
Val edged toward the door, wondering what they might be saying. But they were speaking too softly for her to hear, and she decided that if she had her ear glued to the door when Alex came back into her apartment, she’d only get another lecture, and she could certainly do without that.
Dave was nice. An interesting contrast to Alex. She couldn’t help wondering what the rest of his family might be like. If they were anything like Dave, Alex was a lucky man. The very idea of having a huge family waiting in the wings as Alex had, ready to help him through the darkest of times, was something so foreign to Val that she almost couldn’t grasp the concept. She only knew that it would have to be a beautiful thing, for once in her life, to feel bedrock beneath her feet instead of sand.
Out in the hall, Alex pulled Dave aside.
“Val,” he said in a low voice. “She’s too careless. Reichert could be anywhere, and I’m afraid she’s going to get her head blown off. So I’ll probably be staying here with her, at least for now.”
Dave just stared at him.
“What?” Alex asked.
“Tell me what’s going on between you two.”
“What are you talking about?”
&nb
sp; “You said there was something years ago. Is there something now?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Looks like you’ve been here all night.”
“They gave her pain medication yesterday at the hospital. She couldn’t have protected herself if that guy had come after her again.”
Dave looked at him critically. “There’s more to it than that.”
“No, there’s not.”
“I think there is.”
“Why?”
“Because you yelled at her.”
Alex blinked. “What?”
“I’ve never seen you yell at a woman before. Not once.”
“Sure you have.”
“Nope. Never.”
Alex narrowed his eyes. “Let me get this straight. You think there’s something going on between us because I yelled at her? Does that make any sense at all?”
“It’s this thing you’ve got, Alex. Even if you’re pissed off, with most people you’re in complete control as you’re ripping them to shreds. You never actually yell, no matter how angry you get. Unless it’s somebody you care about.”
Alex was pretty sure his brother had completely lost his mind. “How did you arrive at that conclusion?”
“By watching you for thirty years.”
“Will you stop with the psychoanalysis? Christ, you’re a know-it-all sometimes.”
“And I’m a pretty good judge of character, too. I like Val. If not for this situation, I’d tell you to go for it. But just be careful about getting tangled up with her again under these circumstances. If we can’t get this mess straightened out, she could be the one to put you in prison. And that’s going to be a damned hard thing to face if you’re in love with her.”
“If I’m—” Alex gaped at his brother with total disbelief. “You are way, way off base here, Dave.”
“Not that I’ve ever known you to actually fall in love, but there’s always a first time.”
“That’s enough. Just shut up and get out of here, will you?”
Dave regarded Alex for a few more moments, then nodded. “Sure, Alex. Just watch yourself, will you? That’s all I’m asking.”
Alex nodded.
“I’ll be in touch.”
Alex watched his brother disappear down the stairs. Dave really did piss him off sometimes, thinking he knew what was in everybody else’s head before they knew it themselves. But he was wrong about this one. Dead wrong.
