Dad and Mitchell both look at me. Mitchell seems completely horrified by my statement, but Dad asks, “Fact?”
I nod. “Yeah. My senses are convinced their affair is the motive for the murders. And there is going to be a third victim.”
“If the affair is the motive, then how could there be a third victim?” Dad asks. “Affairs are between two people, aren’t they? Or is there some new trend I’m too old to know about?” He looks back and forth between Mitchell and me.
“If there is, I certainly wouldn’t know,” I say.
“Okay then.” Dad claps his hands. “Since I’ve already eaten my breakfast, I’ll drive.”
When we all travel together, I prefer to have Dad drive so I don’t have to sit in the back of the patrol car like a criminal. “Sounds good, Dad. Thanks.”
I grab a muffin and Mitchell takes the last one. “Are these mocha crumb muffins?” I ask, feeling my mouth salivate already.
“Again, I say I’m not sure how Marcia isn’t married.” Dad shakes his head as we head out of the office.
Janet’s best friend is a woman by the name of Julissa Parks. She lives two miles from the Rakes, which makes me think they saw each other very often. Julissa’s house is a small cream-colored cape cod with green shutters. Her lawn is impeccably landscaped with several circular gardens all lined with white stones.
“Someone pays a landscaper,” Mitchell says as we get out of the car.
“I’m getting the sense Julissa is a very independent woman who can take care of herself,” I say, closing the back door of the BMW.
Mitchell bobs his head. “Good for her. Do you think she’s single?”
Dad claps a hand down on Mitchell’s shoulder. “Mitchell, you don’t inquire about another woman’s relationship status in front of your girlfriend’s father. It’s in poor taste and poor judgement if you value your life.”
Mitchell’s face pales. “No, that’s not what I meant. I was just—”
Dad and I both laugh because Mitchell clearly has no clue Dad was teasing him.
“Relax,” Dad says. “I was only having a little fun with you. I know you’d never be stupid enough to cheat on my daughter. You’ve seen me with a gun.” Dad gives Mitchell’s shoulder a squeeze before letting go and walking up the front steps ahead of us.
“You’re going to need to contain that nervous energy that’s rolling off you in waves if you want me to be able to sense anything about Julissa when we talk to her,” I say.
“Don’t blame me. He’s the one who created this awkward situation,” Mitchell whispers, clearly afraid to have Dad overhear us.
“You did ask me if Julissa Parks is single, so you technically started it.” I smirk as Dad rings the doorbell.
The woman who answers is tall with frizzy brown hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her eye makeup is smudged like she’s been crying, which would make sense since her best friend was murdered. “Can I help you?” Her gaze volleys between us.
Mitchell holds up the badge he wears on a chain around his neck. “I’m Detective Brennan. This is Detective Thomas Ashwell and Piper Ashwell. We’re investigating the murder of Janet Rake. May we come inside and speak to you for a few minutes?”
“Oh, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you tracked me down.” She looks down briefly and wipes her eyes. “Yes, please come in.” She steps aside to let us pass. “I have some coffee on if you’d like some.”
I’d always like coffee, but I’d rather focus on the case. “Thank you, but we’re fine,” I say. I’ve been making a concerted effort to say more to the people I interview than just a bunch of questions. My people skills are getting better thanks to Mitchell, but I still have to consciously think about what I’m going to say before I say it. Not doing so, like I did with Nelson Rake, usually has adverse effects.
Julissa brings us to the kitchen, where despite my assertion that we don’t need coffee, she places the pot in the center of the table and puts a mug in front of each of us. “Cream or sugar?” she asks, her hand shaking as she sets down my mug.
“No, thank you.”
Julissa pours milk into her own coffee before sitting. “Janet and I have been friends for twenty years. We moved here at the same time and discovered our schedules practically mirrored each other. We’d wind up at the food store at the same time. And the bank.” She gives one short forced laugh. “It seemed wherever one of us went, the other was there. We started talking because we were on line together at the post office. We hit it off right away.”
She clearly misses her best friend, considering we haven’t asked her a single question but she feels the need to tell us all about Janet. Mitchell has his pen and notebook ready.
“I feel like from the very first time we talked, we knew we were two of a kind. We started shopping together, meeting for lunch, that sort of stuff. Her husband was away on business a lot, so Janet had plenty of free time on her hands.”
“I hate to interrupt you, Ms. Parks, but we have to ask if you were aware of Janet’s affair.” Mitchell gives me the briefest sideways glance, probably to see if I’m studying her for any indication she’s lying. So far, everything Julissa has told us is coming across as the truth.
She cups her mug with both hands. “I warned her it wasn’t a good idea. Even with Nelson gone all the time, it was still risky.”
“Do you know the name of the man she was having the affair with?” I ask. I need her to confirm it was Tony Trevino. I can’t prove it otherwise. He had no electrical invoices with her name on it. Marissa Trevino has no idea who her husband was cheating on her with, and Nelson Rake won’t even tolerate the notion that his wife was having an affair. If anyone can validate my senses, it’s Julissa Parks.
Julissa swallows hard. “You have to understand it’s not what you’re thinking. It’s not like Janet found some man on the street. They had a history together.” She clamps her lips together. “This is her secret to tell. I shouldn’t be saying anything.”
I’m tempted to reach across the table and touch her so I can get the answers I need. I’m not leaving here without knowing what Julissa knows. We need to start making progress on this case. “Ms. Parks, someone murdered Janet, and we believe the affair was the motive. If you know anything, you need to tell us. Don’t let Janet’s killer get away with this.”
Dad’s gaze shifts to me, and he gives me the slightest bob of his head. “My daughter’s right, Ms. Parks. The person who did this to Janet has covered their tracks very well. Without your help, we may not catch him. He could get away with killing your friend.” Dad leans closer to Julissa. “I know you don’t want Janet’s murder to go unsolved. You want justice, even if it won’t bring her back. You know she deserves that much after this awful tragedy.”
Julissa picks up the napkin beside her coffee mug and dabs her eyes. “That’s just it. I think justice might have already been served.”
I cock my head at her. “You think Nelson discovered the affair and killed Janet and Tony because of it.” I purposely use Tony’s name since Julissa hasn’t.
She starts bawling, sobs raking her body. “He’s such a big man. He’d easily overpower her.”
“And Tony,” I say, needing confirmation on his identity.
Julissa raises her head to meet my gaze. “Yes. I knew the truth about them would come out sooner or later, and when Nelson found out… I saw his car in town Tuesday morning. I was on my way to the bank. He was supposed to be on some business trip, so it got my attention that he was here.”
Mitchell and I exchange a glance. Nelson Rake lied to us about his business trip to Virginia. But why didn’t Officer O’Reilly figure that out? She must have followed up with his alibi. There would have been plane tickets to confirm his departure and return.
“Was Nelson ever violent in any way?” Dad asks.
“Only one topic ever upset him where Janet was concerned.”
I’m assuming she’ll say infidelity or even infertility since we found out he could
n’t have children.
“Janet’s child.”
Baby blanket.
“That’s why I’ve been seeing a green baby blanket,” I say. My gaze goes to Julissa. “You said Janet and Tony had history. You mean they had a baby together.”
Julissa nods and starts sobbing all over again.
Chapter Fourteen
When my senses insisted that there was DNA connected to the blanket, it was referring to the baby blanket, not the blanket wrapped around Tony’s body. And the DNA was a clue that Tony and Janet had a baby together.
“Julissa, what can you tell us about Janet and Tony’s past?” Dad asks, remaining calm. I’m always amazed at how he doesn’t get rattled by surprises like this. Maybe it’s the fact that I sense other people’s emotions and react to them, but I can’t keep my composure the way Dad does, no matter how hard I try.
Julissa sips her coffee. Even using two hands on the mug, she’s still shaking like crazy. “Janet and Tony met in high school. Janet got pregnant when she was seventeen. She withdrew from school and was homeschooled her senior year. Her parents didn’t want anyone to know she was pregnant. Janet was eighteen when the baby was born. Her parents arranged for the baby to be adopted, and Janet was forced to agree to it. She doesn’t even know if the baby was a girl or a boy. She couldn’t bear to even look at the baby when it was born. She bought it a green baby blanket.”
“Gender neutral,” I say.
Julissa nods. “Tony’s family moved away. They took him and ran so no one would ever know he’d gotten his girlfriend pregnant. Janet had no contact with him at that point. She was ashamed for agreeing to give the baby away and angry that Tony went with his parents.”
“So, how did they meet up again all these years later?” Dad asks.
“They both wound up here by some stroke of luck.” Julissa lowers her gaze to her coffee. “Well, Janet thought it was luck, but clearly it wasn’t. When she and Nelson moved here, she thought it was a coincidence that there was a farm with the name Trevino. Plenty of people must have that name, right? But then she had an electrical issue at the house. She found the name Trevino again when she searched for an electrician. She called, thinking it was a sign that was who she was meant to hire.”
“And Tony showed up,” Mitchell says.
Julissa closes her eyes, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Janet said when she saw him, it was like no time had passed. They hugged and cried over the child they’d lost. Tony told her the truth about how his parents forced him to leave and change his phone number so she couldn’t get in touch with him.”
“How long had the affair been going on?” Dad asks.
“About six months. It was almost exposed about three months into the relationship, though. Janet’s brother was in town visiting, and Tony stopped by. Luckily, he had his truck, and he pretended he was there to fix an electrical issue.”
Yet there’s no record of any electrical work in Janet’s house. Tony must not have wanted to have a paper trail that could link him to Janet.
“Did Janet have any plans to divorce Nelson?” Mitchell asks.
“I know she wanted to, especially after she reconnected with Tony, but she was afraid to bring up the topic.”
“Was she afraid of Nelson?” Mitchell asks.
Julissa wipes her eyes with the napkin, which is already crumbled and saturated with tears. Dad hands her another from the napkin holder in the center of the kitchen table. “Thank you.” She takes a deep breath. “A few years ago, Nelson hit Janet when they were arguing about something. It only happened that one time, and according to Janet, he felt awful. He bought her flowers for weeks on end, called her constantly when he was on business trips just to tell her he loved her, and left notes on the door of her art shed. He changed after that incident. He was much more loving. I think it scared him that he reacted the way he did.”
Even if he did change for the better, there’s a good chance finding out his wife was having an affair would cause him to lash out again. And maybe not just at her. He might have started with Tony Trevino, hoping with him out of the picture Janet would return to being his faithful wife. But if Janet suspected Nelson killed Tony, she might have confronted him, causing Nelson to go into a rage and kill her, too.
“You said Nelson left notes on the door of Janet’s art shed,” Dad says. “Was that typical?”
Julissa nods. “Sometimes he’d have to catch a flight early in the morning, so he’d leave a note on Janet’s shed on his way out. A little note to say he loved her.”
He could have also left a note on Nathan Spicer’s door Monday morning before he killed Tony Trevino in the barn. So much is pointing to Nelson Rake right now. He had motive for sure. He was spotted in town when he was supposed to be in Virginia. He has a history of a temper and violence.
The fact that he won’t let me near his wife’s crime scene or his property in general also makes him look really guilty after what we discovered. Mitchell needs to get me back on that crime scene as soon as possible.
“Ms. Parks, you’ve been extremely helpful,” Mitchell says. “Is there anything else you feel we should know?”
She inhales, the breath shaking her entire body. “Janet wasn’t the type to have an affair. If it had been anyone else, it wouldn’t have happened. It was the fact that it was Tony. I think they both were still grieving the loss of their baby and each other. It was too much for them to move on from, so when they found each other again, they just couldn’t let go. She wasn’t a bad woman. Please don’t judge her based solely on this. She was weak, yes, but that’s because she lost a part of herself all those years ago. Tony coming back into her life was like a second chance for her.”
I don’t deny that’s probably how Janet felt, but I also think she should have been honest with her husband. Just like Tony should have been honest with his wife. Neither spouse would have been happy with the news, but the truth would have been better than the betrayal.
“Thank you for your time, Ms. Parks,” I say, standing up. I can’t offer her the words she wants to hear because I can’t say I don’t blame Janet or Tony. Do I think they deserved to be killed for their infidelity? No. But I can’t say they were good people because of it either.
Mitchell removes a card from his pocket and puts it on the table in front of her. “If you think of anything else, don’t hesitate to call me. We can see ourselves out.” He places a consoling hand on her shoulder before following Dad and me out.
Dad hates cheaters as much as I do, so while he has great people skills, he couldn’t offer Julissa what she wanted to hear either. And I’d be lying if I said Mitchell’s compassionate shoulder squeeze isn’t bothering me.
When Mitchell tries to open the car door for me, I walk around to the other side and get in. He shuts the door and stares at me through the window for a moment before getting in the passenger seat. “Why are you angry with me?” he asks.
I’m not about to have this discussion with my father in the car, so I say, “I’m not. I just want to solve this case.”
Dad starts the car and drives to Nelson Rake’s house. Mr. Rake might not want me on this case, but since he’s become our number one suspect, he’s not going to have a choice. He can either talk to me at his home or at the station, but one way or another, he will talk to me.
“Your arms are crossed, and you are shooting daggers into the side of my head, Piper. What’s going on?” Mitchell asks, turning in his seat to face me.
It was stupid of me to sit behind Dad. I can’t even avoid Mitchell’s stare from here.
Dad glances at me in the rearview mirror. “Are these your emotions or the killer’s?” he asks.
It wouldn’t be the first time I channeled a killer’s rage and acted accordingly. “You consoled her. You basically said it’s okay to cheat if you really love the person you cheated with.”
“I did not,” Mitchell practically shrieks. “Julissa didn’t do anything wrong. She lost her best friend. I was consoling
her, not Janet Rake. Piper, you can’t hold Julissa responsible for her friend’s behavior. That’s not fair.”
“He’s not wrong, pumpkin. I’m guilty of it, too. I couldn’t tell Julissa what she wanted to hear because, like you, I don’t think what Janet did was okay, no matter her reason. But Mitchell’s right. Those were Janet’s actions, not Julissa’s. Julissa is a woman who is mourning the loss of her friend, and she did deserve compassion. I’m sorry that Mitchell was the only one of us willing to give her that.”
I swallow hard. Now I feel bad, for Julissa and Mitchell. I meet his gaze. “I’m sorry. It’s just I thought you…” I can’t finish the sentence.
Mitchell shakes his head. “I really thought you knew me better than that. I don’t know what else I can do to prove to you that I’m a good person, Piper.”
“I wouldn’t be with you if I didn’t know you’re a good man. You’re the only man I’ve ever—” Why does my father have to be in this car with us right now? This is beyond embarrassing.
Dad pulls over onto the side of the road and opens his door.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“I have to call your mother. I’ll just be a minute.” He gets out and walks several feet in front of the car.
“Your dad is probably the greatest man to ever walk the earth,” Mitchell says.
“I won’t argue with you there.” I sit forward in my seat and place my right hand on Mitchell, focusing on not reading him.
Mitchell’s gaze falls to my hand. “Trying to make sure I’m being faithful to you?”
“No. I don’t need to read you to know that. I trust you, Mitchell. Completely, which isn’t easy for me to do. What I was going to say before is you’re the only man I’ve ever given my heart to because I know your worthy of that kind of trust. I’m sorry if I made you doubt that.”
He unclicks his seat belt and leans across the seat to kiss me. Then he presses his forehead to mine. “Whether it’s true or not, I’m telling myself you were channeling the killer’s rage at the time.”
Fight Fire with Foresight (Piper Ashwell Psychic P.I. Book 12) Page 12
