Lady in Red

by Stacy Claflin

  Nick checked the time. Somehow more than an hour had passed.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Alex stepped in.

  “Starving.” Nick grabbed his jacket and closed the open file. “Let’s grab those wraps.”

  Alex gave him a look that told him he knew something was up.

  Nick made small talk as he and Alex made their way to the parking lot. He remote-unlocked his Mustang then fired up the ignition.

  “Anything you want to get off your mind?” Alex asked. “Something’s obviously eating you up.”

  Nick drew in a deep breath and held it, squeezing the steering wheel. “Nothing that won’t work itself out.”

  “Okay.”

  Nick relaxed, grateful for a friend who didn’t push it. He turned up the music and pulled out of the parking spot, tapping his thumbs to Bon Jovi.

  When he pulled into the parking spot, Alex snickered.

  “What’s so funny?” Nick cut the engine.

  Alex glanced up at the deli’s sign. “The name of the place is Royal Pita.”

  “So?” Nick looked at the sign, not finding anything humorous.

  “You know what PITA stands for, right?” The corners of Alex’s mouth twitched.

  Nick rubbed his temples. “Something about keeping animals safe.”

  “Sometimes you’re a lost cause, old man.” Alex rolled his eyes.

  “Hey, now. I’m not that much older than you. What’s PITA?”

  “Never mind.” Alex got out of the car, shaking his head.

  Nick locked the car. “I’m sure I’d know what you’re talking about if I hadn’t been distracted all day.”

  Alex frowned. “You want to share the burden? Maybe I can help.”

  “Doubt you can do anything about this, little boy.”

  “Good one.” Alex chuckled and opened the door.

  Nick stepped inside and was greeted with the aromas of curry and shrimp. He debated whether to tell his friend about the misunderstanding with Genevieve. Surely, they’d work it out that evening. But then, why did his stomach knot at the mere thought of talking with her?

  He checked his cell to see if she’d responded to his texts.

  She hadn’t, but the phone rang. A call from the station. It would surely pull them away from their lunch before they could even take a bite.

  Chapter 14

  Alex glanced at Nick as they made their way up the long walkway. He hadn’t been to this neighborhood since joining the force. The houses could only be described as mega-mansions. Alex had never before seen such a large single-family home in person.

  Despite their badges and the double murder that had taken place, it had taken them longer to get past the security guard than it took to get into the prison.

  Nick glanced over at the perfect yard. “Brings a whole new meaning to immaculate.”

  “No kidding. Have you ever been here before?”

  “Not to this house, but two other residences.”

  Obviously before Alex’s time. “For what?”

  “One was a domestic dispute. The other had to do with designer drugs.”

  “Designer drugs?”

  Nick nodded, then hurried to the door. Other officers were already inside, easily seen from the enormous picture window. He rapped on the door before opening it.

  The entryway took Alex’s breath away. Just that part of the house was bigger than his apartment. Everything was so expensive, he was afraid to touch even a light switch.

  Garcia waved them over. “Double murder in the master bedroom. This way.” He led them down a hallway and up a spiral staircase with a carved wooden railing. They went down another hall and entered a bedroom larger than a typical living room.

  Nick nudged him. “Stop drooling.”

  “Right.” Alex brought his attention to the Olympic-pool size bed. A man and woman lay in the middle, surrounded by cream and red bedding. The forensics team was taking pictures and discussing the injuries.

  No. The bedding was just cream.

  Bile rose into his mouth. Would seeing dead bodies ever get easier? Did he want it to?

  Garcia turned to them. “It appears to be a crime of passion. The assailant didn’t just kill them—he or she butchered them.”

  Alex’s stomach lurched as he glanced over and noticed neither the man or woman could be identified by their faces. “A scorned lover?” He barely got the words out as his stomach lunged and twisted.

  Garcia lifted an eyebrow. “If you’re going to spew, go outside. This is a crime scene.”

  Alex swallowed. “I’m fine.”

  The detective tilted his head.

  “I am.” Alex narrowed his eyes. “Is it a scorned lover?”

  “We don’t know yet. Can’t even verify the identities yet. We’re going to have to interview neighbors, friends, family, coworkers—anyone who can help us figure out who would have motive.”

  Nick put on a pair of gloves and picked up a framed photo of a happy family. A man, woman, teenage son and daughter. “Where are the children?”

  “Wu is working on locating them.”

  Nick nodded and placed the frame back. “I’m going to need to get back to my office. You two start questioning the neighbors.”

  Alex glanced back over at the victims, his stomach once again threatening to release its contents. “Let’s get on that. Neighbors.”

  Garcia threw him a sympathetic glance. “It does get easier.”

  Alex nodded and followed Nick out into the hall, finally able to breathe. The image of the blood and gray matter flashed through his mind. Once downstairs, his stomach finally began to settle.

  On their way out, Wu stopped them. “The daughter is in college across the country. Solid alibi and very distraught over the news. She’s taking the next available flight out.”

  “And the son?” Nick asked.

  “Still working on that. His sister said he’s in high school and living at home.”

  “Does he have motive?” Alex asked.

  “That’s what you’re going to find out.” Wu glanced outside, past the newly hung police tape, at the well-dressed neighbors milling about, whispering to one another. “One or more of them probably knows.”

  Alex relaxed. He’d much rather interview the neighbors than spend any more time in the house.

  Nick said goodbye and headed out to his Mustang, ducking through the growing crowd.

  Garcia nudged Alex. “You start over there. I’ll get the other side.”

  “Sure.” He marched across the pristine yard, pulled out his tablet to take notes, then introduced himself to a group of three ladies in jogging gear. “Do you know the family?”

  A blonde shook her head. “They kept to themselves. What happened?”

  Alex ignored the question and looked at the other two women. “Did you know them?”

  They both shook their heads.

  “Do you know anything about them? Anything at all?”

  A redhead leaned closer. “They have a son and daughter. The girl always smiled and waved when she saw me. But I haven’t seen her in a while.”

  Alex nodded and made a note. That went along with the story of her being in college. “And the son?”

  She shuddered. “Brooding little twerp.”

  The other two women nodded in agreement.

  “Never smiled,” added the blonde.

  “Yeah,” said the other. “One time, I was jogging in front of their house and he cussed me out for looking at him. I’d have talked with his parents, but I never see them.”

  Alex made another note. “Can you tell me anything else?”

  They all shook their heads.

  “Thank you for your time.” It wasn’t much, but it was something. They needed to speak with the son as soon as possible. He made his way over to Garcia. “Has anyone found the son yet? We need to talk with him.”

  “Those neighbors don’t like him, either?”

  Alex shook his head. “Not at all.”

  �
��Same story from the people I’ve spoken with. Go let Wu know and see if he’s managed to track down the kid.”

  “Sure.” Alex made a note of what Garcia said before finding Wu in the ridiculously large kitchen and filling him in.

  Wu glanced down at his phone before looking at Alex. “The kid didn’t make it to his private school today.”

  “And he’s not here?”

  “Nope.”

  “Are you sure?” Alex looked around. “Seems there would be no shortage of places to hide here.”

  “His car is gone. The security has a log of him leaving this morning.”

  “Covered in blood, by chance?”

  Wu shook his head. “There’s a BOLO on him and his car. Working on locating his cell phone.”

  “Good luck with that.”

  “Thanks for the update. Go see if there are any other neighbors you can question.”

  Without a doubt, there were. All he wanted to do was go home and sleep, but this would be a high-profile case and would take up all his time. He might even have to stay late.

  His family vacation was looking more and more appealing by the moment.

  Chapter 15

  Ariana stopped mid-sentence and looked away from Lissa’s math book over to Damon at the white board. He’d just dropped the marker and had a dazed expression.

  She jumped up and finished explaining the problem to the group. Everyone except Bogdan looked at her like she was speaking Greek. She pointed to him. “You get it. Come up here and explain it in your own words.”

  He dropped his pencil. “Me?”

  “Yeah.” Ari took the marker from Damon and tossed it to Bogdan. “We’ll be right back.”

  She dragged her boyfriend out into the hallway and closed the door behind them. “Are you okay?”

  “I just lost my train of thought.”

  “In the middle of explaining a problem to the study group?” She gave him a knowing look. “That’s not like you.”

  He shrugged.

  “You sure you’re okay?”

  Damon still didn’t respond, so she cupped his chin and guided him until he couldn’t avoid looking at her. He held her gaze for a moment before finally speaking. “You’re right. My mind is elsewhere. I’m sorry. I really need to pull myself together and focus on the group.”

  “Anything you want to talk about?”

  “It just bothers me when I have to see my dad. Brings back old memories, you know?”

  Realization and relief both flooded through her. “I should’ve known that’s what’s bugging you! I didn’t put two and two together. I’m so sorry. You probably need a hug.” She didn’t wait for a response before wrapping her arms around him and squeezing as tightly as she could. “We can talk later, if it’ll help you feel better.”

  Damon returned the embrace, but not as enthusiastically. “I appreciate it. We’d better get back in there before they tear the place apart.”

  “True.” She pulled away, and he gasped for air. “Sorry, didn’t mean to squeeze so hard.”

  He cleared his throat. “It’s okay. It means a lot that you care.”

  She stood on her toes and gave him a quick kiss. “That I do. And I’m going to talk to my dad about not taking you to the prison. You’re probably suffering from PTSD.”

  Damon lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

  “I’ve been there. Trust me. Not that my dad dragged me to the prison to see him. I had the court to deal with and also—” Ari stopped herself. She was talking too much. “We were about to go in there. Come on.”

  He kissed the top of her head and led her inside the classroom, where Bogdan was still at the board, which now had numbers and symbols all over it. He threw Ari an exasperated look and most everyone else asked questions, all talking over each other.

  Damon whistled, silencing everyone. Then he motioned for Bogdan to have a seat and explained the problem again. Ariana found an eraser and cleared the board for him.

  By the time the session was over, most everyone seemed to understand the concept. Ariana had started to lose her patience, but Damon seemed in his element, happy to help until everybody got it. She was glad she had no plans to teach—she clearly wasn’t cut out for it.

  As everyone cleared the room, she slunk into the teacher’s soft chair and sighed while Damon erased all the markings. “I don’t know how you do it.”

  “What?”

  “Stay so patient. They’ve tested my limits. I’m not cut out for this.”

  He replaced the eraser, grabbed her hands, and pulled her to standing, gazing into her eyes. “It’s a tough concept. That’s why there are so many kids in this group.”

  She frowned, trying to ignore the start of a headache behind her ears. “It isn’t that hard.”

  Damon cupped her chin and gave her a crooked smile. “For you, the math whiz. You’re helping to lead a study group.”

  “I probably shouldn’t.” She recalled snapping at a girl after explaining something for the third time. “If Lissa tells the teacher I got frustrated with her, I’ll get cut.”

  He brushed his lips across hers. “She won’t. It wasn’t like you were being rude.”

  “You overheard me?” Heat filled her cheeks.

  “Yes. You weren’t out of line.”

  She frowned.

  “Want to go to the practice again?” He tilted his head.

  “I’d rather go somewhere quieter and just be with you.”

  He nodded, a knowing look in his eyes. “We could always ask your dad for a little more freedom.”

  Ari sighed and laced her fingers through his. “Good luck with that. Anytime we’re together near him, he’s right in between us.”

  “You don’t have to point that out to me. I’m right there when it happens.”

  She started to speak, but then something in the hallway caught her attention. One of the school officers.

  Damon groaned. “And there’s our signal to leave.”

  “I really have to talk to my dad.”

  “He’s just trying to protect you.” Damon squeezed her hand and picked up his bag.

  Ari scowled. “I can look out for myself.”

  “Don’t be so hard on him.”

  She looked at him in surprise. “Since when are you so okay with my dad’s strict rules? It usually bugs you as much as me.”

  “Yeah, it’s annoying, but at least he cares.”

  Guilt stung. His dad didn’t care about him at all. Before his arrest, he screamed, threatened, and hit. “You’re right. I shouldn’t complain, least of all to you.”

  Damon handed Ariana her bag. “Don’t worry about it.”

  She sighed. If only she could start her day again and give everything a do-over. Be more patient with the confused study group, give more understanding to her boyfriend.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as they exited the classroom.

  “Now you’re worried about me?”

  He put his arm around her, and they headed for the stadium. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Because you have real problems.”

  “And yours are, what, fake?”

  She threw him an exasperated look. “You know what I mean.”

  “Not really.”

  Ari stopped walking and her gaze darted around. They were alone. She rested her hand on his arm, just below his bruise. “You’re in foster care, your mom is dead, and your dad’s in prison for life. What do I have to complain about?”

  “Doesn’t mean you don’t have things going on. Are you still feeling guilty about Tinsley taking off?”

  She frowned.

  “See? Real problem. It wasn’t your fault.”

  “Doesn’t change the fact that I should’ve stopped her.”

  “You were asleep.”

  Ariana looked away, not wanting to talk about it. It didn’t matter what anyone else said, nothing changed the fact that she should’ve been able to do something.

  Damon kissed her forehead. “Let’s find you
r friends and enjoy the practice. We both have things we want to get off our mind.”

  She glanced at him. “What happened yesterday? When you visited your dad? Was he really sick?”

  “Not too sick to talk with us.”

  “What did he say?”

  Damon looked away. Quickly. Too quickly.

  “What?” Ariana demanded.

  “Nothing.”

  “That isn’t nothing. Are you hiding something?”

  “He was just being a jerk, that’s all. Nothing new. Come on.” He took her hand and tugged.

  She didn’t budge. “What did he say?”

  “Nothing you need to worry about.”

  “It’s obviously bugging you.”

  “I’ll get over it.” He tugged her hand again. “Especially after sitting with my arm wrapped around you. Weren’t you going to tell me about your party? The one everybody is talking about?”

  She’d nearly forgotten about her Halloween party. “Yeah, right after you tell me what your dad said to you.”

  He frowned. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”

  “I happen to care about you. You’d better get used to it.”

  One side of his mouth curved up slightly before he frowned. “My dad told me something, but I’m going to keep it to myself. I’m sorry. It’s not personal.”

  “How is it not?” She studied him, trying to figure out why he wouldn’t tell her.

  “Because if I say anything, somebody will get hurt.”

  She jolted. “What? Who?”

  “Please trust me.” He kissed her palm.

  Her mouth gaped.

  Damon tugged her arm again, and this time, she followed. “You do trust me, don’t you?”

  “Yes, of course.” But she definitely didn’t trust his dad.

  She needed to get to the bottom of this one way or another. And the sooner, the better.

  Chapter 16

  Nick slunk onto the couch and closed his eyes, exhaustion laying over him like a blanket. The kids had bickered throughout dinner, and Genevieve had looked a million miles away, hardly glancing his direction or noticing the kids.

  He’d really messed up. In the future, he’d need to watch his wording when it came to the kids. There wasn’t a question in his mind about how much she adored them or how they accepted her. But it was clearly a sensitive topic for her.