A Dead Husband (Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery)

by Anna Burke

  Jessica felt guilty, like she was the bad guy. Given the level of disdain in which she was held, she might as well have been the pantyhose-wearing intruder. Jessica explained that she and Jerry were there for good reason. As Laura’s legal representative and a friend, she was helping her organize her life in the wake of Roger’s death and needed documents from his office. Detective Hernandez understood that and grudgingly agreed that they could take the records from Roger’s office that were already loaded into Jerry’s truck. Of course, with the promise to report anything that might be relevant to Roger’s murder. Jessica assured him she would do so. She asked, in turn, to be kept abreast of the findings from the investigation. He hesitated, of course, and groused about it. In the end he agreed to pass along the police reports as they became available, including preliminary findings from the coroner’s office and the CSIs.

  What he was most put out about was Jerry’s presence. That she and Jerry, a licensed P.I., were investigating the case on their own, was not okay. Jessica tried to cool him out by explaining that they knew he and the members of his department were understaffed and overworked. They were going to do what they could to move things along for Laura’s sake. He couldn’t argue with that. Jessica felt they had, at least, reached a truce of some sort. There wasn’t much he could do about the fact that they had their own investigator on the job. He made some vague threats about “obstruction” if they withheld or otherwise tampered with evidence, but lots of law firms used their own investigators.

  The police had retrieved the pantyhose from the side of the house, bloodied thanks to her trusty, but cracked smartphone, which they also took into evidence. Thankfully, Jessica regularly backed up the info on it so she could download it all to the new phone she planned to buy if she could ever get out of Laura’s house. The police would try to recover DNA from the blood evidence on the phone and the pantyhose. She and Jerry described the tattoos on the guy’s forearm and shoulder as best they could. If, as Jerry surmised, they turned out to be the sort acquired in a jailhouse somewhere, they might be able to I.D. him from an existing data base. They could, at least, peg any gang affiliation the tattoos might represent. All of that would take several days to check out thoroughly.

  The police put out a BOLO, which according to Jerry simply meant the police would Be On the Look Out for him. So far he had not been spotted in the area. He could easily have had a car or motorcycle stashed nearby. Most likely, he was long gone by the time the cops arrived, even though it was only a matter of minutes before the uniformed officers responded.

  At the very least, Jessica hoped this latest incident would draw attention away from Laura as a suspect, forcing the police to take a harder look elsewhere for Roger’s killer. Jessica asked Detective Hernandez, point blank, about the nature of his interest in her client. Busily making notes on a tablet, as in old school, paper and pencil tablet, that is, he stopped what he was doing and spoke frankly.

  “Look, Ms. Huntington-Harper, we haven’t ruled anyone out at the moment. From what I gather, though, Mrs. Stone has a pretty good alibi since she was with you from early Friday evening until she found her husband Saturday morning.”

  “Well that’s mostly true,” Jessica interrupted nervously. Detective Hernandez looked up and his eyes narrowed.

  “What do you mean ‘mostly’?”

  “Well she was with me and some other friends until midnight and then she went off on her own with Eric. She was actually with him until the next morning.” That last part spilled out rather more quickly than she had planned. “I’m sure if you speak to him he can verify her whereabouts.”

  “Are you telling me her story has changed since yesterday? Instead of spending the night with her attorney she was out with some guy, other than her husband? Do I have to guess what they were up to?”

  “For the most part her story has not changed, Detective Hernandez. As you can well imagine, Laura was not in a normal state of mind when she spoke to the officers at her house and the hospital. We had been out late, had a lot to drink, and when she arrived home she was confronted with about the worst thing any woman can ever find—her husband, dead in her own home. The scene was horrific. To make matters worse, at some point she passed out and hit her head. If she wasn’t completely clear in the details she provided that shouldn’t be too surprising. This is all straightened out in her written statement I plan to drop off at your office tomorrow. I hope you’re not going to tell me that because she was a little confused at the time that makes her a suspect in the murder of her husband.” Jessica was getting worked up. She felt Jerry tap her foot with his ever so slightly to get her to calm down.

  “We always take a close look at the spouse in a murder like this one. That’s just the way it is. If there was trouble between them, we’ll figure that out. We’ll take that into consideration along with all the other facts of the case. At this point your client is a material witness in the death of her husband. We don’t have anyone designated as a suspect or even a person of interest yet. It’s just way too early for that.”

  That was enough for Jessica to feel relieved. She hoped Laura would feel that way too. Her friend needed time to grieve and to go about the business of picking up the loose ends of her life that had unraveled in a matter of hours. That would be easier if she could do it without worrying that she was going to be arrested or hauled in for interrogation by the police. Jessica’s anxiety was still sky high though, eager to sort out this nightmare sooner rather than later. After tangling with the goon in Laura’s bedroom she felt a growing sense of urgency to find Roger’s killer. If only she had held on to the bastard, this thing might have been over.

  “Just make sure you include contact information for her friend Eric so we can interview him and confirm her whereabouts after you lost track of her Friday night.”

  Jessica and Jerry looked at each other. “Well that’s another issue. We don’t exactly have that much information about this guy Eric. We know he was a waiter at Lulu’s but that’s about it. Of course Jerry’s looking into it. As soon as we find out more we’ll pass the information along to you. We also know that Laura took a taxi home from his apartment Saturday morning. We think we can get an address for Eric from the cab company.” Detective Hernandez said nothing but she could see the wheels turning in his head. Jessica decided to change the subject and bring the focus back on to current events.

  “Detective Hernandez, I wondered if you’ve considered the possibility that Laura might be in some danger? Given what happened today it seems evident that somebody’s looking for something that they think was in Roger’s possession or in his house. What if they decide Laura has it? I’m concerned she might not have fared any better than Roger, if she had been here Friday night, instead of out with me.”

  “And with her good friend Eric with an unknown last name and unknown address. I’ve considered it. Has your friend given you any reason to believe she has something someone wants?”

  “Of course not, but I thought it might be a good idea to set up surveillance. Or, maybe post a squad car on the street outside her sister’s house where Laura is staying for now. ” Jessica answered quickly. Detective Hernandez looked a bit skeptical but went on.

  “For all we know at this point, the two incidents may not even be related.” Now it was Jessica’s turn to look skeptical. She could tell he didn’t believe that for a minute. If the Cat City police department was as strapped for resources as Uncle Don suggested, they might not have an officer to spare.

  “Why not put your hotshot P.I. on watchdog duty?” he asked scowling at Jerry who had been pretty quiet throughout the entire exchange. Jessica bristled, but relaxed her clenched jaw when she felt a little tap-tap on her foot again from Jerry.

  Jerry felt as bad as Jessica about the intruder getting away. When he gave the police his version of the incident, he chastised himself for not doing a complete walk-through of the house before settling into Roger’s office. Jessica tried to reassure him that if anyone was to
blame it was her. She had completely forgotten that there was another entrance into the house from the patio that led directly into the master bedroom.

  “Jerry’s got a lot of other things to do for us. Besides, this is not the only case he’s working on right now. I’ll see if I can talk Laura into staying with me at my home in Mission Hills. At least my house is behind a gate.”

  “Hey, that’s better than nothing, but you make sure you keep us updated on her whereabouts in case we have questions for her. Women in unhappy marriages sometimes do surprisingly desperate things.” Jessica wished she could disagree with him but he did have a point.

  “No problem. She’s in no shape to go anywhere. She hasn’t even buried her husband yet, Detective.”

  “We’ll step up patrols in this area for the next few days and we’ll keep a look out for the fool you chased out of here today. Not the brightest bulb in the pack, by the way. It looks like the pantyhose might have been something he came up with while he was hiding. They match several other pairs found in the drawers in the bedroom. I can’t figure why he didn’t just leave before you all walked in on him.”

  “He must really want whatever he came here to get. Maybe he thought he could wait us out,” Jerry offered. Detective Hernandez shrugged his big shoulders, placed his hands on his knees and stood up.

  “Or maybe he thought I was Laura and he was waiting to grab me.” Jessica added.

  “Who knows,” he said shaking his head as he got up and headed back inside the house from the patio. Jessica and Jerry took that as their signal to go too.

  Jessica was never so glad to get out of a place in her life. She was even more eager than she had been to get out of her house in Cupertino after it had been tainted by her slimy husband and the skank. She shuddered, just thinking about it. Okay, so maybe it was a tie. She flashed on the things she had hurled at Jim and the she-beast when she found them together in the sanctity of her marriage bed. It was a wonder she hadn’t maimed or even killed one of them. She had been in such a fit of rage she couldn’t have hit the side of a barn. Thankfully, she hadn’t owned a gun!

  Recounting her own rage, she considered the possibility, once again, that Laura had some part in her husband’s murder, even if she had been elsewhere when it happened. How unhappy was her marriage? A one-night stand with a guy Laura hardly knew was desperate alright. It was not at all like Laura to lie about it to the police. At least, not the Laura she thought she knew. For now, Jessica had done all she could to set the record straight and register her concern for Laura’s safety.

  Jerry was quiet all the way home. When they arrived back at her house they sat for a moment in his truck. “I really am sorry, Jessica, that I let you get hurt.”

  “Jerry, my plan was to go there alone today, remember? You may not believe it but I know you saved my neck today, okay?” He nodded, still looking despondent.

  “I need to ask you for a favor, though.”

  “What’s that?” He seemed a little wary.

  “Come in with me and have a drink. There’s no way I can haul that laundry basket into the house. Plus, I need you to help me explain this to Bernadette. She’s still pretty convinced I drove my husband away, and now she’s going to think I picked a fight with you already. You’ve got to let her see you to prove I didn’t rough you up, not too bad anyway.” He had a couple smudges on his face and even Jerry’s clothes had not come away from the ruckus without some damage. “You can clean up in one of the guest baths. My dad probably has a t-shirt and swim trunks if you want to shower and change.”

  He broke into a smile and hopped out of the truck. “No problem, Jessica. A shower would be great and I always carry a change of clothes. Stay right there.” With that he headed around the truck opened her door and held out his arms. Jessica scooted to the edge of the seat and put her hands on his shoulders. In a flash, he lifted her out of his truck and placed her, gingerly, on the ground. Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Galahad, this guy was too good to be believed.

  He shut her door then reached into the back seat of the extended cab to get the laundry basket full of things they had collected from Roger’s office. He also grabbed a knapsack that must have contained the change of clothes he was talking about. When they turned around Bernadette was standing in the doorway with Tommy at her side. Bernadette was staring at Jessica’s face and clothes with that “you got some ‘splaining to do” look. Tommy was dumbstruck, looking from Jessica to Jerry and back again. She wasn’t sure if it was the horror of her battered face, or the beauty of Jerry’s that held him in a state of suspension. He was speechless which was totally out of character.

  “Is it that bad?” Jessica asked, breaking the spell. With that they both sprang out of the house and into action. Tommy was still looking at Jerry, even though he was speaking to Jessica.

  “What the hell happened?”

  “My first day as a sleuth was more Stephanie Plum than Miss Marple,” Jessica muttered. She knew full well he wasn’t listening to her. Tommy was absolutely gaga over Jerry.

  “Let me take that,” Tommy said. Jerry actually blushed under Tommy’s gaze. Hmm, okay. Jessica looked over her shoulder as Tommy took the basket from Jerry. She could have sworn she saw little sparks jump between them when their hands touched briefly.

  “Egad! Could my gaydar be that far off?” Jessica thought. Well, why the hell not? She hadn’t had any kind of radar up and running for most of the last decade as an engaged, and then, a married woman. When she was with Tommy she relied on him to tell her who was or wasn’t gay, lesbian, bi or “beer bi.” That was the term Tommy used for some of the girls seen making out on the dance floor at Toucan’s. Usually when there was a bachelorette party underway. Jessica’s head hurt.

  “Jessica, what did happen?” Bernadette was still eying her with suspicion.

  “I got beat up trying to stop the guy who murdered Roger,” Jessica sniffled, starting to cry. Mostly because she was feeling really sorry for herself. She had spent half the day thinking one of the hottest guys she had ever seen in her whole life was interested in her. She thought back to the hug that had seemed so—well—hot! It had been the hug from a big brother, not a potential lover. Bernadette put an arm around her and led her into the house.

  “Murdered? Roger, as in Laura Stone’s Roger?” A momentary look of horror on Tommy’s face morphed back into goo-goo eyes as he looked from Jessica then back to Jerry.

  “Yeah, let’s take this in for Jessica and I’ll tell you about it,” Jerry offered. Tommy nodded his head so enthusiastically you’d think he was about to hear some juicy gossip rather than the sad news that a friend had lost her husband in a very gruesome way. Jessica wanted to smack him, but he was such a cutie. God knows he could use a decent guy in his life for a change. She wasn’t sure what the equivalent to skank was in gay man parlance but Tommy had found a lot of them. She let out a huge sigh. That hurt several places on her body.

  “I need a drink and an aspirin.” Jessica said as she made her way slowly into the house.

  “Sure you do and we’re going to fix one for you while you take a shower and change your clothes. Tommy, you make some margaritas and take them and your friend out to the back patio. And turn on the misters so it won’t get too hot.” To Jessica she said, “I don’t think the misters are going to help cool them down too much, do you?”

  “I guess I’m not his type, either.” Jessica whispered as she dissolved into tears on Bernadette’s shoulder for the second time in as many days.

  “It’s okay, mi niña. There’s plenty of guys out there who are going to think you’re their type. Good looking ones, too. We just gotta be more patient.” Bernadette walked with her to the kitchen, got her a glass of water and a couple aspirin from a cupboard. Jessica took the aspirin, drained the glass of water, and sort of waddled off to her room.

  “Jerry wants to take a shower, too, Bernadette.” Jessica said as she slouched her way down the hall.

  “No problem, Jessica. Tommy, sho
w Jerry to the guest bathroom next to the workout room, okay?”

  Jessica did not wait to hear Tommy’s reply as she hurried into her room and shut the door. Dumping her now worthless clothes into the trash can Jessica climbed in and took her second shower of the day. She let her tears flow, mixing with the spray from the shower, washing away the stench of the day.

  She imagined the water cleansing her and carrying the disappointment, tension and fear down the drain. Between the pulsing water and the aspirin a lot of the soreness retreated from her muscles and her soul. The balm of tea tree and lavender shower gel soothed the stinging in her face, filled her nose with the scent of something fresh and alive. It washed away thoughts of dead husbands, cheating husbands, and gorgeous would-be lovers who turned out to be gay. She stepped out of the shower into a soft towel warmed by the sunlight that poured in through clerestory windows near the ceiling in her bathroom.

  To be honest, Jessica felt some relief at not having to deal with her attraction to Jerry. She had been plenty curious about sex growing up, and had done some exploring before meeting Jim. It was intimacy and trust that had allowed her to abandon herself fully to lust. The deep satisfaction of learning what pleased each other in bed had been such an integral part of becoming a couple. Jessica had wondered how anyone could scoff at married sex. But then, poof! It was gone. They had let so many things come between them. Jim’s sexual infidelity was the final, not the first or only blow to their marriage.

  Jessica surveyed the damage to her face in the mirror. Her right eye was blood red and the surrounding skin had started to darken. She had a scrape on her cheek below her eye, but that and her split lip looked better than they had before the shower. Relieved by how much better she looked already, Jessica actually started to smile. The way she had smacked that guy around he had to look as bad as she did, worse, she hoped.