Death by Intermission

by Alexis Morgan

  Her mother and Tripp were still seated at the table when Abby returned. Both of them looked up as she dropped back into her own chair. “That poor girl has hit her limit. I promised to fix her some toast and tea. After that, I’m going to go back to bed. I don’t know about you two, but I’m about to crash and burn myself.”

  “Did she tell you anything?”

  “No, but I made it clear that it’s obvious that she’s hiding something. I also told her that’s likely to blow up in her face if she doesn’t tell someone what’s going on.”

  Her mother frowned. “Do you think that was wise?”

  Boy, she really hated being second-guessed. Before she could come up with a reply that wouldn’t result in the two of them launching into another major battle, Tripp spoke up. His expression remained calm, but his voice had enough gravel in it to convey his disapproval.

  “There are no rule books in this kind of situation, Mrs. McCree. All anyone can do is make the best call with the information at hand. Abby had obviously done something right when it comes to dealing with Jada, since the girl reached out to her for help tonight. Now we wait and see what happens next.”

  He stood up and headed for the back door. “Zeke, you’re with me. We need to do a quick patrol. I’m going to grab my gear from my place, and then I’ll be back to sleep on the couch.”

  Man and dog disappeared out into the night before either Abby or her mother could respond. Lucky them. Her mother stared at the closed door for a few seconds and then sighed. “I didn’t mean to sound critical.”

  But she had, another reminder that the two of them still needed that talk about boundaries. Now wasn’t the time for that, though. “I’ve got to make the toast and tea for Jada.”

  She popped two slices of bread into the toaster and put a large mug of water in the microwave to heat. While she waited, she scraped the remaining eggs into Zeke’s bowl, knowing he’d appreciate the extra treat. When she had the toast buttered and the tea ready, she set them on a tray. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Mom.”

  Then she looked at the clock. “Well, I guess what I should say is that I’ll see you later this morning. Gage will be coming by at some point, but he promised to call first. I have my cell, so I’ll let you know when I hear from him.”

  “That sounds good. Should I wait for Tripp to come in before going upstairs?”

  Abby crossed over to look out the window, where she could see Tripp and Zeke prowling along the edge of the yard and heading back to his place. “They shouldn’t be much longer. There’s a pillow and a blanket in the hall closet. I’m sure he’d appreciate it if you would lay them on the sofa for him.”

  Her mom looked glad to have something constructive to do. Leaving her to it, Abby carried the tea and toast up to Jada’s room, only to find the younger woman was already sound asleep. It was tempting to close the door to afford Jada a little more privacy, but she hadn’t been kidding about Zeke wanting to keep an eye on their visitor. In fact, she’d leave her own door open a little in case Jada called out during the night.

  Rather than let the tea and toast go to waste, Abby curled up in the chair in the corner of her bedroom and enjoyed them herself. As she sipped the tea, she let the quiet of the night settle around her. A few minutes later, she heard the deep rumble of Tripp’s voice saying something to Zeke. That was followed by the familiar sound of the dog coming up the stairs. He poked his head into her room long enough to check on her. When she held out the last corner of the toast, he dutifully came in to accept the small treat.

  She patted his big head. “As much as I’d love your company, big guy, I suspect Jada needs it more. There’s something going on with her, and she might sleep better knowing you were on duty tonight.”

  As always, she wondered exactly how much the dog understood. Way more than most people would give him credit for, especially when he gave her a quick lick before trotting back out the door and across the hall.

  She set her mug and empty plate on the table next to the chair and headed for the bathroom to get ready for bed for the second time in one night. It was bound to be another roller-coaster day, but for now she’d sleep more soundly knowing that both Tripp and Zeke stood between the three women in the house and whoever might be lurking out there in the night.

  CHAPTER 15

  Being jarred out of a sound sleep for the second time in less than six hours was truly hateful. Abby patted her hand across the surface of the bedside table until she finally located the phone. With one arm over her eyes to block out the sunshine streaming in through the window, she did her best to sound coherent when she finally answered the call.

  “Morning, Gage.”

  At least he refrained from laughing at her grumpy tone. “I’d ask if I woke you up, but the answer to that question is pretty obvious. Sorry, Abby.”

  She blinked at the phone screen to check the time and saw that it was a little after nine. “It’s okay, Gage. I should be getting up anyway, since I’ve got houseguests.”

  “I know you do. How did it go with Jada last night?’

  How much should she say? Was it wrong to share her suspicions that Jada was hiding something that had happened on the night of the murder? Yeah, even her sleep-deprived brain knew it was. It would be better to give Jada the chance to tell Gage what he needed to know. She also didn’t want to cause the poor girl trouble if the secret had nothing to do with Mitch Anders’s murder. Better to err on the side of caution.

  “She was understandably shaken up by what happened last night, but she kept it together until we got to the house. There were a few tears right before she went up to bed. However, I’m guessing she made it through the rest of the night okay, although I don’t know that for sure. I slept like a rock myself. For sure Zeke didn’t raise any alarms, and I think he would have.”

  “That’s good. You can tell her that there was no more trouble at the house last night, and the local handyman I contacted said he would get her door fixed today.”

  “She’ll be grateful that you’re helping her out, Gage. I assume you’re coming over this morning.”

  “Yep, but I’ve got a couple of things to take care of before I head your way. I’m hoping to be there in about an hour. Say, a little after ten. Will that work for you?”

  As tempting as it was to go back to sleep, that wasn’t practical. “Sure thing. I’ll let Jada and everyone else know.”

  “See you soon.”

  After hanging up, she stared at the ceiling for a minute or two, giving her body and brain time to get in sync before getting out of bed. Sometimes she waited until after breakfast to shower and get dressed rather than hitting the floor running. Unfortunately, this wasn’t going to be one of those days. She didn’t care what her mother thought of the faded tank top and flannel shorts she’d slept in; she’d seen Abby in far worse. But throwing Tripp and Jada into the mix, it would be better if she made herself presentable before heading downstairs.

  Sighing, she threw back the covers and began her day.

  * * *

  Twenty minutes later, Abby started down the steps. She paused long enough to identify the voices coming from the kitchen as belonging to her mother and Tripp. Where was Jada? The door to her room had been open and the bed made. Either she was being extra quiet or she was gone. Hoping that wasn’t the case, Abby hustled on down the stairs to find out. Gage would need to know if the girl had disappeared.

  She skidded to a stop just outside the kitchen door. She backed up a step into the hall to buy herself a little time to rein in her panic. Luckily, both her mother and Jada had their backs toward her. Tripp had just turned away from the counter. He briefly glanced toward Jada before turning his attention back to Abby. He screwed on the lid of the to-go cup in his hand as she drew a slow breath and started forward again. Feeling far calmer, she said, “Listen, mister, you better have left enough coffee for me.”

  After stepping aside to allow Abby easy access to the coffeemaker, Tripp spoke to Jada. “I spen
t two decades in the Special Forces, and I’m trained in all kinds of combat. With that in mind, believe me when I say there’s no way I’ll ever again risk getting between Abby and her first cup of coffee in the morning. I won’t scare you with the details of what happened the one time I made that mistake, but it was ugly.”

  Abby rolled her eyes at the imaginary story. “Don’t tell lies about me, Tripp. Everyone knows I’m a morning person.”

  Her mother snorted. “Since when? Or have you forgotten how much fun your high school years were, when school started at seven thirty in the morning? I swear, some days it took dynamite to blast you out of bed.”

  “All right, you two. That’s enough. I’m not that bad.”

  That claim had both her mother and Tripp snickering. It was no fun being picked on when she wasn’t yet operating at full speed, but at least the conversation had Jada smiling. Abby aimed her next comment directly to her. “Did you sleep well last night or did Zeke’s snoring keep you awake?”

  The younger woman patted the dog’s head and looked a bit insulted on his behalf. “He doesn’t snore that loudly. In fact, it was sort of a comforting rumble.”

  Abby added cream and an unhealthy dose of sugar to her coffee. “I can’t dispute that. It’s kind of like white noise that blocks out other sounds and makes it easier to sleep.”

  She took a tub of peach yogurt from the fridge and sat down at the table. “Have all of you already eaten?”

  Tripp was the first to answer. “Your mom was nice enough to make oatmeal for the three of us.”

  He edged closer to the door. “I have class this morning, so I’m going to head back over to my place. I’ll be back early this afternoon, but text if you need anything.”

  “Will do. We should be fine, though. Gage will be here pretty soon.” She followed him to the door. “Thanks for staying over last night.”

  “Anytime. See you later, ladies.” He looked toward her mother and Jada and finally at Abby. Maybe she was fooling herself into thinking that he kicked it up a notch when he smiled at her, but she didn’t think so. The brief connection brightened her whole mood.

  If her mother had noticed, she gave no indication of it. “So, Chief Logan is on his way?”

  Abby checked the time. “He called to say he should be here a little after ten.”

  She took a bite of her yogurt while gauging Jada’s reaction to the knowledge Gage was already headed their way. Although she didn’t say anything, her hand trembled just slightly as she continued to pet Zeke. If Abby hadn’t been sitting so close, she might’ve been fooled into thinking Jada was not at all concerned about the upcoming discussion with Gage. It would be interesting to see how long that façade of calm held up once he started asking questions.

  “Oh, I almost forgot. He said a handyman will fix your door today.”

  At least that bit of news eased some of the tension that surrounded Jada like a second skin. “That’s good news. Once that’s done, it should be safe for me to go back home.” Her eyes widened. “Sorry, if that sounds like I’m ungrateful for you letting me stay here last night. I just figured you’d be glad to have your house back to yourself.”

  That was true, but it wasn’t just Jada who was cluttering up the place. As far as Abby was concerned, her mother was the bigger problem. To avoid letting any hint of that idea show in her expression, she concentrated on consuming her coffee and yogurt. At least neither her mom nor Jada seemed inclined to indulge in idle chat. She couldn’t help but notice that they both kept glancing at the clock, maybe counting down the minutes until Gage arrived.

  She finished the last of her yogurt and was washing out the container when the front doorbell chimed. After tossing the empty tub into the recycling bin under the sink, she wiped her hands on her jeans and headed for the door. Zeke got there ahead of her and stood wagging his tail as he waited for Abby to let another of his friends inside.

  “Hi, Gage. Come on in.”

  He rivaled Tripp in size and took up a lot of room as he stepped into the entryway. The man was smart enough to know what was expected of him when Zeke flopped on the floor and rolled over to demand a good belly rub. As Gage knelt by the dog to do a proper job of it, he gave her a questioning look, keeping his face low. “How are things going this morning?”

  She shrugged. “Well enough, I guess. Mom and Jada are waiting in the kitchen, but Tripp left for class. By the way, Jada hopes to return to her own place once the door gets fixed. I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  Gage straightened up to his full height. “We’ll make that part of the conversation. And depending how that goes, she might not have much say in where she spends the night.”

  Abby closed the door and followed Gage back down the hall toward the kitchen. As his words replayed in her head, all she could think was that his pronouncement didn’t sound ominous at all. No, not a bit. Poor Jada.

  CHAPTER 16

  When Abby and Gage reached the kitchen, her mother and Zeke sat flanking Jada, making their loyalties clear. Both would stand with her against Gage. Abby wasn’t surprised by her mother’s choice. The woman already had issues with the man because of Owen. Zeke, on the other hand, was most likely picking up on Jada’s distress and was doing his best to offer comfort.

  Maybe she was overanalyzing the situation, but she didn’t think so. Regardless, Abby couldn’t bring herself to take the empty seat next to Jada’s nor the one closer to Gage, for fear it would make Jada feel as if they were ganging up on her. After pouring Gage some coffee, she leaned against the counter, the closest to a neutral corner she could find within the limited space of her kitchen.

  Gage added cream and sugar to his mug before taking out the small spiral notebook that he always used in these circumstances. The county homicide detective had one that was similar, so she always figured it was a cop thing. After he opened it to a new page, he picked up his pen and leaned forward, elbows on the table.

  “So, Ms. Davidson, I want you to walk me through what happened last night. Take it slow, the more detail the better. You never know what will end up being important.”

  Jada’s fingers dug deeper into Zeke’s fur as if needing his undemanding support. “I went to bed around ten thirty. I’ve been sleeping in my dad’s room instead of mine. I feel closer to him that way. Like he’s not really gone, but just away for a while.”

  Abby hurt so much for Jada, hating that this was all so hard for her. Jada kept her attention trained on the table rather than making direct eye contact with anyone. “The house was quiet, just the usual night sounds. The next thing I know, I heard a loud bang coming from the other end of the house, like something hit the front door hard. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but then it happened a second time. The third time, I heard wood splintering and a loud crash. Realizing someone had broken into the house, I locked myself in the bathroom and called the police.”

  Her story coasted to a stop while she took a drink of water. After setting the glass aside, she picked up from where she’d left off. “The dispatcher said an officer was close by and to stay right where I was until Deputy Sotot arrived and identified himself.”

  She finally looked directly at Gage. “My heart was pounding so hard I couldn’t really hear much by that point. I huddled down in the tub with the shower curtain closed until the deputy knocked on the bathroom door. Once he gave me his name and badge number, I came out. You and the others arrived shortly after that.”

  By that point in the narrative, Abby’s mother had a firm grasp on one of Jada’s hands, offering what comfort she could. Zeke did his part, too, by keeping his head on her lap and grumbling softly to show his concern.

  Gage kept writing until he caught up with Jada’s narrative. “I know you didn’t have much time to look around last night, but did you notice anything at all that was missing?”

  She shook her head. “No, only the stuff that got tossed around in the living room. You know, like the couch cushions thrown on the floor. He also pulled a f
ew things out of the coat closet, like he was looking for something. None of the other rooms looked as if they’d been touched, so maybe he ran out of time before he got that far. I’ll be able to say more for certain once I start putting everything back where it belongs.”

  Gage glanced up from his notes. “You said ‘he,’ indicating a single male person. Is there any reason you think it had to be a man? Could it have been a woman? Or even more than one person?”

  Jada paused to think. “I guess I just assumed it had to be a man since it would take a lot of strength to kick the door in like that. I have no idea if he was alone. Like I said, I couldn’t hear much of anything once I locked myself in the bathroom.”

  After jotting down a few things, Gage picked up where he’d left off. “Can you think of anything specific the perpetrator might have been looking for? Something of value that would explain why the guy didn’t simply grab the easy stuff like your laptop, which was sitting out in plain sight?”

  Jada’s face paled. “No, nothing of special value. My mother had some nice jewelry, but it’s in the safety deposit box at the bank. Any important paperwork is in the locked filing cabinet in the bedroom Dad used for his home office. It didn’t appear to have been opened, but I can double-check that when I get home. I did a lot of filing for him, so I know what should be there.”

  “Go back to earlier in the day. What time did you get home and where were you coming from?”

  “I’d been at school most of the day. I missed some classes after Dad died, and I’m still playing catch-up.” She bit her lower lip and frowned. “I didn’t feel like cooking, so I went through a drive-up to get a burger and salad. I went straight home from there.”

  “When you got to the house, did you park in the driveway or in the garage?”

  “The garage. I went inside through the door that leads straight into the kitchen.”

  Gage kept writing as he fired another question at her. “For the few seconds you waited for the door to roll up out of the way, did you look around at all? If so, did you see anything or anyone in the area? Maybe someone who didn’t belong there? Take your time and really think about it.”