by Carsen Taite
Ellen gestured toward the car where she and Danny had last talked. “I’ve said all I’m going to say about that.”
“Then I’m not sure what we can do for you. But I do suggest you stay away from here for a while, change your habits.” She followed Ellen’s lingering gaze. “And stay away from her.”
Ellen jerked to attention at the unexpected warning, and she could tell by Sarah’s tone that she knew something had transpired between her and Danny. “You have nothing to worry about. If you or Danielle Soto has anything further to say to me about this case, you can contact my lawyer.”
How dare everyone cast her as the bad guy? She’d been alone in her house when a killer supposedly showed up on her doorstep. A killer who knew where she lived. He may have been in the house last night when she and Danny got home, may have watched their every move. She felt a rising blush warm her face and waves of nausea coursed through her as she remembered what he would’ve seen. How long had he been watching her? And why?
She didn’t have answers, but she was determined to find them. And she’d be damned if she was going to ask Danny Soto to help.
Chapter Seventeen
Monday morning, Ellen sat in the lobby of the law firm of Bradley & Casey, P.C., waiting for her appointment with Morgan Bradley. She hadn’t actually been serious when she’d told Danny and Sarah to contact her lawyer, but the more she thought about it, it seemed like a good idea for her to find out if she really was in any trouble. She could have called her dad for legal advice, but he hadn’t practiced outside of a classroom in years, and she had no interest in letting him know the mess she’d made. Morgan had been a student of her father’s who had stayed in touch with him over the years. She honestly didn’t think she needed a lawyer, but she didn’t trust her own judgment lately. She’d done everything wrong when it came to Danny.
“Ms. Bradley is ready to see you now.”
Ellen followed the attractive receptionist down a hallway to a small conference room. She took a seat and declined anything to drink while she waited. Seconds later, Morgan appeared in the doorway with a tall, handsome, dark-haired woman.
Morgan walked over to where she was sitting and took her hand. “Ellen, it’s been so long. How are you? How is your family?”
“Great.” She was purposefully vague, and quick to direct attention away from herself by sticking a hand in the direction of the other woman. “Hi, I’m Ellen Davenport.”
Morgan made the introduction. “Meet my wife and law partner, Parker Casey. Based on what you told me on the phone, I asked her to sit in on this meeting. Parker used to be a homicide detective with the Dallas Police Department. I thought she might know some of the players.”
Parker’s handshake was firm and her smile gentle. They all sat at the conference table and Morgan dove in. “Ellen, why don’t you recap what you told me on the phone and expand the details? Parker might have a few questions of her own, and I want her to hear your version firsthand.”
Ellen steeled herself and then poured out the story, from the day Danny and George had shown up at her office to the scare yesterday morning. The only thing she held back was the personal relationship that had developed between her and Danny during the investigation of the case.
Parker asked the first question. “Sounds like you’ve cooperated above and beyond what anyone would expect. Any idea why Soto and Flores are threatening you with obstruction? Danny’s been around a while, and she has a solid reputation as a professional—this sounds out of character for her.”
Parker’s tone didn’t contain a hint of judgment, but Ellen knew she couldn’t hold back the truth. Not if she wanted their help. “Things haven’t always been professional between us. Danny and I have, well…”
It wasn’t that she couldn’t admit it, but she just didn’t know what to call what had existed between them. While she struggled for words, she watched Morgan and Parker exchange smiles. Morgan placed a hand on her arm and said, “You can’t always pick the perfect time and circumstance to meet someone you care about.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Pretty much so.”
“Do you really think she intends to pursue you criminally?”
“I don’t know. I mean, no. She was angry. The problem is there’s more to the story. More I haven’t told them. I don’t even know if any of it matters or if it will get me in trouble, but I need to tell someone and I didn’t know who else to call.”
“Did your father suggest you call us?”
“I haven’t talked to him about any of this.” Ellen braced for their reaction to the secrets she was about to spill. “He and mother have separated. He’s in Chicago. She’s…” Saying it out loud was harder than she imagined. “She’s in a home. Mother has Alzheimer’s, early onset.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” said Morgan. “When was she diagnosed?”
“Last fall. I suppose the signs have been there for a while, but mother’s really good at hiding weakness.” She knew she sounded bitter, but she didn’t have her mother’s skill. What little family she had had imploded once the diagnosis became final. She spilled the entire story, including the fact she’d doctored the Alpha Nu database to hide her mother’s association with the sorority and her mother’s strange actions after she found out about Marty Lawson’s death. When she was done, she folded her hands on the table. “Now you know everything. Everything I know, anyway. I keep going back to her outburst at the home, after she found out about Marty. That night it felt like she thought I was Marty. It seems like her words might be important, but I can’t imagine how.”
Morgan looked at Parker and nodded. Parker said, “It boils down to this. Do you want to cooperate with the police? I mean, they already know about the database issue and I assume you have nothing else to hide, right? And since your mother’s been in a home since last year, she isn’t likely to be directly involved in these murders.”
“I want to do what’s right. I just don’t want anyone to get hurt in the process. I don’t think Mother could handle a police interrogation right now. She has lucid moments, but anything can trigger a setback.”
“She has no obligation to talk to the police,” Parker said. “And it sounds like she’s really not in a position to make a decision about whether or not to do so on her own. Is there anyone else we could talk to that might have some insight about what she was talking about?”
Dad. She’d purposefully avoided the thought, but Ellen knew her parents had been college sweethearts. Her mother’s words led her to believe she’d been reliving a college memory, real or imagined. Her father may not know about secret sorority business, but he may have some ideas about which other Alpha Nus besides Marty that her mother had been close to while in college. “I may have an idea. What do I do if I come up with a name?”
“Let us be involved when you make the contact,” Morgan said. “We don’t want anyone thinking you’re interfering with the investigation. In the meantime, do you want us to contact someone involved with the case to let them know they shouldn’t talk to you without one of us present?”
“Anyone” and “someone” were placeholders for Danny. Ellen didn’t know what to say. Did she want her lawyers to contact Danny and warn her off? Truth was, as upset as she was at Danny’s irrational anger, she was just as mad at herself for the way she’d reacted. The last thing she wanted was to push Danny further away. “No. If anyone tries to talk to me about the case, I’ll tell them to call you.”
“Good plan.” Morgan pulled a card from the holder on the table and wrote two numbers on the back before handing it over. “Both of our cell numbers are on the back. Call anytime.” She placed her hand on Ellen’s. “I mean it. Even if you just need to talk. Okay?”
Ellen felt the sting of tears prick her behind the eyes, but she silently commanded herself not to cry. She’d started the day naked and sated, tangled in sheets that smelled like Danny. From there she’d tripped and fallen over flowers delivered by a serial killer, gotten yelled
at by her organization’s biggest benefactor, been scolded by an FBI agent, and fought what felt like a fight to end all fights with the woman who’d touched her body and soul in the most magical ways the night before. She deserved to cry, but she wouldn’t do it here. She may not do it at all. She’d managed to keep her feelings in check this long and she wasn’t about to let go now. She would, however, call for reinforcement.
*
Danny paced the war room at police headquarters, waiting for Sarah and George who were on their way. Other than the text from George this morning, she hadn’t spoken with either of them since Sarah had practically thrown her off Ellen’s property. Make that Ellen’s parents’ property.
A glance at the clock told her they were only thirty minutes late, but it seemed like she’d been waiting forever. Several times, she’d reached for her phone, tempted to text Ellen or hoping she’d left a message. No incoming messages. She resisted the urge to start an exchange. She wasn’t confident that Ellen would respond even if she did reach out. She’d said some harsh things. They both had. A cooling off period was definitely in order.
She finally decided to pass the time doing something productive. She signed onto one of the computers in the room and pulled up Lexis to see what she could find out about Ellen’s mother, Vivian Davenport. No doubt Sarah and her team already had whatever information existed, but she was tired of relying on other people for information.
The house where Ellen lived was owned by Vivian and William Davenport. William “Bill” had, until recently, been a professor at Richards University Law School. He’d transferred to a small college in Chicago for the spring semester. So where was Vivian? Was she on an extended trip as Ellen had told the women at the mixer or had she moved to Chicago with her husband? She definitely hadn’t been at the house on any of the occasions that Danny had been there. And last night the sounds of their lovemaking would have flushed anyone out of hiding.
Make that the sounds of their sex. Really, that’s what she should call it since it was clear now that love hadn’t been in the mix. Whatever she’d felt beyond the purely physical had been a figment of her imagination, and it was her own fault she’d gotten her hopes up for something more. Ellen had been clear from the beginning that she wasn’t interested in anything more than a physical encounter. Now that she’d gotten laid, was Ellen done with her and ready to move on to the next? Last night she’d seemed so tender, so sweet, so romantic. Had it all been an act designed to warm her up and get her to relax her standards?
She had to let it go. Let Ellen go. Sarah and George could handle whatever further questioning was necessary. She needed to focus on her job because it was the one relationship she could count on.
While she was surfing databases, she typed in Angela Perkin’s name. She’d never mentioned her to George after the mixer. Another consequence of her distraction. The intern from the mixer had given her the willies and she couldn’t shake the image of Angela flirting with her while holding the creepy white rose like it was a magic wand. Tag on the conversation she’d heard in the restroom, and she figured Angela definitely merited a second look.
Not much to see. Angela owned a car and not much else. And the car wasn’t much either. A twenty-year-old Dodge. Definitely didn’t fit with Danny’s idea of a rich sorority girl, but maybe her stereotypes were out of whack. Ellen had seemed so down to earth despite her money. Seemed was the key word. Something was off about Angela Perkins, but all Danny had was a gut feeling that kept her looking a bit longer. Angela didn’t have much family that she could find. Mother deceased, no information about a father. Wonder who she’d been talking to on the phone the other night? From the snippets of conversation she’d heard, it didn’t seem like Angela was thrilled with sorority life. So why pay the expensive dues and all the other trappings if she wasn’t interested?
“Whatcha looking at?” George asked. He and Sarah stood looking over her shoulder.
“Not sure. I mentioned this intern to Flores the night of the mixer. She acted funny that night and I think she’s worth looking into.”
“Print out what you’ve got. We’re meeting with the team in fifteen minutes to review everything we have,” Sarah said. “I think we’re getting really close, but not quite close enough. We need to have a serious brainstorming session.” She turned to walk away, but Danny stopped her.
“Can we talk?”
Sarah looked between Danny and George, her gaze questioning.
“George, can you give us a minute?”
He nodded and left the room.
“I thought he was your friend,” Sarah said.
“He is, that’s why I’m trying to keep him out of this. You know in case I get kicked off the case for sleeping with one of the witnesses.”
“Fair enough. And me? You don’t care if I get tainted by your indiscretions?”
Danny cracked a smile. “Not really.”
“Nice, Soto. Okay, what do you want?”
Danny pointed at the sheet she’d printed out about Angela Perkins. “I have a gut feeling this girl is up to no good.”
“You already implied as much. You couldn’t tell me that in front of George?”
“I don’t know if Angela’s intern duties mean she only works events or if she puts in time at the sorority’s headquarters, but I want you to keep her away from Ellen. Can you promise me that?”
“You need to let this thing between you and Ellen go.”
Danny bit back a sharp retort. “I have, but that doesn’t mean I can’t care about whether she’s in danger. And what about that guy who was at the mixer the other night? Who’s got eyes on him?”
“We do. Peter’s run a full background check and a team of DPD officers have him on round-the-clock surveillance, but so far no action on that front. One of the things we’re supposed to discuss at the meeting this morning is whether we need to quit watching and start questioning.”
“Maybe there’s no action because he knows you’re watching.”
“Could be, but the guys assigned to him are top-notch. Trust me, after this many kills, our guy is twitchy for the next one. He’ll fuck up soon, but it might be worth asking him a few questions to rattle him a bit.”
“Just as long as you don’t rattle him right into Ellen Davenport. Promise me you’ll watch out for her?”
“I promise. Already had one of the guys follow her yesterday so we know where she’s staying. She saw an attorney this morning, by the way.”
Danny wasn’t surprised. It was her fault, after all. She’d practically threatened Ellen with arrest and right on the heels of a horrifying experience. Ellen had no reason to trust Danny or the police. She resisted the urge to ask Sarah where Ellen was staying, because she wasn’t sure she could resist showing up on her doorstep and apologizing for her behavior. For Ellen’s sake and hers, she needed to stay away.
*
Ellen stared at her watch. Eight o’clock. The airport was full of Monday commuters who were returning after a day of work in Austin and Houston. She was fairly certain her father wouldn’t have checked a bag, but no longer able to stand waiting in the car, she paced the baggage claim area at Love Field watching for his arrival.
When she finally spotted him, she was surprised she recognized him. His conservative haircut had been replaced by a fashionable style and he sported the beginnings of a beard. He wore jeans and a leather jacket instead of one of the frumpy suits her mother had always insisted on. The only thing truly familiar was the same haunted look in his eyes he’d had the day he told her he was leaving.
When he reached her side, they half hugged before standing in awkward silence. Ellen made the first move. “You check any bags?”
“No.”
“I’m parked in the first garage.”
“Great.”
After they were seated in the car, the conversation stayed at the same pace. “Hungry?” Ellen asked.
“Not really.”
“I got you a room at the Palomar. It’
s where I’m staying.”
“Perfect.”
Neither spoke the rest of the drive, and Ellen took the time to reflect on her conversation with him that morning. After leaving Morgan’s office, she’d called him, sure that if anyone knew what her mother had meant by her strange comments at Cedar Acres, it would be him. She didn’t know what she’d expected when she called—avoidance, apathy, or anger. What she hadn’t expected was for him to tell her he was flying to Dallas. He hadn’t offered any explanation for the sudden visit, and she sensed he wouldn’t be pressed. He’d tell her when he was ready.
She left him at the desk to check in and went to her room. The first thing she did when she was alone in the room was check her phone. She had a message from Morgan who’d called to see how she was doing, but nothing else. She put the phone away, chastising herself for wishing Danny had been the one to check on her.
A few minutes later she heard a knock on her door. The man on the other side of the peephole looked like her father, but after yesterday’s events she wasn’t taking any chances. “Who is it?” she shouted.
“Bill Davenport. Open the door.”
She unhooked the chain and opened the door enough to stick her head out and determine he was alone. “Come in.”
He walked into the room and walked immediately to the mini bar. “I think we’re both going to need a drink for this. What’s your pleasure?”
“Gin.” She may as well have the drink, since she had a feeling nothing she was about to hear would bring her any pleasure.
Chapter Eighteen
“Did you fly all the way from Chicago just to have drinks from a hotel minibar?” Ellen studied her father. He’d been pensive since he arrived and she wasn’t willing to wait any longer for him to say whatever it was he didn’t feel he could say over the phone.
