Double Down

by De Leo, Vicky

  I stopped. “Were you planning on staying?”

  He grinned. “Is that an invitation?”

  “No it’s not. I appreciate your concern, but as you can see, I’m fine.”

  “Relax. I just thought we could share some dinner, or are you expecting company?”

  “No.” Delgado hadn’t called in two days. This was Alan and we were friends again. I knew there was nothing in my refrigerator to eat. Why not share dinner? Even though I didn’t want to admit it, I really didn’t want to be alone. “Okay, the menu’s by the phone. Order me some Cashew Chicken. I’m just going to change.” I went into the bedroom and changed into sweats. When I came out Alan had taken off his tie, rolled up his sleeves and turned on the TV.

  We ate in front of the TV like an old married couple.

  Finally standing up and stretching I said, “It’s getting late.”

  “You mean it’s time I went home. I can take a hint.” He stood, retrieving his coat and tie from the back of the couch. “You sure you don’t want me to stay?”

  I walked him to the door. “It’s not a good idea.”

  “Detective Delgado wouldn’t like it?”

  At this point, I wasn’t sure if Delgado would care, but I said, “Probably not.”

  At the door, he turned, and holding me by the shoulders gave me a quick kiss on the mouth. “Call me if you change your mind.” He waited on the porch until he heard the lock click.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I didn’t see or hear from Delgado until Wednesday morning when he came charging into my office waving a copy of my threatening letter. “When exactly were you planning on telling me about this?” he roared.

  “When I saw you?” I replied, walking around him to shut my office door. I probably should have been mad, but the minute I got close enough to smell him, I got weak in the knees. He smelled like soap, sunshine, and fresh air. He was wearing a black T-shirt that hugged his torso, tucked into jeans riding low on his hips, and tennis shoes. He looked hotter than ever with his hair tousled and a couple days growth of beard. I reached up and touched his face, “Are you going to kiss me, or should I wait while you yell at me some more?”

  He leaned into my hand closed his eyes. “Woman, you’re making me crazy.” He pulled me into his arms. He didn’t kiss me, just held me tight, resting his head on my shoulder slowly breathing in and out. After a minute, he raised his head and looked at me. “I can’t believe how much I missed you.”

  When he kissed me, I believed him.

  He started slow just brushing his lips against mine. He tasted as good as he smelled. Then he deepened the kiss. Warmth spread throughout my body. By the time he was finished, my back was up against the door, with his body pressed against mine. The warmth had turned into a raging fire. He stepped back, and I slumped against him, waiting for my heart to slow down. Holding on to my hand, he led me to the two chairs sitting against the wall. We sat down next to each other.

  He still had creases between his eyes, making him looked worried, but he seemed calmer. “Now tell me about this letter.”

  So I did. I also told him about firing Martin Sanders on Monday. “So far I haven’t had any trouble from him.”

  “I should have gone home with you. I’m sorry. I’ve been undercover for the last couple of days. When the desk sergeant told me about that letter, I nearly went crazy.”

  “You don’t have to apologize for doing your job. You know, I can take care of myself. I am being careful. Security walks me to my car every evening.”

  “Right. Harris has been taking care of you. I wonder why that doesn’t make me feel better.” When I started to protest, he held up a hand to stop me. “I know I should be grateful. At least he was here. Val, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d really feel more comfortable if you had a good security system at home.”

  “I agree. Charlene’s called around. No one’s available until the end of the week.”

  “Let me make a few calls.”

  “Do you know of any progress on Monica’s case? Have they talked to Jerry about the withdrawals from the fund?”

  He looked disgusted. “I doubt it. The detective who has the case now is a lazy SOB. He didn’t even bother to take a statement from you, did he?” I shook my head. He closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck.

  “You look tired.”

  “I haven’t gotten much sleep. I was on my way home, but I had to stop by and see if you were all right.”

  I stood, pulling him up with me. “I’m fine. Go home and get some rest.” I kissed him goodbye, and pushed him out the door. I couldn’t help but notice he looked just as good walking away.

  Just before lunch, the alarm company called. They said they had a cancellation, and could I meet them at the house in an hour. Their white logoed van was parked in front of the house when I got there. I was prepared to sit down and discuss what I would need, and get an estimate. The technician informed me “my husband” had already spoken with his office. He was there to install their state of the art system. When I asked how much it would cost, he said since the account was already paid, he didn’t have those figures with him. No doubt Delgado added a bonus if they could install it right away. The technician got right to work, saying it would only take a couple of hours.

  Part of me was relieved that I wouldn’t have to sift through all the technical jargon to select the best system, and part of me was pissed. When Delgado and I broke up, how the heck was I supposed to give back an alarm system? Plus, I didn’t need Delgado to take care of me. I made good money. I would have called and yelled at him, but he’d looked so exhausted when he left that I couldn’t bring myself to wake him up.

  I called Charlene and told her I wouldn’t be back for a couple of hours.

  “I’m glad you called. Mr. Collins was here. He wants you to call him. In addition, I have a package addressed to you from a Mrs. Combs in St. Louis. Alan wouldn’t let me open it. He said maybe security should take it and check it out.”

  I couldn’t imagine what Mrs. Combs could be sending me. “Mrs. Combs is the neighbor that I talked to at the funeral. Let me call her and confirm that she actually sent me a package. I’ll call you back and let you know what I find out.” I got her number from directory assistance. Mrs. Combs answered on the third ring.

  “Mrs. Combs, this is Valerie Peterson. I was Marcia’s boss in Las Vegas. Remember we met at her funeral?”

  “Of, course, dear, I expect you’re calling about the package I sent you.”

  “Yes, I just wanted to verify that you were the one who sent it.”

  “I understand. You can’t be too careful these days. Talking with you about Marcia and Joey got me to thinking. After you left, I remembered that just before Marcia left for Las Vegas, she came by to see me. I was surprised because I hadn’t seen her for a number of years. She gave me a box and asked me to hold it for her. She didn’t want her mother to have it. She said she didn’t have anyone else that she trusted to keep it safe for her. I put it in the attic and forgot all about it. When Lorraine said that Marcia’s diaries weren’t among her things, I wondered if that’s what was in the box. I went to the attic and there they were. I guess now they belong to Lorraine, but Marcia was so adamant that she didn’t want Lorraine to see them.”

  “You sent me Marcia’s diaries?”

  “Yes dear. I wondered if there might be something in them that would help find her killer. I couldn’t bring myself to give them to the police and have her private life on display for everyone to see. In addition, I was afraid they would just turn them over to Lorraine. I can’t read them either. I opened one, and just seeing her handwriting brought back too many painful memories. You seemed like such a nice sympathetic person, and it looked like you had a close relationship with that good-looking detective from Las Vegas. Oh, dear, I know I’m rambling.”

  She paused and took a breath. “Let me start over. I sent them to you because I was hoping that you would be willing to read them. Then
if there’s something in them that the police need to know, you could tell them. If you didn’t find anything, then maybe you could just send them back to me. I know it’s a lot to ask.”

  Wow, she sent me Monica’s diaries. I was itching to get my hands on them. Still I wasn’t sure I could keep from turning them over to the police. Wasn’t that withholding evidence? Even if I sent them back to Mrs. Combs unopened, I should at least tell the police they existed and where to find them. On the other hand, it was possible that even if I did turn them over to the police, they wouldn't read them or initiate an investigation. Didn’t Delgado tell me that the detective now in charge was lazy?

  Making up my mind I told her, “I’d be happy to read them, as long as you understand that, if I find anything I think the police need to know, I would have to give them all the diaries and tell them where I got them. If that happens, I can’t guarantee that they won’t eventually be given to Lorraine.” I knew that implied that I wouldn’t tell anyone if the diaries proved worthless, but I was sure that, given Monica’s penchant for seeking out other people’s secrets, there would be clues to her killer hidden somewhere within them.

  Mrs. Combs sighed. “Thank you. If it helps to find her murderer, then I’ll just have to hope that she would forgive me for not keeping my promise.”

  I promised to call her back after I read the diaries. Then I called Charlene and told her there was no need to inform security. I couldn’t wait to get back to the office. I tried to concentrate while the technician who installed the alarm patiently instructed me in detail on how to arm, reset, and disarm it. I’m afraid my mind kept wandering. Finally, I asked if he had written instructions I could follow. He handed me an instruction manual, but insisted on watching me arm the system before letting me leave.

  I raced back to the office. Once I got there, I forgot all about the diaries. The police were there arresting Rose for Monica’s murder.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Two policemen were walking Rose out the office door with her hands handcuffed behind her. Tears streamed down her face leaving streaks of black mascara. I tried to go to her, but Alan held me back. She saw me, and yelled for me to call her sister, before they put her into the police car. The clerks were standing around watching, looking shocked. I turned on Alan and screamed at him, “Why did you let them take her. You know she didn’t do it.”

  “I didn’t have a choice they had a warrant.” He looked around the room. All eyes were on us. He took hold of my arm and whispered fiercely in my ear, “Let’s go to your office, there’s more that you need to know.”

  Not ready to forgive him, I jerked my arm out of his grasp, but headed for my office.

  Charlene was on the phone. She hung up as I approached. “I called Evan. He’s calling around to see if he can get her a good attorney.”

  I hugged her, and motioned for her to come into the office with us. Alan frowned, but didn’t object. Once we were inside with the door closed, I asked him, “Why? Why now?”

  He sank down in a chair rubbing his hand over his face. “They found her husband Danny. He’s dead. They think he was killed around the same time Monica was killed. Someone shot him in the chest twice with his own gun.”

  I slumped down into my chair. “Oh no, so that’s why they think Rose did it. Where did they find him?”

  “They found his body in the desert about a mile from their house.”

  “I need to call her sister, and then I’m going down there to talk to Rose.” I picked up the phone.

  Alan shook his head. “Go ahead and call the sister, but you might as well wait a couple of hours before going downtown. It’ll take at least that long for her to be processed. Even then, they may not let you see her. Why don’t you let her lawyer handle it?”

  I put the phone down and glared at him. “Because she needs to know that she still has some friends who care about her.”

  “Val, there wasn’t anything I could do.” He said it quietly, his eyes pleading with me to understand.

  Putting the phone back in the cradle, I laid my head down on my desk. I knew it wasn’t his fault. I was just taking my frustration out on him. That’s what the logical side of my brain was telling me. The emotional side just wanted to yell and scream at someone, and he was the only available target. I knew I needed to calm down. Her sister needed to know that Rose probably wasn’t coming home tonight. I didn’t want the kids to have to hear about their father’s death and mother’s arrest on the news. I couldn’t bear to think what their lives would be like if Rose had to stand trial for the murder of their father.

  I took a deep breath, shoving all the anguish and panic I felt behind a door in my mind, picked up the phone again, and dialed the sister’s number. I explained the situation as succinctly as I could, trying not to give her too many of the gory details. She held together better than I expected. While I was on the phone, Charlene had gone back to her desk to answer her phone. She came back to tell us that a lawyer was on his way. Rose wouldn’t be alone.

  Alan had stayed, not saying anything. I wasn’t sure why he was still there.

  “I’m not going anywhere, Alan. I understand that I need to wait until after work to see Rose.” I figured that either her lawyer or Delgado could get me in, but I didn’t mention that to him.

  I assumed that he was waiting to try to talk me out of going to see Rose so I was surprised when he said, “How can you be so sure that she didn’t do it?”

  Startled I paused. Remembering back when Rose and I talked after Monica’s murder, I could have sworn that in spite of everything she still loved Danny, and was thinking of forgiving him. I was sure she had no idea he was dead. One thing I was sure of was she wasn’t a cold-blooded murderer, and she wasn’t that good an actress. “I just know that’s all. I’m going to do everything in my power to prove it.”

  “Okay, let’s assume for the moment that she didn’t do it.”

  I glared at him. “I don’t have to assume. She didn’t do it.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Fine, she didn’t do it. Do you think that the killer is just going to sit back while you continue to stir things up? You’ve been threatened and warned. Why can’t you stay out of this and let the police handle it?”

  “Because it’s obvious they’ve already made up their minds she’s guilty. They aren’t going to be investigating any more. Those kids have already lost their father. I’m not going to sit back while the state takes away their mother too.”

  “Again, why is it your job? She has a lawyer. Proving her innocent should be his job. I’m begging you, stay out of it.”

  I sighed and sat back. “I can’t for the very reason you gave. I must have the key to some piece of information that no one else has. Why else would I be the only one threatened?”

  I thought I was being totally logical and reasonable, until Alan stood up and shouted at me. “Looks to me like you’re determined to get yourself killed!” He stormed out of the office.

  Men! And they say we’re the emotional ones. I had work to do. I didn’t have time to worry about his temper tantrum. Not wanting to wake Delgado, I sent him a text message to call me when he woke up, marking it urgent. Alan was right about one thing. Since I wasn’t family, they probably wouldn’t allow me to talk to Rose without Delgado’s help. I just hoped he’d be more reasonable than Alan.

  I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to clear my desk, but I had trouble keeping my mind on the job. Instead, I found myself staring at the speckled wallpaper on the walls of my office, questions swirling in my head. If Monica was killed to keep her quiet, why kill Danny? If Mike was right, and Monica’s only interest in Danny was to get back at Rose, it wasn’t likely that she would have shared her secrets with him. However, Danny had lived with Monica for a short period. Maybe he saw or heard something, but how would the killer know that, unless Danny tried to blackmail him as well? Were Monica and Danny killed at the same time, or a couple of days later? I could see why the police thought Rose did it. It wa
s the simplest logical explanation. Woman scorned kills the other woman and cheating husband. Rose could have sent the threatening letter, and since Danny was a mechanic, it was likely she knew where and how to cut my brake lines. Still, why would she bother to threaten me, the one person who was positive she was innocent? It was possible that someone not connected to the murders threatened me and caused the accident. Still, I just couldn’t make myself believe that. I was sure that like some giant jigsaw puzzle, once I had the key piece, everything would fit together and make perfect sense.

  Delgado called a few minutes before five. “Hi. I got your text. Are you all right?

  “I’m fine. My Employment Manager, Rose, has been arrested for Monica’s murder. They found her husband’s body a mile from their house. He’d been shot twice in the chest with his own gun. Can you get me in to see her?”

  His voice was slightly hoarse like he hadn’t been up long. “Let me make a few calls and see what I can do. I’ll meet you at your place in say about an hour?”

  I agreed, even though it meant I would have to leave immediately. I hadn’t even made a dent in the paperwork on my desk. Luckily, there wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait until morning. I gathered up my things, stopping by Charlene’s desk.

  “See if you can get me an appointment with Rose’s lawyer. I’m not sure how much the police will share with him. I want to make sure he has information on all the other possible suspects.”

  Charlene said, “I’ll call him. By the way, your insurance agent called. They have a check ready and want you to return the rental car.” She thrust a box into my hands. “You better take this home with you.”

  It was the package Mrs. Combs had sent me. I’d forgotten all about it. I took it and promised to call her later, after I’d seen Rose. It felt strange walking to my car without Alan beside me. Since I’d promised Mrs. Combs that I wouldn’t let the police know about the diaries until after I’d read them, I locked the box in the trunk so Delgado wouldn’t see it. As I drove out of the garage, I noticed Martin Sanders standing across the street. I could have sworn he was looking directly at me. I watched him out of my rearview mirror. He made no move to try to follow me, just stood there watching until I was out of sight. It gave me chills. It was the first time I had seen him since the termination.