IF I FAIL

by Marian Lanouette

  “Hi, Julie Cahns please?” Louie asked, when a man answered the phone.

  “Can I tell her whose calling?”

  “Detective Romanelli from the Wilkesbury Police Department.”

  “Oh, yes. This is about poor Chelsea, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is. You are…?”

  “I’m Julie’s brother, Dwayne.”

  “Okay. Did you know Chelsea?”

  “Yes, a lovely woman.”

  “Is Julie there?” Louie asked again. He put Dwayne’s name on the list to interview at a later time.

  “Yes, I’ll get her.”

  Louie waited for what seemed like hours, though only minutes passed before Julie picked up.

  “Hello.”

  “Julie, this is Detective Romanelli.”

  “Detective. I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. I was away this weekend.”

  “How are you doing?” Louie noted the stress in her voice.

  “Not so good. I’ve known Chelsea since we were in high school. I can’t believe she’s gone.” She started to cry. “I’m sorry. I’m having a hard time holding it together.”

  “I need you to try. We need to go step by step through the last night, when you all went out to dinner. Alright?” Louie asked.

  “Okay.”

  A half an hour later, Louie ended the call. He’d gotten some insight into Chelsea’s life, both as a friend and as a mother, but he got nothing new from Julie concerning their last night together. Her story matched Sara’s. Glad to be off the phone, he rubbed his ear to ease the pressure.

  “Next one’s yours,” he told Jake.

  “She certainly talked for a long time.”

  “Chelsea’s her best friend. You could feel her grief.”

  “I’ll take the next one. What’s her name?”

  “Let me see. Here it is. Her name’s Jora Stein. She worked with Chelsea.”

  “I’ll call her now. Is this her work number or her home number?”

  “Work,” Louie answered.

  Unfortunately, Jake got nothing new from Jora either. Nothing exciting happened that night except Chelsea’s disappearance. Jora, the only one who had any interaction with anyone outside of their small group, left shortly after Chelsea did. Jora said the guy she spoke to invented the word asshole. She never let it get past talking to him at the bar. By all accounts, Chelsea left due to boredom. She headed home around ten o’clock.

  According to Jora, Chelsea never complained about anyone bothering her—not socially, professionally, or personally. By all accounts, Chelsea was a quiet woman who worked, took care of her family, and didn’t care to date. The divorce left her bitter. She stayed away from dating. Once a week she went out with her friends.

  Jake played the conversation over in his mind, frustrated with the lack of leads. Murder, rarely a random act, could be just that in this case. In every one of Jake’s cases throughout the years, with no exception, survivors stated each victim had no enemies. Though he always found at least one, if not more; a person didn’t go through life without smudges. He chided himself; too early yet in the investigation to classify it as other than random. A lot more digging needed to be done before he’d give up. Tomorrow they’d dig deeper into the lives of her kids, the ex-husband, the new wife, and her friends.

  Jake turned to Louie. “Did you hear back from the airlines yet? If not, do a follow up call. See if we can’t get that end tied up now.” Jake went down his list. Checked off everything they’d accomplished today.

  “You don’t think the new model flew in for the weekend, killed Chelsea; then flew out again? For what purpose? Where’s the gain?”

  “I don’t think anything yet. I just want to know why she lied. Could be innocent enough, if she didn’t want to say where she went around her husband.”

  “Do you want to take a ride? The bartender over at the golf course just returned my call. I’m heading over there now. It’s so close to lunchtime, we can probably grab something to eat.”

  “Okay.” His cell phone rang. He took it out of his pocket to check the caller’s ID. Looking down at it, he smiled.

  “Let me guess—Mia?”

  “Hi, Mia.” Jake lowered his voice, turning away from Louie.

  “Hi, I’m in Wilkesbury today. Do you want to meet for lunch?”

  “I’d love to. Let me rearrange something and I’ll call you right back.”

  “Alright.”

  “Change of plans.”

  “I heard.” Louie smiled. “Remember, Sophia and I fixed you up.”

  “I’ll remember, especially when things don’t work out,” Jake joked.

  “Nice, Jake. See, it’s doomed before it starts if you think that way. I’ll take lunch at the golf course alone. You do what you have to do.”

  Jake tolerated Louie’s lectures most times. He appreciated it when Louie walked away, giving him some privacy. Jake punched in Mia’s number.

  “Hi.”

  “Where do you want to meet?”

  “How about Café Pablo, right off the highway? Do you know where it is?”

  “Yes, it’s perfect. I’m in the east end now. When do you want to meet?”

  “How about right now?”

  “Sounds good, I’ll see you there. I need ten minutes, okay?”

  “It’ll take me at least ten minutes to get from downtown to you. See you soon.” Jake hung up, smiling.

  It had started out badly today, he thought, but seeing Mia would turn it around. Should he tell Mia about Chloe? Did she see her this morning? Should he wait—see if it happened again?

  “Let me remind you lunch is only a half hour, buddy,” Louie said, with a twinkle in his eye. “So, no nooner.”

  “You’re just jealous. I’ll be back when I’m back.” Jake grabbed his jacket, grinned at Louie, then headed to his car for the drive across town.

  *

  Before Jake reached his car, Louie had Sophia on the phone. “You’ll never guess who’s having lunch with whom,” Louie said when Sophia picked up.

  “Oh Louie, you’re such a child. Back off. Don’t screw this up.”

  “Geez, Sophia, you’re the second person today to say that to me,” Louie said, insulted.

  “Well, you have a knack. So, it’s working out. It only took us what, ten years to get it right?”

  “Yep, it did. I wanted to give you a heads up I might be working late. I’ll let you know for sure after lunch.”

  “Okay.”

  “I have to run, bye.” Louie hung up, turning his mind back to the business of murder, bouncing between cases. Could Jake be right about Chloe being involved in her sister’s murder? Louie hoped not. His stomach rumbled at the thought. Having dated her during the investigation could put a black mark on Jake’s record.

  Chapter Eight

  Mia arrived at the restaurant before Jake. She took the booth by the dessert display counter; it gave her a bulleye’s view of the front door. Located in a strip mall, the Café Pablo used to be part of Frankie’s, a famous local hot dog place. Frankie’s side served fast food with ambience. A unique display—a hodgepodge of memorabilia—covered the walls, taking the diner back in time to another place. Café Pablo’s Italian flavor offered a relaxing atmosphere with scrumptious desserts. The owner, Tommy, personally greeted each guest as they arrived. No matter which side you chose, you couldn’t help but enjoy the food.

  Mia noticed Jake immediately as he approached the restaurant. He carried himself with such grace he reminded her of a cat. Always alert, ready to spring, but casual in appearance. She especially liked the smile that came to his face when he spotted her. He surprised her when he bent down to kiss her, not a small peck, a full out kiss. Glad public displays of affection didn’t bother Jake; Mia put another plus in his column. So far, so good, she mused.

  “Hi,” he said, taking the seat across from her.

  “I like your greetings. Another second, we’d have had to leave.”

  “Really. So you
’re that easy?” He grinned.

  “It seems I am with you.” Mia took his hand across the table.

  “Good, I like that.” Jake rubbed her fingers.

  “Me too. I can’t explain it. I’m really comfortable around you.”

  “I hope so, after this weekend.” The smile on his face reached his eyes.

  *

  Laughing, they ordered. Before they knew it, time ran out. After paying the bill, he walked her to her car. There he took her in his arms, kissing her deeply again. A car pulled up. Jake’s adrenaline kicked in when he heard the window go down; spinning around, he drew his weapon. He stepped in front of Mia, his response automatic as he shielded her with his body. He only relaxed when he spotted one of his detectives at the wheel. Disgusted, he holstered his weapon.

  “Is this what you do on company time, Lieutenant?” Kraus said.

  “Funny, Kraus. Get the hell out of here.”

  “Nope, not until I get an introduction. You kept her all to yourself at the party.”

  “Mia, this jerk’s Detective Gunther Kraus. He’s also known to his friends as Gunner. Smart women stay clear of him.”

  “Nice, Jake. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mia. He’s the shady one, watch yourself.” He drove away without another word.

  “Asshole,” Jake muttered.

  “Be nice, Jake.” Mia laughed.

  “I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later?”

  “I look forward to it. See ya.” Mia climbed into her car, ready to start the engine, when Jake leaned in the window to give her another kiss.

  Watching her drive away, he pulled out his cell phone, dialed Louie’s number.

  “What’s up?” Louie asked, “Taking the afternoon off?”

  “No. Get your mind out of the gutter. I’m stopping at the dealership to show Chelsea’s picture around. I’ll be back in a half hour. Did you get anything on the airlines?”

  “Yep, the new Mrs. Adams took a flight to Bermuda that weekend,” Louie said triumphantly.

  “So, she’s having an affair?”

  “I don’t think so, Jake. I’m still waiting on her return flight information. They don’t have her returning on Sunday, they’re still researching.”

  “Really? Let’s throw that around when I get back. What happened with the bartender?” Louie piqued Jake’s curiosity.

  “He pretty much said what her friends said. He knows them from coming in each week. He confirmed Chelsea as the quiet one. After one drink she’d split, like clockwork. A creature of habit is how they all described Chelsea.”

  “Yeah, it wouldn’t be hard to follow her with her routine, or get her alone.”

  “Okay, Jake. I’ll see you when you get back. Are we working tonight? I need to let Sophia know.”

  “I want to. Do you want to do it at your house or mine?”

  “Yours, it’s quieter. You figure we’ll be about two hours?” Louie questioned.

  “Yes, we should make some headway in two hours.” Seven to nine—that would still be early enough to see Mia.

  “Not seeing Mia tonight?” Louie asked, as though he read Jake’s mind.

  “I don’t know. We didn’t make plans.”

  *

  Jake showed Chelsea’s picture to the salespeople at the dealership. No one recognized her. The manager, Kevin Myers, checked the company records for Jake. He wanted to know if she ever bought a car from them.

  While Jake waited for Kevin, he walked around the showroom looking at cars. No less than four salespeople approached him, trying to sell him one.

  There were no hits on the dealership’s records for Chelsea Adams. Jake headed back to the station, frustrated. Somewhere, someone had to have encountered Chelsea on the night of her disappearance. Maybe he should reach out to the media—ask if anyone saw someone on the car lot that night.

  Chapter Nine

  At six o’clock on the dot, Chloe showed up at the station, casually asking to speak with Jake. A uniform escorted her to interview room three. Jake made her wait while he observed her through the two-way mirror. Chloe walked over to the mirror, applied her lipstick, fluffed her hair; before taking a seat, she blew a kiss into the mirror. If she knew they were watching her on the other side, she gave no indication. Sure that the kiss meant fuck you, Jake shook his head at her arrogance. She stood, walked over to the water cooler, and helped herself to a glass; then paced back to the table before sitting down again.

  Jake liked when the person in interview exhibited restlessness; it worked in his favor. They walked in five minutes later. Chloe remained seated, waiting for one of them to speak first.

  “Thanks for coming down, Chloe,” Louie opened.

  “Detective,” Chloe said to Louie, never taking her eyes off of Jake.

  “Chloe, we don’t want to keep you, so let’s get started,” Jake spoke.

  “Jake, what’s this about?”

  “Let’s start with you following—better yet, let’s use today’s term for it—stalking me and my guest.”

  “I don’t know what you mean, Lieutenant?”

  “Chloe, did I not pull you over today a quarter mile past my house? Were you not sitting outside my house? Did you not start to follow the car that had just pulled out of my garage? This all happened at eight o’clock this morning.”

  “I took your road on my way to work. I received a call on my cell, so I pulled over to answer the phone. Is that a crime?”

  “Can I have your phone?”

  “If you’re looking for that call, I deleted it. I didn’t know it would be so important. From now on, Jake, I’ll give you a call—ask your permission to delete anything you don’t think is pertinent.” She could really think on her feet, he mused.

  Ignoring her comments, he continued. “You live in the east end of Wilkesbury. You work in Southington, which is located closer to the east end of Wilkesbury, yet you drove to the west end of Wilkesbury to get to work? I don’t think so. Once again, why were you outside my house this morning?”

  “Jake, you’re out of line here. I already explained it to you this morning when you pulled me over. If you think there’s a problem, you should make a formal complaint.” Chloe held her hands out with a shrug.

  Jake felt the heat climb up his face, the flush of anger burn his skin, aware it showed.

  Louie noticed it also. “Chloe, you can consider this interview to be the formal complaint filed against you. Jake’s captain is aware that you dated Jake twice. Only two dates, correct?” Louie didn’t wait for her to answer. “Jake ended the relationship, making it quite clear after the second date he didn’t want to pursue it any further. Correct?”

  Louie watched her. Her eyes flashed when he kept detailing the number of dates, but to her credit she held herself in check.

  “Detective Romanelli, I’m aware of Lieutenants Carrington’s feelings on the matter. The only times recently I’ve contacted Lieutenant Carrington pertained to my sister’s murder case. I needed an update. Since neither one of you bothers to keep in touch with me or my family, I wanted to know if you’d caught her killer yet. Have you caught the killer of my sister, Shanna Wagner?”

  “No, we haven’t. Did you not ask me last week where you stood with Lieutenant Carrington in regards to your dating situation? Plus, did you not ask me to ask him to call you regarding the same?” Louie pushed.

  Her eyes flashed, burning with passion and with hatred as she responded. “I did inquire about that relationship because I never got a satisfactory answer from the lieutenant. Is that a crime?” she snarled.

  “No, it’s not a crime, though it is a crime to stalk someone. Lieutenant Carrington has kept records of every time he’s run into you while out on his personal time. They’re numerous. In fact, too numerous to be a coincidence.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you detective…” She shrugged.

  “Well Chloe, I’m telling you there’s now a formal complaint that’s been filed against you on this stalking incident. You will not sit o
utside of the lieutenant’s house or outside the precinct. If you wish to inquire about your sister’s case, you will contact the main number of this precinct. Through the switchboard. You can ask to be directed to either me or the lieutenant. Understood?” Louie finished.

  “Understood. What do you have to say about this, Jake?”

  He gave her credit for her nerve. Louie shook his head.

  “Ms. Wagner, the lieutenant has nothing further to say on this matter. You’re free to go.”

  She got up, swaying her hips in an exaggerated motion as she left the room without a backward glance.

  “Well, couldn’t ask for more fun, could we?” Jake said.

  “Yeah, she’s really ballsy. I don’t think we got through. Burke, you can come in now.”

  “You have a live one there, Jake.” Burke shook his head.

  “You know it. Well, I hope it’s over. I don’t know if the other times were coincidence, but I doubt it.” Jake thought for a minute. “She always seemed to be at a restaurant, a movie, or even a bar when I was there. I don’t want it to continue. Thanks, guys.” Jake thought he should bring McGuire in on the situation. He left the room, headed straight to the captain’s office.

  “Hi, Cap, can I come in?” Jake asked, happy to see he hadn’t left for the day.

  “Yes, what’s up, Jake?”

  “This morning you asked me a question. Something is wrong. I dated a victim’s sister while the investigation was still ongoing.”

  The captain interrupted him. “Jake, we all knew you dated the Wagner girl. What, a couple of times, right?”

  “Yeah. Two to be exact. Well, she continuously calls me, and not only to check on the case. She asks me out once we’re through talking about her sister. I’ve been ignoring her calls. Then this morning, when an overnight guest of mine left, Chloe tried following her. I recognized her car, so I jumped in my car and pulled her over. I gave her a warning. The more I thought about it—I decided we needed to pull her in, make the complaint formal. I’ll tell you, Cap, this is downright creepy. I’m not used to being on this end of things.

  “Louie conducted the interview with her. Burke listened in on the other side of the glass. She said all incidents were coincidences, though I don’t believe her. We put it on record she can only contact me through the main switchboard. I thought you should know. I’ll take any formal reprimand you feel I deserve on this one.”