While the computers and phones had been upgraded around the precinct, many of the furnishings could have used a remodel. The desk he’d been using all night looked like it weighed a ton and probably could have been used as a prop from one of those 1960s cop shows.
He took a slow sip. “Next time hide it better.”
“I thought I did. I would take it home, but then I’d have to watch you drink from it every time you came over for a visit. That’s a sickness, bro. You need to get that checked out.”
“It’s a quirk and you love it. Otherwise you wouldn’t have gone to all that trouble to hide your little mug just for me to find.”
“Yeah, so what are you doing here anyway?”
“The McKnight twins were murdered and someone tried to snatch the young woman who’s been living with them, Minnie…” His voice tapered off as he caught the flash on the computer screen in front of him. He glanced at it quickly scanning the information that the print run had found.
No wonder it had taken a little longer. The information was a little deeper in her past but it looked like Minerva Athena Jones had a juvenile record.
“She was arrested for shoplifting when she was fifteen.” He didn’t even realize that he’d spoken the words out loud.
“Huh? What does that have to do with someone trying to grab her? And this is the woman who was at the happy-hours spot with the McKnight twins a few months back, right?”
“Yeah. And it appears that her name is Minerva Athena Jones instead of Minnie Samuels like they told me…unless Minnie is a nickname for Minerva and Samuels is her married name…” He shook his head. She couldn’t be married. Oddly, he would rather she be a liar than be married.
“It could be her married name. You’re looking at the juvenile record, right. If it was Jones when she was fifteen it could very well be Samuels now. And Minnie is a nickname for Minerva. Honestly, with a name like Minerva I can see why she goes by Minnie.”
“Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom, warriors and poetry. It’s a beautiful name.”
He liked the name Minerva. It was different for a sister her age.
“Yeah…whatever…I’m just saying. She probably wasn’t lying about her name. It could be her married name. Maybe she was on the run from an abusive husband and hiding out with the McKnights…”
“She’s not married.”
“You won’t know until you do some more checking. Which I’m sure you will. Where is she now? Did you get her in protective custody?”
“Well, she’s in custody, so to speak.” He gave his brother the rundown of his afternoon and evening with Minerva.
Jason cracked a grin. “Man, she must be steaming!”
“What was I supposed to do? She won’t talk and frankly, she was the last person to see the McKnights alive.” He grabbed the forensics folder off his desk. “Although, the coroner’s time of death gives her an alibi for the murders since she was with me at the time.”
“Good thing you’ve become a tad obsessed with her, huh? She could either be kidnapped or dead right about now.”
He didn’t like the know-it-all smirk on Jason’s face so he decided to just ignore his little wisecrack. Leaning back in his chair, he tried to figure out what Minerva was hiding. If he could figure that out, he’d be able to get her out of his system.
“Anyway, man, I don’t want to keep you from all those pressing cold cases you have going on. One of them might be getting lukewarm as we speak. I’m gonna make some calls to LAPD and see what else I can find out about Ms. Minerva Jones.”
“Ohhh snap, I’ve been dismissed. I must have struck a nerve. You used to be able to take a joke.”
“Was that a joke? Ha, ha, I forgot to laugh.”
Jason chuckled. “Well, I hope she doesn’t have a record. Then you’d have to explain having the hots for a criminal.”
“See ya later, bro.”
“Oh, yeah, he’s got it bad and that ain’t good.” Jason kept talking trash as he walked away from the desk.
Lawrence picked up the phone and dialed the Los Angeles Police Department. It was time to get some answers about Minerva Jones.
She raked her fingers through her hair and wished she could rip out the red hair extensions. She just knew something from that cruddy mattress had taken up residence in her hair.
Ewww.
She moved to scratch her arms and her torso before taking her digging fingers back to her head.
Yuk.
She couldn’t believe that cop had kept her there all night. It wasn’t as if she had another place to go, but she could have thought of lots of places that would have been better than this crusty cell.
She would have to burn her clothes, take a steaming hot shower and wash the glued-in extensions out of her hair. She only hoped that would get rid of any of the bugs or parasites she was sure had moved from the cot to her body. The clanging of the cell door caused her to look up and stop midscratch.
“So, Minerva Athena Jones…Did you sleep well?” The detective walked into the cell with a sly smirk on his face and his arms folded across his chest. The only saving grace was his slightly bloodshot eyes and wrinkled clothes from the day before showed he hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep, either.
Since he had addressed her by her real name, he must have been able to pull up something about her when he ran her fingerprints. She glared at him and scratched her head. As soon as she got out of there and got the heebie jeebies off her, she would plan a slow and painful demise for the detective. Right now, she just had to get out of this cruddy cell.
“So you must have pulled my juvenile record. Way to go, Detective! Although, last time I checked, getting busted for shoplifting when you were fifteen doesn’t make you a murderer.”
“Yeah, but boosting as possible gang initiation activity? Hmmm…What does that tell us about your relationship to the deceased, two known members of the Crips? What does that make you, Minerva? A Cripette? Were you here to help them build up the gang here? Were their murders gang activity gone bad?” He leaned against the cell and kept his gaze planted on her.
“I’m not in a gang. I failed my initiation. You know, getting caught and all. And once my brother found out…” She stopped herself.
This is exactly why I didn’t need to be around this pit bull of a detective. It would only be a matter of time before he gets all the information I’ve been trying to hide.
“Your brother…That would be Calvin Jones?” He arched his eyebrow in that annoying know-it-all way of his. “Known gang member…High-level Crip? He was recently murdered and the LAPD have been looking for you to question you about that, but you disappeared. Right?”
She would have leaned back against the wall but the fear of what might get on her if she did stopped her. She needed something to hold her up, though. That’s what happened when it felt like the wind had been knocked out of you. She eyed the floor.
Was that red stuff blood? And what was that brown…Yuk.
She carefully rested one shoulder against the wall only bracing herself enough so that she didn’t end up on the floor.
“Minerva, do you care to tell me why the McKnight twins and your brother were murdered execution-style? What are you holding back from the investigation and why are you hiding? I can’t help you if you’re not upfront.”
“Whatever mess Calvin was in will get me killed too if they think I’m talking to the police.”
“And what kind of mess was he in?”
“I don’t know. All I know is these people have people inside the LAPD. I came to Jersey so that they wouldn’t think I was talking. But I really don’t know anything. My brother never let me in on that side of his life. When I was fifteen and almost joined the gang, that was the closest I ever came to his world. He only hit me once in my life and that was when I got arrested for trying to boost those clothes at the mall as a part of my initiation.” She paused, remembering the altercation with Calvin.
To say that Calvin hit her was pu
tting it mildly. But the detective didn’t have to know all that. And she didn’t really want to remember the one time her brother made her hate him. He had beat her so badly, he had left bruises and told her she got off incredibly light, considering what would have happened to her if she had actually been initiated. She shuddered at the things her brother had yelled at her as he hit her.
“I sucked at shoplifting and got caught the first time out. Calvin found out and lots of heads rolled. He didn’t want me in the gang and he had enough pull to make sure I didn’t try again.”
And enough pull to make sure I thought twice before ever going against his wishes again.
Her brother had been a hard man. But she knew he did the things he did because he loved her. And because he wanted her to stay safe and alive.
“So you don’t know who killed your brother or the McKnights?”
“If I knew, I would say. I went to my brother’s apartment the night he was murdered because he was supposed to meet me for a celebration dinner and he never showed up. He wanted to celebrate his baby sister getting her BS degree. He wanted to take me to a really fancy restaurant but I wanted my favorite, chicken and waffles. I was late getting there. After waiting around awhile, I went to his place and that’s when I saw that he’d been killed. There was someone still there going through his things but I never got a look at the person. I don’t know who killed my brother. But I’m pretty sure that they know I’m here now and they’re after me. They more than likely killed Tommy and Timmy. And it’s all my fault.” Her voice cracked and she inwardly cursed and told herself to keep it together.
He paused as he gave her a deep, penetrating stare. “Come on, let’s go.”
She followed him out of the cell and out of the police department. She had no idea where she was going to go now, but at least she was out of that horrible cell.
The brightness of the sun caused her to squint as she walked out of the building. She kept pace with the detective’s long strides, trying to think of something to say. He seemed like he was in deep thought and she didn’t want to interrupt him. But it would have been nice to know where they were going.
Just as she was about to open her mouth and ask him, the white van from the day before came speeding past. Luckily, Lawrence saw it before she did. Because before she could blink he had pushed her to the ground. The sound of gunshots caused her heart to stop and start again. She must have screamed because she heard a shrill voice echoing in her head. The only thing she could think was she hoped that Lawrence Hightower hadn’t gotten shot trying to shield her. She couldn’t take it if another person were hurt because of her. She couldn’t bear it if he died.
Chapter 5
“Obviously someone is trying to kill you, Ms. Jones. And we can’t help you unless you’re more forthcoming.” The chief of police, who was also Lawrence’s second cousin, the youngest of his father’s generation of Hightowers, tented his hands in front of his mouth and willed Minerva to speak with his eyes.
Lawrence glanced at Chief Kendall Hightower and then focused his attention back on Minerva.
He had been shot at numerous times in his career, but he had never in his life known such worry for another person. She could have been killed.
Why did that bother him almost more than the bullets that had zoomed past his own head?
“I don’t know who’s doing this.” Her voiced cracked and her eyes pooled with tears.
If she did know who the people in the white van were, she was doing an excellent job of hiding it. Lawrence almost believed her.
“You do realize that if we let you go and you haven’t been one hundred percent honest, then you could be the next murder victim? We can’t help you if you’re not honest.” Kendall leaned back in his chair and slanted his eye.
“I understand that, sir. And if I knew…” A tear slipped down her face and she froze. She took a deep breath and gritted her teeth. Her hand went to her cheek and she wiped away the tear. “I don’t know. I have to go. Can I please leave now?”
Kendall paused and then shook his head. “Don’t go far, Ms. Jones. We might have some more questions for you once the investigation into the murder of Timothy and Thomas McKnight picks up. I know of your tendency to leave the state during murder investigations…And we’d like to keep tabs on you for our colleagues in Los Angeles. They may have some questions for you concerning the murder of your brother. We’re going to compare notes on the two cases and see what we come up with. So please don’t go far.”
She took another deep breath before nodding. There was the slightest tremor in her hands and chest. If Lawrence hadn’t been watching her so closely he might have missed it. She looked like she had reached her breaking point and was hanging on by a thread. And he couldn’t help but worry about what might happen to her once she left the precinct.
What if the people in the white van got her?
“Chief, if it’s all right with you I’d like to take some personal time.”
Where did that come from?
Minerva got up and walked out of the office. Lawrence followed her with his eyes and then turned back to his cousin.
He knew he couldn’t let her get far. When the door closed, he took a sharp intake of breath. There would be no turning back after this.
“Look, Chief, someone has to look out for the girl. And I feel like there’s a whole lot she isn’t telling us. So, I’m going to take this time and watch her…if it’s okay with you.”
“You’re narcotics, Lawrence. This is now a homicide investigation. It’s not your beat.”
Lawrence couldn’t hold back his frown. He had to catch up to Minerva. He didn’t have time to plead his case to Kendall. He would just have to use his sick time.
Kendall tented his hands and studied Lawrence. Kendall was in his mid-forties and straddled the line between the older Hightowers and the younger ones. There was no telling how he would play things sometimes. Most times he was really cool and laid-back. Other times, he might just as well had been one of the elders.
Lawrence hoped he was in cool mode today.
“Take the time and be careful. She’s not telling us everything she knows and the next bullet coming her way might catch you.” Kendall shook his head. “And I’m not even gonna go there on your job duties and your responsibility to the badge. Keep your head, son.”
“Yeah, Chief. I got it.” He made a move to leave.
“And it might be good if you could get Ms. Jones to go someplace safe with you while you figure out what’s going on with her. As long as she’s with you we don’t have to worry about her fleeing or ending up as another victim. I’m thinking James’s spot up in the Poconos might be an ideal location to lay low for a minute until we figure out what’s going on here.”
Turning slowly, Lawrence couldn’t help but smile. Yeah, his cousin the chief of police was in cool mode today. Kendall knew him like the back of his hand. The man had basically given Lawrence permission to do exactly what he was thinking of doing anyway.
The vacation home his father purchased for the family the first year his business, Hightower Security, did really well would be the perfect spot to take her.
“Yeah, Chief. That’s a good idea. I’ll do that.”
Kendall nodded and Lawrence left.
As she left the rest room, Minerva chided herself on almost losing it in the police chief’s office. Just what she needed: another dang suspicious Hightower cop on her case.
What does that family do, breed cops?
Everything was coming to a head and she realized she had nowhere to go. She couldn’t go back to the McKnights’ apartment. She knew the people in the white van would be waiting for her there. But she wasn’t supposed to leave the area. Although Chief Hightower’s less-than-subtle suggestions wouldn’t keep her there if she had any of David’s money left to leave town with.
She sucked her teeth and huffed.
I’m getting tired of people treating me like a crook when I haven’t done anything.
I’ve almost been kidnapped, shot and I’ve spent the night in a cruddy cell. And I just lost three of the last four people on this earth who gave more than a damn about me. No wonder I almost cracked in that office. Hell, I’m just two events shy of an emotional breakdown! If anything else happens to me, I’ll be lucky to just cry.
Someone grabbed her arm from behind and she swung her free arm to smack him as she spun around. Luckily, she noticed it was Lawrence and she stopped herself before connecting with his grill.
He caught her arm midair and placed it at her side. “Let’s go.”
“Go where?”
“You need a safe place to crash and I need to make sure you don’t jet before we find out how you’re connected to all this. So, I think it’s best that you just come with me.”
The man had to be crazy. It couldn’t just be arrogance. It certainly wasn’t just presumptuousness. He had to be a lunatic and out of his ever-loving mind if he thought she would go with him anywhere after he made her spend the entire afternoon cramped up in that funky little trailer office, after he harassed her with his never-ending questions and suspicion and after sleeping in a corroded cell getting the cooties from the millions of bedbugs that must have taken up residence in that mattress. Cooties she wouldn’t be able to get rid of because she no longer had access to a shower.
She glared at him and snatched her arm away. “Thanks but no thanks, Detective. I’ve had enough of your company to last me a lifetime.”
He narrowed his eyes in contemplation. “So where are you going to go, Minerva? I wouldn’t advise you to go back to the McKnights’. That’s the first place they’d probably look for you. And I really think you should seriously heed the chief’s advice about sticking around. He can be a bit of a hardnose. I’d hate for him to think he had to lock you up again for your own good…”
Visions of the crusty cell swam in her head. If she were prone to whining and complaining in even the slightest way, she would have started stamping her feet and screaming, “Why me?” at that very moment. Good thing life had dealt her enough hard knocks not to expect lots of pleasant things to happen to her just because…But she seriously could have used a small shift in luck for a change.
The Law of Desire Page 6
