by anna snow
"You arrested her?" I screeched. "For murder? Are you kidding me?" My face grew hot, and I felt my blood pressure start to rise as panic set in. Kelly had a sharp tongue and a hot temper, but she would never hurt someone intentionally.
Tyler held up his hands like I had a gun held on him, and for a second I was glad I'd left mine in the glove compartment of my car, or I just might've started waving it around a little bit.
"I'm sorry, Barb. But I had to do my job, and she's not technically under arrest. She's just being held and questioned. We can only hold her for forty-eight hours. After that, we have to cut her loose or charge her with something."
I took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself down. I knew Tyler wouldn't have taken Kelly into custody unless he had no other choice, but that didn't ease my ire one ounce.
I was sure the last thing Tyler had wanted to do when he woke up that morning was arrest his girlfriend's best friend. My mind reeled, but I got myself back under control.
"Kelly's a bit of a wild one," I admitted. "But there's no way she murdered Mark." I tried to remain calm and level-headed but was failing miserably.
This couldn't be happening. I'd always feared that Mark would get Kelly into some kind of trouble someday, but I never expected anything like this. I was thinking he'd pull something like leaving Kelly with a kid, or draining her bank account then skipping town, but never murder. If he wasn't already dead, I'd have knocked him over the head myself.
"Why would she be charged? What evidence do you have against her? Are you even sure it was murder?" I fired off each question as it popped into my head. "Mark wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed," I continued. "Maybe his death was an accident. Are you sure he didn't just choke to death on his ego or overdose on hairspray fumes or something?"
Tyler struggled to hold in a chuckle and cleared his throat. "Unless he was able to shoot himself in the back of his head while in his bed, his death wasn't an accident." Tyler frowned at me. "A couple of the neighbors we spoke with said they saw a woman fitting Kelly's description leaving the building around midnight last night as they were returning home from a late night out. The witnesses said that woman was the last person to be seen coming or going from the apartment." He shoved his fingers through his thick black hair then continued. "We looked at the building's surveillance video. It shows the back of someone who looks like Kelly as the last person leaving the apartment building just as the witnesses said."
"That doesn't mean she killed him."
"There's more," Tyler said with a grim expression. "I went to Kelly's place to question her about what the witnesses saw and tell her about Mark after we found his body. When she answered the door she had dried blood all over her T-shirt and hands."
"How?" I asked, absently shaking my head. I was certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that Kelly didn't have it in her to kill anyone, even Mark. "Why would she have dried blood on her? Wouldn't a murderer have washed it off? You know, to keep from being caught?" I said sarcastically.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. My frustration was at an all-time high.
"Kelly swears that she doesn't remember anything about being at Mark's last night until this morning when she answered the door," he said. "The coroner said he believes Mark died sometime between eleven p.m. and one a.m. The woman fitting Kelly's description was seen leaving just after midnight. She doesn't have an alibi for the time of the death, and she claims she can't even remember getting home, Barb. You don't need me to tell you that this isn't looking good for her.
"How can this be happening?" I asked in general and pressed my palms to my temples.
Tyler shrugged with defeat. "I don't know, babe. What I do know is that if the blood on her comes back as Mark's, she'll be charged with murder."
I ran through the evidence, both circumstantial and solid, that Tyler had listed in my mind. No matter what I said or did, there was no way I could deny the fact that Kelly looked guilty. Especially with blood on her hands.
"This is huge." I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose. "How in the hell are we going to get her out of this one?" I said more to myself than to Tyler.
Tyler reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a pack of gum then handed a piece to me.
I didn't smoke, and drinking on the job wasn't the best idea, so my vice was watermelon bubblegum. Watermelon Bubblicious to be exact. Tyler, the sweetheart that he was, had started carrying my favorite gum in his car right after we started seeing each other. That was just another reason I liked him so much. He remembered the little things because they mattered to him.
I unwrapped the little square and popped it into my mouth.
"You know I don't believe she killed him," he said gently and smoothed a stray lock of hair from my forehead. "But I have to do my job. You know that, babe. I'll do all that I can to find the real killer, but this is bad. Really bad," Tyler added.
"She could've been drugged," I said grasping at straws. "There isn't any other reason that she wouldn't remember making it home, or even leaving Mark's place. Someone had to have drugged her."
"I already considered that," he agreed. "Seeing as how a woman fitting her description was seen leaving the apartment on her own two feet, it's a longshot that she was drugged, but we're running a toxicology screen on her just to be sure. Until we know for certain whether or not that's the case, and if the blood on her hands is in fact Mark's, she's the prime suspect in this murder."
"How long will it take to get the DNA and toxicology test results back?" I nibbled my bottom lip out of nervous habit.
"We put a rush on the order, but it could be a few days or even as long as a few weeks. Either way." He shook his head. "Without pressing charges, we can only hold her for forty-eight hours."
"I need to talk to her."
"I figured you'd want to see her." Tyler nodded. "She was taken in a little after seven."
I checked my watch. It was fifteen minutes after eleven in the morning.
"I would've called earlier," he explained, "but I had a dead body to deal with, and with word of Mark's death spreading like wildfire, his fans have started gathering on the street, and as you can see, the news stations got wind of the situation and are circling like buzzards." He motioned to a reporter on the sidewalk talking rapidly and waving toward the apartment building like she was Vanna White or something. "We've already had to chase half a dozen crazy, crying women off the fire escape to keep them out of the crime scene."
"You've got to be kidding me." I shook my head.
Tyler reached across the center console and grasped my hand. "I'll drive you down to the station, but I can't be gone long. There's too much to do here." He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. "I'll be right back." Tyler released my hand, got out of the vehicle, and made his way across the street to a small group of officers standing on the sidewalk.
I glanced around. The crowd in front of the building was twice the size it had been when I'd arrived minutes ago. Word was spreading fast, which wasn't a good thing.
Mandy needed to know what was going on, so I called the office. She picked up on the third ring.
"Jackson Investigations. This is Mandy. How may I help you?"
"Mandy, it's Barb." I quickly repeated what Tyler had told me.
"Oh no. What are we going to do? There's no way she killed him. There's just no chance." Mandy babbled, and for a second I feared she was about to fall into a full-blown panic. Mandy was sturdy and dependable. If she fell to pieces, I wasn't sure what I would do, especially since I was on the verge of falling apart myself.
"I knew that jerk would get her in trouble." Anger became apparent in her tone. "What are we going to do?" she repeated. "We have to get her out of there."
"Tyler and I are on our way to see her now. I'll find out all I can and call you as soon as I know something. Even though she hasn't been charged, we still need to get her an attorney immediately," I said.
"Whom should I call?" Mandy asked. "
I don't exactly deal with a lot of attorneys."
"Call Aunt Mona," I answered quickly. "Let her know what's going on. I'm sure she knows the name of an outstanding attorney, and if not, she'll know someone who does. Use the company credit card to put whomever she recommends on retainer, and get them down to the jail to see Kelly."
"Got it," Mandy said confidently. "What else?"
"Go ahead and close up shop, and go home." I eyed the ever-growing crowd. "Getting Kelly out of jail is my number-one priority right now. If any of our clients have an emergency, they have my cell number. Besides, considering the crowd forming here—" I looked around at the now full street of fans. "—it won't be long before these fans and reporters find out that Kelly's the prime suspect and descend on the office like a plague of locusts in hopes that one of us will tell them something juicy."
"I'm on it, boss. I'm locking up and going home right now. Call me as soon as you talk to her. I'm worried."
"So am I," I admitted reluctantly, hung up, and then slid my phone back into my purse. I wanted to tell Mandy that everything was going to be all right, but I honestly couldn't. Not this time. At the moment Mandy was in her zone. Working under pressure was what she thrived on. So she'd be too busy to sit and dwell on the seriousness of the situation for at least a little while longer.
It was obvious to me, if not to everyone else, that someone was trying to set Kelly up to take the fall for Mark's demise. But who? Who would want to hurt Kelly? Sure, she had a bit of a smart mouth, but anyone who knew her knew she was simply playful and never intentionally hurtful. Kelly was generally well liked by everyone.
I was still lost in thought when Tyler slid back into the driver seat and started the ignition. We rode in silence the entire way to the police station. Tyler held my hand but left me alone with my thoughts. That was one of the many reasons I had such strong feelings for the hardheaded detective. He really did understand me.
Twenty minutes later, Tyler pulled into an empty space in the underground parking garage at the police station, killed the ignition, got out, and came around the front of the SUV to open my door. I hopped out and practically ran to the elevator. My need to make sure Kelly was perfectly safe propelled me. Tyler followed along quietly like the good boyfriend that he was.
My need to see Kelly, to know that my sister in all ways that mattered was alive and well, burned through me.
When the elevator reached the main lobby, the doors dinged open. We stepped out and hurried across the shiny tile floor to a heavy metal door. Tyler didn't stop at the main desk. Instead he simply waved to the dispatcher as he opened the door and ushered me through.
I was glad to see that Mona, my fiery aunt, wasn't filling in at the front desk this morning and was instead upstairs manning the captain's office phones. I loved my aunt, but she would've had more questions than I had answers for, and I wasn't ready to face that just yet. She'd just have to live with whatever info Mandy gave her until I had more of the facts.
"I called ahead while you were on the phone and found out what Kelly's situation is." Tyler's voice broke the silence. "Right now, she's alone in an interrogation room until formal charges are filed."
Thank goodness for small favors. I'd pictured her in a tiny cell being mauled by big hairy inmates.
"I called in a favor and talked one of the guards into letting you in to see her with me," he explained as he led me down a long white hallway. The sound of our footsteps echoed off the walls with every step we took, mimicking the beat of my heart pounding against my ribs.
The hallway alone gave me the heebie-jeebies. I always hated the sterile white environment of hospitals, and the long white hallway we were traversing reminded me of just that. The smells, the sounds, the chill in the air. All of it gave me the creeps. Squashing the urge to shiver, I ignored the fluorescent light flickering on the ceiling above us and focused on Tyler's strong back in an attempt to keep my cool. If Kelly saw me wigging out, she'd go to pieces. If she hadn't already.
A few seconds later we came to a stop outside a solid gray metal door. Tyler knocked.
A moment passed before a large man with golden tan skin, a thick build, and a permanent frown etched on his face stepped out and closed the door behind him.
"Is she in there?" Tyler asked.
"Yeah. But you only have a few minutes. She isn't supposed to have visitors yet. You know the rules."
"I can't thank you enough, Matt." Tyler shook the man's hand then ushered me through the door when the man stepped aside.
"Barb!" Kelly almost shouted and jumped to her feet.
I ran over to her and wrapped my arms around her in a bear hug. She hugged me back, and I felt her tremble. She looked terrible. She was pale. Her short black hair stood on end and not in the attractive way she normally styled it. Her face still held yesterday's makeup, and dark bags had formed beneath her eyes.
I held her out at arm's length, pressed her down onto the chair behind her, and then took a seat beside her.
"We don't have much time," I said in a rush. "Tyler pulled some strings to get us a few minutes in here with you. Tell me exactly what happened, and don't leave a single thing out."
Kelly shook her head. Tears pooled in her eyes. "Mark's dead." She sobbed.
"I know, honey." I patted her shoulder to comfort her. I was beyond awkward in these situations, but I did my best to be as comforting as possible. "Tell me what happened," I repeated.
"I can't." She sniffled and tried to compose herself. "I don't remember anything." She looked me in the eyes. "All I remember is going to dinner with Mandy last night. I met Mark later at his place. The next thing I know I'm waking up to the cops beating on my door, and there was dried blood on my hands and T-shirt. They told me about Mark then said I was being held on suspicion of murder, and now I'm here." Her voice cracked.
"You don't remember anything after leaving Mark's place around midnight last night?" Tyler asked.
Kelly shook her head. "I already told you," she said through clenched teeth. "I don't even remember leaving Mark's place. I remember feeling exhausted while at his apartment then…nothing."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
She shook her head. "I was really tired. My body felt like it weighed a ton. I must have gone home and fallen asleep, but I don't remember how I got there. Then you came knocking on my door this morning—" She looked at Tyler. "—telling me that Mark's dead." Anger and frustration etched itself in her expression.
"Kelly." I drew her attention back to me. "Who would've wanted to hurt Mark?" I asked. "Can you think of anyone who would want him dead?"
Kelly rubbed her nose. "You knew Mark, Barb. He was a jerk," she admitted. "His band might be huge right now, but I don't think any of his bandmates really liked him." She shrugged. "I think they stuck it out because he had a great voice, and they were finally hitting it big. His neighbors hated him because he was too loud. The apartment manager disliked him because he was sarcastic and purposely late on the rent. Even his own mother wasn't too fond of his selfish attitude." She shook her head and sniffled again. "But I don't know that anyone would want to kill him. Smack him upside his head sometimes maybe, but not kill him." A tear rolled down her cheek.
"If he was so bad, then why were you still with the guy?" Tyler asked with confusion.
I gave him a little side eye for being so blunt at such a sensitive time and patted Kelly's hand.
"I'd known him forever," she answered sadly and gave a little shrug as though that one sentence explained it all. "We were high school sweethearts. We've been on and off ever since graduation. He wasn't a perfect boyfriend, but he could be wonderful when he wanted to be. I held out hope that he'd change for the better. I loved him." She tried to explain.
I'd seen countless women in her situation. You couldn't help them. They had to figure things out on their own. No one could tell them that their man was a rotten, lying scumbag pig. They had to be slapped so hard with the painful reality that something in them c
licked, and they finally made the decision for themselves.
"Where did the blood come from?" I asked and pointed to her hands. They were clean now, but she looked down at them like they were still covered in blood.
She held her hands up for me to look at. "I don't know," she cried. "I woke up, and it was just there. It was on the back of my hands and forearms. Then some spots all over my T-shirt," she tried to explain.
I bit my bottom lip. If someone had come to me with the story Kelly was giving us, I'd have my suspicions that she was guilty. But this wasn't just anyone. This was Kelly, and I knew her almost as well as I knew myself. If she said she didn't remember anything or know where the blood on her hands came from, then she didn't.
"Were you and Mark alone when you met at his place last night?" Tyler asked.
She nodded. "Yes. It was just the two of us. There were some fans on the sidewalk outside his apartment building when I got there. But that's nothing odd. Since his tour began, there've always been fans buzzing around him and his place, but no one else was in the apartment with us."
Tyler nodded.
"You gotta get me out of here, Barb. I would never kill Mark. You know that."
My head hurt, and my heart ached for Kelly. Whoever was trying to set her up for murder would go down hard…assuming I could find them.
"Mandy's working on getting you an attorney. Hopefully, there's something they can do to help get you out of here. If not, they can only hold you here for forty-eight hours unless formal charges are filed," I explained and squeezed her hand. "I'm going to do everything I can to find out who really killed Mark," I promised her.
"We're going to do everything we can." Tyler corrected me, and I glanced up at him.
The guard opened the door and stuck his head inside. "Time's up. I'm sorry, guys."
I stood and hugged Kelly as the guard came in.
"I'll get you out of here. I promise."
"Be careful, Barb. Don't get yourself into trouble." She gave me a watery smile. I did my best to smile confidently back at her, but I was sure it fell short as I felt my bottom lip tremble.
