"Solomon just came in wearing handcuffs."
Chapter Nine
"Where is he?" I stopped in front of Garrett's desk, wondering if I were as red-faced as I felt. After racing out of our parents’ house, I managed to break several traffic laws in my haste to get to the station. A few curious heads turned our way but I had no time for them. I was there for one thing and one thing only. Well, two things. Solomon and an apology. What the hell was Garrett doing? It was bad enough they escorted me to the station but I could understand why, since he wanted to clear me of any suspicion. But Solomon? I couldn't think of a single reason why. Garrett knew Solomon was my alibi, which meant I was also his.
Garrett glanced up from the notepad he was currently writing on. "Where's who?" he asked, frowning.
"Santa," I quipped. "Solomon! Who else? I heard he came in here wearing handcuffs!"
"News to me. How did you get in here?"
"I know everyone. Also, the desk sergeant was my prom date..."
"Old man Gould?"
"No! He's fifty-four! I meant Jed. He owed me a favor."
"I don't want to ask what happened at the prom for him to owe you a favor."
"And I won't tell. Solomon..."
"What did he do?" cut in Garrett, still looking confused.
"You tell me!" I said, my voice rising. Several more heads rose and curious glances shot across the room at us. I was pretty sure this little scene would get around town in no time, but I didn't care. I was on a one-woman mission to save my man, except I didn't have a plan. The only thing I could do was berate my brother.
"Lower your voice," instructed Garrett. Rising, he crossed the room, and shut the door before pressing me into the chair opposite his desk. "Don't yell at me in front of my department. My captain could have heard you. Now tell me what's going on."
"I got a call that Solomon was arrested and brought here in handcuffs. After that, I don't know a thing!"
"And you think I do?"
I threw my hands in the air, utterly exasperated. "Like you said, this is your department."
"Ahhh. You think this is about the Steadman case. What makes you think Solomon was brought in because of that?"
That made me pause. I immediately jumped to that conclusion because Anthony Steadman was our only case that involved a deadly crime and since Garrett had already questioned me, I assumed someone in MPD was now targeting my fiancé. But if so, did they respond that way because of me? Or because they suspected he was involved in some other way? Did they think we were supplying each other with false alibis? Or conspired to kill him together? I paled, my head spinning at the awful possibilities. "I just assumed," I said lamely.
Garrett had already picked up the phone before I finished speaking. "Let me make some calls and find out what's going on," he said before turning his attention to the person on the other end of the line. I waited quietly for several minutes while someone talked and Garrett listened. "Okay," he said, when he replaced the handset after several rapid questions and apparently, elicited answers. "Solomon was arrested in the Steadman homicide because of a discrepancy with his alibi. My detectives are checking it out and when they're satisfied, and I'm sure everything will check out in his favor, he'll be released."
"That's it? Garrett, your guys arrested my fiancé!"
"That is correct."
"First, you interrogate me, and now him? He had nothing to do with it! He was with me! You know that. Are the detectives doing this on purpose?"
"I'd like to say I hope not, but I can't. Detectives Turner and Grant took this on themselves without consulting me so I'm just as surprised as you are. They know Solomon is your alibi and we were looking for secondary evidence to confirm that. Believe me, Lexi, someone is going to get chewed out over this. They should have run it by me first. I wouldn't have sanctioned it without a damn good reason."
"I don't know what alibi they're checking. You know Solomon was with me when Anthony was murdered. I left the house, got into his car, and we drove away. We only turned back because I forget something and that's when I found the blood and we called the police."
"I don't think that's in dispute."
"Then what kind of alibi does Solomon need?"
"I can't inform you of all the details in an ongoing investigation. You know my hands are tied but I'm sure Solomon will tell you everything after he's released. Lexi, I want you to know I'm doing all I can but sometimes, the process is slow."
I leaned back in the chair, my shoulders slumped, feeling suddenly exhausted. I didn't know whether to be mollified that Solomon was about to be released, or furious that he was arrested in the first place. "There's no way Solomon could, or would, have killed Anthony. He didn't even know him," I said, although it wasn't any news. "I doubt he could even pick him out of a line-up."
"There's a pretty long list of people with plenty of motives to kill Anthony."
"Is Solomon on it?"
"Hell, I'm probably on it too after everything he did to you and Daniel."
"But that was before Solomon's time. That was a long time ago."
"Doesn't mean he wasn’t protective of you when Anthony showed up again."
I fixed my brother with a narrow-eyed look. "Whose side are you on?"
Garrett laughed and shook his head but he didn't look amused. "If only that were an easy answer. Listen, stop worrying. There is nothing you can do at this minute. Everything will work out, okay?"
I barely registered his words. I was too busy wondering who else could be on the "Let’s Kill Anthony Steadman" list. I figured if Solomon’s name was on it, he had to be fairly low as far as their suspicion went. Much lower than Garrett, Daniel, me, or any other member of my family. I couldn't see Solomon's protective instincts kicking in like that. If Anthony held a gun to my head, I was pretty sure Solomon would act in my defense but Anthony was old news. He hadn't done anything except surprise me while I was working a case. Then another thought popped into my head that chilled me: Solomon wouldn't have left any trace to implicate himself if he murdered Anthony.
"I told you Olivia Steadman came to see me," I reminded him. "She said Anthony stole two million dollars from her."
"That's a pretty big reason to kill him."
"I thought so too. He also has a girlfriend on the side."
"I know."
"I don't think the wife cares about the girlfriend."
"It still doesn't look good when we're seeking motives. Plus, the girlfriend might care that he's got a wife," Garrett countered. "Where are you going with this? If you're telling me to look closer at the wife, you don't need to. My guys are doing that already."
"Two million dollars doesn't disappear. It has to be stashed somewhere."
"It can disappear in seconds electronically."
"Olivia says he took cash. If Anthony has it, he stashed it somewhere. And if it's stashed somewhere, and someone is after it, they might kill him to get it or the information as to its location. She might not have killed him but someone else could have," I said, thinking out loud.
"I'm listening."
I paused, the idea slowly forming in my mind. "I think this might be less about what Anthony did to people and more about what he had. There're lots of people who had grievances with him," I explained, covering old ground. My growing excitement at hitting on a new idea made me speak rapidly and louder. "Yet despite what he's done to people, he wasn't killed until the money went missing. That's the impression I got. I keep thinking about it, and all I can deduce is that the money is the key. That, and maybe whatever he was doing with the empty houses, if that were really him. I still haven't figured it all out yet."
"You might have hit on something with the money part; but you know you have to keep out of it. You can't investigate this one, Lexi."
"Why not?"
"Because you're too close. To Anthony," Garrett clarified as if I didn't know what the problem might be.
I shuddered. "We're not close!"
"You were on
ce."
"Ten years ago!"
"It doesn't matter."
"I know him better than anyone here!"
Garrett raised his eyebrows. "Do you?"
"Okay, he might have gotten away with a lot of stuff that I didn't know about while he was with me but that doesn't diminish how well I know him. I know the things he does as well as how he covers up his tracks. I know how he operates."
"You still can't investigate. I'm forbidding it."
"Forbidding it? Seriously? How old am I? Five?"
Garrett gave me a cool look. "I'll tell Mom and Dad."
"How old are we?" I asked. "You can't tell on me anymore!"
"I can and I will."
"Okay, fine," I acquiesced. I really did not want my parents calling me every ten minutes to check if I were still alive. I was sure that never happened to any of my colleagues. "I won't."
"You have your fingers crossed," Garrett pointed out where I'd unconsciously crossed them in my lap. I uncrossed them just as the phone rang. Garrett picked it up and spoke briefly before he looked up and I noticed the worry lines around his eyes. "Solomon's being released without charges. You can collect him at the front desk. Do not investigate. I mean it. Leave this one to us."
"Thanks," I said as I stood, flooded with relief that Solomon was released without any charges. I couldn't wait to see him and find out what happened. "I appreciate you intervening on my behalf."
"I did very little, which is more than what I expect you to do." He lifted a hand to summon the two men who walked into the bullpen. I didn't know them well but I recognized them as Detectives Turner and Grant, the two newest detectives on the homicide squad. They both had a reputation for bullying, which was probably why their names were swiftly abbreviated to Grunt. It wasn't pretty but very apt. "I have to speak to my guys now but I'll call you."
I thanked him again and left, ignoring the two detectives that were, if not the bane of my life, they definitely had the potential to be.
The minutes it took to reach the front desk felt like a lifetime. A smile brightened my face as soon as I saw Solomon standing there, Delgado at his side. I jogged over and wrapped my arms around him. He embraced me and squeezed lightly. "Worried?" he asked.
"Nah," I said, squeezing him tighter. Relishing the warmth of his body and the strength of his arms, I loved his hugs. It was everything I needed. I could finally be reassured that he was here, safe, and crucially, not wearing handcuffs. He held onto me tightly and didn't let go. I had to wonder if he felt just as reassured as I. Who exactly was comforting whom? When I wriggled free, I looked up at him. "So, what now?" I asked. "What's the next step?"
"Home."
~
"I still don't get it," I told Solomon. "I don't get how Grunt think you're involved in this."
"Detective Turner and Detective Grant are clutching at anything plausible in this case," said Solomon. "Since I'm your fiancé and he's your ex, they suggested I might have felt threatened when he returned to town."
"Do you?" I asked, wishing I hadn’t even voiced the question. Solomon gave me a what do you think? look. "Forget I asked. Obviously, you're not."
"He's a nuisance but he's long gone. You were over him for years before I even met you and I am one hundred percent sure you've never thought about going back to him."
"Totally correct."
"He is the last man I'd be worried about you riding off into the sunset with."
"There's a man you're worried about?" I glanced up at him from the coffee I was blowing steam off. He turned away but I caught the dark look that crossed his face.
He faltered before answering, "No."
"I'm riding off into the sunset with you just as soon as we set a date," I told him, puzzled by his reaction. Was he seriously worried there might be another contender for my affections? Did he think there was any chance I could run away with another man? And what kind of man could outshine Solomon?
"That's right," agreed Solomon. He moved behind me, wrapping his arms around my middle and kissing the back of my neck. A shiver passed down my spine and soon began tingling somewhere else. "Plus, they've got nothing."
"Nothing? Who? What?" I murmured, all thoughts of our previous conversation lost.
"Steadman. MPD have nothing. That's why they arrested me on a minor point with a vaguely plausible explanation. They don't have a clue who killed this guy or even where his body is."
"Did they say that?"
"I read between the lines."
"According to Garrett, someone was supposed to be checking out our alibi," I told him, waving a finger at him and back to me. "We are each other's alibi."
"Turner suggested that maybe we enticed Steadman inside, then I shot him in a jealous rage and together we took his body and neatly disposed of it."
"I hope you pointed out all the flaws in that theory."
"I might have countered with why would we return to Meadow View and call the police? I might also have asked where did they think we put the body? In the trunk? In the woods?"
"And they said?"
"They suggested there was another accomplice. I replied, What is this? A murder party?"
"Did they ask about the Colt pistol?"
"They suggested you could have removed it from the range and shot Steadman."
"I thought you shot Steadman in their little fantasy?"
"Who knows? I told them to check the security tapes at the range and stop wasting my time. Lexi, this was a fishing expedition. Nothing more. They don't have any solid leads so they're shaking up all the irrelevant ones to find a clue."
"I hope they leave us alone."
"That would be nice." Solomon turned to the fridge and opened it, perusing the contents. "Did you eat?" he asked.
"No." My stomach gave a little rumble, alerting me to its empty state.
"How about I cook us something? What are you in the mood for?"
"Anything edible?"
"I'll make a salad. Fast, light, and healthy."
"Just like you."
"I'm not always fast," he said with a wink. I watched him pull out spinach, rocket, tomatoes, cucumber and avocado. He quickly sliced, diced and tossed everything together, adding a glug of dressing and pushing a plate across to me. "Eat," he instructed.
I devoured the plate like it contained cake. When I scraped the last of the creamy avocado into my mouth, I set down my fork and sighed. "That was the best salad ever."
"Did you make any progress with the realtors during my absence?" asked Solomon. He finished his plate and took mine, adding them both to the dishwasher.
"None. I was thinking about it until I stopped by my parents’," I said, skipping a few steps. Solomon didn't need to know about Jord or Diane. Or Maddox. But now that I thought of it, Solomon usually knew all the happenings in Montgomery before I did; so he probably already knew Maddox was back. "I didn't call Taylor and I didn't walk through the properties yet. I concluded the break-ins were not burglaries." I quickly explained my theory that nothing was worth stealing unless the perpetrator was into high-end furniture, which was not missing. That only left high-end lingerie and expensive champagne. "I'm thinking call girls," I told him. "Sex parties."
"That's where your mind went?"
"Where did yours go?"
"Drugs. Nice, secluded places to set up some underground parties and deal drugs off the radar. High-end stuff. Cocaine, designer pills. Could Steadman have been into that?"
"He could have been into anything. If it involves money and doing something wrong, he's the first in line. I never saw him take drugs; and although I'm not sure he would deal them, I wouldn't rule it out just yet."
"Human trafficking?"
"Too much effort for Anthony."
"Selling something else? Something in which he'd need the appearance of a nice set-up?"
"That's a possibility."
"What about safe houses? Could he have been helping people evade capture? Actually, scratch that. He would need a sa
fe house where there was no threat of a realtor walking in at any moment. These houses were used for one night only."
"It would have to be a very strange kind of con where he’d only need a house for one night before moving onto another," I pointed out. "Some kind of party seems to fit better."
"I agree. We should try to track down Olivia Steadman. She might have some idea what her husband was into. Did she say where she was staying locally?"
"No, but I'm guessing it wasn't with Anthony since they were getting a divorce." What did she say to me when we met? Oh, yes. She came here to find him and the money. "I'll check the hotels tomorrow. My guess is she's still here."
"We need to talk to the girlfriend too. She said the wife did it."
"I think that's just a streak of nastiness talking. Or maybe Anthony told her a bunch of crap to make her feel sorry for him and she swallowed it, hook, line and sinker. Either way, she didn't have anything to say that supported the idea of Olivia killing Anthony. Olivia said she needed to keep him alive in order to find the money."
"Maybe the two of them teamed up to get rid of him? Stranger things have happened."
"I don't buy it."
"I don't either. It was just a theory. We'll find one that fits soon."
"Doesn't Booth Realty have any security cameras at Meadow View?"
"None. They did, but apparently, something chewed through a cable and the whole system shorted out a few days ago. I took a look prior to the showing and there was a dead rat nearby. An electrician was called in to replace the cable."
"So nothing got recorded."
"Unfortunately, not. Most of their properties, however, do have cameras outside. Some are hooked up to an off-site security firm that manages house alarms. Some are purely for the homeowners’ viewing but they unanimously experienced problems during the times they were broken into. They were disabled, or had bags or gum put over the camera lens, and some were turned the wrong way, or had the systems tripped out. All sabotages were done in a way that would not alert anyone to suspect something nefarious had happened."
A Few Good Women (Lexi Graves Mysteries, 9) Page 10
