The Plane and the Parade (Veronica Barry Book 3)

by Sophia Martin

  “I’m not a detective,” she said. “Just… helping out with the investigation.” She made a point of pulling a notepad out of her purse, followed by a pen. Let him think she was there to take notes.

  Haines peered at her a moment longer. “Fine.” He turned to the young man. “Why don’t you hurry on home, Scotty. Your mom’ll want to know how many for dinner.”

  The young man gave Haines a jerk of the chin by way of a nod, and hurried away down the street.

  “Your son?” Daniel asked.

  “Yes indeed,” Haines answered as he glanced towards the vandalized door of the church again.

  Veronica eyed him, thinking of the news stories she’d seen of Haines and members of his family as well as of the church disrupting funerals, shouting at mourners, picketing nonprofits with their signs full of hate. They wanted to be arrested or sued—it allowed them even more media coverage, and their right to free speech was almost always upheld. The vandalism would only serve to put them in the media’s eye again. She suspected that secretly Haines was thrilled about it.

  “I need to know about two of the instructors of classes the LCCP offers. Do you know Robert Murphy?” Daniel asked, raising an eyebrow at Veronica. She busied herself with copying the question into her notepad. Daniel was big on note-taking, and it probably ruffled him that he couldn’t get his own pad out and do his usual scribbling, but she needed an excuse to be there.

  Haines rocked back on his heels, his arms crossed before him. “Sure, I do. Robert’s been teaching for us since—2010, I think. Might be 2009. He did some landscaping for us, too.”

  “Would you call him a parishioner?” Daniel asked.

  Veronica was finding it hard to keep up, so she abbreviated the question to “Parishioner?” and went back to the last sentence Haines had said. “Landscaping,” she wrote.

  “You mean was he a believer?” Haines said. “I don’t think I ever saw him at church on Sunday.”

  “What about at one of your demonstrations?” Daniel asked.

  Haines pursed his lips and shook his head. “No, I can’t say I ever saw him outside of the classes. We at the LCCP were glad to have such an expert to teach our horticulture class, you understand, and it’s our belief that discriminating against such an expert because of his past—well, God forgives, and so do we.”

  Unless you’re gay, Veronica thought.

  “So you are aware that Murphy was a convicted felon?” Daniel said.

  “Yes, of course,” Haines said, rocking some more. His eyes narrowed. “So how does this relate to the accounts?”

  Daniel cocked his head to the side. “The accounts?”

  “I don’t remember talking to you before. What was the detective’s name?” he muttered. Then his face brightened. “Nakamura. Lotta you Asians on the force here in Sac, huh?”

  “Detective Nakamura is in Property Crimes,” Daniel said. “I’m afraid I’m out of the loop. Why were you talking to Detective Nakamura?”

  Haines grimaced. “We discovered some financial irregularities. Seems someone figured out how to hack our bank accounts. We reported it about a week ago, maybe ten days. I spoke to Detective Nakamura about it then, and I haven’t heard back.”

  Veronica wrote this down, circling the word “hack.” Next to it she wrote “Tim Roeder.” Daniel must have been thinking along the same lines, because he said, “Pastor Haines, do you have a computer instructor by the name of Tim Roeder?”

  “Sure do. Tim’s a fine young man. Very talented with computers. He’s got a talent for teaching, too. Some of my flock are, shall we say, challenged when it comes to today’s technology. They’ve had nothing but good things to say about Tim’s classes.”

  Daniel nodded, glancing at Veronica to make sure she was writing. Her pen could barely keep up with the pastor’s answers, but she was doing her best.

  “And would you consider Tim a parishioner?” Daniel asked.

  “Tim’s a true believer. We had a baptism for several of our new members last spring, and Tim was right there with them.”

  Daniel’s face revealed nothing, but Veronica was glad for the excuse to keep her own eyes down. Excitement welled in her—it was all coming together.

  “So you would say Tim Roeder embraces the mission of the LCCP?” Daniel said.

  “Yes, I would.”

  “And did Tim ever participate in your demonstrations?”

  “I believe so, yes. I recall seeing him at several.”

  “Does the LCCP have the intention of demonstrating at the up-coming July Fourth parade?” Daniel asked. Veronica looked up at him, surprised that he chose to ask about the parade so directly, when he only had her visions to support his suspicions there.

  “There has been some discussion around the possibility, but you can be assured that if we decide to do so, we will have all the appropriate permits, Detective,” Haines said, his eyes narrowing.

  “And during these planning sessions for the Fourth of July demonstration, has there been talk of poisoning bottles of water with the intention of killing veterans in the parade?” Daniel asked. Veronica stiffened and made sure to focus on the notes.

  “Poisoning? Of course not! Detective, you may not approve of the LCCP’s actions, and frankly, I don’t give hoot. But you should know that we have never resorted to any kind of violence.”

  Right… because crashing funerals, disparaging the dead, and insulting mourners isn’t just another kind of violence, Veronica thought, hiding behind her notepad.

  Haines continued, warming to his subject. “We are firmly anti-violence, in fact. It’s the gays of America that are responsible for the moral decay of our great nation’s values—and the corrupt government that protects them sends soldiers abroad in the name of protecting their so-called freedom! We at the LCCP are committed to shining the divine light of purification on the wanton and perverse ways of this twisted government, and we will continue to protest the excesses that people erroneously have characterized as ‘heroic’ in their worship of Satan’s soldiers—”

  Daniel held up a hand, stopping Haines just as he began really building up steam. “Thank you, Pastor. We’ve got our answers.”

  “Well isn’t that typical?” Haines exclaimed. “I go out of my way to talk to you people—I thought you would have something to tell me about our accounts. Now you accuse me of some sort of conspiracy and you have nothing to tell me at all—nothing at all about the theft we experienced—nothing about the vandals who have victimized us—I shall be speaking to our lawyer about this, Detective.”

  “Please feel free to do so,” Daniel said. He nodded at Veronica and they headed back for the car, but something caught the corner of her eye as they did. Someone approached from the church—someone with red hair.

  Resisting the urge to bolt for the car, Veronica grabbed Daniel’s arm and brought him to a stop.

  Felsen strode up to them, smiling. Veronica did not like the look on her face. A skinny, brown-haired teenage boy wearing a faded black Metallica T-shirt and jeans trailed after her.

  “Well, well,” Felsen said. “Just the woman I needed to see. It was so helpful of you to come out here, saving me the trouble of tracking you down.”

  “What’s up, Felsen?” Daniel asked, his voice clipped.

  Felsen glanced at him. “I’m sorry, Daniel. Your girlfriend has finally gone too far. Really, Veronica, was it that important to keep up your little charade? Breaking and entering is a serious offense.”

  “What?” Veronica said, looking from Felsen, to Daniel, to the unnamed boy.

  “You didn’t think to check if there were security cameras, Veronica? You were caught on tape.” Felsen held up a small video cassette.

  “Caught doing what, exactly?” Veronica asked.

  “Breaking into the church,” Felsen said. “Plus, I have a witness. This is Mike Lafley. Mike, is this the woman you saw?”

  “You have got to be kidding me!” Daniel barked. The boy shifted uncomfortably, glanced at Fe
lsen, and nodded.

  Feeling her cheeks grow hot, Veronica glared at Felsen, then the boy. “I was here. But that video will just show that I tried the door, and it was locked, so I left. I didn’t do anything illegal.”

  “Oh, I beg to differ. In fact, Veronica Barry, you’re under arrest for violating California penal code 459, burglary with intent to commit a felony,” Felsen said, grabbing Veronica’s wrist and snapping a cuff on it. The kid edged away.

  “Stop this now, Felsen,” Daniel snapped. He reached out and grabbed Felsen’s arm. She yanked it away.

  “You plan on interfering with my arrest, Seong? Sure you want to do that?” she challenged him. Daniel’s eyebrows drew together in a scowl, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “I didn’t think so,” she said, her eyes sparkling with pleasure. “You have the right to remain silent,” she said to Veronica, glee in her voice. She trapped Veronica’s other wrist in the linking cuff behind her back. “Anything you say can be held against you in a court of law.”

  “Felsen, don’t do this,” Daniel said, his voice gritty. The boy turned and strode off.

  “You have the right to an attorney,” Felsen continued, and a hum rose in Veronica’s ears. Her head spun, and she blinked away bright sparks. Could this be happening? Could this really be happening? She was dimly aware that Felsen was still reciting her rights. “Do you understand each of these rights I have explained to you?”

  Veronica stared at her, numb.

  “Having these rights in mind, do you wish to talk to me now?”

  “Felsen, you are stepping over the line,” Daniel growled. “Veronica, don’t worry. I’ll get this sorted out.”

  “I don’t think so, Daniel,” Felsen said, giving Veronica a jerk towards the street. Veronica tried to focus her eyes and see where Felsen’s car was parked. There were several sedans. One of them must be hers. “Your little friend finally showed her hand. All those convenient tidbits of information she fed you—did you really think she was a real psychic? Come on, Daniel, you’re smarter than that. She played you. And now I can prove it.”

  Veronica glanced at Daniel, trying to read his face. Was he buying this? She turned her gaze to Felsen. “You know that’s not true,” she said softly. “You know better than anyone I’m the real thing.”

  Felsen’s face went stony, and she shoved Veronica towards a sedan to the left. “Let’s go,” she said.

  Chapter 19

  Veronica sat on a bench in one of the station’s holding cells. At the other end of the bench a woman with her hair piled on top of her head in a stiff up-do, large hoop earrings, and dozens of bracelets on her arms was using the blunt heel of her sandal to scratch something into the floor. It was just the two of them, aside from a guard at a desk nearby who kept an eye on them while typing at a computer. Veronica was grateful. So far, the other woman seemed not to notice Veronica’s existence.

  The most disturbing thing she had to deal with was a shade in the corner of the cell. Some ghost had noticed her and was hanging out, waiting to be acknowledged. Veronica supposed she wouldn’t be the first woman to appear to talk to herself in the holding cell, but she still loathed to do it.

  The whole experience was surreal. An officer in a tan uniform had taken over when Felsen delivered her to the station. The officer, a large woman with short blonde hair whose name tag said Garrity, had taken her fingerprints, then strip-searched her before making Veronica wait for forty minutes in the holding cell while Ms. Garrity dealt with other matters. Then she returned, got Veronica out, at which point she searched her again, then entered her information into the computer, and took her picture. Veronica had had to give Officer Garrity her purse, signing off on an inventory of what was inside, so she had no cell phone. The officer mentioned that Veronica would be allowed to make phone calls (plural, so Veronica surmised she wouldn’t be restricted to just one) after a few minutes. Veronica was still waiting.

  The shade remained where it was, and Veronica tried not to look at it. The woman at the other end of the bench continued to ignore her. Veronica licked her lips and smoothed her hands over her denim skirt.

  She wasn’t as panicked as she had been at first. The shock of her arrest had worn off, and in its place she felt dread and anxiety, but she also reasoned that Felsen couldn’t have anything truly damning. All she had done was try the door at the church. They would find her fingerprints on it, of course. But she hadn’t been inside, so there was no way Felsen could prove she’d gone in.

  “Veronica!”

  She turned her face. Daniel was hurrying towards the cell. Another Asian man followed him. He wore a suit and tie. Veronica stood and put her hands on the bars, then dropped them—the cold metal made the whole situation that much more real.

  “Veronica, this is Kyung Park. He’s my aunt’s nephew—you know, like a cousin by marriage. He’s also the best defense lawyer I know.”

  “Oh, god, Daniel, I thought—somehow I thought you’d just get me out of here, like it was all just a bad dream.”

  “Not quite,” Daniel said, his face apologetic. “As soon as they’re done booking you and they set bail, though, you’re coming home with me.”

  “Don’t I have to wait to be arraigned for them to set bail?”

  “No, your case is pretty straightforward,” Kyung said, coming to stand next to Daniel. He stuck his hand through the bars. The guard at the desk frowned. “Pleased to meet you. Aunt Eun Hee talks about you, you know. She likes you.”

  Veronica shook his hand and gave the guard what she hoped was a disarming smile. “That’s nice to hear,” she managed, although impressing Daniel’s family was low on her list of priorities right at that moment, and she doubted being arrested was going to do much to help her in that regard anyway.

  “We have a bail schedule,” Daniel said. “You got arrested under four laws, which is a little more complicated than I thought it would be based on Felsen saying she was arresting you just for the burglary. It’s okay, though. They’ll figure out how to set your bail soon. You don’t have priors and I’ll be signing off, so they shouldn’t ask for anything too crazy.”

  Four laws? What four laws? Veronica swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat. “Daniel, I didn’t do anything illegal. I didn’t break that lock. I’ve never lied to you about how—” her eyes flicked to Kyung, “how I get the tips I get.”

  “I know,” he said, reaching through the bars. The guard shifted in his seat and Daniel shot him a glare, which caused him to return to his typing. “Ronnie, don’t worry, okay. Whatever Felsen thinks she’s doing, she’s going to regret it, I promise.”

  “You know why she’s doing this,” Veronica said in a hiss. “You know she’s desperate to discredit me. Even if the whole mess goes away, this arrest will stay on my record. If I ever try to tell anyone what I know about her, she can point to this and they won’t believe me.”

  “Ronnie, believe me. She will regret this,” Daniel whispered back.

  “Daniel, let’s go see if we can motivate the people handling Veronica’s booking to move a little faster,” Kyung said, and Veronica got the impression he was trying to divert Daniel’s attention. She stepped back from the bars. No doubt Kyung was right—Daniel was angrier than she could ever remember seeing him, and if the guard heard him say things that sounded like threats against Felsen, this whole mess was bound to get worse.

  “I’m fine,” she said to Daniel. “I can’t wait to get out. Will you check on that for me?”

  Daniel gazed at her for a moment, then gave her a nod and followed Kyung back out to the main offices of the station. Veronica sighed and looked around. The shade was still in the corner. Better find out what it wanted now, or she might not have another chance. She allowed herself to drift over to it, and, head, bowed, muttered, “Go ahead and talk to me.”

  Jane Doe, came a distant, warbling voice. They didn’t know me.

  Veronica rubbed her upper lip by way of hiding that she answered. “They called you Jane
Doe? Because they didn’t know who you were?”

  Yes.

  “And now you want me to contact your family?”

  Yes.

  “And your real name is?”

  Ariana Santiago. Tell Miguel Pablo Santiago.

  “Okay,” Veronica said.

  Tell him I’m sorry. I was so sad.

  “I’ll try,” Veronica said. “If he even believes me.”

  Tell him I still had the red cat.

  Veronica nodded. “Details are good.”

  The red cat. And I remember the ribbons. With the balloons that flew away. All yellow. When I was six.

  “Okay. I can do that.”

  The shade dispersed, and Veronica let out a long breath, patting her hands against her skirt because she didn’t know what else to do with them. She hoped it wouldn’t take long for the officers to finish her booking, and she hoped that whatever her bail was, she could afford the deposit and that a bail bondsman would accept her car as collateral.

  ~~~

  In the end it took another two hours before she was sitting in Daniel’s kitchen with a glass of red wine, trying to accept that everything that had happened that day was real. Daniel had posted her bail and refused to tell her how much it was or what he’d used as collateral.

  “You’re not paying me back a cent,” he said as he refilled her glass.

  “Daniel, it’s not your fault this happened,” Veronica said.

  “In a way, it is. You’ve told me several times that Felsen had it in for you, and I always shrugged it off because I never thought she’d do something like this. And now she has. Maybe if I’d taken you more seriously—” Daniel cut himself off. He was pacing in the strip of the tight kitchen, still holding the wine bottle, while Veronica sat on the other side of the counter, technically in his living room. “No,” he said. “That isn’t even it. I could have prevented all of this.”