Fatal 5

by Karin Kaufman

  “For the record, I thought T.J. was a jerk yesterday. I can’t apologize for him enough.”

  I played with the water glass in front of me. “He has strong opinions.”

  “That’s one way to say it. But he had no right to accuse you. I almost think he wants to nail you in this so his friend can win the election.”

  “People would do a lot of things to get into office, wouldn’t they?”

  He snorted and leaned back in his chair. “Being in office too many times means power. People would sell their souls to have that. I’ve seen it too often.”

  “I guess I just can’t understand that.”

  He took a long sip of his tea. “It’s because you’re kind.”

  “If you’d heard the conversation I just had with Jamie, you wouldn’t think I was so kind.” I fought back a frown as my heart thudded into my chest. I hated fighting with people, but I especially hated fighting with Jamie.

  “Oh, come on. It couldn’t be that bad, could it?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, it could. Rex Harrison asked her out, and I told her she should say no. She took it as an insult. It wasn’t pretty.”

  “You’re just looking out for your friend.”

  Exactly! “I wish she’d see it that way.”

  “She’ll come around. She knows you well enough to know your heart.” Chase offered a kind smile.

  “The heart is easy to deceive Chase.”

  The waitress appeared again. “Here’s a plate of nachos. Can I get you anything to drink? I promise not to spill it on you.” She smiled.

  I raised my condensation-covered glass. “The water is great. Thank you.”

  She nodded and left.

  Chase nudged the nachos my way. “I hope you don’t mind. I was in the mood for something spicy. These actually have shrimp and bacon on top, so there’s something to offend everyone.”

  “You’re surprising, Chase.”

  “As are you.” He leaned back. “How’s your mother doing?”

  “I think she pours herself into her work because she misses Dad.” I gulped, realizing I’d just way overshared. “Of course, that’s not what you were asking. She’s doing fine.”

  “The death of a loved one can leave a hole in people’s lives, can’t it?” His serious gaze held mine.

  “It really can.”

  “How about in your life?”

  I shrugged, already emotional and desperately needing some control at the moment. Despite that, I blurted, “No one in my family gets me, Chase. I feel like an outsider.”

  I wish I could say that life was too short to have superficial conversations and that’s why I kept going to these deep, honest places with Chase. I really didn’t know why I was pouring out so much, except that maybe I needed to talk and Chase just happened to be there.

  “They love you.”

  “They make me feel incompetent because I don’t react like they do.” I shook my head, decidedly resolving to change the topic and get it off of me. “You know a thing or two about loss, too. I keep thinking about what happened with your brother. I’m really sorry, Chase.”

  “Me, too. Sometimes, in my line of work, I think I’ve accepted the uncertainty of life, of whether or not we’ll see tomorrow. If we’ll see our loved ones again. But there’s really no accepting it. When it happens to someone you love, you can’t prepare yourself for it. It hurts, no matter what.”

  I picked up a nacho and played with a chip for a moment. “I guess we should talk about the case, huh?”

  “I’d rather we didn’t.” He let out a sigh. “But you’re right.”

  “Anything new?”

  “I’m still not sure how you tie in, though.” He looked in the distance and shook his head. “Stealing your cleaning supplies? It’s just strange.”

  “Maybe someone wants to frame me.”

  “But why?”

  I shrugged. “To throw the election?”

  He let out a slow breath and leaned closer. “I suppose that could be a possibility. But they’d be better off implicating your brother.”

  I couldn’t argue.

  He leaned closer. “Here’s the other thing I don’t understand. Shooting at you out in public is a very aggressive, in-your-face thing to do. Implicating you at a crime scene is a very subtle thing. I don’t understand why someone’s doing both.”

  “I’ve thought about that. I don’t understand it either.”

  “It’s almost like there are two people after you.”

  Alarm raced through me. “You really think so?”

  He sighed again, long and slow. “I don’t know. It just doesn’t fit. Why try to take you out one minute and simply make your life miserable and complicated the next?”

  Two people targeting me? Now that was something I hadn’t considered. It was something I didn’t want to consider because it was too scary, too unnerving.

  “Is there anything else you can think of?”

  I wiped my mouth, my mind racing. Abraham. Should I mention Abraham? How about John and everything that had gone down last night at the youth center? That had potentially gone down, at least. I had no proof. Only theories.

  I shook my head. “I really don’t know, Chase.”

  Chase leaned back and rubbed his chin.

  I played with my straw a moment, considering my words. “What do you think of Rex Harrison?”

  “Rex?” He shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s got the support of a lot of people, especially down at the station. T.J. thinks he walks on water. I’ve only met the guy once myself. Why do you ask?”

  “There’s something about him I don’t like.”

  “Maybe it’s the fact that he’s running against your brother?”

  “I don’t know. I think it goes deeper than that. Have you heard of Orion Enterprises?”

  “Everyone around here has.”

  “I guess Orion himself is a big supporter of Rex. His company has done some unscrupulous things.”

  “Most companies have, I’d imagine.”

  I obviously wasn’t getting through to him. Maybe that’s because there was nothing there. “I guess you’re right.”

  He tilted his head. “Where’s this going, Holly? Tell me what you’re thinking. Please.”

  “I’ve heard that the leader of the Praetorian Guard is someone with power and money. I also know that Orion could fit that description.”

  “So you think he’s killing people around town and implicating you?”

  I sucked on my lip for a minute. “I just wonder if there’s some kind of connection. I know it doesn’t make much sense, but something in my gut is telling me that something is off.”

  “You’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. Maybe you should sleep on it.”

  I could tell when my idea had been dismissed. I couldn’t even argue about it, though it was out there. And I hadn’t connected all of the pieces.

  “Trust your gut, Holly. There could be something there. Maybe not that ties in with this case, but keep your eyes open.”

  Gratitude filled me. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  We finished eating, Chase paid, and we stepped outside. I soaked in the perfect evening for a moment. It had been freezing cold only a couple of weeks ago, and we’d gotten several inches of snow.

  Today, it was in the sixties and almost felt like spring, only in February.

  “Want to take a walk down to the park real quick?”

  I glanced up in surprise. “I figured you had to get back to work.”

  He shrugged. “I do. But I still have a few minutes. I stand by my mantra that it’s good to take a couple minutes to clear your head. Besides, I’m going to be working most of the night.”

  “Are you not sleeping?”

  “Here and there. The mayor is putting pressure on us to figure out what’s going on. Apparently, the national news picked up on this story.”

  I mentally paused. “Why? This doesn’t seem like national story material. It seems like life in t
he inner city.”

  “I’m not sure how they caught wind of it. Maybe it’s the whole ‘Good Deeds Killer’ designation.”

  I wrapped my arms over my chest and continued to walk toward the park in the distance. Silence fell between us, not necessarily uncomfortable, but I still felt the strange need to fill it.

  “What’s the killer doing right now, I wondered as I wandered. Plotting his next crime? Delighting in what he’s already done?”

  “What?” Chase jerked his head toward me.

  I paused and shrugged. “What?”

  If I acted like the words didn’t come from my mouth, would that mean they didn’t?

  “Did you just say ‘I wondered as I wandered’?”

  “That would be weird if I said that.” I slowed my steps.

  “You’re a piece of work.”

  “Artwork.” I winked.

  He chuckled, the sound deep and full. I loved hearing it.

  “By the way, you’ve got something on your chinny chin chin.” I pointed to a tiny feather that had probably been floating in the air.

  “There you go again.” He wiped the down away.

  “What am I doing now?” I asked innocently.

  “You’re speaking as if you’re in a fairy tale.” We skirted toward the cars.

  “Nonsense.”

  He cast me a sideways glance. “No one says chinny chin chin, and the other day, I caught you saying oopsie daisy.”

  “Well, they’re missing out.”

  He laughed harder. “You’re one of a kind.” He paused by my car. “You know, tonight was good for me. Thanks for meeting. It was a nice tension breaker.”

  I smiled genuinely. I never expected to enjoy myself this much around Chase. But I had. He left me wanting more.

  Not just more being around him.

  More time on this earth.

  His eyes held something deeper than before as he turned to me. “Good night, Holly.”

  “Good night, Chase.”

  CHAPTER 27

  The next morning, first thing, I stopped by to talk to Anthony’s mom. She was still distraught, but she seemed happy to see me. We’d always had a good relationship. She’d been a mess when I first met her, but the possibility that her kids could be taken away from her had been a huge wake-up call. The ongoing visits from her new CPS caseworker helped to keep her in line. Most importantly, those visits ensured that her kids’ well-being was as it should be.

  “How are you doing, Bernice?”

  She shrugged. “I’m hanging in. This just should never happen. I prayed every day that my kids wouldn’t be some of the ones I heard about on the news. Now look. That’s exactly what happened.”

  I squeezed her hand. “I can’t even imagine how difficult this must be for you.”

  “My other children are the only things that keep me going. I know they’re all depending on me.”

  I nodded. “You’re right. They do need you. That’s very wise that you realize that. Are they handling this okay?”

  “Mercedes cries herself to sleep. She was the closest to Anthony.”

  We talked for a few more minutes about the kids. I gave her some tips and encouragement, and I lifted up prayers for the family.

  “Bernice, do the police have any leads as to who did this?”

  She shook her head. “Not that I know of. Like they’d tell me.”

  “I know there are certain things they can’t say, not until they know something for sure.” I paused. “Did Anthony and Dewayne know each other?”

  Bernice nodded. “I’d seen them together a few times.”

  I leaned closer. “What do you think’s going on, Bernice?”

  She shrugged again, her eyes looking vacant and grief stricken. “I’m not sure. Cena keeps coming up. I’m pretty sure the police think it’s connected with these murders.”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think that drugs can make people do crazy things.” She shifted.

  There was something she wasn’t telling me, I realized.

  “Bernice, what’s going on? You have suspicions about something, don’t you?”

  She wiped under her eyes. “Holly, you’ve always been so kind to us.”

  “Let me help you now. You know you can trust me, right?”

  She sniffled. “I found some things.”

  “What kind of things?”

  “TVs, phones, other electronics. Some jewelry.”

  I tried to follow where she was going with this, but I still wasn’t sure. “Where did you find them?”

  “Anthony put them in our shed. I found them after he died.”

  “You think he stole them?”

  A small sob escaped, and she nodded. “I do. I think they were stealing them—”

  “They?”

  “Anthony and Dewayne. I think they were stealing things, selling them, and using the money to buy drugs.”

  My heart sped. “Did you tell the police this?”

  She shook her head. “I was afraid they’d point the finger at me. That my kids would be taken away.” Her bloodshot eyes met mine. “You’re not going to take my kids away, are you?”

  I shook my head. “No. But I do think you should mention this to the police. They want to catch the person who did this, and information like this can help. But it’s somehow tied in with the murder.”

  She stared at me a moment, uncertainty in her eyes. “You really think that?”

  I nodded. “Since I’m the former investigator here, I can explain the situation. But only if you want me to.”

  Finally, she nodded. “Okay, if you think that would be best.”

  ***

  I stopped by the station, asked for Chase, and was escorted to his desk.

  He and T.J. seemed to be talking rather heatedly about something as I approached. They both backed off from each other when they spotted me, but I could feel the tension between them.

  “Holly. What brings you here?” Chase said. His voice sounded tighter than usual.

  “I just talked to one of my clients,” I started. “She said a couple of things that I thought might help.”

  “Let me guess—these things point the finger away from you?” T.J. sneered.

  “I’m not the one who volunteered to help here. The chief asked,” I reminded him.

  “Don’t talk to her like that, T.J.” Anger simmered in Chase’s voice.

  My breath caught in my throat. I knew I had to somehow douse this fire between the two men before things got out of control.

  I raised my hands. “I can handle this.” I turned to T.J. “If you don’t want my help, I’ll leave. I don’t have a personal stake in this. I have many other ways I can spend my time.”

  “That sounds like a good idea to me. Maybe then we can all remain a little more objective here.” He cast a searing glance at Chase.

  “You need to back off,” Chase warned.

  “Why? You going to lose it again, just like you did back in Louisville?” T.J. baited.

  Chase’s face turned red. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I have friends on the force down there. I know what a hothead you were.”

  “I don’t try to hide the fact that I had a drinking problem, T.J. But that’s not who I am anymore.”

  “So, I’m supposed to rely on you? Someone who might go off the deep end and turn back to the bottle?”

  “You’re out of line,” I said.

  A couple of other officers stopped what they were doing and watched the scene in the middle of the office.

  “If you don’t trust me, request a new partner,” Chase continued. “I’ve made peace with my past.”

  “Maybe that’s your problem. Overconfidence. We come across one crime that reminds you of your brother, and you’re going to be back where you started.”

  “Leave him out of this,” he muttered. His hands were balled into fists at his sides.

  “If you can’t handle this conversation, then how a
re you going to handle seeing it happen in real life?”

  “That’s enough!” Chase lunged toward T.J.

  T.J. charged back.

  Before they could get any further, the other officers surrounded them, pulled them apart.

  “What’s going on here?” a man demanded, emerging from a corner office.

  The two men continued to glare at each other, their comrades in arms holding them back.

  “Anyone care to explain?” The police captain—at least, that’s who I thought it was—stared at everyone.

  I stepped back, my heart pounding in my ears.

  “Both of you. In my office. Now.”

  Chase shrugged out of the grasp of the men on either side of him, cast one more scowl at T.J., and then stomped to the office.

  This was my cue to leave. Now.

  I was only sorry I’d ever come.

  CHAPTER 28

  I couldn’t get the argument out of my head.

  The things T.J. had said to Chase were just vicious. He’d been egging Chase on. But why?

  Beyond that superficial skimming of the situation, the greater question remained: Was there any truth in T.J.’s words? I knew something had happened in Louisville. I just didn’t know the extent of it.

  The questions haunted me for the rest of the day. I went through my caseload, but almost as if I was on autopilot. By the time I finished, exhaustion pulled me down, reminding me that I needed to rest.

  But, for some reason, when work was over, I found myself standing on Chase’s doorstep with a pizza in my hands. I’d gotten his address from my mom, who was the world’s best card sender ever. Yes, she still used snail mail, but that also meant she had people’s physical addresses.

  I knew Chase was home because I saw his truck in the driveway. I could only imagine after what had happened that the commander might have told him to cool it for the rest of the day.

  Hopefully, he’d told T.J. the same thing.

  I knocked at the door, gathering every bit of grace and etiquette in me. A moment later, Chase jerked the door open, a scowl on his face. The lines around his eyes softened some when he saw me. Not that I noticed.

  “Holly,” he mumbled. “What are you doing here?”

  I thrust the pizza at him. “I knew you had a rough day. I thought some pizza might cheer you up. It has gluten, but you eat that, so it’s no problem.”