“I think it’s admirable.”
“Admirable?” Her face scrunched. “Look, I don’t have any preconceived notions, Steed. I didn’t tell you this to pressure you. I—”
He pressed his finger to her lips. “Shhh. I don’t feel pressure, and you shouldn’t feel any, either. We’re adults and we love each other. Neither one of us is going to do anything we don’t want to do, okay?”
Darci kissed his lips and snuggled into his arms. “Okay.”
* * *
The ringing telephone roused Darci from her sound sleep. Her eyes still closed, she fumbled for the annoying contraption. “Hello,” she grumbled, her voice weighted with sleep.
“Have you been to the house yet?”
Eva’s voice woke her completely. Darci shot up and looked at her alarm clock. Eight-twenty. The alarm wouldn’t go off for ten minutes. The fact she’d lost valuable sleep time to this nuisance of a woman made her crabbier than she already felt. “What do you want, Eva?”
“My ring. I told you about this a week ago. What’s the holdup?”
“I have things to do, and your problems aren’t foremost on my list.”
“Look, you said you’d get the ring. Get it.” The sound of a dial tone ended the conversation. Darci replaced the phone and leaned against the headboard. She didn’t have a lot planned for today, so going to Kenny’s and searching his bedroom for this mysterious ring could be done. But going to Kenny’s…
Darci switched off the alarm before it sounded and reclined against the headboard. She hadn’t been in Kenny’s house since before he—before he died. Died. Over two months later and she still grappled with that. Steed didn’t talk about it, but she knew he worried about her. Maybe going to the house would help. Kenny was gone, and even with her doubts of how he died, he wasn’t coming back. That was the hardest thing of all to accept. How in the world would she be able to go into his house? Her house.
The phone rang again. Darci checked the caller ID and smiled as she answered. “Hello, Detective.”
“Good morning, Peaches.” Steed laughed.
“Hey!” she playfully chided.
“Just kidding, Darci. I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No, Eva beat you by about five minutes.”
“Eva?”
“Yes. She thinks she left something at Kenny’s, so it looks like I’ll be taking a trip there today. I don’t trust her going in alone.” Darci sighed. She didn’t trust Eva at all. Funny how she’d never mentioned this ring until the call last week. If Eva had anything of value in Kenny’s house, she would have demanded access to it long before now. What did that woman have up her sleeve?
“You okay going there by yourself?” Steed asked.
“Honestly, no, I’m not. I feel strange just thinking about it, when I know Kenny won’t be there.”
“Want me to come with you?”
“Would you?”
“Sure. When do you want to go?”
“When are you free?”
Darci heard paper rattling as Steed groaned. “The way my desk looks it may be never, but how about lunchtime? Noon?”
“That’s fine for me, but only if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
“Okay, I’ll see you at noon. And I’ll grab you a sandwich on the way.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. This really means a lot to me, and since I’m taking your lunch break, the least I can do is bring you some lunch. I’ll see you later. And no more of that Peaches thing.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He chucked. “Bye.”
* * *
Steed hung up the phone. Hearing Darci’s voice was the lift he needed, and now it was back to work. He returned his full attention to the Warwick file and those Hyde fingerprints.
“Have any news for me, McGraw?” Rogers said, entering the office and settling into the empty chair at the desk.
“I’m still looking into it, sir.”
“How is it Hyde’s prints weren’t discovered before?”
“I don’t have a clue.” Steed held up his finger and beeped Jackson at the front desk. “Get in here,” he said.
“Why are you calling in Jackson?” Rogers asked.
“Retracing steps.”
Moments later the young officer stepped in. “What can I do for you, Detective?”
“A while back, I asked you to take the gun from the Warwick case to the lab for retesting. Do you remember that?”
“Yes, sir. I gave you the results back in September. I actually remember the day because it was…” The young man paused. His cheeks reddened.
Rogers sat up. “It was what, Jackson?” he asked.
The officer cleared his throat. He glanced at Steed before turning his gaze to his feet. “It was the day I came in and Ms. Clarke was with the detective,” he explained.
Steed pressed his fingers to his lips, remembering the day in question. He never did look at that file, as he’d managed to convince Darci of the facts without having to do so. How could fingerprints change? “Thank you, Jackson, that’ll be all.”
Rogers’s eyes stayed on Jackson until he left the office. He slowly turned around. Steed swallowed audibly, feeling a cross-examination coming. “You want to explain that?”
“Nothing to explain, sir. I remember the file.”
“So, you knew there were other fingerprints on the gun.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You’re not saying much of anything, McGraw, and it’s been a week.” Rogers leaned forward. Irritation darkened his eyes, and his lips thinned with annoyance. “I want to know what the hell that was about just now, and I want to know now!”
“I had the prints checked during the course of my investigation, and when Darci showed up making a big stink, I had new prints pulled and run as an appeasement measure.” Steed drew a breath. “Hyde’s prints showed up the second time.”
“How is that possible?”
“I don’t know. A lab screwup I suspect.”
“And since we returned the gun to Warwick’s family, we can’t pull new prints to check which were right.”
“We know which ones were right. Warwick’s death was a suicide. That is a fact.”
“No, McGraw, it’s a mess!” Rogers slammed his open palm onto the desk. “You clean it up. The mayor is breathing down my neck over this!”
Steed grunted. “Benjamin is ticked because I’m involved with Darci.”
“What was that?”
“The mayor is angry because I’m seeing Darci. He can’t stand it. He saw us out to dinner a few days ago, and if looks could kill, Malena would not only be your newest detective, she’d be your only one.”
Rogers sat back in his chair. “That’s ridiculous. Jacob Benjamin is a happily married man.”
“He may be happily married, but he’s not happy with the fact Darci and I are a couple.”
“Is that what you and Darci are? A couple?”
“Yes.”
“You haven’t mentioned this new set of prints to her?”
“What would mentioning this to her accomplish? It won’t bring Warwick back to life. She has enough to deal with finalizing his estate.” Steed opened the file and pushed it to Rogers. “You see these pictures? With a little time I can explain away those fingerprints, but these pictures, powder residue, and wound patterns can’t be explained away. That is Kenneth Warwick, and he’s dead via a self-inflicted gunshot wound. That’s what I know. And I’m not going to tell Darci about some prints that will further incite the feelings of foul play she already has. I’m not doing it.”
Rogers stood. “I won’t tell you how to handle your relationship, just handle this case, and do it soon.”
* * *
Kenny watched Eva as he finished the last of a hundred sit-ups. She seemed engrossed in the goings-on of some ridiculous talk show where the guests were fighting like a bunch of crazed gamecocks. From what he’d gathered, the topic was sibling betraya
l. Humph! Eva didn’t have to watch a program to get that. Thanks to her, they were living that particular subject, and it felt like he’d been living it forever.
The block prison he spent his every hour was so tiny, he had to fold the cot to have room enough on the floor to work out. If he didn’t work out, fat Kenny from grade school would make an adult appearance due to the greasy takeout Fritz brought him every day. Had that man never heard of Subway?
Kenny grabbed a hand towel off the toilet/sink combo and dried the sweat trailing down his chest. Damn that Eva. He had to get out of here. He needed a hot shower, a manicure and massage, and he needed to get laid. He had so much stress. Kenny leapt off the bare floor and wrapped his hands around the bars, tugging on the door. It didn’t budge. It never did.
Eva turned away from the television. “You really should stop trying to escape. You are not Harry Houdini. Besides, if Fritz thought for one second you could get free, he wouldn’t leave me alone with you.”
“How could you go along with this?”
“It’s not personal, Kenny. I needed money.”
“Do you know how foolish this is? Keeping me here and having Mom and Dad think I’m dead. My God! How can you even look at them after what you’ve done to me?”
A glimmer of guilt flickered in Eva’s eyes. She dropped her head for a moment, and when she looked up the glimmer was nowhere to be found. “This isn’t my fault, Kenny. I asked you for money, but you wouldn’t give it to me. I didn’t make that guy shoot himself, and I didn’t come up with this plan, but I think it’s a good plan.”
“How can you say that with a straight face?”
“Because I believe it.”
Eva turned back to the television. Kenny continued to watch her. Something was different. She wasn’t fidgety, and though her thinking was muddled, she spoke clearly and rationally in a warped sorta way. She didn’t seem high, at least not in her usual way. “What did you take?” he asked.
“Take?” She looked over her shoulder at him, laughing. “I didn’t take anything. Fritz made me his special breakfast drink. It calms me down and keeps me sharp and focused.”
“Sharp and focused?” Sounded like a downer to him. But she seemed jittery sometimes, too. Not her usual high. “Where did you meet Fritz?”
“On the highway.” Eva turned to Kenny. “I was driving after a couple of drinks and he pulled me over. I didn’t want trouble, and he didn’t want to make any for me, so we worked out a deal.” She smacked her lips and smiled. “We’ve been inseparable since.”
Kenny’s stomach turned. “I suspect his appeal lies in those power drinks he gives you,” he said. “Don’t you want better? This man is killing you.”
“Fritz isn’t killing anyone. He cares about me. He doesn’t judge me.”
“No, Eva, he uses you.” Kenny’s gaze darted about the tiny room. “Look around. You spend hours in this dump every day. We must be in the middle of nowhere, because that damn generator outside could wake the dead, yet not a soul has come around.”
“That’s the plan, Kenny. No electricity, no meter reading, no guests. Just lots of privacy.”
“Don’t you want more? Don’t you think you deserve more?”
“I have more now, and I’ll have even more when I get my money. Besides, Fritz takes great care of me. I don’t live here, I come to visit you. You’re my brother, Kenny. I’m not heartless.”
“What?” Kenny shrieked.
“I’m not. I do care about you. You eat three times a day. I brought you clothes, and toiletries. You have a TV.”
Kenny glanced at his gray sweatpants, one of five colors with T-shirts and socks Eva had purchased for him. “Gee, thanks,” he quipped.
Eva frowned. “Don’t get fresh. None of this would have happened if you had given me the money when I’d asked for it. I only wanted a couple of thousand. You have millions.”
“You’re not my responsibility, Eva.”
“You’re my brother.”
“The brother you have locked away! I don’t owe you anything. You’re a grown woman who needs to take care of herself. But what do you do? Latch on to someone, anyone, who can make you believe he’s the answer to your prayers.”
“This is different. Fritz loves me.”
“How can he love you when you don’t love yourself? You’re in a world of trouble and it’s going to get worse if you don’t stop this now. Let me go, Eva. I can protect you. I won’t mention you to the authorities. All you have to do is let me go and get some help.”
“Shut up!” Eva clicked off the television and tossed the remote to the wobbly table in the center of the room. “I don’t need any help, I need money. And as soon as Darci goes to the house and finds the letter, I’ll get it.”
“And then you’ll live happily ever after? Have the drugs destroyed your conscience, too? You won’t be able to sleep nights knowing what you’re doing to me and our parents.”
“I sleep like a baby every night. I can keep doing it.”
“With the help of Fritz and his power drinks,” he said. “Tell me, Eva, what are you going to do when the money dries up and Fritz’s eyes starts roving?”
“Fritz isn’t going to leave me. He loves me.”
“Just like your two ex-husbands and the other string of losers you’ve been involved with? C’mon, he’s no different. In fact, he’s worse. You’re up to your neck in legal problems.”
“Shut up!” Eva’s face reddened. She stalked menacingly to the barred door. “I’m sick of hearing you talk. If you say another word, your good friend Darci is going to pay the price. You understand me?”
The unfeeling stare in Eva’s eyes scared him. She was capable of anything, and he couldn’t risk Darci’s life. Shaking his head in dismay, Kenny continued his workout in total silence.
CHAPTER 12
“Hiya, Malena,” Darci said as she passed the detective leaving the station.
“Hey, Darci,” Malena said with a smile. “What’s going on?”
She lifted the plastic bag she carried. “Lunch with Steed.”
“I was just on my way to Sophie’s to meet my honey, too.”
“Tell Trey I said hello. You two will have to join Steed and me for dinner sometime. I’ll invite Jackie and Carl, too. We’ll make it a party.”
“Sounds good. Trey and I have been meaning to catch up with Jackie and Carl again, and although I’m with Steed a lot, I never get to be with the both of you. Being back in Sterling is a great change of pace from Chicago, but I’ve been so busy, I’ve hardly had time for fun. So, I’ll be in touch.”
“Great. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.” Darci waved good-bye and made her way inside.
“Hello, Ms. Clarke,” Jackson said with a smile.
Darci returned his smile. “Hello, Lucas. How are you?”
“I’m good, ma’am, thank you. You can go right on in, the detective is expecting you.”
Darci gave his hand a cordial pat. A warm pink colored his cheeks. She bit back a chuckle. This young man was way too polite and gentle to be a big, bad cop. She loved Steed to pieces, but the more time Jackson spent around him, the more Steed’s tough-as-nails traits would rub off. That poor kid would never be the same. Maybe with Malena on board things would even out for him.
Darci reached into the plastic bag and handed Jackson one of the three subs. “This is for you. Turkey breast and ham. In case he keeps you too busy to take a break,” she said, nudging her head to Steed’s door.
“Thank you, ma’am. I really appreciate this.”
“You’re welcome, and, please, stop with this ma’am thing. You can call me Darci,” she said, handing over condiment packets.
He shook his head. “Oh, no, ma’am, I couldn’t do that.”
She tapped her hand on the desk and made a half-hearted attempt at being stern. “I insist, Lucas.”
“Yes, ma’…Ms. Darci.”
Darci laughed. “I guess that’s close enough. I’ll let you get back t
o work.” She knocked on Steed’s door and stuck her head in.
Steed’s eyes lit up. He waved her in as he held the phone to his ear. “Almost done,” he mouthed, motioning for her to take a seat. “Yes, that’s Hyde. H-Y-D-E. Send me whatever you have. You have my fax number.” He nodded. “Thank you. Yes, I’ll be in touch if I need anything else.” He hung up and gave her a big smile. “Hi.”
She leaned over the desk and gave him a little kiss. “Back at you.” The folders and papers littering his desk rattled under the weight of her hand. She backed up to the chair and sat. “You know, if you’re busy, we can do this another time.”
“I’m never too busy for you,” he said, gathering up the files.
A loose page slid to the floor.
“I’ll get it,” she said, reaching for the facedown sheet.
“It’s okay, Darci, I can…” He took the page from her hand. “I have it, thanks.”
“Sure,” she said, a bit perplexed by his odd reaction. Her reporter’s mind made her curious to know what was on that paper. “This must be a big case?”
Steed shoved the page into the folder and shut it in his top desk drawer. “Yeah, it’s keeping me on my toes.” He pointed at the plastic bag. “Is that lunch?”
“Uh-huh,” she answered, taking the hint. “Ham and cheese just the way you like it.”
“Extra pickles?”
“Of course.” She extended his sandwich and a bottle of water. “We can eat first. There’s no rush.”
“Are you sure there’s no rush or is it just you putting off going over there?”
“Maybe a little of both.” She shared the napkins and packets of mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar left in the bag. “It’s going to be strange walking into Kenny’s house after everything and knowing he won’t be there.” Darci unwrapped her turkey sandwich and started eating.
“You still do it,” Steed said, tearing off a corner of the mayonnaise packet with his teeth, adding a thick line of the condiment to the six-inch sandwich, and taking a big bite.
“Do what?”
Steed finished chewing and said, “Avoid saying how Warwick died. You at least manage to say death, died, or dying when you mention him, but you won’t say suicide or killed himself.” He continued eating.
Not Quite Right (Indigo Love Spectrum) Page 11
