“It’s comfortable. Familiar.”
“Familiar is good. Although, after everything I’ve been through, I’d think you’d want to dress in something more comfortable than a knee-length nightshirt. Hmm?” He winked.
She punched his arm, laughing. “You’re still the same, you nut.”
“Yes, I am. I’m great, Darci.”
“Are you, really? You’ve been through so much.”
“I have, but I made it through. I guess I should be jittery or something, but I’m just relieved and happy. I’ve never been one to spend a lot of time in church, but I prayed a lot while I was confined, and it helped me. It centered me. That and hoping you’d remember the code.” He chuckled. “Honestly, I’m good. Worried about you.”
“There’s no need to be. I’m like you. I’m great.”
“I wouldn’t know firsthand, but from what I’ve heard, heartache’s not so great. You haven’t said so, but I know you love McGraw at least half as much as he clearly loves you. What happened? Why are you angry with him?”
She took a sip of her tea. The hot, minty beverage soothed and calmed her. She wanted to stay calm, and talking about Steed would make her angry. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I want you to. Did he cheat on you? Get frustrated with your vow of abstinence and have someone else take care of his ‘needs’?” Kenny asked, making air quotes.
“No. Steed’s been wonderful about that.”
“That’s interesting. McGraw…”
“What? Did he say we slept together?”
“No, he said he knew you extremely well. The way he said it made me wonder. You are aware he’s jealous of me.”
“Yes, and I hope it eats him alive.”
“What did he do to make you like this?”
“He didn’t believe in me and he didn’t trust me. I kept insisting you wouldn’t kill yourself, but I was the crazy one.” She drew a breath to steady the anger, just thinking of this betrayal brought about. “He thought I was too close to you to accept the truth.” She pressed her hand to his chest—warm, solid, real. “This is the truth. You’re here, in my house, very much alive. And Steed McGraw, a man who supposedly loves me, couldn’t believe in me. He couldn’t be man enough to come to me and tell me there was the slightest question as to what happened to you. I can’t get over that.”
“Darci, he was doing his job.”
“You’re defending him? With little thanks to Steed, you are free from two twisted people who would have surely killed you. How can you be so understanding?”
“Because I am here. Darci, Steed is a cop. A detective. He can’t let his emotions dictate how he does his job. If I were him, I’d think I killed myself, too.”
She gasped. “Kenny!”
“You’re blaming him for something he couldn’t control. I’m glad you trusted in what you know of me, but it was a suicide in my house, and Fritz made it look like me. Hyde looking so much like me didn’t hurt. Your opinion as a grieving friend couldn’t come into play. Besides, you were only sure I hadn’t committed suicide. You thought I was dead. So, doesn’t that make you wrong, too?”
Darci pulled up the lids of Kenny’s eyes, staring closely. “Did Steed brainwash you?”
He scoffed and fanned her hands away. “No. I just see the way you look at him and the way your eyes light up when he walks into a room. Even with the anger, your love is clear. Steed’s a part of you, and you won’t be happy until you fix this.”
“I can’t deny I love him, but there’s so much more. Steed is perplexing, Kenny.”
“I think you knew this when you fell in love with him. Didn’t stop you from falling, did it?”
“No, it didn’t.” Darci sighed. “Steed is so easy to love, but he makes it hard to want to love him.”
“Nothing good comes easy.” Kenny kissed her cheek. “Take a few days to be angry, then go see the man and try to work this out. I’m going to sleep.” He got up from the couch. “You need help getting to bed or do you think you can make it on your own?”
“I’ll be okay. You sleep well.”
“In a real bed? There’s no question. Good night.”
Darci considered Kenny’s advice as she finished her tea.
Despite of all her problems with Steed’s “protection” of her, he had operated with her best interest in mind, and his jealousy was rather sweet. She smiled. Maybe one day of being angry would be enough.
CHAPTER 23
“Up and at ’em, McGraw!”
Steed’s head shot up with a jerk at the chief’s booming voice. He rubbed his neck, groaning as tired muscles constricted.
Rogers extended one of two steaming mugs of coffee. “Pulled an all-nighter, huh?” he said, sitting.
“Uh-huh.” Steed took a big swallow of the hot liquid. “Thanks, I needed this.”
“No problem.” Rogers drank from his mug. “What you got?”
“Some answers as to how Fritz might’ve pulled this off.” Steed slid his newly compiled folder to the chief.
Rogers silently reviewed the file as Steed finished his coffee. “Mona Reeves?” he said. “The lab tech?”
“Uh-huh. She’s his cousin and ran the first set of prints. My guess is he came to her with a favor and she obliged.”
“Has she been picked up for questioning?”
“Jackson should be bringing her in at any moment.”
“Have you talked to Eva Jasper?”
“Not yet. Mr. Clayton came in last night with her parents and they talked. Seems she’s ready to get help for this drug problem she has and is willing to fully cooperate with the department. The prosecutor is coming in later today, and maybe they can work out some sort of deal. After everything that family has been through, I hope they can get some peace.”
“Speaking of people having peace, what about you and Darci? You talk to her yet?”
Steed tapped his empty mug on the desk. “She’s not ready to talk.” He grunted. “Warwick went home with her.”
“Was that your reaction last night? The scorned man?”
“She went home with Warwick,” Steed repeated.
“He’s been like a brother to her for over twenty years.”
“You said it, Chief, like a brother. There’s no blood relation.”
“And there will be no relationship between you two until you get over this ridiculous jealousy you have. When I told you to work on your people skills, it was for a reason. Problem is, you took it to the extreme. Darci is an independent and very strong woman. She doesn’t need you to make decisions for her or handle her with kid gloves. There is a happy medium between pleasant and overbearing. You need to find it. And lose the jealousy while you’re at it.” Rogers smacked his hand on the desk and then grabbed his cup and left.
Steed turned his attention to the telephone. He wanted to call Darci, but he didn’t want to hear Kenny’s voice. He wouldn’t call. The ball was in her court. She wanted time, and as hard as it was, he would give it to her.
“Detective McGraw?” Jackson entered the office, red-eyed and dead on his feet. “Ms. Reeves is in the waiting area.”
“Send her in, Jackson, and then you go home. Thanks for all your help.”
Jackson smiled. “You’re welcome, sir. I’ll see you, uh…”
“Tomorrow. Get some sleep, okay?”
“Yes, sir. Good-bye, sir.”
Moments later Mona Reeves slinked into the office. “I was just on my way to work, Detective. Is there something wrong?”
“Could be.” Steed walked over and closed the door. “Have a seat, Mona. I have some questions for you.”
The short, unassuming woman sat. She’d been in the crime lab for ten years. Proficient and efficient, she did her job well and didn’t kick up dust. Which, in hindsight, made her a good choice in this ploy.
“Have I done something?” Mona asked.
“You haven’t heard from your cousin?”
Mona adjusted her round-rimmed glasses. “Co
u—cousin?”
“Don’t insult me with ignorance.” Steed opened the file and pushed it forward. “We know Paul Fritzano is your cousin, and I suspect you aided him in falsifying evidence in regard to the suicide of Kenneth Warwick. A man we found very much alive last night.”
The woman slumped, as if her spine had been snatched right out of her body. “I didn’t want to do it, but I was afraid.” Tears filled Mona’s brown eyes. “Paul is my cousin, but he’s…he’s a very dangerous man, and he threatened to kill my husband if I didn’t help him.”
“Help him what?”
“He visited me the day this suicide happened, so when the call came in, I knew what to expect. He gave me a sample of fingerprints to ‘find’ on the gun.”
“Why didn’t you report this?”
“Report it? Paul threatened to kill my husband. Family doesn’t mean anything to him. His father died in prison while serving time for a crime Paul committed.”
“What crime?”
“The shooting death of a policeman. Paul didn’t care about this officer or the fact his father had lost his freedom and his life for no reason. Hurting my husband or me wouldn’t cause him to bat an eye.”
Steed blinked. “Wait…wait a minute. His father was accused of killing a cop?”
“Not so much accused as he took the blame.”
“How do you know this?”
“Paul told me right before he delivered his threat.”
“And you believed it?”
“Yes! I was too little to remember on my own, but my family had whispered about this for years. From what I’d heard, my aunt and uncle loved each other madly, but Paul was a sore spot. He was their only child, but he was troubled. Had been from practically the time he was able to walk. At fourteen, he was a true terror. Uncle Alex wanted to send him away to a military school, somewhere to calm him, but Aunt Elena would have none of it. She almost died giving birth to him and she wanted him close. She said he just needed prayer, time, and guidance.”
“What about this shooting?”
“Paul robbed an elderly neighbor at gunpoint, and the poor woman almost died from a heart attack. Once she recovered, she told Paul’s parents, but was too scared to say anything to the authorities. Uncle Alex was adamant they send Paul away. He and Aunt Elena were arguing when a police officer came over. They had a store, and the officer would drop in. He’d never met Paul, but he knew Paul was the source of their trouble, so he offered to take him in for a while. Paul had been in the back of the store, and he heard this. He came out and shot the officer dead. My aunt begged Uncle Alex to save Paul from prison, and since he loved her more than anything, he did.”
Steed closed his as eyes as he waged a futile battle to swallow the knot forming in his throat. A store? Killed a cop? Uncle Alex? Alex Mancusi? “Fritz killed a cop, let his father take the blame, and nobody said anything?”
“A cop helped cover it up. The officer’s partner. Mul…Mulberry?”
Steed’s guts twisted. This could not be happening. “Mulhaney?” he whispered.
Mona’s eyes widened. “Yes! That’s it. Peter Mulhaney.”
“Why would the officer help cover this up?”
“Money. My aunt and uncle lived above the store and had been saving for a house. They had over ten thousand dollars, and the cop wanted it all for his silence. They gave it to him. Uncle Alex insisted my aunt and Paul move away and start fresh. After Uncle Alex died, my aunt met and married Luis Fritzano, and he adopted Paul, giving him a new name and a new start.”
“Couldn’t have been too good a start.”
“It was a good act. Paul had been flying under the radar for years. Since none of his teen trouble resulted in arrests, when he moved back to New York years later, he was able to become a police office. I’ve heard rumblings he has ties to the Mafia.” Mona rubbed her forehead, sighing. “I know I should have come forward when Paul approached me, but I didn’t want him to harm my husband or me. If I lose my career, so be it.”
“That may be the least of your problems. You might also have to face some criminal charges.”
“I know.”
Steed stood and pointed to the door. “Leave.”
“What?”
“Go home. Not to the lab, home. Don’t think of leaving the county. You’ll be contacted if we need anything more.”
Mona stood, her hands clasped together in sincere gratitude. “Thank you, Detective.” She hurried out the door.
Steed slumped into his chair. His mind raced. The smug look Fritz always flashed burned in Steed’s head, and like a healing wound having the scab ripped off, the grief he felt for the loss of his father was as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. This man who made the world think Kenneth Warwick killed himself had actually killed his father. Fritz killed my father, and Uncle Pete knew.
Rage dried Steed’s tears, and all he could think about was wrapping his hands around Fritz’s neck and squeezing every worthless breath from his body. Consumed with the need to fulfill his burning desire, Steed barreled from his desk and down the ten stairs to the male side of holding. After telling the guard to take a break, Steed made his way down the hall to the cells.
The scent of pine cleanser mingled with sweat and the misdirected urine drunken detainees had splashed on the floor. Steed arrived at Fritz’s cell to find him curled on a cot with his back to the bars. He shook off the inviting opportunity to put a bullet in the man’s back. That would be too easy. He wanted Fritz to see death coming. Fritz…Paul Mancusi. Steed kicked his boot against the bars. “Get up, you!”
Fritz jumped up with a start. “What the…” He turned toward the bars. “McGraw.” The man’s sinister dark eyes appraised Steed for several moments. His lips turned into a crooked grin. “So, you finally know.” He sat up, chuckling. “Took you long enough, but I can’t imagine you figured it out alone.”
“Your cousin Mona filled me in on your past misdeeds.”
“Stupid bitch. Who needs enemies when you got family?”
“You would know. The things you and Eva have done to your families defy description.”
“Don’t compare me to that drugged-out slut.”
“You’re right. Eva has an excuse for her behavior.”
“Excuse? People do what they want. I didn’t make my old man take the rap, he did that for my mother, but I’m not sorry he did, and I’m not sorry for anything I’ve done. So if you’re waiting for an apology, you’ll be waiting a long time.”
“Why did you kill my father?”
“I felt like it,” Fritz answered with a smirk. “That pig wanted me to live with him, to help my parents by straightening me out. As if he could. I straightened him out. I popped him so fast he never saw it coming. I saved my rep, your old lady hooked up with a rich guy, and Pete Mulhaney got his pockets lined pretty damn well. Everybody won.”
Everybody won? Steed rubbed his inner arm against his holster, feeling the hard steel of his gun. Images of blood spilling from gaping wounds in Fritz’s flesh regaled him. Blowing this bastard away would be his pleasure.
Fritz snapped his fingers, interrupting Steed’s delightfully criminal thoughts. “You know, it was old Pete who made me see the many benefits of being a cop, the thrill of playing both sides. And I know how to play them. I’m in here now, but it won’t stick. I’m untouchable, McGraw.” Fritz snapped his finger. “You know what, I think I’m sorry about one thing. Darci. Mmm.” The man’s lascivious grin added an extra shot of fuel to the inferno raging through Steed’s veins. “I’m sorry I didn’t hit that before I hit that. I’m generally not down with the sistas, but that’s one hot piece of…”
The door rattled from the force of Steed’s hands wrapping around the bars. “Not…another…word!”
“C’mon, McGraw.” Fritz stood, folding his arms. “How is she between the sheets? She looks a bit uptight, but I understand her kind are wildcats in the sack. Want to share some stories with an ex-fellow officer? Hmm?”
&nb
sp; “I want to share something with you, all right.” Steed pulled his gun from the holster and aimed it at Fritz’s head.
Fritz eyes widened. “You wouldn’t,” he said.
“No?” Keeping the gun aimed, Steed unlocked the cell door.
“Help! Somebody help me!”
“I sent the guard upstairs. The other prisoners are too drunk to move, not that they would for an ex-cop like you. And no one upstairs can hear your screams. It’s just you and me. McGraw and Mr. Untouchable.”
Fritz backed up, falling onto the cot. He grabbed the pillow, using it as a shield as he cowered against the wall. “Okay, look, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I said about Darci and what I did to her and your father. I’m sorry about it all, okay? Now, put the gun down. Please, don’t kill me.”
Steed could only think of two things as the man pleaded for his life: his father and how a bullet had pierced his heart before he could try to reason with Fritz, and Darci and the fear she must have felt when she saw that car coming at her. Steed prayed he would feel the same lack of remorse Fritz has felt for all the hurt he’d inflicted on so many for so long.
He stepped inside, waving the gun. “Get on your knees.”
“What?”
“Get on your damn knees!” Steed ordered.
Fritz hopped from the cot and fell to his knees.
“Put your hands together and beg some more.”
The man trembled, his face ashen. “What?”
“Don’t play deaf with me! Put your hands together and beg me not to kill your worthless ass.” He pointed the gun between Fritz’s eyes. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t splatter your brains all over these walls.”
“Steed!”
Darci’s alarmed voice provided the response Fritz would have never been able to give. Steed’s gaze stayed fixed. Fritz looked almost human kneeling in prayer position, but Steed knew no humanity lived there, and the spark of satisfaction in the man’s eyes and his wry grin confirmed it. Dueling emotions warred within Steed. Would he kill the love Darci still had for him if he were to murder the man who had slain his father?
Not Quite Right (Indigo Love Spectrum) Page 20
