Michael knew this speech by heart. Burke had been a pillar of the community. The powers that be wanted answers and they wanted an arrest. None of the evidence or the particulars of the case had been released to the press, but Michael didn’t know how long they’d be able to hold them off.
“You have a suspect?”
Rubbing his forehead to ease the headache he’d gotten from too little sleep and too much stress, Michael hesitated. “Not yet, but we hope to make an arrest soon.” And he hoped that arrest wouldn’t involve Carolyn. Even with the evidence they had he couldn’t see them arresting her at this point.
“Hoping isn’t going to cut it.” The mayor leaned forward and picked up his cell.
“With all due respect, sir, we need time to sort through the evidence.”
“Seems to me there’s enough to make an arrest now.” He tapped on the screen then handed his smart phone to Michael. “Have you seen this?”
Anger coursed through Michael as he watched the video on the mayor’s phone. Every muscle in his body tensed. Someone had gotten into Carolyn’s room at the hospital and recorded a conversation between her and Marla. It had been uploaded to You-Tube and undoubtedly broadcast on all of the other social media sites. “This is a gross invasion of privacy.” Michael didn’t know who to be more upset with: himself for not staying with Carolyn, Marla for allowing the guy into the room or the Mayor for shoving the offensive video in his face. “It’s not going to be admissible in court.”
“It’s a confession.” Mayor Dayton folded his arms across his wide chest. “This woman obviously killed Burke. Why haven’t you arrested her?”
“There’s a lot more to this case than fingerprints and gun powder residue.” Michael rose. “We have a lot more evidence to process. Until then she’s a person of interest, nothing more.”
The mayor’s smirk left no doubt that he had tried and convicted Carolyn. “Then I suggest you get moving on it.”
Michael slammed the door behind him. So much for diplomacy. He hadn’t been this angry in a long time. He’d known the moment he’d stepped into the hotel room the night before that this would turn into a high profile case, but he hadn’t expected the mayor to jump into the foray so soon. Social media and technological advances could be a big help in finding suspects, but it could also be a hindrance. He had no doubt the entire state would be clamoring for Carolyn’s arrest once the video aired on television. Possibly even before. With the media frenzy that was sure to develop, he worried for her safety even more.
Maybe an arrest was the way to go. They could keep her for a few days to assure her safety while they determined what had happened. He shook his head at the thought. Arresting her might alleviate pressure on the police department and appease the mayor, but what would it do to Carolyn?
On his way to the hospital, he called Doug and Marla, but had to leave messages on their voice mails. By the time he walked off the hospital elevator, his anger had dissipated. Marla wasn’t at her post. He’d have to deal with her later. Right now he had to tell Carolyn about the video. Michael braced himself and stepped into the room.
An empty bed greeted him. All traces of Carolyn and Marla were gone.
“We’re here,” Marla told her. “But stay down until I get us inside the garage.”
Carolyn’s legs ached from being scrunched up. She’d been lying on the floor of Marla’s squad car for what seemed hours. In truth it had been about twenty minutes.
Marla had come back into Carolyn’s hospital room out of breath from chasing the reporter. “I can’t believe I let that happen. If I’d been at my post outside the room instead of talking with you, he wouldn’t have gotten in.”
“It wasn’t your fault. And anyway, blaming yourself isn’t going to get us anywhere.”
“You’re right. We’ve got to get you out of here,” Marla said. “And I have just the place.”
While they worked to remove Carolyn’s IV, she and Marla concocted a plan that involved Carolyn dressing in scrubs and hospital booties and a mask and slipping out through a side door where Marla waited with her car. The escape had gone off without a hitch.
Marla pressed the garage door opener. “We’ll park inside so no one will know we’re here.” The house belonged to Marla’s parents, who were on a ninety-day cruise and weren’t expected back for several weeks. Carolyn would have preferred going home, but agreed that at least for now, she needed to be where no one would think to look for her.
Once the garage door closed, Marla pulled off the blanket they’d used to conceal her. Carolyn sat up and glanced around. “Are you sure no one followed us?”
“Positive. I’m a cop, remember?” She helped Carolyn out of the car and headed toward a door that led into the house. “Besides, no one will question my being here.” When Marla turned the door knob they heard a low growl. “Don’t worry. It’s just Trigger.”
“Trigger?”
“Hey boy. It’s me. Glad to see you’re taking care of the place.” The menacing bark turned into a happy whine.
“He’s huge.” Carolyn stepped back as the brown and white beast inched his way out the door and into Marla’s arms.
She laughed and tipped her head back to avoid a serious face licking. “He’s as big as a horse—thus the name, Trigger.” The dog wagged his tail and wiggled his behind at the same time. Carolyn stayed well behind Marla.
Marla petted and played with the dog for a few seconds and then introduced him to Carolyn. “Trigger is a St. Bernard/German Shepherd mix.”
Carolyn hadn’t been around dogs much and tentatively reached out to touch Trigger’s head. “Hey, fellow. Nice dog.” Trigger licked her hand in greeting and Carolyn pulled it back.
Marla took hold of his collar and sent him back into the house. “Don’t worry. Trigger is a sweetheart unless you’re one of the bad guys. He’s a great watch dog.”
“I’ll bet.” Still feeling weak and a little groggy from the Rohypnol, Carolyn leaned against the dryer to steady herself. During the night, one of the nurses had explained the need for an IV to flush the drug from her system. With the IV gone, she should probably up her fluid intake.
“Whoa. Are you okay?” Marla moved to her side.
Carolyn nodded. “Just a little off center.”
Marla took her arm and helped her into the house and then got her settled onto a sofa. “I’ll make some coffee and see if I can find something to eat.”
“That would be good. I’d like some water as well. With all that’s happened I didn’t get breakfast.” She sighed. “Not that I could have eaten anyway.”
Marla handed her a glass of ice water and pulled a coffee maker away from the wall and to the center of the marble counter. “Please don’t bring up the fact that I let that paparazzi guy into your room. That was stupid on my part.”
“I just hope you don’t get into trouble for it.”
“Oh, I will. Michael will kill me. I was supposed to be guarding you.” Her cell phone rang. Marla picked it up and wrinkled her nose. “It’s him.”
“Are you going to tell him where we are?”
“I think I have to.” She chewed on her lower lip as if still deciding and put the phone to her ear. “Yeah.”
After a long interval she said, “I can’t believe he got it on the net so fast. I’m sorry. I should have. . ..” Michael must have interrupted her. She turned her gaze to Carolyn. “I have her. She’s safe. Listen, Michael, I’m going to put you on speaker.” She placed the phone on the counter and went back to the coffee maker.
“Where are you?” The detective sounded none too happy.
“Um… we’re at my parents’ place.”
“That tells me a lot.”
“I couldn’t very well take her home.” Marla filled the carafe with water and measured out the coffee. “The TV stations and newspapers will be all over this. Carolyn doesn’t need to be overrun by these guys. And then there’s the security aspect. No one will find her out here.”
�
��Tell me where you are.”
Marla hesitated. Carolyn nodded an ascent. Oddly enough she wanted Michael there even if it meant being arrested. She wanted to know the truth about the murder and her part in it.
“All right. Make sure you’re not followed. We’re just off Spy-Glass Lane. Follow the road around the bay and turn right onto Salmon Berry Rd. We’re the last house.” After a moment she added. “You might want to bring some food. I have a feeling we’re going to want to hang out here for a while.”
“Michael,” Carolyn ventured. “Is there any way you can go by my apartment and get me some clothes and toiletries? All I have is a pair of hospital scrubs.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t like this. But we don’t have a lot of options at the moment. We’ll talk when I get there.”
Several minutes later, the coffee machine sputtered signaling that their brew was ready. Marla placed three mugs on the counter and filled two of them. Cups in hand she led Carolyn out onto a deck that ran the entire length of the house and protruded over the edge of a cliff. The area below sloped down to a marina a few hundred yards below. The sun offered a generous helping of warmth as they settled onto two of the many deck chairs scattered around. The place looked like it could entertain a couple dozen people without being overcrowded.
Carolyn had been here before, of course. She and Marla had grown up in Pacific Beach and had even gone to the same high school. She hadn’t seen Marla for several years until recently when her old friend returned home after going to college and becoming a law enforcement officer. Now here they were, together again under the most bizarre of circumstances.
Michael ended the call wanting to strangle Marla. At the same time, a sense of relief dulled his fears. The rookie had made a call and for now it seemed like it might be the right one. She and Carolyn had made it out of the hospital without anyone seeing them. Or so Marla believed.
He called his supervisor and captain, Carl Bennet, to let him know that Carolyn Hudson was in the wind, which wasn’t far from the truth. The home Marla’s parents owned sat on a bluff that boasted one of the best views on the coast along with the most relentless winds. “I’m following up on a couple of leads.”
“Good. We need closure on this case. I’m getting a lot of heat, especially since the press got hold of Ms. Hudson’s part in it.”
“So I heard.”
“The mayor gave you a hard time?”
“You know he did.” Michael’s jaw tensed as he recalled the discussion.
“Sorry about that. But I figured you could handle him.”
“Thanks, but I don’t think he’s too happy with me.” Michael cringed at the way he’d exited the mayor’s office. The guy was lucky. At the time, Michael wanted to punch him in the face for interfering in the case.
“Because you didn’t hand him a suspect on a silver platter?” Carl chuckled. “Don’t let him bully you and don’t rush to judgment on this. Things will blow over with the public soon enough. We need a solid case.”
“I know.” Michael couldn’t have agreed more. He ended the call and drove home to get his personal car, a black two-year-old Tahoe. He didn’t want to call attention to himself by driving his Crown Vic. Even though it was unmarked, it had features that could easily identify it as a cop car.
He was especially thankful for Marla’s intervention when he drove past Carolyn’s home. She lived in an apartment attached to a house belonging to a woman named Gwen Owens. As Marla predicted, dozens of reporters had descended on the place. Several picketers carried protest signs that accused police of letting people get away with murder.
Michael drove past without stopping, but he did call dispatch to send officers out to deal with the crowd. Since he couldn’t get into her apartment without raising too many red flags, he’d have to move on to plan B, which he had yet to assimilate. He called Mrs. Owens.
“This is Detective Stedman with the Pacific City Police.”
“Carolyn isn’t here.” She interrupted, frustration evident in her voice. “And even if she was, I wouldn’t tell you. You and your people are barking up the wrong tree. No way did that girl kill Adam Burke. I don’t care what the press is saying.”
“I’m not looking to arrest her, Ma’am.” While Michael couldn’t agree with her assessment, he could assure the woman of one thing. “She’s in a safe place, but I need your help. She’s asked me to bring her some clothes and toiletries as she’ll need to be away from home for a few days. I don’t want to be seen taking things from her apartment and wondered if you’d gather up some necessary items and meet me.”
“Of course. Why didn’t you say so?”
Thirty minutes later they met in the parking lot of the Safeway store. “I brought clothes and toiletries,” she said, “and I packed a drawing tablet and pencils.”
Michael thanked her and forty-five minutes later pulled into the driveway of the Jenkins’s home. Marla must have been waiting for him because the garage door went up before he could turn off the engine. He pulled into the three car garage and got out, bringing with him a suitcase and a bag of groceries. Marla hurried out to help.
“I picked up a pizza. Hope that’s okay.”
“Perfect.” Marla opened the passenger side door and extracted the two still-warm boxes from front seat.
He followed Marla into the house. “How is she doing? The doctor wasn’t too happy about her leaving. Said there might still be some residual effects from the drug. She needs fluid to flush her system.”
“She’s resting at the moment. She seems okay. She’s had two glasses of water since you called.” Marla pushed open the door and set the pizza on the kitchen counter.
“I have mixed feelings about this.” Michael deposited the grocery bag on the counter and suitcase on the floor.
“So do I.” She shrugged. “Having her here will buy us some time. I saw the video and watched the news. The press has already tried and convicted her. She doesn’t stand a chance out there.”
“Tell me about it.” He opened the pizza box with chicken, artichoke, bacon, tomato and feta toppings.
“Have you heard anything more about the case?” Marla pulled plates from the cupboard and handed him one. She set the other two on the counter and pulled a handful of napkins from a drawer.
“Before I left town, I called the lab. They e-mailed me a bunch of photos from the crime scene.”
“I’d like to see them.” Carolyn came up behind them.
Michael turned around to face her, surprised at how much better she looked. Color had returned to her cheeks. She’d apparently showered but still had on the blue scrubs she’d taken from the hospital. Her tousled hair and sleepy blue eyes made her look even more vulnerable than she had the night before. He wanted to take her into his arms and assure that everything would be okay. Instead, he looked away. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. They can be pretty graphic.”
“I doubt they’ll be any worse than what I saw in person.” She offered up a tight smile. “And who knows? Maybe seeing them will trigger my memory.”
He couldn’t argue with that. And as she’d said, she’d already witnessed the crime scene first hand. “First we eat. I didn’t get breakfast and apparently neither did you two.”
They took their meal out to the deck. Michael felt himself relax as they talked and ate. Marla told him about the home she’d grown up in. He found himself enjoying the view and wishing they could be hanging out here under different circumstances.
After they’d eaten, Michael powered up his computer and pulled in the messages from the lab. He had Carolyn sit on the stool at the counter while he and Marla stood on either side of her.
Carolyn wished she hadn’t insisted on looking at the photos. The scenes were far more grotesque than she’d imagined. She gasped and covered her mouth when the first photo of her came up. The torn and bloody dress, her blonde hair matted with blood, and the wild-eyed gaze reminded her of how terrified and con
fused she’d been when she’d come to.
Michael placed a hand on her shoulder. The gesture was likely meant to be comforting, but she flinched and he took his hand away. “Are you sure you want to see these?”
She nodded. “I look awful.”
His hand went to her shoulder again and this time she welcomed its warmth.
“You look like someone who’s suffered a tremendous shock,” Marla took hold of her hand. “Maybe you shouldn’t look at them.”
“I’m all right. I need to see them.” She hauled in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I need to know what happened.”
After several more shots of her, a photo of Adam’s body came up on the screen. Something about it troubled her. It had been taken from above and Carolyn could see an outline of herself on the floor. “The silhouette,” she murmured.
“What?” Michael leaned closer.
“I remember thinking about a reverse silhouette on the carpet.”
“She’s right.” Marla pointed at the lighter shape on the blood stained carpet. “Look at the blood spatter.”
“I see it.” Michael said. “It looks as though you were already lying on the floor when the senator was shot. The blood spatter went around you.
“So I couldn’t have done it, right?” Carolyn turned toward Michael. He’d moved at the same time and they nearly connected. “I—” her gaze caught his and for a moment she couldn’t breathe.
Michael frowned and turned back to the screen. “Not necessarily. You could have made the shot from the floor.”
“That’s true,” Marla said. “The lab needs to examine the trajectory of the bullets.”
They finished looking at the photos and Marla offered to make more coffee.
“Thanks, but I should go,” Michael said. “I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay.” He pulled a cell phone from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to Carolyn. “By the way, I picked up this burner phone. Your cell is in evidence and will likely be there for a while. Marla won’t be able to stay with you all the time and you need to be able to call us.”
Deadly Deception (An Artisan Mystery Book 1) Page 3
