Zach returned to the bar area only to find that someone else had already taken his seat. He walked back out to the waiting area contemplating his next move when his name was called again.
“Didn’t I just call for a Gerard? It was for two people?” the hostess said glancing at her reservation book.
“Yeah, no relation. It’s just me.”
“It always freaks me out when that happens,” she said. “It makes me think I’ve made a mistake. Anyway, I have a table ready for you.”
“Good because I’m starved.”
“Then you came to the right place.”
The two weaved in between tables. The restaurant was packed to capacity and when a waitress walked by carrying a steak, he inhaled the beef and knew he wasn’t going anywhere until he had his beef fix. Ever since Jessie walked out, he hadn’t bothered to cook for himself. He didn’t really like going out to dinner alone, but this place had the best steaks in the city, so he put his disappointment aside. The hostess stopped at an empty booth and stepped aside to allow him to sit. Zach sat down and took the menu from her. It wasn’t until she walked away that he realized he was sitting across from his father’s table. Their eyes locked for a brief moment before Zach slid across the seat and headed back out of the dining room.
5
“THE HAWKINS TWIN and her husband Daniel are here for questioning,” Zach told Jessie when she arrived for work carrying a container of coffee. “She’s in interview room one—he’s in interview room three.”
Placing her container down on the surface of her desk, Jessie stuffed her purse into the bottom drawer, locked the desk, and draped her sweater over the back of her chair. “I’ll be right there,” she said without looking up. “Let me get settled.”
He perched down on the corner of her desk. “Hey,” he said trying to get her attention. She ignored him. “Jessie…look at me.”
“What?” She stood upright and pushed her long auburn hair away from her face.
“I want to apologize for last night. I was out of line.”
“No you weren’t, Detective. You had every right to be pissed. I get it,” she said coolly. She flung her hand in the air, “Go ahead and get started with her. I’ll question the husband and we can compare notes later. I need to make a fast stop in the ladies’ room.”
He sensed she was not in a forgiving mood, sucked in his lips, and with a nod he stood and headed in the direction of the interview room.
Jessie’s hurried stride clicked against the tiled floor on her way into the restroom. She was trying to hurry before the captain noticed she was late. For certain, he’d be breathing down her neck if she dallied. Captain Reamer seemed to have a good command when it came to both sexes, but the fact that he was reluctant to accept the transfer of the two of them in the first place for fear their relationship would rekindle, kept Jessie on her toes. She would have loved it if Zach stopped having a hissy fit every time she’d suggested they remain as a couple but live separately. On her way to the restroom, she covered her ears to block out the noisy buzzing of voices and the constant ringing of phones, which seemed especially overwhelming this morning. Maybe it was her mood. Passing by a hanging calendar, she noticed last night was the beginning of a full moon and undoubtedly the instigator for an abundance of crimes, and most assuredly Zach’s mood. At least, it seemed that way.
Prior to choosing the one-two precinct, they’d both discussed the volume of crimes in the Village versus the two-one in Manhattan under Harwell’s control and had decided they liked being busier. The volume of noise reminded her she needed to be careful about what she wished for. Not everything was as it seemed. Yeah, this was one of those times. She pushed on the door into the restroom and almost bumped into a young woman exiting at the same time.
“Oh, excuse me,” the woman said slightly embarrassed. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.” She blew out a breath. “It’s my first day and I’m a wreck and…” she stopped short. “Calm down, girl,” she said to herself and shoved her hand forward, “I’m sorry. I’m rambling on. I’m Morgan Bradshaw.”
Jessie smiled. “Um, can I get inside the bathroom first?”
The girl released a nervous laugh. “Oh God. Of course,” she said and moved out of the way. She repeated her introduction. “I’m Morgan Bradshaw.”
“I’m Jessie Kensington.”
“Oh wow, I’ve heard your name mentioned,” she said. Apparently noticing the expression on Jessie’s face, she continued. “Only good things though,” she clarified. “Only good things.” The woman’s aggressive behavior caused Jessie to take a step back. Morgan’s hand was still extended, waiting for Jessie to take it. “I’m very pleased to meet you. Lieutenant Harwell told me to look you up when I told him I was starting in this precinct.”
“Yeah, he was my partner when I was a rookie, and then my boss when he came to the two-one.”
“You two also had a thing, didn’t you?” Morgan’s hand immediately covered her mouth after realizing what she’d said. “Oh, man, you know,” her voice raised a few decibels. “Geez, I’m so sorry,” she uttered, shaking her head. “I don’t know why that came out of my mouth. My only defense is my nerves took control of my vocal chords and the words just shot right out of my mouth before I had a chance to sensor them. I’m truly sorry.”
Seeing Morgan’s cheeks flush, Jessie grinned. “So I guess not everything you heard was good?” Morgan coughed out a nervous laugh without saying anything. Jessie’s hand flung in the air. “Forget it. No big deal. It’s okay. At least you were honest rather than feeding me a bunch of bull crap. As for your nerves, let me give you a word of advice about them—get rid of them before you leave this room because I can promise you that if the men in the department get so much as a hint you’re nervous, they’ll eat you alive and you’ll never live it down. Never! Is this your first stint as a detective?”
“Yes.” She answered. “That’s why I came into the restroom. I needed to pull myself together.” Morgan touched Jessie’s arm. “Please forgive my mouth. Maybe someday we can have lunch to talk? Or maybe go for drinks after work, or something like that?”
“Sure, Morgan. The women in here are few and far between. If we can make our schedules work—why not? Being new isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I’m relatively new in this precinct too and still feeling my way around. No offense taken to anything you said. Now, get out there and show them that aggressive side of yours.”
“Thank you. I could kiss you right now, you know that?”
“Yeah, but you won’t. Right?”
“Right!” She turned to leave. “Thanks, Jessie,” she said over her shoulder and the door whooshed to a closed position. Seconds later, she stuck her head back inside the room. “You know I meant that as a thank you. I didn’t want you getting the wrong—” Jessie grinned and pointed toward the door. Morgan made an about turn. “Right. I knew you knew that.” She released a strong breath from her puffed up cheeks and she was gone. Jessie was shaking her head remembering what it was like for her. The guys in this precinct were in for some rough sledding. Or maybe she was the one who was in for some rough sledding when Zach feasted his eyes on this pretty little chick. Jessie dried her hands on a paper towel and tossed it into the trash. One more glance in the mirror and she left the bathroom admitting jealousy was a bad, bad thing.
6
DANIEL MILLER LOOKED up when Jessie entered the interview room. “Hi, I’m Detective Kensington, but please call me Jessie.” She offered her condolences. Daniel Miller was a tall thin man, smartly dressed and probably in his late thirties to early forties. According to the records, the sisters were much older than he. Jessie would have classified him as a gold-digger or, perhaps, Charlene was a cougar. Nevertheless, despite the dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, he was an attractive man and easy on the eyes; blond hair, deep blue eyes, high cheekbones, and a warm smile.
“Thank you. Yes, that was quite a shock to us. Charlene and her sister w
ere very close. I just don’t know how she’s going to handle it moving forward.”
“I’m sure. Okay, shall we get started?”
“Sure,” he said. “I’m ready when you are.”
“I’m going to read you your rights, Mr. Miller, for our mutual protection, and I’ll be recording this interview so I don’t forget anything. We always have so much going on with our jobs; it’s hard to remember everything.”
“No problem at all. Happy to give you whatever information I can.”
After she’d finished questioning him, she realized he wasn’t really privy to the goings on between the two sisters because he’d only been able to relay what his wife had shared with him. And since they really didn’t associate with Carly and Harlan as a couple, because he wasn’t fond of Harlan either, most of what he’d said was of little use. Although, he had told her something interesting, and that’s why she’d rushed the rest of the interview so she could confirm with Zach to see if Charlene had told him the same thing. She led him to the bench in the waiting room.
“Thank you, Mr. Miller. You were very helpful today. Can I get you a soda or something?”
“No thank you. I’m good.”
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I want to check in on my partner to see how soon your wife will be out.” She waved and headed down the hall to where Zach was still interviewing Charlene. When she entered, they were in a deep conversation about her loss. It was obvious she’d been crying and Jessie was surprised he was still asking questions. Zach introduced her.
An eerie feeling washed over her when she looked into the eyes of Charlene Miller. It was only hours before that she had seen that same face attached to a lifeless body with a bullet between her eyes.
“This is my partner, Detective Kensington.” Zach said. Jessie extended her hand and offered her condolences. Zach addressed Jessie, “Mrs. Miller just gave me a bit of interesting news. Tell Detective Kensington what you just told me.”
“I was just saying that I’m pretty sure I’ve already answered a lot of these questions to the other detective.”
Jessie’s face creased into a strained expression. “Your husband just told me the same thing but he didn’t know who had called. Can you tell us who was asking these questions?”
“I don’t think he told me…oh, I don’t know. Maybe I didn’t ask…I’m just not sure. I’m sorry. I was in such a state of shock as it was; I was surprised someone was calling me while I was boarding the plane to New York. I don’t typically take calls from telephone numbers I don’t recognize, but something told me to answer. I wasn’t in a good place mentally and after what happened to Carly, I automatically answered.” She released a sigh. “I vaguely remember him saying something about the NYPD. Naturally, I didn’t want to hold the plane up so I tried to rush through the information he needed to start his investigation. It’s all a big blur right now.” She dried the tears welling in her eyes. “You know, it feels like I’m in the middle of a bad dream, struggling to get out…I just don’t know if he offered his name, but…” She shook her head in despair. “I’m just not sure of anything right now.”
“He called you on your cell phone. Can you give me the number he called from?” Charlene’s hands were shaking as she checked through her calls for the number, and recited it to Jessie. “Okay, I’m going to check this number while Zach continues his questioning.” Jessie left the room.
Charlene began to cry again. “I’m so sorry. I’m so upset. I’m not usually this scatterbrained, but…”
“It’s alright, Mrs. Miller, we need to know whatever you can tell us for your own safety. Did you tell this man where you’d be staying in the city?”
“Oh gosh. I don’t remember.” A look of fright crossed her face. “Oh my God, am I in danger?” she asked.
“I don’t think so, but we’ll offer security while you’re here because it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“But how can I be sure they’re your men watching me?”
“We’ll figure that out—maybe use a code word or something. Okay, take a minute to regroup and we’ll start again.” She did as he had suggested, blowing air out a little slower. “Try to think real hard for a minute about the kinds of questions he asked?” Zach could see she was struggling to remember.
After a brief pause, she took another deep breath and continued. “Wait, I think I remember. He wanted to know about the family, who Carly’s friends were, was she having problems at work—things like that. Oh, and he also asked about their marriage and whether she and Harlan had been happy.”
“And you answered all of them?”
“I was talking so I guess I did answer them to the best of my knowledge.”
“Did he ask to meet with you?”
“He said based on the information I’d provided, he had a lot more investigating to do, but he did want to meet with me. He said he’d call me to set up a time and place.”
“How did he get your cell phone number?
Charlene gasped, slapping her hand against her chest. “My word! I have no idea.”
“Are you a member of any social media networks?”
“No.”
“Do you use your cell phone numbers on applications or any commercial dealings?”
“I do, sometimes. But how would this guy get the number?”
“Sometimes these companies sell the mailing lists to make extra money.” Charlene’s eyes blinked. “We’ll figure it out, so don’t fret about it, but don’t take any chances by doing something foolish either.” Zach made a notation on his tablet to find out whether Carly’s phone had been found at the crime scene.
“I won’t. Thank you.”
“Alright, let’s talk about your sister now. Would that be okay with you?” Zach asked.
“Of course. Let’s find this killer.” She took a sip of coffee from the container in front of her, swallowed, and then began. “The first thing you should know about Carly is that she was a true Christian. She went to church every Sunday, even volunteered for many of the programs. Although she was reserved, she had a lot of friends and was always well liked by them and her peers. Her bosses thought highly of her. Who wouldn’t when you have an employee who’s as dedicated as she was? She wouldn’t even take a personal phone call during work hours. That’s why I’m so puzzled. Do you have any idea where my brother-in-law was at the time of her death?”
“He said he’d fallen asleep after dinner.”
Jessie reentered the room and waited. “What did you find out?” Zach asked.
“Exactly what I expected. He must have used someone else’s phone, because there’s no record.” Jessie’s mouth curled downward. “I’m sorry, please continue, Mrs. Miller.”
“Right, so Harlan said he’d fallen asleep after dinner.” She snorted. “Yeah, like he’s exhausted from sitting on his ass all day while my sister busted hers to support him. He didn’t even cook dinner. She’d have to cook him a full meal after working all day. And the rude notes?” She rolled her eyes. “That bastard would leave notes all over the house if he didn’t like the way she’d done something and demand she do it over again.” She humphed “But, God love her, she never complained.”
“You saw those notes?”
“Yeah. I showed up one day before I was expected.”
“There seems to be a lot of hostility between you and your brother-in-law,” Jessie said with a frown. “Mr. Hawkins never mentioned that you didn’t like him.”
“Yeah, I’ll just bet he didn’t.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because he doesn’t want you to think he’s a suspect. But after seeing those notes, he’d be my first suspect. He didn’t like that I’d give him a piece of my mind every chance I got. Did he also tell you he had a huge life insurance policy on my sister?”
“No. That was never discussed, but he did say he was concerned about money. When he mentioned his concern, we cited the insurance, but he never commented.”
She smirked.
“Of course he was. That meant he’d have to find a job.”
“I’m sure he had the same value insurance on himself as well.”
She released a scornful laugh. “Oh no, he didn’t. No policy at all on himself. I heard him tell Carly having a large insurance policy on her was for his protection in case he lost his fight with Arco.”
“That doesn’t make much sense. Are his attorneys doing the Arco case pro bono?”
“Are you kidding? Carly told me win or lose, the attorneys were getting a huge chunk of money.” Her voice hardened. “Carly didn’t even want him to file the lawsuit, but his ego got in the way. Harlan doesn’t take defeat well, and his fear of losing the house and living on social security alone sends him over the edge.”
“Do you know what his reasoning was for not having the same value insurance on himself?”
“He told Carly,” she held her hand up as if swearing to tell the truth, “and I was there when he said it, so I’m not making this up, that she was young enough to continue working if something happened to him. He figured she could work until she dropped because doing research wasn’t strenuous.” Zach jotted down more notes. “But she fixed him. She purchased two life insurance policies: one on herself with her daughters being the only beneficiaries, and one on him, she and her daughters as beneficiaries.” She released a low laugh, “And the jackass doesn’t know about either of those. Carly sure showed him, didn’t she?”
“Well, they say there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Looks like she found it.”
Charlene nodded in agreement. “I just learned that bit of news from Jennifer, my niece, and it makes me happy to know Carly was nobody’s fool.”
“Did Carly ever mention anyone besides her husband, giving her a hard time?”
“Just that new guy at work. I think I remember her calling him Roger…Roger, something.” She shut her eyes. “I’m sorry. I can’t remember his last name.”
Deadly Obsessions (Kensington-Gerard Detective series Book 3) Page 5
