Deadly Obsessions (Kensington-Gerard Detective series Book 3)

by K. T. Roberts

“Not a problem,” Zach said. “We appreciate that you were gracious enough to find us something.” When Jessie hid behind the menu, he pulled her menu down and flattened it. Lowering his head to her level, he searched her beautiful face “You’re awfully quiet all of a sudden. What’s up?”

  “I’m tired. That’s all.”

  “I should think you’d be getting plenty of sleep these days.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” she snapped. “That no one else would want me?”

  “Now, did I say that?”

  “Not in so many words, but you certainly don’t make any of this easy. I did what I thought was best for us.”

  “No, sweetheart,” he fired back, “You did what you thought was best for you. I didn’t even fit into the equation.” She lowered her head again and he followed suit. “C’mon, you wanted to talk about this…now’s your chance. What’s going on?”

  “Okay, you want to know. Here it is. First off,” she repeated, “I don’t like your sniping remarks. I told you I loved you and I do, but you refuse to believe it.”

  “Right,” he said with sarcasm, “but you don’t love me enough to be with me. Right?”

  “I am with you, just not in the capacity you want me to be.”

  “Fine, but then don’t get jealous when I flirt with other women.”

  “I’m not jealous.”

  “The hell you’re not.”

  “You wish I was jealous.”

  “Yeah, right. So if you aren’t jealous, then why so quiet after we finished the conversation about Morton?”

  “I was thinking about the case.”

  “Okay, well then, I guess you’ve got a strategy all figured out?” She didn’t respond. “Well hell, don’t keep it a surprise, let me in on what you came up with.”

  “I don’t have all the pieces formulated in my mind yet.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” His lips thinned when he pressed them together.

  Zach searched her face again and wondered what she had on her mind, but didn’t ask. He couldn’t pretend it didn’t bother him, because it did, and he’d made no secret of his feelings. He missed the contentment, the warmth of being a couple. Zach’s sigh caught her attention.

  “What?”

  “You know that I love you more than you could ever imagine, right?” She gave a slow nod. “And I believe you love me . . . I do, but I’m having a hard time with this Ping-Pong effect you call a relationship. Either you want me or you don’t. You can’t expect me to wait forever.” He tapped his fingers on the table in a nervous beat. “Please consider talking to a professional.”

  “I have,” she said in a low voice.

  “Does that mean you will?”

  “I will if you promise not to date Morgan.”

  He laughed. “I knew it!” he said snapping his fingers together. The waitress appeared, “She loves me, Rosie.”

  “No kidding. Humph, I thought partners weren’t supposed to fall in love.” She winked.

  “Zach!” Jessie reprimanded him. Addressing the waitress, she continued. “I love him as a friend, Rosie. Don’t you listen to his lies.” Zach’s mouth creased into a toothy grin.

  “I figured that,” she said with another wink as if to say she knew better. “Okay, what’ll you have today?” They placed their order. “I’ll be right back with your drinks.” She no sooner walked away and Jessie was back to scolding him.

  “Zach. What if—”

  He held up his hand. “So does that mean I should cancel my date with Morgan?”

  Her eyes opened wide. “What? You’ve asked her out already? Christ, the bed isn’t even cold yet and you’re soliciting a replacement?”

  “Why? Is that a problem?”

  “Yeah. It’s a problem.”

  “Does that mean you want to get back together?”

  “No.” She huffed.

  “Oh, wait a minute,” he said straight-faced. “You can’t have it both ways. If you don’t want to get back together, then I’m sorry sweetheart, all bets are off and I can date anyone I want. You need to get over yourself.” Deep frown lines creased her forehead. He gave her hand a playful squeeze. “Want me to go to the doctor with you?”

  “No. This is something I need to do on my own.”

  “Okay. But I’m available whenever you want me to go. You’re going to make the appointment right away, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. I’ll call this week.”

  “How much time are you asking for?” he asked her.

  “What do you mean?”

  “How much time are you expecting me to wait before you straighten your life out?”

  “I don’t know, Zach. After I discuss this with the doctor, she may tell me to stay away from you all together.” The sides of her lips curled into a smile.

  “Yeah, that’s true, but highly unlikely. If she does though, you’ll keep changing doctors until you find one who’s in my corner, right?” Her slight smile, the one she tried to hide, told him her sour mood was over and he was back in business.

  9

  CAPTAIN REAMER stuck his head out of his office when he spotted them walking past. “Hey, Gerard, Kensington. Can you come in here, please?” They entered and noticed a woman sitting in front of his desk. She stood for introductions. “This is Detective Flo Simpson from the five-one.”

  “I’m here to talk to you about the Carly Hawkins homicide,” she said.

  “What about it?” Zach asked.

  “I’m currently working on a very high-profile case that involves the five families, and I don’t think your victim was the intended target—I’m pretty sure I was.”

  Frowning, Zach asked the obvious question. “How so?”

  “I live in the same neighborhood. My hairstyle and hair color is similar to hers and I’m also a prolific jogger.”

  “Holy crap!” Jessie said looking at Reamer.

  “Yeah,” Reamer nodded. “I guess the only thing you can do is keep following your leads and if it continues to take you nowhere, Flo might just be right.”

  “Thanks for the tip, Flo. You might just be hearing from us.” Reamer held his finger up. “Hang on for a minute you two. I want to know where you’re at with this case,” he said walking out of the office with Flo. He returned a few minutes later and Zach began.

  “We’ve been trying to find Morton to question him. From all accounts, he was living with a woman by the name of Velma Vincent who works at Arco. After meeting with the HR person over there, we found out she’s been out of the office, but they didn’t offer any information about why or how long. Learning that she lives in the Morningside Heights District, we’re going over to talk to one of the detectives. Turns out to be Mike Guardino,” Zach said.

  “You know the detective?”

  “Yes, we’ve known him for a long time. Let me give him a call and tell him what we want.” Zach keyed in the phone number and put the phone on speaker. “He’s one of the few detectives who plays well with others.” He held up his hand when Guardino answered, “Yeah, Mike, Gerard here. We have someone in your jurisdiction we want to question regarding a case we’re working on. Can you and your guys meet us over at the house?”

  “What resident?” Guardino asked.

  “Velma Vincent.”

  “We’ve already been there, Gerard. I received a call from Vincent’s next of kin this morning. It seems the mother went over to the residence after receiving a call from the company where this Vincent woman works—they hadn’t seen her in five days. No calling out sick, no requisition for vacation time, so they became concerned.”

  “Yeah, Jessie and I were at Arco this morning to see Vincent, but she was out of the office. The HR director wouldn’t tell us much more than that, but Jessie and I suspected something wasn’t right from the expression on the woman’s face during her conversation with the supervisor. Okay, go on.”

  “The mother said the front door was ajar when she arrived. She went inside to look around, thought her daughter
might be there, but no one was home. She checked in the closet where the daughter kept her luggage but it was still there. She asked a few of the neighbors, called some of her daughter’s friends and no one knew anything. It’s as though she vanished. That’s when she called us.”

  “Any signs of foul play?”

  “Nothing that we could find. I recommended she talk to Missing Persons. We got word a little while ago that the mother did file a report that her daughter and grandson were both missing.”

  “Good. Okay, we’ll be over to see you in a few to compare some notes,” they disconnected.

  “Good leads,” Reamer said. “Keep it going.”

  On the drive to Guardino’s precinct, Jessie remembered she’d spoken to Mr. Ghosh, Carly’s boss. “I almost forgot to tell you Ghosh called last night. He had so many nice things to say about Carly, I thought he was going to cry.”

  “That’s a nice testament. And you checked their whereabouts?”

  “Yes. They were definitely in court the entire time. Ate in the cafeteria during breaks, so there wasn’t much to check. I asked if he handled her will and the dissemination of her estate, and he was the Executor. Asked if she’d had any visitors while at work. He couldn’t remember her ever being with anyone other than her husband. I’m satisfied with his responses. He said he’d have Peterson contact me if I felt the need to talk to him. I said I’d let him know. I wanted to check the court records first to make sure Peterson was present the entire time too. He was, so I didn’t see any reason to call him back.”

  “That’s good.”

  10

  “C’MON JESSIE,” Zach said unlocking the car doors. “I’ll drive.”

  “You know,” Jessie said flipping through her cell phone contacts, “Since an MP was filed, let me call Bud to find out who’s handling the case.”

  “Good idea.”

  She pressed the ‘call’ button. “Well, good evening, Mr. Reece,” she said when he answered. Bud had recognized her voice right away.

  “And a good evening to you. Are you ready to come back to work as my partner yet?”

  She laughed. “No, not yet, but hey, you never know,” she teased. “If my current partner gets tired of me that might just happen. Who’s working on the Vincent case?”

  “I think it’s Jonesey. Hold on and let me check.” She heard him shouting to someone, forgetting to use mute. “Yeah,” he said, “that’s who it is. Call him on his cell phone at 518-692-8383.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So how are you doing? Miss me yet?” he asked.

  “I do, Bud, but I’m loving this precinct and working with my partner again.”

  “Hey, I thought you two moved in together.”

  “That’s a conversation for another day, my friend. We need to get together for coffee or drinks.”

  “Uh-oh, trouble in paradise?” he didn’t wait for a response. “Sorry to hear that. Well, good luck with your case.”

  Jessie keyed in Wes Jones’ number. “How you doing, Jessie?”

  “Terrific. Bud tells me you’re working on the Vincent case. Can you tell me what you’ve found so far?”

  “Well, Mrs. Vincent and her son have been missing since last Friday. The evidence we have so far is leading to this Morton guy who was living with her a while back. According to the victim’s parents, Vincent took Morton in when he had nowhere else to go after he lost his job two years ago. The mom said he’d worn out his welcome pretty early on but whenever her daughter tried to throw him out, he’d plead with her to give him just a little bit more time, stating he’d look harder. Apparently, old habits die-hard, and he was back to hanging around the house instead, watching television and playing with her kid. After Vincent finally had her fill of his empty promises, she threw him out. Anyway, this guy is one sick son-of-a-bitch.”

  “How long ago did he leave?”

  “About three months ago. But wait until you hear about his parting gift to her. The day he moved out, she came home from work and saw a note sitting on the table stating he’d left her a gift in the freezer. What she found was three containers, each labeled as his semen, and another note saying although she never said it, he always knew she would have given anything to have his child.”

  “Ewwww, that is sick.” She shuddered when an image of Morton doing his deed popped into her head and sent an itchy crawly feeling up her arms. She scratched them until she realized they weren’t itchy. “Thanks for the information.” Jessie disconnected the call and looked at Zach without saying a word.

  “What?” She told him and he made the same face. “Was the shit still there?”

  “I didn’t ask, but I can’t imagine she would have kept it. Although…if she was smart, it’s pretty good evidence that shows what a creepy guy he is.” Jessie scrunched her face up in a sickened expression. “If she and the son haven’t been seen in five days, I wonder if he’s holding them hostage somewhere. Are you still having second thoughts about Harlan?”

  “Nah. I’ve pretty much ruled him out,” Zach said. “He may be a narcissist, but what I see is a broken man now that his wife is gone. Especially knowing his wife outwitted him with her own insurance policies. He may never get over that.”

  11

  DETECTIVE MIKE GUARDINO was leafing through a file when Zach and Jessie arrived. The first thing Jessie noticed was the massive stack of folders neatly piled on the corner of his desk, a familiar sight on most detectives’ desks. He stood and extended his hand to Zach.

  “Good to see you, Gerard.”

  “You too.”

  Guardino shook hands with Zach and then hugged Jessie. “So tell me what you know about Vincent and how she relates to your case.”

  “Well, we have a victim who had a tryst with this Morton guy two years ago. He was at one time, a best friend with the victim’s husband.”

  “Ouch.”

  “He even lived with them. Based on our investigation and what we know so far, everything is pointing to him. He had the means, the motive and the opportunity. That’s when Velma Vincent’s name came up, and as far as we know, it’s where this Morton guy is living and we want to talk to both of them.”

  “We’ve had this guy on our radar for a while now. As far as I know, he’s no longer living with the Vincent woman.”

  “Why were you investigating him?” Zach asked.

  “One of our dispatchers, Gary Ragan, stopped by about two months ago. He’s been dating the Vincent woman on and off for a while now, and he just didn’t like this Morton guy. Said he was creepy, almost repulsive.”

  “Jealousy or did he have other reasons?” Jessie asked.

  “I asked him that. He said he’d bet his life on it that there wasn’t anything going on between Velma and the guy. The dispatcher knew we couldn’t really do anything to Morton unless he broke the law, so we’ve been in limbo, especially after he was pushing her to make Morton leave.”

  “I don’t suppose your guy knows what Morton’s parting gift was to her when he finally moved out?” Jessie asked.

  “What?” he asked. Jessie told him. “Oh, God. No,” he shook his head, “I doubt Gary knows, because if he did, I’m not sure what he would have done to the guy.” He shook his head. “You know, my favorite line is ‘nothing surprises me’, yet things like this stick in my craw and I am surprised. No, for sure this is not something I’d tell him.”

  “Probably a good idea. Anyway, we’re looking for him. There’s lots of history between our victim’s husband and this guy.”

  Guardino shook his head, “This morning, Gary stopped by to let me know Velma Vincent’s parents called him to say Vincent and the son are missing. I don’t have a good feeling about this one. I’m afraid we’re going to find her dead.” Noticing the noise level, Guardino picked up a file from his desk and motioned for them to follow. “Let’s go to an empty room to talk. It’s like a zoo in here this morning.” He turned to Jessie. “So how are you doing, Jessie?” he said along the way. “Glad to be back in h
omicide?”

  She blew out an exaggerated breath. “Oh yeah.”

  He stopped in front of the coffee pot and refilled his cup. “Want some?”

  “Thanks.” She grabbed two cups and filled them, handing one to Gerard. He gave her a warm smile.

  “Thanks,” he said with a wink.

  A sudden flutter of anxiety attacked Jessie’s stomach. “Force of habit, I guess,” she said with a shrug and quickly turned to catch up to Guardino. She never heard Zach’s comment about liking the habit. He shrugged and continued to follow when he sensed someone was watching. It caused him to turn and look in the direction, only to see two clerical workers staring at him. When they realized he saw them, they giggled like schoolgirls and ran back into their office. Zach grinned. They were definitely too young for him, but hey, it was nice knowing he still had it. He was missing Jessie like crazy, but she hadn’t told him anything about her progress with the shrink. He suspected she hadn’t followed through on her promise—something she did with most things having to do with commitment. Resentment filled his chest. She couldn’t expect him to wait forever. Hell, who knew how long that was going to take? Jessie would just have to figure out what she wanted, and if he found someone before she made up her mind, well that was the chance she was taking. Zach joined them.

  Guardino set his coffee down on the table in the meeting room and began pulling things from his file. “Shut the door behind you, will you? Detective Rooney apparently had a great weekend and he wants all of us to know about it.” Guardino snorted. “Okay,” he said handing Zach a picture, “This is what Morton looks like. You really think your guy is my guy?”

  Zach shrugged. “We’re not sure at this point. The surveillance footage we’ve seen shows a man with a baseball cap pulled pretty low on his face, so we couldn’t identify who he was. He was driving a white car though. That’s why we need to find the guy to question him.”

  “Was it a rough break up between your victim and this Morton guy?” Guardino asked while scratching his bearded chin.