3 The Ex Who Conned a Psychic

by Sally Berneathy

  “You’re just going because you want to see that damned Jake Daggett!” Charley accused.

  She definitely had to have Teresa’s help moving Charley on his way.

  *~*~*

  Teresa arrived a few minutes past one thirty. “Hi,” she said, walking through the door of the shop and around the chaos of parts and bikes as if she were walking across a ballroom floor.

  Charley darted toward her. “Hi, Teresa!”

  She smiled at him. “Hi! Sorry I’m late.”

  Amanda grabbed her purse from where she’d hung it on the handlebars of a Honda Goldwing. “Not a problem. Gave me the extra few minutes I needed to get ready. I hate it when people come early.”

  “Me too!”

  “Me too!” Charley echoed.

  Since Dawson was in the room, Amanda refrained from pointing out to Charley that being a few minutes late was quite different from being a few days late, which he’d often been during their marriage.

  “Teresa, this is my assistant, Dawson. Dawson, Teresa. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

  “Nice to meet you, Dawson,” Teresa called over her shoulder as they went out the door. “He’s really cute,” she said when the door had closed behind them.

  “Who?” Charley demanded. “Are you talking about that damned detective?”

  “Daggett?” Teresa asked. “He’d be really hot if he wasn’t trying to put me behind bars, but I was talking about Dawson.”

  Amanda had decided she liked Teresa, but she felt a sudden protective surge for Dawson. “He’s very young.”

  Teresa grinned and shrugged. “I could be a cougar.”

  “Or not.” Amanda opened the passenger door of Teresa’s little convertible and got in.

  Charley perched on the back of the seat. “This is going to be fun.”

  Teresa slid into the driver’s side. “Yeah, it is a fun car. Too bad I won’t have it much longer. Anthony always paid cash for everything, but apparently he financed this car. The bank just called to tell me I’ve missed a payment. I think the jerk was planning this divorce long before he actually filed. Closed out my bank accounts and credit cards. Financed my car. Serves him right somebody offed him before he got a chance to see me squirm.”

  She started the engine and they zipped through the streets, sliding around corners and other cars with almost the same dexterity as a motorcycle. However, without a helmet, Amanda’s hair flew in all directions.

  When they reached the station, Teresa ran her fingers through her smooth, shiny hair, and it fell into place as though they hadn’t just weathered a hurricane. “I love to feel the wind blowing through my hair. Don’t you? It’s such a feeling of freedom.”

  “I do,” Charley agreed. “Well, in my case, it kind of blows through everything.”

  Amanda tried to run her fingers through her tangled curls but only made it about a half inch. She forced a smile. “Absolutely.” Next time she rode with Teresa, maybe she’d wear her helmet.

  The three of them proceeded into the station and Teresa checked in with the receptionist.

  When Jake came out, he stared at Amanda in surprise. “Amanda, hi, I wasn’t expecting you.”

  Amanda looped her arm through Teresa’s. “I’m here to provide moral support for my friend. I’m her attorney-in-fact.”

  Teresa smiled and confirmed the lie. “That’s right. I signed a Power of Attorney this morning.”

  Jake looked as if he was going to protest but then shrugged. “Mrs. Hocker is welcome to have someone with her.” He turned and led the way back to one of the rectangular interrogation rooms.

  Jake sat on one side of the table and placed a file folder in front of him. Amanda and Teresa took seats on the opposite side. Charley sat next to Jake and peered at the closed file as if trying to see inside.

  “Detective Ross Minatelli will be joining us. He’s our forensic specialist.”

  They sat in awkward silence for a couple of minutes, then the door opened and Ross walked in, taking a seat in Charley’s lap.

  Charley leapt up and scowled at Ross who was looking only at Teresa. “That was rude,” Charley said. He moved to a chair on the other side of Jake, settled into a semblance of sitting and looked aggrieved.

  Amanda ignored him and Teresa gave him a quick wink.

  Jake made the introductions. Amanda could almost feel the electricity sizzling between Teresa and Ross. He smiled. She smiled.

  Amanda and Jake exchanged knowing glances. Ross was in lust again. It happened on a regular basis. Amanda wasn’t sure how this one was going to play out. On a detective’s salary, Ross couldn’t possibly keep up with Teresa’s lifestyle, but they might have fun for a while.

  Jake opened his file. “Mrs. Hocker, you said yesterday that the last time you saw your husband—”

  “Ex-husband.”

  Jake hesitated then nodded. “The last time you saw the deceased, Anthony Hocker, was Sunday afternoon at three o’clock.”

  “Give or take a few minutes, that’s correct.”

  “You were in his home for approximately half an hour, and he was alive when you left.”

  “Yes.”

  “While you were there, did you have sexual relations with the deceased?”

  Teresa’s eyes widened. “No! I most certainly did not.” She shuddered. “That’s a disgusting thing to say.”

  “You were married to him for nine years. Surely you had sexual relations during that time.”

  “Sure, before I found out about Brianna.” She frowned and shook her head. “I’m not following that act.”

  “We found hairs and body fluids on the sheet in the bedroom of the deceased’s home,” Ross said.

  The expression Teresa turned on Ross froze the electricity between them in mid-arc. “I don’t doubt that. Thank you for throwing the deceased’s infidelity in my face.”

  Ross flinched, and his olive skin actually took on a reddish hue. Was he blushing? Had a woman just made Ross Minatelli blush?

  “Would you be willing to give us a sample for DNA testing to rule you out as the woman in his bed?” Jake asked.

  “I certainly will.” She paused then shuddered. “The man’s a slob. He probably hasn’t washed the sheets since I left.”

  “So you think we’ll find a match to your DNA in that bedroom?”

  “I did live there until a month ago, you know.” She leaned across the table toward the two men, her eyes flashing dark fire. “But if you find a match, you need to check the age of that DNA. It’s not going to be recent.”

  This was probably not the best time for Teresa to unleash her temper.

  Was Jake deliberately trying to make her lose her cool and say something she shouldn’t? Probably.

  Amanda didn’t like where this was going. She had to keep Teresa out of jail. Highly unlikely they made provisions for spirit progression sessions behind bars. She needed to interrupt the process and give Teresa a chance to calm down.

  She cleared her throat once then again more loudly. “Could I have a Coke?

  Suddenly she had everyone’s attention. They all stared at her as if she’d suddenly appeared in public naked.

  “It’s really hot in here, and my throat’s dry. I don’t think my friend can answer any more questions unless we have some Coke. One for each of us. I like mine cold but in the can. Teresa, do you want ice with your Coke or do you take it straight?”

  Teresa blinked a couple of times, then the confusion cleared and she smiled. “I’d like mine in a glass with ice, please.”

  Jake and Ross exchanged glances. Ross stood. “Regular or diet?”

  Amanda was impressed. The men had surrendered with dignity. “Regular for me.”

  “I’ll have diet, thank you,” Teresa said.

  Ross left the room.

  “That was pretty clever, Amanda,” Charley said approvingly. “You’re getting good at this sneaky business.”

  Amanda shifted uncomfortably in her uncomfortable chair. It was a complim
ent, but not the kind she wanted to receive. She didn’t want to become more like Charley. Surely the point of his continuing presence was to make him a better person, not make her a sneakier person.

  Jake studied one of the papers in the file then looked up. “Were you aware that your husband…that the deceased was under investigation by the SEC?”

  Teresa’s eyes widened again and Amanda thought she really hadn’t known. “No.” She bit her lip. “He told me we were broke, but I didn’t believe him.”

  “Were you involved in his financial activities?”

  “I gave parties and smiled at people and told them how wonderful Anthony was even after I realized he was a complete dick.” Teresa gave a resigned sigh and leaned back in her chair. “But I don’t suppose the SEC will believe that was all I did. If you don’t get me for his murder, they’ll probably get me for all his financial crimes. When I first heard he was dead, I thought that might solve a lot of my problems, but it looks like he’s going to keep causing me problems even after his death.”

  Amanda shot a meaningful glance in Charley’s direction. She could relate to that situation.

  Ross returned with a can of Coke for Amanda and a glass for Teresa.

  “Could I have a straw?” Teresa asked.

  Ross actually seemed to consider it for a moment. “No.”

  “Okay.” She took a long drink of hers. “This was a good idea, Amanda. These questions aren’t as easy as the ones they asked yesterday.”

  Ross returned to his chair. Teresa smiled at him. He studied her uncertainly for a moment then smiled back. Lust prevailed.

  “The deceased made regular large cash withdrawals from your checking and savings accounts over the last few months. Do you know what he did with that money?”

  Teresa uttered a couple of swear words. “I should have known. Well, the jerk didn’t give it to me. About a year ago he told me we were broke, cut my allowance to almost nothing and started selling off my jewelry.”

  “Sounds like he was being blackmailed,” Charley said.

  He did know all about blackmail, having been a participant.

  “Did the deceased often conduct business in cash?” Jake asked.

  Teresa laughed. “You can keep asking me questions about his money all day, and the only answer you’re going to get is, I don’t know. Anthony was always secretive about his money. Back when he was giving me plenty to spend, I didn’t ask questions. When he told me we were broke and I did start asking questions, he told me it was none of my business.”

  “So he emptied your bank accounts and sold your jewelry but you don’t know what he was doing with the money. He wasn’t making the mortgage payments. The house is going into foreclosure.”

  Teresa sucked in a sharp breath. “Maybe he really was broke. He loved that house. So did I. I decorated it.” She shrugged. “But I’d rather the bank gets it instead of Brianna.”

  “About the only asset left is the million dollar life insurance policy in your name.”

  “Oh, yeah, Amanda mentioned that last night.”

  Jake’s surprised gaze turned to her. “She did? How did you know about the policy, Amanda?”

  Amanda tried to look innocent. “Internet.” That was true. Dawson had found it on the Internet, not her, but she saw no need to elaborate.

  Jake looked dubious.

  “Anthony must have forgotten about it,” Teresa said. “If he’d remembered, he’d have cancelled it. He told me I wasn’t going to get a penny in the divorce.” She slapped her hand on the table. “Now it all makes sense. We weren’t going broke. He was hiding money so I couldn’t get any of it!” She sat back and folded her arms. “I’m glad he got killed before he could enjoy it.”

  Amanda leaned close to Teresa’s ear. “Don’t say things like that. It gets you in trouble. Trust me on this one. Been there, done that.”

  Teresa gave a slight shrug and appeared unconcerned. Amanda wondered if she fully understood the situation. Perhaps she’d become so accustomed to having things come easily that she didn’t totally comprehend she could go to prison.

  “Did he keep any cash in that safe in the bedroom closet?” Jake asked.

  Teresa flushed. She dropped her gaze then lifted it boldly. “Yes.”

  “Do you have the combination?”

  “Yes.”

  “That safe is empty.”

  The small room filled with a thick silence.

  “Well?” Jake prompted.

  “Well, what? Telling me the safe is empty is not asking a question.”

  Jake’s brows drew together in a fierce scowl. Even Ross was no longer smiling. “Do you know what happened to the contents of that safe?” Jake demanded.

  Teresa faced him defiantly. “Yes.”

  Jake’s jaw clenched. Amanda found herself biting back a smile. Nice to know she wasn’t the only person who frustrated him.

  “Will you tell us what happened to the contents of that safe?” Ross asked, his tone quiet but deadly.

  Teresa sat straight and met his gaze. “I took everything.”

  Chapter Six

  Jake leaned so far across the table, his face was only inches from Teresa’s. “What did you take from the safe?”

  Teresa folded her hands in her lap and thrust out her chin. “Cash. Five thousand dollars.”

  Amanda cringed. The woman was a terrible liar.

  Ross lifted a dark eyebrow. “Is that all?” He knew she was lying too.

  “What difference does it make? Anything in that safe was community property. Anthony was alive when I took it, and I was still legally married to him. I had every right to take whatever I wanted from that house.”

  Ross nodded. “Fair enough. When did you take it?”

  “I just told you. I took it when he was alive and we were still married.”

  Amanda bit her lip to keep from smiling.

  Jake did not seem to find Teresa’s brashness amusing. “We got that,” he said. “But could you be a little more specific?”

  “I could.”

  “Would you be a little more specific?”

  Teresa looked at Amanda for guidance. Drat. She’d come along for support, not for guidance.

  “Don’t tell them anything!” Charley said.

  Whatever advice Charley gave was likely to be bad. “Tell them everything,” Amanda contradicted.

  Teresa looked from Charley to her then spread her hands on the table and drew in a deep breath. “Anthony called me that morning.”

  “For the record, which morning are we talking about?” Jake asked.

  “The morning of the day he died. Isn’t that the day we’ve been talking about?”

  Ross nodded. “It is. Go on.”

  “He said he wanted me to come over to the house that afternoon and talk about getting back together. No way did I want to get back together with that jerk, but…” She paused and again looked at Amanda.

  Amanda had no idea what the rest of that sentence was going to be, but she nodded anyway. Teresa might as well tell them everything. Cops had a way of finding out secrets.

  “When Anthony kicked me out, I had about twenty dollars in cash, less than a hundred in my checking account, no credit cards and no job. I knew he always kept some cash in that safe, and he didn’t know I had the combination. So I figured I’d go over, talk to him, excuse myself to go to the bathroom which is right next to the closet where the safe is, open the safe and take whatever money was there. And that’s exactly what I did.”

  Jake and Ross exchanged enigmatic glances. “Appreciate your being honest,” Ross said. “We found your fingerprints on the safe.”

  “You were trying to trap her!” Amanda accused. She’d been right. Nosy cops, always snooping around, trying to trap innocent people into guilty admissions.

  Jake looked at her. “That’s kind of what we do. There won’t be a problem as long as Teresa tells the truth.”

  Amanda folded her arms and rested her elbows on the table. She was pretty
sure Teresa was telling some of the truth. All that business about the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth was highly overrated. Some details were inconsequential, had no bearing on the current situation, and were better left unsaid.

  But she was a little curious about what part of the truth Teresa was holding back. Certainly something to do with what she’d taken from the safe. Probably a lot more than five thousand dollars. Amanda couldn’t blame her for that. What if the cops decided to declare the contents of that safe as evidence and took it back from her? Amanda knew only too well what it felt like to have an ex-husband who’d already taken everything and then continued to take even from the other side. That brought to mind Ronald Collins and her situation. She shot Charley an angry look.

  “What?” Jake asked, mistaking the direction of her gaze.

  Amanda shook her head. “What what?” Yes, there were definitely occasions when it was not necessary or even smart to tell the whole truth.

  “Are we done?” Teresa asked. “There’s nothing else I can tell you.”

  Ross rested one elbow on the table and studied her intently. “Your husband asked you to consider a reconciliation?”

  “That’s right.”

  “What about his girlfriend?”

  Teresa rolled her eyes. “He gave me the typical line of BS. He missed me, he’d made a mistake, it was all over between him and the bimbo, blah, blah, blah. I assumed he needed something from me, like signing over the rights to my left kidney or providing him with an alibi when he was cheating on the bimbo with a new bimbo.”

  “So you told him no?” Jake asked.

  She arched a perfect eyebrow. “I told him I needed to go to the bathroom where I cleaned out the safe, stuffed everything into a tote bag, and left before he figured out what I’d done.”

  “You walked out with a bag full of money, and he didn’t try to stop you?”

  “I didn’t give him a chance. I came out of the bathroom, waved and hurried out the door as fast as I could go.”

  Ross nodded. “The neighbors reported seeing you leave in a hurry.”

  “Of course those nosy jerks were watching. I parked in plain sight in the circle drive, as close as I could get to the door so I could run out and be gone before he caught me. I wasn’t trying to hide anything, just get the money and get away.”