by Sarah Biglow
“Kal, wait a minute,” Chris said and spun her around to face him. “It’s just a fortune cookie. It’s not meant to be serious.”
She let out a huff of annoyance. “I know that. It’s just been a long day. That’s all.”
He tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and leaned in for a kiss. “Good night.”
CHAPTER SIX
Kalina headed to the hospital just after eight the next morning. The shop remained closed with a sign indicating that the closure was due to inventory. It was an outright lie but she could handle a little lost business. Nadine was more important. As she waited to check in at the nurse’s station she wondered why, after all these years, she felt so compelled to be there for Nadine. As she headed down the east wing to a private room, she realized she felt guilty. She needed to apologize for letting them drift so far apart during college. Sure, Nadine could have reached out, too, but given her current situation, Kalina was more than willing to heap the extra blame on herself.
Taking a left turn at the next junction, Kalina finally found Nadine’s room. It was a single occupant room with a view of the distant shoreline. Nadine sat on the bed, staring out the window. She looked calmer than she’d been the day before and Kalina breathed a sigh of relief that her friend was awake and alert. She knocked on the doorframe and Nadine turned with a ghost of a smile on her lips.
“Can I come in?” Kalina asked, standing in the doorway.
“Sure.” Her voice was stronger than it had been the day before, too.
Kalina crossed the room in two big strides and she settled in a chair under the flat-screen TV mounted to the wall. Nadine tugged at a few curls and kept her gaze on the floor. Awkward silence filled the room. Kalina wasn’t sure what to say.
“How are you?”
Nadine shrugged one shoulder. “They are letting me leave today. I guess that’s good.”
“Yeah, definitely.”
“I can’t go home. Not after… I just keep seeing him on driveway.”
Kalina reached out and took Nadine’s hand in hers. “You can stay with me if you want. I have a free futon.”
“You don’t have to do that. This isn’t your mess.”
“You’re my friend. At least I hope you still are and I want to help. And once the house isn’t a crime scene anymore I can go pick up some clothes and stuff for you.”
“You’d do that?”
“Of course.”
Nadine squeezed Kalina’s hand. “Thanks, Kal.” She glanced over her shoulder towards the empty doorway. “The nurse said she’d be back with discharge papers but that was like twenty minutes ago.”
“I’m sure you’ll be out of here before you know it.” Footsteps echoed down the hallway, growing louder. “See, I bet that’s the nurse now.”
Her shoulders fell a little bit when Chris appeared in the doorway. He raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing. Nadine pulled her knees up to her chest in a protective posture and didn’t let go of Kalina’s hand.
“How are you feeling, Miss Larrabee?” he asked.
“You can call me Nadine. We all know each other,” Nadine said.
Chris cleared his throat. “All right, how are you doing, Nadine?”
“I’m okay. They’re discharging me now.”
“That’s good to hear.” He turned to Kalina. “I trust you’re here just as a friend.”
Kalina nodded. “Nothing more, I swear.”
“I need to ask you some questions about your father’s death, Nadine. I’d like you to come down to the station this afternoon.”
“Do I need a lawyer or something?”
“That’s up to you. But right now you are the only witness to what happened and we need to get your statement.”
“I’ll make sure she gets there.” Kalina released Nadine’s hand and stood up. “Can I talk to you for a minute, Detective?”
He gestured towards the hallway and they stepped out of the room. “What’s wrong, Kal?”
“So she’s a witness now?”
“She’s always been a witness. She might be a suspect, too, but right now there’s nothing to support charging her.”
Kalina studied his face for any sign that he was bluffing but she couldn’t find any. Maybe he really didn’t have anything. But Jimmy seemed certain the forensic team had been to the house so they had to have discovered something. Chris lifted her chin so they were eye to eye.
“I’m doing everything I can to figure this out. I just need you to be a little patient. Can you do that?”
“Yes.” She fought the urge to lean in for a kiss. “What time do you want her there for the interview?”
“Bring her by around three.”
Before she could reply, a nurse in pale pink scrubs approached with a clipboard and some paperwork. They moved out of her way and waited while Nadine signed the forms. The sound of a heart monitor went dead and Nadine appeared with the forms in hand.
“Can we get out of here?”
The three of them walked back to the main entrance of the hospital and out to the parking lot. Kalina and Nadine parted ways with Chris as he climbed into a marked police cruiser and pulled away. Kalina unlocked her car and they settled in.
“So, is there something going on with you and Chris?” Nadine asked as Kalina started the engine.
“We’ve been seeing each other since June.”
“I guess first loves do come back to you if you let them free.”
Kalina smiled a toothy grin. “I guess so.”
“Thanks again for doing this,” Nadine said, rubbing at her forehead.
Kalina reached over to pat the woman on the shoulder. They would get through this together. She did her best to squash her doubts about Nadine’s innocence in the whole mess. Nadine needed her support right now, not judgment.
“Do you mind if we stop by the shop for a bit?” Kalina asked as she eased to a stop at a stop sign. Geeks and Things sat half a block up on Main Street.
“Shop?”
“I took over my dad’s comic book shop after he died a few months back.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize. Sorry about your dad.”
“That’s okay. I didn’t know your mom had died, either. I’m sorry I wasn’t around for you back then.”
“It would have been nice to have my best friend there but … people drift apart after high school. And I could have made more of an effort.”
Kalina smiled at her friend. Kids had it so much easier these days with Facebook keeping everyone connected. The whole phenomenon had been just a little behind their college experience. “I want you to know I’m here for you now.” She accelerated through the intersection and pulled in behind the store. She’d spotted a few people on the sidewalk, lounging by the front door. The late opening wasn’t hurting business after all.
“So did you want to take over the store after your dad passed?” Nadine asked as they climbed out and Kalina pulled her keys out of her pocket.
“Yeah. I ended up going to grad school for business. It’s kind of a dream come true, honestly. I was always more into all the nerdy stuff than Jillian and I didn’t realize it until recently, but I love being able to keep the family business alive. It kind of feels like my dad’s still around a little bit.”
Nadine nodded wordlessly and waited while Kalina unlocked the back door. They made their way to the front of the store through the game room. Kalina moved with quick steps to the front door, unlocking it and pulling it open. “Come on in.”
Customers lined up in front of the counter and Nadine stood off to the side, watching intently. Kalina darted to the back to retrieve their waiting orders. Thank goodness none of them were waiting on Valiant Comics. She hadn’t had a chance to sort through the new inventory yet. She’d gotten through the first customer when the bell above the door rang and Andrew Chambers walked in. Kalina suppressed a groan and motioned Nadine to join her from where she was lurking in the back.
“Can you run a register?”
&nb
sp; “Yeah. Why?”
She nodded toward Mr. Chambers. “I need to take care of something. Everything is written on the folders. Thanks so much.”
Kalina blew out a breath and motioned for Mr. Chambers to follow her into the game room. She braced herself for another confrontation but it seemed it might not come. He shuffled into the room behind her, hands in his pockets and his gaze cast downward.
He cleared his throat and said, “I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t been expecting an apology.
“It’s just”—he looked around the room—“Kevin’s grades weren’t that great this past school year and I thought maybe it was because of the comics. But I did like you said and talked to him. It wasn’t a fun talk, believe me. But he’s been having issues since his mom left.”
Kalina’s expression softened. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
He shrugged off her concern. “It was a long time coming. I guess I’m not so good at all the emotional stuff. Look, do you think maybe when school starts he could hang out here after school and do his homework? He’s promised he’ll do it.”
“He’s welcome to come by.”
Mr. Chambers smiled. “Thanks. And, again, I’m sorry I lost it on you.”
“I’m used to it.”
“Hey, Kal. I need some help,” Nadine called.
“I’ll let you get back to work.”
Kalina offered her hand to Mr. Chambers. He shook it and headed out of the shop. Kalina rejoined Nadine at the counter and helped her sort out a glitch with Square. Finally, the shop was quiet again. Kalina fiddled with the tablet for a few minutes before she set it aside and leaned on her elbows. “Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you remember the accident? I read what was in the paper yesterday but it seemed kind of vague.”
Nadine’s cheeks paled and she slumped onto the stool. She took several deep breaths. “We were at a Fourth of July party. I didn’t want to go but my mom made me. I don’t think she wanted to be alone with my dad. He’d been drinking but refused to give Mom the keys.”
“So he was drunk. There was no truck in the wrong lane.”
“There might have been. It was late and I was half-asleep when it happened.” She closed her eyes tight as if trying to remember that night. “I can still hear the tires and brakes squealing and the sound of the airbags deploying. The rest is kind of a blur though.”
“Did they test your dad’s blood alcohol level? I mean even if there was a truck he shouldn’t have been driving when he was drunk.”
“They probably did but I don’t know what happened. All I know is no one wanted to charge him with anything. He was buddies with the chief of police at the time and he just looked the other way.”
“Police corruption at its best.”
“Yeah. I heard about what happened with Dan Cahill. That’s crazy.”
“Yeah, it was. I was there when he was arrested.”
Nadine let out a nervous hiccup of laughter. “You were? Why?”
“I was sort of unofficially helping Chris out with the case. Not that he’d ever admit to that.”
“Do you think you could come with me to the police station?”
“Yeah, of course. I don’t think he’ll let me sit in with you on the interview but I could probably wait outside.”
“I need to call Adam.”
Kalina cocked her head in curiosity. “Who is Adam?”
“My boyfriend. He’s a lawyer. I think I need one.”
“Chris just wants your statement about what happened.”
“I think I might have done something, Kal. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not many people know but I was locked up in a psych ward for about six months. My father had them convinced I was bipolar. I’m not. I know I’m not but even without a law degree I know that looks suspicious. I don’t speak to my father for years after I’m committed and then we reconnect and he ends up dead. That doesn’t look good for me, Kal.”
“I’m sure you didn’t do anything.”
“The night’s kind of fuzzy to be honest. But what if I did do something?”
“But you said you aren’t bipolar.”
“No, but he drugged me before. What if he did it again and I blacked or something?”
“Could you really have pushed him out a window, even if you were drugged?”
“Maybe—” she dug the heels of her hands into her eyes “—I need to call Adam and let him know what’s happening.”
“You can borrow my phone if you want.” Kalina unlocked her phone and slid it across the counter.
Nadine picked it up and entered a number before hitting ‘Call’ and disappearing to the game room for some privacy. Kalina’s stomach lurched at Nadine’s revelation. She hadn’t wanted to believe her friend could be responsible for killing a man but Nadine was right. There was definitely some motive. And if they were the only two people in the house then she had no alibi and she’d been sedated with enough drugs at the hospital it could have messed up any toxicology test the doctors ran. Maybe eavesdropping on Chris’s interview would shed some more light on things.
CHAPTER SEVEN
At ten minutes until three, Kalina and Nadine pulled into the parking lot of the police station. A car Kalina didn’t recognize pulled in behind them and a tall man climbed out. Nadine lunged out of the passenger seat and threw herself into his arms. He held her tight and kissed her forehead. From her spot by the driver side door, Kalina could make out that he had a few strands of gray in his otherwise full head of dark brown hair. He could have been their age or a little older. She tried to not intrude on their private moment. After Nadine finally relinquished her grip around his torso, he closed the distance between the two cars and extended his hand to Kalina.
“Adam Shepard, Nadine’s boyfriend.”
“Kalina Greystone. Friend. I also hear you’re an attorney.”
“Yeah. One of the partners in my firm helped Nadine out a few years ago. That’s how we met.”
Nadine stayed close to Adam’s side as they headed into the precinct. Jimmy was no longer at the reception desk. He was bent over something at Chris’s desk.
“Hey, Jimmy, is Chris here?” Kalina called.
The young officer jumped and turned to face them. “Oh, uh… Hi, Kal. Yeah he’s around here somewhere.”
“Can you let him know that Nadine Larrabee is here for her interview?”
“Right. I’ll let him know right now.” He hurried off toward the chief’s office.
The department was even more short-staffed since they hadn’t gotten around to replacing Captain Cahill. No one seemed to want the job. She suspected they would eventually have to bring in someone else from outside of the town to oversee things. Behind her, she could hear Adam and Nadine speaking in hushed voices but they stopped the moment Chris appeared.
“Thank you for coming in. If you’ll follow me.” He pointed to the only interrogation room the department had.
Kalina stayed where she was, dutifully not butting in on her boyfriend’s job. She smiled politely as Jimmy walked past her and sat down at the front desk. She gave Chris a thumbs up when he gestured for her to stay put. With a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure Jimmy was distracted, she settled in at Chris’s desk and watched the interview on the small monitor nearby.
“Miss Larrabee, can you tell me what you remember from two nights ago? What were you doing at your father’s house?”
Nadine crossed her arms over her chest. “We were having dinner. I’d brought Adam over to meet him. I thought maybe it was time we tried to put our differences behind us. He’d been sober for a year.”
“Adam Shepard, your attorney?”
“I’m here in my official capacity as Nadine’s counsel,” Adam said.
Chris scribbled something on his notepad. “So you had dinner.”
“Yes. It …
wasn’t the greatest meal. I don’t think he really liked that I had a boyfriend.”
Chris nodded. “Then what happened?”
Nadine shrugged. “We were going to leave but my father insisted I stay. Adam left. He had to prepare for a trial the next day. I thought things were going to be okay but then my father poured himself a drink. I didn’t have anywhere else to go so I made some tea and went to bed.”
“So you didn’t argue with your father about him breaking his sobriety?”
“No. I don’t think so. It’s kind of hazy after I went to bed. I thought I heard arguing but I must have been dreaming. Then I woke up and found him the next morning, lying in the driveway.”
“But no one else was in the house at the time. Just the two of you?”
Nadine glanced over at Adam who said nothing. “Yes. Just the two of us.”
Chris flipped open a file—likely Nadine’s medical history—and paged through it. “I see you were hospitalized for psychiatric concerns a few years ago.”
“I’m not crazy. We proved it. He was drugging me to make me look like I was bipolar.”
“Why would he do that to his own daughter?”
“Because he’s a cruel man. He knew his side of the family had a history so it would look credible.”
“I still don’t understand why he would want to fake a mental illness. What reason would he have?”
“Detective, I don’t see how this is relevant,” Adam chimed in.
“Just getting all the facts on the table, Counselor. Your client’s relationship with her father, both presently and in the past, may speak to any potential motive.”
“Motive? So now she’s a suspect?”
Kalina knew where this was going and, as much as she wanted to know what happened between Nadine and her father, it wasn’t going to come out now that Adam was on the defense. Instead, she turned her attention to the files littering Chris’s desk. His normally clean and organized workspace had been overtaken by the case at hand. She flipped open the top folder and almost wished she hadn’t. A close-up photo of Mr. Larrabee’s face, bruised and bloody, greeted her. Once the shock wore off, she took a closer look. In all of the commotion of finding Nadine two days ago, she hadn’t really noticed that he’d landed face down on the pavement. No wonder Jimmy said the medical examiner thought he’d been pushed.
