What She Left (Martina Monroe Book 1)

by H K Christie

  I nodded, as if, I too had been in his position. “I would think so. I’m here because I’d like to hear more about what happened with the woman you attacked at the gas station.”

  “I have nothing to say.”

  “Nothing at all? You must have known that the gas station had surveillance cameras.”

  He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. He was cocky and overly confident despite all the evidence we had against him. He either wasn’t very bright, or he had something up his sleeve. “You know, it takes a real set of balls to attack a woman in broad daylight.”

  He smirked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Did this man live in a fantasy world? Did Alonso really think pretending like it wasn’t him would make anyone believe it wasn’t him? There was surveillance footage of the attack, and there were statements from people who witnessed part of it. There were several police officers who saw Martina pressing a gun to his forehead. Being so brazen, I would almost think he wanted to get caught. That, or he’d thought he could get away with it before hightailing it back to Pennsylvania. “I have to ask, why? Why attack a woman in broad daylight? You clearly didn’t know her very well, considering she clearly got the upper hand and knocked you right on your butt, before sticking a gun in your face.”

  Alonso shifted in his chair. His dark hair was thinning at the temples. His face was ruddy, with dark-brown eyes. His arrest record said he was five foot ten, one hundred ninety pounds. From what I could tell, he was well built. He was fit, for a sixty-year-old. Despite his best efforts, he must not have realized what kind of self-defense skills Martina had. Or that she carried a weapon. Or that she was waiting for him. “You know, I’ve known Martina for a little while now, and honestly, I don’t think I would want to go toe-to-toe with her. Did you know she used to teach Krav Maga, and that she’s one of the best shooters in the state?”

  Alonso seemed mildly amused and maybe even a little impressed. “You didn’t know that, did you?”

  “I didn’t know she had a gun, if she hadn’t, I would’ve been able to take her.”

  At least he was finally ready to talk. The crap about not understanding what I was talking about was getting old, pretty fast. I tapped my finger on the table. “What I still can’t figure out is why you attacked Martina.”

  Alonso’s eyebrows arched up, but just for a moment. He didn’t seem to know we were working together. “That’s right. Martina and I are teamed up on a couple of cases right now. One of them she’s consulting on is a break-in at a local veterinary office. Did you know that?”

  His eyes went dark. “I know little about Martina or what she’s working on,” he said, with steely calm.

  “No? I assumed you must’ve known a little about her and what she’s been working on. She swears that you’re the person who attacked her in Pennsylvania.”

  “I know nothing about that.”

  I leaned over, unzipped my briefcase, and pulled out the file from the veterinarian’s office break-in. I set it down softly in front of me, slowly flipping open the front cover, exposing a printout of the man who had broken into the vet’s office. I slid it slowly over to Alonso and leaned back in my chair. “You know what I find interesting?” I asked, before glancing across the table at Alonso, who sat stiff as a board. He could sit there silently for all I cared. The evidence was piling up, and I didn’t think he’d be going anywhere anytime soon. “I think that the guy on the surveillance video, breaking into the veterinarian’s office, looks a lot like you. I also think it’s interesting that some of the items stolen from the vet’s office were used to kill Theodore Gilmore. So how I see it.” I paused and scratched the side of my head. “You came to California to take out Theodore Gilmore because Martina was looking into the Henleys. I think you got the drugs needed to kill Mr. Gilmore from the veterinarian’s office. The office that you can see there in the photo. If you look close, you can see that it’s you breaking into it.” I gave him a smug smile.

  Alonso pushed the paper away from him and folded his arms and looked to the side. “I’d like my lawyer now.”

  “That’s fine. We’ll get you your phone call and your lawyer, but just so you know, this isn’t all we have on you. If you talk to us, maybe we can help you, otherwise, I hope you like it here because I don’t think you’re ever going anywhere else. California is beautiful, don’t you think?”

  Alonso remained stoic, but the scowl on his face told me he was angry because he knew I had him. Unfortunately, it was mostly circumstantial evidence. I needed a little luck that the lab would come back with a DNA match to Alonso, so I could make sure this guy spent his retirement years behind bars. If they did, I could wrap up this case and focus my energy on finding out who killed a young woman and buried her remains at Beth’s Pond.

  35

  Alonso

  He turned his back to the others in the hallway, lowered his eyes, and whispered into the receiver. “Hey, Boss.”

  “How are you? What’s happened?”

  “I’ve got a problem. I need a lawyer - a really, fantastic lawyer.”

  “What do they have you on?”

  “A few things. They seem to think that I broke into a veterinarian’s office to steal some drugs to kill some guy named Theodore Gilmore, and that I attacked some lady private investigator named Martina Monroe, who apparently has been liaising with the police department on both cases.”

  He braced himself for what the boss may say. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Let me think this through. I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thanks, Boss.” He gave him details on where he was being held, before he hung up the receiver and swaggered back toward his cell with his head held high. He knew the boss would come through for him. He’d always come through for him, which was why he would remain loyal and would never tell his secrets. Soon this nightmare would be a distant memory. He used to be quite fond of the Golden State, but now it was cramping his style.

  36

  Martina

  I secured my weapon in its holster and threw my jacket on. If I didn’t hurry, I was going to be late again. I ran into the living room, where I saw Betty and Zoey sitting on the sofa looking at pictures that Zoey had made with glitter and markers. Should I be suspicious that Betty had offered to stay just Saturday night, yet it was now Monday and she was still here? She’d told me she called her job at the restaurant to let them know she needed a couple of days off to help her daughter. But were they lies? Had my mother really become a new person?

  I shook my head. I had zero time to think about this. My mother looked up. “You off now?”

  “Yes. I gave you my cell phone number, Detective Hirsch’s cell phone number, and my office number. If you can’t reach me at one of those, you probably won’t be able to because I’m likely out of the cell phone service area.”

  “Don’t worry Martina, we’ll be fine,” my mother said, fairly convincingly.

  Zoey glanced over at me. “It’s fine. Grandma Betty and I are planning to make an art project where we use every color glitter. Cool, huh?”

  Well, I guess it was settled then. Zoey sure seemed to enjoy my mother’s company. It was sweet and a little spooky at the same time. I had to have faith. If God could heal me, he could heal Betty and turn her into a new woman, too. “All right, you two have fun.” I ran up to Zoey and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Love you, Zoey.”

  “Love you too, Mommy.”

  I hurried out of the house and out to my car. My phone buzzed. “Hey Hirsch.”

  “Hi, Martina. Are you on your way?”

  “I’m just getting in my car now. I’m still at home. Is everything okay?”

  “I just got confirmation that the remains they found at Beth’s Pond belonged to Donna.”

  It felt like someone had thrown a brick at my chest, and I braced myself using the hood of my car. I had known that the remains at Beth’s Pond were likely Donna’s. Why did it still hit me like this? “How did they match it?�
�

  “Dental records. It’s definitely her. The ME still wants us to come down and discuss a few things.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you when I get there.” I entered my car, shut the door and pounded my fists on the steering wheel while screaming silently at the Universe.

  The fog had burned off, but the air still had a chill in it. I zipped up my jacket as I approached Hirsch, who stood outside the entrance of the Medical Examiner’s Office. “Hey.”

  “Have you heard from Amy Henley?”

  I shook my head. “Not yet.”

  “Any thoughts as to why she wants a DNA test to determine if her and Charlotte really are sisters?”

  “I have a few theories.”

  “Me too. You want to share?”

  I squinted. “Not yet.” I didn’t want to sway Detective Hirsch’s opinion if and when more evidence became available. I’d rather have his initial, unbiased thoughts.

  “Okay then. Shall we go see the ME?”

  “We shall.” I followed Hirsch into the building and stepped into the autopsy suite after him. The smell hit me hard and fast. I instinctively held my breath and glanced around. Despite the scent of decay, the only remains visible were a set of bones arranged anatomically on a metal table. The heaviness returned to my chest, and I hoped I could keep it together long enough to get through the meeting with the medical examiner.

  A woman wearing green scrubs and a lab coat eyed Hirsch and gave him a wide smile. “Hirsch, it’s good to see you. I tell you, you are the winner for bringing me the most interesting cases.”

  “Oh yeah, how so?”

  “First things, first, Hirsch.” She stepped toward me and extended her hand. “You must be Martina Monroe.”

  I accepted her gesture and answered, “Yes. Dr. Scribner, it’s nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise. You’re building quite a reputation around here too.”

  It wasn’t the first time I had heard such a statement. I supposed my life could be lower profile, but I had yet to figure out how. Dr. Scribner continued, “Come on over. I’ll show you the remains.”

  Hirsch and I quietly stepped over to the table where Donna’s bones were displayed. I studied her from her skull down to her feet bones. A lump formed in my throat and I couldn’t speak. I placed my hand on my chest.

  Hirsch bent over and asked quietly, “Are you okay?”

  I eyed him and nodded. I focused on Dr. Scribner. “I’m sorry. I don’t know if Hirsch told you, but Donna was my best friend in high school. I was with her the night she disappeared. This is tougher than I thought.”

  Dr. Scribner nodded. “He told me. Please take your time. This is hard. It’s never how we want to see our loved ones.”

  I shook my head. “No, it’s certainly not.” I took a few more moments to myself to process what I was seeing. I shut my eyes and pictured Donna’s beautiful face before silently promising her that I would find out who did this to her, and I would, even if was the last thing I did. Donna deserved so much better than being buried in the ground, when she should have been living her best life. She could have been a mother, a professor, or whatever she wanted to be. I took a deep breath and glanced back up at Hirsch and Dr. Scribner. “Okay, I’m ready. What can you tell us?”

  She stepped toward Donna’s skull and pointed at the back of her head. “You see the cracks and breakage? That’s not from time or any other natural process. It indicates a heavy blow to the back of her head. It’s most likely the cause of death.”

  “Any idea what could have done this type of damage?” Hirsch asked.

  “It could have been any number of things, from a big rock to a bat, depending on how strong her attacker was.”

  I winced at the description of what had happened to my best friend. I shoved the emotions down into the deep dark place inside myself where I hid those kinds of things. It was how I got through most tough situations. It was how I’d get through this conversation and how I’d stay calm enough to figure out who did this to her. “Did she die quickly?”

  “My guess is she bled out in a matter of minutes.”

  “Any trace evidence? Anything to help us find out who did this to her?” Hirsch asked.

  “Not yet, but the forensic team took soil samples around her body, which you might get some evidence from. You should check in with Brown.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Scribner.”

  “I’ll let you know if I find anything else. This is just a preliminary review.”

  We said our goodbyes and exited the suite. Out in the hallway, I asked, “Have you notified her parents yet?”

  Hirsch shook his head. “Not yet. I’d found out just before I called you. I want to notify them in person.”

  “I’ll go with you.” It wasn’t a request.

  “Are you sure you want to do this? It’s going to be a tough one.”

  “I’d like to be there for the Bernards.”

  “I can drive.”

  I was thankful that Hirsch offered to drive. I was keeping it together, but I was distracted, too. Now that I was a mother myself, I couldn’t imagine what Donna’s parents would be going through when they saw her skeleton lying on the exam table. Their baby girl. And to learn that all these years, she’d been buried less than a mile from their house.

  “There’s going to be a press conference about Donna’s case.”

  “When?”

  “Tomorrow. My sergeant wants me to announce that we’ve found her remains. I’d like to be able to publicly thank you for your role in finding her and explain to the media that it was a team effort. Are you okay with that?”

  It had been a long time since I’d felt like I was part of a team. But Hirsch and I had definitely become one over these last few weeks. “It’s okay with me.”

  My phone buzzed. I pulled it out. I hoped it wasn’t Zoey in trouble. It wasn’t, thank goodness. I gave Hirsch a knowing look. “Hi Amy, how are you?”

  “Not great,” she said, voice cracking. My mother, Eloise, died by suicide.”

  “I’m so sorry. My deepest condolences.”

  Amy sniffled on the other side of the call. “I’m calling because in addition to her suicide note she left a letter. It’s pretty private, and I can’t let it get into the wrong hands. Is there any way you could come back to Pennsylvania? I think it will provide some answers for Kennedy.”

  I stared at Hirsch. “Of course, I can make a trip to Pennsylvania. Let me check my calendar, and I’ll get back to you.”

  37

  Detective Hirsch

  I turned toward Martina. “What was that all about? You’re going back to Pennsylvania?”

  Martina’s face was long and solemn. “Amy just told me that her mother took her own life, and that she left a letter. It sounds like it may contain some very sensitive information and she doesn’t want it to get into the wrong hands. She says she’ll only show it to me in person. I told her I would check my calendar and get on a flight to Doylestown.”

  Her eyes were fierce with determination. She’d suffered a concussion just two days before, yet here she sat, without hesitation, willing to hop on a plane and go across the country to continue investigating a case. Not to mention, she was told by her boss that she could not continue investigating the Henleys.

  I was sensing that Martina Monroe basically did whatever she wanted, regardless of what her orders were. Perhaps that’s why she’s more suited to be a private investigator than a police officer.

  “When do you plan to go?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I need to find someone to watch Zoey and figure out how to go and not get fired. I need to think about it, but there’s no way I’m not going back there to finish what I started.”

  I still hadn’t told her about the phone call from my friend at the FBI, and that I, too, needed to go to Pennsylvania. I hadn’t mentioned it based on Martina’s current health status, and it wasn’t like I actually had any information, other than a hunch there was an active FBI investigati
on into one or more of the Henleys. She didn’t need any stress - she had a head wound, and I didn’t want to overwhelm her, but she was tough. I should’ve told her. It was clear now that she could handle it. I had a feeling she wouldn’t be pleased that I had withheld the information for two days. “Well, I got a call from a friend at the Philadelphia’s FBI Field Office. He says he can’t tell me if he found anything on the Henleys, but he has a buddy I could talk to if I fly out to Pennsylvania for a meeting.”

  Martina’s mouth dropped open. “He wouldn’t have told you that if they didn’t have something on the Henleys.”

  “I agree.”

  “So the Henleys are under investigation by the FBI?”

  “That’s what I think.”

  She glanced down and then back up at me. “Why didn’t you tell me this? This is huge.”

  “You had just been attacked, and you were in the hospital. You seemed to have enough on your plate, and I was still figuring out how to convince my department that I needed to go. For that type of travel, I need pretty compelling information. Now based on the call from Amy, I think it’ll be enough.”

  She let out a breath. “All right. I’m going to talk to Stavros so that he and I can come to an understanding, and then I can book my trip. After you talk to your boss, let’s coordinate our travel. Two minds are better than one. What do you say?”

  I knew there was no romantic connotation to Martina’s invitation, but it was confirmation she enjoyed working with me, and she thought we made a good team. “Deal.” I started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Now for the hardest and most rewarding part of the job - to notify the family their loved one had been located.

  We marched up the wooden steps to the Bernard’s home. Before we reached the front door, Martina and I both stopped and glanced over at the Gilmore house. It still didn’t sit right with me. The coincidence that there were two murder victims who lived next door to one another. I didn’t like coincidences and didn’t think they existed.