Oh, God! Please don’t pull the trigger. Please.
“Both of you give me your wallets and jewelry.”
The word jewelry seemed to ping like the vibration of a bell. Her beautiful engagement ring. She’d only had it on her finger for a matter of minutes.
“Take it easy,” Cal’s tone remained even, quiet. He reached behind him to retrieve his billfold. He tugged his watch off over his hand.
The tiny purse she carried only held a few dollars, one credit card, and her cell phone. He was welcome to that…but her beautiful engagement ring. But every time the gun swung in Cal’s direction her legs wanted to crumple and her stomach hollowed out. She handed the man the small bag and the sterling silver bracelet her mother gave her when she was sixteen.
He jerked the purse from her. “Where’s the ring he just gave you?”
So he’d been watching them. “Please don’t.”
“Give me the fucking ring, bitch!” He lunged at her and grabbed her arm. The light struck his face. His very young, childish, white face. He couldn’t be any more than fifteen or sixteen. But his sneer of aggression was older, at least double the age.
Cal moved so quickly Kathleen only saw the boy stumble back while Cal added his weight and momentum until they crashed through the landscaping and against the building behind it. Cal gripped the gun, and twisted it. A dull pop was followed by a high-pitched scream. Cal jerked the weapon free. He flipped the kid forward onto his face and had him pinned to the ground in a matter of seconds. With his knee in the center of the kid’s back and his hand gripping his wrists, Cal growled, “Kathleen come get the gun.”
“You fucking broke my finger, motherfucker,” the kid whined while he twisted and heaved, trying to break free, and when he couldn’t, groaned in pain.
Her feet seemed to have taken root, her knees as though turned to stone. After the first step, she shuffled forward.
“You’re going to have to pull back the hammer and release my hand first, honey.”
Kathleen’s stomach threatened to revolt. The thin strip of skin between the base of his thumb and forefinger was caught between the hammer and the frame of the revolver.
The kid had pulled the trigger.
Cal could have been killed. She could have been. Someone close by in the dark could have been hit had he not grabbed the gun just right. Her whole body began to shake as she edged back the hammer and released the fold of skin.
“You okay, Kathleen?”
“I should have given him the ring.”
“I wasn’t going to let him so much as touch that ring. And he damn sure shouldn’t have touched you.” The controlled rage in his voice did more to calm her than anything. “Dial nine-one-one, honey.”
Her phone was in her purse, but at the moment she didn’t know where her purse was. She pulled Cal’s cell phone from his back pocket and backed away from the two of them. Placing the gun on the ground close to the sidewalk, she dialed the number.
While she spoke to the dispatcher, she caught the reflection of light on the broken crystal and scattered pieces of Cal’s watch, trampled during the struggle. They’d been so lucky.
*
The only furniture in the room was a table and two chairs. The chairs were about as comfortable as a prostate exam. There was no padding in the seat, and after nearly an hour of waiting, Zach’s backside was numb.
Officially he was there for an interview, not under arrest, and at least he wasn’t handcuffed. Which meant he could move around the room. And they hadn’t taken his phone. So Bowie could text him updates.
There was no window and nothing to look at. The florescent light beamed down and reflected off the eggshell white of the walls and the tile on the floor. It seemed overly bright in so small a space.
He hooked a toe around the leg of the other chair, dragged it close, and propped his feet in the seat. He folded his arms, made himself as comfortable as possible, and closed his eyes. He could take a power nap anywhere. If asshole Lester was watching, his disinterest might aggravate the man enough to speed up the process.
Pretending to be the concerned guy caught with a bag of cocaine weighing almost ten ounces tucked under his driver’s seat would never play for him. Lester would never buy it. Poking holes in his logic would be the only way he’d gain ground on the guy. That and straight-up painting a picture of what he believed had happened.
Lester was a linear thinker. He couldn’t see the big picture. As his dad had mentioned, the guy had tunnel vision. Maybe Zach could open his eyes to other possibilities.
He tilted his head back against the wall, and breathed in deeply to relax the tension from his body so he’d become drowsy.
Had Bowie brought Piper in yet? Had he called Piper’s mother? Would it do any good?
He hoped so.
When the door opened ten minutes later, he actually was on the edge of sleep, but hadn’t tumbled into it yet.
“They say when a man takes a nap in an interview room, he’s exhausted from guilt. An innocent man is so nervous he can’t close his eyes.”
Zach parted his lids and pinned Lester with his gaze. He raised one brow. “Or he’s used to catching twenty winks with bombs and bullets whizzing overhead.”
Lester’s mouth tightened while he gripped the back of the chair Zach rested his feet on and waited until he dropped them to the floor before pulling it out and sitting down.
He laid a folder down on the table. “The cocaine in the car is good quality. Where do you suppose it came from?”
“I don’t know, Detective Lester. Why don’t you tell me?”
“I warned you that day at your apartment to distance yourself from her. It isn’t your car, but you were driving it. If you can offer me a plausible explanation as to how it might have gotten there, I might be able to do something for you.”
Zach paused to think his reply through. “I have no history of drug use. No arrest record in any state. And I was driving a borrowed car. You won’t find my fingerprints on the packaging the drugs are in. I don’t think you have much chance of building a case against me. So just what do you think I might need you to do for me?”
“Your CO probably wouldn’t be too thrilled about having one of his team members brought in for driving a car where drugs were discovered. They hold you to a higher standard than that, surely?”
“Yeah. They’re sticklers about staying drug-free and keeping our noses clean, on post and off.”
“No one needs to tell your commanding officer you’ve been brought in for questioning, Ensign. All you have to do is stand back and let the person responsible take the blame.”
With an effort Zach controlled the rage that worked its way up from his gut and threatened to explode out of the top of his head. His face felt hot. He leaned forward to rest his forearms on the table in an attempt to ease the desire to grab the man’s head and ram it into the table. Several times.
Zach delved into the other man’s dull blue gaze. “I don’t think the guilty party is going to own up to it.” Because he was sitting right here in front of him.
“You’d think Dr. Bertinelli would consider the repercussions of her actions before doing something stupid like this. I believe she cares about you, and she might take the hit if she thinks you may be charged.”
“I don’t need to hide behind an innocent woman, Lester. We both know it wasn’t Piper who put drugs in the car.”
“Are you admitting to doing it then?”
“They weren’t there before we left my apartment. I drove her car earlier, and I had to adjust the seat for her when she took the driver’s seat. I’d have felt or seen the bag. That means someone else put the cocaine in the car while I was at the hospital visiting Master Chief Flynn.” He raised a brow. “Who do you suppose might have done it?”
“Perhaps she contacted someone to drop it off while you were in the hospital.”
“As much as you wish it were true, we both know it isn’t. This was a sloppy and ill-conceived way
to get her back into an interrogation room so you can have another go at her.”
“It isn’t a smart move for you to maintain her innocence, Ensign.”
“It isn’t a smart move for you to continue to persecute an innocent woman in some twisted power play, either. She got the better of you. Embarrassed you in front of your colleagues. Cost you some money. So now she’s got to pay no matter what you have to do to make it happen.”
Lester’s bulldog scowl was not a pretty sight. “She has to pay because she’s guilty.”
“Guilty of what, Detective? Dating the wrong guy? Trusting an asshole with a badge to protect her from the bad guys instead of becoming one of them? What would it take for you to finally recognize her innocence?”
“The money.”
“How can she produce something she never had?”
Lester’s eyes narrowed. “How can you be so certain she didn’t?”
“Because when a woman’s being stalked and harassed, she’ll do anything to get the monster off her back. If Piper had had the money she’d have given it to you to end the harrassment years ago.”
Lester’s scowl deepened at his use of the word monster. “She spent it at vet school. Twenty bucks here, forty there, and it would be gone in next to no time.”
How the hell did the guy expect her to produce something that was gone? “If all she wanted was money, she’d have taken you and the department to the cleaners when she had the opportunity. Instead she worked her ass off to earn scholarships and took out loans. If she’d gone after you in that lawsuit, her student loans would have been paid already. I’m sure you’ve looked into her financials.”
Zach leaned closer to Lester. “Think with your brain instead of your ego. None of this adds up.”
Then he leaned back and crossed his arms. “Especially having a broken taillight that wasn’t broken three hours before, to give the cops—who just happened to be Johnny-on-the-spot—a reason to stop me. Then there’s their insistence on searching the car when they had no grounds for it and finding cocaine that wasn’t there two hours before. Something stinks, and I won’t be the only one who thinks so.”
Lester’s phone dinged at the same time Zach’s phone buzzed. They both checked their screens. Piper was here, and Detective Sherman had put her in an interview room. Bowie had called her mom and laid it on thick. Mom and company were on their way. They’d dropped Gracie at Piper’s house with Trouble.
Lester rose and picked up the file folder. Zach hadn’t even attempted to reach for it or read it.
“I’m sure you were a good cop at one time,” Zach continued. “Your determination to put the bad guys away is still admirable. But you’re a linear thinker, and to be a good detective you have to be able to see the bigger picture. You have a blind spot when it comes to Piper.”
Lester snorted. “She’s got you snowed. That doe-eyed innocence she projects has blinded you to who she really is.”
Zach shook his head. “I’m not so easily manipulated. I’ve spent a lot of time with Piper in the last two weeks. She’s driven to be exact about everything she does. She worries if she’s doing the right thing with every decision. She has trust issues because of her experience with Henderlight and you. She’s desperate to feel safe. And she’s constantly looking over her shoulder, expecting some kind of attack.”
He clenched and unclenched his hands in an attempt to redirect the emotions threatening to choke him. As a man and as a SEAL, he did not show his emotions. He hadn’t cried since he was a teenager, but he grieved for Piper. What kind of person had she been before Henderlight, Acosta, and Lester? What kind of person could she have been without them?
He’d never have the opportunity to know the person from the past. But he loved the person she was now. Quirks and all.
His throat felt clogged when he continued. “How does it make you feel, knowing you’ve made her cower behind a checkout counter like she’s being hunted—which she is? That just the sight of you makes her go white with dread?”
Lester looked away. His throat worked as he swallowed. “Sometimes you have to intimidate people to break them. To make them own up to what they’ve done.”
He didn’t deny he’d followed her into the grocery store. “I’d say you’ve gone way beyond that, Detective.”
That got the detective to turn and face him. Silence stretched between them.
Zach leaned back in his chair. “Why did Henderlight leave the money in her car?”
“She was holding it for him.”
“Bullshit. They’d just had a contentious break-up. You don’t give the woman you just broke up with money to hold for you.”
When Lester remained silent, Zach continued. “Why would he leave the twenty-five thousand dollars he owed to a drug distributor and gunrunner in the car of a woman who’d just broken up with him? A man who could easily kill him for stiffing him. A man Henderlight called as soon as he made bail and directed to where he claimed he’d left the money.” He leaned forward again. “I believe he arranged everything that went down. He used Acosta like a loaded weapon to get rid of a problem. But Acosta killed the wrong person.”
Lester’s gaze shifted and he remained silent for a moment. “That would be soliciting a murder.”
“He never paid Acosta. He manipulated him. Piper was threatening to go to the cops if he didn’t stay away from her. Hiding from him so he couldn’t get access to her himself. Her roommates and family were protecting her from him. What’s the worst crime you can be convicted of and do prison time for, besides child molestation? And what if he believed she had proof that would guarantee a conviction? What if she had witnesses? Roommates who maybe picked up the pieces afterward?”
Lester placed his hands on the table palm down and leaned forward. “How long are you going to continue to buy into her lies?”
God, he was a hardheaded asshole. “I’ve spent time with Piper, Detective. And one thing we’re taught as a SEAL is that details matter.” In his job they could mean life or death. “What was it that Henderlight said to you that cinched her guilt for you?”
“She was holding the money for him for a cut. She needed it for college. She was working two jobs, living on a shoestring. Her parents helping as much as she’d let them. Drugs are easy money.”
Zach shook his head. “He played you, Detective. And he played Acosta, too. Everyone who knew him said he was a con artist. A chameleon. He’d become what each person wanted him to be to get what he wanted. He’s a sociopath. And possibly more dangerous than just a small-time drug dealer. Take a look at the psychological evaluations that have been done on him while he’s been in prison and see if I’m right.
“Piper’s survived despite you. And despite Henderlight and Acosta. You’re the one who purposely drove the wedge between her and her family, isolating her so you could do a more thorough job of breaking her. You have no concept of even half the damage you’ve done.”
Zach’s anger nearly got away from him, and he had to look away from the man. “Are you going to attempt to send an innocent woman to prison to salve your ego? Because we both know she had nothing to do with the cocaine in her car.”
Zach got to his feet. He’d had enough quality time with this guy. “If you’re not going to charge me, I’d like to leave now. If you’re charging me, I’m asking for a lawyer.”
Lester stared off into space, his obstinate features cushioned in thoughtfulness. “I don’t have a strong enough case to hold you, Ensign. Not yet. So, you’re free to go.”
Zach strode out of the room and shut the door behind him. Detective Sherman approached him and beckoned for him to follow. He led him into an observation room down the hall. “You didn’t get him to admit to any wrongdoing, but damned if you didn’t make a convincing case.”
“I thought it was more important to give him a reality check so maybe he’ll do the right thing.”
“He’ll lose his job if he does. So the odds that he’ll own up to what he’s done without a hard n
udge are slim.”
“We’ll see. Where’s Piper?” The need to go to her was overwhelming.
“She’s in one of the interview rooms. And no, you can’t go in with her. She has to face off with Lester. If you’re right about how things went down, then Henderlight is guilty of more than selling drugs. He’s culpable for inciting a murder.”
“But he didn’t pay Acosta to kill Piper, he just withheld his money and told him to go get it. He’ll never be convicted, because you can’t prove his intent.” Fuck! “How much longer does he have in jail?”
Sherman hesitated long enough to have every muscle in his body contracting with dread.
“He got out two weeks ago.” Sherman said with obvious reluctance.
“Jesus Christ! We’ve been so tangled up with covering our backs with Lester, what if he’s been coming around, too?”
“It’s unlikely. He just got out and is staying with his parents.”
“Yeah like they kept such a close eye on him before. That’s how Piper ended up…” he cut himself off. “Is there any way you can put some people on him?” He knew the answer before he asked the question.
“No.”
“She can’t live under siege her entire life. Hasn’t she been through enough already? You and this department owe her.”
He wouldn’t be here to protect her, and the fucker was out of jail. “I’m going to ship out in a few weeks. She’ll be alone. He’s dangerous, Detective. More than everyone thinks.”
Sherman lost his deadpan expression when a flicker of frustration creased his brow. “I’ve read his file extensively, Ensign. Something Lester should have done and probably hasn’t, since it’s a closed case and he was just interested in the drug angle at the time, and has been fixated only on Dr. Bertinelli since. And I think you have Henderlight pegged. He could be the next Ted Bundy, and I still can’t touch him until he does something. My hands are tied.”
Sherman and he stared at each other. He read the regret in the man’s face.
Fuck!
Breaking Out (Military Romantic Suspense) (SEAL Team Heartbreakers Book 6) Page 34
