"Yeah. You sure picked some loonies."
Caleb walked back into the room and sat across from Miss Knox. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a hanky. She accepted it and wiped at her face. "Thank you. I didn't know guys still carry hankies."
"You're welcome. It comes in handy at this job. Can you talk to me now?"
She stared at him as tears cascaded down her face.
"Please, Miss Knox. You just dropped a bomb, and I really have to understand what's going on."
"You need to search her lab immediately…and her house and car."
"Why is that?"
"Because I know what was missing from that drawer at the crime scene."
"Really." His eyes bored into her. "You waited until now to tell me that. You're not helping your case by withholding information."
"Do you want to know or not?"
"What was supposed to be in that drawer?"
"Our senior yearbook. We looked at it…the day before. I saw Penny put it in there."
"Why were you looking at a yearbook with Penny Weathers? Why did you go to her house?"
She heaved a sigh and closed her eyes. When she faced him again, that pleading expression was back in her eyes. "I'll tell you what I know, but…no. I can't. I'm not saying anything else."
"Miss Knox, they're going to try you for murder. They have enough for the death penalty. Do you understand what I'm saying? Give me something to work with."
"She's too good. I can't trust you. I can't trust anyone. I'm telling you…Lorelei is the one you're looking for. Search everything."
"I'm going to have to place you in a holding cell. A nasty, filthy 6x8 cell with concrete walls and floors. In the corner, there's a stainless steel toilet but no privacy. Do you understand, Destiny?"
"Why do you keep asking me that like I'm an idiot? Of course, I understand. Lorelei has ruined my life, and you believe your girlfriend. Do your job, Detective Forest. Search…her…stuff."
"Wait here. An officer will come to process you and take you to a cell."
Destiny watched Caleb walk away with stiff legs and rigid back. She wanted to call him back to her before the door closed. She wanted to tell him everything, but he was too close to Lorelei. There had to be another way out of this.
God, what do I do? I've tried to do the right thing. I warned Penny, and she's dead. I really hoped it was Jeffrey, but it's not. Why did it have to be Lorelei? What's next, Lord? These people don't know you, and they won't care that I do. Please tell me what to do.
When an officer opened the door to summon Destiny, she had hoped it would be Caleb, but it was an unsmiling older man in a uniform. It felt like a rejection, that Caleb didn't want to be the one to walk her through the process. She almost cried again, but then she laughed. She'd have a lot of material for her book, a first-hand experience of the grueling process of being a suspect. If she ever got to write the book.
No, she couldn't think that. God would show her the way and the identity of the guilty party. She had to believe that Caleb would look at all the facts, not just the ones planted in her house. That didn't even make sense. She'd have to be the dumbest criminal ever.
She liked Caleb. He seemed like a conscientious detective. If only he wouldn't be fooled by Lorelei. They'd all been fooled by Lorelei in the past. Destiny had tried to be her friend, so had Penny, then it all fell apart. That was so long ago. Worrying over events from high school would seem so petty if it hadn't produced such catastrophic results. Destiny had always felt something truly evil at work in the background. And Lorelei had the intelligence to pull it all off.
As Destiny walked in front of the officer, she kept her head high. Should she use her one phone call now? Who should she call? Her dad? Granddad? Destiny certainly didn't have the resources to come up with bail money. If she was still in holding, would she be booked? Zack had said he was arresting her, but would they actually charge her? She rubbed her wrists. Thank goodness, they removed the cuffs. How humiliating!
The officer moved to step in front of Destiny and push a button. He silently faced a camera on the wall. They waited before a solid-looking metal door until a buzzer sounded then he held out his hand. "This way, Miss Knox."
What was on the other side of that door?
It was nothing but a small entryway with another door, made entirely of thick metal bars. A guard waited at a desk behind a barred window. He looked up as they approached then slid a pad of paper toward the officer with her, who quickly wrote something down. She managed to glimpse her last name, as if she were being signed in to a club.
"Number 19," said the guard.
A loud buzzer sounded, and a squawking alarm announced their arrival as the barred doors slowly slid apart. The officer nudged Destiny from behind, and she walked forward.
Smells instantly assailed her nose, musty antiseptic, body odor, and something more rank. She kept her gaze straight forward as she walked, but it did no good. Catcalls and whistles issued forth from the cells on either side.
"Hey baby, you know you want me."
"Bring that in here, girl."
"Shut up, Mason. She wants a real man. A little lady with a…"
Destiny put her hands over her ears and kept walking until the officer grabbed her arm and pointed. A cell door opened before her. It was much worse than Caleb had said. A horribly small space, barren of anything save a stainless steel bed stuck in the concrete wall, the tiniest sink she'd ever seen, and a practically useless partition that offered the barest concession to privacy before a stainless commode bowl. Anyone would be able to see her perched there. Even at her abbreviated height, she'd have to squat to pull down her pants so no one could see her private parts.
She shook her head. She couldn't do it. She couldn't walk in there. She'd almost prefer telling Caleb anything to keep from going in that cell. A light push between her shoulder blades sent her forward.
"Move out of the way of the closing door," said her escort.
Destiny whipped around, but the door was already closing, trapping her inside a pit. The officer backed away. He would soon leave her there alone, and no one would be able to hear her expect other prisoners.
"Wait! Don't I get a phone call?"
The policeman relented and finally faced her. "As soon as you're processed. Someone will be back soon. It's a little backed-up right now." Then he was gone.
Destiny Knox, never-had-a-speeding-ticket Christian author, was a jailbird.
Caleb's shoulders slumped as he shut the door on Destiny Knox in interrogation. It took a lot to leave her crying alone. He wanted to believe her innocence, but that would mean Laurel was guilty…of something. Could he delay investigating Destiny's claims? This was something he'd have to take up with the captain. He couldn't ransack Forensics without a very good reason.
When the captain looked up to find Caleb standing before him, he grimaced. "How did it go?"
"About as bad as it can get." He related the dialogue between Destiny and Laurel then waited.
"You're telling me Destiny Knox and Laurel Blake know each other."
"If Laurel Blake is even her name."
"We do run security checks on our employees, you know. I've spoken to previous employers. Dr. Blake came highly recommended." He grunted. "But that bit about the dad in jail. If Dr. Blake went into the system, she could have changed her name."
"She might even have a juvenile record, sir. Miss Knox seemed to be accusing her of something serious…prior to the murder."
"Those records would be sealed. We can't get at 'em without cause. I may regret this, but…search her lab, her house, and her car. If you find anything, we can look into that name change. We'll need something good to convince a judge. You say neither of them are talking?"
"Not a word. I don't even have alibis to check. They won't tell me anything, which means I can hold them longer without booking."
"Is that what you want?"
"If we're wrong, we destroy Dr. Blake's credibility for no
thing. In the case of Miss Knox, you have a friendship riding on this. I think everyone concerned would be a lot happier if no arrests were filed just yet."
The captain sighed. "Anybody ask for a lawyer?"
"Dr. Blake, but Miss Knox waived her rights."
"All right. Hold off on the charges, but document everything. You can start the search…carefully. I don't want the lab ripped apart."
"Yes, sir." Caleb rose and hurried to the door.
"And Forest," called the captain. "Go with your gut, but follow the evidence."
Caleb nodded and shut the door. His gut. His gut told him he'd like to go for slaw dogs, but that was about it. If he couldn't get two women to speak to him, he didn't have much going for him. For the time being, he was a wash-out as a detective.
Caleb trudged back to his desk, careful to avoid eye contact with the other detectives. By now, they all knew he'd blown his interrogation. For the moment, the murder board seemed the best place to focus. He added Destiny's name to the suspect list but hesitated on putting Laurel's name where anyone could see it. What if they didn't find anything?
Pemberly joined him and handed him a list. "I've been thinking about all this. What if neither of them is the one? We still haven't gone through the evidence removed from Penny's workplace."
"What is there that could help?"
"Her calendar and her laptop might hold personal notes."
"What about the employees or clients? Anyone who conceivably wished her harm?"
"Nothing, but that doesn't mean she didn't keep private notations on her clients. As a therapist, don't you think she would have kept logs?"
Caleb nodded. "All right. Let's keep working both sides. For now, I'll deal with Miss Knox and Laurel. Captain Jonas told me to search the lab. You go through every piece of writing Penny kept…at home or work."
"You really don't want it to be either of them, do you?"
"Do you? Follow the evidence."
Caleb called Forensics and arranged for two technicians to accompany him to the lab. If he had witnesses, no one would be able to accuse the department of favoritism.
When he got upstairs, they were waiting for him. Caleb used the special keycard he'd been given to open the door, and they entered.
"Where do you want us to start, Detective?"
"Yeah, what are we searching for?"
Caleb sighed as he took in the gleaming surfaces of the lab, all the chemicals and pristine cabinets. "Anything that can tie Dr. Blake to the murder. We already have the gun and the shoe that made the bloody print. According to our other suspect, there's a yearbook missing from the scene, but don't disregard anything. I'll check cabinets and drawers."
"What about the computer?"
"Let's focus on physical evidence first. If I have to, I'll get someone down here for the computer."
Three long hours later, Caleb rubbed his neck while he observed the technicians. They hadn't found a thing, and he was beginning to think they wouldn't. He was glad. He didn't see Laurel standing over another woman and taking her life. Unfortunately, he didn't see Destiny doing it either.
He called Pemberly on the phone. "We're done except for the computer. Lab's clean. How about you?"
"Nothing yet. Penny kept notes but mostly about the progress or lack thereof of her patients and the massage preferences of her other clients."
"Keep at it, Zack. We're moving to Laurel's vehicle."
Five minutes into the search, Caleb heard his name called from behind the car. One of the techs moved back from the trunk. "Detective, I think I found your yearbook."
Caleb joined him and watched in horror as the guy lifted the spare tire and pointed. The other tech appeared at their sides with a camera and took several shots. With gloved hands, Caleb reached for the book. It was definitely speckled with what appeared to be blood or matter, even a hair. And it was a yearbook for Trent City High School. He reached for his phone.
"Captain, we got that yearbook. It was under the spare tire."
"Nothing in the lab?"
"Not yet. I'll have to get a forensic programmer on her computer files."
"Do it, and get a warrant to see if she's had her name changed or a juvenile record…and you better take another crack at Dr. Blake."
"Right away." Caleb regarded the technicians. "Take this car apart. Whoever hit Penny on the head might have gotten something on their clothing." He held up a hand. "Pay close attention to the direction and placement of any smears. I want to know if evidence was planted."
When they turned away, Caleb peered closely at the lock on Laurel's trunk. No tampering that he could discern, but Laurel had one of those cars that could be opened by punching in the right buttons. You didn't need a key. Once again, Caleb trudged back to his desk. If he had to interrogate Laurel, he couldn't do it alone.
At Caleb's approach, Pemberly dropped what he was doing. "You look terrible. Don't tell me you found something."
"The yearbook…under the spare. I'm going to question Laurel again. Care to accompany me?"
"I guess it isn't something you can do by yourself."
Ten minutes later, they sat across from Laurel. As usual, her face reflected that serene expression Caleb so admired. He placed the yearbook on the table, and her eyes could have popped out of her head.
"It was in your car, Laurel."
"No."
"Under the spare. What else will we find?"
"No. It's not possible."
"Laurel, I need you to tell me how you knew the victim and Destiny Knox."
She shook her head. "I'm not saying anything. The less that's out there, the less can be manipulated against me."
"What is that even supposed to mean?"
"You don't know what's at stake, Caleb."
"Why don't you tell us, Dr. Blake?" Pemberly leaned toward her. "You can trust us."
"I want to be taken to a cell…with Destiny Knox."
Caleb choked on a laugh. "Not gonna happen. She accused you of murder, told us to look for a yearbook, and you had it. Either she planned a very elaborate frame or you killed Penny Weathers."
"I think they're in on it together," said Pemberly. "If they create enough doubt on both sides, we can't get a conviction. How about it, Dr. Blake? Are you and Destiny Knox together on this?"
"Either you get my lawyer or you put me where I can speak to Destiny."
Pemberly exchanged a glance with Caleb. "We could put them side-by-side. There's a live video feed."
"No!" Laurel practically shouted. "I mean…don't video us through the server feed. I don't care if you set up a camera but keep it offline."
"Laurel, what's going on? You're clearly terrified of something. If there's anything Pemberly or I can do to clear you, you should tell us. Do you have an alibi?"
"I'm begging you, Caleb. Let me speak with Destiny. I can't tell you anything else until you do."
At a knock on the door, Caleb rose and walked outside. The desk sergeant stood there with a man that had to be a lawyer, buttoned up from head-to-toe in a fine suit that Caleb couldn't pay for if he used a month's wages.
"Detective Forest, this is Dr. Blake's lawyer, Gerald Moore."
The sergeant walked away, and the lawyer frowned. "Don't tell me you're trying to question my client again after she asked for a lawyer. You do understand due process, Detective?"
"Dr. Blake hasn't been arrested. She's being held as a person of interest. You're here strictly as a courtesy because of her position with the department. Certain evidence came to light that I thought she'd like to know right away. If she wants to volunteer information, that's her prerogative."
"And did she?"
"No. You really should advise your client to provide an alibi for the time in question. It's in her best interest to clear herself."
"I think I know what's in her best interest. Where is she?"
Caleb threw open the door but never made it in the room because an officer pecked him on the shoulder.
"Det
ective, you're needed in the holding area."
"Why?"
The guy grinned as he shrugged. "Your suspect is singing."
"She confessed?"
"Nah, she's singing hymns or something. She won't shut up until you talk to her."
Caleb groaned. What had Destiny done now? Why couldn't she sit there like a normal person? Because not one moment he'd spent with her was normal. The woman was as changeable as a hurricane wind. "Fine. I'll be right there."
Caleb stuck his head inside to gesture at Pemberly, who rose and joined him in the hallway.
"What's up?"
"I've been summoned. Apparently, Miss Knox wants to converse. Let Laurel meet with her lawyer. Maybe he can talk some sense in her. I'll be back."
Before Caleb ever reached the cell, he heard the melodic strains of Destiny's voice. The officer was right. Destiny was singing a hymn, How Great Thou Art. He hadn't heard it for years, tried hard not to think about that or anything else associated with God. Why was Destiny Knox singing a hymn in a jail cell? The woman got stranger every day.
Caleb leaned against the bars of her prison door and studied her, stretched out with her arms underneath her head on the hard metal surface of the bed. "Destiny…Destiny, I brought you a clean blanket."
The singing abruptly stopped, and she swung her feet around to sit up. They stared at one another for an uncomfortable moment. What was she thinking? Caleb was thinking that she really didn't belong in a place like that. She looked small, forlorn, and more than a little lost. He held out the blanket, and she stood.
"Thanks. I guess they don't have pillows."
He shook his head. "Are you…all right?"
Her brows rose, but she didn't reply.
"Sorry," he said. "I guess not. We found the yearbook."
"Where?"
"In her trunk."
"That's a stupid place to hide something. Lorelei's not stupid."
"I thought you'd be happy. You said she was guilty."
She sighed. "I've just been thinking, that's all."
"Tell me something to get you out of this."
"What about Lorelei? Don't you want to save her? I thought she was your girlfriend."
Her eyes accused him even more than her tone, but Caleb wasn't sure what he felt. When he was with Laurel, they always had a pleasant, relaxing time, but when he was with Destiny…she drove him crazy.
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