by Liz Turner
“Louis wouldn’t be happy if he found out you offered to help us,” Veronica reminded her, although she was sure she didn’t need to. “Let alone actually, help.”
“Let me worry about that,” Amy replied decidedly. She turned to head back to her house. “Remember to call if you need.”
The investigators watched until Amy had walked through her front door and closed it behind her. Amber stopped barking, allowing Sakura to release her collar and stand straight. She let out a long and loud sigh.
“Great. Now, what?”
“Now what is right,” Max concurred. “Did you see his hands?”
“Yeah. He has a bunch of bandages on his right hand,” Veronica confirmed. “On his fingers. And his watch was on his left wrist.”
“I get why the bandages matter. He might be the one who cut himself on the photo,” Sakura summarized. “But why does his watch matter?”
“Do you put your watch on your dominant hand?” Veronica asked her friend, and Sakura shook her head. “I don’t either. It gets in the way. It means Louis is probably right-handed.”
“Just like our killer. But most people are right-handed,” Max added. “So other than the bandages on his fingers we don’t have much to go on.”
“You said you wanted to get a sample of the blood on the photo, right?” Veronica asked Max. “Is there any way to prove it’s Louis’ blood?”
“I could have the lab rats match it if we had a sample we knew belonged to him,” he explained. “That might be enough to get a search warrant for his house and car.”
“Great idea!” Sakura declared. “Then Louis would have to let us in to look!”
“And if it doesn’t match, it would rule him out as a suspect,” Max deduced.
“There’s just one problem with that,” Veronica disputed. “What are the chances Louis would give us anything that would have his DNA on it? I doubt he’d willingly provide a blood sample.”
“We wouldn’t need blood exactly. Saliva or hair would work just as well,” Max replied. “But you’re right. Getting the sample would be the hard part.”
“Could we ask Amy if she could get something?” Sakura suggested. “She did say to call if we needed help.”
“I’ve got a better idea. Something that would keep Amy from getting in trouble with Louis,” Veronica stated. “We don’t want Louis to know what we’re planning after all.”
“What’s your idea?” Max asked.
“You pass half your DNA to your children, right?”
“That’s basic reproduction,” Sakura teased.
“What if we got a sample of something from Naomi instead?” Veronica proposed. “Max, could you match a father’s DNA to his daughter’s?”
“It’d be a partial match, but yeah,” the detective verified. “That would still be enough for the warrant.”“But where would we get a sample from Naomi?” Sakura wondered. “Louis is even more protective of her.”“Not if she left something at Liam’s house when she visited last night,” Veronica said, a small smile on her face. The other two investigators grinned in turn. Amber probably would have as well if her dog face were capable of smiling.
Chapter 12
Veronica had never been in a teenage boy’s room before, either as a teen herself or as an adult. She had no brothers or male cousins, and although she had her share of boyfriends those relationships never advanced far enough to be invited to into their rooms. They didn’t do that kind of thing in her day.
How old am I, when I think it’s strange for two teenagers to hang out together? Veronica joked to herself. It’s actually good that Naomi and Liam have been friends all this time. Louis shouldn’t keep Naomi so sheltered.
Liam’s room looked like Veronica imagined a typical teen’s room would look. A double bed sat in the center right underneath the window. The bedspread was deep red and black, with matching pillows piled at the head. A desk was to the right of that, with a laptop and various books and notepads scattered across it. Veronica recognized an algebra textbook open to a page with several equations with x and y as variables. A doorway led to a closet, which had clothes piled at the bottom and an overflowing laundry basket.
A guitar leaned against the desk and above that were posters of various bands Veronica didn’t recognize, along with a couple portraying motorbiking around some mounds of dirt. On the other side of the room was another door heading to a private bathroom and a stand with a large television. It wasn’t as big as the one Veronica had seen in the Dolan’s living room, but it was certainly fancy for a teenager. Beneath that were a couple of video game consoles, but Veronica would be hard-pressed to identify which was which. That sort of thing went right over her head.
“Is dried blood okay?” Liam called from the bathroom, his voice muffled by the half-open door.
“Yes, that’s fine,” Max replied. He moved away from the guitar. “We can still get a good DNA sample from that.”
“Here you go.” Liam exited the bathroom and handed a used tissue to the detective. “I hope the other trash didn’t ruin it.”
“Looks okay to me.” Max pulled out another evidence bag and placed the tissue inside. “I’ve seen my lab rats get samples from messier things.”
“You’re sure that’s Naomi’s?” Veronica asked. Amber trotted over to Liam for some attention.
“I’m sure. She got a nosebleed last night while we were playing games,” Liam informed them as he leaned down to pet Amber on her head. He smiled a little sheepishly. “She was…kind of overwhelmed by the game, I think.”
“No need to explain, young man,” Max responded, his own smile wide. “This will be a big help. Once my forensic techs at the station match this up with the blood on the photo, we can get a search warrant for Louis’ house.”
“You really think Louis did Leo in?” Liam inquired, curiosity overflowing his voice.
“We’ll see, won’t we?”
“Liam? Detective?” Sully’s voice asked through the bedroom door. “Everything okay in there?”
Liam waited until Max had hidden the tissue in his pocket before he opened the door. “Yeah, everything’s fine, Dad.”
“No problems at all,” Veronica and Sakura said simultaneously, and the three men stared at them in surprise. Can’t let him know Naomi was here. Not yet.
“Okay then.” Sully’s shoulder twitched in a tiny shrug. “Say, remember how I said I would check the camera feed for the neighborhood watch?”
“Yes,” Max replied. “Did you find anything?”
“Let me show you.”
The trio of investigators followed Sully to his office across the hall on the second floor. Liam and Amber stayed in his room since the office was noticeably smaller and didn’t have space for so many people and a dog.
Sully’s office was suspiciously like his son’s bedroom. The desk had the same haphazard disorganization to it, with papers and books scattered everywhere. A couple of books on accounting, programming, and other computer literacy subjects. A day planner sat open on top of the laptop’s keyboard, and next to that were two more computer monitors, each attached to their own database. Veronica could only guess the computers were all connected, with all the cords and wires between them.
“Is that a fire hazard?” Veronica asked, pointing to the cords.
“No worries. I’ve got protectors everywhere.” Sully sat in the wheeled chair and given how it sank under his weight it was apparent he spent a lot of time in it. “So, here’s the footage from last night.”
The computer analyst typed on his keyboard, and a few images came up on all three computer screens. One pointed towards the Dolan’s roof, another to the center cul-de-sac itself, and the third pointed towards the tree Cale and Rupert had pointed out as one of their regular hangouts.
Sully leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “See the problem?”
“I don’t see anything,” Sakura complained. “What kind of neighborhood watch is this?”
“That’s the po
int. The cameras don’t show anything,” Veronica realized. “Are these the ones that are supposed to look over the park?”
“They are, but as you can see, they aren’t pointed that way,” Sully confirmed. “The cameras have all been pointed in the wrong directions.”
“And none of them are of the park?” Max asked.
“Not a one.”
“Do you think someone moved them?” Sakura suggested. “So you wouldn’t get any footage of the park from last night?”
“That’s the only explanation,” Sully answered. “And before you ask, I tried to see if I could catch anyone moving the cameras, and it’s no good.”
“That tells us a few things about who killed Leo,” Veronica proclaimed. “One, they knew the cameras existed. Two, they knew how to point them away without being seen.”
“And three, they moved the cameras ahead of time,” Max contributed. “Before Leo was murdered, right?”
“Yeah. They were moved at around 9:00 P.M,” Sully confirmed.
“Definitely, before Leo was murdered,” Max stated. “The medical examiner said the time of death was sometime after eleven.”
“So it was premeditated?” Veronica asked, and Max nodded emphatically. “Do you think you can get any fingerprints from the cameras?”
“Yes, unless our killer wore gloves, but it’s worth a try,” he confirmed. Max flipped his wrist to check his watch. “I think I should get all this evidence to the lab. We better go.”
“Yeah, I should check on the restaurant,” Veronica added. “Sakura and I have been gone all day.”
“Is there anything else I can do to help?” Sully offered as he stood and led the group down the stairs to the front door.
“Not right now, but I’ll let you know if something else comes up,” Detective Bernard replied. “You’ve actually been really helpful, Mister Dolan. Thank you.”
“No problem.” Sully opened the front door, and Veronica saw that the sun was starting to head for the mountains. “Call if you need anything.”
“That’s two offers we’ve gotten today,” Sakura joked.
“Amber!” Veronica called. “Come here! Time to go!”She repeated the name, and only then did the puppy in question come down from the upper floors. Liam and Cale followed, the latter again sad that Amber was leaving. Liam bit his lip and looked at Veronica with wide eyes. She gave him a small wink before turning and following the others out the door.Once outside, the group started walking towards their vehicles parked by the park. Lucy had taken Veronica’s truck back to The Rare Catch earlier that day, leaving Sakura’s car as their only option. Before heading for his own car back to the police station, Max walked the two ladies and the puppy to Sakura’s blue sedan. Sakura opened the back seat to let Amber in, but the puppy cried and whined as she was separated from Veronica.
Her owner laughed. “Don’t worry, little one. I won’t leave you.”
Amber barked happily and allowed Sakura to pick her up and put her in the car, her tail wagging and slapping into Sakura’s face the whole way. Sakura spat out a bit of light golden fur before heading for the driver’s seat.
Max strolled over to the front passenger’s seat, where Veronica was getting into the car. “So, I’m going to drop off this evidence, but then I’m free for the night. Do you want to go over the case some more tonight? Bounce ideas off each other?”
“Sounds good,” Veronica agreed with a smile. “Would it be okay if it’s at my restaurant? I need to catch up on some work.”
“Sure. Sounds like a plan.” Veronica wasn’t sure, but he seemed a little disappointed.
“Do you know where The Rare Catch is?”
“Of course, I do. I’ve eaten there.”
“Really? I don’t remember seeing you there.”
“You’re usually in the kitchen, but I’ve been there several times now.”
Veronica blushed. “Now I feel really terrible.”
“Don’t. It’s okay,” Max reassured her. “I’ll meet you there.”
Veronica watched as Max headed for his own car, wondering if she missed something.
Chapter 13
“So he asked if you could meet to talk about Leo’s case some more?” Sakura inquired.
“Yeah. He wanted us to bounce ideas off each other.”
“And he wanted to do this without me?”
“I guess…He didn’t say you couldn’t be there.”
“And you told him to come here instead of wherever he was thinking?”
“He said it was okay.”
“Are you nuts?!” Sakura yelled, throwing her arms in the air.
A few passersby stopped to stare at the pair, but they soon continued their way into The Rare Catch. The outside of the restaurant was beautiful but humble, with a mosaic made of white and blue glass that formed a giant wave. Next to that was a smaller mosaic of an orange and yellow fish, appearing to jump out of the water and head for the wave. Beneath all this was a blue sign in elegant cursive writing that read “The Rare Catch.”
“Quiet, Sakura!” Veronica requested urgently. “People are watching!”
“You are nuts!” her friend continued, ignoring Veronica’s statement entirely. “You, Veronica Koche, have got to be the most oblivious woman I’ve ever met!”
“What?” she replied, releasing her breath through her teeth. “What did I do that makes me so oblivious?”
“Max asked to see you again after hours…He made up an excuse to see you…He was basically asking you out to dinner…” Veronica continued to watch her as Sakura listed off these reasons on her hands. Several moments passed, and Sakura eventually sighed. “Max was asking you out on a date!”
Veronica shook her head. “Don’t be silly. That’s not what he was doing.”
“Oh yeah? Why not?”
“If that were the case, he’d just come right out and ask me, wouldn’t he?” Veronica supposed. “He’s not exactly the subtle type, is he?”
“I guess not,” Sakura admitted. “But subtle’s not the word I’d use.”
“Besides, I’m pretty sure he’s not interested in me,” the elder chef replied. “Not like that.”
“What? Oh, come on!”
Neither woman had the chance to say anything more, as the subject of their conversation drove up and parked relatively close to the restaurant entrance. Max smoothly slid out of the driver’s seat, pressing down his jacket once he stood. He still wore the same outfit from earlier, but he had removed most of the dog fur Amber left on his clothing throughout the day. His wavy brown hair was combed back, looking almost tame in comparison to his usual disheveled appearance. He had a single red rose n his left breast pocket. The way he patted it as he began to walk towards the restaurant made Veronica assume the thorns had been removed.
Sakura gently elbowed her in her side. “See? He dressed up. This is serious.”
“He’s wearing the same thing as before,” Veronica argued. She shut her mouth once Max reached hearing distance.
“Hi Veronica, Sakura,” he greeted with a toothy smile. “Nice night, huh?”
“Lovely night,” Sakura answered.
“Very nice,” Veronica replied. “I’ve saved you a table in a corner, so you can have some privacy if you like.”
“I hope you’ll be joining me,” Max said, his eyes only on Veronica. “Since, you know, I want to talk about the case.”
“I can join you in a little bit,” she answered. “But I still have to make sure everything in the kitchen is running smoothly.”
“Of course,” he stated that disappointment back in this tone. “I can wait.”
Sakura stifled a groan as she rolled her eyes and reached to open the entryway door. The three were about to head inside when a phone started ringing. Max paused and reached into his pocket. He sighed and flipped open the phone.
“It’s the PD. I need to take this. This is Bernard.” Veronica and Sakura waited as Max’s eyebrows rose into his hairline. The chefs noticed the worried e
xpression on his face, and Sakura left the door close. “Okay. I’ll be right there.”
“What is it?” Veronica asked. “Is everything all right?”
“I’ve got to go. Dinner will have to be another time.” Max spun on his heel and headed back to his car. “Denise Mullins called the police. Something is going on at the Amatos’ house. They’ve already dispatched a few officers. I’m going to meet them there.”
Veronica jogged to catch up with him. “Do you think it has to do with Leo’s murder?”
“It might.”
“I’m going with you then.” Veronica looked over her shoulder to yell to Sakura. “Take care of the restaurant for me, okay?”
“We always do, don’t we?” Sakura responded, and walked into The Rare Catch.
“Are you sure you want to come?” Max inquired of Veronica, but he did nothing to stop her from hopping into the front passenger seat. “This is different from our interviewing before. Something really serious might’ve happened.”
“All the more reason for me to come,” she replied as she buckled her seat belt.
“All right then. Back to Delta Avenue we go.”Max started the ignition and drove out of the parking lot, taking the most direct way to the cul-de-sac. The pair was silent as he drove, and Veronica kept thinking about what this disturbance at the Amatos’ house was all about.
The Mullins’ house is closest to the Amatos’, but why would Denise hear it from her own home she wondered. Must have been a very loud fight or something…
Max’s phone rang again. Veronica was starting to become quite familiar with the sound. Max groaned and clumsily pulled it from his pocket again. He glanced down for a second before pressing the “Answer” key, followed by the “Speaker” key.
“It’s the lab,” he explained to Veronica. “This is Bernard. What’s up, lab rats?”
“It’s Jessica,” the voice on the other end said. “Updating you on that blood sample.”
“What did you find?” he asked. “Is it a match for Louis Edwards?”
