IF I FAIL: A Jake Carrington Mystery

by Marian Lanouette

  “Well, I’ll be damned. I really like her, Jake, so does Sophia,” Louie said thoughtfully.

  “I do too. Let’s get to work.”

  “It must be spring. Lots of amore in the air.” Louie started singing again.

  “Please, for the love of God, stop singing. And Louie, my romance is not for office gossip. Got it?”

  “Oh, you’re no fun. I was gonna run the pool on how long it would last, killjoy,” he joked.

  “Work, Louie,” Jake said, staring at him.

  “You’re absolutely no fun, Jake.” He stared Jake down. “I figured you’d want to listen to them again. I already did. I set them up on your machine there. Meryl, she’s just weird. You know?”

  “Yeah, I know. What did you think of Cavilla’s statement?”

  “I think we took him by surprise when we told him about her sexual orientation. Maybe we should arrest Meryl also. You know, have her sit in a cell for awhile. So she gets it’s not a game. It certainly worked on Chloe.”

  “Okay, I deserved that, Louie. Let me listen to them. Later we’ll go do the interview on the Adams’ case. When we get back, we’ll listen to them together and dissect their statements.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  *

  “Louie, I want to take you and Sophia out to dinner, to celebrate your promotion. Is Friday or Saturday good for you?”

  “Thanks nice, Jake. You don’t have to.”

  “I want to. It’s a big accomplishment. I’m proud of you.”

  “Thanks, I’ll check with Sophia.” Louie brightened right up. Jake stepped out of his office and into the bullpen at nine o’clock. He waited until he had everyone’s attention in the squad room.

  “It’s my honor to announce Louie Romanelli has passed the sergeant’s exam and he’ll be one of thirty detectives promoted to sergeant. The ceremony’s this Friday at three o’clock at the chief’s office.”

  Everyone started clapping, walking up to Louie, slapping him on the back, and offering their congratulations. Louie ate it up.

  “Hey, where’s the celebration going to be?” Burke asked. “Have you picked a bar out yet, Lieutenant?”

  “No, Al. Louie wants to pass this soon after my celebration. He believes Sophia would kill him if he came home soused again.”

  “Hey, that’s not fair, Louie. We’re all proud of you. You can’t take this celebration away from us. I’ll speak with Sophia,” Al said.

  “Well, good luck with that,” Louie snorted.

  “I’m not afraid of her.”

  “Good, let me know how it turns out.” Louie started to walk away from him.

  Jake watched Burke cut short his next sentence when the captain came out of his office and offered Louie his congratulations.

  They left the station at eleven-twenty to give Jake time to change his clothes before their interview with Katy Bonita.

  “So, you arrived for dinner Saturday night and what, never left until this morning?” Louie asked in the car.

  “Yep.”

  “Well, remind me not to invite you to dinner,” Louie joked.

  “Okay.”

  “That’s it, no details? What’s going on, Jake?”

  “Louie, I’m not giving you details. What are you, a pervert? Or are you looking for instructions on how to perform?”

  “Oh, very funny, Jake. I’m busting a rib over here. I just want to know how you feel about her. Is it a long-term thing or just two ships passing in the night?”

  “Louie, I can’t answer your question. It’s only been a week. Yeah, I like her. She’s beautiful, smart, funny, and I love being with her. About the rest, well, let’s just say, she’s awesome. Where it goes, we’ll both have to wait and see. I really don’t know much about her. I’m sure it’s going be fun finding out.” He grinned.

  “I’m sure.” Louie smiled to himself. Jake’s gone on Mia, he thought.

  Louie waited in the car while Jake changed. He had just enough time to call Sophia before Jake came back out. Louie relished gossip. Sophia picked Saturday night for dinner. Louie hung up with her just as Jake climbed back in the car.

  “Sophia said Saturday night’s good.”

  “Okay, I’ll tell Mia.”

  *

  They got off Route 8 at exit 34, which put them directly onto Watertown Avenue. They drove by Municipal Stadium, checking out numbers on the houses. Katy Bonita’s stood on the town line between Wilkesbury and Watertown. A two-family house; the mail box directed them to the second floor. They walked around the back, climbing long narrow steps leading to her apartment. Louie knocked on the door. Jake scanned the area.

  She answered right away. “Hello,” she said through the slit in the door, held closed by a chain lock.

  “Katy Bonita?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m Sergeant Romanelli. I spoke to you on the phone this morning.” He held up his shield.

  “Hi, Sergeant, come in.” Closing the door on them she released the chain, opening it wider this time to let them in.

  They walked in. Louie introduced them. “This is Lieutenant Carrington, my partner.”

  “Hi, Ms. Bonita.”

  “It’s Katy. What can I do for you?”

  They entered into a postage-stamp size kitchen. Katy pulled out a chair at the round table, sat down, pointing to the other chairs for them to take a seat. Built in the nineteen forties, it looked like the original kitchen. Butting up against the door on a small counter area sat the dish rack, next to it an old fashion deep, shining white porcelain sink. More counter space to the right, with cabinets over the whole area; the refrigerator stood on the other side of the door, a narrow counter separating the stove from the refrigerator, barely leaving enough room for the table and chairs. The floor, covered in worn, old-fashioned linoleum, reminded Jake of his grandmother’s house.

  Louie took the lead. “Ms. Bonita, you’re a friend of Lola Adams?”

  “Yes. Please, call me Katy.”

  “Alright, Katy. Did you see Lola recently?”

  “Yes, in April. She surprised me. No phone call—she just showed up here with no warning. I let her spend the night.”

  “Lola never called to say she’d be in town?”

  “No.”

  “Did she give you a reason for being in Connecticut when she showed up?”

  “Not exactly. She did say things were starting to go her way. It’s the reason she came back to town.”

  “She never told you exactly why she came to Connecticut?”

  “No. I fished around to see if she showed up to reclaim Nick. She said no.”

  “Did she know the two of you were dating? Did you tell him you had a house guest?” Louie asked.

  “No to both of your questions. I didn’t tell him until after she left on Sunday.”

  “Why?” Jake asked.

  Embarrassed, she said, “Well, she left early on Sunday because she had to catch a flight out of New York. At the time, Nick and I were dating. She would’ve gone out of her way to cause trouble for the both of us if she’d known. Lola’s a selfish person.”

  “Did you know the first Mrs. Adams had been murdered on the sixteenth?” Louie asked.

  “No. I didn’t know about the murder until a week ago. I didn’t realize it happened on the sixteenth. So you’re telling me you suspect Lola?” Visibly shaken. Louie tried to reassure her.

  “She’s just a person of interest right now. Anyone who knew the victim is,” Louie said.

  “You have to let me know,” she said, her voice shaking. “If she shows up again, do I let her stay here?”

  “I don’t know what to tell you, Katy. You have to use your own judgment here,” Louie said. He could get sued if he told her his opinion. He personally wouldn’t let her into his home.

  A clearer picture of Lola Adams began to emerge in Jake’s head. A woman who trusted no one, cared only for herself; even the bonds of friendship weren’t strong.

  Jake jumped in and asked, “
Katy, do you think Lola’s capable of murder?”

  He watched her process the question in silence; after a few moments, Katy whispered, “Yes.”

  “Well, there’s your answer,” Jake said.

  “Is there anything else you can tell us about Lola?” Louie asked.

  “She didn’t act weird or anything when she visited. You know…” Katy offered.

  “Okay, here’s my card. Call me if you think of anything else. Call me right away if she contacts you or shows up again.” Louie handed her his card as he stood.

  Outside in the car, Jake said, “Interesting.”

  “Yeah, interesting.”

  *

  When they got back to the station, they requested a subpoena for the Delta Airline records for April sixteenth through April eighteenth. Jake debated. Should he have Katrina book flights to Florida for them or wait?

  Next, he called the forensics department to get an update. Jake got a snippy secretary who told him if the lab reports were completed, they would have been emailed to him already. Jake rolled his eyes, deciding not to press the issue. They were hoping for some DNA from skin cells, sweat, or saliva from Chelsea Adams’s attacker. Hoping he might have left some of himself in the car during transport. Current technology today could pull DNA from all of the above. Today DNA science solved more burglaries and car thefts than murders.

  After his call to forensics, Jake decided to wait on the flight. The forensics guys told him he should have everything by the end of the next week. He needed patience. Not one of his best virtues.

  A check of his voice mail showed he received three calls from Cara Adams looking for results on her mother’s case. He also noted one from Detective Burke. Burke and Kraus were out following up on a lead on the Xavier Orlando case. He gave Jake the list of names of the officers who pulled guard duty on the witness tonight, in case he wanted to make changes. This past weekend went smoothly, Burke reported. Jake needed to make sure everyone kept his guard up. When it came to revenge, Spike was known for his patience.

  Jake also received a call from Kirk Brown, updating him on his cases. A car fitting the description for the hit and run just showed up in a body shop on Meriden Road. Kirk and Lanoue were checking it out. They’d give him a call, if they didn’t see him later, and update him. The hit and run victim died yesterday from his injuries. They upgraded the case to a vehicular homicide. He also informed Jake they were at a dead end on the school shooting. Brown thought if he interviewed the kids, at the station, with their parents, they might get more out of them. He wanted to know what Jake thought of the idea.

  Realizing he hadn’t given Mia a call as promised, he grabbed his cell phone, dialed her number. “Busy?”

  “Yes, you?”

  “Yeah, sorry I didn’t call earlier. This is the first chance I got today. How are you?”

  “There’s nothing like a weekend of great sex and food to energize a woman.”

  “A man also. I asked Louie and Sophia out to dinner Saturday night, to celebrate Louie’s promotion. Is Saturday good for you?” He realized he made the plans without checking with her first.

  “I have to be out of town starting Wednesday. I don’t know if I’ll be back in time.”

  “Oh.” Disappointment drenched his voice.

  “I’m sorry, it’s business.”

  “Well, we’ll do it another time with them. Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?”

  “I didn’t go into work today. I didn’t even get dressed. I worked on my book all day. that’s why I’m going out of town Wednesday. I’m meeting with an agent.”

  “Excellent. I thought it wasn’t finished?”

  “I’m working on it. It should be completed by Tuesday. I sent them the first fifty pages. They want to meet and review the rest of it. I’d ask you to join me if I thought there was a chance you’d come. I know your case load’s pretty heavy. You don’t want to go, do you?”

  “I wish I could. You know I’ll be with you in spirit, sending my good thoughts with you. I won’t see you until you get back?”

  “Do you want to come over tomorrow night for dinner? We can just hang out here.”

  “What kind of wine should I bring?”

  “Bring only yourself.”

  “I’ll miss you tonight.”

  “I’ll miss you, too,” she whispered.

  “What are you wearing?” he teased.

  “Is this phone sex? And in the middle of the day?” She laughed.

  “Anytime’s good.”

  “Give me a call when you get home tonight, maybe I’ll see what I can do for you.”

  “Sounds like a plan. I’ll talk to you later. And Mia…I enjoyed the weekend, thanks.”

  “Me too, so thank you.”

  As he hung up, Louie knocked on his door and walked right in without waiting for an answer, he asked, “Ready to review those interview tapes now?”

  “Yeah, come in. Mia might not be at dinner Saturday…”

  “What did you do? You guys are done already…?”

  “Calm down, Louie. I just found out she’s leaving on Wednesday for a business trip. She doesn’t know how long she’ll be away. I still want to go out with you and Sophia. We’ll do the couples thing the following weekend.”

  Louie looked relieved. Comical, Jake thought. “Okay. Let’s get to work.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Louie rewound the tapes, hit the play button. They both took notes, listening to the tones and inflections in the interviewees voices. Next, they watched the video, looking for nervous tics; followed the eye movements, looking for deceit.

  “Meryl is one cocky bitch, isn’t she?” Louie asked.

  Jake hit pause. “Why?”

  “Listen to her. Her tone’s flirty—then hard—then soft—like she’s playing us. It’s all a freaking game with her. There’s a change again when she realizes she could be in trouble. Finally understanding we’re not playing games with her—this is serious business, I don’t know,” Louie finished.

  “Yeah, I got the same thing. Next up, we confronted her about dating Shanna. Okay, turn it back on.”

  Louie rewound the tape back to the beginning of Meryl’s interview. Hit play. They listened intently. Meryl was one angry woman, but clever, he thought. The interview took over two hours, ending with Meryl requesting a lawyer.

  Jake remembered assessing Meryl last year. Now he tried to picture her with Shanna. At five-three, her black hair hung down her back. It matched her black eyes. Empty eyes, he thought. A sturdy, athletic body wrapped around an angry attitude always on the verge of exploding. She was the complete opposite of Shanna in coloring, height, and attitude. He thought about it. Yes, Meryl could’ve carried Shanna into the woods. Jake read Meryl Drake her rights. “Do you understand these rights as I’ve read them to you?”

  “Yes. Why am I here? I know you arrested Chloe yesterday. And let me say, it’s about time.” She smirked.

  “How do you know we arrested Chloe yesterday, Meryl?” Jake asked.

  “Her parents told me.” She shrugged.

  “When did they tell you?”

  “Last night, during my visit.”

  “No, they didn’t, Meryl. Chloe’s parents didn’t know right away that she’d been arrested.”

  “What can I tell you? They’re the ones who told me,” she insisted.

  “What else did they tell you? What time were you over there visiting?” Jake never let on Chloe’s parents didn’t know until after eight o’clock last night.

  “I got there around six o’clock. I left just before eight. What do you mean, what else did they tell me?” she questioned Jake.

  “Did they tell you anything else?” he asked again, watching her process his question. He didn’t want to lead her on, so he didn’t mention the ring. He waited for her reply, letting the silence fill the room. He found silence unnerved a suspect. They normally filled the void.

  “No, I can’t think of anything,” she finally answe
red.

  “When they told you about Chloe’s arrest, they didn’t tell you what generated the arrest?”

  “You mean evidence?” she asked, looking directly at Jake.

  “Yes, or a statement, something like that,” Jake said nonchalantly.

  “I can’t remember. I’ll have to think about it.” She baited him, treating the interview like a joke. Well the joke’s on her, Jake thought. It was obvious she couldn’t wait to see Chloe locked up for good.

  “Okay, what did you mean when you said, ‘it’s about time we arrested Chloe’?” Louie asked.

  She looked over at Louie, who stood at the door. “Just that. We both know she really wanted Shanna’s ring. Chloe felt her grandmother gave the higher value piece of jewelry to Shanna. Chloe’s a jealous woman. My God, it’s not only beautiful, it’s worth a fortune.”

  “How do you know the value, Meryl?” Jake asked.

  “Shanna told me, and after Shanna died, Chloe mentioned it. Chloe asked me if Shanna wore the ring the last time I saw her.”

  “When did she ask you that, Meryl? Give me dates.”

  “Oh, I saw her the night she disappeared. We hung out.”

  In Meryl’s expression, he could see her mentally going back in time. Her eyes were empty, dead, he mused. Tears continued to fall down her face. Unaware or uncaring, she didn’t wipe them away, though she still wore a cocky little smile. Weird, Jake thought.

  Meryl gave him his lead-in to the next line of questioning. Jake opened the file in front of him. Louie walked back to the table, taking a seat.

  Jake asked, “Meryl, I have your original statements to both the Sergeant and me here, along with your statement to Detectives Kraus and Brown. Detective Kraus asked you four days after Shanna went missing if you saw her the day she disappeared or anytime within the week.

  “You answered, ‘Yes, we hung out on Friday night and went for pizza and beer with some of her friends at the dorm.’” Jake handed her a copy of her statement.

  She read it and agreed. “Yes, I remember giving a statement. I don’t remember what I said. Should I?” She frowned.

  Ignoring her question, Jake continued. “Here’s a copy of your statement six days later, to us. I’ll read it to you.” He handed her a copy of that statement. “Is this your statement to us after we found Shanna?”