Hello, Darkness

by Sandra Brown

  “Who has the police department in his pocket.”

  “It wasn’t my decision to suspend Malloy. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. He outranks me. I was just the messenger.”

  “Then let me rephrase,” she said. “Judge Kemp has the gutless police department in his pocket.”

  Withstanding the insult, he addressed the issue. “The judge went straight to the top with his complaint. After he and Mrs. Kemp heard you talking about their daughter on the radio last night, he went into orbit. Or so I was told. He called the chief at home, got him out of bed, demanded that Malloy be fired for publicly maligning his daughter, dragging the family name through the dirt, and mishandling a delicate family situation, which should have been dealt with privately. He also cited conflict of interest since Gavin Malloy had been brought in for questioning.”

  “How did he know about that?”

  “He’s got moles within the department. Anyway, he threatened to sue everything and everybody if Malloy wasn’t removed not only from the case, but from the APD. The chief wouldn’t go that far, but he did agree that a temporary suspension was called for. Just until things cool down.”

  “Just to pacify the judge.”

  Curtis conceded with a shrug. “I got the edict from the chief before dawn this morning. He asked—make that ordered—me to notify Malloy since I was the one who’d brought him in to work the case. That was my punishment, I guess.”

  “I said nothing except flattering things about Janey last night,” Paris argued. “In fact, I went out of my way not to allude to her bad reputation, the Internet club, any of that. We were trying to humanize her to Valentino, portray her as a helpless victim with friends and family who care about her.”

  “But the Kemps wanted to avoid all media, remember? Even a mention of Janey’s disappearance. So your going on the radio, under the advice of the police department’s staff psychologist, and talking about her, looked like defiance of their wishes.”

  “Dean told me that you were very keen on the idea.”

  “I admitted that to the chief.”

  “So why didn’t the judge demand that you be fired, too?”

  “Because he doesn’t want to antagonize the whole department. He knows I’ve got a lot of friends on the force. Malloy hasn’t been here long enough to cultivate that kind of loyalty.

  “Besides, the judge wanted to get back at you, too. You and Malloy went to his house more or less as a team. He just didn’t have the guts to criticize you publicly because of your popularity. It might be bad PR with voters to speak out against Paris Gibson.”

  “Leaving Dean the scapegoat,” she concluded. “Has the media learned of his suspension?”

  “I have no idea. If it gets out, you can bet Kemp will exploit it.”

  She sat down, but not because she was placated. He could tell that by her resolute expression as she leaned forward and spoke directly, to his face. “You go to your chief and tell him that I insist that he retract Dean’s suspension. Immediately. Furthermore, if a story about it makes the news today, I’ll be on the radio tonight talking about the self-serving political machine that drives this police department.

  “I’ll tell the public about the graft, officers receiving bribes in exchange for not making arrests when they’re warranted, and about the department’s blatant favoritism toward the wealthy and powerful.

  “In four hours, I could do a lot of damage, more I think than even Judge Kemp could do. For all his chest thumping, I doubt if several hundred thousand people have even heard of him. But I have that many loyal listeners every night. Now, who do you think wields the most influence, Sergeant Curtis?”

  “Your program isn’t political. You’ve never used it as a soapbox.”

  “I would tonight.”

  “And tomorrow Wilkins Crenshaw would fire you.”

  “Which would win me even more public support and sympathy. It would become a media wildfire that I would fan for weeks. The Austin PD would have a tough time restoring John Q. Public’s confidence.”

  Curtis couldn’t see her eyes well behind the tinted lenses, but he could see them well enough. They weren’t even blinking. She meant what she said.

  “If the decision were up to me . . .” He raised his hands helplessly. “But the chief may not bend.”

  “If he refuses, I’ll call a press conference. I’ll be on television by noon. ‘Paris Gibson goes public.’ ‘The first time seen on TV in seven years.’ ‘The face behind the voice revealed.’ I can hear the promos now.”

  Curtis could hear them, too. “The story about Malloy may already have gotten out.”

  “Then your chief will issue a press release saying that it was a huge misunderstanding, overly eager reporting by someone misinformed, et cetera.”

  “Did Malloy send you to champion his cause?” She didn’t even deign to answer and he didn’t blame her. Malloy wouldn’t stoop to that. Curtis had only taken the cheap shot because he didn’t have any real ammunition against her arguments. “All right, I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Take this with you,” she said, pushing the legal pad toward him.

  “What is it?”

  “The work Dean was doing last night. He stayed up most of the night profiling Janey’s kidnapper and rapist while the judge was plotting to have him discredited and fired.

  “It should make for interesting reading. Your chief will realize what an asset he has in Dr. Malloy and what an egregious mistake it would be to take him off this case. Of course, Dean may tell you all to go to hell, and I wouldn’t blame him. But you can try and persuade him to come back.”

  “You’re pretty sure of our compliance.”

  “I’m sure only of how wise one becomes when it’s a matter of covering one’s own ass.”

  • • •

  “I’ll think about it and get back to you.” Dean depressed the button on his cell phone, ending the call. “Meanwhile,” he added under his breath, “go fuck yourself.” Noticing Gavin’s stunned reaction to his language, he chuckled. “Your generation didn’t coin the phrase, you know.”

  They were having a late breakfast at a coffee shop when the chief of police himself called to nullify his suspension.

  “Earlier this morning, he was ready to fire me,” he told Gavin as he dug back into his omelet. “Now I’m an asset to the department. An excellent psychologist as well as a highly trained officer of the law. A cross between Sigmund Freud and Dick Tracy.”

  “He said that?”

  “It was almost that ridiculous.”

  “If you’re back on the case, won’t Janey’s dad be pissed?”

  “I don’t know how the department is going to deal with the judge, and I don’t care.”

  “Do you want to keep working there?”

  “Do you want me to?”

  “Me?”

  “Do you like it here, Gavin?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Yes.”

  Gavin idly stirred his glass of milk with a plastic straw. “It’s okay, I guess. I mean, it hasn’t been too bad living here.”

  Dean knew that was probably as close to a yes vote as he was going to get. “I’d hate to leave this job before giving it a fair shake,” he admitted. “I think I can do a lot of good here. Austin’s a happening place. I like the city, the energy of it. Great music. Good food. Fine climate. But I also like having you living with me. I want you to continue to. So can we work out a deal?”

  Gavin regarded him warily. “What kind of deal?”

  “If I try out the job, will you try out the high school? I don’t mean just attend it, Gavin. I mean really apply yourself, make friends, participate in school activities. You’ll be required to put forth as much effort at school as I’ll be putting into my job. Do we have a deal?”

  “Can I have my computer back?”

  “As long as I have access to it at any time. From now on, I’ll monitor how much time you spend on it, and how you use it. That’s a nonnegotiable point. A
nother condition is that you must take part in some school activity or sport. I don’t care if you play croquet, so long as you don’t spend all your free time locked inside your bedroom or just hanging out.”

  He gave Dean a fleeting glance across the table, then looked back down into his plate. “I was thinking about maybe going out for basketball.”

  Dean was pleased to hear it, but he didn’t want to overreact and jinx it. “We’ve got the perfect driveway in back of the house for a basket. Want to see about putting one up so you can get in some shooting practice?”

  “Sure. That’d be good.”

  “Okay, then. We understand each other. And just so you know, I broke it off with Liz.”

  Gavin’s head came up. “You did?”

  “Early this morning.”

  “That was kinda sudden, wasn’t it?”

  “Actually, I’ve been thinking about it for some time.”

  Gavin began playing with the straw again. “Was it not working out because of me? Because I live with you now?”

  “It was because I didn’t love her as much as I should have.”

  “You didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.”

  It pained Dean for his son to think of his marriage to Pat as a mistake, although he was precisely right. “I suppose you could put it that way.”

  Gavin mulled it over for a moment. “Did Paris figure into it?”

  “Hugely.”

  “Yeah, I thought so.”

  “Are you cool with that?”

  “Sure, she’s great.” He took the plastic straw out of his glass and began bending and twisting it. “Did you sleep with her while she was engaged to Jack?”

  “What?”

  “You want me to repeat it?”

  “That’s a very personal question.”

  “That means yes.”

  “That means I’m not going to discuss it with you.”

  Gavin sat up straighter and looked at him with resentment. “But it’s okay for you to pry into my sex life. I have to tell you what I did and who I did it with.”

  “I’m a parent and you’re a minor.”

  “It’s still not fair.”

  “Fair or not, you—Damn!” Dean said when his cell rang again.

  He checked the caller ID, saw Curtis’s number, and considered not answering. But Gavin had slumped into the corner of the booth and was staring sullenly out the window. It would probably be a one-sided conversation with him from here on anyway.

  Dean answered on the fourth ring. “Malloy.”

  “You talk to the chief?” Curtis asked.

  “Yes.”

  “You staying?”

  Although he’d made his decision, he didn’t see any reason to jump through hoops for them. “I’m considering it.”

  “Whether you do or not, I need you to come in.”

  “I’m having breakfast with Gavin.”

  “Bring him with you.”

  Dean’s heart jumped. “What for? What’s happened?”

  “The sooner you can get here, the better. I just got some bad news.”

  • • •

  Curtis didn’t beat around the bush. “Your friend Valentino jumped his deadline. Janey Kemp’s body was discovered half an hour ago in Lake Travis.”

  Reflexively Dean reached for Paris’s hand and gripped it hard. He’d been surprised to see her waiting in Curtis’s cubicle when he and Gavin got there. She told him she had been summoned just as he had, with no more explanation than he had received.

  Curtis had arrived a few minutes behind them. He’d asked Gavin if he would wait for them with another detective in one of the interrogation rooms. As his son was led away, Dean had a strong sense of foreboding. Justifiably, as it turned out.

  “Two fishermen found her nude body partially submerged beneath the root system of a cypress tree. I was called immediately and rushed out there. Although she hasn’t been officially identified, it’s her.

  “The crime scene unit is combing the place. The ME is examining the body, even before he moves it. Hopes to get something. She looks pretty bad,” he said with a heavy sigh. “Bruises on her face, neck, torso, and extremities. What appear to be bite marks . . .” He glanced at Paris. “Several places.”

  “How did she die?” Dean asked.

  “We won’t know until the autopsy. The ME estimated that she hadn’t been in the water more than six or seven hours, though. Probably put there sometime last night.”

  “If you had to guess . . .”

  “I’d guess strangulation, like Maddie Robinson. The bruises on Janey’s neck match the ones she had. On the other hand, the two could be unrelated.”

  “Sexual assault?”

  “The ME will also determine that. Again, if I had to guess, I’d say very likely.”

  They were silent for a time, then Paris asked softly, “Have the Kemps been notified?”

  “That’s why I was late getting here. I stopped at their house. The judge was still fuming over the chief’s reversed decision and thought I had come to make amends. When I told them about the body, Mrs. Kemp collapsed, but she wouldn’t allow him to console her.

  “Each blamed the other. They shouted accusations. It was an ugly scene. When I left they were still going at it. I’m meeting them at the morgue in an hour to get a positive ID, and I don’t look forward to it.”

  He stared into near space a moment, then said, “They wouldn’t win a popularity contest with me, but I have to admit I felt sorry for them. Their only child has been brutalized and murdered. God knows what she endured before she died. I couldn’t help but think about my own daughter, how I’d feel if somebody did that to her, then dumped her in a lake for fish to feed on.”

  Dean saw from the corner of his eye that Paris had pressed her fingers vertically against her lips as though to forcibly contain her emotion. “Why did you want to see Gavin?” he asked Curtis.

  “Will he submit to a lie detector test?”

  “Bad time for a joke, Sergeant.”

  “I’m not joking. We’re no longer shooting in the dark. I’ve got a dead girl. I’ve got to tighten the screws.”

  “On my son?”

  “He was one of the last people to see her alive.”

  “Except the person who kidnapped and killed her. Have you checked out Gavin’s alibi?”

  “His friends, you mean? Yes, we ran down several of them.”

  “And?”

  “Unanimously they vouched for Gavin, said he was with them. But they were drunk and high, so their memories were fuzzy. None could nail down the time he joined them or the time he left.”

  “You’re only subjecting Gavin to this because he’s the one suspect who’s available,” Dean said angrily.

  “Unfortunately, you’re right,” the detective admitted with chagrin. “So far there’s been no sign of Lancy Ray Fisher even though we’ve staked out his apartment and his mother’s place. One interesting thing turned up on his bank statement, though. There were several canceled checks made out to a Doreen Gilliam, who teaches high school drama and speech.”

  He looked at them meaningfully before adding, “Ms. Gilliam moonlights by giving private lessons out of her home. Lancy, aka Marvin, has been taking speech and diction lessons.”

  “Speech lessons?” Paris exclaimed. “He rarely spoke.”

  Curtis shrugged.

  “To aid in disguising his voice, maybe?” Dean asked.

  “That was my thought,” Curtis said.

  “He worked for the telephone company and would have the know-how to reroute calls,” Dean mused out loud. “And he’s fixated on Paris or else why the tapes?”

  “One of the first things I’m going to ask him when he’s brought in,” Curtis said. “Finding this body raises the bar considerably, so off come the kid gloves. With everybody. I hadn’t heard back from Toni Armstrong, so I obtained a search warrant for their house. I made Rondeau personally responsible for cracking Brad Armstrong’s computer. In my book, he’
s got a real good shot at being our man. His own wife testified that she caught him picking up a teenage girl.

  “I’ve pulled in the sheriff’s office, the Texas Rangers, and the Texas Highway Patrol. Every law-enforcement officer in the city and surrounding area is on the lookout for Armstrong as well as Lancy Ray Fisher. In any case, we’re not putting the squeeze exclusively on Gavin.”

  “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Dean asked. “My son being lumped in with a sex offender and a porn star? And since you can’t find them, you’re requiring Gavin to take a lie detector test.”

  “Not requiring, requesting.”

  Paris laid her hand on his arm. “Maybe you should agree to it, Dean. It will clear him.”

  He wanted to believe it would turn out like that. But Gavin was holding something back. It was only a gut instinct, but it was strong enough to make him afraid of the secret Gavin was keeping.

  Curtis was frowning down at the folder on his desk that Dean guessed contained crime scene photos of Janey Kemp’s body. “The evidence we have on Gavin is circumstantial. Nothing hard. You’d be within your rights to refuse the test.” He looked up at Dean, and Dean recognized the detective’s challenge for what it was.

  “Fuck that. Gavin takes your damn test.”

  chapter 28

  “Paris, it’s Stan.”

  “Stan?”

  “You sound surprised. You gave me your cell number months ago, remember?”

  “But you’ve never called it.”

  “Only in case of an emergency, you said. I just heard about Janey Kemp on the news. I called to see if you’re all right.”

  “I can’t describe how awful I feel.”

  “Where are you?”

  “At the downtown police station.”

  “I bet it’s hopping. Did the body give up any clues to who did it?”

  “I hate to disappoint you, Stan, but the only gruesome detail I know is that she’s dead.”

  “Do you plan on doing your program tonight?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “The GM notified Uncle Wilkins about the body. They discussed it and thought that, with everything that’s happened, you might want to take the night off, replay a tape of an old show.”

  “I’ll call the GM later and talk to him myself. But if anyone asks, tell them that I’ll do the program live as always. Valentino is not going to scare me off.”