[Avery Shaw 11.0] Unwritten & Underwater

by Amanda M. Lee

  Okay, that was definitely an insult. “You know I’m sitting right next to you, right?”

  “I do.” MacDonald’s smile never faltered. “I think your true problem, Inspector Fraser, is that you’re used to bullying media representatives. The state police department is notorious for holding news conferences when it suits you. When the public needs or wants information, you zip your lips. I’m not here to help you zip your lips.”

  I was starting to like MacDonald. I generally hate people in positions of authority, so I considered that growth.

  “Ms. Shaw has been going out of her way to undermine our investigation,” Fraser argued. “I won’t stand for that.”

  “And how has she done that?”

  “Well … she interviewed one of Ms. Carpenter’s neighbors yesterday and then printed information we didn’t want to be made public.”

  “What information?”

  “The fact that Ms. Carpenter was hired to run the opening party for the aquarium.”

  “That’s hardly earth-shattering, and Avery found the information by legal means,” MacDonald pointed out. “I refuse to admonish her for doing the job we pay her to do.”

  “Yes, but she’s going out of her way to dig up dirt.”

  “Then perhaps you should be holding regular conferences to update the public,” MacDonald suggested. “If you were, she probably wouldn’t have time to track down people and so easily annoy you.”

  “I would find time,” I interjected.

  “Of course you would.” MacDonald looked as if he was enjoying himself. “I don’t know what you expected to accomplish by coming here, Inspector Fraser, but I can guarantee I’m not pulling Avery off this story. It’s the biggest thing going on in the county right now. That means we want our best reporter on it.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from puffing out my chest. “I’m your best reporter?”

  “Don’t let it go to your head.” MacDonald glanced at his watch. “If that’s all, my morning is full of meetings.”

  “That’s not all.” Fraser was clearly annoyed. “I’m not leaving until you agree to take Ms. Shaw off the story. That’s why I came here.”

  “Well, then I guess we can reserve the room for you,” MacDonald said. “There’s coffee in the break room. Enjoy your day.”

  I followed MacDonald’s lead and got to my feet. “Can I go and interview people?”

  “That’s what we pay you to do.” MacDonald held open the door so I could squeeze out in front of him. “Keep up the good work.”

  “I’m really starting to like you.” I waited for MacDonald to return the compliment, but he didn’t. “Don’t you have something to say to me?”

  MacDonald nodded. “Don’t get arrested.”

  Oh, well. I’d heard worse.

  16 Sixteen

  I was feeling empowered when I left the newspaper office, MacDonald’s verbal slap attack on Fraser filling me with joy. I took the time to look up the location of Haugh’s law office before heading to Oakland County. I could only hope I’d find him there rather than have to track him down in court. If I was forced to grapple with the latter it would take a big chunk out of my day. I needed that chunk to plot revenge against Eliot.

  Haugh headlined his law office with two other attorneys, both big names in the criminal justice system. The trio had gotten more guilty people off than I was comfortable acknowledging. Sure, there’s that whole “innocent until proven guilty” thing – and I generally believe that should be adhered to – but sometimes you know when someone is guilty and they’re only acquitted thanks to oily defense attorneys.

  Haugh and his cohorts were the oiliest of the oily.

  The building that housed Haugh’s practice was ritzy, one of those fountains with naked women statues in the lobby. I took a moment to check out the impressive racks on the statues, which looked like crosses between Victoria’s Secret models and deranged mermaids, before hopping in the elevator and riding to the fourth floor.

  The law office suite was eerily quiet as I entered. The only living soul I saw belonged to a bubbly blonde behind the front desk. She looked up when I entered, giving my Capri pants and “Party like a Vulcan on Romulan Ale” shirt a dubious glance as she attempted to remain welcoming. “Can I help you?”

  “I’m looking for Edward Haugh.”

  “Mr. Haugh is in a meeting right now. Is there something I can do for you?”

  The nameplate on the woman’s desk read “Jenny Finch.” She looked energetic, full of life and likely to chat my ears off if I gave her an opening. On a normal day I’d give her a wide berth. But secretaries are fountains of untapped gossip, so I did the exact opposite.

  “Jenny, right?”

  The young woman’s eyes widened. “How did you know that?”

  I pointed toward the nameplate and swallowed the twenty different snarky responses that hopped to the front of my mind when she asked how I knew her name. “My name is Avery Shaw. I’m a reporter for The Monitor in Macomb County.”

  “Oh, is that a television station?”

  Yup. She was dumber than I initially realized. “It’s a newspaper.”

  “Oh, well, that’s almost as cool.” Jenny looked a little disappointed. “Mr. Haugh is in a client meeting. Is there a reason you want him?”

  “I need to ask him a few questions.”

  “Without a camera?” Jenny was dubious. “I think he only does interviews if he’s promised to be photographed for the article.”

  “Yes, well, we met a few days ago and something tells me that he’ll be okay with it.” That was more wishful thinking than belief, but there was no reason to admit that to Jenny. I had time to burn, so I decided to take advantage of the situation. “I can wait until he’s done talking to his client.”

  “Okay, well, there are magazines on the table.” Jenny pointed toward the couch and coffee table to the side of her desk. “You can get comfortable.”

  “I figured I would just talk to you.”

  “Me?” Jenny touched her chest, her blue eyes going wide. “You want to talk to me?”

  “I’m just trying to get some foundation,” I replied. “It’s not on the record or anything.”

  “Oh, well, it can be on the record if you want.” Jenny clearly made the offer on a whim, not thinking through the full ramifications. I had a feeling that’s how she made most of her decisions. It was lucky for me that I happen to like that in a person. “Do you know Cara Carpenter?”

  Jenny knit her eyebrows and pressed her lips together. “I’m not sure. Is that one of Mr. Haugh’s clients?”

  “No. Er, well, I don’t think she was one of his clients. I saw them together at the market on Friday. I got the distinct impression that they were dating.”

  “Oh. Her.” Jenny said “her” with all the finesse of an elephant stomping a spider. “I know who you’re talking about. Pretty brunette, right? Really fake.”

  Given the size and placement of Jenny’s boobs, I thought it was rich for her to call anyone else “fake.” I wisely kept that to myself, though. “That’s her. What do you know about her?”

  “Oh, well, she hasn’t been around very long,” Jenny supplied, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was eavesdropping. “I don’t know where Mr. Haugh met her, but she’s a kind of recent addition to his life.”

  The way Jenny talked about Cara in the present tense made me realize she didn’t know the woman was dead. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. “So they were dating?”

  “I think they only went on a few dates. He brought her to the office twice.”

  “Was that normal for him?”

  “I wouldn’t say it’s abnormal,” Jenny replied. “Mr. Haugh is very popular with the ladies. He’s quite handsome.”

  “Sure. If you like that type.”

  “Who doesn’t like that type?” Jenny adopted a dreamy expression. “He wears really expensive suits and he has a lot of money. I once saw him tip a delivery guy a hundred bucks just f
or carrying sandwiches up to this floor.”

  “I prefer my men buffer and sweatier. Although, to be honest, I hate most of the men in my life right now. One of them showed up naked in my pool yesterday morning and the other is essentially blackmailing me.”

  “Oh, that’s the worst.” Jenny nodded as if she understood my predicament. “Mr. Haugh would never do either of those things. I guess he might do the naked thing, but only in his own pool. He would never do it in someone else’s pool.”

  “That’s a good rule.” I leaned against Jenny’s desk and took a moment to study the photographs on the wall. Each was a posed monstrosity, men in suits mugging for the camera. They were boring and typical of the law offices I’d visited since starting out as a reporter. “Do you think Haugh and Cara were serious?”

  “I don’t think Mr. Haugh gets serious with anyone. It’s not his way.”

  “What is his way?”

  “He tends to date a woman for a month … sometimes two … and then he moves on to another woman,” Jenny explained. “I don’t think he’s the type to settle down for the long haul. Some men aren’t built that way. They’re born to roam free.”

  She sounded a bit whimsical – or Wild Kingdom – which was annoying. “If any man ever runs that line on you, turn around and take off in the opposite direction. That’s a total pile of manure.”

  “Has a man ever told you that?”

  “No.”

  “Not even the one blackmailing you?”

  “He’s not really blackmailing me. That’s simply the closest word I can come up with to describe what he is doing to me. As for wanting to roam free … he’s the exact opposite. He generally wants to stay close, which is funny, because I honestly pegged him as a wandering cad the first time I met him.”

  Jenny brightened considerably. “So he changed?”

  “No, I think he was always the way he is. He simply hid it deep down inside.”

  “Maybe Mr. Haugh is hiding it,” Jenny mused, taking on a far-off expression. “Maybe he hasn’t met the right woman yet.”

  “Maybe.” Although not bloody likely.

  “Maybe he’s met her and simply doesn’t realize it yet.” I could tell Jenny was lost in plotting, so I wandered away to leave her with a bevy of ridiculous thoughts while I got comfortable on one of the leather couches.

  I didn’t know what to expect when I sat down with Haugh, but I had a better idea what kind of man I was dealing with. It seemed my initial reaction was spot on. He was a total tool. I knew how to deal with tools.

  “I’M SORRY YOU had to wait so long.”

  Haugh was surprised when he walked his client out of his office and found me waiting in the lobby. He recovered quickly, not bothering to ask why I was there, instead gesturing toward his office. I offered Jenny a small wave, which she didn’t even acknowledge because she was so busy staring at Haugh with a moony expression that she apparently transported to another world.

  “It’s fine.” I sank into the comfortable chair and rested my reporter’s notebook on my knee. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to approach this as a fact-gathering mission or interview. “Have you heard about Cara Carpenter?”

  Haugh’s expression was hard to read – a mixture of grim acceptance and polite curiosity – as he nodded. “I did hear about it. It’s tragic news. She was so young and full of life.”

  “She was. How well did you know her?”

  “Not well.” Haugh tugged on his vest as he leaned back in his chair. “We only became acquainted a few weeks ago.”

  “How?”

  Haugh chuckled, catching me off guard. “Is this an interrogation?”

  “I’m interested in learning as much as I possibly can about Cara’s life,” I answered. “I knew her, so … I want to know how she died. I figure that’s the least I can do for her.”

  “Forgive me, but I got the distinct impression that you didn’t like one another,” Haugh said. “When we left the store the other day, Cara was quite … vociferous … regarding her disdain for you.”

  Well, at least he wasn’t pretending to be friendly. I preferred that in instances like this. “We had some issues. That doesn’t change the fact that I want to know who killed her.”

  Haugh’s eyebrow winged up. “I thought she accidentally drowned.”

  I narrowed my eyes, suspicion bubbling up. “No. She was murdered. It was all over the news yesterday.”

  “I guess I must’ve missed that. I only saw the initial coverage. I assumed there was some sort of tragic accident.”

  I couldn’t decide if he was lying. He was a lawyer, and most of the individuals I’d met throughout the years in his profession were obnoxiously good at avoiding the truth. “She was strangled and then left in the pool to drown.”

  “That’s terrible.” Haugh said the words with enough force to make most anyone else believe he was shocked. I read people extremely well, though, and I felt something else under the surface of his sugary veneer. “Do they have any suspects?”

  “They have a number of suspects. I’m one of them.”

  “I see.” Haugh didn’t bother to hide his smile. “Are you conducting your own investigation to clear your name?”

  “I have a pretty good alibi, no matter what the inspector handling the case seems to believe. I’m not too worried.”

  “That’s good. If you need representation, I would be more than happy to take you on.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” I rolled my neck as I struggled to get more comfortable. “I’m more interested in what you can tell me regarding the last days of Cara’s life.”

  “Why would I have those answers?”

  “You were involved.”

  “Only marginally,” Haugh said. “As I said before, we met only a few weeks ago. Our relationship – if you can even call it that – was still in its infancy. I wouldn’t refer to her as my girlfriend.”

  “What would you call her?”

  “A delightful dinner partner.”

  The answer was a bit too easy. “So … you weren’t sleeping together?”

  Instead of being offended by the question, as I expected, Haugh merely chuckled. “You’re direct. I like that about you.”

  “You’d be one of the few people to feel that way for more than a few minutes.”

  “I don’t believe that for a second.” Haugh’s smile was smug. “I saw you with your friend at the market. You two seemed quite enamored with each other.”

  “That feeling comes and goes.”

  “Is it coming or going right now?”

  “Are you hitting on me?”

  Haugh shrugged. “Do you want to be hit on?”

  “Not by you.” I saw no reason to mince words. “You still haven’t answered the question. When was the last time you saw Cara?”

  “I believe it was the last time I saw you.”

  I didn’t believe him. Of course, I was predisposed to assume everyone was lying to me when I approached them for a story. I was right more often than wrong on that front. “Not Sunday?” I decided to bluff. “I heard you were with her on Sunday.”

  Haugh shifted – but only a bit – at my matter-of-fact delivery. “Sunday? Who told you I was with Cara on Sunday?”

  “The state police inspector who questioned me after I discovered Cara’s body.”

  For the first time, Haugh’s slick demeanor slipped. “You found Cara’s body? Is that why you’re a suspect?”

  “I was with a few people for the opening of the aquarium when I found her,” I replied. “I wasn’t alone. I’m a suspect for a variety of reasons.”

  “Including the fact that you and Cara hated one another?”

  “That could have something to do with it. I’m not exactly known for playing well with others.”

  “I see.” Haugh stroked his chin. “Now that you mention it, I did see Cara on Sunday. Only very briefly. We had brunch together.”

  “Was that after you spent the night together?”

  “M
y, my, my, Ms. Shaw. You have an inordinate interest in my sex life. Why is that?” Haugh was back in smarm mode, and I didn’t like it a bit.

  “I’m not interested in your sex life. I’m interested in Cara’s sex life.”

  “Well, I don’t believe my private life is any of your concern,” Haugh said. “I understand that you’re upset about Cara’s passing. I’m upset, too. It’s … tragic.” He’d said that word so many times I was fairly certain he had no idea what it really meant. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to sit here and allow you to verbally abuse me.”

  “Oh, I haven’t even gotten close to my everyday level of verbal abuse. I guess it doesn’t matter, though. I didn’t expect you to tell me the truth.”

  “And why is that?”

  “You’re a lawyer.” I pushed myself to a standing position. “I won’t be the last person to come asking questions. I will be the most pleasant. When the state police come calling I think they’re going to be a little more abusive than me.” At least I hoped that was true.

  Haugh didn’t shift in his chair. “And why would they question me?”

  “Because you were dating Cara. The first person cops look at when someone is murdered is the significant other.”

  “If that’s true, why haven’t I been questioned yet?”

  “Probably because they didn’t know about you early on. I’m sure Inspector Fraser will be excited to hear more about your relationship with Cara. He seems extremely gung-ho.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  The question took me by surprise. “Is what a threat?”

  “What you just said. Are you threatening to tell the state police I was dating Cara – was with her over the weekend before she died – unless I answer your questions?”

  “Oh, I’m telling Fraser regardless. I was simply giving you the chance to get your side of things on the record before the news becomes public. I really don’t care one way or another how you come out looking. But you might feel differently.”

  Haugh’s expression darkened. “I see. Well, I think this … conversation … is at an end.”