“Sophia, hun, I think I should get you home. You’ve had too much to drink, and you’re not thinking straight. How Toni and Jace met isn’t the point. He’s a free agent. And if Jace had no idea you guys knew each other, maybe Toni didn’t know either. Did you consider that?”
“C’mon,” Sophia slurred. “Don’t gimme’ that, babe. When me and Jace were together, the whole state of Washington knew about it.”
Cheree frowned and leaned closer to her friend. “Let’s go, Sophia. People are staring.”
“No.” Sophia motioned to the bartender. “Two tequila slammers, over here please.”
When the bartender had lined up the drinks, Cheree watched Sophia pour salt onto the side of her hand, lick it off, down the two shots in turn, then stuff a wedge of lime in her mouth. While Sophia was sucking the lime and screwing up her face, Cheree settled the tab and dragged her out of the bar by the elbow.
After helping Sophia back to her apartment in downtown Seattle, Cheree tucked a blanket over her comatose friend, and tiptoed out.
*****
A week after the TV awards, Sophia was no closer to coming to terms with Jace having moved on from their relationship. The memory of how he’d looked so comfortable with Toni, an arm snaked around her waist, twisted like a knife inside her chest every time she thought about it. She considered going to his office, but her nerve deserted her. She didn’t want to run the risk of him humiliating her and having to face the sympathetic faces of the people who worked for him.
There would be no rerun of the time in his office when he’d dumped her after she’d dropped by unexpectedly to see him at work. He’d closed the door to his office, sat her down, told her she was ‘too needy,’ and that he didn’t want to see her any more. She didn’t think any of his staff had heard the conversation, or her tearful pleading with him to reconsider, but she wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.
One evening, a few days after seeing Jace and Toni together at the Northwest TV Awards, and against Cheree’s advice, she called him.
“Hey, Jace,” she said in her sultriest voice, when he finally answered after her fourth call to him. “It was good to bump into you last week. Just wondering if you’d like to come over to my place some night soon? I could cook, and we’d have a chance to catch up.”
She heard Jace sigh. “No, Sophia, that won’t be happening. Listen, it was lovely to run into you too, but I’m with Toni now.”
“Oh, I know, and Toni’s so sweet,” Sophia said with a laugh. “I don’t mean anything too heavy. Just to talk, as friends. I think we have some unfinished business, and I hate seeing you make a mistake with Toni.” Her heart raced, feeling him slipping out of her reach. “There are things you should know about her. Scary things. She’s not what she seems.”
Jace paused. “I know everything I need to know about Toni, thank you.”
“But what we had, you and me, it was special, right? You can’t just treat me like this, tossing me away when you’re done and stamping on my heart. You led me on, you…”
“I love her, Sophia. What you and I had together was fun, but it was a two-month fling. I wish you all the best in the future. Goodbye.”
The line went dead. Sophia stared furiously at the phone. He hung up on me, she raged to herself. I wonder if Toni was there, listening, egging him on?
She walked over to the kitchen drawer and took out a sharp knife before sitting down at the counter. Pulling up the sleeve of her sweater, she used methodical strokes to cut diagonal slits on the thin skin of her inner arm between the crook of her elbow and her wrist. The same patch of skin was already marred with criss-cross scars, and Sophia savoured the pain as she drew blood. She wondered what it would be like to hurt Toni, to make her feel the type of pain she had caused Sophia.
As her blood dripped slowly onto the counter, she also wondered if Toni’s blood would be the same color as hers.
There was only one way to find out. At that moment, Sophia had a flash of clarity.
CHAPTER 10
Al called ahead to see if either of his assistants had arrived in the office for the day. Rob answered the phone after two rings.
“Yo, it’s Al.” He looked at the clock on the dash. It was 6:52 a.m. Out of curiosity, he added, “What time do ya’ start work, Rob? Kinda’ early, ain’t it? Ya’ got a place to go to outside the office, don’tcha?”
Al realized he knew very little about Rob, apart from the fact he was always available when needed, as well as being the best researcher he’d ever come across. There had been times when Al was in the Mob when he could have done with the kind of intel Rob came up with in lightning speed. It might have gotten him and his former boss, Vinny Santora, out of all kinds of trouble.
“I’ve been here for a while,” Rob said in a cheerful voice. “And yes, I do have a life, but thanks for asking.”
Al grunted, while making a mental note to speak to Cassie about inviting Rob over to the house for dinner sometime. Not when they were in the middle of this investigation, but maybe after things had calmed down.
“Got us a murder case,” Al said. “Wanna’ put the pedal to the metal investigatin’ it.”
“Toni Adams, by chance? I just heard about it on the radio this morning. I passed by her street on the way here to work, and there was a large police presence outside the house.”
“That’s the one.” Al swerved his car while taking his notebook out of his pocket. Navigating the narrow winding island roads with one hand on the steering wheel, he turned the pages of his notebook with the other, before placing the book on the passenger seat at the most recent page. “Call Luke and tell him to get into the office pronto. Ima gonna be with ya’ in about fifteen minutes. In the meantime, I got a list of names I need ya’ to get started on.”
Al glanced sideways at his notes and reeled off the information he had on Ethan Doyle, Tyler Alexander, and the janitor named Hector. “Also, Toni was seein’ a guy named Jace Carson. At this point he may or may not be a suspect, but wanna’ get him checked out anyway. Ima more interested in an ex-girlfriend of his. Don’t know her name, but she may have a grudge.”
“Sure thing, Boss. I’ll get right on it.”
“Thanks, Rob. See ya’ in a bit.” Al punched Dan Hewson’s number into his phone and waited for him to pick up. When the call was diverted to his voicemail, Al left a message.
“Hey, Chief, Al De Duco here. Just wanted to let ya’ know Hillary Adams has hired me to investigate her sister’s murder. I’d appreciate any help ya’ can send my way. Maybe ya’ can gimme’ a call when ya’ get this message.” He was about to hang up when he added as an afterthought, “Oh, and I hope yer’ head’s not sore after the dinner last night.” He chuckled. “Bye, Chief.”
When he reached High School Road NE, Al pulled in at Bainbridge Island’s nautical-themed Starbucks.
“Hi, Al.” The barista greeted him with a smile. “What’s it going to be? The usual for the three of you?”
“Yeah, Nessa, no one makes Bainbridge Blend flat whites like you do. Me an’ the guys love ‘em. And gimme’ six of yer’ biggest Chocolate Chunk muffins. Rob’s gonna need a lot of sustenance today.”
“Did you hear about the murder?” Nessa asked as she worked the coffee machine. “Toni Adams was a lovely woman. I’ll miss her cheerful personality in here. She always had a good word for everyone.”
“Yeah, it’s terrible.” Al scanned the room. He noticed several regulars he often saw at this time of the morning. A man he didn’t recognize was sitting by the window. “Who’s that?” he asked Nessa. “Isn’t it a bit early for the tourist trade?”
“No idea,” Nessa said with a shrug. “But he’s been here since we opened at 4:30 a.m. He came in all wet, like he’d been out in the rain.”
“Thanks, Nessa.” Al picked up his order from the counter and walked out, taking note of the young man’s appearance. He was wearing a pair of Clark Kent glasses and dressed in expensive designer clothes, albeit damp and
crumpled. His handsome face was unshaven, and his agitation was evident from the way he was tearing apart the paper wrapper on his muffin, piece by tiny piece. A small pile of shredded paper and crumbs lay on the table in front of him.
It was a short drive to the office, where Al handed Rob a coffee and the bag of muffins. “Here. Don’t say I don’t look after ya’.”
“Hope there’s one for me.” Al’s other assistant, Luke, said as he walked in the door behind him, and Al nodded at the coffees on the table.
Luke picked up a cup, while Al pulled the newspaper out from under Luke’s other arm. Toni’s face was splashed all over the front page of the Seattle Times.
“Ima gonna’ take this,” Al said, turning towards his office. “Rob, lemme’ know when ya’ got somethin’ on the names I gave ya’ earlier. Luke, you an’ me gonna take a little trip to Toni’s business when it opens. I need ya’ to find out who’s on her payroll, so we know what we’re dealin’ with. Rob’s already checkin’ out the guy I got a line on.”
Luke nodded. “I’m on it.”
In his office, Al spread the newspaper out on his desk and pressed the button on the remote control that turned on the television mounted on the opposite wall. The murder had gotten extensive coverage in the Seattle Times, which Al understood since Toni had done a lot of work for them, and the talking heads on the local TV news channels were all over the murder case. He spent the next couple of hours sifting through and making notes on all the information and theories shared in the press and on TV, which ranged from a burglary gone wrong to a crime of passion.
He glanced up as Luke came in. “Whaddya’ got?”
Luke sat down in the chair on the other side of Al’s desk. “Toni had several members on her staff. The receptionist, Angela, is a ditsy teenager in her first job since she graduated from Bainbridge High School. She was the senior prom queen, dated the captain of the football team, likes puppies. You get the picture.”
Al raised an eyebrow. “Squeaky clean?”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but I reckon she’s harmless. Did I mention her father’s the Mayor?”
“Gotcha’. Who else?”
Luke checked his notes. “A couple of temps, who worked on a part-tine basis during busy periods and when Toni had important jobs she needed help with. Toni looked after them well, and paid them more than the going rate, so they were very loyal to her.”
Al raised an eyebrow. “There’s gotta be someone who didn’t like her, or we wouldn’t be havin’ this conversation. Is that it?”
“One more. The next person’s more interesting.” Luke leaned in and said, “Barrie Jones was Toni’s assistant. They worked together for over five years. Barrie’s not popular with the rest of the staff, who call her Shark Lady. From what Rob tells me, Barrie’s boyfriend, some guy named Jim, made an offer to buy Toni’s business not that long ago. He got a ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ in reply. Shark Lady wasn’t too happy about that.”
“I see.” Al noticed Rob stick his head around the door, and called him in. “Good work on those people, Rob. What about the others?”
Rob came over and stood next to Luke. “The janitor’s name is Hector Delgado.”
Al scratched his head. “The name sounds familiar. Is he any relation of the woman who did all the campaignin’ to fund healthcare for Hispanic families a while back?”
Rob nodded. “Yep. His mom was Rosita Delgado. He’s a member of a few Hispanic Rights groups himself, although he’s not been very active in them the past few years. I have a contact who can infiltrate one of the groups and get us more info on him. It’s a male-only militant group, and they’re rumored to be behind some offensive smear campaigns against local politicians. As far as violence goes, there’s solid evidence of that as well.”
“In that case, we can assume Hector knows some nasty people,” Al said. The TV news was over, and the theme tune of a daytime soap opera filled the room. He clicked the remote control to switch off the television set. “That’s better. Now I can hear myself think.” He looked at his notebook. “Ethan Doyle?”
Rob shook his head. “I need more time to find out where he’s living these days. My contacts in Key West are still looking into it. Same with running a check on Jace Carson’s ex-girlfriends. It’s not a long list, so if a person of interest becomes apparent, I should know about it pretty quick.” He handed Al the pile of paperwork he was holding.
“No problem.” Al tapped his pen on the desk with an amused smile. Even when Rob didn’t have all the answers, he always knew someone who could get them. Al admired Rob for never naming his sources. Smart guy. He had a lot of respect for both of the young men who were in his office. “Thanks again, Rob.”
Rob turned to leave. Al was flicking through the sheaf of papers and said, “Rob, wait a minute. Think that still leaves that blogger dude, Tyler Alexander, right?”
“Sorry. Yes, you’re right.” Rob scratched his head. “That printout must have gotten pushed into another pile. In a nutshell, Tyler is a very angry man. He’s clashed with almost all of the companies who advertised on his blog. I’m not sure if it’s been medically diagnosed, but from what I hear, his behaviour is very symptomatic of PTSD.
“He was never in the armed services, but one of the advertisers said his own brother had been in Iran and when he returned from combat, he acted very similarly to Tyler. I’ll get the papers for you now.”
Al got up. “That’s okay, I think we got plenty to be goin’ on with.” He nodded at Luke. “What say you an’ me pay a visit to Food Porn Photography, buddy?”
Luke scrambled up from his seat. “Let’s go. I’m driving.”
“Nope. Ima gonna’ drive. Yer’ way too slow,” Al said, enjoying the bickering match that ensued the whole way down the stairs and out onto the street.
CHAPTER 11
Cassie looked up as Hillary entered the kitchen. “Those smell delicious,” Hillary said, admiring the cookies Cassie had just taken out of the oven and was placing on a wire rack.
“My baking’s average, but Al likes them.” Cassie smiled. “You can try one when they cool down.” She watched Hillary pull out a high kitchen stool and sit opposite where she was standing at the counter. The young woman’s eyes were sunken, and her skin was pale, despite her natural tan. “Did you speak to Jace?”
“Yes. I’m glad it was early and before he left for work, or he would have heard about the murder through the media. He said he never watches television at home, because it’s his job and otherwise he’d never escape from it.” She shuddered and closed her eyes for several seconds before staring back at Cassie like a wounded animal.
“It was awful. He said he’d spoken to Toni yesterday and wasn’t expecting to hear from her again for a few days, since he knew we were taking a trip. He’d texted her on his way home from work, but it was late when he got out of his meetings, so again he thought nothing of it when she didn’t reply.”
Cassie dusted some powdered sugar on top of the cookies. “How did he seem?”
Hillary’s eyes widened. “You mean, was he upset? He sounded kind of…stunned, is how I would describe his reaction. He became very quiet, and when he spoke I could hear and feel the emotion in his voice. He said it would take some time for him to process the dreadful news, and how his life would never be the same again. I know what he means.” As Cassie watched helplessly, she buried her head in her hands and began to sob.
“How about if I make us some coffee,” Cassie said, “and you can try out one of the cookies. I know it’s not the same, but when my children were upset when they were little I always gave them warm milk and cookies. When you’re ready, we can talk about who else you need to call and what practical matters I can help you with. Or maybe you’d prefer to lie down for a while? You’re going to need all of your strength to get through the next few days.”
The memory of her first husband’s death a year earlier was still fresh in Cassie’s mind. Despite her happiness with Al, a different piece o
f her heart would always belong to Johnny Roberts. The period following his murder while he was on a golf outing in Whistler, British Columbia, remained a blur to her. She knew she’d only made it through the aftermath of his murder with the help and support of her family and friends. Hillary had no family left, and Cassie’s heart went out to her.
Hillary looked up and blinked through her tears. “I think a cookie is just what I need.” She wiped her cheeks. “Would you excuse me for a few minutes? I just want to get freshened up.”
“You got it. Take your time.”
Cassie was sitting on the patio when Hillary returned a short while later. The earlier rain had cleared and made way for a cool but bright day, and every now and then a gust of wind blew the first leaves of fall onto the lawn. From where he stood on the top step of the patio, Red surveyed his outdoor kingdom.
It was the spot which offered the best vantage point of the vast garden, which was bordered by the expanse of water at the far end that was Puget Sound, tall pine trees, and shrubbery marking the boundary with Dino Argyros’ home next door.
Cassie was pleased to see Hillary looking better when she joined her outside. Color had returned to their guest’s freshly washed cheeks, and she’d fixed her hair into a loose bun. In place of the jogging pants she’d been wearing earlier were attractive jeans and a striped sweater. Around her neck on a strap hung a heavy camera with a protruding lens.
Cassie poured the coffee and held out the plate of cookies to Hillary, whose eyes lit up. “I warned you, I’m an amateur baker, so don’t get too excited,” Cassie said.
“This sounds weird, but do you mind if I take a photo first?” Hillary pressed a button on the camera and the lens began extending. “It’s such a gorgeous setting, and these cookies, with a bloom placed just here…”
Before Cassie could reply, Hillary had grabbed the plate of cookies. In no time, she had styled them on the table in an arrangement with the coffee pot and mugs, a few brightly colored fall leaves that had blown onto the stone patio floor, all superimposed against the natural backdrop of flowering pink echinaceas growing in the background. The camera clicked as Hillary began snapping rapid shots from different angles, her concentration evident. When she was done, she sat down and grabbed a cookie.
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