Boyd looked at him. “What? Who’s talking about sushi?”
“California Roll, it’s crab, avocado, and cucumber,” Bob informed him.
Kate said, “I think he is talking about rolling through a stop sign.” She looked at Boyd. “Some idiots think it’s legal.”
“He did a California roll, all right,” Zane said. “He fled the scene and rolled the stolen car.”
“Hence the reckless driving.” Bob jotted more notes.
“Where were you planning to dump Lopez’s body?” Kate asked.
“I hadn’t planned on dumping anything. You think I’d have stol…borrowed that car if I knowed a dead body was in the trunk?”
“So, you didn’t kill Marco Lopez?” Zane asked.
“I keep tellin’ you, I ain’t never killed no one. So that means no, I didn’t shoot Marco.” Danny leaned back and tried to pull his hands off the table. The cuffs caught on the metal bar.
“You didn’t kill Marco, you were just moving the body,” Kate said.
“No. I told you, I didn’t know he was in the car. Whose car was it anyways?”
As if he hadn’t already been told.
“The car belonged to Marco,” Zane said. “The way it looks, you killed him, put his body in the trunk, then Corporal Darby ruined your getaway.”
“Were my client’s fingerprints on the trunk? On the victim?” Bob asked.
In fact, Danny’s prints weren’t on the trunk. The body was still being processed. They weren’t looking for his prints so much as possible hair and fibers. Same with the interior of the trunk.
“Before you go putting my client in the electric chair, maybe you should take a look at the Kroger parking lot video footage,” Bob said as he put his notebook in his briefcase and stood up. “You have forty-eight hours to figure it out, and charge my client.”
The man was doing his job. It just didn’t look like it.
“Innocent until proven guilty,” Kate mumbled to herself.
“What?” Zane asked.
“Nothing,” Kate said.
“Forty-eight hours? I can’t stay in jail for four days. I got business to take care of,” Danny said.
Bob, Zane, and Kate exchanged looks, but didn’t correct Boyd. Then Bob turned around and walked out the door.
Kate uncuffed Boyd from the table, then recuffed his arms behind his back.
“You fucking ruined my day, bitch.” Boyd practically spat the words.
“You call me a bitch again, and I’ll ruin more than your day, asshole.” Kate jerked hard on his handcuffs, knowing how good that metal felt against bony wrists.
“You still ruined my day,” he sulked.
“Yeah, that makes two of us. Now I have to go to Kroger when I want to go home and get some sleep.”
Boyd’s slouched posture changed as soon as they stepped into the hall. He stood straight, strutting as they walked back to the holding cell. He wanted everyone to know he was a badass. Kate’s body shook as she laughed to herself.
Chapter 9
The night dragged on for years. By the time Jake’s shift was over, he decided going to the jail to talk to Kim was a bad idea. He wished his mind felt the same way when he woke up later that day. Getting off work at six in the morning made his first day off feel weird.
Rolling over in bed, he picked his phone up off the nightstand to check the time. Noon. He sat up. He could still make it to the courthouse in time to see Kim. He jumped out of bed, fully intending to take a shower and head out the door. Instead, he made himself a cup of coffee and called the court to see if Kim’s bail had been set, then drank his coffee as he contemplated his next move. He could go to the jail just to talk to her. Like Kate said, she wasn’t going to be making bail any time soon. This would be his chance to sit down and talk to her. Jake chugged the rest of his coffee and headed out.
Driving to the courthouse, he contemplated how this might affect his job. They couldn’t fault him for wanting to help out a friend, could they? He felt he owed Kim somehow. Or was his own guilt at not keeping in touch weighing on him? As if keeping in touch would have made a difference in her life. Somehow, he felt like he’d abandoned her. He hadn’t, but maybe he could be that friend who convinced her to get clean.
Driving to the jail, he pulled into the parking space out front and gave himself a moment to change his mind.
Good thing he didn’t wait much longer because as he walked up to the jail, Kim walked through the doors, looking dirtier and more disheveled than the night before.
“Hey,” was all he could manage as he stopped in front of her. “You made bail.”
She looked up. “What do you want?” Her eyes shifted in every direction, as if she was looking for a shooter.
“Do you have a ride?”
“What the fuck do you care?” She tried to walk around him.
Jake sidestepped around in front of her. “I’m here to give you a ride.”
“What’s wrong with you? You don’t know me or anything about me. Why are you stalking me?”
“Kim, it’s me, Jake Underwood, remember me?”
She looked at him, her eyes squinting against the sun, and maybe against a headache. “Little Jake?”
He smiled. “Not so little anymore.”
“Right.”
“My dear girl, what happened to you?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and asked, “What the fuck happened to you?”
Ouch, like being a stand-up guy and a cop was a bad thing. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I mean we were friends, and then you were gone.” She looked around the parking lot. When it seemed she didn’t find who or what she was looking for, she said. “Are you going to give me a ride or what?”
“Are you hungry?” Jake thought taking her to Lucien’s to eat, chat, and catch up, would be a good start.
“Not really. I don’t have any money anyway. And I need to get some clean clothes.”
He knew by looking up her records she wasn’t married and didn’t have any children. What he didn’t know was whether she had a boyfriend or a place to stay.
“Okay, I can take you to get cleaned up, and I’ll buy you lunch.” He could feel his enthusiasm for this idea fading fast. “Where do you live?”
“I can’t go back there. It’s probably crawling with cops still.”
“Oh, you live in that house that we raided last night?”
She uncrossed her arms and shoved him away. “That was you last night? I thought you looked familiar. I was so high, I thought maybe I was seeing things. Well, screw you. I don’t want a ride or lunch from no pig.”
She again tried to get around Jake. “Let’s just say I’m a friend, and forget the cop part.”
“No cop is a friend of mine.” She sidestepped again, but with less heart in her moves.
“I’m not the enemy, Kim, I promise. Let’s go get you some clean clothes and a shower. We can have lunch delivered.” He moved to her side and put his arm around her shoulders.
She stiffened and tried to get away, then she leaned into him as if suddenly too tired to stand on her own.
Once he realized she wasn’t going to bolt, he removed his arm from her shoulders, not wanting to get that smell on his own clothing. In the car, he wanted to crack the windows for fresh air, but Kim must have smelled her own stink because she rolled her window down first.
“If you’re not interested in going shopping, I can loan you some shorts and a T-shirt, and you can wash your clothes at my place.”
She stared out the window, not answering. He didn’t know how he could keep her from running if they went to the store, so he drove back to his uncle’s house. As he pulled into his parking space, he realized he was letting a total stranger into his uncle’s house, and into his life. And he still wondered who paid her bail. He’d have to look it up.
Kim sat up higher in the seat and looked around. “This is the lake house. You own this house now?”
Jake shook
his head. “I’m living with my uncle. I’m waiting for my apartment to be painted and cleaned. Then I’m going shopping, buying all new furniture and stuff. I can’t wait to have a place of my own.”
“Your uncle won’t mind me taking a shower and using the laundry?” She looked down at herself.
“He’s at the restaurant. He won’t even know.” Or so Jake hoped. Because even though Uncle Tucker was a nice man, Jake wasn’t sure how far his kindness went.
They got out of the car, and Jake contemplated where to hide his gun key. The gun was locked in a case when he wasn’t working, but the key was on his ring. It wouldn’t be difficult to figure out which one it was. He decided to worry about it later. She probably wouldn’t be there that long.
Unlocking the house, he opened the door and pointed down the hall to his bedroom. “First door on the left. I have a full bathroom in my bedroom. Just toss your clothes out, and I’ll put them in the washer after you’re done with your shower.”
For the first time, Jake noticed how old Uncle Tucker’s house looked. Nothing had been updated since he was a kid. Same dark wood paneling, same shag carpet. At least he’d had linoleum on the floors of the door leading to the lake, so the carpets didn’t have the musty stench he smelled in the lake houses he looked at when he was thinking he could afford to buy a house. He had quickly given up on that idea.
“After? How’m I gonna have clean clothes when I get out?” She crept down the dark hallway, stopping to glance at the family photos on the wall, straightening one of them.
“If I run the washer while you’re in the shower, you’ll either have a cold shower, or you’ll get scalded.” He raised his right brow as if to ask, “You okay with that?”
“I’ll put them in the wash myself. I don’t want you sniffing my soiled panties.” She winked at Jake.
He could only imagine how dirty her underwear was. The thought made Jake ill. Who would even think such a thing? He played along and said, “Gross,” then laughed.
“What’s gross is that this is the same bedroom you had when we were kids.” She sniffed around like the room smelled stale.
“Whatever. It’s just temporary. It’s not my room, it’s the guest room.” Jake opened the closet and grabbed a towel. Tossing it to her, he said, “Everything you need is in the shower. I’ll grab you a washrag.”
She snagged the towel and shut the bathroom door behind her. Jake went into the linen closet, grabbed a couple of washrags and another bath towel, in case she needed one for her hair. He smiled to himself. She remembered the room.
When he turned around to go back into the bedroom, Kim stood in the doorway, wrapped only in a towel. “I’m not letting you touch my clothes while they stink. Where is the washer?”
“Follow me.” He walked in front of her to not look at her, because even though she was scrawny and dirty, she was sexy as hell in that towel. He couldn’t afford to think of her that way. But then he thought of her that way when he was twelve, so how was this different?
Kim padded along the hardwood floors in her bare feet. He could hear her steps behind him. “This place hasn’t changed much in all of these years. We had a lot of fun, didn’t we?”
Jake turned to look at her as they entered the laundry room off the kitchen. He tried to hide the sadness in his heart. “We did. Where did it all go wrong?”
Kim’s face turned to stone. She put her clothes in the washer and said, “Don’t turn this on while I’m in the shower.”
She grabbed the towels from his hand, turned on her heel, and stalked back to the bedroom with purpose. Jake didn’t move, just listened to the sound of her feet hitting the floor. Then he pulled his phone from his pocket and ordered pizza.
He had no idea how long he’d been standing in the kitchen, staring out at the lake, when he heard his name. This prompted him to start the washing machine, then look down the hall.
“Jake! Hey, I need clothes.” She walked out into the hallway.
Wrapped in the same towel from before her shower, hair twisted up in the other towel. she looked small, sweet, and innocent. The only thing ruining the image was the slight tremors from coming down off drugs. He’d noticed, that even though she probably used meth as her drug of choice, her teeth weren’t rotted.
“Sorry, let me start the washer, and I’ll grab you some sweat pants and a shirt.” He poured detergent in the washer and started it. She stared at him the whole time.
“Don’t suppose you have a sports bra in here somewhere? Maybe your aunt?”
“No aunt, just my uncle, and I sincerely doubt he has a sports bra. Though a man bra might not be a bad idea for him.” Jake chuckled as he scooted past her in the hall.
His shoulder rubbed against the towel on her breast as he walked by. He’d had plenty of clearance as he passed, but the feel of it shocked and enticed him. He tried to pretend it didn’t.
Digging around in the dresser for clothes, he pulled out a pair of drawstring sweatpants that Kim would swim in, and a crew-neck tee. When he turned around to hand them to her, she dropped both of her towels to the floor.
The smile on her face didn’t reach her eyes. This was a performance and he could see this wasn’t what she wanted. As much as he wanted her, at least the memory of her, he didn’t want it like this. Though the thought of pressing his naked body against hers almost made him give in.
“This is what you want, isn’t it? It’s why you brought me here instead of taking me home. You wanted to clean me up and fuck me?” She raised her arms and spread them wide, her breasts lifting a little as she moved her arms higher.
He couldn’t help but take in her thin frame and shaking arms. For an addict, she still had a nice set of firm, round tits, but he tried not to look there, or at her light brown bush at the top of her legs. He felt an involuntary stirring in his crotch.
“No,” Jake threw the clothes at her. “I brought you here to help you. Get you cleaned up, and hopefully not with just a shower. But apparently, you aren’t ready to get clean. So, put these on and as soon as your clothes are washed and dried, I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
As she bent over to pick up the shirt she dropped, Jake saw tears brimming in her eyes. He wasn’t going to show empathy. She was a junkie, and she knew how to manipulate people. Standing naked in front of him, he knew she’d have sex with him for money. Manipulation. Hell, it’s what junkies did for a living.
“I’m sorry, but everyone wants something from me. No one ever just gives me anything. It’s not the way my life works.” She pushed her leg into the too long sweatpants while she held the shirt over her chest.
Jake turned back to the dresser and closed the drawers slowly, giving her time to get dressed before turning back around. It took everything in him not to pull the clothes right back off her to grasp her breasts and caress her bare skin. The urge to run soft kisses over her skin overwhelmed him, and he could almost feel her skin on his lips.
The doorbell rang, and Jake sprinted out of the room. What had he gotten himself into?
Opening the door, Jake paid the pizza guy, took the box, and turned around, almost plowing Kim over.
“You’re sorry you did this, aren’t you? It was a fantasy, and I’m not the girl you remember.” She took the pizza box from him. “That TV in your bedroom work?”
Jake nodded. He avoided answering her first question, because the nod was for both the TV and his actions.
“Let’s go lay on the bed and eat pizza and watch a movie.”
“It’s the middle of the day. Wouldn’t you rather eat outside?”
“I’m coming down off a week long high, Jake. I want to eat, because I haven’t eaten in days, and I want to sleep. Is it okay if I sleep in your bed?” She nudged him with her elbow.
Being on the same bed with her wasn’t a good idea, but Jake was hungry and tired, too. He let her take the pizza and lead the way, enjoying watching her walk down the hall in front of him. Enjoying seeing her in his baggy clothes.
Chapter 10
Before Kate left the station, she checked with CID for any new evidence from the trunk of Lopez’s car. She drove home disappointed. So far, the only evidence Boyd left behind were his prints on the driver side door and the interior driver side. While Kate checked on the evidence, Zane called the manager at Kroger.
She should be point on the investigation. She’d been trying to get off patrol and into CID for months. She hoped training Jake and getting her promotion to sergeant would expedite the process, not keep her in patrol. The department was short on patrol officers, so even though they’d need her to investigate, she’d still continue to patrol. Not that she didn’t like being a patrol officer; she loved it, but she wanted more.
“Gotta love franchises. They need a warrant to get the video, and even then, it could take a few days for Kroger to get the files from the corporate office.” Zane explained to Kate as she walked down the hall.
Whatever, as long as she didn’t have to release Boyd.
She wouldn’t be releasing him anyway. He’d go in front of the judge for the other charges even if she didn’t get the murder charge to stick. And with what he had on his sheet, she doubted the judge would set a low bail.
As soon as she got to her car, she picked up her phone and called Victor Norris’ office.
“Yes, Miss Kate, he’s still planning to meet you at eleven. Is that still going to work with your schedule?” Miss Eva’s voice as sweet as apple pie.
“I’m good, thanks,” Kate lied. She wanted to go home and sleep until the next morning.
She disconnected, then immediately called Bryce Trident. She’d known Bryce for as long as she could remember. They’d met in foster care. He’d seen his share of abusive homes before ending up living with Kate’s foster parents at the age of twelve.
That was when Kate thought Bryce was gay, even though she didn’t really know what it meant. Once when they were playing with their Barbie and Ken dolls, she tried to kiss him, and he shoved her so hard she fell over backwards. That’s when she saw he had her Ken doll on top of his Ken doll, only one was behind the other. She never tried to kiss him again, and she never played with Barbie dolls around him, either. And when he left that day, she gave Ken a bath because she didn’t want Barbie to be mad at him. As it turned out, Bryce wasn’t gay, but he’d been abused. Abused in ways another human being should never have to endure. Many times over the years, she wondered if he was trying to tell her something, but she was too young to understand at the time.
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