Downstairs, Kate and Zane walked into the parlor off the main foyer, only to see a large pitcher of tea and two glasses filled to the top with ice. Kate tensed. Had Bryce stopped by? She moved to the front of the house to look for his car. Nope, just hers and Zane’s.
“Shit, there really are ghosts,” Kate said.
“I think there’s a logical explanation.” Zane opened the set of double doors on the back side of the room, which opened to a small dining room.
Beyond the dining room, Kate saw a tall, black woman standing in the kitchen. Who the hell was this? And what was she doing in Kate’s house?
Zane walked next to Kate as she entered the kitchen.
“Hi, I’m Kate Darby, and you are?”
The woman had smooth skin the color of black coffee, reddish brown hair, and eyes so dark Kate thought they might be black. But her dark eyes held a sparkle. Kate couldn’t place her age, but knew she was older than her skin portrayed. She wore a long floral print skirt that looked light and airy, and a peasant type white cotton shirt.
“Pleased to finally meet you, Miss Kate. Edward has spoken of you often over the years.” She didn’t offer a hand or her name.
Zane stepped forward, offering his hand. “I’m Zane Gwilly, and you are?”
Still not offering her name, she said, “I’m a tenant on the property.”
“Do you have a name?” Kate meant it to come out friendlier than it did.
“Azizi Carter,” she said, a hint of Cajun coming through in the pronunciation.
“Miss Azizi, what are you doing in my house?”
“Mr. Victor didn’t tell you?” She cocked her head, then turned back to the sink. “I was born and raised here. Lived here all my life. As did my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. The Carters are part of the property, you might say.”
Kate leaned against the doorframe. “Victor mentioned a tenant, but not one that stayed in the main house.”
Azizi laughed. “Oh, no, Miss Kate, I don’t live in the main house. I live in the tenant house out back. The only person who ever lived in this house lived in the servant’s quarters off the kitchen. That’s now a small guest room with a bathroom.”
Kate didn’t like how the woman didn’t directly answer her questions. “But you just come and go as you please from the main house?”
Azizi didn’t look at Kate as she nodded. She continued with her hands low in the sink. Kate wanted to step forward to see what the woman was doing. Instead, she said, “Do you have family here, too?”
Azizi looked at Kate now, the sparkle gone from her eyes. “I have no family.”
Zane broke the silent tension. “Nice meeting you, Miss Azizi. And thank you for the tea.” He took Kate by the wrist and pulled her away from the door. “Let’s go enjoy the tea.”
“What if it’s poisoned?” Kate asked as they sat down. The curtains and windows had been opened to let the breeze flow through the room. Kate felt uneasy. “See? This is why I didn’t sleep here last night.”
Zane poured tea into both glasses. “I’ll taste test for you.”
Kate watched as Zane drank down half a glass of tea. “It doesn’t have to kill you right away.”
“It won’t kill you,” Azizi said behind them. “It’s only spiked with a little hooch.”
Kate nearly toppled her glass as she jumped up from her chair. “Do you always sneak around like this?”
Azizi’s lips curved only a little. It could have been a smile, but Kate couldn’t be sure.
“It’s delicious,” Zane said. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a glass of tea this much. Only now I won’t be able to drive home.”
Azizi’s expression morphed into a full grin with perfect white teeth showing. “Oh, Mr. Zane, it’s not a lot of hooch. You be fine.”
For the first time, her grammar wasn’t perfect. Kate thought it said a lot about who she was. But what it said, she wasn’t yet sure.
Kate dared to take a sip from her glass, then settled back into her chair. “Whoa, this has a bite. It’s delicious.”
Azizi turned to walk away. “Been in my family for generations. Glad you like.”
Kate felt bad for being so bitchy. “Won’t you join us?”
“It’s not proper. Enjoy. I’ll have lunch ready around one.”
Kate jumped up again. “No, Miss Azizi, you don’t need to cook for me.”
Azizi didn’t respond.
Kate thought about following her back to the kitchen, but decided to sit back down.
“Do you think she worked for my grandfather?” she asked.
Zane looked at her, his face questioning. “And I would know this how?”
She wanted to smack him, but sipped her tea instead. “What do you think about this whole thing with the Vega chick and Underwood?”
“I’m trying not to think about it,” Zane stood and walked to the window. “What a view.”
“That little Angry Betty is up to something. I can’t quite put my finger on it. But she’s not on the up and up. And now she’s dragged my officer into her quagmire.”
“Really? Quagmire?”
“It means—”
“I know what it means. Just a weird word choice.” He put his glass back on the table. “I’ve got to get home to Wally.”
“How’s Wally doing?”
“He misses you,” Zane said.
“That’s bullshit, Zane, he’s always been your dog.”
Wally had been Zane’s gift to her, but the dog, a red merle Australian Shepherd, had fallen hard for Zane from day one. He’d never been or would ever be Kate’s dog.
“He’d love this place. So much trouble to get into.”
Kate smiled at the memories of the mischievous puppy Wally had been.
“What about Boyd? You think he’s really in on this deal Kim talked about?”
Zane pulled his keys from his pocket. “That’s a good question. I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop. This all smells fishy.”
Kate walked Zane to the front door. She wanted to leave with him, but she needed to learn to be alone in this house. “Dinner tonight? Bryce is coming.”
“I’ve got work to do. And I’m working on finding next of kin for Lopez.”
Kate stood on the porch as Zane stepped onto the garden path, headed to his car. “Maybe next week.”
After Zane drove away, she walked out to her car and grabbed her work computer and paperwork. It may be her day off, but she had a murder on her hands. And if Boyd wasn’t the killer, she needed to see who else might have killed Lopez.
Chapter 13
It had been a long night for Kim, and very little sleep. Jake awoke about an hour later, waited for her to roll off him, then he got out of bed. He needed to do his share of the household chores, and fix the steps leading to the dock. At Uncle Tucker’s house, there was always a “honey do” list.
He kept checking his watch, making sure Kim didn’t oversleep, because there were no second chances as far as Uncle Tucker was concerned.
Three o’clock. Jake moved the laundry from the washer to the dryer, then went to the bedroom to wake Kim. He gently nudged her. “Hey, sleepyhead, it’s time to get ready for work.”
Kim grunted and rolled away from him.
“Kim, get up. My uncle gave you a job, and I’m not going to take the wrath of Tucker if you’re late.”
She groaned and opened one eye. “I don’t want a job.”
Jake opened the curtains, even though the sun would make the room stifling hot. “Get up. I’m not your dad, and I’m not going to put up with a stubborn, spoiled brat. Either get up and take a shower or I’m calling a deputy to have you taken back to the jail. I’m not your get out of jail free card, Kim.”
She slammed her hand down on top of the covers, then threw them back. “Fine. Go away. I’m getting up.”
Jake left the room, vowing to give her only five minutes before calling the deputy’s number. Two minutes later, when he heard
the shower running, he breathed a sigh of relief. So, this was what it was like raising a teenager, he thought.
By the time she got to the car, she was more human than animal, and even smiled before she walked through the doors of Lucien’s to start her new job. Jake said a little prayer, even though he didn’t think it would be answered, that hopefully she was on her way to a new life.
Smiling as he drove back home, knowing his handyman work and chores were done, he looked forward to relaxing in a chair on the deck. Maybe he would even read a book. There wouldn’t be many more nice days this season.
As he drove across the canal, his phone vibrated. It was Sergeant Gwilly. Holy shit, isn’t this my day off?
“Where are you?” he asked.
“I’m headed home. Tucker gave Kim a job at the restaurant, and I just dropped her off.”
“Good, we’ll know where to find her.” There was a pregnant pause. “I need you to come to the house on M Street.”
“You know I’m off duty, right?” That was the exact wrong thing to say.
“What the fuck did you just say?”
He tried not to whine as he said, “I’m on my way.”
He hung up.
So, in police work, there wasn’t such a thing as a day off, Jake thought as he flipped a U-turn in the middle of the street and headed back into town.
When he arrived at the house where he first saw Kim, he was surprised to see crime scene tape up and several police cars parked around the perimeter and in the driveway.
Heart jumping in his chest, he thought, What the hell?
An ambulance drove up before he got out of the car. Dreading what Gwilly was going to tell him, he walked up to the house.
“Underwood. Here. Now.” Gwilly yelled from the side door of the house.
The front door had two-by-fours nailed over several pieces of plywood. They had busted that door up pretty good. When Jake looked into the side door, he knew shit had hit the fan. A dead man laid on the floor.
“Holy shit,” was all he could say. “Holy shit.”
“I’d like you to meet Kim’s boyfriend, fiancé, whatever you want to call him, Andy Foss. He was alive and well last evening. That’s when he posted bail and was released from jail. Don’t be bothered by the fact that he doesn’t stand up and shake hands.”
From where Jake stood, Andy had been shot in the back of the head at close range, or so it seemed. CID was already on the scene, processing evidence.
“When did you get the call?”
“About an hour ago.” He looked around the room. “Apparently a friend came by to visit, and when he saw Andy on the floor, he went next door and had the neighbor call the police.”
Gwilly pointed to Jake’s car.
“What?” He actually thought what now?
“Let’s get some booties on, and I’ll show you the rest of the crime scene. And I’d like to know were exactly your girlfriend was last night.”
He really wished everyone would stop calling Kim his girlfriend. At least for now. He walked with Gwilly back to his car. His sergeant opened the trunk, then grabbed a couple pairs of shoe covers. He handed a pair to Jake. Just outside the house, he sat leaned against the wall and pulled the stretchy fabric over his feet. Jake did the same.
The side door led into the kitchen, which was where Andy Foss, aka Numb Nuts, lay in a pool of blood as the CID officers placed evidence numbers and took photographs. He only knew it was Numb Nuts because of the snake tattoo coiled around his right forearm.
Andy lay face down. Jake moved a little closer to verify he’d been shot in the back of the head at what looked to be very close range. He wasn’t an expert, but he thought maybe the gun might have been pressed against Andy’s skin.
“The bullet was found lodged in the cabinet door. Took out a few of the guy’s front teeth on the way.”
Jake looked around the other side of Andy to see his face. Burn marks marred his lips, and a bit of blood spilled from the side of his mouth. He couldn’t see the broken teeth from where he stood. The officer held out his hand, showing Jake the bullet they recovered from the cabinet, then dropped it into an evidence bag. Pulling a pen from the breast pocket of his coveralls, he wrote the needed information on the bag.
“Whoever it was, Andy knew the killer. No forced entry, other than ours from the other night. And you can see that was nicely fixed up.” Gwilly stepped aside so the CID officer taking photos could get a different angle.
A million things ran through Jake’s head as he asked, “Did the neighbors hear anything?”
“Dornan’s chatting with them now. He should be back soon.” Gwilly rested the heel of his hand on his firearm. “There’s another one upstairs.”
Jake closed his eyes for a second, silently groaning, then followed Gwilly up the stairs he had climbed not so many hours ago.
In the same bedroom where Andy Foss had been tased and cuffed, a black guy lay flat on his back on the bed. Crimson spread out from under the body, turning a dark brown around the edges where it dried. This guy had been shot in the throat. He still had his hands wrapped around it, as if he’d tried to stop the flow of blood.
“Who’s this guy?” He really didn’t want to know.
“Leon Campbell. Ring a bell?”
He needed to sit down because the spinning in his head was making him nauseous. “Oh, shit. He was working with that cartel out of Mexico. What’s the guy’s name?”
“Oscar Silva. Goes by Payaso.”
The officer who’d shown Jake the bullet said, “Clown? That’s a little weird for a gang banger nickname.”
“Payaso as in the movie It. Not the fun-loving clown at kids’ parties. And he’s more like a gang leader, not banger.”
“All shithead bangers to me,” the guy said and went back to his investigation, chuckling under his breath, “Payaso.”
“Wow, this keeps getting messier and messier,” Jake said.
“No shit. This is all wrapping up in a nice bundle now, isn’t it?” The sarcasm heavy in Gwilly’s voice.
“Time of death hasn’t been established yet, right? I mean, we don’t know for sure.”
Gwilly grabbed Jake’s shoulders and turned him around, then shoved him out of the room. “That junkie has some explaining to do.”
“We don’t know that for sure until we have a time of death established.” Why the hell was he defending her?
“You’re going to go pick her up, and bring her to the station.”
“She’s at work. It’s part of her S.A.F.E. program rules. She needs to have a job.”
“Good for her. But we need some answers.” He quickened his pace as they descended the stairs.
“Can we see what other answers we get from the neighbors first? Tucker isn’t into second chances, and if we snatch her away from work on her first night, and she turns out to be innocent, well…”
“Goddammit, Underwood. This is bullshit. You’re not going to be a very good cop if you get personally involved in every incident you’re a part of.” They stood in the living room.
“It’s not like that. I knew this girl when I was a kid…”
“That was a whole different world ago, Underwood. This is now. This just went from a drug bust to a double homicide. And what better opportunity to save your ass than to kill the assholes you just gave up? Only I think she killed them, then came to the station to offer up her information.”
“I guess looking for the good in people isn’t exactly a great quality in a cop.” Head still spinning, Jake wanted to go outside and get fresh air.
“You’ll learn that eighty percent of the time, we’re dealing with the worst of the worst. If their lips are moving, they’re lying. Didn’t they teach you that at the academy?”
“Not in those exact words,” Jake said.
“Outside.” Apparently Gwilly read his mind. And as they walked back into the kitchen, he said, “You’ll become jaded, and it won’t take long. Pretty soon, you'll think everyone is lying
to you. And they usually are. Right after they say, ‘Okay, I ain’t got no reason to lie to you, sir, this is the God’s honest truth.’”
Once outside, Jake took a deep breath and closed his eyes for several seconds. He wanted to open them and have it all be a dream. Instead, he saw Dornan walking toward them.
“Hey, Sarge. I’ve got a little something to establish a timeline.” He flipped open his notebook.
“Shoot.”
“The lady next door said she heard a loud sound around one in the morning. But she didn’t get up to see what it was because there was always something going on at this house. She said she thought it was firecrackers or something.”
Jake knew gunfire didn’t really sound like firecrackers, but he kept his mouth shut.
Gwilly pulled out his own notepad and jotted down the time. He turned to Jake and asked, “What time did Kim come to the station?”
“I’m not sure. Tucker said he dropped her off, but he didn’t say where.” Jake thought about it. “I woke up and heard them talking somewhere around eleven, and then shortly afterward, Tucker and Kim left in his car.”
To Dornan, Gwilly said, “Get the video footage from the exterior of the station. I want to know what time the Vega girl arrived at the station, and what her state of mind was. Maybe we can see it from the video.”
“On it.” Dornan turned on his heel and marched away like a good soldier.
“The D.A. is going to shit his pants when he hears about this.” Gwilly handed Jake his cell phone. “And you’re going to be the one to call him.”
Jake hesitated before accepting the phone from him. “Don’t you think he already knows?”
Gwilly pulled the phone back. “Never mind. I’ll call him. And you’re going to your uncle’s place to keep an eye on Vega. I don’t want her thinking she can skip out the back door on this.”
Now even Jake doubted Kim’s motives.
“I’ll let you know what’s going on, and I’ll bring her back to the station as soon as I can.”
“See if you can get Tucker to let her go early. We need to have a chat with this girl.” The deep wrinkles around Gwilly’s eyes, and his sour expression showed the stress this had caused.
Angry Betty Page 10
