Detective on Call

by Regan Black

  Well, that was a tough one.

  “With more than a checkbook,” he clarified.

  Now she was stuck. “I’ve never seen an instance of hatred or anger hot enough to be deadly,” she countered. “Taking a life requires effort. Hicks was shot in the heart. I’m not sure Anna has even held a gun.”

  “The lab decided she’d worn gloves and wiped the gun down.”

  Pippa waved that off. “Whoever killed Hicks wore gloves and wiped down the gun,” she insisted. “You know Anna Wentworth doesn’t lift a finger if she doesn’t want to.”

  “So she hired someone to have it done.”

  “And asked the killer to drop the gun in her prized roses to frame herself?” She snorted. “Give me a break.” Restless now, she stretched her arms overhead and then walked over to her desk. “More important, she would’ve had to care about the man enough to want him dead. He was convenient, but she didn’t need him.”

  “She needed him to keep quiet about their affair,” Emmanuel said.

  “The prosecution was wrong about that,” Pippa said. “I’m telling you blackmail wasn’t a problem. Ed knew about the affair. He knew about all of her affairs before Hicks. No one would’ve paid him off.”

  “You’re serious?”

  She nodded. Emmanuel’s disbelief was no surprise. “The Wentworths’ marriage wasn’t typical.” Or maybe the happy-ever-after sort of relationship was the exception. She and Elizabeth had grown up in wealthy families with unconventional dynamics, and they had adapted differently. They’d both chosen personal accountability over convenience, one of the hallmarks of their friendship. Pippa understood that wasn’t always the case. Money might open doors, but unlike Anna, Pippa and Elizabeth valued the hard work and kindness that built lasting connections.

  Pippa understood she’d grown up with opportunities many kids didn’t get, but she’d taken on Anna’s case as a matter of righting a wrong. Much the same way her father had taken an unpopular stand to see that Brody wasn’t wrongly convicted.

  Life had crazy rippling effects on people. Elizabeth still believed in love and true devotion and all of that, despite the poor example set by her parents. And Pippa struggled to trust anyone outside of her siblings.

  Clearly she and her siblings had adapted differently even under the same roof. It was still odd to think of her brothers partnered up with women who made them wildly happy. Riley and Charlize would soon be parents, and Griffin and Abigail, with their foster daughter Maya, already were. New examples of family dynamics rooted in love and hope.

  But life had taught her that what worked for others wouldn’t necessarily work for her. Dating was pointless when she was too busy to feed herself, much less find a few minutes to have coffee with a stranger from an app. She was happiest when she was up to her neck in a challenging case.

  “Pippa?”

  She blinked, rearing back as he waved a hand near her face. “What?”

  “You checked out,” he said. “It’s been a long day. Let’s pick this up again in the morning.”

  “Right.” She pressed her hands to her eyes. “I do understand.” She dropped her hands and caught the flare of concern in his gaze. The urge to step into the warmth and strength of him was nearly irresistible. “At least you have a valid reason to hate Anna, beyond the tabloid antics.”

  “I handled her case objectively,” he said quietly.

  She really wanted to believe him.

  “Mom got a better job eventually,” he continued. “A better boss. I should be over it.”

  “It was a defining moment.” She forced her lips into a smile. “It’s also late.” Scooting past him, she aimed for the front door, but he didn’t follow. “As you said, we can pick this up in the morning.”

  “I’m staying.”

  “No.” She couldn’t have the detective who’d testified against Anna stay here. “Locks are all new and I’m safe, so thanks again.” She motioned for him to head out. He didn’t budge. “I don’t care what my brother asked you to do. I’m thirty years old and I can take care of myself.”

  “Normally, I’d agree.” He tipped his head toward the nasty message on her wall. “That implies you need backup.”

  She swore under her breath and pushed a hand through her hair. Pointing at the screaming red paint, she said, “That mess is on my wall because the GRPD made a mistake.” No more warmth in his eyes now. He was cold, his entire body braced against her. “In your opinion.”

  At the moment, the home invasion was the closest thing she had to hard evidence. “It’s more than that. I’m getting threats and stonewalled at every turn because I understand there’s a killer loose in Grand Rapids.”

  “Threats?” He took a step closer. “This isn’t the first trouble you’ve had.”

  She wanted to bite off her own tongue. “Why won’t anyone try to see this my way?”

  “Because everyone else believes the evidence.”

  “I know how it must have looked,” she allowed. “If you want to solve this home invasion, then you might have to rethink that. People in general might not like what I’m doing on the Wentworth case, but only the real killer has motive to drive me off of it.”

  Her heart thudded against her ribs as they stared at each other.

  “There are other explanations, other cases past and present,” he said. “I’m only being objective and doing my job.”

  “That’s true. So am I. I will see you tomorrow.” She opened the front door. “I’ll discuss this with you and your partner then.”

  His expression stony, he grabbed his jacket and walked out. Almost. He paused in the doorway. “Be careful, Pippa.” Something resembling doubt flashed in his eyes. “If we need anything more, we’ll come to you.” He cleared his throat and bent his head close to her ear, his breath fanning her cheek. “Tomorrow I’ll review the Hicks murder case one more time. With fresh eyes.”

  Then he was gone, pulling the door closed behind him. She locked it, and for several long minutes she simply marveled over the fact that she had finally gotten through to someone...especially that infuriatingly handsome detective.

  Maybe the day wasn’t a total loss after all.

  Chapter 5

  Emmanuel took the stairs down to the street two at a time, his mind spinning as he exited the building. Pippa truly believed in Anna Wentworth’s innocence. Based on her brother’s descriptions and anecdotes, he’d thought she was levelheaded. He’d assumed she was just helping a friend exhaust every legal option.

  But she really believed it. Worse, her dogged determination had him rethinking everything. What if she was right and there was a killer on the loose, ready to stop her before she exposed the truth?

  As a detective he’d seen more than his fair share of homicide victims through the years. Picturing Pippa snuffed out and lifeless gave him a chill he couldn’t shake. Even without the promise he’d made to Griffin, he wouldn’t have left her alone tonight.

  Antsy, he wasn’t ready to settle into his car yet. He walked around the block while he called Daniel to check in. “How are things there?” he asked when his partner answered.

  “Slow tonight, thankfully,” Daniel replied. “Are you on your way in?”

  “Not until morning.” He’d reached the back of her building. The parking lot, drive and a walkway leading to the main sidewalk were all paved, but there was grass on either side of the walkway and landscaping around the residential rear doors. Daniel had already searched the area for any prints or other evidence, but another glance never hurt anything.

  Fresh eyes.

  “Did you get our prickly victim delivered to her brother?” Daniel asked, distracting him.

  “No.” He sighed. “She’s staying the night.”

  Daniel chuckled. “She didn’t strike me as the run-away-from-trouble type.”

  “No,” Emmanuel allowed.
“I wouldn’t classify her as cooperative either,” he added.

  “Stubborn and cute.”

  “Don’t start that,” he said. “She’s a victim.” That status alone should nix any personal interest. Having sisters of his own, he could just imagine Griffin’s reaction if he voiced any of the observations swirling in his head.

  “But what if she wasn’t?”

  Without any caveats, Pippa would be a woman he’d want to know better. Intelligent and witty and independent was a heady combination, even before he factored in her beautiful eyes and figure. His palms warmed, recalling that moment when she’d lost her balance.

  “A shame she’s leading an investigation that could cause the department big trouble,” Daniel said.

  “Stop.” Daniel had just made everyone on the GRPD a potential suspect for the home invasion.

  “Have you even had a date in the last six months?” his partner challenged.

  “Of course I have.” He must have gone out with someone lately. It just hadn’t been memorable. “Have you found any security cameras that might help us find the perp?”

  “The church nearby has a few cameras covering the doors and the street, but no one answered when I called. I left a message and will follow up in the morning.”

  “Good.” Emmanuel moved toward the street until he spotted one of the church’s cameras. It was placed high enough it might help them. “What about the building?”

  “I spoke with the head of maintenance for the building. He confirmed there were service teams in and out all day and we’ll get the footage. More to the point, everyone coming in is supposed to use those paper shoe covers.”

  “That explains one partial,” Emmanuel said. Maybe the paper cover had torn or slipped and the perp hadn’t noticed. “All right. If you need me, I’m keeping an eye on things from the car tonight.”

  “For your friend?”

  “Yes,” Emmanuel replied. He managed to catch himself before offering more excuses that Daniel would only use to tease him later. “I’ll be in first thing in the morning,” he said. “Call if you need me before that.”

  He ended the call and walked back toward the building, right up to the service entrance. The motion-sensor floodlight came on and he stopped, searching for any kind of clue. Red spray paint had been used, by a man, based on the size of that partial boot print in the hallway. Whatever the man had walked through, Daniel hadn’t seen any evidence of it in the building, and he hadn’t picked up any trace of prints out here.

  No surprise. Everything at the service entrance was paved.

  Emmanuel kept thinking about that lone partial print, just inside Pippa’s back door. How long would the sole of a boot stay damp enough to leave a mark? He searched the landscaped areas around the residential door, then followed the walkway to the parking lot. Coming up empty, he returned to the door and started over, this time examining the opposite end of the wide paved steps.

  His light caught on a bit of crushed ornamental grass and displaced mulch. Jackpot. Well, maybe a jackpot. He took a couple of pictures, using his hand as a reference for scale. The depression wasn’t really clear enough to warrant making a mold, but someone had stepped off the path recently. It was a big leap to assume this mark was made by the same boot heel they’d found upstairs, though he was happy to have a target, something to watch for when they reviewed the videos from the security cameras on both buildings.

  If the intruder had come in or left through the residential exit, did that mean they were looking for one of Pippa’s neighbors in disguise?

  It was plenty to think about. He could run a preliminary background on the other residents from the computer in his car. Rounding the building, he unlocked his car and settled in for a long night.

  * * *

  Pippa stood back, pleased with cleaning efforts. The office was back to its normal, organized state. She’d even pulled her laptop and the Wentworth file from the floor safe so she could dive right in first thing in the morning.

  She went to the hall closet and found a reusable grocery bag. Carefully, she loaded up the pieces in need of new glass. Hopefully the framing shop could help with that too. Some of them had been purchased during her travels and weren’t easily replaced.

  The mess on the wall gave her a fresh rash of goose bumps every time she walked by, as if the person who’d put it there was still watching her, challenging her resolve.

  “Not for long,” she decided.

  Opening the app on her phone, she reviewed the list of service providers recommended by her insurance company. She would definitely complete her claim, but whether or not they paid didn’t matter. She couldn’t leave things like this. Having done volunteer work around the city scrubbing graffiti off public buildings, she knew that red spray paint wasn’t going to be covered with a simple coat of paint. Or ten.

  The cleaning and restoration company at the top of the list had a five-star rating and offered a twenty-four-hour answering service, so she called to schedule an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. Within minutes arrangements were made, and she’d uploaded the pictures she’d taken of the damage through the link at their site.

  It wasn’t until she was out of things to do that it all hit her. Someone had been in her house. She stared at that message. Someone had entered her home intent on intimidation, threats and destruction.

  The trembling started in earnest, and no amount of calm breathing eased the pressure. Her knees shaking, she double-checked the locks at the front and back doors. Everything was secure.

  She was safe.

  She clasped her hands together to stop the shaking. How long would it take for her to believe it? Her fingers itched to pick up her phone and call her twin. But Kiely was working and her other siblings were likely settled in for the night. She could handle this and discuss it calmly tomorrow.

  Frozen in the hallway, she wrapped her arms around herself as a dozen worst-case scenarios ran through her head. What if she’d been home when the man who’d left the boot print came through the back door? She often worked with her earbuds in and the music volume cranked up high. Would she have heard anything in time to protect herself? With surprise on his side, he might have done far worse than trash a room and ruin a wall.

  “Stop!” Her intended shout emerged a hoarse whisper.

  Nothing dreadful had happened. This type of vandalism was the work of someone who didn’t want to face her. The person had come when she had been away, intent on scaring her off the case. She’d been inconvenienced by the property damage, that’s all.

  It was over. She was alone and safe. No one could get in without her knowledge. Not her sister, not even maintenance until she gave them the key.

  Still, her hands shook as she walked into the kitchen to wash the glassware.

  She didn’t have to stay here tonight. There was plenty of room in the house where they’d all grown up, the house where Riley still lived and where they conducted Colton Investigations business.

  And if she ran away to Riley’s house, which was how she thought of it now, she’d be interrupting his new life with Charlize. Once she told them about this her siblings would circle the wagons and try to protect her. Griffin would raise more concerns about her involvement with the Capital X case.

  She couldn’t let them down. They were all worried enough about Brody. She would tell them in the morning, when she felt strong enough to overcome any discussion.

  The fact was she was safe. She was just overtired and frustrated because her home had been trashed. But that would be set right again soon. Topping off her water glass, she retreated to her bedroom with her laptop.

  There was absolutely no indication the intruder had bothered with anything in here, though everyone from Officer Jeffries to Detective Iglesias had taken a look around.

  Before she’d left, Officer Jeffries explained the prevailing theory was an intruder
had slipped in with a work crew, gained entry with a master key stolen from the maintenance office and slipped out again with no one the wiser. With a little luck the police would find something helpful from the security cameras around the area.

  If she kept dwelling on the trouble, she’d never get to sleep. Changing into her softest nightshirt, she added some extra moisturizer under her eyes and then settled into the bed to watch a movie on her laptop.

  As the streaming site loaded, showing her what was trending and what she’d been watching, she smiled a little. The intruder had most likely been searching for information on the Wentworth case, but having her search history on this site exposed would’ve been really embarrassing. Her reputation as a tough, serious and cerebral lawyer would take a hit if anyone discovered she was a sucker for sweet romance movies and shows.

  She treated herself to these light, pleasant hours because it was the only time a happy ending was guaranteed. Although one of the reasons she worked so hard for her clients was to reach a happy conclusion, sometimes making things right didn’t make things whole.

  Too tired to focus on something new, she turned out the light and chose an old favorite with plenty of humor to scrub the worst of the bad day from her mind. The hero reminded her a bit of Emmanuel. Confident and smart, he took charge unapologetically, yet kindly. While she didn’t always appreciate it when her brothers forgot she was an adult and tried to step in and protect her, she did appreciate Emmanuel’s efforts tonight.

  He stirred her up inside, despite all the reasons she shouldn’t let herself be distracted. It was more than his sharp good looks. She didn’t have any regrets about prioritizing a case over a man when it was all superficial, but add in the intelligence and the life experience that gave interest and depth to his face and she felt like a bee in a field of blooming flowers. She dozed off, her mind on Emmanuel, her imagination spinning movie-caliber scenes of quiet walks in the park and deep, drugging kisses.

  Hours later, her alarm clock sounded, and Pippa discovered she’d spent another night with her laptop on the pillow next to hers. Another secret no one needed to know.