All the Deadly Lies Page 10

  Louie waited several minutes before Julie picked up.

  “Hello.”

  “This is Detective Romanelli.”

  “Detective, I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. I was away this weekend.”

  “How are you doing?” Louie noted the stress in her voice.

  “Not good. I’ve known Chelsea since we were in high school. I can’t put my head around it—I just can’t believe she’s gone.” Julie cried, making her words difficult to understand. “I’m sorry. I’m having a hard time holding it together.”

  “Please try, we need to go through the night you all went out to dinner.” Louie asked.

  “Okay.”

  A half hour later, Louie ended the call. He’d gathered more information into Chelsea’s life, both as a friend and as a mother, but he got nothing new from Julie concerning their last night together. Her story matched Sara’s. Glad to be off the phone, he rubbed his ear to ease the pressure.

  “Next one’s yours,” he told Jake.

  “She talked for a long time.”

  “Chelsea’s her best friend. You could feel her grief.”

  “What’s the name of the next one?”

  “Let me see—Jora Stein. She worked with Chelsea.”

  “Is this her work number or her home number?”

  “Work,” Louie answered.

  * * * *

  Jake got nothing new from Jora either. Nothing exciting happened to any one of them except for Chelsea’s disappearance. No one else but Jora had interacted with anyone outside of their small group, and she had left right after Chelsea. Jora said the guy was an epitome of an asshole. She had never let it get past the stage of talking with him at the bar. Chelsea had left due to boredom, around ten o’clock.

  According to Jora, Chelsea never complained about anyone bothering her—not socially, professionally, or personally. A quiet woman, a homebody who went to work then home, Chelsea didn’t care to date. The divorce had left her bitter. Once a week, she’d go out with her friends for a quick meal.

  Jake played the conversation over in his mind, frustrated with the lack of leads. Murder was rarely a random act—was this one of those times it was? In his cases throughout the years, with few exceptions, survivors had stated the victim had no enemies. But he always found at least one, if not more. A person didn’t go through life without at least a smudge. He chided himself. It was too early yet in the investigation to classify it. A lot more work needed to be done before he’d give up. Tomorrow they’d dig deeper into the lives of her kids, the ex-husband, the new wife, and her friends.

  Jake turned to Louie. “Did you hear back from the airlines yet? If not, do a follow-up call. See if we can’t at least tie that up.” Jake went down his list and checked off everything they’d accomplished today.

  “Hmm! You’re leaning toward the new model for this. Did she have enough time to fly in, kill Chelsea, and then out fly out again?”

  “That’s where my gut’s leading me. I want to know why she lied. Could be innocent enough, if she didn’t want to say where she had gone in front of her husband.”

  “Do you want to take a ride? The bartender over at the golf course returned my call. I’m heading over there now. It’s close to lunchtime. We can grab something to eat there.”

  Jake’s personal cell phone rang before he could respond. He took it out of his pocket to check the display and smiled.

  “Let me guess—Mia?”

  Jake nodded, turning away from Louie.

  “I’m in Wilkesbury today. Do you want to meet for lunch?” Mia asked.

  “I’d love to. Let me rearrange a few things and I’ll call you right back,” Jake said, as he ran down the list of to-dos in his mind. Everything could wait a half hour or more.

  “Great,” she said, before hanging up.

  “Change of plans.”

  “I heard.” Louie beamed like a proud papa. “Remember, Sophia and I fixed you up.”

  “I’ll remember when things don’t work out,” Jake teased. He loved busting Louie’s chops.

  “Nice, Jake. See, it’s doomed before it starts if you feel that way. I’ll take lunch at the golf course alone. You do what you have to do.”

  Jake tolerated Louie’s lectures most times. He appreciated it when Louie walked away, giving him some privacy. He punched in Mia’s number.

  “Where do you want to meet?” Mia asked.

  “How about Café Pablo, right off the highway? Do you know where it is?”

  “Yes, it’s perfect because I’m in the east end of town today. When do you want to meet?”

  “Now is good?”

  “I’ll need at least fifteen minutes to write up my meeting notes then I’ll see you there,” Mia said.

  “Take your time. Depending on traffic, it’ll take me ten or fifteen minutes to get there”

  The day didn’t start out well, but seeing Mia would turn it around. Should he tell her about Chloe? Did she see her this morning? Should he wait—see if it happened again?

  “Let me remind you lunch is a half hour, buddy,” Louie said, with a twinkle in his eye. “So, no nooners.”

  Jake wiggled his brow. “You’re jealous. I’ll be back when I’m back.” He grabbed his jacket, tossed Louie a grin over his shoulder as he headed to his car for the drive across town.

  * * * *

  Before Jake reached his car, Louie had Sophia on the phone. “You’ll never guess who’s having lunch with whom,” Louie said when Sophia answered.

  “Oh Louie, you’re such a child. Back off and don’t screw this up for him.”

  “Geez, Sophia, you’re the second person to accuse me of that today,” Louie said.

  “Well, you have a knack. So, it’s working out. It took us what, ten years to get it right?”

  “Yep. Also, I wanted to let you know that I might be working late. I’ll let you know for sure after lunch.”

  “Okay.”

  “I have to run, bye.” Louie hung up, turning his mind back to the business of murder. He bounced between cases. Could Jake be right about Chloe being involved in her sister’s murder? Louie hoped not. Having dated her during the investigation could put a black mark on Jake’s spotless record.

  Chapter 7

  Mia arrived at the restaurant before Jake and took the booth by the dessert display counter. It gave her a bull’s-eye view of the front door. Located in a strip mall, Café Pablo used to be part of Frankie’s, a famous local hot dog place. The manager had bought it from Frankie’s owner. Café Pablo had flower pots outside with big, bright blooms announcing spring. The Frankie’s side served fast food with ambience. A hodgepodge of memorabilia covered the walls, taking the diner back to another time and place. The owner, Tommy, greeted each guest as they arrived. Café Pablo’s Italian flavor offered a relaxing atmosphere with scrumptious desserts. No matter which side you chose, you couldn’t help but enjoy the food.

  Mia caught a glimpse of Jake through the front window as he approached the restaurant. His graceful movements reminded her of a cat ready to spring. He wore a sport coat with jeans and a button-down shirt. He smiled when he spotted her and walked over to the booth. It surprised her when he leaned down and kissed her. She was glad public displays of affection didn’t bother him. It put another plus in the yes column for dating him.

  “Hi,” he said, taking the seat across from her.

  “I like your greetings. Another second, we’d have had to leave.”

  “Hmm, you’re saying you’re easy?” His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled over the menu at her. It was a simple gesture that quickened her pulse.

  “It seems I am with you.” Mia took his hand across the table.

  “Good, I like that.” Jake rubbed his fingers over her emerald ring.

  “I can’t explain why, but you put me
at ease.”

  “I hope so, after this weekend.” His green eyes sparkled with laughter.

  Both stopped talking as the waiter approached their table and took their order.

  And before Mia knew it, time ran out. After paying the bill, Jake walked her to her car. There, he took her in his arms and kissed her again. A car pulled alongside of them. Jake’s adrenaline kicked in when he heard the window go down. He spun around, pushing Mia behind him and drew his weapon. He started to relax when he spotted one of his detectives at the wheel. Disgusted, he holstered his weapon.

  “Is this what you do on company time, Lieutenant?” Kraus said.

  “Funny, Kraus. Get the hell out of here.”

  “Nope, not until I get an introduction. You kept her all to yourself at the party.”

  “Mia, this jerk’s Detective Gunther Kraus. He’s also known to his friends as Gunner. Smart women stay clear of him.”

  “Nice, Jake. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mia. He’s the shady one, so watch yourself.” Kraus drove away without another word.

  “Asshole,” Jake muttered.

  “Be nice.” Mia laughed.

  “I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later?”

  “I look forward to it. See ya.”

  Mia climbed into her car, ready to start the engine, when Jake leaned in the window to give her another kiss. A minute later, he watched her drive away. Not once did he broach the subject of Chloe. Was he wrong not to?

  As he turned back to his department issued junker, he spotted a red vehicle at the other end of the parking lot. He’d swear it was Chloe’s. He jumped into his car, turned it around and sped through the lot. By the time he reached the spot where he had seen it, it was gone. Should I call Mia and warn her? Damned if I do. Damned if I don’t. When I’m sure, I’ll tell her.

  He decided to call Louie. “What’s up?” he asked. “Taking the afternoon off?”

  “No. Are we all set for tonight’s interview?”

  “Yes, why?”

  Jake explained. An idea struck him. Maybe he could pull a warrant to check out the parking lot surveillance. He’d have to finagle it a bit to fit his cases but…

  “I’m stopping at the dealership to show Chelsea’s picture around. I’ll be back in a half hour. Did you get anything on the airlines?”

  “Yep, the new Mrs. Adams took a flight to Bermuda not Miami on the sixteenth,” Louie said triumphantly.

  “Is she having an affair?”

  “I have no evidence pointing in that direction. I’m still waiting on information pertaining to her return-flight. They don’t have her leaving on Sunday, but they’re still researching.”

  “Let’s throw it around when I get back. What happened with the bartender?” Louie had piqued his curiosity.

  “His story is the same as her friends. He’s familiar with them from coming in each week. He confirmed Chelsea was the quiet one. After one drink she’d split, like clockwork.”

  “Yeah, it wouldn’t be hard to follow her with her routine, or to get her alone,” Jake said, as he twirled it around inside his head.

  “I’ll see you when you get back. Are we working tonight? I need to let Sophia know.”

  “I want to. I haven’t put hands on the Wagner case yet today. Do you want to do it at your house or mine? If we have time, I want to put a dent in my father’s files too.”

  It was eating at him. He hadn’t spent as much time as he should’ve on getting Eva justice. Since his meeting with Shamus, nothing new had been said about Spaulding, except Jake had gotten his required notice from the parole board that Spaulding was coming up in front of them again. Each time, he’d gone before them with pictures of Eva’s bruised and bloodied body to make sure Spaulding never left prison. Would the evidence work to keep him behind bars this time?

  Mia wasn’t an excuse to shuck his responsibilities. His father would be ashamed of him. It bothered him that Burke hadn’t pestered him with any questions yet. Did he even look at the file? Maybe tomorrow he’d take Al out to lunch and pick his brain.

  “Your place is quieter. You figure we’ll be about two hours?” Louie questioned.

  “Yes, we should make some headway.” Seven to nine—it would still be early enough to see Mia.

  “Not seeing Mia tonight?” Louie asked, as though he read Jake’s mind.

  “I don’t know. We didn’t make plans.”

  * * * *

  Jake showed Chelsea’s picture to the salespeople at the dealership. No one recognized her. The manager, Kevin Myers, checked the company records for him. He wanted to know if any one of the Adamses had ever bought a car from them. He also checked for Lola Adams.

  While he waited for Kevin, he walked around the showroom looking at cars. No less than four salespeople approached him, trying to sell him one.

  There were no hits on the dealership’s records for Chelsea Adams or her ex and his wife. Jake headed back to the station, frustrated. Somewhere, somehow, someone had to have encountered Chelsea on the night of her disappearance. Maybe he should reach out to the media—ask the public if anyone had seen someone on the car lot on the sixteenth.

  Chapter 8

  At six o’clock on the dot, Chloe sashayed into the station and asked to speak with Jake. A uniform escorted her to Interview Room Three. Jake made her wait while he observed her through the two-way mirror. Chloe went up to the mirror with a tube of lipstick in her hand. She applied it, smacked her lips together, then placed the tube of color back into her purse and fluffed her hair. She took a seat, only to tilt her head back to the glass. Chloe threw a kiss over her shoulder as she stuck the middle finger on her right hand in the air at the same time. Her arrogance pissed him off. As cool as the evening weather—well, he’d see about changing that. Chloe stood, strolled over to the water cooler, and helped herself to a glass of water. After a few minutes, she began to pace the room before she tired, and sat again.

  “You should let Al and I work her.” Louie narrowed his eyes as he watched her through the glass.

  “I’m good. There’s a policewoman in the room. Plus, you’ll be there, the session is being recorded and Al will also record from behind the mirror. I still haven’t figured out her game but I’m going to put a stop to it right now. Let’s hope we put the fear of God in her.”

  Jake loved when the person in the interview exhibited restlessness. It worked in his favor. Five minutes later he and Louie walked in and nodded to the officer on duty. Chloe remained seated.

  “Thanks for coming down, Chloe,” Louie said, as he started the interview.

  “Detective,” Chloe said to Louie, never taking her eyes off Jake.

  “Chloe, we don’t want to keep you, let’s get started,” Jake spoke. He read the Miranda rights, informing Chloe that it was for her own protection.

  “What’s this about?”

  “Let’s start with you following—better yet, let’s use today’s term for it—stalking me and my guest.”

  “I don’t know what you mean, Lieutenant.”

  “Chloe, I pulled you over today less than a quarter mile from my house. You were sitting in wait outside my home. I gave you a written warning not to follow my guests. Correct? To refresh your memory, all this happened at around eight o’clock this morning.”

  “I took your road on my way to work. I received a call on my cell phone. I pulled over to answer the phone. Is that a crime?”

  “Can I have your phone?” Jake reached out for it.

  She pulled the phone close to her chest. “If you’re looking for the call, I deleted it. I didn’t know it would be important. From now on, Jake, I’ll give you a call—ask your permission before I delete anything you think is pertinent.”

  “We have ways of bringing back deleted calls,” Jake said.

  “Well then, get a warrant.”

  Ignoring her
comments, he continued. “You live in the east end of Wilkesbury. You work in Southington, which is located closer to the east end of town, yet you drove to the west end of Wilkesbury to get to work? There’s no logic in your reasoning, Chloe. Once again, why were you outside my house this morning?”

  “Jake, you’re out of line here. I already explained it to you this morning when you pulled me over. If there’s a problem, you should make a formal complaint.” Chloe held her hands out with a shrug.

  Jake felt the heat climb up his face, the flush of anger burning his skin. He was aware that it showed. Stupid—that’s what he was to have had dated her. He had jeopardized his career for this…this…tart.

  Louie also noticed it and stepped in. “Chloe, you can consider this interview to be the formal complaint filed against you. Jake’s captain has been made aware of your actions and dating history with Jake. That was two dates, correct?”

  Her eyes flashed when he detailed the number of dates. He kept hammering the number home. “You were the aggressor, pursuing him until he accepted a date from you. You followed him, coordinating your times to show up at restaurants, bars, and the theater, wherever he was headed on a given night, correct?” Louie didn’t wait for her answer. “I have the detective’s description of each date. But before you answer, let me say Jake ended the relationship, making it quite clear after the second date that he didn’t want to pursue it any further. Correct?”

  To her credit, she held herself in check.

  “Detective Romanelli, I’m aware of Lieutenant Carrington’s feelings on the matter. He acted like a typical male. He took what he wanted and then left. Afterward, the few times I’ve contacted Lieutenant Carrington have pertained to my sister’s murder case. I needed an update. Since neither one of you bothered to keep me or my parents informed, I wanted to know if you’d caught her killer yet. Have you caught my sister’s killer?”

  “Let me address the first part of your answer. Was a physical relationship freely offered?”

  “Yes,” Chloe said in a hushed voice.

  “Please speak up for the record, Miss Wagner.”