All the Deadly Lies Page 17

  “Jake, there was a package on my front steps when I got home. It was a skunk.”

  The tremors in her voice undid him.

  “Mia, was there a note?”

  “No.”

  “Did you call the police?”

  “No, I was sure it was kids goofing around until I thought about it.”

  “What did you do with it?”

  “I shoveled it into the garbage bin.”

  “Mia, call the police and have them retrieve it.”

  “You’re scaring me, Jake.”

  “Mia, call the police. It might turn out to be kids, but let’s be safe, rather than sorry. Okay?”

  “All right.”

  The police came, retrieved it, and let her know she was right. It was a dead skunk with its throat slit.

  Jake’s first thought was it had to be Chloe Wagner. But something bothered Jake about the sender. Would Chloe be stupid enough to put it there on the same day she received a written warning to stay away? They’d have to wait on the lab reports to see if there were any fibers or solid evidence linking it to her.

  Damn it, he didn’t need another obstacle in his relationship with Mia. It would be a miracle if they made it past all this. He loved his job, but it did screw with his personal life.

  Burke interrupted his thoughts. “Lieutenant, could you come in, please?”

  “What’s up, Al?”

  “She wants to talk to my boss,” Burke said with a smile.

  “Why?” Jake asked.

  “She’s having a hard time processing all this. Here’s the clincher.” Burke yanked his pants up. “Her old man’s in prison in New York. She wants him to know where they are.”

  “Great,” Jake said, walking into the house. “Ms. Darcy, do you remember me?”

  “Yes.” She was pacing, her hands in constant motion as she pushed at her hair in the stark dining room.

  “Please, sit down and stay away from the windows. I’ll go over this again.” Jake waited until she sat and looked over at the FBI guy, getting the nod to talk. “You can’t notify anyone right now. If you choose to go into the witness protection program, you can’t let anyone know where you are. I mean no one. If you want to be with the kids’ father, we’ll see if he can be relocated with you. After removing you from the apartment today, we can’t let you and the kids go back there. You wouldn’t last more than a day.” Jake stopped to take a breath and watched Darcy. Annie shuddered as she fought back her tears. But the children had a strong mother. She’d make sure they survived. It was his job to see they did.

  “Ms. Darcy—Annie, you can’t believe that Spike would let you and the kids live?” Jake looked deep into her eyes as he asked the question.

  “I wasn’t going to say anything,” she whispered.

  “Did he give you those bruises?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did he do anything else?”

  “Yes.” She started to cry—tears poured down her face as she brought her hand up to hide her shame.

  With gentle hands, Jake took hers away from her face. “There’s no reason for you to feel ashamed. He forced himself on you. Detectives Burke and Kraus will make sure he pays for everything he did to you and Orlando. Okay?”

  “No one’s been able to touch him before. Why are you certain you can?”

  “We have you to help put Spike where he belongs. This officer is Caitlin Moss. She specializes in sexual assault counseling. She’s going to stay with you and the children. Talk to her, she’ll help. There are other officers who are assigned around the clock to watch over you. Detectives Burke and Kraus will patrol both inside and outside at various times. I promise, we’ll keep you and the children safe.” Jake took one of her hands, lifted her chin to look her in the eyes. “Hold your head up, Annie. I know you’ll do whatever needs to be done to protect your children.”

  “Thank you.”

  “In a day or two you’ll be in FBI custody. This special agent here has his men patrolling the woods for your safety. He’ll be your best friend until you’re all settled in.”

  Darcy left the room to find the kids.

  “You know, Jake, you could be a counselor.” Caitlin smiled.

  “No thank you. I’d kill the bastards. I couldn’t deal with it day after day. They take so much from the women.”

  The bruised and bloody body lying on a morgue table alone and broken jumped into his thoughts. He coughed into his hand, massaged his brow to ease the memory, and headed out for another look around. When he caught Spike, he’d give him a few punches for Annie.

  Chapter 16

  The warrant to bring Chloe in for formal questioning came through while they were in the field on Burke’s operation. Jake checked his watch—four PM. He figured they’d catch her when she got out of work at five. A female officer followed in a patrol car and waited along with them for Chloe to get out of work. He parked as close to her vehicle as possible in the hopes of avoiding a scene. A half hour later he spotted her walking out the front door of the building. Chloe had on a blue raincoat with the hood covering her head as she hurried to her Honda. As she drew near to him, Jake climbed out of his car and stood beside it, waiting before he approached her. A light rain fell and the dampness seeped into his clothing, chilling him to the bones. “What’s up?” Chloe asked, eyeing him as she stopped in front of him.

  “Chloe Wagner, information has been uncovered in your sister’s murder case. I’m going to ask you to accompany this officer to the station for a formal interview.”

  Louie stepped out of the car and walked to Chloe’s left. She looked up at Louie, then back to Jake.

  “What are you talking about? I didn’t kill my sister and you know it. You’re doing this because I hassled Mia. You won’t get away with it.” Chloe started swearing at the top of her lungs.

  So much for not creating a scene, Jake thought.

  “Chloe, to cover both you and me, I’m going to read you your rights. Afterward you’ll be escorted to the station by this female officer.” Jake read her Miranda rights.

  “Do you understand these rights as they have been explained to you?” he asked.

  They had enough evidence, the ring, her controversial relationship with her sister, her father’s statement, and her whereabouts at the time of the murder—though most was circumstantial, this would give him time to find more. Deep down, his gut told him it wasn’t her. But the ring troubled him.

  “What, do I look stupid? Of course I understand my rights. This isn’t over, Jake. I will prove you set me up because you didn’t want to date me anymore,” she screamed.

  Walking a fine line, he decided not to cuff her. Huge mistake.

  She lunged at him, scratching his cheek, the grooves from her nails left a burning sensation in their wake. And she didn’t stop there. Chloe kicked him in the shins, right on the sensitive area of the bone. Still not finished, she bit him. Jake recovered enough to help the female officer get the handcuffs on her. Louie stood by with his hands on his gun and a grin on his face.

  She held up her cuffed hands and put on a nasty grin. “Bring back memories, Jake?”

  The officer pushed Chloe into the patrol car and drove away

  * * * *

  “I didn’t recognize the patrol officer, did you?” Jake asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Who was she?”

  “Tara Jones,” Louie answered.

  “I liked her.”

  “Me too. She handled Chloe well. We’re not interviewing her right away?”

  “No, I want her to sit and stew for a while, and contemplate her actions. When I’m good and ready, we’ll take her. She won’t be as calm or as in control as the last time,” Jake said.

  Back at the station Louie couldn’t help but notice the cold look in Jake’s eyes—he decided they needed a third pers
on to witness the interview. “Jake, I’m going to pull in Burke. Why don’t you watch from behind the glass?”

  “Nope, I’m under control, Louie. We got called out before you scheduled the interview with the Drake girl, right?” Jake asked.

  “Yeah, you still want to interview her?”

  “Yes, I still want to speak with Kraus, and Brown. Something’s off with her answers. If Chloe did it, she didn’t do it alone. Oh, I also want to re-interview the ex-boyfriend, Mark Cavilla. We can hold Chloe for up to forty-eight hours. Line up your questions in case she hires a lawyer.”

  “What do you mean if? She had the ring.”

  “No, she didn’t. Joe found it in Shanna’s room, not in Chloe’s room or on her person. It doesn’t mean she had possession of it. You told me to keep an open mind. Now, I’ll tell you the same thing. When we close this thing, I don’t want the evidence coming back to bite us on the ass. We tie up all loose ends, got it?”

  “I got it. I’ll schedule the rest for tomorrow,” Louie said.

  He thought Jake was being too cautious, but he was the boss. When he turned to leave the office, Jake stopped him.

  “You got anything at your desks for cuts? This hurts like a bitch.” At his desk, Jake sat and touched his face.

  “Yeah, I do. You should have cuffed her right away. Human bites and scratches are the worst.”

  “Hindsight’s great, Louie. Get me the disinfectant?”

  “The vet closes at six tonight, we’ll be cutting it close. Should I tell the doctor to keep Houston overnight?”

  “We’ll try to get there, but no promises. This interview could be ten minutes, or ten hours.”

  Jake’s phone rang as Louie left his office. “Lieutenant Carrington,” he answered.

  “It’s Shamus. Come into my office.”

  The captain handed Jake a piece of paper with the test results for the sergeant’s exam, and lo and behold, Louie placed twenty-first out of seventy-five.

  “Thank God. When are you telling him?”

  “You’re his lieutenant now, Jake, you get the honors.” Shamus smiled.

  “Thanks. I’ll do it now, before we interview Chloe Wagner.”

  “I thought you interviewed her Monday. She’s still stalking you?”

  “No, we brought her in for a formal interview and are holding her on the suspicion of murder. There are a couple of things I need to clear up before charging her. You’ll have my report tonight. I’ll send it to your office and home email.” He noted Shamus questioning look. “Her father tried hocking the ring the victim always wore. Said he found it in Shanna’s room. He also said besides himself, his wife, and Chloe, no else had access to the room. But the fact is, anyone could have stowed it there. They’ve had other visitors in the last three months. Who to say they didn’t put it there? I understand Meryl, and even Cavilla, visited her parents since Shanna’s death. We’re not stopping there. Shanna Wagner’s best friend, Meryl Drake’s, statements were inconsistent, changing what she said first to Kraus and Brown, and four days later to me and Louie. We’re pulling her in tomorrow, along with the ex-boyfriend.” He lined the pieces up in his head as he spoke.

  He needed to cover all his bases if he planned on getting a conviction.

  “I want you to go by the book here,” McGuire said, his tone stern.

  “Don’t worry. This has nothing to do with the stalking incident,” Jake said over his shoulder as he walked out. He flagged down Louie on his way to his office.

  “I set up Drake’s interview for tomorrow morning at ten o’clock,” Louie informed him. “Cavilla can’t make it in until two o’clock. He works a half day on Saturdays. Are we interviewing Chloe now?”

  “Nope, I need you to come into my office and take a seat.” Jake kept a concerned look on his face. Louie chose to stand.

  “What now?” Louie asked.

  “I’ve been informed you passed the sergeant’s exam with flying colors. You’re twenty-first out of seventy-five applicants. They’re promoting thirty detectives to sergeants. Congratulations, Louie, you deserve it.” Jake held out his hand, took a firm hold on Louie’s and pulled him into a bear hug.

  “Don’t bust my chops, Jake. Are you shitting me?”

  “Yes, Sergeant,” Jake said, using his new rank.

  “Oh, my God, I have to call Sophia. She won’t believe it.” He turned and started to run to his desk. He almost tripped, turning back to Jake. “Hey. This isn’t fair. We can’t celebrate so soon after yours. Sophia would kill us both.”

  “Oh yeah, she would. Go give her a call. Chloe can wait, it’ll do her good”

  * * * *

  Mia took a personal day to unwind after the crazy week she had. Writing always cleared her mind. She’d been so scattered over yesterday’s incident that she’d forgotten to call back her friend Piper until this morning. She made plans for them to have lunch in town today. Put on your compassion hat, Mia, Piper needs a shoulder to cry on.

  Mia had never understood how someone could forgive a lover or a spouse of infidelity. It was the ultimate betrayal. The same way Bart had betrayed her. He’d created her trust issues—the psychologist in her knew the cause of her fear of commitment, but the woman couldn’t forgive or move past it. Since she’d begun to date Jake, Bart’s lying, cheating behavior played on her mind. Could Jake be trusted? Would he be faithful?

  When she got to The Eatery at noon she looked around for Piper. Spotting her in one of the booths, Mia slid into the seat across from her friend. Without waiting for a greeting, Piper started talking and Mia listened as she looked around the restaurant. The place had a country-flair with bronzed roosters hung on the blue and white floral wallpaper. More importantly, the food was good. Turning her attention back to Piper, it was unclear to her if Piper was trying to convince herself or Mia of Darryl’s worth.

  “You don’t throw away the baby with the bathwater,” Piper said in between sniffles.

  Mia had always thought it was the dumbest statement in the world. She understood Piper was afraid to be alone at her age.

  Darryl and Piper had been married for twenty years and last week she’d caught the bastard cheating on her with a twenty-two-year-old woman. Mia didn’t know where or who to direct her anger at—Darryl or Piper. Piper said she never confronted him, thus reinforcing the bad behavior.

  She chose her words with care. “He betrayed the most sacred trust. Didn’t he promise in front of God and family he would honor, love, and cherish you?”

  I couldn’t stay in a marriage after that, I’d always be looking at him—wondering if he broke his vows again. I could never trust a man who cheated. Bart’s cheating is the reason I broke it off with him in the first place. But Piper isn’t me. Still, I don’t understand how Piper would want to stay married to Darryl.

  “You never liked him,” Piper said, reading her mind.

  “It’s not true. I never trusted him. He’s always flirting with every woman in the room.”

  “Real nice, thanks, Mia.” Piper swiped at the tears pouring down her face as she scooted across the seat.

  “Wait…I want you to look at this from all angles. Why are you going easy on him? Can you trust him again? Do you want to make love to him after he’s been with another woman? You need to look at everything in depth. Then ask yourself again if you can live with it and his actions. I don’t want you to be a victim. Are you forgiving him because you don’t want to be alone at forty-two?” Mia finished up, searched Piper’s eyes for understanding.

  “I don’t know. I have a family to consider. I haven’t worked outside the house in twenty-three years. How will I survive? I’m twenty pounds overweight. Who’d want to date me? Look at you. You’re thirty-one, gorgeous, and you hardly date, because you know there’s nothing but garbage out there—men who want free sex with none of the responsibilities. I don’t want a free-for-all
lifestyle. All I want is my family intact,” Piper said.

  Mia had a lot of sympathy for Piper and her fears. She scooped up a spoonful of chocolate chunk ice cream, stalling as she gathered her thoughts. In the silence, tears continued to fall down Piper’s face. Piper swiped them away in between eating her favorite frozen treat.

  Mia broke the silence. “I love you, Piper. I don’t want to see you hurt or used. I will support whatever decision you choose. You have choices. Please look closely at everything before you decide. Question everything. This way, in the end, you’ll have peace with your decision, no matter what it is. You’re a beautiful woman. Weight means nothing. If you want a relationship, you’ll find one. I don’t want you to rush into anything. But before you decide, maybe you and Darryl should go to marriage counseling,” Mia said.

  “Oh, he’d never go.” Piper looked away.

  “Ask him, see what he says. What are you afraid of?” Mia asked, hating that Piper was a victim and not able to take control of her life.

  “That’s he’ll leave me,” Piper said.

  Heavy sobs burst from Piper’s throat as she cried harder. It had the entire restaurant looking their way. Piper turned away from her ice cream and pulled a tissue from her purse as she blew her nose. “Is that such a bad thing?” she asked, holding up her hand when Piper tried to defend Darryl. “Are you so afraid to be alone, Piper, that you’d allow someone to walk all over you? You’re one of the strongest women I know. You did a great job raising your children. You volunteer at the children’s schools and at church. You’re the greatest friend a person could ask for. When someone’s in need of support you’re the first one to offer help. You’re a gift to those of us who know and love you.” Mia ended with a smile.

  “I don’t know how to respond.” Piper smiled for the first time.

  “I mean everything I say.”

  “I know you do.”

  “What have you always dreamed of doing, when the children were grown and out on their own?” Mia asked, changing tactics.

  “I always wanted to go back to school. I love interior design. Oh, and I want to take piano lessons. Stupid, huh?” She laughed.