All the Deadly Lies Page 19

  “Did she come here a lot in the past few months?”

  “No…no, once or twice maybe, to see Chloe, but then they’d get into arguments. They’d stop fighting when they saw it upset me.”

  “When did they argue? What did they argue about?” Jake asked.

  “Girls, they argue one minute then they’re friends the next. Chloe would never tell me why they fought.”

  “Did they make up after they argued?” Louie asked.

  “I don’t think so. The second time Meryl came over, Chloe wouldn’t see her. I tried to talk to Chloe, ask her why—again she wouldn’t say, told me to drop it.” Anna looked tired.

  “I have a couple more questions then I promise we’ll get out of your hair,” Jake said.

  She nodded. “I miss Shanna terribly, you know. I know my girls aren’t perfect. Shanna was sweet, but a little too driven. She needed to be top of her class, A’s in everything. She wouldn’t accept anything less for herself. All I ever wanted for my girls was happiness. Now, none of us can be happy, because we’re incomplete.”

  “A little driven, Anna?” Joe’s smile never reached his eyes.

  “I guess you’re right, Joe. A lot driven would best describe our Shanna.” She smiled back at him.

  “Mrs. Wagner, who do you think killed her?” Jake asked, watching Joe flinch.

  “I can’t say, but it was no one in the family. We all loved her. I know you think she and Chloe didn’t get along. That’s not true. They were siblings. Don’t you have a brother or a sister, Lieutenant? They argue sometimes, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like or care for one another. They fought more when Meryl hung around. Odd, isn’t it, that I never thought of that before?”

  “No, sometimes things pop into our heads with no rhyme or reason. One last thing, how long was Meryl’s visit last week?” Jake asked.

  She pushed back her graying hair. “She was here about forty-five minutes before Joe got home. And about another thirty minutes afterward. In fact, we asked her to join us for dinner, but she declined our offer.”

  “Why?”

  “She wanted to leave before Chloe got home.”

  “Mrs. Wagner, if we find Shanna’s ring, will it go to Chloe?”

  “Why, of course. My grandmother gave me her jewelry. My mother gave her jewelry to her granddaughters. I’ll give mine to my granddaughter, if I have one. It’s always been our tradition. Why do you ask?”

  “I was curious. Thank you for your time.” Jake nodded at Louie, and stood. Joe pushed out of his chair to join them. When Anna started to rise, Jake said, “No, please don’t get up.”

  At the door, Joe asked, “When can I bring Chloe home? Can I ask why all the questions?”

  “I can’t answer your questions at this time. Yes, she’ll need a ride. Give me an hour to clear the paperwork and talk with her. I’ll call your cell when she’s released.

  “Okay, Lieutenant. I know Chloe didn’t do it.”

  “Take care, Joe,” Jake said.

  Jake didn’t say anything else. He didn’t remind Joe of their conversation today at the pawn shop, when Joe had his doubts.

  They left the Wagners, drove straight to Captain McGuire’s house—he lived in the same neighborhood a few blocks over. Jake called before heading over. When they knocked on the door Shamus answered. He led them into his study, bypassing the living room crowded with people.

  “It must be important if you’re both here at this hour. What’s up?”

  “I’m not second-guessing myself, Shamus. I don’t want to hold Chloe Wagner in lock-up tonight.”

  An aggravated Shamus said, “I told you to tread carefully there, Jake. Why the sudden change of mind?”

  “New information came in through the interview with Chloe Wagner. Before you interrupt, Cap, it has a ring of truth to it.” Jake filled Shamus in. Louie said nothing. “I’m putting her under surveillance and will keep it on her all weekend.”

  “Besides her sexual orientation, what else came to light?” Shamus asked.

  “It played a big part in her death, if I’m reading the players correctly. It might not. Chloe said she didn’t want her parents to know.” Jake lined it up in his head as he filled in Shamus. “Shanna and Meryl dated for years. She got jealous when Shanna dated Mark Cavilla. Chloe felt both Meryl and Mark were applying pressure to Shanna for her to pick a side. Confused, Shanna didn’t know where to turn for answers. The reason we decided to re-interview Meryl in the first place was she lied to us in the original interview. She told Kraus she saw Shanna the night she disappeared. Four days later, she told us she didn’t see Shanna all week because of exams. Tonight, Chloe let us know Meryl visited her mother last week. She claimed to have a headache and asked to lie down in Shanna’s bedroom. Now a week later, Mr. Wagner finds the ring in Shanna’s room.” Jake stopped, took a breath, and shrugged his shoulders.

  “Who killed her?” McGuire asked.

  “At this point, I want to re-interview everyone involved and go from there. Are you on board, Cap?”

  “Yes, but I want to judge her reactions for myself. I’ll be behind the glass tomorrow when you talk to Meryl and Shanna’s former boyfriend. Come to my office afterward. I’ll give you my impressions,” Shamus said.

  “You’re on board to let Chloe go for the night?” Jake asked.

  “Yes, but make it very clear she’s still a person of interest and can’t leave the state. Also, explain if she fails to report when summoned, she’ll be arrested. She’ll have to wait in jail until the judge decides if he’ll grant her bail. What do you have to say, Louie?”

  “Ah, someone remembered I’m here.”

  “Louie,” Shamus said, looking over the top of his glasses.

  “I agree with Jake. We might’ve jumped the gun, but the evidence led that way. We’ll put a tail on Chloe tonight and on the other two tomorrow, see what shakes out.”

  “Get it done.”

  “Cap, tomorrow night—I have a special dinner engagement. I’m going to assign the night guys to watch them all.”

  “You’re in command, Jake, utilize your team. Good night,” McGuire said, leading them to the door.

  “Good night,” they said in unison.

  Outside, Louie said, “The plot thickens.”

  “Go ahead, Louie, get it off your chest.” Jake could almost see the steam coming from Louie’s ears.

  “What?”

  “You know what. How I didn’t listen. How I jumped the gun because she annoyed me.”

  “I didn’t say anything, but if I did, it would be part of it. The other part is you feel desperate to close this particular case because it hits too close to home,” Louie said.

  “If you think I acted inappropriately, Louie, call me on it. But leave my personal life out of it.”

  Louie’s comment had hit the mark. Jake drove in silence. At the station, they went right to booking and explained to the officer on duty what they were doing. Next, he called Mr. Wagner before he went to the room where Chloe was detained. Jake took a seat across from Chloe when they walked into Room Three. Louie turned the video and recorder on and took up a position by the door. Jake explained the reason for her release and her obligations in the matter. He let her know her father would be outside waiting for her.

  “You’re an asshole, Jake. You did this to teach me a lesson.” Chloe trembled.

  “No, I didn’t. The evidence pointed to you. Now it points to a couple of others. I follow the evidence. It’s not personal. Right now, I’m giving you a break. So, you don’t have to spend time in lock-up with the hookers. Say thank you and go home.”

  “Well, excuse me for not being grateful, you bastard.” She stormed out. Together he and Louie trailed behind her. In the lobby, Chloe ran right into her father’s arms and cried.

  Mr. Wagner looked over Chloe’s shoulder and mou
thed ‘thank you’ to them.

  Nodding, Jake turned his back on them and spoke with the officer. “Did she give you any trouble?”

  “No, she’s scared. It dawned on her she could lose her freedom. She believes you did this because she stalked you. I’d watch your back. She’s trouble. Good night, sir.”

  “Good night, Tara.” Sound advice, he mused as he turned toward Louie.

  “Sometimes a case sticks with you. This one grabbed me. Not because of Eva. Everyone wanted a piece of Shanna. She didn’t have a chance as they pulled her in all directions. The brutality is the only similarity. You know what I mean? I’m sorry I jumped at you back there.”

  “It doesn’t help that we don’t like Chloe.”

  “You’re right, it doesn’t. I want to play a hunch. Let’s go over to dispatch, see if anyone called in asking for information on the arrest.”

  “How would anyone know Chloe got arrested tonight?” Louie asked.

  “I’m guessing it would be the person who planted the ring, if it wasn’t Chloe.”

  The dispatcher gave Jake the printout for the evening calls, complete with each caller’s phone number and name. Jake looked at it. “Well, well, well…”

  “What?”

  Chapter 19

  Jake handed Louie the printout. “Look at the list.”

  “How’d she know?”

  “Good question. We’ll ask her tomorrow. I’m going to take your car, you take mine. I’ll stake out Chloe’s place tonight.”

  “Not alone, you won’t,” Louie said.

  “Why not?”

  “Because.”

  “That’s a stupid answer, one I’m sure you don’t accept from your kids,” Jake said, mocking Louie.

  “I’m not leaving you. This is a touchy situation, Jake. CYA is important here. Shit, there goes my celebration.” Louie frowned.

  “I know how to ‘cover my ass.’” He saw the look Louie gave him and added, “We’ll compromise. I’ll talk with Officer Jones’s supervisor. If he agrees, I’ll have her ride along with me. I liked her style tonight. Is that acceptable? This way you can get home to the celebration Sophia’s planned for you, Sergeant.”

  “Yes, it’s acceptable, Lieutenant. I’ll walk with you down to the squad room, and say my hellos to Sergeant Kline.”

  “Don’t trust me?”

  “You’ve been known to go off on your own. And I stress, this is not the time,” Louie said with emphasis.

  “Let’s go, Dad,” Jake joked.

  Officer Jones’s sergeant cleared her for the ride-along.

  “Take off, Louie. I’m all set. And I’ll pick you up at nine tomorrow.”

  Jones got in the car with Jake and sat at attention. Her uniform had been pressed. Her hat was at the correct angle, and her shoes had been polished to a high sheen. Her mahogany skin showcased black eyes and her dark hair was worn in a regulation bun under her hat. At five-eleven, Jones carried her hundred fifty pounds in a well-toned body.

  “Tara, you can take your hat off in the car. I know it gets hot with them on. It’s going to be a long night.”

  “Thank you, sir,” she said. She never made a move to remove it.

  “Please, call me Jake while we’re on a stakeout. Do you wish to be addressed by your rank or by your first name?”

  “Tara’s good, sir.”

  “Do you want coffee?” he asked, pulling to the curb at the donut shop.

  “Thanks, I take it black.”

  “Okay, any special kind of donuts you like?”

  “I can’t afford to eat donuts, sir. A minute in the mouth is years on my hips.”

  “You don’t look like you need to worry,” Jake said.

  “That’s because I don’t eat them.” When she smiled, it lit up her whole face.

  “You want a bagel or something?”

  “No, I’m good. The coffee’s enough.”

  “Okay, but I’ll guarantee you’ll be sorry in a couple of hours.” He got out of the car.

  “Sir, I’ll get the coffees.” She jumped from the car.

  “It’s Jake. And Tara, I get my own coffee and a lady’s. My mother raised me to be a gentleman.”

  He saw the look of confusion on her face and figured her partner made her get the coffee all the time. It was hard for a woman on the force. Add to the fact she was a black woman, she fought harder for the respect she’d earned. The old prejudices never died here. Jake knew some of the other cops still thought women and minorities didn’t belong on the job. He wondered how they passed the personality tests for the academy. Jake never took advantage of rookies or uniforms. He gave respect where it was earned, no matter what the rank or color.

  He returned to the car.

  “Here you go. One large cup of black coffee for you, and for me I got a cup of coffee and a whole bag of donuts.” He laughed, opening the bag, sniffing its contents.

  * * * *

  They pulled across the street from the Wagners’ house. Jake was happy to see the skies had cleared. In the driveway, Chloe’s red car and Joe’s gold one were parked next to each other. He pointed to the right corner of the house.

  “The one with the light on is Chloe’s room.”

  “Are we going to stay out here all night?” Tara asked.

  “No. It’s nine-fifteen now, I figure we’ll watch until ten-thirty. You go off shift at eleven, correct?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Tara, it’s okay to call me Jake while we’re on the stakeout. Do you have a problem with me?” Something behind her formal manner bothered him. What had he done to earn her scorn?

  Jake studied her as she processed the information, “Is it my past relationship with the suspect that’s bothering you?”

  “Sir, it’s not my place to question you. You have rank over me and can make my life a living hell,” she said, an edge to her voice.

  “Is someone making your life harder than it should be, Officer Jones?” He switched to her rank, addressing her formally as she addressed him.

  “Politics, sir.”

  “Ah, politics—I hate politics. Tara…” He switched to her first name again. “I don’t explain myself on a regular basis to a subordinate but I will tonight because the situation’s unusual.” He stopped to gather his thoughts. Tired of telling his story, he wondered if the questions would ever end. Cops were the worst gossips. He wasn’t going to give Officer Jones the full story. Rank did have some privileges.

  “Tara, I had—note the past tense—a brief personal relationship with Chloe Wagner, which could cloud the issues in this case. Since the relationship has ended, she’s been harassing me. In recent weeks, she started to stalk me. I filed a formal complaint against her this week. If you’d like to check, I’ll give you the file number. I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable working with me. I heard you were professional, discreet, and looking for a place in homicide. I’ll return you to the station, no hard feelings,” Jake said, annoyed.

  “I’m sorry, Lieutenant. As I said, it’s not my place to question you. The way the suspect spoke to you seemed odd. It’s also unusual to release a murder suspect.”

  “It’s an unusual case. Several things didn’t add up from the beginning. Today we recovered an emerald the victim always wore. Tonight, for the first time, her sexual orientation came to light. Whoever planted the ring in the room made the first actual mistake in the case. Also, after reviewing all the previous interviews, Sergeant Romanelli and I discovered discrepancies in her best friend’s statements.”

  “They didn’t show up in the beginning?” Tara asked.

  “No, sometimes, you can bang your head against a wall, then one day Lady Luck comes into play and the case takes on momentum. It seems to have happened with this one. We had scheduled interviews for tomorrow with Shanna’s best friend and the man she dated prio
r to her death. Every case has to be treated uniquely. They don’t always go by the book. The book’s there as a guideline, not as an absolute—one needs to use common sense. The officer who survives is the one who sticks to the book, and yet can be flexible enough to get results. Do you understand?” Jake turned his head to look directly at her.

  “I’ve been on the job now for three years. I know it doesn’t always go by the book. You have to admit, it’s one for the records.”

  “Yep, I’ll admit it.”

  “So, why are we watching her?” Tara asked.

  “To see if she goes anywhere tonight. If she did kill her sister, she didn’t do it alone.”

  “Why do you say ‘if’?”

  “Because with this new evidence, it doesn’t make sense she killed her. Overkill’s the word to best describe this crime. Each bruise, each assault on her body, showed the killer’s anger with the victim. He or she beat her to a pulp. Love and hate aren’t that far apart for some. With no current or serious lovers in the picture, we went in the wrong direction. It’s part of the reason we couldn’t figure it out. She had no serious relationships, or so we were told. Now we find there were two. Tomorrow or Monday, we’ll verify what Chloe told us tonight. Search for the other women she dated at school. Of course, we still can’t rule out her sister. The ring’s worth over fifty thousand dollars—a real motive for murder.”

  “Fifty thousand dollars? For a ring?” Tara’s brown eyes opened wide in shock.

  “Yes. I’ve learned emeralds are worth more than diamonds. This ring has both, increasing its value.”

  “I’d love to see a picture of a fifty-thousand-dollar ring,” Tara said.

  Jake reached into the back seat and pulled his briefcase up front. He skimmed through it until he found the folder he was looking for—he took the picture of the ring out and handed it to her.

  “My God, the emerald’s huge. It’s beautiful.” Tara let out a low whistle.

  “Yes, it is. It’s insured for its full value, but you still don’t want to lose an heirloom.”

  “I wouldn’t want to lose it, no matter what the circumstances.”