All the Deadly Lies Read online

  He looked across the bed at Mia, who had her nose buried in the Sunday Funnies. He leaned in and rubbed his hand on her thigh while nibbling on her neck.

  She put down the paper and looked at him over her reading glasses. “You can’t possibly be ready again?”

  “Is that a challenge?”

  Chapter 21

  At seven-thirty on Monday morning, Jake walked into the bullpen. He bypassed Louie’s desk and his attention-grabbing rendition of “That’s Amore” and continued on to his office. As he took off his jacket and turned on his computer, Louie stepped in.

  “Did Sophia throw you out this morning?”

  “And good morning to you too, Lieutenant. Did you have a nice weekend? Oh, and yes, thanks for asking, mine was wonderful. Sophia and I celebrated all weekend long,” Louie said, with a wide grin.

  “The celebration went well? Mine did too.” Jake wiggled his brow.

  “Yep. How was your dinner?”

  “Terrific,” Jake said as he turned toward the coffee machine.

  “So what time did you get home?” Louie pushed.

  “It’s none of your business.”

  Louie changed the subject. “Hey, have you made a decision on the dog? I know Doc Glass is shipping her to the shelter later this week.”

  “I haven’t thought about it. It’s been a busy weekend.” That wasn’t totally true. He kept trying to talk himself out of the idea, but the more he remembered those sad brown eyes, the more he wanted to claim Brigh. Maybe Brigh would heal him as he healed her. “Oh, I received my notice from the parole board. Spaulding’s hearing is next fall. His DNA results might not be back by then. We’ll see. This year I’m going in with more crime scene photos and evidence to keep Spaulding behind bars for the rest of his natural life.”

  “I’ll help,” Louie said.

  “Let’s review all the interviews from both Friday and Saturday. What do you have planned for today?”

  “Well, I set up an interview with Katy Bonita for noon.”

  “Great, on the way there we’ll stop at my house so I can change. It’s on the way.”

  “Change? What’s wrong with what you have on?”

  Jake watched his comment hit, counted to three. He sipped his coffee to hide his smile.

  “You spent the night?”

  “That’s incorrect. I spent the last two nights at Mia’s”

  “I’ll be damned. I like her, Jake, so does Sophia,” Louie said.

  “I do too. Let’s get to work.”

  “It must be spring, lots of amore in the air.” Louie started singing again.

  “Please, for the love of God, stop singing. And Louie, my romance is not for office gossip. Got it?”

  “You’re no fun. I was gonna run the pool on how long it would last. Killjoy.”

  “Work, Louie.”

  “You’re absolutely no fun.” They’d been friends too long for him to flinch as others did when Jake looked at them that way. “I already listened to the recordings. I figured you’d want to, so I set them up on your machine. Meryl, she’s an odd duck. You know?”

  “She is. What about Cavilla’s statement?”

  “We took him by surprise when we told him she liked girls. Hey, maybe we should arrest Meryl too! Have her sit in a cell for a while so she gets it’s not a game. It certainly worked on Chloe.”

  “I deserved that. Let me listen to them alone first. Later we’ll go do the interviews on the Adams case. When we get back, we’ll listen to them together and dissect their statements.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Louie said, turning to leave Jake’s office.

  “One more thing, Louie, I want to take you and Sophia out to dinner, to celebrate your promotion. Is Friday or Saturday good for you?”

  “Thanks, but you don’t have to.”

  “I want to. It’s a big accomplishment. I’m proud of you.”

  “Alright, I’ll check with Sophia.”

  At nine o’clock Jake stepped out of his office and into the bullpen. He waited until he had everyone’s attention.

  “It’s my honor to announce Louie Romanelli is one of thirty detectives being promoted to sergeant. The ceremony’s this Friday at noon at city hall.”

  Everyone clapped as they walked up to Louie and slapped him on the back. Louie ate it up. Jake stood back and watched. No one deserved the promotion more than Louie.

  “Hey, where’s the celebration going to be?” Burke asked. “Have you picked out a bar yet, Lieutenant?”

  “No, Al. Louie wants to pass this soon after my celebration. Sophia would kill him if he came home soused again.”

  “Hey, that’s not fair, Louie. We’re all proud of you. You can’t take this celebration away from us. I’ll talk to Sophia,” Al said.

  “Well, good luck with that.” Louie smirked.

  * * * *

  To give Jake time to change, they left the station at eleven-twenty. The ride from Jake’s house to Katy Bonita’s would take about fifteen minutes, even with traffic.

  “So, let me get this straight. You arrived for dinner Saturday night and what, never left until this morning?” Louie asked when Jake got in the car.

  “Yep.”

  “Remind me not to invite you to dinner,” Louie said.

  Jake flashed him a wide grin.

  “That’s it, no details? What’s going on?”

  “I’m not giving you details. What are you, a pervert? Or are you looking for instructions on how to perform?”

  “Very funny, I’m busting a damn rib over here. I want to know how you feel about her. Is it a long-term thing or are you two ships passing in the night? You know Sophia’s going to asked me for deets.”

  “Gee, Louie, want to set each other’s hair too?”

  “I’m not kidding, Jake.”

  “I can’t answer your question. Yeah, I like her. She’s beautiful, smart, funny, and I love being with her. About the rest, we’ll see. I don’t know much about her. But I’m sure it’s going be fun finding out.”

  “I’m sure.” Louie smiled to himself. He waited in the car while Jake changed and figured he had enough time to call Sophia before Jake came back out. Louie relished gossip. Sophia picked Saturday night for dinner. He hung up with her as Jake climbed back in the car.

  “Sophia said Saturday night’s good.”

  “Okay, I’ll tell Mia.”

  * * * *

  Jake got off Route 8 at exit 34, which put them onto Watertown Avenue. Louie constantly brought up the dog, though Jake hadn’t told Louie he’d already named her or even wanted her. He was still unsure, especially now with a new relationship developing. Right after they passed Municipal Stadium, Louie spotted Bonita’s address and pointed it out to him. Katy’s building stood on the town line between Wilkesbury and Watertown in a two-family house. Before they jumped out of the car, Jake’s cell phone rang. Not recognizing the number, he hit talk.

  “Jake, it’s me.”

  His mother? Oh no, what’s happened? “Are you okay?”

  “I got a letter this morning about Spaulding. Are they allowing that pig to go free?” Maddie Carrington’s voice shook, almost squealed as she spoke.

  “No, Mom, it’s only a hearing. I’m going to attend like I do every time he comes up for one. Please try to relax. I promise I’ll take care of it.” He hoped it was a promise he could keep.

  “If they let him out, you have to kill him, Jake,” Maddie said in her shrilled voice.

  “Mom, no one’s going to kill anyone. I promise I’m on top of it. I’ll see you this week.” Jake hung up after he was sure she had calmed down.

  “She got her letter, huh?” Louie asked.

  “I thought I took her off the list. She’ll be nuts until this is settled.” Jake opened his door and climbed out of the car. He needed to
focus his attention back on the case at hand. The mailbox out front directed them to the second floor. Long narrow steps led up to her apartment. Louie went first, Jake followed behind him as they ascended the staircase. Louie knocked on the door while Jake scanned the area.

  Katy Bonita answered the door right away, eyeing them through a slit in the door, held closed by a security chain.

  “Katy Bonita?” Louie asked.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m Sergeant Romanelli. I spoke to you on the phone this morning.” He held up his shield.

  “Hi, Sergeant, come in.” Closing the door on them, she released the chain then opened it wider to let them in.

  As they walked in, Louie introduced Jake. “This is Lieutenant Carrington, my partner.”

  “Ms. Bonita.” Jake shook her hand.

  “It’s Katy. What can I do for you?”

  In the tiny morsel of a kitchen, Jake bumped into Katy as she pulled out a chair at the round table. She sat down then pointed to the other chairs. From his research, he knew the house was built in the nineteen forties, and the kitchen looked like the original. Butting up against the door on a small counter area sat the dishrack, next to it an old-fashioned, deep, sparklingly white porcelain sink. There was more counter space to the right, with cabinets over the whole area. The refrigerator stood on the other side of the door, a narrow counter separating the stove from the refrigerator, barely leaving enough room for the table and chairs. The floor, covered in worn, dull gold and beige swirled linoleum, reminded Jake of his grandmother’s house back in Ireland.

  Louie took the lead. “Ms. Bonita, you’re a friend of Lola Adams?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you see Lola recently?”

  “Yes. Back in April she surprised me and showed up unannounced. I was a little annoyed but I let her spend the night.”

  “Lola never called to say she’d be in town?” Louie asked.

  “No.”

  “Did she give you a reason for being in Connecticut when she showed up?” Louie asked.

  “Not exactly, though she did say things were starting to go her way.”

  Louie asked again. “She never told you exactly why she came to Connecticut?”

  “No. I fished around to see if she showed up to reclaim Nick. She said no.”

  “Did she know the two of you were dating? Did you tell him you had a house guest?” Louie asked.

  “No to both of your questions. I didn’t tell him until after she left on Sunday.”

  “Why?” Jake asked.

  Embarrassed, she said, “Well, she left early on Sunday because she had to catch a flight out of New York. At the time, Nick and I were dating. She would’ve gone out of her way to cause trouble for the both of us if she’d known. Lola’s a selfish person.”

  “Did you know the first Mrs. Adams had been murdered on the sixteenth?” Louie asked.

  “No, I didn’t know about the murder until a week ago. I didn’t realize it happened the weekend Lola was here until you mentioned it. Are you telling me you suspect Lola?” The woman was visibly shaken.

  “She’s a person of interest right now. Anyone who knew the victim is,” Louie said.

  “You have to tell me,” she said, her voice shaking. “If she shows up again, do I let her stay here?”

  “I don’t know what to tell you, Katy. You have to use your own judgment,” Louie said.

  A clearer picture of Lola Adams began to emerge in Jake’s head. A woman who trusted no one, cared only for herself, and who never formed a strong bond with anyone, including her supposed best friend.

  Jake jumped in and asked, “Katy, in your opinion, is Lola capable of murder?”

  He watched her process the question in silence. After a few moments, Katy whispered, “Yes.”

  “Well, then you have your answer about whether to let her stay here,” Jake said.

  “Is there anything else you can tell us about Lola?” Louie asked.

  “She didn’t act weird or anything when she visited,” Katy offered.

  “Here’s my card. Call me if something else pops into your head. Or if Lola shows up again.” Louie handed her his card as he stood.

  Outside in the car, Jake said, “Interesting.”

  “Yep.”

  * * * *

  When they got back to the station, Louie requested a subpoena for the Delta Airline records from April sixteenth through April eighteenth. Jake debated. Should he have Katrina book flights to Florida or wait?

  He called the forensics department to get an update. A snippy secretary told him if the lab reports were completed, they would’ve already been in his email. The DNA results were holding up the investigation. Skin cells, sweat, or saliva from Chelsea Adams’s attacker might lead them sooner to the killer but Jake had no choice but to wait until the lab finished up.

  After his call to forensics, Jake decided to wait on the flight. The forensics guys told him he should have everything by the end of the next week. He needed to keep his patience in check.

  His voicemail showed he’d received three calls from Cara Adams looking for results on her mother’s case. He also noted one from Detective Burke. Burke and Kraus were out following up on a lead on the Xavier Orlando case. Burke gave him the list of officers who replaced him and Kraus on the protection detail in case he wanted to make any changes. For now, he was happy with Burke’s choices. Al also noted that this past weekend had gone smoothly. Jake couldn’t wait until they passed Darcy and her family over to the FBI. That should happen sometime this week. Once they were in the witness protection program they’d be safe. In the meantime, Jake needed to make sure everyone kept their guard up. When it came to revenge, Spike was known for his patience.

  He also received a call from Kirk Brown, updating him on his cases. A car fitting the description for the hit-and-run showed up in a body shop on Meriden Road. Kirk and Lanoue were checking it out. They’d send an email to update him if they didn’t see him later at the station. The hit-and-run victim died yesterday from his injuries. It upgraded the case to a vehicular homicide. He also informed Jake that they were at a dead end on the school shooting. Brown thought if he interviewed the kids at the station with their parents present, they might get more out of them. Brown wanted to know if Jake would be onboard with the idea and available when they set it up.

  Realizing he hadn’t given Mia a call as promised, he grabbed his cell phone and dialed her number.

  “This is the first chance I got today. How are you?” Jake asked in way of a greeting.

  “There’s nothing like a weekend of great sex and food to energize a woman,” Mia said.

  “A man also. I asked Louie and Sophia out to dinner Saturday night, to celebrate Louie’s promotion. Is Saturday good for you?” He realized he’d made the plans without checking with her first.

  “I have to be out of town starting Wednesday. I don’t know if I’ll be back in time,” Mia said.

  “Oh.” He heard the disappointment in his own voice.

  “I’m sorry, it’s business.”

  “Well, we’ll do it another time with them. Do you want to come over for dinner?”

  “Not tonight. I didn’t go into work or even get dressed today. My book needs some polishing before I present it to who I hope will be my new agent. It’s the reason I’m going out of town on Wednesday.”

  “Excellent, when did you finish it?”

  “I didn’t, but I’m working on it. It should be completed by Tuesday. I sent him the first fifty pages. He wants to meet and review the rest of it. I’d ask you to join me if I thought there was a chance you’d come. You don’t want to go, do you?”

  “I wish I could. You know I’ll be with you in spirit, sending my good wishes to you. I won’t see you until you get back?”

  “Do you want to come over tomorrow night for d
inner? We can hang out here.”

  “What kind of wine should I bring?”

  “I have everything we need here.”

  “And Mia… I enjoyed the weekend,” he said.

  As he hung up, Louie knocked on his door and walked right in without waiting for an answer. “Ready to review those interviews now?” Louie asked.

  “Yeah, come in. Mia might not be at dinner Saturday.”

  “What did you do? You guys are done already…?”

  Louie’s comical expression lifted his mood. “Calm down, Louie. I found out she’s leaving for a business trip on Wednesday. She doesn’t know how long she’ll be away. I still want to go out with you and Sophia. We’ll do the couples thing the following weekend.”

  Louie looked relieved. “Okay. Let’s get to work.”

  Chapter 22

  Louie rewound the tapes and hit the play button. He and Jake listened to the tones and inflections of the voices, taking notes. Next, they viewed the video again, this time watching for nervous tics and following the eye movements as they looked for signs of deceit.

  “Meryl is one cocky woman, isn’t she?” Louie asked.

  Jake hit pause. “Why?”

  “Listen to her. Her tone’s flirty—then hard—then soft—like she’s playing us. It’s all a freaking game with her. There’s a change again when she realizes she could be in trouble. It took a while but now she knows we’re serious,” Louie finished.

  “Yeah, I got the same thing. Next up is the part where we confronted her about dating Shanna. Okay, turn it back on.”

  Louie rewound the tape back to the last sentence then hit play. As they listened to the rest of it, it became clear Meryl was one angry woman, but clever. The interview took over two hours, ending with Meryl requesting a lawyer.

  Jake remembered assessing Meryl a few months ago. At five-three, Meryl’s long black hair matched her empty black eyes. Meryl had a sturdy, athletic body wrapped around a tumultuous attitude. She was always on the verge of exploding—the complete opposite of Shanna. He’d have never put them together. Was Meryl strong enough to carry Shanna? He thought about it. Yes, she could’ve carried her the short distance to the woods. Jake read Meryl Drake her rights. “Do you understand these rights as I’ve read them to you?”