Murder Read online

  I nodded, and she closed the door. Matt was a partner in the law firm of Rose and Ryder Associates. They mainly dealt in family law, but they had handled a few criminal cases in the past. Matt would get this straightened out, and I’d be back at Pepper’s in no time.

  When he walked into the room, I couldn’t help wondering how bad I looked. The same look of shock I had seen on Clay’s face registered now on Matt’s.

  “Geez, Jo, what’s going on?”

  “Nothing. I didn’t do anything. I’ve been in Pepper’s basement for four days.”

  “Has she been holding you there against your will?”

  I screwed up my face and said, “Of course not. I moved out of Glenn’s place, and until I can evict Clay from mine, I’m staying in Pepper’s basement.”

  “Where were you tonight around eight o’clock?”

  “Pepper’s basement.”

  “Can anyone verify that?”

  “Pepper.”

  He looked at his notes. “According to Jackie, Pepper and the kids were at your mother’s house all day. They didn’t get home until ten o’clock this evening.”

  It was Sunday. They would have gone to Mama’s for family dinner. It didn’t make sense they stayed so long.

  “Jackie has to be mistaken. They would have been home no later than six.”

  He double-checked his notes. “Pepper told Jackie they had dinner with the family - everyone but you and Buck, because he’s on the road. Then they played Pictionary. After a session of leftovers and pie, they stayed to discuss wedding plans with Hank and Nancy. It looks like an all-day affair to me.”

  “So? I was in the basement alone. I still didn’t go anywhere.”

  “Jo, you don’t have an alibi, and you basically just told Sergeant Rorski that you hate Barbie.”

  “Why in the world does anyone think I tried to kill her in the first place? How did they ever come to that conclusion?”

  Matt looked surprised I didn’t already know. “She ID’d you.”

  I looked at him and smiled. Of course she did.

  Chapter Three

  Other than a few of the officers on the force, I hadn’t seen anyone I knew. Jackie and Pepper hadn’t come by, Sergeant Rorski never questioned me, and Glenn was a definite no-show.

  It was noon, and I’d already been booked with bail set at fifty-thousand dollars. Matt argued the amount was excessive, but the judge seemed to have adopted an attitude toward me. I suppose it didn’t help that I kept interrupting and saying I didn’t do it and would never leave the house looking like I did. I was in a courtroom in my fuzzy orange slippers for crying out loud.

  I flopped down on the cot in my cell and pulled the wool blanket over my head. I wasn’t giving anyone the satisfaction of looking in on me.

  I slept off and on all day. Lunch and dinner came and went. I didn’t eat anything. I knew I was getting weaker with each passing day, but my mind had resumed zombie autopilot status, and I wasn’t hungry.

  It was evening when Clay came to my cell and opened the door. “Jo, get up. Your bail’s been posted.”

  I sat up, pulled the blanket from over my head, and saw the shocked look come into his face again.

  “Who posted it?”

  He shook his head. “I have no idea. It was anonymous, and Matt Ryder said to tell you he wants to see you in his office at nine o’clock tomorrow morning.”

  I followed Clay to the front door. “I’ll walk out with you,” he said.

  Walk out where? How was I supposed to get back to Pepper’s house? Did he expect me to walk?

  I followed him around to the side of the building. A car I didn’t recognize was waiting with the motor running. Clay grabbed my sore elbow and propelled me to the passenger side of the vehicle. He opened the door and pushed me in.

  I was stunned to see Glenn behind the wheel. He sped off down the alley behind the building.

  “Don’t say anything,” he said. “I’ll explain everything soon.”

  He saw me shiver and turned on the heater. I didn’t know if I was shivering from the shock of seeing him or from the downright cold April night air.

  My emotions were conflicted. I wanted to scream and yell at him. I wanted to tell him I loved him, but I couldn’t when I felt so much hatred for him. I remained silent while he drove out of town toward neighboring Patterson.

  He pulled into Patterson Plaza, parked in front of the Sheraton Hotel, and reached into the back seat to grab a paper bag.

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said. “You can put these on.”

  I looked in the bag and found one of his hoodies and a pair of my tennis shoes. I suppose he thought they would get me into a room without drawing too much attention. I considered not putting them on, but I actually didn’t want people staring at me, so I threw my slippers in the back seat and put the shoes and hoodie on.

  Glenn returned and grabbed a small suitcase from the trunk. I followed him into the building through a side entrance, where we took an elevator to the fourth floor. Our room was the first door to the right.

  After setting the suitcase down, and turning on every light in the room, a look of alarm registered on his face as he took his first hard look at me in days.

  His voice was soft when he said, “I’m so sorry.”

  His words didn’t feel like an apology. They sounded more like he felt sorry for me, and the last thing I wanted from him was pity.

  I stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face. “I hate you,” I said. I didn’t mean it, but all the ugly feelings I’d suffered for the past five days surfaced to fuel my words. “I hate feeling like this. I hate that you had to rub Barbie in my face. I tried to let you know I was upset, but you wouldn’t stop. Don’t tell me you’re sorry now. I’m not playing this game, and I’m done with you. Take me back to Pepper’s.”

  I turned and headed for the door.

  He grabbed my sore elbow and pulled hard.

  “Ouch! That hurts.” I tried to pull my arm away from him.

  He put both arms around me and squeezed so hard I couldn’t breathe or move.

  “Jo, stop! Barbie is under investigation. She’s dirty, and we’re trying to prove it. I never had any interest in her, and I wasn’t home in the evenings, because I was tailing her. That’s how I got your watch. I saw you fall out of the tree.”

  His words stunned me, but they rang true, and he sounded sincere. Relief, frustration, and anger washed over me. Every bit of air left my body. I hadn’t cried at Pepper’s, but I couldn’t hold tears back now. I slumped against him and sobbed, unable to speak.

  He led me to the bed, sat on the edge, and pulled me down beside him. He put his arms around me and held me while I cried.

  When I had some semblance of control, he said, “Go splash cold water on your face and then we’ll talk.”

  I walked into the bathroom and saw the reason for the shocked faces. I didn’t look like myself. My hair was gross. It was messy, greasy, and stringy. Dark brown circles ringed my eyes. My face had a gaunt look, as though I had been sick a long time. I unzipped the hoodie and let it fall to the floor. My t-shirt hung on me, and my sweats were baggier than usual. The bruise on my elbow was larger than I thought it would be and had turned purple with a green hue around the edge.

  I pulled my t-shirt out at the neck, stuck my nose inside, and sniffed. It wasn’t pleasant.

  “I need a shower,” I called out to him. “I can’t talk until I clean up.”

  He was immediately in the doorway with clean clothes in hand. “I figured,” he said with a slight smile. “Would you like some help.”

  I shook my head no.

  I ended up taking such a long shower, I expected hotel management to call and tell us they were charging extra for using all their hot water.

  Before I dressed, I stood in front of the mirror and was mildly alarmed at how much weight I’d lost in such a short amount of time. I used the hotel hair dryer to blow out my hair as best I could without a br
ush. I didn’t have any makeup to cover the dark circles around my eyes, but I was able to brush my teeth with disposable items from a basket on the counter.

  I still resembled a zombie, but at least I was a clean zombie.

  I held my breath and closed my eyes for a few moments before leaving the bathroom. I wanted to hear what Glenn had to say, but I was emotionally drained and still somewhat unsure of him. I forced myself to open the door and enter the room.

  There was food on the table. He lifted a cloche to reveal a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup. “I heard you haven’t eaten much lately, so I picked out something light.”

  For the first time in days, food looked appetizing, and I wanted to eat. However, I wasn’t surprised when, after a few bites, I felt full.

  “Do we have any water?” I asked.

  He grabbed a bottle from the mini fridge and handed it to me. “Ready to talk?” he asked, pulling his chair closer to mine at the table.

  “I think so,” I said. I noticed his face still carried a light red handprint. “I’m sorry I slapped you.”

  He smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I deserved it.”

  I didn’t argue, and he sat quietly for a few moments before telling me what was going on.

  “Barbie’s worked at several police departments. She’s had trouble at all of them. On paper, she’s a good officer. She follows the rules, writes tickets, and she has some good collars under her belt. But word is, she takes bribes. There’s no solid proof, and the bribes are small potatoes compared to the games she plays with men on the force. There’s a police officer in Youngstown awaiting trial for murdering his wife. He swears he’s innocent and says Barbie set him up when he refused her advances.”

  His words alarmed me. “Glenn, I never left Pepper’s basement from the moment I got there. I didn’t even go upstairs to her kitchen. There’s no way I tried to kill Barbie, but she identified me as the person who did. She’s setting me up to get me out of the picture, isn’t she?”

  He nodded his head. “I think so.”

  “What do I do now? If this goes to a jury trial, I have no alibi. I could go to prison.”

  He shook his head. “We’re hoping it won’t go that far. Barbie’s a classic narcissist. She needs to be the center of attention. She’s controlling, dominating, and she takes advantage of others. She goes after married men, or in my case, someone who’s engaged. It’s a sickness, because to her, it’s a challenge. She believes she can get any man she wants, and she proves it by taking men who aren’t available.”

  “She was fired from her past positions for her behavior?”

  “No. There’s no law against infidelity, and a lot of departments don’t have rules against dating co-workers. In every case, her superior suggested she take a job elsewhere, and he would then write a glowing recommendation for her. That changed when she came here. Sergeant Rorski and the Chief of Police in Youngstown went through academy together, and they’ve kept in touch over the years. The chief in Youngstown asked Sarge to take her on and watch her. He’s hoping she’ll say or do something here that will help exonerate his man in jail up there.”

  “Why did he put her with you? Clay is single. She could have partnered with him.”

  “There’s your answer. Clay is single, and he doesn’t have a girlfriend. Barbie wouldn’t have any interest in him. There’d be no conquest. Sarge didn’t want to tempt any of the married guys on the force if he could help it, so he put her with his one man who had a solid relationship - someone who wouldn’t stray no matter what.”

  I gave him a half-hearted smile. “Look how well that worked out.”

  The look on his face wrenched my heart. His anguish was visible.

  “At first I thought you were ok with our working together. I’d come home and tell you things she said or did, not to make you jealous, but because I didn’t want to keep anything from you. I actually thought she was goofy. Couldn’t you see I was laughing at her?”

  “I thought you were laughing with her. To me, it seemed like you thought she was the greatest thing ever, and I felt so insecure.”

  “I can’t tell you how sorry I am,” he said. “When I realized how upset you were, I went to Sarge and told him I needed to fill you in on my detail, but he refused. I never really knew what happened between you and Alan, and when Pepper told me, and that you thought it was happening to you all over again, I felt sick. It took everything I had not to punch Sarge when I told him you left me, and he still wouldn’t let me tell you what was going on. He changed his mind when he saw you in the station yesterday.”

  “I should have had you take a picture before I cleaned up. It would have been a good look to recreate for Halloween this year.”

  He grasped my hand and lifted it to his lips for a kiss. “It would only remind me of the nightmare we’ve just been through. No thanks.”

  He continued to hold my hand. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and felt calmed by his gentle touch. “What happens now?” I asked.

  “Well, for starters, you’re seeing Matt tomorrow morning. He hasn’t been given any details about Barbie, but Sarge let him know getting you off is top priority, and he’s been asked to delay your trial as long as possible. You’re going back to Pepper’s tomorrow, but only for the day. Clay is moving in with me, and you’re moving back into your house.”

  I was confused. “I’m not going home with you?”

  “Not yet. We’re going to stay broken up for a while. Barbie won’t be satisfied until she has me eating out of her hand. That’s never going to happen, but she doesn’t know it. And other than her word, there’s no proof you tried to murder her. She’s going to have to fake evidence or plant something to make the attempted murder charge stick. That’s when we’re hoping to catch her.”

  “How did someone try to kill her? Matt didn’t tell me.”

  “Someone took a shot at her from the tree outside her bedroom window. She says she saw you just before she lurched to the side. The bullet missed her chest and grazed her arm.”

  My eyes bugged a little. “You know I don’t have a gun, and I wouldn’t climb a tree to shoot her if I did. I’d ring the front doorbell.” Glenn smiled. The dimple in his right cheek and the sparkle in his eyes made him incredibly sexy. I willed my desire for him to stay at bay a while longer. “I didn’t shoot her, so who did?”

  “Good question,” he said. “And one we don’t have an answer to.”

  My mind shifted into overdrive. Would Barbie shoot herself in order to pin an attempted murder charge on me? If so, she was not only sick, she was dangerous.

  Still holding my hand, Glenn stood from the table. “Let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day for both of us.”

  I climbed into bed while Glenn turned off lights and stripped down to a pair of sexy, tight boxer-briefs.

  “Did Arnie post my bail?” I asked.

  “Yes and no,” he said, sliding in beside me. “He took care of everything with a bail bondsman he likes to use, and he had it all done anonymously, but he didn’t put up the money for your release.”

  “Who did?”

  “I did. I used my house as collateral.”

  I was speechless. The house had been his grandparent’s home, and I knew Glenn treasured it. Using the house to get me out of jail dispelled any remaining doubts I had of his love for me.

  He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me tight against him. Slightly above a whisper, he said with emotion, “You’re beautiful, Jo, and I love you. I promise, you’re the only girl for me.”

  I finally relaxed, and for the first time in five days, I fell into a peaceful sleep.

  Chapter Four

  “Most importantly, keep to yourself and don’t talk to anyone.” Matt’s eyes were steely as he imparted the last of his instructions to me.

  “I have to talk to some people. I’m going back to work today.”

  “You know what I mean,” he said. “Don’t talk about Barbie or your case. A
nd for heaven’s sake, don’t discuss any of this with my wife, or everything you say will wind up in the newspaper.”

  I shook my head. “No way. Jackie wouldn’t do that to me.”

  “She would. Jackie has an obligation to the Buxley Beacon before her friendship with you. As your attorney, I’m advising you not to say anything about your case to her.”

  “Aye, aye, captain,” I said and gave him a half-hearted salute.

  His look became more serious. “This isn’t a joke, Jo. Your pre-trial conference will be here sooner than you think, and once that happens, your trial date is going to be set. A jury won’t be sympathetic toward you, and you don’t have a witness to corroborate your alibi.”

  The sudden sinking sensation in my stomach made me feel ill. I needed some fresh air.

  “Can I go now?” I asked.

  He nodded. “We’re done here. Keep in touch. If there’s anything you think I should know, don’t hesitate to call me anytime, day or night.”

  I stood to leave his office. “Any chance you can give me a ride to Pepper’s?”

  He looked at his watch. “I have a meeting in ten minutes, but Jackie’s down the street at Chummy’s. She’s meeting with some new women’s organization. She’ll give you a ride when she’s done.”

  I didn’t want to go to Chummy’s. I still didn’t have a brush or personal items, so I didn’t look the greatest. Glenn and I had stayed in bed at the hotel and talked until it was time to leave for my appointment with Matt. He then dropped me behind Ryder and Associates before heading back to the rental agency to return the car. In the light of day, all the cloak and dagger activity seemed rather silly, but Glenn felt Barbie was unstable, and we couldn’t be too cautious.

  I contemplated walking the five blocks to our offices, but I wasn’t ready to answer questions from Nancy or Arnie. I gave in and walked down the street to Chummy Burgers and More.

  It was a chilly morning, but the sun was shining and felt warm on my face. I was still wearing Glenn’s hoodie, and with the hood up, it was enough to keep me warm. I decided to wait for Jackie on a bench across the street. I slouched with my hands in the hoodie pockets. No one recognized me, and I was spared the incessant honking of horns as people drove by.