The Graves of the Guilty (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 3) (22 page)

Cooper realized that Miguel and Hector weren’t the only victims. There was also Maria Gutierrez, the woman who worked for Love Motors and whose son had been murdered a few days ago. Cooper had almost forgotten about her. She felt a rush of guilt over this and over the fact that she hadn’t called the video store to find out if the Hector she’d met there was the same young man who’d been killed.

It took a moment for her to become aware that Savannah was preparing to wrap up their meeting. “Every once in a while, we need to take a pulse—to stop and consider how our faith walk is progressing,” she said. “Are we all talk or are we all action?”

The group fell silent, reflecting on Savannah’s words. She allowed the silence to settle on them for a while and then smiled. “For what it’s worth, it has been a joy to spend my Sunday mornings with you. You enrich my life with each meeting.”

“And you’ve all given me strength through your prayers and your love,” Trish whispered weakly.

Several of the Sunrise members blinked away tears and then joined hands as Savannah led them in a closing prayer.

“Guess what? Gloria will be joining us for our next study!” Quinton proclaimed as if he couldn’t refrain from sharing the news another second. Turning to Bryant, he said, “Why don’t you invite Jane?”

Bryant blanched. “I’m not sure. This is kind of my safe place. It would be a pretty big step—to have her here.”

Trish jabbed his forearm with her pencil. “Haven’t you learned
anything,
you big oaf? You’re ready to show her who you really are, Bryant. Take the plunge!” She turned to Cooper. “Now, tell me everything that happened last night. You have this look about you today. I’ve seen you like this before, but only after we’d had a big breakthrough in one of our investigations.”

“It’s that superhero, good-triumphs-over-evil kind of glow,” Quinton added.

“Well, I did see the face of a devil,” Cooper began. “And I hope I never see it again.” She told those members who hadn’t been present at Club Satin what had happened. As she spoke, she encouraged Nathan and Jake to fill in details, and it wasn’t long before her friends knew the full story.

“But can the police pin Miguel’s murder on this guy?” Quinton asked, troubled. “He seems to get himself out of hot water all the time.”

“We’ll have to settle for reading about the case in the newspaper,” Bryant said. “Frankly, I’m relieved we’re not going to be involved anymore. This Albion sounds like a dangerous character.”

 “Fortunately, none of us will have to lay eyes on him again.” Thrusting her arms out to emphasize her point, she accidentally pushed the coffee cup perched on Bryant’s desk right off the edge. It fell to the floor and smashed into pieces, startling everyone.

Cooper peered down at the jagged fragments and the rivulet of steaming brown liquid that seemed to wriggle, snakelike, along the tiled floor. Swallowing, she felt a prick of dread.

Perhaps she had spoken too soon.

• • •

Because Nathan, Ashley, and Lincoln would be joining the Lees for supper, Maggie decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day all over again. She even made place cards out of red paper hearts and hung paper streamers from the chandelier. Tiny red, pink, and silver cupids dangled from each streamer.

As Cooper set the table, she hummed the Beatles’ “Do You Want to Know a Secret.” All day long she’d been feeling like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Now that her encounter with Albion was over, she believed she could truly trust the authorities to lock up the devil clothed in white.

I never heard Albion’s last name,
she thought briefly, but the ringing of the doorbell banished further thoughts of the creepy criminal.

Cooper opened the door to find Nathan standing on the welcome mat, holding a spray of pink roses. “They’re for your mother.”

Maggie hugged Nathan and then she chastised him about spending too much money. “I’m just glad to have you here. You don’t
ever
have to come bearing gifts.”

 “I’m being fed dinners that would put Emeril Lagasse to shame, so the least I can do is to show my gratitude to the master chef,” Nathan said.

“Master chef, eh?” Maggie grinned and smoothed her apron. “I like the sound of that.” She elbowed Earl. “I think you should call me master chef from now on.”

Ashley and Lincoln arrived amid the laughter. The married couple looked drained, and Cooper suddenly remembered that they’d gone to visit Hector Gutierrez’s bereaved mother the day before. The experience had clearly taken its toll.

“How did it go yesterday?” Cooper asked as she and Ashley hung coats on the hall tree.

“It was really hard, but I’m glad we went.” Ashley unwrapped a chenille scarf from her neck and draped it over her coat. “You were right about her just needing to talk. Lincoln told her that he’s setting up a scholarship fund in Hector’s name. When Maria heard that, she smiled for what was probably the first time since she heard about her son’s death.” Ashley sighed. “After we left, I wondered how someone could go on after losing a child. I’d just give up.”

“That’s not true,” Cooper replied softly. “You haven’t quit trying to have a child, you didn’t give up on your marriage, and you’ve stuck by me through thick and thin. You’re made of tougher stuff than you think.”

Ashley grinned, pleased by the compliment. “You’ve given me just the opening I was looking for.” She glanced down the hall to make sure no one was within earshot. “I’ll tell you a secret.” She paused for effect. “I’m late.”

Cooper shrugged. “What else is new? You’re always late by at least twenty minutes.”

Rolling her eyes, Ashley pointed at her belly.
“This
kind of late.” She put her finger over her lips. “It’s too early to take a home pregnancy test, but I already feel different.”

Examining her sister’s hopeful face, Cooper felt a thrill of excitement. She hugged Ashley and whispered, “I pray it’s true, sis.”

“Just think,” Ashley murmured happily. “A Halloween baby.”

“A treat for all of us,” Cooper said and the two sisters rejoined the rest of the family.

Over dinner, Nathan and Cooper told a filtered version of their Valentine’s Day activities, providing only the positive outcome of their visit to Club Satin. They did their best to focus most of their conversation on the revitalization of the East End elementary school.

“Wait until that principal finds out you have three thousand dollars to spend on healthy snacks for those kids!” Maggie cried as she served Nathan a second helping of beef burgundy.

“We may have more than that,” he said, happily examining his plate. “There was a special collection at church yesterday and folks dug real deep.”

 “That’s wonderful,” Ashley said. “Speaking of food, what unhealthy dessert did you whip up for us, Mama? I’m still hungry.”

Maggie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I declare, Ashley! I’ve never seen you put away so much so fast! But to answer your question, I made a triple-berry lemon trifle. It should coat your grammy’s sharp tongue with sugar.” She kissed her mother-in-law on the cheek, went into the kitchen, and returned with the trifle.

Ashley devoured spoonfuls of fruit and custard as if she’d entered an eating competition. “Slow down, honey!” Lincoln cautioned. “You’re going to have an upset stomach.”

Pausing for breath, Ashley sat back in her chair, looking rather green. Suddenly, she put her hand over her mouth, whispered, “Too late,” and jumped up from the table.

The sounds of her being sick echoed down the hall from the bathroom.

“I hope she doesn’t have the flu,” Grammy muttered and continued to eat her trifle with gusto.

Cooper met Lincoln’s eyes. “And that she isn’t contagious.”

Brother- and sister-in-law exchanged covert smiles.

• • •

Monday came and went in a flash. Cooper interviewed the final three candidates for her new division and now had to make a decision. It was a delight to be able to phone the two men she’d chosen to hire and welcome them to the Make It Work! team. Bobby was especially happy and thanked her effusively while his wife issued jubilant screeches in the background.

By five o’clock that afternoon, Cooper had finished all her work for the day and was in the middle of buttoning her coat when she looked up to see Angela leading a troupe of people down the hall.

“We’re lookin’ for you!” Angela trilled. “This is Mrs. Weller and her children. They’ve brought you a goodie.”

“You’re such a blessing!” Mrs. Weller cried and thrust a pie into Cooper’s hands. She was suddenly enveloped by the scent of cooked apples and cinnamon. “Did Bobby tell you that he was let go on Friday?” Mrs. Weller asked.

Cooper shook her head but didn’t get a chance to speak.

“He did!” the woman declared. “The garage had to make cutbacks and the other employee was the owner’s son-in-law, so guess who got fired? We’ve spent a good part of the weekend on our knees and our prayers were answered by your phone call today.” She crossed her hands over her heart. “I know this isn’t professional, to show up here like this, but my heart was bursting with relief and I just
had
to bake you something. Baking is all I’m good at, besides making babies.”

Cooper gazed at the Weller brood. The children were all sandy-haired, freckled, and polite. “Would you come into the conference room and share this pie with me? I’d love to get to know Bobby’s family.”

Angela treated the children to Cokes from the vending machine while Cooper brewed coffee for the adults. For the next half an hour, she and Angela talked and laughed with the Wellers.

Later, her hunger satisfied by pie and two cups of coffee, Cooper left work and drove to the nearest grocery store to pick up yet another bag of cat litter. She was surprised, upon taking her place in the long express line, to find Investigator McNamara standing directly in front of her.

He seemed lost in thought, so Cooper tapped him lightly on the arm. He swung around abruptly, dropping the bag of red grapes he’d been carrying.

“Clean up on aisle ten,” he joked and scrambled to collect the errant grapes before anyone could step on them. “Sorry about that. My mind was far away.”

“Were you thinking about a case?” Cooper’s eyes were lit with curiosity.

“Indeed.” He placed his items on the conveyor belt and then, once his order was paid for and bagged, moved aside to wait for Cooper. “May I carry that litter to your car?” he offered gallantly.

“Yes, please,” Cooper accepted and the pair stepped into the dark February evening together. “Can you tell me if there’s been any progress in Miguel’s case? Have you been in contact with Officer Johnson?”

 “Can we sit inside for a moment?” McNamara gestured at Cooper’s truck.

“Sure,” Cooper unlocked the doors, turned on the engine, and directed one of the heating vents toward McNamara.

“You played a dangerous game Saturday night,” he began without preamble. “Ivan is bound to suspect you. Even though he was brought in for questioning and will be detained overnight, he has plenty of minions to carry out his wishes.” He frowned at Cooper. “One of his wishes might be to punish you.”

Cooper felt anger, not fear, sparking inside of her. “He doesn’t know anything about me.”

Shaking his head in disgust, McNamara said, “Do
not
underestimate him. I believe you were one of the last people to see Hector Gutierrez alive. It wouldn’t take much for Ivan to discover that you were snooping around both the video store and Club Satin.”

Cooper blanched. “So that was the Hector from Doc Buster’s? He was Maria’s son—and was little more than a boy!” She felt sick to her stomach. Fumbling with the window crank, she fought back nausea while inhaling a lungful of cold air.

McNamara nodded. “Miguel, possibly Hector Gutierrez, and many others have been Ivan’s victims. We’re building a case against the scumbag. And we’re building it very carefully. If there’s a single hole in our case, Ivan will slither through it and escape. Again.”

Cooper fixated on his first sentence. “What is the connection between Hector and Miguel?”

“Forged IDs and Love Motors,” McNamara said. “And they both visited Club Satin frequently. To get paid, to run product, we don’t exactly know yet. We believe Miguel was a squirrel—a drug runner for Ivan. He probably skimmed from the take and was murdered because of his theft.” He sighed. “We’re not sure why Ivan would rub out Hector.”

Cooper grabbed the policeman’s arm. “Because of me?
I
brought up Miguel’s name to Hector. He mentioned the words China White. He said them in Spanish but he also warned me not to go near Miguel’s boss.” Tears filled her eyes. “Hector’s boss overheard the warning, I’m sure of it. It’s my fault that he’s dead!”

“No, Ms. Lee,” McNamara told her firmly. “Hector Gutierrez was killed because he was involved in criminal activities. He was an underling and his superior was disappointed with his job performance.” After patting Cooper’s hand, McNamara shifted in his seat, making it clear that the discussion was nearing an end. “These young men were dependent on Ivan. I can’t prove that yet, but I will. They were small-time crooks looking to make it rich quick. But they served a fickle master.”

“Who saw them as expendable,” Cooper said sadly, still distraught over the idea that she’d had something to do with Hector’s demise.

McNamara’s tone matched Cooper’s as he muttered, “And there are dozens of young men just waiting to fill their shoes.”

“But why Hispanics? Hector wasn’t an illegal, was he?”

The question seemed to force McNamara into silence. Placing both hands on the dashboard, he stared out through the windshield. “I’ve only told you this much because I don’t want to receive a call in which I learn that you’ve been found in the river. I want you to hear me when I tell you to lie low until we have what we need to put Ivan behind bars for life.” He opened the door, stepped out of the truck and then leaned back into the cab. “If you truly
want to see justice done, let us do our jobs. Show some faith.”

Cooper immediately backed out of her parking spot, pulled alongside the policeman as he walked to his cruiser, and opened her window. “Tell me one thing. Is Ivan this guy’s first or last name?”