Becoming Forever (Waking Forever Series) (6 page)

“Detective Haines.” As Rachel released her hand,
Ash sat on the sofa. Rachel sat in the chair directly across from her, and Sara sat in the Parisian style leather chair nearest to Rachel.

Ash
automatically flipped open the cover of her iPad she was carrying, and pulled a stylus from her jacket pocket. “Most importantly, Ms. Glass, let me tell you how sorry I am about Mr. Garrett. I understand from talking with his parents and several of his co-workers, the two of you had been seeing one another for over three years. I know this is very difficult.”

Ash watched
Sara as she subtly shifted her shoulders and a frown formed on her perfect lips. “Thank you. Paul and I had recently stopped seeing one another, but it had been amicable.”

Ash wasn’t surprised. It seemed obvious from talking with Paul’s co-worker Andrew Raymond that Paul was at least seeing someone else.

The only question Ash had, Sara had just answered. Paul wasn’t stepping out on Sara, which meant Ash needed to find this Michelle woman. “How long ago was the breakup?”

“A few months.” Sara placed her hands in her lap as she crossed her legs.

“Ms. Collins?” Ash looked up from her notes to see Rachel looking directly at her. Ash’s heart beat got louder in her ears, and she hoped she wasn’t blushing. The woman was beautiful to the point of distraction. Clearing her throat, Ash continued. “How do you know Ms. Glass?”

“Very well, I shou
ld imagine.” Rachel smiled. “Sara and I are dating.”

Lucky
lawyer.
Ash thought as she noted the relationship on her iPad. “Forgive the personal question, Ms. Glass, but were the two of you seeing each other before or after you broke up with Mr. Garrett?”

Sara smiled. “Rachel and I were friends while Paul and I were dating, then after the breakup…” Sara reached for Rachel’s hand. “We started seeing each other.”

“Where were you last Thursday night, Ms. Glass?” Ash had intentionally stopped taking notes, and was carefully watching both Sara and Rachel’s body language as Sara responded to what was in essence an alibi question.

Sara glanced up at the ceiling and then over at Rachel.
“Rach, we were here all evening, yes?”

Rachel nodded. “Except around nine. We went for a run and got back a little after ten.”

“Hmmm. That’s right. Low-key evening. We went through our backlog of American Idol on the DVR.” Sara smiled.

The lawyer
was nervous about something, but no more than Ash would expect given the reason for her visit. “So you two were together the entire night?” Ash looked directly at Rachel.

“Yes.” Rachel nodded
without hesitation.

Turning her attention back to Sara,
Ash asked her several generic questions about where she worked, where she was from, how long she had lived in San Antonio, contact phone numbers, but it was the last question that Ash could see took Sara by surprise. “Ms. Glass, was Mr. Garrett seeing anyone, or do you have any idea who might have done this?”

Sara’s breath caught,
she shifted in the chair and brushed imaginary lint from her jeans. Tears threatened to spill from her blue eyes. Ash felt her throat tighten. For all her calmness and politeness, was Sara Glass about to become one of Cris’ hysterical women?

Never one to shy away from awkward situations, Ash restated the question.
“Ms. Glass, can you think of someone?”

Sara cleared her throat
as Rachel slid her hand over Sara’s. “Love? You okay?”

Sara wiped at the tears running down her face. “Yea
h. Sorry, it just hit me. Paul’s gone.” Rachel got up and walked into the kitchen, returning with a box of tissue that she handed to Sara. Rachel sat on the arm of Sara’s chair, and took Sara’s hand in between both of hers.

Ash watched the two women interact. They clearly cared for one another.
“I’m sorry. I know this is very hard, but if you can think of anyone that would do something like this, it could really help.” Ash leaned forward, placing her iPad on the sofa next to her.

Sara sighed heavily and looked up at Rachel. “Christ, I hope I don’t know anyone that could do this.”
Ash thought that was one of the more honest answers she had ever heard. No sane person wanted to imagine they knew an animal that was capable of the brutality inflicted on Paul Garrett. “And I don’t know if he was seeing anyone.”

Ash
stood, putting the stylus back in her jacket pocket and picking up the iPad. She pulled yet another business card from the cover of the iPad. “Here’s my card, Ms. Glass. If you think of anything else, please give me a call, or shoot me an email.”

Sara got up from the chair
. “I will. Let me show you out, detective.”

Rachel was following behind the two women
when Ash thought,
I may as well kill two birds with one stone. Maintain contact with an individual that may help with the case, and if things don’t work out between Ms. Collins and Ms. Glass, perhaps a future date.

Ash
stopped suddenly and turned to face Rachel. “Ms. Collins. Here’s a card as well.” Ash’s heart beat increased, and she could feel the heat surge to her face under the intense gaze of this remarkably beautiful woman. “If you think of anything – ah, call me.”

“Absolutely, detective.” Rachel took the card as Sara opened the front door.

“Thank you both.” Ash shook Rachel’s cold hand, and then in contrast, Sara’s very warm hand as she left the apartment.

Once in the hallway, Ash let out a deep breath as she walked toward the elevator.

Christ, you’re smooth, Haines.
Leaning her head against the wood trim around the elevator, Ash closed her eyes.
I need to get laid when a complete stranger - who has a girlfriend - renders me nearly useless.

Ash got on the elevator and pressed the lobby button. She did manage to derive from the interview that Sara Glass was hiding somet
hing. Ash wasn’t sure what, but she doubted the attorney had any part in Paul’s murder. Exiting the elevator, it was perfectly clear that the only lead Ash had was Michelle. A faceless, practically nameless woman who may very well have been the last person to see Paul Garrett alive.

***

Ash looked around the crowded IHOP for Cris. They had talked briefly throughout the day, and had agreed to meet at the restaurant to debrief on the interviews for the day. Spotting her partner in a booth near the back of the restaurant, Ash walked toward him.

“Yo.” Cris waved Ash over as he took a sip of what Ash knew was at least his fifth cup of coffee for the day.

Sliding into the booth across from Cris, Ash took her iPad out and brought up the memo screen. “Hey partner.”

Cris waved the waitress over. “Have you eaten?”

Ash nodded. “I had a protein bar in between Garrett’s office and the ex-girlfriend’s.”

“So you had a snack?” Cris looked suspiciously at Ash.

Ash shook her head. “Well, Dad, you asked if I had eaten, and I did.”

Cris’ expression went blank. “Are you making another age joke at my expense
?”

Ash knew better than to fall for his fake hurt feelings. “Yep.”

Cris smiled. “Clever.”

The waitress, whose name
tag read Pat, stood next to the table and handed Ash a laminated menu. “Something to drink?”

Ash glanced at the menu. “Ah, water
. And some extra dark white toast with butter, please.”

Pat took the menu from Ash and walked away. Ash turned her attention back to Cris who was staring at her out of the top of his eyes. “Toast and water?”

“What? I told you I ate.” Ash ran her index finger across the touch screen of the iPad until she found her notes from the Sara Glass interview.

Cris shook his head. “Okay then, just don’t take your low blood sugar out on me.”

Ash tilted her head to the left and then back to the right, trying to release some of the tension in her shoulders. “Do you want to do this or not?”

Cris nodded as he thumbed through
his red Mead notepad. “Absolutely. I have nothing on the travelling companions. Group of WASPs that went out to Vegas a couple times a year with Garrett. All have solid alibis for the night of the murder, and no ideas who could have done it.”

Cris took a drink from his nearly empty coffee cup. “One guy -” Cris flipped a page on the notepad. “Greg. He said Garrett was dating around, and that your girl Sara wasn’t his main squeeze.”

Ash shook her head. “You really date yourself with those euphemisms.”

Ash ignored the grin on Cris’ face and continued. “Sara Glass and Garrett parted ways about two months ago.
Apparently the split was amicable. According to one of his co-workers, it sounds like he was seeing a woman named Michelle.”

Ash scrolled to the next screen on the iPad. “No last name, and I
’m having trouble finding any reference to her in Garrett’s papers, but I’m hopeful IT will find her in his contacts’ list once they get into his phone.”

The waitress came back with Ash’s water and toast. She refilled Cris’ coffee and disappeared without a word. Cris immediately took a drink of the hot coffee. “Any feel for the ex?”

Ash laughed. “Ah, let’s just say she isn’t hysterical.” She spread a generous amount of butter on the nearly burnt toast.

“Since parting ways with Garrett she has started dating a very attractive
woman
named Rachel Collins, and I suspect the two will be registered at Neiman Marcus any day now.” Ash took a bite of the toast.

“Well I’ll be damned.” Cris shook his head.

Ash smiled. “We’re everywhere, my friend.”

Cris laughed. “Alibi for her and the girlfriend check out?”

Ash shrugged. “They’re each other’s alibi, and no way to confirm it. In the love nest watching television, and then out for a run. The doorman couldn’t confirm the run because quote ‘Ms. Glass and her friend come and go at all hours’.” Ash took a drink of water. “If it comes down to it, I can pull the lobby security tape for that night.”

Cris nodded. “I’m feeling the Michelle lead
myself, barring any irregularities in Garrett’s business dealings.”

Ash shook her head. “I don’t buy the business angle. Not with that amount
of carnage.”

Cris agreed. “Let’s eliminate ever
y angle and go with what’s left, though.”

Ash finished her toast and water. “Are we square?”

Cris tilted his head back to finish the last of his coffee. “Right as rain. See you tomorrow?”

The two detectives stood, and Ash put a twenty dollar bill on the table. The two walked out of the restaurant, and once outside
, Ash turned again to Cris.

“I’m going to go see what the M.E. has come up with. I know the report isn’t due for a few more days, but maybe she has something that might point us in the right direction.”

“Sounds good.” Cris waved over his shoulder as he walked toward his navy blue Nissan Maxima.

Ash wasn’t looking forward to seeing Dr
. Atman. Their paths had crossed on a few occasions since Ash’s near breakdown in her office three years ago, but they had not worked a case together. If Ash was honest with herself, she was still embarrassed over the exchange, and how vulnerable she had been with the M.E..

As she drove home, the only thought that stead
ied her nerves about seeing the doctor again was remembering how considerate she had been in what was truly one of Ash’s lowest moments. 

Chapter 4

“D
r. Atman, it’s nice to see you again.” Ash extended her hand, but was waved off by Emma, who wore latex gloves covered in a brownish liquid.

“Forgive me, but you wouldn’t want this on your hands.” Emma smiled nervously
, and turned back to Paul Garrett’s corpse.

Ash pulled her hand back and rubbed her thumb and forefinger together. “Right. Sorry.”

Ash walked around so she was standing on the opposite side of the table from Emma. She had last seen the doctor at a luncheon nearly six months ago, and looking at her now, realized her memory had failed her in how incredibly beautiful she was.

Ash found Emma even more appealing because she had a slight awkwardness to her th
at seemed in direct contrast to her obvious intelligence and grace. To that end, the doctor seemed anxious as she hurriedly walked back and forth between the autopsy table, and a laptop stationed on a metal table several feet away. Ash bit her lower lip, not sure what to say, and still feeling the twinges of embarrassment over her crying in Emma’s office three years ago. “I wish we were seeing each other again under better circumstances, Dr. Atman.”

Emma paused. She
looked over the top of her safety glasses at Ash, who felt her breath catch at the intensity of blue gazing at her. “You can call me Emma, and given the nature of our work, I don’t see what other circumstances we
could
be meeting under.” There was no hint of irony or harshness in her tone, and not waiting for Ash’s response, Emma took a scalpel from the tray to her right and ran her thumb down the length of Paul’s sternum.