Before She Dies (29 page)
He frowned. “Did anyone odd come into your tent before Mariah died that set off alarm bells for you?”
“It has been eighteen years. I’ve blocked all that out. And after Mariah died, I was gone for good in less than a week.”
“When was the last time you worked in the tent?”
“About a week before she died. After she was gone, I refused to go into the tent again.”
“Grady give you a hard time about not working?”
“Yes. He was furious. He said ...” She paused and swallowed jagged emotions. “He said it should have been me.”
Rokov opened the manila folder at his side. “These are Mariah’s crime scene photos and they are rough.”
She moistened dry lips and tried to dismiss the growing nausea in her gut. “Let me see.”
He hesitated a moment and then opened the file.
She stared in horror at the colored picture of Mariah lying on her back, her face covered with a handkerchief, and her limp body lying by a road. Tears choked her throat. “I don’t see a connection.”
“Have a closer look.”
She clenched her fists. She lowered her gaze and drew in a sharp breath when she fully took in the image of her sister lying in the grass. She’d seen her share of autopsy photos, and though she’d found them sobering, they’d never been as devastating as these.
“You all right?”
“Yes.”
He flipped to the next picture. It was another angle of her lying down.
“He wrote on her.”
“Yes.”
All she saw was the violence and the hatred that had spewed out of a monster onto her sister. But as she’d allowed logic to elbow and subdue emotion, her mind locked on a detail. “That handkerchief is Grady’s. He always carried one like that.”
“It appears fairly generic.”
“He bought them by the dozen because he always needed one in his pocket. He called them his good luck charm.”
Her knees gave way, and he quickly closed the file and caught her elbow, preventing her from crumbling. He guided her to a cream-colored sofa. “I still hear her screams in my dreams. Her last moments must have been a nightmare.”
He sat beside her. Though he didn’t touch her, his presence gave her the strength to stay calm. She wasn’t going to cry this time.
“It’s no shame to cry,” he said.
“My mother taught me never to cry. A foolish lesson for a mother to pass on to a child, but until today I’ve not cried in a very long time.”
“I’m sorry I was the cause.”
“It wasn’t you. You gave me the answers I needed for so long.” She tossed him a sidelong glance and found him staring at her. “Where is she? Grady said he had her buried in Fairfax but he wouldn’t let me see the grave.”
“She was never claimed so she was cremated.”
She pressed her fingertips to her eyes. “She should have been claimed. We should have gathered and honored her.”
“Let’s go,” he said.
“Where?”
“Get away from here. Get something to eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You need a break. You need an hour to get away from this place and the White trial and the worries you are carrying about Sooner.”
“I don’t need a break.”
“Get your purse or whatever it is you carry. Break.”
“Detective.”
He shook his head. “I think we moved beyond the formal titles a long time ago. My name is Daniel.”
She shook her head. “Detective, I told you we were not going to move on beyond the formal titles.”
“As I remember, we did. Five times.”
Color rose in her cheeks. “That was different.”
“Really? How?”
“It was a diversion for both of us. We both knew it was what it was.”
“Meaning?”
“Not personal.”
“When a man and woman get naked, it’s personal.” He rose and pulled her with him. “Now get your purse. We’re getting out of here.”
Chapter 19
Thursday, October 28, 8:55 p.m.
Too tired and overwhelmed to argue with Rokov, Charlotte grabbed her purse from her desk drawer and shut off the lights. Rokov waited on the front porch beside her as she set the alarm and locked the deadbolt. He guided her down the stairs to an unmarked police cruiser, opened the passenger side door for her, and waited as she slid into the car. He closed her door. The car’s interior had remained warm and immediately subdued the chill clinging to her bones.
Without a word, Rokov got behind the wheel and fired up the engine. A quick glance in the rearview mirror and he was driving down the street. Before long they’d maneuvered around the latest patch of road construction, so much a part of this area, and were on I-495 south. She didn’t ask where they were going, knowing she was safe and for these few moments with him she did not have to worry.
When he pulled into a residential neighborhood, she sat a little straighter. The houses were small, many built in the fifties, but the lawns and properties were neatly kept. “Where are we?”
“I have to stop by my parents. They’re having dinner so we might as well grab a bite there.”
Immediately, she tensed. “I shouldn’t be here.”
“Why not? Their food is good, better than any restaurant, and you’re hungry.”
“No. They’re not expecting me.” She stared down the street, wondering if they’d passed a Metro stop, a bus, or a subway line.
He ignored her. “Mom cooks enough for an army. Besides, it’s late and some of the clan will have cleared out.”
“I don’t like being around real families.” They were reminders of too many personal disasters. “I can wait in the car.”
“No.” He parked behind a black Lincoln and came immediately around to her side of the car. He opened the door. “Don’t be a baby, Wellington. It’s just a meal.”
“Breaking bread with family is personal.”
“More personal than sex?”
“Absolutely.” She got out, hugging her purse close.
Rokov followed and pressed his hand into the small of Charlotte’s back, guiding her toward his mother’s front door decorated with dried cornstalks. He could have called his mother and begged off the meal. God knows he’d done it enough times. But he’d wanted Charlotte to meet his family. Why? And to fully answer that question required more time than he had. All he knew was that they were both hungry, and there was no better place to nourish her than here.
Without knocking, he opened the front door. Immediately, the sounds of laughter and music rushed out to greet them. Charlotte’s muscles stiffened under his palm, and he could feel her pushing back. If he’d not been there, she’d have run.
“You can cross-examine a man to shreds without breaking a sweat, and yet a little family time scares you?”
“It scares the shit out of me,” she whispered.
The uncharacteristic remark made him laugh. Which was how his mother found them, him smiling down at her and her looking at him with a bemused if not embarrassed expression. An outsider might have thought he’d just kissed her or they’d shared an intimate exchange.
“Daniel?” His mother’s voice was loud and excited. “We did not think you’d make it.”
He nudged Charlotte closer to his mother with more than just a little push in the small of her back. “I don’t have much time. I’ve got to get back to work soon.”
His mother’s bright blue gaze had shifted completely from him to Charlotte, and there was a curiosity there that could only be described as hungry. “And who is your friend?”
His mother had learned English well over thirty years ago but she still spoke with a pronounced Russian accent. Streaks of white had turned her blue-black hair to salt and pepper, but erect shoulders gave her the presence of a much taller woman. A strict code of eating had kept her figure trim, and she still wore dark dresses instead of slacks or shorts.
“This is Charlotte Wellington. We’re working on a case together.”
His mother arched a brow. “You are a policeman?”
Charlotte extended her hand. “I am an attorney, Mrs. Rokov.”
His mother took her hand in both of hers. “My name is Nadia Rokov. Daniel’s mother. And please call me Nadia.”
More laughter and conversation bubbled from the kitchen. “I don’t mean to intrude.”
“Intrude! That is the last thought to cross my mind. My son knows I feed all hungry people. Now come and please sit at my table.”
His mother led the way and Charlotte tossed him a glance filled with a mixture of worry, relief, and payback-is-a-bitch. He winked at her.
They moved into the kitchen, decorated with Formica and white wallpaper with strawberries and vines. The stainless round kitchen table now sported two extra middle extensions to accommodate the mountains of food and the crowd, which included his parents, two brothers, a sister, and a grandmother.
All the Rokov children looked eerily similar. Growing up, they’d been known as the Rokov Rat Pack, infamous for close ties and a readiness to fight anyone who challenged the Pack.
When Daniel and Charlotte entered the kitchen, all conversation stopped.
Rokov stood at her side, his hand on her back. “Family, I’d like you to meet Charlotte Wellington. We work together.”
The group stared in stunned silence, and for a moment he wasn’t sure if they’d heard him. However, his father broke the shocked stillness. “Welcome, Ms. Wellington. I am Dimitri Rokov.”
“Charlotte, please.”
He nodded. “And you will call me Dimitri. These are my children, Nathan, Ivan, and Joanna. There is another daughter, Alexa, but she is traveling for her business.”
They all raised their hands and nodded. Dumb grins ignited and spread across each face. He’d be catching shit about this later. So be it.
At the other end of the table sat his grandmother. “Charlotte, this is my grandmother, Mrs. Rokov.”
She smiled at Charlotte. “Daniel, get this poor girl a chair. She is hungry.”
“Sure, Nona. Sure.” He pulled two extra chairs from the dining room and set them at the table. His sister scooted to the right to make room for them.
“I have a lovely dining room,” his mother said. “And of course no one ever eats in there. Everybody wants the kitchen.”
“Family gatherings are often impromptu here,” Daniel explained. “One kid figures out what Mom has on the stove, and he texts the others. Before you know it, there’s a crowd.”
Charlotte sat on the edge of her chair as if she could jump and run with little prompting. “That’s nice. You’re lucky to be so close.”
“Do you have family in this area?” Mr. Rokov said.
“No,” she said smoothly. “They’re out of town.”
Charlotte had never talked about family until tonight when he’d informed her Mariah had been murdered. There was Grady, niece Sooner, and an unnamed aunt who’d taken her into her home. They were a ragtag group with loose ties at best.
Rokov took two plates from his mother and gave one to Charlotte. “Dig in.”
Charlotte accepted the plate and glanced at the table with a bit of panic. “Oh, my. I don’t know where to start.”
“It’s all guaranteed to bust any diet.” The comment came from a tall slender brunette with ice blue eyes. The dad had introduced her as Joanna. “Mom likes to cook with gallons of butter.”
Mrs. Rokov shrugged. “A little butter is good for the soul. Much better than all that junk in the stores today.”
Charlotte had no idea what dish to choose or where to start. She’d not felt this awkward since she’d argued her first case in law school. Without much thought, she grabbed the first serving spoon and heaped what looked like a cabbage dish onto her plate. Next was a meat dish, something marinated and spicy. And then potatoes. It smelled tantalizing, and she realized she was hungry. She’d been so nervous when she’d visited Sooner that she’d barely eaten.
Grateful to have a plate and something to do, she ate and listened as the family chattered around her. Rokov’s brothers razzed him about cleaning his stuff out of the backyard shed, discussed who would rake Nona’s leaves and Alexa’s latest text from Boston. He took it all in stride, letting all the good-natured razzing roll off his back.
When Charlotte had first suggested they sleep together, she’d not really thought of Daniel Rokov as a person. She’d sensed he was honorable and good but that had been secondary to her primary goal: ending a very long and lonely dry spell. And he’d done it. In fact, he’d done such a good job, she’d been unable to forget him. She’d called him the second time, half hoping it wouldn’t be as good as the first time. Better to be disappointed early and move on. But the second time had been as good as, if not better than, the first. Before she realized it, she couldn’t stop anticipating the next time.
She’d convinced herself it was just sex. A basic need, not so different than food or water. But she’d been fooling herself. It was more than sex. And Daniel Rokov was so much more than a man in a motel room. He was a man who could be gentle with horrific news, who was loved by his family, and who was respected by his coworkers.
She’d not only learned a lot about Daniel Rokov these last few days, but had broken all the rules she’d established for their relationship. What emotional price would she eventually have to pay for allowing too much familiarity?
Better to pull back. Just sit, eat, and make a quiet retreat from the conversation. The Rokovs had a different plan.
“You were representing that woman who murdered her husband, weren’t you?” The question came from Joanna.
“That’s right,” Charlotte said.
“I read about you in the paper.”
“You did?” She smiled but didn’t expand.
“Have you spoken to Ms. White since the trial? She must be pretty relieved.”
“She’s putting her life back together,” Charlotte said.
“Many of the editorial pieces suggest she killed her husband,” Joanna challenged.
“That is their opinion,” Charlotte said, grateful for something businesslike to discuss. “The jury found Ms. White innocent.”
Joanna shared her brother’s intense gaze. “The evidence could have gone either way.”
“The jury did not agree.”
“Juries can be swayed by emotion.”
Rokov set his fork down and glanced at his sister. “Be nice, Joanna.”
Joanna arched a brow. “Hey, I was just asking questions.”
Charlotte laid her napkin by her plate. “Your questions don’t bother me, Joanna. I believe Samantha White is innocent, and that is why I took her case. There will be those that do not agree but I cannot help that.”
Joanna cocked her head. “How could you know she was innocent?”
Charlotte shrugged. “A gut feeling.”
“That’s it?”
“That was it.”
Joanna leaned forward, a signal she wanted to kick the discussion into high gear. Charlotte met Joanna’s gaze with a mixture of challenge and amusement. The girl reminded her of herself when she’d been in her mid-twenties: full of fire and fight. “That’s not very scientific.”
Rokov cleared his throat and glanced at his father. “I’ll be by to work on that shed as soon as this case is closed.”
His father waved a dismissive hand. “The shed will wait. Your work is more important. I know this.”
Mrs. Rokov cleared away their plates. “I’ve been following the case in the papers. It is horrible what I am reading. Those poor women.”
The mood in the room shifted from jovial to solemn. Charlotte thought about Mariah and the moment’s respite from her thoughts ended.
“Do you have any leads?” Ivan said.
Rokov set his fork down. “We’re working on it.” He glanced at Charlotte, seemed to note her change in mood. “And Charlotte and I have early calls in the morning.”
“Daniel, do not leave,” Mrs. Rokov said. “You just got here.”
“Sorry, Mom. I didn’t realize how late it was.” He stood and kissed his mother and grandmother.
Charlotte stood and smoothed her skirt flat. “Thank you for dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Rokov. It was a nice break.”
“It was lovely to meet you, Charlotte. I hope you’ll come again sometime.”
She nodded, touched by the woman’s genuine tone.
“Charlotte, can you take some dessert?” Mrs. Rokov said. “I’ve got enough to feed an army. You can put it in your refrigerator at home.”
“Normally I would. But I’m moving in a couple of days and trying to clean out what I have. But thank you.”
Rokov said his good-byes again, shook his father’s hand, punched a brother good-naturedly in the shoulder, and escorted Charlotte to his car.
The day’s stress hadn’t drained from her shoulders and she seemed, as she always seemed, braced for a fight.
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