Faces of Evil [4] Rage (27 page)

Baron turned to her, her eyebrows arched in skepticism. “Does Chief of Police Burnett make a habit of stopping by at this hour?”

Jess pretended to be mesmerized by the can opener beneath all the fancy yellow paper stuffed in the bag. “Thank you for the gift.” She flashed a smile as she deposited the bag on the table. “Do
you
make it a habit of stopping by to have refreshments with your ex-husband’s wife on the day she’s murdered?”

Baron’s gaze narrowed. “I told you she called me but we never had that meeting.” Baron folded her arms over her chest and cranked up her haughty meter. “Did you forget to write it down?”

Jess ignored her dig. “Someone came to Gabrielle’s house after eight o’clock Sunday night. Someone she knew.” She matched Baron’s stance. “If it wasn’t you, then who?”

“How would I know? You’re the hotshot cop, why haven’t you figured it out?”

Again, Jess ignored her potshot. “You want coffee?” The woman was here, they might as well accomplish something.

“It’s not instant, is it?” Baron sent a suspect glance toward Jess’s new coffeemaker.

Jess rolled her eyes. “No.” She gave her nifty carousel a spin. “What’s your pleasure?”

Coffee blends selected and cups brewed, they moved to the steps. It was far too nice to stay cooped up inside, especially with no sofa. The oppressive heat had subsided, taking the worst of the humidity with it.

“We’re not dealing with a gangbanger,” Baron said what they both already knew after a lengthy silence. “Burnett tells me there’s still nothing in her background that would suggest an enemy out for revenge.”

“It’s not the husband,” Jess said. She wasn’t even going to pretend to believe otherwise.

Baron turned and stared at her profile.

“I know she called you and was worried about him, but I think it’s about something he was involved in. I just have to find out what that something is.”

Baron made a rather rude harrumphing sound. “Larry Grayson is all about work. That’s what he does. That’s all he does.”

Was that resentment she heard in the assistant coroner’s voice? “Then it has to be related to his work. Whatever it was,” Jess argued. “Gabrielle was scared and needed someone to talk to. Maybe she called you because she thought you had experienced the same problem when you were married to him.”

Baron shrugged. “I considered that possibility.”

Another patch of silence elapsed between them. Someone had to say something. “Everyone she knew loved her,” Jess said. “Doesn’t look like she had any enemies.”

“I know,” Baron admitted. “Clearly she was the saint everyone says she was.”

More of what sounded like resentment dripped from her voice. Jess turned to her. “That doesn’t lessen who you are.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Jess regretted having said them. She and Sylvia Baron weren’t friends. They barely knew each other and Jess wasn’t sure she even liked the woman. She was reasonably certain the woman didn’t like her.

“I know that, too.” Baron’s hands started to shake and she set her coffee cup on the step between her feet so she could clasp them together. “I just keep thinking that if I had made time for her… she would still be alive.” She turned to Jess. “I was wrong to do that, you know. And she’s dead.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. “And maybe that little boy, too. I stood by and did nothing and now…”

God knew Jess had never been a hugger. Never. But this lady needed a hug and somehow they were alike in ways that Jess wanted to deny and, for whatever the reason, some force of nature had ensured their paths crossed at this time in their lives. Jess put down her cup and patted Sylvia Baron on the back, tried to think of something clever and comforting to say. Baron’s shoulders shook and Jess had to hug her. There was no denying the instinct.

The embrace lasted all of three seconds before, as if they’d both taken a big mental step back at the same time, they drew apart.

Jess cleared her throat.

Baron swiped gingerly at her eyes. “Well, that was awkward.”

“We all have our moments.”

They talked a while longer. Around midnight Baron decided it was time to go home.

“Wait.” Jess’s gaze dropped to the wooden deck. “I need a favor.” What were friends for if not to help each other out?

While Baron grumbled, Jess dashed inside and retrieved the specimen from the spots on her floorboards. She offered it to the assistant coroner. “Can you tell me if that’s paint or blood or what?”

Baron took the Tampax packaging between two fingers as if she feared contamination. “Seriously?”

“I didn’t have any plastic bags so I tore the packaging off a
new
one.” Jess pointed to the couple of spots on the floorboards in front of her door. “Paint or what?”

“I’ll take it home and package it properly and then run the necessary tests in the morning.”

“I appreciate that.” The weight of the day suddenly crashed down and Jess couldn’t remember when she had been this tired.

Baron sniffed the specimen, then frowned. “But I can tell you right now that it’s not paint.”

Deep inside, where her guest couldn’t see, Jess trembled just a little.

“It’s blood.”

Caldwell Avenue, Thursday, August 5, 9:01 a.m.

S
arah Riley perched on her worn sofa, her hands twisted with worry, her back ramrod straight.

Jess and Harper had arrived at her town house half an hour ago, but since Sarah was at home alone with two children, an eight-month-old and a fifteen-month-old, she’d had to get the babies situated before she could talk. During that time Jess had studied the framed photos around the living room. She’d also come to realize several things about Sarah. Her home, though not exactly filled with top-of-the-line furnishings, was absolutely spotless. Even with two babies there was not a speck of visible dust or a smudge anywhere to be found.

“I appreciate you making time for us,” Jess said. “Your interview was the last one on my list of close friends and family members.” She gave her a broad smile. “I’m so glad you have a few minutes now.”

Sarah nodded, the move stiff. “With taking care of little Gary and the girls and helping Larry with the memorial arrangements… it’s been hard. But Gabrielle’s mother is here now and she’s caring for Gary at her house.”

The memorial service was at five today. Jess intended to be there. “Lieutenant Grayson is fortunate to have a good friend like you.”

A brief smile touched Sarah’s lips. “I’ve scheduled professional cleaners to get started on the cleanup at Larry’s house since the scene was released.” She diverted her gaze from Jess’s. “Jack and I thought it was the least we could do. Someone who knows the family should be there overseeing.”

Sarah Riley had wide gray eyes and dark hair. She wasn’t as big as a minute and hardly seemed old enough to be a nurse and a mother twice over. She was also very nervous. Maintaining eye contact was a problem for her. She wrung her hands repeatedly. Smoothed the skirt of her dress every time she seemed to realize she was wringing her hands. A woman married to a cop, a detective at that, should know the drill when it came to times like this.

“Your husband works all the time,” Jess empathized. “It’s a miracle you have a minute to yourself.” She glanced at the younger woman’s nicely manicured nails. Her hair was styled. Makeup perfect. And the sundress she wore fit well, showed off her small curves, and was really quite flattering.

Sarah stretched her lips into a smile that was as fake as any Jess had seen. “Jack likes me to have a spa day every other week. He says I deserve to look and feel nice. It makes him happy, too. He’s always looking out for me, making sure the children and I have everything we need.”

“You have a thoughtful husband. He works hard to take care of his family.”

Sarah nodded, but she looked away again, stared at her hands. Maybe not such a nice husband, Jess decided.

“I imagine with him gone so much,” Jess said, fishing, “that you have to take care of all the shopping and oversee the maintenance around here as well.”

“That’s my job. It wouldn’t be right for him to work all those hours and then come home to more work.” She shook her head adamantly. “He gives me his lists and I take care of it.”

Jess thought as much. Time to move on. Making Sarah Riley suspicious wasn’t on today’s agenda. “You and Gabrielle were close friends?”

“Very close friends,” Sarah asserted. “We started out working together and the next thing we knew we were having babies together.” She blinked at tears that looked genuine. “I can’t believe she’s gone. Losing her has left a huge hole in my world.”

“I understand,” Jess said gently. “You and your husband had lunch with the Graysons on Sunday, is that right?”

Sarah nodded. “We did that a couple of times a month. Sometimes we would host the cookout. Other times they would.”

“Did you hear from Gabrielle that night?”

Sarah moved her head side to side in a no, then abruptly stopped. “I take that back. I called her a couple of times. At lunch we talked about taking a vacation together next spring. I couldn’t remember the dates she mentioned so I gave her a call.
Two
times.”

“Have you taken a vacation together before?”

“Several times. We enjoy—enjoyed—a lot of the same leisure activities. We both loved the beach and finding restaurants we’ve never been to before. And with the children, we usually kept it simple.”

“Were you aware of any problems between Gabrielle and her husband?”

Sarah’s jaw dropped as if she found the question shocking. “No way. Wherever you got that idea, it is completely untrue. Those two were crazy in love. They couldn’t have had any big issues. I would’ve known. For sure.”

Jess cleared her throat. “I hate to be a bother, but may I have a glass of water?”

Sarah blinked, startled by the unexpected change in topic. “Sure.”

She stood, the move slow and stiff as if she were sore. She walked to the kitchen and Jess went right behind her. Sarah pretended not to pay attention to her following but Jess spotted her having a look from the corner of her eye. She really was quite nervous and visibly stiff. Had she hurt her back lifting and running after not two but three kids?

Like the living room, the kitchen sparkled. Jess was reasonably sure she’d never encountered a kitchen this clean. Not one where two kids lived anyway. She watched as Sarah reached into a cupboard and retrieved a glass. The glasses in the cupboard were stored in perfect rows. OCD for sure.

Sarah filled the glass from the tap. “Here you go.”

“Thank you.” Jess sipped it slowly, using the time to note all she could about the way this couple lived. “You have a lovely home.”

“Thank you.”

“Have you lived here long?”

“Five years.” Sarah looked around the room. “We bought this town house when Jack was promoted to detective.”

Jess gifted her with a smile. “What a celebration that must have been. A promotion and a new home, too.”

This time the woman’s smile looked real. “It was, yes.”

Jess set her glass on the counter. “Thank you so much, Sarah.”

Sarah immediately picked up the glass, emptied the remainder of the water, and placed it in the dishwasher. Then she rinsed the sink.

This time Jess led the way to the living room, but she didn’t sit down.

Taking that cue, Harper joined Jess near the door.

“One last question, Sarah.”

“Anything,” Sarah said, her voice almost giddy. “Ask me anything, Chief Harris.”

“Were you aware of Gabrielle taking any drugs? Oxy-Contin, for example?”

The woman’s jaw dropped a second time. “Where in the world are you getting these hateful ideas? Gabrielle Grayson would hardly take an antibiotic much less something like that!”

“There was a large amount found in her tox screen, Sarah. The facts don’t lie,” Jess challenged.

“There has to be a mistake.” Her arms went over her chest and her head was moving side to side in firm denial. She almost looked angry. “That’s impossible.”

“The drug came from somewhere. Do you know if anyone in her family or any of her friends used that drug? Maybe someone gave it to her because she hurt herself somehow. Maybe she picked up the baby the wrong way and hurt her back?”

“I don’t know anyone who uses that drug and neither did Gabrielle.”

Oh yes. The lady was angry. “Not since your days working at New Life, right?”

“I have to feed the baby now.” Sarah resurrected that fake smile and all other emotion vanished from her face. “Thank you for all you’re doing to find Gabrielle’s killer. We won’t sleep at night until this horrible tragedy is put to rest.”

Jess handed her a card. “I appreciate your taking the time to talk to us, Sarah. If you think of anything else you believe might help, please let us know. We’re closing in on a suspect and we want to nail him but good.”

Sarah’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s great. I’ve been asking Jack and watching the news, but I hadn’t heard you were so close to solving the case.”

Jess nodded. “It’s only a matter of time before we take him down.”

Sarah stared at her, her disbelief as evident as if it had been written across her forehead in blood like the foul words that had been written on Gabrielle’s. Then she seemed to jerk back to the here and now and opened the door to usher them out.