Hush (22 page)

―Not from you,‖ Leta chided Coby gently.

Coby had never had the close relationship with her mother that Faith had; she‘d been more of a daddy‘s girl, though that had certainly suffered since his marriage to someone of her own generation.

―When Faith told me I called your father immediately,‖ Leta said. ―Not that she was murdered, of course, but that she died on her birthday. I‘m speechless. I mean, it‘s just shocking.‖

Coby said to her father, ―How are you, really? This is shocking. Mom‘s right about that. I‘m not sure I even believe it all. Who called you? Someone from the sheriff‘s department?‖

―Actually, the TCSD sent that same detective, the one that came to the house after your friend Lucas‘s death. Clausen. He came to the hotel after he found I wasn‘t home. You always hear about that, you know? The police coming to your door with bad news. Only this time I already knew she was dead, I just didn‘t know someone had purposely killed her.‖

He looked about to break down, so Coby quickly asked, ―What did Detective Clausen say, exactly?‖

Jean-Claude joined them from the back room, his face gray. He almost looked worse than Dave, but then Annette was his daughter.

―He said that her fingernails were broken on her right hand,‖ Dave said in a quiet voice, as if he could barely get the words out. ―They think she was underwater and trying to grab hold of the side of the tub, but that someone held her down. There are marks on her neck, bruises from someone‘s fingers. They believe she was purposely drowned.‖

Coby felt a chill at her father‘s careful recitation. She glanced at Leta, who was nodding and had reached out to place a hand on his arm. ―Was Mom here when Clausen came by?‖ Coby asked.

Leta answered, ―He was just leaving when I got here. I saw him getting into his squad car. Is that what you call it? A squad car? With the sheriff‘s department?‖

―Did he ask you any questions?‖ Coby asked, turning to her father.

―He asked a lot of questions,‖ Jean-Claude put in. ―Where we were when her body was discovered. What happened just before. Why didn‘t anyone see anything. It was rude.‖

―They just want to know what happened,‖ Dave said on a sigh. ―So do I.‖

―We all do,‖ Leta agreed swiftly.

―It was rude,‖ Jean-Claude reiterated. He closed his eyes, shook his head, then walked like an old, old man back through the door into the inner office.

Coby‘s cell phone rang. She almost didn‘t glance at it; work knew where she was, so it wouldn‘t be them, and she didn‘t care about anyone else. But she did look, wondering. It was a number she didn‘t recognize.

―Excuse me a moment,‖ she said, taking a few steps away. ―Coby Rendell.‖

―It‘s Danner.‖ His familiar voice reached across to her. ―You got a minute?‖

―I‘m with my dad at Lovejoy‘s. I know Annette‘s death has been ruled a homicide.‖

―Ahh . . . can I see you?‖

―Like, today?‖

―Like now,‖ he admitted. ―I‘m driving to Tillamook to meet with the sheriff about Annette‘s death. I was going to call you tonight, but I thought maybe we could squeeze in some time before I leave.‖

―Well . . . can you meet me at my office?‖ Coby asked. ―I‘m heading back to work. JJ&R‘s in the Clatsop building.‖

―I know it. I‘ll meet you there.‖

―There‘s a coffee shop in the lobby. Cuppa Joe.‖

―Good,‖ he said. ―I‘ll be there in twenty.‖

Coby clicked off her phone, then returned to where her father and mother were still standing in the lobby. At one time she‘d wanted them to get back together more than anything, but under the circumstances it was a little unsettling to see them so comfortable with each other. When had that happened?

―Was that Joe?‖ Leta asked, which stopped Coby cold for a moment.

―I‘ll tell her,‖ Dave said.

Coby shot him a quick smile. ―Thanks, Dad.‖ And then she headed out.

Cuppa Joe was a coffee spot with a couple of satellite shops, seeking to find a niche in Portland‘s saturated high-end coffee market. Someone once said you could throw a quarter from anyplace on a downtown street and hit a Starbucks, which had been true once, though the company‘s expansion had slowed during the recession, like everything else.

In the downtown building that housed Jacoby, Jacoby, and Rosenthal, Cuppa Joe had scarlet pendent lights hanging over an L-shaped blond wood counter where two baristas worked a steady stream of customers. Postage stamp–sized tables were scattered across the floor on the north side of the lobby. The south side was a bank of elevators that led to the upper floors.

Danner beat Coby to Cuppa Joe, and he walked to the ―ordering‖ barista and asked for a plain black coffee. He grabbed one of the chairs at an empty table near the revolving front door and sprawled into it. He clearly remembered meeting Coby at a coffee shop soon after they‘d started dating and watching the tip of her tongue try to reach a bit of foam on her upper lip. He‘d itched to reach over and wipe it off, but at the time he and Coby had been too new into their relationship, so he‘d kept his hands to himself.

Now she burst through the revolving doors, checking her watch. Seeing him, she asked, ―Do you mind waiting? I need to just check in upstairs and see if there‘s anything waiting for me.‖

―I‘m okay.‖ He just needed to be in Tillamook before five o‘clock. It took two hours to get to the coast, although they were still cleaning up damage from Saturday night‘s storm and the drive could take longer. In any event, he was good till two, and as it was just coming up on 1 P.M. he had some time.

Coby was back in ten minutes. She beelined to the counter and Danner got up to pay, which she absolutely refused. ―This isn‘t a date,‖ she told him a bit crisply. ―I‘ve got it.‖

He wanted to pay. That was all. He sat back down and watched as she ordered a black coffee and a croissant. ―Lunch,‖ she said as she sat across from him.

―That isn‘t even breakfast.‖

―It‘s kind of both today,‖ she admitted.

―No latte?‖ he said, a little disappointed.

―Gave ‘em up,‖ she said. ―Kind of indulgent.‖

―Indulgent?‖ he repeated, now really disappointed. ―What happened to you?‖

That seemed to stop her. ―What do you mean?‖

―The Coby Rendell I remember still had room for fun. Even if it was just foam from a latte.‖

He saw a bit of color climb up her neck. ―I still have room for fun,‖ she said, sounding offended. Danner kept his expression neutral and Coby flicked him a skeptical look. ―You called me to talk about my stepmother‘s murder,‖ she reminded him carefully.

Danner nodded, wondering dryly when he‘d discovered that murder was often a safer topic than personal issues. What did that say about him? ―I take it the TCSD contacted your father?‖

―Detective Clausen came to Lovejoy‘s to deliver the news. Fred Clausen,‖ she said. ―I remember him from the last time we had the sheriff‘s department at our beach house, when Lucas Moore died. Jarrod was there, too.‖

―I remember.‖

―But Lucas‘s death was an accident. He fell from the cliff to the rocks below Bancroft Bluff.‖

―It was ruled an accident.‖

―Yes,‖ she said, definitely.

―And there‘s no reason to think the two deaths are connected.‖

―Other than proximity? And some of the same cast of characters?‖

He shrugged. ―I have a lot of trouble with coincidence.‖

Coby took a swift sip of her coffee and nibbled on the croissant. ―I don‘t know what I think,‖ she admitted, and Danner felt that was the first unedited thing she‘d said since they sat down.

―Tell me about Annette‘s party. From start to finish.‖

―Like I already did at the beach house?‖

―You‘ve had time to think about it since we talked. I bet you‘ve thought of a few more things. That‘s kind of the way these things go. And now we know it‘s homicide. We‘re no longer trying to make it something it‘s not.‖

―Why me?‖ she asked. ―There were a lot of people there.‖

―I know you,‖ he answered. ―I like you. I trust your insight. I can get to the others later, but I wanted to see you today. I‘ve—missed you.‖

Coby felt like she‘d been thrown into a time warp. Danner was so
the same.
And it was in a good way, and she‘d missed it, too, and now she just wanted to lay her head on the table and cry and she didn‘t have a clue why.

Instead, she swallowed a piece of croissant that felt like it was sticking in her throat and told him about her Saturday from start to finish, everything she could remember, from racing out of the meeting with a JJ&R client, to the worry over her tire and stopping at the Halfway There, to the moment when she, like everyone else, ran to the back deck and saw Annette floating facedown in the bubbling hot tub.

―And then Juliet left in her Mercedes and I followed my dad‘s car back to his condo, and I drove to my own place, parked, walked inside, and sat down at the table and had a glass of water. I don‘t know how long I sat there, but I went straight to bed after that. I got up this morning and went to work.‖

He was watching her, an engaged listener. She‘d expected him to take notes, or something, he simply listened.

―Did you think it was strange that Juliet said Yvette was embarrassed over Kirk being naked?‖ he asked.

―Uh . . .‖ She smiled quizzically. ―That‘s what you want to know?‖

―It just seemed like you thought it was weird. Your expression, when you brought it up, like you remembered and it caught your attention.‖

―Well, you‘re right,‖ she admitted. ―I never think of Yvette‘s being embarrassed. She‘s just not built that way. But she might have been pissed off and Juliet put a nice spin on it. Juliet was the one who was embarrassed. Kirk‘s her boyfriend, I guess.‖

―What do you think she meant that you should talk to Yvette?‖

―I don‘t know.‖

―Do you think she was worried that it was a homicide, and that Yvette might know something? Be involved, possibly?‖

Coby spread her hands. ―Maybe she was referring to an argument that Yvette had with Annette. I heard her mention Dana. Like Dana Sainer . . . um . . . her married name is Bracco. Dana was one of the friends at the campout.‖

―Hank Sainer‘s daughter?‖

―Yep.‖

―But she wasn‘t there on Saturday.‖

―No, she lives on the East Coast. None of us have seen her in years.‖

Now he did take out a small spiral notebook, flip it open, and write down some thoughts.

―Anything else in that argument?‖

―Annette said it was all going to come out and Yvette snapped back at her, and she said it wasn‘t about her, and Yvette responded that it was always about her.‖

―What do you think that meant?‖ he asked, his blue eyes searching hers.

It made it hard for her to keep her mind on what they were talking about. Her attention just felt fractured. ―Um . . . you know, I thought it was about something Yvette had done, and Yvette was pissed at her and just made that last comment because they were sisters and were just letting each other have it.‖

―Think it had to do with the big secret Annette wanted to see the light of day?‖

―I thought it had to do with Benedict‘s father, actually,‖ Coby said now, realizing. ―I thought maybe she was talking about Lucas, but I don‘t know what Dana had to do with that unless maybe she knows the truth and was going to finally tell.‖

―You think Lucas was Benedict‘s father?‖

―Yvette practically said so, the night of the campout. She said they were lovers. But at Annette‘s party she made a point of telling me that wasn‘t the truth. We were talking and I swear she brought it up just so she could tell me Benedict was
not
Lucas‘s.‖

Danner mulled that over. ―If Dana knows, and Yvette sees it‘s what you suspect as well, it‘s not much of a motive to go after Annette. Everybody already knows.‖

Coby shrugged. ―Maybe Annette had incontrovertible proof.‖

―Big word,‖ Danner said with a smile.

―I work in a law office.‖

And for some reason that made them both laugh, a sudden release of tension. Then Danner said, ―Still, given the circumstances, would it really be a reason to kill your own sister?‖

Coby thought about it and slowly shook her head. ―No. It wouldn‘t be. So it must be something else. I can see Yvette being totally pissed off and getting in a shoving match, maybe even hitting, but to hold Annette underwater?‖

―Rage can sweep you away,‖ Danner mused, but she could tell he wasn‘t wild about that motive either.

Glancing at her watch, Coby said reluctantly, ―I have to get back to work.‖

Danner nodded. ―I‘ve got to get on the road to Tillamook.‖

They both stood up. There was an awkward moment where they almost shook hands, and then he simply gathered her in his arms and hugged her.

―I‘ll be back tonight,‖ he said lightly. ―I‘m just exchanging information with the TCSD.‖

―Not your jurisdiction,‖ Coby said.

―Not my jurisdiction,‖ he agreed, then sketched a good-bye as he headed out the revolving doors.

―Be still my beating heart,‖ Coby muttered to herself through clenched teeth. Damn, but he had a hold on her. After all this time. After all this wasted time.

It really kind of pissed her off.