Senseless (23 page)

He looked at her for the first time since he’d charged into the alley. Concern tempered the anger in his gaze. “Your neck is red. You should see a doctor.”

“I’ve survived worse. This is nothing.”

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see a doctor.”

“I’m good.” She didn’t have insurance and cringed at the expense of an emergency room trip.

King clenched his bat. “I’m grateful you were here, Detective. I can swing a bat if need be, but I don’t move so fast. ”

Garrison nodded. “If you hadn’t started yelling, I’d not have known what was happening until it was too late.”

Too late.
Eva understood too late. No one had saved her from Cross.

“I’m fine. I’ve a shift to finish.”

King shook his head. “You’ll sit on that fanny of yours and ease up. That’s an order.”

“I’ve dishes to wash, a register to cash out and"—her head spun—"stuff to do.”

Garrison applied firm steady pressure, gently guiding her back through the kitchen into the bar. He sat her at a booth. “Don’t move.”

She’d have argued if she’d had the energy. But her head spun and her neck still burned. A swell of emotions triggered by the attack rose up in her, clawing at her insides. Damn Radford. Damn him!

Garrison set a soda in front of her and took the seat across from her. “Drink.”

Hearing Garrison’s voice steadied her emotions and she was grateful to have the soda to sip. Her cola eased the soreness in her throat, now raw from screaming. “Thanks again.”

King arrived at the table and set two menus down. “Order dinner. It’s on me.”

“I ordered roast beef at the bar,” Garrison said. “And I’ll pay.”

“I’ll make you a fresh one,” King said. “It’s cold by now. And you won’t pay. Eva, what are you gonna eat?”

“I’m okay.”

“Stop your yapping and pick something,” King said.

Eva didn’t bother with the menu. “Burger.”

“Don’t you move,” King said to Eva. “No work. Sit. Rest.”

“Okay.”

“She won’t go anywhere,” Garrison said. When King had left, he said again, “You sure you’re okay?”

“Why do you keep asking?”

“I read your police file from ten years ago, Eva. That kind of trauma doesn’t evaporate.”

Embarrassment washed over her. “I know.”

“You’ve nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I know that. I did nothing wrong.” She’d told herself that so many times, she just about believed it now.

“Reading your police files made me cringe. You must have been terrified.”

“I didn’t know fear could be so intense that you could actually get sick to your stomach.” She rubbed her eyes.

“You ever get counseling?”

“Some in prison. It helped to know I wasn’t alone.”

King arrived with their plates and set them on the table. “Detective, be sure she eats her dinner. She’s bad about eating.”

Garrison kept his gaze on Eva. “Understood.”

Eva squirmed under his gaze. A sudden wave of desire moved through her body, making her wonder if she had lost her mind. “I eat enough, King.”

King rolled his eyes. “Don’t believe her. She works too hard. Burns the candle at both ends.”

Garrison nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Eva dropped her gaze to her plate, taking a sudden interest in the ruffled potato chips.

Garrison studied her. He seemed to sense a raw nerve, but instead of pressing, he said, “So who is that kid I saw here the other night? He your son?”

That surprised her. “He’s not my son. He’s King’s foster son.”

“Who’s his mom?”

“King hasn’t said much about the boy’s past.”

Dark eyes assessed so very carefully. “You’re always on pins and needles around me.” He rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “I’m not out to get you, Eva.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” She met his gaze. “You’re a cop. You’re investigating two murders. I knew both the victims. I’m an ex-con. And I’ve learned the hard way that the less said to cops the better.” She started to rise.

“King told you to take a break. So prove to me you’re not nervous and sit and eat.” A grin softened his face in ways that made trust tempting. “We’ll talk about the weather. That should be safe enough.”

“The weather?”

“Maybe basketball. ”

The tension in her gut didn’t ease, but she sat back in her seat. “You use that smile of yours like a weapon.”

“How so?”

“To throw people off guard.”

The smile widened. “Is it working?”

She ate a chip. “Unfortunately.”

“Good.” He took a few bites of his roast beef sandwich. “So when you go to school, what do you plan to study?”

“I don’t want to talk about me. Let’s talk about you.”

His defenses rose. “Sure.”

“I see no wedding ring. Is there a Mrs. Cop at home?”

“No.”

She studied him. “Terse and to the point, which tells me there was a Mrs.”

“You’re sharp. Yeah, there was a Mrs. She died.”

Her brow knotted. “I’m sorry.”

“It happens.”

“How?”

He set his sandwich down and wiped his hands with his napkin. “For someone who doesn’t worry about the past, you sure are interested in mine.”

She shrugged, no hint of an apology. “You got to read files on me and I’ll bet you called the prison.”

He’d never talked to Macy about his wife or his sister and yet he heard himself saying, “My sister died of cystic fibrosis in high school. She was fifteen. My wife was a lost soul and I thought I could save her. I couldn’t.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I was young and determined to fix the world.”

“Which isn’t possible.”

“I’ve settled for saving little pieces at a time.”

For the first time she presented him with a warm smile. The look transformed her face, adding a glow that appealed to him far too much. Then she seemed to catch herself.

“Where’d the smile go?” he said.

“It just hit me that I’m having too good a time.”

That pleased him. “That’s bad?”

“Trusting you is dangerous. ”

“I’m a good guy. All I’m trying to do is enjoy a meal.”

She laughed out loud. “Right.”

Lou sat in the basement room thumbing through the Price yearbook. The book spine had cracked at the pages containing images of Lisa, Sara, Kristen and Eva. Of course, there were the class pictures. They smiled so neatly and carefully into the camera lens. Seemingly so perfect and sweet. The world didn’t know that beneath the smiles lurked such vile evil.

The formal portraits weren’t nearly as revealing as the photo snapped in front of the sorority house. Lisa, Sara and Kristen stood in the center of the front row of girls while Eva stood in the back to the left. All the girls smiled, but in this image, all four girls looked boldly at the camera. They all mocked the world and sent the silent message that only they knew The Secret.

But Lou knew the dark secret the girls harbored.

And soon the entire world would know as well….

Chapter 15

Monday, April 10, 8:50 A.M.

Garrison dropped a file on Malcolm’s desk. “Have a look at this.”

Malcolm glanced up from a stack of papers to the file. “What’s that?”

“It’s a collection of articles written on the Cross murder trial.”

“From a decade ago?”

“Correct. I printed them off the Net yesterday.”

“You were busy. I’m guessing all you did yesterday was read?”

Garrison took the seat in front of Malcolm’s desk. He’d been restless when he’d gotten home from King’s and hadn’t been able to sleep. Thoughts of Eva tugged at him. “I read the articles several times and at first missed a key detail. Glance through the files and tell me if there’s something that jumps out at you.”

Malcolm shrugged. “Can’t you just tell me?”

“Humor me, okay?”

“Sure, I’ll bite.” He opened the file and started to thumb through the pages. “What am I looking for?”

“Just study the pictures. Something jumped out at me and I want to be sure someone who’s had a full night of sleep sees what I saw.”

“I didn’t sleep much last night either.”

“Was it Sharon or Ellie this time?”

“Sadly, neither lady visited me last night. ”

“Too bad.”

Malcolm continued to thumb through the pages. Nothing caught his eye until he paused and turned the page back. He leaned forward, frowning. “This is the picture of the courthouse after the verdict. ”

He’d found the picture Garrison had spotted. In this image, Darius Cross stood in front of the courthouse with a dozen reporters’ microphones pointed toward him. Darius smiled grimly, his eyes sparkling with a chilling malevolence.

The woman who stood behind Cross stared at him with an intensity that telegraphed anger.

“The woman in the background. She’s younger. Not more than twenty. And she looks like Angie Carlson.”

Garrison nodded. “That’s what I thought so I did some checking. Turns out Eva Rayburn had an older half sister, Angelina. When their mother died, Eva was fifteen so she went into foster care. Angie stayed with her father. ”

Malcolm whistled as he sat back in his chair. “Well, ain’t this a small, small world.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Did Eva Rayburn ever mention that she had a sister? ”

“I didn’t ask directly about siblings but it was the kind of thing that should have come up.”

“She has a talent for omitting critical details. ”

“Or maybe she was protecting her sister.”

“Do you think Angie knows Eva’s back in Alexandria? ”

“That I don’t know. But I’d like to find out.”

“All comes back to Eva. She moved back to town six months ago and victims start showing up.”

“Let’s have a chat with Angie Carlson and see what she knows about Eva.”

Malcolm rose. “Let me do the honors on this interview. Ms. Carlson led me by the nose during the Dixon trial cross-examination and nothing would give me greater pleasure than to drop a bomb like that on her.”

“She was doing her job during that trial. She broke no laws when she defended her client.”

“Legal doesn’t always mean moral. And as far as I’m concerned, she’s slime. My first priority is to get information for the case, and if I happen to make Ms. Carlson squirm, then all the better. ”

Angie pushed through he front doors of Wellington and James and for the first time in as long as she could remember, she felt good. Happy. Oddly content. She could thank Jim for the smile. They’d spent last night together and it had been pure bliss.

She tossed an unexpected smile to the receptionist.

“Don’t tell me the world has come to an end?” The receptionist peered over glasses.

“What?”

“You’re smiling.”

“Why not? It’s a great day.” Having a connection with someone was something she’d not had in a very long time.

“Well, climb down off of cloud nine,” Iris quipped.

“Why?”

“Two cops are waiting for you in the conference room. ”

She clung to her newfound happiness. “Did they say what they wanted?”

“You know cops. They never come clean.”

“Point taken. So who’s here?”

“Garrison and Kier.”

“Great.”

Angie squared her shoulders as she moved down the carpeted hallway. She found Garrison and Kier sitting in the chairs at the head of the polished table. They looked relaxed, as if they owned the place. “Gentlemen, to what do I owe the pleasure? Do you have questions about Danvers?”

Garrison rose first. Kier took his time coming to his feet.

Kier looked annoyed, but he always did. And she’d pissed him off big time during the trial a few months back. She guessed her attempt to bring Danvers in hadn’t mattered for much. So be it. “Ms. Carlson, we have something else we’d like to discuss.”

“Sure.”
Jerk.
She closed the conference-room door and took a seat on the opposite side of the table.

She folded her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair, expecting to do battle. “Let’s have it.”

Both sat. Kier pulled out a file, opened it and glanced down as if he had all the time in the world. “What can you tell me about your sister?”

If he’d sucker punched her in the gut, he couldn’t have knocked the wind out of her better. “What does my sister have to do with anything? ”

Kier glanced at the file but she suspected he knew all the details by heart. “Her name is Eva.”

“That’s correct.”

“She was convicted of manslaughter?”

“I’m sure your little file has already told you that she was convicted ten years ago. She’s been out of jail over six months.”

“When is the last time you saw her? ”

In her office, she asked the questions. “What’s this about? I can’t imagine my family dramas would be of any interest to you.”

Malcolm rubbed his hand over his chin, already dark with stubble. “It just might. Have you seen your sister lately?”

She wasn’t about to dig into a wound for their pleasure or curiosity. “Is this payback for the Dixon case?”

Kier’s eyes darkened. “No, ma’am. You’ve got every right to set bad guys free.”

“I did my job, Detective. If this is some kind of harassment, then you can get the hell out of here.”

“We all got our jobs to do. Isn’t that what you said?”

She pushed away from the table. “I don’t know what this is about, but I’m in no mood for games, Detective Kier. ”

“We’ve an active murder investigation,” Garrison said. “Your sister’s name came up.”

Angie sat down. “A local murder investigation?”

“That’s right,” Kier said.

“Then you have the wrong person. Eva hasn’t been back to Alexandria since her conviction. No doubt because she didn’t trust the cops in this area.”

Angie had arranged a homecoming party for her sister the day of her release. She had decorated her apartment with yellow balloons. On the day of Eva’s release, she’d driven to Richmond only to discover Eva had already left prison a few days before.

“Your sister is back in Alexandria,” Garrison said.

And the second punch landed in her gut with as much force as the first. “What?” Her voice barely rose above a strained whisper.

“She’s living in Old Town. She’s been back for six months. And she’s changed her last name to Rayburn.”

Angie’s stomach churned. Betrayed. Even embarrassed that she had to find out this way.

Kier studied her face. “You didn’t know?”

It shamed her to have to admit to such a thing. “No, no, I did not.”

“When’s the last time you spoke to her?” His voice almost sounded softer, as if he pitied her.

Angie lifted her chin. “Ten years. It was after her sentencing. She told me she didn’t want anything to do with me again.”

“Why not?” Garrison said.

Angie tipped her head back, swearing she would not cry over this. “She said she couldn’t survive in jail knowing the outside world moved forward without her. ”

“You never saw her again?”

“No.”

She pressed trembling fingertips to her brow. “How long did you say she’d been back?”

“About six months,” Kier said.

Six months. Back in town and living so close they could walk to see each other. And they’d never met. “You said something about a murder investigation?”

“We’ve had two women murdered,” Garrison said. “Both stabbed to death. And coincidentally the same case Danvers was associated with.”

“Interesting, isn’t it?” Kier said. “By the way, your client we mentioned is dead. Stabbed.”

Shoving aside her shock, she forced herself to think like an attorney. “What could Eva possibly have to do with your case?”

“We believe the killer is connected to her,” Garrison said.

“How? ”

Kier leaned forward and laid a photograph of a four-pointed star on her desk. “Stars like this were burned into each victim.” He pulled out a second picture and laid it on her desk. “This is the brand Cross burned into your sister.”

She picked up the picture of Eva and this time sudden tears welled in her eyes. “Josiah Cross died in the fire. He can’t be connected to this.”

“The two victims were Sara Miller and Lisa Black. Do you remember them?”

“Yeah, they went to Price with Eva. They testified against her. ”

“Did you hate them?” Kier said.

Hysterical laughter rumbled in her chest.
“Hate’s
a strong word.” She leaned forward, threading her fingers together. “Did you read Eva’s file closely? Did you read the evidence of her rape? Did you read that before Cross burned my sister, he not only raped her, but he bit her at the top of her breast and he hit her so hard in the head that he shattered her eardrum?”

Kier’s jaw tightened and Garrison stiffened. They had read it. It gave her a measure of satisfaction to know that it bothered them.

“Revenge is the best motive for murder,” Kier said.

“Why would I or Eva entertain the idea of killing Lisa and Sara?”

“They testified against her. They said they saw your sister kill him.”

She stared at them, refusing to make a comment.

“You think Eva killed Cross?” Garrison said.

“Eva certainly had reason to kill him after what he did to her,” Malcolm offered.

Angie raised her chin. “I don’t think she did it.”

“Why?” Garrison challenged. “Did she tell you she didn’t?”

“She said she didn’t remember what happened after she passed out.”

“She pled to manslaughter,” Kier countered.

“Under pressure from Darius Cross who wanted a pound of flesh. He wanted his son painted as the victim and he moved heaven and earth to get it. His political reach was huge and he used every bit of it against her. ”

“Sounds like you went back and studied the case,” Garrison said.

“You bet your ass I did. Her defense was abysmal.”

“Why do you think she came back?” Garrison said.

Angie shrugged. “It’s clear I don’t know my sister very well, otherwise she’d have called me by now. You’ll have to ask her that question.” She reached for her purse. “Better yet, Detective. It’s a question I need to ask her myself. ”

Radford’s beating had left Eva’s muscles stiff and sore. He’d only landed a punch or two before Garrison had stopped him, but those connection points were black and blue. She only hoped that she’d done damage to him when she’d shoved her knee into his crotch.

She’d not slept well Saturday night or last night. The explosion of violence had left her shaken and she’d found it very hard to unwind. She’d only drifted off sometime around two
A.M.

She yawned as she replaced the napkins in the dispensers at the table. She filled all the salt and pepper shakers and had mopped the floor when she heard the front door to the pub open. She cringed. She was irritated that she’d not relocked it after she’d accepted the order of tomatoes. She should have sent the delivery guy around to the back but he’d been in a rush. Damn.

“Sorry, we’re closed until eleven.”

“Hello, Eva.”

Her sister’s familiar voice sent a jolt of electricity shooting through her body and shattering her calm. Hauling in a deep breath, she slowly turned. Her sister, Angie, stood in the doorway. Morning light filtered in from the street, silhouetting her tall lean frame. She wore a sleek business suit, white silk blouse and high heels. As always, she looked perfect. Ladylike to Eva’s awkwardness.

Eva set the napkin dispenser down and smoothed her fingers over her jeans and moved toward her sister. “Angie.”

Angie moved forward, her expression unreadable. “I’m surprised you remembered.”

The bite behind the words snapped. “I remember.”

Angie glanced around the place, as if cataloging each detail. “You could have fooled me. I hear you’ve been back in town awhile.”

“Six months.”

Angie nodded, tapped her flat purse against her thigh. “You could have called me.”

She could have. But she couldn’t bring herself to say that she didn’t feel worthy. Out of prison or not, she remained branded a murderer.

The silence deepened Angie’s frown. “Why come back now? You’ve been gone for so long. Why come back now?”

“I’ve asked myself that question a lot lately.” She tried to keep her tone light but it fell flat.

“Why are you here, Eva?”

To find out why my best friends turned against me and sent me to prison. “I guess home has a bigger pull than I imagined.” She sighed. “I’m sorry I haven’t called.”

“Why should you be sorry? The last time we saw each other you said you didn’t want anything to do with me.”

“At the time it was better that way. ”

“Better for you?”

“For you.”

“Did it occur to you that I might have needed you to come home? Mom is dead. Dad is gone. Maybe I needed family.”

Tears clogged Eva’s throat. She slid her hand into her pocket. “I’ve picked up the phone a thousand times, but I never could finish dialing. I guess I just didn’t feel like I had the right to come back into your life.”

Some of the bluster and tension faded from Angie’s shoulders. “You should have called me.”

“I know.”

An awkward silence descended between them. Neither seemed to want to breach the quiet so pregnant with raw emotions.