Sweet Poison (30 page)

J
ulia was aware of the risk. Any communication she had with Jane at the moment carried with it the possibility of backfiring. As she rang the doorbell at Jane’s house on Thursday morning, she worried that if Jane didn’t believe what she’d come to tell her, she might decide that Julia was merely trying to insinuate herself into her life. And that would wipe away any of the good feelings Julia had worked so hard to create in the last few days. But she also understood Jane well enough to know that she rarely jumped to conclusions, unlike Cordelia, who was all intuition, instinct, first impressions. Cordelia distrusted reason, and in her case, with a maladaptive brain like hers, it was probably for the best.

It was a bright autumn morning. Frost had formed on the grass overnight but was pretty much gone now, except for the shaded spots under trees and bushes. Julia pulled the collar of her camel wool coat up around her neck. Jane’s car was in the drive, which didn’t necessarily mean she was home. She could have walked down the hill to the Lyme House. But Julia could smell wood smoke coming from the chimney.

Just as she was about to ring the bell again, the door opened. Jane
stood in front of her, still in her bathrobe, wool slippers on her feet, her long dark hair tumbled around her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed, as if she’d just gotten out of bed.

“Oh, God, did I wake you?”

“No,” said Jane. “I’ve been up for a while. I was in the kitchen making coffee.”

“I’m sorry to bother you,” said Julia. Actually, she wasn’t the least bit sorry. “Could I come in? It’s important.”

Jane seemed hesitant. “This really isn’t a good time.”

“It will only take a minute. It’s about what happened last night at your father’s campaign office.”

Reluctantly, Jane stepped back.

Julia hadn’t been in the house during the day, only at night. She’d forgotten how lovely the sunlight was as it came in the living room windows, creating a series of paned patterns on the Oriental rugs. And sure enough, a fire was burning in the fireplace.

Jane stood in the foyer, arms crossed.

So be it, thought Julia. Just one more challenge.

“Hey, Lawless, is the coffee ready?” called a voice from upstairs.

Very slowly, Julia’s gaze rose to the top of the stairs. “You’re not alone?”

“No, I’m not,” said Jane.

Julia recognized the voice. Kenzie appeared a few seconds later, wearing a cowboy hat, a rumpled red T-shirt, and jeans that had more holes in them than cloth. She trotted down the stairs, a grin on her face. When she saw Julia, her breath caught in her throat, but she covered by coughing.

“You okay?” asked Jane.

“Yeah, fine.” Her eyes registered a mixture of confusion, guilt, and alarm, but she was quick with a comeback. “Maybe I’m allergic to your visitor.”

Cute, thought Julia. And well played.

“Oh, ah, Julia, this is Kenzie Mulroy,” said Jane. “My partner. Kenzie, Julia Martinsen.”

Kenzie held her breath, unsure what Julia would do.

“Nice to meet you,” said Julia with a smile.

All Kenzie could work up was a nod.

“You look very familiar,” said Julia.

Kenzie’s eyes opened a little wider, but it was just for an instant. “I always look like somebody’s cousin.”

Julia could tell that Jane was as uncomfortable as Kenzie, but for other reasons. Julia’s irritation at finding Kenzie back in Jane’s life was momentarily tempered by the sheer entertainment value of the situation.

Turning to Kenzie, Jane said, “Julia and I were … together … for about a year.”

“Really,” said Kenzie, taking off the cowboy hat and watching Julia with even more anxiety. “How long ago was that?”

“Maybe four years. I don’t remember exactly.”

“You never told Kenzie about your past?” asked Julia.

“We decided it wasn’t necessary.”

“That’s probably a good idea. Listen, Jane, could we sit down? I won’t take much of your time, I promise.” She glanced at the fire in the living room. “I’m kind of cold.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Jane, looking apologetic. On her way into the living room, she called over her shoulder, “Julia’s still recovering from a serious illness. She’s lost a lot of weight.”

“Is that right?” said Kenzie, eyebrows rising. “What kind of illness?”

“Tuberculosis.”

She swallowed hard. “But you’re better? You’re not contagious?”

“No. Not anymore.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Yes,” said Julia, her eyes remaining on Kenzie a little too long, “I imagine it is.”

Jane sat down on the couch. Kenzie sat next to her. Julia thought about trying to wedge herself between them but didn’t think they’d find it funny. Instead, Julia stood next to the fire and warmed her hands.

“So, what’s so important that you had to talk to me right away?” asked Jane.

“It’s about yesterday. When we were talking in the campaign office. You remember that Luke came out of his office and rushed over to the computers to see what was wrong.”

Jane nodded.

“Well, when that man shouted for Luke to come and help, I turned to his office. He was already in the doorway, looking at the computers across the room. I swear, Jane, for a millisecond, I saw his eyes shimmer. There was even the briefest smile—just the edges of his mouth curling. But in my opinion, it was unmistakable. I think he knew the system was about to fail, that he was standing there waiting for it. And when it happened, he allowed himself just that one brief look, and then he rearranged his expression and rushed across the room.”

“You’re saying he’s responsible?”

“Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I’m making too much of it, but I had to tell you. At the very least, I think he should be investigated. I’ve heard from staffers over at the campaign office that the computers and the Internet site have both been hit by an unusual number of problems. I realize I have no proof, just what I saw, but it was there. In that one split second, he looked almost triumphant. I’m good at reading people. You know that. And, well, I’ve been mulling it over all night.”

“Is that what you didn’t want to tell me last night?”

“I had to think about it. I know Luke has been working for the campaign for many months. He’s a trusted employee.”

Jane stared into the fire. “I don’t understand what his motive would be.”

“Maybe he’s a Pettyjohn partisan, a mole in the campaign. I’m sure it happens.” She dug into her coat pocket, withdrew a piece of yellow legal paper. “I took the trouble of looking up his address and home phone number for you.” She placed it on the mantel. “It’s possible I’m wrong. I’m not trying to get Luke in trouble. I like him.”

“I don’t,” said Jane.

Julia tilted her head. “Any particular reason?”

“I think he’s arrogant.”

“Well, there is that. But he really knows what he’s doing.”

The fire crackled. Julia had no desire to leave, but if she stuck around and milked the conversation, it wouldn’t look good.

“Well,” she said, pulling her hands away from the warmth. “That’s all I came to say. Take it for what it’s worth. Oh, one other thing. I haven’t checked on your dad’s test results yet this morning, but I will. I put a rush on them, like I said, but sometimes it can take up to a week.”

Jane walked her to the door while Kenzie remained on the couch.

“Nice meeting you, Kenzie,” called Julia.

Kenzie didn’t turn around, she just raised her hand.

“Hey, I think I may know where I’ve seen you. Do you ever gamble?”

“Never,” came Kenzie’s voice.

Julia could just imagine the look on her face. A windshield hit by a brick.

Jane opened the door and walked Julia out to the front steps. “I really appreciate all your help. And I’ll check on Luke. Thanks for the tip.”

“I’ll apologize if it leads nowhere. But tampering with a campaign, computer hacking, those are serious offenses.” She couldn’t help but smile. Just looking at Jane made her happy. “I wish—”

“Wish what?” asked Jane.

“Just … that we could be friends. I know it’s asking a lot after what I’ve done, taking that photo, using my old key to get into your house. I have no excuse for my behavior. It’s just that I’ve been struggling—” She couldn’t seem to finish the sentence.

“I know you’ve been through a lot. And I admire what you’ve done. Let’s just take it slowly.”

“Really?”

“As long as you understand it’s over between us.”

“I know that. I wish you two all the happiness in the world, Jane. I really do.”

As she walked to her car, all she could think about was Kenzie. Waving with a sunny smile on her face, she got into her roadster and drove off. But she stopped at the end of the block, pulled over to the curb, and rested her head against the steering wheel. It was impossible to believe that she’d gone through hell just to have some pathetic hick from Nebraska take away the only thing she’d ever truly wanted. It was obscene. Vile. Degrading. There had to be an end, a victory, a crown for all her work. Yesterday, she thought she’d glimpsed the finish line. Today she realized she couldn’t even find the horizon.

“She’s really been through it,” said Jane, switching on the dishwasher in her kitchen.

“Do you see her a lot?” asked Kenzie, sitting at the table, playing with one of the frayed rips in her jeans. “You said something about talking to her on the phone last night.”

“We’re completely over, if that’s what you’re asking. She’s been back in town for a few weeks, I guess, but we’re not even friends anymore.”

“But she’d like to change that.”

It was a subject Jane didn’t want to discuss. “Well, yeah, maybe she would.”

“She wants to jump your bones, Lawless. If you can’t see it, you’re as blind as a bat.”

Jane laughed. “You’re the only one I want.”

“Who called it off?”

“You mean when Julia and I broke up? I did.”

“Why?”

“She lied to me one too many times. I couldn’t trust her. Come on, Kenzie. Don’t give her another thought.”

“Right.”

“Why are you letting her upset you so much?”

“I’m not.”

“Could have fooled me. Let’s just drop the subject, okay?”

Kenzie nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

Jane spent the next few minutes explaining about the computer disaster at the campaign office. She hadn’t mentioned it earlier because her dad’s run for governor was hardly the first thing on her mind when Kenzie showed up in the bar last night. Everything had instantly taken a backseat to the pleasures of making up after a serious fight.

“That’s pretty intense,” said Kenzie. “Luke never seemed like such a bad guy to me, although people have been talking about all the computer problems at the campaign since midsummer.”

“That’s just about when Luke started working for us.”

“You really think he’s behind it all?”

“To be honest, I don’t know.”

“Just one more problem for you to work out. Are you still trying to help your cleaning woman’s nephew prove his innocence?”

Jane sighed, sat down at the table. “I called Norm Toscalia a couple of nights ago. Before I met Nolan, I could always count on Norm to get me information on various police investigations. He hasn’t called me back yet, but when he does, I hope to have a clearer picture.” She shrugged. “What I do is listen, learn. I do some digging. I come to some conclusions, then eventually form a theory.”

“You really like trying to figure this stuff out, don’t you. Crimes. Murders.” She shivered. “I don’t get it. It scares me. I mean, somebody could get hurt.”

“I suppose this is the wrong time to ask you to drive over to Luke’s place with me.”

“Why don’t you just call him?”

Jane pulled her mug of coffee closer. “Sometimes I like to look around myself. You never know what you’re going to find.”

“Sounds like a waste of time to me.”

Kenzie’s mood had taken a definite nosedive. Getting up, Jane moved around behind her, began to rub her shoulders. “He doesn’t live too far from here. I promise, I won’t be gone more than an hour. And then you and me—we can plan the rest of the day.”

“Until Cordelia comes over to decorate the house for Halloween.”

“That’s usually kind of fun.”

Kenzie tipped her head back, looked up at Jane. “I love you, Lawless.”

Jane reached into her pocket and pulled out the ring Kenzie had left on the table in the front hall before she left. “Here,” she said, slipping it back on Kenzie’s finger.

Kenzie gazed at it for a few seconds. “I was afraid to ask about it, afraid you’d thrown it away.”

“Never,” said Jane, leaning down and kissing her.

Jane parked her Mini on the street behind Luke’s condo. It was a new building with a façade of copper and brick, three stories tall. Depending on where his loft was located, he had a view either of the river or of downtown Minneapolis. Luke occasionally bragged about how much money he used to make when he was working for private industry. Seeing where he lived made her realize he wasn’t exaggerating.

Jane stepped up to the front door and looked inside. She pushed on the bar spanning the glass and walked in. Directly to her right was an elevator that required a key, and the door to the stairway was also locked. There was a common area closer to the river entrance thirty feet away down a hallway, complete with couches, chairs, and a few tall plants, all flanked by solid glass. The walls in the corridor were a textured art stone, the floor inlaid wood. The look was definitely modern but not the kind of modern that shouted. The interior of the building more or less purred.

Across from the maintenance office, Jane noticed a bank of mailboxes. She stared at the left side, moving right. Most of them were blank. She skipped the boxes that had two names on them, but when she didn’t find Luke’s name, she went back and looked at the double names. He’d never talked about his personal life, so Jane had figured he didn’t have one. But there it was. Luke Durrant. And—

She squinted to make sure she was seeing the next name correctly.

Reading out loud, she said, “Luke Durrant and Christopher Cornish.”

Luke was gay? And his partner was the minister she’d met on Monday? She hadn’t seen them together at the church or the cemetery. It
made no sense for Luke to be in the closet. His partner certainly wasn’t. There wasn’t a gubernatorial campaign in the country that was more gay-friendly than her father’s.