The Graves of the Guilty (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 3) (6 page)

“There has been an emergency at our home,” she said calmly into the phone. “Please tell Mr. Love to call his wife immediately.”

That done, Ashley was the picture of composure by the time the officers reentered the house to inform her that a homicide investigation team was en route. She nodded gravely and then offered the pair coffee and Magnolia’s Marvels oatmeal raisin cookies. By the time three more policemen arrived, including a man dressed in a charcoal-colored suit, Ashley had covered the kitchen island with a hearty spread, including oven-warmed croissants, slices of cheddar and Havarti cheese, thick slabs of Virginia ham, small bowls of mustard and mayo, and of course more of Maggie’s cookies.

When the front door opened again, letting in a fresh burst of needle-sharp air, Ashley was too busy refilling coffee cups to realize that her stupefied husband had arrived. He was in the company of a burly, commanding figure Cooper hadn’t seen for over a year.

“We meet again, Ms. Lee.” Investigator McNamara took Cooper’s outstretched hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “I believe your brother-in-law and I pulled in at the same time. Does Mr. Love know what’s happened here?”

Shaking her head, Cooper shrank a little beneath McNamara’s penetrating stare. She noticed that his thinning salt-and-pepper hair was cut very short and that he needed to shave. A few of the hairs on his chin had already turned white and the skin beneath his eyes was bluish and puffy due to years of broken sleep and too much caffeine.

“You have a knack for discovering dead bodies, Ms. Lee.” McNamara didn’t smile, but his saddle-brown eyes softened and Cooper relaxed.

“It wasn’t me. I just—”

“Why don’t you show me to your garage, Mr. Love?” The investigator cut off Cooper’s protest but gave her a brief smile before following Ashley’s stunned husband deeper into the house.

“The garage?” Cooper heard Lincoln say and had to hold her sister back as a shout of shock and horror reverberated throughout the kitchen.

“McNamara had to do that, Ashley. He needed to make sure Lincoln was just as surprised as you were to find a body out there.” She squeezed her sister tightly. “I know it’s hard.”

Lincoln entered the kitchen and sank, ashen-faced, into one of the chairs.

Ashley flew to him and put her arms around his neck. “Do you know who that is?” she whispered.

“He might work at one of the dealerships. He looks familiar, but I can’t be sure.” He rubbed his eyes, as if trying to obliterate the image of the body, and then gently extricated himself from Ashley’s embrace and walked to the sink to pour himself a glass of tap water.

The night seemed interminable. McNamara and his partner, Investigator Wiser, interviewed Cooper, Ashley, and Lincoln separately. Wiser, who was in his late twenties and had a mass of tight brown curls, brown eyes, and the beginnings of a beard, did most of the talking while McNamara watched, occasionally making notations in a pocket-sized notebook.

Cooper’s testimony was the simplest, and after she’d reviewed her statement two times, McNamara said that she was free to leave. It was after eleven o’clock and Cooper was exhausted. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed, but she was reluctant to leave her sister. She’d seen how Ashley had sent one pleading look after another Lincoln’s way, and although he’d hugged her upon his arrival, he didn’t seem overly concerned about her welfare.

“We’re about to remove the victim,” McNamara said quietly. “In another hour or so, your sister and her husband will be able to get some sleep.” He paused. “Or try to sleep.”

Reluctantly, Cooper asked for a ride to her truck, and McNamara responded by pulling one of the uniformed officers away from his ham and cheese sandwich. “You’re to inspect Ms. Lee’s vehicle until you’re certain those tires are as full as your belly. Are we clear?”

The man instantly tossed his sandwich aside, stood a fraction taller, and said, “Yes, sir.” He even helped Cooper into her coat and opened the front door for her with a flourish.

Ashley handed Cooper her mittens and the sisters embraced. “What will happen to us?” she whispered.

Over her sister’s bent head, Cooper watched as two men from the Medical Examiner’s Office exchanged a few words with Wiser before heading inside the garage. There was a great deal of noise in the Love house for such a late hour, and the two sisters stood in their embrace, letting themselves get lost in the din. Radios crackled, cell phones rang and were answered, water rushed through pipes, and a chorus of male voices echoed throughout the downstairs. Cooper reflected on the fact that the most powerful noise of the entire night had been the lack of sound—the dark vacuum of silence surrounding the body in the garage.

“You’re going to be fine,” Cooper promised Ashley. “But it may be awhile before things feel normal again.” She touched her sister’s smooth cheek. “I’m not saying that to worry you, but I want you to be prepared.”

“What should I do?” Ashley clung to her sister’s hand.

“Talk to your husband. You should comfort each other,” Cooper said. “Call me tomorrow, okay?”

After giving her sister a final squeeze, Cooper stepped into the darkness. The clouds had thinned, allowing for a scattering of lonesome stars in the tar-black sky. Their weak twinkling seemed cold, standoffish.

A slanted square of light from Ashley’s open garage spilled onto the pebbled driveway. The shadow of a gurney and of the two men lifting their burden into a white van marred the light and then, even the shadows were gone.

Within a few hours, the house would grow still, the lights would go off, and the silence would spread out and reclaim its dominion.

4

Cooper felt like a zombie the next day at work. After briefly telling Angela what had happened the night before, the office manager quickly restructured the daily schedule, giving Emilio the repair calls and putting Cooper on shredder detail.

Emptying document bins stuffed with nests of white paper proved to be the perfect occupation for Cooper’s fatigued body and restless mind. She called Ashley during her lunch hour but barely recognized her sister’s voice.

“What a nightmare,” Ashley croaked as though her throat was inflamed. “I had to go to the police station and give a formal statement early this morning. Too early!” she added indignantly. “It’s not like we got any sleep last night. When we finally did crawl into bed, I told Lincoln that if he had the slightest idea how that man ended up in that trunk, it was his one and only chance to come clean with me.”

“And?”

“He swore that he was as shocked as I was,” Ashley said through a yawn. “I believed him. But we still couldn’t sleep, so we talked about all kinds of stuff—the way we used to when we were first married. I know this sounds awful, but that dead man reunited us.”

Cooper murmured tiredly, “I’m glad for you.”

“The police tramped all through the house
again
this morning and those two investigators are at the West End dealership right now. That’s where Miguel worked as the head lot attendant.” She paused. “Now that I know his name, I can’t stop wondering about him. Has his mama heard about what happened to him yet? Was he married? Does he have children waiting for him to come home?” Ashley’s voice cracked on the word “home.”

“I’ve been thinking the same things,” Cooper admitted and pushed her unfinished sandwich away. “I feel like I’ve been moving through fog today. I can’t get the image of him out of my mind.” She gazed around the fast food eatery. None of the other diners could displace the image of the sallow, waxen face and the tape-covered mouth of a lot attendant named Miguel.

When Ashley spoke again, she sounded calmer. “Thanks for coming over last night, Coop. I couldn’t have handled it without you. Did you get home okay?”

“Edward had my truck ready to go, as promised.”

“Ah, the mysterious Edward. The dark knight to the rescue,” Ashley attempted levity. “And what does Nathan have to say about his competition?”

Cooper stuffed the remains of her lunch in the trash and tried to ignore the guilt stirring in her stomach. “I haven’t told him yet. All I could manage last night was changing into my pajamas and brushing my teeth. I’ll call him later.”

There was something judgmental about the way Ashley murmured, “Hmm.”

“What are you not saying, Ashley?” Cooper demanded as she hurried out to the Make It Work! shredder truck, which took up four parking spots and released a noxious cloud of black smoke when the ignition was fired up.

“Nothing.” Ashley’s reply was nearly drowned out by the growl of the truck engine. “It just sounds like you might have forgotten that today’s Grammy’s birthday and we’re all having supper at Mama and Daddy’s house. Including Nathan. You invited him weeks ago. I remember because I thought it was so sweet that he insisted on getting Grammy a present.”

Slapping the steering wheel, Cooper moaned. “Her gift! I have to go, Ashley. If I’m going to make it to the camera store by five, I’d better get my work finished.”

“Just don’t mention our . . . unpleasant experience in front of Grammy. Mama doesn’t want anything to spoil her special evening.”

“I doubt we can keep this from Grammy,” Cooper said. “She’s mighty sharp and it won’t be easy to act like nothing’s happened.”

 “I know.” Ashley sighed. “On the other hand, Grammy’s a woman. All women are distracted by pretty things, and I’m bringing her some jaw-dropping, eye-popping, let’s-not-talk-about-babies-or-dead-men-named-Miguel pretty things.”

Cooper disagreed with her materialistic sister about their chances of fooling their observant grandmother but chose to remain quiet. She spent the rest of the workday emptying document bins at a furious pace and arrived at the camera store ten minutes before closing.

The clerk, a friendly retiree named Janice, immediately recognized Cooper. Reaching below the counter, she proudly showed off the results of their joint planning. Once Janice was convinced that Cooper was completely delighted with the present, she wrapped it in tissue paper and then slid it into a gift bag decorated with birthday balloons. “Come back sometime and tell me how the surprise went over.”

“I’ll do that,” Cooper promised and thanked Janice once more on the way out.

Gift in hand, Cooper relaxed for the first time that day. At the next red light, she slid her cell phone’s earpiece onto her right ear and called Nathan. She wanted to tell him about last night so he had time to compose himself before appearing at her parents’ house for dinner. But that was only half the reason she decided not to tell him face-to-face. She didn’t trust herself not to blush when she mentioned the role Edward Crosby had played.

Nathan, who worked as a Web designer from his home office, answered on the first ring. Cooper hurriedly told her boyfriend what had happened and then apologized for not phoning earlier.

“I’m sure you’re still in a state of shock. And exhausted, too,” Nathan said once he’d had a moment to digest the startling news. “How’s Ashley holding up?”

“As well as can be expected. The investigation’s focusing on Love Motors’ West End dealership, so by now she’s probably glad her house is her own once more, though she may never step foot in the garage again.” Cooper realized she was deliberately avoiding any mention of the dead man, but she wanted to avoid talking about him until after Grammy’s celebration.

“How many dealerships does the Love family manage?”

“Three. Lincoln’s father runs the original Love Motors downtown, and his younger brother has just been handed the keys to the new Cadillac/Hummer dealership on the Southside. Lincoln’s is the only dealership that sells all makes of GM cars. It’s a state-of-the-art facility. They even have a rotating dais inside to display special cars. Last time I drove by I saw a huge yellow Hummer spinning around.”

Nathan huffed. “Who’d want a Hummer these days? You could take a week’s vacation for the same price as a tank of gas.”

“But you couldn’t drive over a row of compact cars,” Cooper joked. “Because that could really come in handy during rush hour.”

“I’m glad your sense of humor’s still intact!” Nathan laughed. “Listen, why don’t I show up a little early tonight? You can talk about anything you want while I give you the best shoulder rub in the world. My fingers are well developed after years of fast typing. You can’t let this rare talent go to waste.”

“No, I certainly can’t. You made me an offer I can’t resist.” Cooper smiled into the phone.

• • •

Nathan was true to his word. Moments after Cooper welcomed him inside the small apartment above her parents’ detached garage, he gave her a tender kiss and a lingering embrace. He then positioned himself on the sofa and gestured for her to sit with her back to him.

As his long, nimble fingers worked her tight muscles, Cooper closed her eyes and began to talk. She rehashed every detail from the night before, beginning with the encounter with the truculent Bank of Richmond secretary, followed by her pickup going lame. She recounted how Edward Crosby had pulled over to help as succinctly as she could.

“What was he doing out in the country at that time of night?” Nathan asked. “Didn’t you say you’d just crossed the Goochland County line?”

Cooper leaned back into Nathan’s strong hands as they kneaded the taut muscles around her shoulder blades. “I don’t know. I never thought to ask. In all honesty, we didn’t talk much. Once Ashley called, we tore over to her house and then, well, nobody felt like speaking.”

Nathan dug his first two fingers into the tissue on either side of Cooper’s spine and walked them from the top of her pelvis to the base of her neck and back down again. She sighed with pleasure.

“You’re a magician, Nathan. I hadn’t realized how tense I was.” She closed her eyes and felt her body sinking deeper into the cushions, as if she were transforming from a solid state into a liquid one. “I can’t stop thinking about the victim, Miguel. Why would someone do that to him?” She involuntarily stiffened. “They tied him up and put him in a trunk like he was a piece of luggage.”

Just then, there was a rapid tap on Cooper’s door and Ashley burst into the apartment. “I hope you two are decent, because I’m coming in!”