The Right Call (9 page)

“I will. Good night.”

Ethan waited until Drew went upstairs and then turned to Vanessa. “Come on, let’s go out on the porch.”

“I can’t stay much longer. I need to get home. Carter almost always wakes up at least once. Emily’s an angel to watch him, but I don’t want to take advantage of her.”

Ethan took Vanessa by the hand and went out on the porch. He pulled her into his arms and let his lips melt into hers, and then slowly, reluctantly, longingly he pulled back and just held her.

“I’ve had such a great time today,” he said.

“Me, too. The picnic was fun, wasn’t it? And Carter sure loved it.”

“He’s a beautiful kid. Takes after you.”

“Hopefully that will make him less curious about his father,” Vanessa said.

“You ever going to tell Carter why his father didn’t stick around?”

“Not until he’s old enough to understand how dangerous it would be to go looking for him.” Vanessa was quiet for a few moments. “But I’m not going to lie to him either. I think it’s enough for him to know that his father disappeared and the authorities couldn’t find him.”

“Are you going to tell him that his father wanted you to get an abortion?”

“No. He doesn’t need that rejection on top of everything else.”

Brill sat with Trent on one side of an oblong table; Lonnie Benchfield, the father of the latest victim, sat on the other. Two of Brill’s detectives were questioning his wife in the other interview room.

“Mr. Benchfield, I know this is tedious and you’re tired,” Brill said. “But I want to go over a few things again.”

“You should be out looking for the killer.” Lonnie raked his hands through his hair. “You know
I’m
not the one who shot Natalie.”

Brill folded her hands and held his gaze. “Tell me again why you didn’t report your daughter missing.”

“She threw one of her teenybopper tantrums and said she was going to her grandmother Sewell’s house.”

“That was Thursday night after dinner?”

“Right.”

“And it didn’t occur to you to check and see if Natalie got there okay?”

“No, we assumed she was fine. She only had to walk eight blocks.” Lonnie’s lip quivered, his gaze fixed on his hands. “Look, you need to understand something. Natalie constantly pitted us against each other. We were grateful for the peace and quiet. We had no reason to think she wouldn’t go to her grandmother’s. She’d done it plenty of times before.”

“Weren’t you concerned the next day when the school called and reported her absent?”

Lonnie’s cheeks flushed. “No, we figured Natalie talked her grandmother into letting her skip school. My wife covered for her, told the nurse she was home with the stomach flu.”

“Are you in the habit of letting Natalie’s grandmother make those decisions?”

“No, but school’s out next week and Natalie wasn’t going to miss anything. We thought it was more important for her to get a grip.”

Trent picked up a pencil and wrote something on his ruled pad, then bounced the eraser on the table. “If this hadn’t happened, when
would
you have checked on your daughter? What kind of father lets a thirteen-year-old girl leave home and doesn’t even check on her for two days?”

“Look, I’m not proud of the way her mother and I handled this, but we thought she was at her grandmother’s. I told you Natalie’s a troublemaker. We just wanted some peace in the house.”

“Do you have other children?” Brill said.

“We have a son, Garrison. He’s two.”

“How did Natalie treat him?”

“A lot better than she treated her mother and me.”

“You said you don’t know why Natalie didn’t go to her grandmother’s house. I’m not buying that.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I want to know what you aren’t telling us.”

Lonnie cracked his knuckles and glanced up at the two-way mirror. “All right … she might’ve been trying to punish us.”

“For what?”

“For taking away her cell phone. She’s on that thing day and night and went way over on her minutes
again
. I locked it up.”

Trent threw his hand up. “That explains why we didn’t find a cell phone in her backpack. Why didn’t you mention this before?”

“I didn’t think it was relevant.”

“
Everything’s
relevant,” Trent said. “When did you take her phone away?”

“The day she left. Right after she got home from school. She didn’t blink an eye when she handed it over. She knew what she did.”

Brill leaned forward on her elbows. “I can understand why you didn’t expect to hear from Natalie. But wouldn’t you have expected her grandmother to call and tell you she had arrived safely?”

“Not really.” Lonnie’s eyebrows came together. “My mother-in-law doesn’t like me. She sides with Natalie on almost everything. I figured her silence was just her way of rubbing my nose in it.”

“Why didn’t your wife call her?” Trent said.

“Ask
her
.
”

“I’m asking
you
.
”
Trent put his face in front of Lonnie’s. “You left your vulnerable young daughter to fend for herself and didn’t even check on her. At the very least, that’s gross negligence!” Trent brought his fist down on the table. “You could be looking at jail time. So I suggest you wipe that indignant look off your face and answer the question.”

“Jail time? But I … I mean, all we wanted was …” Lonnie hesitated a moment, then lowered his voice. “All right, all right, I’ll tell you. We didn’t call because it always ends with my mother-in-law’s lecture on how we wouldn’t have these problems if we took our kids to church. Like that’s going to solve everything.”

Well, it’s certainly a good starting place,
Brill thought. “We’ll need to examine Natalie’s phone records and see who she’d been talking to before she left. You said she had a computer?”

“A laptop. I’ll give you her phone, her computer, whatever you want. But I’m done talking. I want a lawyer.”

Chapter 10

Brill
inhaled the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee and smiled when she remembered it was Sunday. She turned on her side, pulled the covers up to her chin, and nestled in the warmth of the downy-soft duvet. She didn’t have to budge until eight.

An image of Natalie Benchfield popped into her mind and she willed it away. This morning was for rest. No corpses. No police work.

She heard the door open and close, and the delicious smell of fried bacon wafted under her nose.

“You’re not going to make me move, are you?” she said sleepily, one eye open.

“Heavens, no.” Kurt’s tone had a familiar pied-piper quality to it. He crawled into bed and lay on his side facing her. “But I brewed a pot of Starbucks Breakfast Blend and warmed those giant jelly rolls that Tessa made. Emily cooked up some bacon and made a fruit bowl of strawberries, bananas, and blueberries. But you’ve still got forty-five minutes before you have to start getting ready for church. If you’d like to sleep in, we’ll save you some.”

Brill opened both eyes, and Kurt flashed her that charming Kevin Costner grin that usually accompanied his acts of kindness.

“My mouth is watering now. I’ll never be able to go back to sleep.” She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, then slowly stood and stretched her lower back.

Kurt grabbed her robe off the chair and helped her slip it on, then pulled her into his arms and held her. “Have I told you today that I love you, Mrs. Jessup?”

“I’m not sure. Up until now, I’ve been comatose.”

He cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. “I love you. Always have and always will.”

“I love you too—so much.”

“I promise you’ll never have to doubt it ever again. Come on, let’s eat breakfast while the jelly rolls are warm.”

Brill went out to the kitchen, Kurt on her heels, and saw that the table was set with the floral place mats and white dishes she used when they had company. “How nice. You even put roses in the bud vase.”

“I’ll bring everything to the table,” Emily said.

“Did someone call Vanessa?”

“I’m here.” Vanessa walked through the doorway, Carter on her hip.

She strapped him in the high chair and then sat at the table. “Ethan’s going to meet us at church.”

“What about Drew?” Kurt said.

“Drew won’t go. I think he’s mad at God.”

“Give him time.” Brill took a sip of orange juice. “I
saw the murder scene and how shaken he was by Tal Davison’s death. He’s probably processing the whole thing. I’m sure it was traumatic.”

Emily set the fruit bowl on the table, then brought a platter of bacon and a basket of jelly rolls and bagels. She sat next to Carter. The baby reached out and tried to touch her, his smile lighting up the room, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“You feeling okay, sweetie?” Brill said.

“I’m fine.”

“Why the long face?”

Emily looked up and wrinkled her nose. “I read in the newspaper about the girl that got shot. She wasn’t that much older than me.”

So much for putting police work on hold,
Brill thought. “What happened to her is a tragedy. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“But a gang member did it, right?”

Fear had stolen the sparkle from Emily’s bright blue eyes. Was she remembering her horrible ordeal with Eduardo Mendez?

“Emily, gangs typically do drive-bys to intimidate rival members or someone related to a rival member. That’s not what happened in this case.”

“So the gangs aren’t back?”

“We can’t say that for sure yet, but it doesn’t seem likely. How about we say grace and enjoy this wonderful breakfast while it’s still warm?”

Ethan buttoned his dress shirt and tucked it in, then fastened the belt on his trousers.

“
Somebody
is trying to impress the family.” Drew stood in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest.

“I’m not sure a blue shirt and tan trousers qualify as
impressive
. Now this new tie”—Ethan held up a blue, red, and tan paisley tie—“that’s another story.”

Ethan sat on the bed and slid on his favorite loafers.

Drew stared at him, a silly grin on his face. “You polished your shoes.”

“So?”

“I’ve known you all my life. I can’t remember the last time you polished a pair of shoes. Or wore a tie. You’ve got it bad, Cuz.”

Ethan laughed, then picked up a pillow and threw it at him. “I don’t need this harassment. I’m going to church with the Jessups. I thought I should look worthy to have their gorgeous daughter on my arm.”

“She’s gorgeous, all right.” Drew seemed to study him. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Go ahead.”

“If she
wasn’t
such a knockout, would you be as willing to accept the baby as part of the package?”

“Sure. Carter’s great, and he’s part of Vanessa.”

“He’s also part of someone else. Can you handle that?”

“Obviously I can, Drew, or I wouldn’t be pursuing her for all I’m worth.”

Ethan went over to the mirror and started to comb the tangles out of his curls.

“What if the baby’s father decides he wants back in the picture? He has rights.”

“He won’t be back.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Who
is
the dad, anyway?”

Ethan pushed his round glasses higher on his nose and locked gazes with Drew in the mirror. “No one you know.”

“Have you ever met him?”

“Actually I have.”

“Did you like him?”

“I had mixed feelings. Look, the guy is out of the picture by choice, and it’s permanent. Carter will never know him.”

“Does he pay child support?”

“It’s none of your business, Drew. Back off.”

“I’m just watching out for you. Kids cost a fortune. I don’t want you getting in over your head just because Vanessa’s hot.”

Ethan walked over to Drew and stood face-to-face. “Don’t refer to Vanessa that way again. Show some respect. My attraction to her goes way beyond chemistry.”

“Are you in love with her?”

“There’s
something
serious going on. It’s hard to get her off my mind.”

Drew put his hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts and looked down, his feet rocking from heel to toe. “You’ve got grad school ahead of you. Do you think it’s smart to get sidetracked right now?”

“I can handle it.”

“Can you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I just don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.”

“Like what?”

There was a long, awkward pause.

Finally Drew said, “I’m sure you know it would complicate things if your relationship with Vanessa got too …
physical
.
”

“Give me a little credit, will you?” Ethan held tightly to his cousin’s shoulders and looked him squarely in the eyes. “I’m not going to change my mind about saving sex for marriage just because I’m falling for Vanessa—not that it’s any of your business.”

“I thought you might feel differently since—”

“Since what—she’s already been with someone?”

Drew shrugged. “I guess so.”

“Well, you guessed wrong. I’m done answering personal questions.”

Drew flopped on the bed. “It’s just that you’ve never shut me out of anything before.”

“I’m not shutting you out. But we’re both adults now. I’m not going to climb up to the tree house and tell you everything that’s going on in my life. My relationship with Vanessa is private. Understood?”

“Understood.” Drew put his hands behind his head. “Actually, I like Vanessa. You two look good together. I’m happy for you.”

Tessa Masino breezed in the front door to Nick’s Grill, Antonio right behind her. She stood for a moment, cooling herself under the ceiling fan, and admired the dark green vinyl booths and faux wood tabletops that looked as fresh and new as they had when Nick remodeled a couple years back. This year’s addition of an oak laminate floor had warmed the place up immeasurably.

She put her lips to Antonio’s ear. “I would be beside myself if you had this same flooring put in our kitchen. It could be my birthday present.”

Antonio chuckled. “More like Christmas, anniversary, Mother’s Day, and birthday thrown into one.”

Nick waved and hurried over to them. “Welcome, friends. The Sunday special is a grilled salmon pasta that’ll knock your socks off. Big chunks of salmon, veggies, and penne pasta tossed together in a light creamy sauce and served in a pastry shell. Key lime pudding for dessert.”

Tessa put her hand on her heart. “Sounds so good.”

“No chance you’re going to let me have a triple bacon cheeseburger deluxe and sweet potato fries?” Antonio said.

Tessa rolled her eyes in response and walked over to the counter, where Gus and Maggie were already seated.

“Hello, hello,” Tessa said. “How was church?”

“We joined the seniors’ Sunday-school class today.” Maggie took Gus’s hand. “My other half kept the discussion lively.”

Antonio slid onto the stool between Tessa and Gus and slapped Gus on the back. “How’s it going, friend?”

“Really can’t complain, but I always do.”

“So what do you know?”

Gus stroked his white mustache. “It’s mighty sad the authorities found another shooting victim—a kid to boot.”

“I should say so.” Tessa shook her head. “I’m just sick over it.”

“Kinda odd her parents hadn’t reported her missin’, though.”

“Downright criminal,” Antonio said. “Who loses sight of a kid that age for two days? They ought to be charged with neglect.”

“According to WSTN,” Maggie said, “the parents thought the girl was with her grandmother.”

“Thought?” Antonio looked over at Maggie. “Isn’t it their job to
know?”

“This girl might have lied to both,” Tessa said. “She wouldn’t be the first thirteen-year-old to play family members against each other.”

“Still doesn’t explain what her backpack and trash were doin’ on the front porch of that vacant house,” Gus said.

The corners of Antonio’s mouth curled up. “Maybe she had a secret powwow with the red shadows.”

“Please don’t get him started, Antonio.” Tessa exhaled loudly enough to show her disgust.

“Don’t worry”—Gus waved his hand—“I’m not gonna tell you what I think.”

“Since when?”

“Since now. Those of us who believe that the red shadows are behind the unexplained crimes in this town are wastin’ our breath discussin’ it with those of you who don’t.”

It’s about time,
Tessa thought. She bit her lip and resisted the temptation to respond.

Nick walked behind the counter, a bar towel draped across his shoulder. He bent down and spoke softly. “I just found out the name of the little girl who was shot: Natalie Benchfield.”

“Who told you?” Antonio said.

“I can’t say, but it’s someone in the know. Keep it to yourselves. Maggie, what’s wrong?”

“I know that name. The Benchfields are customers. They come in on Saturdays. They had a middle-school-age daughter and a son that needed a booster seat. I remember the name because Mr. Benchfield always paid by credit card—and because I felt sorry for the daughter. People always made over her baby brother. I made it a point to compliment her.”

“Oh, yeah,” Nick said. “I think I remember. Wasn’t she a little blonde?”

“Uh-huh. Tiny thing. Cute as a button except for the heavy eye makeup adolescent girls seem to like. I can’t believe she got killed in a shooting.”

Gus squeezed Maggie’s hand. “When’d you see her last?”

“Just a couple weeks ago. She’d just gotten braces and seemed pretty proud of them, like it was a rite of passage or something.”

“I remember our Sabrina at that age.” Tessa sighed. “I would have been devastated if something like this had happened to her.”

“Yes, but we would never have lost track of her for two days,” Antonio said. “I don’t mean to sound judgmental, but her parents should’ve known where she was.”