A Kiss Gone Bad

20

‘You know that motto, What Would Jesus Do? I look at Jabez and wonder. What Would Jesus Think?’ Claudia said.

‘He’s lying,’ Whit said.

‘Prove it.’

‘Oh, Christ, proof. My gut tells me. He’s a publicity hound. If he can link himself to a high-profile death, he will.’

‘Listen, Honorable, you can’t prove he’s lying any more than you could prove Faith Hubble has lied. Or anyone else,’ she added quickly.

‘You think Faith’s lying?’

‘Faith Hubble is running scared.’

‘Don’t pull a punch here.’

‘She threatened my family, Whit. Very subtly. She implied my father might lose his shrimping license.’

‘You must have misunderstood.’

‘You don’t misunderstand a threat to your father’s livelihood. I felt like belting her in the face.’ Claudia turned onto Highway 35 that threaded back to Port Leo. ‘I sensed a weird vibe between you and Faith Hubble last night.’

‘No. I’ve just known her for a long while. She’s worried about her kid.’

‘Don’t let your friendship warp your judgment.’

‘I’m going to get tired, very quickly, of you and Delford telling me how to do my job.’

‘Don’t get all huffy.’

Whit was silent for a moment. ‘So say what you think, Claudia.’

‘You have a political future at stake, Whit. I know you want to win the election, even if you act like campaigning is pimping. And I don’t relish examining bodies with that grease-wad Buddy Beere. So all I’m saying is, you show the Hubbles a hint of favoritism, you’re gonna get cooked. I don’t believe for one second they can contain Velvet from leaking news of Pete’s career. The news is going to hit big, and you better handle the inquest with every i dotted and t crossed.’

‘As opposed to gunning for them. Like you,’ Whit said dryly.

They passed the WELCOME TO PORT LEO – SWEET SPOT OF THE GULF sign, surrounded by smaller signs from city churches, the Chamber of Commerce, the Kiwanis and Rotary Club. ‘As long as they don’t gun for me. She guns for me, my family, I don’t tolerate that.’

‘I still think you’re mistaken about Faith,’ Whit said.

‘I’m not getting into a fight with you. Honorable.’ Claudia turned into the town square, parking in front of the police station. ‘But why did Heather Farrell say Pete blamed Jabez for Corey’s death? Jabez sure isn’t going to tell us. How would Heather even know about a connection between Jabez and Pete?’

‘Maybe she’s got a different connection to Jabez. Other than Pete.’

Claudia shrugged. ‘I’ll track Ms Farrell down and ask her.’

Whit turned to her. ‘Let’s say Jabez is telling the truth. Pete thought Corey was alive… so where’s Corey been all these years?’

Claudia’s office was cramped. Delford sat in the creaky wooden chair next to her desk, eyes bleary red. Even his wax-perked mustache drooped, its tapered corners sagging. Whit slumped in the chair at Eddie Gardner’s desk, his feet propped on a stack of papers.

Whit watched as Delford and Claudia brainstormed.

‘The most obvious answer is usually the right one,’ Delford said. ‘Suicide.’

Claudia shook her head. ‘Pete lived on a boat owned by established criminals. He wanted his wife’s kid. He could derail his mother’s political campaign. He was digging into a brother’s disappearance that could have been murder and made accusations against a wannabe television star. Are you and I looking at the same picture?’

‘Yeah, well you can look at inkblots and come up with different interpretations, Claud,’ Delford said. ‘He was a pervert and he didn’t have squat of a future. We’ve had more than one person say, and folks that knew him better than you and I, that he was depressed and maybe suicidal.’

‘Your stubbornness,’ Claudia groaned, ‘is about to make me suicidal.’

‘He tried to kill himself a few years ago. Faith Hubble got the police report from Van Nuys. He downed a bunch of pills and vodka.’ Delford clicked his tongue. ‘I’d have thought, Claud, you would have unearthed that little nugget.’

A slow creep of color bloomed along Claudia’s cheeks. ‘I’d like to see that report, if you don’t mind.’

‘Suicide once doesn’t mean suicide again,’ Whit said.

Delford growled low in his throat. ‘No. Let’s never grab hold of the obvious, shall we?’

Claudia turned referee. ‘Let me tell you what else I’ve found before you two start debating. Pete’s been arrested twice out in California: once for public intox, once for disturbing the peace and public nudity. Apparently while filming one of his little epics in the great outdoors. He didn’t serve time. Both were over five years ago.’ She flipped a page. ‘Velvet has no record. She told me in her statement that Pete rented that laptop on a monthly basis from Baywater Computers. I called the store owner, and Pete hadn’t returned the system. We still haven’t located it. I’m going to get a diver down into the marina to look for it. Maybe it went overboard.’

Delford said nothing.

‘Phone records I’ve got Fox checking out. Mostly calls back to California, although he has several calls to Missa-tuck, Texas, over the past week. Up in deep East Texas. Know it?’

‘Never heard of it,’ Delford said. ‘So let’s say it’s murder, just to indulge you, Claudia. Who do you like?’

‘Faith Hubble,’ Claudia said instantly.

‘Right. A respected leader and mother,’ Delford said. ‘Same for you, Whit?’

Whit felt like he was walking on quicksand in leaded boots. ‘I don’t know. Certainly Pete was a threat to the campaign. And Pete was serious about fighting for custody, although no one believes he had a prayer.’

‘Given what we know,’ Claudia interrupted. ‘But it works if Faith’s closet was dirtier than his.’

Delford snorted. ‘That’s hard to imagine.’

‘Junior Deloache or someone working for him would be my guess,’ Whit said. ‘If you have a crime, look for criminals.’

‘You’re deep,’ Delford said.

‘Since you think I ignore the obvious, don’t ignore the Deloaches,’ Whit said carefully. ‘I’ve got to go. Court and duty call.’ He left.

Delford waited until Whit shut the door. ‘Sloppy work, Claudia. Not learning about that suicide attempt. Doesn’t make us look good.’ His voice, usually a cajoling drawl, rang hard and steely.

‘I’m sorry. I’ll call the Van Nuys police right now and confirm.’

‘See that you do,’ Delford said. ‘I got a meeting with the mayor. Let me know what you find out. And don’t screw up again, Claud.’ He slammed the door behind him.

Who the hell are you turning into, Delford? she wondered. She reached for the phone and asked Nelda to get her the Van Nuys, California, police department.