Cold Truth

27

“Can you give me five minutes?” Cass asked Rick as he slowed down in front of her house.

“I can give you all the time you need,” he told her, “but I’m coming in with you.”

He turned off the engine and they got out of his car. She waved to a neighbor across the street, and stepped aside as a happy toddler drove his miniature car toward her on the sidewalk. The boy’s mother smiled apologetically as she kept pace with her son.

Cass pushed aside the crime scene tape that still draped her front porch, and unlocked the door with her key. She stepped inside tentatively.

“It seems like forever since I’ve been here,” she told Rick as he followed her into the front hall.

“Well, it’s been a pretty intense week.”

“It hasn’t even been a whole week,” she reminded him. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?”

“It seems like I’ve been here longer than that. I feel as if I’ve known you for more than a week.”

She paused at the stairwell, one foot on the bottom step, and studied his face. He was watching her watch him.

“I know what you mean. I feel the same way,” Cass told him.

“Good. That’s good.” He smiled.

“I’ll be right back.” She broke eye contact and ran up the steps to her room.

She grabbed her last clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt from her dresser-she really did need to get some laundry done-and stuffed them into a small tote, along with her running shoes, before going into her closet. From the top shelf, she took a small handgun already in an ankle holster and strapped it on. Around her waist she wore a belt with a clip that held her revolver. She reached up to the shelf again and felt around for the twenty-two she had, on occasion, concealed in the small of her back. Finding it, she slid it into place and tugged her shirt over her belt.

“You look as if you mean business,” Rick said from the doorway. “You really think you’re going to need all that?”

“One way or another, we’re getting him today.” She met his eyes in the mirror that hung on the closet door. “I’m not sure how, but this is ending today.”

“I’m all for that.”

“What do you say we pop in on Mr. Calhoun and see what he has to say. Maybe he’ll have some thoughts on where his good friend, Mr. Wainwright, might be spending a quiet day.”

“Well, neither of his other friends had much to say,” Rick reminded her. “I doubt he’ll be of much help, but let’s give him a try.”

“You think Wainwright knows that we know it’s him?” she asked as she turned to him. “Do you think he’s caught on?”

“If he’s tried to go home, he’s caught on. And there’s a damned good chance his brother has tipped him off. He sure seemed to have an attitude when it came to his little brother.”

“I felt that, too. As if he wasn’t at all surprised that the police wanted to talk to him. Almost as if he was expecting it.”

“You think his brother knows what he’s been doing?”

“No. If he had, he would have turned him in long ago. Steve seems like the type who’d carry his sibling rivalry into his middle age. I think if he had something on Jonathan, he’d have been more than happy to blow the whistle on him.” She reflected for a moment. “I feel pretty certain that Steve doesn’t have a clue as to what his brother has been up to all these years.”

“Still, I think we should stop back at Steve’s and see if he’s thought of anything else since we spoke with him. Let’s see, that was four hours ago, and-”

“Oh, shit.” Cass took a quick glance at her watch. “It’s almost seven. I told Khaliyah I’d meet her at six. Come on, Rick. I’m really late.”

Cass pushed past Rick and ran down the steps. She searched her bag for her cell phone and hit the Speed Dial key.

“Damn. She’s not picking up. We’re going to have to stop at the playground.”

“The playground?” He followed her outside. “Now?”

“Long story. I’ll tell you in the car.”

Khaliyah was practicing foul shots when Rick pulled into the parking lot next to the basketball court.

“I’ll be right back.”

Cass jogged to the court and reached for the ball Khaliyah lobbed in her direction. She caught it handily, but did not take a shot. Instead, she passed the ball back to Khaliyah.

“I’m so sorry, but we’re going to have to postpone our game tonight. I know I said I’d never bail on you, but-”

“You’re not bailing.” Khaliyah bounced the ball a few times before picking it up and holding it against her chest. “You’re here, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but I can’t stay.”

“It’s okay. I understand. You’re a cop, Cassie.” She began to bounce the ball again.

“Where’s Jameer? I thought he was going to drive you.”

“He’s here. He just walked over to the stand to buy us some water. He’ll be right back.”

“Stick with him, would you? Make sure he takes you home.”

“Sure.” Khaliyah turned and dribbled in the direction of the basket. She took a shot, missed, got the rebound.

Cass watched, hands on her hips. “You’re good, girl. But you need to practice if you think you’ll beat me next week.”

Khaliyah laughed. “Any week. I can-and have-beaten you. I’ll beat you again.”

Cass went to the girl and gave her a sisterly hug. “Be careful. I don’t like thinking about you being out while this man is still on the loose. He’s very dangerous. Very bad.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. You’re the one who needs to be careful.” A flash of concern crossed the girl’s face. “Please don’t let him hurt you.”

“I’m going to do my best to avoid that.”

“Well, you go on back to work now and catch this guy so you have plenty of time to rest up for next week.”

Cass grinned and waved to Jameer, who appeared at the opposite end of the court.

“You call me if you need me. I’ll have my phone with me. You have the number, right?” Cass called to Khaliyah as she headed toward the parking lot.

“You programmed it into my phone,” she called back to Cass and pointed to the gym bag that sat on the ground near the end of the bench, the cell phone Cass had given her resting on top.

“Don’t hesitate to use it.”

“I won’t.” Khaliyah waved good-bye to Cass, then challenged Jameer to a game of one-on-one by pitching the ball in his direction.

“That’s your buddy?” Rick was waiting at the end of the path.

“Yeah. She’s a terrific kid.”

“She’s a beauty. Looks like a good ballplayer, too.”

“Both true. We’ve got high hopes for her. We’re looking for a scholarship to a Division One school. She’s going to go places.” Cass paused to look back once, then patted Rick on the arm. “Now, let’s go see if Steve Wainwright has come up with anything new since we last spoke with him. Then we’ll move on to Billy Calhoun.”

Jonathan watched from the bleachers as Cass and Rick made their way back to the parking lot. He was sick to his stomach, just looking at her. At that moment, he ached to feel the skin of her neck under his hands. Ached to watch her die for all the pain, all the frustration she had caused him.

Ached to finish the job he’d left unfinished years ago.

He was sweating, his nervous system on overload.

He turned his attention to the young girl on the basketball court. Obviously, she was someone important to Cass.

His eyes followed her as she spun around the boy who attempted to block her shots. Beautiful, strong, and young. Too young, he reminded himself. Not much more than a child, really. He wouldn’t think of doing to her what he wanted to do to Cass. The very idea disgusted him.

After all, he did have his standards.

The action moved to the basket at the far end of the court, where several other young people had gathered, boys and girls. The game interrupted, the players stopped to chat with the newcomers. He eyed the gym bag on the ground near the bench, not twenty-five feet from him now.

“You programmed it into my phone,” the girl had said when Cass had asked if she had her cell number.

Nonchalantly, he hopped off the bleachers and strolled by, his hands in his pockets. When he reached the bench, he bent down, as if tying a shoe, and reached over to grab the phone, which he tucked into his pocket. A glance at the group assured him that no one had paid any attention to him. He straightened up, and continued on his way.

Pulling his baseball cap down over his forehead, he pushed his dark glasses back, and with his hands in his pockets, he walked leisurely through the playground and into the park that led toward the bay. From there, he’d walk over the dunes and find a nice quiet place in which to sit and think about how best to fit this little unexpected bonus into his plan.