3 The Chain of Lies (13 page)

Even though Emily and Isabel insisted they were only speaking hypothetically, they could tell Jethro wasn’t buying their story. He had asked Isabel several times after that if he could see the gun, and she had told Emily she could tell that excuse was wearing thin.

Her bank was open on Saturday mornings, so Emily decided to go and retrieve the not-so-hypothetical gun from the safe deposit box. It was time to turn the weapon over to Isabel, and only Isabel, to have it tested.

Emily had realized from the first day she’d found the Beretta pistol in the metal box, that Evan had hidden the gun away for a reason. After finding his note a few months ago, saying he had wrestled the weapon away from someone who had attacked him and tried to kill him, she understood why.

She wondered if Jethro’s repeated requests to get a look at the gun, under the auspices of having it tested, revealed his desire to take the piece off Emily’s hands—and out of circulation. But why?

If she gave it to him for testing, she feared it could easily disappear and no one would ever see it again. But if she gave it directly to Isabel, it had a better chance of actually reaching the lab.

The old photo she had found in the safe deposit box the first day she’d opened it—the one of Evan with his arm around the young dark-haired beauty—had haunted her as she’d wondered who the woman could be. Now, thanks to Evan’s note, she knew. The picture of someone seeking revenge for Natalia’s death was coming dangerously into view.

Emily phoned Isabel to be certain she would be home to receive the pistol.

“Yes, I’ll be here. Do you want me to come to the bank with you?” Isabel asked.

“No, I don’t want to draw any more attention to it than I have to. After I pick it up, I’ll head straight to your house.”

“Just watch to make sure you’re not being followed,” Isabel warned.

“I’ll have the GPS monitor with me. That way I can make sure that at least Jethro isn’t following me.”

“He may not be the only one, so keep an eye out.”

“I will.” Emily said her good-byes and hung up, periodically glancing into her rearview mirror and at the monitor. She made it to the bank without incident.

“Hello, Mr. Johnson.” Emily greeted the bank manager as she skirted past the teller stations. “I’d like to get into my safe deposit box, please.”

“Certainly, Mrs. Parker. It’s nice to see you again.” He escorted her to the secure door, punched a few numbers into the keypad, and the door unlocked. He moved to the wall of safe deposit boxes and held his hand out for her key. He stuck his key and hers into the little door and turned them simultaneously. “I’ll give you some privacy, ma’am.”

“Thank you, Mr. Johnson.” She pulled the box out of its space and laid it on the table in the middle of the room. Opening the lid, her gaze ran over all the items in the box—the passports, a few thick wads of cash, and some Euros. Moving the other items aside, she partially uncovered the gun. She glanced around the perimeter of the ceiling, searching for video cameras as inconspicuously as possible. There were two, in opposite corners.

She placed her sizeable leather handbag on its side, over the metal box, and surreptitiously slid the gun into it, ever mindful of the cameras. The rest of the contents, she decided, would keep for another day. She closed the lid, stuck the box back in its hole and closed the door on it.

Once she was in her car, she locked her doors and gingerly slipped the gun into a cloth bag and tied off the drawstring. She checked the GPS monitor that was wedged on her console, but she saw no movement of the tracking device. Either Jethro was still at his condo, or at least his car was, or he had found the device and stashed it somewhere in the parking garage. Before pulling out of the bank’s lot, she glanced around and checked her mirrors again.

Feeling fairly assured she was not being followed, she headed to Isabel and Alex’s house. Within minutes, she pulled into their high-end neighborhood with its expansive, neatly trimmed lawns and wide meandering streets. As Emily rounded a curve, the Martínez’s spacious two-story brick and stucco home came into view. She pulled into the long driveway, catching a glimpse of Isabel bounding down the brick steps.

“Emily!” Isabel called out as her friend climbed out of her car.

Emily slung her heavy leather handbag over her shoulder as Isabel approached.

“Do you have the gun?” Isabel kept her voice low.

Emily nodded and patted her purse. “Right here.”

Isabel linked her hand through Emily’s arm and walked her to the house, glancing over her shoulder, up and down the street. “Let’s get inside.” As they went in the house, Isabel turned again and looked toward the street.

“Is Alex here?” Emily asked as they moved from the entry to the kitchen at the back of the house.

“No, he had a basketball game at the Y with some of his lawyer buddies this morning.”

“He’ll be back by kickoff time, won’t he?” Emily asked, setting her purse down with a
thunk
on the round, glass-top dinette table
.

“Of course. He wouldn’t miss Boise State’s first game. Maggie will be there, too, she told me.” Isabel opened a package of Nutter Butter cookies and laid a couple handfuls of them on a plate. “I hope she brings some photos to share.”

“I haven’t seen her since she and Molly got back from Hawaii. I’m glad she’s coming. I know she hates football, but she does love a good party.”

“Yes, she does.” Isabel set the plate of cookies on the table. “Will Colin be there?”

“That’s the plan.”

“You don’t sound so sure.” Isabel turned and went back to the kitchen.

“Today is his first day back on the job and he’s already been handed a case.”

“Are you talking about the body they found in the river last night?”

Emily pulled out a chair and sank down onto it. “How did you know?”

“Heard it on the news this morning.”

Emily heard Isabel open a cupboard, then the clinking sound of her pulling a couple of mugs out.

“They said she was a young Asian woman, late teens or early twenties—you want a cup of coffee, Em?”

“That’d be great, thanks. On the news this morning, huh? That was fast. But yes, that’s the case.” Emily pulled the fabric bag out of her purse and laid it gently on the glass table, next to the plate of Nutter Butters.

“Poor woman. I wonder what happened.”

“I have my suspicions.” Emily picked up a cookie and took a bite.

“You do? How are you involved in this?” Isabel carried two cups of steaming coffee to the table.

“Colin was at my house when he got the call last night about someone finding the body. We both went to the scene.”

Isabel took a seat at the table and poured cream into her mug. “That must have put a damper on your romantic evening.”

“That’s for sure. So did my nosey next-door neighbor and the exploding potatoes.” Emily grimaced before sticking the rest of the cookie in her mouth.

Isabel laughed, sending a spray of coffee across the table. Her hand flew up to her mouth. “Sorry about that,” she quickly apologized, grabbing a napkin out of the holder in the center of the table.

“It wasn’t that funny.” Emily covered her lips with her fingers to contain a giggle. “At least at the time it wasn’t.” She tore a packet of sugar open and dumped it in her coffee.

“You’ll have to tell me about that some time. Sounds like a scream.” Isabel grabbed a couple of cookies from the plate. “But back to the dead woman—what are your suspicions?”

“Well…” Emily stirred her coffee, “I was planning on talking to you about this later anyway, so I guess now’s as good a time as any. Remember I asked you about the Jade Thai Spa and you were going to check to see if it was one the Feds were watching?”

“Yeah, but I haven’t gotten a response back yet.”

“I think the young dead woman may have something to do with that.”

“You mean the prostitution ring?”

“Yes.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Call it a gut feeling.”

Emily didn’t have any actual evidence pointing to it, but there was something about the dead woman that made her think of the Asian girl in the hotel restroom. “I was hoping we could all put our heads together this afternoon and come up with a way to find out.”

“Like a sting or something?”

“Exactly,” Emily replied, wagging a Nutter Butter at Isabel. “Camille’s brother said he’d done an investigative report on human trafficking, perhaps he can give us some ideas.”

“Maybe, but if the Feds are watching that place, they’ll want to be alerted to anything you’re planning to do so it doesn’t blow up their case.”

“You can be our liaison, Is.” Emily dipped one end of her cookie in her coffee. “You know, a go-between.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Em. We don’t even know if the dead girl had anything to do with the Jade Thai Spa.”

“Not yet, but soon I hope. Then we need to jump on it quick.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Isabel popped another cookie in her mouth.

“Oh, by the way,” Emily softly patted the gun through the fabric, “where should we hide this baby?”

CHAPTER 12

“Hey, y’all!” Maggie called out as she waltzed through the doorway of Camille’s family room, holding a couple of loaded plastic grocery bags in each hand. “Sorry I’m late. Has the game started?”

“Maggie!” Camille squealed, running to her from the kitchen, giving her a big hug. Emily and Isabel weren’t far behind.

“What’s in the bags?” Isabel asked.

“I’ve got four different kinds of chips, that yummy granola from Costco, and I brought my famous chocolate pecan pie—my mama’s recipe.”

“That’s not like you to bring so many carbs, Maggs,” Emily commented, taking a couple of bags off her hands.

“I didn’t say
I
was gonna eat ’em. They’re for all y’all.”

Peter stepped in and reached for the remaining bags. “Here, let me help you with those,” he offered, taking them from her and marching them into the kitchen.

“Maggie, you remember my brother, Peter?”

“Yes, from the airport.” Maggie leaned on the breakfast bar.

“That was nice of you to think of us, Maggie,” Isabel said as she followed Peter into the open kitchen area. “I’d love to sample your mom’s chocolate pecan pie.”

“Go right ahead,” Maggie replied to Isabel, but her eyes were on Peter. “How long are y’all in town for, Peter?”

“Only another week or two, then I’m headed to Seattle to start a new job. I’ll be a news anchor at one of the television stations there.”

“I adore Seattle. It’s such a great city—so clean, and all those trees.”

“It’s all that rain, I hear. If you’re ever up that way, look me up and I’ll take you out sightseeing.”

“Sounds nice.”

Emily watched Maggie, obviously working to be her usual upbeat self. Not long ago, she had suffered the heartbreaking loss of a relationship with a man she loved. The trip to Hawaii was intended to lift her spirits and help her on the road to recovery. Maybe Peter wasn’t the right man for her, especially with him off to another city soon, but Emily hoped Maggie’s budding friendship with Peter could at least give her a glimpse of a happier future.

A loud cheer roared from the family room where the men were huddled around the big-screen television watching the second quarter of the game. Emily figured BSU must have made a touchdown or some equally exciting play. Within minutes, every man was off the sofa, and like a herd, headed to the dining table which was now covered with Camille’s delectable feast.

“What’s happening?” Maggie asked.

“Halftime,” Colin replied.

“We’re ahead fourteen to nothing,” Jonathan added as he picked up a plate and began loading it with a pulled pork sandwich and chips. “Hey, Red, where’s the coleslaw?”

Jonathan was the only person Camille ever let get away with calling her
Red
.

“In the fridge,” she hollered from the kitchen. “I can’t have it sitting out getting warm.” She grabbed it from the refrigerator and plunked it down on the table next to the pulled pork. “There you go.”

Everyone grabbed a plate and dove into the delicious spread Camille and the girls had laid out, carrying their food into the family room. Every seat on the sectional was taken, as well as the easy chairs, leaving some to take their seat on the floor or the ottoman.

Emily glanced around the room with a satisfied feeling, watching them eating and chatting—she loved the closeness of her friends, like a big family, sharing a meal together.

Conversation flowed easily, but eventually it came around to the dead girl found in the river the night before.

“What can you tell us about the body that was found in the river last night, Colin?” Peter asked, sitting on the ottoman, balancing his plate on his knees.

Colin leaned back into the sofa and swallowed his food. “There’s not much to tell yet. No more than the news has reported so far. We won’t know anything more until we get the autopsy and lab reports back.”