Double Down (22 page)

Making up my mind I told her, “I’d be happy to read them, as long as you understand that, if I find anything I think the police need to know, I would have to give them all the diaries and tell them where I got them. If that happens, I can’t guarantee that they won’t eventually be given to Lorraine.” I knew that implied that I wouldn’t tell anyone if the diaries proved worthless, but I was sure that, given Monica’s penchant for seeking out other people’s secrets, there would be clues to her killer hidden somewhere within them.

Mrs. Combs sighed. “Thank you. If it helps to find her murderer, then I’ll just have to hope that she would forgive me for not keeping my promise.”

I promised to call her back after I read the diaries. Then I called Charlene and told her there was no need to inform security. I couldn’t wait to get back to the office. I tried to concentrate while the technician who installed the alarm patiently instructed me in detail on how to arm, reset, and disarm it. I’m afraid my mind kept wandering. Finally, I asked if he had written instructions I could follow. He handed me an instruction manual, but insisted on watching me arm the system before letting me leave.

I raced back to the office. Once I got there, I forgot all about the diaries. The police were there arresting Rose for Monica’s murder.

Chapter Fifteen

Two policemen were walking Rose out the office door with her hands handcuffed behind her. Tears streamed down her face leaving streaks of black mascara. I tried to go to her, but Alan held me back. She saw me, and yelled for me to call her sister, before they put her into the police car. The clerks were standing around watching, looking shocked. I turned on Alan and screamed at him, “Why did you let them take her. You know she didn’t do it.”

“
I didn’t have a choice they had a warrant.” He looked around the room. All eyes were on us. He took hold of my arm and whispered fiercely in my ear, “Let’s go to your office, there’s more that you need to know.”

Not ready to forgive him, I jerked my arm out of his grasp, but headed for my office.

Charlene was on the phone. She hung up as I approached. “I called Evan. He’s calling around to see if he can get her a good attorney.”

I hugged her, and motioned for her to come into the office with us. Alan frowned, but didn’t object. Once we were inside with the door closed, I asked him, “Why? Why now?”

He sank down in a chair rubbing his hand over his face. “They found her husband Danny. He’s dead. They think he was killed around the same time Monica was killed. Someone shot him in the chest twice with his own gun.”

I slumped down into my chair. “Oh no, so that’s why they think Rose did it. Where did they find him?”

“
They found his body in the desert about a mile from their house.”

“
I need to call her sister, and then I’m going down there to talk to Rose.” I picked up the phone.

Alan shook his head. “Go ahead and call the sister, but you might as well wait a couple of hours before going downtown. It’ll take at least that long for her to be processed. Even then, they may not let you see her. Why don’t you let her lawyer handle it?”

I put the phone down and glared at him. “Because she needs to know that she still has some friends who care about her.”

“
Val, there wasn’t anything I could do.” He said it quietly, his eyes pleading with me to understand.

Putting the phone back in the cradle, I laid my head down on my desk. I knew it wasn’t his fault. I was just taking my frustration out on him. That’s what the logical side of my brain was telling me. The emotional side just wanted to yell and scream at someone, and he was the only available target. I knew I needed to calm down. Her sister needed to know that Rose probably wasn’t coming home tonight. I didn’t want the kids to have to hear about their father’s death and mother’s arrest on the news. I couldn’t bear to think what their lives would be like if Rose had to stand trial for the murder of their father.

I took a deep breath, shoving all the anguish and panic I felt behind a door in my mind, picked up the phone again, and dialed the sister’s number. I explained the situation as succinctly as I could, trying not to give her too many of the gory details. She held together better than I expected. While I was on the phone, Charlene had gone back to her desk to answer her phone. She came back to tell us that a lawyer was on his way. Rose wouldn’t be alone.

Alan had stayed, not saying anything. I wasn’t sure why he was still there.

“
I’m not going anywhere, Alan. I understand that I need to wait until after work to see Rose.” I figured that either her lawyer or Delgado could get me in, but I didn’t mention that to him.

I assumed that he was waiting to try to talk me out of going to see Rose so I was surprised when he said, “How can you be so sure that she didn’t do it?”

Startled I paused. Remembering back when Rose and I talked after Monica’s murder, I could have sworn that in spite of everything she still loved Danny, and was thinking of forgiving him. I was sure she had no idea he was dead. One thing I was sure of was she wasn’t a cold-blooded murderer, and she wasn’t that good an actress. “I just know that’s all. I’m going to do everything in my power to prove it.”

“
Okay, let’s assume for the moment that she didn’t do it.”

I glared at him. “I don’t have to assume. She didn’t do it.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine, she didn’t do it. Do you think that the killer is just going to sit back while you continue to stir things up? You’ve been threatened and warned. Why can’t you stay out of this and let the police handle it?”

“
Because it’s obvious they’ve already made up their minds she’s guilty. They aren’t going to be investigating any more. Those kids have already lost their father. I’m not going to sit back while the state takes away their mother too.”

“
Again, why is it your job? She has a lawyer. Proving her innocent should be his job. I’m begging you, stay out of it.”

I sighed and sat back. “I can’t for the very reason you gave. I must have the key to some piece of information that no one else has. Why else would I be the only one threatened?”

I thought I was being totally logical and reasonable, until Alan stood up and shouted at me. “Looks to me like you’re determined to get yourself killed!” He stormed out of the office.

Men! And they say we’re the emotional ones. I had work to do. I didn’t have time to worry about his temper tantrum. Not wanting to wake Delgado, I sent him a text message to call me when he woke up, marking it urgent. Alan was right about one thing. Since I wasn’t family, they probably wouldn’t allow me to talk to Rose without Delgado’s help. I just hoped he’d be more reasonable than Alan.

I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to clear my desk, but I had trouble keeping my mind on the job. Instead, I found myself staring at the speckled wallpaper on the walls of my office, questions swirling in my head. If Monica was killed to keep her quiet, why kill Danny? If Mike was right, and Monica’s only interest in Danny was to get back at Rose, it wasn’t likely that she would have shared her secrets with him. However, Danny had lived with Monica for a short period. Maybe he saw or heard something, but how would the killer know that, unless Danny tried to blackmail him as well? Were Monica and Danny killed at the same time, or a couple of days later? I could see why the police thought Rose did it. It was the simplest logical explanation. Woman scorned kills the other woman and cheating husband. Rose could have sent the threatening letter, and since Danny was a mechanic, it was likely she knew where and how to cut my brake lines. Still, why would she bother to threaten me, the one person who was positive she was innocent? It was possible that someone not connected to the murders threatened me and caused the accident. Still, I just couldn’t make myself believe that. I was sure that like some giant jigsaw puzzle, once I had the key piece, everything would fit together and make perfect sense.

Delgado called a few minutes before five. “Hi. I got your text. Are you all right?

“
I’m fine. My Employment Manager, Rose, has been arrested for Monica’s murder. They found her husband’s body a mile from their house. He’d been shot twice in the chest with his own gun. Can you get me in to see her?”

His voice was slightly hoarse like he hadn’t been up long. “Let me make a few calls and see what I can do. I’ll meet you at your place in say about an hour?”

I agreed, even though it meant I would have to leave immediately. I hadn’t even made a dent in the paperwork on my desk. Luckily, there wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait until morning. I gathered up my things, stopping by Charlene’s desk.

“
See if you can get me an appointment with Rose’s lawyer. I’m not sure how much the police will share with him. I want to make sure he has information on all the other possible suspects.”

Charlene said, “I’ll call him. By the way, your insurance agent called. They have a check ready and want you to return the rental car.” She thrust a box into my hands. “You better take this home with you.”

It was the package Mrs. Combs had sent me. I’d forgotten all about it. I took it and promised to call her later, after I’d seen Rose. It felt strange walking to my car without Alan beside me. Since I’d promised Mrs. Combs that I wouldn’t let the police know about the diaries until after I’d read them, I locked the box in the trunk so Delgado wouldn’t see it. As I drove out of the garage, I noticed Martin Sanders standing across the street. I could have sworn he was looking directly at me. I watched him out of my rearview mirror. He made no move to try to follow me, just stood there watching until I was out of sight. It gave me chills. It was the first time I had seen him since the termination.

Delgado was waiting for me when I arrived home. With his help, I was able to disarm the new alarm system before it started screaming. Once inside and before I had a chance to yell at him about paying for it, he took me in his arms. For a few minutes, I forgot about everything except the feel of his lips on mine, his intoxicating scent and the security and warmth of his strong arms. Delgado was like a drug, and I was addicted. As usual, he broke the kiss, leaning back to look at me. I searched his face, checking to see if he had gotten enough sleep. He looked much better than he had this morning. His green eyes were clear again, and the purple shadows underneath were gone. He was looking at me and smiling. I felt like the most beautiful woman in the world at that moment.

He brought me back to reality with, “Now that Rose has an attorney, the only way to see her is with his permission. I managed to get hold of him. He’ll meet you downtown at eight.”

“
Aren’t you coming with me?”

He ran his hands lightly down my arms. “Sorry, I wish I could, but I work for the other side. I can’t be seen with the defense, besides I’m on duty tonight.” He leaned back in and gave me another kiss.

This time I broke the kiss to whisper, “That gives us over an hour to kill.”

He took a deep breath. “Right. Maybe we should get something to eat.”

Unable to keep the shock out of my voice, I said, “You want to eat? That’s not exactly what I had in mind.”

He opened his eyes wide, and gave me his best innocent look. “What? I’m hungry.”

I stomped out of the room muttering, “Fine! I guess there’s no point in offering to slip into something more comfortable.” Fuming I turned back to ask him where he wanted to go. Bent over with his hands on his knees, he took several deep breaths. Concerned I rushed over to him, “Are you all right?”

He straightened up and without looking at me said, “I’m fine. Go put on jeans or something so we can get out of here.” His voice was harsh.

I went back into the bedroom, wondering if Delgado could be sick. Did he have some disease he was afraid I would catch? Surely, the way he kissed me meant that he felt something. There was passion and need in those kisses, but every time I felt the heat building, he pushed me away. Quickly stripping off my suit and throwing things around in frustration, I dressed in jeans and a cotton shirt. Not used to rejection, I decided to back off. He’d get no more invitations from me. I didn’t know what his problem was, but I was through playing his hot and cold game. If he wanted cold, I could do cold. In fact, I’d been accused of being an ice queen on more than one occasion.

There wasn’t an opportunity to demonstrate my new resolution since we left immediately to eat at a nearby restaurant. Afterward he dropped me off at the house, giving me a quick kiss before leaving for work.

When I got downtown to the Las Vegas Detention Center, Rose’s lawyer was waiting for me. Richard Canfield was a tall, thin, bald man and dressed in slacks and a polo shirt. He wasn’t at all what I expected a high-powered criminal attorney would look like. He introduced himself and shook hands, leading me to a small room with a rectangular table and four medal chairs. While we waited for Rose to be brought in, I briefed him on everything I knew about Monica and the other possible suspects.

“
They’ve settled on Rose because she’s convenient. Since we know that Monica threatened to blackmail Arnie Waters, the pit boss who was sexually harassing a dealer, it only makes sense that she did the same thing to others. Monica knew that Martin Sanders, the cook and union president, had a felony conviction. He denies meeting with her, but Rose saw him in her office. Jerry McCrae, the teamster’s rep, met with her as well. We handed the police a copy of an account page Monica had that looks as if someone was taking money from the union fund. So far, the police haven’t bothered to re-interview Jerry McCrae about the withdrawals from the fund. Darryl Collins, our VP of HR, had some kind of a relationship with her. Apparently, he has a solid alibi for the time of the murder, but I know that he lied to the police. Also, you might want to get hold of a Detective Franklin in St. Louis. He was supposed to be looking into the whereabouts of Joey Green, who was a childhood friend.”