Jude Devine Mystery Series (86 page)

There were eight names on her list. Nothing excessive, and all extremely deserving.

*

“What’s the time?” Debbie blinked and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, almost dropped the phone.

“Just after six. Hey, Debbie doll, how are you?”

“I was worried about you.”

“Why?”

“Wouldn’t any woman be worried if her partner went away for days and never called?”

She felt guilty for talking to Jude about her relationship and for letting her go through files on the computer. If only Lone communicated more, she wouldn’t have involved their detective friend.

“I told you I’d be out of range. I can’t keep trying my phone just in case there’s a signal.”

Debbie didn’t believe Lone had tried her phone once. “Where were you?”

“In the mountains.” Lone’s voice softened. “Sweetheart, I told you not to worry. Don’t I always comes back?”

“Yes, but what if you didn’t? What if you were lost? Imagine how stupid I’d feel trying to report you missing, not knowing a thing about where you were hiking.” Feeling like a nag, she said, “It doesn’t help that you keep changing your cell phone number. What if I lost the new one? Not that you ever answer my calls anyway.”

Lone sighed. “You’re angry.”

“Yes.”

“Then I’d better make it up to you.”

Debbie’s stomach dropped. Lone knew exactly how to reduce her to putty. It happened every time they had words, and what they usually fought about was Lone’s obsession with privacy. Debbie felt incredibly shut out. It occurred to her that she would trust Lone with her life, yet she didn’t trust her completely as a partner. What was wrong with her? After all Lone had done to help her and make her feel good about herself, it didn’t make sense.

She came right out with her worst fear. “Is there another woman?”

“No.” The denial was swift and emphatic. A soft chuckle followed. “Is that why you’re upset? You think I’m seeing someone?”

There was a patronizing note in her voice, like she thought Debbie was being ridiculous and had no right to question her. Debbie had heard the same tone before. From Meg. Her ex had always gotten self-righteous when Debbie challenged her. She’d hidden her cheating behind lies and guilt trips, making Debbie feel like a bad person for being untrusting. Lone was completely different from Meg, and Debbie couldn’t believe she was fooling around. But when your partner keeps on disappearing and not answering the phone, what other explanation is there?

She knew Lone was waiting for her to crumple like she always did, and she knew how this conversation would end. Lone would be in her house and in her bed, and she would push her concerns to the back of her mind yet again. Well, she was fed up with that game. Lone felt far away, even in their most intimate moments. The distance between them made Debbie question everything. Did Lone even love her?

“I don’t know what to think,” Debbie said, adding wordlessly,
Because you don’t talk to me.

“Don’t you trust me?” Lone sounded hurt and genuinely shocked.

Normally Debbie would be apologizing by now, she was such a sucker. With a flash of anger, she said, “I think I’m the one who should be asking that question. If I went away for days without telling you where I was and never phoned, wouldn’t you want an explanation?”

“Debbie doll—”

“Don’t,” Debbie said sharply. “You always turn things around as if I’m the one who’s being unreasonable. You act like I’m silly because I want you to tell me what’s going on.”

“I don’t think you’re silly. I love you.”

“Then how can you talk about us moving to Canada without even telling me where we’re going? What if I have other plans? Are you just going to go without me?”

“I’m coming over,” Lone said stiffly.

“Don’t bother,” Debbie flung back, furious that Lone still hadn’t answered a single question. “I won’t be home.”

“Okay, I’ll come to Le Paradox.”

“I won’t be there, either.”

“Calm down, baby. This isn’t helping.”

Debbie wasn’t sure what had possessed her, but suddenly she wanted to make Lone walk a mile in her shoes. Lone thought she could come over and make love just to avoid the issue. Well, not this time. Forcing a flippant note, Debbie repeated the words Lone casually threw at her every time she went away. “I’ll call you when I get back.”

Lone still wasn’t hearing her. “I think we should talk. How about if I bring over a couple of steaks and put them on the grill.”

Debbie’s hands shook. “Do what you like. You’re welcome to use the house while I’m away, if you want.”

“Away?”

“That’s right.” Using the same excuse she’d heard from Lone on several occasions, she said, “Something came up and I have to be out of town.”

“It’s not Meg, is it?” Irritation drove the tenderness from Lone’s voice. “I told that lawyer of hers if she ever hassles you again you’ll take her to court.”

“This isn’t about Meg.” Debbie got out of bed and took clean clothes from her drawers.

“Then what’s up? Where are you going?”

Debbie laughed. “I can’t believe you’re asking me to explain myself. Haven’t you heard anything I just said?”

A stony silence followed, then Lone bit out, “So, this is some kind of tit for tat?”

Tears blurred Debbie’s vision, but she kept control of herself. “Lone, you know everything about my life, and I know nothing about yours. You know where I am every hour of the day, but I never have a clue where you are unless we’re together. You sleep in my house, but I don’t even know where you live. You tell me we’re moving to Canada. You don’t even ask if I want to. And you accuse
me
of not being trusting?” She gulped in a breath. “
You’re
the one who doesn’t trust.
You’re
the one keeping secrets, and I’ve had enough. Do you understand?”

A heavy silence stretched between them. Debbie watched the digital clock count down the seconds. When it became clear that Lone didn’t intend to meet her halfway, she said, “Just so you know, the silent treatment is getting old and it’s childish. I’m going to take a shower now.”

Still no reply.

Debbie gathered her clean clothes despondently. “I love you, Lone, and you’re hurting my feelings. Think about that when you shut me out.”

This time she didn’t wait for a reply. Dropping the receiver into its cradle with a sharp thud, she stared at the pillow Lone slept on. They’d been sharing a bed for more than a year, but it only dawned on her now that she didn’t really know who her lover was. She just hoped she did.

Chapter Seven

The interview room smelled powerfully of chemicals and lemon deodorizer, the scent having built up overnight after the cleaners shut the door. Pippa sneezed and blew her nose. She looked like she’d cried all night.

Jude took the seat across the table from her and said, “Are you sure you don’t want to speak with your lawyer before we begin?”

“I don’t have a lawyer. Do I need one?”

“That’s entirely up to you. We don’t have to do this now. If you’d rather wait for your parents—”

“God, no. Let’s get it over with.”

Jude went through the formalities, explaining that the interview was being taped and that Pippa could be asked to give evidence in court.

“That’s fine,” Pippa said. “I don’t know anything. But whatever.”

“I want you to relax and think back to yesterday afternoon,” Jude said. “Just tell me everything you remember. Even the little things that don’t seem important. Let’s start with driving to the house. In your 911 call, it seemed like you weren’t sure of the address.”

“I’d never been there. I overshot twice trying to find it,” Pippa said. “I turned around at Stoner and came back down the road. But by the time I saw the house I’d already gone past it again, so I pulled into a driveway. I remember the ranch.
A River Runs Through It.
Very original.”

Jude smiled. “I know the place. Did you have to wait for any cars to pass before you could make the turn?”

Pippa stared into space for a moment. “Yes, there was a white family car heading north, and two other cars passed on the other side going toward Cortez. One was an old Cadillac with a wobbly back wheel. The other was a Lexus. An LS 460. Dark gray with tinted windows. I thought it was going to smash into the back of the Cadillac.”

“It was in a hurry?”

“Yes, it was trying to pass the Cadillac. The driver was pissed and flipped the bird.”

“Are you sure it was a Lexus?”

Pippa nodded. “My sister-in-law has the same model. Dad says it’s a status car made for dummies. She’s a terrible driver.”

“Do you remember anything else about either car?”

“The Cadillac had all kinds of bumper stickers. Nascar. Playboy. Immature stuff. The Lexus had a Colorado plate. I looked at it because I thought if there was an accident I might have to come forward.”

“Did you get the number?”

“I was going to write it down when I got to Uncle Fabian’s but with everything that happened I forgot. There might have been an ‘X’ in it.”

“That’s helpful.” There couldn’t be too many of the luxury sedans registered in Colorado. The color and plate details would narrow down the search. “So, you drove up to your uncle’s house, arriving at around four forty p.m. on the afternoon of Saturday, the eighteenth of August. How were you feeling?”

Pippa blinked, as though she’d anticipated a different question. Jude deliberately tapped into different areas of memory during a cognitive interview with a witness. If a person got into a pattern of describing only what she saw, she could forget to mention something she heard or smelled. Asking Pippa to recall her feelings would keep her from settling into a groove. With most witnesses it also helped build rapport.

“I was happy. Incredibly relieved. I’d been driving for days.”

“I’m sure you couldn’t wait to get inside,” Jude affirmed.

“I knocked. I guess I waited a minute, then I looked in the windows and I couldn’t see anyone so I went in. Coco wasn’t there.” Her face contracted. “Why do that? Why kill a sweet old dog like her?”

Jude passed Pippa a tissue, agreeing, “It’s unforgivable. I really want to catch the creep who did this.”

“I called out and walked around and then I went upstairs. I thought I heard something. A thud. It must have been my uncle. When I got to the top of the stairs I saw his cane and I knew something was wrong. There was blood on it.”

“Did you pick it up?”

“No, all I could think about was finding him. There was blood on the floor. I stepped in it.” She paused. “I probably ruined evidence. When I saw him I just grabbed on and held him. Was that the wrong thing to do?”

“Not at all. You did what anyone would do.”

“I called 911. He was trying to talk to me.”

“Please think very carefully, Pippa. You were right there, holding him. What were his exact words?”

“He said they killed Coco.”

They.

“I asked him who hurt him and he said something like ‘nobody knows.’ And then he told me he was dying and he got worried about Oscar. He was talking about his food box, like I’d let him starve. He was…going. I could feel it.”