Life in Death (7 page)

He had the look of a caged, wild animal and had scared her into silence—until recently, when he had decided to run for office. She couldn’t let him run, so she’d written him a letter to remind him she hadn’t forgotten.

“Who’s the guy in the corner in the black suit and gold tie?” Aubrey whispered.

She didn’t have to look to know it was Nicolet.

“That’s one of the detectives.”

“I think he likes you. He hasn’t been able to take his eyes off you since we arrived.”

Kari’s heart skipped a beat.
Could he be interested in her?
The funeral started, as many do, with songs. The pastor read passages from the Bible. While Kari hadn’t cared for April, others did. Her husband appeared to have really loved her. Clearly, Jefferson hadn’t truly loved Kari.

After the service, Kari turned to leave, but felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Can we talk?”

Nicolet.

***

Cobb watched Nicolet’s interaction with Kari and the other woman from his vantage point in the corner of the room. He didn’t like what he saw. Nicolet flitted around Kari like a bee to honey.

Cobb reached inside his jacket pocket for his pack of cigarettes, withdrew one, and lit it. He inhaled deeply. His gut told him Kari was somehow involved in the girl’s death and April’s murder. She was the common demonitor between these murders, even if her alibi did check out. He didn’t like her and would dig into her background and see what shook loose.

If Nicolet couldn’t keep his perspective with this Kari broad, Cobb might have to have his partner reassigned to another case. In the years he’d been paired with Nicolet, he’d never seen him act like this before. Cobb didn’t like it.

Not one bit.

CHAPTER 12

At 3 a.m., Cobb and Nicolet were called to the Atkins junkyard. The owner found blood pooled under the trunk of a car and reported it to the police.

Dr. Chiba arrived in his van the same time they did. With Nicolet at his side, Cobb nodded to fellow officers who’d secured the scene, and went straight to the back of a black 1975 Buick Electra 225. “Pop it.”

An officer opened the trunk. The familiar stench of death assaulted anyone nearby. An unidentified man’s decomposed body stared up at them.

Dr. Chiba approached the trunk and checked inside. “Been here a while by the looks of things.”

He did a cursory examination of the body. “Cause of death is evident. Bullet wound to the head. I’ll know more after I get him to the morgue.”

He patted the front of the body down and searched inside the deceased’s suit jacket. He withdrew an envelope and handed it to Cobb. Cobb looked at the return address on the letter. Kari Marchant.
Unbelievable.
He withdrew the letter from the envelope and read it. One line: I remember everything.

What the hell did that mean?

“You better take a look at this.” Cobb handed the letter to Nicolet. He watched his partner closely as he read the letter, but couldn’t read him.

“You’ve got to face facts where she’s concerned. She’s connected to three murders now. Shit’s not adding up.”

“Agreed.”

Dr. Chiba and his technician rolled the body to the side and looked through the pant pockets, where they located a wallet. The doctor handed it to Cobb.

“Jefferson Winton. Nice to meet you."

***

As soon as Nicolet got back to the office, he looked into Kari Marchant’s background. He needed to know more about her, not just for the sake of the case, but for his own sanity.
Could she be a murderer?
Cobb had a point. He couldn’t ignore she knew all three victims. He had to take the blinders off when it came to her.

Kari Marchant, born on August 15, 1973 in Denver to Paul and Sonora Monroe. Sonora Monroe, mother, still alive and in Denver. Paul Monroe, father, deceased. Nicolet reviewed the father’s death certificate. One word stood out at him: Homicide. His body had been found in the trunk of a
Black 1975 Buick Electra 225.
The hair on the back of his neck rose. Winton was found in the same type of car.

Coincidence?
Nicolet read further and discovered Mr. Monroe had quite a lengthy criminal record with various charges for assault and battery and concealed weapon charges. Her father had a registered gun, a 1975 Walther pistol, which was an odd choice for a gun, even back then.

They never recovered the father’s gun.

He’d have ballistics run the bullet that killed Jefferson Winton.

His lady love could be a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing.

CHAPTER 13

“Can you come to my office at three today?” Kari recognized Nicolet’s voice, even over the phone, but he sounded different. Cold, distant, businesslike. She didn’t like it.

She looked at her watch, 2:15. He hadn’t given her much notice. “Yes… But why do you want to see me?”

She hoped he’d say he missed her or that he wanted to see her pretty face, but deep down, she knew that wasn’t the case.

“I want to show you something.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. “What?”

“You’ll see when you get down here.” He hung up.

She found Nicolet at his desk. She knew from his tone this visit wouldn’t be a good one. “Follow me.” His eyes flashed anger at her.

What did I do?

She followed him inside the elevator. No words were exchanged between them. The elevator doors opened to a sign posted on the wall. Morgue. Her heart skipped a beat.

Oh, no. Someone else has died.

“Why am I here?” She worked to keep her voice as calm as she could.

“You’ll see shortly.”

They walked to the end of the hall and stopped in front of a curtained glass window. He tapped on the glass, and the curtains were pulled back. A body lay on a metal slab covered with a sheet.

“I still don’t understand why I’m here.”

He signaled to the technician to pull the sheet back.

Jefferson.

Kari gasped.

“You know who this is?” This wasn’t a question. He already knew the answer.

“It’s Jefferson Winton.”

His gaze bore down on her. “Have you been in contact with him lately?”

“No, I haven’t seen him in years.”

“That’s not what I asked you.”

Her shoulders tensed.

“Have you been in contact with him?”

“I said no.” She fought the urge to look at Jefferson’s body again on the stainless steel slab. “What is this?”

“Then why’d we find a letter from you in his jacket pocket?”

The words hung in the air. The letter…

He looked at her, poker-faced, which told her he’d read the letter.
Good God
. With the events of the past few days, the letter slipped her mind.

“You’re quite an accomplished liar.” He turned on his heels and headed back toward the elevator.

She followed, her heart in her throat. Her legs felt more and more rubbery with each step she took.

He held the elevator open until she entered and then pressed the first floor button.

“Can I leave now?” She couldn’t take any more of his surprises.

“Not yet.”

He led her out of the elevator and down the hall to an empty conference room.

“Have a seat.” He motioned toward the chair to his left, then sat across from her. “Why don’t you explain to me how it could be that both your father and Jefferson Winton would be shot and stuffed into the trunk of black, 1975 Buick Electra 225s?”

Her lungs needed more air. She took deep breaths to compensate.
How could he be so nonchalant about her father’s murder? What about the connection she thought they had?
Maybe she’d imagined it.

“One difference, though. Winton had the word
Pig
carved into his chest.”

No revelation there. Most men were pigs.

She didn’t respond.

It all looked very bad for her. He stood. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

He left the conference room and returned a short time later with a female officer. “Kari, this is Officer Dun. She’ll administer a GSR test on you.”

“GSR?”

“Gunshot Residue. I need to know if you’ve fired a gun recently."

“I haven’t.” Anger rose in her like an inferno. “Do I need a lawyer?”

“I don’t know. Do you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then you shouldn’t mind the test.” He nodded to Officer Dun.

“Are you left or right-handed?” the officer asked.

“Right.”

Officer Dun took Kari’s right hand and rubbed a cotton swab in an L motion over the side of her index finger to her thumb. The officer withdrew a dropper from the kit and placed a drop on the cotton swab. No reaction.

Nicolet folded his arms over his chest. “Test her left.”

Kari narrowed her eyes at him.

The officer performed the ritual on Kari’s left hand. The results were the same. The officer gathered up the kit and left.

“Satisfied?” Kari rose. “I don’t have to stay here.”

He arched his eyebrows. “I didn’t say you could go.”

“Unless you’re going to charge me, I’m out of here.”

He didn’t offer any further protest, but merely stared at her.

“What’s your problem? You have me come down here, you make me look at a dead body, and then you have me tested for gun residue. Do you really believe I could murder someone?”

“I only deal with facts.”

His phone vibrated. He answered it, but held up his hand for her to stay. He listened, not taking his eyes off her, and hung up a few minutes later.

“It looks like you’re in the clear.” The lines in his face were gone. He seemed less rigid. Even the air in the room was lighter. He walked her to the door and opened it. They were mere inches away from each other. “I hope we don’t have to have another conversation like this again.”

“We won’t. If there is a next time, I’ll have my lawyer with me.”

CHAPTER 14

Edvard flipped over onto his stomach and let his arm drape over the side of the bed. His romp with Saura had left him satiated. The coldness of the sheets against his hot skin felt incredible. He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. Sleep approached.

“Can we talk?” Saura asked.

Now
? Their routine had been to enjoy each other, then sleep—no exceptions.

“Did you hear me?" She placed a warm hand on his back and nudged him.

Irritation, hot and prickly, unfurled in him. She’d become clingy all of a sudden. She’d even wept during their lovemaking. He couldn’t remember ever seeing Saura cry.

He wanted to give in to sleep.
Stop talking.

"I'm pregnant."

What?
He'd made his feelings on this subject clear years ago. He hated children. They had no purpose and held no fascination for him.

“Did you hear me?” She pushed on his back again.

He sighed. "Yes, I heard you. I’ll take you to the clinic in a couple of hours. Just let me get a little sleep first.”

She sat up. "I won’t have an abortion. I want to keep the baby.”

He opened his eyes and stared at the wall, his back to her so she couldn’t see the murderous intent likely etched on his face. She should know him better than that. Kids were never an option.

"No kids, remember.”

"I changed my mind."

He got out of bed and glared down at her. "Get rid of it."

"No."

He ground his teeth. He knew Saura well. She’d made up her mind. Discussion over.

For the first time ever, he contemplated life without her. He felt detached. He'd drifted away from her ever since Kari Marchant entered the picture. She enchanted him. More than her looks, he felt a kindred spirit in her. He’d even fantasized about his life with her.

And now with Saura pregnant, and her refusal to stick to their no kids agreement, she’d practically given him permission to move on without her. Of course, he couldn’t just leave Saura. She’d never go for that. He’d have to get rid of her permanently, before she realized his intentions and did him in first.

Saura had always been the more dangerous of the two of them. The fact he knew it gave him the edge.

CHAPTER 15

“Tonight at eight,” the caller said. Andrea Frost had received calls like this for almost a year now from the same female caller. Andrea knew the message meant she had to drop the kids off at the house in the country with the renovated red barn.