Sarah Woods Mystery Series (Volume 6) (25 page)

Chapter 5

“I had no idea you were friendly with Bob and June Porter.” Detective James invited us to have a seat in his windowless office, located in the bowels of the Bridgeport Police Department downtown. “Since when do you two rub shoulders with doctors and lawyers?”

His tone was lighthearted with just a twinge of sarcasm. I knew it was time to come clean. “We were working undercover. A man by the name of Albert Kinlaw hired us to keep an eye on his wife - Madeline Kinlaw - the one who found Julian Pike dead.”

James sat up straight as if interested. “Why did Mr. Kinlaw want you to keep an eye on his wife?”

Carter and I exchanged a glance. This was going to be awkward. I cleared my throat. “Bob and June Porter weren’t exactly hosting a dinner party. They host weekly swing parties, whenever their neighbors are out of town.”

“Swing parties?” He stared at us as if he wasn’t sure what to say about that. Finally, he opened his notebook and grabbed a pen. “Why were you hired to keep an eye on Madeline Kinlaw?”

“Her husband, our client, feared that someone had roughed her up at the party last week. He’d noticed bruising on her arms and legs.  She downplayed it when he asked how she’d gotten them.”

“Did you find out who it was?”

“Yes. According to June Porter, it was Julian Pike.”

James raised an eyebrow, set down his pen, and leaned back in his chair. “June Porter just gave you that information willingly?”

“Well, I prodded her a bit before she said anything, but I believe her. When Julian got to the house, I was the only one in the kitchen. Everyone else was in the various bedrooms. Julian snorted cocaine in front of me and proceeded to drink whisky like it was going out of style. He became aggressive with me at that point.”

“Aggressive? How?”

“He grabbed my arms, squeezed, and pulled me close to him after I told him I wasn’t interested in sex. He didn’t seem to believe me. Thankfully, Carter entered the kitchen before Julian forced himself on me.”

He looked at Carter. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t have to do anything,” Carter said. “He backed off.”

Carter conveniently left out the kiss. He probably figured the detective didn’t need to know that embarrassing detail.

James nodded as if it all made sense. “So June Porter lied to me when she said that Mr. Pike brought those pornographic magazines with him.”

“I’m sure she was just trying to save face,” I said. “She and her husband are worried about their reputations.”

“Well, thanks for enlightening me.” He checked his cell phone then placed it back on the desk with a sigh. His face looked tired, like he hadn’t slept in days. I knew that James had a wife and a few kids. I wondered if he ever got to spend time with them. “I won’t close this case until I hear from the ME,” he said, “but it’s looking like the cause of death will be ruled an accident. I’ll give you guys a call if I have any further questions.”

“Are you going to call Madeline Kinlaw?” I asked.

“Depends on the autopsy results. Either way, I’ll wait to call her in the morning.”

As Carter and I got up to leave, he said, “By the way, just curious. Work must be pretty slow if you’re taking jobs like this. Why did you agree to do it?”

“The client gave us ten grand,” Carter said. “Couldn’t pass up that kind of cash.”

“Can’t say I blame you. I suppose there are worse ways to make a buck.”

“Trust me,” I said. “It wasn’t all that fun.”

James gave us a tight smile as we walked out of his office.

When we got home around midnight, I was too exhausted to take a shower or even wash my face. I climbed under the covers of our bed and closed my eyes. Carter, on the other hand, didn’t seem tired in the least. He got into bed, but buried his face in the laptop, fingers clicking away on the keyboard.

“Are you doing research?” I asked.

He glanced at me and said, “Oh, sorry. Am I bothering you?”

I slowly sat upright, feeling my head spin from the residual alcohol in my system. “It’s fine, but I’m curious what has your attention.”

“Doing a thorough background check on Julian Pike. He’s got an interesting past.”

“Like what?”

“First of all, he’s been married four times. None of those marriages lasted more than three years. His first wife died only two months after they got hitched.”

“How’d she die?”

“I haven’t been able to find out yet.”

“Does he have any kids?”

“Not that I can find,” he said, closing the laptop with a sigh. “There’s something about his death that doesn’t feel right to me. Can’t put my finger on it.”

“Well, you can put your finger on the light switch to turn it off,” I said, teasingly. “Some sleep will do us good.”

Chapter 6

W
hen I woke up the next morning around seven, Carter wasn’t in bed.

The wonderful scent of freshly brewed coffee beckoned me, so I slipped on a robe and padded out to the kitchen. Light poured in through an open window as I took the first few sips, daydreaming about how we might spend some of that ten grand.

If only every job could be so lucrative.

I assumed Carter was in the basement doing his morning routine of push-ups and jumping jacks. He liked complete privacy while doing this, so I remained upstairs.

A few minutes later, I could hear Carter’s muffled voice from the basement. He must have gotten a call on his cell. I couldn’t make out any words. By the intonation of his voice, it was a serious conversation.

Curious, I waited a few more minutes then heard the sound of his footsteps coming up the stairs.

“Who were you talking to?” I asked. “Is everything okay?”

Carter placed the cell phone on the counter and shook his head. “That was James. Apparently, the Medical Examiner is
not
convinced that Julian Pike’s death was an accident after all.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Wouldn’t give me all the details, but he’s officially opening an investigation. He wants us to come back to the station to answer more questions.”

“Wait. So he thinks someone at the party killed Julian, then covered it up to make it look like an accident?”

“The only people who knew that Julian had shown up were you, me, and the Porters. Madeline left the community room to use the bathroom, and she wouldn’t have had time to kill him.”

“But after she went to the bathroom, why would she go into the bedroom where Julian was if she didn’t know he was there?”

Carter shrugged. “Maybe she was looking for Zeb, who was in a different bedroom with Sandra Dotson since earlier in the night.”

I found it hard to keep track of everyone’s whereabouts.  Carter, however, seemed to have it all organized in his mind. “You think Detective James will let us see the autopsy report?” I asked.

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough. On our way to the station, we need to see Kinlaw. I have a feeling he’s gonna want us to fill him in on what happened last night.”

* * *

Kinlaw kept his voice low and unemotional, but his eyes conveyed fear. “My wife has been at the police station all morning. Should I be retaining a lawyer for her?”

“Have they charged her with anything?” Carter asked.

“No, not yet, but perhaps I should be prepared.”

Carter gave him a reassuring smile. “Look, I have to be honest with you. Sarah and I told Detective James the real reason for our attending the swing party. I can’t guarantee he won’t mention it to Madeline.”

Kinlaw sighed as he leaned back in his chair. “Doesn’t matter. I told her the truth this morning before she left. She understood.”

“She wasn’t upset?” I asked.

“No. She has more pressing matters on her mind. I suppose you told the detective that Mr. Pike had abused my wife at the last party. Which would make her a prime suspect in his death.”

“There’s no way your wife could have done it, and I’ll testify to that,” Carter said resolutely. “She wouldn’t have had time.”

Mr. Kinlaw seemed slightly relieved. “The detective won’t give me any details about the autopsy report. How can they assume his death was murder?”

Carter shrugged. “Any number of things, I suppose. Unusual ligature marks, the presence of poison, or maybe cause of death was something other than asphyxia. Sarah and I will get as much information as we can.”

He took a sip from his teacup, staring at the wall behind us. “I need to ask another favor from you both.”

“Sure,” Carter said. “What do you need?”

“You seem to have connections within the police department. I’d appreciate if you kept me informed as the investigation proceeds.”

“Sarah and I will be considered witnesses and possible suspects until everyone has been questioned. I doubt we’ll get special treatment until we’ve been cleared.”

Kinlaw took a moment. His jaw seemed tight, and I had a feeling he was in pain. “I will not tolerate my wife being subjected to hours of interrogation. She did nothing wrong, and I don’t want that detective prying into her past like she’s a criminal.”

Carter hesitated. “What are you afraid of in Madeline’s past?”

Mr. Kinlaw pursed his lips, as if unwilling to go into it. Finally, he nodded in resignation. “My wife was a prostitute when I met her. No, I wasn’t a client of hers. We met through a mutual acquaintance and fell in love shortly thereafter. I wanted to show her a better life.”

“Just because your wife used to be a prostitute,” Carter said, “doesn’t mean Detective James will assume she’s guilty of anything. We can vouch for the detective. He’s a decent man.”

“That’s a relief to know, but I still want to make sure she is respected. Her past should have no bearing on the present situation.”

“Understood,” Carter replied.

* * *

On our way to the police station, a thought occurred to me. “No wonder we couldn’t find any employment information for Madeline in the last few years. She was turning tricks, getting paid cash under the table probably.”

“Ironic, don’t you think?” Carter said. “Kinlaw is suffering from some unknown illness and can’t have sex, and yet, he gets hitched to a prostitute.”

“Quite the odd couple, I guess.”

Carter parked the Buick in the lot across the street from the Bridgeport Police Station. Just as we were heading into the building, Bob and June Porter were coming out, squinting into the morning sun. They both put on sunglasses and made a beeline for the parking lot. June wore a hat, her red hair tucked underneath it. I had a hunch they didn’t want to be seen or recognized leaving the police station.

Carter and I stepped in front of them, and they had no choice but to face us.

“So, how’d it go in there?” I asked them, keeping my tone casual. “Did the detective give you any information about Julian’s death?”

Bob and June glanced around nervously, clearly not comfortable. June’s tone was curt. “Our whole house is now a crime scene. We’re being treated like murder suspects. The detective knows about the parties because someone leaked the truth to the press. Camera crews are camped out on our lawn. So to answer your question, no. It’s not going so well.”

I could sympathize with their frustration. “I’m sure this will all blow over soon. In a few weeks, the press will be on to something else.”

Bob grabbed his wife’s hand and steered her away from us. “Sorry to be rude. We have to get back home and begin damage control. It’s gonna be a long day.”

They headed down the concrete steps toward the parking lot, never looking back.

“They don’t seem to be mourning the loss of their friend,” I said.

“No, but they’re definitely mourning the loss of their privacy.”

Detective James was waiting for us in his office. Dispensing with pleasantries, he got right to the point. “I have something to show you, so if you’re at all squeamish, let me know now.”

Carter and I exchanged a curious glance. “Let me guess, you’re gonna show us pictures of Julian’s cadaver.”

The detective nodded his head and handed us his tablet.

I knew Carter had seen a few cadavers in his line of work, but this would be a first for me. I swallowed hard. “Sure. I can handle it.”

Carter squeezed my hand. “It’s not as bad as you think. You’ll see.”

I wasn’t sure what I had expected. I’d seen dead bodies on TV, laying atop slabs, surgical scars creating a V on the chest, a towel draped over the mid-section. The only difference here is that I knew the victim. Well, barely knew him.

I glanced at the photo on the tablet. There was no sheet covering Julian Pike. He was naked, pale, and most certainly dead. I’d expected to see marks around his neck. What I hadn’t expected was all the bruising on his body, mainly his chest and arms.

“Dr. Randall performed the autopsy last night,” James explained to us, “and he found some inconsistencies with what we originally assumed was an accidental or suicidal death. As you can see, there is extensive bruising on the victim’s chest and arms. According to Dr. Randall, the bruising was most likely caused by force, a confrontation with someone right before he died. The marks found on Mr. Pike’s forearms would suggest he attempted to fight off his attacker. Unless, of course, there is some other explanation for the bruising?”

Carter let out a long breath and caught my eye. He nodded, letting me know that it was time to fess up. “Look, I probably should’ve mentioned this before now, but I didn’t think it was important. When Julian arrived at the party last night, he was high, drunk and had become increasingly aggressive. I tried to take his drugs away from him. Things got a bit ugly and I suppose I reacted.”

James sat on the edge of his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “Tell me what happened, exactly.”

“He kissed me. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. I’m not proud to say I overreacted. Shoved him pretty hard. He stumbled, fell back into the counter, and wound up on the floor. He was probably too high to feel any pain.”

James looked at me. “Is that true?”

“Yep,” I said.

“Well, that may certainly explain the bruising on his chest and even his hands, but that doesn’t explain why there is only bruising on the front of his neck and not the back.”

“What do you mean?” Carter asked.

James clicked through the pictures of various close ups of Julian’s neck, front and back. “If Julian had used his own belt like a noose, the bruising would be all around the neck, not just in front. Plus, the bruising around the chest area is too heavy to have been caused by simply shoving him back. These marks indicate much more weight had been applied and for a longer period of time.”

“Did you find any prints on Julian’s belt other than his own?” Carter asked.

“No. But we did find remnants of a latex material, most likely from latex gloves. The lab is still analyzing the sample.”

“If the killer used latex gloves, we’re looking at a premeditated murder.”

James nodded. “So my next question to you both is this. At any point last night, do you remember seeing anyone with a pair of latex gloves?”

I wracked my brain but could come up with nothing. Neither could Carter.

“Is Madeline Kinlaw a suspect?” I asked.

“According to Carter’s testimony yesterday, Madeline wouldn’t have had enough time to leave the community bedroom and strangle the victim. We spoke with Mr. and Mrs. Brice this morning, and they also confirmed that Madeline had left the room less than a minute before they heard her scream. We have no physical evidence that she caused or in any way contributed to his death.”

“Is it possible someone broke into the bedroom window and got inside?” Carter asked.

“We checked that out, too. No shoe prints outside the window. The latch on the window hadn’t been tampered with either. We’re ruling out that theory.”

“So who are you looking at?” I asked.

“This is where it gets tricky. Bob and June Porter give each other an alibi. They claim to have been alone together when it happened. Same goes for Zeb Nichols and Sandra Dotson. Which leaves only one person without an alibi during the time of death.”

“Me,” I said, certain that the detective didn’t believe I strangled Julian Pike. “So does that make me a suspect?”

“Not in my eyes, but you’re the only one without an alibi. The DA is breathing down my neck for a suspect, and I can’t ignore the facts.”

Something occurred to me. “The Porter’s next door neighbor. She was watching me through the window in the kitchen, which I had never left between the time Julian went into the bedroom and his death.” I noticed by Carter’s expression, that this was news to him. “I never mentioned it because it had slipped my mind until now. Earlier in the night, while I was in the kitchen, I saw the woman in the window looking inside the Porter’s kitchen. When I mentioned it to June, she said the neighbors were gone. Less than an hour later, I saw the same woman looking out the window. We made eye-contact. She’s my alibi.”

James didn’t seem convinced. “One way to find out. Maybe she’s still there.”