Shattered Dreams (28 page)

The silence bothered her, adding to her feeling of guilt.

“Time to cut out. Come on. I’m taking you home, and then we’re going for drinks and dinner,” Crystal said, having arrived at her office shortly before five that afternoon.

Claire balked, but she couldn’t put much effort behind it. The idea of being alone with nothing but morbid thoughts was totally unappealing. She grabbed her purse and dutifully followed her twin. Her car would be fine one more day parked in the lot.

Two county sheriff’s cars were parked at the street when Crystal pulled into her driveway. Claire jumped out of the car and ran up the walk, halting at the wide-open front door—one letting out all the cold air.

She stopped abruptly when she spied two officers in her living room, rooting through her things. “What’s going on here?”

“Investigating a murder, ma’am,” said the officer who looked as if he was in charge. He straightened and pulled out identification. “Deputy Steve Perkins. My partner, Jeff Hinders.”

The other officer nodded when Claire glanced at him.

“You’re tearing up the place.”

“Sorry. You gave your permission.”

“Come on, Claire, let’s let them do their jobs,” Crystal urged, gently tugging Claire outside.

Then her twin turned back to Perkins and said in a severe tone, “She’s cooperating fully with your investigation. If you don’t want to be kicked out and forced into a search warrant, I suggest you show some respect. At least keep the door closed.”

Crystal led Claire to her car. “We can still get that drink.”

“I need to call Jason.”

“Let’s go to my place. I’ll call on the way.”

Thank God Crystal was with her. That was Claire’s only thought as Crystal hung up after talking to Jason. She couldn’t think clearly. How could she think clearly when someone was rifling through her personal stuff, obviously looking for incriminating evidence?

“He and Jimbo are meeting us at my place. They’ll stop for pizza on the way.” She felt Crystal’s hand on her knee. “Don’t worry. They’re two of the best to have on your team.”

She sucked in a deep breath, keeping her gaze on Crystal’s hand as she squeezed. The gesture as well as her sister’s reassurance had a calming effect. She nodded.

Within minutes, she somehow found herself sitting in Crystal’s living room with a bourbon on the rocks shoved into her hand.

“Drink,” her twin commanded as she poured a hefty amount into another tumbler.

Claire took several sips. The fiery liquid burned going down but warmed her insides. After drinking half a glass, numbness set in, easing the panic she’d felt since leaving her house.

Crystal seemed satisfied with Claire’s progress. She pulled the stopper off the decanter and asked, “You want some more?”

Claire shook her head and took another sip. “I can’t believe they were going through my things. Like I’m a common criminal.”

“They’re investigating a murder. What did you expect?”

“I told Jason that Snyder thinks I did it.”

“You’re the spouse.” Crystal snorted. “The obvious choice. Of course they suspect you.” Crystal gulped a swallow, leaned back against the chair, and kicked off her shoes. “Don’t read anything into it. And be prepared to deal with some shit.”

“That’s what Jason said.”

“He’s right. Cops don’t like it when someone ends up dead from a knife wound on their turf.”

Just then the buzzer sounded.

Crystal jumped up. “They’re here.” She headed toward the front door.

Seconds later, Jason and another good-looking man hurried into the condo.

After placing the pizzas on the bar, Jason aimed straight for her. Reaching her, he bent from the waist and kissed her on the cheek.

“You okay?” he asked, catching her gaze.

She nodded.

He offered an encouraging smile and glanced at Crystal as the other guy sauntered closer.

“Hey, Red,” he said. “You look good.”

“Jimbo,” Crystal murmured, giving him a wary nod.

Jimbo smiled and reached out to push back an errant lock of Crystal’s hair. His finger trailed down her face before he clasped a hand around her neck. Then he leaned in, brushing his lips over hers for a brief kiss.

Crystal stepped deftly out of his reach. She cleared her throat and turned to Claire. “This is Jim O’Malley. Jimbo, meet Claire, my twin.”

Observing the exchange, Claire noticed both the proprietary way Jimbo treated Crystal, as well as her sister’s schoolgirl reaction to it. If she didn’t know better, she’d think her sister was glowing.
How interesting.

Claire’s lips curled into a real smile for the first time in hours. Though Crystal put up a good front, she wasn’t immune to the craggy, attractive man whose X-rated gaze flickered with amusement after he’d finished raking it over Crystal’s body.

“Nice to meet you, Jimbo.” Claire stuck out a hand that he quickly took in a firm grip. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Not all bad, I hope.” He flashed dazzling white teeth that contrasted sharply against a tanned face.

Her smile deepened at the soft drawl floating past her ears. “Not all.”

The guy appeared to be the perfect match for her sister.

“Okay, we need to strategize.”

Jason’s voice interrupted, and she turned her attention to him.

“Let’s go over this in detail,” he said as he started pacing.

“Strategizing can come while we eat.” Crystal headed for the kitchen. “I’m hungry, and I’m sure Claire is too.”

They spent a few minutes eating pizza in silence.

Eventually, Jason spoke. “Snyder’s still following procedure, but we have to plan a good offense to avoid being stuck in a defensive position. I want to know everything that’s happened in the past three weeks, no matter how trivial.”

• • •

After two hours of talking, Claire sighed and rubbed her temples. Her head hurt. She quickly grew tired of all the questions. She’d gone over it again and again, telling them everything she could think of leading up to the day Carl disappeared.

Everything except the stocks and the loan, that is. She couldn’t seem to tell Jason about them without appearing more gullible and stupid. Why had she waited so long to dump the jerk?

Hindsight provided an excellent window to the ugly picture of Carl playing her expertly, with the precision of a concert pianist playing a grand piano.

“How much longer?” Claire asked.

“I think we’re about done.” Jason turned to Jimbo. “What do you think?”

“Not much to go on. I’ll work on digging deeper.”

“There’s got to be something we’re missing. Someone killed Carter.”

“So far nothing’s panned out.” Jimbo shrugged. “Nothing that gives anyone motive enough to kill him, that is. The guy laid low the week before he died. Haven’t even dug up a maid who actually saw him. Hell, I didn’t even catch a glimpse while I was watching who entered and left his room. As far as I could tell, he had only three visitors—Claire, Crystal, and Elise. I plan on checking out the hotel’s security footage to see if there’s anything I missed. But that’ll take time.”

“Doesn’t sound promising.”

“I see why Snyder’s stuck on Claire as a lead,” Jimbo said as he rose to his feet. “He’s not stupid. He’ll soon discover Crystal’s involvement, and that’ll open another Pandora’s box.”

“I’ve thought of that.” Jason raked a hand through his hair. “We need to be prepared.”

“How do you prepare for a ten-ton bus coming straight at you?” Jimbo asked.

“You roll and get out of the way.” Jason stood and grabbed Claire’s hand to pull her with him. “Come on. You shouldn’t be alone tonight.”

“She’s not. She’s got me.” Crystal jumped up. “I’ll take good care of her.”

“Let ’em go,” Jimbo murmured as he reached for the decanter of bourbon and poured, filling first his glass and then moving to refill Crystal’s. “We need to talk.”

“Claire’s staying here, and you can go with Jason.” Crystal’s voice, along with the fuming glare she sent Jimbo while grabbing the decanter, dared him to continue.

“That’s okay. I’ll be fine with Jason.” Claire placed a hand on her sister’s arm. When Crystal’s searching stare met hers, she nodded reassuringly. “You probably do need to talk. Thanks for being there today.” She hugged her twin and turned to Jason. “I’m ready. Maybe we could stop by my place so I can pick up a few things.”

“Sure.” He placed his hand on the small of her back, gently propelling her toward the door. Together they walked out, leaving Crystal with Jim.

“Do you think they’ll be okay? Maybe I should’ve stayed. Crystal looked ready to kill him.”

“He can hold his own. Let them work it out.” Jason stopped and bent to give her a quick kiss. “Besides, I’m being selfish. I’d rather have you with me tonight.”

Chapter 39

“Don’t get too comfortable because you’re not staying,” Crystal said, sending Jim another glower as she reached for the drink he finished pouring once she let go of the bottle.

“You’re a hard woman.” He made no move to leave, just sat back and made himself more comfortable.

“Well?” she snapped after enduring his silent scrutiny.

The guy was too much. How could he sit across from her acting so calm when everything inside her was screaming? Part of her couldn’t wait until he left, while the other part wanted to latch onto him and never let him go. That only irritated her more.

“Finish your drink and go.” She downed the rest of hers in one gulp and slammed the glass on the table. “You seem to have a hard time understanding the fact that I don’t want you here.” She started for her bedroom. “You can let yourself out when you’re done.”

“Get back here, Red,” Jimbo ordered when Crystal was almost out of the room, and then let out a heavy sigh. “I meant it when I said we need to talk.”

She stopped in the doorway and pivoted to see he’d put his drink down and had come out of the chair.

Her chin went up and she crossed her arms. “You can’t just waltz into my place and start giving me orders.”

“I can and I will,” he said with conviction. He nodded to the chair. “Now, sit.”

“No.” She stomped up to him and shoved him as hard as she could. All the move did was stun him a little. But he quickly recovered, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her toward him.

Crystal stiffened, not allowing his touch to affect her. “Go away, Jimbo,” she shouted. “I don’t want you here. I hate you for coming back.”

She didn’t trust herself, didn’t want a repeat of Friday night. She pulled away and punched at him over and over, putting as much force into the blows as she could. A few tears broke free. As much as she tried, she couldn’t stop them from flowing, so she kept pummeling him.

“Shush,” he said, absorbing all the blows. When she finally ran out of energy, he only pulled her closer, rubbing his hands over her back as he murmured, “It’ll be okay.”

“It’s not okay! Why didn’t you just stay away?”

“I couldn’t.” He kissed her temple and leaned back to meet her gaze as he wiped her tears away. “I’ll go after we talk. I promise.”

“We have nothing to say to each other.”

“We have lots to say to each other, but that’ll wait for another time. This is serious.”

Something in his tone alerted her and she stilled, peering at him through tear-blurred eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m worried about you, your involvement in this case. I’m working on clearing both you and Claire, but it’s not goin’ well.”

Crystal snorted and wiped her eyes. “You forget. I have an alibi.” She smiled sweetly and presented her happiest voice. “I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for too long.”

“That’s your problem, Red. You never let anyone in.”

“I let you in.”

“No, you didn’t. Why else would I feel the need to figure out what was wrong? You wouldn’t let me in, and it drove me nuts.”

“Don’t try to twist this,” she hissed as she pulled out of his grasp. She paced back and forth, working off the restless energy that suddenly consumed her. “When presented with the evidence, you believed the worst.”

“It’s what you wanted me to believe. Another bullshit strategy to throw me a curveball. I would’ve caught on to it sooner, but seeing those pictures twisted me into a knot.”

“You’re delusional!”

“Am I?”

The question hung in the air but she shook her head, not wanting to listen. The guy
was
delusional. Either that or she was. And she certainly didn’t want to be under Jim O’Malley’s spell again.

“Interesting how I didn’t have to search very hard to find what I found.” He reached for his glass, took a sip of bourbon, and waited until she met his gaze.

Crystal sucked in a deep breath at the intensity shining in his stare.

“I’m not proud of my part, Red. I reacted.” He shrugged. “Maybe I was seeking my own bullshit reason. Things were hot and heavy there for a while. I don’t think either of us were expecting it or knew how to deal with the heat.”

Crystal couldn’t keep peering into those expressive brown eyes of his. She focused on his glass, eyeing it critically as drops of condensation ran down its sides.

“Are we through going down memory lane?” she asked with a note of finality in her tone, lifting her chin to meet his gaze again.

“For the moment. I never meant to get into us tonight.”

“Oh? Could’ve fooled me.”

He chuckled. “You can be one prickly bitch, you know that?”

“Maybe that’s why we were so good together, because you’re one prickly bastard. At the same time, that’s probably why we’re not together any longer.”

“Maybe,” he murmured, pursing his lips as he scrutinized her face.

Scowling, Crystal held his gaze without flinching and waited for him to continue.

When he remained silent, she crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “I’m still waiting.”

Jimbo swore under his breath. “I want to look at your files on Elise and Carter.”

“Why?”

“Information. See if there’s a pattern I can trace. It’s the only lead I have left.”

“Okay. The information is on my laptop at work. Stop by tomorrow, and I’ll have a copy for you. Anything else?”