The Veiled Cage (Lady Lawyer Series Romantic Suspense Novels Book 1) (22 page)

“
Not unless you have e-skills yo
u’
ve been modestly hiding
.
”

“
Why
?
”

“
I never thought
I’
d say this, but I miss Flick. I need to run a trace on electronics
.
”

“
You need
n’
t look any further. My best client, and a dear friend, has substantial e-skills. You could say h
e’
s the best in the business
.
”

Ruby checked the time
.“
Any chance h
e’
s up at six-twenty on a Saturday
?
”

“
Certainly. That boy is up and active at five like clockwork. H
e’
s coming in this morning for a spot of tea. We settled on seven. I have nothing pressing. Should I see if h
e’
s interested in joining your investigation? What yo
u’
re unraveling captures the imagination. H
e’
s the inventive sort
.
”

“
Yes, please. If h
e’
s onboard, send him right over
.”
Ruby sighed
.“
Flic
k’
s sweet tooth put mine to shame. I
t’
s funny what you miss
.
”

“
I think yo
u’
ll be pleasantly surprised with my recommendation
.
”

“
I bet I will. You have impeccable taste, Alfred. Do you mind doing a follow-up interview with Kottke later today
?
”

“
Not at all. Do let him know that if I give him helpful information, he need
n’
t kiss me
.
”

Ruby laughed
.“
I ca
n’
t promise h
e’
ll be able to resist that handsome face. Add the British accent and yo
u’
re irresistible
.
”

“
Go on now. The game is afoot
.
”

“
The Adventure of the Abby Grange
.
”

“
Very good. Do tell me when you figure out what it all means
.
”

“
I have a theory. Unlikely as it seems, it has pushed all others aside and is now the sole contender. For now,
I’
ll leave you in suspense
.
”

“
Coffee to go
?
”

“
Yes, please. Yo
u’
re so good to me, Alfred. Or should I say Freddy
?
”

“
Not if yo
u’
d like me to deliver a technology specialist
.”
He poured her coffee from a shining silver pot.

She sipped the strong brew and sighed
.“
Thanks, Alfred
.
”

“
Ther
e’
s a tray of crumpets on your way out along with the raspberry jam yo
u’
ve taken a liking to. I suggest you take pity on your mistreated stomach
.
”

Ruby went to the tray. She set down her coffee while she slathered a biscuit and took a greedy bite. Humming in satisfaction, she raised her cup toward Alfred before juggling her book, coffee and biscuit, and bustling out the door.

Alfred shook his head in amusement.

✧

“
Well, well, if it is
n’
t my eager intern tagging me bright and early on a Saturday
,”
Ruby said.

“I’
m up and ready to go
,”
Jasmine said
.“
Any work for me
?
”

“
Yes, as a matter of fact. I had an interview this morning
.
”

“
And you did
n’
t tag me to join you
?
”

“
Sorry, Jazz. It was unplanned. If you want in, I can swing by.
I’
m heading back to the office now
.
”

“
Of course I want in. I called you at six on a Saturday, did
n’
t I
?
”

“
Half past, but still impressive. This work sucks you in, does
n’
t it
?
”

“
Yes, when will you be here
?
”

“
In five
.
”

“
Christ, I have to finish my face
.
”

“
You realize
I’
m picking you up to investigate a murder, right
?
”

“
I need lip color if
I’
m going to have a chance with Justin
.
”

“
I already told you, you do
n’
t have a chance. Go nude, and he would
n’
t notice
.
”

“
W
e’
ll see about that
.
”

“
Channel your persistence elsewhere, Jazz. Two minutes
.”
Ruby signed off, and pulled in front of Jasmin
e’
s building to wait.

When Jasmine slipped into the passenger seat, she wasted no time
.“
Tell me about the guy wh
o’
s getting transferred. You know, the guy Marian mentioned yesterday. Is he a client
?
”

“
Hell no, h
e’
s not a client. I see yo
u’
ve found another outlet for your persistence. Remember our chat about what we look for in our clients
?
”

“
Yes
.
”

“
H
e’
s a prime example of the opposite
.
”

“
Tell me about him
.
”

“
First, let me tell you about a young gir
l—
Tara Baxter, seventeen years old
.
”

“
Was she a client
?
”

“
No, I met her at Kaye High. Yo
u’
ll learn soon enough I do a yearly talk there, and have every year since I was a student. I
t’
s evolved over the years. I assemble the girls, and talk about dating red flag
s—
how to spot a keeper, a stalker, a loser, an abuser
.
”

“
‘
Real Romance
,’
you mean
.
”

“
Yeah, Amy coined it
.
”

“I’
ve heard about it from my work with at-risk teens. It stuck with them enough to tell me about it. I did
n’
t know yo
u’
re part of it
.
”

“
For thirteen years. Four years ago, Tara approached me after my talk. I was in my third year of law school, like you
.
”

“
And you were working at Kaye County
.
”

“
Yes.
I’
d had a lot of girls come up and tell me their stories. That
I’
d shared mine made them feel comfortable sharing theirs.
I’
ll save my story for another day
.
”

Jasmine nodded.

“
The previous day, Tara was late to school. She got in her car and drove a mile or so before her tire blew. A few minutes later, her ex-boyfriend showed up and offered to give her a ride. She said no and called her dad. When her dad pulled up, her ex had backed her against her car. He shook her by the shoulders and screamed at her. Her dad grabbed him and threw him off. The auto shop confirmed the tire had been slashed. Classic abuser tacti
c—
create an emergency situation, and then offer to fix it to be the hero
.
”

“
What happened after that
?
”

“
She told her friends that he had slashed her tire. Impossible, they said. He loved her so much
.
”

“
What happened to her
?
”

“
He escalate
d—
showed up wherever she went, hacked her social media and sent nasty messages about her to her friends and family
.
”

“
What did she do
?
”

“
Everything right. She secured a harassment restraining order against him. The prosecuto
r’
s office charged him with stalking. She was ready and willing to testify
.
”

“
Let me guess, he violated the HRO
.
”

Ruby nodded
.“
One night, she came home after studying with her chemistry partne
r—
a boy. When she pulled into her driveway, he was waiting in the shadows. He had her pinned on the ground before she knew he was there. She was his, he told her. If he could
n’
t have her, nobody would. H
e’
d fucking kill her
.
”

“
Terroristic threat
.
”

“
Yes. He started to cry, and told her nobody could love her as much as he did. He begged her not to make him do it, as he squeezed her throat
.
”

“
Domestic strangulation is a felony in Minnesota
.
”

“
Yes, and with good reason. A battered wome
n’
s organization studied femicides by intimate partners, and each included strangulation in the escalation to murder
.
”

“
Did she survive
?
”

“
Yes. Once again, she did everything right. She hit her panic button. By the time the cops arrived, sh
e’
d lost consciousness. They charged felony domestic assaul
t—
strangulation. He bailed out, promised to change, to stay away from her. Even judges want to believe in redemption, especially in the young. Eric Longhorn was eighteen years old, and on a mission
.
”

“
He did
n’
t stay away, did he
?
”

“
No, he did
n’
t. The night he got out, Tara was afraid to go anywhere, to do anything. She did
n’
t know where he was, what h
e’
d do. H
e’
d called thirteen times from different numbers
.
”

“I’
ve heard of spoofing. You can punch in any number into the app, and tha
t’
s what will show up
.
”

“
Exactly. Tara went to bed unaware h
e’
d broken in and was waiting for her to lie down. When she did, he attacked. He stabbed her fourteen times and left his mar
k—
a red Valentin
e’
s heart
.‘
Be mine
,’
it read. He was out the window and driving off before her father could break down her door. His little girl was already dead
.
”