One Murder Too Many Read online

  Suddenly her thought process came to a halt. Paul Hanson was striding down the hallway. The man smiled a greeting – a hungry weasel pausing to scrutinize a lone chicken in the henhouse.

  ‘Gloria! How nice to see you.’ He stuck out his hand. ‘How’s the re-election campaign going?’

  Hating to make physical contact with her opponent, she nevertheless succumbed to shake his hand briefly. ‘I’ve other things to worry about at the moment, Paul. You know we’re facing a crisis with these gang shootings.’

  ‘Don’t forget the reporter,’ he remarked. ‘I understand someone tried to get into her apartment last night?’ He shook his head. ‘Makes one wonder what she knows.’

  ‘I spoke to her only moments ago and she claims to not have a clue as to why anyone would be after her.’

  ‘Evidently the killer believes she knows something,’ Paul opined. ‘Do you think she learned something important from Juno or Dom and simply doesn’t know what it means?’

  An icy shard lodged in Gloria’s chest. She hid the feeling and tried to not appear interested. ‘What could Dom have told her? He wasn’t a gang member.’

  ‘Perhaps it has nothing to do with gangs,’ Paul suggested. ‘He worked in this building. He may have overheard a private conversation or found a piece of sensitive material in the trash.’

  Gloria countered, ‘I don’t think Dom would have risked getting fired over eavesdropping or snooping in the trash.’

  ‘There are some odd things happening lately,’ Paul changed the direction of their conversation. ‘Like a weapons charge being dropped on a repeat offender a few days back. That was courtesy of one of your DDAs.’

  ‘If you are talking about Chock Lincoln, I approved his action. The man explained he was afraid for his life. That’s why he was carrying a gun when he was picked up. I didn’t want the media to jump on the idea that we were singling him out for prosecution because he was black.’

  ‘You’re right,’ Paul allowed. ‘The media lives to promote divisive issues, and this town has a great many people who are radically sensitive when race is involved.’

  ‘I don’t see why it’s any concern of yours. If I recall, you were recently targeted by a Hispanic organization for recommending deportation for undocumented workers who were caught with small amounts of cocaine.’

  ‘Yes, we live in trying times,’ Paul conceded, again with a professional smile. ‘And I’m sure you are under extreme pressure to find Dom’s killer because of who his father is.’

  ‘Speaking of Judge Westmoreland, the man is waiting for me.’

  ‘Of course. Don’t let me keep you, Gloria.’ A glimmer of complacency shone in his eyes. ‘I know you’re a very busy woman.’ He added: ‘It’s a wonder you and your husband find any time at all to be together.’

  Gloria suffered a twinge of guilt at his bringing up that subject, but replied nonchalantly. ‘I try and keep my home life separate from my work.’

  ‘It’s wonderful that you and I both have such strong marriages.’ He made it a statement. Then he stepped around her and walked on down the hall.

  Gloria set her teeth firmly together to control the bile which rose up from deep inside of her. She was fearful now. Tony had been worried that Paul knew about their relationship. After this repartee with him, she also was concerned.

  Does the man actually know something, or is he merely testing the waters, searching for a reaction?

  The meeting with Grady and Hampton resulted in more than Jason had expected. Grady had him look over the official incident report about his confrontation with the suspected prowler, then handed him over to Hampton. The senior detective opened a desk drawer, removed a gun and shoulder holster, then handed the weapon to Jason.

  ‘Here you go – a six-inch, .357 Magnum revolver. Only six shots, but it has the stopping power to do the job. The weather is about right for you to wear a suit jacket. That should hide the bulge of being armed.’

  Jason accepted the gun, removed it and felt the familiar weight and balance. ‘It’s been a while, but I have actually fired one of these a number of times,’ he told them. ‘As you know, back in the CID, we seldom carry a weapon unless we expect armed resistance.’

  ‘You have the reporter to protect.’ Hampton supported the decision to allow him to carry a weapon. ‘Shots through her windshield, a second episode last night … we don’t know what this guy wants.’

  ‘That,’ Grady said, ‘is why the captain gave permission for you to carry a gun. He even rounded up a special gun permit for you.’ Grady produced a small slip of paper and passed it to Jason.

  ‘Do us a favor and don’t shoot anyone,’ Hampton joked. ‘The paperwork for something like that would be unbelievable.’

  Jason grinned, ‘I shall try and control the impulse when it comes to rude drivers and children throwing tantrums in public.’

  ‘This perp might believe you happened to be there by accident last night, or he could know you are watching Miss Underwood. Either way, he is going to be more careful. Keep your eyes open.’

  Hampton handed him a box of ammunition. ‘If you need more than this, you’ll have to buy the bullets yourself. We don’t keep a lot of extra ammo around the office.’

  ‘If I can’t hit a specified target with an entire box of shells, I would be better off throwing rocks.’

  ‘I don’t know, Kari,’ Dee was saying during their coffee break. ‘You said the Brit is staying with you … but he sleeps on the couch?’ She made a face, as if she had a bitter taste in her mouth. ‘You sure your boyfriend was ever married? Doesn’t he know the rules for wooing a girl?’

  ‘It’s complicated,’ Kari replied. ‘You know the terrible experience I had with Roger, and his one and only relationship was with his wife.’

  ‘But this is the twenty-first century, kiddo. Don’t you watch television? If you haven’t slept with your fella by the third date, one or both of you must be gay!’

  ‘I worry about you sometimes, Dee. Is this the same talk you gave to your kids concerning sex?’

  ‘More or less.’ Dee grinned. ‘Except I told them that, if they had sex before they were twenty-one, life as they knew it would come to an immediate end.’

  ‘I thought so.’

  ‘Yes, but they weren’t over the hill like you.’

  ‘Over the hill? I’ll be twenty-seven on my next birthday.’

  ‘OK, so you’re teetering on the precipice of the mountain crest. The point is, you’re running out of time.’

  Kari brought up the obituary on Juno Orozco and studied the page.

  ‘You thinking of getting back into obits?’ Dee asked. ‘I thought you’d seen enough of those to last a lifetime.’

  ‘I have. But I wonder if we overlooked a clue about these murders.’

  ‘What’s your thinking, kiddo?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ she complained to Dee. ‘We’re missing something.’

  ‘I told you, don’t let the Brit sleep on the couch. Get him in bed with you and let nature take its course.’

  Kari exhaled a sigh of exasperation and patiently said, ‘I was referring to the murder victims.’

  ‘Um, I thought we were talking about something of real importance.’

  Kari’s phone rang and she paused to answer it. ‘Oh, hi!’ she greeted the caller. It was Dotty from the DA’s office. ‘Yes, I got the information you emailed me. Do you think you can help with my reply?’

  Dotty answered that she could and gave Kari the information.

  ‘Of course. I don’t want you to get into trouble over this.’ Another pause to listen, then Kari flashed a smile at Dee and finished the call. ‘What time will that be?’ After a short pause she replied, ‘Thank you so much, and I’ll make sure we get that article printed about your daughter’s soccer team.’

  ‘What’s up?’ Dee asked, as soon as Kari returned the phone to its cradle.

  ‘Gloria Streisand’s secretary sent me an email for Jerry, over in sports.’

 
; ‘Yeah, Jerry’s a softie. If he was my man, I’d have him on a diet.’ She laughed. ‘Well, maybe not. If there was only one pastry left in the house, I might need an edge to beat him to it!’

  ‘Anyway,’ Kari continued with her story. ‘I mentioned to Dotty how I’d like to get a look at Gloria’s husband. She said he used to visit Gloria at her office all the time, but he seldom comes by now. Anyhow, Dotty said Don called a little while ago and wanted to make sure Gloria’s calendar was clear. He’d made a reservation for them tonight over at Flemming’s Steak House.’

  ‘So you’re going to be there at the same time so you can spy on her?’

  ‘It’s not spying; it’s complicated. I’m curious is all.’

  A look of sisterly concern flooded Dee’s features. ‘You be careful, kiddo,’ she warned. ‘You remember what happened the last time you and the Brit got mixed up with a case? You might have been resting quietly in a box, six feet under ground, if the cops hadn’t sent someone in your place to meet with that psycho at the motel.’

  ‘It’s a night out on the town, not an investigation.’

  ‘Don’t con me, kiddo,’ Dee said. ‘I can read you like a book. You are sticking your nose deeper into these gang killings and Gloria is not going to like it.’

  ‘I’ll be fine. Jason will be with me.’

  ‘Yes, but he proved last night that he wasn’t James Bond,’ Dee reminded her. ‘And you can count your blessings for that … considering all of the women James Bond has gotten killed!’

  Judge Westmoreland greeted Gloria with a forced smile when she entered his chambers. She took a chair opposite his desk and waited for him to say what was on his mind.

  ‘I saw ballistics matched the gun to both my son’s and Hector Gomez’s murders. Where does that leave us on a motive for the shootings?’

  ‘It’s unknown at this point,’ Gloria answered. ‘We think this might have something to do with drugs being shipped in from Colombia and the Sentinel reporter, Kari Underwood. Unfortunately, she swears ignorance on the matter.’

  ‘Dom and Juno had a lot of money from doing something. What have you uncovered about that?’

  ‘A friend of Juno’s said they were doing some odd jobs on the side, but he didn’t know what kind of work or for whom. It’s also possible they saw or knew something and used it to coerce payment from someone. It could be what got them killed.’

  ‘You mean blackmail?’

  ‘We have no way of knowing. But their cellular phones, iPads and computers were taken; plus the killer made a thorough search of the house. The police found no pictures or cameras, no stash of money or goods, nothing to give us any idea as to what the killer might have been looking for.’

  The judge pounded a fist on the top of his desk. ‘Damn it all, Gloria!’ he cried, his face contorted by his pain and helpless frustration. ‘Someone killed my son. I want to know why this happened.’

  Gloria suffered her own degree of misery. ‘I’m sorry, Your Honor,’ she murmured. ‘I wish I had an answer for you.’

  Westmoreland recouped his composure, regaining his usual temperate disposition. ‘I didn’t mean to raise my voice.’

  ‘It’s perfectly understandable, Judge.’

  The judge set aside his personal tragedy for a moment. ‘I heard that Paul Hanson has received the endorsement of the Teachers Union. That could hurt you in the upcoming election.’

  ‘He’s playing the same game as all politicians,’ Gloria responded. ‘Say what the people want to hear and they will vote for you.’

  ‘He has been successful as a prosecuting attorney. You are going to have your hands full with this fight.’ When she did not reply the judge leaned over the desk and spoke in a no-nonsense manner. ‘I brought up the election because you need a big win to solidify the support you need to defeat Hanson. Finding the killer of my son would go a long way when it comes to getting those votes.’

  ‘I’m aware of that,’ Gloria said.

  Westmoreland tipped his head forward slightly, acknowledging the meeting had ended. ‘Thank you for sharing your time, Ms District Attorney.’

  Gloria rose to her feet. ‘Any time, Your Honor,’ she reciprocated. Then she pivoted about and left the room.

  As Kari was making the drive to the Flemming’s Steak House, Jason queried about their intentions. ‘Tell me again, why are we interested in the district attorney’s marriage?’

  ‘It’s hard to put into words,’ Kari answered. ‘You know how you occasionally get a vibe off of someone, that everything isn’t as it seems?’ At his gesture of comprehension, she went on. ‘Well, I’m getting that vibe from Gloria Streisand and don’t know why.’

  ‘Explain if you would.’

  ‘It’s the way she has come at me in our interviews. It’s like she thinks I’m holding something back, something important. She asks questions that are pointed and direct, but not exactly on target with the investigation.’

  ‘What possible information could you be holding back?’

  ‘I’m not sure.’

  ‘She might be overly sensitive, if she is having an affair.’

  Kari frowned. ‘Until you mentioned the way she and her DDA interacted, I didn’t suspect anything like that.’

  ‘What kind of questions did she ask you on your previous meeting, to make you wary of her motives?’

  ‘She made repeated attempts to solicit a reaction or response to my being involved in a vague project or secret investigation of some kind. You saw how she was today, acting as if I was hiding something from her. She makes me feel more like a suspected perpetrator than a witness or reporter.’

  Jason considered her deductions before he inquired, ‘So what are we hoping to learn from this evening’s mission?’

  Kari laughed without humor. ‘Honestly, I haven’t a clue.’

  ‘Unfortunately, logic dictates that lacking an actual goal significantly increases the likelihood of failure,’ Jason prophesied. Then he added with a grin, ‘Perhaps the food will be compensation if we come away having learned nothing.’

  She displayed an impish simper. ‘You have a delightful way of saying you think I’m wasting my time, but you’re willing to go along with my quest.’

  ‘You might prefer to think of it more as my endorsement of your intuition as a reporter.’

  ‘I must say, I was surprised the detectives provided you with a gun.’

  ‘Thankfully, they were not privy to my scores from the shooting range.’

  Kari threw him an are-you-kidding? look, and Jason laughed.

  The phone rang after Grady had barely sat down to dinner with his wife and three kids. Regardless of his hours or the stress of a case, he always tried to be there for supper with the family.

  His wife was at the stove and closest to the phone. She answered and several lines furrowed her brow. ‘Deroy Hampton.’ Her voice held a scolding tone. ‘You know we eat promptly at six ‘o clock every night.’

  Hampton must have apologized because Leta’s expression softened. She uttered a sigh of resignation and asked, ‘How soon?’

  Another moment.

  ‘I’ll tell him.’ A short pause, then she said, ‘Yes, I understand. Goodbye.’

  ‘What did Ham want?’ Grady asked, as soon as she had hung up the receiver.

  ‘There’s been another shooting, over at Liberty Park. No one is seriously hurt, but Deroy wants you to meet him there as soon as you can.’

  Grady started to get up, but his wife’s sharp look stopped him in mid-motion. ‘He said you could take time to eat,’ she directed firmly. ‘I didn’t fix fried chicken so you would up and run out without eating. You do realize it is something of a feat to prepare a big meal with three kids underfoot?’

  ‘I sure do, Kitten,’ Grady praised. ‘You’re a combination mother, magician and angel all rolled into one.’

  The flattery removed the stern look from her face. ‘Fifteen minutes,’ she negotiated. ‘You can give us that much of your time.’

&nbs
p; Grady smiled appreciatively. ‘That won’t be long enough for me tonight. I always eat more than I should when you fix chicken.’

  Leta joined them at the table and Grady took a moment to say grace. Once everyone was filling their plates, his wife commented, ‘I thought you told me the gangs had vowed to keep the peace?’

  ‘Actually, the only thing we did was convince two of the valley’s gang leaders that neither side was responsible for the recent killings.’ He took a big bite of chicken breast, chewed a moment, then asked, ‘Did Ham say which gangs were involved?’

  ‘No.’ Leta blushed slightly. ‘I didn’t give him a lot of time for explanation.’

  ‘My kitten,’ Grady chuckled affectionately. ‘My little wildcat!’

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  THE STEAK HOUSE was set up with corner booths, but most customers were seated at tables and chairs. With numerous partitions, live plants and hanging vines, the garden decor made it difficult to see many of the other patrons. As the hostess led them though the dining area Kari spotted the DA and her husband among the lavishly dressed guests.

  ‘This would be perfect.’ She stopped the hostess next to a table for two. ‘It’s both private and secluded.’

  The girl looked as if she would refuse, but Jason reached out and tucked a twenty-dollar bill into her hand. ‘We would be most appreciative,’ he said, using an enticing smile that caused Kari’s eyebrows to raise.

  The girl glimpsed the denomination of the bill and immediately returned Jason’s smile. ‘Of course,’ she agreed courteously. ‘Let me exchange the number from the table and replace it with your reservation.’

  ‘Jolly good,’ Jason said. ‘You’re most charming and obliging.’

  The girl hurried to switch the small triangular placard which displayed a number on either side. Jason removed Kari’s coat and draped it over the back of her chair. By the time they were both seated, the hostess had completed the task.