Deadly Valentine (7 page)

"How do you manage to be so well coiffed and perky?" she asked.

He gave her quick grin.

"Do you have any faults?"

"I don't take orders well." he said.

"Oh yeah. Why are you still here?"

"Let me get your tea. Do you want some toast too?"

She frowned. "No."

She could hear him in her kitchen. She would never admit it to him, but it was kind of nice to be waited on. Within a few minutes he returned with her tea. He sat on her coffee table as she maneuvered herself up to a sitting position.

"I didn't know chocolate tea existed," he said handing her the cup.

"I have to special order it."

“Does it taste as good as it smells?”

“You're welcome to make yourself some, since it appears you plan to stay awhile.”

“Nah,” he said with a wave of his hand, “I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome.”

She rolled her eyes and then turned her attention to her tea.

"How long have you been here, in this house?" he asked.

"About a year."

"It's a nice home. Good structure. Did you do the bathroom?"

"Yes." Tess found herself anxious to hear his assessment of her home. She told herself his opinion mattered only because she knew he had experience in home renovation.

"It looks great. You matched the original architecture of the home."

"I'm glad you like it."

"But where's your stuff?"

"Huh?" The pleased feeling dissipated. She scanned her living room. She had everything a living room needed. A couch, chair, coffee table. She even had one of her few indulgences in a chaise chair she loved to read in. What else did a living room need? "What stuff?"

"Where are your pictures and doo dads?”

“Doo dads? Did you just use the word doodads?”

“Yes, doo dads as in figurines, vases, framed pictures… you know things that decorate your living space and make a house a home.”

“One person’s doo dad is another person’s clutter." Tess handed her cup back to him and reclined on the couch.

“You definitely don’t have to worry about clutter.” He looked around her living room and then back to her. “You don’t have a single decorative item?”

“It really bothers you doesn’t it?”

“Yes it bothers me. You can learn a lot about people and the things they keep. You don’t keep anything.”

“I suppose that's good. I’d hate to be judged by the junk I collect.”

 “I think having nothing reveals as much.”

Her eyes narrowed. What did he think? That she was empty? Lonely? Uncreative? What?

“Even hotel rooms have more decor," he continued.

"Oh for Pete's sake," Tess said throwing off the blanket and stalking towards the kitchen. She grabbed the small round bowl with a reddish blue fish swimming inside. "Here. Meet Buster. How's that for decor?" she said handing Jack the bowl. "Better?”

“Much better thank you.” There was that dumb dimple again.

"Thank goodness for that. Now if you'll excuse me…" She hurried out of the room with one hand over her mouth and the other over her stomach.

~~~~

She was sitting on the floor of her bathroom with her head propped against the side of the tub when he poked his head in.

"Tess. I'm sorry -"

"Maybe you could just go now."

He shook his head as he sat next to her on the floor. "Sorry. I'm sticking."

She groaned. How much worse could this get? Why wouldn't he leave? "Maybe you could wait in the living room then," she said as she felt a new wave of nausea hit her.

"Maybe." He pulled her unruly curls out of her face as she leaned over the bowl. "But I think I'll stay."

She was mortified and yet grateful at the same time. When the worst was over, he helped her to her bed.

"I'll get more tea," he said when she was settled.

She shook her head. "No. I give up. I'll just lay here and die."

His lips twitched. "Water then. You need to keep hydrated."

"I'll pass."

"What should I tell Deputy Dan when he shows up to check on you?"

She thought about correcting Jack by telling him Daniel was police not sheriff's department, but it was more work than it was worth. "Just wake me."

"Tess, now isn't the right time, but I think maybe I'll need your services after all." He sat on the edge of the bed, adjusting the blankets around her.

"It seems like whatever Asa had planned will be postponed," she said remembering their agreement from the previous night.

"Probably, but that's not why I'll need your help."

“You're not going to confess to murder are you? I don't think I can handle that right now.”

"I broke into his computer."

It took a moment for the meaning of his words to compute in her brain. “Wait. You
are
confessing-”

“I didn't murder him.”

“You did something and I'm not in the right frame of mind to represent you, so keep it to yourself.” It was difficult to hold her eyes open, so she closed them and willed sleep to take her away.

“I want you.”

“You had your chance,” murmured as she let the fog surround her consciousness.

She thought she heard him laugh. “I'm talking about wanting you to be my lawyer.”

Oh right. Tess gave her head a shake. She was going to embarrass herself even more if she didn't stay focused. She forced her eyes open. “What did you do?”

"I used Asa's computer and emailed some of the files on it to myself."

"Last night?"

Jack nodded.

Tess rolled her eyes and moaned. "That's not very smart."

He tensed. "I didn't murder him."

"I'm sure the police will believe you when they find your prints on his computer and track the email to you."

"Look, if I was going to kill him, I wouldn't have left my prints. I'm not stupid."

"The point is that he's dead and your prints are on his laptop. And you stole information from it."

"Asa didn't care."

"He caught you?"

"I wasn't being sneaky. I didn't care if he caught me or not."

Tess gaped at him. She didn't remember him being so audacious. "What did he say?"

"You know Asa. He laughed. He liked that he was getting a rise out of me.”

"What did you do?"

"I got mad. We argued."

A memory of two men arguing flashed in Tess' mind. Had it been Jack and Asa? If she heard them, someone else might have too. That would be another mark against him.

"The point is, I know the police are going to find the prints and trace the email. That's why I need your help."

She nodded. But she wasn't a defense lawyer anymore. And she wasn't feeling quite up to the challenge. "Maybe you should call one of your lawyers in D.C."

His eyes narrowed. "You won't help me?"

"I think you should get someone who specializes in criminal law."

"You worked for the public defender's office."

"You kept tabs on me?"

"Yes." He didn't look apologetic about it.

"This requires focus and if you haven't noticed, I'm not at my full capacity."

"That's temporary. Look Tess, you were there last night. You have experience. And I trust you."

She tried to ignore the warm, gooey feeling his confession of trust gave her. "Virginia is a capital punishment state."

"I didn't kill him." He ran his fingers through his jet black hair. It was the first time she saw a crack in his composure. "Look. I know the police are going to view me as a person of interest. I need your help to make sure they don't overdo it."

She studied him, looking into the depths of his captivating eyes. Were they the eyes of a killer? She didn't think so, but how could she know for sure? They'd been close at one time, but that was three years ago. People could change. She had.

As if he knew what she was thinking he leaned closer to her. "I didn't kill him, Tess. You have to know it's true." 

She wanted to be left alone. To go on with the new life she'd created that didn't include anything or anyone from her past. But he'd been a friend when she'd needed one once. "Everyone deserves a good defense."

He jerked back as if she slapped him. "What does that mean?"

"You asked me to help you and I will."

He stood and paced the small area next to her bed. She wondered if he was going to go with her suggestion and call another lawyer. But he stopped and stared down at her. "How can you help me if you don't believe me?"

"I didn't say I didn't believe you."

"But you aren't sure. How can you defend someone when you aren't sure?"

"First of all, not everyone who needs a defense lawyer is innocent. Even so, they deserve a fair trial."

The look on his face told her she couldn't have said anything more hurtful to him. She held her ground, returning his stare with her own. The knock on the door broke the standoff.  There was a twinge of guilt as she watched him turn and leave her room. She listened as he opened her front door.

"Ah, Deputy Dan. We've been expecting you," she heard Jack say.

"Mr. Valentine, just the man we've been looking for."

Chapter Ten

"We need to go over a few points in your statement," Daniel said. He stood at the end of Tess' couch looking much like a police detective of a rural town. His hands on his hips and he held a facial expression that suggested he wasn't going to believe anything Jack said. Tess knew better. He may want to project an air of authority, but Daniel was a fair cop. Still, she worried that Jack's fingerprints on Asa's computer would lead Daniel and the police to focus only on Jack.

“You're on the case?” she asked looking up at him from the couch. She didn't feel much like a defense lawyer covered in blankets with a bucket next to her.

“The case will be assigned later today. I'm just doing some follow up.” He was trying to be professional, but Tess could see that he didn't like Jack's association with her. She wondered if the clinching of his jaw was the realization that Jack was wearing the same clothes he'd been wearing the night before. “It won't take long.”

"Alright," Jack said sitting in a chair, crossing one ankle over the other as he extended his long legs. His elbows rested on the arms of the chair with his hands clasped over his abdomen. He looked comfortable and not the least bit concerned about Daniel's attempt to wave his authority around. But Tess could see the tension in Jack's face.

Daniel's partner, Sam stood quietly next to Daniel.

Daniel took a black notebook from his coat pocket. "Tell us again what you did when you left Tess to find the others."

"I went to the living...ah...parlor," Jack corrected himself. "Asa told us to meet there. But it was empty, so I went back to the entryway."

"Did you see anybody?"

"Not at first. I was trying to decide where to go next when I saw Philip."

"From where did he come?"

"The dining room. I asked him if he knew were Mr. Showalter was."

"You asked about Mr. Showalter instead of telling him about Mr. Worthington ... his father."

Tess saw a flash of annoyance in Jack's eyes. "I thought it would be helpful to have Mr. Showalter there to manage the situation. He's the family attorney and knows everyone better than I do."

"Then what happened?" Daniel said as he wrote in is notebook.

"He didn't know where Mr. Showalter was, so I told him about Asa and what Tess said about waiting for the police."

"Was anyone else there when you told him?" Daniel's eyes lifted from his notepad and were piercing as they looked down on Jack.

Jack's brows drew together. He looked to Tess and she wondered if he was thinking the same thing she was. Why hadn't Daniel asked about Philip's response to the news that his father was dead? But she nodded at Jack to encourage him to continue.

"Not at first, but his wife joined us as I was explaining what had happened."

"Where did she come from?"

Jack studied Daniel for a moment. Tess saw understanding come to his eyes and she wondered when he'd let her in on the secret.

"How does where they entered the entryway matter?" she asked.

"She came from upstairs," Jack answered.

Tess shot him a warning glance to stop him from answering questions without her consent.

"Did Mr. Showalter and the Senator join you too?"

"Mr. Showalter joined us as I was telling both Philip and his wife about Asa. Mr. Showalter entered from the front door and the Senator came in from the hallway near the back of the house."

Daniel let his arms drop to his sides. "Are you sure about all this?"

"What's this about?" Tess asked holding a hand up towards Jack to keep him quiet. There was something going on. Whatever it was, Jack knew what Daniel was hinting at. She didn't like being in the dark.

"He thinks I'm lying," Jack finally said. He turned to Tess. “Remember last night when Philip's wife said they were together when Asa was killed."

Tess nodded as understanding came to her. "If they'd been together, they wouldn't have entered separately from different rooms."

"What does the maid say?" Jack asked.

Daniel's momentary look of triumph vanished. "What makes you ask that?"

"Because when I saw Philip he had red lipstick on and since I don't think he normally wears it, he must have picked up from a woman."

"His wife is a woman," Daniel said.

"But she wasn't wearing red lipstick," Jack said. "The maid was."

Daniel shifted, but maintained his confident stance. "I suppose a man like you makes it his business to notice things like that on a woman."

Jack's jaw clinched, but he smiled. "As I said, Philip was clearly doing something with red lipstick. It was curiosity that had me looking to see if his wife wore red lipstick. When she wasn't, I knew it had to be from someone else."

"It could have been Tess."

Tess' jaw dropped.

"No. Tess wasn't wearing any."

Tess had a feeling that the discussion was moving away from murder to a testosterone fueled pissing contest. She looked to Sam to see if he'd intervene. No luck.

"Did you question the servants?" Tess asked.