Life in Death (5 page)

“There are no coincidences.”

“I guess Einstein wasn’t a total fuck-up, but whoever did those things to that little girl sure the hell is.”

CHAPTER 7

"Where is she?" Luke Dolo, Patience’s father, pounded a fist on the table. His face had contorted into an ugly mask. His smooth, dark skin had a reddish tinge to it, either from alcohol, anger or both.

For the first time ever, Kari thought about alerting security. She weighed her options. Paul, their pale, bald, overweight and in poor health guard who wheezed when he talked, versus the overly muscular Luke Dolo. No contest between the two of them. Jack would be a more even match for the irate father.

“Mr. Dolo, please calm down. As I said before, you need to speak to the police.” She slid Detective Nicolet’s card over to him.

He stared at it, eyes dull.

“Just tell me what happened to her?” The veins in his neck bulged and pulsed.

She didn’t respond. She couldn’t respond. It wasn’t her place to tell him his daughter was dead.

He leaped across the table, hands closing around Kari’s throat like a vise. She struggled against his strength and they tumbled to the ground. He landed on top of her. The weight of his body coupled with the fall knocked the breath out of her, but she continued to struggle. She scratched and clawed at him to get free. His fetid breath nauseated her as she fought to take a gulp of air. Soon dots danced in front of her eyes and she felt dizzy. She would not die this way. Then he was off her. She rolled to her side and gasped for breath.

Detective Cobb had Luke on his stomach with his knee pressed into his back as he handcuffed him. “Looks like I showed up just in time.”

She never thought she’d be glad to see Detective Cobb again. Little did she know.

"I can't breathe," Luke said as he gasped for air.

"Ask me if I give a damn." Detective Cobb looked at her. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, her head still fuzzy. Kari stood on shaky legs and massaged her bruised throat.

“Who do we have here, Ms. Marchant?” Detective Cobb asked.

“This is Patience’s father, Luke Dolo.”

Detective Cobb pulled Luke to his feet.

“Cunt. Why won’t you tell me where my daughter is?” Luke lunged at her again.

Detective Cobb yanked him back. “That’s enough.”

He started to escort Luke out of the room.

“Just a minute, Detective,” she said. She walked over and slapped Luke across the face. “How dare you.”

Detective Cobb laughed.

Luke lunged at her. Cobb snatched him back.

“You deserved that,” Cobb said.

“Is Detective Nicolet with you?” she asked.

“Yeah, he’s around here somewhere.”

She definitely wanted to see him again.

***

When Detective Nicolet entered the conference room, Kari felt butterflies waken in her stomach. She chided herself for her silliness.

“Looks like I missed the excitement,” he said as he took a seat next to her. “Let me see the damage.”

He moved closer and palpated her neck. His fingers were warm and gentle, the scent of him a comfort to her. “You should have someone look at that,” he said and leaned back in his chair. His eyes were soft on hers.

“I’ll be okay.”

“I need to get a statement from you. Why did Mr. Dolo come to see you?”

“He demanded to know the whereabouts of his daughter. He hadn’t heard from her and was worried. The way he talked and walked, he was obviously drunk. I should have made him leave… ” She glanced down and wrung her hands in her lap.

“You’re not to blame for what happened.”

“No, but I’m a little confused. Why haven’t you notified him about his daughter’s death?”

“We couldn't reach him.”

“Oh…”

“Do you want to press charges?”

“No.”

He had a puzzled look on his face. “Why not?”

Sure, the man tried to strangle her, but his daughter may be dead—or in his mind, gone. She wasn’t sure she’d have acted differently in his place.

“It wouldn’t be right.” She mustered her courage for what would come next. “Before we get into what happened to April, I need to tell you what I just learned about Patience.”

***

Cobb pushed Luke into a seat in the lobby and called dispatch for a cruiser to pick him up.

“Whew. What—you take a bath in alcohol?” Cobb waved his hand in front of his nose.

Luke sat there. No emotion on his face.

“What’s your deal? You like to beat women?” Cobb asked.

Luke’s eyes were watery and fixed on him. “She wouldn’t tell me where my daughter is. She said I needed to talk to the police. So, where is Patience?”

“We found a girl up at Taron Hills this morning. She fits the description of your daughter. We’ve been trying to reach you all morning."

“They’ve killed her.” He sobbed as tears drenched his cheeks. “It’s my fault. I couldn’t… ”

Luke stared past Cobb, his eyes bulged. His face changed from red to ashen. Cobb turned to see what he saw. Three men and three women stood huddled together talking. He only recognized Jack, the supervisor in the group.

“Oh, God. They’re here.” Luke jumped to his feet. He trembled. “I’m dead. Do you hear me? I’m dead.”

“Sit down,” Cobb said.

“I need protection from those people.”

Cobb pushed him back into a seat.

“Calm down or I’ll gag you.” He glanced back at the group. “Who are you talking about?”

“I swear, I need protection.”

A couple of police officers entered the building. Cobb recognized one of them from this morning.

“Kirkpatrick, process him, but keep him isolated. He might need a psych eval.”

“Got it.” Kirkpatrick dragged Luke from his chair and out the door.

Cobb walked in the opposite direction, past the group, and returned to the conference room. Nicolet sat at the table as he thumbed through his notes.

“Where we at?” Cobb took a seat beside his partner.

“There’s a development. Patience ran away from the Frosts two weeks ago.”

“What? Where’d you hear that?”

“First from Angela Frost. And just now from Kari.”

“Kari? Kari Marchant? You’re getting real informal with her. Why didn’t she tell us this morning?”

“She’s overprotective of her friend, Mina Steele. Long story short, the Frosts called, Kari wasn’t in, so Mina took the message. The note got lost in some of her files, and she didn’t find it until last night.”

“Damn it.” Cobb’s hands balled into fists. “These goddamn people are unbelievable. That little girl never had a chance. Steele and Marchant both need to have obstruction of justice charges filed against them.”

“Hold on.”

“Hold on, my ass. Don’t let that little head of yours make decisions for you.” Cobb rose. “Kari Marchant should have told us this morning. I don’t care what her excuse is, it’s not good enough.”

“She just wanted to…”

Cobb put up his hand. “I don’t want to hear it.”

Nicolet sighed.

Cobb made his way to the door and turned. “I hope she’s worth it.”

***

Cobb cooled off, returning with a cup of coffee for both of them. “Just watch your back. You don’t know what her intentions are. I’ll leave it at that.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” He couldn’t fault Cobb. Nicolet would’ve treated anyone else a lot differently, but she was special.

Jack entered the conference room. “Detectives, I’m about to let everyone go for the day. Will this take long?”

“It’ll take as long as it takes,” Cobb responded.

“Let me go first then,” a buxom blonde woman with blue eyes said from the doorway. “I don’t know anything. Can I leave now?”

“No, and you’ll be the
last
one we interview, so get comfortable,” Cobb snorted.

Jack stuck his head out of the room and called for someone named Grey.

A bald man in a blue blazer, yellow shirt, paisley bow tie, and blue slacks strolled in and took a seat.

“Full name, please,” Nicolet said.

“I-I-I’m G-G-Grey Napier.” The man straightened his bow tie.

“Oh, brother.” Cobb rolled his eyes.

“What can you tell me about the hit and run today?” Nicolet asked.

“N-n-not much. Me and Sh-Sh-Sharon ate our lunch in our cubicle today. I-I-It’s terrible.”

“Sharon who?” Cobb asked.

“Th-Th-Thompson.”

“Anyone here have a problem with April?” Nicolet asked.

“Wh-Wh-Why?”

“Just answer the question,” Cobb said.

“Th-Th-Then, no.”

“You can go now, Mr. Napier.” Nicolet said, “Send in Sharon Thompson.”

The man didn’t hesitate. He rose and rushed out of the room.

“This is going to take all night,” Cobb said.

“You said I’d be last, Detective.” Sharon Thompson stayed at the door and fixed her sea green eyes on Cobb. She flipped her strawberry blond hair, walked over to a chair and seated herself across from them.

“Today’s your lucky day,” Cobb said.

“Apparently not April’s though,” she said as she thrummed her acrylic nails on the table.

Cobb looked Sharon over like a little boy eyeing ice cream on a hot day. His eyes lingered on her ample bust line. Nicolet shook his head. No wonder Cobb had several sexual harassment complaints filed against him over the years.
Like he hadn’t ever crossed the line.

“Why the scene earlier?” Nicolet asked her.

“Scene? I wouldn’t call it that. I wanted to save you some time. I don’t know anything.”

“Where were you when April was run over?” Cobb asked.

“Here. Didn’t Grey already tell you that? He sits right across from me. He and I were here the entire time.” She had a crooked smile on her lips.

“You don’t seem too torn up about April.” Cobb crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’m not. I didn’t like her. She disgusted me. I still don’t know how she landed that gorgeous husband of hers.”

Cobb frowned. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to speak ill of the dead?”

She shrugged. “I simply answered your question.”

“Is there anyone here that had a problem with April?” Nicolet asked.

“Other than Mina? No.” She twirled the pearl strand draped around her neck.

“Mina?”

“Sure. April and Mina had a bit of a row. Right before lunch, now that I think about it.”

“Row?” Cobb asked. “You mean a fight?”

“Not a physical one—an argument, Detective,” she huffed.

Nicolet smiled at her. “What’d you hear?”

“She said she couldn’t handle it anymore, whatever that meant.”

“Here’s my card,” Cobb said as he slid it across the table to her. “Call me if you think of anything else or just want to have a drink or
whatever
.” He grinned at her.

She stood and left his card on the table.

“Do I look desperate, Detective?” She glanced at Nicolet and leaned forward, exposing even more cleavage. “You got a card?”

Nicolet patted his pockets. “Sorry, all out.”

He had no interest in this kind of woman—shallow, unlike Kari Marchant who had substance.

“Send Mina Steele in next,” Cobb said, irritation evident in his voice.

“Whatever you say, Detective.” She swayed her hips in an exaggerated walk as she left the room.

“Whose little head is leading them around now?” Nicolet said to Cobb.

“Yeah, but I do it all the time. No big deal. People expect it of me. But when you make exceptions for a woman, I get worried. That’s not like you.”

Cobb routinely broke the rules. In fact, he made an art of it.
So why did Kari get to him the way she did?

When Mina Steele came into the conference room, she didn’t carry herself with much confidence. In fact, she kind of skulked in.

“Hello again, Ms. Steele.” Nicolet motioned for her to take a seat across from them.

Mina eyed them warily as she sat.

Cobb leaned forward. “We just heard about what you did.”

“What I did?” Her voice cracked.

“How you forgot to tell Kari that Patience ran away two weeks ago.”

“I lost the note. I found it wedged between some files last night.” She picked at her index finger cuticle.

“Bullshit.” Cobb slammed both hands on the table and stood. “By the end of this, you’ll be lucky if you only lose your job.”

Tears welled up in Mina’s eyes.

Time to play Good Cop, Bad Cop.

“I won’t be browbeaten by you, Detective.” She stood to face him, defiance flashed in her eyes.