No One Left to Tell (15 page)

He looked up at her, his eyes gone flat. ‘What alternate reality do you suggest, Ms Holden?’

‘I don’t know, but I’ll be damned before I sit and watch an innocent man continue to pay.’ She snatched up her backpack and Peabody’s leash. ‘Come.’ The dog followed.

Grayson pushed back from the table, catching her before she made it to the door. He grabbed her arm. ‘Where the hell do you think you’re going?’

Peabody went still, a growl rising from his throat. Grayson froze, his gaze dropping to his hand still wrapped around her upper arm. He released her and stepped back.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said, stricken. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt you.’

‘You didn’t,’ she murmured. ‘Peabody, down.’

Grayson watched Peabody drop to his belly, then looked back at her. ‘Where were you going?’

‘I’m going to visit Ramon at the prison clinic. He needs to know that Elena loved him until the very end, that she died for him. You do your paperwork, push your pencils. I’ll do what I need to do to get him out of there.’

‘You planning to take him a cake with a file in it?’ Grayson asked acidly.

‘No,’ she said, equally coldly, ‘I plan to find out who killed his wife. Who stole his life. And if the cops are dirty and you lawyers are caught up in your own red tape, I’ll take it to the media. I imagine I can muster enough people who are fed up with your reality. I imagine your boss won’t like that, especially in an election year.’

A muscle twitched in his cheek. ‘My boss is layers below anyone who’s elected. We just play games and push papers and set rapists and murderers free to run amok.’

For a moment their gazes locked. Then Paige drew an uneven breath. ‘I’m sorry. I’ve read your record. I know you’ve put away a lot of bad guys. It’s just . . .’ Her mouth bent plaintively. ‘Ramon’s lost six years of his life and he did nothing wrong.’

‘I know,’ Grayson said quietly. ‘If he’s innocent, he shouldn’t have to wait six more minutes. But, whether you and I like it or not, these things do take time.’

‘I
don’t
like it,’ she said. ‘Can’t you have him moved somewhere? Out of the general prison population?’

‘Eventually, but to do that now, as Clay said, would tip our hand. The cops have a confession from Sandoval. The brass want this to go away because it calms the public from serial-sniper fears. Whoever killed Elena will want this to go away, too. They must know she had something valuable – they killed her for it.’ He gave Paige a pointed look. ‘They must think she told you something because they tried to kill you, too. If we make any sudden moves, whoever killed Elena will go under.’

‘And any remaining evidence will be destroyed,’ Clay said from the table where he sat, watching them with interest.

‘Almost certainly,’ Grayson agreed.

Paige sighed, the fire in her eyes banked. ‘Ramon’s in the infirmary. Prisonyard fight over Elena sleeping with Denny,’ she added when Grayson’s brows rose in question. ‘As long as he stays there, he’ll at least be out of the population.’

‘I’ll see if I can keep him there,’ Grayson said. ‘It’s an acceptable compromise.’

She nodded, holding his gaze. ‘Thank you.’

‘I want to do the right thing here, too, Paige.’

Color rose in her cheeks and she looked away briefly before lifting her eyes again. ‘I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m letting my emotions have too much control. So what next?’

He touched her arm briefly as they walked back to the table. ‘Somebody killed Elena today,’ he said. ‘But another woman was killed six years ago.’

‘Crystal Jones,’ Paige said. ‘Ramon didn’t do it, so the real killer is still out there.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Damn, we are sounding more OJ by the minute.’

‘It’s a cold case,’ Clay said doubtfully. ‘Odds aren’t good.’

‘We have to try,’ Paige insisted. ‘Ramon’s lost his wife and six years of his life.’

Grayson thought of the knife at her throat. ‘They won’t stop coming after you either.’

‘And you won’t always be around with your trusty briefcase to save me.’

Yes, I will
. The promise was irrational in too many ways. But he silently made it anyway. ‘Then we’d better get to work.’

She pulled a folder from her backpack. ‘This is the trial transcript. We can start piecing together Crystal’s life and her movements before the night she was murdered. We’ll have to start at ground zero. If some of the testimony was tainted, more could be.’

‘Assuming these pictures are valid, that’s true.’ Grayson aligned the three photos, tapping the man sitting next to Ramon at the bar. ‘Based on that same assumption, we also need to find this guy. Jorge Delgado. Ramon’s best friend.’

‘Delgado lied under oath,’ Clay said. ‘Somebody put him up to it.’ He pointed to the face of the man wearing the disguise. ‘My money’s on this guy.’

‘Mine too. Somebody ordered that hit on Paige. Sandoval was dying at the time.’

Paige studied him. ‘You don’t believe it was suicide?’

‘We can’t afford the luxury of believing it. I think someone’s trying up loose ends.’

‘Like Paige,’ Clay said grimly and Grayson nodded.

‘I just hope Sandoval wasn’t Delgado’s handler. If so, we’re screwed.’

‘How do we know Delgado’s still alive?’ Clay asked.

Grayson checked his email on his phone, relieved to see a message from Daphne. ‘Delgado’s alive all right. At least he was as of an hour ago.’

Paige frowned. ‘How do you know?’

‘I asked my assistant to check Delgado’s last known before I came here.’

Paige blinked. ‘You believed me, even before I showed you the pictures.’

‘I watched somebody try to kill you,’ Grayson said, knowing the memory of those moments would stay with him for a long time. ‘Whatever you knew, somebody didn’t want you to tell.’
Plus, I didn’t believe Delgado five years ago. I just didn’t want to admit it then. But I can’t hide from it any longer
.

‘So where is Delgado?’ Clay asked. ‘And how do we know he’s alive?’

Grayson clicked the link Daphne had included. ‘A reporter did a follow-up to Elena’s murder. Delgado was quoted along with other people in the neighborhood. He says, “This is a sad day. To lose Elena was a senseless tragedy, but to lose Maria in the same day . . . Our prayers go out to the entire Muñoz family”.’ He lifted his eyes sharply to find Paige looking stricken. ‘What does he mean, “to lose Maria”?’

‘Ramon’s mother had a heart attack this morning when she heard about Elena’s murder. She died.’ Paige balled her fists. ‘For that
liar
to even say their
names
. . .’

Grayson closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the mother’s wild sorrow when Ramon’s jury had announced their verdict. ‘When you said his mother worked herself to death, I didn’t . . . I thought it was just an expression. I’m sorry.’

‘Me, too,’ she whispered, jumping when one of the phones on the table vibrated.

Clay grabbed it. ‘Yeah?’ he answered, then his expression changed. ‘When? . . . Keep him calm and keep him there.’ He shoved away from the table. ‘Did BPD file an Amber? . . . Good. Print copies of the photos we have on file. I’ll be there in fifteen.’

‘What?’ Paige asked. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘That was Alyssa. Sylvia Davis made bail.’

‘You’ve got to be kidding,’ Paige said. ‘She took Zach? How?’

Clay was yanking on his coat. ‘John left Zach with Sylvia’s mother while he went into the office to pick up some files. Grandma put up a fight, and now she’s in ICU.’

Paige pushed to her feet, her face gone pale. ‘Oh my God.’

Grayson rose, uncertainly. ‘Who is Sylvia Davis?’

‘Clay’s client,’ Paige said. ‘Custody battle. Dad wants custody because Mom’s an addict. Mom got arrested last night for trying to pimp out her kid. I’m going with you.’

Clay glared. ‘You will not. One, you are injured and two, you have a goddamn target on your head.’ He glanced at Grayson. ‘She can stay here till I get back?’

‘Of course.’ He followed Clay to the front door, Paige behind him, suddenly so close he could feel her warmth against his back. So close that the breath he drew filled his head with her scent, lush and heady. ‘If you need to stay, I’ll see her home safely.’

‘Take her home soon.’ Clay looked over his shoulder, meeting Paige’s eyes. ‘She hasn’t slept in more than a day.’

‘For God’s sake,’ Paige muttered as Clay disappeared down the street at a fast jog.

Grayson locked the door and faced Paige, who looked annoyed. This close, he could see the purple smudges of exhaustion under her makeup. He barely resisted the urge to run his fingertips under her eyes. ‘Why haven’t you slept since yesterday?’

‘I worked all night, watching that mom pimp out her kid.’

‘What did you do about it?’ That she’d done something was a given in his mind.

‘Grabbed a cop. They stopped her.’ Her mouth tightened. ‘Part of me wishes the cops hadn’t been so fast. I’d have broken her damn door down and made sure she wasn’t ambulatory enough to steal her kid back. He’s only six years old.’ Her voice grew harsh. Brittle. ‘He’ll be terrified.’

There was something there, the shadow of fear, a deep rage that had both everything and nothing to do with what had occurred the night before. Grayson recognized it all too well. He kept his own voice mild, but gave into the need to touch her, sweeping his thumb over her cheek. ‘Is your partner good at his job?’

She swallowed hard, her eyes on his. She was holding herself rigid, as if she were afraid she’d shatter. Grayson recognized that feeling, too. ‘Yes,’ she whispered.

‘Then let him do his job. You saved the little boy last night. He’ll save him tonight. Right now, you staying alive is just as important.’

Something that looked like guilt flittered through her eyes. ‘I don’t know about that.’

Irritation flared within him. ‘If you’re dead, how many little boys will you save?’

‘Not enough,’ she said softly. ‘Never enough,’ she added, as if to herself. She took a step back and he let his hand fall to his side, the moment over. ‘What about Delgado? We need to talk to him, if he’s still around. Knowing him, he’s probably run away.’

‘You’ve met him, too?’

‘No. I’ve gone by his place a few times, but he was never home.’ She frowned. ‘Wait. He doesn’t live in the Muñozes’ neighborhood. What was he doing there?’

‘What do you mean, he doesn’t live there? His address is a block from Elena’s.’

‘His wife and kid still live there, but Jorge moved out four years ago. Ramon’s brothers were trying to convince him to admit he’d lied. They were running out of time to file an appeal and tempers boiled over. Delgado got roughed up by one of the older Muñoz brothers. Maria said his wife also thought he was lying and made him move out. He rents a room in DC and sees his daughter on the weekends, supervised by the wife.’

‘If the wife thought he was lying, why didn’t she go to the police?’

‘I asked Maria that and she said Tina Delgado was scared that “something bad” would happen to her and her daughter.’

‘What, like Jorge would hurt them?’

‘Don’t know. Maria forgave her because she was protecting her child. I’m thinking Jorge came back after he heard about Elena to see his kid before running away.’

‘Before running? Or to see her one last time because he thought he was next?’

‘Don’t know. Not sure I care. All I know is that I need to talk to him.’

‘If he fears for his daughter’s safety, he’s not going to talk to you, Paige.’

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. ‘He might. If the incentive were right.’

Grayson shook his head. ‘No. Not gonna happen. Having to prosecute you for assault would suck.’ He leaned forward, closing the space she’d put between them. ‘Burying you would be far worse. I didn’t save your life this morning to watch you throw it away on some ill-conceived excuse for a plan. You run out of here half-cocked and whoever started the job in the garage this morning might just finish it.’

She crossed her arms over her breasts, a stubborn look on her face, but he could see his words had hit their mark. Her dark eyes churned and her chest rose and fell with the measured breaths she took. ‘Then what’s your plan, Counselor?’

An image flickered in front of his eyes, and the breaths he took were far from measured. Black hair stark against his pillow. Black eyes churning with need. All that lovely golden skin. He pushed the image aside by deliberately remembering his hands applying pressure to her sliced throat. Her blood soaking her red coat.

‘To send someone whose face isn’t all over the TV. You’re too recognizable. You show up asking questions and we show our hand. You might as well go to the cops right now, because you’d be doing the same thing.’

She shook her head. ‘If I was going to any other neighborhood, that would be true, but I can visit the Muñoz house while I’m there. Pay my respects. I was with Elena when she died. Nobody will think a thing about my going there tonight.’

‘And the target on your head?’ he demanded. ‘Did you forget about that?’

She rocked up on her toes, bringing her close enough that he could count each eyelash. ‘Of course not,’ she hissed. ‘I’m not stupid. The sooner I find out who put Delgado up to lying, the sooner the target comes off my head and I can go back to my regularly scheduled life, already in progress. Otherwise I might as well change my name, don a hooded robe, and move to a convent in Tibet, because my own life won’t be worth a damn. It’s not the greatest life going, but it’s mine and I aim to keep it.’

He slowly straightened. Of all people, he understood what it was like to have to hide from someone bound and determined to kill him. It was why he and his mother had run away. Why they’d taken new names. He’d spent a lifetime looking over his shoulder. They hadn’t deserved it nearly thirty years ago. Paige didn’t deserve it now.

‘You’re right,’ he murmured.

She eased back as well, suspicious. ‘I am?’

‘Yes. You can’t hide forever. We need to know. Sooner versus later and before Delgado goes under. Get your things. We’ll take my car.’

She hesitated. ‘Wait. What? You’re coming with me?’

‘You’re not going alone. Call me old-fashioned, but that’s how I roll.’