Nowhere to Run (Stephanie Carovella) (42 page)

“Don’t worry, Jake. I’ll call Jesse and let him know these jackasses have arrested you. Then I’ll get you a lawyer, who will sue the L.A.P.D for their incompetence,” Stephanie snapped, fixating her glare towards Gena. “Gena, this is a new low, even for you. I hope you’re happy with yourself and your career, because after this, even Jesse won’t waste his time with you.”

Grabbing her car keys off the kitchenette bench, Stephanie glared at Delucci. “Delucci, if you think for a second Jake Carlisle is responsible for these murders, you and the L.A.P.D are even bigger idiots than I thought. You want to arrest him, by all means do.” Turning to Jake, she said firmly, “Jake, don’t you say a damn word until I get you a lawyer.”

“Gena, are you ready?” Delucci asked.

“Stephanie, I’ll come with you. We can take my car,” Rafe offered, reaching out to take her arm and lead her to his 4-wheel drive.

Stephanie shook her head. “No. I’m going to follow Delucci and Gena down to the station. Don’t take this personally, but there’s nothing you can do right now.”

“There’s a killer out there -”

“Who has no chance in hell of harming me while I’m with the L.A.P.D,” Stephanie said firmly, softening her tone when she saw the anger glinting in his eyes. “Rafe, thank you, but I’ll be fine.”

Gena ignored the interaction between Rafe and Stephanie, staring straight ahead. Taking Jake’s arm, she led him out to the unmarked Crown, Stephanie following closely behind.

Chapter Forty-Two

Gena watched Jake pace the interrogation room, a lump developing in her throat. This felt
wrong
to her, so very, very wrong. She couldn’t believe this man, who she once called her lover, was capable of slitting a woman’s throat. She couldn’t imagine him capable of torturing any woman.

Yet here he was, waiting to be identified as their possible serial killer. He had been
named
by Barbara Madden. She closed her eyes, remembering the way he’d once touched her. His touch had never been anything but loving.

Her eyes filling with tears, she quickly blinked them back when Sandra entered the room. “I thought I’d find you here,” Sandra murmured. Aware of Gena’s distress, she reached out to touch her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Gena sighed heavily, using her jacket sleeve to wipe away further evidence of her distress. “My ex-lover has just been named by Barbara Madden as someone who may have raped and tortured Carolyn Mathers. He’s been accused of raping, killing and torturing my best friend. He may have murdered a string of co-eds and God knows how many more. So, what the hell do you think?” she snapped, frustration making her lash out.

“Your ex-lover…” Sandra broke off, anger showing on her own face. “Damn it, Gena, you are too emotionally involved. I warned you before you that were in too deep. You need to step down and let someone else take over.”

“Hell will freeze over before that happens, Sandra,” Gena growled, tearing her gaze from Jake to glare at Sandra. Edgily, she asked, “Is Jase still with Cynthia?”

Sandra nodded curtly, her eyes focused on Jake. “She’s not awake yet. She’s the only one who may actually be able to identify our killer, apart from Barbara Madden.”

Gena said nothing, her own gaze drifting back to Jake.

“You don’t think he did it, do you?” Sandra asked, watching Gena close her eyes, pain flashing across her face.

“No, I don’t. I could be wrong, but I doubt it. I’ve known Jake Carlisle for close to ten years and I’ve never seen him treat a woman with anything but respect.”

“Everyone has a dark side, an inner beast. Some are just better at hiding it than others. Gena, you should know this better than anyone. How many times have we seen some of the sickest sons of a bitches act like they’re normal? How many of them have been married with the appearance of the perfect family life? Jake Carlisle could be the same.”

Gena ignored her, watching as Jake was lead out of the interrogation room. He’d already answered countless of questions in the four hours he’d been at the Precinct. He’d been calm and collected. To anyone, who didn’t know him, he was the picture of the cooperative suspect. Gena knew better. She’d sat across from him and watched the ice-cold fury glittering in his eyes. She knew, once this was over, there would be hell to pay.

She also knew Delucci was frustrated by how the interview had gone down. Jake had refused to discuss anything without a lawyer present. Gena’s lips twisted into a grin. Stephanie had pulled out all the stops. She’d hired Emily Watson, from Watson, Babcock and Phillips, one of the biggest Law Firms in L.A.

Delucci had been furious when Emily Watson had shown up. The lawyer was one of the top criminal lawyers in the country and didn’t pull any punches. She’d made it clear to Delucci, that there was no way in hell he was holding Jake without concrete evidence. Gena’s grin widened. Every time Delucci had opened his mouth, Emily Watson had shut him down. The anger radiating off Delucci by the end of the interview had been scorching hot.

“Is your witness here?” she asked Sandra, who nodded.

“As soon as Jake Carlisle was arrested, I called her and advised her we would bring her in, so we could put him in a lineup. Uniforms picked her up 15 minutes ago.”

Gena took a deep breath, saying softly, “Let’s do this then.” Following Sandra, her heart pounding, she struggled to come to terms with the possibility Jake Carlisle was their killer. Anxiously, she rubbed her sweaty palms against her thighs. It didn’t make sense. If he was their killer, then where did Leigh Walker fit into all of this?

Had he framed Leigh Walker? Had he taken the time to plant evidence in Walker’s apartment to shift the blame? Or were two killers working together? She toyed with the possibility, before rejecting it. No, this killer was a solo act. He would never let anyone share in his work. He took too much pride in his killings. He liked to have complete control.

As she walked, she found herself thinking back over each case. She struggled to imagine Jake killing Angel. She couldn’t. Nor could she imagine him becoming so obsessed with Stephanie that he would kill for her. Stopping abruptly, she leaned against the corridor wall, trying to organize her thoughts. She’d seen Jake’s face when he’d been arrested. He’d been stunned by the accusation. Like Stephanie, he’d never been good at revealing his emotions. He usually hid how he was feeling and, again like Stephanie, he put up walls that were impenetrable.

His stunned look unnerved her, almost as much as the hatred pouring off Stephanie when Gena had cuffed Jake. She knew Stephanie was angry. She’d known Dominic’s death had been ruled suspicious, but she hadn’t been able to tell anyone, let alone Stephanie. She’d known Stephanie would be furious at being kept in the dark. She’d expected it. She just hadn’t expected her to react quite like this.

Rubbing her fingers against her temple, she closed her eyes. These murders were destroying her life. Not just personally, but also professionally. She’d be lucky to still have a job after all of this was over. If the Top Brass knew how closely linked she was to these murders, she’d be toast. Opening her eyes, she scowled. Who was she kidding? She was screwed anyway. The fact that she’d concealed her familiarity with not just the victims, but one of their main suspects, was going to come back to bite her in the ass.

But, damn it, she knew Jake wasn’t guilty. All they had was the word of a woman, whose behavior was suspect at best. Barbara Madden had disappeared without a trace. She didn’t look back, or think twice about it. She’d quit her job and disappeared. Only now was she resurfacing. Gena couldn’t help but wonder if this was all part of a game the serial killer was playing. Was Barbara Madden another puppet? Was he pulling her strings too?

She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t justifiably nail Jake to the wall without any concrete evidence. As a cop, she knew she had to play by the rules. She had to keep her mind open to all the possibilities. But she couldn’t. Where Jake was concerned, she couldn’t think like a cop. She thought like a woman. A woman, who – she realized – still loved him. Taking a deep breath, she made her decision. She was already going to face disciplinary action for not stepping aside after Angel was murdered. She should have stepped down, but she knew she wouldn’t have been able to sit back and watch someone sift through Angel’s life, judging her for the choices she’d made. Her feelings may have made her bias in some aspects of the case, but she still maintained they gave her the upper edge in other ways.

Sighing heavily, she knew it didn’t matter anymore; she was screwed. Jake’s arrest had sealed her fate. There was no way the top brass were going to let her anywhere near the case, once they knew, and they would find out. She’d seen Sandra’s face. She knew it wouldn’t take long for her partner to divulge what she knew to their Chief. Sandra was pissed with her. Not just because Jake was her ex-lover. No, she was pissed because she believed Gena had shut her out. Sandra was looking for recognition and she wouldn’t hesitate to screw Gena over, especially if it meant gaining all the glory for capturing a serial killer. Gena knew Sandra was ruthless enough to nail Jake to the wall in the process, if she could gain something from it.

Straightening her back, she realized she wouldn’t let her. Turning her head at footsteps approaching, she smiled grimly. Delucci nodded to her, pausing to stop outside the line-up room.

“I need to talk to you,” Gena said softly, clearing her voice before she spoke louder. “Now, Frank.”

“Can’t it wait?” Delucci asked impatiently. “The witness is going to tell us whether Carlisle is our man.”

Gena shook her head negatively. “No, it can’t. We need to talk privately.”

Delucci nodded, crooking his finger in indication for her to follow him. Gena did, her heart thumping wildly. Was she really going to do this? Taking a staggered breath, she stiffened her resolve and followed Delucci into his office. “Now, Gena, what’s so important you need to talk to me at such an important time.”

“Jake didn’t do this, Frank,” Gena burst out, stumbling over her words. “I know he didn’t.”

“Gena, I know you’re emotionally involved with Jake -”

 “Frank, we’re lovers, Jake and I. We’ve been lovers for years. He didn’t kill these girls. I know because…because the night Cynthia disappeared and Ana was murdered, Jake was with me.”

Delucci fell silent. His eyes narrowing, he watched the emotions playing over Gena’s face. Unlike Stephanie Carovella, Gena couldn’t hide her feelings. They showed in the way her voice trembled when she spoke. They revealed themselves in her facial expressions and body language. She was lying. He didn’t know the reason behind it, but he knew she was. Slowly he asked, “Gena, are you sure you want to do this?”

Gena blanched white. “Do what, Frank? I’m telling you I was with Jake when, at least one of our victims, was killed. I’m his alibi.”

“Gena, you realize this could end badly for you. If Jake is -” Delucci scowled when Gena cut him off again.

“I don’t care. I was with Jake the night Ana died,” she insisted stubbornly, her voice shaky.

“Damn it Gena, think about what you’re doing. Don’t throw away your career for Jake Carlisle.”

Gena shook Delucci’s hand off her arm when he grabbed it angrily. “I’ve thought about it, Frank. Hell, for the last few hours, all I’ve done is think,” she whispered, closing her eyes. Opening them again, he saw the stubborn resolve in her eyes. “And I’m telling you Frank, I was with him
that
night. I’m his alibi.”

“You’re not going to change your mind? This is your final word?” Delucci asked, watching her nod. “Fine, but you know you’re going to have to make an official statement.” He watched her nod again, saying in a low voice, “Gena, I hope you know what you’re doing. I’d hate to see a good cop throw away their career for nothing.”

“He’s not guilty, Frank. I won’t let you ruin
his
career, or make him the sacrificial lamb just because of the word of a witness – a shaky witness at best,” Gena said, fatigue hitting her suddenly. Her voice dropping into a whisper, she said, “I know him Frank. He isn’t a killer. I won’t let him be treated like one. I won’t let him be a scapegoat. Not now, not ever.”

“Even, if it means destroying your own career?” Delucci asked, shaking his head. “He better be worth it.”

“He is,” Gena said quietly. Taking a deep breath, she added, “I know I’m going to be kicked off these cases, anyway, but I want to be there when Barbara Madden faces the line-up.” Knowing Delucci could stop her from joining him in the line-up room, she placed her hand on his arm, begging him, “Please Frank, I need to see
her
face. I need to know whether she recognizes him. Please, let me.”

When Delucci nodded, Gena rewarded him with a small smile, her hand dropping away from his arm.

“Let’s do this,” Delucci said, placing his hand on her back and guiding her out of his office. “Once, we’ve finished up here I’ll need your official statement, Gena.” Pausing, he added, “It isn’t too late to change your mind on this.”

Gena took a deep breath, letting Delucci lead her to the lineup room. “I won’t, Frank. Not about this. I know I’m right.”

***

Sandra smiled when Gena entered the line-up room with Delucci. “Barbara, this is Detective Evans and Detective Delucci. They’re the ones who apprehended Jake Carlisle this afternoon,” she said, gently, to the brunette beside her.

The woman smiled nervously at Gena and Delucci, her attention shifting to the one-way glass window. “Will he be able to see me?”

“It’s one-way glass, which means we can see him but he won’t be able to see us,” Delucci said, adding, “Barbara all you need to do is tell us which man is Jake Carlisle. Once you point him out, then we’ll handle the rest. Can you do this for us?”

Barbara nodded tentatively, her face frozen into a tight smile. Pulling rosary beads out of her pocket she rubbed them anxiously. Sandra noticed and took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. She smiled when Barbara gratefully gripped her hand.

Gena observed them silently, turning her attention to the empty room, knowing as soon as Delucci indicated, the room would fill up with the lineup and this woman would have the final say on Jake Carlisle’s fate. “Are you ready?” she asked, her voice harsh even to her own ears.