Suspicion (12 page)

  The separation would only be for a short while, she reminded herself. As soon as this mess with Eric was cleared up, Alison would come home. They would celebrate in style, go to Disney World perhaps, or to Aspen. How long had it been since they had gone skiing together?

  "I guess you’re right." Trying not to think of how lonely the house would be without her daughter, Kate stood up. "I’ll stop by in the morning with some of her clothes. Maybe she’ll be ready to talk to me by then."

  Rose linked her arm with Kate’s and together they walked toward the door. "I’m sure she will, dear. Meanwhile, don’t worry about your little girl. We’ll take good care of her."

  Not sure if Alison was still awake, Rose tiptoed to her room, peering through the partially open door.

  "Hi, Grandma."

  "I thought you were asleep." Smiling, Rose walked in and came to sit on the bed with its lacy pillows and pink comforter.

  The small night lamp on the bureau cast a gentle glow over the room. Rose hadn’t changed a thing. The stuffed animals that had delighted Alison’s childhood were still displayed on a shelf, and her favorite doll, an Orphan

  Annie with a missing eye, still held the place of honor on a chintz-covered chair.

  "How are you, pumpkin?" Rose pushed a strand of golden hair from the child’s smooth forehead. "All recovered from your little adventure?"

  Under the comforter, Alison shrugged. "I guess so."

  "You scared your mother half to death, you know. She was imagining all sorts of terrible things-"

  "No, she wasn’t. She doesn’t care about me." That familiar rebellious look Alison had adopted of late was back. "If she did, she wouldn’t have divorced Daddy."

  Rose felt a small twist of pain. She had no idea the girl still harbored such deep resentment toward her mother. "You’re wrong, Alison. Your mother cares very much. And she thought long and hard before divorcing your father. But she had no choice, you see. She wasn’t happy anymore."

  "Why didn’t she tell him that and talk it over with him, the way she does with me all the time?"

  "They did talk it over, pumpkin. But eventually they reached a point where splitting up seemed like the only thing to do. Just as Eric’s father and I did when we realized we couldn’t live together anymore."

  "That’s different," Alison argued. "Daddy was already sixteen when you divorced my other grandpa. And right after that, he moved into this great big house where he could do all sorts of fun things. Mom and I moved to Cleveland Park." She made a contemptuous sound. "We don’t even have a garage. And Mom is always bugging me to turn my music down."

  Rose smiled. "You had to do that here, too."

  Alison made a pout. "It wasn’t the same. Nothing is the same."

  "Things will get better, Alison, I promise. You just

  have to give your mother a chance. You have to stop being so angry with her. That’s the root of all your problems."

  "I hate it when she talks to that detective Mitch Calhoon."

  "Why is that?"

  "He’s in love with her."

  Startled by that unexpected reply, Rose raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that?"

  "The way he looked at her when he was investigating Lilly’s murder. And the way he talked to her. It was different than when he talked to Maria."

  "Well, I wouldn’t know about that, but I can’t say I’m surprised. Your mother is a beautiful woman. She is also smart, warm and generous. I can see why a man would be interested in her." She cocked her head to the side and smiled. "Don’t you?"

  Rose’s gently teasing tone had no effect on Alison. "Not him," she said stubbornly. "I hate him. He wants to put Daddy in jail."

  Rose sighed. She couldn’t offer much of an argument there. Almost everyone, it seemed, wanted to put Eric in jail. "Your mother isn’t going to let that happen, pumpkin," she whispered as she bent to kiss her granddaughter’s cheek. "You can count on that."

  But she could tell by Alison’s sullen expression that she didn’t entirely believe her. Rose sat with her a moment longer, holding her hand, watching her lovingly as the girl’s eyelids began to droop. When she was certain Alison was asleep, she stood up and tiptoed out of the room.

  The bitter cold front that had plagued the East Coast for more than a week had finally ended, leaving behind

  crisp blue skies and rather mild temperatures.

  Carrying a small suitcase filled with a few of Alison’s clothes, Kate walked out of the house at seven-thirty that morning and collided with Mitch Calhoon. As she stumbled, he caught her, holding her a moment too long. The contact sent a flutter through her she would neither name nor acknowledge.

  Remembering, however, that he was the reason she had remained relatively sane the night before, she didn’t yank her arm free as she had done in front of the courthouse. Instead, she smiled, finding it surprisingly easy to do so. "Did you happen to be in the neighborhood again, Detective?"

  Amusement danced in his eyes. "No. This time, the trip was intentional. I feel somewhat responsible for what happened last night and I wanted to make sure your daughter was all right."

  Kate closed the door behind her and started toward her Saab, Mitch at her side. "Alison wasn’t angry with you, Detective. She was angry with me. She ran away to punish me."

  "Because you were talking to me?"

  Kate nodded. "She adores her father. The thought that he might be arrested and put in jail frightens her very much."

  "Where is she now?"

  "At her grandparents’ house. She’ll be staying there for a while. And in case you thought I was skipping town," she added with a small smile as she held out the suitcase, "I’m not. These are Alison’s clothes."

  She didn’t tell him that she had spent half the night wondering if Alison would ever want to live with her

  again. It was bad enough that she thought about it constantly, she didn’t want to hear herself say it out loud.

  "And I bet you miss her already." His voice was gentle, as though he understood what she was going through.

  "More than she’ll ever know." She looked up at him, squinting against the morning sun. "Is there anything new on the murder?"

  "They found Eric’s car."

  Kate arched a brow. "Really? Where?"

  "One mile south of Fredericksburg, Virginia."

  "Any sign of Eric?"

  "No, but a desk clerk at a nearby motel remembers him. He checked in at about eight o’clock on Tuesday morning, paid cash for the room and left it a few hours later. Another witness saw him hitch a ride."

  "In which direction?"

  "South on 1-95."

  "Well, Alison will be happy to hear that he’s all right. She’s been very worried about him."

  Inside the house, the phone began to ring. Kate ignored it and opened her car, tossing the suitcase on the passenger seat.

  "Aren’t you going to answer that?" Mitch asked.

  "The machine will pick it up. I’ve got to go."

  She was sliding behind the wheel when her car phone started ringing.

  "Somebody wants you pretty bad." Although Mitch’s tone was light, he was watching her intently. Because she didn’t want to give him a reason to be more suspicious than he already was, she picked up the receiver. And instantly regretted it.

  "Kate, it’s me. Eric."

  She glanced at Mitch, who was still watching her. "Hello, Frankie."

  "Frankie?" Eric paused. "What’s the matter? Can’t you talk?"

  She brushed an imaginary crumb from her camel-hair coat and tried to keep her voice level. "No, I haven’t forgotten about my appointment with William Fox. I’ll drop off Alison’s clothes and go to the police station from there. Detective Calhoon stopped by. That’s why I’m running a little late."

  "The cops." There was a low groan, then a click. Eric had hung up.

  "My secretary." Kate put on a smile she hoped wasn’t too phony and snapped the receiver back in place. "I don’t know what I would do without her." She wondered if he bought the act. She hoped so. Any suspicion on the part of the police and they’d have the house wired in a heartbeat.

  "I see you’re in a hurry, so I won’t keep you." Mitch regarded her for another few unsettling seconds before adding, "By the way, if you need to take a look at Gina’s apartment, my team is all done there."

  The tension eased off Kate’s shoulders. "I’d like that very much. Thank you."

  "No problem. I’ll call the super and let him know you’ll be stopping by."

  "I hope your people left something for me to find," she said in a playful tone.

  A smile curved his mouth, creating a small groove at one corner. "Don’t count on it."

  She closed her door and rolled down the window. "Since you’re in such a generous mood, you wouldn’t happen to have the crime-lab results, too, would you? And be willing to share them? It would save me a call to Ren check’s office."

  Mitch laughed. "What would it be worth to you if I did?"

  She met his gaze, "I suppose I could return the favor-at some point."

  He stuck his head through the window, coming close enough for her to notice the fine lines around his blue eyes and how they deepened when he smiled. "I have a confession to make, Counselor. I’m a greedy sort of guy. I like to collect my rewards right away. How about dinner tonight and we’ll call it even?"

  Kate laughed. "It’s more than I’ve paid for a favor in a long time."

  "Then I’ll appreciate it even more."

  For a moment, she was tempted to say yes. When was the last time she had been out with a handsome, attentive man? Had felt attractive? And wanted. Reluctantly, she pushed the thought out of her mind. There was Alison to consider. Until the two of them had made some kind of truce, she didn’t want to do anything that would upset her further.

  "I’m afraid I can’t," she said without offering an explanation. "Maybe another time?"

  To his credit, he didn’t push her. "All right, Counselor. I’ll hold you to that promise."

  She leaned back against her seat. "About the lab results?"

  "Ah, yes, the lab results." Serious again, Mitch glanced up and down the street. "The autopsy confirmed what we already knew. Gina Lamont died of strangulation. There were scratches on her neck, but they came from her own fingernails as she tried to loosen her killer’s grip."

  Kate felt a surge of pity for the woman. No one deserved to die that way. "Any skin residue under her fingernails?"

  Mitch shook his head. "Just her own."

  "Any fibers? On her body? Her bedding?"

  "A few. All were of some black cotton fabric. It’ll be a few days before its origin can be determined."

  "Eric wasn’t wearing black the night of the murder."

  His glance was quick and sharp. "How do you know?"

  Heat rushed to her cheeks. Stupid, she thought, biting her bottom lip. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  "He came to see you that night, didn’t he?" The playfulness was gone from the detective’s voice. He was all business now. "Eric was here."

  It was another few seconds before she could speak. "Yes," she admitted, turning to look at him. "But I never saw him again after that."

  "What time was he here?"

  "Ten- fifteen."

  "Why didn’t you mention it before?"

  "Because I didn’t want to subject myself to the kind of interrogation I’m being subjected to now." She held his hard blue stare as long as she could, then turned her head away.

  "What did he want, Kate?"

  She expelled a long breath. Either she told him the truth and hoped he believed her, or he would have no choice but take her in for questioning. Deciding to follow her instincts, she opted for the truth. "He came hoping to borrow Alison’s trust fund. Gina wanted two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in exchange for the tape."

  "I take it you turned him down."

  She nodded.

  "Then what did he do?"

  "He left."

  His eyes, always watchful, followed a school bus as it drove by. "Was he angry?" he asked, returning his attention to her. "Did he threaten anyone?"

  "Eric doesn’t get angry, Detective. Eric whines, he begs, he cajoles, but he doesn’t get angry. And he never threatens."

  "Have you heard from him since?"

  On the steering wheel, her knuckles turned white. She forced herself to relax her grip. "No. And I don’t expect to." She hated that she was getting so good at lying. But what else could she do? If Mitch knew Eric had contacted her a second time, he would have no choice but to tap her phone.

  Rather than give him a chance to decide if she was lying or telling the truth, she changed the subject. "By the way, I can’t remember if I thanked you for all your help last night, but in case I didn’t, I’d like to do it now." She gave him an apologetic smile. "I don’t usually come unglued the way I did, but the thought that Alison was alone on the streets was more than I could handle. I guess you would have to be a parent to understand that kind of fear."

  An expression she couldn’t quite define flashed in his eyes. In the time it took her to see it, it was gone.

  "I’m glad I was there."

  Kate glanced at the dashboard clock. "I’d better get going. I have just enough time to make it to Potomac before Alison leaves for school."

  "Right."

  She waited until Mitch had reached his Ford before pulling away from the curb. As she passed him, she touched her horn and drove off.

  "Mr. Fox," Kate said gently as she and her new client sat facing each other in an interview room, "you hired me to do a job, but unless you cooperate with me, I won’t be able to do that job well. And I certainly won’t be able to get you out on bail."