The Edge of Night (13 page)

“Can I see Meghan?”

“Not yet. She’s speaking with a counselor.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

They continued on to the viewing room and took seats in the back. Santiago’s interview with Jack Bishop was in progress.

“Who gave her the alcohol?” Santiago asked.

“I did,” Jack replied.

“What else?”

“We smoked some pot.”

“Yours?”

“Yeah.”

“How drunk was she?”

Jack’s expression was belligerent. “She stumbled a little, but she could walk. She knew what she was doing.”

“What was she doing?”

“Hanging all over me! Whispering in my ear. She asked me to take her away from the party so we could be alone.”

“Where did you go?”

“Near the pier.”

“Any reason you went there?”

Jack shrugged. “It’s kind of private, I guess. There are a lot of shadows.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I’m not going to lie. She’s a cute girl, and I wanted to hook up with her.”

“You wanted to have sex with her?”

“Yeah.”

“And was she interested in the same thing?”

“I think so. She was kissing me, touching me. Then her crazy boyfriend came and attacked me for no reason.”

“Her boyfriend?”

“Eric Hernandez.”

“Why do you think he hit you?”

“Because he was jealous. He caught me by surprise, too. The first punch stunned me, and I was so disoriented, I didn’t fight back. He even kicked me.” Jack stood and lifted his shirt, showing dark bruises along his rib cage. “He’s a fucking maniac!”

“After the altercation, did you go back to the party?”

He sat back down. “No, I went to my car and passed out for a while. I didn’t want anyone to know Eric beat me up.”

“Did you see Cristina Lopez again that night?”

“I didn’t see anyone. In the morning, when I felt well enough, I drove home.”

Santiago leaned back in his chair. He wasn’t buying any of Jack’s bullshit. “Are you aware that Meghan’s brother is a police officer?”

Jack paled beneath his surfer tan. “No.”

“Well, he is. He brought her in this morning, and she has a very different story.”

“She’s lying.”

Santiago took a photo out of his briefcase and slid it across the table. “Do you know who that is?”

Jack grimaced when he saw it. “It’s … Cristina,” he whispered, looking away. For the first time in the duration of the interview, he appeared contrite. He pushed the picture back to Santiago, his eyes watery.

“We found her under the pier this morning, dead. She’d been raped.”

Jack shook his head, wordless.

“It’s time for you to get real. Meghan Young said you were holding her down and tearing off her clothes. We have a witness who corroborates her version of the story, not yours. And we have a second victim in the same place.”

“No,” Jack said.

“Things are not looking good for you, Jack. Are you ready to tell me the truth, or should I go ahead and book you on murder charges?”

Jack stared up at the ceiling, pressing his lips together.

Santiago gathered his paperwork, preparing to leave.

“Okay,” Jack said, his voice hoarse. “I got a little rough with Meghan. But I swear to God, I didn’t do anything to Cristina. I’m not a killer.”

“Just a rapist?”

“No!”

“Why don’t you tell me what really happened under the pier?”

Jack crossed his arms over his chest, sullen. “After I kissed her, Meghan started laughing.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“How did that make you feel?”

“Angry. I wanted her to stop, so I grabbed the front of her shirt. She twisted away, and it tore down the front.”

“You tore her shirt?”

“It was an accident.”

“Did she stop laughing?”

“Yeah.”

“Then what?”

“I let her roll over, because I didn’t want her to … see me.”

“Why not?”

A dark flush crept up his face, reddening his cheeks. “The last girl I was with said I was … small. Since then I’ve been self-conscious about it.”

“Did you want to punish her for laughing? Make her pay?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “That wasn’t it at all.”

“Come on, Jack.”

“I wasn’t going to hurt her!”

“You turned her over and yanked down her pants,” Santiago said in an even tone. “Then you ripped her underwear off her body. Are you seriously trying to tell me that your intention wasn’t rape?”

He appeared nauseous. “I only wanted to look at her.”

“Right,” Santiago scoffed.

“I just wanted to look at her … and use my hand, okay?” His voice rose, almost breaking, and his eyes filled with tears. “I figured she wouldn’t mind that much. She was so drunk, she might not even remember.”

Santiago was silent, weighing Jack’s words.

“I was drunk, too, and … I wasn’t thinking clearly. It was stupid. But it wasn’t rape.”

“What happened after Hernandez came?”

“Like I said—he beat the shit out of me, and I went back to my car. I didn’t see anyone. I could hardly walk.”

The interrogation continued for another hour, but Jack didn’t change his story. Although he admitted to sleeping with Cristina Lopez—the girl who’d made fun of his penis—he was vehement in his claim that he hadn’t seen her after the altercation. And he insisted that his intention with Meghan had never been rape.

The mood in the viewing room was subdued. Everyone in the police department wanted to catch the killer. The SVU team would have liked to book Jack Bishop on a serious sexual-assault charge, but he’d probably end up with a slap on the wrist for lewd conduct.

Noah had barely managed to contain himself during the interview. He tried not to entertain thoughts of violent retribution.

For the first time in his life, it sucked to be a cop.

Santiago didn’t take him off the case, but he did send him home early. Eric Hernandez had mentioned seeing some Eastside guys at the taco stand, so Patrick and another gang-unit officer would be following up on that.

In the meantime, the homicide investigators were searching for a connection between the two murders.

Noah wanted to stay and help, but Meghan needed him, too. He spoke with her sexual-assault counselor, who recommended that he let his sister recover at her own pace. He should be available and supportive, not smothering. To his surprise, the psychologist had recommended that Noah as well as Meghan should attend counseling. Family members of sexual-assault victims often dealt with feelings of rage, helplessness, and guilt.

He admitted that he was struggling with those same emotions and promised to keep himself healthy, for Meghan’s sake.

When he saw his sister again, she looked exhausted. Respecting her boundaries, he didn’t touch her as they left the station, and they barely spoke on the way home. There was an old-fashioned burger joint near his house that reminded him of the soda fountain in Cedar Glen, so he stopped there.

She picked at her meal, but drank most of a vanilla milk shake. Some of the color returned to her cheeks. A good night’s sleep would diminish the circles under her eyes.

Noah could use some rest himself.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She dragged a French fry through ketchup, drawing a slick red line across her plate. “No. Do you want to talk about your sex life?”

“It wasn’t sex, Meghan.”

“Are you going to tell Mom?”

“No. Are you?”

She shrugged, abandoning the mutilated French fry. “She’ll want me to come home.”

Noah didn’t dispute that, but he wasn’t going to send her back like an unwanted gift. As uncomfortable as he was admitting it, Meghan was an adult now. He couldn’t decide what was best for her. “I have some time off tomorrow—”

“No,” she interrupted.

“You don’t even know what I was going to ask.”

“An outing, to cheer me up?”

He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “I have a date,” he admitted. “And she has a daughter. I told her about you.”

There was a flicker of interest in her eyes. “How old is she?”

He knew that Meghan liked kids. She used to earn pocket money babysitting and had been a favorite among the parents in their hometown. “She’s five. I said I’d take them to Wave City and bring you along. I think you’re the reason she agreed.”

She snorted. “You must be losing your touch.”

“You could be right.”

“So you want me to babysit the little girl, keep her out of your way?”

“No,” he said, frowning. “It was supposed to be a family thing.”

She studied his face for a moment. “You like her.”

“Yes.”

“She’s divorced?”

“I think she never got married.”

“Hmm. As much as I approve of you dating someone who doesn’t sound like your usual type, I don’t think I’m up for an amusement-park adventure right now. Besides, that wouldn’t work out as well for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“It would end up with me instead of you playing with the kid. And that wouldn’t impress her mommy.” Noah smiled. “Good point. But I can always cancel.”

“Why?”

He just stared at her.

“You don’t need to stay home with me, Noah,” she said, throwing her napkin down. “I’m fine.”

He paid the check and followed her outside, wishing he didn’t feel so fucking ineffectual. She wasn’t fine. And he couldn’t do a damned thing about it.

12

April didn’t sleep well. Again.

Last night at Club Suave, she’d heard the news about the latest murder. All of the waitresses were terrified. The police hadn’t made any definitive arrests, but they were investigating a link between the two crimes. According to Carmen, the second victim had worked with Eric at Bonita Market.

April was worried for him, and for Josefa, who was still MIA.

Noah’s kiss had also dominated her thoughts. She’d been afraid that her memories of Raul would interfere with her enjoyment, but she hadn’t thought of Jenny’s father at all when Noah put his hands on her. She’d been too busy kissing him back, moaning into his mouth. If she hadn’t felt the cool metal of his gun tucked into the waistband of his pants, she might have completely forgotten herself.

Flushing with heat, she opened the top drawer of her dresser and took out her new bikini. It looked even skimpier than she remembered. Nibbling on her lower lip, she grabbed her other suit, comparing the two. The demure tankini showed a lot of wear and tear. The message it sent was
unavailable
.

The bikini, on the other hand, said
hot for it
.

Reminding herself that this was a date and that it was okay to look sexy, she tugged on the new bikini. It was mostly white, with flashy gold geometric shapes. Black strings held the top together, securing at the nape of her neck and the middle of her back.

There were two more ties at each hip.

Brevity was an issue, but the fabric covered all of the essential parts. She turned, checking out her backside in the mirror. There was nothing indecent about the fit. Some of her low-rise jeans revealed more.

She called Jenny in for a second opinion. “What do you think?”

Her eyes lit up with approval. “Your boobs look pretty.”

April laughed, adjusting the triangle top. She was more concerned about the bikini bottoms, which exposed her hips and tummy, but Jenny had been fixated on breasts lately. April blamed the anatomically correct Bratz doll that Josefa had bought her. Underneath her hoochie outfit, the doll had sparkly underwear and plush boobies. “Thanks.”

Jenny frowned at her own flat chest. “When will I get them?”

“When you’re sixteen,” she said, hoping that was true. April had developed early and remembered feeling self-conscious about it. She hugged Jenny close, dropping a kiss on top of her head. “Don’t grow up too soon, okay?”

Jenny squirmed away. “Why can’t Eric come?”

She sighed, choosing a green sundress from her closet. “Eric’s not invited. But you’ll have lots of fun. Don’t worry.”

Jenny often picked up on April’s nervousness and then mirrored it. Today was no exception. Changes in their routine also caused her energy level to skyrocket. She’d been bouncing off the walls all morning.

While Jenny did somersaults on the living-room couch, April fussed over her appearance. Should she put her hair in a practical ponytail, or leave it soft and loose at her shoulders? Would wearing makeup to a water park look too high maintenance? Were rubber flip-flops too casual for a first date?

In the end, she left her hair down and wore the flip-flops. After applying some waterproof mascara and a touch of lip gloss, she walked out into the living room. Jenny had just spilled orange juice all over the coffee table. She was trying to mop it up—with the nice beach towels April had set aside for Wave City.

“Why did you do that?”

She blinked her big brown eyes. “It spilled itself.”

April groaned, taking the towels to the laundry basket. In Spanish, saying “the cup spilled itself” was perfectly acceptable, but the phrase didn’t translate the same way in English. April knew Jenny understood the difference.

“You spilled it,” she corrected, pointing her finger.

The only other large towels she owned were frayed and faded. She grabbed them out of the bathroom cabinet and repacked her beach bag. Then she fixed Jenny’s askew pigtails. “Go put your sandals on,” she said, swatting her bottom.

The doorbell rang a moment later.

“Oh, my God,” she breathed, holding a hand over her stomach. She was so nervous, she felt like throwing up.

What if her swimsuit was too skanky? What if Jenny did something embarrassing?

She took a deep breath, pushing aside her fears as she walked toward the front door. If Noah didn’t like her bikini, he needed to get his testosterone checked, and if bratty kids scared him off, it wasn’t meant to be.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. In a tan T-shirt and navy shorts, he appeared relaxed, casual, and achingly handsome. She could feel his gaze, even through the lenses of his sunglasses, skimming down her dress.

And—he brought flowers.

“You look beautiful,” he said, smiling. After a quick kiss on the cheek, he handed her the bouquet of Gerber daisies.

She tried not to goggle at them. “Thank you.”

“They’re for you and Jenny,” he explained.

It took her a second to realize that Jenny was standing beside her. “Come in,” she said. “I’ll put these in water.”

“Where’s your sister?” Jenny asked.

“She couldn’t come. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course,” April said, grabbing a vase from under the sink. Actually, she was relieved. Navigating the course between Noah and Jenny would be difficult enough without throwing another personality into the mix.

“I told her about you,” he continued, taking a piece of paper out of his pocket for Jenny. “And she wrote you a note.”

Jenny accepted it shyly. “What does it say?”

“Open it and see.”

April arranged the flowers in the vase, watching as Jenny unfolded the note. “It says my name!”

Noah laughed at her enthusiasm. “Yes.”

Jenny brought the note to April. “What else does it say, Mommy?”

Noah’s sister had drawn a stick figure of a little girl on a surfboard, catching a wave. April read the message. “It says,
Have fun at Wave City! Love, Meghan.
”

“Is Meghan your sister’s name?” Jenny asked.

He nodded.

“How old is she?”

“Nineteen.”

“What grade is that, Mom?”

“That’s college,
pepita.
”

She ran off, excited. “I’m going to put it in my room, with Daddy’s letters!”

April dried her hands on a dish towel, realizing that she shouldn’t have worried about Jenny misbehaving in front of Noah. The bigger concern, by far, was that her daughter would get instantly attached.

She stared at the daisies, feeling her throat close up. Like the note, they were more thoughtful than grand.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“No,” she said, swallowing. “They’re lovely.”

“You’re lovely.”

“Stop.”

He stuck his hands in his pockets, perusing her living room. When Jenny rejoined them, April picked up her tote bag, trying to stay calm. It was just a date. He wasn’t perfect. There was no reason to freak out. “Ready?”

April wondered if he thought he was driving. “We have to take my car.”

“Why?”

“Jenny’s car seat is in there.”

“My truck has an extra cab. I’m sure it will fit.”

April hesitated. She’d never allowed Jenny to ride with a stranger before. On the other hand, his truck looked brand-new, and it probably had a working air conditioner. “Okay,” she said, heading into the garage. He watched her remove the seat, and then he carried it outside for her, his biceps flexing.

She secured it in his backseat, and Jenny hopped in, smiling at the novelty. “I like your truck. It’s clean!”

“Thanks,” Noah said.

April flushed, climbing into the passenger side. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had driven her around. This was a big deal for her. It was kind of silly how infrequently she relinquished control.

He drove out of her neighborhood, merging onto the freeway a few minutes later. His truck
was
nice. Nothing fancy or oversize, but it was relatively new and smelled like interior polish. He didn’t turn on the radio.

Although he seemed at ease behind the wheel, April felt uncomfortable. The silence stretched between them.

“My sister said you might like Dora the Explorer,” Noah ventured, glancing at Jenny in his rearview mirror.

Shy again, Jenny didn’t answer.

“That’s her favorite,” April murmured.

“I’m a SpongeBob man myself.”

Jenny shifted in her seat. “Mom thinks that show is dumb.”

“Well, we know better, don’t we?”

She giggled, delighted to have a partner in bad-television crime. April gave him a chiding glance, but she couldn’t fault his strategy. Winning over Jenny would always be the way to April’s heart.

He paid for parking at Wave City, and they walked toward the front entrance. When Jenny saw the tops of the waterslides, she squeezed April’s hand, excited. “Can we go on all the rides, Mommy?”

“I don’t know if you’re tall enough for the big ones,
pepa.
”

“Have you been here before?” Noah asked.

“No,” April said. For the same price, she could take Jenny on a dozen other outings. By necessity, she was a budget mom. As they approached the line to pay, she reached for her purse, noting the exorbitant entrance fee.

“I bought our tickets online,” he explained.

She stopped digging around in her bag. “Why?”

“Why not?”

“I’ll reimburse you.”

“Don’t even think about it,” he warned.

“I’m not some charity case.”

He lowered his voice. “No, you’re my
date
. This is a date, and I pay on dates. I pay for admission, and lunch, and ice cream, and whatever else I feel like buying.”

April had never seen him annoyed before. He also looked a little tired, as if he’d been working late. She felt a pang of sympathy for him.

“Ice cream?” Jenny said, hopeful.

He stared at April, demanding her compliance.

She knew she was being prickly, even unreasonable. Paying her way kept a safe distance between them, and he wanted her to let go of her inhibitions. “All right,” she said, holding up her empty hands.

It felt kind of good to … surrender.

He gave the tickets to a park attendant, and they proceeded inside. The day was already warm, getting hotter by the minute. Jenny’s hand felt sticky in hers, and a bead of sweat trickled between her breasts.

“I guess we need a locker,” he said, buying a key on a spiral wristband. After he opened the locker, he gave the key to Jenny.

“Cool,” she said, admiring it on her wrist.

He took off his shirt and tossed it inside the locker. April tried not to gape at his muscles. His board shorts rode low on his hips, and his flat belly was dusted with golden-brown hair. Although he was lean and well toned, he didn’t have the waxed-and-sculpted look that was popular with young men these days.

He put the pretty gym boys to shame.

“Are you going to wear that all day?”

She blinked out of her stupor. Jenny had already added her outfit to the pile of clothes in the locker. Blushing, April pulled the dress over her head and folded it neatly. Noah inspected her bikini in detail, his mouth going slack. Maybe he felt that complimenting her in front of Jenny would be inappropriate, because he didn’t say anything.

She thought about covering up with a towel.

“Can I go, Mommy?”

April glanced toward a large play area for younger children. Jenny definitely fit the height requirement, and it seemed a logical place to start. She shot Noah a questioning look.

“Whatever you want,” he said, clearing his throat.

They put their towels on a couple of lounge chairs near the kid zone, and Jenny ran off, squealing with joy. It was ideal, really. April could talk to Noah while Jenny romped in the shallow water, splashing around with about a dozen other preschoolers.

April sat down in the chair, holding herself stiffly. Her bikini seemed to shrink under his appreciative gaze. Without Jenny there to chaperone, the air between them felt heated, sizzling with sexual tension.

“I like your suit,” he said.

“Um … I like your shorts.”

As soon as she said it, she wanted to cover her face with her hands and groan. The level of awkwardness was off the charts. Noah was charming and obviously polite. But she could guess that he was better at relating to women at a club or over dinner. He probably hadn’t gone on a first date with a mother and child before.

“We should talk about something cold,” he decided. “Have you ever been to Antarctica?”

She laughed. “I’ve never even seen snow.”

He took off his sunglasses. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“Not even at Mount Laguna or Palomar?”

“No.”

“It snows in Cedar Glen, where I’m from. Sometimes it melts as soon as it hits the ground, but every once in a while it snows a couple of inches. When it’s really cold, this silvery crust forms on the top. It sparkles in the moonlight.”

“Sounds pretty,” she said wistfully, watching Jenny frolic.

“It is.”

She glanced at Noah. “Why’d you leave?”

“Well, there isn’t much crime there. And I like it here, too. I like the energy, the heat.” His blue eyes met hers. “How about you?”