When the Smoke Clears (Deadly Reunions) (6 page)

Alexia stared at her friend.

She knew exactly what Serena had been thinking and why she hadn’t mentioned Devin’s presence. Serena had been protecting her. Why rub salt in old wounds that had never really healed by telling her something that would hurt her?

Still, now that she knew, the hurt spilled over. Once again, she’d been betrayed by a parent.

At least that was how it felt. That her mother would choose to let Devin live with her after what he’d done to Alexia . . . well, it just went against everything in her to accept that.

Anger burned within her as she sucked in a deep breath and schooled her features. “Oh.”

She had a feeling she hadn’t fooled Serena or the man who stood silent and observant, taking in every detail of the conversation.

“Hunter? You coming?”

Detective Isaac’s voice jarred her. Alexia blinked and ordered herself to keep it together. She’d learned at an early age not to show too much emotion. Steeling her facial muscles, she turned toward the steps where the detective stood waiting.

Hunter walked past her and into the house. Alexia started to follow when Serena took her hand. “You don’t need to go back down there.”

“Good.” Breathing a harsh sigh of relief, she looked at Serena and gave a brittle smile. “Crazy way to see each other again, isn’t it? I think I much prefer you making the trip to Washington.”

8

Monday, 7:00 p.m.

Hunter stared down at the body of the man he’d known only in passing.

Katie joined him. “You think she did it?”

“I don’t know.” The coroner had already placed the body in the bag, he just hadn’t zipped it. Serena would get Devin cleaned up and make the official call on how he died, but it was pretty obvious to Hunter. “Any sign of the weapon?”

Katie shook her head. “No. A knife is missing from the set in the kitchen. The killer must have taken it with him.”

“Assuming there was a him,” Hunter muttered.

“Right.”

With everything in him, he didn’t want to believe Alexia killed Devin, but he hadn’t seen her in ten years. He didn’t know what she was capable of. One thing he did know was that he was still attracted to her. Amazing that after ten years, he was still drawn to her haunting beauty. To the red hair that he was sure would singe his fingers should he touch it, and the eyes that looked like they’d been carved from the purest emeralds.

More than ten years ago, he’d noticed more than her beauty, though; he’d been fascinated by her strength, her character, and her dogged determination to rise above her family’s lousy reputation.

Today, he was just drawn to her. Definitely something he would have to dig deeper into at a later time.

In spite of who his father was.

He winced at the thought. Yeah, that might be a problem.

Katie rubbed her chin. “I think we should search the house. You know, cover all our bases.”

“We don’t need a warrant.” Hunter looked around, filing his personal thoughts away to be pulled out later and examined.

Katie nodded. “We’ve got probable cause. The murder weapon could be in the house somewhere.”

“CSU hasn’t found anything yet,” Hunter stated. “And there’s no evidence that says Alexia murdered Devin.”

His partner snorted. “Except the blood on her hands.”

Hunter watched the coroner zip the black body bag, then turned and headed back up the steps to find Alexia in deep conversation with Serena.

Alexia was frowning. “I know I need to go, I just don’t want to.”

“Your mother’s changed, Alexia. Give her a chance.”

“So you’ve said a dozen times.” Alexia didn’t look convinced.

Hunter watched her, curious at the expressions flitting across her face.

She chewed her lip, looked at the ground, then back at Serena. “I’ve tried to call her.”

“How often?”

“Often enough,” she mumbled.

Serena pushed. “And how many messages have you left?”

Exasperated, Alexia threw her hands up. “A couple.”

Serena lifted an eyebrow.

“Seriously, I’ve left several.”

Hunter wondered how many
several
actually translated into.

“And when she called you back, you didn’t answer, did you?” There was no condemnation in Serena’s voice, just a soft question that carried a wealth of meaning.

Alexia groaned and bit her lip. “I . . . couldn’t,” she whispered. “I just . . . couldn’t.”

“And I enabled that,” Serena said quietly.

Alexia seemed to think about that for a minute. “I guess you did. You always kept me pretty well informed. I really had no reason to talk to her.” She must have remembered that Serena hadn’t told her about Devin, because she cut her eyes at Serena and added, “At least I thought you told me everything.” She paced, lifted her head, and spotted him standing there.

“Sorry to eavesdrop,” he said.

She simply stared at him with that blank expression that was starting to dig holes in his heart. What had she gone through as a child? What had her mother done that made Alexia cut off practically all communication? Instead of voicing his questions, he said, “Just thought I’d let you know, we’re searching the house.”

The blank stare morphed into a frown. “For what?”

“The murder weapon.”

“But he took it . . .” Realization dawned and her lips thinned. “Oh. You still think I did it.”

Hunter held up a hand. “Just call it covering all our bases.” He used Katie’s reasoning. “A knife is missing from the block in the kitchen. Did you go in there? Move it?”

She frowned. “No. I heard something in the basement practically the moment I walked in the door. I didn’t touch anything in the kitchen.” Alexia bit her lip, then focused her gaze on his. “Do I need to call a lawyer?”

Letting out a sigh, he said, “That’s certainly your right.”

9

Monday, 8:57 p.m.

Alexia felt a surge of satisfaction. She’d passed on the lawyer. The fingerprint results would prove she’d been nowhere near the kitchen. And they’d searched the house—and her car—and found nothing.

She knew they wouldn’t.

Serena had offered to let Alexia stay with her until the crime scene cleanup crew could get out to the house and take care of the basement. Alexia appreciated the offer and decided to take her friend up on it. Only she had one stop to make first.

The hospital.

She had to or the guilt would consume her.

Glancing at the time on her cell phone, she saw that it was pushing 9:00. And still her mother’s neighbors watched the action from across the street. Some even stood just beyond the nearest cruiser. She wanted to holler at them to go home.

The need to escape made her nerves jump and her palms itch. She wanted to go straight to Serena’s and crawl under the covers. Instead, she called the nurses’ station and found she could come see her mother, even stay the night with her if she chose to do so.

She didn’t. She couldn’t. At least not yet.

But she did need to break the news to her about Devin.

And to avoid giving her mother a heart attack, she told the nursing staff to let the woman know Alexia was on her way to see her.

She wondered if her mom would believe them. She wondered if her mother would be awake. Alexia hesitated. Maybe she should wait until morning. But the guilt pressed in on her. Even if her mother was asleep, someone would pass the word on that Alexia had been there. She’d tried. Right?

Hunter watched her from the front steps, his eyes intense. He’d told her she could leave, go to the hospital, but . . .

Emergency vehicles still loitered at her mother’s curb, and she felt weird leaving, even though she was no longer needed. She reached to open the door to her car.

“Alexia? Is that you?”

Spinning, she spotted the owner of the question. A fit young woman with a ponytail, in jogging shorts and a tank top, stood at the edge of her mother’s yard. “Yes, who’re you?”

A smile crossed the woman’s mouth as she approached. “I’m Lori Tabor. I graduated with you—we only had a couple of classes together.”

Vaguely, Alexia was able to dredge up a memory. “Really shy? The photographer for the yearbook committee?”

Lori let out a small laugh. “Yes, that’s me. I suppose I figured as long as I was taking pictures I wouldn’t have to talk to people except to tell them to stand still and smile. Fortunately, I’ve matured a little since then.” She nodded to the house where the children played. “My brother, Avery, lives there. I keep his kids for him sometimes when he has to work late at the hospital. He’s a doctor.”

“Ah.” She really wanted to get going. “Well, it was nice seeing you. Maybe we’ll run into each other again soon.”

“Sure.” She glanced at the still-active house. “Is everything all right? The officer who came to question me said someone was killed. I’m so sorry.”

“I am too. It was Devin Wickham.”

Shock lifted the woman’s brow. “You’re kidding! Devin? That’s horrible. I knew your mother was letting him live there.”

“Yes, just until he could get back on his feet.”

Lori nodded. “When I heard she let him move in, I wasn’t surprised. She’s always helping someone. When do you think they’ll release her from the hospital?”

“I . . . uh . . . I’m not sure.” The need to hurry bit at her while the desire to question Lori about Devin had her pausing. But she had to see her mother. “In fact that’s where I’m heading now. And while I hate to rush off, it’s already late and I really need to try and see her tonight.”

“Oh! Sure, I didn’t mean to keep you. Tell her I’ll be by to see her tomorrow sometime.”

That stopped Alexia. “You’re good friends with my mom?”

Lori smiled, her even white teeth flashing. “Yes. She makes the best pot roast. I think she feeds my brother and his kids at least twice a week. Since I’m the kids’ nanny, I generally benefit from her generosity. And I drive her to church sometimes. The kids just love her and she dotes on them like a grandmother.”

Really? Her mother did that? Keeping her shock from showing wasn’t easy, but she did her best. “Wow, that’s really sweet of her.”

“I know. We just love her. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do for her.”

Alexia offered a reassuring smile. “Well, thank you. I’ll be sure to let you know. If you plan to visit Mom, I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

“Probably.” The right corner of Lori’s lips quirked up. “I’m on the reunion committee, so I might be knocking on your door asking you to volunteer some time. If you have it.”

Alexia paused. That might actually be a good idea. It would give her access to people who knew Devin. If she was on the committee, she could ask questions without being too obvious. “I’d love to.” Digging in her purse, she pulled out a loose grocery receipt and a pen. “Here’s my cell number. Give me a call before the next meeting and I’ll try to be there.”

“Great!” Lori snatched the slip of paper like she expected Alexia to renege on her offer. “I’ll call you.”

Climbing into her car, Alexia waved goodbye and headed down the short road that would lead her out of the subdivision. She thought about Lori and wondered how the woman stayed in such great shape. Whatever it was, it kept her toned and fit. Which reminded her that she needed to make time to stay in shape. She planned to get back to work as soon as she was allowed. Because the more she thought about it, the more she realized she couldn’t just let it go. She hadn’t been negligent in her duties—but someone had wanted to make it look that way. As soon as she had things wrapped up here with her mother and the reunion, she’d go back and fight to clear her name.

With that resolved in her mind, she focused on her surroundings. Turning left, Alexia noticed the dark streets, the area of town that even ten years ago had been the one to avoid. Now, it looked much worse.

Her phone rang and she frowned as she looked at the number.

Hunter. Make that Detective Graham, she reminded herself. She pressed the button to take the call. “Hello?”

“Hi, Alexia, this is Hunter. I was wondering if we could meet. I have a couple more questions for you.”

“What kind of questions?”

She looked around. Two young men stood on the corner under a streetlamp making an exchange. Money for drugs? Probably. When her headlights framed them, they jumped and turned cold, suspicious eyes in her direction.

She checked the locks. Heard their reassuring click. Why had she come this way? She hadn’t been thinking. But truly, there was no easy way to get to the hospital from her side of town. And she’d been in a hurry, so she’d gone the shortest way.

Telling herself she’d take a different route back, she eased her way through the streets. Rolled up to the stop sign.

Wham!

Two fists slammed against her driver’s window, and she let out a scream as the face leered at her with a wicked grin. Her phone flew across the car and bounced off the passenger window. Greasy hair slapped alongside the gap-tooth mouth. The door shook as the man grabbed the handle and yanked. Alexia pressed the gas pedal, pulse thumping, heart pounding.

Her breath came in panicked pants as she left the vagrant behind screaming curses at her.

“Hey! Alexia, answer me. Are you okay?”

His voice sounded far away. Keeping her eyes on the road, she leaned over and snatched the phone from the seat. “Yes, yeah, I’m sorry. Some guy came up and pounded my window and then tried to get in my car while I was at the stop sign.”

She nearly choked while trying to slow her jackhammer heartbeat. Almost through with the bad part of town, she reassured herself. Almost. Hang in there.

Headlights came up behind her and reflected back at her from the rearview mirror. Flipping it so the lights didn’t hit her eyes, she pressed the brake. The headlights eased off even as her stomach turned a flip.

Keeping one eye on the car behind her and one on the road before her, she finally breathed a sigh of relief as she left the neighborhood behind.

“Where are you?”

“Just pulled out of Crosstown.”