Insinuations Read online

  So Kathryn had recently shared a cigarette and some conversation with TJ, a man she believed to have helped Hobbs escape, who allegedly killed a goat for no reason. The mere idea that all of it could be true made Jordan sick to her stomach, more so with every moment it was sinking in.

  “Did you try to warn your daughter then?”

  “Do you ever listen? I believe TJ has his hands full if he helped Hobbs—which is the only thing that makes sense here.”

  “Is this woman for real?”

  Jordan jumped. She hadn’t even heard Derek come back in until he voiced his frustration.

  “She’ll say whatever. He’s not coming after them, or me.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Derek asked.

  “I know what you want to say, Derek. I’ll make it easier on you. I can’t be off the case. There I thought my family history sucked, go figure, it’s even worse than I could have imagined.”

  “Let’s have the lieutenant make that decision, and meanwhile, dig a little deeper into Pratt’s history.”

  “Animal cruelty…You think he’s been moving up in the world?” Jordan asked tiredly. “Like I need another serial killer in my life, my father no less.”

  “I know this is bad, but if anything, this means you’re the poster child for overcoming bad family history. You have nothing in common with either of them.”

  “Except DNA.” Jordan sighed, rubbing her temples which did nothing to alleviate her headache.

  She could have sworn there was a hint of anger in his gaze when he looked back at Kathryn. Don’t, she wanted to say. Any emotion is wasted on these people—they won’t change. There was one thought on her mind, though, that she couldn’t erase thinking about the woman that meant so little to her in the present.

  You should have protected me.

  “First of all, we need to check in at the safe house,” she said. All of a sudden, that seemed like a priority, whether she believed Kathryn or not.

  * * * *

  “Everything is fine,” Officer Libby Marshall said. “Oh, could you tell Kate Jensen said to pick up the roses now. If she has time.”

  “Are you sure everything is okay over there?” Jordan asked. Derek, picking up on the sudden tension, looked over to her.

  “No, but she can’t forget. It’s kind of urgent.”

  Libby sounded nervous which wouldn’t be so unusual, as this was one of the bigger assignments for a rookie. Forget about that—something wasn’t right.

  “I’ll tell her.” Jordan covered the phone with her hand and mouthed to Derek, “Send units to the safe house. Right now.” She hoped Ellie was somewhere on the other side of the city today, serving and protecting far from the mess this case was about to become.

  “Okay, Libby, I’ll pass it on. Kate will go right away, do you hear me? It’ll only take a few minutes.”

  “Oh God, thank you.”

  “We’ll be right there,” Jordan promised.

  “What are you doing?” Derek asked when she picked up her coat and keys and followed him outside the double doors. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Come on, we don’t have time for this.”

  “That’s right, and you know as well as I do that you shouldn’t be anywhere near Pratt right now.”

  “You are not the boss of me!”

  “That’s right, but I am, so could someone tell me what’s going on? Henderson? Carpenter?” Both of them spun around to come face to face with an impatient lieutenant.

  “Sir, we need to go to the safe house right now. Something’s off, and we just heard from the Larsons that Pratt might be the bigger threat after all. It could be his connections, not Hobbs’s that got him out. We need to hurry.”

  “You go. Keep me updated.”

  “Will do. Thank you, sir.” There was no time for gloating. Jordan was only grateful she was still on the case, even if it might not be for much longer.

  Derek walked to his car in long angry strides, barely waited for her to fasten her seat belt before he hit the gas pedal.

  “It’s okay if you’re mad at me. Just don’t take it out on the car.”

  “Jesus, Jordan, I’m not mad at you. What if this was any other cop? You’d tell them the same!”

  “Parental tests still pending. I’m not sure I’d take the word of a drug addict for the truth.”

  “Apparently she was right about something.”

  Jordan had nothing to answer to that, so she turned her attention away from Derek, listening to dispatch instead.

  “You’re aware that the moment we get back to the lieutenant, he will take you off the case? This is not about Pratt at all, is it?”

  “I can do my job,” she said angrily.

  “We’re all aware of that, but there are other cases. You could—”

  They both froze at the voice crackling over the radio, with the rapid fire staccato of someone relating a catastrophic situation. The officer was at the safe house, and he confirmed everyone’s worst nightmare with the two words “Officer down.”

  Chapter Six

  Derek made no further attempt to hold her back when they arrived at the scene. The remote location was filled with hectic but controlled activity. An ambulance was speeding away. When they got out of the car, the coroner arrived.

  Every disturbing revelation, the confrontation with her past, the silly argument with Derek, all of it seemed irrelevant all of a sudden. The scene appeared unreal, the grim determination in the faces of their colleagues a thin layer over shock.

  They found Sergeant Bristol in the hallway, his face ashen.

  “Detectives.” He nodded to them. “In here.”

  Most of the house was pretty non-descript, impersonal décor and furniture. The living area was chaotic, armchairs overturned, bullet holes in the walls.

  Jordan forced herself to look at the body in the center of the room, lying in a pool of blood that had soaked the carpet and was already drying around the edges.

  “Oh God.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. She knew they were some of Ellie’s closest friends on the job, Kate McCarthy, Libby Marshall and Kate’s fiancé, Jensen Baker. There would be no wedding now.

  Baker had been an easygoing, happy-go-lucky kid, always friendly, the kind who did great connecting to people. Jordan didn’t know his exact age, but he couldn’t have been older than twenty-eight.

  “Do we…” She cleared her throat. “Do we know what happened in here? I had Marshall on the phone less than twenty minutes ago.”

  Sergeant Bristol pointed to the holes in the wall. “Detective Cordova who was here with Marshall and Baker was unresponsive. They’re on the way to the hospital.”

  “What about Marshall?” Jordan asked, her stomach clenching painfully with the overpowering smell of the blood.

  “It was touch and go when they left,” he said and sighed heavily. “Hobbs came for Pratt after all, and it looks like he brought reinforcement. We don’t know how many yet. They took the officers’ guns too.”

  The bad news just kept coming.

  “We think Pratt might be the one who orchestrated all of this,” Jordan told him. “And we went for it, gave him the perfect setup.”

  “No one knew for sure, there was nothing in his history to suggest this could happen,” Derek reminded her. “Hobbs has the rap sheet to go with this kind of violence.”

  “Find them. Excuse me now,” Sergeant Bristol said. “I have to contact Officer Baker’s parents and go to the hospital after.”

  “Sergeant,” Jordan called after him. “Does Officer McCarthy know?”

  “Frankly, I’m not sure. I’ll send someone after her, make sure she’s okay.”

  Jordan nodded, thinking that it would be a long time before Kate would be anywhere near okay. She made a mental note to inquire for her after they were done processing the scene.

  * * * *

  Ellie arrived in the company of Officer Casey, a fifteen year veteran with the PD, fortunat
ely after the coroner had left with the body. The sight of the bloodstained carpet was enough to make her pale though, and Jordan reached for her shoulder quickly.

  “Hey,” she said, wishing she could say anything that would be helpful to Ellie at this moment, coming up empty.

  “So it’s true,” Ellie said, her eyes wide, as if there had been any doubt until now. “We couldn’t be here earlier. We were literally on the other side of town, with this burglary…”

  “There’s nothing you could have done. I’m so sorry.”

  “I can’t believe this…I…I talked to him last night.”

  “I know.” Jordan wished there weren’t so many other people around, and she could just give in to the impulse and hold her close. On the other hand, neither of them would be comfortable with this kind of gesture in public. It had to wait. “Okay,” she said, “I have to go back. We have to wait for the ME’s preliminary report, and there’s the footage from the security camera.”

  “Hobbs did this?” Ellie took a shuddering breath.

  She was still too pale for Jordan’s comfort. “We’re not sure, but the video will hopefully tell us more.” Jordan thought of Marshall’s desperate attempt to send a message, too late. Roses for the wedding.

  “Does Kate know?” Ellie asked anxiously, her eyes brimming with tears she held back just barely.

  “Bristol sent someone to check on her. I don’t know. Look, why don’t you come back with me? We need to talk.”

  The buzzing of her cell phone interrupted her. Jordan knew right away that the lieutenant calling her at this moment couldn’t mean anything good.

  “Carpenter, I want you back here and in my office.”

  “Henderson and I were just about to—”

  “No, tell him he can wrap things up. I’ll send Doss. It’s you I need to talk to.” Jordan disconnected the call, slightly stunned, asking herself how this day could possibly get any worse. It was a nightmare already, and there was no end to it anytime soon.

  “Change of plans. It looks like you’ll be working with Detective Doss,” she said to her partner. “Ellie, I’m sorry, I need to go. I’ll see you later.” Jordan hoped it was enough to convey that later would entail whatever Ellie needed, food, alcohol, any comfort she could possibly give her. There was no need to say it out loud that family dinner was cancelled. She’d have to call her parents too.

  In the car, Jordan wiped her face in a quick angry gesture. There was no time for tears, and no reason to feel sorry for herself when she already knew what the lieutenant was going to say. Either way, with today’s terrible loss, she had no reason to complain.

  * * * *

  “I understand you were eager to get back to work, and everyone supported you. You thought it was not necessary to mention the death threats Pratt made against you?”

  The lieutenant hardly ever yelled, but he did let his detectives know when they had screwed up, without any doubt.

  “There were already a number of units on the scene when we arrived,” Jordan offered, aware it would be far from enough to save her. On the other hand, if she stayed silent, she’d give him the wrong impression.

  “You couldn’t know that. In fact, it could have been a trap he laid out for you—”

  “Oh please. I’m not important to every lowlife in this city.” Jordan was well aware of the fact that she was treading on dangerous ground. “What do you suggest?” she asked.

  “So glad you ask my opinion, Detective. I want you to go home.”

  “What do you mean? I can’t—”

  “Sure you can. This is the second of your days off you’re spending here. Come back on Monday and help Waters with his caseload.”

  What he didn’t say was that for the time being, Derek would be partnered with Detective Doss. Jordan bit her lip to hold in the retort. She wasn’t happy with this arrangement, but at least he hadn’t suggested she’d take a longer break.

  “There’ll be an officer at your house.” He must have read something in her expression, because he added, “Cut it out, Carpenter. We lost an officer today. I won’t take any risk.”

  “I understand. Thank you, sir.”

  Dejected, Jordan walked back to her desk and sat behind her computer for a moment before she turned it off.

  What had they overlooked? Had something horrible happened because she hadn’t dared to take a closer look? Much as she hated it, Jordan had to admit that both the lieutenant and Derek had a point. She was much too close to all of this, not because she felt any ties to Jim and Kathryn Larson, but because she was uncomfortable and overwhelmed with everything that could be uncovered.

  Still, it didn’t seem right to take an evening off while every other cop was out there hunting Baker’s murderers. She hadn’t heard any news on Cordova, Marshall or McCarthy.

  Jordan picked up her cell phone to call Pauline and cancel dinner. It was early enough that she might even make it, but she didn’t feel like company tonight. Not that kind of company anyway.

  “I heard it on the radio,” Pauline said, her tone soft and sympathetic. “Are you okay? Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

  “Another night. I’m sorry.”

  “That’s fine, sweetie. Please call.”

  “I will. Bye.” She ended the call, looking up to see the lieutenant standing in the doorway of his office, his disapproval showing. Jordan shrugged and got up from her chair to leave when Ellie walked in. She had changed into civilian clothes already.

  She gave Jordan a tired smile. “I was hoping you’d still be here.”

  “I’m sorry I just cancelled dinner. You could still come over,” Jordan said, lowering her voice. “I was sent home.”

  “I’d love to. I just wanted to go to the hospital first.”

  “Any news?”

  Ellie shook her head.

  “I’ll come with you,” Jordan decided.

  Chapter Seven

  They made the drive to the hospital in their respective cars, which was probably just as well. Ellie was afraid that the moment they’d be together with no one else around, she’d be tempted to let her guard down, to allow the wave of emotion she’d managed to hold back so far. Jordan might have her own issues, but Ellie felt safe with her. However, this wasn’t about Ellie. She was grieving for a friend and colleague—she couldn’t imagine how Kate had to feel. No, that wasn’t right. She could, and that was the scary part.

  They found Kate with a group of cops gathered in the waiting room together with Libby’s family, exchanged greetings in hushed tones.

  “I’m so sorry,” Ellie said, struggling to keep her composure in front of her friend. Kate’s face looked ashen. Her hands were trembling.

  “Don’t hug me,” she warned. “I’ll lose it.” She pressed her lips together as if holding in a scream. Ellie could relate. She’d felt that way, constantly, during the search for Jordan—except they’d been lucky. Kate wasn’t. She looked over to where Libby’s parents sat in a corner, holding on to each other’s hands.

  “She’s hanging in there,” Kate answered her unspoken question. “Lost a lot of blood, but she’s going to be okay.” Her eyes welled up. “Oh God, Ellie, what am I going to do? I have to tell all these people there’ll be no wedding, I don’t even know—My sister’s coming in today, I couldn’t even reach her yet. I can’t see her! I can’t talk to anyone right now.”

  “We are here for you,” Ellie said. “Whatever you need, we can help you.”

  The flash of doubt in Kate’s expression didn’t go unnoticed. Ellie couldn’t blame her. Having someone to lean on was helpful, eventually, but there was part of dealing with a trauma that you had to go alone, no matter how well-meaning the people around you were.

  The same went for her—or Jordan.

  “I don’t understand,” Kate said, her voice small. “How could this happen? Why us?”

  Ellie didn’t have answers for her even though she’d had the same questions. Bad shit happens randomly to good people?


  “We’ll get him,” she promised, “and he’ll spend the rest of his sorry life behind bars.”

  Kate pondered that prospect for a moment. “Does that make it better? That Darby’s behind bars, does it really make a difference for you?”

  Jordan stood by the window with another officer. Ellie could tell from the minute change in her composure, a sudden tension, that she’d heard Kate’s question.

  “It helps,” she said. “At least we know he can’t hurt anyone else. When is your sister coming? Would you like me to call her?”

  Kate shook her head as if trying to come up with an answer was too much at this moment. Ellie was hopeful though that she had come here, sought the companionship of colleagues who were just as shocked about the outcome of this night.

  “Yes, maybe,” Kate said finally. “Thank you.”

  “It’s okay.” Ellie made her decision in a split-second, stepped forward and embraced her friend, because Kate looked like she was going to crumble.

  “It’s not fair,” she sobbed, and Ellie could only agree.

  “You’re right, it’s not. I’m so sorry.”

  She held on tightly, for the moment forgetting everything except the friend who needed her comfort. Ellie wasn’t sure how much time had passed until Kate calmed down from sheer exhaustion.

  She flinched at the gentle touch of a hand on her shoulder.

  Turning around, she faced Jordan who looked like she could use a hug too.

  “Jordan. I was just going to make a call for Kate.”

  “Hang on a second.”

  The surgeon had arrived to talk to Libby’s family.

  * * * *

  Ellie left after getting the news, driving out to Jordan’s in the pouring rain. Libby had lost a lot of blood, but she’d been lucky, all things considered. The bullet had missed any vital organs—wasn’t that what they always said? It was good news though, a relief for everyone assembled. They were eager for her to wake up, also because she’d be the first to give an account of what happened at the safe house.