R.P. Dahlke - Dead Red 04 - A Dead Red Alibi (16 page)

Caleb nodded. “I don’t suppose she reported it.”

“Suzi said Darlene didn’t think she could count on the police to do anything but turn a blind eye. He was the police chief, after all.”

Caleb said, “The sheriff’s department
probably wouldn’t say anything either, not unless it’s connected somehow to the man’s murder.”

Although his answer frustrated me, I understood. He had to go on proof, and so far, we didn’t have any.

No one batted an eye when Caleb swiped a bottle of very good J. Lohr Chardonnay and pulled me out through the patio doors.

“I have a surprise for you,” he said.

“I hope it’s a good one. I’ve had enough unpleasant ones for one day.”

He took my hand and led the way up a winding staircase to a wide veranda on the flat roof of the house. He opened the gate on a low metal
guardrail.

“Hey,” I said. “Where did this come from?”

“I discovered it today.”

Caleb had set up a side table with a hurricane lamp, and a futon with pillows and blankets.

“I thought we’d sleep out here tonight,” he said. “Do you like it?”

The sun was setting and lavender shadows were gathering over the valley. It was also cool enough to enjoy watching the stars come out and get some much needed privacy.

“Yes, I like it,” I said, hugging him.

We stretched out on top of the futon, sipped our wine, and watched the night come alive with the sounds of distant birds.

“The air is so nice this evening. But then it’s September. I wonder if the winters are cold.”

“Detective Tom said it can snow but it usually doesn’t last. Still,” he pointed to the Huachuca Mountains to the west, “the
snow line seems to stay at seven-thousand feet during the winter.”

“Did the detective have anything else to say?”

“About the chief’s wearing dress slacks instead of waders and a vest? Or that Jason Stark is seeing the chief’s wife? Sorry, but none of it will make a case for murder.”

I swirled the wine around in the glass. “
Strangers saw Bethany as a young woman with a birth defect, yet the people who knew her don’t even mention it. Instead, they talk about how helpful, kind and thoughtful she was.”

I was trying to cut loose the itchy notion that he wasn’t telling me something. I should be used to it by now. He was a cop.

I reached over and lightly bit his shoulder. “Give it up, will you?”

Caleb growled and threw his long body over mine, his icy blue eyes glittering ominously.

“Do that again, and I’ll have to spank you.”

I shivered. This was the Caleb Stone that could turn suspects into babbling informants, but it only made my heart speed up and the heat of desire flush my body. Finding the first snap button on his new western shirt, I popped it and then another until there was enough room to wiggle my fingers in and lay my hand on his warm bare skin close to the steady beat of his heart.

“I forgot to shave.”

“You’re fine.” I grabbed his head and pulled him to me in a passionate kiss. And for the first time since he’d arrived we didn’t have to suppress our enthusiasm.

~~~~~~~~~~

When I could catch my breath again, I pulled the sleeping bags over us against the night air and added some wine to our glasses.

“About the police chief … “

“Don’t you ever get tired of talking about murder?”

“This is too close to my family for me to stop talking about it.”

“All right,” he grumbled. “Jason Stark might’ve been having an affair with the
chief’s wife, but the police chief was fooling around too.”

“Before or after Darlene took up with Jason?”

“Who knows? Law enforcement is hard on marriages, you know that, Lalla.”

“You’re making excuses for the man?”

“It doesn’t make cheating acceptable, but I’m telling you how other officers might see it. Unless his philandering turns out to be directly related to this case, his obituary will state that the man was killed in the line of duty.”

I put my wine onto the floor and snuggled up close. “Okay.”

Seeing I was through talking about the case, he asked, “Do you like it here?”

“You mean besides the body or two in the neighborhood?”

His chuckle said I had him on that one. “Have you thought about keeping the place?”

“I
dunno. Would you like to have this as our Arizona getaway?”

“Depends.”

“On?”

“On if we’re ever going to get hitched.”

“I’m still wearing my ring,” I said, letting the diamond sparkle in the dim light of the hurricane lamp.

He took my hand and rubbed a thumb across the ring. “Was it a mistake, coming here?”

I reached over and cupped his face between my hands. “No. Don’t say that.”

“Then how about Vegas?” he asked. “We could tie the knot on the way back to California.”

“I guess.”

I felt his body tense against mine. “Don’t overdo your enthusiasm.”

“It’s not that. It’s just that we’ll be doing it without all of our friends.”

“You had your chance at a packed house. You ran off, remember?”

Cold feet hadn’t been Caleb’s problem, it was all mine.

With the darkening Arizona night, several things became as clear as the stars overhead. Even though I hadn’t bothered to leave so much as a goodbye note, Caleb Stone wasn’t the kind of man to give up on us. But a man can have only so much patience, and if this was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, it was time for me to make the commitment and stick to it.

I breathed in his familiar fragrance, a mix of man smell and his lemony aftershave.

“We will get married, my darling. In Vegas if you like, and soon, I promise.”

Then I kissed him and let the rest of my doubts fade into the dark.

.

Chapter Twenty-six:

With the sun peeking over
the mountains behind us, Caleb and I reluctantly rose from our makeshift love nest and followed the scent of coffee wafting up from the kitchen.

Pearlie,
yawning sleepily, lifted her cup in mock salute. “How was the honeymoon suite?”

“Great,” I said. “Where’s my dad?”

“He’s outside looking for his new dog. What’s up with that?”

“It’s a stray,” I said. “He’s coaxing it with table scraps.”

Dad’s last dog was already old when he came to live with us and when he finally had to put down his little buddy, he vowed never to have another pet.

“What happened to the goat?” Caleb asked.

“After Bruce climbed up on Shirley’s new Prius and left neat little hoof dents on it, the goat went to live with a local farmer.”

Caleb set about foraging in the cupboard for sugar. I glanced at his nice tight butt in his fitted jeans and blushed at the memory
of our nighttime antics. Last night we’d behaved like a couple of teenagers and it felt wonderful. Today I was rested, renewed and energized. Caleb, on the other hand, was ravenous.

“Shall I make breakfast?” he asked, taking eggs and bacon out of the fridge.

“We’ve got more problems than who’s gonna cook,” Pearlie said.

“Like what?” I asked.

“Reina Schmidt is in the hospital from an overdose.”

“Oh, no,” I said. “Jason said she was on medication.”

“Who called you?” Caleb asked.

“Julio Castillo used his one phone call at three a.m. this morning,” she said.

Since she made no bones about her feelings toward him, Julio must be desperate to reach out to Pearlie. Yet, he might’ve also noticed that Pearlie wouldn’t refuse to help if Reina needed her.

“But why you?” Caleb asked.

“He wants me to go see her,” she said, glancing to see if I wanted to add anything.

Caleb’s brows rose a notch. “You haven’t been taking night classes to become a lawyer too, have you?”

Pearlie sniffed. “It’s just a hospital visit, that’s all.”

“Okay, then I’ll hurry breakfast,” Caleb said, cracking an egg into the frying pan.

While Caleb was distracted with his meal preparations, I invited Pearlie to follow me into the living room.

“I hate the thought that she’s so miserable she would try to kill herself,” I said.

“I hate it when people throw me a curve ball,” Pearlie grumbled.

I saw her point. Why would Julio Castillo ask Pearlie for her help when he so clearly disliked her?

“It’ll be okay,” I said. “With a little luck, she’ll be hooked up to some happy juice and we’ll get her to tell us what’s really bothering her.”

Pearlie bit on a nail, clearly distracted.

“What?” I asked.

“I’d feel better if we had a friend in Homicide.”

“We’ve got Caleb.”

“Uh-huh.”

She had me there. Caleb was still a sheriff, bound by the same rules as all officers, which meant that he wouldn’t be any help to us, not without Detective Tom’s approval.

“When do you want to leave?” I asked.

“After breakfast, I’m starved.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Pearlie laid a bouquet of store-bought flowers on the bedside table and took Reina’s hand in hers. “How’re you doing?”

Reina’s wan face brightened. “Oh, much better, now that you’re here. My art gallery owner called—probably wondering if I was going to finish her commissions. But with Julio in jail … Did he call you, Pearlie?”

“Yes he did,” she said, the steel back in her spine. “But if you want my help, you have to be truthful with us.”

Reina kneaded the hospital sheet, her nerves stretched tighter with every rise and fall of her breath. “He didn’t kill Bethany, if that’s what you mean.”

“Then why did Homicide arrest him?”

She wiped at a tear threatening to spill. “It’s what we were arguing about when you came to my cabin that first day. I-I hoped it wouldn’t
have to come to this, but now … now it’s all messed up.”

Reina looked out of the window, as if she wished she were anyplace but here. “Julio went to work right out of high school and we moved in together. I painted and he worked. I was so happy with the arrangement it never occurred to me that his job was dealing drugs. When he was arrested, I was furious and hurt, then I just felt stupid that I’d been so blind. If only I had asked more questions, maybe I would’ve …. But
it was all so easy, you know? Then he was sentenced and I panicked. I hadn’t worked since high school. What could I do to support myself?

“But Julio had already
made arrangements for me to live at Bethany’s. He even paid the rent three years in advance, and all I could think of was how grateful I was that I didn’t have to wait tables or work at Walmart.”

Reina plucked a tissue out of the box and wiped at her tears. “I loved having my own studio. Bethany introduced me to her agent and within a year
, my work was in multiple galleries. I was making money, good money, for the first time in my life. It was so exciting. I could pay my own way and I convinced myself that when Julio got out of prison we could start over. There would be no drug dealing with his pals. If he couldn’t get a real job, I could make enough to support both of us.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“Nothing. He got out and ignored my offer. Then suddenly he has his own business. A body shop, equipment, and ready-made customers included. I knew something wasn’t right, but he assured me it was all legit. Fat, dumb, and happy, that’s me. I should’ve known better.”

Pearlie spoke up. “Then you lied to us
and to the investigating detectives? And he was at the property the day Bethany was murdered? Tell me about it.”

She looked up, tears in her eyes. “I’d parked my car
on the other side of the cabin and I guess he thought I wasn’t home, so he drove around the back. I followed him to the cavern and caught him checking the bales of pot.”

“Then what happened?” Pearlie asked.

“I told him I was through with him and his lies, but it’s also how I know he didn’t kill Bethany. I made Julio go with me to tell her I’d be moving out because we were getting married. I couldn’t betray Julio to the police, but I couldn’t allow him to continue to abuse my friend’s trusting nature, either.”

“What did you tell her?” I asked.

Reina’s head dropped to her chest. “She was already dead when we found her. I pushed Julio out of the room and told him to leave, then I called 9-1-1 and pretended I was Bethany. I told them there was an intruder in my home and where I lived. I hung up before they could ask for my name so it wasn’t a complete lie. Not that it did any good. Julio’s mechanic finally confessed that Julio was with me the day Bethany was murdered.”

So the frantic caller wasn’t Bethany, it was Reina calling from Bethany’s house.

“You didn’t see or hear anyone leaving?” I said.

Reina’s eyes filled with tears. “All I saw was my friend lying there with her eyes staring at nothing. I couldn’t save her but I thought I could save Julio. I owed him that much.”

“You know that you can be arrested as an accessory to murder,” I said.

Reina rubbed her thin hands together. “All I wanted to do was make things right with Bethany, but I couldn’t bear to see Julio charged with killing her. I swear to you he didn’t do it.”

“Does he have an attorney?” Pearlie asked.

“He won’t talk to nobody, not to the police, not even to his attorney. He thinks he’s being noble, or
something, but he’s only making it worse … that’s why last night … I just couldn’t take it anymore. Please, can’t you help us?”

Pearlie shook her he
ad. “We’ll have to think about it, Reina. One more thing. You told us you paid rent. Was that a lie too?”

“What? Oh, no. I paid rent until six months ago. Bethany said she’d waive the rent if I’d drive with Jason to deliver her paintings.”

“Why would she do that?” Pearlie asked.

Reina looked at her hands again. “Probably because she knew Jason wasn’t so good with the gallery owners. He can be an old grump sometimes.”

“You mean when he’s in pain?”

“His back hurts most days, and when it doesn’t, he shouldn’t be driving, you know?”
Reina said.

Pain meds or the marijuana, either way, if he got stopped for a traffic citation and
DPS noticed his dilated eyes, he’d be arrested.

“So you drove?” Pearlie asked.
“Why didn’t Bethany go with him?”

Reina blushed. “She said she was busy, but I think she was trying to push us together. She thought Jason and I had chosen the wrong people to be involved with.”

Pearlie and I looked at each other. Yeah. Bethany might’ve been right on that score.

“W
here will you go when you get out of the hospital?” Pearlie asked.

“Back to my cabin, I guess, why?”

“Because,” I said, “if Julio is innocent of the murders, the killer might think you know his identity and should be silenced.”

Reina put her hand to her mouth to stifle a cry.

Pearlie shot me a hard look and rushed to comfort Reina.

“Surely you have someone you can stay with in Tucson?” she asked.

“No, no one. My parents died when I was young.”

Another reason for
Pearlie to feel sympathetic.

“You can stay with us,” she said, patting the girl’s hand.

I nudged Pearlie. Our new house barely had room to accommodate the four of us. Where would we put another person?

She whirled around,
ready for battle.

“Nothing,” I said, deciding to leave it until we were alone.

Pearlie wouldn’t allow Reina to say no, and promised to return and pick her up when she was released this afternoon.

I followed my cousin out of the hospital, worrying how this was going to play out with our men folk. Although I could see her point, the artist’s compound clearly was no longer a safe place
for Reina, I knew my cousin had stepped over a line.

“We need to talk,” Pearlie said.

“We sure do. I know you meant well, Pearlie, but isn’t there something in your P.I. manual about sleep overs?”

Instead of answering,
Pearlie pulled out her notebook. “Let’s consider the suspects.”

“What suspects?”

“Jeez, do I have to do everything? The people who knew Bethany and or the police chief.”

“Why did anyone have to know either of them? It could’ve been like Mac Coker said. She witnessed a drug drop and one of them killed her. Besides, you heard Reina, she made that 9-1-1 call, not Bethany. Which means that the chief got the call after Bethany was dead. The man was off the clock, headed for a date with his new girlfriend. Why did he answer a distress call?”

“Darlene said he was the hero type and it got him killed.”

Pearlie squinted at the horizon. “We need someone in the
sheriff’s department but not quite on the team, a bit overweight, maybe even bullied by his peers.”

The only people we knew in the sheriff’s department were Detective Tom and Deputy Dumb-Ass. “You’re not thinking of Deputy Dick, are you? I doubt he’d friend us on Facebook.”

“He’s a man, ain’t he? Now where can we find the little darling?”

A phone call to the sheriff’s office got us the news that the deputy was at lunch.

“The receptionist said he’s either at home or eating at that Mexican café,” Pearlie said.

My stomach heaved at the memory of our take-out flying th
rough the interior of the Jeep.

Pearlie laughed at my queasy expression.

“Aw, come on, Lalla, you looked great wearing all that Mexican food.”

“I’ll wait in the car.”

She reached over and punched me in the arm. “You do that. But I’m not splitting my fee when I solve this case.”

I rubbed the sore spot on my arm and followed her into the café.

The cafe was as busy as it was the first time Pearlie and I were there. Pearlie’s nose twitched hungrily at the fragrant smells.

“You’re not thinking of staying for lunch, are you?” I asked. “What if we miss Deputy Dick?”

“No hurry,” she said. “We know where he lives.”

“Pearlie, we just ate breakfast two hours ago,” I said. “You can’t possibly be hungry again. Are you?”

“Three hours by my watch and interviewing suspects always makes me hungry. Let’s find a table.”

Any excuse for a good meal, and though I hated to admit it, the smells were making my stomach talk again. Must’ve been all that exercise I had last night.