Justice for Leah

A Carter and Callie Mystery


Chapter 4

 

"You said you don't know who the victim is?" Addison police Officer Douglas asked Callie and Carter. Carter was wrapped in a blanket from the ambulance, since he was soaked after having jumped into the pool to try to save the man.

"All we know is that the townhouse belongs to Archie Brooks," Callie answered, watching as the paramedics worked on the man.

"Do either of you know Mr. Brooks?" Officer Douglas asked.

"No," Carter told him. "We were looking for him to talk to him about a case we're working on. I thought I heard something back here and came around to find someone floating in the pool. So I jumped in to pull him out while Callie called the police and an ambulance."

"You mentioned a case-?"

"We're private detectives," Callie said, pulling out her identification. "Mr. Brooks was involved in the death of a young woman ten years ago - at least, he gave a statement about her death, and we wanted to talk to him, to see if he might remember something new."

"I can show you my id," Carter said, "but it's a bit - water-logged at the moment." He kept looking back to the man laying on the concrete beside the pool. "He's not going to make it."

One of the paramedics looked up at him, and shook his head. "We're about to transport, but he hit his head on something - probably on the edge of the pool when he jumped in. Between that and the water -"

"Where are you taking him?" Carter asked.

"Parkland. Since we don't have any ID on him, that's where we take the county patients. They'll pronounce him there."

"I'll need your addresses and phone numbers," Off. Douglas said.

"You want to go with us, sir?" one of the paramedics asked Carter while Callie gave the officer the information he wanted.

"Thanks, but I'm okay. Wet, but okay. I'll keep the blanket, if you don't mind."

"No problem. You can drop it at any of the city fire departments - or at the hospital. They'll get it back to us."

"Thank you."

Callie was talking to the officer when Carter moved closer to them again. "Have you checked to see if there's anyone in the house?"

"No - I guess we should do that, Joe," he told his partner, moving in that direction, with Callie and Carter close behind. The back door was unlocked, and Douglas opened it, calling out, "Police. Is there anyone here? Hello?" He held his hand out to stop Callie from entering the house. "Mr. Brooks?"

"I don't think anyone's here," Callie said. "The bedroom upstairs is the best place to look for an id," she suggested, and Douglas turned to look at her.

"Yes, ma'am. Joe, why don't you go up there and look around?"

"I can help," Callie told him. "I was with the DPD for several years. Left as a detective." She took her wallet out again, and showed him a card that she was still a member of the county peace officer association.

Douglas glanced at Carter. "What about you?" he asked.

"Sorry. I'm just a simple P.I."

"Found his wallet," Joe called out, coming back down the stairs and handing it to Douglas, who was obviously the senior officer of the pair. Officer Douglas opened the wallet, removing the drivers license. "Well, we know who the man in the pool is - looks like you're not going to get a chance to talk to Mr. Brooks about your case." He showed the card to Callie and Carter before telling Joe, "Go out and let base know who the victim is."

Carter ran a hand through his hair, grateful that it was drying quickly. "Look, Officer, is there anyway that you can let us -" seeing Douglas' eyes narrow, he changed the word - "let her look around and see if she can find anything to help us with this case?"

"I don't know -"

"Officer Douglas," Callie said, "ten years ago, a young mother died. The police said at the time that she had been drunk and drove into a lake. We've uncovered evidence that she didn't have anything to drink that night - and that Mr. Brooks made a false statement about it. We need to find evidence of a payoff or -"

"I'll give you ten minutes," Douglas told her. "No longer."

"Look for banking information," Carter told Callie, not moving from near the doorway, ignoring Douglas' disapproval. "That will give us a place to start, anyway."

There was a desk in a corner of the living room, and Callie quickly found a bank statement, then stumbled on an addressbook. Douglas was still glaring at Carter, so she slipped it into the middle of the statement. "I have a bank statement."

"That should do it," Carter said, then sneezed, getting Douglas' attention again so that Callie could slip the small book into her purse.

"Let me see that," Douglas said as Callie started past him.

"What?"

"The statement," he clarified. "I need to be able to swear that it was all you took out of the house."

"Help yourself," Callie said, handing him the pages, waiting for him to look it over. He finally handed it back to her. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah. There are some keys on the desk - we'll lock the place up until we locate some family."

"Thank you, Officer," Callie said. "Come on, Carter. You need a hot shower and some chicken soup."

****

"So what now?" Carter asked as Callie drove back toward the loft.

"Well, we'll go over to talk to Mrs. Collins tomorrow afternoon - I'll call Ruby and ask her to see what she can get on Brooks' financials. Meanwhile -" she took a hand off the steering wheel to dig into her purse, "you can look in there and see who's in there."

"Well, there's a Danny here on the G page," he told her. "Which means Danny lied to us."

"Aww, I'm so disappointed to hear that," Callie replied. "Not that I'm surprised."

He glanced at the bank statement. "Interesting."

"What?"

"There's a sizeable deposit at the end of the month - it'll be interesting to find out if it was a recurring event."

****

Back at the loft, Callie told Carter. "Go take that hot shower."

"I'm feeling a little shaky," he told her, grabbing her arm as if trying to keep his balance. "I might fall in there -"

"And if I'm in there, who's going to call Dad and ask him to have some of his chicken soup ready for me to pick up?"

"It would be better if he has it sent over," Carter said.

"Why? I can go -"

His hand tightened slightly on her arm. "No." Seeing her frown, he explained. "Until this case is finished, I don't think either of us should go anywhere alone."

"You're worried that someone might be after us. You really think that Brooks' death wasn't an accident?"

"Don't you?"

"I'll ask Dad to have someone bring it over," she told him.

"Thank you." He gave her a kiss. "You know, I can forego the hot soup if you come in to make sure I survive the shower," he insisted, "Please?"

"Tell you what - go start the shower and I'll be in once I make the call."

He started unbuttoning his still damp shirt as he moved toward the bathroom. "I'll hold you to that."

****

"Feeling better?" Callie asked as they sat on the sofa, each with a bowl of soup.

Carter had the addressbook in his free hand, studying it. "What? Oh, much better. I just hope my cellphone survives -"

"I put it into the bowl of rice the way everyone says that you're supposed to do. But since it was chlorinated water, I don't know if it will make a difference. Are you finding anything else of interest in that book?"

"Several numbers with initials, and first names with no last names. I should be able to search for the names on the computer later."

"Ruby said she would get back to me about Brooks' banking information sometime tomorrow." She took her bowl over to the sink and rinsed it out. "Do you think that Danny had something to do with Brooks' death?"

"Do you see him as a killer?" he asked, shaking his head.

"No, you're right. Danny talks like a tough guy, but I think he's a marshmallow."

Carter started laughing, handing her his empty bowl. "I think that's a little extreme," he finally told her. "I do think that he called Brooks and told him we were asking questions after he ran back to the bar with his tail between his legs."

"Then whoever paid them to make those false statements ten years ago was responsible for Brooks' 'accident'," she nodded. "If I were Danny, I'd be shaking in my boots."

"Might be worth going back over there tomorrow and make sure he knows that Archie's dead." He took the addressbook over to the desk. "I'd like to know how long Danny was in the pool. And if he was dead when he hit the water."

"I'll call Robbie tomorrow morning. He should have the autopsy finished by then and be able to tell me something." As she finished cleaning up the kitchen, Callie frowned. "Carter, if the person who killed Leah also killed Archie Brooks, you don't think that Mrs. Logan could be in danger, do you?"

He turned away from the computer and looked at her. "I hadn't even considered -" he began, grabbing the landline phone and checked the number for the Davies house before dialing it. "Whoever killed Brooks likely sent that letter to Mrs. Logan," he agreed, waiting for someone to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Logan?"

"Yes," was her hesitant response.

"This is Carter Jankowski, Mrs. Logan. I'm sorry to bother you -"

"Oh, Mr. Jankowski," she said. "I was trying to find that card you gave me to call you."

"Has something happened?" he asked, turning on the speakerphone so that Callie could hear as well.

"I got a strange phone call a little while ago. Someone said that if I talk to anyone about Leah, they'll hurt Paula -"

"What it a man or a woman that called?" Carter asked her.

"I couldn't really tell. The voice was - muffled. I'm terrified, Mr. Jankowski," she told him. "Paula will be home soon - I don't know what to do."

"Did they ask if you had spoken to us?" he asked.

"No. The person just told me not to talk to anyone."

Callie spoke up. "Mrs. Logan, it's Callie. As soon as Paula gets home, make sure all of the doors and windows are locked."

"I've already done that," Martha Logan assured her. "And I'll double check them once she gets home. I worry about tomorrow, when Paula leaves for her classes."

"Ask her to call us when she gets home, please," Callie said.

"Are you going to tell her about the letter?"

"I don't think we'll have to do that just yet," Carter assured her. "But we need to let her know about some other developments in the case."

"You mean, you're making some progress?"

Her hopeful tone brought a smile to Callie's face. "A little, Mrs. Logan. Just make sure that Paula calls. Let me give you the number again…"

****

"Mrs. Logan said that you wanted me to call?" Paula Davies said a half hour later.

"We did," Carter confirmed. "You're on speakerphone on our end, Paula, so that both of us can talk to you."

"Okay. Have you found out anything?"

"Nothing definite," Callie told her. "But we think we're getting closer."

"The reason we called this evening, Paula," Carter added, "is that you need to be aware of people around you for the next few days. Even at school."

"Why?"

"The man who claimed he talked to your mother that night in the bar - he drowned today."

"Oh my. But - what does an accidental drowning have to do with -"

"That's just it, Paula," Callie said. "We're not sure yet that it *was* an accident. We'll know more tomorrow. It's possible that if someone did kill your mother, they know that we're looking into the case - and are getting rid of anyone who might implicate them."

"But I don't know anything," Paula insisted. "I couldn't implicate anyone."

"We'll explain tomorrow," Carter told the young woman. "Can we meet for lunch?"

"I only have a half day tomorrow, so I'll be at home for lunch."

"That's perfect. We'll be there at noon."

"Okay. We'll see you then."

Carter hung up the phone. "We're going to have to tell her about the letter - and the threat that Mrs. Logan got today."

"I hope it doesn't cause problems for Mrs. Logan," Callie sighed. "If she had shown that letter to Harry Lansing, they probably would have pursued the case and found the killer ten years ago."

"I think Paula will understand why she didn't show it to anyone," Carter said.

Callie put her arms around his shoulders, looking at the computer screen. "Making any headway on the initials and numbers in the book?"

"Most of them appear to be unlisted numbers, and those are hard to trace."

"And even harder to find out what names go with the initials," Callie sighed. "I wonder if Danny might know who some of them are?"

"Possibly. We'll ask him tomorrow morning." He closed the search site and pulled Callie into his lap. "Going to be a busy morning. Why don't we make it an early night?"

"I like the way you think," Callie told him, giving him a kiss before getting to her feet and pulling him to his.

****

"Archie Brooks official cause of death was drowning," Robbie told Callie the next morning. "But it might not have happened if he hadn't hit his head."

"You're sure about that that?"

"Well, there wasn't much pool water in his lungs, so he stopped breathing as he entered the pool would be my guess - but you wanted the official cause, Callie -"

"Any idea how he managed to hit his head?"

"That you'd have to talk to someone else about. The wound was on the back of the head - maybe he did a cannonball into the pool and didn't clear the side - that would be one way. But there was an anomaly in that the wound didn't look like it was made by the pool edge. And don't ask what else it could have been - as I said, that's not my department."

"And here I thought you were the one who dug out what happened to someone when they turned up on the morgue," she teased, knowing that he hated to be compared to an old TV show coroner.

"Just like you learned how to toss a baton to bring down a criminal on the run," was his reply.

Callie laughed. "Any idea how long he'd been in the water when we found him?"

"From what I've found so far, not more than an hour."

"Thanks, Robbie. I owe you."

"I'll add it to the list," he said. "Take care."

"You too."

"Hey, I got the safest job there is. Unless there's a zombie uprising."

"Bye," she said, still laughing. "He's crazy," she told Carter. "So he either hit his head, or someone else hit him in the back of the head before he went into the water, and it happened no more than an hour before we got there."

"Hmm," he muttered thoughtfully. "Would you say it was two hours between the time we left Danny and when we pulled up at Brooks' house?"

"Doesn't leave much time for Danny to called him and whatever happened after that."

"Plenty of time if Danny called as soon as he got back to the bar, and Brooks called whoever had paid them off the first time and asked for more money not to talk to us."

"You can't prove that -"

"No, but maybe Danny can. Why don't we go pay him another visit?"

****

They used the back door again, as they had the day before, but this time there was no delivery truck. When they entered the bar, another man said, "Hey, Boss."

Danny was at the bar, putting money into the register, and looked up, his eyes narrowing as he saw them. "What are you doing back here?"

"Paying a condolence call," Callie explained, perching on one of the stools before the bar closest to him.

"A - condolence call?" Danny repeated. "Who's dead?"

"Could be you before too long," Carter told him. "But right now - we thought you'd like to know that Archie Brooks was killed yesterday afternoon."

Danny's eyes widened almost imperceptibly at the news. He finished putting money into the register and closed it. "Brooks. He's the guy who was the bar that night, wasn't he?"

"The other man who gave the police a signed affidavit that was a pack of lies - just like yours," Carter told him. "I heard you on the phone yesterday, Danny. And I'd be willing to bet that when you got back to the bar after seeing us outside, your first call was to Archie to warn him about us."

"What are the chances," Callie continued, "that he called your mutual friend and threatened to talk to us unless he got more money?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Danny insisted. "I haven't talked to the guy in ten years -"

"Then why did he have your name and phone number in his addressbook?" Carter asked. "Your *private* number, not the one for this place." He pulled the small book from his pocket and opened it up to the page with the name and number on it.

Danny started shaking his head. "I got nothing to say. Not to you, not anyone."

"We just need a name, Danny," Callie said in a quiet voice. "If you won't talk to us, then you'll have to talk to the police. Because that's going to be our next stop -"

Carter spoke up. "The phone company should be have a record of the call you made to him yesterday. It'll be easy enough for the police to track it down. And then they'll be here to ask you why you called a man that you claim not to have spoken to in ten years."

"Maybe that's what we should do," Callie told him. "They can give him more protection than we can -"

"Protection?!" Danny repeated, shaking his head. "You have to know that the cops closed that investigation because someone higher up told them to. I don't know if that pipeline is still there, but if it is, you go to the cops, and I'm a dead man. So I'm not talking to *anyone*. Not you, and not the cops!"

He turned around and ran out of the building through the back door. Callie and Carter followed him, but by the time they came out of the alley, he was nowhere to be found.

"What now?" Carter asked.

"I think we need to talk to Harry Lansing again. I didn't ask him if he knew where the order came from to close the Davies case."

"Do you think he'll tell you if he does?"

"We have to try." Her cellphone rang. "Ruby, I take it you found something?…"

****

As they drove toward Harry Lansing's, Callie told Carter what Ruby had discovered about Brooks' bank accounts. "He had two at the same bank," she told him. "The one that we found the statement for was used to transfer money out of the other account. The statement account appears to have only contained money needed to pay his bills every month. The only deposits into that account came from the other account - that one contained around five hundred thousand."

Carter whistled. "Wow."

"The account was opened two months after Leah Davies' case was closed by the police," she continued. "The initial deposit was for 750,000. She's still trying to track down where that money came from."

"I have a feeling that there was almost another deposit yesterday - but whoever was supposed to make it made it unnecessary."

"Probably. Did you talk to Paula or Mrs. Logan this morning?"

"I called them while you were taking a shower. Paula left for classes, and Mrs. Logan was keeping the doors locked."

****

Harry Lansing was surprised to see them when he opened the front door. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"There have been a few developments," Callie said. "And we have a question to ask because of them."

Lansing stepped back, letting them in. "I have some coffee ready - either of you want a cup?"

"I'll take one," Carter told the man.

"So will I."

"You mind having it in the kitchen?" he asked. "That's where I usually have mine -"

"The kitchen will be fine," Callie assured him as they followed him into that room. The table was in a small area with windows that looked out over the back yard, and at this time of day was filled with sunlight.

Lansing brought two more cups of coffee to the table, then sat down in the chair at the one that had already been there. "Sit down." He studied them for a moment. "What's happened?"

"Before we get into that," Callie said, "May we ask why you didn't interview Stanley Appleton's secretary ten years ago?"

"She wasn't at work during the time we were investigating," he told them. "Appleton told us that she had gone on a scheduled vacation a few days before Leah Davies disappeared. By the time we found her body, we had the affidavits from the two witnesses, and were told to close the case."

"Danny Green has confirmed that both his and Artie Brooks' statements were a pack of lies," Callie told him after exchanging a look with Carter. "They were paid off to say that Leah Davies was at the Lake Bar that night, drinking."

A deep sigh was audible in the room as Lansing listened to her. "You don't seem surprised," Carter noted.

"Honestly? I'm not. I tried to break both of their stories, but they refused to back down. So I had no choice but to have them sign the affidavits, even though I had zero evidence to back up what they said happened."

"Archie Brooks is dead," Carter told him. "We found him in his swimming pool - after he apparently hit his head on the edge."

"But you don't think that's what happened."

"You tell me. The man received three-quarters of a million dollars ten years ago - and had half a million at the first of this month. His death came after we spoke to Danny Green - and he called Brooks to warn him that we were asking questions."

"What does Danny Green have to say?"

"He refused to talk to us, or to the police," Callie said. "Said that if the police found out that he was talking, he'd be as dead as Archie is."

"Where did the order to close the case come from, Mr. Lansing?" Carter asked.

"We got it from our Lieutenant," he said. "Sewell," he recalled. "I got the impression that he got it from somewhere higher up the chain. It was the first time that I ignored the chain of command and objected to an order. Captain Dobbs refused to speak with me except to say that *he* had received an order to close the case from his superiors - " He sighed again. "I was ordered to stop asking questions, with the implication being that my pension could be in jeopardy if I didn't. I suppose that makes me a coward. But I had a wife who was in poor health - I didn't dare risk that to find out the truth."


Chapter Five

 

"I guess that explains why he was so willing to give us his notes on the case when we first came to him," Callie said as they drove away from the house. "He's been living with this for ten years - knowing that he didn't finish the case and get justice for the victim."

"Because he was worried about his own security."

"His wife's security," Callie corrected Carter. "I think that if he hadn't had her to worry about, he would have pushed past the threats and found the truth."

"You might be right. But we're no closer to finding out who gave that order to close the case."

"We can investigate the names he gave us - see if we can find a connection to anyone involved in the case." She tapped the notebook in his hands. "What were the names?"

"Lt. Sewell, and Captain Dobbs," he told her without opening the notebook.

"Sewell was a Captain by the time I joined on the force," she told him. "I'm pretty sure that Dobbs was gone by then, though. I don't remember hearing the name."

"I still want to talk to Mrs. Collins," Carter said. "I think it was just a little too convenient for her to go on vacation at that time."

"We'll go over there this afternoon," she told him. "If *you* don't decide to go swimming again."

"It wasn't a decision that I wanted to make," he reminded her in a solemn tone, and Callie nodded.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to joke about it."

He smiled and reached over to touch her hand on the steering wheel. "I'm sure we'll be able to laugh about it eventually." He looked around at the streets. "Where are we going now?"

"I thought we'd go on over to the Davies house and keep Mrs. Logan company until Paula gets there. She sounded pretty upset last night -"

"This morning, too," he confirmed. "I'm sure she'll be grateful for the company -"

"Unless the killer is watching her house and sees us arrive -"

"Well, short of our renting another car and then sneaking into the back, there's no much we can do about it. It's a risk we'll have to take, since we told Paula we'd be there for lunch."

"Just the same, one of us should keep an eye out just in case," Callie said, ignoring Carter rolling his eyes.

"I'm not convinced that the killer will risk drawing further attention to the case with another death. Tell me, as a former cop - if you were investigating Archie Brooks' death, would you accept the story about an accident?"

"Possibly. It would depend on how many cases were on the desk, and if anyone raised the alarm that it hadn't been."

"If not for us, no one would raise the alarm. So no one would connect the accidental death of Archie Brooks to a ten year old case that was ruled death by intoxication. But if there's another death - say, the daughter or housekeeper of the woman who died ten years ago -"

"You have a point," Callie agreed. "But I'm still going to keep my eyes peeled."

****

As they got out of the car in front of the house, Carter noticed Callie looking up and down the street. "See anything out of place?" he asked.

"Since I don't live here, I can't answer that," she admitted, leading the way to the front door. She knocked several times without any response, and finally called, "Mrs. Logan, it's Callie and Carter."

Immediately, they heard the door lock before it opened the space of the security chain. "Oh thank God," Mrs. Logan breathed before closing the door again and unfastening the chain to allow the door to open fully. "Come in, please." Once they were in, she locked the door and set the chain in place again. "I've been worried all morning," she told them. "I have some coffee ready in the kitchen."

Callie stopped on the way through the living room to look out of a window. "Mrs. Logan?" she asked.

The woman came to the kitchen doorway, the coffee pot in her hand. "Yes?"

"Have you noticed any strange cars in the area?"

"No, I haven't. Why do you ask?"

"She's just being careful, Mrs. Logan," Carter explained. To Callie, he said, "I'll bring you a cup of coffee."

****

"Paula's home," Callie announced as Carter and Mrs. Logan heard the sound of the garage door opening.

"Thank goodness," Mrs. Logan said, moving to the side door to unlock it and wait for Paula to appear. "Did you have a good day?" she asked the girl, who gave her a hug and nodded.

"I passed my history exam," Paula said, smiling at Carter. "Hi," she said, looking around. "Where is Callie?" she asked.

"Right here," Callie answered, coming into the kitchen.

"Lunch is almost ready," Mrs. Logan told them. "Paula, dear, would you mind setting the table?"

"I can help," Callie offered. "Where are the plates and utensils?"

****

"You said that one of the men who said Mom had been drinking is dead?" Paula asked after they finished lunch.

Carter had refused to discuss the case over the meal, so they were all four sitting in the living room after it was finished. "That's right. We spoke to the bartender, and he confirmed that he and the other man were paid to tell the police what they did."

"That's great! Does that mean that the police will open the investigation again?"

"Not just yet," Callie said. "We still have some people to talk to. But you do need to be careful."

"You mean you really think I could be in danger?"

Carter looked at Mrs. Logan, who rose from the table and went over to a drawer. Opening it, she pulled something out and then returned to the table.

Paula frowned in confusion. "What's going on?"

Taking a deep breath, Mrs. Logan began to explain. "You're probably going to hate me for this, Paula, but - the day after your mother went missing, I found this on my car - inside the garage." She slid the envelope across the table toward the young woman.

After taking it, Paula slowly pulled the letter out and silently read it. "And I always thought you talked to the police when I wasn't around," she said. "You should have shown it to them, Martha."

"I couldn't. If I hadn't been able to stay here, what would have happened to you?" She wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Tell her about the call you got yesterday," Carter said.

Paula's eyes widened. "A call? About -" she held up the letter, "this?"

"Someone called," Mrs. Logan told her. "They told me that if I talked to anyone about the case, you would be hurt."

"That explains why the place was locked up tighter than a drum when I got home. And why Carter and Callie told me to be careful this morning." She turned to look at the two detectives. "How much danger am I in?"

"Callie's more concerned than I am," Carter told her. "I'm of the opinion that another death will only draw attention to the case - which the killer doesn't want."

"Sounds logical," Paula nodded. "Why do you think the way you do?" she asked Callie.

"Because I'm an ex-cop who sees bad guys everywhere, I suppose," was Callie's reply. "The case was closed by the police instead of continuing the investigation. So it looks like someone in the department was somehow involved."

"Mom didn't know any police officers," Paula said. "Did she, Martha?"

"Not that I knew about, no," Mrs. Logan said.

"It could simply have been that the killer had some connection to the department," Callie explained. "And that that was where the pressure came from. After we leave here, we're going to look into some of the policemen who could have given the order to close the case and see if we can find a connection to someone who might have been involved in the case."

"The end shot of all of this, Paula," Carter said, "is that you do need to make sure that you're aware of anyone around you for the next few days at least. Let Mrs. Logan know if you're going somewhere with friends instead of coming directly home -"

"I understand."

"Paula's usually very good about keeping me informed as to her whereabouts."

****

After making sure that Paula and Mrs. Logan would be careful and let them know if they saw anyone or anything out of place, Callie and Carter left the Davies house. "Do you think we have time to go back home to run checks on Sewell and Dobbs?" Carter asked.

"Why don't we go talk to George Piper?" was her suggestion. "He might be able to tell us something about the two men."

"Is it a good idea to involve him in this right now?" Carter wondered. "If Danny was right about -" he let his words trail off, letting her finish the thought on her own.

"Okay. We'll hold off on that," she sighed. "We'll go home and get back to Appleton to wait for Mrs. Collins to leave for the day."

"I just hope she's not one of those women who works late."

"I doubt it," Callie told him. "I noticed the photographs of her husband and other family on her desk when we were there. She probably leaves at five on the dot to get home."

****

"Mark Sewell died last year," Carter told her. "His obituary didn't list any family members that are connected to the Davies case that I can see."

"What about Dobbs?" Callie asked.

"I'll start checking on him when we get back from talking to Mrs. Collins," he said. "By the time we get there, it will be close to five."

****

"There she is," Callie said, sitting up straighter behind the wheel.

"And there's our friendly security guard with her," Carter sighed, watching the guard walk Mrs. Collins toward a small parking area near the front doors. He saw her to a Toyota before sketching a salute and turning back toward the building. "For a minute there, I thought he might get into the car with her," Carter said as Callie followed the secretary away from the parking lot. They had agreed to follow her home and talk to her there instead of at the Appleton Investments building.

The tail ended when the Toyota pulled into a driveway in Plano, and Callie parked the Jeep on the street. After the garage door closed, they waited a moment before going to the front door and pressing the doorbell.

When the door opened, Mrs. Collins' smile faded as she recognized them. Her hair was now down around her shoulders, making her features less harsh. "What are you doing here?" she asked as a man appeared behind her.

"Margie, is something wrong?" he asked.

"It's okay, Jack," she told him before turning back to the door.

"We found out that you never spoke to the police when Leah Davies disappeared, Mrs. Collins," Callie told her.

"I - was on vacation at the time," she said. "I took my vacation every year at that time."

"Mr. Appleton didn't ask you to come back when Leah disappeared?

"He said there was no need. That there was nothing I could have added to the investigation."

"You were Leah's secretary, weren't you?"

Carter's question made her look at him. "Yes, I was," she confirmed. "Her private, confidential secretary."

"Mrs. Collins, we just want to ask you a few questions about Leah. It's very important to her daughter. I'm sure you met the girl -" Callie's statement caused Mrs. Collins' lips to almost curl into a smile.

"Of course I did. Before Mr. Appleton found a housekeeper -" she broke off as she realized what she had said.

"Mr. Appleton found Martha Logan?" Callie questioned.

"You might as well come in," Mrs. Collins told them, stepping back. "I'm not going to have this discussion on the doorstep." She led them into the living room, indicating that they should sit on the sofa. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you," Callie said, waiting for her to sit down. "Now, about Mrs. Logan -"

"After Leah came to work for him, she had problems finding a babysitter for the girl. So he said she could bring Paula to the office. It's a big room, with plenty of space for the child to read or color -. She was a very sweet little girl. Leah didn't abuse the offer unless she had no choice. She was very grateful when Mr. Appleton introduced her to Mrs. Logan."

"About Leah and Mr. Appleton, Mrs. Collins -"

Her expression became guarded again as Carter spoke. "They were friends," she told him.

"Close friends?"

"Mr. Appleton is a married man," she reminded them.

"Let me ask you this - was Mrs. Appleton the jealous type?"

Callie's question caused her to frown. "I -"

"That's the reason you've probably always worn your hair in such an unflattering style," Callie pointed out, "as for those horn-rimmed glasses at the office -"

The woman took a deep breath. "When I first started with Mr. Appleton, I kept my hair styled and colored, and wore contact lenses. But one day Mrs. Appleton came into the office, and I could feel her watching me every moment, as if waiting for me to look at her husband as though I was anything other than his secretary. After that, I began to wear my hair in a bun, and had clear glass put into an old pair of eyeglasses. The next time she came by, she barely glanced at me, but I did notice a smile of approval."

"Did she come to the office very often?"

"Not over the last few years. She's very busy with working with her foundation."

"What about when Leah was alive and in the office?"

Another deep breath, and now she turned to look out of the window into the backyard. "She came in a few times, but Mr. Appleton was doing quite a bit of traveling then -"

"And Leah Davies traveled with him," Carter pointed out.

"So did I," Mrs. Collins informed him. "There were only a few times that they went on trips and I wasn't able to go for various reasons. But I will tell you that I was the one who made reservations for hotels - and Miss Davies always had me reserve her room on a different floor from the one that Mr. Appleton would be on - to keep the press from trying to make any trouble."

"Did you ever see any sign that they might be more than - friends?"

"Nothing overt," she confirmed. "But if I walked into his office, and she was standing beside him, discussing a contract or prospect - " she turned to look at them again. "I'm not a romantic - you can ask my husband, he'll confirm that - but - I could see how they felt. It wasn't obvious. I knew that there was no way for them to be together - Mr. Appleton would have lost everything. Not that I think he would have minded, but Miss Davies - Leah, she thought of him as an important man - too important for her to cause that kind of upheaval in his life."

"What was she like during the days before she disappeared?" Callie wanted to know.

"She was upset - said that she wasn't feeling well. There were a few times that I thought she might have been crying, but I didn't ask her about it. I should have, I suppose. If I'd known what was going to happen," she gave a crooked smile. "I suppose that's what happens with hindsight, isn't it?"

"You said that you were with her and Mr. Appleton on their trips -"

"Most of the time, yes."

"Is there anyway you could find out when the trips you weren't on took place?"

"I suppose I could, but - you have to understand. Leah would never have risked her job or Mr. Appleton's marriage by allowing anything to happen. Even if I wasn't there, I will never believe that the two of them did anything that they shouldn't have."

****

"So, do you think she was trying to protect Mr. Appleton?" Callie asked Carter as they drove back toward the loft.

"No. I think she was being totally honest. She really believes that nothing ever happened between Leah and their boss."

"Do you think that Mrs. Appleton would agree?"

"She didn't strike me as someone who was worried about her marriage when I interviewed her," Carter said.

"How long ago was that?"

"Around five years ago. I did a series on the wives of famous and or wealthy men profiling the charities that they supported."

"Of course she wasn't concerned. Leah was already dead by that time."

"I had a feeling that you were spotlighting her for the murder."

"You don't agree."

"Let's just say that I'm doubtful. I think we might need to talk to Mr. Appleton again, however."

"He might not like finding out that Mrs. Collins spoke to us -"

"Possibly," Carter agreed. "But I think he'll be grateful for anything that helps find out who killed Leah Davies. Are we going to stop for dinner before going home?" he asked.

"I suppose so. Any preferences?"

"Gino's?"

"Gino's it is."

****

"If you're right," Callie mused as she watched Carter begin the online search for information about Captain Edward Dobbs, "and Mrs. Appleton wasn't involved in Leah's death - who do you think it could have been?"

"Not sure. Maybe when we track down the information about Dobbs, we'll know more. You don't remember hearing much about him?"

"No. Like I said, he must have left the department not long after Leah's case was closed. I'm sure George Piper would remember him - but we agreed not to involved the police right now."

"Since he's still on the force, he would feel obligated to pursue anything we told him," Carter explained, hearing her frustration in the comment. "I don't relish the idea of bumping into him on this investigation, do you?"

She grinned. "Nope. The look he gives me is worse than Dad's when I did something I shouldn't when I was young."

Carter laughed softly as he continued to type. "I can't see you ever doing anything you shouldn't."

"Allie talked me into to trying to hitch-hike into downtown Dallas when we were thirteen," she told him. "There was some actor that she liked who was going to be there, and Dad was working - and her mother wasn't feeling well."

He stopped tying and turned to look at her. "Did you make it?"

"Well, we made it to downtown. Halfway in, a county sheriff saw us and asked where we were going. Allie told him that we were meeting her mother downtown, but had missed our bus. So he drove us downtown, left us in front of a restaurant where she said we were meeting her."

"Wow."

"I know. I was scared to death the entire time. The hotel where the actor was supposed to be staying wasn't far from the restaurant, so we walked over there - only to find out that the actor wasn't there - he'd been forced to cancel his trip at the last minute. I was cold, and exhausted, and kept telling Allie that I wanted to go home. She said she couldn't call her mother, so I called Dad - I burst into tears on the phone, and he sent a cab to bring us to La Via Roma and kept us there until the end of the night. He was *not* happy with me *or* Allie that night."

"I'm sure. Did he tell Allie's mom what you'd done?"

"Oh, yes. And she blamed him. But she always blamed him whenever Allie did something like that. And then she grounded Allie - but a day later, it was like nothing had happened."

"I suppose that was normal as well?"

"Yes. Louise - Dad said that she was mentally unstable - which left Allie to fend for herself more often than not."

"And explains why Marty kept an eye on Allie as well as on you."

"Yeah." She watched as he turned back to the computer. "Finding anything?"

"Not so far. The last address this site has for him is five years old - but I'm not finding anything that says he's dead. It's like he simply - dropped out of sight."

"That's possible - especially if he was paid off the way Danny Green and Archie Brooks were." She wrote a number on a notepad. "If you get up before I do tomorrow -"

"Which I probably will," he teased.

"Okay, funny man. You have to remember that I used to work until the middle of the night. Anyway, you can call Stanley Appleton's office to see if he'll talk to us again."

"Yes, ma'am. And now, I'm going to get a few more books packed up before bed. Care to join me?"

"You're giving up on finding out about Dobbs?"

"I'll do a little more research tomorrow morning," he told her, going over to the bookcase to start placing books into a half-filled box. "I might have someone at the paper who can get me information about ex police officers."

"I have connections -"

"Ah, but my source isn't part of the police department," he reminded her. "Less chance of alerting the wrong people."

"I guess you're right," she nodded. "But that's also presupposing that the 'wrong people' are still there."

"It's still hard for me to believe that Dobbs was somehow involved with Leah's murder. The idea that a police officer would shut down an investigation that way -"

"That's because you were an honest cop," he reminded her, grabbing the tape to seal the box he'd been working on. "You're half a box behind me," he told her. "Less talk, more work."

Standing up, she told him, "I could always leave you to pack this up yourself and just go to bed."

"You won't do that," he said, taping the bottom of another box before putting a book into it.

"Oh?" She put her hands on her hips. "You sure of that?"

"I am," he said, finally lifting his head to look at her, a grin on his face. "Because you love me too much to leave me to do all of this on my own."

Callie stood there, but her lips were slowly curving into a smile as well.

"Another box, and I promise that I'll make it worth your while," he told her.

She swallowed heavily and ducked her head to try and hide her reddening cheeks before she returned to take another book out of the bookcase, ignoring Carter's soft laughter.

Chapter Six

 

"We have an appointment with Appleton at eleven this morning," Carter told Callie when she came downstairs and went to pour herself a cup of coffee.

"So soon?" she questioned in surprise as she came over to the desk to drop a kiss onto his lips. "Morning."

"He was more than willing to talk to us. Getting past Mrs. Collins was the problem. She didn't want me to disturb him."

"I think Leah wasn't the only one in love with the man," Callie said.

"You think? I got the impression that she was going to tell him about our visit with her as soon as I spoke to him."

She looked at the computer. "Any breakthroughs?"

"My source told me that Dobbs retired right after the Leah Davies case was closed. Told his friends that he was going on a world cruise that he'd been saving up for."

"So I take it that he wasn't married."

"Nope. Spent twenty-three years with the department, was decorated four times, became a Captain three years before he left."

"So we don't really know much more than we did before."

"I'm still trying to track down his current location. I doubt that he's still on that cruise."

"So he's keeping a low profile for some reason. Maybe he spent most of his money on the cruise so now he's living simply - doesn't even have to be here in the area. Maybe he has family -"

"Speaking of family, Marty called and said that if we could meet him at the restaurant this afternoon we could sign the papers for the house. He and Allie got word yesterday that they'd been accepted to take over the lease on the loft."

"So I guess it's time to call the movers to get the bookcases and the bed," she told him.

"We can discuss that with Marty when we see him."

She picked up his cellphone from the desk. "You took it out of the rice. Does it work?"

"See for yourself." He watched as she pressed the button and looked at the screen. "Seems to be as good as new. But I'll probably get a newer model anyway."

"Probably a good idea," she nodded, handing him the phone. "I'm going to take a shower," she told him, finishing her coffee before moving toward the bathroom. At the door, she paused and looked over her shoulder with a smile. "Care to join me?"

****

"Mrs. Collins told me about your visit with her yesterday," Stanley Appleton said after greeting them.

"We realized that the police hadn't questioned her after Leah's disappearance and death, sir," Carter explained, "and wanted to find out what she might or might not know."

"She has always taken her vacation at that time - two weeks. She and her husband usually go to Hawaii. I called her when Leah was reported as missing, and assured her that we'd manage until her vacation was done."

"There still should have been an interview done upon her return, Mr. Appleton," Callie insisted.

"Did she tell you anything that you didn't already know?"

Callie grimaced at his question, then asked one of her own. "How did your wife feel about Leah Davies?"

Appleton looked down at his desk, as if considering his answer before speaking. "I was in love with Leah Davies, Mrs. Harris," he finally said. "And she was in love with me. But she respected the fact that I was a married man, and refused to let things go further than a few furtive smiles and two kisses during the five years she worked for me. I was willing to toss everything aside to be with her - but Leah insisted that she didn't want me to do that." He managed a small smile. "I think she liked my wife. Marcia - was never anything but friendly whenever she came into the office and Leah was here." He sighed. "After Leah's death, Marcia told me that the two of them had talked about what was going on - and Leah told her that she had no desire to break up our marriage - because she knew that Marcia loved me too. I was lucky enough to have the love of two remarkable women - and I want to know what happened to Leah."

"So Mrs. Appleton would have had no reason to want Leah removed from the picture?" Carter wanted to know.

"No." The answer was firm and definite. "She wasn't threatened by Leah."

Callie asked, "Did she ever mention any of the men she saw away from work?"

"Her dates?" he questioned, then shook his head. "No. I do know that she told me that she only went to dinner with them. She was troubled by something that happened a couple of months before she disappeared, but I dismissed it - probably because I didn't like to think about her going on dates at all. I didn't even notice her being ill in the days leading up to that." His expression was one of intense regret. "If I had, maybe she would have told me what was going on - "

"Considering the way she felt about you, sir," Carter pointed out, "I don't think she would have told you even if you had asked."

"You're probably right," he agreed. "Have you found anything that might get you closer to who killed her?" He must have seen the look they exchanged. "Look, I know that Paula is paying you to investigate this, but I'll give you a bonus when you can answer that question."

Callie spoke up. "Well, we've discovered that both of the men who told the police that Leah was drinking that night were paid by person or persons unknown to make those statements."

"They haven't told you who paid them?"

"One of them is dead, Mr. Appleton," Carter said. "The other is on the run, afraid that he'll be killed if he talks."

"If Leah wasn't drinking, then what happened? How did she end up in her car at the bottom of that lake?"

"*That* is one of the things we're still trying to find out," Callie answered.

"If you need anything - money, the pressure of this office, *anything*," he repeated, "Don't hesitate to call me. In fact," he took out a business card and wrote on the back. "This is my private number." He held the card out to Callie, who hesitated. "Please, take it."

"Your wife -" Callie said.

"Don't you understand? I have to know what happened. And my wife understands. If I'm honest, I'd have to say that my marriage is stronger than it has ever been."

Callie took the card, nodding. "We'll have to verify keeping you informed on the case with our client," she told him.

Stanley Appleton smiled. "I doubt that Paula will say no."

****

Callie's sigh of frustration was loud in the car. "We still don't have a clue as to who killed her."

"We'll just have to go back over everything," Carter said. "Maybe we missed something -"

"What? We've talked to everyone involved in the case that's still alive - except for Dobbs, and he's missing -"

"Maybe we should set up an interview with Michael Galloway's wife," he suggested.

"He's dead -"

"True. But maybe he said something to her about Leah -"

"We don't know that they were married -"

"They didn't have to be -" Carter frowned. "Callie - of the three men who were interviewed, only one admitted to having done more than have dinner with Leah."

"She nodded. Galloway," she confirmed. "He said that they made out in his car -"

"Tell me something - why would anyone 'make out' in a car?"

"The danger of possibly being discovered," she suggested.

"Go on."

"Teenagers - they do it because they don't have anywhere else -" Her eyes widened as she realized what he was getting at. "Leah couldn't take him home because she had a daughter."

"What if Galloway had a wife at home?" Carter speculated.

"It's possible," she nodded. "But I still can't see Leah doing that - Can you?"

"No, but what if it wasn't consentual?"

"You mean, what if Michael Galloway tried to -"

"What if he *did*?"

Callie pulled the Jeep over to the curb, clearly shocked by the idea. "Oh. I'd never considered that idea. If that's what happened, and Galloway found out she was pregnant -"

Carter reached over and took her hand in his. "We still need to find out if he had access to the money it would have taken to have her killed and cover it up - and if he had any connection to Dobbs. I almost wish we didn't have to go see your dad," he told her. "I need some computer time."

"What for?"

"After we found out Galloway was dead, I just dropped him as a suspect." He grinned. "And I got sidetracked, remember?"

Callie smiled. "I remember."

"If I'd been thinking clearly, I would have pulled up his obituary to see what it could tell us about him."

She pulled the car away from the curb. "I'm sure Dad will let you use his after we've finished with the paperwork," she told him. "Why don't you call Paula and tell her that Mr. Appleton wants to be kept informed on the investigation?"

****

"And now the house is yours," Marty said, quickly amending the statement. "Both of yours - since both names are on the deed."

"It's a good thing that Allie's a notary," Callie said, taking the papers from him.

"Only until I can convince her to marry me," Marty said, pulling the young woman to his side. "Once she's legally family, she won't be able to notarize things."

"Why do you think I keep hedging my answer?" Allie asked, smiling.

"Because you're stubborn," Marty said. "But I love you anyway." He dropped a light kiss on her lips, then looked at his daughter, who had finally gotten used to seeing her father with her best friend. "Seriously, Callie, your mom would be so happy to know that you're going to be living in the house."

"I know, Dad," she told him.

"Marty," Carter said, "Would you mind if I used your office computer to check on something about our case?"

"No problem," Marty said. "How's it going?"

"We *might* have a breakthrough," Callie answered as they all followed Carter through the kitchen to the office. "Carter's looking for an obituary for someone who might have been involved."

"Who's obituary?" Marty asked, as Carter sat down at the desk. "That thing can be cantankerous, Carter."

"I'll manage," Carter assured him. "And the man's name was Michael Galloway."

"Mike? I have a copy of his obit here," he said, looking around the office. "I went to his funeral about a month and a half ago." He moved some papers, never noticing that both Callie and Carter stopped and turned to look at him.

"You knew him, Dad?"

"Anyone in the restaurant business knew him," Marty told her. "How was he involved in Leah Davies' death?"

"Michael Galloway was the last man that Leah went out with before her death," Carter explained.

"He owned a restaurant?" Callie asked. "I thought I knew all of the -"

"He was the CEO for Texas Steakhouse Group," Marty said. "So he didn't spend a lot of time in the restaurants. But he wasn't the real owner - his wife had the money - Mike was just the front man. If you're thinking that Mike had a fling with Leah - trust me, his wife would *not* put up with that. That woman kept a tight rein on him."

"Not that tight a rein," was Allie's comment, and Callie suddenly realized that her friend had become withdrawn upon mention of Michael Galloway's name.

"Allie?" she asked now.

"I went out with him," Allie confirmed, nodding. "Once. And that was enough."

Marty turned to look at her. "When -?"

"A few years ago," she said. "I was between relationships, and some of the girls from work and I were at the Texas Steakhouse out on Lemmon. He came to the table and talked to us, and asked me out to dinner. He seemed okay - wasn't wearing a ring - so I figured he wasn't married, so I said yes." She sighed. "After dinner, he suggested that we go back to my place, but - I didn't like taking dates home," she told them. "So I suggested that we go to *his* place instead. I could always tell a lot about a guy by seeing his home. But he said that he had a 'roommate' who wouldn't like it. I jokingly said something like, 'Who? Your wife?', and his reaction told me I was right. I told him to take me home, that I had a rule about dating married men, but he drove out by Lake Lavon and parked the car, then tried to get fresh. I slapped him, and when that didn't stop him, I got a little more physical - and told him that if he didn't take me home immediately, he wouldn't be able to walk the next day." She smiled. "As he was driving me home, he practically begged me not to tell anyone, that he was sorry, etcetera, etcetera."

"You should have reported it," Callie insisted.

"Yes, you should have," Marty growled in agreement, pulling her close. "If I'd known -"

"No harm was done," Allie insisted. "I can take care of myself. Goodness knows that I've fought off my fair share of office wolves over the years. Grab 'em where they live, so to speak, and they become a pussycat." Both Marty and Carter winced at her comment. "I had no idea that he had been involved in a murder -"

"We don't know for sure," Carter said. "It's just a working theory - we still need to find a connection between him and the police department."

Marty had gone back to looking for the obituary, and now he lifted it triumphantly. "Aha. Here it is! The police department, you say? He had one. A connection, that is. At least, I think I remember hearing that he did. Or, rather, his wife did. Her brother was a police detective - I think he retired before you joined the department," he told Callie.

Carter read the obituary on the paper that Marty had found. "That's our connection to Dobbs -," he told Callie, handing the paper to her.

"Carole *Dobbs* Galloway," Callie read. "I think we need to talk to Mrs. Galloway," she told Carter.

"To the best of my knowledge, she's taken over running the business," Marty said. "Let me get you the address of the franchise headquarters." He looked into a rolodex on the desk, then wrote the address. "You don't think that she had anything to do with -"

"If she controlled the purse strings, she had to be involved, Dad. There was a *lot* of money spent just to cover up Leah's murder and make everyone think it was an accident. There's no telling how much the actual murderer received." She stopped talking. "I know we can trust both of you not to let this go any further - it is our case, and -"

"But I'm involved in the case, remember?" Marty reminded her. "So I think that gives me a small stake at least." He smiled at her. "But don't worry. We won't tell a soul."

****

The franchise headquarters for Texas Steakhouse Group was in a modest building in a small office park north of downtown. The receptionist looked apologetic when they asked to see Mrs. Galloway. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No, we don't," Carter told her. "We were hoping that we might be able to talk to her."

"I'm sorry, but, Mrs. Galloway doesn't see anyone without an appointment - I could make one for you -" she glanced at the computer on her desk. "Let's see - Her first available time would be a week from today at two pm."

"That's -" Callie began, but Carter took her elbow and spoke over her.

"That's okay. I think we'll just write her a letter. Thank you anyway."

Callie didn't fight his hand on her elbow, guiding her out of the building. But once on the sidewalk, she pulled away. "Why didn't you fight harder to see her?"

"We weren't going to get in to see her - and I didn't want to warn her that we were this close," he explained. "Let's go home and I'll do a little more research - I have her phone number, remember? And from that I can get an address."

"You're very good at this, you know that?" Callie asked, slipping her arm through his as they moved toward the Jeep.

"I had a good teacher," he said.

"Your uncle," she replied, nodding.

"I wasn't talking about Uncle Simon," he told her. "I was talking about you."

****

"Any luck yet?" Callie asked after he'd been on the computer for awhile.

"Oh, I have the address," he confirmed. "But I was emailing my contact at the paper to see if there had been any whispers about Michael Galloway having been accused of assault or any rumors that he wasn't as faithful as people thought he was."

"And?"

"Unverified rumors - and if there were any cases of assault, they were swept deep under the rug."

Callie frowned upon hearing that. "That could mean that there's still someone with the department that was covering for him. I really wish that Allie had reported -"

"Do you really think that it would have made any difference?" he asked. "Especially if Galloway had someone keeping his crimes quiet? If she had, she might have ended up like Leah."

"Possibly," Callie mused. "But I have a feeling that Leah was a special case - maybe because she worked for Appleton."

"That's very possible," Carter agreed. "Considering what else I found out -"

"What was that?"

"Guess who Mrs. Galloway's sister is?"

"No idea."

"Marcia Appleton."

"You interviewed her -"

"Five years ago," he reminded her. "But it was about her foundation, not her family. She did mention that she was from here, and still had family in the city, but there were no names mentioned."

"And if Carole Galloway is her sister, then Edward Dobbs is her brother. You know, I'm curious to hear what Mr. Appleton has to say about our theory. Aren't you?" She pulled the card that Stanley Appleton had given to her earlier from her pocket.

Carter took the card and glanced at it, shaking his head. "I'd prefer to ask in person. I can tell more about a person's reaction to questions if I can see their face."

"Well, it's already after five - so he's probably not at the office. Maybe we could meet him at his home." She picked up the phone and dialed Appleton's private number.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Appleton, it's Callie Harris - would you be able to talk with us this evening?"

"I think I could do that, Mrs. Harris," he answered. "Have you found out something?"

"It's possible, but we need to ask you a few questions - if it won't cause you problems with your wife."

"She's out at a committee meeting this evening," he told her. "Won't be home until around nine, most likely. But it wouldn't be a problem if she was here. I'll leave word with the security guard at the gate to let you and Mr. Jankowski through when you arrive."

"Shall we say around seven?" Callie suggested.

"I'll be waiting."

****

The Appleton home was surrounded by a high fence, with a security guard at the gated entrance, tasked with screening out the sightseers and occasional protesters. He glanced at his notepad and waved them through the gate, telling them to follow the drive up to the house and park at the front door.

"Same security company that handles the office," Callie told Carter.

"He probably has a contract with them for all of his security needs," he pointed out.

The door was opened by a middle-aged man in a dark suit. "Mrs. Harris? Mr. Jankowski?" he asked, closing the door behind them.

"Yes. I believe Mr. Appleton is -"

"He's waiting in the study," the man told them. "If you'll follow me." He led them to a pair of closed doors. Knocking once, he opened one of the doors. "Your guests are here, sir."

Stanley Appleton rose from his chair behind a heavy oak desk. "Thank you, Barrett. That will be all." Barrett closed the door once they were inside the room. "Why don't we sit over here," Appleton suggested, indicating the sofa and chairs near the window. He picked up a glass from the desk. "Would either of you care for a drink?"

"No, thank you," Callie said.

Sitting down, their host sighed. "Now, what's going on?"

"We have a few questions about Michael Galloway," Carter told him.

"Michael? Carole's husband? He's dead -"

"Yes, we know that he died six weeks ago."

"What do you need to know?"

"Did he ever meet Leah?"

He looked thoughtful. "Possibly - we used to have Christmas parties here for family and employees - their paths might have crossed, I suppose. Why?"

Callie looked at Carter before saying, "Are you aware that the last person that Leah was confirmed to have gone out with was Michael Galloway?"

"No. I had no idea - you're sure?"

"Detective Lansing interviewed him after Leah's disappearance. He admitted that he had gone out with her a few times -"

"And that they had 'made out' in his car," Carter continued.

"Now that I don't believe at all," Stanley said. "Leah wouldn't have done that. She thought too much of herself to -" he shook his head sadly.

"Our theory, Mr. Appleton," Carter said, "is that Galloway - forced himself on Leah -"

Stanley's eyes widened in horror at the idea. "Dear God," he breathed, taking a drink from the glass in his hand. "I never liked the man - kept telling Marcia that she needed to convince her sister to cut him loose before he did something that -" Putting the glass down, he ran a hand through his white hair. "No wonder she was so - different those last weeks. She was quieter than normal, and seemed slightly jumpy - But whenever I asked her what was wrong, she insisted that nothing was wrong." Closing his eyes, he bowed his head before it came up again, his eyes open. "It was his baby -"

"I could have been," Callie cautioned him. "As Carter said, it's just a theory - we don't have any proof -"

"We also need to ask you about Edward Dobbs, sir," Carter said.

Stanley frowned. "Eddie? What about him?"

It was Callie who answered. "The detectives handling the case were ordered to close it, to let the story about Leah drinking too much stand as the final cause of death."

"I'm sure the idea of a police captain doing something like that bothers you, since you were a police officer yourself, doesn't it?"

"Yes, sir," Callie confirmed. "Is it possible that your brother-in-law might have done something like that? He did retire from the department shortly after Leah's death."

Stanley sighed and rose from his chair, pacing over to the window that overlooked the back of the house. "Eddie and Carole are my wife's step siblings," he told them. "Marcia's mother died when she was young, and her father remarried a woman with two children. He adopted them after their mother died, but he left the lion's share of his estate to Marcia. I never felt that Eddie was too terribly upset by it, but Carole seemed to resent Marcia to some degree. But that never stopped her from coming to Marcia for money if she needed it."

The door into the room opened, and a well dressed woman stood there. Her gray-streaked dark hair was expertly styled, and she entered the room, looking at Callie and Carter - who had risen upon her appearance.

To Part 3


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