Dafydd ab hugh doom 03, p.13
His to Defend, page 13
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just clumsy and pissed.”
“Jeremy was a momma’s boy,” Maxwell explained. “In her eyes he could do no wrong. Besides, he wasn’t the type of guy to admit when he screwed up. Nor would he apologize. Except...”
She glanced at him when he didn’t continue. “Except what?”
Maxwell’s eyebrows drew together like he was in deep thought. “Except shortly before he died. He said something that I totally forgot about. He said he was sorry about you.”
Amina’s heart kicked inside her chest. What did that mean? Was he sorry for the way he’d treated her? Sorry for playing with her emotions? Or was he sorry that he screwed around on her and had a baby with another woman?
“Considering he had a lot to apologize for, I’m not sure what he was referring to,” Maxwell said as if reading her mind.
His cell phone beeped and he pulled it from his pocket as they walked across the lawn. While he read a text message, a feeling of being watched came over Amina. She looked around then slowed when she noticed a woman staring at them. Seconds ticked by, then the woman slipped on her sunglasses.
“Max, do you know her?” she asked, pointing her thumb over her shoulder before looking back.
“Know who?”
Amina glanced to her left and right, wondering where the woman could’ve disappeared to that fast. “She was just standing back there near that huge oak tree.”
Maxwell followed her line of sight, but the woman was gone. “What about her?”
Amina shrugged. “It’s probably nothing. I saw her staring at me earlier at the church, and again just now. Or maybe she was just checking you out.”
Maxwell chuckled. “Yeah, right.”
Women loved a man in uniform, and Maxwell looked especially incredible in his dress blues. At over six feet, the garment made him appear taller, broader and like a total badass.
“I’m serious. You look hot, and I’m not talking about the temperature,” she said, displaying her most seductive expression as her gaze slid slowly down his muscular body and then back up again.
He flashed a sexy grin that sent a frisson of excitement coursing through her body and goose bumps skittering along her bare arm. Jeremy’s parents might’ve been wrong about her cheating on their son, but maybe they could see in her what Samantha saw. Interest. Lust. And probably a host of other words to describe what she felt when it came to Maxwell.
“Why, thank you. I might need to dress like this all the time if it evokes that type of reaction from you.”
They both laughed and started back walking.
“I take it Jeremy’s parents don’t know about their granddaughter,” she said.
“The results of the paternity test haven’t come back yet. So if they know about the baby, they didn’t hear it from me,” Maxwell said, and glanced at his phone again. “I’m not sure when or how that information will be handled. Listen, I need to head in to work. How about we meet up later for dinner?”
Amina smiled, thoughts of the Kellys flying from her mind. “That sounds wonderful.”
The day after spending time with his family, they had gone for coffee at a café near her house. They had talked for a couple of hours getting to know each other on a different level. She knew quite a bit about Maxwell, but that day she realized there was just as much she didn’t know. Like how he had a bachelor’s degree in criminology. Or how his father had a gambling problem before he died of cancer when Maxwell was young. Or that his favorite color was purple and that he’d always wanted a dog. A rottweiler.
When Amina realized Maxwell was following her to her vehicle, she stopped. “You don’t have to walk me to my car. Let’s not give Jay’s family anything to talk about.” She didn’t see them, but wasn’t willing to take the chance. Besides, Maxwell’s car was in the opposite direction. There was no sense in him having to backtrack to get to it.
“You sure? I don’t mind.”
“I’m positive. Call or text me later once you know what time you’ll be available for dinner and we’ll plan from there.”
“Sounds good.” He didn’t move, and a smile crept across his full lips. “I would kiss you if I didn’t think you would totally freak out.”
Amina grinned. “I would let you if I didn’t think daggers would be thrown at me from someplace across the cemetery.”
They both laughed.
“All right. Well, let me get out of here. I’ll call you in a few hours.” He slipped on his sunglasses, which made him look even sexier and dangerous, and walked backward still looking at her. “I’ll see you later,” he said.
“I look forward to it.”
Amina was still smiling when she reached her car. They hadn’t put a name to whatever they were doing, but as far as she was concerned, they were dating. That made her grin even harder.
“Excuse me.”
Amina jumped and whirled around so fast that she slammed her hip into the car. Her hand flew to her chest as panic engulfed her like an out-of-control California wildfire.
Not this again. It was like déjà vu. Everything that happened in the parking lot the other night came rushing back. She gripped her keys in her hand ready to fight.
“I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to scare you.”
With her heart racing, Amina quickly perused the woman from her long micro braids hanging loose over her shoulders to the black maxi dress she wore. It was the same woman she’d seen moments ago. Except this time, she had a baby carrier in her hand. The infant, dressed in pink and white with a pink barrette in her hair, was gnawing on her little fist.
Amina’s heart clenched and her attention went back to the woman. Not just any woman, but who she assumed was Jeremy’s fiancée.
“Are you Jeremy’s wife?” the pretty woman said.
“Ex-wife,” Amina replied forcefully. Seemed his name came up at every turn lately. She might have to leave town to totally rid herself of anything revolving around him.
The woman stared at her for a minute then glanced down at the infant who could’ve been Jeremy’s twin when he was a baby. It was no wonder Maxwell sounded sure about the child’s paternity. She had Jeremy’s intuitive eyes, his nose and his strong cheekbones.
“Who are you?” Amina asked, though she already knew. What she didn’t know was why this woman had sought her out.
“My name is Rochelle and this is...” She swallowed as her attention went to the baby before returning to Amina. “This is my daughter, Camille. At the funeral, I heard someone say you were his wife. I... I never knew he was married.”
Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat, but there were unshed tears hanging from her eyelashes.
“He never said a word. If I had known, there is no way I would’ve been with him. I’m not a home-wrecker. Please believe me. He said he had no family. That they were killed in a plane crash.”
Amina relaxed her shoulders. Her first impression of the woman was very different than she imagined. For some reason, she expected some around-the-way girl, popping gum and having a funky attitude. Maybe that’s what she wanted her to be like so that she could feel better about Jeremy stepping out on her. Instead, this woman appeared humbled and truly sorry. And dammit, she was movie-star pretty.
“You weren’t a home-wrecker. That was all Jeremy,” Amina said, struggling to control the anger that was simmering just below the surface. When would it end? When would Jeremy and everything in his life not touch her?
She opened her car door, debating for a second on whether she should say anything else to Rochelle. Actually, Maxwell and his people could determine what to share with her about Jeremy and his family. Amina felt sorry for her. She knew what it was like being one of her ex-husband’s pawns, but she had no plans of befriending the woman.
She spared a glance at Rochelle. “For the record, you’re better off without that bastard. I wish you and your baby all the best, but please don’t seek me out again.”
Amina’s attitude might’ve been cold, but that was all she could muster for the woman. More than anything, she wanted to erase any hint of Jeremy from her life.
Chapter 13
Maxwell rubbed his chin as he swiveled back and forth in his office chair. His mind was on everything but work. He couldn’t stop thinking about Jeremy’s parents and how nasty they were toward Amina. Now he hated that he talked her into attending the funeral. Initially, he thought it would be a good way to get closure. Instead, she got ambushed because of more lies.
What the heck would happen when people found they were dating? Or sorta dating? Hell, he wasn’t sure what they were doing or what to call it. All he knew was that he wanted her in his life, and he had every intention of seeing where their relationship could go.
And that asshole Jeremy.
When had he changed for the worse? When had he become this person that Maxwell didn’t recognize? His feelings toward the man were growing darker by the day. Though he was more than ready to catch his killer, more than anything, he wanted to figure out what had changed Jeremy. He hadn’t always been the selfish, coldhearted jerk that he had turned into.
“Hey, boss. You got a minute?” Danny asked from the doorway. “Me and Zeke got something.”
“Yeah, come on in.”
Both men had attended Jeremy’s wake, but because of the urgency of the case, neither attended the funeral.
“What do you have?” he asked as they strolled into the office.
“A headache.” Danny dropped into one of the guest chairs in front of the desk. “Talk about not being able to predict the direction a case will go. This one is proving to be tough.”
Zeke was still standing, typing something into the electronic tablet in his hands. “We have a video from an owner of one of the town houses across from the apartment building,” he said. He moved around the desk and handed Maxwell the device.
The video started, and whatever camera had been used, it had a wide lens that picked up not only the apartment building’s door, but part of a backyard of what he assumed was the town house. Every few minutes people walked out of the apartment building through a door that Maxwell hadn’t noticed when he was there. It was near where Jeremy had parked the squad car the day they were ambushed, but a little hidden by shrubbery.
“What am I looking for?” he asked.
“Just wait for it. You’ll know it when you see it,” Zeke said.
Maxwell noted the date of the video in the upper right-hand corner. It was the day of the shooting, and a flicker of apprehension coursed through him. Whatever he was about to see wasn’t going to be good, but if it could get them closer to finding Jeremy’s killer, he was ready for it.
No sooner than the thought entered his mind, a man burst out of the apartment building. He glanced left and right before going left down the sidewalk, but then Zeke stopped the video. The detective didn’t have to say anything. Maxwell sat staring at the frozen screen, taking in every detail. The guy was over six feet tall. They could tell because he was standing near a six-foot wrought-iron fence that he could easily see over. He was also dressed in black from head to toe.
None of that stood out as much as some of the other details about him. Like, why was he wearing a black skullcap pulled low over his forehead and a long-sleeve Henley when it was at least a hundred degrees outside? Maxwell’s guess was that without the hat something about his head or hair could be easily identifiable. In addition, he’d be willing to bet the man had tattoos on his arms. More than all of that though, was the long black case hanging from his shoulder—a rifle case.
“If you haven’t done so already, take note of the date and time.” That came from Danny, who was still sitting on the other side of the desk.
Maxwell did as he said, and it was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. Nothing was definite, and the guy leaving the apartment building looking like a thief in the night could be a nobody. But what were the chances that he’d be carrying a rifle case and leaving five minutes after Maxwell had called for backup?
“It’s safe to say he’s probably not a professional since he didn’t try to hide the rifle case. Nor would a skilled hit man get caught on video,” Maxwell said. “A person like that would’ve used the roof to get away or at least walk out not looking like a damn crook. But he does move with precision, and we can’t forget the accuracy of the gunshot. Maybe military? Do we know who he is?”
Maxwell’s voice was calm considering the ferocious storm brewing inside him. His heart rate picked up speed as he pressed Play again and the video continued. He kept watching until the man was out of view then pressed Stop again.
“We’re going to have the tech guys see what they can do, but whoever this guy is, he did a good job keeping his face concealed from that particular camera,” Zeke said.
Maxwell would love to believe that this was just an ordinary guy minding his own business or heading to the gun range to practice. Yet, the more he thought about that day, the preliminary autopsy report and the little they’d uncovered so far, had him believing that the shooting was indeed a setup. A hit.
“There’s more,” Danny said grimly, and Zeke reached for the tablet. “The lady who lives in the town house mentioned that she saves thirty days of footage before the recorder resets itself. There are shots of Jay leaving through that same door several times over the last few weeks.” Maxwell had remembered Jeremy mentioning that he had been dispatched to the apartment complex several times over the last few months, but when they investigated, they’d run into dead ends. Clearly, they needed to follow up.
Zeke handed the tablet back to Maxwell and said, “We need to figure out who this woman is.”
He pointed at the screen just as Jeremy strolled out of the building laughing and his arm around a scantily clad woman.
Son of a...
Maxwell gritted his teeth while irritation churned inside him as he continued watching. It might not have been a big deal seeing Jeremy walk out with the woman, but not only was he in uniform, the time stamp showed that it was during his normal shift. If that wasn’t bad enough, he kissed the woman like his tongue was trying to make contact with her tonsils.
Maxwell shook his head and set the tablet down. He propped his elbow on the desk and rubbed his eyes.
What the hell were you doing, Jay?
Had Jeremy somehow orchestrated the 911 calls all those times he was dispatched there? How often was he there when he should’ve been on patrol? And was this person involved in his murder?
Maxwell opened his eyes, and Zeke tapped on the tablet’s screen. “We find this woman and I bet we get our killer. Or at least some answers.”
Shock and rage warred within Maxwell as he struggled to hold his raw emotions in check.
“Get a still shot of the woman with Jay and see if Aaron recognizes her. I guess his sister and Jeremy were hanging out. I’m not sure when or how long, but find out if that’s her.”
“Okay, and I’ll get in contact with Dispatch to see if we can identify any patterns of times and dates when Jeremy responded to that location,” Danny said. “We’ll also be scouring the neighborhood for more security cameras. Houses, businesses and even traffic cams in the area might help in determining who the guy is. Hopefully, one of the cameras will give us a shot of the perimeter of the building and surrounding streets.”
“And once we see if we can get a better view of that guy, we’ll show his photo around. Someone has to know him or know something,” Zeke added, and leaned on the desk. “Also, you told us to dig into Jeremy’s life for the last six months. I started and haven’t gotten far, but I was surprised by something I found.”
Maxwell wasn’t sure he wanted any more surprises as they related to Jeremy and this case. Drugs in his system, a fiancée who no one knew about and a possible hit man who might’ve taken him out. He had a bad feeling that this was just the beginning of something more sinister than any of them could’ve predicted.
“What did you find?” he asked solemnly.
“We know Jay got divorced like six or seven months ago, and that, according to Rochelle, he was living with her for longer than that. He had time to add her as his emergency contact, and set Camille as his beneficiary. He did neither.”
Maxwell frowned and gave a slight shrug, wondering where this was going. “Okay, maybe he just forgot or hadn’t gotten around to it. Besides, we don’t always remember to stop in at HR and update our information.”
“See, that’s just it,” Danny said. “He did stop in there about a month ago. He wanted to take advantage of the supplemental life insurance that’s available. You would think that he would’ve had at least Camille on the policy, but he didn’t. His ex-wife is his sole beneficiary, and it’s a nice chunk of change.”
Zeke, still standing next to Maxwell, made a sound that was a cross between a grunt and a laugh. “You know what they say in situations when the husband is killed and there’s a lot of money to be had. The wife is probably the one who—”
“Don’t even think about finishing that statement,” Maxwell growled. The venom in his voice had his detectives straightening. “There’s no way in hell Amina had anything to do with Jay’s death. So if that’s the route you’re going, change directions and keep digging.”
Neither man said anything, only looked at Maxwell as if they didn’t recognize him. Rarely did he snap, but he couldn’t sit there and let them talk about her like she was some type of black widow. There was no way she was involved in Jeremy’s murder. That, he would bet his life on.
Maxwell tapped down his annoyance. “You guys are the best detectives on the force, and I know I don’t have to tell you how to do your job. But I want no stone unturned on this case, and we need it wrapped up quickly.”
“We’re on it,” Danny said, and stood. “Lieutenant Grayson has been asking where we are on the case. We didn’t have the video the last time he asked, but—”
