Nick and the chief were in the living room talking like two boys in a crowded football stadium.
“How’s the patient?”
“Feisty as ever,” Nick said.
“Looks like the blow to the head didn’t change much then.”
They both laughed.
“You better get in there before she comes tumbling out,” Nick said.
I sat up and tried to get my thoughts together. My hands quivered, and the pain in my head felt like a bunch of villagers had taken rocks and attempted to stone me to death.
“Well, you look better,” the chief said. “Back to your old self?”
“I feel good.”
I lied of course, but he didn’t need to know.
“It’s fine by me if you want to wait and do this another day, there’s no rush.”
“Now works,” I said.
“My men are seeing what they can dig up.”
“How do they know what to look for?” I said.
“Coop went to Wildwood this morning, and Calhoun here is headed to the real estate office where Miss Halliwell worked. And before you pipe up, I already know you went to both places; we’re just doing some follow up.”
The thought of Coop meddling in my business turned my stomach.
“Now don’t get up on that high horse of yours, Sloane. I can tell by the look on your face that you disapprove. You and Coop need to bury the hatchet on this one and work together. I mean it. Whatever you may or may not think of him, he’s good at what he does.”
“He’s the one with the problem,” I said. “Not me.”
“I remember when Coop was considered the life of the party. He had a daughter right around your age, and even though he disapproved about her decision to become a cop, she was a fine officer.”
“I remember,” I said. “She died in the line of duty several years back in some gang-related shooting on the West side.”
“I bet you remind him a little of her the way you stick your neck out and take risks like you do. Heaven knows how proud he was of her, but after she died…well, you can understand.”
It never occurred to me that Coop acted like he did because of events that stemmed from his past, and though we had our differences, there was one thing we shared––the permanent scar one receives after losing a loved one.
The chief sat on a chair in the corner of my room. “Let’s talk about this Parker fellow.”
“I want to make sure we’re on the same page first.”
“Meaning?” he said.
“If I tell you what I know, I want to be kept in the loop.”
“I’ll do what I can to include you in what we find, but you need to understand my position. I’m already sticking my neck out here.”
“So you’ll keep me updated on any breaks in the case?”
“We both know Calhoun does that already,” he said. “And there’s no need to cover for him with some bullshit story about how the two of you keep work and personal stuff separate. I know better.”
“I also want to be involved in the interrogations.”
“You know I can’t put you in the room,” he said.
“I understand, but I want access to the recordings.”
“Done. Can we get on with it?” he said.
I gave him a brief overview of Parker’s womanizing ways and detailed my visit with him on the day I was attacked.
“So he likes the ladies. It doesn’t make him a killer,” he said, when I finished.
“It gives him motive. Maybe he abused Charlotte, and she threatened to go public. He wouldn’t want to tarnish his family’s perfect image. Maybe he couldn’t handle the break up, or maybe she found out about the other women and…”
The other women! I had forgotten about the files I found at Charlotte’s house the night of my attack.
The chief cleared his throat. “You were saying?”
“I don’t believe it was a coincidence that on the same day I confronted Parker I was attacked. There’s a good chance Parker was responsible.”
“Maybe…I don’t know,” he said.
“Bring him in. See what he has to say for himself. Ask him where he was last night and where he was on the day of Charlotte’s murder. If you need a reason to pick him up, I’ll press charges of my own.”
“I’ll consider it,” he said.
“I appreciate you coming over to see me, but I need some rest. Can we finish this later?”
He stood up. “Well kiddo, try to relax, and enjoy the rest of your day.”
Actually, my day was just getting started.