Uncle Calvin, Melanie, Rosa, and Quinn all sat in my living room.
Mel and Calvin were on the couch. Rosa sat in a dining chair, taking notes, next to her boss, who sat on the edge of the chaise lounge.
Quinn spoke evenly and calmly. “The preliminary report is that the fire began in the back of the office and appears to be electrical. Which doesn’t exactly go alone with the graffiti we found on the back of the building.”
“Any ideas on who the artists could be?” I leaned forward. Graffiti was the least of our worries. Unless it could be linked.
“I was just about to get to that. We had a call about a group of kids vandalizing buildings. We’re taking a look at the security footage you forwarded Calvin and those from the surrounding businesses.” Quinn glanced up and made eye contact with me. “And it looks like the same group of kids were caught, but the message is exactly the same as the one Morales said to you.”
“Strike the shepherd?” I asked. Linked.
“Yes,” Quinn said. “Except this time, they managed a complete thought. Strike the shepherd so the sheep may scatter.”
I nodded. “LJ works as an electrician, and as I mentioned to Detective Battle, was at the Ross’s on a call the night his father was murdered.”
“What?” Calvin studied me.
“And,” Melanie rushed to add, “he was at the crawl tonight. I saw him. And Bea said she heard him on the phone the morning of the attack, giving Lyla’s description to someone.”
“Do you have any evidence to back your claim?” Quinn asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “I spoke with Mrs. Ross and had a look at the work order. It wasn’t signed by LJ, but when I called his office, the scheduler confirmed he was the second electrician they sent out on the Ross job. Just take a picture of LJ and show it to Spider.”
Calvin’s eyes swung toward me. “He’s awake?”
I nodded. “That’s what Detective Battle told me this morning. And he said the guy was talking. Apparently blathering that someone representing me paid him to attack me and shout those exact words.”
This got a reaction from Calvin. His eyes hardened. “Why am I just hearing about this?”
“Because it’s being handled by the police.” I waved a hand toward Quinn. “Obviously, I agreed for the police to check my bank records. Especially since Spider claims I also paid fifty thousand for a hit on Leonard Richardson as well. Detective Battle asked if Mother were involved too.”
Calvin’s jaw clenched.
“This is the first I’ve heard of this,” Quinn told us both.
“I thought you were liaising or whatever.” I gaped.
“I’ll make some calls and make sure someone gets a photo of LJ in front of him. We’ll certainly need to speak with him about this fire as well.”
“Oh, now we all feel better.” Melanie let out a snort.
“He might have other gang members making a buck even after he got picked up. There’s no accounting for criminals,” I added.
Rosa lifted her pen. “Chief, you also had calls from Piper Sanchez.”
Quinn glanced over at Rosa. “What calls?”
“She left messages for you about this case.” She lifted a brow. “The heads-up message?”
“What? Just spit it out, Landry.” Quinn sounded irritated.
“Ms. Sanchez claimed LJ threatened her when she inquired about his whereabouts the night of the murder. And he mentioned that ending, um”—she cleared her throat—“bitches like Piper and Lyla would make his day.”
Go Piper! She was growing on me more and more.
“Why am I just now hearing about this? Did she file a formal complaint?”
“The call came in right before we heard about the fire, sir.”
“Get back to the fire, Daniels. It’s getting late. What kind of damage are we looking at?” My uncle looked like he was ready to blow a gasket.
Quinn cleared his throat and got back on track; I guess he needed to feel in charge again. “Your office is completely destroyed.”
I gave Rosa a little head nod. She seemed energized by fieldwork.
“What about my cookie shop?” Mel nibbled her bottom lip, and I reached out and took her hand.
“I’m afraid the kitchen sustained the most damage.”
“Oh God! We just spent twenty grand on the new commercial ovens.”
“The good news,” Quinn said, softening his tone, “is that the rest of the store was mostly unscathed.”
Mel wiped her pale face, which a couple of tears had streaked. “I know its dumb to be so emotional over a kitchen when this could have happened when the staff and customers were in the store. And you’re dealing with the gang and LJ’s bullshit. He should be hanged, by the way.”
I wrapped my arm across her shoulders. “It isn’t dumb. You worked hard to build your business. It’s a loss, for sure.”
“Not dumb at all.” Rosa rose and sat on the other side of Melanie, patting her knee.
Mel rested her head on my shoulder and took Rosa’s hand. “Thanks, y’all. But I feel so foolish.”
We tried to soothe our friend, making noises about her reactions being completely normal and understood.
“Quinn, are we done here? I think everyone is exhausted.” Calvin rose.
“Yes. I’ve recorded Melanie’s statement, and I got Teresa’s before she had to get home to her kids. I’ll have my officers getting in contact with the company to check up on LJ Richardson. It’s best if we cover our bases. And we’ll do our best to round up the vandals from the surveillance footage. They should roll pretty quickly.”
Calvin nodded. He kept flexing his hand, open and closed. He seemed to be staring at nothing. I rose and walked Melanie and Rosa to the door, hugged them both, and promised to speak to them later today. I was dead on my feet.
Quinn and Calvin exchanged quiet words while I stood propped up against the open door. Too tired to be annoyed by the secrecy of their communication, I closed my eyes and ignored them. I’d find out soon enough, and all the indignation over being excluded evaporated.
Quinn’s footsteps alerted me that he’d reached the place where I stood. “Give me a second outside.”
Nodding, I covered my mouth while I yawned and stepped out on the stoop with him.
His eyes searched mine. “You okay here alone?”
I nodded firmly. “Yes. I’m fine.”
“I got word Harper has been released into your Mother’s custody.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “That was fast.”
“It seems your mother can move mountains when she wants to.” He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. Fatigue was written all over him too. “I didn’t know Battle came by to rattle your cage. I would have put a stop to it if I had.”
“He’s just doing his job. I don’t really believe he thought I was involved. He’s just thrashing the bushes to see if any surprises come running out that might help the defense. Which tells me something. I’m too tired to formulate what yet. But I will.”
“You’re a smart lady.”
I squeezed his arm and held his gaze. “Thank you for everything.” I wanted him to have no questions about my sincerity.
He covered my hand with his. “I care. You know that.” His eyes were downcast when he spoke next. “I know you aren’t interested in me romantically. I understand that too much has transpired between us. I’ll always be your friend, always be here if you need me.”
“I appreciate it. I truly do.” I dropped my hand and stepped back inside. I wasn’t against having a friendship with Quinn, and it was refreshing to hear that he understood where we were.
He lifted a hand as I closed the door. I gave him a small smile through the crack.