CHAPTER 16
When Abby and Gage reached the kitchen, her mother and Zeke sat flanking Jada, making their loyalties clear. Both would stand with her against Gage. Abby wasn’t surprised by her mother’s choice. The woman already had issues with the man because of Owen. Zeke, on the other hand, was most likely picking up on Jada’s distress and was doing his best to offer comfort.
Maybe she was overanalyzing the situation, but she didn’t think so. Regardless, Abby couldn’t bring herself to take the empty seat next to Jada’s nor the one closer to Gage, for fear it would make Jada feel as if they were ganging up on her. After pouring Gage some coffee, she leaned against the counter, the closest to a neutral corner she could find within the limited space of her kitchen.
Gage added cream and sugar to his mug before taking out the small spiral notebook that he always used in these circumstances. The county homicide detective had one that was similar, so she always figured it was a cop thing. After he opened it to a new page, he picked up his pen and leaned forward, elbows on the table.
“So, Ms. Davidson, I want you to walk me through what happened last night. Take it slow, the more detail the better. You never know what will end up being important.”
Jada’s fingers dug deeper into Zeke’s fur as if needing his undemanding support. “I went to bed around ten thirty. I’ve been sleeping in my dad’s room instead of mine. I feel closer to him that way. Like he’s not really gone, but just away for a while.”
Abby hurt so much for Jada, hating that this was all so hard for her. Jada kept her attention trained on the table rather than making direct eye contact with anyone. “The house was quiet, just the usual night sounds. The next thing I know, I heard a loud bang coming from the other end of the house, like something hit the front door hard. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but then it happened a second time. The third time, I heard wood splintering and a loud crash. Realizing someone had broken into the house, I locked myself in the bathroom and called the police.”
Her story coasted to a stop while she took a drink of water. After setting the glass aside, she picked up from where she’d left off. “The dispatcher said an officer was close by and to stay right where I was until Deputy Sotot arrived and identified himself.”
She finally looked directly at Gage. “My heart was pounding so hard I couldn’t really hear much by that point. I huddled down in the tub with the shower curtain closed until the deputy knocked on the bathroom door. Once he gave me his name and badge number, I came out. You and the others arrived shortly after that.”
By that point in the narrative, Abby’s mother had a firm grasp on one of Jada’s hands, offering what comfort she could. Zeke did his part, too, by keeping his head on her lap and grumbling softly to show his concern.
Gage kept writing until he caught up with Jada’s narrative. “I know you didn’t have much time to look around last night, but did you notice anything at all that was missing?”
She shook her head. “No, only the stuff that got tossed around in the living room. You know, like the couch cushions thrown on the floor. He also pulled a few things out of the coat closet, like he was looking for something. None of the other rooms looked as if they’d been touched, so maybe he ran out of time before he got that far. I’ll be able to say more for certain once I start putting everything back where it belongs.”
Gage glanced up from his notes. “You said ‘he,’ indicating a single male person. Is there any reason you think it had to be a man? Could it have been a woman? Or even more than one person?”
Jada paused to think. “I guess I just assumed it had to be a man since it would take a lot of strength to kick the door in like that. I have no idea if he was alone. Like I said, I couldn’t hear much of anything once I locked myself in the bathroom.”
After jotting down a few things, Gage picked up where he’d left off. “Can you think of anything specific the perpetrator might have been looking for? Something of value that would explain why the guy didn’t simply grab the easy stuff like your laptop, which was sitting out in plain sight?”
Jada’s face paled. “No, nothing of special value. My mother had some nice jewelry, but it’s in the safety deposit box at the bank. Any important paperwork is in the locked filing cabinet in the bedroom Dad used for his home office. It didn’t appear to have been opened, but I can double-check that when I get home. I did a lot of filing for him, so I know what should be there.”
“Go back to earlier in the day. What time did you get home and where were you coming from?”
“I’d been at school most of the day. I missed some classes after Dad died, and I’m still playing catch-up.” She bit her lower lip and frowned. “I didn’t feel like cooking, so I went through a drive-up to get a burger and salad. I went straight home from there.”
“When you got to the house, did you park in the driveway or in the garage?”
“The garage. I went inside through the door that leads straight into the kitchen.”
Gage kept writing as he fired another question at her. “For the few seconds you waited for the door to roll up out of the way, did you look around at all? If so, did you see anything or anyone in the area? Maybe someone who didn’t belong there? Take your time and really think about it.”
Jada did as he asked, slowly sipping her drink. “None of my neighbors were outside. Not that I noticed, anyway. I remember a car driving by, though. Normally, I wouldn’t have paid any attention. Even though it’s a pretty quiet neighborhood, we do get some traffic when people miss their turn on the main road and use our loop to turn around. I only noticed this time because the car was moving slowly, like the driver was looking for an address, but then it suddenly picked up speed and took off. I never got a look at the driver.”
“Can you give me any kind of description of the vehicle itself?”
“It was a dark color. Black . . . no, it was blue. One of the smaller style SUVs. No idea what make, though.”
“Not a problem. Is there anything else you can think of about that day?”
When she shook her head, Gage quietly set his pen back down. He looked relaxed, but the methodical way he moved made Abby suspect his calm demeanor only went skin deep. Fear for what was going to come next ratcheted up her own tension. It was unclear if her mother had picked up on the dark undercurrents, but Jada looked as if she was about to bolt for the closest exit.
Gage finally leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest, and stared at Jada with that hard-eyed cop gaze that had no doubt broken many a desperate criminal. Abby hated seeing him use it on Jada, but surely he wouldn’t go all tough cop on the girl unless it was warranted.
“That takes care of last night, Ms. Davidson.” But before anyone could relax, he added, “But I still have questions about what happened at the park the other night.”
Abby’s mother rushed to intercede before Jada could respond. “Don’t you think she’s been through enough for now, Chief Logan?”
Interfering with Gage’s investigation was never a good idea. Abby tried to head her off at the pass by stepping toward the table. “Mom, don’t—”
Gage waved her back. “Mrs. McCree, it’s fine if you want to sit with Jada. And if I have any questions you can answer, I’ll aim them at you directly. Otherwise, remain quiet. If that’s not possible, leave.”
Her mother’s eyes briefly widened in shock before narrowing in pure anger. “Excuse me, but this is my daughter’s house, not your police station. If anyone needs to go, it’s you.”
Abby slammed her coffee cup down on the counter. This time she wouldn’t be deterred by either her idiot of a parent or the angry cop in the room. “Mom, that’s enough. You’re way out of line here.”
The woman didn’t back down, not an inch. “No, I’m not.”
“You’re right about this being my house. I decide what goes on here, and I’m telling you to apologize to Gage and then leave the room. He’s conducting the interview with Jada here because he thinks it would be less upsetting for her than meeting with him at the police station.”
Jada shifted her gaze back and forth between Abby and her mother, her mouth hanging open in shock. Abby didn’t check to see how Gage was reacting to yet another McCree family squabble. “Well?”
Hands on her hips, her mother snapped, “I can’t believe you’re still siding with him against your own mother.”
Oh, brother! Seriously, when had the woman become such a drama queen? “Mom, playing the guilt card quit working when I was sixteen. This isn’t a case of us versus him. It’s a case of right and wrong—or have you forgotten this is a murder investigation?”
Her mother flinched as if Abby’s words had delivered a physical blow. She deliberately turned away from both Abby and Gage to focus on Jada. “If you are uncomfortable with anything that man asks you, you are within your rights to ask that an attorney be present to protect your best interests.”
Then she stalked out of the room and then up the stairs to the third floor. Even Gage winced when the sound of the bedroom door slamming echoed down the steps. It was tempting to go after her, but Abby stood her ground. She wasn’t wrong. Gage had every right to interview Jada.
It was his job, for Pete’s sake.
The flurry of powerful emotions left her badly shaken. It was time to sit down and try to restore some sense of calm in her mind. The best way would be to put as much distance between herself and everyone else as she could. But as bad as her mother’s behavior had been, she’d been right about not leaving Jada to face Gage alone. She took a seat at the table, careful to make sure her chair was no closer to Jada’s than it was to Gage’s. “If it’s okay, I’m going to stay. Jada, do you want another glass of water before Gage gets started again?”
“No, I’m fine.”
The words were spoken without hesitation, even though it was clearly not true. Rather than argue, Abby settled back in her chair, hoping if she faked being calm that it would help keep the tension in the room to a manageable level. For his part, Gage cleared his throat. “Abby, I’m sorry to cause problems between you and your mother.”
She waved him off. “It’s not your fault. We’ll work things out.”
Eventually. Maybe, anyway. For now, she would really like to get this interview over with so she could move on to other things. Maybe it was time to break out some food, her patented cure-all for stressful situations. “Zeke needs to go out for a minute. Meanwhile, I’ll fix us some snacks.”
If Jada thought that was weird, she didn’t say anything. At least Gage looked marginally more relaxed, no doubt recognizing her need to play hostess even if this wasn’t exactly a social situation. She left the back door open after Zeke charged outside. While she waited for him to return, she made quick work of plating up some cheese and crackers. By the time she had everything ready, the dog was back in position next to Jada.
The small respite seemed to have helped all three of them get back on track. Jada put a few crackers and slices of cheese on her plate. Unsurprisingly, she left the food untouched as she asked, “I’m sorry, Chief Logan, but could you repeat that last question?”
“I need you to go through what happened the night of the murder. Start with leaving your house and go right up until you returned home.”
It took a couple of deep breaths before Jada could get going with her narrative. “I met Mr. Quinn at the restaurant, so the two of us could set up the food truck together. I’ve only worked for him a short time, so I’m still learning the job.”
Gage looked up from his notes. “I understand before that you worked for your father.”
“That’s right. I officially started helping out my dad in his office when I was just sixteen—answering phones, doing the filing, stuff like that. Even before that, I did similar clerical stuff for him in his home office. Our plan was for me to finish my business degree and then come work with him as a junior partner. Basically, I was learning the business from the ground up.”
“Did you quit because someone else took over the office?”
“No, that wasn’t my intention at all. I just planned to take a few days to get everything settled after Dad’s death. I’ve only got what’s left of this summer quarter, and then two more, before I graduate. But when I stopped by the office to see if Mr. Anders had any questions about where things were, he informed me that I didn’t have a job.”
Abby interjected herself into the conversation. “Why not? You’d think he’d appreciate having someone who already knew the business and the people here in town.”
Jada’s eyes looked shiny as if she were fighting the urge to cry. “That man actually said I never worked for the company in the first place. At least there was no record of me ever having been hired by the home office. All I can figure was that Dad was paying me himself somehow.”
She briefly lapsed into silence as she nibbled on a cracker. Gage seemed willing to give her a little extra time to gather her thoughts. “What happened after that?”
“I went home. I was still too messed up from Dad’s death to argue with him. I returned a few days later and told him I’d come to get our things . . . mostly Dad’s stuff, actually. All I wanted were the personal items, nothing that belonged to the company. Mr. Anders refused to let me take anything and ordered me to leave. His excuse was that he hadn’t had time to finish inventorying the place yet. He said it would take a few days, and then he’d call me to come pick up everything. He never did, though, and wouldn’t return my calls. Meanwhile, I started looking for a job.”
Gage prompted her to continue when she seemed to get lost in thought. “So that’s when you went to work for Quinn.”
Jada nodded. “Yeah, I really needed to find another job right away, and he had a spot open. My tuition will be coming due soon, and I’m still trying to figure out where I am financially. I’ll probably need to hire someone to help me wade through all the legal mumbo jumbo.”
Gage moved on. “So the two of you loaded up the food truck. Was everything in place? Did you notice anything missing?”
“No, I didn’t, but I’m pretty new to the business. I’m still learning how it all works. If Mr. Quinn noticed anything weird, he didn’t say so.”
“Okay, go on from there.”
The rest of Jada’s narrative was pretty much on track with what she’d told Abby and her mother when they’d asked her the same kinds of questions. It was hard to figure out what Gage was thinking, but there was still something off about the sequence of events as she was laying them out.
Jada had been looking directly at Gage right up until when he pressed her on how long Owen stayed with her when he supposedly checked on her during the movie. At that point, she stared down at Zeke as if he were the most riveting sight on earth. For an experienced cop like Gage, it was like a shark scenting blood in the water, because he immediately leaned in over the table as if trying to get right up in the girl’s face.
“What did the two of you talk about while he was there?”
“He, uh, wanted to know how many customers we’d had since he’d left me alone and if I thought we were running short of anything. You know, that kind of stuff.”
Gage made a couple of notes and then flipped back through the pages in the notebook before launching another salvo. “Well, here’s the thing. We’ve talked to a lot of people who were at the movie or just walking the trails at the park that night. Seems several of them claim to have seen you heading out of the park toward Main Street at just about the same time you and Owen claim to have been together.”
He tapped his pen on his notes and then pointed at whatever was written there. “So here’s my problem, Miss Davidson. Either all of these fine citizens of Snowberry Creek conspired to mislead me for no good reason, or else you and Owen lied to cover for each other. I regret to say I’m inclined to go with that latter option.”
Jada sat in frozen silence with her eyes filled with pure panic and breathing as if she’d been running long and hard.
Gage wasn’t done yet. “I have a murder to solve and a burglary that may or may not be connected to it. I swore an oath to protect the people of Snowberry Creek, and I can’t do that if people are blocking me at every turn. I’m going to give you one more chance to tell me what really happened at the park, because I can’t help but wonder what the two of you were up to that night that makes it necessary for you both to lie to me.”
Jada’s lack of response only made her appear guiltier by the moment.
“Let me make this perfectly clear, Miss Davidson.” By this point, his voice was a low growl. “This is your last chance to convince me I shouldn’t take you down to police headquarters and put you in the cell next to Owen’s after you call an attorney.”
For the first time, Abby understood how silence could be deafening.