CHAPTER THREE
“Murderer! Just because you couldn’t have her, you killed her!” Apparently spurred by Jacob’s words while Sarah had involuntarily looked away, Jane had regained her mobility and now stood toe to toe with a standing Jacob. Her face was thrust forward, even with Jacob’s. She was straining so hard as she screamed at him her vocal cords stood out in the tight skin of her neck. “You couldn’t leave her alone. I swear, I’ll see to it that they put you away for the rest of your life.”
Jacob flinched but didn’t try to defend himself. He simply stood, shoulders sagging, head down, hands at his side. Sarah couldn’t decide if he was stunned, in shock, or acknowledging the truth of what Jane was yelling. Could Jacob have done something this horrible? Was it possible her dear friend, who would do anything for anyone, was somehow a killer? Surely not. Admittedly, other than Riley, only Jacob and Jane were outside when the others responded, but someone else had to have done this. Not Jacob. She couldn’t tell from the expression on his face. It was as if his handsome features were as devoid of life as Riley was.
Sarah waited for Chief Gerard to quiet Jane or at least say something. He had immediately rushed to Riley, ignoring Jane’s tirade. After reaching her side, the chief slowed his motions as he peered down at her. Sarah took it as a bad sign when he didn’t check for a pulse or shout for someone to call an ambulance.
When he looked back to where Harlan and Sarah still stood, Sarah knew from the anguished look on his face that there was no disputing Jacob’s words. Riley’s twinkling energy was gone. Harlan and she started toward Riley and Chief Gerard, but the chief put his hand up. “Please. Please stay where you are. Don’t come any closer.”
He turned toward Jane and Jacob. Jacob still stood silent, while Jane continued spewing accusations at him. Chief Gerard curtly cut her off. She closed her mouth midsentence.
Having quieted her, the chief began barking orders. “Harlan, go inside and tell everyone there’s a problem and they’re going to have to stay put for a while. If anyone gives you any grief, explain it isn’t a request.”
Harlan left her side. She wondered if he’d get any resistance from those still in the dining room, considering most of them were the city’s type A politicos. Her thoughts also wandered to whether her sister and Marcus were still inside or had left. She hadn’t seen them again after Emily dragged him away to check out the dessert table.
Chief Gerard’s mention of Sarah’s name cut off her personal thoughts. “I’d appreciate it if you would stand on the left over there until we can take your statement. Jane,” he added, “if you’d go stand on the right of the parking pad, please.” He pointed toward the privacy fence that separated the parking lot from the dog runs and the cement pad at its end where a group of motorcycles were parked.
Sarah immediately did as he asked. Jane took a couple of steps in tandem with her but stopped and turned around. Curious, Sarah looked to see what she was doing. Jane had returned to her spot near Jacob, where she stood, hands on her hips, giving Chief Gerard a piece of her mind.
“Dwayne Gerard, I’m not going to be ordered around. You have the murderer right in front of you—why don’t you arrest him?”
Chief Gerard, with his thumbs hooked into his belt loops, wasn’t smiling. “There’s a way to do this, Jane. Please go where I asked.”
In the face of his firmness, Jane frowned. With her lips clasped tightly, she slowly walked away from him until she stood several feet away from Sarah. Jacob didn’t move.
Still ignoring Jacob, Chief Gerard pulled his cell phone from his pocket. Sarah strained to hear what he was saying. When she heard “backup,” she surmised he was calling the dispatcher for additional help. It wasn’t as if he could expect a big response. With Chief Gerard being in the interim position, there were only two other members of the Wheaton police force.
Officer Alvin Robinson, whom Sarah had gotten to know during the last murder investigation she was involved with, had been on Wheaton’s payroll for only the past six months. His college-linebacker physique was helpful when he patrolled, but that, combined with his ability to tell tales of his playing days, had made him an instant favorite as Wheaton’s school resource officer. If Chief Gerard used him in the same capacity he had while investigating the last Wheaton murder, Officer Robinson would be handling crowd control and taking statements with the chief.
Five-year police force veteran Dr. David Smith’s youthful look gave the impression he should be a Wheaton High student. As the town’s coroner and the police department’s sole detective, Dr. Smith, Sarah was certain, would be responsible for Riley’s body, autopsy, and any forensic work related to the crime scene.
Whether Chief Gerard had called one or both in, Sarah knew it wouldn’t be long before they arrived. In Wheaton, unlike sprawling Birmingham, it never took long to go from point A to B. Still, Sarah hoped they hurried. As warm as it was when she left the house for the opening, she hadn’t thought about being outside long enough after the sun had set to need a light jacket.
Rubbing the goose pimples on her arms, Sarah watched the chief examine the crime scene in more depth. Because he hadn’t immediately strung the area off with yellow crime tape, she assumed he must not have any with him. Looking around, though, she was impressed when she realized the way he’d placed everyone essentially cordoned off the crime scene and separated the main witnesses. She also noticed that while he was making observations from all angles, he wasn’t getting close enough to disturb anything.
Sarah’s attention was caught by the sound of the restaurant’s back door being flung open. City Councilor Anne Hightower barreled through it, trailed by Harlan. Her target wasn’t Chief Gerard, but her brother, Jacob. Sarah marveled at how, despite the urgency of her mission, there wasn’t a hair out of place on Anne’s carefully coiffured head. If it had been Sarah, not only would her hair be flying in all directions, but she would be a walking mess. Not Anne. She remained immaculately put together in a navy dress accented by a red scarf. It was the perfect look for a councilor running for mayor. The pièce de ré-sistance, though, was Anne’s three-inch red heels, which alternately clicked across the asphalt.
Before she reached her brother, the chief blocked her path. “I’m sorry, Councilor. You’ll have to wait to talk to him. Please stand over there with Harlan until we sort things out.”
“You don’t understand. Jacob is my brother.”
“I know that, but he’s also someone I need to talk to about what’s happened here.”
“But I’m a member of the city council.”
“And I’m the chief of police.”
“Acting.”
He grimaced. “Acting. But this is my crime scene. If you can’t stay out of my way and let me do my job, you’ll have to go inside and wait with the others.” He pointed to where Harlan stood.
Anne clamped her mouth shut and joined Harlan, shooting a menacing look in the chief’s direction. There was no question in Sarah’s mind that Anne had Jane beat in the if-looks-could-kill department. The interim chief had surely lost Anne’s support to give him the job permanently, but he’d gone up two notches in Sarah’s opinion.
Anne and Harlan weren’t close enough to where Sarah and Jane stood for either group to talk to each other without shouting, but Jane’s continued mutterings were coming in loud and clear. Sarah almost bit her tongue in amusement when Officer Robinson and Dr. Smith pulled into the parking lot and Jane observed, “The cavalry has arrived.”
Dr. Smith, camera around his neck, placed his black leather satchel on the ground. From inside the bag, he removed booties and gloves for himself, Officer Robinson, and Chief Gerard. The three donned their protective gear and went right to work.
While Dr. Smith took pictures in a wide circle before approaching Riley’s body, Chief Gerard and Officer Robinson restricted the area with a roll of yellow crime tape that Sarah saw Dr. Smith hand the chief. From the chief’s careful actions, Sarah knew this time no one would be able to accuse him of contaminating the crime scene. He not only seemed more knowledgeable, but he had an air of confidence about him. Doubting he’d obtained either one from reading books, she made a mental note to ask Harlan, the chief’s best bro, what course Chief Gerard attended.
Sarah, to avoid the horror she felt looking at Riley, focused on counting the motorcycles parked on the cement pad next to the veterinarian clinic while the police worked. She counted at least twelve bikes. Sarah’s attention was drawn back to the scene of the crime by Anne’s voice.
Because Anne and the chief were standing across from each other, Sarah could see only Anne’s face as she confronted Chief Gerard outside the secured zone, her arms crossed. “I want Harlan to represent Jacob.”
“There’s no need for a lawyer. It’s standard procedure to take statements from all of you at the scene in a case like this.”
With a look of utter disdain, Anne turned from the chief and, with her back ramrod straight, purposefully strutted over to where Harlan stood. She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward Jacob, causing Harlan to misstep. As he stumbled, Anne braced him while yelling, “Jacob! You need representation. Now!”
At his sister’s voice, Jacob raised his head. He stared in the direction where Harlan, having regained his footing, and Anne were. Sarah wasn’t sure from Jacob’s expressionless face how much he was comprehending even when he echoed Anne. “Representation.”
Was he making his own request or simply parroting Anne? Sarah had read about situations where a person who experienced something awful went into a form of shock where only familiar voices filtered through. Anne and he might be on opposite sides when it came to business, especially regarding their position on developing Main Street into an entertainment district, but as Sarah had found with her mother and Emily, even in the most challenging situations, their blood bond proved to be the proverbial “thicker than water.” She wasn’t sure if Jacob was responding to Anne from deep in a fog or if the sound of her voice had brought him back to reality.
When Anne started calling to Jacob again, Sarah realized Anne wasn’t sure, either. To Sarah, Anne’s insistence on Harlan as his attorney seemed almost illogical considering how many times Harlan had represented Southwind and other parties with prede-velopment interests before the council. As such, Anne and Harlan had often squared off against each other.
There also was no question Anne knew that taking statements of everyone who’d been in the restaurant or parking lot when Riley was probably killed was, as Chief Gerard explained, standard procedure. Sarah wasn’t a lawyer, but she was aware of that much from watching Perry Mason reruns. No, something else had to be motivating Anne’s continued insistence on bringing Harlan into the picture now. Could she also fear her brother was a murderer?
“Jacob, look over here. At Harlan,” Anne called.
Jacob did as he was told. “Harlan. Help me.”
“You want me to be your lawyer in this matter?” Harlan moved toward Jacob’s side.
“What is this? A new form of ambulance chasing?” Although his words sounded harsh to her ears, Sarah noticed Chief Gerard didn’t stop Harlan. Instead, the chief stood still, his lips held in a way that made his mustache appear almost flat.
When Jacob replied “Yes” to Harlan’s question, Sarah could have sworn Chief Gerard’s mustache line straightened even more. She didn’t care. From experience, she knew having Harlan on the case could make all the difference in the world.