Quinn and I didn’t speak much on the ride to the restaurant. We were seated in the back of the dining room, sipping on a glass of red wine and pushing around a beautiful starter of fried calamari on our plates and breaking the ice with small talk.
“You spend a lot of time fishing these days?” I sipped from the glass. I wanted to show my interest in his boating story he’d just been telling me about. Ellen’s words regarding her suspicions came rushing back.
He swallowed a sip of water. “As often as I can. Since buying the new bass boat, I’d feel like I wasted my money if I just let it sit in the garage all the time.”
I nodded to show I was listening when, truthfully, I’d only been half listening because I noticed Judge Timms seated in the corner with a woman I didn’t recognize.
“What about you? Any new hobbies?”
“Not really. I’m still in the book club and—”
To my surprise, Judge Timms walked over to our table. “Chief,” he nodded to Quinn and then to me, “Lyla.”
“Hello, Judge Timms.” I forced a smile. The man made me feel extremely uncomfortable, but I had to deal with it for now. I needed access to his house.
“Judge.” Quinn didn’t look happy to see him.
I watched them intently over the rim of my glass.
The man had the look of someone marinated in alcohol for days. His forehead and temples appeared damp, and his eyes were glassy and bloodshot. Not that people would grudge him his mourning process. The heavyset woman he’d been dining with sidled up next to him and took his arm. The woman was a good fifteen years or so older than Quinn and me, I estimated.
“’Evening,” she greeted Quinn and me. “David, maybe we should call it a night.”
“My sister.” The judge patted her arm and then pulled at his double chin. “She’s come to look after me.” He made a face as if he hadn’t been so keen on the idea.
She smiled, and now I could see the resemblance. Same round face and eye shape. “I hoped getting him out of the house might improve his spirits.”
“It has, Marigold.”
He winked at me then and reached out and touched my shoulder, feeling the material between his thumb and index finger. “Thought you’d come by and see me. We have unfinished business.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair.
His sister met my gaze and frowned. “You’ll have to forgive my brother. He isn’t himself tonight.”
“I’m fine.” Judge Timms grinned. “Lyla and I are friends now, aren’t we, Lyla?”
Quinn rose. “Judge, is there something we can do for you?”
“Come on, David. Let’s leave these two youngsters to enjoy their evening.” His sister tugged at his waist, where her hand rested.
“Okay. Yeah, let’s go have our dessert.” His gaze was on me the entire time he spoke, and I fought a grimace.
Quinn’s stance did nothing to deter the judge as he stepped around and put his hand on the back of my chair. He leaned down and held his face close to mine. I could smell the amount of garlic he’d consumed, mingled with alcohol, as he whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, “Don’t go barking up the wrong tree now.”
I flinched, and he gave me a hard pat on the back. A little too forcefully because I was shoved into the table, rattling the plates and silverware. The candle on the table flickered and nearly toppled over. Thankfully Quinn saved us from disaster by securing it.
“Oops.” The judge put his finger to his lips.
“I’m sure you want to get back to your dessert,” Quinn said between clenched teeth, and gripped Judge Timms’s upper arm.
The uncomfortable silence stretched for a few more minutes as the men squared off in a silent battle.
Judge Timms jerked his arm out of Quinn’s hold and adjusted his tie. The tension in the room eased when the siblings went back to their respective tables.
Quinn’s cheeks flushed with anger, and he was clearly rattled. He took a large swig of wine.
I decided to take advantage and whispered, “What do you owe Judge Timms, Quinn?”
He coughed and placed his glass on the table, saying nothing.
“I overheard you the day I came to your office. And later Judge Timms let it slip that you owed him. I’m not an idiot.”
Quinn glanced over his shoulder, where Judge Timms conspicuously watched our table. He snorted. “Love to stir up drama, don’t you?” Quinn’s gaze hardened. “You’re older and infinitely more beautiful, yet you’re just as stubborn and direct as you were in your late teens.”
“Answer the question.”
“So you can twist it around and make more trouble?”
“I’m not the one who conveniently lost a valuable piece of evidence. It should’ve been made available to Brad.”
“Brad, now is it?” he said in mock falsetto. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
“Did you think I would change? That when I grew older, the ingrained part of my personality would vanish?” I wiped my mouth with the black cloth napkin and leaned back in my chair.
“Not vanish; perhaps soften.” He sounded bemused.
“Soften I have. In those days, I would have made a scene. Shouting to everyone about you colluding with Judge Timms.”
White brackets appeared around his mouth.
I picked up my glass and sipped as he studied me, unmoving. “I never would have even kept our date before. Yet here I sit being civil.”
Our entrees arrived, and I leaned back to allow the server to place the cedar-smoked salmon with sautéed spinach and a rice pilaf before me. Quinn had the filet mignon and a loaded baked potato, which took up half the plate.
“Thank you. It looks delicious,” Quinn and I said in unison, and we both smiled a little. Even when our world crashed down around us, Southerners were nothing if not polite.
“There isn’t any collusion.”
“There’s something.” I sampled my salmon, which was indeed delicious.
“It has nothing to do with Carol’s murder. I’ll tell you about it when we’re not out in public. Okay?” Quinn glanced around.
Admitting he would be willing to confide in me later made me feel a little better. “Okay.”
Quinn cut into his medium-rare steak and took a bite.
“And losing evidence isn’t okay.” I scooped up some rice.
His fork paused midway to his mouth. “It isn’t lost, and I’m not sure it’s even evidence. But, I’ll find it and make sure Brad has what he needs to leave my town for good.” His lips had curled when he said Brad’s name.
“And what if the cases are related? What if Kevin is innocent?”
“I wondered how long it would take you to jump to his defense. Even after everything that idiot has put you through, you still believe whatever he says. The man has a record of violence, Lyla. Did you know that?”
“A juvie record doesn’t count, Quinn.” I took a bite of the spinach.
“I’m not referring to his juvie record.”
I froze and met his ice-blue gaze.
“You don’t have the full story. Have you spoken to Kevin’s lawyer yet? I know you went to see Kevin.”
I shook my head, unable to speak with a full mouth.
“Well, I’ll save you the trouble.” He wiped his own mouth. “Allow me to enlighten you further. Carol filed a complaint against him two weeks before she passed away.”
I started to choke and took a sip from the glass. “What type of complaint?”
“He showed up at her home drunk. He threatened her and demanded she sign the agreement regarding the inheritance he’d had drawn up. Judge Timms overheard the commotion. He called us.”
I mulled the information over. I felt frustrated Kevin hadn’t told me everything. He had admitted to arguing with her, and I’d seen the pictures where he grabbed her, which was inexcusable. “Carol didn’t file charges—Judge Timms did?”
“No. Carol did. She said he’d become enraged when he found out she’d been left the bulk of the estate. And when she tried to talk to get him to calm down, he went berserk.”
Had Kevin lied to my face? I warned him to withhold nothing. Now I sat here with figurative egg all over my face. I was so angry I could scream.
“She agreed to split the inheritance, though. Why would he—”
“He wanted it all. What about the photos, Lyla? The ones the judge had his private eye take. I know he gave you a copy. And you said yourself, Kevin watched you from his window when those texts came through. Have you so quickly forgotten about the blood in your car? It could’ve been him.”
I shook my head. “The smell of death isn’t one you easily forget.”
He flinched. “You’re right.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair. But you have to admit your eyewitness account proves Carol was in distress while in his company. You’ll be contacted by the DA to testify to that fact.” He placed his fork down. “I don’t want you to get yourself in any trouble because of some notion you’re obliged to help him.”
“I honestly can’t say it was him for sure. And I won’t lie under oath, Quinn.” My tone betrayed how insulted I felt. I wouldn’t argue the fact Kevin claimed he hadn’t been with her that morning. Surely someone had checked his alibi. “And we’ll never know if it was Kevin who terrorized me at the precinct, because your security camera just happened to be malfunctioning. Convenient, don’t you think?”
The muscle in his jaw clenched.
“Are you sharing information with Brad—I mean Special Agent Jones?”
He fought a sneer and, surprising me, sounded jealous. “We are sharing what is necessary. The GBI is only interested in solving their Jane Doe crime. They aren’t interested in the welfare of our community, which is my top priority.”
With a slightly shaky hand, I sipped my wine. Quinn seemed to notice. There wasn’t any helping that. “You’re doing your job, and he’s doing his.”
He made a face that told me how he felt about that topic. Same ole Quinn. “None of which is your job.”
“I beg your pardon. Judge Timms hired me.”
He leaned back and crossed his arms. “It’s staggering how determined you are to continue to intertwine yourself in the inner workings of law enforcement even after being physically threatened. Are you a glutton for punishment? Why don’t you find something else to do with your life? It’s clearly having a negative effect on you.” He nodded to my hand as I placed my glass back on the table.
“Why do you care? It’s my life,” I whisper-railed.
He looked at me, seemingly stunned. “Because I care about you. I always have.”
“We haven’t spoken in years. You were engaged.”
“And it didn’t work out, now did it?” He shifted in his chair and leaned forward. “Since spending time with you again, even under these circumstances, I can’t get you out of my head.” He ran his hand over the back of his neck.
I took a sip of wine, glancing away. This was so not the time to be having this discussion.
He reached across the table and took my hand just as I released my glass. “Babe, this is a scary business. You are so fixated on this Jane Doe thing it’s crazy. It’s over. We have the right man in custody, and yet you’re still harping on this.” He held my gaze. His look pleaded. “Work with me here. Step away from this.”
For the life of me, I didn’t understand how he could be so obtuse. “What if you’re wrong. Can you even fathom the possibility?”
“I don’t think I am. But either way it doesn’t concern you.”
“You forget I’ve been hired to investigate this case.”
He gave me a pitying look.
I stared at him for a few long moments. He expected me to lash out, and I wouldn’t. I folded my arms defiantly.
“Look,” he said, tossing his napkin on his plate, “I don’t want to argue with you about this. There’s no point. I had a conversation with your uncle this afternoon and stressed my concerns.”
I met his guileless blue gaze.
“He agreed with me that there’s no reason you should be involved in this since we’ve arrested someone. He said Judge Timms would be satisfied with the job my office is doing.”
Calvin wasn’t aware that Judge Timms wanted a murder charge.
I clenched my fists in my lap. My face heated, and my ears grew hot from my uncle’s betrayal. I wouldn’t show my worse side to this man. This dinner had been a major eye-opener.
I kept my tone low and matter-of-fact. “I’ll deal with my uncle. And while you’re sitting over there with an air of masculine superiority, you should know Brad doesn’t believe I’m too fragile. He took me to the crime scene. He believes I can be of use in his case.”
Quinn sat up straight as a board, and I could almost feel ambivalence wafting off him. “What? Your interest in men is based on whether they share their crime scenes with you or not?”
I studied him, considering how long to let him stew. “You’ll never understand. This was a mistake.”
“Lyla”—his tone rose, and he cast a glance around—“let’s discuss this someplace else.”
“You know what? I don’t think I want to discuss this, period.” I rose. “Excuse me.” I turned to leave.
His hand reached out and snatched my wrist. “Lyla.”
“Excuse me.” I jerked my arm away. “I’m going to the ladies’ room.”
While I handled the necessities, I heard the main bathroom door open and close. I sat on the closed toilet with the intent to check my messages. I couldn’t believe this night. The stall door rattled, and I paused. “Just a minute.” Feeling ridiculous for hiding out, I shoved my phone back into my bag. The door closed again.
I emerged from the stall, finding the low-lit restroom empty. I was so angry with Quinn, Uncle Calvin, and the whole damn situation. I flipped on the water and began scrubbing my hands, grumbling, “High-handed men.”
Was it too much to ask for equality? I snatched a couple of paper towels and went to check my reflection in the mirror. I froze. The paper towels slipped from my fingers as I read the message written in red lipstick on the mirror.
One little Jane Doe left all alone; She hanged herself and then there were none.
My heart was beating like a jackhammer. Adrenaline shot through me. I spun around the bathroom and checked under the only other stall. Alone. I was alone.
The door opened and I screamed.