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  “I still have your spare keys from last time. I’ll let you know when I’m there.” She hung up the phone, and he waited, hoping to duck out through the hall without anyone seeing him and knowing he’d have to put his hand in at least one reporter’s face. There was always that one persistent asshole, but he wasn’t going to acknowledge anyone.

  He looked down and realized he was still in his robe, so he slipped out of it and hung it in his antique wardrobe before taking his coat from there. He slipped it on and straightened his tie. Then he checked his pockets for his wallet and his other set of keys before putting the envelope with the cash into the breast pocket inside his coat.

  He stood in the mirror, smiling at himself, and raked his hand through his dark hair, which had started to gray around the ears. Other than that, he was happy with what he saw. Sure, he had grown into an older man, but Kami made him feel young, and he’d managed to keep a decent body from working hard in the gym and laying off beer and junk food. Kami called him buff, and didn’t that make him smile even bigger?

  He took his extra cell phone from his desk drawer and turned it on, seeing that Kami had called, but before he had a chance to call her back, Linda rang his office phone.

  He snatched it up. “Yeah?”

  “Your car is waiting, and the office hall was clear. You should be good going out the back way.”

  “Thanks, Linda. I’ll leave you a little bonus in your desk.” He hung up and took the envelope from his pocket. Then he thumbed through the thick stack of hundreds and pulled one from the band. After leaving it in her desk, he hurried out.

  Driving home, he put his foot down, hoping that the cops in the city would leave him be. He still had twenty minutes to beat his wife home. He pulled up into his drive, and seeing that her car was gone, he smiled, knowing he had all the time he needed to open the secret safe in his home office and stash his cash.

  He had just gotten the safe closed when he heard her car, so he hurried to put his bookshelf’s secret board back into place.

  “Ray?” Marlo’s shrill voice was like sandpaper against his brain.

  “In here,” he said as his son, Dax, ran past his office door toward his playroom. The kid was only interested in tv and video games, but he supposed that was what an average eight year old did for fun.

  “I figured you’d be home early. I saw what happened today. It’s all over the news. The wife of that man—”

  “Is a drug addict, and I’m sure she has a lot to say, but I’m not sure how much credit I’d give her.”

  “You gave the murderer of her husband a slap on the wrist. He was tried and found guilty, and all you had to do was make sure he served time for it, and you give him probation?” She shook her head and gave him a hard look of disappointment.

  “Don’t scold me, Marlo. I did my job. That’s why I’m a judge and not you because you don’t understand how things are done.”

  “Yeah, well there’s a lot of talk about your idea of the way things are done.” She turned to walk back to the kitchen, but he wasn’t done with her yet.

  “Just what do you mean by that?”

  “They think you’re crooked, and I can’t say I blame them.” She stopped in the kitchen at the fridge. “I’ve got to make dinner for Dax. Do you want anything special?”

  She looked tired for someone who Ray believed did nothing more than sit around on her ass all day. Not to mention that in the eight years since their son had been born, she hadn’t even tried to get back in shape.

  “No thanks. I’m not in the mood for macaroni. Maybe when you learn how to cook? Wait, no, not even then.” He turned and went to his chair, knowing he’d call something up from one of his favorite spots in town. He took off his coat, leaving it on the back of his chair. Then as he sat, he loosened his tie and went for the remote control that he kept on the table beside him.

  The tv came on just in time for the news, and he listened to the mousy reporter give her intro.

  In top news tonight, investigators are trying to find the person responsible for killing a local prosecutor. Elliot Gaines’s body was found earlier today in what was called a brutal slaying. Officers will not release any other information at this time but said they are working hard to bring the killer to justice. We’ll continue to follow that story as it unfolds.

  “Asshole.” Ray had always hated Elliot Gaines. He smiled and got up from his chair to pour himself a drink. “Here’s to justice being served.”

  Chapter 6

  Jake

  Jake dragged himself out of bed and drove to work with one thought in mind. It won’t be long now.

  While it was a pain having to go to a job he hated, he was interested to see how Jo had spent the last day working on the case and what she’d come up with. As he walked into the station and past the front desk, he looked for her.

  “Good morning, Detective,” said Sam, who stood at the front counter, no doubt hitting on the new pretty brunette, Dannie. He took the plate of day-old cookies and offered Jake one.

  “No thanks,” said Jake, continuing toward his private office.

  “Whatever,” said Sam, following him. “What’s this I hear that you’re leaving the force?”

  “Just what it sounds like would be my guess.” Jake stopped in the hall, knowing better than to lead the man all the way to his office where he’d no doubt want to hang until he had something more important to do.

  “So it’s true?”

  “Yeah. I’m training Calloway, and then I’m out of here. Off to seek new adventures.” Thankfully, the brunette down the hall still had Sam’s attention.

  As Sam took a few steps back toward her, he told Jake, “I’ll catch you later, okay? We should have a beer and talk about this.”

  Jake shrugged and turned to finish his trip to his office. When he reached the door, he narrowed his eyes and was instantly on alert. His door was ajar, and the light was on. “Not the way I left you,” he said, reaching to push the door open.

  Inside his small, private office, he found Jo standing at his whiteboard. Her turquoise blue top, much like the other she’d worn the day before, was paired with slacks, and her blazer hung on the back of Jake’s chair nearby. There was also a small box of her things, including a small plant and a stack of papers near his chair.

  “What are you doing in my office?” He wasn’t going to be pushed out before he was damned good and ready.

  “Well, it will be mine in a couple of weeks, so I had the janitor let me in.”

  “Remind me to take him off my Christmas card list.” The old man was probably mesmerized by her beauty, or else he never would have allowed such an invasion of Jake’s space. “What are you doing with my whiteboard?”

  She stepped aside, and he could see that she’d taped up photos of the crime scene near the whiteboard, and she had drawn an exact replica of the game they’d found on Elliot’s wall.

  “I’m trying to figure out this word,” she said.

  It wasn’t what he expected her to say. “So, you are just now looking at it?”

  “No, I spent the better half of my night going over possibilities from the comfort of my sofa,” she said with a smile. “And I came up with this.” She quickly filled in the blanks she’d drawn.

  Jake read the word when she was done. “Misrepresentation?”

  “Yes, which is crazy and kind of sad for the victim. If he knew the best way to play this game, he would have had a better chance at winning.”

  “I’m not sure there was any prize at the end of it,” said Jake.

  “Yeah. I’m sure you’re right about that. But what I mean is, if he had guessed an R and a T, which are very popular letters in the alphabet, he’d have most likely solved the puzzle.” She pointed to the letters, and what she said made sense. It certainly filled in more of the blanks.

  “Well, let’s not waste our time with what-ifs, Calloway. Let’s focus on the word and make sure we’re on the right track.”

  “Being that he was
a prosecutor, I’m pretty sure that I’m right.” She gave a half-hearted shrug and turned back to her handiwork.

  “I’ll agree with you on that for now. So, we’ll say the killer feels like Gaines has been misrepresenting his clients. This has to be someone who wanted to kill him for it, and I’m sure we’ll find a paper trail somewhere.”

  Jo cleared her throat. “I wondered if misrepresentation was something Gaines was known for, so I looked at a few of his cases.”

  “Well, aren’t we the busy beaver?” Jake mumbled. “Let’s see what you got.” He crossed his arms and waited.

  She sank back a little, and he wondered if he was as intimidating as her expression suggested. “I found one case that seemed a bit fishy. The press was all over it. A man had supposedly gone free after evidence came out after the fact that proved he was not guilty. The new evidence contradicted what was put in the case, and it was supposed to be investigated. It was cleared in Judge Mathews’s court, and nothing ever came of it.”

  Jake nodded. Judge Mathews was just as crooked as the next. “Let’s just say that’s one of many scandals our golden-boy prosecutor has been involved with, and the most recent. He’s been around a while now, and I’ve watched him claw his way up for years. I had heard he was doing better for himself, which was obvious by his home and that Benz we found in the garage, but he always seemed to be caught up in something. The media loved him.”

  “They are having a field day with him now,” she said. “They’ve been pushing for more information, and your phone has rung three times already.”

  “Well, we can’t tell them anything now. Ignore them, and they will back off.”

  A knock came from behind him, and it was O’Connor at his door. “The press isn’t going to let go of this so easily,” he said. “I was just coming to tell you that you might want to give them something to chew on for a while. Distract them. It might be a perfect time to introduce them to Detective Calloway. She’s official. Her transfer paperwork was finalized and filed yesterday evening.”

  Jake was glad he didn’t have to wait for a bunch of paperwork when his two weeks was done. He looked at Jo, who smiled ear to ear and walked around to give O’Connor a hug.

  The older man was taken by surprise. “Congratulations, Josephine.” He gave her a wink and then turned and walked away.

  “Josephine?” Jake raised an eyebrow.

  “Yeah, O’Connor must have read my paperwork. I’ve tried to keep it just Jo since being on the force, but the legalese won’t let it die.”

  He gave a nod of indifference but couldn’t help but think it was a nice name, old-fashioned yet strong in a way. Much sturdier than she seemed. “So, I guess we should let everyone know there’s a new detective in town. That will keep them busy for sure.”

  “I’ll send out a statement after lunch. Let’s make them stew a while.” She turned back to the whiteboard. “I say we look on some of his cases in the past two years. If this is revenge, it’s most likely going to be a recent wrongdoing. People don’t let things like this fester.”

  “I disagree,” said Jake. “Getting into the house, killing the dog, and playing a fucking game? That was all planned. The killer didn’t go in hot, acting on the spur of the moment. It was also very specific. Misrepresentation. That sure helps us out by narrowing things down a bit. But I say since we’re narrowing down, we need to go back at least five years.”

  “Five? You think someone sat around planning this for five years?”

  “It’s possible. For all we know, this person could have served jail time because of Gaines. He could have let his anger push him to the edge. Murder is a serious thing. Maybe this asshole woke up one day, realized he didn’t have anything left in life to lose, and so he decides to go after an old nemesis.”

  “Gaines has been around for about eight or nine years. When you put it that way, maybe we should just look into all of his cases.”

  “Knock yourself out, but start with the most recent. I happen to know of a few I’ll check into. You’d be surprised to know how many corrupt lawmen there are out there, and just how many cases have gone to hell because of dirty deals.”

  “It’s disgusting. Did you hear about the case yesterday? The man who ran over that other man last year was found guilty, and the judge let him go with a slap on the wrist. I thought he’d get some time, but no.”

  She meant the Forester case. “Get used to that if you can. I could name a handful of people who are that type. I’m sure they’re all in it together. They probably hold monthly meetings.”

  “I can’t help but detect a hint of bitterness in your voice,” she said. “You know, as opposed to your regular brooding tone?”

  “That’s because I’m sick to death of this kind of shit happening. This killer we’re up against could end up the same way if we’re not careful.”

  That idea seemed to shock her. “Do you really think they’d let a cold-hearted killer go free?”

  He didn’t know how to answer without thinking of one particular case. “Yeah, I think they would because I’ve seen it happen.” That was all he wanted to say about it, and thankfully, she didn’t press the matter. That one had made him stay awake more nights than any.

  “Well, if we’re going to dig into his cases and really get to the meat of them, we need to do better than a pile of old newspapers.” She pointed to the stack she’d left on the floor by his chair.

  He looked down and frowned. “You’ve certainly made yourself at home.”

  “I tried to not make a mess and left everything in the box for now, but I thought since you’re leaving and I’m on the case, we could share the space.”

  “In case you haven’t noticed, this is pretty close quarters.” The place was not big enough for another desk.

  “All I need is this side of the desk and a chair. I don’t want to sit out front with all of the beat cops.” She made a sound that let him know she really meant that last part.

  He figured she’d already been hit on by every single cop on the force, and half of the married ones. “It might help you get to know the other officers.”

  She shook her head. “Trust me, a few of them have already offered to get to know me better.”

  He fought back a smile, knowing he was right. He wanted to take pity on her and let her share half of his large desk for the next two weeks, especially since they were working so closely on the case, but he needed to have a little fun with her first. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  Her face fell. “I see.” She lifted her chin and seemed to chew on his statement a minute before letting out a deep sigh. “As I was saying before, we need to get to his files. Could you get a warrant for those?”

  “Yes, and while we wait for more paperwork, let’s just go to his house and see if we can find anything there.”

  She gave a nod, but he could tell that she was still upset about the office. “I’ll just grab my things and drop them in my car.” She picked up her blazer and shrugged it on, then reached for the small box.

  Jake watched her struggle with the plant and the stack of newspapers. “Jo, you really shouldn’t give up so easily.”

  She dropped the papers, unable to handle it all. “That’s ripe, coming from you,” she said. “What do you want me to do? Beg? You could at least give me a hand.”

  “No, I was just kidding around with you. If you want something around here, sweetheart, you have to take it.”

  “Fine then.” She dropped the stack of papers on the floor. “I’m taking half of the goddamned office.”

  Jake smiled. “Atta girl.”

  Chapter 7

  Jake

  After leaving all of her junk behind, they went out to his car. Jo put her seatbelt on. “You know, my little car probably gets much better gas mileage.”

  “I’d prefer to drive, thank you.” He wasn’t about to go around in her tiny eco car. Besides, many people on the streets knew who he was when they saw him coming, and the only times he drov
e something different was when he had to go undercover.

  “Suit yourself.” She was quiet the rest of the way across town, and when they pulled into the fancy neighborhood to Elliot Gaines’s house, she shook her head. “It’s just so hard to believe anything bad could happen in this part of town.”

  “Crime does not discriminate. Everyone has problems. These people just have more money with theirs. And besides, have you ever wondered if any of these people are even happy? My guess is they have just as many issues as the other side of town. Only they can afford to pay someone to listen to them.”

  “Where do you live?”

  “Across town in a quiet, old neighborhood just a few miles from the diner.”

  “How’d you manage a quiet one? I got stuck across the street from a family with four kids. The place is like a public park. Every kid in the neighborhood is over there at some point in the day.”

  “My place is close to the river. There are fewer houses, and most of my neighbors are retired.”

  “Sounds nice.”

  “It is. I bought it a couple of years ago when I was determined all I needed was a little peace and quiet. Now I know I need a permanent vacation.”

  They came to the house, and he pulled up into the drive, seeing the police tape on the door. “Let’s hope no one has broken that seal.”

  They got out and went to the door, Jo taking a minute to stop and smell one of the fat rose blooms near the cobblestone walk. “Mm. Gosh, if a horrible murder hadn’t taken place here, this would be the perfect house to settle down.”

  “Are you getting married or something? Boyfriend?”

  “No, but a girl can dream. I haven’t had much time for relationships with all of my focus being on my work.”