Checkmate (Caitlin Calloway Mystery Book 2) (31 page)

“Is there something going on with you and Misty?” Val’s question was slow and direct. Stevie felt no malice hidden behind the words. They still made her feel uncomfortable.

“No. We’ve kind of flirted, nothing beyond that.”

“I wasn’t prying.”

“Given how close we got last night,” Stevie shifted nervously. “I think you have a right to ask a question or two. Can Iask you something?”

“Anything.”

“What’s with the tat?” Stevie was unable to stifle her laugh when Val blushed.

“About a decade ago, we had some downtime in San Diego,” Val said. “We needed to blow off some steam. Heading down to Tijuana seemed like a good idea at the time. We found a little bar and started doing shots of the best tequila it has ever been my pleasure to wrap my lips around. The next thing I remember was waking up in my bunk, back at the base, with the mother of all hangovers and a mermaid tattooed on my ass. I still haven’t gotten the full story. Brenda will only say it was funny and I’m happier no knowing.”

“Oh, my.” Stevie laughed. It felt good to laugh. But it didn’t last long before she felt reality looming over her. “How did it go with my mother?”

“I don’t get the woman. The first time I talked to her, she was all repentant. Today, she got all snippy because your sister is gay.”

“That’s Mom. During my custody hearing, when all the facts about dear old Dad came out, her only argument to keep me was my sister’s homosexuality.”

“What did the judge say?”

“‘What’s your point, Mrs. Beaumont?’ I know a different judge might have sided with Mom. Thank goodness, this one didn’t care. It probably helped that I had informed the judge that she didn’t have to worry about my sister turning me gay. I was born that way.”

“I can’t imagine going through everything you and your sister have gone through. Only to have it all come back.”

“I feel like I’m having a bad dream and can’t wake up.”

“I promise that I’m going to catch him and bring your little girl  home.”

The sincerity of Val’s voice drew Stevie in. Before she could think, she was wrapped up in a warm embrace. She said a silent prayer that Val was telling her the truth.

“Thank you,” she whispered, finally working up the strength to free herself from the tender embrace. “How about I start cooking something for dinner?”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I need something to do. Knowing those two,” she jerked her thumb towards her sister’s side of the house. “They are otherwise engaged. Thoughts of food won’t occur to them for hours. I’m assuming that ordering take-out isn’t something you’d recommend given the circumstances.”

“No, it isn’t. Let me at least help you.”

Stevie agreed, not certain as to how she should act around Val. She couldn’t deny that she needed her there. Val jumped in while Stevie set about fixing a pot of soup. The weather had turned chilly, and she felt the soup would be a good idea. At least that’s what she prattled on about. She admired the way Val really listened to her insane ramblings. The very diligent deputy did excuse herself every now and then to check in on her team. Stevie sensed that Val was going out of her way to make her actions seem innocent.

“Done.” Stevie gave the chicken noodle a quick taste and removed biscuits from the oven. “Thank you for the help.”

“I really didn’t do anything.”

“You were here, you listened to my babbling, and that kept me from going crazy.”

“My pleasure. Do you smell chocolate?”

“Must be next door. I don’t even want to guess what those two are up to.”

“They have an amazing relationship. It’s rare these days. Gay, straight, or indifferent, that kind of true devotion is hard to find.”

“They’re good together. I’m envious,” Stevie said. “I haven’t been able to find that all-knowing and giving thing. Until they got together, a part of me doubted it existed.”

“You were in a long term before.” Val blushed. “Sorry, I had to look into your past.”

“That’s okay. All part of the job, as my sister would say.” She handed Val a piping hot bowl of soup. “Katrina. I thought she was the one. But I was wrong. Without going into detail, she left me for someone else. What about you, Deputy Val? Is there a trail of broken hearts out there?”

“Not really.” Val tried to dismiss the idea. Stevie wasn’t buying it. “I was career navy. Which meant I couldn’t be out. Makes it hard to meet someone, much less build a life together. I entered the marshal service before I retired from the navy. I am very focused on my work. Again, doesn’t leave a lot of room for a relationship. This was supposed to be my downtime. Now I have to put it off again.”

“I’m sorry that your vacation plans got screwed, but I’m not sorry you’re here.”

CC and Jamie chose that moment to make their entrance. The couple were freshly showered and clad in T-shirts and loose-fitting sweatpants.

“Brownies?” Jamie cheerfully offered half a plate of freshly baked treats. “What smells so good?”

“Chicken soup. Join us?” Stevie accepted the plate of brownies. “Half a plate? Interesting, the other half must have vanished like the half plate of cookies you brought over last week.”

“Someone ate the other half.” CC bumped her wife with her hip. “Thanks for the soup, sis.”

“I’m full, thanks.” Jamie and CC joined Val at the breakfast nook.

“No small wonder.” Stevie couldn’t resist laughing. Her laughter died when she caught the melancholy look in CC’s eyes. “This isn’t your fault.”

“I’m pretty sure it is.” CC pushed aside her soup. Stevie didn’t doubt that the topic of conversation had stolen her appetite. “Unless you have some interesting skeletons in your closet.”

“What about me?” Jamie said.

“Sorry, sweetheart. They would have come after you directly. Using Bert is clearly personal. That means me.”

“Or me,” Stevie said.

“For what?” CC challenged.

Stevie searched her memory, hoping to stumble onto anything that would help ease her sister’s pain. Nothing came to mind. She was a stay-at-home mom, who designed websites for mostly small businesses. Even her ex, Katrina, had long since moved on. Given the criminal nature of what was happening, that could only mean it was indeed connected to Caitlin.

“See,” CC said when Stevie couldn’t answer. “Back to me.”

“Can’t be helped, given the nature of your job,” Val said. “I’ve been going over your past cases. Nothing is jumping out at me. Most everyone you put away is still on ice. You do good work.”

“Thanks.”

“I thought I had a couple of maybes, but they’re dead. I’ll keep looking.”

“I told you who it is.” CC stressed.

“He’s locked up,” Val countered.

“And nuts. And rich enough to pull this kind of stunt off.” CC’s words made Stevie feel very nervous. “Who else have I locked up that has the resources to bankroll this kind of operation.”

“Who?” Jamie asked, her face tightening.

“Just a theory, James. Deputy Brown is right, I don’t know anything.” CC immediately tried to backpedal.

“Fisher?” Jamie asked.

“You are way off base, Calloway,” Val said with a heavy sigh.

“The guy is locked up twenty-two hours a day. One hour outside alone in a metal cage. One hour of therapy, by himself. He isn’t allowed to attend group therapy anymore.”

“Because he managed to get his hands on a lab coat, and because he can walk the walk and talk the talk, he almost waltzed out the front door.” CC wasn’t going to be persuaded.

“No phone calls,” Val continued to say, completely unmoved.

“The only two people who bother visiting him are his lawyer and his mommy. Do you honestly think Cynthia Fisher, the matriarch of the clan, is behind the scheme to aid and abet a fugitive? You know, I can see it, she attends the garden club meeting, then checks on the child molester she set up at a posh hotel in Boston. Happens all the time.”

“You don’t have to be so snippy,” CC snarled. “I know what I feel. My gut has gotten me this far. I don’t know how, but that weasel is involved.”

“Well.” Val seemingly backed away from her earlier tirade. “When we catch Bert, we can ask him.”

“Sadly, it’s the only plan we’ve got.”

Stevie could hear the heartache in CC’s voice.

The room took on an eerie silence. Everyone sat around the table playing with their food, except for Jamie, who had begun to drum her fingers on the table. Stevie smiled at the nervous habit that her sister usually exhibited. You really do become one another. She shook her head in wonderment. The slight distraction did nothing to ease the steadily growing tension. Everyone jumped when the theme song for Dragnet blared out.

“You really need to stop screwing with my phone,” CC informed her wife. She snatched the device from the leather holder clipped to the waistband of her sweatpants. “Yes, Max?”

“You’re having way too much fun reprogramming that gadget,” Stevie said to Jamie with a snicker.

“I can’t help it. It’s fun and it bugs her. Emma helped me pick out the tunes.” Jamie gloated.

“Max and Leigh are on their way.” CC ended her call. “They claim they need to talk about a case. I suspect they just want to check on us.”

“Probably.” Val readied her own phone. “I’ll alert my team.”

Stevie felt a shiver pass through her. Little things were adding up in a disturbing manner: Having visitors monitored, just in case. Having the house watched. All of the protective measures made her nervous. It was the knowledge that they were a necessity. Stevie was accustomed to CC’s job being risky. She had lived through far too many close calls with her. She was never certain if it was the high risk of Caitlin’s career, or if just maybe her sister had a propensity to attract trouble.

After CC had cleared and cleaned the dishes, she was left with nothing to do but sit and wait. Her fingers drummed out a catchy little tune on the table. She knew it was driving Stevie and her wife nuts. She just couldn’t stop. She blew out a terse breath when she heard the knock at the door. Even though she had told Max they’d be on Stevie’s side of the house, she still checked the monitor. It was Max and Leigh, and she let them in.

“Coffee?”

“Sounds good,” Max said as they made themselves comfortable. “How are you holding up?”

“Sitting around waiting for something to happen doesn’t suit me. What’s going on with Wayne? Maybe we should go next door?” She thought Stevie and Jamie might not want to hear the gory details of their latest case.

“Stay here,” Stevie said. “It will give us something to talk about.”

“She’s right, honey.”

“How about you, Deputy Dawg?” Leigh teased. “Up for a little shoptalk?”

“Deputy Dawg? Do you guys sit around trying to think of these clever monikers?”

“Yes.”

“Any reason why?”

“It’s your whole Fed need-to-know bull,” Leigh said, her eyes narrowing. “You blow into town and only tell us anything when you deem it necessary.”

“We could have been on top of this long before now, if you had just paid us a visit,” Max said. “Instead, you follow our partner and her family before you let anyone know what’s going on. I don’t like it.”

“All right.” CC felt proud at the way Max and Leigh were determined to cover her back. “But we’re all on the same page now. What can you tell me about Billy?”

“The head nurse at MacLean is like a drill sergeant,” Leigh said excitedly. CC had to admit the lady was eager. “Like most consolers, she’s recovering herself. Doesn’t take any crap. Ryan lasted longer than she thought he would. She really didn’t have any patience for a spoiled rich white boy from California. Ryan stuck it out for a while, whining the whole time. Then he decided enough was enough, and he walked out. He wasn’t there under a court order, so he was free to go. According to Nurse Nancy, good riddance. She’s not interested in wasting her time on someone who’s just doing enough time to get his platinum card back from Mommy and Daddy. She did confirm what Vergas had said. He didn’t score that quality of blow from anyone there. She keeps her ear to the ground, and she hasn’t heard of anything remotely close to that high grade being out on the streets.”

“Billy boy didn’t have any money,” Max said. “The room he was staying in was prepaid last week. Too low rent for cameras. Desk clerk, who’s nothing more than a strung-out teenager, doesn’t remember who paid for the room. It might have been Ryan or Bat Man. That’s it. What’s happening on your end?”

“We’re waiting for the devil,” CC said grimly.

“How long was this guy clean?” Jamie asked. “Sometimes, after being clean for a period of time, an overdose is common.”

“Less than two weeks,” Max said. “And this guy has been using since he was a teenager. I’m surprised he’s lived this long. Then again, cutting heroine with drain cleaner…”

“Drain cleaner?” Jamie’s eyes widened. “I’ve heard of a lot of funky things added to drugs to spread the batch out, but drain cleaner? That had to hurt. Not to mention it’s insane.”

“No kidding,” CC said. “Could a person survive that?”

“If treated right away, sure,” Jamie answered after thinking about it for a moment. “But that would depend on how much drugs he had done.”

“He was shooting up a lethal level of speed balls. And he kept shooting up, despite the fact his intestines were probably twisted in knots.”

Jamie groaned with disgust. “If he had stopped after the first injection, drank some milk, and got medical help, he might have had a chance of living. But the high is more important than any pain they’re going through. Someone knew how to get to this guy.”

“Like offering a kid a pony.”

“I doubt he enjoyed the ride,” CC added her two cents, not missing the way Stevie had withdrawn from the conversation. She couldn’t fault her. Everyone else at the table was accustomed to chatting about these matters the way most people discuss the latest reality show.

“Stevie why don’t we—” she began to say, eager to change the subject. Stevie had been through enough. There was no need to expose her to anymore. CC’s pesky cell phone decided to blare out another tune. “Yeah, Brooks.” She didn’t bother to hide the fact that she was miffed. “We were just talking about Billy Ryan.”

When she had informed him about Ryan’s death, Brooks sounded just a little too excited. She was about to explain that the guy did indeed die of an overdose, in hopes to cool his jets. She had no intention of mentioning the drain cleaner. If there was something to her theory, there was a chance Brooks could get overzealous and blow it. When they had Beaumont where they wanted him, then and only then, would she be able to focus on the who and why.