Shadows of Deceit (A Series of Shadows) (4 page)

“Shevaun’s Jane?” Caroline blinked several times as recognition kicked in.

“The one and only. I got it Lopez, thanks.” Vinny handed the paper back to the deputy and continued on to the front yard.

“These people are significant, I take it?” Dillon asked, following after Vinny, taking notes as he walked.

“Lou, Detective Donovan, you know?” Caroline asked to make sure he knew who she was talking about.

“Of course, ma’am...” Dillon caught himself. “I mean, Caroline.”

“Right, well, Jane Michaels is her mother’s BFF” She watched his face carefully to make sure he understood. “If you know even a tiny bit of Lou’s reputation, you need to bare in mind that apples do not fall far from trees. Shevaun and her posse fancy themselves as detectives and are no pushovers. Once they get their teeth into something, they don’t let go until they have what they want.”

“They aren’t that bad! Lou is much worse.” Vinny insisted. “But she’s right, Jane isn’t going to just sit by and watch. Want to start a pool right now on what time I get a call from Lou and Shevaun?”

“Oh!” Caroline swatted Dillon’s arm. “Take this down! I got a hundred on Shevaun calling at eight. No later then that. I’ll put another hundred on Lou calling by no later than nine.” Dillon was not sure if she was joking or not.

“Write it down, sport. I got a hundred on Shevaun at eight-thirty and Lou at ten.” Vinny retrieved his wallet from his pocket, pulled out a hundred dollar bill and handed it to Dillon. “You hold the cash. I’ll hit the ATM on my way out for the other hundred.” He looked pointedly at Caroline. “Cough it up Doc.”

Caroline feigned a look of insult that lasted about two seconds. “Oh fine! Be right back. My wallet is in the truck.” She split off from them and ran down the street.

“Sir?” Dillon paused when they hit the curb.

“Yeah?” Vinny stopped and turned towards him.

“Are we seriously starting a pool on when your partner and her mother call about this case?” Dillon was still unsure if he was seriously supposed to be writing this down.

“Hell yes we are. I suggest you get in on it too. I’ll initial you’re bet for you.” Vinny turned and continued to cross the street. Dillon shrugged and decided to split the difference, taking eight-fifteen and nine-thirty.

Jane Michaels was
an extremely stylish and savvy woman who obviously took her yoga seriously as evidenced by the shape she was in. She met Vinny and Dillon at the door, not giving them the opportunity to knock. It was barely past 7 a.m. but Jane was perfectly polished in a pricey looking cream colored sweater dress and her sunny blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. The clear giveaway to her down to earth attitude were the enormously fluffy scrunched socks she wore in a screaming bright pink. Vinny had known Jane for as long as she had known Lou’s family. Jane and Lou’s mother had gone to high school together and been the best of friends since. He often considered her more Shevaun’s sister with how close the two women were.

“Vinny!” Jane gushed as she give him a huge hug. “How are you? How is Vera? I cannot wait until the baby shower!” She turned her sights on Dillon with a clear note of suspicion. “Who are you?”

“Good to see you Jane. This is Detective Dillon Cole...” Before he could finish she sidled up to the poor, unwitting newbie and gave him a not so subtle once over.

“A candidate for your replacement?” She squinted as she looked him dead in the eyes.

“Yeah, this is his first day so...” She cut Vinny off again.

“You have some serious shoes to fill mister.” She was not being mean or malicious in any way, just matter of fact and it made Vinny smile. “What makes you think you can handle it?”

“Ma’am, it’s an honor to meet you. I don’t think anyone could fill Detective DeLuca’s shoes, ma’am.” Dillon swallowed hard and stood tall, scoring another point in Vinny’s book. “I only hope I have the opportunity to try.”

Jane squinted a bit harder at him, contemplating for several moments. “Good answer cutie. Nice to meet ya! Now let’s get you boys some coffee and we can get to all the juicy stuff across the street.” She turned on her heals and headed into the house, waving for the men to follow. “Close the door for me! I don’t want the dogs to wander out if they decide to wake up.”

Dillon looked at Vinny for some sign that he had done alright but only caught Vinny shaking his head and chuckling before he walked inside.

The Michaels’ home was plush and opulent but warm and homey at the same time. Despite it being at least ten times the size of Vinny’s, there was nothing stuffy or pretentious about it. When they reached the kitchen, Vinny figured he could park both his sedan and Vera’s new minivan in the space the island alone occupied. When he finally spotted Jane in the corner of the kitchen, he almost fainted when he saw what she was working with. Vinny was a coffee snob and coveted Lou’s parent’s Belle Époque espresso machine. He had been known to disappear during family gatherings just to polish the thing. Here, however, was a new obsession of his and he had a half a dozen brochures at home for that “one day” when he would splurge.

“Is that a La Pavoni?” Vinny almost couldn’t get the name out.

“It sure is!” She looked over her shoulder and grinned at him. “Oh I forgot! You are a barista at heart, isn’t that right?”

“I have a picture of that very machine taped to my fridge at home.” He walked toward it, slowly, reverently.

“Well here, you make the coffee then. Get some training in.” She smiled and moved out of the way to let Vinny play and leaned against the counter watching his childlike enthusiasm. “The company is on of my husband’s clients. The V.P. gave me that as a thank you for babysitting his Pomeranian while he went on vacation. I should see if Matthew can snatch one up for you.”

Vinny’s head spun around so fast it was amazing he didn’t give himself whiplash. “Seriously?”

“Couldn’t hurt to try! You’re going to need all the good coffee you can get once the baby arrives. I bet Mathew has three of those sitting around at the office somewhere.” She grinned as Vinny began humming a cheery tune as he proceeded to steam some milk. Turning her attention to Dillon she realized he was a little lost in the conversation. “My husband is an international corporate lawyer. His firm has clients all over the world and they are always giving him nice things, like the espresso machine. We are very lucky.” She walked to the far side of the kitchen island and pulled out two stools. “Here, have a seat!”

“Thank you ma’am.” Dillon perched himself on the stool and continued to observe Vinny with fascination. It was like watching a kid with a brand new toy. “Lucky perhaps, but he is obviously very good at what he does for his clients to give him such gifts.”

“That’s true too.” Her grin was directed at him now. “Please, call me Jane.”

“Alright, here we go!” Vinny placed their cups in front of them. “I am sure Caroline will be here in a second so if you don’t mind, I’ll make her one too?”

“I thought I saw her out there! Definitely make her some too. That’s usually the first place she hits when she visits.” Jane scooped a small spoonful of sugar from a bowl on the island and stirred it diligently into her coffee. “Help yourself now, Dillon. It’s raw sugar though, I’m on a weird kick with raw and organic this month. Vinny and Caroline will tell you I am always doing some weird fad thing.”

“Last month it was no white foods, wasn’t it?” Caroline asked, startling them as she came in from the hall.

“Put a bell on you! You scared the life out of me!” Jane swatted Caroline’s shoulder as she came to give her a kiss on her cheek. “Yes, last month was no white.”

“Sorry! Kinda weird you getting spooked with Captain America and the Godfather in your kitchen.” Caroline winked at Dillon then hopped up on a stool at the other end of the island just as Vinny placed a cup in front of her. “Thank you Papa.”

“You’re welcome.” Vinny smiled and tugged on her ponytail then sat down next to her with his own cup. “OK, we need to get serious here.”

Dillon pulled his notebook from his jacket and set his pen to the ready. For a brief moment he had completely forgotten the purpose for their being at Jane Michaels’ home. He had been enjoying the casual, familiar banter and the warm atmosphere. It had been a long time since he had felt quite so comfortable.

“Oh yeah, right!” Jane grimaced. “OK so tell me everything! What’s going on over there?”

“Jane!” Vinny and Caroline blurted in unison, making Dillon grin.

“Oh come on! It’s me! You know I am going to find out anyway!” She sipped her coffee with a sheepish grin.

“Jane, you know damn well we cannot discuss an ongoing investigation.” Dillon wasn’t sure if Vinny was admonishing Jane or reminding himself. “Now, tell us what you can about your neighbor across the street.”

“Fine, play it that way. We’ll see how long that lasts.” Jane looked at Vinny, then Caroline, with a knowing smile then sipped her coffee once more before she began.

Approximately forty-five minutes later Dillon was certain he was on his last sheet of paper. Jane had relayed every detail she could think of about her neighbor across the street, Casius Arcano. It was quite remarkable to Dillon that she was so observant and her recollection of details was excellent. She was able to tell them that Arcano was the son of a very wealthy coffee baron from Colombia and that his father had recently passed away. Shoring up all the family’s business connections in the U.S. had been the reason for Arcano’s short term residency but that he had clearly stated to Jane he was planning to stay for at least the remainder of the year.

Jane had also told them that he entertained frequently and she and her husband were always invited to Arcano’s parties. They had been at one last weekend and she was able to recall a good number of names for the guests in attendance. She also recalled him inviting them to a party he was planning for Memorial Day which lead them even further to the conclusion that Arcano hadn’t been planning to move. As for romantic interest, Jane had to admit that she was beginning to think Arcano was not interested in women since she had never seen him with a woman that she could recall. Further stoking her suspicion was the fact that he gushed and fawned over his West Highland Terrier, Luna. This and other little things made her suspect Arcano was gay.

“Oh dear God! Where is Luna?” Jane shouted, realizing that the dog was missing just like everything else in that house. “If one of those bodies is Casius, then someone took Luna. He never ever let that dog out of his sight!”

“We don’t know if he’s one of the bodies, Jane.” Caroline reassured her. “I am sure the dog is fine. They will find out, don’t worry.” Jane calmed a bit but Dillon could see her genuine concern. “I need to get back to work.” Caroline sighed. “I’ve given them enough time to get back to the shop and harvest all the bugs. Thank you for the hospitality Jane. This was a nice change of pace.” She hopped off her stool and put her cup in the dishwasher before she gave Jane a kiss goodbye. “See you boys later. Oh!” Caroline looked at her watch and grunted, then pulled two one hundred dollars from her pocket and slapped them into Dillon’s hand. “There, I know I lost already.” With that, she waved to them, then headed out.

“Lost what?” Jane inquired and Dillon looked to Vinny for assistance. He couldn’t think of an answer that wouldn’t insult the woman.

“Oh we had a pool going on how long things would take at the scene. Just silliness to pass the time.” Vinny gave Dillon a knowing glance. “We need to head out too.” Vinny followed Caroline’s example, picking up Dillon’s cup as well then putting their dishes into the dishwasher. “Thanks for all your help Jane. We’ll be in touch if we have any more questions.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek then headed for the door.

“It was a pleasure Mrs. Michaels. I hope we meet again.” Dillon shook her hand gently and smiled.

“I have a feeling we will. I have a good feeling about it.” She squeezed his hand before she let go and gave him a wink. “When you meet her, don’t take her shit. Hear me?”

Dillon almost laughed out. “I’ll try not too, ma’am.”

“Good luck with that.” Vinny shouted from down the hall. “Come on sport. It’s gonna be a long day.”

The men left the Michaels’ home and ran into Rochelle and Barnes while crossing the street. Barnes gave them a five minute recap, bringing Vinny up to speed on things that Dillon suspected he already knew. So far they had found no trace of any sort other than what they expected to be cleaning products inside the home. The only footprints or traces within the house were from the deputies themselves from when they entered the premises. Everything else was going to take time to properly process. The forensics, the video, the security logs, all of it was going to take time.

After Vinny dismissed Rochelle and Barnes, he directed Dillon to follow him to his car. As if on cue, Vinny’s cell phone rang and Dillon couldn’t resist looking at his watch. It was 8:16 a.m. on the dot. He grinned.

“Don’t get happy yet. It could be the captain.” Vinny squinted at the screen on his phone then muttered something under his breath. “Beginner’s luck...” He scoffed at Dillon then answered the phone. “Good morning Shevaun. What can I do for you?”

Dillon covered his mouth, trying not to laugh out loud. He gave Vinny space and walked to the driveway of their perplexing crime scene. It struck him all of the sudden that he had been there for less than two hours and other than taking more notes then he had taken since he left West Point, the morning had been more enjoyable than he had ever expected. He admired Vinny’s loyalty and work ethic. Caroline was far sassier than he was prepared for. Rochelle was going to be a problem for him if she got in his face. He was a gentleman always, the highest respect for women. However, if she got in his face, he had no problem getting in hers. He had now met Lou’s partner, her best friend and her mother’s best friend. It was not difficult to like them all very much and enjoy the rapport they all had with each other. Dillon expected that Lou would fall in with all those personalities but he really had no clue what to expect when and if he finally met her. He had read her file a dozen times preparing for this gig, just as he had read Vinny and Caroline’s. It was all just words on paper when you came down to it. What really mattered was how they got along and how they worked together as a team. Dillon reminded himself that he wasn’t interviewing to be Vinny or Caroline’s partner, they were essentially the gatekeepers. Lou was the target.