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Eckhart leaned in so she could read the message.
“Cool.”
Their food made it before long, and they ate in silence, enjoying the band. Gibson drummed on his thighs to the rhythm. At the windup of the first set, they headed outside to a cooler night air. The sun’s stifling rays had perished behind the escarpment in the west. They walked back to the station to see about a visit. Gibson rang the bell and held up his badge to the camera as he spoke to the dispatcher.
“We would like to visit Todd Webber.”
“No can do,” the officer responded.
“Okay. Why’s that?”
“Lights out at 2100.”
Gibson glanced at his watch. The glare of the spotlights directed at the entrance made it challenging to see the glowing digits.
“Right. In the morning then. Thanks.” He swung to Eckhart. “A hell of a day. Drop me off?”
“Sure.”
Gibson rolled down his window and let the coolness flood his fevered skin. He gazed up at the sky and saw a shooting star zip through the constellation Sagittarius. It hung low near the southern horizon with the Milky Way spread as an immense ribbon of luminosity in the background. He wondered if Katherine had seen the flash.
“There you go,” Eckhart said as she pulled up to his motel.
Gibson skipped down the passage to his suite. He flopped into an armchair and tossed his cell on the duvet. His hair was slick, and his face had a glossy sheen from the day-long oppressive heat. He wanted another shower to cool his thoughts. Thousands of droplets bombarded his skin as he stood under the refreshing water. The sensation consoled his mind as a weariness overcame his body. He collapsed into bed, tired as hell. A soft snore flooded the room as he let go of the day. Even the phone pressing into his ribs when he rolled over didn’t disturb his rest.
Chapter 20
Nighttime surrendered to the dawn. The soft light snuck through curtains left partially open, slanting onto the bed sheets and licked Gibson’s sunburnt face. He was buried in sleep. The sun broke clear of its boundary, and the rays tumbled into the suite. He drifted into consciousness and smoothed his tired eyes. He squeezed his cheek to the flattened pillow.
His cell chirped. ‘Soon. Katherine.’ He drew in a breath and texted back. ‘Not soon enough.’
Gibson showered again and put on the last clean shirt he had and his wedding band. Packing his bag took two seconds and he was out the exit. The fresh morning air was still. There would be no cooling breeze to break the sweltering fever that the amber sun promised for the day. He looked for the sparrow as he strolled down the sidewalk. The bird flirted with his hair as she bustled past. Gibson chuckled and continued to the café. He grabbed a coffee and waited on the patio for his ride. The Expedition stuck its snout into the street fifteen minutes later. He hopped in and threw Eckhart a quirky smile.
“Is Frenchy in the office?”
“Not yet.” She stared at his hand.
“Should we go visit Todd first?” Gibson asked.
“You bet,” Eckhart replied. She sped downtown in record time and parked in the same spot as the night before, twirling the keys in her fingers.
“We should run Todd’s prints first. Do you concur?”
“I do.”
The desk sergeant directed them to an area at the rear of the building. “His lawyer’s here.”
Loud voices stole down the corridor. They followed the sound to an interview room on the left where a frenzied conversation was going on.
“Hello.” Gibson knocked on the door, and it swung open with a squeak.
“This is a confidential conversation.”
“No. Let them in. I want to know what’s going on,” Todd said and jumped out of his chair.
“Don’t say anything,” a small man with neat hair said.
“To hell with that. I didn’t kill my wife. Why would I?” Todd’s shrill voice ricocheted off the lead-coloured surfaces. He slumped back into his chair. A scuffle exploded into the room.
“What’s happening here?” Savannah demanded as she ran to her brother-in-law.
“Sorry, sir. I couldn’t stop her,” an officer said as he rushed up behind the frantic woman.
“It’s okay. Let her be,” Gibson replied.
The officer shuffled back to his duties at the front.
“Everybody have a seat. Let’s get this straightened out.” Gibson’s cell vibrated in his back pocket. “Excuse me a moment.” He stepped into the hallway. The scrape of metal legs on linoleum followed him out as everyone settled in.
“Gibson.”
“It’s Frenchy. I received your message. I’m at the office.”
“That’s great. Could you do Todd’s prints first? We’ll be standing by,” he said. “Thanks for coming in on such short notice.”
“No problem.”
Gibson disconnected and entered the stuffy box. His forehead took on a glossy shine almost at once. He scanned the faces at the table. Todd sagged heavily in a chair between his lawyer and Savannah. He looked a mess, but it was his raspy breathing that unsettled Gibson. His lawyer sat up straight with a briefcase and a straw hat by his hand. He shuffled the paperwork that he had laid before him on the tabletop. A fine tailored suit of grey matched his eyes, a lustrous patina of burnished metal. But the neon red in his striped tie clocked him a rebel. He tapped his polished black loafers on the crumbling tiles impatiently. Savannah sat on the brink of her seat, knotting her fists under her knees to control the desire to strike out at the enemy. The scowl on her pink mouth made her look ten years older. Eckhart sat quietly, but the glint in her blue eyes exposed her mischievous spirit.
Gibson selected a seat by the recording equipment and considered his options.
“Let’s do this off the record,” he finally said. He looked up to the top corner of the room and made sure the red button on the camera wasn’t on.
“Off the record? Seriously,” Eckhart retorted.
Gibson glanced at her as she opened her mouth and hissed in dispute. Her pink lips paled as she nibbled on a pencil. He arched his steel-grey eyes and locked onto her indignation. She flipped her hair and strummed her nails on the blemished wood. Todd leaned forward, but his lawyer seized his arm attempting to block his progress. He sought to tear away.
“Be quiet,” his lawyer said and tightened his constraint.
Gibson’s cell chirped, and he glimpsed at the screen.
“It’ll be all right. Let him talk,” the detective said, throwing a nod of promise to the lawyer.
There was a wild look about Todd. His slept-in clothing shouted a stench from the gutters. The pallor of his skin looked worse than the last corpse he had seen. Gibson clenched his teeth, thinking the last corpse he had seen was Elsie.
“Why did you meet up with Josephine? Are you having an affair?” Gibson asked calmly, his pit-bull having a nap.
“No. Nothing like that.” His lips smacked when he spoke. He planted his elbows on the table and pressed his fingers on his forehead. Beads of perspiration dribbled down his temples, reeking of fret. “I couldn’t stand it any further.”
“Stand what?”
The lawyer touched his client’s shoulder.
“JoJo wouldn’t stop phoning. I told her it had been a mistake. I told you that earlier,” Todd said. Even his swollen eyes were pale.
Gibson waited to hear more and Todd obliged.
“I went there to make it perfectly clear to her that nothing was going on. To leave me alone. I love Elsie.” The sweat flowed liberally and intermingled with his tears. His body heaved with anguish, with a heartache that would never leave.
Gibson almost felt sorry for the man, knowing that he had not been the perfect husband either. It wasn’t his job to judge.
“We ran your prints already. They’re not yours. You’re free to go,” Gibson said, catching everyone off guard.
Savannah let out a wail and swept Todd into a hug. Eckhart walked out of the room. In a snit? Gibson wasn’t c
ertain.
“Sorry,” Gibson said.
“I’m glad we’ve cleared that up. Thank you,” Todd’s lawyer replied.
The gentleman shook hands. Gibson left them to their sorrow.
Eckhart was already out the station. He jogged after her. “Hang on.” She scorned him. “What’s wrong?” he called out. She banged the truck door and fired up the motor. He hopped into the passenger side.
“That’s it.”
“What?”
