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Nico had already let the older couple in and they were milling around in the kitchen when Lacey appeared fully dressed and feeling more up to facing them.
“Good morning, luv,” Margie said, giving her a sly smile. “We saw you two in the window. You were kissing,” she added guilelessly, and Lacey had to stifle the urge to groan loudly. Of course they’d seen them in the window. Now it’d be all around town that Nico and Lacey were an item before they were ready to let their secret out. “I think it’s wonderful,” Margie gushed. “It’s about time, Detective. You need a good woman in your life.”
“Hmm.” Nico stood with his arms crossed, hip leaning against the countertop. This time, the small line between his eyes had been replaced with a raft of frown lines as he made it clear he wasn’t going to be drawn into Margie’s matchmaking.
Herb stood behind his wife, but he looked a lot less agreeable. He too, was frowning, and now he stepped up beside his Margie. Dressed as usual in their matching Lycra outfits, Herb was wearing a backpack over his shoulders; the older couple looked like they were about to go out for a cycle. When Lacey looked at them, all she saw were two kindly people, who liked to stay fit and who were happily living out their senior years to the best of their ability. She certainly didn’t see anyone who might be capable of murder. But she could tell that was what Nico saw. Or at least he was taking it into consideration. Should she be doing the same? If she were to go back into the force, she needed to start thinking like a cop again. Was she prepared to be suspicious of everyone she met from now on?
“That’s not why we’re here, Marg,” Herb said.
“No, you’re right,” Margie piped up. “We just wanted to talk to you, to see how the investigation is going. See if you’ve found out anything new.”
“Margie,” Nico sighed in exasperation. “You can’t come up to my door and ask me to tell you what’s going on. It’s a conflict of interest, can’t you see that? I need to be completely unbiased in this investigation. I can’t give out confidential information. Not to you, and not to anyone.”
“Yes, but… Surely you can tell us something. We’re your friends. You live amongst us, in this community,” Margie stuttered, while Herb gave Nico a look like thunder.
Lacey suddenly understood what a fragile line Nico walked sometimes. The boundary between being part of a community and policing that same community was often blurred.
“You’ll have to wait, like everyone else. Chief Inspector Shadbolt will be holding another media conference on Monday afternoon. If we have anything new by then, you can hear all—”
“Pardon my French, but cut the crap, Detective,” Herb interrupted. Margie’s friendly smile fell from her face, and she laid a hand on her husband’s arm. “You can’t keep us in the dark like this. I know you think I’m a suspect, and I demand to know what’s going on. My son told me I should get a lawyer. Is that true?”
“Now, Herb, calm down,” Margie urged.
Nico’s frown wavered. Lacey’s heart went out to the couple. This thing must be turning their whole lives upside down. Her grandmother on her father’s side was still alive and lived in Melbourne, and Lacey shuddered to think how something like this might affect her nan. They must be consumed by worry.
“Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll make you a cup of tea,” Lacey suggested, trying to diffuse the situation.
“No,” Herb practically shouted. “I will not sit in somebody’s house if they think I’m capable of doing anything to hurt that sweet woman.” He was practically shaking with rage. “All I was trying to do was help her. Protect her. Like I hope someone might do if it were my daughter in trouble.” Herb stood up to his full height, nearly matching Nico, his features hard and inscrutable.
“Oh, Herb,” Margie said on a sob.
This was getting out of hand, and Lacey glanced at Nico, whose face seemed to soften slightly.
“Look,” Nico said, holding his hands up in the air. “I know this must be frightening for you, and I regret you have to go through this. But a woman has been murdered, and it’s my job to uncover every stone and investigate every lead to find out who did it. I’m sorry, but I can’t give you what you’re hoping to hear. I have to follow due process. But I’m sure you’ll be cleared of any suspicions soon, and I’m doing everything I can to make it happen.”
No one said anything for many long moments, and Herb stared at Nico for so long Lacey thought he’d been struck dumb. But finally, his face crumpled, losing the hard planes and deep-edged lines, becoming an old man again.
“I guessed you’d say something like that. But this is just so…”
Herb didn’t need to finish his sentence; they could all hear the anguish in his voice.
“Come on, luv, let’s go.” Margie took his hand to lead him out of the kitchen.
Herb seemed to hesitate, sending a searching gaze between Lacey and Nico. “I wasn’t sure whether to give you this or not.” Herb removed his backpack and unzipped it.
“Are you sure?” Margie asked as she watched him draw something out of the bag. “I don’t—”
“Yes,” he said, cutting her off. “I think it’s time to give this up,” Herb acknowledged, holding out what looked to be a journal with a pretty embroidered cover.
“You’ve had this in your house the whole time? And you never told us?” Nico closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, and Lacey knew he was trying to rein in his temper. There could be a vital clue in this journal, and Herb had kept it from the police. It was a little mind-boggling. The older couple might not realize it, but Nico could charge them with withholding evidence and obstructing an investigation. She hoped he wouldn’t do any of those things, and instead, be happy that Herb had at last brought the journal and other documents to him. Vaguely, she wondered where Herb had stashed this last piece of evidence, because Nico had his house and shed thoroughly searched.
“Yes,” Herb admitted. He handed it ceremoniously to Nico, who pulled his sweater sleeves down to cover his hands before taking the book.
“Can you get me an evidence bag from my duffle please,” Nico requested of Lacey. She went to the black bag he carried everywhere with him, currently in the vestibule by the back door, keeping one ear open to the continuing conversation.
“I’ve been holding onto this, because Rania asked me to keep it secret. Keep it safe and not show it to anyone. She said there was stuff in there that might get her in trouble. And maybe other people as well,” Herb said as Lacey returned with a plastic ziplock bag. There was silence as Nico placed the journal into the bag and closed it up. What the hell had Rania written in that journal? Could the answer to who was the killer be in there?
“Who do you think she meant by other people? Do you think she meant Karim?” Nico questioned.
