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As I leave, I hear Gwen say, “Hello, Mrs. Chenovski. Come sit next to me. I’ll get our coffee.”
* * *
Back at Gwen’s place, Alex has instigated the process of collecting evidence. A unit is working around the car, looking for prints. Zeke is scraping off a sample of paint to be analyzed. Zeke goes in deep when it comes to research. I already know how his mind works. Find the paint brand, search the stores, and find out who the purchaser was and go from there.
Damian and Alex are on the porch waiting for me, talking among themselves. They stop when they see me coming.
“Anything yet?” I ask, getting right to the point.
“Mason will be here in an hour. He’ll head straight to where she works. He’ll be on whenever any of us aren’t available,” Damian informs me. I drop my head and let out a sigh of relief. Knowing that Mason’s onboard puts me at ease and means I can concentrate on the task at hand.
“Zeke’s already looked at a security system and will pick it up after he’s done with whatever he’s collecting over there.” Alex jerks his head in Zeke’s direction. “Zeke took one look and said she’s got nothing to stop someone from breaking in. Her locks are shit, and she doesn’t even have motion lights in the back.”
I knew her locks were crap. I was taking my time in letting her get to know me before I mentioned I was putting in new locks. That fact that she doesn’t have any form of security doesn’t surprise me either. Gwen would never imagine anyone wanting to hurt her.
Alex says, “He won’t be able to get it all done today and reinforce your place too.”
“She’s staying with me,” I announce.
“Does she know that?” Damian asks, at the same time that Zeke approaches.
“Gwen’s naïve, not stupid. She’ll be safer with me.”
“Great. I’ll do your place first,” Zeke says.
“Did they get any prints?” I ask him.
“Nope. But we’re not done by a long shot. We’re going to see who has cameras on their property. We’ll see how that plays out. If we don’t get anything, I’ll be tracking the paint sample and see where that leads.” Zeke tells us his plan.
“Right.”
Alex says what we’re all thinking. “Everything points to Karen.”
“We make a basic mistake when we make that decision without proof. When we set our minds on one person, we might miss something. Detective Handbook 101,” Damian jokes, but he’s not wrong.
“You’re right. We’ll follow where the evidence leads us. But she broke into my home the other day. She spewed a ton of bullshit and kept her eyes glued to Gwen.” I turn to Alex. “Take one of the officers with you and go see Karen. See if she has an alibi for last night. Then go see Gwen and get her statement. She was in shock this morning, but she might be able to recall something she missed earlier. A sound, or something out of place, anything. I’ve already given you my statement. I wish I had paid closer attention.”
“On it,” Alex replies, and heads out.
“I’m going to check out your place. Can I have your keys?” Zeke asks.
I hand them to him, leaving Damian and me on Gwen’s porch. Damian waits a beat and looks around us to make sure we’re alone before he says, “You need to take a step back on this case. You’re too close. Whoever this is, whether it’s Karen or someone else, we won’t get a conviction if the case is compromised in any way.”
I stare him down. “I wouldn’t do that,” I reply through clenched teeth.
“Not purposely. No,” he says quickly, then adds, “I’m going to remind you of how you held me in check when Chloe was taken. You pulled me back, slowed me down, and made me look at all the angles. When it was Alex, it was you who made it his job to stay with Sabrina while we worked the case. And with Zeke—”
“Okay, I get it,” I concede. “I’m putting you in charge of this case, with the understanding that I’m informed of everything that happens.” I sit on one of the chairs on the porch and wait for Damian to join me. “From the beginning and like I said earlier in my statement, last night, I got this feeling that something was off. I couldn’t shake it, so I got out of bed and did a check. By the time I got to the window, I saw a car speeding off. It was dark, but I could tell it was a two-door sports car. Under normal circumstances, I would have gone outside and tried to get a better look, but Gwen was asleep in my bed, and there was no way I was leaving her alone. I just had a bad feeling.”
“What time did you see the car and what direction was it going?” Damian asks, taking out his notebook and jotting down the details as I remember them.
* * *
Once Damian took off, I arranged for my father to get his friend the mechanic to come pick up Gwen’s vehicle. I didn’t want her to come home and be reminded of the horrible start to her day.
Dad comes over and sits with me. After I tell him what’s been going on, I lean forward, burying my face in my hands, elbows to knees.
“I can see this is taking a toll on you, son. Loving a woman like I loved your mother, like you love Gwen, makes us vulnerable,” Dad says.
