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She leans into me and drops her head onto my shoulder. “This shouldn’t have happened. Whoever this is doesn’t care who else they hurt. This is something out of a murder mystery book. I don’t even care about the money.” Jasmine’s voice gets higher and louder. “I care about you, not that damn money. It’s gotten to the point that it’s so tainted, I want nothing to do with it.”
“Hey, hey.” I gently stroke her hair, calming her down. She’s like a skittish foal, jumpy and fidgety. “Keep the money, don’t keep the money. That’s not the issue. I don’t care what you do with it. We need to stay calm and find the person responsible. Caleb believes that Gregory Madden’s and Constance’s deaths weren’t accidental. The prime suspects at this point are Madden’s wife and daughter. Both Jasper and I saw a man behind the wheel. Either they hired a new man to do their dirty work, or they have an accomplice.” Not knowing can be worse than hearing the entire truth.
“That’s kinda crazy, Zeke. They don’t even know me, and they’re getting way more money than I would get. They have enough for two lifetimes or more.”
“Logically, you’re right. But these women have never had to do without. Their spending habits are nothing like ours,” I explain, then I take a different stance. “It could be that they’re angry at finding out there was someone else in Madden’s life who they didn’t know about. We have to consider it could be one and not the other.”
“Or neither,” she adds.
“Sure,” I agree. “But if we follow the money, nine times out of ten it leads us to the answer. Caleb’s having them come in for questioning today with their attorney in tow. They refused to speak with Damian without a lawyer present yesterday. We have motive. Now what we need is proof.”
“Do you really think it’s one of them?”
“Not sure, but we’re going to find out.” I think it’s time we switch gears. “You mentioned food,” I remind her.
“Oh right.” She jumps to her feet. I keep hold of her hand. “I was thinking a soup and sandwich.”
“Sounds really good. Nothing fancy,” I tell her.
“How about a BLT on rye and some canned tomato soup?” She gives me a grin. It doesn’t quite reach her eyes, but she’s trying.
“Perfect.” I smile back. “Let’s eat here on the couch.”
She disappears into the kitchen, and I can hear her rattling pans. The pills are finally taking effect and the pain is easing. I want to get to my desk in my office and do some of my own investigating, but I think it will have to wait another day. The car ride home took a lot more out of me than I expected, and this heart-to-heart hasn’t made me feel any better.
Alex dropped us off, settled me on the couch, and then took off to the drugstore to get my meds and a list of groceries we’ll need for the next few days. When Alex returned, he sat down to have a chat with the both of us.
“I know you’re not going to want to hear this, Jaz, but Caleb, Damian, and I think it best that you take a leave of absence from your job until we find this guy.” Jasmine tried to interrupt, but Alex kept at it. “I know what you said, you have obligations to the kids and parents, and we respect you for that. But Zeke isn’t in a position to be your bodyguard at school. He can contain a situation in this apartment, partly because he’s resourceful, but always because he has a kick-ass security system almost as impenetrable as Fort Knox. We don’t have a man who can fill in for Zeke who we trust enough or who has the ability to make it look like an easy switch. If we’re wrong and it’s someone at the school, a parent or something, we’ll tip them off and they’ll wait it out until we drop our guard and strike.”
Alex is prepared to continue, but Jasmine presses a hand over his mouth and shuts him up. “Okay. I’ll take a leave of absence. Under the circumstances, the principal is already aware of the situation, and we have a cover story that Zeke was hurt in a car accident. And I’m his girlfriend, so that means I’m taking time off to look after him and nurse him back to a full recovery.” Jasmine takes her hand back and sits back down beside me.
“You were going to agree all along, weren’t you?” Alex asked.
“Yep.” She pops the P.
“Why did you let me go on like that?”
“Like I could stop you. I tried and you just kept right on going. I thought you’d tire yourself out, but it seems you have great determination.” Jasmine giggled. I broke into a laugh, and Alex did as well.
Before Alex left, he got in touch with the principal to make her aware of the changes. She thought it was for the best. Personally, I think she’s relieved.
Now, Jasmine comes back to me with a tray and props it on my lap, then heads back to grab her own. She pops in a movie, Keanu Reeves inThe Matrix, then sits back to eat with me. Jasmine isn’t into sci-fi. This is for me.
Once we’re finished and she takes the dishes away, she puts a pillow on the coffee table and props my leg on it. As she sits back down, I have her lie with her head on my lap and sift my fingers through her hair. She’s so emotionally drained that within moments, her body relaxes, and she closes her eyes.
I drop my head to the back of the couch cushions and do the same. It’s been a shitty couple of days, and we need to regroup. Yesterday’s events pushed the team into overdrive. For Jasmine’s sake, this needs to come to an end.
But for the moment, Jasmine is with me and we’re both safe. Although I’ve always like my apartment, it feels different with her in it. It’s no longer just a place I come back to at the end of my shift simply to sleep. It’s become our home.
Our home sweet home.
FIFTEEN
I Didn’t Kill My Husband
CALEB
With a car patrolling the area around Zeke’s apartment, I’m comfortable with both Alex and Damian being present when Gregory Madden’s wife and daughter arrive for questioning. Damian’s been here since early morning with me. We’re on our second pot of godawful coffee. Alex walked in a few minutes ago carrying freshly perked java from the bakery down the street.
