Текст книги "Lunch at the Club"

Автор книги: Kate Kane

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 11 страниц)

God, Lane didn’t need a defense attorney no matter how big, strong and mobbed up he was.  What she need was a big strong cop to keep her safe.  Why couldn’t she see that?

“I’ll make the call on my way in and have her meet us at Leawood since I’ve got the suspect already in custody.”

Chapter 19

Lila gets her man… er woman

Lane should have been used to it; being separated from Ben as they gave their statements because they were both witnesses.  It was what Mick had done after Kyle and Craig were arrested last month.  It didn’t ease her tension.  Mick came into the interview room with the yellow legal pad.  Lila Crane was right behind him.  They both sat down and Mick pushed the legal pad and a pen toward Lane.

“Lane, I know I was on the phone for much of the time, but go ahead and write down what happened.  What you heard happen.”

Lane took the pen and pad that Mick pushed toward her and placed her left hand on the pad to hold it in place as she wrote.  This was becoming a habit, writing statements in the police station.  One she badly wanted to break.

Lila saw Lane’s engagement ring.  Was blinded by it was more accurate.  “I see you’ve gotten engaged since I saw you last.  Congratulations.”

“Yes, two days ago.  Thank you,” Lane said as she continued to write.

“Anyone I know?”

Why did Lane feel like she was being interrogated?  She looked up at Lila who was glaring at Lane’s hand.

There was a tap at the door.  “If my client’s going to be questioned, she should probably have her attorney present.  If you don’t want me in there because I’m a witness, then I’ll call Sal.”

Lane had finished writing her statement and pushed the pad and pen toward Mick.

“It’s okay Bellini, come on in.”  Mick was anxious to see what was going on with this little triangle.  Lila didn’t seem any happier to see that boulder on Lane’s ring finger than he was.

“Detective Crane, do you have any other questions for my client?”

“No, counselor, none for your client.”  “Maybe one or two for your fiancée.” she thought.  “But after I question the suspect, I might have some questions for you.  Where can I reach you?”

Ben helped Lane stand.  “Call my office and arrange something.”  Ben nodded to Mick.  “Mickey, Detective Crane.” And he guided Lane out of the interview room, down the hall, out of the Leawood police station and to his Jag.

“We should call the Bambino and let him know what’s going on.  That you’re all right at least.”

Lane looked at her watch.  It was eight o’clock.  She’d told Jamie she would probably go to Ben’s after she dropped Jess, reminding him that there was left over meatloaf and scalloped potatoes for his dinner.

“I told him I’d probably stop to see you after I dropped Jess off.  He probably doesn’t expect me until late,” she said as she tapped in the home phone number.

“Hey.  Did you eat?  Ben and I are going to grab something.  Can we bring something home for you? Okay.  We should be there in about 15 minutes.”

She smiled at Ben.  “I feel guilty about leaving him home alone while I’m out having all of this adventure.  I guess I kinda need to know my baby’s all right.  Can we swing by Popeye’s?”

Ben had the habit of holding her hand while he drove and he gave her a little squeeze.  “Just another of many the reasons I love you.  You’re a great Mom.  Of course we can swing by and get food.  I’ve noticed that he’s got his head in the fridge all of the time lately.  Must be having a growing spurt or something.”  He shook his head.  Jamie was already as tall as he was and close to Ben’s weight.  He hoped he wasn’t having a growing spurt.

“You know, it’s a very strange phenomenon when your child grows taller than you are.  I’ve been looking up to see him in the face since he was 13.”

They got home with chicken and Jamie dug in like he hadn’t eaten in days.  It took a couple of minutes, but he finally noticed that neither Ben nor Lane seemed very hungry.

“Aren’t you guys going to eat?”

Lane pulled out a chicken breast and put it on her plate.  “So, you know Rochelle, the receptionist at Dr. Andersen’s office?”

Jamie nodded and continued eating.

Ben picked up the story.  “Well, she showed up at my house this evening.”

Jamie stopped eating and looked at Ben.  Some random woman had gone to Ben’s and neither he nor Mom was eating.  This wasn’t good.

“God, there’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to tell you.”

Yep, this wasn’t good.  The muscles in Jamie’s jaw clenched.

“She held me at gun point because she saw your Mom’s engagement ring today.  Your mom was on the phone and heard the whole thing.  She called Detective McGuire.  Rochelle has been arrested and we suspect she killed Carol Anne.”

Jamie looked from Ben to Lane.  Another hostage situation.  At least it wasn’t his Mom this time, but she’d been involved.  Where the hell was Jess when you needed her?  Jetting toward L.A. that’s where.  He looked at the clock.  She’d be landing in Minneapolis any minute now.  But everyone was okay and she had that audition she needed to concentrate on.  He’d call Jake.  After he finished eating.

Chapter 20

Why so many Exes

Lila interviewed Rochelle Jones at length.  No doubt about it, she had a screw loose.  Mick McGuire had Mirandized her, and she had waived her right to counsel.

“Rochelle, where were you at one o’clock last Friday afternoon?”

Rochelle closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate before answering.  “Well, Dr. Andersen has Friday afternoons off, so the office was closed.”

“Yes, but where were you?” Lila asked.

“I usually have an appointment with Dr. Conrad on Friday afternoons, but she cancelled last week.”

“Who is Dr. Conrad?”

“Dr. Liza Conrad.  She’s my psychologist.”

~~~~~

Ben was in his office preparing for a trial that was scheduled to start Jury selection the next day.  His admin buzzed him.

“There’s a Dr. Liza Conrad on line one for you.  Something about one of her patients.”

Liza.  He hadn’t talked to Liza in what was it, four years?  No that wasn't right.  He and Lane had run into her and her date at Papa’s a few months ago.  He’d introduced Lane as his “friend” and told Liza it was nice to see her again. Then he’d put his hand in the small of Lane’s back and guided her to the Board Room.  Lane had asked him that night why he’d never been married.  He said he couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life with any of them.  There was only one woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

He pushed the speaker button.  “Liza.  What can I do for you?”

“I understand you were involved in an altercation of sorts with one of my patients.  Rochelle Jones.”

“Rochelle is your patient?  I guess you could call it an altercation.  She broke into my house and held me at gun point while she professed her undying love.  Luckily I was on the phone with my fiancée who overheard the entire conversation and had the presence of mind to call a Leawood detective friend.”

“Fiancée?  Some lucky woman has finally snagged you, huh?  Congratulations.”  Liza was genuinely happy for him, but she couldn’t afford to get distracted.  “Listen, she’s being held as a suspect in the murder of Carol Anne Woods.  Ben, I know she didn’t do it.  You’re the best criminal defense attorney in the metro.”  She paused.

What the hell, surely Liza didn’t call him to ask him to represent Rochelle.

She heard him take a deep breath.  She imagined the look on his face and what he was thinking.  “I didn’t call to ask you to represent her.  I know you can’t do that after what she did.  But I was hoping you could recommend someone.”

He knew there was a good chance a defense attorney could easily build an insanity defense.  There was something that niggled at the back of his mind.  Yes, she’d come to his house with a gun, but the more he thought about it, the more he was sure that she hadn’t planned to use it.  And she had come to his house, she hadn’t gone after Lane.  She hadn’t threatened to kill him, none of that “if I can’t have you then no one can.”  What would it hurt to recommend someone?

“Sure.  No one from my firm, but I can give you a couple of names.”  Maybe Rochelle was innocent of Carol Anne’s murder.

Ben gave her the names of two different firms who could easily handle the case.  But she could have gotten that information from anyone.  “Was there anything else you wanted, Liza?”

“Yes, well, I may need to retain you myself.  You see, I cancelled Rochelle’s appointment last Friday and I’m afraid before Detective Crane is finished, she’ll be accusing me of Carol Anne Woods’ murder.  We knew each other.  You know from the stalking.  I was supposed to meet her for lunch at the Club that afternoon.”

Ben shook his head and ran his hand through his hair.  What was going on?  Ex-girlfriend Carol Anne Woods is killed; ex-girlfriend Lila Crane is investigating; current girlfriend, no fiancée, Lane Parker is accused; and ex-girlfriend Liza Conrad may be the new suspect.  If he wasn’t careful, someone would make this whole thing be about him.  Cops and criminal attorneys really don’t believe in coincidence.

“All right, let me buzz my admin and she can make an appointment for you.  I’d rather get the facts now than after Lila has arrested you.”

He buzzed his admin and told her to make the appointment for as soon as possible.  That afternoon if Liza could make it.

He called Lane’s office.  He just wanted to hear her voice.  What had she told him Sunday?  She didn’t need a blanket confession, she only needed to know about ex-girlfriends if there was some impact on her life now.  He thought this qualified.

Meg answered the phone.  “Hi Meg.  It’s Ben.  Is Lane in?”

When Meg met Ben a month ago, she had told Lane he was tall dark and oh my God handsome.  She still thought that, but at the time she had had no one in her life and she had been a little jealous that Lane had two tall dark and handsome men in her life.  Now she was dating Lane’s oldest son who was tall handsome and fair.

“She’s in a meeting.  May I have her call you?”

“Sure, tell her it’s nothing important, I just need to hear her voice.”

“Will do.  By the way, congratulations on the engagement.”

Ben thanked her and ended the call.  His admin buzzed him to tell him she’d scheduled Liza for his last appointment of the day, 4:30.  He thanked her and went back to reviewing his notes for jury selection.

It was nearly an hour later when his cell phone buzzed.  “Red.  How’s your morning going?”  They’d been apart less than 12 hours and he’d spent some of that time sleeping, but he still missed her like crazy.

“It’s been a pretty normal Thursday around here.  How about you?  Meg’s note says you needed to hear my voice. Is everything all right?”

He let go with a tension filled breath.  “Yeah, everything’s good now.  I just wanted to hear your voice and tell you that I love you.”

He could hear her smile as she responded, “And I love you.  Come on, there’s more to it than that though, what’s going on?”

“I’m probably going to be working late tonight.  I have a 4:30 appointment.  Do you remember about six months ago when we ran into Liza Conrad at Papa’s?”

Lane thought back.  Sure, she remembered.  Liza had been a beautiful woman who was about five feet six inches tall, had long brown hair and big brown eyes.  She was a former KC Chiefs cheerleader who was now a Psychologist.  They’d run into her with a date but Lane remembered thinking at the time that Liza would have fallen back into Ben’s arms in a heartbeat if only he’d given her the slightest sign that he was interested.

“Yes.  The former cheerleader, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.  It’s a long story, and I’m going to condense it.  When I dated her she had a stalker.  Carol Anne was a consultant for the police on the case.  Liza called today to say that she thinks Lila might arrest her for Carol Anne’s murder.  She wants me to represent her and we have an appointment at 4:30 to talk.”

Lane rubbed the bridge of her nose.  A small headache was starting to form.  It had been a short night.  Ben had gone home around eleven o’clock and Jess had called around 1:00 a.m. to say she’d landed.  She’d called again a couple of hours later to say she was safe and sound in her condo.  Lane had tossed and turned after that, thinking about what might have happened to Ben yesterday if he hadn’t put his phone on speaker.

“Okay.  Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because of our conversation Sunday.  Only telling you about my past if it impacts the here and now.  I think this qualifies.  If you have even the slightest concern about me representing Liza, tell me and I’ll have her find another attorney to represent her.”

Lane sighed.  Ben was a babe magnet.  And now he was her babe magnet.  Ben didn’t cheat.  She’d seen that in his relationships over the last three years.  They’d have to move to Montana to avoid him having contact with any of his exes.  She didn’t want to move to Montana.

“I have no concerns about you defending an ex-girlfriend.”

He didn’t say anything.

“Ben?”

She heard him let out a breath.  “All right.  I love you.”

“I love you, and Ben, I don’t want to move to Montana.”  She ran her fingers over the necklace he’d given her as an engagement gift.  She knew she held the key to his heart.

“Montana?”

“It’s where we’d have to go to avoid ever having contact with one of your exes.”

He laughed, but the real joke was that moving to Montana wouldn’t guarantee anything.  One of the girls he dated in college was from Billings. It didn’t seem like that had any impact on the here and now, so there was no reason to disclose that particular fact.

“I’ll see you as soon as I can get away,” he said as he ended the call.

He went back to his notes, but not five minutes passed before his cell rang again.  When had he turned into a conductor at grand central?  He checked the screen.  It was Jess.

“Is everything all right,” he asked.

“You tell me,” Jess replied icily.

That was right, what did they say?  What are the three fastest forms of communication?  Telephone, Telegraph and Tell-a-Parker.  He and Lane had told Jamie about Rochelle last night.

“Yes, everything’s fine.  No one was hurt.  Your mother wasn’t even there.”

“No, she wasn’t there.  She was on the other end of the phone listening helplessly to some lunatic who was trying to get you to denounce my mother and declare your undying love for said lunatic.”

Jess had lowered her voice to just above a whisper enunciating each measured syllable.  It was something he knew well.  The Parkers didn’t shout when they were really pissed, they lowered their voices and forced you to lean in and listen hard to hear them.  The Bellinis on the other hand were Italian.  They were shouters, but he lowered his voice and matched Jess’s measured tone.

“Well, believe me, no one is ever going to get me to denounce your mother.  I’ll declare my love for her with my last dying breath.”

Jess raised her voice to conversational tones again.  “I believe you.  This isn’t about whether or not you love her.  It’s about whether or not you can protect her.  I hear the lunatic may have killed Carol Anne.”  She lowered her voice again.   “How many more are out there, Ben?”

He couldn’t argue.  It was something he’d thought about several times today.  Could he keep Lane safe?  Hell yes, he could keep her safe.  That’s what he’d told himself every time the topic had intruded into his conscience today.  Jess was a tougher audience than he was.

“What do you always tell us kids?  Mom’s naïve.  We have to pay attention to everything because she doesn’t always.  She trusts everyone.”  She lowered her voice again.  “What if the next one comes after Mom instead of you?”

“Jess…”

“No, Ben you know what the right thing to do is.  I know you do.”  She lowered her voice again.  “Do the right thing, Ben.  I’ll give you until Saturday and if you haven’t done it by then, I’ll take care of it.”

And he was listening to dead air.

She was directing again, but that didn’t make her wrong.  Lane had told him a story of Jess at about two years old.  Lane was pregnant with Jamie, and Jake and Jess had been riding a tricycle through the house from one end of the house to the other.  It was raining and they couldn’t go outside. Finally Lane had enough and she’d told them to stop.  Jess had gotten off the back of the trike and stood toe to toe with Lane.  Hands on her little hips she had said “you can’t talk to my brother that way.”  Lane had told him she barely made it into her bedroom where she buried her face in a pillow so she could laugh.

Could he protect Lane?  Could he keep her safe or was the very fact that he loved her putting her in danger?

So Jess was giving him until Saturday to do what?  Break her Mother’s heart?  And his?  Because you’re still alive with a broken heart.  Hadn’t he just told her no one could get him to denounce his love for Lane?  He didn’t know what Jess would do, but he did know that if anyone ever made Lane choose between him and her kids, the kids would win every time.

He’d try to reason with Jess, but he’d wait until after her audition on Friday.  He knew she didn’t need this worry right now.  Why the hell had the Bambino called her?

Chapter 21

One Bellini two Bellini

His admin, Stephanie, showed Liza into Ben’s office.  He stood and reached across his desk, shook her hand, and motioned for her to sit.

“Let’s get right to it, shall we,” he said.

Liza nodded.

“Tell me why you think Detective Crane might arrest you.”

“I cancelled all of my appointments for last Friday afternoon.  As I told you on the phone, I was supposed to meet Carol Anne at the Club.  She was the CSW consulting on my stalker case, do you remember?”

Ben nodded.  Carol Anne was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and consulted with the police to create a profile for Liza’s stalker.  Carol Anne had said the stalker was most likely a woman who wanted Liza’s life.  She was a cheerleader for a professional football team, she was beautiful, she was smart and she was a student getting an advanced degree.  As he recalled, it was the stalking incident that had prompted her to go into clinical psychology.

“So had you and Carol Anne kept in touch after the stalking incident?”

He’d dated Carol Anne a year after the incident and she’d never mentioned Liza even though she had to have known Ben and Liza had dated.

“Yes.  Especially after I decided to go into clinical work.”

“All right, so you stayed in touch, became friends.  You were supposed to meet her for lunch last Friday.  I still don’t see how that might implicate you in her murder.”

“Oh God.  Fine.  She called me and asked me if I’d help convince someone to be a sperm donor because she wanted to do in vitro.  I thought she must have been talking about you, since we’d both dated you.  But she’d called me Friday morning and told me who it was.  I thought she was crazy.  Not clinically mind you, just nuts, you know?  She wanted me to help her approach your brother Tony.  She knew the way the two of you broke up that you wouldn’t do it.  Your fiancée is Lane Parker, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Dear God, Carol Anne wanted his brother to be a sperm donor.  What, so she could have a Bellini baby?

“Carol Anne was almost obsessed with your relationship with Lane.  She said it was why you broke up.”

He didn’t want to discuss this with Liza. It had nothing to do with her. “So, Carol Anne wanted you to help her approach Tony.  Let’s forget trying to figure out why she chose Tony.  Why would you have any influence with him?”

Liza shook her head.  “I’ve gone out with Tony a few times over the years.  Nothing serious, but Carol Anne thought I might be able to introduce them and she’d take it from there.  I’d agreed to meet her for lunch, but the more I thought about it, I came to realize she really was a bit unbalanced, so I blew her off.”

Ben was the oldest of five children.  He had three brothers and a sister.  Tony was number two of the five of them.  He was 15 months younger than Ben.  He’d been two years behind Ben in school.  He was the head chef at the family restaurant, Bellini’s. And apparently he’d been dating Ben’s ex-girlfriends.  The Bellini brothers all looked very similar.  Tall, between six feet three inches and six feet four inches tall, with dark hair, dark eyes, olive complexions. Any one of them could have been George Clooney’s younger, better looking brother.

But Liza thought Carol Anne was unbalanced and she’d been dating his brother.  It sounded a bit like the pot calling the kettle black. He couldn’t imagine dating the sister of any of his exes, but apparently the Bellini brothers were interchangeable.

“That’s all very interesting, but I still don’t know why you think you might be implicated in the murder.”

“I don’t know that I will.  I just want to know that, if and when I have to talk to Detective Crane, that I can call you and you’ll come with me as my attorney.”

“Liza, a defense attorney doesn’t normally ask this, but did you do it?  Did you kill Carol Anne?”

She shook her head from side to side. “No.”

“Yeah, sure.  Call me.  I’ll accompany you.”

He was remembering why he’d broken it off with her after only two weeks and a handful of dates.  She was manipulative and needy.  He needed to talk to Tony, but there was no rush.  Hell, if Tony was having a good time with her, then more power to him.

He walked Liza to the door of his office.  She leaned as if she were going to hug him, but he extended his hand.  He handed her off to Stephanie, hoping that Lila would never call Liza in for questioning.

“Liza, you’ll probably have to testify if Rochelle goes to trial over the incident at my house.  You don’t need legal representation for that, and I couldn’t represent you anyway.  Our agreement is only good for Detective Crane questioning you about Carol Anne’s murder.  Are we clear on that?”  He waited until she nodded then he closed his door.

He called Lane as he walked to his car.  “I’m on my way home.  I’m going to stop at my house and change before I come over. Do you need me to stop anywhere, bring anything?”

What had he told her when he proposed?  He loved her more than the air he breathed.  She was his heart, his life.  He’d wasted the last three years with every wrong woman he could find and now Jess wanted him to what, rip his heart out and stomp it.  He’d promised Lane a month ago that she wouldn’t lose her best friend by dating him.  What the Hell was he going to do?

“It’s Thursday, so I’m just going to heat up the left overs tonight.  It’ll be just Jamie and me.”

Which is what it was most nights since Jess was at UCLA and Jake had bought his house and moved out.  That wasn’t quite right.  Since she and Ben had started dating three months ago, it was the three of them: Ben, Jamie and Lane.  She looked at the engagement ring on her finger.  He’d been her best friend for three years and soon he’d be her husband.  How had she gotten so lucky?

“I love you,” she said.

“I love you.  See you soon.”

When Ben pulled into his driveway, Mickey McGuire was waiting.

“Rochelle Jones copped a plea and the DA’s cutting her a deal involving treatment.  I don’t believe she killed Carol Anne.  By the way, the gun she had wasn’t even loaded.”

“Yeah, I wondered.  She didn’t threaten me with it exactly, but you know it’s never wise to agitate crazy.  You want to come in?  I’m just here to change.”  Ben walked through the garage.

“She said that I only date pretty, rich, famous women like cheerleaders and radio personalities.  Did you know her therapist is Liza Conrad?  She’s an ex and a former cheerleader.  Carol Anne Woods is an ex and a radio personality.  It was weird, you know?”

They walked into the kitchen.  Ben motioned toward the table.  “Have a seat.  I’ll be right out.”

Ben was back in less than five minutes.  Amazing how fast Bellini could change without Lane in the closet with him. Mick shook his head.  “I got the impression that there’s some tension between you and Lila Crane.”

“Tension.  Can I tell you something Mickey?  I went out with her a couple of times in May.  Just before Lane and I got together.  She seems to be pissed that I quit returning her calls, even more pissed that it’s because of Lane.  You should have seen her executing the search warrant.  I walked into Lane’s bed room and found Lila going through Lane’s night stand.  Not the way a cop would search it, the way a jealous woman would go through it.  And to top everything off, she was really there to look for a set of golf clubs.”  Ben shook his head.  “I’ll be honest, I don’t know what to do about her.  I just hope that Lane and I can ride out the investigation and that afterward we never have to see her again.”

“Yeah, talk is she has a temper and holds a grudge.  Glad I’m not in your shoes.”  Well, at least in his shoes as far as Lila was concerned.  He’d gladly step into Bellini’s shoes if he got Lane in the process.  “Look, I won’t keep you.  You said you were only home to change.”

“I’m heading over to Lane’s for dinner.  I think we still owe you one.  I know she won’t mind if you come along.  But I can call her and check.”  Ben held his phone up.  Mick remembered being in Lane’s kitchen.  He was there questioning her the day after she found a body in a movie theater.  That day, she’d choked on her Diet Dr. Pepper and spewed it out all over him.  It was a mess, but still better than the night she found the body, she’d had a headache and had projectile vomited all over him.

“Sure, I’d enjoy that.”  Lane wasn’t a suspect in his murder investigation any more, but Lila Crane had Bellini and maybe Lane in her sights.  He didn’t mind sticking close to Lane Parker at all.  While he didn’t want to see her hurt, he wanted to be sure he was well positioned to pick up the pieces when the inevitable happened.

“Hey, Red.  I found Mickey in the driveway, and I’m bringing him over for dinner. Sure I know, but it’ll be all right.  Are you sure I can’t stop and pick up anything on my way?”

“Okay.  Love you.  See you soon.”

Ben looked at Mick.  “No problem.  You know the way.  I’ll see you there.”