Fatal Flaw (11 page)

“My gut tells me this wasn’t random,” she said, standing to take a closer look at some family photos. She knew this couple from somewhere. “Have we met before now?”

“I was thinking you seem familiar, but of course I saw the coverage of your wedding.”

“What was Crystal’s maiden name?”

“Martin.”

The name, like the face, was familiar, but Sam couldn’t place it. “Where did she go to high school?”

“Roosevelt.”

“College?”

“Maryland. College Park.”

That ruled out school. Sam had gone to Wilson High, American University and George Washington for graduate school. “Is there any chance she was romantically involved with someone else?”

Jed recoiled from the question. “No.”

“None at all?”

“Absolutely not. We were working on our marriage.”

“Tell me the circumstances of the affair.”

“Am I a suspect, Lieutenant?”

“Everyone’s a suspect until they aren’t.” Sam returned to the love seat and sat facing him. “Let me tell you how these things sometimes go. A husband makes a mistake—a mistake he regrets and goes home to put the pieces of his marriage back together. In the meantime, there’s another woman out there who’s in love with him. Maybe he made some promises, told her he planned to leave his wife. Maybe she took a huge gamble on this guy, fell in love, believed him when he told her she was ‘the one.’ You see where I’m going with this?”

Jed was shaking his head. “It wasn’t Janet. It was a short-lived thing. I made no promises. She knew I was married and would never leave my wife.”

“If you’d never leave your wife, why have an affair?”

“It sort of just happened. It wasn’t something I planned. And it didn’t happen because I no longer loved my wife. It had nothing to do with her.”

Um, okay,
Sam thought.
Whatever you say.
“How did your wife find out about it?”

“She received a text message.”

“From whom?”

“We were never able to determine where it came from. It was an unknown number.”

“So either the woman you were involved with sent that message or someone else found out about it and sent the text.”

“Janet wouldn’t have done that. It’s just not how she’s wired.”

“We’ll need her name, address and phone number.”

“Do you really have to drag her into this?”

“Yes, we really do.” She gestured for him to add the information to the page he’d started. “Who else might’ve had a beef with Crystal?”

Jed ran a trembling hand over his jaw. “I’ve told you—everyone liked her.”

“Everyone. She never had words with anyone, a disagreement in the PTO, a meltdown in the mom’s club.”

“Not that I can think of. She got along with people and hated drama of any kind, so she avoided it.” He looked over at Sam. “I’d really like to be with my children right now.”

“We’ll walk you over so we can speak with them.”

“You go easy on them, won’t you?”

“Of course. I just want to know what Nicole saw when she got home and if they know of anyone who might want to harm their mother.”

Sam and Freddie followed Jed to the house next door where Nicole and Josh were under the care of an older couple. Josh got up and ran to his father.

“Martha, Larry, this is Lieutenant Holland and Detective Cruz,” Jed said to the neighbors. “They have a few questions for the kids.”

“We’d like to speak with both of you too,” Sam said to the older couple. “If you could wait in the kitchen, we’d appreciate it.”

Martha glanced anxiously at Nicole on the sofa. “But the children…”

“We’ll be quick,” Sam said. “I promise.”

“It’s okay,” Jed added.

Larry put an arm around his wife and escorted her from the room.

Sam glanced at Freddie.

“Mr. Trainer, would you and Josh join me in the dining room?” Freddie asked.

“Nicole?” Jed said. “Honey, do you mind talking to Lieutenant Holland?”

The girl sat up and shook her head.

“I’ll be right in the dining room with Josh, okay? Come get me if you need me.”

When they were alone, Sam sat next to Nicole on the sofa. “I’m so sorry about your mom.”

“Thank you.” Nicole wiped tears from her face. “I can’t stop crying.”

“That’s to be expected. You’ve had a terrible shock.” Sam gave the girl a moment to get herself together before continuing. “Can you tell me what happened when you got home?”

Nicole nodded. “Since school is only two blocks away, my mom and dad said I could walk this year. A lot of days my mom meets me halfway, but she wasn’t there today.”

“Did you think anything of that?”

“No, because sometimes she’s on the phone or something. She only gets worried if I’m not home by three.”

“When you got home today, was the door open?”

Shaking her head, Nicole said, “I went in through the garage. We have this door opener with a code we can punch in to open it. I thought it was weird that the front door wasn’t open because she’s usually waiting at the door, even if she’s on the phone.”

“So you came in the house, and then what?”

“I called for her, but she didn’t answer. I saw the sliding door was open, so I went out there and she was… There was so much blood. I started screaming for her to wake up, but she wouldn’t.”

“Did you touch her?”

A sob hiccupped through her. “I shook her shoulder, but she didn’t wake up.” She rubbed at eyes that were already red and raw. “I ran inside and called 911. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Sam reached for the girl’s hand. “You did everything right. You saw your mom was hurt, and you called for help.”

“But if I hadn’t stopped to talk to Jessica, maybe I would’ve gotten here sooner…”

“It wouldn’t have mattered. She’d been gone a while by the time you got home.”

“Oh.”

“Can you think of anyone who might’ve wanted to hurt your mom?”

Nicole’s pretty brown eyes filled again as she shook her head. “She was so nice. All my friends thought so. They liked coming to my house because she was always there and made us cookies and snacks.”

“If you can think of anyone she might’ve argued with or who was mad with her, will you call me?” She wrote her cell phone number on the back of her card and handed it to Nicole. “You can call me anytime.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Your mom would’ve been proud of the way you held up today,” Sam said.

“You really think so?”

“I know so.”

As Freddie drove them downtown, Sam checked in with Nick and learned there’d been no change in her father’s condition.

“How’re you doing, babe?”

“I’m okay. Working takes my mind off it.” Her conversation with the grief-stricken twelve-year-old had helped to bring some perspective to her own situation. It could always be worse. “You should go home and get some sleep.”

“I’ll wait until you get back.”

“Could be a while.”

“That’s all right,” Nick said. “I talked to my dad. He wants you to know he’s praying for Skip.”

“That’s nice of him. Tell him I said thanks.”

“I will. What’s up with the case?”

“Thirty-five-year-old mother of two found murdered on the patio by her twelve-year-old daughter. The eight-year-old son came home just after we got here.”

“Oh, man. Those poor kids.”

“Yeah, it was rough.”

“Any suspects?”

“Of course not. We talked to the estranged husband, the kids, the neighbors. They all said the same thing—she was the perfect mother, and everyone loved her.”

“Another tough one.”

“Aren’t they all?” Sam glanced over at her partner, who seemed to be lost in thought. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Love you, babe.”

“You too.”

Freddie brought the car to a stop at a light in the Woodley Park neighborhood where he lived.

“Want me to drop you at home?” she asked.

“Nah, my car’s at HQ.”

Sam glanced out the window at a couple walking arm-in-arm on the sidewalk and did a double take. “Hey, isn’t that your mom?”

Freddie bent his head for a closer look and gasped. “
Are you freaking kidding me?
She’s seeing someone at the same time she’s busting my chops about Elin?” He continued to stare at the animated couple long after the light turned green and cars behind them started to blow their horns. The man with his mother turned toward the street to see what all the commotion was about, and Freddie let out a gasp. “Oh my God. That’s…”

The driver of the car behind them laid on the horn.

“Freddie? What is it?”

“I can’t even believe it.” His face had gone pale and his lips were white with rage. Sam had never seen him so furious. “She’s such a hypocrite!”

“Pull over,” Sam said, pointing to a parking lot in the next block.

Freddie did as directed and killed the engine. He continued to grip the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white.

“Talk to me. Who’s the guy?”

“The father I haven’t seen or heard from in twenty years.”

“Whoa,” Sam said. “How could you tell it was him? Is it possible it’s just someone who looks like him?”

Freddie shook his head. “It was him. I’d know him anywhere. I’ve spent two-thirds of my life looking for him in every crowd, sidewalks…”

“What’s he doing with your mother?”

“A very good question. While she’s making me feel like shit about dating Elin, she’s seeing
him
behind my back? She’s put me through
hell,
and this is what she’s doing?”

“You need to talk to her before you jump to any conclusions.”

“What do we need to talk about? You saw her. She was hanging all over him.”

“There might be something else going on. You won’t know until you ask her.”

“I don’t even want to talk to her right now. That son of a bitch left us without a word
twenty years
ago. What could she possibly have to say to him?”

“Why don’t you go ask her?”

He shook his head and started the car. “I need to cool off before I talk to her.”

Sam had no idea what she should say to him so she kept quiet.

Freddie drove faster than usual as he navigated rush-hour traffic.

At the downtown consulting firm where Jed Trainer was a managing director, Sam and Freddie took the elevator to the sixth floor.

Janet Nealson seemed shocked to have cops asking for her.

“What can I do for you?”

“Jed Trainer’s wife was murdered in their home today.”

Janet gasped, and her legs seemed to buckle beneath her. Gripping the table, she slipped into a chair.

“Where were you around noon?” Sam asked.

That seemed to snap Janet out of the stupor she’d slipped into. “I’m a suspect?”

“I asked where you were.”

“Here. I’ve been here since seven-thirty.”

“You never left for any reason?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “We’ve been in meetings most of the day. We ordered in for lunch.”

“And was Mr. Trainer here all day?”

“He left for a short time at lunch. He’s a vegetarian, so he wanted something different than the rest of us.”

“You were involved with Mr. Trainer?”

“Y-yes,” she said.

“How did that end?”

“His wife found out, which upset him very much. He… He decided to go back to her, to commit to his marriage.”

“How did you feel about that?”

“I was disappointed. We had a real connection.” She folded her hands, maybe to stop them from trembling. “Those poor kids. Jed always said Crystal was a great mother.”

“Were people here aware of your involvement?”

“No. We were extremely discreet.”

“Do you have any idea who might’ve told his wife about the affair?”

“Neither of us had any idea. We didn’t think anyone else knew.”

“You didn’t tell
anyone?
” Freddie asked with an edge to his voice that was unusual.

“No,” she said. “As much as I cared for Jed, I was ashamed to be seeing a married man. It wouldn’t have been good for me professionally if people here found out, and I certainly didn’t want my friends or family knowing I’d become such a cliché.”

“What was your professional relationship like after you ended the affair?” Sam asked.

“Cordial. We both went out of our way to maintain a collegial relationship.”

“That couldn’t have been easy.”

She shrugged, the gesture full of defeat. “I knew what I was getting into. I was hardly surprised when he went back to his wife.”

“Did he ever indicate that he planned to leave her?”

“We didn’t talk about the future.”

“So that’s a no?”

“He never indicated he might leave his wife for me.”

“Where did your liaisons take place?”

Her attractive face flamed with embarrassment. “We went to a hotel.”

“Which one?”

She named a hotel in Crystal City. Interesting, Sam thought, that he’d chosen a city for his trysts with the same name as his wife.

“Where did his wife think he was when he was with you?”

“He told her he was on travel for work. She never questioned him as far as I knew.”

“Did he ever express anger toward his wife?” Freddie asked.

“Not to me.”

“I can’t help but wonder,” Freddie said, “why he’d have an affair when he had such a great wife at home.”

“I wasn’t privy to his thought process. We didn’t talk about the ‘why’ of it. At least he didn’t share that with me. For what it’s worth, I never heard him say a bad word about her.”

Sam handed her a card. “If you think of anything that might help the investigation, give me a call.”

Janet took the card. “I know you may not believe this, but I’m truly sorry this happened to her—and to their family.”

“Thank you for your time.”

They confirmed Trainer’s alibi with his assistant and left the office.

“What now?” Freddie asked.

“We wait to hear from the lab and the autopsy,” Sam said, checking her watch. “Tomorrow we’ll look into her volunteer gigs.”

“You want to go right to the hospital? I can grab a cab to HQ.”

“That’s okay. I’ll drop you off and head over there.”

“I can come to the hospital with you.”

“That’s nice of you, but go home and get some sleep so at least one of us can function tomorrow.”

“If you’re sure.”

“About this thing with your mother….”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I know her well enough to be sure she’d never do anything to hurt you. I bet there’s a perfectly good explanation.”

“There’s nothing she can say that will make me understand what she was doing with him.” He handed her the car keys. “One good thing about all this is now I don’t have to give a shit what she thinks about Elin.”

“Freddie… It’s not like you to talk this way.”

“Well, this is the new and improved Freddie.”

“I liked the old Freddie,” Sam muttered.

“The old Freddie was a pushover who let his mother have far too much influence over him. The new Freddie is his own man.”

Before Sam could respond, her cell phone rang. A glance at the caller ID indicated Captain Malone was calling.

“Captain.”

“Lieutenant, I understand you caught a murder this afternoon.”

“Yes, sir.” Sam brought him up to speed on the case thus far. “We’re waiting on crime scene and the lab. First thing tomorrow we’re looking at the places where she volunteered.”

“The husband checked out?”

“We just confirmed his alibi, but we’re going to run the financials.” She glanced at Freddie, and he nodded. Jed Trainer could’ve hired someone to kill his wife. A look at his bank accounts would tell that story.

“Excellent. Any word on your father?”

“He’s the same—on a ventilator with massive doses of antibiotics being pumped in. It’s a wait-and-see thing at this point.”

“I’ll be over to check on Celia in a while.”

“Thank you, sir. I know she’ll appreciate that. As do I.”

“Hang in there, Sam. He’s tough, and he’s survived worse.”

“Yes.” She swallowed hard. “Sir.”

“I’m also calling because Darius Gardner requested a meeting with you.”

Sam sat up straighter in her seat. “Really?”

“That’s the word from the jail.”

“Would you ask Detective Gonzales to meet me there?”

“Will do.”

“Thank you.” Sam ended the call. “Well what’d you know?” she said to Freddie. “Gardner wants to see me.”

“Wonder what that’s all about.”

“Maybe he’s had a fit of conscience.”

“Highly unlikely.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice to finally get a break in my dad’s case? An honest-to-goodness
break?
”

“Yes, indeed. You’re long overdue.”

“Of course it would have to happen at a time when my dad is unable to appreciate it. Isn’t that just my luck?”

“I know the situation with him is serious,” Freddie said. “I get that. But I don’t think this is it for him.”

“How do you know?”

“Just a feeling I have.”

“Normally I’d have no choice but to make fun of a statement like that, but right now it’s damned comforting.”

“I appreciate the show of restraint.” Freddie parked outside the jail and walked in with her.

Gonzo was waiting for them.

“Go run those financials and then go home,” Sam said to Freddie. “Meet you back here in the morning.”

“I’ll let you know if anything pops.”

He walked away, and Sam watched him go, concerned that new Freddie was going to make a mess of things for old Freddie.

“Everything okay?” Gonzo asked. As the senior member of her team, he was not only a good friend but often a sounding board too.

“He’s upset about something. Keep an eye on him, okay?”

They navigated the winding corridor to the city jail. “Will do.”

“Appreciate that.”

“How’s your father?”

“Same. Not good.”

“I’m sorry. If there’s anything I can do, just ask.”

“Thanks. How’s McBride making out?”

“She seemed to be doing okay. She went with Tyrone to talk to Fitzgerald’s parents.”

Sam nodded. “That’s good.”

“It’s a wise move,” he said.

“What is?”

“Easing her back in with a cold case.”

“Oh, well.” Sam never had figured out how to take a compliment. “Seemed to make sense.”

“It’s a good move.”

“Anything else in the mail?”

“One thing I want you to look at, but it can keep.”

“We’ll do it after this.”

At the jail they asked a deputy to bring Gardner to an interrogation room. When he was led into the room, Sam took perverse pleasure in seeing that he’d been in a fight. One eye was swollen shut and his nose had been splinted. No wonder he’d been so willing to talk to her.

“Mr. Gardner,” she said. “You remember Detective Gonzales.”

He nodded stiffly.

“You asked for this meeting. What can we do for you?”

“You want information about who shot your father, the cop.”

An electrical current worked its way down her spine. “That’s right.”

“It wasn’t me.”

Sam eyed him skeptically. “And I’m supposed to just believe that?”

“I swear on my son’s life, it wasn’t me. Anyone who knows me will tell you I’d never swear on his life if I was lying.”

“It’s good to know you’re so ethical.”

He glowered at her. “You want information or not?”

“I’m listening.”

Gardner seemed to be thinking over what he wanted to say. “There was this other guy who lived in the First Avenue house about the same time I was there. He came home one night all hopped up and high, ranting about something to do with a cop.”

Adrenaline zipped through Sam’s veins, making her heart race. She had to work at hiding her reaction from Gardner.

“Did this guy have a name?”

“Leroy. That’s all I know. I never caught his last name, and I don’t know how he ended up there, but I heard him talking about a cop.”

“And you think it was the week between Christmas and New Year’s 2008?”

He nodded. “I know it was. Someone had made a Christmas tree outta beer bottles and covered it with lights. Those blinking lights drove me crazy. That’s how I remember.”

“How come you couldn’t remember this the other day?”

His shrug was full of the insolence she’d come to expect from him. “It’s a long time ago. I can’t be expected to remember shit that happened years ago off the top of my head. I had some time to think about it.”

The fist to the face no doubt helped to move things along,
Sam thought. “Can you give me a physical description of this Leroy fellow?”