Sarah Woods Mystery Series (1-6) Boxed Set (51 page)

Chapter 18

Carter glared at me from across the table. “Sounds like you’ve made up your mind to help this Dylan guy.”

“
You’re not going to try and talk me out of it?” I asked.

“
Depends on what the plan is. How are you going to approach Gavin? And how do you plan to get a confession?”

“
I’ll show up at his bar and come on to him.”

Carter chuckled. “You say it like it’s going to be easy.”

“
Why? You don’t think I can seduce him?”

“
You’re good at a lot of things, Sarah, but lying isn’t your strong suit.”

“
I can be convincing when I want to be. Besides, Gavin is all ego and testosterone. I’ll bet he thinks every woman wants him.”

“
So you play coy, and he invites you to the house. Then what?”

“
Then I get him to relax and open up. ”

“
And you secretly record the conversation? With what?”

“
I have that covered.”

Carter narrowed his eyes and leaned back. “So let’s say he divulges all his dirty little secrets. How are you going to get out of his house? He’ll be expecting some action.”

“
I’ll think of something. I have my pepper spray in case he gets aggressive.”

Carter sighed. “Have you told Max about all this yet?”

“
I’ll tell him tonight over dinner.”

“
He won’t like it.”

“
Believe me, I know.”

We finished our meals and I paid the bill. “So, do you have anything on Hector yet?”

Carter glanced at his watch. “I should be hearing back from my buddy soon. He’s checking out the plates on Hector’s truck. I’ll call you as soon as I hear back from him.”

“
Thanks.”

Chapter 19

I decided to get a jump on dinner. Chicken confetti was the only dish I made consistently well; chunks of breast meat, diced vegetables, and tomato sauce with some Italian herbs. Throw it all in a crockpot and it’s pretty hard to screw up.

I was in the middle of slicing the red peppers when Max came through the door.

“
Hey,” he said, eyeing me at the cutting board. “You’re making dinner?”

“
It’s the least I can do for all your help with Emily’s case.”

His face morphed into a pout. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I can’t stay for dinner. I just stopped by to give you a kiss and grab a few things. I’m leaving again. I’ll be in New York for five or six days.”

“
Really? What for?”

“
This client wants me to outfit his entire office building with new surveillance equipment. He’s a Fortune 500 geek, but he’s loaded. And of course, he needs me today.”

“
It’s so last minute.”

“
Have to take the jobs when they come, right?” He popped a slice of pepper in his mouth “But I haven’t forgotten about our weekend getaway. Let’s make plans when I get back.”

“
I wanted to discuss something important with you, tonight.”

He ran his fingers through my hair, tilted my head back, and planted a warm kiss on my lips. “I’ll call you when I get to my hotel room. You can tell me all about it then. I have to go.”

 
“
What about Emily? I told her you were going to remove the surveillance equipment tomorrow. She’s leaving to go stay with her parents.”

“
Good. She should’ve left days ago. But you could remove the cameras from the smoke detectors yourself.”

“
I could?”

“
Piece of cake, Sarah. I’ll e-mail you the diagram.”

“
Fine, but I will not be held responsible for damaged goods.”

“
You can handle it.”

Max swiped another pepper and chewed while gathering up his personal items. Within a minute he was blowing me kisses as he rushed out the door.

I felt drained; physically and emotionally. I was really hoping to discuss the Gavin job with Max.

Maybe it was better that I didn’t tell him.

I thought about giving Linda a call. I could invite her over for dinner and we could talk about Emily and Paul, or talk about nothing at all. The fact that I still hadn’t heard from her, had me worried. I decided not to push it.

After dinner, I poured myself a glass of wine, then set up my laptop on the couch next to me. Since the surveillance was still up and running in Emily’s kitchen, I decided I might as well keep an eye on it. At six-thirty, I didn’t expect to see Paul in the kitchen. It would be another thirty minutes until he got home from spin class.

Just as I put my feet up, Carter’s ring tone echoed through the living room.

I answered the call.

“
Hey Carter, you got something for me?”

Carter cleared his throat. “Are you ready for the scoop on your landscaper friend? Hector’s real name is Julio Ramon Medina. And he’s no landscaper.”

I swallowed hard. “Great.”

“
He’s been in jail twice in the past year, and he’s currently on probation.”

“
For what?”

“
Drug dealing and assault.”

“
Paul gave Emily a story about how he and Hector were doing a barter; landscape work for tax services.”

“
Well,” Carter said. “That seems highly improbable considering Hector has not once filed a tax return since he moved to the states six years ago.”

“
I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m glad Emily’s getting the hell out of that house.”

“
Do you think Hector is involved in some kind of conspiracy to kill Emily?” he asked.

“
Well, I’ve been thinking … Paul wants his wife gone, but maybe he doesn’t want to get his hands dirty. So he takes eight hundred out of the bank account to give Hector as a down payment, then another installment once he gets the life insurance.”

“
Yes, but can you prove it?” he asked.

“
I don’t think Paul is stupid enough to call him on his cell phone. Maybe they meet at Paul’s office, but instead of discussing taxes, they’re plotting.”

“
If Emily is planning to leave, the case is done, anyway. Unless she wants you to pursue it.”

“
I get the feeling she wants to let it go.”

“
Anything else I can do?” Carter asked.

“
I guess not. But thanks for all your help.”

“
No problem.”

I poured myself another glass of wine and continued to keep an eye on the computer screen for any movement. I flipped through the TV channels and found a movie to watch. After a few minutes, my eyelids became heavy, so I leaned back into a pillow and closed my eyes.

I woke up from a startling sound coming from the TV.

When I realized I had fallen asleep on the couch, I shot up to check the time.

7:25 p.m.

I had dozed off for forty-five minutes. Must have been the wine. I rubbed my eyes and looked over at the laptop. What was going on in Emily’s kitchen?

There was some kind of commotion taking place, but Emily and Paul were not among those people gathered. When I realized they were police officers, my stomach clenched.

I rewound the footage and couldn’t believe my eyes.

Around 7:06 p. m. Paul had entered the kitchen, wearing his gym attire. He opened the refrigerator, pulled out a bottled water, and drank most of it in one slug. When he turned around, Hector was standing behind him. And then, just like in the movies, Hector began stabbing Paul in the chest: once, twice, and a third time in rapid succession.

I stood there in complete shock, unable to move a muscle as I watched Paul collapse to the floor, his hands clutching his bloodstained chest.

A gut-wrenching realization took hold as Hector turned and walked slowly toward the hallway—the handle of the bloody knife still clasped in his hand.

And I just knew.

He was going to find Emily.

I grabbed my car keys, my purse, and the SD card from the laptop, then headed for the door.

I sped along highway 202 West and my brain clicked in to overdrive. All I could see in my mind’s eye was Emily’s lifeless body, stabbed repeatedly, lying in a pool of blood.

She was probably dead, and it was all my fault.

I told myself to calm down and think rationally. The police were already there. Paul could still be alive. Emily, too. But deep down I knew.

Fifteen minutes later, I was on Emily’s street. The flashing lights from several police cruisers and two ambulances lit up the night sky. Looky-loos had gathered in small groups on both ends of the block to observe the spectacle.

I pulled up and parked on the street behind one of the cruisers and got out of the car.
 

A uniformed officer stopped me before I made it to the front door.

“
Ma’am, this area is cordoned off. I’ll have to ask you to stay back.”

I tried to see inside of the house. “Emily. Is she alive?”

“
Look, I’m sorry, but unless you’re a family member, I can’t give out any information at this time.”

“
I need to talk to the person in charge. I have important evidence pertaining to the crime that just took place here.”

The officer jerked his head sideways. “And who are you?” he asked.

“
Sarah Woods. I’m sure your detectives will want to see the surveillance footage I have. The man with the knife … his real name is Julio Ramon Medina. Do you have him in custody?”

“
Just ... wait right here a minute.”

I waited and watched for any glimpse. I could barely keep my head straight with all the flashing lights and commotion.

Moments later, I watched as a pair of stretchers with body bags on them were wheeled out of the house.

I almost fell to my knees as a middle-aged man with a badge on his hip approached me. “Ma’am,” he said, “I’m Detective James. Can I see some I.D. please?”

“
It’s in the car.”

“
How do you know the victims?”

“
The owner of this house, Emily Hodges, hired me to run surveillance on her husband. I have footage of the crime.”

He nodded slowly, as if processing that information. “What kind of surveillance?”

“
Look,” I said, growing more impatient by the second. “Did you catch the killer?”

The detective turned his head to look over his shoulder. When he turned back, his jaw tightened. “When the medical examiner and first responders arrived, two people were pronounced dead. A third is en route to the hospital. She’s in critical condition.”

I felt the blood rush from my head. “Wait. Are you saying Emily is still alive?”

The detective gave a curt nod, then turned to talk to another officer. When he turned back, he said, “Follow me to the station. I have lots of questions, and I’d like to take a look at that surveillance.”

Chapter 20

The detective wouldn’t tell me anything until he saw the surveillance footage and heard an explanation.

I told him the whole story of why Emily hired me, not leaving out a single detail.

The small room we occupied contained only a rectangular table and four uncomfortable metal chairs. I glanced at my watch and noticed we’d been sitting there for several hours. It was almost 9:30 p.m.

“
Look,” I said with a forced politeness. “I’ve told you everything I know. Can you please tell me what
you
know?”

The detective leaned back in his chair, looked down at his notes, and said, “According to the video, this person you call Hector stabbed Paul Hodges in the chest three times, then went looking for the wife. Paul was in bad shape, but managed to get up, grab a knife and go after Hector. Now, according to what Emily Hodges told first responders, Hector entered her bedroom and stabbed her in the leg. She screamed and tried to get away. Next thing she knew, her husband burst into the bedroom with a knife, and stabbed Hector in the throat.”

I paused to consider what he’d said. “So Paul saved her life even though he’d been stabbed three times?”

“
Paul’s stab wounds probably wouldn’t have been fatal if he’d stayed put and kept pressure on them. Unfortunately, Paul bled out by the time the paramedics got to him.”

“
So, is Emily going to be okay?” I asked.

“
She lost a lot of blood, too. I’ll call the hospital shortly. Maybe the ER doc can give me some information about her condition.” The detective referred to his notes again. “As far as this Hector, AKA Julio Medinas goes, he must have arrived at the house on foot. My men are scouring the area to find his vehicle. You mentioned a red pickup truck?”

“
Look,” I said. “I’ll give you all the info I have on Hector, but I’d appreciate it if you kept me in the loop on this. Emily is still my client, and I want to help you figure this out.”

The detective leaned back and rubbed his eyes. “Fine, but let me get this straight: you believe Paul hired Hector to poison his wife in order to cash in on her life insurance policy?”

“
Correct. But maybe Paul came to his senses and tried to call the whole thing off, which, in turn, could have caused Hector to become enraged.”

Detective James nodded. “I’ll speak with Emily again tomorrow if she’s able. Maybe she’ll remember something. Perhaps she overheard part of the conversation between the men. I have my men look into Paul’s cell phone contacts and credit card transactions. Past
that, I’ll be contacting friends, family, and colleagues to try and corroborate your theory. ”

“
By the way, Emily told me she was planning to go stay with her parents in Florida. I don’t have their number, but maybe you could look them up and let them know what happened. They’ll be worried if they don’t hear from her soon.”

The detective stood up and hovered over me. “I have your contact information in case I have more questions. I’ll have my assistant make copies of the surveillance footage and any other notes or research you have.”

I nodded, and with nothing more to add, followed him out of the room.