You Can't Hide (51 page)

Kristen grimaced. “Is there any silver in that cloud?”

“You’re asking about Aidan.”

She grinned. “And trying to be discreet about it. Well?”

“We’l see. I don’t know what he’l say about that.” She pointed to the paper.

“He’s a good guy, Tess. He’s more… volatile than Abe, but deep down, they come from solid stock. You made quite an impression on their dad, by the way. Kyle’s telling everybody that you’re the best girl street fighter he’s ever seen.”

Tess rol ed her eyes. “Wonderful. What an endorsement.”

“From Kyle Reagan, it is. It’s respect, and for the Reagans, that’s everything.”

“I hope it’s enough. I’m tired. I haven’t gotten any sleep the past few nights.”

Kristen’s grin grew. “Oh, yeah?”

Tess’s cheeks heated. “I’m leaving now and going home to take a nap.”

“Go back to Aidan’s and sleep. Things will be better when you wake up.”

Friday, March 17, 10:15 A.M.

“Well, this doesn’t look good,” Murphy said as Aidan stopped the car next to Parks’s apartment building. Three squad cars and an ambulance were parked on the curb.

“I’m thinking three strikes, you’re out this time, partner. I think we’re too late again.”

“I’m thinking you might be right,” Murphy agreed grimly. “Always a bridesmaid…”

191

Karen Rose

[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

Parks’s door on the sixth floor was easy to find-it was the one with uniforms standing guard outside. Inside were two detectives from their unit, Howard and Brooks, and ME Johnson. Kneeling on the floor, Johnson looked up when they came in.

“I had a feeling you guys would be showing up soon.”

Howard looked at them with surprise. “Who is he to you?”

“Tess Ciccotelli’s ex-fiancй,” Murphy told them. “We were coming to question him this morning. Damn. This is the third time we’ve arrived too late.”

“This is getting old,” Aidan muttered in agreement. “How and when?”

“Three bul ets to the lower abdomen, a fourth in the head,” Johnson said. “The ab shots were probably taken from a few feet away. The last one was right to his head, probably for insurance. Time was twelve fifty-six.”

“And twelve seconds,” Brooks added sourly.

“He wore a pocket watch,” Howard explained. “Haven’t seen one of those in years. Got hit by one of the bul ets to his gut. Looks like he’d just come in the door. We’ve got building security pul ing up the tapes as we speak. You guys want this case, or what?”

Murphy puffed his cheeks and blew out a breath. “We’ve got a ful plate right now.”

Jack came in looking disgruntled. “I was planning to take the day off, guys.”

Aidan looked at Dr. Damn-him-to-hell lying sprawled on his back, the carpet soaked with his blood. “I hate to tell Tess about this. Parks was scum, but…” He narrowed his eyes. “Murphy, I asked Carter about Parks last night. Five hours later, he’s dead.”

“Carter?” Murphy looked skeptical. “He’s Tess’s friend.”

“With a key to her apartment and his own surgical tools.”

“The cuts on Bacon’s arms.” Murphy scowled. “And knowledge of meds. Al right, we’ll take this case off your hands, boys. Shit.”

“Detectives?” A middle-aged man poked his head in the door. “I’ve pul ed the security discs for last night. Lobby and first-and sixth-floor elevator cameras.”

Aidan stopped at the door. “You coming, Jack?”

Jack stood in the middle of the room frowning. “No, I’m going to go over this room with tweezers. He had to have left something behind.”

The manager led them to his control room. “This is video of the sixth-floor elevator. I cued it to ten minutes after Parks was shot.” He hit a button and Aidan caught his breath.

“Damn.” A figure in a tan coat and a black wig stepped into the elevator, keeping her face careful y averted. “That can’t be Tess.”

“Of course it can’t,” Murphy said. “But just for kicks, tell me why.”

“Number one, she’s got claustrophobia. She would never have taken the elevator, she’d have taken the stairs. Number two, she was with me.” Brooks and Howard exchanged a glance. “With me, Lynne Pope, and her cameraman,” he added darkly. “She was in the middle of that damn interview at one this morning.”

“That’s a pretty tight alibi,” Howard agreed.

“Looks like somebody got a two-for-one discount at Coat-n-Wigs ‘R’ Us,” Murphy murmured.

“Let’s take a look at the lobby video.”

The security manager hit a few more buttons. “Same time frame.”

Murphy stepped closer. “Can you freeze the frame? Aidan, look at the shoes.”

Aidan squinted. “Wingtips. Looks the same size we saw in Bacon’s bathroom.”

“Shoulders look a little wide, too,” Brooks offered. “Look at the way the coat stretches at the back. Could be a guy in women’s clothes.”

“Carter is too tall,” Murphy said, then lifted a brow. “But his boy Robin isn’t. Archer’s about, what, Aidan? Five eight?”

Aidan’s pulse started to race. “Let’s go.”

Friday, March 17, 10:30 A.M.

192

Karen Rose

[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

Tess dropped her purse on Aidan’s kitchen table. “Vito, you don’t have to stay with me. Dol y is here and Aidan left his gun.”

Vito scowled. “Like that’s supposed to make me go? Think again, Tess.”

“Suit yourself. I’m going to sleep for a little while before I take Rachel to get her hair fixed this afternoon. What wil you do?”

“Find a book to read. Reagan certainly has enough of them.”

“He just finished his bachelor’s degree. I don’t know what in.”

Vito’s brows dipped a fraction of an inch. “Psychology.”

Tess stopped in the doorway and turned to stare at him. “What?”

“His degree is in psychology. I thought you knew.”

A different distress filled her. They had a common bond and he’d kept it hidden. “No, I didn’t.”

Vito sighed. “I imagine your having an MD after your name made him feel… odd, so he didn’t tell you. Don’t feel too bad, Tess. It’s a guy thing.”

“How do you know about his degree?”

“I asked him last night before he got that call. He told me and Dad and Amy while you and Mom finished making dinner.” Vito was looking at her intently. “He’s been taking classes for years, trying to figure out his niche. I got the impression something pushed him into psychology, although he’s got at least four minors. You should ask.”

His friend Jason’s suicide guided his choice. But that was Aidan’s private hurt, one he’d shared with her alone and she hoarded it away. “That explains all the books.” She felt both proud of his accomplishments and deprived because he hadn’t told her himself.

“You wish he’d told you himself,” Vito observed. “I’m telling you he’s a guy. There aren’t many of us who can get past having his woman be higher on the food chain.”

His woman.
It left her with a warm feeling. “Do you think he can get past it?”

“Time will tell. What do you think?”

“I know what I want to think. I want to think he can and that he will.” Inexplicably her eyes filled with tears. “I think I need to sleep.”

Vito wrapped his arms around her. “Tess, things happen we can’t explain. And every so often, a good thing comes from the bad. Maybe Reagan is your good thing.”

“I hate that my picture’s in the paper,” she whispered. “I hate it for him and for me.”

“I know. But you’l get through this. Now go sleep. It’l be better when you wake up.”

Friday, March 17, 11:15 A.M.

“Detectives.” Robin Archer opened the door of a tasteful three-story brownstone, the surprise on his face quickly becoming concern. “What’s happened?”

“We need to talk to you and Dr. Carter,” Aidan said, his voice flat. “Is he home?”

“Yes.” Brows crunched, Robin let them in. “This way. Jon, the detectives are here.”

Jon was standing when they entered the solarium, a video game control er dangling from one hand. He took one look at their faces and his color drained away. “Tess?”

“She’s fine. She’s with Vito,” Aidan said. “Dr. Carter, I need to ask you some questions. Would you and Mr. Archer come downtown with us?”

Jon and Robin exchanged a look. “Can we not talk here?” Jon replied. Aidan and Murphy had agreed not to press the issue if they said no. They weren’t close to getting a warrant for their arrest. “You and I can talk here. Mr. Archer and my partner can go…

where?”

“Come with me,” Robin said quietly. “We’l go in the kitchen.”

“What’s this about, Reagan?” Jon asked sharply when they were alone.

“Where were you last night, Dr. Carter? After you left the viewing?”

Jon sat down. “We went out to dinner. Morton’s.”

Aidan lifted a brow. “Not the Blue Lemon?”

193

Karen Rose

[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

“Sometimes Robin likes to eat other people’s food. We left the restaurant at about eleven thirty. I assume that was going to be your next question.”

“It was. And then?”

“We went to the movie theater.
Umbrellas of Cherbourg
. It’s French. Quite moving.”

“I’ve seen it. Four stars. Kind of late to be going to the movies, isn’t it?”

“One of the benefits of living in the city, Detective. Robin closes up the bistro around midnight every night and my hours are irregular. I’m sure there is someone at both the restaurant and the theater who can vouch for our movements.”

Aidan’s heart sank. So close. But he had no doubt that their alibi would be confirmed. “We’l be sure to check.”

Jon nodded. “I’ve answered your questions. Will you tell me what this is about?”

“Phil ip Parks is dead.”’

Shock had Jon’s eyes widening. “Oh my God. When?”

“About midnight. We’d just talked about him a few hours before. I had to ask.”

“I understand. Does Tess know?”

“Not yet. Dr. Carter, you don’t have to let us do this, but we’d appreciate being able to check your closet. Yours and Mr. Archer’s.”

“What are you looking for?” He shook his head. “You can’t tell me. I understand.”

Thirty minutes later Aidan and Murphy regrouped. Jon and Robin sat in the solarium, a uniformed officer standing at the door.

“Nothing,” Aidan muttered. “Carter has nothing out of the ordinary in his closet.”

“Archer wears loafers, not wingtips,” Murphy said. “A half size bigger than the shoe from Bacon’s bathroom.”

“I called the theater. They’re not open yet, but I found ticket stubs in Carter’s pants pockets. They saw
Umbrellas
.” His cell phone rang. “Reagan.”

“Aidan, it’s Lori. You got a phone call from Africa a few minutes ago. A Dr. Trucco from Doctors Without Borders. He said you e-mailed him about a Jim Swanson.”

He had the night before, after bringing Tess home from that interview. “What did he say?”

“That Dr. Swanson never came to Chad. Trucco said he received a letter from Swanson saying he’d changed his mind, that he was staying in Chicago.”

“I see. Thanks, Lori. I appreciate it.” He hung up and turned to Murphy. “Swanson never went to Africa.”

“Did you ask Tess about him?”

“Didn’t have a chance. Let’s see if Carter knows more than he let on last night.” They joined the two men in the solarium and sat down. “We’re sorry we had to do this.”

“We understand,” Jon murmured.

“No, we don’t,” Robin protested. “Why did you come here? We haven’t seen Parks since he and Tess broke up.”

“Let’s rewind a little, back to last night,” Murphy said. “Dr. Carter, you told my partner that one of your group left the city to join Doctors Without Borders.”

“Jim. Jim Swanson. He went to Chad.”

Aidan shook his head. “No, he didn’t.”

Carter and Archer shared a puzzled glance. “Yes, he did,” Robin insisted. “We got a postcard from him about six weeks after he left.”

“I just heard from the clinic where he was supposed to report. He never did. The director received a letter from him saying he’d changed his mind.”

Robin left the room, returning with a card. “My niece col ects stamps, so I saved it.”

Aidan turned it over. “It’s a generic card from your hospital, Dr. Carter.”

“He took a stack of them. He wasn’t sure what kind of supplies he’d be able to get over there. But the stamp says ‘Chad.’ In French.”

“Dr. Carter.” Aidan waited until the man met his eyes. “I’m telling you that Swanson never arrived. If you know more about Swanson, this would be a good time to tell us.”

194

Karen Rose

[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

“Tell them, Jon,” Robin murmured. “They need to know.”

Jon looked down, then back up with a sigh. “I honestly thought he was out of the country. Jim had a thing for Tess. Apparently he always did, but she was with Parks. When she threw Parks out, Jim was ecstatic. I guessed, but I don’t think anyone else knew. He waited about six months, then made his move. Spilled his guts.”

“And she said?” Aidan asked.

“She said that he was her friend and no more. He was devastated. He couldn’t stay in Chicago. He announced at the next Sunday brunch that he’d decided to go to Africa. We were all stunned, of course. It seemed to come out of nowhere. But I saw Tess’s face. She wasn’t stunned. She was horrified. But neither of them said a word.”

“So how do you know about it?” Murphy asked.

“The night before he left he showed up on our doorstep, drunk.” Robin took up the story.

“Poured his heart out, poor guy.”

“I was trying to sober him up,” Jon remembered. “He had a plane to catch the next day. But when he was finished I understood why he had to go. He really loved her and it was totally onesided. I can’t imagine how much that hurt.”

Aidan couldn’t imagine it, either. Tess Ciccotelli was a woman who made men take second, third, and fourth looks. To fantasize. But to really love her and not have her… It could make a man bitter. Vengeful. “So what did you do?”

“I drove him home, put him to bed, and set his alarm. I called later, just to make sure the alarm woke him. He never answered and a month later everybody in the group got a letter saying he was settled in and doing fine. I didn’t hear any more until that postcard and nothing since.”