What Echoes Render Page 30

  “You’re a hard man to ignore, Caleb. Then again, I always say Kayla is an overachiever.”

  He shot her a bemused look and then perched on the side of her desk. She drummed her fingers and stared at her computer screen. Finally, she gave up.

  “Why are you here again?” Maybe blaming him for distracting her would work.

  “Because your boyfriend told me I needed to stick with you.”

  She made a face at him. “My boyfriend? I’m thirty-six, David is thirty-seven, Caleb. We’re not sixteen.”

  “What else am I supposed to call him?”

  “Maybe his name?” she suggested, not without sarcasm.

  “Nah.”

  She sighed again and rested her chin in her hand. “Do you think Mark’s involved—or was involved in something before he died that led to all this?”

  He shrugged. “I just met Vivi, but I knew her brother and he was always bragging about how smart she is and how good she is at her job. I’m not sure it’s the tact I would take, but when she laid it all out there this morning, I have to say it made sense. I’m not sure I’m ready to give up my other theories just yet though, not until we find something more solid on Mark.”

  “You don’t still think David is involved?” She didn’t bother to hide her disbelief. His gaze slid away.

  “As much as I would like to say otherwise, no, I don’t think he’s involved.”

  She gave him a smug smile. “Then what are your other theories?”

  “Either you have a stalker or David does. Dr. Ken Bennet might be a good candidate for that,” he added.

  She thought about this for a long moment. She didn’t want to reject it, but it seemed so unlikely. Ken Bennet was a jerk, but she didn’t think he’d get involved in anything as messy as what was going on. And she just didn’t believe that she was the kind of woman who would attract a stalker. But David? Maybe, especially after hearing some of the stories about the firehouse groupies.

  “Makes sense,” she said. “More for David than for me.”

  Caleb raised an eyebrow. “Last time I checked, which was barely seconds ago, you’re pretty smoking hot.”

  She gaped at him; he reached forward and tapped her chin from below, closing her mouth. She knew she was relatively good looking, but she’d been married for so long, and with two teenage kids, ‘hot’ was not a word she would ever have used to describe herself. He must be bluffing.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Isn’t it true that stalkers aren’t always about looks anyway?”

  He gave her a feral smile. “Yes, it’s true. But I would wager in your case, if you do have a stalker, it probably has something to do with your looks, and the fact that you work in a place that saves people, and that you’re a mother. You have a lot of things to work with in the fantasy department, whether a person’s crazy or not.”

  “Are you trying to make me uncomfortable?”

  He shrugged again. “No, just trying to point out the obvious. Mark might have walked all over you, but surely there must have been other men interested between the time he died and when you finally hooked up with Hathaway. Why is it so unreasonable to think you could have a stalker? It’s not any more of a stretch than to consider Mark being involved in something that is causing all these things to happen to you.”

  She thought about this. Mark hadn’t really walked all over her, but Caleb did have a point. The stalker scenario was just as likely as the Mark scenario.

  “Mark didn’t really walk all over me, Caleb.”

  She didn’t really care all that much about what he thought, but oddly enough, talking about Mark’s infidelities seemed easier than talking about stalkers. It felt like so long ago.

  “He cheated on you, twice.”

  “Relationships are more complicated than that, Caleb.”

  “They aren’t that complicated, Jesse. If you make a vow of fidelity to someone, you keep it. Or end the relationship before you break it. It’s the only honorable thing.”

  She wanted to point out that he wasn’t married, and likely never had been, so what did he know about it? But she didn’t. Couldn’t, because, truth be told, she kind of agreed with him.

  She lifted a shoulder, then rose to turn on the electric kettle set up on the meeting table.

  “I suppose you’re right. I think people cheat for two primary reasons. Because they are too cowardly to face what’s wrong in a relationship or because there is something much deeper, psychologically.”

  “Meaning?” He joined her by the table and they both sat. Dropping tea bags into cups, they waited for the kettle to boil.

  She tilted her head. “I don’t know, really. But it seems like when all these stories of infidelity come out, more often than not, it’s because there was something fundamentally wrong in the relationship that one or the other party didn’t want to face. But then there also seems to be the situation where there’s some kind of power thing going on. And,” she paused, not certain she wanted to continue.

  “And?” Caleb prompted, pouring hot water into her cup before doing the same with his.

  In for a penny, in for a pound. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what it was with Mark.”

  “How so?” He sat back and studied her.

  She couldn’t believe she was going to say this. And to Caleb, of all people. Then again, it might be easier with him than with any of her friends or David.

  “Mark was fourteen years older than me when we married. And I know both of his affairs were with much younger women.”

  “Students?”

  She nodded. God she hated feeling sullied by her late husband. The women had been above consent, but barely. And Mark had been close to fifty at that time.

  “Do you think there were more than just the two?”

  Her eyes shot to his. She searched his expression, finding no judgment, no hint that he had just spoken her biggest fear, the thing she had never let herself consider. Suddenly, she knew, deep down, that it wasn’t that she’d never let herself consider the option, but rather that she’d never let herself acknowledge the reality.

  She nodded. She didn’t have any proof. But once she found out about Mark’s second affair, she just seemed to know, even as she blocked it out. Denial wasn’t just a river in Egypt.

  Caleb’s mouth went flat.

  “Earlier, when I said I was embarrassed, Caleb, I know you, and probably everyone else, thought it was because Mark cheated on me. But really, what I think I’m most embarrassed about is that I didn’t catch it sooner. And don’t say some people are good at hiding things,” she cut off whatever he was about to say. “I know that. But this was someone I was married to for sixteen years, Caleb. Someone I shared my life with, someone I raised children with. How could I not have known?”

  She blinked away the water welling in her eyes. Caleb said nothing, there was nothing to say. He reached out and placed a hand on top of hers. They sat there for several minutes before she stirred.

  “Karen Ross.”

  “What?” he said.

  “Karen Ross. That was the name of one of the women. And the other was,” she paused, trying to recall the name she had intentionally tried to forget. “And Susan Parmenter. I didn’t remember the names until now. I should text that information to Ian.”

  Someone knocked on the door as she reached for her phone.

  “I’ve got it,” Caleb said, pulling out his own device and motioning her toward the door.

  “Come in,” she called.

  Colin Gray, one of the detectives and the main PR guy for the Riverside police, walked in. Jesse stood and walked into a big hug. He was also an old friend.

  “I’m so sorry about Abigail,” he said, dropping his arms and giving her a look of concern.

  She inclined her head. “Thank you. Do you have any more ideas yet as to why that man turned violent? How is Gabby?”

  “She spent a long day with us yesterday and is probably more shocked than anyone else. I’m sure Ian filled you
in on the blue SUV, and we’re looking into that, too. But no, nothing new since last night. That’s not why I’m here today, though. I’m here about baby Doe.”

  The toddler. She’d almost forgotten about the little girl in the upheaval of the previous day.

  “What about her? Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine. Healthy and happy in her temporary foster care. But we think it’s time to release a photo of her. As you know, we didn’t at first because we were hoping a parent or guardian would step forward once they realized she was gone. But it’s been almost a week now and no one is coming forward. We’ve decided to put her picture out there in the hope that someone might recognize her and have information about her.”

  “It sounds like you’re not hopeful about a parent or guardian coming forward now,” she said sadly.

  He shook his head. “Not now, not after so much time has passed. There are any number of reasons why that might happen, not the least of which is some kind of foul play, so we’re hoping if someone knows the little girl, they might also know about her family, so then we can locate them and make sure they are okay.”

  “The poor little girl. I hope you find someone who can help.”

  He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “I do, too. I just wanted to give you the heads up that we’re releasing the photo today. We will say she was brought here for a routine checkup as part of the press release, so you may want to remind your staff that if anyone calls, all inquiries and information should be directed to us. I already mentioned this to Kayla on my way in, and she offered to send an e-mail to the staff if you need her to.”

  She nodded. “Yes, of course.”

  Colin’s eyes skittered to Caleb, but since Colin was obviously on his way out, she didn’t bother to introduce them. Instead she gave the detective another hug and walked him to the door. After saying her good-byes, she looked out at Kayla who was watching her.

  “Everything okay, Boss?” she asked, gesturing her head toward Jesse’s office and the man still inside.

  “Everything is fine. Was he bugging you?” Jesse asked, also gesturing her head toward Caleb.

  Kayla let out a laugh. “Not hardly. I think he thought he was bugging me, but it’s not like we aren’t busy around here.”

  Jesse felt a wave of guilt sweep over her. She’d been staring off into space all morning, then spilling her guts to Caleb, while her staff was slogging away.

  As if sensing her thoughts, Kayla stood and gave her a quick hug. “Hey, I didn’t mean it like that. You’re scheduled to take the afternoon off. We’re fine here, really. The things I have to do are paperwork, forms, that sort of thing. Nothing that needs your attention today. Why don’t you go deliver Detective Gray’s message to the various departments and then head out for the day. Do they know when they’ll be holding Dr. Martinez’s funeral?”

  At the mention of Abigail’s funeral, Jesse’s eyes misted. “Thanks, Kayla. I might do that if you don’t mind?”

  Kayla shook her head.

  “And the funeral is on Saturday.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Thank you, Kayla. Someday you’ll leave me and I won’t know what to do.”

  Her assistant smiled. “Nonsense. I have no plans to leave, and even if I do, you’ll know exactly what to do. You always do. But thanks for the vote of confidence. Now, why don’t you grab your jacket and that man and head out.”

  “That man is listening to everything you’re saying and that man thinks that’s a good idea.” Caleb stepped into the doorway and slid Kayla a look of faux indignation before handing Jesse her coat.

  “I should send the e-mail about the little girl,” Jesse protested her rapid removal.

  “I’ll send the e-mail, you can just make some rounds and make sure people will read it. How’s that?” Kayla suggested.

  Jesse smiled at her. “Once again, thank you. I promise I’ll be better tomorrow.”

  “You’re already the best, but I know what you mean. You,” she said with a pointed look at Caleb, “take care of her.”

  In response, he gave Kayla a mock salute and herded Jesse away.

  ***

  The rest of the week passed in a blur of activity. The hospital received a few calls about the little girl, which they dutifully directed to the police, and the investigation into the shooting was wrapped up as far as the hospital was concerned. The case wasn’t closed, but the police were done interviewing everyone, watching the videos, and doing everything else they needed to do with respects to the hospital and its staff. And Abigail’s funeral was on Saturday.

  Jesse, David, and James attended together; Matt was one of the pallbearers. And while her heart bled for the family, the whole day brought back so many memories, she had to shove them into a little box to make it through.

  Most of the reception she spent sitting with Joe, helping in any way she could. His daughter stayed close to him, too, and then, toward the end of the reception, Jesse noticed that Danielle and Matt had taken off. She gave a fleeting thought to the two young people and wondered if maybe their relationship had developed into something more than just friendship. For any number of reasons, she didn’t think that would be a good idea—not right now, at least—and she hoped Matt felt the same, hoped her son was smart enough to know better than to start a relationship in the midst of so much pain.

  By unspoken mutual consent, Saturday night was a quiet night. She, James, and David watched a late-night movie. Matt wandered in around midnight, looking spent, and the four of them ended up in the kitchen, drinking hot chocolate and telling stories about Abigail and the Martinez family. It was cathartic; it felt good to laugh and remember the fun things about her friend. But when she finally crawled into bed, David simply gathered her in his arms and held on tight as she worked through everything she was feeling, everything she was thinking.

  Come Sunday, things were different. At eleven a.m., she and David found themselves sitting at Ian and Vivi’s kitchen table. Ostensibly, it was brunch, but the real reason they were there was to discuss the case. Jesse was taking a sip of her coffee and admiring the view of the fall colors just starting to turn the tops of the trees when Rooster, Vivi and Ian’s dog, started barking—announcing the arrival of another party.

  “Caleb,” Vivi answered Jesse’s question before she even asked. Jesse looked at David to see if knew anything about this, but he gave her a quick shake of his head.

  They found themselves seated at the kitchen table shortly thereafter, a spread of bagels and fruit in front of them. It wasn’t quite the feast Matty and Dash had prepared, but it did the job.

  “We’re waiting for one more person,” Vivi stated as they sipped their coffees and skirted around the issue at hand.

  Within five minutes, Kit joined them. Shooting her brother a dirty look, she sat down and grabbed a bagel.

  “Not that I don’t appreciate having my friends around,” Jesse started, “But I’m not sure why Kit is here, again. I mean, you two are both law enforcement,” she said, pointing to Vivi and Ian. “David is an investigator, and you,” she said, looking at Caleb. “Well, I’m not altogether sure what you are, but you’re probably more like Ian and Vivi than like me. But Kit . . .” She let her voice trail off.

  “I thought you might want a friend with you, a friend who knew Mark,” Vivi answered. “The rest of us weren’t around before he died.”

  Jesse looked for some meaning in her friend’s words, and the only thing she could derive was that it wasn’t going to be good. And so she asked.

  Vivi’s gaze skittered away, met Ian’s, then came back to hers. “No,” she said. “It’s not going to be pretty.”

  David took her hand. “Lay it out, Vivi. Let’s just hear it.”

  Vivi’s gaze dropped for a moment, then she took a deep breath, looked up at Jesse, and spoke. “Naomi scoured the laptop hard drive last night and we found at least four other women we think Mark had affairs with.”

  Jesse went very still for a
long moment, as the world seemed to slow down around her.

  “Jesse?” David said, his voice quiet beside her.

  “Oh, god,” she rocked back in her seat. “I think I might be sick.” And it was true. Two she knew about, but another four? If there were four more, was it possible that there were six or ten more? How could she have been that naïve?

  Kit came to sit on the other side of her, wrapping her arm around her. Between Kit and David, she was anchored firmly in the here and now, but the information had shaken her foundation, her sense of self.

  For several long minutes, everyone let her process what she needed to. They didn’t press her, nor did they make excuses or offer platitudes. When her mind shifted enough to recognize the people around her, when it came back to the present, she took a deep breath and asked the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question.

  “Okay, what does it mean?”

  “Nothing, on its own,” Ian offered.

  “But?” she pressed, sensing there was more bad news.

  “But,” David spoke. “I’ve been looking into the fire that killed him, and I’m not as certain as my predecessor was that it was an accident.”

  She physically jerked at that piece of information and he hurried to continue.

  “I didn’t like what was happening to you and it just didn’t make sense for all the reasons we’ve talked about. There just isn’t a reason for someone to target you, so I started to wonder if maybe it had something to do with Mark.”

  “And so you decided to just go ahead and investigate his death?” Without telling me, was unspoken.

  David looked like he would rather say anything than what he was about to say, but he plunged on. “I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t know if I would find anything, and if I didn’t, I didn’t want to upset you.”

  “But why would you even think to do something like that?”

  He took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. “Because, like I said, it just doesn’t make sense to me that someone would want to come after you. I started to wonder if it had something to do with Mark, and if, on the off chance it did, his death might tell us more. I know it was ruled an accident, but I needed to do something to make this,” he made a vague gesture to all the people in the room, reminding her why they were all there, “all go away. And looking into the fire record to determine if the accident ruling was legit was something I could do. And on the off chance it wasn’t legit, I hoped that maybe his death might tell us something about his life before he died.”