Lethal Connections, page 14
In taking in the room around him, Lance noticed there was no shortage of reptiles, even here. Two large glass aquariums stood on opposite sides of the room. Lance was surprised that he actually recognized the species. From all the research he had been doing on the case, he had already started to categorize reptiles in his mind. Even so, having Gina here with him was going to help fill in the holes of the ones he had not learned yet.
He glanced at the cases, taking in the details as if they held some key to the woman sitting in the middle of the room. One of them contained an Axanthic ball python wound around a large branch. Its grey, white, and black shading reminded him of a ghost squeezing the life out of the branch under it. The other aquarium held a phantom ball python. Its body was rich black and brown with dark yellow and black spots.
Turning away from the snakes, Lance took in the woman seated at one of the armchairs at the back of the solarium. Sasha was an African American female in her late thirties, an exotic beauty with a voluptuous bosom that would have been hard to miss with the way they were held up like two prize jewels. Her hair was pulled up high on her head and wrapped with a silky scarf. Diamond-shaped earrings dangled from her ears, capturing a sparkle in the light from the windows. She was dressed in black, enhanced by the gold jewelry accentuating her dramatic look. Lance could see how her presence would throw off other people. Sasha would have stood out in any crowd.
Sasha held a cup of tea in her hand, which she sipped slowly as she eyed her guests. “How can I help you, Sergeant Knight?”
“You’ve heard of me?” Lance tried to keep the surprise out of his voice.
“I know every sergeant in every parish, as well as the people who work under them. And the incomparable Gina Goodwin, well respected in all her fields. Although I wonder why you’ve felt the need to bring your coroner to my house. Do you expect to find a body?”
He saw Gina hold her head up at the acknowledgement, and by the way she held it steady, he knew she was trying to hide her shock at Sasha’s words. She didn’t utter a sound, but her eyes did meet his. Lance gave her a slight nod before turning back to Sasha. “Stranger things have been known to happen. I guess you’ve been expecting us?”
“One can never be too careful, Sergeant.”
Lance ignored the bravado she displayed. She may think this was her kingdom, but that didn’t mean everyone would topple under her control. “We have a few questions for you.”
Sasha set her teacup down on the saucer on the small round table next to her. “Fire away. You’ll find I’m an open book. Please, sit. Make yourselves comfortable.”
“Thank you.” Lance gestured for Gina to sit in one of the armchairs across from Sasha.
“So, what brings you both to my home?” Sasha had the air of a woman who already knew the answer to her question.
“I have a few questions for you, Ms. Volari.”
Her eyes flashed with a darkness at his use of the word miss. “Sasha. Everyone calls me Sasha.”
Lance refused to oblige her. Instead, he continued with the line of questions that were already on the tip of his tongue. “We have been investigating the deaths of three men found near St. Bernard Parish.”
“I see. New Orleans is out of your jurisdiction, though, Sergeant. I would have thought you’d send someone from here.”
“Why send someone else when I’m perfectly capable of questioning you myself? Besides, we’re on good terms with the NOPD.” Lance didn’t want someone else putting their hands on this case either. It had become personal the moment the perp had put a snake in his bed.
“Well, good for me, I suppose. You’re far more handsome than the men they usually send here.” Her eyes seemed to take in every inch of his body suggestively.
He caught Gina smirking at him and knew he would pay for that comment later but ignored it for now. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. Women often sized him up, but most weren’t under investigation for three homicides. Nor did they have houses filled with reptiles that would try to kill him in his sleep.
“Oh, come now, Sergeant Knight, surely you know how powerful attraction can be. Even this one recognizes your beauty.” Sasha nodded to Gina, who was now crossing her arms in front of her and looking away from him with an irritated look plastered across her face.
“Are you trying to distract me?” Lance smiled at Sasha, knowing it would be far easier to play the game she was dealing right now.
“Not at all. Do carry on.”
He thought it best to just be a straight shooter here. “Did you know Thomas Wilcox?”
“I did.” Her face showed no visible changes except the slight twinkle in her eye that indicated she had expected that question.
“What is your connection?”
“He was advising me with some financial purchases.” Sasha glanced down at her nails as if she found this conversation boring.
“And Adam Bennett?” Lance continued to the next victim on his list.
“The attorney? I may have met him here or there.” Her eyes looked up at him, and a knowing smile slid across her face.
“Do you know where?”
“A fundraiser here or there. You’ll find I’m a philanthropist. I find education and the arts to be high priorities in life.”
“And your donation comes from?” Lance knew she would not tell the truth on this line of questioning. Self-incrimination was not something she would fall for. Sasha was too smart for that, but he would do his due diligence regardless.
“My business, of course. I deal with high-end imports and exports. All legit, Sergeant. Which all your records should indicate.”
“I bet they do.” Lance fought the urge to snort at her words.
“What are you implying, Sergeant?” Sasha’s eyebrows raised, and her face’s calm, steady look started to turn a little more severe.
“Nothing, nothing at all. I’m just trying to get a better picture of who you are and how you seem to know all of our victims,” he lied.
“Well, I’m an open book, Sergeant. Was there something else?” Sasha looked as if her patience was about to wear out.
“Jason Reynolds.”
“The deputy mayor? He was quite the socialite, from what I understand. Can’t speak much to his character personally.”
“Our records indicate that you had dinner with Jason Reynolds four weeks ago, Ms. Volari.” A dinner that had taken quite a bit of digging to find out about but could be the pin that brought her down.
“Did I? Well, it must be so if you have it on record. My schedule can be overbooked at times, so you’ll have to forgive me if I’ve forgotten some alleged rendezvous.”
“You just said you didn’t really know him. We have a video from the restaurant showing you having an avid conversation with him. Would you like to try again?” Lance knew he was making headway when her mouth curled into a spiteful smile.
“Fine. I knew Jason Reynolds.”
“What were you discussing?”
Sasha sat back in her chair and crossed her legs in front of her. She put her hands on her knees and gave him a slow sexy grin. “Global warming.”
“You expect me to believe that?” Playing hardball here was probably dangerous, but Lance could not seem to help himself.
“You can believe whatever you like, Sergeant. Seeing as how he is no longer here to tell you and you have no audio recording, I don’t see how I could prove what I was talking with him about. It’s a moot point, really.”
“That may be true, but it is still suspect.”
Sasha uncrossed her legs and sat up. “I think we’re done here, Sergeant.”
“Not quite.” Lance reached into his jacket and pulled out the warrant. “I have a warrant to search the premises for any exotic reptiles.”
Sasha snatched the papers from his hand and started to read them. “You can’t be serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
Her eyes met his. “Be my guest. The reptile house is outside. Everything is above the board and completely legal in every way. I have all my permits in the top drawer of the desk inside.”
“I’m sure you do.
Sasha pointed to the door leading outside. “Feel free to have a look. I have nothing to hide.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Sasha clucked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. “Now I understand why you brought Ms. Goodwin. Herpetologist, if I remember correctly.”
“You have beautiful specimens, Ms. Volari…Sasha.” Gina gestured to the snakes in the tanks.
“If you think these two are nice, you’ll love the others.”
Gina smiled at her. “I believe I will.”
Lance nodded to the door that led outside to the reptile house. “Shall we?”
The two of them made their way to the medium-sized greenhouse outside. Lance was going over the conversation with Sasha in his head, trying to find if any of the pieces lined up in his puzzle. He was disappointed that Volari hadn’t given him anything he didn’t already know. Big surprise there.
As they entered the snake room, Lance took it in. On the wall closest to the door was a desk. On top of the desk sat a binder marked Bite Protocol. Snake handling hooks hung over the desk. Four buckets with clear lids were placed on the floor next to the table, each marked Venomous Reptile. Lance was not sure whether to be relieved that they would find the right snakes here or not. He was not actually thrilled to be in the same room as one, considering his experience the other night, but what choice did he have? He was not the kind of sergeant to shy away from a challenge, nor would he just hand off his case to someone else.
The walls were lined with shelves, each one containing a variety of reptiles that were labeled with the scientific and common names. The tanks were glass displays, some with sliding glass doors with showcase locks, others with flip doors with padlocks. The snakes inside these displays included the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake, albino timber rattlesnake, pygmy rattlesnake, Eastern copperhead, harlequin coral snake, Texas coral snake, and the Northern cottonmouth water moccasin. Lance made no move to get any closer to the snakes on the wall, nor did he move toward the non-venomous reptiles on the opposite wall. These included the boa constrictor, albino Burmese python, Florida indigo snake, Nile monitor lizard, and tokay geckos.
Instead of getting closer, Lance checked inside the desk to retrieve the paperwork for the reptiles inside the room. He handed it to Gina. “Do me a favor and check through these. I don’t plan on getting any closer to those things.”
“Lightweight.” Gina gave him a teasing grin.
“Whatever. Just check ‘em.”
“Sure thing, Sergeant.” Gina looked through the permits in the file folder as she matched them up to each snake. When she was done, she turned back to him. “They match.”
“And are they all there? Any extras?”
“Everything is accounted for, and according to my records, they are the same permits we have on file.” She handed them back to him.
“Damn it.” This was not the news he was hoping for right now.
“With everything we know about her underground ring, she probably has her illegal snakes hidden away somewhere,” Gina suggested.
“Well, this was a bust.” Lance could have spent his day doing anything else and been happier. He glanced at one of the snakes winding and unwinding on the branch nearby. Barely an inch of glass separated that snake from the outside world. Lance had the distinct impression that it could still break free from the top if it wanted to, and that thought made him sicker to his stomach than he cared to admit, especially to Gina, who seemed to be built of much stronger stuff than him.
“Not all of it.”
Her words caught him off guard. “How so, Gina?”
She smiled brightly. “I’ve never seen you so green around the gills.”
Lance rolled his eyes and groaned. “Cute. Let’s get out of here.”
Gina had already turned away from him, glancing back at all the snakes in the cage. “If we must. They’re so extraordinary.”
“Don’t get any ideas. We’re not smuggling any snakes on my patrol.”
Lance put the papers back inside the desk and prepared to leave. This investigation had been fruitless, unfortunately. He should have known it would be, though. Sasha Volari was a smart woman, too intelligent to make a careless mistake like leaving a key to her downfall right out in the open. They would have to dig even further to see if there was something she had missed. Lance was sure he would figure something out soon. He was not going to give up until he brought an end to these venomous murders. Lance just hoped he figured it out before any more snakes popped up in his apartment.
Chapter 21
Another late night dragged on, but thankfully no more mutilated corpses had piled up during the week. A small thing to be thankful for, considering the amount of pressure on his shoulders to solve the snake murders. He stared at his computer screen, wondering when he would figure out the one piece that would glue it all together. The photos of victims slid across his screen one at a time, each one with detailed notes next to it. The only connections he could find were the venom and the cards that had allegedly come from Sasha Volaria, Queen of Diamonds. Their search had turned up nothing suspicious, but Sasha had known it would not, as was apparent by the bold way she had stared them down when they had left the premises. Where else was she hiding them?
Lance could sit here all night long and would be no closer to coming to the truth. Maybe it was time to give his brain a much needed break. He exited the program and put his head in his hands briefly. Lance rubbed his eyes and pushed away from his desk. On other days when he had hit a dead end, he would unwind in Lexie’s talented hands, but he would find no release from her. The distance between them was growing—not because it was what Lexie wanted, but because Lance was not ready to forgive her for leading him along while she was undercover. Deep down, he knew he could only be mad at her for so long because he knew he would have done the same thing if he were in her shoes. In this instance, her lack of transparency made it easier to push her away to keep her safe. If it was known that she was dating a cop, her life could be in danger anyway, even though her deception of Sasha could be far deadlier than her link to him. If Sasha was such a malicious drug pin, Lexie’s life would already be forfeit.
As Lance walked down the hollow hallways, he could not help but wonder how long the night would stay quiet. It was nights like this that tended to explode into chaos. Quiet nights were the worst, not that anyone would mention the word anytime soon. The moment someone commented on the lack of calls, that was the same moment they would start to ring off the hook.
“Headed out, Sergeant?”
Lance was surprised to hear Gina’s voice. He turned to give her a half-smile. “Yeah. You too?”
“Yes. Looks like a—”
“Don’t you dare say it, Gina.” His eyebrow rose as if to ward off the words near the tip of her tongue.
“Storm is coming.” Gina shook her head. “What did you think I was going to say?”
Lance knew better than to answer that question. He opened the door and waited for her to go through it. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
The two of them walked down the concrete steps leading from the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Department.
He nodded to Gina. “See you tomorrow.”
“You too, Sergeant,” Gina returned before entering her vehicle.
Lance stood before his car and pulled his keys out of his pocket. He thought he heard a rustle in the bushes nearby, but when he turned around to look, he saw nothing. It was just the wind getting the best of him. As he put the key in the lock, he could not shake the feeling that someone was watching him. Scanning the area slowly, he took in his surroundings. Nothing seemed out of place, yet something had set an alarm off inside him. When he could find nothing out of the ordinary, he shook it off and opened the door.
He slid into the seat and started the car before he could let his mind run away with him. This was not the time to see shadows everywhere he looked. Just because someone tossed a damn snake in his bed didn’t mean someone followed every step he made. Of course, it could mean that there were eyes on him, which was why his nerves were a little sensitive.
“Shake it off,” he chided himself. Lance turned on the radio before backing out of his spot. As he pulled out of the station, he forced his thoughts to think of anything but the case that eluded him. When an old-school R&B song came on the radio, he was brought back to the days when the future seemed wide enough to swallow them with its potential. No fear, no responsibilities. Those were the days when balling was not just a state of mind. It was almost required for any kid to get cred with the honeys. How quickly things changed, though. After graduation, everyone went their own ways. Some never grew up. He thought of Rico, who had ended up in prison before he turned twenty-one. His future had led him down a completely different path than the rest of their friends. That was the unfortunate truth of their existence.
Everyone always said the path one chose was a choice, but not everyone had the right path illuminated for them. Lance had been lucky to have the support system in his life that kept his ass off the streets. His mama would have knocked him into next Sunday had he even considered getting involved in drugs. Addiction was something that had run in their family, a fact that had been driven home one too many times any time one of his cousins overdosed.
The sky was nearly pitch black as the sedan made its way up a steep hill. The headlights lit up the space in front of it but paled in comparison to the lightning that lit up the sky on the horizon. Looked like they were in for a nasty storm. A loud crack echoed through the air before a boom erupted.
Lance turned the music up louder to block out the noise. When a slow ballad came on, he switched the channel. “None of that.”
