Save Me, page 28
Detective Chellel flipped back several pages in her notebook. “Jessica Castaldo. I spoke to her. She said that she and Mark had an on-again, off-again relationship that was off when he died.”
TJ arched his brow. “Are you sure Mark knew that? It would be strange for him to have kept a photo of a woman who wasn’t his girlfriend next to his bed.”
Chellel looked thoughtful. “I’ll have another chat with her, but I’m not sure it relates to the attack on you and Miss Douglas today.”
Detective Chellel was stubborn. But so was he. “This is your case too?”
“Someone burns down the house of my suspect in a major theft. Yeah, it’s my case.”
“At least you acknowledge it’s related,” TJ mumbled.
“Look, Mr. Roman, I know you and Miss Douglas don’t think much of my investigative skills, but I know my job and I’m good at it. I told you earlier that I’ve always had my suspicions that Mark Douglas had an accomplice. The attacks on you and Miss Douglas support that theory.”
TJ shook his head. “But you still think Mark was involved?”
“The evidence is the evidence.”
The doors to the waiting room slid open again. A woman in blue scrubs with a surgical mask dangling from one ear stepped into the room, her eyes scanning the seats. “Mr. Roman?”
“Here.” TJ raised his hand as if he was in school, his heart rate picking up speed.
“Miss Douglas is asking for you. If you’ll follow me.”
TJ looked at the detective.
“Go ahead.” She waved him away. “I know where to find you if I have any more questions.”
He followed the nurse down a long, bright hallway until they reached a curtained-off section. The nurse pulled the curtain back.
His breath caught in his chest when he saw her. Alexis reclined on the bed, her eyes closed. She wore a hospital gown and the lower part of her right arm was heavily bandaged.
She opened her eyes as he made his way to her bedside. “Hi.”
“Hi, you. How are you feeling?”
“A little groggy. They gave me the good stuff to take the edge off.”
He took the hand on her unbandaged arm and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I’m so sorry.”
She reached up and ran her hand over his jaw. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t set Mark’s place on fire.”
“I should have been paying more attention. I should have anticipated the second Molotov cocktail.”
“You can’t blame yourself.”
Maybe she didn’t blame him, but he could definitely blame himself.
“I’m going to turn the case over to Shawn. I don’t know what I’m doing and I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you because of that. Mark would never forgive me.”
“No.” Alexis struggled to get into a more upright position.
“Hey, hey, take it easy.” He helped her sit up.
“Listen to me. I need you. Not Shawn West or anyone else. I need you to do this. You knew Mark and loved him as much as I did, but you also saw the flaws that I couldn’t. I trust you to tell me if my love for him is getting in the way of my objectivity. No one else can do that.”
The nurse who’d brought him to Alexis appeared around the curtain. “I’m sorry. Miss Douglas needs to rest. The doctor is going to keep her overnight. You can come back tomorrow.”
Alexis gripped his arm. “Please, TJ. Think about what I said. I need you.”
He bent and pressed a featherlight kiss to her lips.
He’d think about what she’d asked of him. But he’d do what he thought was best.
* * *
TJ WAS TORN. Alexis had been discharged from the hospital the next morning. He’d gotten her settled at the safe house then made a quick run to the grocery store, loading up on food for them with the intention on staying in for the next day or two so she could rest and heal.
He hadn’t stopped thinking about what she’d said about needing him to stay on the case. After a lot of back and forth with himself, he’d decided to stick it out on the condition that she spend the morning resting, which she had. But as morning changed to early afternoon, Alexis began to push for them to get back to investigating.
He thought the best thing for her would be to stay in bed and rest. But he also didn’t want to waste any more time before speaking to Lenora Kenda. Still, he didn’t feel comfortable leaving Alexis alone. Not that it seemed to matter. Alexis made it clear that the decision wasn’t his to make. She’d insisted that she was fine and that she couldn’t take any more rest. They’d spent some time compiling as much information as possible on Lenora Kenda and planning how they’d go about interviewing her since she was clearly avoiding them. They settled on an unannounced visit to her home and figured since she was a mom, the best time to catch her would be around dinnertime.
Lenora Kenda lived in a modest craftsman-style home in a middle-class neighborhood. The background search he’d done on Mark’s assistant revealed that she was a single mother of two. That made the extended vacation Nelson Bacon had said she’d taken more than a little suspect to TJ’s mind. Single mothers tended to save their vacation days for things like sick kids, snow days off of school, and other unexpected kid-related events. Based on the lights blazing in the windows of the house, Lenora was taking a staycation.
TJ climbed out of the car and rounded the hood to the passenger side. He scanned the street, looking for signs of anyone who didn’t belong. He’d been equally vigilant on the drive to the Kenda home, twisting through less-traveled residential streets to make sure they weren’t being followed. He hadn’t seen anyone, but given the lengths Alexis’s pursuers had already gone through to get to her, he wasn’t under any illusions that they’d stop until she dropped her investigation. Since Alexis had made it clear that she had no intention of doing that, he had to step up his game and do everything he could to protect her.
He helped Alexis out of the car and they climbed the stairs onto the wide porch that wrapped around the front of the Kenda home. TJ rang the doorbell, and he and Alexis waited more than a minute before the curtain on the side window was pulled back. A blonde woman with a bob haircut and the same green eyes TJ had seen in the photo that had been in the background report on Lenora Kenda peered out at them.
“Can I help you?” Lenora asked, suspicion ringing in her voice. She was wearing a blue cardigan over a white shirt, black pants and well-worn slippers.
“Ms. Kenda? My name is Alexis Douglas. Mark was my brother. I was hoping I could ask you a few questions.”
“Who is he?” Lenora said. Her skittish gaze shifted from Alexis to TJ and back again.
“This is TJ Roman.” Alexis gestured toward him. “He’s a friend, and he also knew my brother. He’s helping me sort out the events leading up to Mark’s death. I’m hoping you can help us.”
Lenora disappeared from the window. Seconds later, the door opened a crack. “I already talked to the police.”
“I know,” Alexis said, “but I’m not sure the police are on the right track.”
Lenora glanced back inside the house nervously. “It’s a school night and the kids have homework.” She started to close the door.
Alexis put out a hand, stopping the door from closing. “Please. Mark always spoke highly of you. This will only take a few minutes.”
Lenora hesitated for several moments longer. “Okay, but just for a few minutes.” She moved aside so they could step inside. The house had a warm, cozy, lived-in feel. Shoes lined the wall by the door and a table next to the stairs was littered with unopened mail, keys and a black leather purse. A formal dining room was to the right of the front door, and TJ could see the kitchen down a hall at the rear of the house. Classical music floated from the back of the house.
A preteen girl with blonde hair the same shade as Lenora’s but that hung down past her shoulders stepped out of the kitchen. “Mom?”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. These people just want to ask me some questions about my boss.”
The preteen let out a put-upon sigh. “The police again? What was this guy, some kind of uber-criminal?”
“Annie, please. Go finish up dinner with your sister and then help her get started on her homework.”
Annie sighed again but flounced back into the kitchen.
“Sorry about that.” Lenora led them into the living room. “Whoever said the terrible twos are the worst should wait until those toddlers become preteens.”
The room was dominated by a large blue sectional that faced an entertainment system. The walls held framed family photos starting with Lenora, with a man TJ assumed was her husband and a baby who must have been Annie. The photos progressed to show a family of four. Lenora’s background report showed that she’d divorced her husband five years earlier. The most recent photos showed Lenora flanked by her two girls alone.
Lenora gestured toward the comfortable sectional.
TJ took a seat next to Alexis on one end and Lenora sat on the other end.
“You’re a difficult woman to get a hold of,” TJ began.
Lenora shifted nervously on the sofa. “Yes, well, I am sorry about not returning your calls. With work and the girls, I get very busy at times.”
“We spoke with Nelson Bacon and Arnold Forrick and they said you were taking some vacation time.”
“I... I needed time. Mark’s death is a lot to process. I’m sure you two of all people understand being his sister and friend.”
“It has been a difficult time. That’s why I’m here. Trying to make sense of it. Ms. Kenda—”
“Please, you can call me Lenora.”
“Lenora.” Alexis smiled. “I don’t think Mark stole anything and there’s no way he committed suicide.”
Lenora shook her head. “I only know what the police told me.”
“Did you notice anything strange or out of the ordinary in the days or weeks before the theft?” TJ asked. They needed details, specifics that could lead them to the person who had Nimbus now and who had most likely attacked them.
“No. Nothing.” Lenora’s gaze skipped away to the wall of photos.
“You’re lying,” TJ barked, sending Lenora jumping in her seat.
He might have gone easier on Mark’s assistant if she hadn’t been avoiding speaking to them. It was obvious the woman knew more than what she was saying, and he was losing his patience.
“I’m not. I don’t know anything.”
Alexis scooted forward on the sofa. “You worked with my brother every day for more than five years. You spent more time with him than I did. Do you think he stole the Nimbus program from TalCon with the intention of selling it on the black market?”
Lenora clenched her hands together. “The police say—”
“I know what the police are saying. I want to know what you think.”
Torment flashed across Lenora’s face. “I have children.”
“Is someone threatening you?” TJ asked.
Lenora nodded.
TJ softened his tone. “Lenora, we will keep you safe. I promise you, but we need to know what you know.”
A tear slid down Lenora’s face, and her hands shook. “I didn’t know what I was seeing.”
Alexis covered the woman’s hands with her own. “What did you see?”
“One night several months ago, I left my cell phone at the office. It was a Friday night, and the girls were going to have a sleepover at a friend’s house. After I dropped them off, I went back to the office to get my phone.”
TJ wanted to hurry her along but knew it would be counterproductive, so he dipped into his storeroom of patience.
“I saw a man in Mark’s office at his computer,” she answered softly.
“Did you recognize him?”
“No. I didn’t know him, but when I asked what he was doing, he said he was from the IT department and that he was just installing some updates to the computer,” she said, her eyes darting around the room evasively.
“But you were suspicious,” Alexis said.
“He looked the part, button-down shirt, khakis, wire-rimmed glasses. Even had a pocket protector in his shirt pocket. But it just felt like something wasn’t right, you know? I’m not very computer savvy, so I’ve interacted with most of the people in IT at some point or another. So there was no reason for me to think much of it...”
“Until...” TJ pressed. Lenora’s body language screamed that there was something she was holding back.
“The next day I took myself out for brunch before I had to pick up the girls. The man from Mark’s office sat down at my table. The IT nerd was long gone. He was in all black and he looked...scary. He asked if I’d told anyone I’d seen him that night in Mark’s office, and when I said no, he said if I told anyone, my daughters would have a very bad accident. He threatened my daughters. And then after Mark was accused of stealing the program, the man came back.”
“You saw him a third time?”
“He came to my house. With Annie.” Lenora’s shoulders shook from crying now. “She’d biked to her friend’s house and the chain had broken on the way back. He offered her a ride and thank God she knew better than to get in the car with a strange man, but she didn’t see any harm when he offered to walk with her to make sure she got home safe. It was only a few blocks but...”
TJ knew the distance wasn’t the point. Terror was. A mother’s children were always her soft spot. “He wanted to make sure you knew he could get to you and the girls.”
Lenora glanced over her shoulder toward the back of the house. They could hear the girls talking in the kitchen. “He reminded me not to do anything foolish. That I had better keep my mouth shut.”
“And you did,” Alexis said. “You didn’t tell Detective Chellel any of this?”
“No. I... I couldn’t risk it.” Lenora collapsed her hands together in a death grip.
“Not even when Mark was under suspicion? When he died and the police called it a suicide?”
Lenora met Alexis’s angry gaze with a direct one of her own. “You don’t have any children, do you? I’m sorry about Mark, but I don’t know if the accusations against him are true or not. Even if I did, you can’t expect me to risk my children.”
Alexis scowled. “Is that why you’ve been on an extended vacation?”
“Yes. I don’t know who the man is or how he got into TalCon, but I don’t feel safe there anymore. I’m pretty sure I’m going to look for a new job, but the company is being very generous, allowing me to take as much time off as I need in light of Mark’s death.”
“Mom?” Annie poked her head around the corner of the wall. “Are you okay?”
Lenora wiped her eyes. “I’m fine, honey. Just a little sad about my boss. Remember, I told you he passed away. This is his sister.”
“Yeah, ah, I’m sorry about your brother.” Annie shifted from one foot to the other.
“We’ll be through here in just a minute. If you’ve finished your homework, you can have a little TV time.”
Annie hesitated for a long moment, unsure if she should leave her mother before disappearing back into the kitchen.
“We just need a few more minutes of your time. Can you describe the man who threatened you?” TJ asked.
“Um...he was tall, over six feet. White guy with dark hair.”
“Any distinguishing marks? Maybe a tattoo?”
Lenora nodded. “He had a tattoo on his neck. A coiled snake ready to strike.” A small shiver stole through her body.
“Lenora, this is really important. I need you to think back. What day, exactly, was it that you saw this man in Mark’s office?”
Lenora squeezed her hands together tighter still and looked at them woefully. TJ knew what she was going to say before she said it. “It was exactly one week before Mark was accused of stealing the program.”
Chapter Eighteen
Alexis insisted on heading to the police station to share the information that Lenora Kenda had given them with Detective Chellel. It felt like they had finally gotten a break that might help them prove Mark’s innocence, but TJ seemed almost reticent about the turn in their investigation.
“Hey, this is great news. Why aren’t you happier about it?”
“I am happy. Lenora’s statement gives Detective Chellel someone to look at for the theft other than Mark and that is great.”
“So why the frowny face? What are you thinking?”
“There was something she wasn’t telling us. It was something in her body language. She wouldn’t look either of us in the eye when she answered certain questions, and she was so nervous.”
“Maybe,” Alexis said, recalling Lenora’s actions as she answered their questions. “But with the threats that guy made against her and her kids, she had reason to be scared. That could be all it was.”
“It’s possible.”
But Alexis could tell TJ didn’t think fear was all it was. If Lenora knew more, they could get it out of her later. For now, they had a place to start with the information she had given them.
The detective had dismissed Alexis’s assertions that Mark couldn’t be the thief before, but now Detective Chellel would have to take her seriously. Lenora’s statement proved that someone other than Mark had been at this computer station at the time the Nimbus program was downloaded.
Once again, they gave their names to the clerk at the reception desk. TJ’s phone beeped with an incoming text while they were waiting for an escort to take them back to meet with Detective Chellel.
“What is it?” Alexis asked.
“Shawn,” he answered his eyes still on the phone. “He got an address for Jessica.”
The heavy doors leading beyond the station’s reception area opened and a uniformed cop barked at them to follow him to the conference room. Detective Chellel was already waiting for them when they arrived.
