us she was at the flip house all day.
You just put her at the victim's house at the time of the murders.'
'Well,
then, I guess you were right, mate,' Chris said. 'It looks like I have been
doing some damn good police work.'
I
hung up. 'You get all that?' I said to Terry.
'Yup,'
he said. 'It's a two-way street, mate. She doesn't trust us. And now we don't
trust her.'
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
It
was almost midnight by the time we got back to Terry's house. As the car pulled
into the driveway, Emily came running out the front door, followed by Sarah and
three barking dogs. The girls threw their arms around their mother, and Terry
quickly ushered them into the house, stopping in the doorway just long enough
to shake hands with Big Jim.
Jett
followed the family inside. Houdini, the black Shepherd, and Skunkie, the
shaggy-haired mutt, stood at the front door waiting for a cue from Big Jim.
'Dad,
I'll be right there,' I said. Then I went over to the squad car that was parked
in front of the house.
There
were two young white male patrol officers in the front seat. Emphasis on young.
My guess was that I was as old as the two of them put together. 'You guys here
for the night?' I asked.
'All
night, all day, twenty-four seven, sir,' the one on the passenger side said.
'There's a team covering your wife till the shooter is caught.'
'I'm
Detective Lomax,' I said. 'My partner, Detective Biggs, lives here. It's his
wife you're protecting.'
'Is
that her over there?' he said, pointing toward Diana.
'That's
my girlfriend. We're staying with Detective Biggs and his wife. They're the
ones who went inside.'
'No
problem, sir,' the cop said. 'We've got your back. Have a good night.'
'Thanks,
boys,' I said. That's pretty much what they were. Boys. Young, eager, and
relatively inexperienced. They were here to serve and protect, but they weren't
even sure who they were protecting. I was beginning to wonder if Marisol was
right. Putting some cop in front of my house isn't going to do
shit.
I
put my arm around Diana, and we went inside. Jim locked the door behind us.
I
gave Angel a hug and thanked Dennis for his help. I could feel Big Jim looming
behind me.
I
turned around. 'What?'
'Don't
shoot the messenger,' he said, 'but your contractor quit.'
'What
are you talking about?'
'Hal
Hooper, your contractor - his wife called here.'
'She
called Terry's home phone?'
'She
couldn't find any of your numbers,' Jim explained, 'but Hooper told her you
were staying with Mr and Mrs Biggs in Sherman Oaks, so she dialled information,
got Terry's number, and called here.'
'And
you answered Terry's home phone?'
'Of
course I answered. I was on guard duty.'
'IPB,
Dad. Improper Personal Boundaries. Why would you answer Terry's home phone?'
'It
was for you, numb nuts. Talk about improper personal boundaries. Why would you
get a call on Terry's home phone?'
'I
live here, dammit.'
'So
I answered a phone call for my own son. Is that crossing a boundary? Do you
want the message or not?'
I
was tired and cranky. But Diana was sitting back on the sofa, enjoying the
show. Laughing, actually. 'He can't wait for the message, Jim. Give it to him.'
'Hal
Hooper fell off the roof and broke his leg. He's out of commission for at least
eight weeks.'
'You've
gotta be kidding me,' I said.
'So
first you don't want me taking your messages, and now you don't think I can get
them right.'
'Hooper
fell off my roof? Did his wife threaten to sue?'
He
dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand. 'Don't worry, he can't sue you.'
'How
can you be so sure?'
'He
fell off somebody else's roof.'
Diana
was now laughing out loud. I, on the other hand, was not amused. 'That son of a
bitch. He's supposed to be at our place. He was working at someone else's
house?'
Jim
shrugged. 'Lucky for you. If he fell off your roof, he'd be suing your ass.'
'This
is bullshit,' I said. 'I don't believe he fell off anything. It's just another
excuse to delay the job for a couple of
You just put her at the victim's house at the time of the murders.'
'Well,
then, I guess you were right, mate,' Chris said. 'It looks like I have been
doing some damn good police work.'
I
hung up. 'You get all that?' I said to Terry.
'Yup,'
he said. 'It's a two-way street, mate. She doesn't trust us. And now we don't
trust her.'
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
It
was almost midnight by the time we got back to Terry's house. As the car pulled
into the driveway, Emily came running out the front door, followed by Sarah and
three barking dogs. The girls threw their arms around their mother, and Terry
quickly ushered them into the house, stopping in the doorway just long enough
to shake hands with Big Jim.
Jett
followed the family inside. Houdini, the black Shepherd, and Skunkie, the
shaggy-haired mutt, stood at the front door waiting for a cue from Big Jim.
'Dad,
I'll be right there,' I said. Then I went over to the squad car that was parked
in front of the house.
There
were two young white male patrol officers in the front seat. Emphasis on young.
My guess was that I was as old as the two of them put together. 'You guys here
for the night?' I asked.
'All
night, all day, twenty-four seven, sir,' the one on the passenger side said.
'There's a team covering your wife till the shooter is caught.'
'I'm
Detective Lomax,' I said. 'My partner, Detective Biggs, lives here. It's his
wife you're protecting.'
'Is
that her over there?' he said, pointing toward Diana.
'That's
my girlfriend. We're staying with Detective Biggs and his wife. They're the
ones who went inside.'
'No
problem, sir,' the cop said. 'We've got your back. Have a good night.'
'Thanks,
boys,' I said. That's pretty much what they were. Boys. Young, eager, and
relatively inexperienced. They were here to serve and protect, but they weren't
even sure who they were protecting. I was beginning to wonder if Marisol was
right. Putting some cop in front of my house isn't going to do
shit.
I
put my arm around Diana, and we went inside. Jim locked the door behind us.
I
gave Angel a hug and thanked Dennis for his help. I could feel Big Jim looming
behind me.
I
turned around. 'What?'
'Don't
shoot the messenger,' he said, 'but your contractor quit.'
'What
are you talking about?'
'Hal
Hooper, your contractor - his wife called here.'
'She
called Terry's home phone?'
'She
couldn't find any of your numbers,' Jim explained, 'but Hooper told her you
were staying with Mr and Mrs Biggs in Sherman Oaks, so she dialled information,
got Terry's number, and called here.'
'And
you answered Terry's home phone?'
'Of
course I answered. I was on guard duty.'
'IPB,
Dad. Improper Personal Boundaries. Why would you answer Terry's home phone?'
'It
was for you, numb nuts. Talk about improper personal boundaries. Why would you
get a call on Terry's home phone?'
'I
live here, dammit.'
'So
I answered a phone call for my own son. Is that crossing a boundary? Do you
want the message or not?'
I
was tired and cranky. But Diana was sitting back on the sofa, enjoying the
show. Laughing, actually. 'He can't wait for the message, Jim. Give it to him.'
'Hal
Hooper fell off the roof and broke his leg. He's out of commission for at least
eight weeks.'
'You've
gotta be kidding me,' I said.
'So
first you don't want me taking your messages, and now you don't think I can get
them right.'
'Hooper
fell off my roof? Did his wife threaten to sue?'
He
dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand. 'Don't worry, he can't sue you.'
'How
can you be so sure?'
'He
fell off somebody else's roof.'
Diana
was now laughing out loud. I, on the other hand, was not amused. 'That son of a
bitch. He's supposed to be at our place. He was working at someone else's
house?'
Jim
shrugged. 'Lucky for you. If he fell off your roof, he'd be suing your ass.'
'This
is bullshit,' I said. 'I don't believe he fell off anything. It's just another
excuse to delay the job for a couple of
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