The Coldest Fear by Rick Reed Page B

though.”
    â€œWhat can you tell us about Jon Samuels?” Jack asked.
    â€œWell, for one thing, he wasn’t Cordelia’s boyfriend. He’s gay.”
    â€œSo he was her roommate?” Jack prodded when JJ seemed to have dropped the subject.
    â€œYeah. Something like that, I guess. We were all friends when we was little and it seemed like a normal enough thing to me for Cordelia and Jon to live together,” JJ said.
    Something in JJ’s tone made Jack feel that the lieutenant was avoiding his questions, so he changed the subject. “So do you still live with your aunt?”
    â€œOh no! I moved out a long time ago,” JJ said. He seemed much happier talking about himself than about Cordelia or Jon. “Got my own place in Old Shawneetown about a year ago.” The way he said “Old Shawneetown” made Jack think it must be the garden district of Shawneetown. “And then Cordelia moved on in with Jon.”
    â€œSo, where does Jon live?” Jack asked.
    â€œWell, that’s the thing, Detective Murphy. Jon’s sick a lot so he ain’t home much. Know what I mean?”
    â€œPretend I don’t know,” Jack said.
    JJ chuckled at the sarcastic remark. “That’s a good ’un. I gotta remember that.” He looked over at Jack with a huge grin and said, “Pretend I don’t know.” He swerved off the side of the road and back on, causing Jack’s knuckles to turn white. “I gotta tell Uncle Bob—I mean the chief—that one.”
    â€œSo, where is Jon’s place?” Jack asked again.
    â€œOh. Yeah.” JJ punched down on the accelerator.
    Halfway to Jon Samuels’s apartment, Lieutenant Johnson said, “Aunt Elmira’s in a home right down the street. Couple of Cordelia’s friends work there. They were real tight. If anyone besides Jon knew what Cordelia was doing in Evansville, it’d be them. Want to stop there before we go see Jon?”
    Jack and Liddell agreed it might be faster to talk to the friends and aunt before going to Samuels, but then they might have agreed to anything to get out of the police/race car and put feet back on safe ground.
    JJ pulled into the parking area of an old three-story home that had been converted into a nursing facility and braked hard.
    â€œI guess she must have finally found out,” Lieutenant Johnson said, as the men extricated themselves from the low-slung seats.
    Jack wanted to shake the young officer, but he forced himself to say calmly, “Found out what, Lieutenant?”
    â€œWho her real family was,” JJ said, then grinned. “I know. Pretend you don’t know, right?”
    Jack nodded. “From the beginning please.”
    â€œCordelia was adopted. We were both adopted. But Elmira is my real aunt. You understand.”
    Jack had already heard this part, but he waited.
    â€œOkay. Cordelia was about two or three when Elmira adopted her and none of us ever knew where she came from. I know I said it didn’t matter to us, because she was family, but it mattered to Cordelia.” He could see he had lost the detectives so he started again. “I mean we were never told where Elmira adopted her from. It was always kinda hush-hush. But as soon as Cordelia got old enough to start asking questions, that was always the big one.”
    â€œSo you don’t know if she found out who her parents were?” Jack asked.
    â€œI know she was on to something. A couple of weeks ago she told me she was going to see an attorney.”
    â€œWhere did she get the idea to see Lenny Bange?” Liddell asked.
    â€œWell, I’m not sure if she brought his name up or if I did,” JJ lied. He had suggested Lenny because he wanted an excuse to get to meet the man. Lenny Bange was connected, and not just in Evansville and Shawneetown. He had “businesses” all over the place. A man could get rich working for Lenny Bange. But he