HOMICIDE

BY

DONALD WELLS

Also by Donald Wells

Blue Steele

Blue Steele - Bounty Hunter

Blue Steele - Broken

Blue Steele - Vengeance

Blue Steele - That Which Doesn't Kill Me

Blue Steele - On The Hunt

Blue Steele - First Capture

Caliber Detective Agency

Caliber Detective Agency - Generations

Caliber Detective Agency - Temptation

Caliber Detective Agency - A Ransom Paid In Blood

Caliber Detective Agency - Missing

Caliber Detective Agency - Deception

Caliber Detective Agency - Crucible

Parker & Knight

Homicide!

The Reynolds Family Saga

The Many And The One

Sins & Second Chances

Dry Adultery, Wet Ambition

Of Tongue And Pen

All Good Things...

Little White Sins

Everything New Is Old Again

The Light Of Darkness

Standalone

Redemption

Double or Nothing

The Fix-It Man

Watch for more at Donald Wells’s site.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Also By Donald Wells

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About The Author

COPYRIGHT

Further Reading: Game Over!

About the Author

1

Davey Simms grinned as he watched Carla Vasquez crook her finger at him and run off into the woods.

They were at Taggart Lake with a group from their high school, enjoying the last few days of summer before they all drifted apart. Some of the kids were off to college out of state, some to state university, but everyone knew that things were about to change forever.

Davey was going to work full-time in his father’s paint store. College wasn’t for him and besides, Carla worked at her mother’s café next to the paint store, and she too would be staying in town and working full-time.

Davey had been in love with the beautiful Carla since their first meeting during freshman year of high school. Carla, on the other hand, barely paid Davey any attention and preferred the hunky, manly type.

Davey was more nerd than man, but love can change you sometimes and Davey reinvented himself this past year, determined to win Carla Vasquez’s heart.

A strict high-protein, low carb diet mixed with a weight training regimen packed pounds of muscle on Davey and by the end of the school year, Davey could call himself a genuine hunk, and when contact lenses replaced the dorky glasses that he wore, he was a handsome hunk, but he wasn’t through yet.

It took every penny he could save from working in the paint store, plus the money earned from cutting lawns, along with the ultimate sacrifice, the selling off of his precious comic book and coin collections, but by the middle of August he had enough money to buy a red Harley Davidson.

Fate was in his corner as well, because Carla had recently broken up with that “jerk”, Ty Collins, the kid that used to dunk Davey’s head in the toilet at school.

Carla was available, Davey had turned himself into a hunk and he had a motorcycle that would make him seem even cooler. Carla wouldn’t know what hit her.

When he arrived at the lake, every head turned his way and he saw that Carla couldn’t keep her eyes off him. He was wearing a tight pair of black jeans along with boots and a red, muscle T, the shirt showed off his guns, while the boots added much needed height.

It took every bit of restraint not to walk over to her, but Davey played it cool, his self-discipline was rewarded when it was Carla who approached him. After that, they were inseparable, and he gave her a ride around to the other side of the lake while she rode on the back of the bike and held on. Davey enjoyed the feel of her pressed against him, and looked forward to greater intimacy.

Once they were alone, Carla got off the bike, gave him a sexy smile, and crooked her finger at him in a, “follow me” gesture.

When she ran off into the woods giggling, Davey flipped down the kickstand on the bike and ran after her, his mind racing with thoughts of conquest.

At last, Carla wanted him, and he was about to make out with his dream girl.

He lost sight of her, but knew that there was a meadow nearby and hoped that she would be waiting for him, lying down amid wildflowers with welcoming arms.

When he spotted the shape lying amid the tall grass, he smiled, and then he crept nearer. When he was fifty feet away, he went into a sprint and threw himself into the air to land beside the form he had thought was Carla.

It was not Carla.

The odor struck him first, the stench of death, and then his eyes took in the bloated, distorted, purple face of the corpse. He began to hyperventilate, and as he stood, his foot slipped in a pool of body fluids and he toppled onto the corpse, the result being that his lips brushed against the dead flesh of the thing’s gashed and blood-blackened throat.

He didn’t even stop to tell Carla what had happened, but rather, he ran by her in a mindless panic, his arms flailing wildly in the air, and, given the horror of his discovery, she could have forgiven Davey for that, what she couldn’t forgive, or ever forget, was the sound he made as he ran.

It was a high-pitched wail such as a little girl might make, and it was the wussyist sound that Carla had ever heard. Needless to say, she never went out with Davey again.

You can’t hide what’s inside.

***

Detective Rick Parker stared down at the bloated corpse while fighting his gag reflex. Whenever the breeze subsided, the odor emanating from the body was brutal and it was a smell that he knew he would never get used to, no matter how many homicides he worked.

His partner, Detective Joanna Knight, gave him a nudge and when he looked at her, he saw that she was holding a tube of scented petroleum jelly. Judging by the shiny spot beneath her nostrils, she had already used it herself.

“Thanks, and I’ll bet you that we just found our missing person.”

“I think you’re right, I also think that wound in his neck looks like it was made by a knife, although, given the amount of decomp, I guess we’ll have to wait for the autopsy to know for sure.”

Parker applied the mentholated gel on his upper lip while thinking about their missing persons case.

A man named Charles “Chaz” Woolley went missing and his disappearance was reported by his mother, who lived nearby.

Woolley had been a manager of Taggart’s, a bar and grill that sat on the other side of the lake.

If the body before him was Woolley than it looked as though they now had a homicide on their hands. It also meant that they would have to question the staff of Taggart’s once more, a staff that included the very lovely Heather Jones.

“Why the smile?” Knight said.

Parker shrugged.

“It was a grimace; the gel helps but that smell still gets through.”

“Mm, hmm,” Knight said. “I thought maybe you were smiling because you were thinking of Heather Jones. If this is Woolley, we’ll have to question Taggart’s staff again, Jones included.”

Parker stared at her.

“How long have we been partners?”

“About two weeks, why?”

“We’ve only known each other for two weeks and already you can read me like a book? No wonder you’re a great detective.”

“So, you were thinking about Jones?”

“Yes, I admit it, but chalk it up to hormones. A girl that beautiful tends to stay on the male brain.”

“She’s twenty-two and studying to be a doctor, I’d say that makes her a woman.”

“A very young woman, too young for an old man like me,”

“Forty isn’t old, Rick, you’re just feeling down because of your divorce.”

“Speaking of relationships, did that alarm guy Hooper ever call you?”

“He did, we had Sunday brunch together and we’ll be going out this weekend.”

“Good, I hope things work out there.”

The coroner, Stella Harvey, arrived, and after exchanging pleasantries with Rick and Jo, she put on a mask and gloves and began examining the body. The body and the surrounding area had already been photographed.

“This gash on the neck looks like a knife wound and is likely the cause of death.”

She reached into the back pocket of the body’s soiled jeans and wrenched a wallet free, a difficult task given the bloat of the corpse. She then opened it and read from the driver’s license.

“The victim’s name was Charles Woolley,” Stella said.

Parker nodded.

“Our missing persons case has just become a homicide.”

2

The following day, Heather Jones checked her face in the car’s rearview mirror, and then tucked an errant strand of hair back in place.

When she got out of the car, she smoothed the wrinkles from her black skirt while wondering if she should have worn the red one instead, the shorter of the two.

She shook her head slightly, and decided that she had dressed the right way, after all, she wasn’t throwing herself at the man, she just wanted to make him interested in her.

She smiled, while thinking of Parker, and once again wondered why she couldn’t get him off her mind.

After opening the passenger door and grabbing the white bag off the seat, she took a deep breath and headed for the front doors of the municipal center.

***

Upstairs, Joanna Knight sat at her desk and smiled at Parker.

“That’s a new tie, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“It’s very nice, and is that a new sport coat too?”

“Yes, I, ah, did a little shopping.”

Jo’s smile widened.

“You got it bad, don’t you?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Parker said, but he knew exactly what she meant.

“She should be here any minute; would you like to interview her alone?”

Parker hung his head.

“You think I’m a fool, don’t you?”

The smile left Jo’s face and she reached across and touched Parker’s hand.

“Hey, Rick, I don’t think it’s foolish for you to be attracted to Jones, and I’ll tell you something else, I think it’s mutual. Every time we’ve talked to her, she’s asked you to come by the bar.”

“She was just being nice, and besides, she’s now part of an active investigation.”

“We’ll solve this case and then that will end, when it does, ask her out. The worst that can happen is that she’ll say no.”

Parker shook his head in disagreement.

“That’s not the worst; the worst would be if she said yes.”

Jo gave him a puzzled look, but then the phone rang and she answered it. When she hung up, she grinned.

“The lady is on her way up.”

***

Parker watched Heather Jones as she stepped off the elevator.

The woman was stunning, with a gorgeous figure, thick red hair and large green eyes.

She was wearing a black skirt that displayed her legs, but wasn’t so short that it couldn’t be worn on any occasion. Her blouse was cobalt blue, and Parker noted that it matched her shoes perfectly; he also noted that it gapped slightly, and displayed just a hint of cleavage.

Her make-up, if any, was understated, and the only jewelry she wore were a pair of gold earrings and a turquoise ring.

As he and Knight approached her, Heather smiled and Parker felt his knees weaken. Only one other woman had ever affected him that way, his ex-wife, Rachel.

He shook her hand.

“Ms. Jones, thank you for coming in, we’ll try to make this quick.”

“I’m in no hurry,” Heather said.

Jo suddenly sniffed the air, as a mouth-watering aroma reached her nose.

“Oh my God, what have you got in that bag, is that barbeque I smell?”

Heather grinned.

“It is; I thought I’d bring you some of Taggart’s ribs; they’re the best in town. There are two rib dinners in the bag, one for each of you, just a show of appreciation for solving Tiff’s murder.”

“That’s very kind, but not necessary,” Parker said.

“I would have been in sooner, Detective Parker, but I thought I might see you at the bar, in fact, I was looking forward to it.”

Jo reached out and took the bag from Heather.

“I’ll take this and put it in the break room while Rick interviews you about the case. Rick, why not use Interview Room C?”

Parker looked at his partner, wondering if she could be any more obvious. Interview Room C was where lawyers met with their clients. There were no one-way mirrors and no listening devices and was arguably the most private spot in the building. Parker nodded in agreement and led Heather down a corridor to the right as Jo walked off with the bag of food.

Interview Room C was a cramped space with a single table and two chairs. Parker held out a seat for Heather and she sent him a smile.

“I see you’re a gentlemen; Detective Parker, there aren’t many of you left.”

“You can blame my mother, she drilled certain behaviors into me and one of those was to always open a door or pull out a seat for a lady.”

Heather said nothing in return, but only smiled at him.

“Um, thank you for the food; that was very kind of you.”

“I meant what I said; I’d like to see you at the bar sometime.”

“You’ll be seeing me there for certain now that Charles Woolley has been found murdered.”

The smile left Heather’s face.

“I don’t know how I can help, as I told you before, I barely knew Mr. Woolley. He had only been working at Taggart’s for a short time.”

“Right, we were just hoping that something had occurred to you since our last talk, maybe something Mr. Woolley did or said?”

Heather shook her head.

“No, nothing, but then, I only spoke with him a few times.”

“Did he ever ask you out?”

“No, why?”

“You’re an extremely beautiful woman; I thought that he might have shown interest.”

“Extremely beautiful?” Heather said, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

“Just the facts, ma’am,” Parker said.

Heather’s smile widened.

“I get asked out quite often, most of the time the attention is unwanted, but not always, and sometimes I look forward to saying yes.”

Parker raised an eyebrow at that.

“You don’t have a boyfriend, why is that?”

“I’m not an easy woman to date. If I’m not working at the bar, I’m in class, and if I’m not in class, then I’m studying. My whole life these days is medical school and work; it doesn’t leave much time for play.”

“You’re a serious person for a girl your age.”

“I’m not a girl, Detective Parker, I’m all woman,”

“I meant no offense; it’s just that at my age, you seem very young,”

“And that bothers you, the age difference?”

“Yes.”

“It shouldn’t, it doesn’t bother me.”

They stared at each other, and Parker actually had to stop himself from reaching out and taking her hand.

He stood and opened the door.

“Thank you for coming in.”

“No more questions?” Heather said, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“Not at this time, no,”

“I see.”

Heather grabbed her purse and rose, but Parker continued to stand in the doorway.

“There is one more question...”

“Yes?”

“I can’t ask it right now, because technically you’re part of an ongoing investigation, but once we solve this case, I intend to ask it.”

Heather moved closer and stared up at Parker. She was not a short woman, but Parker still towered above her.

“Anytime you’re ready to ask, Detective, I’ll have an answer for you.”

Parker smiled, and led her back to the elevator. As the doors opened, he spoke to her.

“Ms. Jones, will you be working later this afternoon?”

“Yes.”

“Good, Detective Knight and I will be at Taggart’s later; we’re meeting Mr. Taggart there.”

“Be sure to come see me and say hi,”

“Oh, I will, take care now,”

“You too Detective, and call me Heather,”

They smiled at each other until the doors closed, and when Parker turned around, he found Jo staring at him.

“Did you find out anything?”

“Yes.”

“What?”

Parker wiped his hands on his pants.

“I found out that my palms still sweat whenever I talk to a beautiful girl.”

3

A short time later, Parker and Knight visited the morgue to hear the results of the autopsy from Stella Harvey.

“While there was a lot of bruising on the face and torso, death was caused by a single wound to the throat, a gash caused by a serrated instrument, most likely a knife, but I’ll have the detailed report ready for you in about a week, after the toxicology results comes back.” Stella said.

“What about the bruising? Could it have been caused by a fist?” Parker said.

“Yes, but death occurred shortly after they were made,”

“So, possibly a fight that led to a knifing,” Jo said.

Stella gestured at the walls.

“Say goodbye to the old place; they’re moving us into the basement of the new hospital next week.”

“So soon? But I didn’t think it was open yet?” Parker said.

“It’s not really, but our section is done and they’re attempting to move departments in one by one. The place is massive and to get it up and running completely will take time, but they do have the emergency room taking patients.”

Jo wrinkled her nose.

“I hope the new morgue smells better than this.”

“There’s state of the art ventilation, but you know, death smells like death,” Stella said.

They thanked her for the preliminary autopsy report and stopped for coffee, which they drank in the car.

The car was an unmarked, black Chevy Caprice. It was new and much needed. The only other unmarked vehicle the department had available prior to their purchase of the Caprice was an ancient Crown Vic that smelled like rotted fish. Parker had hated that car so much that he had been driving his own car while on the job, a classic 1965 Mustang, but both he and Jo found the Caprice to be a sweet ride.

Jo looked sideways at Parker, who was seated behind the steering wheel.

“I know you said that she had nothing to add to the case, but how did your talk with Jones go otherwise?”

Parker grinned.

“It went excellent.”

“That’s all you’re going to say?”

He shrugged.

“She’s part of an active case, but once it’s solved, well, we’ll see.”

“I told you that she likes you.”

“Enough about my hopes and dreams, what do you think our next move ought to be?”

“You mean after we talk with Patrick Taggart again?”

“Yeah, I don’t have much hope of learning anything new there, so we need another angle to approach this from.”

“We know it wasn’t robbery; Woolley still had his wallet, so I guess we take a closer look at his life.”

“Up until six weeks ago, Woolley lived in Pittsburgh, but we’ll talk to his neighbors again.”

“What about his mother? She’s the one that reported him missing in the first place.”

“Good thinking, maybe she can tell us if he was seeing anyone, although I doubt a grown man would tell his mother about his love life.”

Jo smiled.

“Speaking of love life, let’s go to Taggart’s.”

“I’m not going there to see Ms. Jones, only her employer.”

“Oh, so we’re all business now, eh?”

“You’re damn right; the quicker we solve this case, the sooner it becomes inactive.”

“And the sooner you can ask Jones out, I get you, and hey, it’s nice to see you happy.”

“I’ll be happy when we find the murderer.”

***

“You don’t tell the damn cops anything, you hear me, boy?”

“Yes Granddad, I hear you.” Patrick Taggart said. He was at his home, which was actually his grandfather’s home, and the old man was telling him what to do, again.

The old man, Nathanial Taggart, was ninety-nine and the owner of the bar that bore his name.

The house was a huge three-story colonial that sat on ten acres and was adjacent to the fifty plus acres that the bar on the other side of the lake sat upon. All in all, Nathanial Taggart owned a good chunk of land, most of which was undeveloped.

They were in the old man’s office, a space lined with books, but dominated by the huge picture window behind the desk.

Patrick leaned down and spoke to his grandfather, who sat in a wheelchair. The old man’s bald pate was covered with age spots and his eyes were two bright blue points set in deeply wrinkled flesh. Whenever he spoke more than a sentence, he needed to pause to take a breath.

“I don’t understand why you don’t want me to talk to the police. Maybe they can help us with Nico, maybe they’ll even arrest him for murdering poor Chaz Woolley.”

The old man pointed a crooked finger at him.

“You don’t talk to cops, period. Be a man and handle this yourself.”

“I tried that, remember. I told Nico no and he punched me in the stomach, then, I paid Chaz to handle it and... well, now he’s dead. This Nico Umbria is a dangerous man.”

“There’s a .32 in my top desk drawer. Arrange to meet this Nico punk somewhere and... and take care of things. That’s how I would have handled it in the old days... hell, I still remember where I buried the bodies.”

Patrick shivered at the thought of committing violence.

“I’m not like you Granddad, and times have changed.”

“A punk’s a punk, Pat, and there’s only one way to handle a punk.”

Patrick checked his watch.

“I have to get back to the bar.”

“Alright, but don’t tell them cops nothing, we’ll handle this ourselves.”

“Yes sir,” Patrick said, as he took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his receding hairline.

The housekeeper came in as Patrick was leaving and handed the elder Taggart a glass of water and several pills. Her name was Margaret; she was in her eighties and had worked in the home for decades.

“Take your pills, Nathan, and what’s up with Pat, he looked ill.”

“That boy’s got no backbone, that’s his problem.”

“Pat’s a good boy; it’s just that he takes after his mother.”

The old man sighed.

“I wish Nate was here. That boy wouldn’t put up with this nonsense, I’ll tell you that.”

“Nate left a long time ago; he’s off making his own life.”

“I think I’m gonna wind up handling things myself,” the old man said.

***

Parker’s eyes searched for Heather as he walked into Taggart’s, and he spotted her taking a food order at a corner table. She sent him a little wave and he smiled at her.

“What are you going to do if she’s the murderer?” Jo said.

“Bite your tongue,” Parker told her, and Jo laughed.

The bartender, a young man with a huge mustache, told them that Patrick Taggart was expecting their visit, and showed them to his office by leading them through a pair of swinging doors next to the bar. The doors opened onto the hot and busy kitchen, which was noisy and filled with activity, as pots steamed, grills sizzled, and a radio played heavy metal music.

Jo took a deep breath and sighed.

“M’mm, it smells good in here; I’m eating those ribs Jones gave us as soon as we get back.”

The bartender knocked on the door, and Taggart yelled for them to enter. The office was small and contained a cheap wooden desk, two filing cabinets and a wall of shelves that held a combination of overstuffed file folders alongside supplies such as drink cups, napkins and garbage bags. Taggart’s desk was equally cluttered and Parker wondered how the man got any work done.

Patrick Taggart was fifty-two, tall, but pudgy and would have been bald except for a fringe of dark, but graying hair. His blue eyes looked nervous, and upon seeing Parker and Knight, he suddenly had trouble getting comfortable in his chair.

“Hey Pat, the police are here to see you about what happened to Chaz,” the bartender said.

“Thanks Jerry,”

The bartender left and Taggart stuck out a clammy hand.

“Detective Parker, Detective Knight, it’s good to see you again, but I’m sad about the circumstances.”

“Yes sir,” Parker said, “However, we were wondering if you’ve thought of anything new that might help.”

Patrick shook his head. “No, nope, not a thing,”

Jo took out a sheet of paper and read from it. The sheet contained the details of Charles Woolley’s recent bank statements.

“We see from his account records that you recently paid Mr. Woolley three thousand dollars over and above his wages; can you tell us why?” Jo said.

“A... a signing bonus,” Patrick stuttered. “Mr. Woolley only joined us back in July, as I’m sure you know.”

“A signing bonus to manage a restaurant?” Parker said, sounding doubtful,

Patrick nodded his head.

“Yes, he was ah, well sought after in the industry.”

Jo and Parker exchanged glances and an unspoken understanding passed between them. They had been standing in front of the desk, mostly because there were no chairs other than the one occupied by Patrick, but Jo moved closer and stared down at Patrick as Parker leaned on the desk, glowered, and spoke in a harsh tone.

“Taggart, we think you know something about Charles Woolley’s murder. Stand up; you’re coming to the station with us.”

As Parker spoke, Jo took out her handcuffs.

Patrick’s head swiveled back and forth between them and then he slumped deep into his chair.

“I’ll tell you everything I know.”

***

“Vandalism, did you report it?” Parker said.

“Oh yes, at first, and they were minor incidents, a broken window, spray paint on the rear doors, but then, a man showed up and took credit for the incidents. His name is Nico Umbria.”

“Why would he take credit?” Jo asked. “Did he want you to pay him to stop?”

“Well, he didn’t come right out and say that he was the one who committed the acts, but he did insinuate that they would get worse if I didn’t take him on as a partner.”

“A partner? He didn’t simply ask for money?” Parker said.

“No, in fact, he offered money for a fifty-percent stake in the bar, but the amount was laughable, given the amount of business we do.”

“So what happened when you turned him down?” Parker said.

“Nothing, he just smiled and said that maybe we could do business in the future.”

“But then the vandalism escalated, am I right?” Jo said.

“Yes, and this time it was damage done to several customer’s cars. I blamed it on teenagers and paid the damages out of pocket.”

“Why didn’t you report this to us?” Parker said.

Patrick sighed.

“I wanted to, but my grandfather balked at it. If he knew I was talking to you now he’d be furious, he’s... not fond of the police.”

“Not many former bootleggers are, although, there aren’t many around anymore, are there?”

“Yes, he’s quite old and set in his ways, but he’s the one that owns the bar, in truth, I’m just a manager.”

“But you’re the one that handles the books for the bar, and you’re the one that hired Charles Woolley. What was the three thousand dollars for?” Parker said.

“Chaz was the confident type, and like yourself, Detective Parker, he was a big man and I think also an ex-Marine. When I told him about Nico Umbria, he called him a punk and said that he would handle things the next time Umbria showed up.”

“And what happened when Umbria did show up?” Jo asked.

“Chaz sat in on the meeting and things got quite loud. Nico’s not very big, and Chaz was very aggressive and threatening in his manner. At the end of the meeting, Nico seemed cowed and swore that he would never bother us again. In gratitude, I paid Chaz that bonus.”

“But Nico came back, correct?” Parker said, and Patrick shook his head.

“Not at first, and when Chaz stopped showing up for work, I thought nothing of it. He wouldn’t be the first manager who quit without a word. However, after your last visit, when you said that Chaz was missing, it got me to thinking, but still, Nico made no contact, and so, I thought the two things weren’t connected.”

“But this Umbria has contacted you since?” Jo said.

“Yes, yesterday, after the body was found, he confronted me in the parking lot and offered his condolences, he also made another ridiculous offer to buy the bar, the whole bar this time, not a partnership, and his offer price is a fifth of what the bar’s worth.”

“You must suspect that he killed Chaz Woolley; why didn’t you come to us?” Parker said.

“My grandfather told me not to, but he’s wrong, this is a job for the police. Can you help me?”

“Absolutely, but we’ll need your cooperation.”

Patrick stood and offered his hand again.

“I’ll do whatever it takes. This man, Nico, if he killed Chaz... the thought of it makes me sick, and my other employees must be kept safe.”

Parker thought of Heather.

“No harm will come to them. I swear it.”

4

In a bar in Camden, New Jersey, Nico Umbria met with the leader of a gang called Muerte Soldados or Death Soldiers, and transacted a little business.

Nico was twenty-four, five-foot-nine and a muscular one-seventy. He was wearing a dark suit with a blue shirt and no tie, and his long black hair was tied back in a ponytail.

The gang leader was known only by the name Dos and was nineteen-years-old. He had lived in the gang since he was five and just recently became its leader when his brother, Uno, the former leader, was sentenced to life for killing a man who owed him money. Dos was about Nico’s height, but weighed a sinewy one-forty.

“So what’s up?” Dos said.

“I need a job done up in Washington Township.”

“Which Washington, there’s like five or six towns with that name, right?”

“Yeah, but this is the one off of I-95,”

“Oh yeah, I know it, lot of new shit being built up there, ain’t there?”

“Yeah, but it’s an old bar I care about, a place called Taggart’s.”

“So what’s the job?”

“I need to cause some damage to the place, you know, bust up the bar, harass some customers and staff, shit like that, but not too violent.”

“You want to give the owners grief, I got you. I’ll send a few of the members up there, even if they get caught they won’t say shit, but when do you need it done?”

“Tomorrow is good, say around three, after the lunch crowd.”

“It’ll be history by four o’clock,”

“Cool, how much?”

Dos thought that over, and said. “Two large, plus two bills for expenses, but I’ll send four guys,”

“Expenses?”

“Gas for the car and baseball bats and ski masks to do the job,” Dos explained.

Nico laughed, and then, beneath the table, he handed over an envelope with two-thousand dollars in it. He had guessed right about the fee, but hadn’t factored in Dos’s greed and business savvy. Along with the envelope, he handed over two-hundred from his wallet. It was all being paid for by his employer anyway, so what did he care? And anyway, he would tell him it cost even more and turn a profit in the bargain.

“The next time I visit Uno in the can I’ll tell him that the gang’s in good hands. Expenses? You’re a trip, Dos.”

Dos smiled. “It’s all about the green, brother,”

Nico sent him a fist bump, and then got up and left the bar.

***

The following afternoon, Jo and Parker were staking out Taggart’s while waiting for Nico to show. Jo was actually working undercover as a bartender, a job she had done while in college. Parker was outside in the lot, sitting in the Chevy, deep in the shadows cast by an old elm tree.

Both he and Jo had mug shots of Nico that were taken when he was arrested for breaking & entering three months earlier. Parker’s photo sat on his dashboard, while Jo’s sat on a shelf under the bar. Nico was exonerated of the B&E charge, but was suspected of being involved in other home break-ins, and possibly auto thefts.

They had also wired Patrick Taggart’s office with a camera and a microphone. If Nico threatened Taggart or tried to extort him, it would be captured on video.

They had tried tracking Nico down but came up empty. What they didn’t know is that Nico had no address of his own, but rather, he lived at different times with one or the other of the mothers of his three children. Nico paid the bills of all three women and so came and went as he pleased.

***

Near three o’clock, the bar grew quiet, and Heather Jones approached Jo to talk.

“I’ve been watching you, you’re a good bartender.”

Jo smiled. “Thanks, I did it for years and I always liked it.”

Heather lowered her voice.

“Can I ask you something, what’s your partner like? He seems... I don’t know, sad, I guess. Has he lost someone recently?”

Jo stared at her, surprised by her perceptiveness.

“No one died, but he just got divorced,”

“Oh, and does he have kids?”

“No, no kids, but you know, you really should be asking him these questions. He’s right outside in the car.”

“I didn’t know if I should; I mean he is working.”

Jo grinned. “Trust me; he’d love to have you visit.”

Heather smiled back and then called to one of the other waitresses.

“I’m going on break.”

***

Parker saw Heather approaching and was thankful that he had just sucked on a breath mint. In the shorts and revealing shirt of her waitress uniform Heather was especially enticing, and Parker felt his pulse race.

She is so damn beautiful,

Without waiting for permission, Heather climbed into the passenger seat.

“I thought you could use some company.”

“You thought right,” Parker said, and then an uncomfortable silence began. Heather ended it with a question.

“I heard that you recently got divorced, were you married long?”

“Um, not very long I guess, about four years.”

“What happened?”

“Is this an interrogation?”

“I know it’s rude, but I’m curious,”

Parker gave a shrug.

“She cheated on me. I forgave her the first time, but not the second.”

“I’m sorry, that must have hurt.”

“Yes.”

“Can I call you, Rick, at least when we’re alone? It seems odd to keep calling you Detective Parker.”

“I would like that,” Parker said, he then checked out the driver of a vehicle that had just arrived, but recognized the man getting out of it as an employee of a local business.

Heather turned sideways in her seat.

“Do you really think Mr. Woolley’s killer will come back here?”

“I hope so. I’m looking forward to this case being closed.”

“So that you can ask your question?”

“Yes.”

“Catch the bad guy, Rick. I look forward to giving you an answer.”

Heather smiled, got out of the car, and sent him a wave as she headed back inside.

It was only a few minutes later that Parker spotted the four figures running out of the woods wearing ski masks and carrying baseball bats, he thumped the button on the radio.

“Trouble Jo, four guys with bats,”

Knight didn’t reply, and Parker was still getting out of the car when one of the bats shattered the windshield of a pick-up truck, even as the three other men raced into the bar.

***

Nico’s cell phone rang; it was his employer.

He had been ignoring the man’s calls ever since Woolley’s body had been discovered, and at their last face-to-face meeting, he had sworn that he had nothing to do with the man’s disappearance, but was certain his employer knew he was lying.

He took the call this time, because this time he had good news to deliver.

“What’s up, partner?”

“Have the police questioned you?”

“No, and they won’t, because they don’t know where to find me.”

“I want out, Nico; I think things have gone too far.”

“Don’t wimp out on me now. I’ll have Taggart ready to sell by the end of the week.”

“Why? What have you done now?”

“I sent more trouble his way, just like you wanted.”

“Is anybody going to be hurt?”

Nico smiled into the phone.

“Oh yeah, count on it,”

***

As one of the men smashed windshields, Parker took out his gun and ran towards him while shouting, “Police!” and the man immediately dropped the bat and sprinted back into the woods. Parker ignored him and entered the bar.

The first thing he saw was a customer lying on the floor, his teeth, gritted against the pain of a newly broken arm as one of the punks stood over him. The second thing he saw was the man standing atop the bar threatening his partner with a baseball bat.

The man must have leapt onto the counter before Jo could get to her weapon. Movement on the left caught his eye and Parker saw the fourth man, his bat raised high and threatening as he stared at Parker’s gun. A clatter came from the right, and Parker saw that the punk who had injured the customer had dropped his bat and was now holding a small shotgun, a Serbu super shorty that was smaller than the bat, but far deadlier.

Parker was about to tell the man to drop the weapon when Heather, who was carrying a tray of food, burst through the swinging doors that led into the noisy kitchen.

Her sudden appearance startled the man with the shotgun and he jerked his gun at her and fired, even as Parker leapt into its path while firing off a desperate shot. All this took place so quickly, that Parker had only entered the bar three seconds earlier.

The shotgun went off, spraying Parker with pellets, as his own shot hit the man in the chest.

***

Jo’s back had been turned when the men entered the bar, and before she could react, there was a man standing over her with a baseball bat, threatening to strike her.

The two other men went in different directions, and one of them hit a customer in the arm.

As the injured man fell to the floor, Parker entered with his weapon drawn. As he turned his head to look at the man on his left, the one on the right dropped his bat and grabbed a shotgun from a makeshift shoulder rig beneath his jacket.

That’s when Heather stepped out and everything went to hell.

As Parker and the man traded shots, Jo swept the feet out from under the punk standing atop the bar, sending him crashing backwards to the floor. An instant later, she reached beneath the counter, took out her gun, and aimed it at the last man standing.

“Get down on the floor, now!”

The man dropped his bat and laid down, even as Heather dropped the tray of food and knelt beside Parker, who was fighting back waves of agony caused by the impact of the pellets.

“Talk to me partner!” Jo shouted.

“I’m good,” Parker said through clenched teeth. “My vest took most of it.”

Jo climbed over the bar and went to the man Parker had shot, to relieve him of his weapon.

“He’s alive, but unconscious,”

As Jo called for an ambulance, Heather helped Parker to rise and take a seat on a bar stool. She was crying as she looked at the bloody wounds in his right arm, chest, and shoulder.

After Jo cuffed the men and called in the attack, she checked on Parker.

“Let’s see that arm.”

“It’s not bad, I took the hit sideways, also, I think there was bird shot in the shell, not double-ought buckshot pellets; if I’d been hit with double-ought it might have penetrated the vest.”

Jo patted him on the cheek. “Thank God you were wearing your vest.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine; they just came in so fast that I couldn’t get to my gun.”

“I think this Nico just upped the stakes,” Parker said.

***

Three ambulances arrived one after the other and Parker watched as the man he shot was loaded into the first one and taken away. The man turned out to be a seventeen-year-old kid, but he stood six-feet tall and was carrying a shotgun, so Parker felt little regret at having shot him,

The customer who had his arm broken was next and then Parker climbed aboard the last ambulance. Jo was staying behind to deal with the aftermath, in between attempts to comfort a distraught Patrick Taggart.

As the attendant was swinging the door closed, Heather grabbed it and swung it open.

“I want to ride with him.”

The attendant protested but Parker overrode his objections and Heather climbed aboard. As the ambulance headed toward the new hospital, Heather took Parker’s hand and laid her head on his good shoulder.

“You saved me. If you hadn’t jumped in front of me... I might have died.”

“I would never let anyone hurt you,” Parker said.

They grew quiet, and the only sound beside the wail of the siren, was the voice of the ambulance attendant as he spoke into a cell phone.

Heather lifted her head from his shoulders and stared at him.

“Rick?”

“Yeah?”

“That question you want to ask me? The answer is yes, hell yes,”

Parker had just faced death and been wounded, but as he looked at Heather’s smiling face, he knew he was having one of the best days of his life.

5

The new hospital was eight stories high and sat on land that was previously a cornfield. There was also an annex building to house the administrative branch and teaching center, and despite being only three stories in height, it was sprawling, and covered nearly as much land as the hospital,

A nurse escorted Parker past the crowd in the waiting room, but as he and Heather approached the treatment area, he heard a familiar voice cry out.

“Rick!”

It was Rachel, his ex-wife. She ran towards him in her white nurse’s uniform and winced when she saw his injuries.

“Hello Rachel,”

“Hello? What the hell happened to you?”

“I was shot, but it’s not serious.”

Rachel looked him over with a worried gaze; she then turned to the other nurse and told her that she would take over Parker’s case and that the other nurse could tend to the man with the broken arm. She also told her to tell the doctor to hurry. As the other woman walked away, Rachel noticed Heather.

“Who are you?”

“She’s a friend of mine, and also a witness to the shooting.”

Heather held out her hand and introduced herself.

Rachel ignored the offered hand and gave her a hard look.

“I’m Rick’s wife, well, ex-wife, and I’m sorry, but you won’t be able to follow him into the treatment room.”

Heather noticed the chill in the air and pointed to a row of nearby seats.

“I’ll just sit here and wait for him.”

“I’d prefer it if you went out into the waiting room.” Rachel said.

“No,” Parker said. “She’ll wait here for me; this shouldn’t take too long.”

Rachel sighed.

“Very well, and here comes the doctor now.”

Parker received several stitches on his shoulder, and the cuts on his chest and arm were also treated. All of the pellets that struck, dealt him a sideways blow that left deep wounds like scratches, with most of the tiny pellets embedding themselves in his vest. The wounds to his arm hurt worse than the ones on his shoulder even though they were minor. The wounds on his chest were all where the edge of his vest had been, but the vest took most of the spray from the shotgun blast.

When the doctor finished treating him he left to tend to others, and Parker looked up to see Heather enter the small treatment room. He was seated atop an exam table and shirtless.

She studied his bare chest for a moment and then gave a sour look as she ran her fingers lightly over his wounds and bruises. She then spotted something that made her wince; it was a white, puckered mark over Parker’s ribs on the left side of his body.

Heather touched it. “What’s this?”

“That’s an old wound from a 9mm; I was shot there during a drug raid when I worked in Philly.”

“That looks bad.”

“It was; much worse than today.”

“Poor baby,” Heather said, and leaned in to kiss him.

“That was actually how we met.” Rachel said in a loud voice, startling Heather, who straightened up and backed away a step.

Parker glared at his ex. “Yes, you seem to always be involved whenever I suffer a grave wound.” He hopped off the table and grabbed his shirt, then discovered that he had trouble getting his right arm back into it; the force sustained during the blast from the shotgun had left his arm numb.

Heather gave him a hand getting into the shirt, and then stood looking up at him as she buttoned it. There was something intimate about the act and she and Parker smiled at each other.

Rachel held up a package. “The doctor asked me to help you into this sling; he said you should wear it for a few days to help your shoulder.” She then spoke to Heather. “Please wait out in the hall while I put this on him.”

Heather began to protest, but decided against it and spoke to Parker instead.

“I’ll be waiting.”

“Good, I’ll be right there.”

As soon as Heather left, Rachel shut the door.

“Who the hell is that, Rick?”

“Heather works at Taggart’s; my partner and I are working a case there.”

“So why is she following you around?”

“She was worried about me and came along in the ambulance.”

Rachel finished placing his wounded arm in the sling and leaned closer.

“I guess you’ve heard that Tim and I are seeing each other again, hmm?”

“No, I hadn’t heard, and it’s none of my business.”

As he headed for the door, Rachel grabbed his good arm.

“Tim and I, we’re not exclusive... if you want I can stop by tonight... I can even stay all night.”

Parker stared at her in disbelief.

“I’m not the sharing type; I thought you knew that by now.”

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest, even as her face grew cold.

“You’re going to be with her aren’t you, that child out there? What is she, twenty, twenty-one? You’re too old for her; you know that, don’t you?”

Parker paused with his hand on the doorknob and looked back at her.

“Yeah Rachel, actually, I do know that, now you have a nice day, hmm?”

And with those words, he went out to join Heather.

6

The next day, Parker was in the Chief’s office with Jo as they talked about the case.

Chief Gabe Howard sat behind his desk and tapped a file laying on top of it.

“Despite their size, all three of those kids you captured yesterday were under the age of eighteen, but they all have juvie records and belong to a gang called, Muerte Soldado, that means Death Soldiers or some such crap.”

“I assume the shotgun was stolen?” Parker said.

“You assume right, and lucky for you that the homeowner it was stolen from loaded it with birdshot, if you’d been hit with double-ought, vest or not, things would have gone much worst.”

Jo reached over and gave Parker’s arm a squeeze.

“My partner’s a hero, by taking that blast he saved a citizen, Heather Jones.”

“So I heard, it was very brave of you Rick, and oh yeah, you’ve a meeting with the shooting review board when we’re through here.”

“I didn’t know we had a shooting review board.”

The chief grinned.

“It consists of me, the mayor, and a member of the town council, but I can tell you right now that it’s being deemed a good shoot. All of the witnesses say that you probably saved lives.”

“It’s all part of the job, speaking of which, when can I come back onto active duty?”

“Tomorrow, or you can take some time if you need to?”

“No, we have to find this man, Nico, and put a stop to things before they escalate even more. Jo told me that the gang members refused to talk, but we all know that Nico Umbria was behind this attack.”

“He’s a hard man to find,” Jo said. “He apparently doesn’t own or rent and there’s no record of him at the DMV. He doesn’t even have a credit card or cell phone in his name.”

“His arrest took place in Freehold; check with the cops there and see if they know where to find him,” Parker said.

Jo nodded. “Good idea, and I think I’ll start with the cop who arrested him.”

***

After Parker had his meeting with the Review Board, Jo walked him out to his car.

“You’re sure you want to come back tomorrow? I can handle things here if you need more time.” Jo said.

“No, I need to get right back at this case. If we’re right, Umbria already killed one man, and now he’s escalating the violence against Patrick Taggart’s customers in order to get him to sell.”

“So where are you going now, home?”

“I actually thought I would go have lunch someplace.”

Jo grinned. “Let me guess, you’re going to Taggart’s to see Heather Jones.”

“I have to eat somewhere.”

“Hey, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. What did you mean the other day when you said that it would be worse if Heather said yes rather than no when you asked her out?”

Parker sighed.

“I... I have feelings for her. They remind me of what I felt for my ex when we first met.”

“So, that’s a good thing, right?”

Parker leaned back against his car.

“Losing Rachel hurt more than I let on, not just her betrayal, but losing her. I thought that she and I would be together forever and I... I can’t go through that again.”

“Heather’s not Rachel, you two just might make it work,”

Parker shook his head.

“Not with our age difference, and hell, the woman will be a heart surgeon someday, while I’ll still be just a cop, an old, broken down cop at that. If we get together, it’ll only be a matter of time until she tires of me, one way or another.”

“You can’t think like that, Rick, if you do, you’ll never be happy again.”

He shrugged. “Just facing facts,” He climbed into the car and lowered the window. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Are you still going by Taggart’s to see Heather?”

“Yeah,”

“Why, when you’re so pessimistic about the two of you?”

Parker sighed again.

“I can’t help myself.”

***

Parker arrived at Taggart’s and found the parking lot nearly empty. Before going inside, he stopped and spoke to the two cops sitting in their patrol car, keeping watch on the place.

They were a man and a woman, both rookies, the man was white while the woman was Hispanic. They were so fresh-faced that they looked even younger than Heather.

“I see that yesterday’s trouble has had an effect on business.” Parker said, after greeting them.

“Yes sir,” the man said.

“Call me Rick, guys, and you’re Ed and Sierra, right?”

They both nodded, pleased that Parker knew their names, his heroism of the day before had made him a bit of a star in the department.

“It’s been real quiet,” Sierra said. “But we’re ready if trouble comes.”

“When do you get relieved?”

“Chief said we could stay until closing, which is good, I could use the overtime.” Ed said.

Parker slapped the car’s roof. “Stay safe guys, and keep aware,”

“We’ll do both, Rick,” Ed told him.

On his way into the bar, Parker saw a beautiful blond sitting in the passenger seat of a black Lexus. After looking him over, she sent him a smile and he sent her one in return.

When Parker entered the bar, Heather and the rest of the staff crowded around and thanked him for his actions of the previous day. He was still wearing the sling, although the numbness had left his arm, but he found that it helped with the wounds to his shoulder.

Heather had to take care of a customer, and so Parker went into the back to speak with Patrick Taggart, but when he entered the small office, he saw that Taggart already had a visitor. It was the man his ex-wife had her affair with, Timothy Hearn.

“Detective Parker, I’m told that you’re quite the hero now.”

“What are you doing here, Hearn?”

“Pat and I were discussing business if you must know.”

“What sort of business?”

“The type of business that is none of your business, but we’re finished now anyway. Pat, think over my offer, that number will only go lower now that I’ve seen how few customers you have.”

“This drop-off in business is temporary, and you know that my grandfather will never sell.”

“Yes, that’s why I’m dealing with you and not him, goodbye gentlemen,”

Parker called to him as he walked out of the room.

“Hearn, that black Lexus out there, is that yours?”

Hearn smiled. “It is, along with the blonde in it.”

“I thought that you and Rachel were dating?”

“That’s also true,”

“I see.”

“Yes Detective, I bet you do.”

After Hearn left, Parker asked Taggart why he was there.

“He wants to buy the bar.”

“Why is he talking to you if you don’t own it?”

“I don’t, but I will someday when my grandfather dies, and well, the man is nearly a hundred.”

“Ah, so he wants you to give him an option to buy, which will come into play after you inherit?”

“Essentially, yes,”

“Interesting,” Parker said.

“Have you had any luck in finding Nico?”

“Not yet,”

“I was going to call you; my grandfather wants to meet you at our home.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow morning, say eight o’clock? My grandfather is an early riser.”

“Fine, my partner and I will be there then.”

Patrick made a face.

“My grandfather is... not liberal minded. He won’t be happy that your partner is a woman, or black, for that matter. Would it be possible for you to come alone?”

“This case is as much Detective Knight’s as it is mine, or have you forgotten that she risked her life here yesterday the same as I did?”

“You misunderstand, I have no problem with women or minorities, but my grandfather is set in his ways.”

“I don’t care what your grandfather likes or doesn’t like. We’ll come by at eight, if he wants to talk, fine, if not, that’s fine too.”

Patrick nodded. “All right, and I meant no offense,”

“None taken, as you said, it’s your grandfather’s prejudice, not yours,”

***

Parker returned to the front and sat at the bar, but Heather pointed at an empty booth in her section, and then told him that she had a break coming up.

He ordered a sandwich to go with his drink before taking out his phone to call Jo.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Mr. Taggart, grandfather Taggart, wants a meeting at his home tomorrow morning at eight, I accepted.”

“Okay, but what’s it about?”

“I don’t know, but maybe we’ll learn something that could help.”

“Why don’t we meet there since it’s so early?”

“Do you know where the house is?”

“Yeah, that big house just the other side of the lake; I’ll meet you at the gates.”

“Good, oh and just so you know, the old man might have a problem with you being there.”

“Because I’m a woman or because I’m black?”

“Both, according to his grandson,”

“Don’t sweat it; it’s nothing I haven’t faced before.”

“I hear you, but listen, there’s something I need you to check out.”

“You’ve got a lead?”

“Maybe, now here’s what I’m thinking...”

***

As Parker hung up from talking with Jo, Heather placed a tray of food on the table and then slid across from him in the booth.

“I’m taking my lunch and break together, so we can take our time.”

“Good,” Parker said, and then he just stared at her.

“What?”

“You’re so beautiful that it takes my breath away sometimes.”

Heather laughed.

“You’re a charmer, Rick,”

“It’s not a line; it’s the truth,”

“You give me goose bumps too. It must mean we have chemistry.”

Parker looked around and counted only eleven other patrons, at a time when the bar is usually nearly full.

“The trouble we had here yesterday seems to have scared off the customers.”

“Not just the customers; two of the other girls called out, and so I’m working until closing, but I expect the tips to be light.”

“Don’t you need time to study?”

“I did that this morning; I’ve been up since five.”

“Are you always an early riser?”

“Only if I have something to do, and that’s true about four days a week, but my travel time for school has been cut down. Starting next week I’ll be taking classes at the new hospital, which is also a teaching hospital.”

“And you live at home, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s just me and my mom. My dad passed away a few years ago, a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thanks, but where do you live?”

“On Maple, close to the new mall,”

“Maple is all single-family homes, you own a home?”

“The bank owns it; I just get to put my name on the mailbox. I was going to sell it after the divorce, but I like the place a lot, and so I used a chunk of my savings to give my ex her share of the equity.”

“Your ex, Rachel? I noticed she seems to still have a thing for you.”

“It’s too bad she didn’t have it while we were married.”

“Do you still love her?”

“I... don’t know,”

“I see.”

“She cheated on me twice, Heather. If she didn’t kill my love, she certainly destroyed my trust.”

“I understand; trust means a lot to me too.”

As they ate, Parker asked her more about her schooling to become a doctor, while she asked him about being a cop. He was surprised to find that they had things in common, despite the difference in their ages. However, he had come to a decision the night before, and he knew that the sooner he acted on it, the better it would be.

“Heather,”

“Yes?”

“I obviously like you, but despite what I might have said in the past... I don’t think we should ever date.”

“Why?”

“I think we’re just too far apart in age.”

She stared at him for a moment, and then looked as though she suddenly understood something.

“You, you’re not getting back together with your ex-wife, are you?”

“No.”

“No, then what is it?”

“Like I said, it’s our age difference,”

Heather shook her head.

“No, that bothers you a little, but there’s something else, isn’t there?”

Parker sat back in his seat and looked down at the table.

“You’re right, despite the age difference I think we would be good together, but I’m not looking for a one-night stand or a fling, and I don’t think that we could go the distance. I think it would be just a matter of time before you dumped me, and I... I can’t go through that again. I can’t.”

He looked up at her as she took his hand, and found that she was smiling.

“You’re very sensitive aren’t you? I wouldn’t have guessed that, and no, I don’t know if we’ll ‘go the distance’, but I’m not looking for a fling either. I want something real just like you do.”

“You must think I’m an idiot. I’m trying to dump you and we haven’t even gone out yet.”

Heather laughed.

“I don’t think you’re an idiot; I think you’re sweet, and honest, so I’m going to be honest with you, as soon as you solve this case and we can see each other, expect me to come find you. Maybe you won’t ask me out, but I will ask you.”

Parker placed money on the table for the food and then stood.

“I need to go.”

“All right, but where are you going?”

He smiled. “I have a case to solve.”

“And then we’ll figure things out, right?”

“Right,”

Heather walked him to his car and stood beside it as he started the engine.

“I don’t work tomorrow, but I’ll be in the next night. Stop by, okay?”

“I will.”

“Or you could call, just to talk?”

“I’ll call you tomorrow, just to talk,”

She leaned down with her arms resting on the door and stared in at him through the open window.

“Hey Rick,”

“Yeah?”

“One kiss wouldn’t hurt, would it?”

“You’re still part of an ongoing case, but then again, I am technically on medical leave.”

Heather grinned, leaned in, and they shared their first kiss.

When they separated, she blushed,

“I’ve wanted to do that for a while now.”

“It’s crossed my mind once or twice too.”

Heather sighed.

“I have to get back to work.”

“All right,”

“Hey,”

“What?”

“I’m not your ex, you know?”

“I know.”

“Good, now go catch the bad guy,”

He smiled. “I’ve never wanted to solve a case more.”

7

That evening, Parker called Jo from his home and could hear the smile in her voice.

“You’ve found something?”

“Yes, your hunch was right. Timothy Hearn and Nico Umbria do know each other. On the night Umbria was arrested for the B&E, one Timothy Hearn was arrested for a DUI. They were cellmates until their lawyers appeared.”

“And now they’re possibly partners. If I hadn’t run into Hearn at Taggart’s I never would have thought of there being a connection, but I found his interest in buying the bar too coincidental. I think he hired Nico to harass the Taggarts into selling cheaply. Patrick Taggart told me that he would love to sell the bar, but he doesn’t own it, his grandfather does.”

“Do you think Hearn can lead us to Nico?”

“Not willingly, and right now all we have is conjecture.”

“Do you think he knew about Nico murdering Woolley?”

“I don’t know, but I think we can use what we know to lure Nico in, and once we have him, we’ll sweat him about the murder.”

“Maybe we’ll learn something useful when we meet with the old man tomorrow.”

“I am curious about why he wants to talk. I’ve always heard that he hated cops, a holdover from his days as a bootlegger.”

“Speaking of meetings, how did your meeting with Heather go today?”

“We had a very nice lunch, and, we grew a little closer I think.”

“I bet you’d like to get real close, hmm?”

“You have a dirty mind.”

“Like you don’t?”

“Guilty as charged,”

“Well, I hope things work out there. She and I spoke some while I was playing bartender, and I like the girl, she reminds me a bit of my daughter.”

“I forgot; you have a daughter her age, don’t you?”

“Yeah,”

Parker sighed.

“What’s the sigh for?”

“I’m too old for Heather.”

“Did she say that?”

“No.”

“Then go for it,”

“Yes ma’am,”

“Don’t call me ma’am; it makes me feel old.”

“Welcome to the club,”

***

The following morning they entered the study of the Taggart home and met Nathanial Taggart.

The man was little more than a shrunken bundle of wrinkled flesh until you looked into his eyes. Once your eyes met his, you knew that despite his advanced age that he was as sharp and aware as anyone.

When the old man’s eyes fell on Jo, his mouth opened in a nearly toothless grin.

“Young lady?”

Knight eyed him suspiciously. “Yes sir?”

“If I was fifty years younger I’d be all over you,” The old man looked up at his grandson. “You didn’t tell me the frail was a sweet piece of ass... and she’s just barely a Negro,”

Jo gave a little laugh.

“That’s insulting on so many levels that I don’t even know where to start.”

Parker stepped closer to the old man.

“What did you want to talk about?”

The old man spoke in between a series of gasps, his breathing obviously affected by his age.

“I didn’t want you cops involved... but since my grandson is spineless, you are involved... and since you are, what are you doing to... to stop this asshole Umbria?”

“For one thing, we suspect that someone is behind his actions, and we’ll be talking to that someone when we leave here.”

The blue eyes twinkled amid the puckered face.

“You’re talking about Timothy Hearn.”

Parker and Knight said nothing and were impassive at the old man’s insight, but his grandson looked shocked.

“Tim Hearn is behind our trouble?”

“He’s someone we want to talk to,” Parker said.

Patrick’s face screwed up in confusion.

“I was his father’s best friend in high school, why would he send an animal like Nico after us?”

The old man waved away the question.

“It’s just business,”

“Actually it’s murder,” Jo said, then added, “Is there anything else Mr. Taggart?”

“No doll, but I will say this... either you two end this soon... or I will. No punk like Hearn is gonna muscle in on... on my bar.”

Parker looked over at Patrick.

“We’ll keep in touch, and we’ll let ourselves out.”

Once they were back in the driveway, Parker asked Jo a question as he massaged his bad shoulder. He had taken off the sling and just let his arm hang loose, but it had put pressure on the stitches.

“What do you think?”

“That’s one nasty old man, but he’s sharp, although we didn’t learn anything new.”

“I did get one thing of value from that meeting,” Parker said.

“What’s that?”

“After meeting him I feel as young as springtime.”

***

Five miles away, in the rear parking lot of a donut shop, Timothy Hearn was in his car, meeting with Nico Umbria.

Nico had just climbed into the passenger seat when Hearn shouted at him.

“Those punks you used nearly killed a cop!”

“You want to say that a little louder? I don’t think everyone heard it.”

Hearn looked around. “There’s no one else back here.”

“Still, I don’t like being yelled at. The last guy who yelled at me was Charles Woolley.”

Hearn hung his head.

“You killed him, didn’t you?”

“It was self-defense. He had me in a bear hug and was crushing my ribs, so, I had to use the knife.”

“All right, but what about the other day? You never said anything about shooting up the bar. I thought that they were only going to cause some damage.”

“It’s all good, since it got the same result; you told me on the phone that the place was dead.”

“Yeah, but Taggart still won’t give me an option to buy.”

“Why do you want that dump anyway?”

“I want the land more than the building, and once I have it, I can remodel the bar and bring in a bigger crowd.”

“Good, that gives me an idea,”

Hearn gave him a worried look.

“What kind of idea?”

“Never mind, you got the money you owe me?”

Hearn passed over an envelope that held three thousand in cash.

“There’s something else we gotta talk about.” Nico said.

“What?”

“My alibi.”

“What alibi?”

“You, you’re gonna be my alibi for Charles Woolley. If the cops ask, I was with you that night at your house. You were home that night, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, but I can’t do that. If they tie you to the murder then they’ll indict me too.”

“I’m in this mess because I was working for you, so either way you’re involved, and if you don’t give me an alibi and I get caught, I’ll say I killed him under your orders.”

“No one will believe that.”

“The cops will, they would love to get two for the price of one.”

Hearn cursed, and when he remembered that Parker was the one investigating, he grew cold from fear. He had slept with the man’s wife, was still sleeping with her. There would be no benefit of the doubt there.

“I’m screwed if they ever arrest you.”

“That’s right,” Nico said, “but as long as we stick to our story that we were together at your house, they won’t be able to do shit.”

“All right, but you can’t hide from them forever.”

Nico grinned. “I don’t plan to.”

***

When Parker and Knight returned to the station, Parker learned that he had a visitor.

When she was pointed out to him by the desk sergeant, he saw that she was a good-looking woman in her fifties with auburn hair. She was seated near the windows and looking over at him with a quizzical expression.

As he grew closer, he saw the resemblance, and knew that she must be Heather’s mother.

“Mrs. Jones?”

“That’s right, and you’re Detective Parker?”

“Yes, how may I help you?”

“May we speak somewhere in private?”

“Sure, um, follow me back outside.”

Parker led her around to the side of the building where a white, wooden gazebo sat amid rows of flowers. There was a bench inside, and they sat and stared at each other.

“Is this about Heather?”

Lyla Jones studied him.

“You’re a big man, Detective. How tall are you?”

“Six-four and a half,”

“And you’re handsome too; I see she was right about that.”

Parker waited, mostly because he didn’t know what to say.

“Heather doesn’t know I’m here.”

“Why are you here?”

“I wanted to get a look at you, and frankly, I want to know your intentions.”

“My intentions?”

“She’s never directly said that you two were dating, but I know my daughter, and I know when someone has won her heart.”

“We’re not dating, but we are... interested in each other.”

“How come a man your age isn’t married?”

“I’m recently divorced,”

“Why?”

“Excuse me?”

“I want to know why you’re divorced. Were you caught cheating?”

“It was the other way around,”

“Your wife cheated, why is that?”

“You would have to ask her about that.”

“Any kids?”

“No.”

“Do you gamble?”

“Usually only when I’m on vacation.”

“Are you a smoker?”

“No.” Parker answered, while thinking that he now knew what it felt like to be interrogated.

“What about drink?”

“A whiskey now and then, and beer a few times a week.”

“Just how old are you?”

“I’m forty.”

“You do know that my daughter is only twenty-two?”

“Yes ma’am, I am aware,”

“Her father was fifteen years older than me, so I know that the age thing isn’t always a problem.”

“Has Heather dated older men in the past?” Parker asked.

Lyla Jones smiled.

“My daughter doesn’t have any Daddy issues if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I guess I was,” Parker admitted.

“If you’re so interested in Heather then why aren’t you dating her?”

“She’s part of the investigation I’m working on, she’s on the peripheral, but still connected. Until the case is resolved, dating her would be unethical.”

“Then I guess you best solve that case, hmm?”

“Yes.”

Lyla Jones stood and Parker followed suit. She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing.

“You seem all right, but don’t you ever hurt my daughter or I swear you’ll regret it.”

“I would never hurt her, and I’m glad we’ve met.”

“Um hmm, goodbye Detective,”

Parker watched her drive away. When he went back inside, he found Jo waiting for him.

“Did that concern the case?”

“No, that was Heather’s mother.”

“So, did you pass scrutiny?”

“Absolutely.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’m still alive,”

A man entered the station and both Parker and Knight looked at him in surprise. He saw the expressions on their faces and smiled as he offered his hand.

“Hello detectives, my name is—”

“—Umbria, you’re Nico Umbria,” Parker said, and then he took Nico’s hand and shook it.

8

Nico Umbria sat across from Rick Parker with a confident smile lighting his face.

“I heard from my friend, Tim Hearn, that you were looking for me, and so I came in to talk.”

They were in one of the all-white interrogation rooms. Jo stood as Parker and Nico took the only two seats. She was leaning against the door, studying Umbria.

“Timothy Hearn is a friend of yours?” Parker said.

“That’s right, although I hear that’s not true for you. He stole away your woman, didn’t he?”

“We’re not in here to talk about me. We have questions for you.”

“Fire away; I’ve nothing to hide.”

“How well did you know Charles Woolley?”

“I met Woolley once. Patrick Taggart was there, he can tell you.”

“And that was your only meeting?”

“Yeah, the dude was a jerk. He threatened to kick my ass and all I did was offer to buy the bar.”

“What do you know about the string of vandalism the bar suffered a few weeks ago?”

“Not a thing,”

“And the attack the other day?”

“I heard that was done by some gang.”

“The gang is called, Muerte Soldado, and it was our understanding that you’re a former member.”

“I’ve never belonged to a gang.”

“The Camden P.D. says different,”

Nico shrugged.

“They’re wrong, what can I tell you?”

“You can tell me where you were the night Charles Woolley was murdered.”

Nico opened his mouth and then shut it. He was just about to say that he was with Hearn that night, when he realized that Parker hadn’t mentioned a date. Some of the cockiness left his manner, as he realized that Parker was no fool.

“Tell me when he was murdered and I’ll try to remember where I was.”

Parker gave him the date, and Nico made a show of searching his memory.

“I was at Tim Hearn’s that night, yeah, the two of us were watching TV.”

“And he’ll back that up?”

“I guess he’ll remember.”

Parker stood.

“We’ll be right back Mr. Umbria; please wait here,”

When they stepped out into the hallway, they found Chief Howard staring at Nico through the one-way mirror.

“What do you think, Chief?” Jo said.

“He’s lying.”

“I think so too, but he must think that Hearn will back him up,” Parker said.

“Mr. Hearn is waiting in my office with his lawyer.”

“He’s here with his lawyer? That was quick; we just called him when Umbria arrived.”

The chief laid a hand on Parker’s shoulder.

“Jo will be talking to him alone, Rick.”

“Why, because he slept with my ex-wife?”

“That, and, Rachel is here with him,”

“I see; they’re trying to upset me, probably hoping that I’ll do something stupid.”

“Which you will not do, because you won’t be anywhere near them,” the chief said.

Parker ran a hand through his hair.

“Gabe, I can handle seeing them together. Rachel and I are divorced.”

“I’m sorry, Rick, but no, and to tell you the truth, I should probably take you off this case now that Hearn is a part of it.”

Parker raised his hands in surrender.

“No, don’t do that. You’re right, Jo can handle Hearn.”

“Is there anything in particular you’d like me to ask him?” Jo said.

“Yeah, ask him why he’s such a prick.”

Jo laughed as the chief shook his head.

“See, this is why you’re staying away from him.”

***

Jo sat behind the desk in the chief’s chair as he stood beside her. Across from them in a set of three chairs were Hearn, Rachel, and Hearn’s lawyer, a white-haired man named Manetti.

After introductions were made, Jo studied Hearn and thought that he looked nervous; she also noticed that Rachel was gazing at her with a critical eye, as if she were making a judgment about something.

Jo ignored her staring and spoke to Hearn.

“Thank you for coming in on such short notice.”

“It’s not a problem; I’m willing to help in any way I can.”

“Where’s Rick?” Rachel asked.

“Detective Parker is busy interviewing someone else.” Jo said.

“You two don’t do interviews together?”

“Not always,”

“But you do other things together, don’t you?” Rachel said, and Jo heard the venom in her tone.

She’s jealous. She thinks that Rick and I are sleeping together and she’s jealous. Jo thought.

She ignored Rachel and asked Hearn about his whereabouts on the night of the murder.

“I was home watching TV with an acquaintance of mine, a man named Nico Umbria.”

“And are you two good friends?”

Hearn smiled. “I said we were acquaintances, not friends,”

“I’d like you to sign a statement that reiterates what you just told us.”

The lawyer, Manetti, held up a hand.

“Why does he need to sign a statement? He’s come in willingly and answered your questions.”

“We find that people become forgetful and that stories change over time, and so we like to get all statements on record.”

Manetti turned to Hearn. “I’d advise against signing anything.”

Hearn held both hands, palms up. “I’m going to follow my attorney’s advice.”

“I see, but tell me Mr. Hearn, do you have any involvement in the acts of vandalism and violence that have been perpetrated against the bar called Taggart’s?”

“No. I would never be involved in such activities.”

“Do you know anyone who would be?”

“If I did, Detective, I would tell you.”

“Even if they were a friend... or an acquaintance?”

“Yes. I don’t condone such behavior.”

Jo looked up at Chief Howard and he shook his head slightly, she then looked back at Hearn.

“Thank you for coming in, and if you think of anything helpful, please call.”

Hearn stood and headed for the door, but Rachel paused for a moment to glare at Jo, before walking out, her head scanning back and forth in an effort to spot Parker.

“Do you think I should have pushed on the affidavit?”

The chief pointed at the ceiling, where the camera and microphone were, a camera and microphone that looked like an ordinary smoke detector.

“We have all we need on camera. Go tell Rick to cut Umbria loose, but to make sure he gives us a way to contact him.”

“It’ll probably be no good.”

“No, Umbria’s cocky, he thinks that Hearn’s lie will protect him forever, but he’s wrong. I know you and Rick will nail him someday.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, but now that Umbria has an alibi, this case is dead in the water.”

***

A few minutes later, Jo and Parker watched a smiling Nico step on the elevator.

As the doors closed, Parker held up a slip of paper for Jo to see.

“He listed Hearn as his contact. I think those two are covering each other’s butts.”

Jo told him about her interview with Hearn, and also about Rachel’s behavior.

“I’m sorry if she gave you any grief, but she seems to have more interest in me now than when we were married. She was also rude to Heather the other day.”

“Some people want something more when they can’t have it.” Jo said.

“I know the feeling. Heather is off-limits until we solve this case, and it looks like that’s not going to happen anytime soon.”

Jo looked thoughtful.

“You know, if Hearn wasn’t with Nico that night, he might have been with someone else, and that someone might just be your ex-wife. We need to check her whereabouts, and if they were together, she’ll either have to back up Umbria’s alibi or deny he was there.”

“I hope you’re wrong about that. We’re through as a couple, but I don’t want to see her go to jail for perjury, or as an accessory.”

“Still, it’s an avenue to explore,”

“You’re right, and I’ll talk to her about it.”

“If she tells all she knows, I doubt the D.A. will go after her.”

Parker let out a long exhale.

“The chief was right; this case is becoming too personal for me.”

“You can handle it; just let me deal with Hearn.”

“Fine, but if it ever comes time to put the cuffs on and lock him in a cell, he’s mine.”

Jo grinned. “I would never deny you that pleasure.”

***

Rachel and Hearn talked as he drove them back to his home.

“Why are you lying to protect this man, Nico?” Rachel said.

“Who says I’m lying?”

“I remember that night, and you were with me, not him. Remember, I cooked you dinner and then we ordered a movie.”

“That was that night?”

“Yes, and there are ways I can prove I was there that night. I’m sure Rick and his sexy new partner will figure it out soon as well, and when they do they’ll ask me about Umbria.”

“You’ll say he was there too, if you know what’s good for you.”

“Are you threatening me?”

Hearn reached over and took her hand.

“You know I’m not like that, but this guy Nico... he’s unpredictable. You don’t want him after you, trust me.”

“If I came forward, Rick would protect me, I know he would. After all, he loved me enough to marry me, unlike some men.”

Hearn released her hand and then pulled to the curb that bordered the park.

A few hundred feet away, a group of kids played on a baseball diamond.

“You’re trying to blackmail me, aren’t you? You’re trying to blackmail me into marrying you?”

Rachel smiled.

“I just think that we’d be good together. I understand you, Tim, that one woman isn’t enough for you, and that wouldn’t have to change if we were married.”

“And if I don’t marry you, you’ll go to your ex and tell what you know, tell him that I lied?”

Rachel leaned across the seat and kissed him passionately.

“Would marriage to me be so bad?”

“I could tell Nico to have a talk with you.”

“And if anything happened to me, then Rick would never leave you alone, and would probably hurt you. I might be his ex, but he still loves me.”

Hearn sat quietly as he stared out the window, but when he turned back to Rachel, he was smiling.

“Would you settle for a small wedding?”

She grinned. “I love you too.”

Hearn pulled back onto the road and Rachel looked sideways at him.

“Tim,”

“Yeah?”

“Marriage will be nice, but there’s one more thing,”

“What’s that?”

“Taggart’s, I know you’re going after it and I know you’ll get it. You always get what you want.”

“Not always, but what’s your point?”

“I want half of it, the two of us partners in it.”

Hearn closed his eyes for a second as he sighed.

“And then I suppose you’ll want half of everything else, hmm?”

“No, just Taggart’s,”

“Why?”

“I think owning a bar would be fun, and I’ve grown tired of nursing.”

“Just Taggart’s, but I get to run things, not you, deal?”

“Deal,”

Hearn shook his head.

“I don’t know who’s tougher, you or Nico,”

“When we get to your house, I’ll do things to you that Nico never could.”

“I like the sound of that,” Hearn said, and drove faster.

9

That night, Parker called Heather as promised, but was surprised when the first words out of her mouth were words of apology.

“You don’t have to apologize; your mother was only looking out for you.”

“It still makes me look like a child.”

“You’re young, but I’ve never thought of you as a child.”

“How do you think of me?”

“I could say, but as a police officer I shouldn’t engage in phone sex.”

Heather laughed, and the sound made Parker wish that he could reach out and hold her.

“So, how is the case going?”

“Ah, things are a mess, but we’re hoping to uncover the truth soon.”

“I thought that man, Umbria, was your main suspect.”

“He still is, but there’s been a complication,”

“But you’ll still solve it, I know you will.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Are you working tomorrow?”

“Yeah, the evening shift, but I called earlier and they said that business is dead; it’ll just be me and one other girl.”

“I’ll stop by there for dinner,”

“All right, and Rick?”

“Yeah?”

“Solve this case; I want to be able to do more than talk on the phone.”

“We’ll solve it; we’ve only begun to put on the pressure.”

***

Hours later, Nico applied a little pressure of his own, as he walked about the circumference of Taggart’s with a five gallon can of gasoline.

When he was done, he strolled off into the woods, where he dumped the empty can behind a tree; he then took off his gloves and walked back to his car.

***

Taggart’s began serving food at eleven each day, however, long before the cooks arrived, there were workers on site doing prep work, such as peeling potatoes and refilling supplies.

Sal Venno arrived earlier than anyone, including the man who delivered the day’s bread from the local bakery. He had been at Taggart’s for many years, and other than a change in the weather, one day at work was much the same as another.

Today would be different.

As soon as Sal rode his bike into the parking lot, he smelled the fumes and braked to a stop.

After looking around, he walked to the building and saw Nico’s handiwork. Knowing that one spark could set the building aflame, he took out his cell phone and called the fire department, then, he rode his bike back to the edge of the driveway, where he made another call, this one was to his boss, Patrick Taggart.

***

An hour later, Parker and Knight stood beside Taggart as they watched the fire department spray down the building.

“I don’t understand why someone went to all that trouble but didn’t light it.” Taggart said.

“It’s because it’s cheaper to renovate than to rebuild,” Parker said.

“You think Tim Hearn is behind this, don’t you?”

“Absolutely,”

“So does my grandfather. He called Hearn and asked for a meeting.”

That news surprised both Parker and Knight.

“He’s willing to give in to him and sell?” Jo said.

“I don’t know. I do know that I would sell. I can’t stand the thought of anyone else being hurt, and look at this, what if this had happened during business hours.”

Parker had been thinking that same thought.

“Mr. Taggart, when and where is this meeting between Hearn and your grandfather taking place?”

“At eight p.m., at the house,”

They watched the fire department finish up their work, and then the fire chief walked over and told Taggart that the building was safe again, but cautioned that ideally, the wooden steps and latticework should be replaced.

Taggart thanked him and headed toward the front door.

Parker called to him, and pointed out the police car that was keeping watch.

“There will be someone here night and day for the time being.”

“Thank you, but I’m just going inside to call everyone and tell them to stay home. Safe or not, I’m not opening our doors again until things are settled.”

“And you think this meeting will settle things?”

“My grandfather thinks so,” Patrick said, and then he went inside.

“Things are getting out of hand.” Jo said.

“I’m going to speak with Rachel. If she knows anything, maybe I can get her to talk.”

“Do you want me along?”

“No, I think it would be best if I talk to her alone.”

“All right, and good luck,”

“Thanks, I’ll need it.”

***

Timothy Hearn heard the knock at his back door and found Nico standing there.

“What the hell did you do now?”

Nico smiled. “That’s how you say good morning?”

“I’m serious. Old man Taggart called me and said he wants a meeting at his house. He said that my latest ‘stunt’ crossed the line. What was he talking about?”

“I doused the building in gasoline.”

Hearn’s face went white.

“You burned down the building?”

“No, I just soaked its base in gasoline, but it got the message across. By the way, I was here last night. The two of us played cards until dawn.”

“You want me to alibi you again?”

Nico smiled and slapped Hearn lightly on the cheek.

“We’re in this together, Timmy, now tell me, what time is the meeting?”

“It’s at eight,”

“I’ll go in your place.”

“You’ll go?”

“I’m sure I can get a lower sale price than you can, and the less you pay for the bar, the more you’ll have left to pay me.”

“What if the police have bugged the place?”

“Let them. I’ll admit to nothing and only name a figure. Either the old man accepts the deal or he gets more grief.”

Hearn walked about in a circle with his hands pressed against the side of his head,

“I should have never gotten involved with you.”

“This is just the beginning, Timmy, in a few years we’ll own this town.”

Hearn dropped into a chair and sighed.

Out in the hallway, Rachel turned and slowly eased back up the stairs. When she reached the top, she heard the back door open and close. She rushed to the bedroom window and saw Nico climbing over the rear fence.

Her phone rang. When she checked the caller ID, her eyes widened in surprise, even as her lips spread in a smile.

“Hello Rick,”

“Good morning, Rachel,”

“To what do I owe this call?”

“I need to talk to you. Can we meet this morning?”

“Sure, I’m on second shift today, so why don’t I come over and make you breakfast?”

“No, I’m already out and about, but I could meet you at the Main Street Diner.”

“All right, I’ll be there in an hour, and Rick?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve missed you.”

“I just want to talk, Rachel.”

“Whatever you say,”

***

Parker made it to the diner first and snagged a booth in a back corner.

When Rachel arrived, he felt his heart speed up as he watched her walk his way. She was a beautiful woman and a part of him still loved her.

When she reached him, she leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.

“I’m so glad you called.”

“You may not be when you hear the reason.”

A waitress came over. She was pretty, but Parker thought her smile looked tentative, as if she could sense his distress over this meeting. After he and Rachel had both ordered only coffee, the girl returned swiftly with their cups and then disappeared.

Rachel pushed her cup aside and smiled seductively.

“Why don’t we go back to the house? You know you want to.”

“Stop it. This is not about us. I’ve come here to warn you.”

The smile left Rachel’s face.

“Warn me about what?”

“Nico Umbria is not someone you want to tie yourself to, Jo and I are certain that he killed Charles Woolley, and he’s also behind the trouble at Taggart’s.

“Jo and you are certain? Jo and you do more than work together, don’t you?”

“What?”

“I met her yesterday; and yes, she’s beautiful, but I bet she doesn’t move you like I do. Take me home, Rick, and I’ll make you forget all about that partner of yours.”

Parker hung his head and closed his eyes, as he tried to keep his anger in check.

“Joanna Knight and I are not sleeping together; she’s my partner on the job, and a friend.”

Rachel studied him.

“I believe you.”

“Good, now, back to Nico, we know why Hearn is offering him an alibi, the two of them are working together to buy Taggart’s cheaply, but there’s no reason why you should let them drag you into this thing. Come back to the station with me and make a statement.”

“What was the name of the girl who came to the hospital with you the other day?”

“Her name is Heather, but now listen to me, we will question you eventually and it’s much better if you come in yourself. We’ll find out the truth anyway. If you lie to protect Hearn or Nico it will not end well, and then there won’t be anything I can do to help you.”

Rachel stared at him, as her features grew harsh.

“You’re bedding that girl, aren’t you, that girl Heather?”

“What? Rachel, listen to me. If you get tangled up in Hearn’s lies it will drag you down with him.”

“That girl is young enough to be your daughter, Rick.”

“That’s none of your business, now will you come back with me to the station and talk?”

Rachel stood and glared down at him.

“I’m not going to help you hurt Tim, and once we’re married you won’t be able to make me testify against him.”

“Married? You’re marrying him?”

“That’s right, so go have fun with your teenager and leave us alone.”

Rachel walked out of the diner in a huff as Parker sat stunned by the news of her impending marriage. By the time he roused himself and went outside, she was driving away.

He took out his phone and called Jo.

“So, how did it go?” She asked.

“She’s not going to help us, or herself, how about on your end?”

“I put in requests for Hearn’s and Rachel’s phone records, but Nico doesn’t own a phone, at least not one in his name. I’m also trying to get a warrant to check Hearn’s computer records; maybe we’ll find something there.”

Parker said nothing in return.

“Hey Rick, you still there?”

“I’m here, but... the chief was right. I’m too close to this case now that we’re investigating my ex-wife and her lover. As much as I hate to do it, I’m going to bow out of the investigation.”

Jo sighed.

“I was actually going to bring that up when you got back. I’m glad you came to the conclusion yourself.”

“You don’t need me in order to solve it. You’re one of the best cops I’ve ever worked with, but I do have some news for you.”

“What’s that?”

“Rachel told me that she and Hearn are getting married.”

“I’m sorry if that hurts you, Rick.”

“Thanks, but I was actually thinking about how it might impact the case. If she’s willing to marry him, she’ll definitely lie for him.”

“I agree, so I’ll have to break both of their alibis, but one way or another, we’ll get Nico for Charles Woolley’s murder.”

“I know you’ll do it, now I’d better call the chief.”

“All right, and I’ll keep you informed.”

Parker called Chief Gabe Howard and told him about his decision. The chief not only agreed, but told him that he would have been reassigned in any event. He also suggested to Parker that he take a few days off to let his injuries heal properly.

Parker declined that offer, but did opt to take the rest of the day off. He was no longer investigating the murder of Charles Woolley, and so Heather was no longer off limits.

Also, Taggart’s was closed, and that meant that Heather had the evening free.

He drove to her home, and as he did so, he passed by the scene of a previous murder, the murder of Tiffany Grace.

He slowed as he drove by the Kents’ home and saw that it and the Grace home next door both had For Sale signs in their yards. Both homes also looked uninhabited and no cars were parked in their driveways.

He shook himself free from the memory of the sad events that had taken place inside the Kent home, but cheered as he parked in front of Heather’s house and spotted her car.

When she answered the door, she let him in, but then gave him a subdued smile and asked him why he was there.

“I’ve come to see you of course,”

Heather folded her arms over her chest.

“I have a friend who is a waitress at the diner. She told me that she saw you having breakfast with your ex-wife. Is there something you want to tell me, Rick?”

“It wasn’t a date, Heather. It actually involved the case. The man she’s seeing has given Nico Umbria an alibi, and I was warning her not to get involved.”

“Is that why she kissed you?”

Parker grinned. “You’re actually jealous?”

Heather unfolded her arms and gazed up at him with a pleading look.

“This isn’t funny, and I have to know that I can trust you.”

Parker opened his arms.

“Come here,”

Heather hugged him and he spoke to her.

“You can trust me. I know what it’s like to be betrayed and I would never hurt you. Rachel did kiss me before she sat down, but she left in a huff because I tried to warn her that she was heading for trouble.”

“But now that she’s part of the case you’ll be seeing more of her, no?”

“No, because now that she’s a part of the case I can’t continue to work on it. I’ve been reassigned.”

“So your off the case, how does that affect us?”

Parker smiled, lowered his head, and kissed her,

“Does that answer your question?”

Heather let out a squeal.

“I want to go on a date, our first date. What time do you get off today?”

“I’m free all day.”

She turned and stared at a coffee table full of textbooks.

“I’m supposed to be studying for a test, but I guess I could study late tonight instead.”

Parker shook his head.

“No. You keep studying and I’ll come back at six and pick you up. How does dinner and a movie sound?”

Heather grinned. “It sounds great.”

After they talked a little longer, Heather walked him out to his car.

As he started the engine, she leaned in and gave him a kiss.

“I can’t wait until tonight.”

“Me too, and why don’t we go to Philly? I know a lot of good restaurants there.”

“That sounds good.”

Parker drove home, feeling happier than he had in a long time, and although he was off the case, he couldn’t stop thinking about it, and his mind turned to the meeting scheduled that night at Nathanial Taggart’s home.

Was the old man willing to back down to Hearn’s pressure, or were things going to escalate?  He let those thoughts go and returned his mind to Heather Jones.

“Our first date,” he whispered to himself, and then smiled.

Life was good.

10

“Life is shit, boy; don’t you know that by now?”

Patrick Taggart looked down at the scowling face of his aged grandfather.

“It doesn’t have to be shit. There’s a whole world out there besides this little town, and I can’t believe that Tim Hearn is giving us so much grief over a bar.”

“Hearn thinks I’m so old that I’m done, and he knows you have no backbone, so why not move in and take things over?”

Patrick sank into a chair and checked his watch; it was eight o’clock.

“Tim should be here any minute and then we’ll hash out a sale price.”

His grandfather rolled the wheelchair closer and stared at him in disgust.

“Do you really think I’m selling that weasel my bar?”

“Aren’t you?”

“Hell no!”

“Well then, why have the meeting?”

The old man’s gaped-tooth grin was cagey.

“You’ll find out, and when he gets here, you answer it. I sent Margaret off to her sister’s for a few days.”

“Why did you do that?”

The bell at the gates rang and the old man nodded.

“Let our guest in, and let’s get this show on the road.”

***

When Patrick returned with Nico, the old man pointed at him.

“Who the hell are you?”

“My name is Nico Umbria.”

“Umbria is Italian. You ain’t no Italian,”

“My father was Italian, and my mother was Cuban, but I’m not here to discuss my roots; I’m here to buy a bar.”

“Where’s that bastard, Hearn?”

“Tim and I are friends. He sent me to negotiate for him, and by negotiate I mean that he’ll pay you exactly half of the last offer he made.”

Patrick looked stricken.

“Half? But, his last offer was insult enough. He must be joking?”

Nico moved closer to Patrick, uncomfortably close.

“If you think we’re joking then you haven’t been paying attention.”

Patrick backed away and scurried behind his grandfather’s wheelchair. Nico laughed as he watched him, and then took a seat across from them in a leather wing chair.

“What’s it gonna be old man? Do we make a deal, or do we continue to dance?”

Nathanial Taggart chuckled, and the sound was so filled with phlegm that it made Nico clear his own throat.

“Let me tell you something boy, I’ve been dealing with punks like you for over eighty years, and I’ll tell you just what I told the others.”

Nico smirked. “And just what would that be?”

“Die,” the old man said. “I told them to die.”

As he talked, a withered hand slipped beneath the blanket on his lap and found the gun hidden there. It was an ancient .32 Colt.

The old man fired while the gun was still under the blanket and the first bullet hit Nico in the chest.

Nico looked down at the blood spreading across his shirt in amazement, and then jumped up. As he charged the wheelchair, a second shot was fired at an upward angle and the slug caught him above the right eye and entered his brain.

Nico screamed while clutching his head, and then fell backwards to the carpet, where he twitched in spasms with his eyes closed.

Patrick had staggered backwards into the desk and was half sitting on it when his grandfather spun the wheelchair around and smiled at him.

“That’s how you handle punks, Pat, and let me tell you something boy, it works every time.”

Pat stared at his grandfather, a look of horror on his face.

“You, you, you killed him, murdered him right in our house.”

“He ain’t quite dead yet the way he’s twitching, but he will be... and he ain’t the first man I shot in this house; believe me... although it’s been a while since the last one.”

“Oh God, the police will lock you away, even at your age, they’ll lock you away.”

The old man gave him a confused look.

“What the hell are you talking about? Once you bury this sorry sack of shit... he’ll be forgotten, and I guarantee you that Tim Hearn won’t try any more nonsense. Now, go get a shovel and dig a hole in... in the woods before he starts to rot.”

“Are you mad? The only thing I’m going to do is call the police and an ambulance, maybe, maybe they’ll believe it was self-defense.”

The old man reddened with rage.

“Police? Damn you boy, be a man for once. We don’t need no police... especially that woman. Now, go do like I told you and... and get a damn shovel.”

Patrick picked up the phone on the desk to dial.

“Put that phone down! Damn you Pat, you listen to me, I—aaaghhh,”

Nathanial Taggart grabbed at his chest as he clenched his eyes tightly.

“Grandfather!”

Patrick replaced the phone in its cradle and went to him, but there was nothing to be done. The old man stiffened in his chair, let out a gasp, and slumped back in his seat, dead.

Patrick checked his pulse and found nothing, and the age-speckled flesh already felt cool to the touch. On the floor, Nico continued to twitch, but the spasms were growing less intense.

For the second time that night, Patrick staggered backwards to the desk, but as he gazed at the dead form of his grandfather, two words entered his mind.

I’m free.

***

Parker had turned his phone off that night so that nothing came between him and Heather, and so didn’t learn of the events at the Taggart estate until he checked his messages after taking Heather home.

The date had been fantastic and he and Heather realized that despite the difference in their ages that they viewed the world in similar ways.

Parker found her more mature than many of the women he had dated and realized that her commitment to becoming a doctor was total.

Between her classes, studying, and job at the bar, there was little time left for a social life. Parker was a man who worked long hours himself at a job that was more than a way to make money, and he both understood and appreciated what it would take for her to reach her goal of becoming a heart surgeon.

The date ended in a deep embrace with the promise that there would be more dates to follow, and Parker couldn’t wait.

***

Two weeks later, Parker and Knight sat at their desks, after having just finished doing the paperwork on their capture of a burglary ring.

They had caught the three-man crew in the act as they were loading stolen goods into a van. The van was parked in the driveway of the house that was being robbed, and a watchful neighbor had called and reported suspicious activity.

Parker took a sip from his cup and looked over at Jo.

“Are we still on for Atlantic City, Sunday?”

“Sure, Matt and I are meeting you at your house at eight, and then we’ll go have breakfast, or do we have to pick Heather up first?”

“Heather will be with me.”

“Is she staying the night?”

Parker smiled. “Yes she is,”

“Good for you, I’m glad things are working out.”

“Working out? I’ve never been happier.”

“Speaking of happy, your ex-wife is now Mrs. Timothy Hearn, I also hear that she’s going to be half-owner of Taggart’s.”

“She called me the night before the wedding.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I wished her well and told her I was with Heather?”

“What did she say about that?”

“She hung up.”

“I’m actually surprised that Patrick Taggart has agreed to sell Hearn the bar. I would think he’d be the last person he would sell to.”

“He told me that he got the last laugh anyway. It seems Hearn was under the impression that the land on the other side of the lake came with the bar, but it doesn’t, in fact, the old man left the house and the land to Patrick’s younger brother, Nate Taggart.”

“How come I’ve never met him?”

“I’ve never met him either and the chief said that he left town years ago. He also said that he’s more like his grandfather than is good for him.”

Jo sighed.

“I would have liked to have arrested Nico for Woolley’s murder.”

“You still might get your chance someday.”

“No, the doctors think Nico’s coma is irreversible.”

“So, Hearn got the bar, got free of his involvement with Nico, and got my ex-wife,”

Jo stood and grabbed her jacket off the back of the chair.

“If Hearn was stupid enough to get mixed up with Nico, then he’ll slip up someday,”

They rode down in the elevator together, and as they were walking out the door, Parker’s phone beeped, informing him that he had a text. It was Heather, telling him that she was free and would meet him at his house.

Jo waved to him. “Have a good night.”

Parker smiled.

“Count on it.”

AVAILABLE NOW!

PARKER & KNIGHT

BOOK ONE – MURDER!

BOOK THREE – GAME OVER!

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About The Author

Donald Wells is the author of numerous short stories and novels, including The TAKEN! Series, The Caliber Detective Agency, Blue Steele, Monsters & The Reynolds Family Saga.

He lives deep inside a writing cave in the wilds of New Jersey.

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COPYRIGHT

HOMICIDE!

Copyright © Donald Wells, 2014

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced,

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without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Did you love Homicide!? Then you should read Game Over! by Donald Wells!

From Donald Wells

The author of The Taken! Series, Blue Steele & The Caliber Detective Agency

Game Over! - Parker & Knight - Book Three

It's eight months later as we join Rick Parker & Joanna Knight at Taggart's grand reopening.

The bar's new owners, Timothy Hearn and his wife Rachel are flying high.

Parker is also living the good life as his relationship with his girlfriend has never been better.

However, Rachel, his jealous ex-wife and her conniving husband, Hearn, have plans for Parker, plans that will tear his life apart.

Unfortunately for them, the past has come to call, and the Hearns will need Parker's help just to survive.

This is the third, and of course, the last installment of the Parker & Knight Trilogy.

Read more at Donald Wells’s site.

About the Author

Donald Wells is the author of The Taken! Series, Blue Steele, Monsters, Caliber Detective Agency & The Reynolds Family Saga.

When he's not writing he spends his time reading and when he's reading, he wishes he were writing.

A man of many talents, Mr. Wells invented the now much used term .com as well as the word "Dealy"

Before becoming a writer, Mr. Wells spent years as an aspiring pianist and was often known to spend hours at practice. If he had ever had access to a piano, who knows what heights he might have achieved.

A renowned Chocoholic, the town of Hershey, PA. is considering erecting a statue in his honor.

A little known fact: Mr. Wells was one of the original Back Street Boys.

Another of his talents is the writing of bogus biographies in the third person.

To learn about Mr. Wells' new releases and enjoy bonus content, please visit, www.donaldwells.com

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Read more at Donald Wells’s site.