Chapter 16

I felt like we’d run head-first into a road block. I felt like I was spinning my wheels with the interviews I’d already had, and was getting nowhere.

“Let’s go over this to make sure I have this,” Johnson said. “You guys have talked to everyone, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you leaning toward eliminating anyone yet?”

“No. Based on the interviews, I can’t say we have a lean either way with any of them. But I can definitely say everyone seems to have a motive,” I said.

“What details do you have besides the pictures?”

“Effridge was stabbed thirty-five times.”

“That sounds like someone who knew him, and was really mad,” Johnson said. “What else?”

“There were no signs of a forced entry. Effridge was shot twice, but had no defensive wounds, and no bruises on his body. The ME’s got a man’s size eleven New Balance sneaker print from the scene, plus they recovered a couple of hairs. We talked to the neighbor who swore he’d seen everyone who was in and out of the apartment that Friday, but as the conversation went on, his details became really sketchy.”

Johnson sighed. “Who do you feel most compelled to follow up with?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I think the two people who I really want to make a top priority to talk to again are Jonathan Calhoun and Larissa MacDonald. We need to understand why Calhoun hired a private investigator. I’m also wondering if he sent those pictures to Billy Clark.”

“The better question is, if he sent them, why? What was he hoping would happen as a result? Did he know Billy had a bad temper? Did he think Billy would do something crazy or violent?” Johnson added.

“Those are good questions. I wonder if he had pictures sent to anyone else, too. Now that I think back, I want to say Larissa said something about a private investigator,” I said. “I didn’t think much about it at the time.”

“Then we definitely need to talk to her to see if she was sent pictures, or find out what she knew.” Johnson sifted through a few of the photos, then set the rest still in his hands down. “Have you guys checked the life insurance policy to see who the beneficiary is?” Johnson asked.

“Jones was going to do that. I’m not sure if he had a chance to do it yet, though,” I replied.

“No worries, I’ll do it,” he said. “We can begin with follow-up questions tomorrow and see who we can eliminate from this mess. There has to be at least one person that we can cross off the list.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I said.

“One more thing,” I said. I removed the schedule and the paper that had Megan Green’s name highlighted. I explained the tutoring to Johnson. We both knew we had to find her.

We agreed to get a good night’s sleep, then start fresh the next day. Johnson left, but I stayed for a half hour, looking over the pictures again.

“Who did this to you?” I asked aloud,  staring at a bloody Effridge sprawled out on the floor in the apartment.

****

I got to the precinct early the next day. I had tossed and turned all night. This case had me wound up so tight it was impossible to sleep. I knew my best hours would be this morning, but I was determined to push through the day to cover as much ground as we humanly could.

I pulled the photos from my desk drawer and fanned them out. From the outside looking in, Chase Effridge seemed to have it all. Maybe a little bit too much. Good looks, a wealthy wife, a dream job, a beautiful mistress, and an infant son. But then his world came crashing down. In an instant, his life had been ended. But by whom? And why?

I was a couple days into the investigation and no closer to having any answers. On top of the unsettling lack of direction, my partner had been replaced without any warning. I hadn’t talked to Sarge or Jones yet, and honestly, I wasn’t sure either would tell me anyway. I knew if Jones was taken off this case for personal reasons, I had no right to ask, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to know why the sudden switch.

“Hey.” Jones’ voice startled me. My head snapped in his direction. “Do you have a minute?”

“Sure,” I replied. I stood and followed him to the break room. Once we stepped through the doorway and I saw it was empty, I asked, “Is everything okay?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Remember that night I got called away for a family issue?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it was my brother. I told you he’s been battling some pretty serious problems, and he took a turn for the worse. I have to go home. I don’t know when I’ll get back.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that. If there’s anything I can do, just say it,” I said.

“Just catch the person who killed this guy, that’s what I want you to do. Prove to everyone, including yourself, that Sarge gave this case to the right person.”

“I will. I’ll text you as soon as I get this figured out,” I said.

Jones smiled. “Cool. I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you.”

“When are you leaving?”

“I’m heading out today. I wanted you to hear from me what’s going on.” Jones poured himself a cup of coffee, then turned his gaze back at me. “One last thing. Johnson’s really good, but don’t let him take over. Hold your ground. He’s a good guy, but he’s really aggressive.”

“Thanks for the heads up. I’ll make you proud.” I patted him on the back. “Take care of your family, and don’t worry about any of this.”

He took a sip of his coffee before he placed the lid on the cup, and then with a tilt of his head he left. I could see the dampness in his eyes. I knew from previous conversations his brother was a handful and had been battling some pretty wretched demons. Most of his issues seemed to be drug- and gambling-related.

When I returned to my desk, Johnson had arrived. He turned and looked in my direction.

“Did you talk to Rob?” he asked.

“Yeah. That really blows.”

“Yep.” There was an uncomfortable silence that hung in the air for several minutes. Neither of us said anything else about the situation, but the emotional camaraderie we had with our brother left a lot of thoughts unspoken. We knew it wasn’t for us to chatter about, but it lingered in the back of my mind.

Johnson cleared his throat, bringing me out of my reverie. “Where should we start? I’m following your lead.”

“Let’s go find Mrs. Dupree. While we’re there, we can get her appointments and begin checking to see if there are any holes in her alibi, or not. And we need to get Effridge’s life insurance information like you suggested.”

Johnson held out his arm in the direction of the door. “After you,” he said.