Intent: Bending Justice Book 2 Read online

  “That could still support a theory that it was a stranger,” said Sallie. “Someone could have gotten in without damaging anything, found her here, and hit her. Once she was down, she was a much easier target, and they must have struck in several rapid blows to get that type of accuracy.”

  Reese disagreed. “I don’t think so. Nothing was missing from the house. A burglar would have taken something for their trouble. I think whoever did this knew she was in the bath. They knew her habits. Her schedule. They came in when she’d be vulnerable. This supports the theory that the attacker was her husband, someone who knows her well. Not a stranger.” He wanted to nail the husband for it, knowing he was the most likely candidate, and he already knew the man was cheating and with whom.

  “Or they were simply someone who knew a way in and wanted her out of the way. Don’t be so quick to discount anything.” Sallie cleared his throat and turned his question to Dr. Lewis. “Have you got any ideas of what could have been used? He’s going to have to find that murder weapon. He needs a good, solid case and more than circumstantial evidence if he’s going to make anything stick.”

  Dr. Lewis took a metal prodder and pointed to the wounds. “My best guess, from my experience, is this could have been a hammer. A hammer is a hell of a lot easier to find, that’s for sure. There’s one in every household. And this one was heavy enough to get a deadly fracture. They had to know it was going to kill her when they used it.”

  “And there is no way this is from the tub?” Sallie hadn’t been around to see the scene and held out his hands in defense of his idea when Reese sighed with aggravation and shook his head.

  “No way.”

  “I just want to make sure that we’re not spinning our wheels for an accident,” Sallie said.

  “We’re not,” said Dr. Lewis. “A tub wouldn’t cause that fracture unless someone picked it up and whopped her in the head with it, especially in that location. You just don’t fall on that part of your head and get that direction of a wound unless you’re trying to do handstands on the side of the tub. I bet if you check, this woman was no acrobat.”

  “I just have to make sure,” said Sallie. “I’ve seen stranger things in all my years.”

  Reese felt a little bit slighted because Sallie hadn’t taken his idea seriously. But he knew better than to speak up about it. He was just lucky to have a case at all.

  “Have we interrogated the husband yet?” Sallie asked. “Does he have an alibi? What do we know about him?”

  Reese shook his head. “No, it’s too early. He’s supposed to come down when he leaves the funeral home. He wanted to make some preparations for her. I knew we couldn’t hold him without evidence, so I didn’t make him wait.”

  Sallie nodded. “Daniel Davenport is a wealthy man, too, isn’t he?”

  “Yeah. He’s in real estate. Big developments. He’s worth quite a bit, and supposedly, she was about to file for divorce and take her fair share. The two of them fought about it, according to the sister. I asked her to come down to the station as well. The two were very close to the victim, as you can imagine. Sounds like she was telling her everything that was going on in the marriage, just from what I got from her at the scene.”

  “That’s going to come in handy,” said Sallie. “Just remember, she’s biased. I want to identify the exact weapon, and you’re going to have to look for any other possibilities to rule out while looking into Davenport. We’ll get you a team together.”

  Reese didn’t want him to pass it off to someone he wasn’t familiar with yet. Even though he had been in the office for months now, he still hadn’t worked with most of the team after being kept so close under Sallie’s wing for so long. “Could I suggest Oliver, sir? He’s been doing fine work on the case so far. No sense in ruining the gumbo with too many cooks.”

  Sallie breathed in deep and nodded. “Sure. Have him do some comparisons. I want you to know exactly what you’re looking for, and then I want you to go and find it. Have you searched the property for anything?”

  The case was still so fresh, having occurred early the previous morning, and Reese had barely had time to breathe. “Not more than the standard procedure. But I have the house sealed off. No one is allowed in at the moment, especially our suspect, much to his dismay.”

  Sallie looked at the woman and shook his head. “I hope that bastard is inconvenienced. Anyone who would do this to a woman is an animal. They don’t deserve to live.”

  “So you think he did it?”

  “My gut says yes, but we can’t use that to cheat the system. We have to make sure we can back it up in court.”

  Reese felt the same way and could understand what he was up against. He even felt he had an advantage but decided to keep the information he had to himself for now. If he told Sallie about what he knew about Daniel Davenport’s love life, he would have to admit to following Kay Havelin, whom he had no good reason to follow. He’d have to wait for a time when he didn’t incriminate himself.

  “I’ll send over some photo evidence files concerning strikes with hammers,” said Lewis. “Just for comparison.”

  “Could I see them?” asked Reese.

  “Sure, I wasn’t sure which it was with the triple strike. I figured your boys could do that part.” He reached over and found the file he still had out for his own comparison.

  “We’ll get it,” said Sallie. “But, if you had to guess?”

  Lewis pursed his lips. “If I had to choose, I’d say this type of hammer.” He took a slip of paper from the manila folder and pointed to one of the bigger ones shown on the chart.

  Reese looked at the photo and back at the wound. “I think you’re onto something. The roundness of the area could be a good match. I’ll have Oliver check this one first.”

  “No,” said Sallie. “Give it to him with the others. Let’s see what he finds on his own. I don’t want him to have anything to influence him. Then maybe we can be more certain.”

  “Agreed,” said Lewis, taking off his gloves. “I’d go to the hardware store and pick one up to be sure too, but I think you’ll see I’m right.”

  Reese understood it was best to cover all bases. “I’ll do that, thanks. I’m so used to passing things off to you guys. I keep forgetting that I’m one of you now,” he told Sallie.

  Sallie patted him on the shoulder. “You’ll get used to it.”

  Reese bid Dr. Lewis farewell, and Sallie did the same.

  As they walked out, Sallie cleared his throat. “You did well in there,” he said.

  “Thanks. You know, I saw a lot worse when I was on vice.” He had witnessed murders and more abuse than one person should ever have to endure seeing.

  Sallie nodded as if he had let it slip his mind. “I know. I keep forgetting you actually had a big career before the accident. Anyway, I best get back to the office. I have a meeting in an hour.”

  “Oh? Did you forget that the husband is coming in? I thought you wanted to see him. I wanted you to observe the interview.” He hated to do an interrogation without a witness.

  “I can’t. I have too much to do. But you can handle it, can’t you? I’m sure you could find someone to sit in.”

  Reese knew better than to say no, even if he couldn’t. But deep down, he felt confident and strong that he was going to handle it well.

  “Good, I’ll talk to you later. Don’t forget to run out and find that hammer.”

  “Thanks.” He nodded, knowing that he would probably have time to do that while he waited on Davenport to show up. Perhaps having it visible as a prop might stir some emotions. Maybe it would help him get a rise or even a confession out of Davenport.

  He went to the office and found Oliver looking at prints. “How’s it going?” he asked. “Are you working on the prints from the tub?”

  Oliver stood upright. “Yeah, but there isn’t anything good. Two are the victim’s prints. And the one on the faucet, I think it’s hers too. It’s a bit smudged, though. None are going to be worth anything in court.”

  “What about the doorknob?”

  “I found three there. One, I identified as the victim’s, and the other two are partials. There’s nothing else. I need Davenport’s prints to compare his. It would help a lot.”

  “When he comes in, I’m having him give me a DNA sample, as well as prints. It will help to rule him out. At least that’s what I’m telling him.”

  “Well, his prints should be all over that room anyway. It’s in his house.”

  “True. But I’m hoping to find the murder weapon. There won’t be any denying he had something to do with it if his prints are the only ones there.” Reese handed him the packet from Lewis. “Here are some things to make a comparison to. See which puzzle piece fits and take into consideration that Lewis thinks it’s stacked wounds. There are a few strikes in the same place. They are only off by a sliver.”

  “That’s good to know because it will make it tricky,” he said. “Does he have any ideas what it is? I know he’s got an eagle eye for these things.”

  Reese wished he could tell him something. “He didn’t say. I think he wants your uninfluenced opinion.”

  “Wow, it’s about time they feel that way about me. I guess I’m honored.” Oliver rolled his eyes and let out a huff, seemingly frustrated.

  “I told them what a good job you’ve been doing with the case.” He really felt they had overlooked Oliver for too long.

  “Well, thanks for speaking up for me. No one else ever has.”

  “Don’t forget what I said, Oliver. Now and then, it’s okay to speak up for yourself.”

  “I’ll have to remember that. It seems to work for you.”

  “Sometimes.” He’d had to fight his way back into the fold, but it hadn’t always worked out in his favor. “Do you think you could have something for me by the end of the day?”

  “Yeah, give me an hour,” he said with confidence. “Usually, comparisons don’t take too long. Most will be easy to rule out based on size alone.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll be in the office most of the day, but I have to run out for a minute. Call if you need me.” He had to make a quick trip to the hardware store before the day got away with him.

  “Sure thing.” Oliver nodded as he took the folder and opened it. The photo of the large hammer was right on top, and Reese wondered if he would take that as a hint. He couldn’t tell him anything, but he could make it easier for him.

  Reese walked out of the room and hoped that he would start with the obvious. The sooner they got that figured out, the better. He needed something solid if he wanted to make an arrest.

  CHAPTER 3

  KAY

  Sipping her coffee, Kay walked into the office with no intention of telling Marnie or Scott anything about the events from the night before. She had a long list of boring calls to make for a client, and she was ready to take them on without much ado.

  “You’re here!” said Marnie. “And just in time for a sweet treat!”

  Kay looked at the plate on the breakroom table where Marnie had brought her usual tray of goodies from the local bakery.

  “What’s the special occasion this time? Am I missing something?” Kay tried to rack her brain. Was it Scott’s birthday or something equally as important? Marnie’s had been the month before when Kay had brought an Italian Crème cake.

  “No reason. I just saw these platters in the window and thought they’d be delicious.” Marnie had a very unhealthy sweet tooth.

  “Well, that was sweet of you. Thanks,” said Kay. Her phone rang in her bag as Marnie plucked a triple fudge brownie from the plate and bit into it.

  “God, this is the best,” she said. “I don’t think my day could get any better.” Marnie closed her eyes to take another bite.

  “Actually,” said Kay, ignoring a call from Davenport. She wasn’t ready to speak to him with Marnie in the room and figured she could call him back at a more convenient time. “I might have something that trumps that brownie. You said that you were interested in the townhouse before. I wondered if that was still something you’d consider?”

  Marnie’s eyes lit with shock. “Do you think I’ve changed my mind already? No way. I would love to live there. Are you selling?”

  “No. Sorry. I’m only leasing for now. I might be interested in doing a lease to own in the future, but for now, it just has too many memories. I want to get away from them for a bit, but I don’t think I’m ready to let it go.”

  “Let what go?” asked Scott, walking in with his nose in his phone. He walked to the counter and glanced away long enough to start a cup of coffee in the coffeemaker.

  “I’m going to be moving into her townhouse,” said Marnie before shoving the rest of the brownie into her mouth.

  “Wait, you’re selling? You could have told me. I would have bought it as an investment.”

  “What do you need with another investment?” He could barely deal with what he already had piled on his plate, including his ailing father.

  “To make money.” He shrugged. “If you’re not going to live there, why keep it?”

  “Because it holds too many memories. That’s what I was saying when you came in.”

  “Awful memories, if I remember correctly.”

  “Not all awful. So, let’s just drop it.”

  “I heard that Finch lost his temper with you,” he said.

  Kay glanced at Marnie as if she had no right to tell anyone what she’d told her. “Yeah, he went nuts and started accusing me of killing Casey. Can you believe that? Anyway, I don’t want to talk about him.”

  “That’s right,” said Marnie. “I think we should talk about my rent. No offense, but I can’t agree to anything unless I know how much.”

  “Of course, I was thinking about twelve hundred a month.”

  “Wow, that’s reasonable, but since it’s just me, eleven hundred might be a little easier on me.”

  Kay sighed. She had already given her a deal compared to where she was living before. But it was Marnie, and she would take care of the house. “Okay, you’ve got a deal, but I need a month up front, and you’ll have to transfer all of the utilities.”

  “That’s perfect!” Marnie let out a squeal. “I can’t wait.”

  “Good, because I’m not waiting. I plan on going to the other house tonight.”

  “Tonight. Wow. When are you moving out?”

  “I was hoping you could arrange something.”

  “I know just the place. They have these hot college boys come out with their shirts off. They’ll move you out and me in no problem.”

  “Okay,” said Kay, smiling at the look on Marnie’s face. “I don’t have much anyway. I did a lot of purging when Casey left. Book them for me?”

  “Sure, I’ll get you moved out and me in. We will be in by the end of the week.”

  “I understand if you need to give your landlord notice.”

  “He won’t care. He will probably be glad to see me go. He’s always got people chomping at the bit for an apartment.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Thanks so much,” said Marnie. “You’re a great friend, Kay. And this will give me time to save up in case you decide you ever want to sell it.”

  Scott cleared his throat, and Kay looked up to see he was pointing to himself for that deal.

  “You two have fun,” she said, picking up an ornately decorated cupcake on her way out. She bit into it and nearly gagged on the sweetness. By the time she got to the office, she had tossed it in the trash.

  When she sat down at her desk and reached for her cell phone to call Daniel back, Marnie knocked on her door. “Oh, I was going to ask. If you’re at the other house tonight, do you mind if I bring that deposit by and get a tour of the house?”

  Kay wasn’t going to get much done with Marnie over, but she wanted that deposit. “Sure. What time?”

  “Oh, it won’t be until around eight. If that’s too late, I’ll understand, but I have a massage booked.”

  “No, it’s good if you can make it.” That would give her enough time to get things done to settle in and give her enough time to continue her search for the money.

  “Perfect. I’ll let you know if something changes. I’ve been so excited to see it. I’ve just been so busy.” She let out a sigh, and Kay nodded, looking down at her phone.

  “I should really make this call.”

  “Oh, of course. I’m so sorry. I’m just so excited.”

  “I understand, Marnie. It’s going to be great for the both of us.”

  When Marnie shut the door, she picked up the company phone and dialed Daniel Davenport’s number from her private phone contacts, only to get a busy signal. That was rare to have that happen anymore, but she was eager to talk to him, so she decided to call his office phone, hoping to reach him that way.

  His secretary answered. “Davenport Enterprises. How may I direct your call?” She wasn’t her usual chipper self, and Kay wanted to ask her if she was having a bad day but refrained from doing so.

  Instead, she got to the point. “I am calling for Daniel Davenport. I seem to have missed a call from him.”

  “He’s in a meeting,” she said. “I’d suggest you call back later.” Her tone was still not too kind. Kay assessed that the girl had a hint of jealousy in her tone.

  “Could you give him a message?” She wanted to add, since it is your job, but decided to take the high road.

  “As long as it’s concerning business, yes, I can.” She gave more of the same clipped tone.

  Kay didn’t understand the woman’s intense attitude. “Of course, it’s business. Could you tell him that Kay Havelin called? He’ll know how to reach me.”

  “Yes, I’ll do that.”

  “Thank you.” The phone went dead, and Kay was left talking to herself. She smiled and put the phone down on her desk. Kay reached for the office phone and went about her day like nothing could faze her.

  CHAPTER 4

  REESE

  After a quick trip and buying two different hammers at the hardware store, Reese stood in the lab with Oliver and watched as he made his final comparisons to Dr. Lewis’s charts and photos.