Couples
Chapter 94
Colleen Ford swallows and checks her expression in the mirror before answering Kate's knock on her door. "Detective Beckett, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. Did you find out anything about who killed my wife?"
Kate follows Colleen's unspoken invitation to enter the apartment. "I did find out some surprising information." Kate studies Colleen's face as she continues. "Did you know Calista was accused of extortion?"
Kate watches a flush rise from Colleen's face to her neck. "People accused Calista of all kinds of things to try and keep her from doing her job." Colleen's chin juts. "There was nothing to any of it."
Kate holds up the screen of her phone for Colleen to see. "This is the cover of Calista's file at the 112th Precinct in Forest Hills. I spoke to the lieutenant in charge of the detective who took her case. Access to the contents is restricted to law enforcement and the D.A.'s office, but I can tell you that the investigation so far deemed the complaint credible. Care to try again?"
"Calista told me that she was looking into ways to make more money," Colleen admits. "I thought maybe she was thinking about consulting or something. But she never told me any details, I swear."
"You told me she kept lists and records of everything. If she was involved in anything illegal, where would those records be?" Kate questions.
Colleen gazes around the room. "You already looked in her desk and fire safe. The only other place I can think of would be her safety deposit box at the bank. It's at the branch three blocks from here. With everyone banking at ATMs and online, it's the only brick and mortar bank left in the neighborhood."
Kate nods. "All right. Colleen, have you ever heard of a company called Sunglow or of a Walker Buck?"
"The names don't ring a bell," Colleen claims, but Kate can see the muscles at the hinge of the woman's jaw pop. She knows more than she's admitting. The question is, how much more?"
"Any progress on your case?" Rick asks as Kate drops her bag on a chair near the door and slips out of her shoes.
"I think so, but I'm waiting for a warrant to confirm it. And Ryan and Esposito are supposed to give me a full report on their second canvass tomorrow morning. But so far, I'm liking my person of interest."
"What do you mean liking?" Rick teases, pulling her against his body.
Kate rolls her eyes. "Liking him for murder. But I'm also liking what I smell coming from the kitchen. What is that?"
"An audition of sorts. Auchincloss is looking at other chefs to fill in for him at Imagination Patch while he works on his pot pie restaurant venture. Presenting a signature dish is part of the try-out. I'm warming up a sample he passed on to me. I'll be interested in what you think of it. Lily too. It's supposed to be family-friendly. It's friendly to this family. I spent the time I would have needed to make dinner from scratch roughing out another chapter."
Kate takes a deep breath. "If the taste is anywhere as good as the aroma, the dish is a slam dunk."
Rick inhales and grins. "It should be fun finding out."
"More!" Lily demands, banging her spoon against the tray of her high chair.
"Seeing as she hasn't been watching Mother's old video of Oliver, Lily is expressing her approval," Rick assumes, spooning more food into the bowl firmly held in place by a suction cup.
Kate taps her fork against her plate. "So am I. I think Auchincloss found himself a winner. Did Mark recommend him?"
"It's a her," Rick corrects. "And sort of. She was on his list. But Auchincloss caught her on Battle of the Chef Stars. She lost, but not because of her cooking, at least according to Auchincloss. She was nervous in front of the camera and screwed up a presentation."
"I know how she must have felt," Kate interjects.
"But at Imagination Patch, she'd be strictly back of the house," Rick continues. "Only her culinary skills will count."
Kate grabs a piece of bread to sop up the last of the sauce on her plate. "Then if all her work is even half as good as this, You should give Auchincloss your blessing to hire her."
"I will enthusiastically transmit your assessment," Rick responds. "So given happy tummies and that you're waiting on the judge, how do you want to spend the rest of the evening? Oh, speaking of judges, isn't it about time for Eli to take center stage in Flatt's trial?"
"A couple more days, unless Markway moves it. Eli must be going crazy with it right on top of the election. I'm wondering if Markway will want to sequester the jury, at least until the election coverage calms down. Unless the court can find 12 people who live in caves with no T.V. or internet, it's bound to prejudice the jury one way or another," Kate speculates.
"I wouldn't want to be a judge telling those civic-minded citizens that they may not be able to hang with their families this time of year," Rick comments.
"I don't know," Kate considers, "I've met plenty of people who look for any excuse to be away from their families until at least the second week of January."
Rick reaches for her hand. "That's a human tragedy."
Kate leans over the table for a kiss. "You may be right."
Walker meets Gina in a booth in the darkest corner of Sophia's Sanctuary. "I hope this place lives up to its reputation for privacy. The police know I, or at least my truck, was in SoHo. And they think I was there because of the death of Calista Ford."
"Well, you weren't. They can't find the evidence to convict anyone in my family of the hits they did. I don't know how they could get evidence against you for one you didn't."
"Maybe not," Walker accepts, "but our relationship could be exposed, which would be a problem for both of us."
"Why would a cop care about who we see if she could even find out? Calista went up against the wrong family and got herself killed. If the cops realize what that bitch was stupid enough to try to do, I don't think they'll shed any tears for her. They'll probably let the case cool down and go on to another one. And that A.D.A who brought down the two families is pushing his case against that real estate guy. The cops can't run to him on this one. I don't think you have anything to worry about. I don't think we have anything to worry about.
Gina studies the card of specials clipped to the menu. "Giuseppe must have met the boat at the dock this morning. He made cioppino. That and a glass of wine should get your mind off the cops. And if it doesn't, I can think of something later that will."
Walker smiles for the first time that day. "How did I ever find you?"
"By looking for business in a neighborhood where you didn't belong. But it's good I paid attention in Sunday school when the teacher told us to welcome the stranger."
Walker strokes her cheek. "That you did."
"Good," Gina declares. "Let's order."
A/N Guest, a true landline from the phone company as opposed to cable, has a line voltage. It is not digital and won't go out during a regular power failure. They still exist. We have one in our kitchen that comes straight out of the wall, with no central base. No wireless connection. When everything else goes out, it still works great.