Lives Ruined, Bloodshed

Chapter 19

Jenson Kimberley worked alongside his brother at City Views Real Estate. The main office was in central San Diego and offered a nice city view when you stepped out of the elevator. Walsh had collected Jenson's contact details from the officer that had taken them before leaving the crime scene. They had contacted Jenson's mobile number, only to get his voicemail, so they tried the office. The polite reception had informed them that Mr Kimberley was in a meeting but would be available afterwards. So, they got the address of the office and drove down to meet him.

Veronica hadn't been too surprised to find out the Jenson had returned to work after finding his brother and sister-in-law dead. It was most likely the only thing keeping Jenson from falling apart. Following the normal routine was a good way to help with grieving, but that was only after one had actually let out the grief and didn't go straight into denial.

Walsh walked up to the receptionist to let her know they were there to see Jenson, and Veronica took in the space. The pictures on the walls ranged from pieces of minimalistic art to personal photos. There was a group shot of what looked like the team of City Views and one of Jensen and Tristan. They had their arms around one another as they stood beside a sold sign. Their first sale, perhaps.

"Mr Kimberley can see you now," said the young receptionist. She directed them down the hall and stopped at a glass door. She knocked before stepping inside. "Mr Kimberley, Special Agents Mars and Walsh."

Jenson Kimberley stood and nodded. "Thank you, Annabeth." He held out his hand. "I apologise that I couldn't stay longer to speak with you at…." He paused mid-sentence and swallowed.

Walsh shook his hand. "It's not a problem at all, Mr Kimberley."

"Jenson, please."

Veronica shook Jenson's hand and said, "We just have a few questions. I know you have given your statement, but we'd just like to go over it again."

He nodded. "Of course."

"First off, what were you doing last night between ten and three?" asked Veronica.

"I was at home. I watched a few a movie on Netflicks and went to bed," he explained.

"Any way to verify it?" asked Veronica.

Jenson frowned. "No. Am I a suspect?"

"No," said Walsh, "but we do need to be certain."

Jenson nodded. "Well, I was alone."

"You didn't see anyone at all?" asked Veronica.

Jenson shook his head.

Walsh took a seat across from Jenson and said, "Can you tell us what led you to go to your brother's house."

Jenson nodded and leant his elbows on his desk. "Tristan and I had a meeting this morning; a big client, one of our biggest and we were sitting down to do our initial discussions. Work out what the client is looking for. But Tristan never showed. I left half a dozen messages, but he never called. I tried Mandi, but she didn't answer either. So, I decided to go and check on them. I thought I'd find them playing hooky; Mandi liked to be a bit spontaneous some days, and she would get Tristan to take her out. I didn't expect to find them dead."

"What was the house like when you arrived?" asked Walsh.

He said, "Nothing looked strange from the front, and no noise was coming from inside. The door was locked, so I let myself in."

"You have a key?" asked Veronica.

Jenson nodded. "Yeah."

She asked, "Would anyone else have keys to the house?"

"Mandi's best friend might. I'm not sure, though."

"What's her name?" asked Walsh.

"Brooke Henley."

Walsh nodded. "Thank you. And when you let yourself, besides finding Tristan and Mandi, did anything else look off to you?"

He shook his head. "No. I didn't really look, though. I went straight to Tristan and couldn't find a pulse; I checked Mandi too and then called 911."

Veronica asked, "Now, is there anyone you can think of that might want to hurt your brother and his wife?"

He said, "No. Tristan was one of those guys that everyone liked. I'm the brother that caused trouble."

"No upset clients? Crazy ex-girlfriends?"

"No clients, but there was one ex you might consider crazy. But Tristan dated her back in high school."

"What about Mandi?"

"Not that I know of. Mandi didn't have a lot of friends besides Brooke. She'd probably be the person to ask."

Veronica smiled and said, "Okay, no problem."

Walsh stood and said, "Thank you for your time, Mr Kimberley. If we have any further questions, we will be in contact."

Jenson nodded. He walked them to the elevator and waited until the doors closed. As Veronica and Walsh stepped outside, Veronica said, "I somehow feel he wasn't just watching a movie last night."

Walsh asked, "Why?"

"His office; he has it displaying every achievement he has ever made. He likes to show off. Do you really think that he spent a Friday night alone?" Veronica slid on her sunglasses.

Walsh sighed. "I suppose not. Did you want to go and talk to Brooke Henley?"

Veronica nodded. "Yeah." Her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw Logan's name. "Just give me a minute."

"I'll get the car." Walsh turned and walked off.

"Hey," said Veronica as she answered.

"Hey." Logan sounded drained.

"You okay?" she asked.

Logan sighed. "Yeah. Carrie was a mess. It's hard to see her in such a way."

Veronica nodded. She didn't like this Carrie situation. "Did she call her sponsor?"

"No, I did when I got here. She was wasted, coming down from a high. She—" Logan cut himself off.

"She what, Logan?" Veronica felt she wasn't going to like what he said next.

"She tried to kiss me." Logan's words were barely audible.

The green jealously monster flared in Veronica's chest.

"I stopped her before she could; told her she couldn't do that. I told her that I was with you."

Veronica closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay." She wasn't really sure what else to say.

"Veronica, please don't be mad. I left her with her sponsor," he pleaded.

"Logan, I'm not mad at you." She was pissed that his ex had tried to kiss him. "I just don't think it's healthy for you to let Carrie keep using you. She needs to learn to stand on her own two feet."

"Yeah." Logan groaned into the phone. "I just…I'm worried about her."

"I know. But it isn't up to you to fix her." Veronica saw Walsh pull the car up. She started walking towards her. "I'm sorry if I'm being harsh; I'm worried about you. And I'm also worried that Carrie will try to take you back."

"Bobcat, no one is taking me away from you."

She smiled. The sound of his nickname for her made her heart skip. "I want to believe that. I really do." She looked up at Walsh, who asked her what was taking so long. "I gotta go. Walsh is waiting."

"Okay. Dinner tonight?"

"Sounds good."

"Great, I'll pick you up from your dad's at 7. Pack an overnight bag. I love you."

"I love you too."

Getting into the car, Veronica felt a little better. She trusted Logan; she didn't think he would ever hurt her. But she didn't trust other people, including Carrie or herself. Veronica had to be careful and make sure she didn't fall into old habits.

"Everything alright?" asked Walsh.

Veronica nodded. "Yeah, Logan just has ex drama."

Walsh cringed. "Oh. That can't be good."

"Never is."

Veronica and Walsh drove across town to meet with Brooke Henley. With the contact information provided by an analyst from the San Diego field office, Veronica had called her and organised for them to meet her at her apartment. She was living in Ocean Beach in an apartment building that overlooked the water. It was a flashy place.

Veronica and Walsh signed in at the security desk before taking the elevator up to the fifth floor. They walked down to the end of the hall and knocked on apart 5G. It only took a moment for Brooke to open the door.

"Hi, you must be Agents Mar and Walsh," said Brooke.

Walsh smiled. "I'm Walsh; thank you for taking the time to speak with us, Miss Henley."

Brooke stepped back and welcomed them in. "Of course. I was a little surprised about a call from the FBI, but whatever it is, I'd be happy to help if I can." She led them into her living room. "Can I offer you anything to drink?"

"No, thank you," said Walsh.

"I'm fine," said Veronica.

They all sat.

Brooke asked, "So, what can I do for you?"

Walsh sighed. "Unfortunately, we come with some bad news. Mandi and her husband, Tristan, were found dead this morning."

Brooke's face broke. The warm smile crumbled, and her eyes became glassy. "What?"

"We are very sorry for your loss, Miss Henley," said Walsh.

Tears fell down Brooke's face. "Oh my god, Mandi." She buried her face into her hands and started to cry. She pushed herself up and said, "I just need a moment."

Veronica and Walsh gave her a moment. They let her process the information and didn't push. Veronica took that moment to take in Brooke's apartment. She could see photos of Mandi around the room; some looked recent and had both of them smiling and laughing. There was a photo with Brooke, Mandi, Tristan and Jenson. Stepping closer to the photo, she noticed the body language. Mandi and Tristan had their arms wrapped around one another, ever the happy couple, but so did Jenson and Brooke. She wondered if they had dated previous, or possibly they were just good friends. Jenson had given the impression that they barely knew one another.

Brooke came back into the room; her eyes were red, her cheeks puffy. "I'm sorry."

"Not at all," said Veronica.

Brooke sat back down on the couch and asked, "What happened to Mandi and Tristan?"

Walsh sighed. "It appears they were murdered."

"By who?" Brooke's voice cracked.

"That is what we are looking into," said Walsh.

Veronica said, "We need to know if Mandi had expressed any concerns to you. Was there ever someone she noticed following her? Or was there someone in her life that she felt uncomfortable around? Someone that scared her?"

Mandi sniffed. "She hasn't mentioned anyone recently, but there was one guy. I don't know his name, but she met him a the grocery store. He told her that he watched her food blog and that he was a fan. Mandi was polite and took a photo with him, but he kept showing up. At cafes, restaurants, when we went to yoga or to the gym. There were times when she found him sitting in his car watching the house."

"Did she contact the police?" asked Veronica.

Mandi nodded. "Yeah. But he never did anything to hurt her. They gave him a warning, and whenever he showed up, they always came and made him leave, but he never crossed the line where they could arrest him."

"You said recently, did he stop showing up?" asked Walsh.

Brooke shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe. She just didn't really talk about it, and cause she didn't mention it, I kind of assumed he'd decided to leave her alone."

"Do you know if Tristan ever had a run-in with this guy?"

"Yeah, he did. The first time he was outside their home, but he was standing on the footpath. Tristan went outside and scared him. Threatened to beat the shit out of him."

"Besides this man, is there anyone else in either Mandi or Tristan's life that you think might have been angry enough that they would have killed them?"

Brooke furrowed her brow and started to pick at her nails. "Not anyone I can think of. Mandi wasn't overly social; she didn't have a tone of friends. Through all of school, I had to drag her out to do stuff by her hair. And Tristan, besides defending Mandi, he was the kind of guy you would find it hard not to like."

"Mandi have an ex's?" asked Veronica.

Brooke said, "Yeah, one. Her high school boyfriend, Freddy Hammond. She actually met Tristan through Freddy."

"How so?"

"Freddy and Tristan were college roommates for the first two years."

Veronica raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah. It was a bit of a drama when Tristan and Mandi got together. But that was months after she broke up with Freddy."

"Is Freddy his full name?" asked Walsh.

Brooke said, "No, it's Freddrick."

"Great, thank you." Walsh stood and said, "I think that is all the questions we have for now."

"I hope I was some help."

Walsh nodded. "You were."

"I have one last question, actually," said Veronica. "Tristan's brother, Jenson. Are you two seeing one another?" She pointed towards the photo she had seen before.

Brooke frowned. "Not anymore. We were engaged up until about ten months ago."

"What happened there?" asked Veronica.

"Does it matter?"

Veronica nodded. "I'm sorry to pry, but every detail could be important."

Brooke sighed. "He called out Mandi's name while we were having sex."

Veronica had to lock her jaw to keep it from popping open. "Oh."

"Yeah. Not exactly the thing you want to hear when you are supposed to be making love to the man you're going to marry."

"Did Mandi and Jenson have an affair at any point?" asked Veronica.

Brooke shook her head. "No. Jenson swore they didn't. He admitted that he was in love with her but knew he would never have her. He wouldn't ruin the relationship he had with his brother. But that didn't stop me from kicking him out on his ass."

Veronica said, "Right. Thank you for your time, Miss Henley."

Brooke nodded. "Please let me know how your investigation goes."

"Of course," said Walsh.

As they reached the footpath, Veronica turned to Walsh. "It seems Mr Kimberley didn't share everything with us."

"No, I suppose you wouldn't want to share when you are in love with your brother's wife," said Walsh.

Veronica said, "So, what? Jenson pined after Mandi for years, and finally, one night, he snapped."

Walsh shrugged. "Maybe. It would explain how the table was set. Good china for family."

Veronica nodded. "That's true. So Jenson goes over, sees how happy they are. Snaps and attacks Tristan. Manages to knock him down enough that he can temporarily restrain Mandi. Ties Tristan to the chair and then takes what he always wanted?"

"Not unreasonable."

"We just need to confirm to hear back from the coroner."

"Do we look into this possible stalker?" asked Walsh.

Veronica nodded. "Yeah. I think we should also speak to this ex-boyfriend, Freddy. From what Brooke said, Tristan may have stolen Mandi. That could have left some bad blood."

Walsh nodded. "Alright."

"But let's wait for the coroner report first. Get some more details," said Veronica.

"Sounds like a plan. That means I can head home and hang out with my little guy." Walsh smiled.

"Your husband at home with him?" Veronica asked.

"No, I'm divorced," said Walsh.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Walsh smirked. "I'm not. He was a terrible husband. The only good thing about him is that he's a good father and is still happy to get me off when I need it."

Veronica raised her eyebrows. "Wow. TMI."

Walsh laughed. "Not all of us can reconnect with our old flames."

Veronica smiled.

"How is Logan?"

Veronica nodded. "So far, so good. He's taking me out for dinner tonight."

"Well, have fun. Me, I need my little man, some pizza and wine."

Before they could head off and do what they wanted to do, Walsh and Veronica had to report to Whitaker. They arrived at the field office, and Veronica was surprised at the mess. It seemed that the floor was getting a makeover, and some offices were being moved. Walsh led Veronica to Whitaker's office, which seemed to have been temporarily shifted into the conference room they had used during their last case.

"Mars, thank you for helping out again. I know you had put in time off," said Whitaker.

Veronica nodded. "Of course, sir. Happy to help."

Whitaker smiled, which surprised Veronica. "How did it go?"

"We have three possible suspects; Mr Kimberley's brother, Mrs Kimberley apparently had a stalker, and her best friend made mention of an ex-boyfriend," said Walsh.

"We just want to hold off until we get the coroner report before we speak to anyone else," added Veronica.

Whitaker nodded. "Sounds good. You can take your leave."

Walsh smiled and jumped towards the door, and Veronica turned to follow.

"Mars, if I could have a word," said Whitaker.

Veronica sighed. She somehow wasn't surprised and wondered if he was about to ask her about the promotion. "Of course, sir."

Whitaker waited for the door to shut behind Walsh, then said, "I know you haven't accepted the job yet, but I just wanted to let you know if you have any questions or concerns; I am here for you."

Veronica nodded. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate that."

"I don't know if Hitch mentioned this, but you have been in the running for this role for a few months now. We have been considering five candidates, and all of them, including you, are excellent agents. While your history with a few of the witnesses from your previous case was useful, the real reason Hitch sent you here was so I could watch you work."

Veronica wanted to frown; it had been a test; of course, it had been a test. She was going to throttle Hitch.

"Your file could only tell me so much, but I was extremely impressed with how quickly you put it all together."

"I didn't do it all on my own, sir."

"No, of course not. But it wasn't just that, it was the way you led Walsh, Pierce and I believe the analyst's name is Jimmy?"

Veronica nodded.

"It is the type of person I want here running this office."

"Thank you, sir. I am honoured to have been offered the role, but it is a big change, and I'm still trying to determine if this is what I want."

Whitaker nodded. "Good. Someone who rushed into such a position wouldn't do very well. Take your two weeks. Until then, which office would you like?"

Thank you so much for reading.

I would love to hear what you think. Even if it's as simple as a 'can't wait' all feedback is appreciated.