The Peake Sisters
Chapter 6: Just a Concerned Friend"Didn't know you guys were into motorcycles, how do you know the Peake sisters?" came a sharp question from Mitch as he stood at the doorway to the office.
Starsky and Hutch looked at each other; there was something in the tone of his voice they didn't like. Mitch knew he had been asking questions about Meredith so Starsky replied, "We met them a few weeks ago and have taken them to dinner a few times. Not much more to say."
Jane Baxter was thinking 'lucky ladies' until she looked at the stone faces on Starsky and Mitch, and also on Hutch. She could tell there was more to the story, there was some information those three shared, but also knew she wouldn't be getting it right then.
Gray broke the silence by clearing his throat and saying, "Ok then, let's get someone down here to get this building locked up after the crime lab guys do their thing. We'll see if any prints can be lifted that don't belong here, but I'm really doubtful, no struggle, it looks like an inside job to me."
"We need to talk to this Mercedes Peake and get access to the security tapes." She looked over at Hutch, "Can you call her please and have her come down here? I'd like to have those tapes before we leave today."
Her partner's head shot up, "Tomorrow's Sunday and we're off. It's late; it'll wait until Monday morning."
"What can I say, I don't have a date tonight, it'll give me something to do."
"You're a work-aholic, that's what you are. What's-his-name can never catch you at home to ask you for a date."
"Well, then he should get a clue and stop calling me, shouldn't he?" she shot back giving him a piercing glare.
"Okay, okay, sorry", her partner responded and walked out of the room.
Baxter looked at the three men remaining in the room and got a distinct impression they were waiting for her to leave so they could talk. Mitch was still staring at Starsky and their expressions weren't friendly. She locked eyes with Hutch for a brief moment, but realized he too was controlling his face, so she excused herself and went to join her partner downstairs. She paused on the stairs to see if she could hear any of their conversation, but heard nothing, and when she looked back, Mitch was at the doorway watching her. Ok Lieutenant Bernet, what's going on?
As soon as he was satisfied that Baxter was gone he turned and spoke, "What's going on here? One day you two are asking questions about the Peake family, and now one of my best friends is dead?" He then looked over at Hutch, "And you're dating them, that sure didn't take you long."
"Leave Hutch out of this. The younger one was following me, only I didn't know it was her at the time. Just thought it was some motorcycle punk following me, and we were trying to figure who it was and what they wanted. Then we saw them one day, and that's when we came to talk with you."
"You're telling me they look like motorcycle punks to you? Can't buy that."
"Ya, that's what I'm telling you. In all that leather and full helmet, I didn't notice it was a girl", Starsky paused and thought about her butt in that leather. Shit, that excuse even sounds lame to me now. "I didn't notice it was a girl", he repeated himself with a sharper tone in his voice.
"Come on Starsk … Hutch…" he said as he looked from one to the other, "they're nice girls; I don't want to see them hurt. Mercedes took her mother's death hard, losing her dad is going to be really difficult for her."
The look on his face told Hutch everything, Mitch was in love with Mercedes. He remembered back to the day when Mitch first told them about the Peake sisters. Hutch softened his voice, "Mitch, I've only taken her to dinner a couple times, that's all. I don't want to see her hurt either."
They were interrupted by Baxter's voice, "Hutch? Mercedes and Meredith Peake are down here. They had stopped to see if their father was still at work and saw Starsky's car outside."
Starsky and Hutch each took deep breaths then went downstairs, followed by Mitch.
As soon as Meredith saw Starsky she went directly to him, "They won't tell us where daddy is, what's happened to daddy?" Mercedes had taken a couple steps toward Hutch until she saw Mitch, then she stopped and just stood there looking back and forth between the two men.
They guided the sisters to some chairs and explained what was going on and that their father had been apparently murdered. Detective Gray moved close enough to listen to the conversation, but far enough away so not to be a distraction. Detective Baxter stood back and watched their reactions plus shifted an occasional glance toward Mitch. She still wanted to know what the three men had discussed after she left.
Mercedes was quiet while she absorbed the news, her eyes filled up with tears, but she didn't break down. She sat there listening to Hutch and watching all the cops in the store who were intently watching her and her sister. Meredith on the other hand fell apart, her eyes overflowing with tears and she buried her face into Starsky's chest allowing him to cradle her as she cried and shook.
Meredith finally seemed to be cried out and she raised her head, "I want to see daddy's office".
"It's not going to help Meredith, there's nothing to see." Starsky said, still hanging onto her and remembering the blood stained carpet.
"I need to be where daddy was last alive."
He looked down into her grief stricken face then looked over at Baxter silently asking for permission. She returned a positive nod. She could feel and see the heartbreak this girl was going through, if being in the room would help her, why not. She was confidant Starsky wouldn't allow her to take or touch anything at this point in the investigation.
Meredith got up and stretched her hand out to her sister.
"No, I don't want to see it… I can't..." Hutch remained seated by her as they watched Starsky and Meredith walk up the stairs. Mercedes looked over at Mitch, but seemed to be looking through him as though she didn't really see him standing there. "We need to get to Mona, she needs to know. And Theresa. And Michael." She turned and looked at Hutch, "Everyone loved dad. Who would kill him? Why?"
Baxter saw Mercedes talking, took the opportunity to step up, and introduced herself. "Miss Peake, I'm Detective Jane Baxter. My partner and I will be investigating your father's death."
She looked over at Hutch, "Not you and David?"
"No, we'll assist in any way we can," he responded looking up at Jane, "but the department would consider it a conflict of interest since we've… ah… dated." He saw Mitch watching them. The fact that we've spent some nights together isn't anyone's business at this time.
"Your store has a pretty good security system and surveillance cameras set around, can we get the tapes that might show us what happened here this afternoon?"
She hesitated and looked over at Mitch again, "You want them now? I suppose, yes."
"The sooner we get them and analyze them, the sooner we might be able to catch your father's killer."
Meredith had come back down with Starsky and over heard the request. She looked at her sister and spoke up, "I can get those tapes for you." Then as she turned she saw Mitch and looked back at her sister with a concerned expression. "Ah… ah… I might need some help. Mitch can get all the tapes for the store, he put in our cameras for us." She turned back to Starsky, "I need to go back up to dad's office, we have a separate camera up there. Can you come with me?"
Mitch turned back toward her with a puzzled expression on his face, "Your dad never mentioned that, when did you put a camera in his office?"
"About a month ago. Dad said you were out of town on vacation, so we came in one Sunday and installed it like the other ones you put in. He was going to have you connect it to the main closet when you got some time."
After she had retrieved the office tapes, Meredith came back to Mercedes and fell to her knees in front of her sister and they tightly embraced. "It's gonna be ok sis. Just like always, you and me, we stick together."
Mercedes looked at her sister and patted her head, "I know sis. But we really need to get to Mona; she needs to know, as well as Theresa and Michael."
Detective Gray introduced himself and questioned the two sisters. "Please understand that this is a formality, I will be asking every family member what they were doing this afternoon and if they can verify where they were."
They looked at each other, and Mercedes spoke first, "I was here until a little after noon, and I went home and took a nap because I had a headache. I'm afraid I was alone until my sister came home around three or three-thirty." She looked over at Hutch, "That's not good is it?"
"It's ok," Hutch said reassuringly, "it's protocol to ask these questions in cases like this."
Meredith's eyes where big and focused on Starsky, "I… I… I was out riding my bike, just enjoying the day and the sunshine."
"Did you see anyone? Or anyone that knew you? Anywhere, while you were out?"
She looked over at Mercedes and her expression was asking for permission to talk.
"It's ok Meredith, this is really important", answered her sister.
"We were going to surprise you guys next time you had a couple days off, so Mercedes had me run up the coast and check out a couple resorts we had heard about." Meredith said, looking at Starsky instead of Detective Gray.
Starsky smiled, "That's sweet, thank you. But this is really important, so don't hold anything back. Did you stop and talk with anyone there? Talk to them enough that they'd remember you if we called them and asked about you?"
Meredith looked relieved, "Oh ya. The owners were there, and they showed me all around, one even showed me a couple of the cabins. They'd have to remember me. I have the brochures at home with the names and numbers."
Gray spoke up, "We'll need those so we can confirm your story", he looked over at Mercedes, "Did you stop for gas or groceries or anything to confirm where you were earlier this afternoon, Miss?"
"No, I had a headache and went straight home." She looked over at Hutch, "I had plans to go out this evening and was trying to get rid of my headache."
"Uh huh", uttered Gray as he took more notes.
Mitch approached the sisters, "I'm so sorry. If you want to go with the Detectives and tell the rest of your family, I'll stick around and lock the place up when the lab people are done. Anything I can do to help you, I will."
Meredith looked over at Mercedes first and then said, "Thanks Mitch, we'd appreciate it." She looked back at Starsky, "The safe was open upstairs, can I go close it before we leave?"
Starsky looked over at Gray and Baxter for confirmation. He wasn't going to step on any toes, or jeopardize the investigation because he was dating Meredith.
Gray and Baxter followed them to their father's home so they could speak with Tom Peake's wife Mona Peake and her other children.