That teen. The liar and sneak.
The girl no one believed.
The chief frowned, moving his gaze between the two of them. “It’s not like you to be sloppy, Miranda.”
“No, it’s not. Which is probably why I didn’t recall it right away.”
“What did you touch?”
“I don’t remember. There was a lot going on. I—”
“You better damn well remember, because you’re going to have to account for it.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Write it up, both of you. I want it in both your reports.” He slid a folder across the desk. “Take it. It’s everything we’ve got so far.”
She did and they started for the door. Buddy stopped her. “Miranda, a moment alone.”
She turned to face him, heart thundering in her head like a war drum. She schooled her features. “Yes, Chief?”
“That’s the way it all went down, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” God help her.
“I expect better from you. That was sloppy police work.”
“Yes, sir. It won’t happen again.”
“Make sure of it. And Miranda?”
She looked over her shoulder at him.
“I’m trusting you. You wouldn’t lie to me, right?”
That girl. Untrustworthy. A liar.
She didn’t blink, though she felt like she was dying inside. “You know me, Buddy. Do you think I’d lie to you?”
“No, I don’t.”
He’d hesitated, just a fraction of a second. That moment spoke volumes. “I’ll keep you posted, Chief,” she said, and exited the office.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
9:05 A.M.
Miranda left Buddy’s office and went straight to her desk. Wordlessly, she handed the envelope to Jake.
He looked at it, then back up at her. “Are you okay?”
She grabbed her jacket, holstered her phone. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“That grilling in there.”
“Whatever.”
“Not whatever.” He lowered his voice. “That was messed up.”
“Tell me about it.”
She started for the main entrance, aware of him directly behind her. She needed some time and space to think through what just happened. She couldn’t do it with Jake attached to her hip.
“Mason,” she said to the desk sergeant, “we’re out. Following up on a lead in the Stark homicide.”
She didn’t wait for him to acknowledge her and pushed through the double glass doors and stepped outside into the overcast day. She was halfway to her car before Jake caught up with her.
“Is that it, Miranda?”
She met his eyes, angry. “What? You want me to thank you for backing me up? Thank you.”
“I’m not the enemy.” He grabbed her arm. “In there, that … interrogation. That was messed up. We need to talk about it.”
“Not here,” she said, jaw hurting from clenching it. “In the car.”
They climbed in, buckled up, and Miranda backed out of the space.
“Where are we going?”
“Away from here.”
They didn’t speak again until she turned into University Place, a neighborhood located within walking distance of the ULH campus. She parked in the shade of a big, old oak tree but didn’t cut the engine.
“I meant it. Thanks for backing me up.”
“That’s what partners do.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have.” She glanced at him, then back at the street. “A lie’s always the wrong choice.”
“I know you, Miranda. It was the right choice. The only one.”
She couldn’t look at him. He’d see the regret in her eyes. The guilt. He’d know he’d just backed the losing horse.
The first drops of rain splattered on the windshield.
“We’ve got to talk about this,” he said. “What’s going on here?”
She nodded, preparing to tell him the truth about those prints, share that she thought somebody might be setting her up for Stark. How did she explain something in a way that made sense—when it didn’t even make sense to her?
“The Chief,” Jake said. “Something’s not right with him.”
She looked at him then, surprised.
“That, what just happened, it didn’t make sense. You’ve never given him a reason to doubt you.”
Not in fourteen years, anyway.
Until today.
Jake stared out the windshield, eyebrows pulled together in thought. “You’re a decorated officer, Miranda. A ten-year veteran of the force.”
“Apparently that doesn’t mean much.”
The bitterness she heard in her own voice could have curdled cream. She wished she could take it back but knew she couldn’t.
He didn’t seem to notice. “That’s what I’m talking about. Hear me out before chiming in, okay?”
She nodded and he went on. “After the responding officer, Cadwell was the first to the scene. He went himself, in the middle of the night. Odd behavior number one.”
She started to comment, but he held up a hand to hold her off. “So he goes to the scene, then calls you. Only you. Oddity number two.”
She nodded—she’d thought the same thing that night.
“And here’s number three. Cadwell tells you you’re in charge of the case, has you contact me and the Sheriff’s Department, then leaves the scene to notify the victim’s next of kin—alone. You should have been there. Or at the very least, another officer.”
He was right. Someone else to assess and record the next of kin’s first reactions. That was a one-time deal.
“Odd, all of them, I agree. But I also understand where Buddy was coming from. Stark’s an important figure in the community, and Buddy knew how fast the story could blow up. He went to the scene first to assess the situation, and to Stark and his wife out of respect.”
“I get all that,” Jake continued, “but he shared details of the crime scene? And of our potential suspect? By the way, in my book that’s oddity number four. All of it’s a major breach of protocol.”
He had her there, Miranda admitted. She’d thought the same about each, had even been shocked at the chief’s lapse of judgment.
Still she balked. “I get it all, Jake. Yes, all of it is very unlike Buddy. But look at this case. That crime. Do you really think his parents could be involved? It’s obvious they weren’t.”
“Nothing’s ever obvious—until it is. Especially in a crime as violent and personal in nature as this one.”
Jake angled in his seat to face her. “Ready for the big number five?” He didn’t wait for her to agree. “That interrogation back there. Stark accuses you of impropriety and Cadwell takes his side? Pretty much one hundred percent? After ten years working with you on the force, he acts like you’d do that, no question about it?”
The clouds opened up and the sprinkle became a downpour. The rain thundered against the car roof and she raised her voice to be heard over the din. “Thanks for reminding me.”
“It was screwed up, big time. Why would he take Stark’s side over yours?”
“I don’t know.” It was true, she didn’t. She searched aloud for an answer. “They’ve known each other for years. I suppose he respects him and wants to protect him … and by association, the university. Stark wields a lot of power in this town.”