She considered asking him about the cards, but hesitated. Duke had made and lost his first, second, and third fortunes as a professional gambler in his younger days. He often said he’d still be at the tables if not for divine intervention. And then he’d met Maria, who hated the idea of the tables.
But it wasn’t smart to share a key detail like the cards with anyone at this stage. “Hopefully, I’ll have updates soon.”
She waved her hand and left, taking a moment to check in with Hanna. “Straight home from here and homework, right?”
Hanna saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”
Hanna, who had little structure in her life, had taken to Riley’s house rules like a duck to water. For the first time in her life, someone cared about her, and she liked it. Once, early on, she tested Riley’s resolve and did not come home. Riley had tracked the kid to a boy’s house. Dressed in full uniform with Cooper at her side, she immediately had spotted Hanna in the crowd of drunken teens. What saved Hanna’s ass was that she hadn’t been drunk or high and she looked overwhelmed by the scene. The kid had been in over her head and didn’t know how to get out and save face. Riley had given her a choice right there in front of the room full of people. Follow the rules or pack up her shit and get out of Riley’s house. A sullen Hanna had followed Riley out of the party.
And now, the two of them had forged a kind of family that worked, and she would not let anything from the past ruin it. Hanna would be leaving for college next summer. The kid needed to build her own life, but Riley already knew she’d miss Hanna being around the house.
As Riley slid behind the wheel of her SUV and glanced at a sleeping Cooper in the rearview mirror, her phone buzzed. The display read Agent Dakota Sharp’s name. He was four or five years older than her, and they’d gone through the police academy together. “Trooper Tatum.”
“Where are you?” The deep southern drawl leaked over the line. He was tall, a mountain of a man who smiled little and was terrible at small talk. But he was one of the best investigators in the mid-Atlantic.
“I’m in Ashland.”
“I spoke to Barrett,” Sharp said. “Virginia State Police is now officially assisting the sheriff’s office with the investigation.”
“Good.” To the media, the sheriff’s office would take center stage, but behind the scenes, state police would actually handle the bulk of the investigation.
“I’ve spoken to Martin. He says you think Jax Carter is connected to the killing.”
“His initials are tattooed on her body.”
“He has an alibi for last night,” Sharp said.
“Carter has a girlfriend, Darla Johnson. I’m not sure where she was last night, but you should talk to her.”
A pause. “Okay. I’ll run her name and see what pops. I’m on my way to the hospital to talk to Carter. Care to join me?”
“You bet I would.”
“Thought you might like to see this case through. That big arrest in the woods earned you the right.”
“I’d like that.”
“The medical examiner has our Jane Doe on deck for tomorrow morning at ten. You can observe if you have time.”
“I have time off. That works well.”
“Good. I’m headed to the hospital. See you soon.”
“Will do.” She rang off and checked her watch. There was still time to drop Cooper off at home.
She swung by her house, a small one-level brick rancher, which she’d painted white last year. She did a good job of keeping the yard cut and edged. However, the flower garden Hanna had wanted to plant before the social services visit had died within weeks because both forgot to water it.
She’d bought the house six years ago, scraping together the financing by working extra patrol shifts and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The place barely took up fifteen hundred square feet, and it still needed work on the bathrooms and kitchen. Before Hanna, there’d been some money for extra projects. Now the best she could afford was a rewire of a secondhand lamp. The rest would have to wait until, well, until the kid was out of college.
After a quick walk with the dog, she opened the front door and let Cooper pass. Inside, a bedroom on the right and one on the left flanked a large family room furnished with pieces she’d found at flea markets and hand-me-downs from Duke. Not high design but clean and functional.
Cooper padded across the hardwood floor into the kitchen, and she opened his crate. He drank water from his bowl, then settled on his blankets with his chew toys.
The kitchen was retro with a black-and-white-checkered floor, white appliances, and a Formica countertop. The cabinets were original to the house, though she’d updated them with a coat of white paint and new hinges and pulls. The kitchen was in need of a redo, but like everything else that was serviceable, it would have to wait.
“I’ll be back soon, Cooper.”
The dog closed his eyes.
She texted Hanna, asking her to walk him when she arrived home, and headed south to Richmond and the state university hospital located in the city center. She parked and found her way to the lockdown floor where the prisoners were housed. Nurses checked her badge and credentials, and she was escorted through a set of locked doors to wait outside a room.
She heard the blare of a television broadcasting a game show coming from inside. Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway, and she turned to see Agent Sharp approaching. Hair cropped short, he wore a simple black suit, white shirt, red tie, and his badge clipped to a belt that circled a fit waist. He carried a black vinyl notepad holder in his right hand, and with each long stride, his jacket billowed enough to offer glimpses of his sidearm.
“Trooper. Thanks for meeting me.”
“Thanks for the invite.”
Not bothering to knock on the hospital door, he entered the room. She followed.
Carter lay in a large bed, his right hand cuffed to the metal railing. He wore a hospital gown, and in front of him was a lunch tray consisting of what looked like meatloaf, mashed potatoes, bread, and cake.
He was about to shove a spoonful of potatoes in his mouth when he saw them. “If it isn’t Trooper Tatum. Who’s your friend?”
“This is Agent Sharp with the Virginia State Police, Mr. Carter.”
Sharp’s gaze wandered from the food to the television. “It looks like they’re treating you well.”
Carter dropped the spoon back on his plate. “Not my idea of fun, but it beats hugging a tree all night.”
So he was sticking with his story about his night on the mountain.
“I hear you have a court date in a couple of days,” Sharp said.
Carter grinned, a gold tooth winking in the fluorescent light. “So they tell me.” He leaned back, staring at Riley. “Did you miss me, Trooper Tatum?”
Sharp nodded toward her, giving her the go-ahead to ask the questions.
“I ran across one of your girls,” she said. “Pretty. Dark hair.”
He arched a brow. “Girls? I don’t know what you mean.”
“One of the girls you and Darla pimp along I-95. She worked out of that camper you drive around.”
His smile was wide, the proverbial Cheshire cat. “Don’t know about that.”