“That was Erwin. Evidently she’s worked up about something. She sounded a little terrified. Can you drop me there?” Vera made a face. “As much as I hate to miss the fun with Helen Carter and friends, we can’t ignore Erwin. She’s in this deeper than we know, I suspect.”
“I’ll have Hastings pick me up there so you can keep my truck. I don’t want to leave you stranded.” He sent a worried look her way. “Maybe Hastings should stay with you.”
“Give me a break,” Vera tossed back, “I can handle Erwin.”
39
Erwin Residence
Washington Street, 10:15 a.m.
Vera watched Bent leave with Hastings before heading up the steps to the entrance of Erwin’s building. The curtains in the first-floor apartment belonging to Kayla Johnson fluttered, and Vera waved. She hoped this meeting with Erwin wasn’t a waste of time, considering the Carter et al. gathering would likely be far more exciting.
Since she was here, there were a number of pointed questions Vera intended to ask Erwin, and she better be ready to answer without ducking and dodging or flat-out lying. After all, this meeting was her idea, and they were way past all the foreplay. Vera knew far too much and suspected even more about Erwin. The time for games was over.
Maybe Erwin would throw the others under the bus to save herself.
As Vera climbed the stairs to the second floor, she considered they should have invited Erwin to Carter’s place and interviewed them all together the way she and Bent had discussed. But Vera had a feeling that Carter and Erwin were involved with these murders in completely different ways and with totally different motives and ideas on how this should end.
At the door she knocked and waited. The least Erwin could have done was watch for her arrival—if what she had to say was so all-fired important.
No answer. Well, hell. Vera knocked harder. “Valeri, you need to open this door.”
Muffled sounds of movement inside were followed by the releasing of locks. The door opened just enough for Valeri to stick her head out. “Hi, Vera. Did you need something?”
What the hell? The woman called, begging for a meeting, and now she acted as if she wasn’t expecting Vera. A burst of outrage tore through her. “I’m coming in.” Vera bullied her way through that narrow opening, and Erwin had no choice but to back up. Vera went toe to toe with her. “What’s going on, Valeri?”
The door slammed, and Vera whirled around.
“Hello, Ms. Boyett.”
Fear throttled through her. Then she recognized the face staring at her. As if he’d stepped out of one of the photos at his luxurious mansion, Gill Jamison leaned against the closed door. The weapon he held wasn’t the typical .38 or even a .9 millimeter. No, it was a Swiss-made SIG Sauer with a walnut grip. Very nice. Vera might not be an authority on home decor, but she knew her weapons. She also recognized this was bad. For her, at any rate.
“I see you got our message.” Years of cop instincts overtook all else, and Vera braced for whatever move he made next. “That’s good, because we need to talk.”
He rubbed his jaw with the weapon’s gleaming stainless steel barrel. “We do indeed.”
There were times when Vera carried a weapon. Not so much since she’d left Memphis PD. And definitely not today. Too bad. She could use one just now. But she had her wits, and that would just have to do. She ordered her heart to calm. Slowed her breathing and focused her full attention on the six-foot-plus male in front of her.
“Why don’t you start?” Vera suggested. “After all, this is your party.” She needed him to let his guard down. To relax. So she did the same, relaxing her posture, angling her head as if she couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say.
“I’m sorry,” Erwin whispered in her direction. “He just showed up, and I didn’t know what to do.”
Vera forced a smile for her. “I’m confident you had nothing to do with this, Valeri.”
Jamison scoffed. “Of course she did. Valeri is a regular little troublemaker.” His glare was murderous. “In fact, she’s the one who turned this into something far bigger than it should have been, aren’t you, Val?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Erwin edged behind Vera.
Jamison pushed away from the wall and took a step in their direction. Vera held still, as if she had no reason to fear him coming closer. No matter what her brain said, her pulse reacted to his nearness.
Calm, stay calm. All you need is one moment of distraction.
“Since you’re here, you need to understand,” he said to Vera. “Lena and I were in love. She was carryingmychild.”
“You can’t be sure,” Erwin snarled, peeking around Vera’s shoulder.
Vera wondered the same. “How can you be sure the baby was yours? After all, she shared a bed with her husband night after night.”
