“That’s lovely, Wade,” Kay said.
But, strangely, it was. Well, not Wade’s crude “pussy” comments. But Kay’s response, Wade’s grin back at her, and Jericho, part of it all, watching two of his favorite people scrap and squabble as if they were comfortable with each other, comfortable even if they didn’t get along. It felt like family, or at least like family wassupposedto feel.
But then he dragged himself back to reality. Will had been gentle with the cat and brought it presents, and the cat had ended up dead. Will had been gentle with Lorraine and brought her presents, and she’d ended up dead. He couldn’t forget Will’s crayon drawing, the simple animal, and then the violent, red destruction.
“He knew the cat was dead,” he said out loud. “He either killed it himself, saw it being killed, or saw it soon after, when it was still dripping blood. And obviously the same with Lorraine; he was covered in her blood like it had been fresh when he found her.”
“Foundher?” Wade asked carefully. “You’re saying he didn’t kill her?”
“No, he’s not saying that,” Kayla said quickly. “Right, Jericho?”
“I’m not saying that,” he repeated obediently. Then he looked at her and said, “But if my theory’s right—if he was framed—then he might know whodidkill them. Either the cat or Lorraine, or maybe both of them. If he was there that soon after they died, he might easily have seen the actual killing. He could know who did it, and we have no way to get that information out of him.”
“Show him pictures,” Wade suggested. “Have you guys got alternate suspects? Do a lineup, or something. Let him go right in the room with them and point out the guy who did it.”
“Shit, maybe he already did,” Jericho said, thinking as he spoke. “When we went to pick him up in the forest—” The realization blazed in his mind. “Wooderson was there, being a smug son of a bitch, and Will lunged at him. I thought it was because Wooderson had said something insulting, but would Will even have understood that? Or was he just reacting to the bastard’s face?”
“I’ll have to talk to the prosecutor,” Kayla said reluctantly. “She just about had a coronary when I told her we were investigating different suspects. She’s not going to be a hell of a lot happier when I start asking her about the admissibility of nonverbal evidence.”
“But you’ll do it,” Jericho said. Kay would do her job, because she was Kay. And speaking of people following their natures— “Wade, have you got an angle on this? I need you to look me in the eye and tell me straight. Do you have some sort of a plan, here? Some way to get what you want out of this, some manipulation of the system—some manipulation ofme—to turn it to your advantage?”
Wade was quiet for a moment. “This isn’t the first time you’ve asked me something like that; I suppose I should be hurt by your suspicion.” Then he turned his face up, his gray eyes intense and true as he stared at Jericho. “But I’m not. I’ve earned it, and I’ll probably earn it again. But right now, Jay? For this situation only? My mother was a friend of Lorraine’s, and I never had a problem with Will Archer, which is more than I can say for most of the idiots we went to school with. I came here for my mother, because she wanted me to pass information along. But if that information is being used to help Will get out of this mess? That would make me very happy, Jay, and that’s my only ulterior motive.”
Jericho wanted to simply accept that, but he tried to make his brain sort through it all, searching for the twist, the trap. “Could you simplify it a bit, for me? Could you just tell me, yes or no: are you telling me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth on this one?”
“I do solemnly swear,” Wade intoned. “I’m afraid a Bible might catch fire if I laid hands on it, but I’ll swear on—” He peered around the room for a moment before his gaze cut back to Jericho. “I’ll swear it onyou, Jay. I’m not playing any games with this one.”
“Okay,” Jericho said past the knot in his throat. This perfect, beautiful, maddening man, out of reach even though he sat right across the desk. “Thank you.”
Wade smiled at him, and for a moment Kayla wasn’t there, the sheriff’s department wasn’t there, not a single human being in Mosely was there. It was just Wade and Jericho, away on some mountain somewhere, together. Then Kayla shifted, Jericho blinked, and he was back at work, two old friends across the desk from him.
“You’re still looking for a list of Lorraine’s johns?” Wade asked.
Jericho nodded and tried to refocus. “We haven’t found the phone or the appointment book yet. So, yeah, other than Will, we don’t know who she was working for.”
“My mother says she doesn’t know, but I can ask around. I won’t get everybody, but there are people who will talk to me who would never talk to you, right?”
“It’s not a good idea for you to insinuate yourself into this investigation,” Kayla said.
Jericho frowned at her. “Come on, Kay. We use CIs all the time. How is this different?”
“I think we all know exactly how it’s different. Jay, it’s not good for you to be too . . . involved with Wade. You know that.”
Wade said, “I’m not sure about that. But I’ve got to say, I’m a bit insulted by the CI bit. That stands for ‘criminalinformant,’ doesn’t it? Seems a bit slanderous toward someone who’s never been convicted.”
Jericho snorted in disbelief. “Bullshit you’ve never been convicted! We both were. Possession, assault, trespass—they weren’t felonies, but they were crimes.”
“So you’re a fellow criminal?” Wade’s voice was silky smooth, inviting confidences, admissions, and intimacy.
“This is completely off topic,” Kayla interjected. “The point is— Damn it, you both know what the point is. This isn’t about Wade, it’s about the two of you, together.That’swhat makes it not a good idea.”
“I’m suggesting we exchange information, not bodily fluids,” Wade replied. “Nothing to be alarmed about.”
“The fact that you’ve already morphed this into ‘exchanging’ information is absolutely something to be alarmed about.” She frowned at Jericho, then turned back to Wade. “You can go through me,” she said. “Any information you get, we’d truly appreciate. You can give me a call or come by whenever it’s convenient.”
Wade’s eyes narrowed, making them a darker, more dangerous shade of gray. “You protecting your boy’s virtue from the Big Bad Wade? You think that’s necessary?”
“I’m protecting my employee’s career from an unnecessarily awkward situation.” She paused, then nodded decisively. “Jay, anything having to do with Wade and police business will go through me. If you choose to see him on your own time?” She shook her head. “You know how I feel about that, and you know how it could affect your career. So do what you want, but don’t pretend you’re doing it for the department. Don’t pretend it to yourself, and don’t you dare pretend it to me.” She turned back to Wade and her voice was firm. “If it’s police business, you can give me a call, not Jericho.”
