Aiden cocked his head. “It’s nice to be noticed.”
Oh, I could just punch him in the face right now.
Pierce’s back looked like one long line of pissed off male. In fact, he reminded me of a Doberman our neighbor at the river had for years. Old Bastard Bud had been the dog’s name, and he was always pissed but never bit. Something told me that Pierce was going to bite. “What are you up to?”
Aiden exhaled. “You arrested and are going to put away several members of the Lordes club, so we had to reach out to keep our numbers strong. We patched over a couple of smaller clubs in San Diego, Denver, and Dallas. Good news. More tax revenue for Idaho.”
My chest ached. I couldn’t believe this.
Pierce shook his head. “Don’t tell me. Now you’re one of the longest standing members, even though you’ve only been a Lorde a short time. You gunning for president of a motorcycle club that deals in illegal matters, Aiden?”
“No,” Aiden said softly. “I already got the job, Pierce.”
I all butran out of the station and around the flower-scented park to my car, jumping in and squealing out of the lot. Aiden wasn’t going to tell the detective anything, and I just couldn’t watch any more. Quickly, I dialed Clark’s number.
“Hey, Albertini,” Clark said, sounding like he had a mouth full of a late dinner.
I swallowed. “Hi. How did it go with Tessa?”
“Good. She’s being held overnight for bond, and the hearing is first thing in the morning,” Clark said, taking a drink of something. “She’s solid, Anna. She’ll be okay.”
My sister didn’t belong in a cell. But I was a prosecuting attorney and knew many of the police officers, so hopefully they’d look at her as one of their own. One of our own. “What happened in that apartment?” I whispered, my voice shaking.
Clark was silent for a minute. “You know I can’t break client confidentiality.”
“Clark,” I snapped, even though I knew he was right. “That’s my sister. Talk to me.”
“No, sorry. Talk to her tomorrow. That’s the best I can do, and you know it.” He coughed several times and then took a big drink of something. “Sorry about that. Wrong pipe. Make sure Nick is up to speed on this because you can’t represent the State. See you tomorrow.” He clicked off.
I wanted to scream. Instead, I fielded calls from our mom, dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins before arriving at my sister Donna’s house. Although it was tempting to leave my phone in my car, I just couldn’t do it. My body felt like it was a hundred years old as I lugged myself to the front door of her Craftsman style cottage in the older part of Timber City.
She had the door open before I could knock. “Come on in.” Donna was the oldest at twenty-eight, and whereas Tessa took after the Irish side of our family, Donna looked like the Albertini side with her black hair, soft brown eyes, and definite curves. I’d always thought she looked like a young Isabella Rossellini because Donna had that natural style and grace. I didn’t take after either side with my brown hair and grayish-green eyes.
I stumbled inside and threw my phone onto the sofa before making my way to the island in the kitchen, where Donna already had a glass of wine poured for me. “Thanks.” I took a deep gulp of the fragrant Chianti and let the warmth hit my stomach and spread out.
Donna perched on a stool and reclaimed her glass of wine. She’d dressed down in faded yoga pants with a matching top, and her dark hair was piled high on her head. Her usual realtor outfit was a snappy suit. “How bad is it?” Worry cut into the sides of her generous mouth.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, leaning on the marble island. “It definitely didn’t look good seeing Tessa with a gun in her hand over a dead body, but I think Detective Pierce wants Aiden to be the killer.” I wanted them both free and clear.
Donna shook her head and nudged a bowl of apples toward me. “You hungry?”
“No.” I still felt like throwing up.
Donna finished her glass and reached for the bottle to refill. “Do you think Aiden is the killer?”
“I have no idea,” I admitted. “I doubt it. If Aiden killed Danny, why would he have done it in Tessa’s apartment? And if he’d shot Danny, then how did Tess get the gun? None of it makes sense.”
Donna rubbed her left eye. “I don’t know anything about the criminal process. What happens now?”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Tess will have a first appearance tomorrow morning, plead not guilty, and probably have bail set. Since she’s been arrested on suspicion of murder, the bail will be a lot, and we’ll probably have to hire a bond company.” It seemed like the judges in Elk County liked really high bail these days. “I think Judge Williams is the most reasonable, so let’s hope she’s working tomorrow. Also, there’s a chance Nick won’t argue for a high bail.” I hoped.
Donna swirled her wine around in her glass. “Then what?”
My temples ached. “Then the State will try and put together a case, we’ll work on a defense, and we’ll see. For now, we need to talk to her to see what really happened.” I hated that I couldn’t get to her. Or to Aiden. There were too many darn questions.
Donna frowned. “You work for the state.”
“I don’t care. If I have to quit my job to help Tessa, I will.” Although, I was still a witness.
