Dial Emmy For Murder Part 28

I wasn't sure where to go. Should I leave the scene completely? Or just stay away from the house? Should I go home? Go to work? How would I do either? Get a ride from someone? Take the bus?

I decided to wait for Jakes in the front seat of his car. It took hours. I didn't have his keys so I couldn't turn on the air-conditioning or crack the windows. I had to sit with the pa.s.senger door open so I wouldn't suffocate. With the door open, I could hear shouting from inside the house.

I watched the ME come out, watched his people load the body into a van and drive away.

Then uniformed cops came out. Some drove away in their marked cars; others started going door-to-door. Eventually Detective Davis also came out and started going door-to-door.

When Captain Carpenter finally came out, I pulled the door shut and ducked down so she wouldn't see me. I felt like a little kid, but I didn't know what else to do. This chick was mean. And clearly she didn't like me. When I heard a car drive away, I sneaked a peek. I saw that she was gone, so I opened the door again and sat with my feet out.

Just when I was thinking I could use a cup of coffee, Jakes came out. It was past noon. He looked disheveled, as if he'd been up all night. He hadn't looked that way when he picked me up.

He came over to the car and got in, showing no surprise that I was there.

"Should I take you home or to work?" he asked.

"Neither," I said. "Take me someplace for a late breakfast, so we can talk. I'm starving."

He looked at me, started to say something and then stopped. Finally he said, "Okay. Breakfast it is."

He pulled over at the first diner we came to. He ordered a stack of pancakes; I had eggs Benedict.

"His name is Ben Tillman. That name ring a bell?"

"No."

"We found stuff in the house that tells us he's an actor. He had a SAG card in his wallet and a drawer full of head shots. He had two DVDs of movies he's been in."

"How long ago?"

"Five, six years," Jakes said. "Coming of age stuff. Nothing since."

"How was he killed?"

"He was strangled first and then strung up."

"By somebody strong."

"Or more than one person."

"You think Adrienne or Nate went out last night and killed him after they talked with you?"

Jakes shook his head. "ME says he'd been dead at least thirty-six hours."

"So somebody killed him and strung him up the day before yesterday."

"Well before we talked to the Russells."

"Do you think that's why Nate ran?"

He shrugged.

"Are you going to bring his mother in?"

"I can't," he said. "The captain won't let me. Says we don't have any probable cause."

"She still doesn't believe that you have one killer for all these murders?"

"She says she needs more than my hunch." "What about your partner?" I asked. "Doesn't he back you up?"

"No."

"But-"

"She also dressed me down in front of everyone for having you there."

"I figured that," I said. I reached out and touched his hand. "I don't want to do anything that will hurt you, Jakes."

"I know," he said.

"It seems to me you could avoid a lot of trouble with your boss if you just kept me out of things. I'm beginning to think you like . . . rubbing me in her face."

He turned his hand over, closed it around mine. "There was never anything between me and her, Alex," he said. "You have to believe that."

"Then why is she riding you? She looked at me like a jealous woman looks at a rival."

"She might be jealous-who knows?" he asked. He released my hand so we could both continue eating. "But I haven't given her any cause to be. Besides, this is old news for you and me. There's no reason to talk about her anymore."

I studied his face, searching for any insincerity. I didn't see any. He picked at his pancakes. "This is still my case, and now that there's been another murder, she can't pull me off."

"Why not?"

"There's just too much background for someone else to catch up on."

"What about Davis?"

"He's the only logical choice, but he wouldn't take my case," he told me.

"Why?"

"Because he's my partner."

Something was wrong. He wasn't meeting my eyes.

"And what about me?"

He looked at me this time. "She said she doesn't want to see you at any more crime scenes."

"That's all she said?"

He nodded.

"Well," I said, "we can do that."

He smiled. "Yeah," he said. "We can."

Chapter 52.

As he drove me to the studio, I said, "I have a question."

"What?"

"Is there another son?"

"Sorry?"

"Adrienne Russell," I said. "Does she have another son? Does Nate have a brother?"

He hesitated a moment and then said, "You know, I never asked."

"If Adrienne Russell is behind these murders, she'd need help."

"And you don't think that would be Nate?"

"I don't know," I said. "I didn't talk to him. You did. Do you think he's a killer?"

His right hand closed into a fist, but I was glad he didn't use it. He just squeezed it hard. "I let him get away, so I didn't have a lot of time with him." He took a quick look at me. "I'll check and see if he has any other family."

"What about the husband?" I asked. "Do you think he might help her?"

"No," Jakes said. "Him I believed. He's too bitter to be helping her kill people."

"I'm going to check Adrienne out when I get to work," I said.

"How do you mean?"

"I mean, I want to check and see if she was ever an actress."

"You think she's trying to live through her son because she couldn't succeed?'

"Could be. Maybe she's so driven to make him a success because she never became one. It's that way with a lot of stage mothers."

"That sounds like a good idea," Jakes said. "Let me know what you find out."

When the guard saw me in the pa.s.senger seat, he waved Jakes on through. I had originally asked him to drive me home so I could get my car, but he said he'd pick me up when I finished with work. I was amazed at how comfortable I already felt with him-a level of comfort I had never been able to achieve with Paul.

It was even evident when he leaned over to kiss me good-bye.

"Have a good day at work," he said. "Call me when you're done and I'll pick you up."

"I will."

I got out and watched as he drove away, and then turned and went into the building.

The first person I ran into was the director, Richard Breck.

"Hey, d.i.c.k, I'm sorry-"

"Save it, Alex," he said, holding up a hand. "Sean wants to see you. Now."

That didn't sound good. "Do you know what it's about?"

"Hey, they don't confide in me," d.i.c.k said. "Just do me a huge favor and get on the set as soon as possible?"

"Okay, d.i.c.k. Thanks."

I wondered if I was in as much trouble with one of my bosses as Jakes was with his.

I made my way to Sean Peters's office. As I entered he was on the phone. He held up one finger to me, and I stood there and waited.

"Sorry about that," he said, hanging up several minutes later. "I had to finish that call."

"I understand. You wanted to see me?"

"I did," he said. "Alex, what's going on?"

"How do you mean?"

"You've been coming in late, calling in late, forcing us to tape around you . . . ever since that incident at the Emmys. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Sean."

He stood up, came around the desk, touched his hair and then put his arm around me. "Because if you need some time off, just tell me. We'll arrange it."

I could have felt touched at that moment, but I was suspicious. Here I thought he was going to call me on the carpet, and instead he was being incredibly sensitive. That wasn't like Sean Peters at all.

"I know what a shock you had-"

"That was two weeks ago, Sean," I said. "I'm fine, really."

"Really?"