Cruel Grace: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 5) Page 6

  “Can I ask why you had no adults around?” Eli asked with a scowl. “Where on earth were your parents?”

  It was only as Charlie had grown older that she’d realized that perhaps her parents had made a bad call when they’d sent her to work at sixteen all alone.

  “My parents said that I was mature for my age,” she replied a little defensively. She might not be one hundred percent on board with all of their parenting decisions, but they were still her parents and she loved them. “Plus, I was making grownup money, so I think they thought they should treat me as a grownup. Kendra’s parents felt the same way. Honestly, most of the girls were on their own. Only a few had parents hanging around.”

  Eli shook his head. “Sweet baby Jesus, what could possibly happen to a beautiful and naïve teenage girl traveling the world all alone?”

  “It taught me to be an adult. I learned to navigate all sorts of situations on my own.”

  “You got lucky.”

  “I’m not sure that you could describe us as naïve, either. By the time we were seventeen, I’d been to Paris, Rome, and Milan. They send eighteen-year-olds to fight wars in foreign countries.”

  “But there is usually someone in charge, making all of the decisions. Now tell me about Kendra’s boyfriends. All that you can remember.”

  “There were a lot of men that wanted to date Kendra but she was picky. She rarely went out on a one-on-one kind of date. We’d go out in groups mostly. But there was one guy she was pretty serious with, off and on over a few years. His name was Cagney and he was also a model. They met at a shoot in Paris. They both traveled and worked so much that they didn’t see each other as often as they would like, but when they were in the same city she would go out with him.”

  “Were they lovers?”

  “Wow…blunt question.”

  Eli shifted on the couch cushion so that his body was facing hers. “There is no privacy in a murder investigation, Charlie. I’m sorry about that but I need to know it all.”

  “I know that there’s no privacy. At least for me there wasn’t.”

  She didn’t want to sound bitter but she couldn’t keep the acid out of her tone. The police had asked her questions just like this.

  “I’m going to dig relentlessly into Kendra’s life,” Eli said, his expression somber. “And I’ll try to be as respectful of your privacy as I can be.”

  “But the investigation comes first.”

  “Not if you don’t want it to. You’re the client.”

  “I want the truth, even if it’s painful.”

  “So then tell me about…Cagney? Does he have a first name?”

  Charlie shrugged. “That was his professional name and that’s what we all called him. I assume that he does have two regular names like other people, though.”

  Eli scratched down a note. “I’ll have to check on that. He and Kendra were happy?”

  “They were. He adored her and showered her with gifts and flowers. I think they were very much in love.”

  “Where was Cagney when Kendra went missing?”

  “Miami. He was working.”

  “Okay, anyone else?”

  “We were young. Of course, there were others.”

  Eli stroked his chin, a smile playing on his lips. “I’m not going to judge Kendra, or you, if you had premarital sex, Charlie.”

  “Fine,” Charlie huffed, feeling the heat in her cheeks. “There were other men in and out of Kendra’s life but no one she was serious at all about. Some were there for a night and some for a few days but no one lasted longer than that. She really loved Cagney.”

  They talked more, Charlie telling Eli about the friends they would spend time with and the places they liked to frequent when they weren’t working. He made a list of people he wanted to talk to and it was getting longer by the minute. It was far more people than the police had spoken to when it all happened.

  But eventually it was time to talk about that day.

  “Do you want to take a break before you tell me about the day Kendra disappeared?”

  Charlie wanted to just get it over with as soon as possible. It had been years since she had told this story.

  “No, let’s do it now.”

  Eli turned to a new page in his notebook, pencil poised. “You just talk and I’ll try to listen as much as possible without interrupting with questions.”

  Now that was funny. She’d already figured out that he loved to ask questions.

  “You’re going to ask them.”

  “But I’ll try not to. Just take your time. Like I said before, I’m not going anywhere.”

  Charlie squirmed on the cushion, trying to find a comfier spot, but it wasn’t her body that was uncomfortable. It was her mind and heart, and there was no help for those.

  I guess I’ll just start by explaining why Kendra was visiting me in the first place.

  “By the time I turned twenty, I was tired of modeling. I wasn’t as excited about the traveling anymore, and I wanted a more settled lifestyle. So I finished out the contracts that I had committed to and started university back in my home state, just a few hours from my family.”

  “How did Kendra feel about that?”

  She didn’t remind Eli that he’d already asked a question and she’d barely begun her story. There were going to be lots of questions, and she’d do the best she could to answer them.

  “Kendra was really supportive. She said she understood, although she was still enjoying it and having fun. She said that we could still visit each other and that we’d be long-distance friends. So that’s what we did. During Christmas break and spring break, I went to New York to visit her, and then she’d come visit me when she could between jobs.”

  “How many times had she come to see you before the last one?”

  “Seven, maybe eight times? I don’t know the exact number. She visited as often as she could.”

  “That’s a lot,” Eli observed. “More than I thought. Over what period of time was this?”

  “Two years.”

  Kendra would fly in, stay for a few days or up to a week, and then fly out like a whirlwind, heading off to her next modeling assignment.

  Eli didn’t ask another question, simply waiting for Charlie to continue.

  “It was spring semester. Kendra called me on a Monday to say she would be coming in on Wednesday. She asked me to pick her up at the airport, or if I had class and couldn’t do it, she’d take a cab. But I didn’t have class, so I did pick her up.”

  “Did she act normal? Was there anything different about her behavior?”

  “No. She seemed really upbeat. She said that she thought that Cagney might propose. They were planning a vacation to the Caribbean in April.”

  “She wanted to get married?”

  “Yes, she was excited about it. She was already talking about how she wanted the wedding.”

  “So you picked her up at the airport? What then?”

  “I took her back to my apartment. Because I had made so much money modeling, I didn’t need roommates or anything. I lived alone which I enjoyed. I had an extra room for when Kendra came to visit.” Charlie took a deep breath, forcing herself to keep going. They were getting to the painful part. “Kendra would hang out at the apartment when I had class or sometimes she’d borrow my car and go to the mall or get something to eat. On Thursday, I had classes all day and she said she wanted to go shopping so I gave her my car keys. I walked to my class which was normal. I didn’t drive much on campus because the parking sucks and most things were within walking distance.”

  Leaning her head on a throw pillow, Charlie squeezed her eyes closed, trying to block out all of the memories that were flooding back so quickly she couldn’t control them.

  “I got home in the afternoon but Kendra wasn’t there. I wasn’t all that worried because I figured she’d got caught up in shopping but by the time it was dinnertime I was getting concerned. I kept calling her but she wasn’t picking up her phone. Eventually, I as
ked my neighbor to drive me to the mall so I could look for her. But you know that I didn’t find her. We walked all over that mall and the parking lot. At that point I was looking for my car. I didn’t find it either, although the police found it in the mall parking lot later. That’s one of the reasons, by the way, that they thought I knew more than I was telling. Because I said that I didn’t see my car, but they found it.”

  “Was it dark outside?”

  “Yes, it was still early in March and the sunset was around six or six-thirty.”

  “Plus you were upset. I’m not surprised you didn’t see it.”

  “By evening I was so worried, I decided to call the police. They said they could take the report and they could contact hospitals, jails. That sort of thing. I kind of got the idea that they wouldn’t be all that concerned until Kendra had been missing more than twenty-four hours.”

  “So they took the report?”

  “They did. I sat up all night hoping to hear from Kendra but of course I didn’t. Then in the morning, a police officer called me and said that they didn’t find her in the morgues or the jails. They took a report for my missing car and they said they’d look for it, too. At that point, I called my parents and asked for their advice and they said that I should call Kendra’s parents. Unfortunately, I didn’t have their number so I called Cagney and left a message hoping he had it. Then I called Dana because I thought she might have it, too. She did and said she’d called them. She was worried as well. She said that Kendra wouldn’t take off without letting us know.”

  “Do you agree with that statement?”

  Charlie wanted to say yes, but she hesitated slightly. It wouldn’t be the truth.

  “Kind of. I agree that most of the time Kendra wouldn’t do something like that but she did have sort of a wild streak in her every now and then. Sometimes she’d stay out all night when we lived together and come home in the middle of the day to tell us about her adventures. She was very spontaneous. She once called me from the airport because she met a few cool people at a party and they were all going to fly to Berlin.”

  “Did they know someone in Berlin?”

  “No, none of them had ever been there before and they wanted to do something new and fun. They wanted to have an adventure.”

  “Kendra liked adventures?”

  “Yes, as I said she was a spontaneous person.”

  “But Dana thought it was out of character?”

  “Dana said that Kendra always called within twenty-four hours so we wouldn’t worry too much, which is absolutely true.”

  “Okay, so what happened after that?”

  “We waited. There wasn’t anything else we could do. On Sunday, they found my car at the mall. They impounded it to look for evidence but they didn’t find any. A week later, someone found Kendra’s body on the side of a country road. Blunt force trauma is what they said she died from.”

  “Were her parents in town by then?”

  “No, they came after she was found.”

  Eli set his pen and notebook on the coffee table. “Is there anything else you think I should know? Anything at all?”

  “I don’t think so. I told you what I told the police.”

  Wait…hold on.

  “Didn’t you have my statement already?”

  He shook his head. “Not your official statement. Supposedly, the police are going to give me access to the actual file but all I had was what the intern was able to dig up about the case. I couldn’t be sure that the information was correct. But even if I did have it, I would have wanted to talk to you personally.”

  “To see my expressions and body language? Gauge if I was lying?”

  “No, Charlie. I don’t think you’re a liar, but I do think that there might be parts that you’re more sure about than others. For example, you and Dana disagree on whether Kendra would go off somewhere on her own and not tell you. I’ve made a note to talk to her about that. I want to get her point of view.”

  “That makes sense. You don’t think I’m a liar?”

  “No, but law enforcement has made me cynical. I could be wrong. You could be an amazing actress and have me completely fooled. I don’t think so, however. I think you’re telling me the truth.”

  “I am telling the truth.”

  Charlie turned her head at the sound coming from the driveway. Their groceries had arrived. Eli levered up from the sofa.

  “How about we get these groceries and make some dinner? Then we go plan our day tomorrow. We’re going to be very busy from here on out. We have a lot of people to talk to and a lot of places to go. First stop, the police station.”

  That was one location she didn’t want any part of.

  “Can I stay in the car while you talk to them?”

  Chapter Seven

  The next morning, Eli and Charlie ate breakfast and then drove to the police station in the outskirts of the small downtown area. When he pulled into a parking space, Charlie frowned and looked up and down the street.

  “Wait, why are we here? I thought we were going to the police station so you could get a copy of the file?”

  Now it was Eli’s turn to be confused.

  “That’s exactly what we’re doing. The station is just at the end of the block. At least according to the GPS on my phone.”

  She looked over her shoulder and sighed. “They must have moved it then. It used to be just off the highway. I guess a lot of things have changed. There are parts of the town I barely recognize, especially this entire downtown area. They were trying to revive it when I lived here but I have to admit they’ve done a great job.”

  It was a cute area with funky shops and cafes, designed for pedestrian traffic.

  The entire drive there Charlie had been nervous and jumpy, definitely not comfortable with their first destination. He couldn’t fix many things but he could fix this.

  “You don’t have to go in with me. You can grab a coffee or drink in one of these cafes. I won’t be long. I’m just going to grab the file and have a brief conversation with the new detective in charge of the case. Just let him know that we’re here and what I’m planning to do. As I said before, they seem fine with it so I don’t expect any bumps in the road. It shouldn’t take long.”

  Her little chin lifted bravely. “I wanted to help with this. I can go.”

  “There’s nothing for you to help me with in there. Seriously, you don’t have to go with me. It’s all good.”

  After his assurances, she was definitely wavering.

  “Are you sure? Because I can go with you.”

  “I am sure. I won’t be long. Walk around a bit and see what kind of stores they have.”

  “If you’re sure, then I will. In fact, why don’t I grab us something to drink? Water, coffee, soda?”

  “A cold soda would be great. Thanks.”

  They parted on the sidewalk and Eli made his way down to the police station. He was a little surprised when he walked in as it didn’t look like most of the police stations he’d ever seen. There was a comfortable waiting area with a couch and a few chairs. Magazines on the side table, and a television playing a home improvement show in the corner. Back behind the receptionist’s desk was a doorway that might lead to the regular offices.

  The young blonde behind the desk gave him a welcoming smile. “Hello, how can I help you?”

  “I’m here to see Detective McCann. I’m Eli Hammond.”

  “Mr. Hammond, I have you down right here on the schedule. Detective McCann is waiting for you. Can I get you a cup of coffee? Water?”

  “No, thanks. I’m good.”

  The blonde stood and ushered Eli through the lone doorway which led to a long hallway with offices on either side. At the third on the right, she stopped.

  “Dan? Eli Hammond is here to see you.”

  “Send him in.”

  Everything looked bright, shiny, and new. This was easily one of the nicest police stations Eli had ever been in. The quietest, too.

  Dete
ctive Daniel McCann looked to be in his mid-thirties or thereabouts with a shock of red hair on this head and an easy smile. He waved at Eli to come in and have a seat. He shook Eli’s hand enthusiastically.

  “It’s great to meet you. Your firm’s reputation precedes you. I’m excited that you’re picking up this case. I’m actually feeling optimistic about this for the first time since I inherited it.”

  Eli settled into a chair across the desk from the detective. “It’s nice to hear that we have a good reputation in the field. I hope I can shake something loose on this, but we both know it isn’t easy when it comes to a cold case.”

  He didn’t want to raise any expectations too high. There were never any guarantees.

  “Too true,” the other man agreed. “I made a copy of the case file for you including the photos of where the body was found and also the coroner’s report. There are some interviews with a few of the victim’s friends but she was just visiting in town and didn’t know too many people. Detective Stands felt it was a crime of opportunity. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  That jived with what Charlie had told him.

  “I’m hoping to speak with Detective Stands as well.”

  Something crossed the detective’s expression that put Eli on high alert. He was getting the feeling that this guy didn’t like Stands.

  “Good luck with that. He’s not the most…cooperative individual.”

  “He moved to another town, correct?”

  Again, the detective seemed to want to say something but didn’t.

  “He did.”

  Short and to the point. Eli decided to simply take a chance. He was getting a good vibe from McCann so maybe laying his cards on the table would help the situation.

  “Listen, I’ve already talked to one of the people involved in the case. Charlotte Baker. From what I gathered from that conversation Detective Stands is kind of an asshole. He treated her like crap, and I’m kind of getting the idea from you that this isn’t new behavior for him. Did I guess right?”