Read Online Dead Center (The Rookie Club Book 1) by Danielle Girard - Free Book Online
Authors: Danielle Girard
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me."
Hailey shook her head. "Where were you last night?"
"You have a time of death?" Jamie asked.
"Not yet."
Jamie dropped her cigarette, stamped it out and then retrieved her butt off the pavement. "I left the station at about two. I was here for maybe an hour, so maybe it was two-ten or so. We pulled our suspect in after the rape exam. Washington was with me."
"You nail him?"
She shook her head, looked away. "On the way home, I stopped for gas and cigarettes."
Hailey was poised to write.
Jamie shook her head. "I can't think of it." She rolled her hand through the air. "The one with the tiger."
"Exxon," Hailey supplied.
Jamie nodded. "Exxon. Off the Central San Rafael exit. On Irwin, maybe. I paid cash. Marlboro Lights. Kid behind the counter had red hair, skinny, some tattoo on his forearm. A lizard or something. Oh, and one of those little squares of hair under his lower lip. What do the kids call that?"
"Soul patch."
"Right." Jamie fiddled with the butt of the cigarette like she wanted to light another one. "Stupid-looking thing."
The details were good. Any cop knew that details were what made a story believable. Some things would be hearsay, but details like that could be checked. "And before the interview?"
"I was at the awards thing with you until I got the call on Osbourne. It was—what—close to nine o'clock? I went straight to the hospital and from there to the station. Came back this morning. In between, I was at home."
Hailey hesitated a moment. She hated to ask but there was no way around it. "And at home. You were alone?"
Jamie paused, drawing a deep drag on her cigarette and blowing it out over her shoulder. "Alone."
Something about the way she said it made Hailey hesitate. "You sure, Jamie? If you weren't alone, it would make it easier. I can be discreet."
Jamie smoked a moment, then dropped the cigarette to the ground and stamped it out.
Hailey waited. "You were alone," she prompted again.
"I've got a dog named Barney. Don't know if he'd be convincing in cross-examination."
Hailey crossed her arms. Sighed. "This isn't fun for me, either. You think I want to interrogate a friend? But everyone's going to be asking the question. You had motive. Big motive. Public motive. I get you out of the mix early, I can find the real killer."
Jamie picked up the cigarette butt and put it in her pocket. Then, turning, she faced Hailey for the first time. Jamie was taller than her by a good three inches, and she looked like hell. Dark circles, no makeup. She'd been up most of the night with a rape case, back early. From her appearance, Hailey would have guessed she'd been dragged out of bed a few days ago.
Jamie paused. When she spoke, her voice was soft and void of humor. "Don't feel like you have to lie. We're not friends, Hailey. Feel free to bring me in if you have more questions. Sorry I couldn't provide a better alibi." Then she turned and walked away.
Hailey didn't watch her. The guilt bobbed to the surface like a buoy released from deep waters. Jamie was right. They weren't friends although once upon a time, they had been. Sort of. In the way that women like Hailey and Jamie made friendships. Without the hand-holding and weeping of other women. And without the intimacy, too. They didn't share. Not much. Some not at all. The job was heavy enough. Hearing the wounds caused at home, in their private lives, would only make their heavy loads harder to bear. After the incident with Jamie's ex-husband and Natasha, people had dispersed. At first, they took off all at once and rapidly, like tree full of birds fled at the sound of gunshot. Women who had been her friends left. Many didn't look back. Hailey liked to think that she wasn't one of those, but she might have been. Less because she blamed Jamie or took Natasha's side but more because her own life was quickly growing complicated enough to absorb all her energies.
Jamie would do well to drop the defensiveness. It made her seem suspicious and, as
Hailey shook her head. "Where were you last night?"
"You have a time of death?" Jamie asked.
"Not yet."
Jamie dropped her cigarette, stamped it out and then retrieved her butt off the pavement. "I left the station at about two. I was here for maybe an hour, so maybe it was two-ten or so. We pulled our suspect in after the rape exam. Washington was with me."
"You nail him?"
She shook her head, looked away. "On the way home, I stopped for gas and cigarettes."
Hailey was poised to write.
Jamie shook her head. "I can't think of it." She rolled her hand through the air. "The one with the tiger."
"Exxon," Hailey supplied.
Jamie nodded. "Exxon. Off the Central San Rafael exit. On Irwin, maybe. I paid cash. Marlboro Lights. Kid behind the counter had red hair, skinny, some tattoo on his forearm. A lizard or something. Oh, and one of those little squares of hair under his lower lip. What do the kids call that?"
"Soul patch."
"Right." Jamie fiddled with the butt of the cigarette like she wanted to light another one. "Stupid-looking thing."
The details were good. Any cop knew that details were what made a story believable. Some things would be hearsay, but details like that could be checked. "And before the interview?"
"I was at the awards thing with you until I got the call on Osbourne. It was—what—close to nine o'clock? I went straight to the hospital and from there to the station. Came back this morning. In between, I was at home."
Hailey hesitated a moment. She hated to ask but there was no way around it. "And at home. You were alone?"
Jamie paused, drawing a deep drag on her cigarette and blowing it out over her shoulder. "Alone."
Something about the way she said it made Hailey hesitate. "You sure, Jamie? If you weren't alone, it would make it easier. I can be discreet."
Jamie smoked a moment, then dropped the cigarette to the ground and stamped it out.
Hailey waited. "You were alone," she prompted again.
"I've got a dog named Barney. Don't know if he'd be convincing in cross-examination."
Hailey crossed her arms. Sighed. "This isn't fun for me, either. You think I want to interrogate a friend? But everyone's going to be asking the question. You had motive. Big motive. Public motive. I get you out of the mix early, I can find the real killer."
Jamie picked up the cigarette butt and put it in her pocket. Then, turning, she faced Hailey for the first time. Jamie was taller than her by a good three inches, and she looked like hell. Dark circles, no makeup. She'd been up most of the night with a rape case, back early. From her appearance, Hailey would have guessed she'd been dragged out of bed a few days ago.
Jamie paused. When she spoke, her voice was soft and void of humor. "Don't feel like you have to lie. We're not friends, Hailey. Feel free to bring me in if you have more questions. Sorry I couldn't provide a better alibi." Then she turned and walked away.
Hailey didn't watch her. The guilt bobbed to the surface like a buoy released from deep waters. Jamie was right. They weren't friends although once upon a time, they had been. Sort of. In the way that women like Hailey and Jamie made friendships. Without the hand-holding and weeping of other women. And without the intimacy, too. They didn't share. Not much. Some not at all. The job was heavy enough. Hearing the wounds caused at home, in their private lives, would only make their heavy loads harder to bear. After the incident with Jamie's ex-husband and Natasha, people had dispersed. At first, they took off all at once and rapidly, like tree full of birds fled at the sound of gunshot. Women who had been her friends left. Many didn't look back. Hailey liked to think that she wasn't one of those, but she might have been. Less because she blamed Jamie or took Natasha's side but more because her own life was quickly growing complicated enough to absorb all her energies.
Jamie would do well to drop the defensiveness. It made her seem suspicious and, as
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