sitting here with me. Are you trying to piss him off?”
“Not directly, but if that’s a side effect of our conversation, I’m okay with it.”
She smirked. “We can both agree on that. Have you been partners long?”
“A year, but it feels like a ten-year journey through hell.”
“I can imagine. Did you work David Grange’s murder?”
Jackson nodded. “And I checked out Ms. Frederick’s house after she came in and claimed someone had been inside the night before.”
Shaye shifted in her chair, and Jackson could tell she was dying to let a million questions fly, but she was still playing it cool. He had to give her credit. She was doing a credible job of it.
“Is it like Vincent said?” she finally asked.
“Yeah. Not that he knows firsthand, mind you. He pretty much stood around in the living room and nodded. I did all the heavy lifting.”
“And there’s no way someone broke in?”
“There’s always a chance. Locks aren’t perfect. With the right tools, an expert could be inside in a second. But…”
“Nothing was stolen, so that lets out professional thieves, and locksmiths don’t usually let themselves in strangers’ houses simply to terrorize them.”
“Pretty much. None of the windows had been messed with, and I couldn’t see signs of tampering on the door locks, either. A pro wouldn’t leave signs, but most break-ins aren’t conducted by pros. No footprints in the backyard, and we’d had heavy rain earlier that evening. The backyard is covered with shade trees, so grass is at a premium. There’s no way to get to the back door without leaving footprints across the lawn.”
“So he entered through the front door.”
“ If he entered, that’s the only option that I can see, but it’s not a great one. The front porch is visible by at least eight houses on the block, and Emma herself said she always leaves the porch light on.”
Shaye sighed. “You don’t believe her either.”
“I believe Emma thinks someone was in her house that night. I believe she thinks she’s being stalked, and she may be right.”
“But?”
“But if someone is stalking her, there’s no way it’s her husband. David Grange is dead. I saw the body myself, and trust me, no one comes back from a severed carotid. Not after he’s bled for as long as he did. I understand you believing that Emma is being stalked. She’s your client and it’s your job to take her at her word unless you have good reason not to. But given the evidence, you can’t possibly believe her stalker is David Grange.”
“I never said I did. I made the necessary phone calls yesterday. Everyone seems quite clear on the fact that David was dead before the paramedics arrived. And no one doubts that the corpse they handled was indeed David Grange. Honestly, I don’t think Emma believes David is her stalker either, but I do believe someone is following her. He’s just being very clever about it, because as long as Emma has no proof, she has no protection. But too many odd things have happened to her, and I’m not a big fan of coincidence.”
Jackson tapped one finger on the table. Sometimes he hated how the rules and the law tied his hands when he couldn’t find enough proof to back up his theories. The reality was, Emma Frederick had gotten to him. And if he was being honest, he believed someone was watching her. Despite the fact that she was clearly frightened, he found her logical and more importantly, sane. Maybe not every strange incident that had happened to her in the last couple of months could be attributed to PTSD or coincidence. Like Shaye, he wasn’t a big fan of it either.
“Can you tell me anything about David Grange?” Shaye asked.
“He was abusive. Ms. Frederick got a restraining order. He violated it and attacked her, and she killed him. One of her neighbors corroborated him striking her.”
“Really? She didn’t tell me that.”
“She might not know. The officers who worked the abuse complaint
“Not directly, but if that’s a side effect of our conversation, I’m okay with it.”
She smirked. “We can both agree on that. Have you been partners long?”
“A year, but it feels like a ten-year journey through hell.”
“I can imagine. Did you work David Grange’s murder?”
Jackson nodded. “And I checked out Ms. Frederick’s house after she came in and claimed someone had been inside the night before.”
Shaye shifted in her chair, and Jackson could tell she was dying to let a million questions fly, but she was still playing it cool. He had to give her credit. She was doing a credible job of it.
“Is it like Vincent said?” she finally asked.
“Yeah. Not that he knows firsthand, mind you. He pretty much stood around in the living room and nodded. I did all the heavy lifting.”
“And there’s no way someone broke in?”
“There’s always a chance. Locks aren’t perfect. With the right tools, an expert could be inside in a second. But…”
“Nothing was stolen, so that lets out professional thieves, and locksmiths don’t usually let themselves in strangers’ houses simply to terrorize them.”
“Pretty much. None of the windows had been messed with, and I couldn’t see signs of tampering on the door locks, either. A pro wouldn’t leave signs, but most break-ins aren’t conducted by pros. No footprints in the backyard, and we’d had heavy rain earlier that evening. The backyard is covered with shade trees, so grass is at a premium. There’s no way to get to the back door without leaving footprints across the lawn.”
“So he entered through the front door.”
“ If he entered, that’s the only option that I can see, but it’s not a great one. The front porch is visible by at least eight houses on the block, and Emma herself said she always leaves the porch light on.”
Shaye sighed. “You don’t believe her either.”
“I believe Emma thinks someone was in her house that night. I believe she thinks she’s being stalked, and she may be right.”
“But?”
“But if someone is stalking her, there’s no way it’s her husband. David Grange is dead. I saw the body myself, and trust me, no one comes back from a severed carotid. Not after he’s bled for as long as he did. I understand you believing that Emma is being stalked. She’s your client and it’s your job to take her at her word unless you have good reason not to. But given the evidence, you can’t possibly believe her stalker is David Grange.”
“I never said I did. I made the necessary phone calls yesterday. Everyone seems quite clear on the fact that David was dead before the paramedics arrived. And no one doubts that the corpse they handled was indeed David Grange. Honestly, I don’t think Emma believes David is her stalker either, but I do believe someone is following her. He’s just being very clever about it, because as long as Emma has no proof, she has no protection. But too many odd things have happened to her, and I’m not a big fan of coincidence.”
Jackson tapped one finger on the table. Sometimes he hated how the rules and the law tied his hands when he couldn’t find enough proof to back up his theories. The reality was, Emma Frederick had gotten to him. And if he was being honest, he believed someone was watching her. Despite the fact that she was clearly frightened, he found her logical and more importantly, sane. Maybe not every strange incident that had happened to her in the last couple of months could be attributed to PTSD or coincidence. Like Shaye, he wasn’t a big fan of it either.
“Can you tell me anything about David Grange?” Shaye asked.
“He was abusive. Ms. Frederick got a restraining order. He violated it and attacked her, and she killed him. One of her neighbors corroborated him striking her.”
“Really? She didn’t tell me that.”
“She might not know. The officers who worked the abuse complaint
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