Detective Wade Jackson Mystery - 02 - Secrets to Die For by L. J. Sellers Read Free Book Online

boyfriend?”
     
    “No.”
     
    “Did she date anyone?”
     
    “No. We have some guy friends, but they’re just friends.”
     
    “Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt Raina?”
     
    Jamie shook her head. She wanted to tell the cop about the night in the park, but she couldn’t. It would open doors that needed to stay closed. Raina had brushed off the incident, but Jamie had worried that they had been stalked—and maybe by the rapist who had attacked those other women. Those other lesbians. Jamie couldn’t believe the cops or the media hadn’t made the connection yet. She sure wasn’t going to make it for them now that Raina had been attacked and she was closely associated with Raina. Jamie wasn’t totally sure she was a lesbian, but even if she was, her parents must never know. Never !
     
    “Tell me what you’re thinking, Jamie,” the cop prodded. “If it can help us find Raina’s killer, I need to know.”
     
    “I can’t believe anyone would want her dead.” Jamie couldn’t continue. She eased herself down on the couch and wept, her whole body trembling. She felt her own life force draining out through her tears. What would she do without Raina? They had been best friends since senior year in high school. She couldn’t imagine her life without Raina. What was the point of becoming a social worker now? How could she help anyone?
     
    Her mother tried to console her, but Jamie pushed her away. She heard Detective Evans talking with her parents for a while, then the house was quiet. Her parents had gone to their bedroom to talk about her, like they frequently did. Jamie wondered what plan they would come up with this time. Some new idea to send her away somewhere. As if a change of scenery would transform her into a go-getter. This time, she didn’t care. Maybe the attacker would find her and kill her too, then she wouldn’t have to feel this pain anymore.
     
    Jackson sat at his desk in an ugly room crowded with other desks, file cabinets, and a printer or two—but at this late hour, there were no other detectives. The building’s hideous design, which included wooden slats outside the windows, often made him feel like he was the one in jail. He reached into his drawer for a Vivarin. He might sleep for an hour or so later, but for now, he had to stay awake. The Gormans were here at headquarters in separate interview rooms, waiting. Jackson had decided to let them chill for while. After being Tasered, Bruce needed time to start thinking straight again. Cindy needed a moment to ponder the charge of assaulting a police officer. Jackson was prepared to press that charge if she covered for her husband—and to drop it if she told him the truth.
     
    Josh was sleeping in the ‘soft’ interview room they used for kids. It had overstuffed couches and serene landscapes on the wall. The boy had fallen asleep in Jackson’s front seat on the way to the station and had not woken up when he carried him in. Jackson waited for Mariah Martin, Josh’s caseworker to show up, so she could be present when Jackson interviewed the boy. Dealing with children was a political hot button and Jackson tried to be careful. Meanwhile, Schak was preparing the paperwork for two subpoenas, one to search the Gormans’ home and one for a DNA body standard from Bruce Gorman. Evans hadn’t come back from her interview with Jamie Conner, the young woman whose picture was in Raina’s glovebox.
     
    Jackson wondered if Sergeant Lammers had forgotten to call McCray, who had never shown up at the scene or called him. Abruptly he remembered that McCray was on vacation. The seasoned detective had taken his wife to Hawaii for their twenty-fifth anniversary.
     
    Jackson’s phone rang and the front desk officer informed him Mariah Martin had arrived. Relieved, Jackson headed out to the front area, another crowded space separated from the small public entry by a plexiglass wall.
     
    Ms. Martin was short and thick and