In the back seat of the cruiser, too. I kept that thought to myself. “I hope the lawyer contacts you soon. I still think it’s a good idea to hire one.” When my phone vibrated in my bag, I checked the display. “It’s Jason. I’ll take his call outside, but I won’t be long.”
Liz nodded, and I connected as I hurried out onto a well-lit front walk.
“Hey, Jason.”
“I’m glad I reached you.”
“Did you hear what went on a little while ago?”
“A bit of it,” he said. “I have some news, too.”
“I’m at the police station right now with Liz, waiting to see Zoe. So what do you know?”
“I got your text and poked around a little,” Jason began. “You were right about Cody ratting on his sister. Good thing he did. This afternoon Giff finally roped me in for my cyber superpowers. Cody had dug into his sister’s messages, and I did, too. By the way, I want to hire that kid. But, yeah, Katherine’s in big trouble. So what happened at the ’Choke?”
“Liz and I ate dinner. She’d brought a care package for Zoe and we went out back to give it to her during her break. Two cruisers blasted in, and Detective Gifford said he was there to arrest Zoe for the murder. He told her Katherine had signed a sworn accusation against her. He called Katherine Zoe’s co-conspirator, and said he had Katherine in custody.”
He whistled. “How did Zoe react?”
“She stood up to Gifford. She said Katherine lied, that she’d tried to pay Zoe big cash to poison Paul. Zoe had refused. Katherine apparently used the messaging app where the texts are supposed to disappear. But Zoe saved each one to a thumb drive.”
“Is she credible?” Jason asked. “Is she still using?”
“She said she isn’t.” I shook my head. “She told Liz and me—and Gifford—she’s been clean for fifty-two days, and that he could verify it with the place she’s been living.”
“Maris House, I think.”
“Right.”
“So Zoe not only has a decent set of ethics,” Jason said. “She also didn’t need Katherine’s money for drugs.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Exactly. Did Katherine try to get out on bail? I mean, I hope she’s not going to come after anybody with a gun.” The thought made me shiver.
“No bail,” he said. “She’s a dangerousness risk. Even without Zoe’s statement, we now have plenty of communications evidence that Katherine had intent to commit homicide, whether by hiring Zoe to do it or carrying it out herself.”
“Whew. Was she working with her father to do it?”
“We don’t know yet.”
A silver Lexus pulled to the curb. A disheveled-looking Walter climbed out of the passenger side, and a man in a suit hurried around from the driver’s side.
“Here comes trouble,” I murmured to Jason. “Walter and a dude looking like a lawyer just drove up. They must be here to see Katherine, or maybe Gifford wants to question Walter. I’d better get back to Liz. I don’t know how she’ll react when she sees him.”
“Text me when you leave, all right?”
“Deal.” I disconnected just as Walter started up the steps. He saw me before I had time to go inside. Had he collaborated with Katherine to kill Paul? If he had, I wouldn’t put it past Katherine to accuse him, her own father, of murder. Right now I was glad of two things: that I stood outside a well-lit police station, and that the guy in the suit was close by.
Walter halted and pointed a shaking finger at me. “How do you keep popping up?” he snarled. “If you had something to do with my little girl being falsely accused, I’ll sue you up one side and down the next. Or worse.”
“Now, now, Mr. Russom.” The suit laid his hand atop Walter’s and gently pushed the accusing arm down. “Threats are not advisable. Let’s go in.”
Walter gave me one more glare but complied, pulling open the door.
The lawyer mouthed, “Sorry,” to me as he passed.
I stood rooted in place. I wanted to get back to Liz, but didn’t care to be accosted like that again. What a relief Katherine wouldn’t be getting out, and that they had the cyber evidence that she’d planned Paul’s murder. With any luck, Zoe’s thumb drive would be the other piece of evidence that would lock the case up tight and prove her innocence. After a moment, I headed back into the station.
Walter and the lawyer weren’t there, but neither was Liz. My phone dinged with an incoming text from her.
They said you wouldn’t be able to come in with me. I’ll let you know once I have her home.
That was that, then. I blew a kiss toward the innards of the station, to Liz and Zoe. I got a funny look from the uniform behind the glass and gave a little wave. My work here was done.
Chapter 56
I drove back to the café slowly, pretty sure I wouldn’t be pursued on my drive tonight. It must have been Katherine who’d tried to sideswipe me after the movie and who had chased me at the mission. Or one of Walter’s thugs.
I looped around on Cabrillo to drive by the beach. The rising full moon climbed up its arc, already shining a glistening stream on the waves. I idled the engine in the parking lot with my window down. I savored the sound of the waves, the smell of the sea, the sight of the silvery orb, and my relief that the week’s tension was deflating as fast as a party balloon. I wished I could see one last pelican, but I knew they were all at roost somewhere. I blew the Pacific Ocean a good-bye kiss.
I’d barely made it through the outside door of the café when Carmen’s voice came from the pass-through window.
“Robbie, come on
