Mark rudely tossed his partners feet back to the floor and decided to ignore the question
for the moment. He remembered the necklace that Maya asked about. “Jordan, do you remember
seeing a necklace with a pendant on the female victim’s neck? I don’t remember seeing it on her body or in the evidence bag.”
“I don’t think so. Why?”
“Maya mentioned that she and Allison wore matching necklaces from the time they were
kids. You know the type; they look like two halves of the same whole. I’ll go and check in the evidence room later.”
After several hours of nonstop work, Mark glanced down at his watch and noticed it was
well after lunch. Thoughts of Maya had made their way fleetingly into his mind throughout the morning. He’d had enough, and knew if he didn’t do something about it soon, he’d lose it.
Mark stood and looked at the clock. Jordan noticed him and said, “I didn’t know it was so
late. You want to go grab a sandwich or something? Man I’m starving. Chips and coffee can
only hold a man so long.”
“Go ahead without me. I need to follow up on something, and I’m not sure how long it’s
going to take. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Do you need any backup?” Jordan volunteered as he stood and kneaded his neck, and
then picked up his jacket.
“No I can handle it. I’ll be back as soon as I’m finished.” Mark didn’t want to disclose
the exact nature of his errand. “I’ll pick something up to eat on my way back.”
Before he left the station, he verified the address for Imani House, and as he went to his
SUV, he felt an unfamiliar clench in his stomach. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear it was nervousness. Which, he thought, was ridiculous. He never felt nervous about a woman, no matter how good she looked.
After he arrived at Imani House, the door opened and he came face to face with the nosy
neighbor who’d interrupted his intimate encounter with Maya on Friday.
“May I help you, Detective?” she asked in a husky voice.
“Yes, ma’am. I came to speak with Dr. Maya Richardson on official police business. Is
she available?”
“She is conducting group counseling at the moment. When she finishes, I will let her
know you are here, Detective.” The woman indicated the small waiting room that stood adjacent to a much larger room, where Mark could hear feminine laughter drifting from its walls.
“Thank you, ma’am. I’ll wait here for Dr. Richardson.”
Left alone, he drifted toward the slightly opened door. Moments before he’d heard muted
laughter, now he was straining to hear a single voice that had already imprinted itself into his brain. Without feeling the least bit guilty, Mark watched through the pane and listened to Maya as she perched on the edge of a table at the head of the room, speaking to the gathering of women.
* * * *
“Before we wrap up, I’d like to thank everyone for the consoling notes regarding the
death of my sister. This is a very difficult time for me, and I won’t pretend otherwise. Your emotional support is really important to me, and I feel blessed to have such a group of
courageous woman around me.” Maya had to clear her voice several times as she thanked the
women.
“Thank you all. I will see each one of you throughout the week for our individual therapy
sessions, and see you all back here next Monday for group,” she said, ending the session.
As the ladies began filing out, each one stopped to hug her. As she turned back to her
desk to gather her paperwork, she missed seeing Mark slip inside the doors.
Closing the door, he advanced further into the room and leaned against the wall right
behind her, waiting for her to notice him.
She made a visible start when Mark came into her line of vision. “Detective Halstan, I
didn’t know that you were here.”
“I arrived fifteen minutes ago. When I saw the ladies leaving I thought your session was
over.”
“Did you find out anything new, Detective? About the investigation? Did they find my
sister’s necklace?” She asked with a hopeful look.
“Unfortunately, Allison wasn’t wearing the necklace; it wasn’t found on her by the crime
techs.”
Seeing the disappointed look on her face, Mark felt compelled to continue. “Do you
know where she’d been recently living? Maybe she has it in her personal belongings. I’m sure that it meant as much to her as it did to you.”
As he’d been talking, Maya had been leading him away from the room. “Why don’t we
continue this conversation in my office?”
Mark followed her as they walked through the conference room toward the kitchen. In
the middle of the large kitchen standing before the butcher-block counter was a small dark
complexioned man. He was humming and chopping vegetables on a cutting board, and brushing
them into a gently bubbling stockpot.
The small man turned and smiled at the sound of Maya’s voice. The wide grin slid off his
face as soon as he noticed Mark. He turned back to his work, his shoulders stiffening and his singing coming to an abrupt end.
“If you are hungry Senora, then I will find something for you to eat. This is for dinner,
but I will heat for you what the other ladies are eating for lunch.”
“Jorge I would like for you to meet Detective Halstan. He’s with the SAPD, and he’s one
of the detectives investigating the death of Ally. You may be seeing him around the House once in awhile. We were on our way to my office so that we could discuss the investigation.” Maya’s voice was gentle, as though she were talking to a child.
“Detective Halstan, this is Jorge Gonzalez, chef extraordinaire, to whom the ladies and
myself of Imani House are blessed to have here to prepare our meals and help us make our house a home.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Jorge. Whatever you’re making smells great.” Mark cast hungry
eyes in
