Chapter Eighteen #2
Someone was happy to see dead people, and that was NOT the norm.
Honor was curious.
“So does that mean he’s not ‘eating’ the dead here?” she asked. “Or whatever term applies? Because if they’re congregating here…”
Tori wouldn’t know until she asked them, but at that moment, they had another issue.
“Heads-up.”
They all looked over, and on the porch was the attorney. He was standing there with a cup of coffee, and a curious look on his face.
It was time to have a talk.
Heading his way, they stood at the bottom of the stairs on the grand porch.
“Hey,” he said. “Has something come up with the case?” he asked, curiously.
Call him surprised to have company.
Trent had been walking to his library, and saw the car pull up. Curiosity had the best of him when he saw a detective and the Littlemoons get out.
“You could say that,” Honor stated. “Do you have some time?”
He waved them up to the porch.
“Can I get you guys coffee?” he asked. “I had a late night working on briefs, and I’m just getting up.”
Julian liked the guy.
He didn’t know why, but something about him felt…calming. Plus, he knew Lianna was attracted to him. She was always watching him, like that deer checking out a possible threat or non-threat.
Someone was smitten, and if his gut was right, this man felt the same.
“Thank you,” Honor stated. “I could use a coffee.”
Both Littlemoons knew that was cop for ‘I want to see inside your house so we can get a feel for you’, so they played along.
“I never say no to coffee,” Julian stated.
As they headed up the stairs, he held the door to his own home for them.
Once inside, they could see how nice the place was, and how painstakingly it had been put together for the man who owned it.
There were books everywhere.
A library of books.
The art on the walls was of Salem, and was a snapshot into the historical things there.
Yeah, someone liked history.
Tori made a mental note to have Bexley dig into how far back his family went and if he was in any way connected to the Vanderbilt family.
Because this was more than lawyer-rich.
This was definitely generational wealth.
It was time to dig.
“Nice place,” Tori said. “It’s beautiful in here. I’ve driven past it a few times, and I was curious if it was as nice inside as it was outside.”
He escorted them into a gourmet kitchen that would make the most famous chef weep.
“Thanks. It was my parent’s home and when they died, I moved back in. I grew up here. It didn’t look like this then, though. My dad liked old wood, and fixing things up. When he died, there was a lot of his projects to be finished.”
Well, so far, he hadn’t lied about how he got the house.
To make their coffee, he went behind the counter, and offered them seats at the marble-topped island.
As he poured, he placed coffee in front of each one of them and then got the cream and sugar out of for his guests.
“Does your family roots go way back?” Julian asked, knowing they needed to cover that.
The man leaned on the counter and sipped his coffee.
“Yeah, apparently. My mother was a historian for Salem, and a librarian. She dug that kind of thing,” he admitted.
They made mental notes.
“So, what’s up with the case?” he asked, before they could say anything. “I know Lonnie can’t possibly be causing problems since he’s dead. Oh, and by the way, I’m still waiting on the ME to release his COD so I can get my friend buried.”
Well, about that…
“Actually, we are kind of here about the situation,” Honor stated. “Apparently, we have someone making this look like suicides, and they aren’t.”
He looked…surprised.
“Oh, shit.”
Tori went there.
“Yeah, but that’s off the record, Counselor. Please.”
He nodded.
“Sure. I was going to follow up with Lianna today, but I didn’t want to bother her on a weekend. I’m sure she has plans, or dates,” he offered, trying to get some information.
Julian and Tori both had their doors open, and they could see more dead inside the house.
Only two.
Granted, they were probably the two most important ones to talk to.
Trent’s parents.
It was clear that the dead hadn’t vacated the house upon their deaths.
“I don’t like them,” the woman stated. “They feel like they are trying to say shit about my son.”
The dead man moved around his son and checked out Honor. As he did, both Littlemoons listened. It was clear they didn’t realize they could see them.
“I respect a cop,” the older man said. “I liked cops when I was alive. Well, most of them.”
The wife wasn’t done.
“The woman is pretty. I think the redhead has nice eyes. She looks kind.”
Still, neither of them reacted. Once the cat was out of the bag, the two dead would be all over them.
“I’m sure my sister is free,” Julian stated. “I haven’t spoken to her yet today, but…she keeps her weekends open. The kids are likely at my brother’s playing.”
The attorney was about to say something when Honor went there.
“So, why did you have a delivery to your house yesterday of eight pentacles—the same ones found with all of the ‘suicide’ victims?” she asked, going there since the Littlemoons were stalling.
Honor didn’t have time for lollygagging.
At her question, he blinked.
“I’m sorry, what?” he asked.
Honor was to the point.
“Yesterday, late afternoon, maybe early evening, a delivery was made here from the one specific shop tied to our case. They said someone ordered eight pentacles, and they were dropped off here by one of the employees.”
He literally stared at them in confusion.
Tori was beginning to think he had NO clue what they were talking about.
“I didn’t get a delivery. In fact, Detective, I wasn’t here yesterday at that time. I told you that I was at my office doing briefs for cases I have this week. I stayed there most of the time after we all found Lonnie dead. I had paperwork to do for that, too.”
Tori was curious.
“Do you have cameras? Security?”
He nodded.
“Of course, I do. I have doorbell cameras, on each door. That’s pretty much it, though. I don’t have other security. Nothing happens here in Salem. It’s pretty quiet.”
Oh, it wasn’t.
This man had no clue, or he was a damn good actor. It was time to find out which.
“Are they accusing my son?” the woman said to her dead husband. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly! I bet his ex has something to do with this! She was a bitch!”
Tori went there.
“We’re not accusing you, but we have questions. If it wasn’t you, someone had to have them sent here.”
That one sentence had the two dead people’s attention, pretty damn fast.
Like stray cats when a can of food opened.
Both moved closer to her and Julian, and their faces were inches from theirs.
Julian gave his wife a look.
Well, they now knew they could see them.
“I think she sees us,” the dead woman said, as if she was in Julian’s head.
Trent protested.
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t order anything to be delivered here. I certainly didn’t order pentacles from a case you’re working. There has to be a mistake.”
Honor looked over at Tori.
“What do you think?”
She shrugged.
“Can you prove you didn’t know?” she asked, already suspecting this man wasn’t going to be their killer. The dead were all over this place, and his parents were protecting him.
The energy here wasn’t bad.
“Like I said, I have doorbell cameras!”
Immediately, Trent pulled out his phone.
“What time, again? I turn my alerts off for my door simply because I’m in court a lot, and it’s relatively quiet here. As for the former, you know I’m in court a lot, trying to get people off from cops who make shit up.”
Well, hell.
Someone was spicy.
Immediately, Honor’s brow went up.
“Yeah, all that setting free of criminals after we get them caught must be exhausting. I’m sure you sleep like a baby once they are back out there reoffending all over the goddamn place.”
He stared at her.
“Are you calling me something uncomplimentary?” he asked.
Julian jumped in.
The two of them were like oil and water—almost like they annoyed Honor—just minus the relative to make her play nice.
“Counselor, just show us the proof, and we’ll explain. We have to eliminate you. You have to admit, this looks suspicious. You brought us Lonnie’s case, these deaths are the same as his, and then we find out you got more pentacles.”
He was honest.
“One, I’m not Pagan. Why would I get pentacles, and two, why would I bring a case to you if I was behind it, if that risked it being solved? Doesn’t that sound counterintuitive?” he asked.
Well, someone was a Harvard graduate, so he was smart enough to see them coming, but also smart enough to plan a way out.
No.
Doubt.
“Just show us,” Honor stated.
Opening his phone app, he went to the time they said, and he did, as a matter of fact, have motion on his one camera.
Twice.
“Here,” he said. “You’ll see that I wasn’t here.”
As they hit play, Honor checked out the scene. A black car pulled into the lot, and the skinny-ass Devil-wannabe from the shop got out, put the package on the porch, and then went back to his car.
“My car isn’t even there,” he said. “But what do I know?” he asked.
Honor rolled her eyes.
“Calm down, Counselor. Don’t get your undies in a twist. Wait until you get me on the stand next time, and then you can get bitchy.”
He shrugged.
“Do your job, and I won’t have to point out the problems.”
When she went to say shit, Julian put his hand over her mouth.
“Honor, come on. Breathe.”
She tolerated it.
Why?
Family was a pain in the ass, but it was hers.
They watched the time on the app, and that’s when they saw a dark shadow move in front of the camera, distorting the picture.
Through it, they could make out the image, but it was blurry.
“What the hell is that?” Honor asked.
Tori knew.
“He’s using his energy to distort it. It’s that, or the darkness of him taking the dead is causing it.”
Trent stared at them.
“What?”
They dismissed what he’d asked, needing to cover all of their bases.
Dead ones.
“Honor, can you have Trent show you where this camera is, and can you take a look around?” she asked.
When Honor stared at her, she got it. Someone wanted some privacy to talk to the dead.