A Taste of Sin (10 page)

Chapter 21

I woke before seven, just as the sun’s rays flickered through my bedroom curtains. I hadn’t expected to sleep at all. I must have dozed off around midnight after I talked to Max.

He’d said all the things I’d wanted to hear: I couldn’t have known Hector was violent, it wasn’t my fault Paul was dead and, I shouldn’t feel guilty about any of it.

… but, deep down, I still felt responsible.

I put on a pot of coffee and paced the kitchen, cell phone in hand, until I finally worked up the courage to call Linda.

“Hello?”

“Linda, it’s Sarah.”

“Hey, I was thinking of calling you today,” she said, sounding a little groggy. “I noticed you called last night.”

“Yes, I did. Um, Linda---”

“Look Sarah, I feel badly about the other night. I hope you understand that I’m not mad at you for lying to me. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I’m certain Paul is innocent.”

“Um, Linda?”

“What?”

“Something horrible happened last night. I don’t even know how to tell you.”

“Sarah, you’re scaring me. What is it?”

I bit down hard on my lower lip, searching for the right words. “Paul was murdered last night.”

Total silence.

“Linda? You there?”

“I don’t think I heard you correctly.”

“It’s true. I’m so, so sorry.”

For a second, I heard nothing. I could only imagine she was in shock.

“What happened?” she finally said.

There was no way to candy-coat this one. “He was stabbed three times in the chest during an altercation. We have the murder on video, from the hidden cameras. I was at the police station last night for hours explaining why we were conducting surveillance on Paul.”

“Who was this guy? Did they catch him? Is he in jail?”

“No. He’s dead, too.”

“Oh … my God. Emily …where is she?” Linda became frantic. “Is she okay?”

“She was stabbed in the leg. She’s at Mercy Hospital.”

“Is she going to be okay?”

“I believe so,” I said.

“Why did this happen?”

“Linda, the police are conducting a thorough investigation. I’ve already told them everything I know.” I didn’t yet want to mention the possibility that Paul and Hector conspired to kill Emily. 

“I’m heading to the hospital right now,” she said. “Meet me there, okay?”

“Sure, I’m on my way.”

Chapter 22

Linda was waiting for me in the lobby, a bouquet of flowers in hand. Her auburn hair was a mess, her make-up blotchy and her clothing disheveled. She looked up from her cell phone and gave me a faint smile. “Good news. Emily was taken out of the ICU last night.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “So, she’s going to be okay?”

“I guess, at least it looks promising.”

“Those are lovely,” I said, eying the pink blossoms in her hands. “I should probably stop inside the gift shop and get something, too.”

“These can be from both of us.”

I sensed she was in a hurry to see Emily, so I agreed. “What room is she in?”

“Three-fifteen. We take the elevator up to the third floor and take a left.”

We signed the visitor’s log at the nurse’s station then continued down the corridor to room 315.

A familiar person stood by the closed door, typing on his cell phone. Detective James was wearing dark blue jeans and a zip up sweatshirt. His face was clean-shaven, but the bags under his eyes suggested he’d had a sleepless night.

He looked up and smiled. “Morning ladies,” he said with a hushed voice.

“Have you been in to see Emily?” I asked.

“Yeah. We spoke briefly.”

“How is she?” I asked.

“Doctor says she’s good to go home today.” He smiled at Linda and extended a hand. “I don’t believe we’ve met. Detective Ron James.”

She took his hand. “Linda Barrett.”

“Linda, I know you’re anxious to see Emily, but I was hoping to ask you a few questions.”

Linda’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh? Why?”

“I understand Paul was a close friend of yours.”

“Yes, but ...”

“And you were also his therapist, correct?”

“That was years ago.”

“Great. I look forward to talking with you. Can you please meet me down in the cafeteria after your visit?”

Linda looked at me then back at him. “Um, okay.”

The detective continued down the corridor towards the elevators.

Linda turned to watch him walk away. “That man is rather pushy, isn’t he?”

“He’s just doing his job,” I said.

“Well, I hope he doesn’t expect me to cut my visit short.”

“Oh, I’m sure he doesn’t.”

I knocked lightly on the door, and heard a faint voice say “Come in.”

Emily was sitting up in the bed, the tubes of an IV unit taped to her hand. Her hollowed cheeks and sallow skin had a translucent quality, as if her flesh was made of rice paper. A weak smile creased her face.

Linda tossed the bouquet on the table and rushed over to the bed, throwing her arms around Emily. No words were spoken; only faint sobs and sniffles.

I stood by the door and watched. My throat swelled as tears welled in my eyes.

When Linda finally let go of Emily, they both looked up and beckoned me to join them.

“I don’t even know what to say, Emily. I’m truly, truly sorry.”

She took a moment to wipe her face and adjust her blankets. “I … I hope you don’t take any blame for what happened last night,” she said. “Detective James told me how worried you were. He … he said you’ve been a big help to their investigation.”

“If you don’t want to talk about it, I’ll understand.”

Emily closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, they were about to spill with fresh tears. “My … husband. He saved my life. Paul protected me from that … that monster.”

“Hector?”

Emily looked down at her hands. “You were right. You tried to warn me about him, didn’t you?”

“Did Detective James tell you about him? His past?”

She nodded. “He was always so polite. I never would have imagined he could do something so horrible. Why did he kill my husband? It doesn’t make any sense.”

I didn’t have an answer. “Have you called your parents?” I asked.

Emily shook her head. “Not yet. I’ll call them later today. They weren’t expecting me until tomorrow, anyway.”

Linda brushed the hair from Emily’s forehead. “How’s your leg, honey?”

Emily patted the blankets covering her left leg. “Can’t feel a thing right now. I’m sure once the numbness wears off it won’t be pleasant. The doctor told me if the stab wound been an inch higher, it would have severed my femoral artery.”

“You were very lucky,” I said.

“Lucky?” She laughed as if that were the understatement of the year.

Linda leaned in closer to her friend. “Em, come stay with me at my house. I have plenty of room. I’ll take care of you. What do you say?”

Emily’s lower lip quivered. “Really?”

“Unless you’d rather go to Florida to stay with your parents.”

“I hate Florida. I’d much rather stay with you. Are you sure?”

Linda patted Emily’s hand. “Absolutely.”

Emily smiled as tears spilled down her cheeks.

She reminded me of a small child; vulnerable and trusting. Her world had been turned upside down, and she seemed truly grateful for Linda’s offer.

“Why don’t I let you two hammer out the details,” I said, getting to my feet. “I’m going down to the cafeteria to talk to Detective James. I could use some coffee.”

Emily grabbed my hand. “I want you to know how much I appreciate all your help, Sarah. I still owe you.”

“That should be the least of your concerns,” I said. “I just wish things had turned out differently.”

I found Detective James sitting at a table, reading something on his cell phone, a Styrofoam cup in one hand. He looked up and invited me to join him.

I pulled out a chair. “Was Emily able to tell you anything more about last night?”

“Not really,” he said, setting his phone aside. “But maybe something will occur to her once the shock wears off. However, we did find Hector’s red pickup.”

“Where was it?”

“Parked half a mile away from the Hodges’s home, at a 7-Eleven. We had it towed to the impound yard. We didn’t find a cell phone but there was a Greyhound bus ticket to Lansing tucked inside the glove box.”

“Michigan?”

He nodded. “Yeah, scheduled to leave last night at ten from Boston’s South Station. The ticket was purchased online yesterday morning with a credit card … Paul Hodges’s credit card.”

I closed my eyes and sighed. “It appears as though Paul wanted Hector to get out of town.”

“I have a call in to the manager of the halfway house where Julio, aka Hector lived. I spoke with a few of his roommates before I came here. They all basically said the same thing: Hector was a rough character but, according to them, he never spoke of the Hodges or his plans to leave town.”

I remained quiet, staring at my hands.

Detective James leaned towards me. “Sarah. You look tired. Why don’t you head home?”

“I’m waiting for Linda.”

“Actually, I’d like to talk to Linda alone.”

“Why?”

“She was Paul’s therapist and close friend. I want her perspective on Paul’s emotional state in the weeks before his death.”

I nodded. “Just so you know, Linda probably won’t be much help. She believes Paul is innocent in all of this.”

“Why? Does she think someone else could have conspired to poison Emily?”

I shrugged.

“What about you?” he asked. “It seems like you’ve gotten to know Emily quite well over the past few days. Do you think there’s someone else involved?”

“Her brother is the only one I can think of but he hasn’t been in the picture for years. She shut him out of her life completely. I don’t have the whole story on that one.”

“Where does he live?” he asked.

“No idea. I don’t think Emily does either.”

“What would he have to gain by hiring someone to poison his sister?”

“Good question,” I said.

“Well, Linda will probably be down soon,” I said, getting to my feet. “If you don’t mind, please tell her I went home. She can call me later if she wants.”

* * *

It was almost noon by the time I got back from the hospital. I collapsed on the couch, exhausted from the emotional drain associated with Paul’s death. I was about to fall asleep when I remembered a commitment I needed to keep.

Bernese Mountain dogs are lovable, loyal and as big as a small horse. Chester was no exception. He accosted me with a face-full of kisses before I had a chance to get in the apartment. I took a few minutes to run my fingers through his brown fur. He seemed so content. It served to remind me of the importance of relishing small joys in life.

“Wanna go for a walk?” I said as I grabbed his leash, knowing full well it was
he
who would be taking
me
for a walk.

He responded by running in a quick circle, tail wagging.

We strolled through the neighborhood until he found a spot to do his business. As soon as we got underway again, my cell phone chirped in my pocket.

It was Linda.

“Sarah, why did you leave the hospital?” she asked without bothering to say hello.

“I figured you’d want to spend time with Emily,” I replied. “How did your talk go with the detective? Did he ask about Paul’s therapy sessions?”

“I told him he’d need a warrant for that information. He didn’t seem pleased with me.”

“Is he going to pursue it?”

“I don’t think so. I get the feeling he’s already made up his mind that Paul conspired to kill his wife,” she said.

“All the evidence points to that.”

“I know, but …it’s still too hard for me to imagine.”

“Where are you now?” I asked.

“Fixing up the guest room. I’m going back to the hospital around three to pick Emily up.”

“You’re a good friend,” I said. “She’s lucky to have you.”

“I’m going to cancel all my appointments for the next week,” she said. “I’m sure Emily will need help with Paul’s funeral arrangements. I’m not sure what she’ll do with her house. She told me she never wants to go back there.”

“Call me if you need any help,” I said.

“Thanks. Well, guess I’ll be in touch.”