She forced out a no. What was the use? They didn’t believe her. Or wouldn’t believe if Carson had gotten to them first. Fire itched under her skin. “See. That’s why I didn’t buzz you.”
“Pardon me, Miss Pembroke?” The older man’s eyes revealed not a teaspoon of agitation, but a whole gallon of curiosity.
“I wasn’t keen on giving whispers to the police.” She exhaled with enough force to cause the lace on her dress to tremble.
“Why?” He shoved his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose.
Because she’d heard stories. Tales of police shielding the bad guys and sticking it to the innocent. She inclined her chin, refusing to answer.
“Someone died, Miss Pembroke,” the captain said. “Don’t you want justice done?”
“A dandy of a line, but here’s the thing. Ya say you’re on the side of justice, but you and I both know the boundaries of that line are slanted by who’s shelling out the dough.”
Double brackets furrowed between his gray brows. “You’re right, young lady. I’ve been a part of this police force for thirty years, and for most of it, I’ve been proud of our division. But now.” He rubbed the creases in his forehead. “Now I’m not certain of anything.” His frank admission seemed to deepen the lines framing his downturned mouth, and the silvery spark that highlighted his soft blue eyes extinguished.
Was Pops the best actor never to grace the stage? Or was he telling the truth?
He blinked as if shirking away from the sadness. “One thing I am sure of, missy, is that we can’t stop the corruption unless we’re brave enough to step out from the shadows.” He raised his flappy chin with a determined gaze which made Vera squirm. “Your testimony could trigger the light to be shed on this city again. Help clear out the wrong-doers.”
“Who do you guys think I am, little red ridin’ hood? I’m a nightclub singer.”
“You’re our only witness.” The captain was nodding while Vera was shaking her head no.
“How could I be sure you flatfoots aren’t tricking me? Everyone around knew I couldn’t stand Artie. He and I were always sparring about things.” One major thing. “I’m not gonna be left holding the bag for murder.”
She could’ve sung three encores to fill the gap of awkward silence. Finally, Pops shrugged and said, “You couldn’t have done it.”
A thread of hope tugged her eyebrows, lifting. But this could be another ploy, enticing her to drop her defenses.
Pops studied his fingernails as if gleaning advice from them. “I won’t cloud your mind with the details.”
“I’m a big girl.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder and sat taller, attempting to enforce her argument that she was a capable woman and not just a scatting moll girl.
He motioned to his underling. “Ace, send a dispatch to pick up Kelly on the suspicion of murder.”
“Yes sir.” The sergeant flicked a glance her way before exiting.
She bit the inside of her cheek. They’re corralling Carson. She’d either accomplished her first virtuous act since fleeing Redding or made the biggest mistake of her life.
“Ready to get down to the nitty-gritty?” The captain laced his fingers together and stretched, cracking his knuckles.
She nodded.
“We couldn’t buy the suicide theory for several reasons, but let me just say all that concerns you. All right?”
“Yeah.”
“First off, it was clear that the body had been moved. Scuffmarks from the victim’s shoes left a trail in the hallway. That rules you out as a suspect due to your size.”
Her head tilted. “My size?”
“You’re a tall cookie, but other than that, there’s nothing to you.”
Was that a compliment? Or an insult? She glanced down her frame. She had some padding, where it needed to be, anyway. “I don’t understand.”
“Arthur Cavenhalt was a large man. There is no way you could have drug him around like that. And even if you could have, you couldn’t have hoisted him into his office chair.”
“Was that where he was?”
“Yes ma’am. Face down on the desk, his hand over a pistol.”
She shuddered at the mental image. “So I’m not a suspect?”
“No.”
Got it. But understanding and trusting were two very different things. And if she confessed the part about Artie blackmailing her, then the big guy might think differently. She tapped the sides of her chair, trying to chase away the numbness. “What’s left for me to do?”
He offered a sympathetic smile. “You have to give a written statement.”
Her shoulders slumped. And here she thought she would stroll on out of here, having at least one problem dealt with. “Do I have to?” She whined like a three-year-old but didn’t care. She had other issues to face—well, run away from. The longer she waited in policeland, the more trains she missed to NYC. “The rest of the world thinks it’s a suicide. Why do I have—”
“Not for long. The district attorney is leaking it to the press”—he glanced at his watch—“even as we speak.”
She’d never been able to bargain well. In second grade, she’d lost all her jacks in exchange for a paper doll that ripped even with her careful handling. And now her heart felt torn in two. She should comply as much as possible to keep suspicion away, but the spotlight of attention shining over her might expose everything. And then the blame would be on her again. “Am I really the only witness here? Can’t you nab your man without me?”
“Right now, you’re all we have. Without your testimony, there is no case.”
So simple for him to spout off like that. It wasn’t his name on the witness paper. “I’m not flyin’ with the idea of crossin’ swords with Carson. It’s a snap to see he won’t like it. Look at Artie.”
“Listen. Only me, the sergeant, and the D.A. know you were there last night, no one else. Yes, the defense will know we have an eyewitness, more like an earwitness.” He laughed at his own joke. “But they’ll be clueless as to who it is.”
“What am I supposed to do until the trial comes? Sit around and knit?”
“We’ll cover that in a bit.” He shot a glance toward the door, the heavy look on his face making her leery.
What had she gotten herself into?
CHAPTER 6
Mick refilled the dinky paper cup and emptied it in one swig.
“How’s it coming?” Officer Hundley joined him in the tiny breakroom, clutching a paper sack from the delicatessen.
“Captain’s talking with her.” Better his superior than him. His chest still burned from her explosive remarks. You lied to me. Smoldering under the flames of anger in her eyes were embers of hurt. A hurt he’d stoked, unintentionally. He crumpled the pathetic cup in his hand. Maybe he’d been deceptive, but what else could he have done? His job required confidentiality.
“Is she as dishy as the rumors say?”
He grunted and tossed the trash into the wastebasket.
“That’s not an answer, my friend.” Hundley bit into his sandwich, lips smacking as he chewed. “If you would’ve let us get a quick glimpse of her, then I wouldn’t have to ask.”