Brenda Novak - The Perfect Murder

“Skye.”

Sebastian steadied her as they started off. “She still out of town?”

“She’s coming home tomorrow.”

“Are you going to tell her you worked on your first case?” Kate asked.

“I will. I wish I could also tell her we have the bad guy behind bars, but…”

“You’ll get to say that soon,” Kate said.

Jane exchanged a glance with Sebastian. “You bet I will.”

Malcolm spent most of Saturday and all morning Sunday studying The Last Stand’s Web site. They had a feature that allowed someone interested in getting help to petition-anonymously-for information. The charity catered to abused women and children, for the most part, so he imagined this was a way to make a woman who didn’t know how to escape her situation feel safe enough to ask about her options.

It was a really nice idea.

It might also be the perfect means to ensure that Jane would be at the office tomorrow afternoon. At least it was worth writing in to see who responded…

Clicking on the I Have a Question link, he waited for the form to come up, then began to type.

My husband gets very violent, especially when he drinks. He hits me-he broke my nose last week. Sometimes he even hits or kicks our children. I have to do something, for their sake. But if I get him in trouble, he’ll kill me. He told me so when I went to his sister. I’m afraid he’ll really go through with it! Is there any way I could make an appointment to see someone about getting help? My husband is out of town tomorrow. I could come in at six, if anyone will be available. I apologize for the inconvenience. I don’t want to be a bother. I just don’t know where else to turn.

He didn’t make up a name to sign the message with. He figured it would be just as believable without one.

After he’d sent it, he watched some television, called his bookie to see if he could place another bet, was refused because he hadn’t paid for the last few and began to pace. If he’d thought living alone in that ranch house was stifling, this was even worse. He felt so cooped up, so…limited.

His life was shit. Why was he putting up with that?

Cursing, he decided to head to Stockton Boulevard. It’d been a long time since he’d played at the “prostitute bribes undercover cop” fantasy. Maybe if he could find a black woman who was young and pretty, like Latisha, he’d be able to pretend it was her…

“Would you and Kate like to come to dinner?”

Switching her cell phone to the other ear, Jane hesitated at her mother-in-law’s offer. She, Sebastian and Kate were at the kitchen table. They’d been playing board games for most of the weekend. She got the impression it was the first time Sebastian had forgotten about chasing Malcolm in a long, long while. She enjoyed seeing him relax, hearing him laugh. She’d prefer to spend the rest of their Sunday as they’d spent it so far-just the three of them-but she’d been busy lately, consumed by work, and her in-laws had been so good, helping with Kate whenever she needed them. She figured she could at least ask if Sebastian would like to go.

Covering the mouthpiece, she whispered to him. “Kate’s grandma is inviting us over for dinner. Any chance you’d be interested?”

“Can she cook?” he teased.

“She’s a really good cook!” Kate told him.

He winked. “Then I’m in. I never turn down a home-cooked meal.”

Remembering the lasagna he’d paid her to make, Jane smiled and returned to her conversation. “We have someone visiting us who’s hankering for some old-fashioned home cooking. Is it okay if we bring him along?”

“Him? It’s a man?” Betty asked. “Who is it? That P.I. from work? Or one of the volunteers?”

Jane tried not to chuckle at the fluster behind those questions. “No. Someone else. His name is Sebastian Costas.”

“You’ve never mentioned a Sebastian before. I’d remember that name. Costas-is he Greek?”

“You haven’t heard of him because we just met last week. And, yes, I think his name’s Greek.”

“It is,” Sebastian confirmed.

“What’s Greek?” Kate asked.

Sebastian explained while Betty continued questioning Jane. “Is this a romantic interest? Because it kind of sounds that way. It sounds as if you’ve finally met someone.”

Jane told herself she should’ve known she’d be grilled. Betty had been urging her to start dating for the past three years. But she wasn’t making any commitments. She knew it was silly, superstitious, but she was afraid she might jinx her own happiness if she did. “Maybe.”

“Then of course you can bring him! I’ve been praying you could-” She stopped. When she struggled to go on, Jane realized it was because she’d suddenly choked up.

“I’m going to be okay,” she said gently. “Even if I spend the rest of my life alone, I’ll be okay.”

“I know, it’s just…you’ve been through so much.”

That reminder brought one other consideration to mind. “Will Wendy be coming tonight?”

“She might be. I always invite both of you. Someday she’ll understand that it’s useless to hold a grudge and she’ll let our family be whole again-or as whole as it can be.”

Jane appreciated the sentiment and the effort her in-laws made to close the rift. But did she really want to have dinner with Wendy? This had been such a good weekend…

“Grandma has a great big dog,” Kate was telling Sebastian, her face as animated as Jane had ever seen it. “I want you to meet him. And Grandpa bought me a trampoline. I can do some tricks. You’ll see.”

With a sigh, Jane decided it didn’t really matter whether Wendy was going to be at the Burkes’ or not. “We’ll be there,” she said. “What time?”

The tension in the room was palpable. Sebastian had noticed it from the moment Jane’s ex-sister-in-law trooped in with her boys. Wendy sat across from him now, wearing a stony expression as she picked at her food. Occasionally she looked up long enough to glower at Jane.

Jane sat stoically beside him, giving Wendy a brief but hopeful smile whenever their eyes met. Sebastian understood that she felt guilty for what she’d done. He thought she should feel guilty; she’d made a serious mistake. But it bothered him that Wendy continued to withhold her forgiveness when Jane was obviously so eager to receive it. She’d been paying penance for five years. What more could she do? She regretted her actions. Besides, she hadn’t meant for anyone to be hurt, she wasn’t the one who’d killed Noah, and she’d been going through an extremely difficult time when she’d gotten involved with him. How did Wendy know her husband wasn’t equally to blame-or, for that matter, even more to blame?

Sebastian answered politely as the older Burkes asked him the usual questions-where he was from, what he did. They seemed intrigued by him, but all he could think about were the daggers Wendy was staring at Jane.

“So how did you meet?” Wendy asked, breaking her “I will ignore Jane and anything to do with her” rule, which she’d upheld to this point.

“We’ve been working on a case together,” he said.

“What kind of case?”

“A kidnap case,” Jane inserted, gazing down at her plate.

The clipped response told Sebastian Jane didn’t want to elaborate. She was trying to protect Kate from hearing how bad the man they’d been chasing really was. And they couldn’t discuss murder at the table. Not with this family, who’d had firsthand experience. But it was Kate who jumped in. “Don’t worry, the girl’s home safe,” she piped up.

Sebastian smiled at the relief in her voice, but Wendy scarcely acknowledged her niece. “How does an investment banker get involved in a kidnap case?” she asked.