The Way of the Guilty Part 3

"He's not incarcerated anymore. Clearly," Cooper answered sharply. "I got a flat tire driving home and he pulled over to help me out. Then you called and I needed to get here as fast as I could, so he gave me a ride. Pretty nice for a convict convict."

"Edward." Ashley tried out the name. "He's got magnetism, that's for sure." She studied Cooper for a reaction and then yelled "Ha!" when the telltale blush crept up her sister's neck. "Just how tight were you holding onto him as you two sped over here?"

Fortunately, Cooper was saved from having to respond to Ashley's insensitive line of questioning by the arrival of the police. Answering the door, she was taken aback to see only a pair of men in blue standing on the welcome mat.

"This way, please." She stepped back to let them inside. As the younger officer closed the door, Cooper introduced herself and she led them through the kitchen into the garage. "And this is my sister, Ashley Love. She found the body."

Both sisters instinctively hung back as the officers walked to the rear of the Cadillac. The taciturn men exchanged subtle glances of surprise after looking inside the trunk, and suddenly, their doubtful expressions transformed their faces into visages of steely determination.

The trapped air inside the garage grew heavier in the silence. It was as though the presence of additional witnesses multiplied the number of unanswered questions surrounding the dead man's demise, making it hard to breathe in an atmosphere abruptly polluted by the taint of violence.

Cooper took Ashley by the elbow and drew her away from the garage and into her formal living room. There, the sisters sank into a deep sofa covered with a soft, olive-green chenille fabric. Ashley hugged a floral pillow to her chest while Cooper closed her eyes and tried to imagine what the policemen were saying to one another as they examined the bound corpse.

"When they come in, offer them coffee," Cooper whispered to her sister. "Remember-no matter what they seem to be implying by their questions-that we're on the same side. We all want to find out what happened to that poor man."

Frightened, Ashley nodded. She spent the following minutes chewing on her fingernails. Finally, when the ticking of the mantel clock seemed to increase in volume, she suddenly jumped up and announced her plan to call the maitre d' at Morton's.

"I'll just inform him that there was an emergency at Mr. Love's home and he should call his wife immediately."

Satisfied by having decided upon a course of action, Ashley made the call. That done, she seemed to be in complete control as the officers tersely explained that a homicide investigation team was on the way. She smiled as though this was welcome news and then offered the two men not only coffee, but a plate of Magnolia's Marvels oatmeal raisin cookies, too. By the time three more policemen arrived, including a man dressed in a charcoal-colored suit, Ashley had covered the kitchen island with a hearty spread, including oven-warmed croissants, slices of cheddar and Havarti cheese, thick slabs of Virginia ham, small bowls of mustard and mayo, and of course, more of Maggie's cookies.

Somehow, the food miraculously softened the policemen's att.i.tude toward Ashley. With the exception of the officer in the suit, who declined all offers of hospitality and remained in the garage, the officers all addressed her as ma'am ma'am and repeatedly thanked her for her kindness. and repeatedly thanked her for her kindness.

When the front door opened again, letting in a fresh burst of needle-sharp air, Ashley was too busy refilling coffee cups to realize that her stupefied husband had arrived. He was in the company of a burly, commanding figure Cooper hadn't seen for over a year.

"We meet again, Ms. Lee." Investigator McNamara took Cooper's outstretched hand and gave it a firm squeeze. "I believe your brother-in-law and I arrived at the same time. Does Mr. Love know what's happened here?"

Shaking her head, Cooper shrank a little beneath McNamara's penetrating stare. She noticed that his thinning salt-and-pepper hair was cut very short and that he needed to shave. A few of the hairs on his chin had already turned white and the skin beneath his eyes was bluish and puffy due to years of broken sleep and too much caffeine.

"You have a knack for discovering dead bodies, Ms. Lee." McNamara didn't smile, but his saddle-brown eyes softened as he spoke and Cooper relaxed.

"It wasn't me. I just-"

"Why don't you show me to your garage, Mr. Love?" The investigator cut off Cooper's protest, but he left her with a genuine smile before following Ashley's stunned husband deeper into the house.

"The garage?" Cooper heard Lincoln say and had to hold her sister back as a shout of shock and horror reverberated throughout the kitchen.

"McNamara had to do that, Ashley. He needed to make sure Lincoln was just as surprised as you were to find a body out there." She squeezed her sister tightly. "I know it's hard."

Lincoln entered the kitchen and sank, ashen-faced, into one of the chairs.

Ashley flew to him and put her arms around his neck. "Do you know who that is?" she whispered.

"He might work at one of the dealers.h.i.+ps. He looks familiar, but Ash, with the way he looks, I can't be sure." He rubbed his eyes, as though trying to obliterate the image of the body, and then gently extricated himself from Ashley's embrace and walked to the sink to pour himself a gla.s.s of tap water.

The night seemed interminable. Cooper, Ashley, and Lincoln were interviewed separately by McNamara and his partner, Investigator Wiser. Wiser, who was in his late twenties and had a ma.s.s of tight brown curls, espres...o...b..own eyes, and a face marked by a heavy shadow of stubble, did most of the talking while McNamara watched from a seated position on a wing chair, occasionally making notations on a pocket-sized notebook.

Cooper's testimony was the simplest, and after she'd gone over her version of events two times, McNamara informed her that she was free to leave. It was after eleven o'clock at this point, and Cooper was exhausted. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed, but she was reluctant to leave her sister. She had seen how Ashley had sent one pleading look after another Lincoln's way, and although he had hugged her upon his arrival, he didn't protest when the police forced them to separate during questioning.

"We're about to remove the victim," McNamara explained quietly as though he could sense her concern. "In another hour or so, your sister and her husband will be free to get some sleep." He paused. "That is, if they're able."

Reluctantly, Cooper asked for a ride to her truck, and McNamara responded by pulling one of the uniformed officers away from his ham and cheese sandwich. "You're to inspect Ms. Lee's vehicle until you're certain those tires are as full as your belly. Are we clear?"

The man instantly tossed his sandwich aside, stood a fraction taller, and said, "Yes, sir." He even helped Cooper into her coat and opened the front door for her with a flourish.

Ashley handed Cooper her mittens and the sisters embraced. "What's going to happen to us?" she whispered.

Over her sister's bent head, Cooper watched as two men from the Medical Examiner's Office exchanged a few words with Wiser before heading inside the garage. There was a lot of noise in the Love house for such a late hour, and the two sisters stood in their embrace, letting themselves get lost in the din. Radios crackled and tinny, disjointed voices mumbled unintelligible code from the policemen's utility belts; cell phones rang and were answered; water rushed through pipes as toilets were flushed or sinks utilized; and ba.s.s and baritone voices mingled together in a symphony of all-male voices. But the most forceful noise of the entire night had been the lack of sound-the dark vacuum of unalterable silence surrounding the body in the garage.

"You're going to be fine," Cooper promised Ashley and took comfort from her sister's warmth and the fruity smell of her hair. "But I think it will be awhile before things feel normal again." She touched Ashley on her smooth cheek. "I'm not saying that to worry you, but I want you to be prepared."

"What should I do?" Ashley clung to her sister's hand.

"Talk to your husband. You need to comfort one another." Cooper hesitated and then felt compelled to add, "And pray. For the cops, for the victim's family, for strength." She smiled tiredly. "Then rest. That's all you can do. Call me tomorrow, okay?"

After the sisters embraced again, Cooper stepped into the darkness. The clouds had thinned, allowing for a scattering of lonesome stars in the tar-black sky. Their weak twinkling seemed cold, standoffish.

Light from Ashley's open garage spilled onto the pebbled driveway in the form of a slanted square. The shadow of a gurney and of the two men lifting their burden into a white van fell upon the light and then, even the shadows were gone.

Within a few hours, the house would grow still, the lights would go off, and the silence would spread out and reclaim its dominion.

4.

And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.

1 Kings 3:14 (NIV) Cooper felt like a zombie the next day at work. After briefly telling Angela what had happened the night before, the office manager quickly restructured the daily schedule, giving Emilio the repair calls and putting Cooper on shredder detail.

Moving through office after office as she emptied doc.u.ment bins stuffed with tight nests of white paper proved to be the perfect occupation for Cooper's fatigued body and restless mind. She called Ashley during her lunch hour but barely recognized her sister's voice.

"What a nightmare!" Ashley croaked as though her throat was inflamed. "I had to go to the police station and give a formal statement this morning. Early!" she added indignantly. "It's not like we got any any sleep last night. When we finally did crawl into bed, I told Lincoln that if he had the sleep last night. When we finally did crawl into bed, I told Lincoln that if he had the slightest slightest notion about what was going on, it was his one and only chance to come clean with me." notion about what was going on, it was his one and only chance to come clean with me."

"And?"

"He swore that he was as shocked as I was," Ashley said through a yawn. "I believed him. But we still couldn't sleep, so we talked about all kinds of stuff, Coop-the way we used to when we were first married. I know this sounds awful, but that poor man in the trunk reunited us."

Taking a bite out of her Chick-fil-A sandwich, Cooper murmured tiredly, "I'm glad for you."

"The police tramped all through the house again again this morning and those two investigators are at the West End dealers.h.i.+p right now. That's where Miguel worked as the head lot attendant. The poor man," she repeated. "Now that I know his name I can think of him as a real person and not ... the body in the car." She paused. "I can't stop wondering about him. Has his mama heard about what happened yet? Was he married? Does he have little children waiting for him to come home?" Ashley's voice cracked on the word "home." this morning and those two investigators are at the West End dealers.h.i.+p right now. That's where Miguel worked as the head lot attendant. The poor man," she repeated. "Now that I know his name I can think of him as a real person and not ... the body in the car." She paused. "I can't stop wondering about him. Has his mama heard about what happened yet? Was he married? Does he have little children waiting for him to come home?" Ashley's voice cracked on the word "home."

"I've been thinking the same things," Cooper admitted and pushed her waffle fries away. She no longer had any interest in her lunch. "I feel like I've been moving through a fog bank today. I can't get the image of him out of my mind." She gazed around the eatery. Although she saw ha.s.sled mothers, raucous children begging for ice cream, and a group of old men in wool hats arguing about local politics as they stuffed their pockets with condiment packets, they left no impression on her. Not even the man making balloon animals could displace the sallow, waxen face and the tape-covered mouth of a lot attendant named Miguel.

Ashley sniffed. Cooper could hear her blowing her nose delicately in the background. When she spoke again, she was calm and clear-headed. "Thanks for coming over last night, Coop. I couldn't have handled it without you. Did you get home okay?"

"Edward had my truck ready to go, as promised."

"Ah, the mysterious Edward. The dark knight to the rescue," Ashley attempted levity. "And what does Nathan have to say about his compet.i.tion?"

Cooper stuffed the remains of her lunch in the trash and tried to ignore the guilt stirring in her stomach. "I haven't told him yet. All I wanted to do last night was crawl into my warm bed and sleep for days, but I'll call him later. Maybe I'll cook him a nice dinner. It depends how tired I am tonight."

There was something judgmental about the way Ashley murmured, "Hmm."

"What are you not saying, Ashley?" Cooper demanded as she hurried out to the Make It Work! shredder truck, which took up four parking spots and released a noxious cloud of black smoke when the ignition was fired up.

"Nothing." Ashley's reply was nearly drowned out by the chugging of the truck engine. "It just sounds like you might have forgotten that today's Grammy's birthday and we're all having supper at Mama and Daddy's house. Including Nathan. You invited him weeks ago. I I remember because I thought it was so sweet that he insisted on getting Grammy a present." remember because I thought it was so sweet that he insisted on getting Grammy a present."

Slapping the steering wheel, Cooper moaned. "Her gift! I don't have time to pick it up now! Look, I've got to go. If I'm going to make it to the camera store before they close at five, I'd better get my work finished."

"Just don't mention our ... unpleasant experience in front of Grammy. Mama doesn't want anything to spoil her special evening. I expect she'll be waiting for you with a pile of cookies when you get home."

"I wouldn't mind seeing her in the kitchen with some b.u.t.terscotch squares." Cooper easily conjured an image of her mother engaged in a flurry of agitated baking as she waited for her oldest daughter to return from work. "But I doubt we can keep this from Grammy. She's mighty sharp and it's not going to be easy to act like nothing's happened."

Ashley sighed. "I know, but Grammy's a woman. All All women are easily distracted by pretty things, and I'm bringing her some jaw-dropping, eye-popping, let's-not-talk-about-babies-or-dead-men-named-Miguel pretty things." women are easily distracted by pretty things, and I'm bringing her some jaw-dropping, eye-popping, let's-not-talk-about-babies-or-dead-men-named-Miguel pretty things."

Cooper disagreed with her materialistic sister about their chances of fooling their observant grandmother, but chose to remain quiet. She spent the rest of the workday emptying doc.u.ment bins as though she were engaged in a compet.i.tive sport and arrived at the camera store ten minutes before closing.

The clerk, a plump and friendly retiree named Janice, immediately recognized Cooper. Reaching below the counter, she proudly showed off the results of their joint planning. Once Janice was convinced that Cooper was completely delighted with the present, she wrapped it in tissue paper and then slid it into a gift bag decorated with birthday balloons.

"That's a beautiful pin you're wearing," Janice told Cooper as she rang up the sale.

Instinctively, Cooper's fingertips brushed the thin silver wings of the pin she always wore on her s.h.i.+rt, just above her heart. "Thank you. My grandmother gave this to me."

"I noticed it last time you were here. It's a lovely talisman." Janice smiled. "She's going to cherish your gift, too. I hope my grandchildren do something like this for me when I'm older." She laughed self-effacingly. "Oh, my, I guess I'm I'm already older!" already older!"

"Ma'am, you've got the computer skills of people half your age. And an amazing eye for color," Cooper a.s.sured her. "I believe you're young where it matters." She tapped on her temple and the woman beamed at her.

"Thank you, dear. Come back sometime and tell me how the gift went over."

"I'll do that," Cooper promised and thanked Janice once more on the way out.

Gift in hand, Cooper relaxed for the first time that day. At the next red light, she slid her cell phone's earpiece onto her right ear and called Nathan. She wanted to tell him what happened the night before so he had time to compose himself before showing up at her parents' house for dinner. But that was only half the reason she decided not to tell him face-to-face. She didn't trust herself not to blush when she mentioned the role Edward Crosby had played.

Nathan, who worked as a Web designer from his home office, answered on the first ring. After exchanging greetings, Cooper hurriedly told her boyfriend what had happened and then apologized for not phoning earlier.

"I'm sure you're still in a state of shock. And exhausted, too," Nathan spoke gently once he'd had a moment to digest the startling news. "How's Ashley holding up?"

"As well as can be expected. The investigation's focusing on Love Motors's West End dealers.h.i.+p, so by now she's probably glad her house is her own once more, though she may never step foot in the garage again." Cooper realized she was deliberately avoiding any mention of the dead man, but she wanted to push aside all thoughts of him until after Grammy's celebration.

"How many dealers.h.i.+ps does the Love family manage?"

"Three. His father runs the original Love Motors downtown, and his younger brother has just been handed the keys to the new Cadillac/Hummer dealers.h.i.+p on the Southside. Lincoln's is the only dealers.h.i.+p that sells all makes of GM cars. It's a state-of-the-art facility. They even have a rotating dais inside to display special cars. Last time I drove by I saw a huge yellow Hummer spinning around."

Nathan huffed. "Who'd want a Hummer these days? You could take a week's vacation for the same price as a tank of gas."

"But you couldn't drive over a row of compact cars now, could you?" Cooper joked. " 'Cause that could really come in handy during rush hour."

"I'm glad your sense of humor's still intact!" Nathan laughed. "Listen, why don't I show up a little early tonight? You can talk about anything you want and I'll listen while giving you the best shoulder rub in the world. My fingers are well-developed after years of flying over a computer keyboard. You can't let all this mad skill go to waste."

"No, I certainly can't. You made me an offer I can't resist." Cooper smiled into the phone.

Nathan was true to his word. Moments after Cooper welcomed him inside the small apartment above her parents' detached garage, he gave her a tender kiss and a lingering embrace. He then positioned himself on the sofa and gestured for her to sit on the floor in front of his feet.

As his long, nimble fingers worked her tight muscles, Cooper closed her eyes and began to talk. She rehashed every detail from the night before, beginning with the encounter with the truculent Bank of Richmond secretary, followed by her pickup going lame. She recounted how Edward Crosby had pulled over to help as succinctly as she could.

"What was he doing out in the country at that time of night?" Nathan asked curiously. "Didn't you say you'd just crossed the Goochland County line?"

Cooper leaned back into Nathan's strong hands as they kneaded the taut muscles beneath her shoulder blades. "I don't know. I never thought to ask. In all honesty, we didn't talk much. Once Ashley called, we tore over to her house and then, well, n.o.body felt like speaking."

Nathan dug his first two fingers into the tissue on either side of Cooper's spine and walked them from the top of her pelvis to the base of her neck and back down again. She moaned with pleasure.

"You're a magician, Nathan. I hadn't realized how tense I was and it's such a relief to let out all the things that have been bouncing around in my head." She closed her eyes and felt her body sinking into the floor, as though she were transforming from a solid state into a liquid one. "I can't stop thinking about the victim, Miguel. Why would someone do that to him?" She swallowed hard and immediately grew tense again. "They tied him up and put him in a trunk like he was a piece of luggage."

Just as Nathan put his arms around Cooper and embraced her from behind, there was a rapid tap on Cooper's door. Ashley burst into the apartment, calling, "I hope you two are decent, because I'm coming in!"

Nathan kept his hands on either side of Cooper's flushed neck, but after giving her shoulders a final, rea.s.suring squeeze, he rose from the sofa in order to give Ashley a hug. "How are you doing?"

Ashley managed a thin smile. "I do declare-you are the sweetest man, Nathan Dexter." She patted him on the arm and then sank onto the sofa. After kissing Cooper on the crown of her head, she said, "I thought we'd better get things out of our systems before we go down for supper." Reaching into a zebra-striped purse, she removed a Love Motors newsletter and pointed to a boxed article on the inside page. "This is Miguel. He was the Employee of the Month last month."

Cooper stared at the photograph of the young man. Miguel Ramos looked to be in his early twenties. He had a round, friendly face and a shy smile, as though he was reluctant to look directly at the camera. Even so, Cooper believed she saw a glimmer of pride in Miguel's dark eyes and the tilt of his chin.

Miguel Ramos is a relatively new member of the Love Motors team, the blurb began. the blurb began. A former employee of Double A Auto in Norfolk, Miguel has been overseeing the West End lot since he started work this fall and our inventory has sparkled ever since! The first to arrive and the last to leave, Miguel says that he takes great satisfaction in a job well done. When he's not on the lot, Miguel enjoys going to nightclubs, singing karaoke, and playing video games. A former employee of Double A Auto in Norfolk, Miguel has been overseeing the West End lot since he started work this fall and our inventory has sparkled ever since! The first to arrive and the last to leave, Miguel says that he takes great satisfaction in a job well done. When he's not on the lot, Miguel enjoys going to nightclubs, singing karaoke, and playing video games.

"He has a nice face, doesn't he?" Ashley said quietly. "His death doesn't make a lick of sense to me. Why would anyone kill him? He was a lot attendant who liked to sing and dance. He wasn't rich-no lot attendants are-he worked hard, and his hobbies were harmless enough."

"What happened at the dealers.h.i.+p today?" Cooper asked as she continued to study the photograph. She was having a difficult time a.s.sociating the image of a smiling, healthy man with the shrunken, lifeless form curled up in the back of Ashley's rental car. "Have the police come up with a motive?"

"That pair of investigators, Wiser and McNamara, questioned all the employees, made a copy of Miguel's personnel file, and went off to search his apartment." Ashley reclaimed the newsletter and folded it in half. "I don't think they got any leads, though. Lincoln talked to the same people afterward and all they had to say was that Miguel was a quiet, friendly guy. He took great care of the cars and everybody liked him. I hope his apartment gives the cops something something to go on." to go on."

Cooper stood and walked over to the window. She could look down from this room and see her mother moving around in her kitchen. At the moment, she was setting the table using birthday-themed paper plates and napkins. "Did you find out about his family?"

"No wife or kids. I don't know about his parents," Ashley answered and began to fidget with her diamond tennis bracelet. "I kind of read through Miguel's file. Lincoln made a copy and brought it home. I think he was looking for an answer in the records, but Miguel didn't even list an emergency contact." She frowned. "There's one thing that seems kind of strange, but I don't want to mention it because I'll sound like a sn.o.b."

"You are are a sn.o.b." Cooper pointed out. a sn.o.b." Cooper pointed out.

After swatting her sister with her purse, Ashley turned to Nathan. "See how mean your girlfriend is to me?" When he shrugged helplessly, she sulked. "It's clear where your your loyalties lie. Anyway, Miguel lived in one of those new apartment complexes right behind the dealers.h.i.+p. They're supposed to appeal to up-and-coming yuppie couples who want to live within walking distance of shops and restaurants." loyalties lie. Anyway, Miguel lived in one of those new apartment complexes right behind the dealers.h.i.+p. They're supposed to appeal to up-and-coming yuppie couples who want to live within walking distance of shops and restaurants."

"The credit card generation," Cooper muttered. She knew all too well how easily one could be seduced by high-tech electronics and hip furniture. It had taken her two years to claw her way out of debt. "I know which apartments you mean. They've got access to the mall, the gym, two spas, five nail salons, and about fifty restaurants." She pictured the complex and realized what Ashley was implying. "You think the apartment would be too expensive for Miguel's salary?"

Ashley nodded. "It was bugging me, so I called over there. Go ahead and tell me that I'm a sn.o.b, but I couldn't picture a single guy working as a lot attendant living in that place. A one-bedroom costs over one thousand dollars a month and Miguel made less than ten dollars an hour. I'm no math whiz, but that seems like a lot of money to spend on rent. There'd be nothing left to live on!"

"Unless he had a roommate," Nathan suggested.

"Ah, I hadn't thought of that." Ashley ran her fingertips across her full lips and mulled over Nathan's theory. "I still think of a roommate as a college girl who blasts the Cranberries on her stereo and borrows your clothes without asking," she stated. "I guess the police will know everything about his private life within a few days. And everything about mine, mine, too." She sighed. "I told them ten times about dropping off my Lexus at the service entrance sometime after six. Then someone drove the Caddy around front for me, and I sped on home. I only opened the trunk later because I was planning to return some clothes at the mall today. I could tell that younger guy, Investigator Wiser, didn't believe me when I told him I like to have my car loaded up the night before I go on errands." too." She sighed. "I told them ten times about dropping off my Lexus at the service entrance sometime after six. Then someone drove the Caddy around front for me, and I sped on home. I only opened the trunk later because I was planning to return some clothes at the mall today. I could tell that younger guy, Investigator Wiser, didn't believe me when I told him I like to have my car loaded up the night before I go on errands."