214 Palmer Street(50)
“Okay, look.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I need some time, so how about a compromise? Come over at 8.30 and I’ll be all yours.”
Grudgingly, he agreed. Typical of Clarice that she wasn’t even curious about why he needed to talk to her about Kirk and Sarah. Her world was very Clarice-centric. Everything else was unimportant. To pass the time, he stopped for dinner at a local Greek restaurant, then drove around, taking a few passes at Palmer Street. The Adens’ old house was quiet: garage door down, no packages on the porch, no signs anyone was home, but of course, it was hard to tell just by doing a drive-by.
He arrived at Clarice’s at exactly eight thirty and parked at the curb. Taking the gun with the attached silencer out of the bag, he tucked it under the seat. A young woman jogging in what looked like a diving suit gave him a curious look as she approached. He waited until she’d gone past before getting out of the vehicle. When he made it to Clarice’s apartment door, she answered his knock by flinging the door wide open. Thankfully, she was fully clothed.
“Well, look at you,” she said. “I do love a man in a uniform.” She gave him a lascivious wink.
Under other circumstances, he might have been charmed. Not now. “This isn’t that kind of visit. We need to talk.”
“Ooh,” she said. “Using your official voice. Of course, Chief Kramer, come right in.” As he followed her into her apartment, she said, “If this is about the rock, I can tell you that finding my DNA on it is circumstantial. You can’t prove anything.”
He met her gaze. “You were the one who attacked Sarah?”
She stood facing him now, so close he could see the veins in her eyes. “You didn’t figure it out? I thought that’s why you were here.” She sounded almost disappointed. “You actually believed my story about being in their backyard to see their new patio set? Oh, Gavin, what happened to your powers of deduction? Seems like you’re slipping.”
“Why would you do such a thing?”
Just when he thought she wasn’t going to address the question, she said, “It’s that damn Kirk. Ever since he’s been with Sarah he acts like I have leprosy. That’s no way to treat an old friend.” She leaned toward him, making eye contact. “No one casts me aside, Gavin! Did you know that I’ve never even been invited over to their house? It’s like they think I’m no one.” Her hurt feelings came out sounding like anger. “Even Sarah, who is a total pushover, wouldn’t go for it. Says she prefers to go out to lunch, that she’s not much for entertaining at home.” She exhaled loudly. “That day I did pick her up, but I didn’t even have a minute to get out of the car when she came running out. I could see what that was all about. I’m not welcome in their home.”
“How did you get from hurt feelings to hitting her with a rock?”
“I wasn’t planning on smashing her head with a rock, if you want to know the truth. It was supposed to be an impromptu visit. Thought I’d drop in, say I was just in the neighborhood.” A smile spread across her lips. “I was looking forward to seeing the look on Kirk’s face, if you must know. But they didn’t answer their doorbell and I knew someone was home. Deliberately ignoring me.” She spat out the words. “I walked around back and who comes flying out the door, but Sarah? She didn’t even see me, she’s so busy struggling to close the patio umbrella. It made me so damn mad.” Her voice quavered. “I couldn’t help myself. I was so upset I picked up a rock from one of their flower beds. I wasn’t even planning on doing much more than throwing it in her direction, and giving her a scare, but you know what? As I got closer and closer and she still didn’t acknowledge me, it just infuriated me.” Tears filled her eyes. “It’s not my fault. It just happened. The way she was treating me. She was so rude.”
“So you think that justifies knocking her unconscious?”
“Anyone would have done it,” she insisted. “Even you, Gavin. Some things are unforgivable. I mean, she acted like I wasn’t even there. I’m not nothing.”
“You know you could have killed her.”
“Oh, please,” she said dismissively. “I didn’t hit her that hard. Besides, it was a rock, not a bullet. I’ve had worse injuries myself and bounced right back.”
“And then you left her there?”
“Well, I wasn’t about to take her with me!” She smiled and gave his shoulder a squeeze. “What else could I do?”
“You do realize you could go to prison for this?”
She gave him a sultry smile. “Luckily, I look fabulous in orange, and can fit in anywhere. I’d be the most popular girl in jail. The guards would love me, the other prisoners would aspire to be like me, and I’d pull my attorney around by his tongue. No one would believe I could commit such a crime and they’d eventually let me off with an apology for wasting my time. Admit it, you know I’m right.”
“You’re unbelievable,” he said.
“Right?” She grinned.
Even though he’d initially suspected her, it still came as a shock. All these years he’d made excuses for Clarice. She was a free spirit, a trait he’d admired. Yes, she was selfish, but her fun personality made up for it. All of those things were true, but now he saw her from a different angle. She’d gone out of bounds so easily and not thought twice about it. Her lack of shame took his breath away. He couldn’t waste time thinking about that right now. Shaking it off, he got right to the business at hand. “The reason I’m here is that I got a call from Kirk that Sarah took off, without notice, only leaving a note on the kitchen counter.”