Love You More (Tessa Leoni, #1)(70)

“Then how do you explain the fractured cheek?” D.D. asked.

“She’s a girl. I don’t hit girls. And she knew it. So she started … At the Academy, we had to pound one another. It was part of the self-defense training. And big guys like me struggled. We’re interested in becoming cops because we have a sense of fair play—we don’t hit women or pick on the little guy.” He eyed Bobby. “Except at the Academy, where all of a sudden you had to.”

Bobby nodded, as if he understood.

“So, we trash-talked each other, right? Goaded each other into action, because the big guys had to start seriously hitting, if the little guys were going to seriously learn to defend.”

Bobby nodded again.

“Let’s just say, Tessa was really good at goading. It had to be convincing, she said. Spousal abuse is an affirmative defense, meaning the burden of proof would be on her. I had to hit her hard. I had to make her … fear. So she started goading, and kept needling and needling and by the time she was done … Damn …” Lyons looked off at something only he could see. “I had a moment. I really did want her dead.”

“But you stopped yourself,” Bobby said quietly.

He drew himself upright. “Yes.”

“Bully for you,” D.D. said dryly, and the state trooper flushed again.

“You did this on Sunday morning?” Bobby inquired.

“Nine a.m. You’ll find a record of her call on my cell. I ran over, we did our thing.… I don’t know. It must’ve been ten-thirty. I returned home. She made the official call in, and the rest is what you already know. Other troopers arriving, the lieutenant colonel. That’s all true. I think Tessa and I were both hoping the Amber Alert might shake things loose. Whole state’s looking for Sophie. Brian’s dead, Tessa’s arrested. So the man can let Sophie go now, right? Just leave her at a bus stop or something. Tessa did what they asked of her. Sophie should be all right.”

Lyons sounded a little desperate. D.D. didn’t blame him. The story didn’t make much sense, and as hour passed into hour, she was guessing Lyons was also coming to that realization.

“Hey, Lyons,” she said now. “If you came to Tessa’s house on Sunday morning, how come Brian’s body was frozen before that?”

“What?”

“Brian’s body. The ME ruled he was killed prior to Sunday morning, and put on ice.”

“I heard the DA … some comment …” Lyons’s voice trailed off. He gazed at them dully. “I don’t understand.”

“She played you.”

“No …”

“There wasn’t any mystery man at Tessa’s house Sunday morning, Shane. In fact, Brian was most likely killed Friday night or Saturday morning. And as for Sophie …”

The burly trooper closed his eyes, didn’t seem to be able to swallow. “But she said … For Sophie. We were doing this … Had to hit her … To save Sophie …”

“Do you know where Sophie is?” Bobby asked gently. “Have any idea where Tessa might’ve taken her?”

Lyons shook his head. “No. She wouldn’t harm Sophie. You don’t understand. There’s no way Tessa would harm Sophie. She loves her. It’s just … not possible.”

D.D. regarded him gravely. “Then you’re an even bigger fool than we thought. Sophie’s gone, and given that you’re now an accomplice to murder, looks to me like Tessa Leoni screwed you over good.”





25



Bobby and D.D. didn’t arrest Lyons. Bobby felt it was more appropriate to let internal affairs kick into gear as state investigators could squeeze Lyons more effectively than the Boston police could. Plus internal affairs was in a better position to identify any links between Lyons’s actions and their other major investigation—the missing funds from the troopers’ union.

Instead, Bobby and D.D. returned to BPD headquarters, for the eleven p.m. debrief with the taskforce.

The falafel had done D.D. a world of good. She had that gleam in her eye and hitch in her step as they pounded up the stairs to the homicide unit.

They were closing in now. Bobby could feel the case building momentum, rolling them toward an inevitable conclusion: Tessa Leoni had murdered her husband and child.

All that remained was putting a few last pieces of the case in place—including locating Sophie’s body.

The other taskforce officers were already seated by the time D.D. and Bobby walked through the door. Phil looked as jazzed as D.D., and sure enough, he went first.

“You were right,” he burst out as D.D. strode to the front of the room. “They don’t have fifty grand in savings—the entire sum was withdrawn Saturday morning. The transaction hadn’t been posted when I got the initial report. And get this—the money had also been withdrawn twelve days prior, then returned six days after that. That’s a lot of activity on fifty grand.”

“How was it finally taken out?” D.D. asked.

“Bank check, made out to cash.”

Bobby whistled low. “Couple of pennies, available as hard currency.”

“Male or female closed the account?” D.D. asked.

“Tessa Leoni,” Phil supplied. “Teller recognized her. She was still in uniform when she made the transaction.”