Deadly Deceit Read online

  As she pulled up to a red light, Jolene’s phone signaled a text. She smiled when she saw who it was from, but as she read over the message, her smile faded. Christina was not in a good mood.

  “Alright,” Jolene said to Christian, “I give. I’m sorry I made fun of you. You’re right; I’m a huge bitch, and I apologize.”

  Christian glanced at her suspiciously, all humor fading from his tone as he ventured a guess as to the change in her demeanor. The only time Jolene apologized for her teasing, was when something was up.

  “Something wrong?” he asked as the light turned green.

  “I’m not sure,” Jolene replied, slowing her speed as she entered the city of Dallas, “That text was from Christie. She said to bring home nachos. A big, giant, huge plate of nachos, to be more specific. And, she wants jalapenos.”

  Christian grimaced. If Christina was asking for jalapenos, she was definitely in a foul mood. While his sister wasn’t a health nut by any means, she did have a tendency to gorge herself on spicy foods when she was irritated or upset.

  “Uh oh,” he groaned, “Let’s get them from Tomas’. She likes their nachos, and they have a family size option. I’ll call Joe and tell him I’m bringing home dinner.”

  Jolene nodded and switched lanes. Ten minutes later, she pulled up in front of Tomas’ Tasty Tacos. Before she got out of the car, she picked up her phone and sent Christina a text, promising the nachos. Christian didn’t bother waiting for her. Instead, he headed inside with his phone at his ear.

  Thank you, Jo. Oh! Grab me a some of their horchata ice cream, too, please, came the woman’s reply.

  Jolene smiled and stepped into the restaurant, joining Christian at the counter. Twenty minutes later, the pair walked out of the restaurant juggling multiple plastic bags.

  “Jesus Christ,” Jolene muttered, fumbling with the bags as she tried to extricate her keys from her pocket, “If this is their idea of family size, I’d hate to see their party sizes!”

  Christian laughed. “At least you won’t have to worry about Christie sending you out for more nachos,” he said, carefully placing his bounty on the back seat.

  “Are you kidding me?” Jolene asked, placing her own bags in the back, “She’s never going to run out of them! I swear those bags weigh ten freaking pounds! Hell, the only things in there that aren’t part of the nachos, are the enchiladas I ordered.”

  Christian nodded sympathetically. He knew that Jolene wasn’t overly familiar with Tomas’ menu, she preferred a different Mexican restaurant over in Marilynn, and he felt bad for not warning her about this particular establishment’s definition of “family size”.

  Jolene started the car and drove them home, grumbling the whole time about the amount of food she’d have to carry inside. When she pulled into the garage, Jolene frowned when she spied Joseph pacing in front of the door leading into her side of the house.

  Sharing a curious look with Christian, Jolene stepped out of the car and grabbed the bags out of the back. “What’s up, Bro?” she asked as she approached her brother.

  Joseph’s face immediately contorted with regret, and he moved to stand between Jolene and the door. “Jo,” he said cautiously, raising his hands in defense, “When you go in there, you need to keep in mind that it was an honest accident. There were plenty of witnesses to what happened.”

  Jolene’s heart thudded in her chest. “An accident?” she asked in confusion. “Oh, my God, Joe, is Christie alright?” Without waiting for an answer, Jolene shouldered past her brother and through the door. Dropping the food onto the table, she called out for her wife.

  “In here,” Christina called from the downstairs bathroom.

  Jolene rushed into the room, stopping in her tracks when she saw what Joseph had been referring to. The left side of Christina’s face was red and swollen, and several small butterfly bandages were visible over her eyebrow.

  “What the fuck is that?” Jolene asked, moving quickly to turn Christina around to face her.

  Christina batted her hand away when Jolene tried to tip her chin up. “I thought I’d make a change and pierce my eyebrow. What do you think?” she replied flatly.

  Jolene frowned and took a step back. “Christie,” she said softly, “I’m just concerned. What happened?”

  Christina sighed and reached for Jolene. “I’m sorry, honey,” she said on a sigh as she pulled her wife close and rested their foreheads together. “Staci was helping me move one of the shelves in the lab. LeRoy walked into the room, and bumped into her, which knocked us off balance. The shelf tipped, and one of the microscopes fell off and hit me in the face.”

  Jolene pulled back and inspected Christina’s face. The cut didn’t appear to be large; the butterfly bandages were doing their job of holding the skin together, but she was definitely going to be starting the school year with a helluva black eye.

  “Why were you carrying a shelf full of equipment?” she asked, ignoring the tingle of annoyance that prickled at hearing that Staci Lawson had been involved.

  Christina chuckled humorlessly. “We weren’t lifting it. The shelf is on wheels, but it’s still heavy. That’s why I asked for help. Joe and Travis were on the other side of the room, putting the books on the bookshelf. Staci was the only other teacher in my hall that wasn’t busy, so I asked for her help.”

  Jolene sighed and pressed her lips to Christina’s swollen cheek. “I’m sorry you got hurt, baby,” she whispered, “But, I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “Aww,” Christian and Joseph cooed from the doorway, sensing a need for a bit of levity.

  “Go home,” Jolene said, her eyes never leaving Christina’s, “I need to tend to my wife.”

  Joseph and Christian wished their sisters goodnight, leaving without argument. Both men had expected a much more heated scene. It was hard to make Jolene Preston angry, but when it involved her wife, her temper usually got the better of her.

  The previous summer, Christina had been in the dugout at a softball game between Marilynn and Falls City police departments. The game was a friendly one, put together as a fund raiser for the Callie Rae Baxter Center in Marilynn. Jolene pitched the ball to the detective from Falls City, who managed to catch the ball with the tip of the bat.

  The ball went wide and to the left, flying between the fences and bouncing off the dugout wall, a mere inch and a half above Christina’s head. Despite the knowledge that it was not intentional, Jolene had rushed at the detective in anger. Her teammates managed to stop her, before she reached the shaken detective.

  “I’m fine, Jo,” Christina said, kissing Jolene quickly on the lips, “but I still want nachos. Did you get them?”

  Jolene smiled and took Christina’s hand, pulling her out of the bathroom and into the dining room. “Your feast awaits, my love,” she said, sweeping her arm over the bags on the table.

  Christina’s eyes bulged. “Christian told you to go to Tomas’, didn’t he?”

  Jolene nodded and set about pulling the heavy containers out of the bags. “He told me to get you the family size nachos. Didn’t bother to tell me that family size was meant for families the size of the Brady Bunch.”

  Christina snickered and moved to pull plates out of the cupboard. When she returned, she gazed hungrily at the array spread before her.

  Jolene shook her head when Christina’s stomach growled. The women fixed their plates in silence, before settling on the couch in front of the television. Jolene clicked on the set, changing the channel to the local news.

  The couple talked about their day while they ate, only half-listening to the day’s events as described by the blonde news anchor. Christina told Jolene about the congratulatory party LeRoy had thrown for her and Joseph, and her colleagues’ reactions to the photos. They’d especially enjoyed the photos of the food fight that had erupted with the cake.

  Jolene’s day hadn’t been nearly as exciting as Christina’s, but she told her about it anyway. She told her about the two traffic stops she’d made, and about the drunk guy she’d escorted out of one of the bars downtown.

  “Was it Horace?” Christina asked with a giggle.

  Horace was a harmless man in his mid-fifties, who liked to spend his retirement in a drunken stupor. He also liked to hit on Jolene whenever he saw her.

  “Yeah,” Jolene replied with a grimace, “He kept asking me when I was going to stop looking for reasons to talk to him, and just admit that I’m in love with him.”

  Christina snorted, reaching quickly for a napkin. “Aww, honey, is there something you want to tell me? Are you going to divorce me for Horace?”

  Jolene scrunched up her face and scratched her chin, as if mulling over the question. “As hard as it is for me to say no to a man who smells like an unwashed bar towel…” she paused and sighed, looking over at Christina with a look of resignation, “I think I’m just going to stay with you. You smell like coconut and lilies.”

  Christina beamed and leaned in to kiss her wife. “Mmm, yay! Me and my weird combinations win again,” she murmured against Jolene’s lips.

  Jolene flicked her tongue over a small smear of sour cream and cheese sauce on Christina’s chin. “Yep, you win,” she said with a chuckle, “and, you taste like nachos. Who would walk away from a woman that tastes like nachos?”

  Christina just smiled and shook her head. While they finished up their meal, the women turned their attention to the news. Jolene frowned at the image of the Dallas Police Department insignia over the anchorwoman’s shoulder, and turned up the volume.

  “Dallas authorities have announced no new leads in the patrol car bombing that claimed one of their own, two weeks ago. It was the fourth such bombing this year, and Dallas Detectives are stumped. Chief Peter Galant issued a statement this afternoon.”

  The screen changed to a clip from the news conference, and Jolene listened intently as the portly older man spoke.

  “It is with great sadness that we announce that our investigation into these bombings has reached a stand-still. We have requested assistance from other agencies, including the Marilynn Police Department, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI.”

  “These fallen officers deserve to be recognized for their bravery, dedication, and sacrifice. We will continue working tirelessly to bring their murderer to justice, and we are asking anyone with information to come forward. You can remain anonymous, if you choose.”

  The clip cut off, just as the Chief announced that he would take questions. The blonde-haired anchor returned to the screen, continuing with the story. Jolene’s throat began to constrict as four photos began to flash on the screen. Christina’s hand snaked over onto Jolene’s thigh, squeezing comfortingly as Jolene brought her hand up in salute.

  “Officer Monica Jones,” the anchorwoman said, naming the officers in turn. Each smiled proudly in their dress uniform, the American flag visible as it stood behind their right shoulders.

  “Officer Jordan Gonzales, Officer Theresa Lutz, and Officer Hayley Stone. Officer Stone is the latest victim of the car bombings, and some members of the community are beginning to speak out.”

  The screen switched again, to a woman wearing a t-shirt with the double-female symbol boldly printed on the front. Jolene wiped an errant tear from her cheek and leaned forward as she listened, her dinner forgotten on the coffee table in front of her.

  “The Dallas authorities aren’t even acknowledging what’s right in front of them!” the woman exclaimed vehemently, “These officers, each one of them, was a member of the LGBT community. They weren’t closeted, they were all out and proud of who they were. This town is so firm in its desire to stay in the dark ages with its views on homosexuality, that no one is asking the right questions!”

  “What are the right questions?” asked a dark-haired man with a microphone bearing the news station’s logo.

  “Someone obviously has it in for lesbians on the police force,” the woman replied without hesitation, “Is the department investigating those who have voiced their objections? There are plenty of churches in town that hold regular demonstrations, demanding that they not be subjected to homosexual police officers, lawyers, doctors, you name it.”

  “Dallas’ LGBT community is getting scared. How many more of our sisters have to be blown up, before anyone takes notice of the obvious motive behind the bombings? How long will it take, before the bomber starts targeting lesbians in general?”

  The reporter ended the interview, turning the story back to the studio. The number for the Dallas PD tip line flashed on the screen, and the anchorwoman ended the broadcast.

  “Do you really think it’s because they were lesbians?” Christina asked, looking at Jolene cautiously.

  Jolene huffed out a breath and ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t know, baby. I mean, that seems a little extreme, even for one of Dallas’ people, but it is a possibility.”

  Christina frowned sadly and leaned against Jolene, who wrapped her arm around her wife and pulled her close.

  “I’ve never been happier that you work in Marilynn,” Christina said, a shiver of dread running through her as she imagined receiving the notification that her wife had been injured.

  Jolene sighed and pressed a kiss to Christina’s temple. “If lesbian officers are the targets, sweetheart, I would probably be safe if I worked at Dallas PD. Everyone in town thinks Christian and I are married to each other. I mean, our trusted colleagues know the truth, but our neighbors all think I’m straight.”

  Christina mulled that over, her fingers absently stroking Jolene’s thigh. It was true; the people of Dallas believed that Jolene and Christian were a couple. The Hess family’s wedding announcements had made sure of that.

  Granted, the whole thing had been staged for the sake of Christina’s career, but Robert and Shirley had wanted to make absolutely sure that no one could cause problems for their daughter. Christian hadn’t needed the ruse, but he and Jolene had played along for Joseph and Christina’s benefit.

  “Come on, babe,” Jolene said after a long moment, “Let’s go to bed. I’m beat, and I have to work tomorrow.”

  Christina nodded and moved to gather their dishes. Jolene stood and stretched, joining her wife in the cleanup. A few moments later, the two women turned out the lights and made their way upstairs.

  Chapter 5

  “Well, this is just fabulous,” Christian muttered as he and Jolene left their morning briefing, “Joe and Christie are going to lose their shit.”

  “I know,” Jolene sighed as she took the patrol assignment her Lieutenant was handing out, “She told me on Friday that she’s glad I work in Marilynn. This is going to freak her out.”

  Christian nodded and glanced at the assignment in Jolene’s hand. “Joe said pretty much the same thing. How do you want to break it to them?”

  Jolene shook her head and led the way to their car. “Well, I assume not telling them isn’t an option,” Christian glowered his response. “Didn’t think so,” Jolene rolled her eyes and climbed into the passenger seat of their cruiser.

  “Double date at Del’s?” she suggested with a shrug, “Or, we could take the chicken-shit way and just send them a text.”

  Christian pulled the car out of the lot, but not before he reached back and smacked Jolene on the back of the head.

  “We are not telling them that our jobs are going to get a whole lot harder, through a text message. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy sleeping with my husband. I’m not about to spend the next six months sleeping on the couch.”

  Jolene snickered. “I don’t enjoy sleeping with your husband,” she joked, “Did that when we were little. He talks too much in his sleep.”

  Christian tried to glare at his partner, but couldn’t help the affectionate smile that spread over his face. “He still does. I swear, that man talks more in his sleep than he does when he’s awake. You’ll end up on the couch, too, you know,” he added nonchalantly.

  Jolene shook her head quickly. “No, I won’t. If I break this to my wife through text, she will be my ex-wife by the end of the day. No, I think it would be better to take them out to dinner. That way, we will at least have witnesses. Christina wouldn’t be able to kill off a whole restaurant full of people. We’ll be safer that way.”

  “Until we get home,” Christian chimed in, “then what? My little sister isn’t above premeditation.”

  Jolene laughed. Christina had a temper that could rival even the angriest of redheads. She rarely let herself get angry enough to lash out, but when she did, people steered clear of the beautiful chemistry teacher.

  The fact that she knew how to create compounds that could eat through metal in seconds, was another reason most people avoided making Christina angry.

  “Hey,” Jolene said playfully, “I thought you were supposed to be helping me decide the best way to tell them. Now, I think I might want to take my chances with not doing it. At least that way, there is always the chance that Christie and Joe won’t find out.”

  Christian moved to smack her again, but Jolene deflected and pulled out her phone. “I’ll make the reservation, and let them know,” she said, pulling up the number for Del’s restaurant.

  ***

  “Wow, this place is busy tonight,” Joseph commented as he held open the door of the restaurant.

  “What do you mean?” Jolene asked, taking comfort in the number of people present, “It’s always busy like this.”

  “I don’t know,” Joseph shrugged, following the group inside, “I just figured Sunday nights would be slower.”

  “Welcome to Del’s,” said the pretty, dark haired hostess.

  “Reservation for Preston,” Jolene said, returning the woman’s radiant smile.

  “Follow me,” the hostess said, grabbing four menus and heading toward the back of the restaurant. “Congratulations,” she said, looking over her shoulder at the group, “I heard the wedding was spectacular.”