The Season of Sin (Peace In The Storm Publishing Presents) (3 page)

Who could blame him?  Being around Brianna everyday drove him crazy enough. You throw a woman like Zoë in his path and his hormones popped like guppies in bowling water.

Dylan walked in. She wore her short jet-black hair in pristine layers.  The shaven sides accented her slender face.  Long, uneven bangs were gelled across her pencil-thin brows. Not many women could pull off a cut like this but it flattered Dylan’s sharp features and skinny neck.

The local artists of the underground culture scene had reincarnated this New-Wave style from the eighties into a modern phenomenon.

Of course Dylan’s eccentric look wouldn’t be complete without that zodiac choker, the studs crowding her ears and that mood ring. 

Yep. This should be interesting.

Jasmine soared into the room with her arms stuffed in her robe. “Detective Morris I’m glad you’re here. I got something I need to say.”

“Shut up, Aunt Jas!”

“Don’t tell me to shut up!”

“Whoa just hold on, ladies.” Steven flapped his hand. “Is everything okay, Dylan?”

“No. I can’t even grieve in peace around here.”

“And to top it off Detective Matthews was here this morning. He grilled us like we were criminals. He asked me and Dylan if we had alibis. I’ve never been so insulted.”

“That’s standard procedure, Ms. Hudson.”

“With all due respect Detective Kemp I don’t take it lightly. I wanted to call Matthews’ superiors. That’s how upset I was.”

“Wouldn’t you prefer to be a little offended if it would get everyone closer to answers?” Brianna asked.  “Jayce was just doing his job.  It’s normal to suspect the ones closest to the victim.”

Jasmine gasped. “So we
are
suspects?”

“Not necessarily. That’s why Jayce asked you questions, to check you out and eliminate you,” Steven said.

“We’re gonna do our best to get answers. We promise.”

“You don’t have to look far believe me, Detective Morris.” Jasmine wiggled her finger in front of Brianna’s face.  “
I
got answers.”

“Don’t listen to my aunt she’s warped as usual.”

“If you guys want to know who killed Nadia then you can go talk to Bruce McNamara.”

Dylan pulled Jasmine by her robe. “I’ve had it with you!”

“And I’ve had it with this trance that Bruce has you under!”

Zoë exhaled.

“I’m not under a trance!”

“Uh…” Steven raised his hand.

“Bull!”

“Hold it!” Steven flung his arms. “What were you saying, Ms. Hudson?”

“Bruce killed my sister.”

“You have no right to say that, Aunt Jas! You can’t go accusing people just because you don’t like them!”

“She’s right. You can’t accuse people without cause.”

“Detective Morris with all due respect I know Bruce did it. He hated Nadia and he’s a criminal. He’s been to prison before.”

“And he paid for his crime, Aunt Jas!”

“We know Bruce had a record. We checked it out.”

“Detective Kemp it’s not what you think. Aunt Jas is making it out as if he’s this monster and he’s not. Bruce made mistakes but he’s trying to get his life back together.”

“Oh please.” Jasmine huffed.  “He said that a hundred times before and he never changed.”

“Aunt Jas you don’t know enough to speak about it.”

“I don’t know enough?
I
don’t know enough?”

“Ladies!” Steven clapped.

“Look Steven and I can’t help if you two keep fussing. We came to see if Dylan might be able to tell us anything about people Nadia knows.”

“Like what?” Dylan crossed her arms.

“Like men?” Steven put his hands in his pockets.  “Was your mother seeing anyone?”

“Well we haven’t been talking lately but it wouldn’t have been a man anyway. My mother was gay.”

“She was?” Brianna gawked.  “I…I never knew.”

“Wait but she was married years ago,” Steven said.

“Yeah well she was also confused and in denial for years.” Dylan walked to the stairs.  “Lots of people are married to the opposite sex but are gay. You get married for different reasons, not always love. Plus if you’d known Clay Hollister you wouldn’t be surprised. Evil son of a bitch could turn any woman off to men.”

“Nadia said he drank himself to death,” Brianna said.

“With good riddance.” Jasmine brushed lint off her shoulder.  “He treated Nadia and Dylan horribly. Didn’t deserve the affections of either one of them.”

"Detective Morris I thought you knew Mom was gay."

“Bruce is the only person I know who’d hurt Nadia,” Jasmine said. “You should see him when he gets mad.  It’s outrageous.”

“Look I’ll admit that Bruce has a really bad temper but he couldn’t kill anyone. He just couldn’t.”

Jasmine shook her head.  “I don’t know what hold he has on you.”

 “Detective Morris he was out of town when Mom was killed.”

Jasmine waved her finger in the detectives’ faces. “I want Bruce arrested.”

“I’m sorry Ms. Hudson but you can’t just wave your finger and expect things to go your way.”

“Don’t bother explaining, Detective Kemp. Aunt Jas hates Bruce and that’s all she’s basing this on.”

“Dylan is there anyone else that we should talk…”

Jasmine cut Brianna off.  “Bruce suckered you in from the beginning, Dylan.” Jasmine turned to Steven and Brianna.  “When she met Bruce she was a virgin you know.”

“That’s my business, Aunt Jas!”

“He conned you out of your virginity and you were too blind to see it.”

Brianna and Steven exchanged glances.

“Dylan wanted to wait until she got married but Bruce suckered her out of that like he did everything else.”

“Bruce didn’t make me do anything I didn’t wanna do.”

“He conned you. You met Bruce on a Tuesday and by Friday afternoon you had your dress over your head.”

“Oh!” Dylan shrieked. “How
dare
you?”

Steven covered his grin.

Jasmine got in Dylan’s face. “You didn’t love Bruce. You only got with him because he was the bad boy and you were curious.”

“That’s not true!”

Zoë shook her head.

“You’re a wreck because of Bruce! He came into your life and tore it upside down. He ruined your relationship with Nadia. How much more will you let him take from you? How much?”

“Just shut up! You’ve embarrassed me enough!”

Brianna whispered to Steven. “I’ve seen wars more peaceful than this.”

Zoë leaned in. “Oh believe me this is mild compared to the fights they’ve had in the past.”

“Bottom line is that I’m grown, Aunt Jas.  It’s not your business what I do.”

“Oh yes it is! Nadia always told me to look after you if something happened to her and I intend to! You stay away from Bruce!”

“I am but it’s not because you told me to! I’m so sick of this. I’m twenty-seven and you treat me like I’m two.”

“He killed Nadia and I’m gonna make sure Matthews does something about it! If that doesn’t work I’ll go to the commissioner and the mayor!  I’ll go to the media until Bruce pays for what he’s done!”

“I give up!  I can’t talk to you!  You don’t listen!”

Dylan ran upstairs.

“Hey!” Jasmine trekked upstairs with her index finger in the air. “Come back here! Don’t walk away from me in my house! Dylan!”

A door slammed upstairs.

Zoë looked over her manicured nails. “I’m sorry about that. You guys came over to help and you had to get into this drama. Dylan’s gonna be staying here with Jasmine for a while.”

Brianna did a double take. “They’ll kill each other.”

Zoë chuckled. “I just hope I’m spared. I think I’m gonna invest in some earplugs.”

Steven trembled from her radiating smile. “What do you know about Bruce?”

“He’s still in love with Dylan and would do anything to get her back.”

“Anything huh? Sounds kinda obsessive doesn’t it?”

Zoë shrugged.  “Bruce is a good guy at heart.”

“So you don’t think Bruce is capable of murder?”

“Of course I have no proof but I don’t think he did it.”

“I asked you if you
thought
he was
capable
of it. Not if you thought he did it.”

Zoë even looked beautiful flustered. Steven bit his tongue for fear of saying that aloud.

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Detective Morris.”

Brianna winked. “Your expression says it all.”

CHAPTER FOUR

“You wanna see Bruce?” Old Man Swaggert spit tobacco juice on the garage floor. He picked his teeth with his crusty pinky nail. He hobbled around the chaotic front counter. His oily suspenders hung off one shoulder and sagged in the back. 

“Yes we would like to talk to Mr. McNamara.” Brianna wiped oil off the bottom of her shoe. “Is he around?”

He scratched his armpit. “Dis ‘bout Hollister ain’t it?” He spit in the trash can.

Steven unbuttoned his coat. “It’s between us and Bruce.”

“Hey I know you.” Swaggert looked Brianna up and down.  “Yeah you said yo’ name’s Morris right? Saw ya’ on the news. You’re the cop that was with Nadia when she died.”

“Yes I am.”

He scratched his greasy neck. “Don’t tell me y’all think Bruce killed the bitch.”

“Detective Morris and I just need to clear some things up with Bruce that’s all.”

“Bruce is a good guy he just got a rotten temper.” Swaggert swatted a mosquito. “He’s a hothead.” He spit. “Yeah ol’ Bruce don’t take no shit but he don’t bother folks that don’t bother him first. Know what I mean?”

“Oh I’ve had my experience with hotheads. Haven’t I, Steven?”

Steven rolled his eyes. “Where’s Bruce?”

“He out there in da’ back.” Swaggert spit again.  “Fixin’ on that shit mobile.  Come on. I’ll show ya’.”

They followed him through the junkyard packed with dilapidated cars and auto parts. 

“Come on.” Swaggert led them behind the garage. “He ova here!”

Swaggert’s cell rang.

“Shit.” He spit on the gravel. “Uh, just go on back there. I gotta take this call.”

They went around back.  A tall muscular guy with black hair leaned under the hood of a red Trans Am. Hard Rock bellowed from the cheap radio in the weeds.

Steven walked from behind Brianna. “Let me handle this. Say?” He stepped over the radio and tool kit. “Excuse me! Bruce?”

Bruce bobbed his head to the music.

“Hey!” Steven bumped him in the back.

“Whoa!” Bruce fell on the engine. “Yo, man!” He slapped grease out of his face. “Man what the hell you doing?”

“Well sorry but obviously you didn’t hear me.”

“Shit. Man you gave me a heart attack.”

Brianna stepped in front of him. “Well you are Bruce aren’t you?”

He nodded. His blue eyes flickered under his black brows.

“We aren’t going to take up much of your time. We need to ask you some questions. This is Detective Steven Kemp and I’m…”

“I know who you are. You’re Detective Morris. I saw you on the news.”

“Yes I am.”

“I’m sorry for what happened to you.” He tinkered with something under the hood.  “Are you all right?”

She touched her head. “I’d be better if I knew who killed Nadia.”

“Well.” Bruce yanked on a tube inside the car. “We all want something don’t we?”

“You don’t seem too upset about it.” Brianna peeked under the hood.

“Come on, Detective. I’m not stupid. I know someone’s told you how much I hated her right?” He cleaned his stained hands with a rag. “I’m not upset about her being dead and I’d be lying if I said I was. Nadia was a stone cold bitch and she made my life a living hell.  If you ask me she didn’t die soon enough.”

Steven peeked under the hood. “That’s a shitty thing to say.”

“Look she wasn’t this innocent great doctor who saved poor souls like she let on. The woman was fucked up. Probably ten times worse than her patients are. You guys don’t know anything. You’re just the cops coming to clean up the mess.” He bent under the hood. 

“Do you realize you could be a suspect?” 

“Say what?” He laughed. “Lady you’re outta your mind.  I haven’t done shit. If I had I would be shouting it from the rooftops with pride. I hope the bitch rots in hell but I feel sorry for the folks down there who gotta deal wit’ her.”

“I suggest you start taking this seriously very quick.”

“I didn’t do anything to Nadia, Detective Morris. Guess she’ll haunt me now right?” He slammed the hood. “She didn’t give me peace while she was alive so now she’s gonna fuck with me from the grave too?”

Steven ran his hand down the side of the Trans Am. “She mentioned you in her journal.”

“Journal?”

“Nadia kept journals and I’m reading them to see if they lead to any answers.” Brianna leaned on the car. “She wrote you’d been threatening her.  She seemed very scared.”

“I told her to stay outta my business.” He got a wrench from the ground. “If she took it as a threat, that’s not my problem.”

“Oh come on, Bruce.” Brianna looked at his dirty fingers. “You’re a big guy. I can’t imagine anything you say that can’t be a threat. The reason you guys fought was because of Dylan wasn’t it? You were really in love with her weren’t you?  I bet you still are.”

His jaws swelled. “I’m not gonna discuss Dylan with you. That’s my business.”

“A crime has been committed.” Steven checked out the car’s interior. “So it’s our business too.”

“Nadia tried to keep you two apart didn’t she? Why would she not want you with Dylan? Is it because you’re dangerous?”

“No it’s because she couldn’t stand me. She thought I wasn’t good enough. She never even tried to get to know me. I didn’t kill Nadia. She wasn’t important enough for me to throw my life away on.  I was in the pen for three years. You think I’d risk going back for someone I hated?” 

“It can’t be ignored that you had a motive,” Steven said.

“I can prove I didn’t kill her.  I’ve been out of town for the last week. I just got back last night.” He shuffled his feet in the grass. “My dad passed. He had lung cancer.”

Steven nodded. “We know. We’re very sorry.”

“How did you know my dad died?”

“Not important.” Brianna got off the car.

“Since you know I wasn’t in town then you know I wasn’t the killer. Case closed huh?” He got his radio and headed to the garage. “Go bother someone else.”