Code 61 - Donald Harstad [61]
“Well, Jessica's more my age, but I don't think she bakes.”
“A cookie factory would make a fine dowry,” she said. “Watch yourself.”
Hester was right, of course. “ 'An attractive member of the opposite sex can influence you, without your being aware,' ” I quoted from my Academy days. “Although it never seems to work for me.”
She laughed. “You're hopeless.”
“What did you find here?” I asked.
“Possible stains in the hall, a possible wipe-up stain on the floor beside Edie's tub, and lots of SPF fifty sunscreen, and makeup in the guys' rooms, as well as the gals',” she said with a chuckle. “Really light shades. Some really nice Victorian clothes, and lovely old-fashioned jewelry. Appliqué tattoos. Nice CD players. Not much else. No weapons—not yet, anyway. Nothing to indicate anything sinister at all.” She glanced around. “We have three more rooms to go. There are tons of nooks and crannies…. ”
I told her about my conversation with Chester. She asked if he'd be any real help, and I told her that we'd just have to wait and see.
She'd apparently been in the main kitchen downstairs just before I'd returned.
“You know how many knives there are in a kitchen like that? Knives that could be a murder weapon?”
“Lots, huh?”
“We've seized sixteen or seventeen, so far, to send to the lab. We may never know which knife was used.”
When I got back to the parlor, Tatiana was sitting on a davenport, with her legs pulled up onto the seat, so that her chin was almost resting on her knees. Her arms encircled her leather-clad knees, with the wrists crossed about halfway between her knees and ankles. Everything she owned was pointing at him. The light through the window was doing great things to that hair. She was saying, “ … and you've really been in high speed chases?”
I'm not certain what Borman was about to say, but when he saw me, he caught himself and said, “Well, a couple of times.” Between her posture, her shimmering hair, and her feigned interest, he was totally wasted. I honestly think that, if she'd asked to see his service weapon, he would have handed it over. He might have unloaded it first, but he would have done it. I made a mental note to keep those two as far apart as I could.
“We don't encourage chases,” I said. “Of any kind. Too dangerous.” He caught my meaning, I think, but without a bucket of ice water, I was not going to get his undivided attention.
“My attorney will be here in a moment,” said Jessica. She smiled sweetly.
Borman's walkie-talkie crackled and hissed to life. “Eight, there's an attorney out here, says he's supposed to talk to the lady with the great car.” Knockle, the older reserve. I nodded to Borman, who keyed his mike and said, “Let him in.”
A few seconds later, the front door opened and I was surprised to see both Junkel and Koch, of Junkel & Koch, Attorneys at Law, enter as a group. Or, more correctly, as a firm. Both were definitely not dressed in their court clothes, Junkel in jeans and a sweater, and Koch in shorts, sandals, and a polo shirt.
“Gentlemen,” I said, “come on in.”
They looked past me.
“Over here,” said Jessica Hunley. “This man has told us we can't leave this room.”
Not quite true, but both Junkel and Koch hurried over to her, and gave me obligatory dirty looks as they passed. I looked over at Borman.
“Gonna be a long day,” I said.
As things progressed, and they did so fairly rapidly at first, the true clout of Junkel and Koch became apparent. First, because I knew Junkel was rumored to be under consideration for a seat on the Iowa Appellate Court, and because Koch had been a state senator and was rumored to be being groomed as a possible gubernatorial candidate for 2002. Second, they were both known to be extremely wealthy. And third, after they'd talked with Jessica for a few seconds, they asked me for the phone number of the county attorney. As Koch called him, Junkel scanned the search warrant copy I'd given Jessica. While I was busy thanking God that Winterman was the issuing judge, I could hear Koch begin to have the county attorney