Page 11 of Whispers Left Behind (Kinsley Aspen #1)
Chapter Eleven
Kinsley Aspen October Saturday — 9:16 am
The slate-grey sky loomed over Fallbrook, pressing down the chilled air as if the town had been packed into a deep freezer. Kinsley steered her car into the hospital parking lot. She was mindful not to make the left turn too sharp and spill her coffee. With three of her travel mugs sitting in the sink, she had opted to bring one of her porcelain mugs. Not the wisest idea, but Alex wasn’t riding shotgun to deliver any judgment.
Kinsley managed to find an opening two rows back from the main entrance. It wasn’t long before she had shifted the gear into park and left the engine to idle. Her attention was now solely on the rearview mirror. Ever since Noah had left the townhome yesterday, she had been on edge.
There was nothing to indicate that someone was monitoring her movements.
None.
Yet she couldn’t shake the unease that caused every nerve in her body to go into fight-or-flight mode. It had been that way for months after she and Noah had disposed of Gantz’s body. The daily grind had gradually helped her develop another—somewhat normal—routine.
Unfortunately, it was as if she were back to square one.
Five minutes later, Kinsley set her empty mug in the cupholder as best she could given the awkward handle. She was allowing Gantz to disrupt her life again. Her anger rose swiftly as she shut off the engine and yanked the keys from the ignition. She needed this case to be closed.
It was a little after nine o'clock on Saturday morning, and it was easier to let Alex sleep as long as possible. She had sent him a text message detailing her day. After all, what were the odds that two siblings had been involved in separate car accidents in the span of two days?
Depending on how long it took for some of the interviews Kinsley had planned this morning, there was a possibility she would be working without overtime. The city had budgeted only so much for each department, and they had been put on notice a couple of months ago that certain requests would be denied unless signed off by their immediate supervisor.
Technically, Alex and Kinsley had planned to interview the victim’s friends and coworkers this afternoon. Last night’s phone call had altered the day’s agenda.
Kinsley exited her Jeep, but nothing in her surroundings seemed unusual. The scent of burning firewood from some distant neighborhoods clung to the brisk air, but not even her favorite Fall fragrance could make this morning any more tolerable. Once her vehicle was locked up tight and she had rescanned the area, she eventually made her way to the entrance of the hospital.
Inside the sterile lobby, there was practically no difference in temperature. An exaggeration, for sure, but Kinsley couldn’t stand hospitals for several reasons. The fluorescent lights were too bright, the linoleum floors too squeaky, and the scent of disinfectant too overwhelming. The sight of her mother, Margaret, standing at the information desk brought Kinsley up short.
“Mom?”
“Kin!” Margaret exclaimed after turning around. She reached out when Kinsley closed the distance between them and brought her in for a warm embrace. She pulled away after a few seconds, but she kept her hands wrapped around Kinsley’s arms in concern. “What on earth are you doing here? Don’t tell me something happened with Alex.”
“No, no,” Kinsley reassured her mother with a pat on her hand. “Nothing like that. An individual involved in a case was in a car accident last night. I’m just here to question the family.”
“Thank goodness,” Margaret said before dropping her hands and stepping back. She then reached into her purse and pulled out a packet of gum. “Here. Take this. You have coffee breath.”
Kinsley held out her hand and waited for her mother to place a stick of gum into her palm. Margaret was a force to be reckoned with, and she had done her best to remain neutral on the issues between father and daughter. The past year had been a strain on them all.
“I'm here to visit Dawn Willers,” Margaret exclaimed as she tucked the pack of gum back into her purse. She readjusted the thick strap on her shoulder. “You remember her, don’t you? She used to work at that greenhouse where we got our annuals for the front flowerbeds.”
“I didn’t know that Ms. Willers was sick,” Kinsley said after crumbling the wrapper in her hand. Once she had tucked the chewed ball of gum to the side of her mouth, she continued speaking. “I ran into her a couple of months ago at the grocery store.”
“Colon cancer.” Margaret’s tone was enough for Kinsley to comprehend the gravity of the situation. “It doesn’t look good.”
“Please tell Ms. Willers that I'm thinking of her,” Kinsley replied, making a mental note to send flowers. “I’m bringing dessert to dinner this week, right?”
“Yes.” Margaret patted the back of her hair, causing Kinsley to tense. Her mother only ever made such a gesture when she was about to broach an unsolicited topic. “Kinsley Rose, someone vandalized your father’s car at work yesterday.”
The fact that Margaret had used Kinsley’s full name was significant. It was what she hadn’t mentioned that stood out even more. Margaret wanted Kinsley to do something about the vandalism, but she wanted a truce between father and daughter even more. If Kinsley were seen around town with her dad, it would denote forgiveness. Word had leaked about the dissension between the Aspens over the past year. Such a show of absolution meant others might follow.
What Margaret didn’t seem to understand was that there were a handful of residents who had treated Kinsley in the same manner. After all, Kinsley and Alex had been in charge of the investigation. The blame for giving George Aspen any ammunition to garner an acquittal fell squarely on her shoulders.
“I’m sure you and Dad read the paper this morning. Gantz isn’t back in town, and things will die down now that it’s been confirmed by the autopsy.” Kinsley leaned in and kissed her mother on the cheek. “I’ve got to go, Mom. I’ll see you on Thursday.”
Kinsley didn’t bother stepping up to the information desk. The ICU was on the eighth floor. She would speak to a nurse once she was off the elevator. Without so much as a backward glance, she made her way over to the elevator banks and pressed the appropriate button. It wasn’t long before the doors slid open with a soft hiss.
Kinsley finally stepped out of the elevator and into a smaller lobby. She didn’t need to read the signs posted directly on the wall in front of her. The double doors to the ICU were kept secure, and the only way through was to check in at the window. She unhooked her badge from her belt and held it up to the nurse on duty.
“I’m here regarding Gage Baird,” Kinsley stated before clipping her badge back in place. “Would it be possible to speak with the assigned doctor who—”
A flicker of movement caught her attention.
Louise Baird had emerged from the restroom, her features drawn tight with grief. The dark blemishes underneath the woman’s eyes could be seen from several feet away. Her stiff movements appeared to be almost automatic as she made her way to the waiting room across the hall without so much as a glance down the hallway.
“Never mind,” Kinsley stated as she changed her mind on who she would speak to first. “I’ll be right back.”
Kinsley turned away from the window. She closed the distance to the entrance of the waiting room. Taking time to observe the occupants, she spotted Louise in the corner with her fiancé. Douglas Glynn was holding her close and rubbing her back in comfort.
“Ms. Baird?” Kinsley called out softly as she came to a stop before the couple. “I heard about your son’s accident. How is he doing today?”
Louise took a moment to compose herself.
“Detective Aspen,” Louise acknowledged, her voice strained. “Please tell me that you know who is doing this to our family.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t have any evidence to suggest that your son’s accident was anything other than that. I spoke with the officer on the scene last night, and he believes that the crash was due to high speed near the covered bridge on the road from Halliday to Fallbrook.”
“I find that hard to believe, Detective.” Douglas had replied on Louise’s behalf. His tone was accusatory, but Kinsley’s reaction would have been the same had their roles been reversed. “Both Rachel and Gage were involved in car accidents, and one resulted in Louise’s daughter being hunted down like a rabid animal. Can you honestly stand there and say that you believe someone didn’t want the same result with Gage?”
“Which is why I’m here this morning, Mr. Glynn.” Their conversation was attracting attention. “Would the two of you mind stepping out into the hallway to speak with me? Your son’s vehicle has been taken to our impound lot. Forensics will go over the exterior and interior, searching for any similarities that suggest foul play.”
Kinsley had continued to speak to the couple until they had come to a stop in the hallway. Douglas’ hand still rested gently on Louise’s back, but both appeared to be relieved upon hearing her statements.
“I spoke to your son in person yesterday morning,” Kinsley revealed, though she figured Louise had already been filled in about the questioning by either Gage or Tobias. “Gage mentioned that he was going to be driving from Halliday to Fallbrook to be with you yesterday.”
“Something happened at the farm, and he wasn’t able to leave until the evening.”
“You spoke with him during the day?”
Louise nodded, compressing her lips to keep her emotions in check.
“Yes,” Louise answered as she wrapped her arms around herself. “Gage called me mid-afternoon to let me know he would arrive around seven o’clock. When seven came and went, I tried his cell phone. He didn’t answer, so I called my father. Dad told me that Gage left the farm around fifteen minutes before six.”
“Did Gage seem upset on the phone when you spoke with him?”
“Of course, he was upset,” Louise snapped in anger. “His sister is dead. My daughter is dead, detective. How do you think we feel?”
“Ms. Baird, there are a lot of moving parts to this investigation. Is there a chance that Gage figured out who killed Rachel? Would he have tried to take matters into his own hands?” Kinsley wasn’t one to talk when it came to such subject matters. As she waited for Louise to reply, another thought occurred to Kinsley. “When I spoke with Gage yesterday, he mentioned that your father has a gambling problem. Is that true?”
Louise seemed taken aback by the question. She lifted a hand and rested it on her cheek. She waited to respond until two nurses passed them to enter the double doors at the end of the hall.
“My father hasn’t gambled for quite some time, Detective Aspen,” Louise shared, seemingly confident in her answer. “The possibility of losing his farm the last time he racked up too much debt was too much, and he quit cold turkey. Ask anyone.”
“And your relationship with your father? I was under the impression the two of you were close, but I didn’t get the sense that was the truth after—”
“What are you implying, Detective Aspen?” Douglas lifted a hand, but he didn’t go so far as to point his finger at her. “I don’t like where you are taking this conversation. Louise’s daughter is gone, her son is fighting for his life, and you’re interrogating us like—”
“The detective is just doing her job, Douglas,” Louise said softly as she rested a hand on his arm. Kinsley suspected it was more out of exhaustion. “Please don’t cause a scene. I just want to concentrate on Gage. I can’t lose him, too.”
Kinsley decided to let the topic of gambling and the father-daughter relationship slide for now. There was no need to push the woman too hard. She was liable to cut communication and threaten to obtain representation.
“Where is your father this morning?” Kinsley inquired as she attempted to change the subject.
“Tobias is sitting with Gage at the moment,” Douglas replied, giving Louise time to collect herself. “The ICU only permits one family member at a time.”
“The doctors still don’t know if he is going to make it,” Louise whispered with a trembling voice. “They had to put him in a medically induced coma until the swelling on his brain recedes. Then the coroner called about Rachel to let us know that we could have a funeral home collect her—”
Douglas once again pulled Louise toward him when she couldn’t finish her sentence. Kinsley’s heart went out to the woman and all she had suffered over the last forty-eight hours.
“We haven’t had time to pick out a funeral home. I’ll be making some calls on behalf of Louise this afternoon while she sits with Gage.” Douglas smiled tenderly at Louise when she shifted to wrap an arm around his waist. “You just sit by his bedside and hold his hand while I take care of the funeral. Besides, he’ll want to be there. I’ll push the service out as far as possible.”
Before Kinsley could follow up with more questions about Louise’s phone call with her son, both she and Douglas peered down the hall. Kinsley followed their gazes to find a woman in her mid-twenties approaching them. She wore pale blue scrubs, her dark hair was pulled back at the base of her neck, and there were stress lines around her lips. She also carried with her two cups of coffee secured with black lids.
“Louise, has there been any word?”
“No, dear.” Louise pulled away from Douglas to take both coffees, which she promptly turned to hand one of them to Douglas. “Gia Torres, this is Detective Aspen from FPD.”
“You’re the one who left me a message yesterday. I don’t want you to think that I ignored your call, detective. I just finished a twelve-hour shift a couple of hours ago and have been sitting here with Louise and Douglas since then.” Gia offered her hand. “When I heard about Gage…”
“I understand,” Kinsley replied before stepping back. Gia’s name had been on Rachel Hanson’s list of friends supplied by her husband. Kinsley had managed to speak to a couple of Rachel’s friends over the phone last night. “Do you have time to speak with me now?”
“Of course, of course,” Gia replied before turning her attention toward Louise. “Are you okay for a while? Why don’t I walk Detective Aspen out? I’ll go home, take a shower, and come back with some food. How does that sound?”
Unlike what was displayed in the movies, investigations like these took time. No one worked cases around the clock, and detectives usually had multiple cases at any given time. Throw in their own family lives, and time was a very valuable commodity.
“Ms. Baird, one more question for you. And please know that this is just for our records. I’m sure you understand that we have to do our due diligence. Where were you and your fiancé Wednesday night and last night?”
“Wednesday? We had gone out to enjoy an early dinner,” Louise replied before the implication of Kinsley’s questions hit home. Douglas took her coffee before she dropped it to the floor. “How could you—”
“Louise, it’s her job,” Gia replied softly in understanding. She stepped forward and took the woman’s hand, squeezing her fingers gently. “Please answer so that the detective can focus on the real monster who did this.”
Louise pursed her lips in disbelief and anger, but it was Douglas who willingly supplied their alibis.
“We went to an early dinner at Peppercorn Steakhouse. Our reservations were for five o’clock. We don’t like to be there during their dinner rush,” Douglas explained as he held both coffees awkwardly. When Louise was still too upset to answer, he continued to describe the rest of their evening. “We got home around seven o’clock, watched some news on the television, and then went to bed around ten. I had to be in the office for a seven-thirty board meeting. As for last night, we were at home waiting for Gage to arrive.”
“Thank you,” Kinsley replied, noticing that Gia was fiddling with her nursing badge. There was something that Gia wanted to discuss, but it was obvious she didn’t want to do so in front of Rachel’s mother. “I’ll be in touch.”
Kinsley nodded her appreciation toward Douglas before falling into step beside Gia. The two women walked in silence toward the elevator bank. It would have been fortuitous to speak with Tobias Zayn this morning, but Kinsley would have to follow up with him on Monday.
“Why do I get the feeling that you wanted to speak with me in private, Ms. Torres?” Kinsley asked cautiously once they were in the confines of the elevator. “Do you know something that could help our investigation into Rachel Hanson’s death?”
“I was with Rachel on Wednesday night,” Gia revealed after choking back a sob. Kinsley gave the woman a moment to compose herself. The numbers above the elevator doors began to count down with each passing floor. “I was with her until around seven o’clock. Rachel lied to Sebastian, Detective Aspen. She told him that she was going to call it an early night, but after she ended their call, she left the house to meet someone.”
Kinsley didn’t expect to receive Rachel’s cell phone records until sometime on Monday or Tuesday. Cell providers weren’t quick on the draw in any situation, including homicide investigations.
“I should have gone with her,” Gia said as she swiped the tears from her cheeks. The doors swung open, revealing a couple waiting to enter. Both Kinsley and Gia stepped off, but they didn’t go far. “I was due for my shift at the hospital, and I let Rachel drive off by herself.”
“Ms. Torres, who was Rachel meeting on Wednesday night?”
“Her brother-in-law,” Gia revealed, raising a hand to cover her neck. It was as if she couldn’t believe her own answer. “Jack had something to tell her, and he made her promise not to tell Sebastian that they were meeting out at the Plow. Detective Aspen, I never heard from Rachel again.”