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  CHAPTER 26

  BY ONE THIRTY, FBI Agent Greg Hanson is gone. Candice calls Peter in Santa Cruz, but gets his stupid voicemail again. Can’t he see she’s called twice? He’s still mad, the big baby.

  The suspect is booked and the evidence is labeled and secured in the evidence room. It’s Labor Day weekend and the interrogations can wait until Tuesday. Time to get the family back on track.

  Peter put her suitcase in the Jeep, which means it’s already at the Ocean View Suites. Not wanting to waste another second, Candice gets in her car and drives straight to Santa Cruz.

  When she gets there, the sand is white and blue water glistens in the sun. And the moment she opens the car door, the smell of saltwater seems to wash away all thoughts of work. She’s in the moment. In the here and now. With her family.

  Since Candice is the one who made the reservation, the receptionist gives her the room number and a key. People usually cooperate when she’s wearing a badge on her belt. When she gets to the two adjoining rooms, it’s not surprising that no one’s there. It’s the middle of the afternoon. She checks the kids’ room first. The maid service has already made the beds, but in the corner, sandy T-shirts and shorts are piled on a chair and the table is covered with souvenirs. Candice grins—the girls are having a blast.

  She goes in Peter’s room. Her suitcase isn’t there, but another one is. A strange paisley suitcase she’s never seen before. She opens it and finds a bra, some panties, a bikini, some shorts and a few tank tops. The wife in her wants to scream, but the detective in her says, don’t jump to conclusions.

  She should have listened to the wife voice because after scouring the beach, she finally finds her family. While her daughters are splashing out in the waves, Peter is rubbing oil on the shoulders of a glimmering tanned woman who’s tossing her head back and letting her long golden hair blow in the breeze.

  And then Peter gives her a quick kiss. On the lips.

  Candice marches through the sand and stands over them, hands on hips.

  Peter looks up, stunned. He stutters and finally spits it out. “This is my friend. From work. She’s an English teacher.”

  “Wait,” the woman says. “This is your wife? The cop?”

  In a cool voice, Candice says, “You both need to leave. Right now. I’m spending the rest of the weekend here with my daughters.”

  Peter stands up, but says nothing.

  Candice squints at him. “Put my suitcase in the room before you leave.”

  As they pick up their towels and head off, Candice hears her two beautiful daughters’ voices from the water. “Mommy! Mommy!”

  Candice spreads her arms wide. But inside, she’s livid.

  CHAPTER 27

  SYDNEY AND ALEX are walking up to the school doors on Tuesday morning. Peter usually drops them off, but when they got home last night, most of Peter’s belongings were gone. On Sunday, the girls had asked where Daddy and his friend Heather had gone. Candice just said, “home,” so it was confusing when they got home and Peter wasn’t there.

  Truthfully, Candice knows part of her is relieved. Peter’s not happy. He hasn’t been for awhile. And the two days she spent with her daughters at the beach were pure bliss. She likes that he’s gone and that it’s just she and the girls. Maybe this is how it should be.

  While in Santa Cruz, she’d managed to schedule interrogations for today with the spouses of the deceased and the employees of the spa. She blows a kiss to the girls and drives straight to the Napa County Sheriff’s Department.

  The first interrogation is with Rayna Ross from Spa di Venus. Todd turns on the video camera and circles the room like a restless tiger.

  Candice pulls up a chair and reviews her notes on a yellow legal pad.

  After a series of questions, designed to extract as much information as possible, Candice is surprised at one of the answers. According to Rayna, the box of evidence found in the storage room arrived by mail with no return address. Why would Nancy Van Cleave mail a box to herself?

  “Why was the box hidden in the storage room?” Candice asks.

  Todd drags over a chair and raises his brows like he waiting for the answer.

  Rayna’s forehead wrinkles. “I didn’t hide it. I just got it out of the way and then forgot to tell Venus about it before I left.”

  That could explain why only Rayna’s fingerprints are on the tablet, the printer, and the thallium bottle.

  “I didn’t know what thallium was,” Rayna said. “I thought it was some new herbal thing Venus had ordered.”

  Candice scribbles two possibilities on the yellow legal pad and passes it to Todd. It reads:

  Rayna Ross is lying and could be a suspect.

  OR

  Rayna Ross is telling the truth and Van Cleave is the killer.

  Either way, that gut feeling is tugging even harder. Something’s still missing. Candice signals Todd to step out. She closes the door and quietly says to him, “Premeditated murder is more calculated. All of this—the thallium, the tablet, the notecards—it’s just plain sloppy.”

  “Follow the evidence,” Todd says. “You’re over thinking again.”

  Thanks a lot, partner.

  Before Candice gets back in the interrogation room, Todd says, “Hey, teamwork.”

  Nancy Van Cleave may be all lawyered up in her jail cell, but Rayna’s not under arrest. She must answer the questions. Candice studies Rayna’s face. Her eyes scream worry, not fear. “Stay in the waiting room,” Candice says. “We may need to talk again later.”

  The next three interrogations are with the wives of the victims. Todd stays back and watches through the mirrored window. The first two wives claim they were happily married. One reveals that her husband had won the spa membership in a raffle and wanted to give it to her, but she had insisted he use it. “He was always thinking of me.” Her voice cracks.

  “Take your time,” Candice says.

  “I just wanted him to have something nice for himself.” She bursts into tears. “It’s my fault he’s dead.”

  The other wife had given her husband the membership as a gift for his one year anniversary in Alcoholics Anonymous. She too fell apart at the end. “He was working so hard to be healthy and now he’s dead.”

  It isn’t until the third wife’s interrogation that the case begins to take an interesting turn.

  CHAPTER 28

  AN OPEN MARRIAGE. One of those progressive concepts, like living in a nudist colony. It must require a heart of steel. No jealousy allowed.

  While the third victim’s wife, Alison, is describing her open marriage, Candice listens quietly. The more she talks, the better.

  Todd must be playing video games behind the two way mirror. When any woman starts talking about her need for sexual gratification, Todd is there, front and center, like a puppy with his tongue hanging out.

  Candice imagines that she and Peter have an open marriage and she’s completely cool with Heather or Feather or whoever that woman is. But she can’t imagine it. It’s not cool. It takes a unique mindset to not have feelings about your husband sleeping with another woman. To not let it affect you in any way. Like the mind of a killer.

  And with that thought, Candice sits up straight and studies the woman’s eyes as she’s talking. Her eyes are steady, with no trace of sadness about her husband’s death.

  She says, “He was attracted to Venus and asked if I would mind if he pursued it.”

  They ask permission first. Interesting. Candice scribbles it on the yellow legal pad and looks back up. “What did you say?”

  “I asked him what she was like.”

  “And?”

  “He said she was different. Androgynous. I told him he needed to go explore that part of himself.”

  “What part?”

  “The part that’s attracted to a masculine woman.”

  “And did he?”

  “No. She turned him down.”

  So the wife says. It’s not like Candice can ask the de
ad husband. Perhaps the motive is jealousy. A jealous wife. Kill the husband and a few other clients to frame the other woman.

  Rayna may have been telling the truth when she said the box was mailed to the spa with no return address. Time to talk to Rayna again.

  When Candice steps out, Todd’s playing a video game. He shoves the phone in his pocket and gives Candice a cockeyed smile.

  “One of the wives may be framing Nancy Van Cleave,” Candice says.

  “What? That’s insane.”

  Candice gives him a sharp look. “You might want to watch this last video. “It’s kinky.”

  Todd raises a brow. “I will.”

  While Candice takes a quick restroom break, an officer escorts Rayna back into the interrogation room.

  In the bathroom mirror, Candice’s reflection startles her. She never thought of herself as androgynous, but in those glasses and that buttoned up shirt, there isn’t much about her that’s feminine. No wonder Peter found someone else. Someone more girly.

  On the way back, Candice pours coffee in the Real Girls Have Guns cup and sits across from Rayna in the interrogation room. Todd is already there, tail wagging. “I see you’re all caught up,” Candice says to Todd.

  This time, Rayna looks restless. Candice scoots up the chair. “I only have one more question.”

  After a moment, Rayna’s wandering eyes redirect to Candice.

  To make the mood more casual, Candice takes a sip of coffee and leans back. “Was Nancy Van Cleave—I mean Venus. Was Venus having an intimate relationship with any of her clients?”

  Rayna’s eyes shoot over to the video camera with the red blinking light. Then Rayna starts blinking. Candice has seen this a million times. Little Miss Rayna is deciding whether to tell the truth. Or not.

  Rayna sits up straight. Her words are evenly paced and well chosen. “Venus is extremely professional with all of her clients. As a licensed massage therapist, she has to be.”

  When Rayna stops, Candice doesn’t say a word. She waits.

  Todd clears his throat.

  Finally, Rayna says, “There’s this one client, yeah, Venus really fell for him. They see each other outside the spa, so it’s not unethical or anything. Well, except that he’s married.”

  Candice picks up the pencil. “What’s his name?”

  Rayna squirms in the chair. “Hunter Flynn. Dr. Hunter Flynn. The one who has books in all the stores.”

  On the outside, Candice appears stoic. But in her mind, the wheels are turning. A few weeks ago, they were at the home of Dr. Hunter Flynn, talking to his wife, Vanessa. They talked about the Napa Valley Killer and the possible connection to her mother’s murder case.

  Not only was Vanessa’s mother raped and murdered, now her husband is a cheating bastard. Anger stirs in Candice. Cheating husbands—the new epidemic in Napa County. It’s time to chat with the not so distinguished Dr. Hunter Flynn.

  CHAPTER 29

  THE SEARCH WARRANT finally comes through. Candice slaps it on the palm of her hand and signals Todd to head out the door. The other guys at the office entertain themselves by slowing down her paperwork, thus proving their point that women should not be in law enforcement. But the only thing they’re proving is that men are big babies.

  Todd and Candice drive north to the Flynn residence. Candice stares at the miles of naked rolling hills. “Strange how Napa County is such a big place. Seven hundred eighty-nine square miles to be exact. And of all the houses in Napa County, three murder investigations lead to this address.”

  Todd rests his thick wrist on top of the steering wheel and peer sideways. “How do you figure?”

  Candice holds up one finger. “Vanessa Flynn’s mother was brutally raped and murdered.” She pops up a second finger. “Thirty years later, Hunter Flynn’s father was murdered the same way.” Finger number three flips up. “Now Hunter Flynn may be connected to the spa killings.”

  “Naw.” Todd twists his mouth. “Just ‘cause a guy hooks up with his masseuse don’t make him a killer.”

  When the backup officers pull up, Candice signals them to wait.

  Vanessa opens the front door and her eyes widen. She’s wearing a white spaghetti strap top and black capris. This time, her long red hair is pulled back in a high pony tail. She smiles and says, “Detective Blake and Detective Pierce.”

  “Good memory,” Candice says. “Actually, we’re here to speak with your husband, Dr. Hunter Flynn.”

  Vanessa’s brows slam together. “For what?”

  Saying, your husband may be having an affair with an accused killer hardly seems appropriate. She probably doesn’t even know about the affair. Candice combs her hand through her hair. “It’s official business ma’am.”

  In a stern voice, Vanessa says, “Wait here.” And then she takes her time traipsing up the stairs.

  From the foyer, Candice glances from room to room. Marble floors, designer furniture, Roman columns, the vases, the sculptures, the paintings, absolutely gorgeous.

  Eventually, Hunter comes plodding down the steps with Vanessa close behind. He’s wearing long shorts and a T shirt with flip flops. Even though Candice has seen his headshot on the back of his book, her breath catches at the sight of him.

  He extends his hand. “Dr. Hunter Flynn,” he says in a tone less arrogant than Candice expected. Hunter waves them into the smaller sitting room and Vanessa rushes in and takes a seat.

  Candice ponders telling Vanessa they need to talk in private. She’s not going to like this conversation about her husband. Hell, maybe she needs to know. Candice wishes someone had told her about Peter and Feather or whatever her name is. Obviously it had been going on a long time without her knowledge. Vanessa has the right to know. Or maybe she already knows. It’s hard to tell with couples.

  Candice says in a steady voice, “Dr. Flynn, I understand you’re a client at Spa di Venus.”

  Hunter clears his throat and glances nervously at Vanessa. “Was,” he says. “It’s closed now.”

  Vanessa says nothing.

  “I’m sure you’ve heard on the news that the spa’s owner has been arrested for triple homicide.”

  “Yes.” Hunter nods stoically.

  Vanessa pipes up. “I didn’t know you went there.”

  Hunter turns to Vanessa. “I was trying it out for you. I bought an annual membership. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

  Candice sits back and crosses her legs. The liar. “We have new information that may prove Nancy Van Cleave,” Candice makes air quotes, “or Venus, as everyone calls her, may be innocent.”

  “What!” Vanessa shouts. And then she sits back and quiets herself.

  She had those same inappropriate outbursts the last time they spoke about reopening her mother’s murder case. Vanessa’s overemotional responses may be rooted in her childhood trauma, but they’re becoming a thing. Candice jots down Vanessa’s words. She’ll keep track of the outbursts and analyze them later.

  “And what does this have to do with me?” Hunter says quizzically.

  Thank you for asking. Now Vanessa gets to know what a lying, cheating bastard you are. Candice leans in and looks Hunter square in the eyes. “I understand you’ve been a client of Spa di Venus for nearly three months.”

  Hunter twists his mouth. “Yes.” He looks down at his hands.

  “Three months!” Vanessa yells. “That doesn’t sound like it was for me!”

  Candice notes the outburst. “Dr. Flynn,” she says carefully, “I have a witness who claims you were having an affair with Nancy Van Cleave, or Venus.”

  Silence, so thick you can carve the word guilty in it. Candice keeps her eyes on Hunter, but can see Vanessa’s fists tighten.

  Finally, Hunter says, “Yes.”

  Candice waits for Vanessa to explode, but instead, Vanessa sits back and looks more serene than a Tibetan monk.

  While standing up, Candice pulls out the search warrant and hands it to Hunter. “We need to search your house.” She takes long stri
des back to the front door and signals the officers in the patrol car to come in.

  “Am I a suspect?” Hunter asks.

  “We’ll see,” Candice replies. “Stay seated here with Detective Pierce.”

  Todd paces in front of the sofa. “Don’t get up,” he snaps.

  Hunter buries his head in his hands.

  Vanessa’s eyes are darting back and forth.

  Candice points the officers into separate rooms and then looks back at the couple. Her heart aches for Vanessa.

  At least she knows the truth.

  CHAPTER 30

  WHEN THE SEARCH is over, Candice shows Hunter the three cases of Spa di Venus products the officers found in the laundry room. A case of Citrus Rosemary Oil, a case of Mud Body Rub and one of Lavender Body Wash.

  “I’ve never seen those,” Hunter says.

  “Liar!” screams Vanessa.

  Candice rubs the temple of her head. The only logical reason for Hunter to have three cases of Spa di Venus products hidden in his house is that he’s not finished killing. The first three men were only the beginning. “Do you plan on killing all of Venus’ male clients?”

  “I want a lawyer,” Hunter says.

  “Great.” Candice squints at him. “The University should have your fingerprints on file. If they’re anywhere on these cases of spa products, I’m arresting you.”

  “They won’t be,” Hunter says. “No need to drag the university into this.”

  On the drive back to the County Sheriff’s Department, Candice asks Todd, “What do ya think?”

  “Those boxes of spa stuff nailed him,” Todd says. “My bet’s on him for the spa killer and the Napa Valley killer.

  “How do you figure both?”

  Todd shrugs.

  In the parking lot of the Sheriff’s department, Candice climbs out of the car and calls Agent Greg Hansen. She fills him in on the new development in the case.