Page 90 of The Summer that Changed Everything
“We might as well make what little time we have everything it could be,” she said and nudged him onto his back before kissing his neck and then moving down to his chest, his stomach and, finally, taking him into her mouth.
Anna jiggled her leg to siphon off the nervous energy she felt while waiting to speak to Chief Claxton. She’d just dropped off her kids at school and needed to be at the barbershop by nine for her first appointment. She’d made it clear to the sergeant she’d spoken with when she first walked into the station that she didn’t have much time. But Claxton didn’t seem to be in any hurry. She could see him through the interior window of his office, talking on the phone, laughing and gesturing as if it was a personal call.
Other officers were coming and going and moving around the station. Maybe meeting with one of them would be just as good. Surely, they could take a report. But because this had to do with her brother, and Claxton had been on the force since the murders occurred and would probably remember as much or more about them than she did, she felt it would be best to talk to him. She also knew him personally. Although she was younger than he was, they’d dated a few times one summer while she was home from college. He’d gained quite a bit of weight since, and was losing his hair, but he’d been attractive and athletic back then. Once she’d gotten to know him better, however, she’d realized she wasn’t all that interested. Then she’d met Joel.
Finally, just as she was about to give up and go to work, she saw Claxton put down the phone.
A minute or two later, a female officer approached to tell her the chief would see her now.
Had he made her wait to flex his power?
She hated to think he’d feel the need to do something like that after so many years, but he hadn’t been happy when she’d told him she didn’t want to see him anymore. She got the impression he’d never really forgiven her, could tell whenever they bumped into each other around town that the rejection had been a major blow to his ego and he wasn’t likely to forget it.
As she was shown into his office, anxiety overcame the irritation she’d felt while he was on the phone.
“Have a seat.” He gestured toward one of the well-worn, blue-cushioned seats across from his desk.
Anna perched on the edge of it, eyeing a signed photograph of him with baseball player Barry Bonds that hung on the wall. “Thanks for seeing me.”
“Of course. We’re old friends.” The ingratiating smile he gave her didn’t quite reach his eyes. She’d been right; he hadn’t forgiven her for not wanting to pursue a romantic relationship with him. He’d married shortly after she did, but she saw his wife, Pamela, at the barbershop when she brought in their son, overheard some of the things she said, and didn’t believe they were very happy together.
“What can I do for you?” he asked.
“I need to talk to you about Reggie.”
He got up and closed the door before circling back around to his desk. “I’ve already heard. Ford and Lucy called me. But you’re getting yourself all worked up about nothing. McBride killed Aurora, Anna. At this point, all that really matters is that we got the right guy.”
“Are you sure you got the right guy? BecauseLucydoesn’t believe it.”
“Of course she doesn’t. Whowouldwant to believe their father could be capable of something like that?”
“No one,” she admitted. “But it’s been so long. You’d think she’d come to terms with it if—”
“The amount of time doesn’t matter,” he broke in. “She’s still in denial.”
“Ford Wagner’s convinced there’s validity to her argument.” And that meant something to Anna. She’d always admired Ford, didn’t know anyone whohadn’tthought highly of him.
Claxton gave her a “get real” look. “Ford Wagner is romantically involved with her.”
She relaxed slightly. Claxton’s level of conviction was making her feel as if everything she’d built up in her mind wasn’t anything to worry about, after all. “Are you still convinced Mick McBride killed the Matteos, too?”
He rocked back. “Of course! His DNA was under Tony Matteo’s fingernails!”
She drew a deep breath. Maybe there’d been no need to come to the station, after all. But since she was here... “Then this probably won’t matter, either, but I wanted to make sure you were at least aware of it.”
He rested his elbows on his desk as he leaned forward again. “What’s that?”
“Did the Matteos own a baseball card collection?”
He made a face that suggested he had no clue. “Not to my knowledge. Why?”
“Because around that time, Reggie came into possession of a baseball card collection worth a lot of money.”
Claxton blinked at her. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
Now she was feeling almost euphoric.Thank God!After the way Reggie had acted yesterday, she’d begun to believe he was capable of anything. “Probably nothing,” she said with a relieved chuckle. “It just seemed strange that he would have something worth five thousand dollars, you know? Heneverhad any money. And when I asked him where he got it, he told me some crazy story about trading a set of tires for it, which didn’t really ring true. Putting that together with the fact that it came into his possession about the time the Matteos were murdered, and knowing their murders started out as a burglary...”
“I get it. And I appreciate you coming in. But you’re jumping at shadows. Maybe Reggie lied. I’ll take your word for it on that even though I’m betting he’d deny it—I know he would since I’ve already spoken to him about it—but I promise you the baseball card collection doesn’t mean anything.”
