4
Tennyson
The last place Ten expected himself to be going was Laura Cooper’s house. He’d assumed when the woman stomped out of the shop threatening to sue them, that would be the last time Ten would see her, but he’d been wrong.
Fitzgibbon parked the SUV down the street from Laura’s house. It was a stately Colonial with a perfectly manicured lawn. This was one of the richest neighborhoods in Salem. Laura obviously didn’t have to work and with the nanny taking care of her babyandher husband, she had plenty of time to snoop through her neighbors’ trash.
“Dispatch says no one has called in with a report of stolen remains,” Ronan said, after ending his call. “It’s starting to sound like box was left with the trash on purpose.”
“No reports of theft doesn’t mean the box was intentionally thrown away. Most people are still at work this time of day and might not realize the remains are gone,” Fitz said, sounding uneasy.
“FYI, Marcus Cooper is a big time lawyer,” Jude said, holding up his phone so the others could see a picture of Laura’s husband. “He’s listed as one of the top corporate attorneys in Boston.”
“At least he’ll know a good lawyer when his wife finds out he’s fucking half of Salem.” Ten still hadn’t decided if he was going to spill the beans about what a dog Marcus Cooper was.
“What?” Ronan asked with a wide grin.
“While Laura was sitting with us, Cope and I were able to see that Marcus is having an affair with at least half a dozen women. I’m guessing there’s more.”
“Takes all kinds, huh?” Jude asked. “He’s got all this money, a gorgeous house, a wife and a new baby and he’s messing around. It would serve him right for it all to come crashing down around him.”
“That’s not my job,” Ten said, making up his mind to keep his mouth shut about Marcus’ extracurricular activities. It seemed as if he and Laura truly deserved each other.
“Let’s do this,” Fitzgibbon said. “Aurora’s having a bit of trouble at school. I got an email from her teacher and want to have some time to sit down and talk with her about it.”
“Is she okay?” Ronan asked.
“There’s an accusation of bullying,” Fitz said on a sigh.
“Why the hell would someone bully Aurora? She’s the sweetest little girl.” Jude angrily cracked his knuckles.
“Aurora wasn’t bullied. Sheisthe bully.” Fitzgibbon gave his head a shake, as if he couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth.
“I’m sure there’s a good explanation for what happened.” Ronan patted Fitzgibbon’s shoulder. “Now let’s go surprise this grave robbing bitch.” With a chuckle, Ronan got out of the SUV.
“Can’t argue with that.” Ten followed behind his husband.
All three detectives clipped their badges to their belt, so there would be no mistaking who they were. Ronan rang the bell and stepped back from the door. Ten stayed behind him, wanting his appearance to be a surprise.
“Who’s there?” a familiar voice called from within the house.
“Salem Police, ma’am. Open the door,” Fitzgibbon said, in his sternest voice. He dropped a wink at Ten, who bit his lip to keep from laughing.
“The police?” Laura asked, opening the front door. Her mouth hung open as she surveyed the men. “If this is about those unpaid parking tickets, I can explain.” She offered a worried smile.
“I’m Captain Kevin Fitzgibbon and these are Detectives Ronan O’Mara and Jude Byrne. We can discuss your moving violations momentarily,” Fitz said. “For the moment we’re here to talk to you about your violation of Massachusetts General Law Part IV, Title I, Chapter 272, Sections 71-74 in regards to stealing human remains with the intent to sell them for profit.”
Laura paled and stumbled backward and reached out for the door to steady herself. Her eyes were wide and filled with unshed tears. She looked as if she were about to have a panic attack.
“It would be better if we came inside, ma’am.” Fitzgibbon offered a benign smile, before turning to survey the nearby houses. “Unless, of course, you want the entire neighborhood to hear this conversation.” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder, where several concerned neighbors were watching what was going on.
Ten had no doubt the nosy neighbors were gathering gossip of their own.
“Please come in,” Laura held the door open, her eyes growing wider when she finally spotted Tennyson. “I should have knownyou’dbe involved in this somewhere.”
“You did come to me for help,” Ten said, trying and failing to keep his judgy tone under control.
Laura ushered the detectives and Tennyson past a formal living room with a grand piano and into the kitchen, which was immaculately kept, aside from the kitchen table. Mail was in haphazard piles, and there were several pacifiers scattered around. “Please have a seat.” When the men were settled around her, Laura continued. “Just tell me how much the fine is and I’ll write you a check now. I left the remains with Tennyson, so they are no longer in my possession.”
