SUICIDAL SUSPICIONS: A Kate Huntington Mystery (The Kate Huntington Mystery Series Book 8) by Kassandra Lamb Page B
Authors: Kassandra Lamb
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hadn’t committed suicide?
She gripped the steering wheel. She needed to find out, one way or the other, for her peace of mind.
And so Josie could rest in peace.
CHAPTER SIX
Dolph Randolph was wearing his usual uniform–a white dress shirt and dark slacks, slightly rumpled–when he met Kate in front of the police station Thursday afternoon. They greeted each other with a hug. Then he leaned forward and opened the door for her.
Kate stepped into the station’s outer lobby. Despite the heat emanating from the mass of bodies, as well as from the air vents, Kate felt a chill. She rubbed her goose-bumped arms.
The last time she’d seen this lobby it had been virtually deserted, late on a Sunday evening, after the most harrowing weekend of her life. She shuddered at the memory of their race against the clock to save her former boss, Sally Ford, from a serial killer.
Today, the lobby was teeming with a cross-section of humankind, from the well-dressed businesswoman impatiently checking her watch to the disheveled and jittery young man who looked to be in desperate need of whatever substance he was addicted to.
At the panel of bulletproof glass that separated the reception desk from the masses, Dolph spoke quietly to the female officer.
She broke into a wide smile. “Of course I remember you, Detective Randolph.”
A buzzer sounded, almost drowning out the click of the door unlocking.
Dolph returned the woman’s smile. “Thanks, Officer Browning.” He opened the door to the inner sanctum of the precinct and bowed slightly in Kate’s direction, making an after-you gesture with his arm.
“It’s good to have connections,” she whispered as she walked past him.
He chuckled. “A good memory for names helps too.”
They made their way to the detectives’ bullpen, and the lieutenant’s office beyond it. The door was ajar.
Dolph rapped a knuckle against it, then stuck his head into the opening.
Kate heard an exaggerated groan.
“What do you want, Dolph?”
He signaled to Kate to follow him and stepped into the office.
Judith Anderson stood behind a desk as cluttered as Father Sam’s but not nearly as elegant. Her eyes lit up. “Hey Kate, how are you?”
Kate snickered. “I’m good, and something tells me I might have gotten further with my request if I’d come alone.”
Judith snorted. “Well, since you’ve already brought the old goat in here, you both might as well sit down.” She gestured toward two metal chairs with beige vinyl seats that were theoretically cushioned.
Kate sat down, then shifted to try to find a comfortable spot. None seemed to exist.
Judith broke into a rare grin. “Keeps my people from lingering in here when they should be on the streets.”
Kate returned the smile. “How have you been, Judith?”
The lieutenant dropped into her desk chair. “I’m good, but I doubt you came by just to inquire about my health.”
“You know anything about the Josephine Hartin case?” Dolph asked.
Judith shrugged. “Not much. It was a suicide.”
“Last I heard,” Dolph said, “that was still tentative, pending the tox reports.”
“Okay. So what about that case?”
Kate leaned forward. The hard vinyl under her butt squeaked. “I have reason to believe that it wasn’t a suicide. I knew the young woman but…,” she intentionally paused, “I can’t tell you how.” She knew the lieutenant would make the appropriate assumption.
Judith nodded. “So why do you think it wasn’t a suicide?”
Kate filled her in on the cheerful phone messages, and pointed out that Josie wouldn’t have left her puppy locked up in a crate to starve like that. “And she was having strange dreams.” This was skirting the edge of violating her promise to Father Sam. But Josie’s mother had also mentioned the dreams, and Kate didn’t consider her meeting with the Hartins as confidential, since they weren’t clients.
“In that last phone message, Josie said something about checking
She gripped the steering wheel. She needed to find out, one way or the other, for her peace of mind.
And so Josie could rest in peace.
CHAPTER SIX
Dolph Randolph was wearing his usual uniform–a white dress shirt and dark slacks, slightly rumpled–when he met Kate in front of the police station Thursday afternoon. They greeted each other with a hug. Then he leaned forward and opened the door for her.
Kate stepped into the station’s outer lobby. Despite the heat emanating from the mass of bodies, as well as from the air vents, Kate felt a chill. She rubbed her goose-bumped arms.
The last time she’d seen this lobby it had been virtually deserted, late on a Sunday evening, after the most harrowing weekend of her life. She shuddered at the memory of their race against the clock to save her former boss, Sally Ford, from a serial killer.
Today, the lobby was teeming with a cross-section of humankind, from the well-dressed businesswoman impatiently checking her watch to the disheveled and jittery young man who looked to be in desperate need of whatever substance he was addicted to.
At the panel of bulletproof glass that separated the reception desk from the masses, Dolph spoke quietly to the female officer.
She broke into a wide smile. “Of course I remember you, Detective Randolph.”
A buzzer sounded, almost drowning out the click of the door unlocking.
Dolph returned the woman’s smile. “Thanks, Officer Browning.” He opened the door to the inner sanctum of the precinct and bowed slightly in Kate’s direction, making an after-you gesture with his arm.
“It’s good to have connections,” she whispered as she walked past him.
He chuckled. “A good memory for names helps too.”
They made their way to the detectives’ bullpen, and the lieutenant’s office beyond it. The door was ajar.
Dolph rapped a knuckle against it, then stuck his head into the opening.
Kate heard an exaggerated groan.
“What do you want, Dolph?”
He signaled to Kate to follow him and stepped into the office.
Judith Anderson stood behind a desk as cluttered as Father Sam’s but not nearly as elegant. Her eyes lit up. “Hey Kate, how are you?”
Kate snickered. “I’m good, and something tells me I might have gotten further with my request if I’d come alone.”
Judith snorted. “Well, since you’ve already brought the old goat in here, you both might as well sit down.” She gestured toward two metal chairs with beige vinyl seats that were theoretically cushioned.
Kate sat down, then shifted to try to find a comfortable spot. None seemed to exist.
Judith broke into a rare grin. “Keeps my people from lingering in here when they should be on the streets.”
Kate returned the smile. “How have you been, Judith?”
The lieutenant dropped into her desk chair. “I’m good, but I doubt you came by just to inquire about my health.”
“You know anything about the Josephine Hartin case?” Dolph asked.
Judith shrugged. “Not much. It was a suicide.”
“Last I heard,” Dolph said, “that was still tentative, pending the tox reports.”
“Okay. So what about that case?”
Kate leaned forward. The hard vinyl under her butt squeaked. “I have reason to believe that it wasn’t a suicide. I knew the young woman but…,” she intentionally paused, “I can’t tell you how.” She knew the lieutenant would make the appropriate assumption.
Judith nodded. “So why do you think it wasn’t a suicide?”
Kate filled her in on the cheerful phone messages, and pointed out that Josie wouldn’t have left her puppy locked up in a crate to starve like that. “And she was having strange dreams.” This was skirting the edge of violating her promise to Father Sam. But Josie’s mother had also mentioned the dreams, and Kate didn’t consider her meeting with the Hartins as confidential, since they weren’t clients.
“In that last phone message, Josie said something about checking
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