Chapter Six

Minka exited the room moments after Hamilton’s eerie though insightful words and pondered the exchange as she made her way to the elevator. His seeming despondency over Rissdale’s troubles surprised her, but she couldn’t say she left his office with a changed opinion of him. Over the course of just minutes, she’d observed his personality change three times, so she couldn’t decipher which, if any, of them were sincere.

She punched the button to call the elevator, and an employee soon joined her as she waited. He offered a kind smile at her and Caela but said nothing. He held the door once it opened, in order for Minka to navigate the stroller into the small space, which was when she noticed the pocket watch in his hand. She caught her breath, wondering if any of the possibilities circling her mind could prove true, but she kept her hopes at bay.

She nodded to it. “That’s nice. Not many people carry those anymore.”

“No, they don’t, but I collect them. I’ve acquired over three hundred, and I never get tired of them. My wife, on the other hand, disagrees.”

Minka snickered as the doors reopened, tickled by more than just his wit. She endeavored to conceal her intrigue, though, in case he realized who she was. Still not sure how to interpret Hamilton’s comment, she didn’t want to raise anyone’s suspicions of the reason for her visit. Hence, she gave him a casual goodbye but snuck a peak at the man’s nametag and noted that it read Bryant Maxwell.

As Maxwell wished her a good day, he had no idea the role he would end up playing in it. On her drive home, she tried to adopt a reasonable mindset on the watch collector, admitting that he may not have bought Robin’s. It was a large company, so he couldn’t have been the only person capable of purchasing it. Still, it called for unusual tastes, which he clearly possessed. Considering, too, that the watch was the primary evidence against her brother, she couldn’t write it off altogether.

Once home, she set the notion aside to give Caela her lunch and lay her down for a nap. Alone with her computer after that, Minka couldn’t resist the urge to run a search on Maxwell. It didn’t surprise her that he wasn’t trending on the web, only listed on an ordinary directory and the Stags’ site. From the latter, all she could surmise was he’d been a loyal employee from the company’s beginning, which didn’t mean much to her at the time.

She lingered on his profile page for a while, inspecting it for anything she may have missed. As she massaged her aching brow, the phone rang. At the sight of the Palettas’ number, she groaned and crossed the room to grab a pain reliever.

“Minka!” Camille exclaimed the instant she answered the phone. “I was watering my garden, and I noticed a strange man trying to get into your car. Thankfully, it was locked, but then, he dashed into your garage. I almost chased after him with my hose, but I couldn’t keep up his youthful speed, so I hurried in and called you. I can’t take chances like that at my age.”

While annoyed by the fact that Robin was messing with her car without asking, Minka expected this would happen sooner or later and gave her planned response. “Oh, that’s just my brother. He’s staying with us for a while. I asked him to check whether or not I remembered to lock my doors.”

“What a relief. I’d hate for anything to happen to you guys, especially to that precious little girl of yours. Your brother is living with you, then? Where’s he from?”

“Here, there, and everywhere.” Minka couldn’t admit he lived only twenty minutes away, certain it would ignite Scoop’s suspicions. “He’s in between jobs right now, so we’re trying to help.”

“Oh, bless you. It’s a shame when kids grow up to be that unstable.” Her remark gnawed at Minka’s nerves, given Camille had taken a disliking to her parents for no reason over the years. “I’m sure he’s so grateful to have a dependable sister like you.”

“That’s how my folks raised me,” she reciprocated with a smooth counterblow, grinning. “Well, I appreciate your concern, Mrs. Paletta. Give your husband our best.”

“Same to yours. I’d like to meet your brother sometime. Maybe I can help him find his way.”

His way to the loony bin, maybe. As she ended the call, she brushed off her irritation with her neighbor and headed for the garage, armed with her new ammunition against Robin.

“Why were you nosing around my car?”

“I just remembered I’d left my soda in the door yesterday and wanted to finish it. Then, I caught a glimpse of my box of stuff in your back seat. What were you doing with that?”

With the tables turned on her, Minka had to do some quick brainstorming. “I just picked it up at Stags for you.”

“Did they call you or something?”

She refused to reveal her true plan yet. “No, I was in the area, and the idea occurred to me.”

Despite his accusatory manner, he accepted the explanation without hesitation and asked for another snack. Relieved to be off the hook, she invited him in and offered him a sandwich. She’d failed to close her laptop on the kitchen table, distracted by Camille’s call and whatnot, so she nearly leapt out of her skin when he plopped right down in front of it.

“Why are you on the Stags site?”

“Just browsing.” It wasn’t a part of her original plan, but she decided to improvise. “By the way, do you recognize him?”

Robin regarded Bryant’s picture for a second, before he said no more than the caption underneath it. “He’s one of the accountants.”

“Did you ever meet him?”

“Yeah, a few times. Why?”

Fighting the temptation to return his elusiveness, Minka had to remind herself of her goal. “As a matter of fact, I bumped into him when I picked up your things.”

Robin’s inner child kicked in before his sister could proceed with her impromptu interrogation. “About that, did you get my Farmer Jeffey bobblehead?”

“I don’t know. They just handed me a box, and I put it in my car. Tell me more about this Maxwell guy.”

“There’s not much to tell. Can I have your keys so I can get that box and my drink?”

With his attention span shorter than her infant daughter’s, Minka figured she’d better cut to the chase. “Is he the one who bought Papa’s watch?”

His eyes widened. “How’d you figure that out?”

“He was using one a lot like it and mentioned that he collected them.”

After a moment, Robin nodded. “He’d been begging me for it ever since I let him appraise it. His offer rose about every month, but I didn’t want to give it up unless I had no choice. Finally, it happened. He must not have wanted it too badly, though, since he lost it right away.”

“Must not have.” Despite agreeing, Minka didn’t believe it was really that simple.

****

Minka fessed up to Cael about her detective work over the phone.

“So, you waltzed in there and played ‘Scoop.’ ”

She bristled at the comparison. “That isn’t the point. I found out who bought the watch off of Robin. All you have to do is talk to him and determine how it ended up at the crime scene.”

“Get real, Minks. I mean, if he planted it there, he isn’t going to tell us that. Plus, there’s no evidence he ever had it in his possession. It’s still just Robin’s word against his.”

“It can’t be ‘against his’ until you go over and talk to him.”

She had him cornered. “I’ll run through some options with Declan, but I can’t promise anything.”

With that, he hung up the phone and sighed, faced with quite a challenge. It wasn’t easy calculating his next move, as going after this so-called lead seemed rather pointless. If it were given by anybody else, he wouldn’t even be considering it, deeming it just another frantic attempt to exonerate a loved one. Given Minka’s background on the force—along with the fact that she was his sister-in-law—he was willing to yield to her instincts.

Cael supposed he could act like the watch was recovered and traced back to Maxwell, but explaining the details would be tricky. He hadn’t reported it missing or stolen, and even if he had, they couldn’t hand it over with it being a piece of evidence. While testing it for DNA could prove helpful, Maxwell could claim to have been merely admiring it if any of his fingerprints were detected.

Cael decided checking for prints would be the best place to start and admitted it should’ve been done when it was first recovered. With Robin’s initials on it and Cael’s connection to Minka, it hadn’t seemed necessary at the time, but in retrospect, they should’ve taken the precaution. Thankfully, he had a friend in the lab he sometimes called upon when in a pinch like this. Most of the time, her findings corroborated what he’d already discovered, but that wasn’t so in this case.

“There was only one set of prints on it.”

That didn’t surprise him, and he waited for her to say Robin’s name.

“His name is Jevon Hinckley,” the technician said.

The unexpected response took him aback as he recalled Hinckley was the one who’d showed up with the watch. It took a moment for him to absorb the meaning, but once he did, he calculated its implications on the investigation. With neither Robin’s nor Maxwell’s fingerprints on the piece of evidence, someone must have wiped it clean before dropping it in that alley. This had to be more than the work of an ordinary, clumsy criminal.

Cael pondered the possibility of Robin wiping off his own prints, but it didn’t add up. No savvy perpetrator would leave behind such incriminating evidence at a crime scene, with his initials engraved on it and all. His own sister was a former detective, so Robin would have to expect she’d be called in to identify it. Everything considered, none of it made sense…unless whoever put it there wanted Robin to take the blame.

If that were the case, the questions arose of who would be framing him and why. The likeliest candidate was Maxwell, based on Robin’s claim to have sold the watch to him. That would give him the means to plant it at the crime scene, but Cael couldn’t rationalize his possible motive. Maxwell held a position in a different department and had much more seniority than Robin, so he shouldn’t have envied his co-worker for professional reasons. Besides, Robin’s track record was propelling him anywhere but a promotion.

With that track record in mind, he figured, that in itself could’ve led Maxwell to frame him. He could imagine that Robin’s lackluster work ethic and overall demeanor had netted him some enemies. The accountant, in particular, could’ve viewed him as a waste of money and decided implicating him in a criminal investigation would be a way to get rid of him for good. That isn’t to say he was the one who attacked Hamilton, but he could’ve seized the opportunity to blacken Robin’s already tarnished name.

Cael put the brakes on his speculations, reminding himself he had too many “ifs” and “could haves” and not enough facts. He supposed the best place to resume his search was with the resource he had, Jevon Hinckley. He and Declan had vetted the stranger after he’d surfaced with the watch, but they hadn’t gone much further than checking if he had any connections to Stags or Robin. This case was continuing to prove, however, that not everything was as tidy as it appeared.

Hinckley had a record, consisting of a DUI and a robbery charge. Both took place three years earlier, leading one to assume he’d changed his ways since then. Given that he didn’t live in the best part of town and was unemployed, it wasn’t a stretch to conclude he was hoping for a payday when he found the watch, which was why Cael and Declan had shrugged off his motives. In hindsight, Cael realized if he were after financial gain, he probably would’ve pawned it instead of taking a chance on a reward. Besides, guys with his profile didn’t typically set foot in a precinct without handcuffs on their wrists or something up their sleeve.

With all of this spinning in his head, Cael began to picture another scenario, in which Hinckley was hired to hand over the watch. It made perfect sense, considering his lack of work, but it was yet another theory with no proof. He searched again for any connections to Stags or Maxwell but didn’t stumble on anything. From there, he explored Hinckley’s social media profile. His three most recent posts showed him with a sports car he’d just purchased. The model appeared to be a few years old, but he still couldn’t imagine how the unemployed man could’ve afforded it.

He chose to clue in his partner across their shared desk. “Hey, Dec, do you remember what that Hinckley kid drove here when he turned in Robin’s watch?”

“An old, beat-up station wagon.”

He clicked on the first photo of Hinckley posing beside his new ride. “Nothing like this, huh?”

Declan took the phone from him and enlarged image, immediately drawing out the car fanatic in him. “No way. This baby is loaded. I begged my parents for this very model when I started driving. It may be over twenty years old, but it holds its value because it was an anniversary edition. I loved the T-top, and that cherry red is original. The scoop hood would’ve been added by either him or a previous owner. When did he get it?”

“The picture is time-dated the day after he came here. He must’ve run into some dough.”

Declan nodded. “Depending on how many miles it has on it, I’d say he paid at least eight grand. Wasn’t he unemployed?”

“Sure was. Look at the comments. Someone asks, ‘How’d you get your hands on that beauty?’ and he replies, ‘Right place, right time.’ It doesn’t sound like he saved up hard-earned cash to me.”

“Me neither,” his partner agreed. “Are you saying this is connected to the watch?”

“All I know is I just sent the watch to the lab to run prints, and Hinckley’s was the only set they found, not Parker’s.”

Declan handed Cael’s phone back to him. “But Minka confirmed it as his. It even has his initials.”

“It is his, but somebody wiped off his prints. It could’ve been Parker, but that would mean he ditched it at the scene on purpose. Why would he do that?”

After giving it some consideration, Declan nodded. “You’re right; something’s off. How do you suggest we handle it?”

“For starters, we should go congratulate him on his buy,” Cael said.

****

Cael and Declan set off to track down Hinckley, beginning at his apartment. Not to their surprise, many of the locals scattered when Cael approached the curb. The car that’d sparked their curiosity was parked in front of them, and Hinckley just so happened to be polishing it.

Cael whistled in admiration of the vehicle. “Sweet ride.”

His posture straightened, letting on to his defensive attitude. “I swear, it’s mine. I can show you guys the title.”

“No need, man. We just wanted to ask you a few more questions about that watch you turned into us.”

He squatted to work on the tire rims, his focus on the wheel, not the detectives. “Fire away.”

“In case you didn’t know, it’s connected to an assault,” Cael said. “The only prints on it are yours, so you’re now a person of interest in our investigation.”

Hinckley stood and sprayed some more polish on his rag, still refusing to face them. “I don’t know anything about that. I just picked it up and turned it into you. Why would I do that if I had any part in whatever happened?”

“We wondered the same thing,” Declan admitted. “This nice ride might’ve given you the nerve.”

Hinckley gave no reply, so Cael used persuasion to motivate him to cooperate. “With your prints being on it, we could charge you with evidence tampering right now. If you didn’t play a part in the crime committed, I suggest you tell us the truth.”

Hinckley stared down at the rag in his hand. “I might’ve had some help in finding that watch.”

“Meaning what?” Cael asked.

“Someone else paid me ten grand to give it to you, but I didn’t ask any questions. I was hurting for cash, so I just agreed.”

“Did you know this guy?” Declan inquired.

“No, I just met him on my way out of the unemployment office, and he offered me the deal. I didn’t even get his name.”

“Can you give us a description?”

“Light hair, glasses, about six one, late thirties.”

Recognizing the description, Cael took out his phone and located his research on Bryant Maxwell. “This isn’t the guy, is it?”

“As a matter of fact, it is.”

****

“So, Robin was framed,” Minka concluded as they waited to be seated for dinner.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Minks. We still don’t have enough to exonerate him.”

“You don’t have enough to convict him, either. I mean, the watch was all you guys had to tie him to the crime scene. If he wasn’t already arrested, he’d be free to go now.”

“But he has been arrested, and that complicates everything. Besides, we can’t prove he sold it or that he didn’t wipe off his own prints.”

“But Cael—”

“Minks, I’m tired of talking about this. As it is, I’m sidelining another case to follow up on it. We’re going visit Stags on Monday to shake what we can out of Maxwell. Rest assured, this isn’t over. For tonight, though, I want to put it all aside.”

With his tone firmer than usual, it took Minka aback. She understood, aware of the need for down time in such a demanding job. That said, a part of her was hurt by his brisk manner, having witnessed that side of him only a handful of times. They didn’t sing each other’s praises all day long, but they almost always spoke to one another in a respectful way.

She let him off the hook, however, when she considered the setting and mixed company around them. Autumn held onto his arm, standing next to her folks and younger sister, who’d all driven up from Key West for the weekend. It was the first time the Avery and Hastings families had mingled among one another, causing both of the lovebirds to act somewhat on edge. Minka decided to give her brother-in-law some slack, remembering how nervous she was the first time Wes met her parents.

It wasn’t long before the hostess escorted their party to the table Cael had reserved in the rear room of Orlando’s top restaurant. The Friday crowd packed the eatery, especially around their table, which overlooked Little Sand Lake. Most of their neighbors were of an older demographic, making for a more pleasant atmosphere than in the Spring Breakers’ Section—otherwise known as the bar.

Everybody was getting along well while they enjoyed their meals, with the exception of Autumn’s sister, Shiri, and Declan, who made it obvious he’d tagged along to flirt with her. Minka couldn’t pay much attention to his shameful pursuit of her, having her hands full with feeding Caela her baby food while scarfing down her own filet mignon. They’d both barely finished before their waitress rolled over the dessert cart.

Each of them picked out their own treat, except for Autumn, who was given her key lime pie by Cael. The chatter continued as normal, but Minka noticed her in-laws and Autumn’s parents all casting their attention on Autumn with eagerness. Even Wes gave frequent glances her way. Minka began to suspect the reason, which became clear when she let out a shriek after cutting off a bite that held more than sweets. It captured the whole room’s intrigue.

She picked the sparkler up off the dessert plate. “Oh my goodness!”

Cael rose from his seat to take a knee. “I know we haven’t been together that long, sweetie, but I’m already convinced I want us to be. So, in front of our two families, will you be my wife?”

“Yes!” Autumn shouted with glee.

Stunned, Minka applauded with the rest of the crowd and tried to put on a happy face. Deep down, however, she was hurting because of her lack of knowledge. Wes’s expression affirmed her hunch that Cael had shared the secret with him, and she could tell Declan had received the memo, too. She understood why Cael would’ve clued them in, but she couldn’t wrap her head around why he didn’t inform her. Besides Wes, Cael was her best friend, and she couldn’t believe he would keep this from her.

Nonetheless, she continued eating her peanut butter chocolate mousse, all while Autumn flashed her ring around the table. Minka gawked like she was expected to and congratulated the bride-to-be, but she couldn’t lock eyes with Cael. From the single glimpse she took of him, she could surmise he realized how his silence affected her. Uncertainty lined his face, appearing to wonder what she might say. She kept her pain concealed, not wanting to dampen the occasion.

Once finished with dessert, she handed Caela over to Wes and stepped outside the restaurant to get some air. As she strolled around the nearby shopping center, she searched for answers that only time could give her. She pondered the years she’d spent around Cael and the special bond they’d developed, one she hadn’t shared with anyone else, not even with her own brother. Cael always seemed to perceive what she was thinking—for better or worse—and rather than judging her for it, he just tried to be the partner she needed.

She still chuckled inside when she reflected on the day they first met.

Reporting to the Orlando precinct for the first time was hands down the most terrifying moment of Minka’s life thus far. She’d been hired in Atlanta straight out of the academy, but her excitement overpowered her nerves on her first day there, being caught up in fulfilling her childhood dream. Sadly, however, it’d proven to be her worst nightmare, which was the primary contributor to her fears now.

From day one, Atlanta designated her as a glorified page and deemed her unfit for regular police work. It frustrated and disappointed her for the year she spent there, but in the end, it set her up to answer Lieutenant Channing’s telephone call when he enlisted their assistance in tracking down his missing cousin. Despite her speech impediment, he trusted her judgement enough to unofficially assign her the case after her colleagues had refused it. She’d lived up to his expectations, locating the young woman and rescuing her from danger, which earned her a personal invitation to work for him.

Hence, she had every reason to waltz in with confidence, but she couldn’t. Instead, her doubts about staying on the force and transferring precincts continued to taunt her, given she was living in a hotel with nothing in her savings after the cost of her flight. She worried her new commanding officer’s kindness would soon wear off, and she’d once again be treated as nothing more than a symbol of the department’s “equal opportunity” philosophy.

Nonetheless, she smiled when she ventured inside and was greeted by Gus. Following him to his office, she noticed several glances, but none captured her attention like that of the lean officer with light brown hair across the room. He observed her with intent interest, but contrary to many of the other stares she’d received through the years, his was neither impolite nor unsettling. Rather, he manifested, not only intrigue over her arrival, but a gentleness unlike she’d sensed in anybody before.

She kept her attention fixed on the young lieutenant, listening to his tutorial about how business operated. He took her into his office and handed over her uniform, complete with a small metal badge reading Officer Parker, which was more than Atlanta had offered.

That wasn’t the only surprise Gus had in store for her. “I reckon that covers everything,” he concluded his narrative. “I’ll introduce you to your partner and then let you two get to work.”

“My partner?” It stunned Minka that anyone would agree to such a task. Her former coworkers had considered her a flight risk.

“Yes, his name’s Cael Avery. I figured you’d be a perfect match, since his brother teaches at a school for the deaf and can help him learn some sign language.”

And there’s the catch, or so Minka thought. She could imagine how the poor guy felt, being assigned to be her partner based on his brother’s occupation. If they were anything like her and Robin, they probably couldn’t get through a meal without arguing, let alone play teacher and student. His disdain for his brother would translate onto her, dooming their relationship from the very start.

Her rash notions were put to rest when she and Gus entered the break room and the kind-faced officer who’d been peering at her earlier awaited her. He reciprocated her timid smile, and despite not wanting to get ahead of herself, her anxiety began to fade away.

“You must be Minka.” Cael extended his hand to her. “I’m excited to work with you. I hear we lived in the same town back in the day.”

“Really?” She couldn’t believe Gus would’ve told him about her family’s short stay in Altamonte Springs.

He nodded. “Do you remember which street you lived on?”

“No, I was just a toddler. I doubt that even my parents do. They’ve moved about a dozen times since then.” Still fighting her nerves, she reproved herself for divulging the useless tidbit.

Gus excused himself and left the new partners staring at each other, lost for words. Finally, Cael offered to make her a cup of coffee and put his lunch bag on the counter as he prepared it for her.

“What’s for lunch?” she asked in an attempt to break the ice.

“Mac ‘n’ cheese and chocolate milk.”

Though they’d just met three minutes ago, Minka couldn’t repress her automatic retort. “What are you—five?”

Cael raised one eyebrow, seeming a bit alarmed by her bluntness, but he didn’t hesitate for long. “I’ll need my brother to teach me the sign for ‘Mind your own business.’ ”

Minka muttered the phrase under her breath, recalling several of the occasions when he indeed used it on her. As much as she always cherished their friendship, she didn’t appreciate how dearly she held it to her heart until after they stopped working together. Due to her disability and how often her family moved, she hadn’t formed many relationships throughout her life. Thus, she’d grown protective of their relationship, and even if she hated to admit it, she viewed Autumn as a threat to it.

Wes met up with her on her trek back to the building with Caela in his arms. “You okay?”

“I guess so.” Minka kept her head down, unsure of how much she wanted to confess. “There’s just a lot to take in tonight. I did not expect that proposal.”

“Me, neither.”

“Yes, you did. I could sense it from the way you kept peeking at Autumn.”

Caught, his lips formed a guilty smile, the one his wife hated to love. “He just needed a few tips. Like him, I proposed to a girl who was way out of my league, and he wanted advice on how I enticed her to say yes.”

“She’s wondered the same thing at times.” Minka smirked, too stubborn to relent to his charm. “I guess I’m just fighting insecurities about my relationship with Cael. He has a new partner and now a fiancée, and where does that leave me? Am I merely going to be his brother’s wife and niece’s mother?”

“Never.” He stroked his finger on her cheek. “You’re Minka. I think that speaks for itself.”

She smiled, touched by his sentiment, but it didn’t conclude her quandary. “I’m ashamed to let jealousy control me like this. I’m thirty, with a husband and child of my own.”

“You two are close. It’s understandable.”

“I suppose. I think it’s also because of my troubles with Robin. Every day now, I’m reminded of how pitiful our relationship is, and it’s made me appreciate Cael that much more. I’d hate for us to go down that same road.”

“I’m telling you, honey, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“I’m not so sure. I mean, he didn’t even tell me he was going to propose. I helped Gus pick out Lola’s ring, but Cael didn’t even tell me he bought one.”

Wes stayed quiet for a moment, appearing deep in thought. “We took a poll.”

“Excuse me?”

“Cael couldn’t decide whether or not to give you a heads-up, so he had us vote on it. For what it’s worth, I voted for him to share it with you. It was a tight race. Caela was the one to tip the scales.”

“Oh, was she now?” Minka giggled, taking back her baby.