Who Killed Jenny Schecter? Ch. 25

Chapter 25 Shark

Marybeth drummed her fingers on her desk, her face frowning as she looked at Carmen. She wasn't frowning at Carmen; she was frowning at what Carmen had just asked. Carmen, for her part, wondered if Marybeth was ever going to come up with an answer, but she finally did. It was a punt. "Lauren, what do you think?"

Carmen had asked if they were in danger. She meant others of the Friends who had been at the party when Jenny was murdered. But she may have also meant Lauren and herself, too. They were, after all, investigating two murders. Jenny and Max were already dead.

Lauren was frowning, too. "I don't like it that we still don't know why they were murdered. We have a theory with Jenny, having to do with the blackmail, but we aren't even sure if that was premeditated, or spontaneous. It seems clearer that Max's murder was premeditated, but we don't know why. We aren't even sure the two are linked. We suspect it, but we don't know it. I don't think we can know if anyone else is in danger, absent a good reason why Jenny and Max were killed. Short answer? I don't know. Longer answer? It's always prudent to take some precautions."

"Okay," Marybeth said. "But who is it needs protection? Carmen, you asked the question, and you've obviously been thinking about it. I know you like to think outside the box. What is it you're thinking?"

"Okay, first, I don't think Lauren is at risk, because she's a police detective going about an investigation, her job. And going after a cop is a really bad idea and a major escalation. I don't think that's what's going on. I don't think I'm personally at risk, because I wasn't at the party and I'm just basically tagging along as Lauren's trusty sidekick and comic relief. My first concern is Niki, because she was a co-victim of the blackmail, if the killer was eliminating witnesses. It raises the question, though, why wasn't she eliminated some time ago? It's been what, two years now. My next fear is Shane--"

Shane's head shot up and she looked at Carmen.

"--It's less because she was Jenny's lover at the end, but rather she was Jenny's friend and confidante for many years, and she lived in the house where the movie negatives were hidden. But there's the same problem with Shane as with Niki. It's been two years, and if somebody was going after either of them, they'd have done it by now. So why not? Here's some possibilities. First, the killer isn't worried about them, has no reason or desire to kill them. This may be because the killer believes they don't know anything that could hurt him, and maybe they don't. That would be good for Shane and Niki, at least. Second possibility: He hasn't gone after them because he couldn't. He's dead, or in jail, or has left the country. He'd try to get them if he could, but he can't. That's the one that worries me. Third possibility: Wherever he is, he's unaware that we've restarted the investigation. After killing Max, he thinks he's in the clear. Nothing happens, he relaxes, whatever the problem was, it's problem solved. He took his hundred G's blackmail cash and is living quietly below the radar in some beach village in Costa Rica. He doesn't know we believe Alice didn't do it, and we're back on the case, cold as it may be. My fear is, what happens if and when he finds out? What happens when we get close? How close is close? Does he get worried all over again and think maybe he has to take out the people he ignored before. Namely Niki and Shane."

Marybeth drummed her fingers again, thinking. "If he's not aware we've reopened the case, it tells us something. It means he's not in the immediate vicinity of the group. He's no longer watching anything, he has no contact with anyone of them. It's part physical distance, part communication. We've managed to avoid media attention so far. What worries me is blackmailers and extortionists are like sharks, when they find a good feeding ground, they come back to it from time to time. Your theory proposes he isn't a shark, or isn't one yet. I know it's a huge cliché, but he hasn't returned to the scene of the crime. What happens if he does?"

"He goes after Niki," Lauren said quietly.

"Because?"

"She was his co-victim. Presumably she knows almost as much about the details as Jenny did. She made the drops. Maybe she saw something. She told us she didn't, but how does he know that? And maybe she did see something but didn't know or understand at the time what it was. You know, she's cunning and wily and amoral, but she's not a rocket scientist. Maybe she saw something but didn't know it. Or hell, maybe he's just going to take a precaution."

"Why does he take her out?" Marybeth asked, playing devil's advocate. "She's got a ton of money. She's the richest feeding grounds he'll ever find other than maybe Helena again. Why not try to take another bite?"

"Well, he knows Niki is surrounded by a lot of lawyers. She was before, but not as many as now. Here's a question. Does he believe Niki told the investigation or her lawyers about the blackmail?"

"That's pretty interesting," Lauren said. "On the one hand, we'd all say sure, that's obvious we'd find out. But look, he's got the same problem we do. Alice's false confession shut down the investigation prematurely, within a single day of the murder itself. And afterward, there was no word in the media about blackmail or even much about Niki's involvement. The studio hushed up the stolen negatives. All the news stories were about the murder and the confession next day by a friend pissed off about a stolen screenplay treatment. There's a good chance he'd be thinking he was in the clear, because there was no mention and no follow-up."

"How would he know that?" Carmen asked.

"Easy," Marybeth said, and Lauren nodded, too. "We'd have sent people out to the observatory and the Hollywood Bowl, the two drop sites, looking for evidence, and just generally scoping the scene of the drops. But we never did. And all he'd have to do is keep those sites under observation for a few days. If no cops and no crime scene people show up, it must be because they didn't know."

"Okay, you're right, that does seem easy. What about Shane?" Carmen asked.

"Hear, hear," Shane muttered quietly. "What about me?"

"Shane was Jenny's roommate, maybe he thinks Jenny confided in her," Carmen said.

"Which she fucking well didn't," Shane said.

"Yes," Carmen said quietly, "you know it and I know it, but he doesn't know it."

"All right," Marybeth said. "Let's get back to what we do know. How are you coming on all your interviews?"

"As far as the party goes, we've talked to everybody but Helena. She's off somewhere on some isolated Greek island with her kids, no phones, no Internet, no e-mail. I've left word with her people to tell her to get in touch with us at the earliest opportunity. They say they are even going to send a messenger to the island she staying on, but there's no guarantee when we'll hear back. We've talked to Alice briefly, once, but we need to go back for a second round. Outside the group, we have to talk to Tom, Max's husband, and the adoption people. That's due diligence, and I don't expect anything much to come from it. I owe a phone call to Sgt. Collins out in Bakersfield, to update him on our end and see if he's got anything new, although if he did he'd have called me."

Like everyone else, Carmen had turned her cellphone ringer off, leaving it on vibrate. It vibrated now, sitting on the table in front of her. Everyone could see and feel it humming. So much for not drawing attention and disrupting a meeting. Carmen glanced at the caller ID: Her mother.

"Sorry," she said. "It's my mom."

"To ahead and take it," Marybeth said. "Always take calls from your mother and your children."

Carmen tapped the face of her phone and held it to her ear. "Hey. Mom, I'm in the middle of a big meeting. Can I call you back? ... Oh ... okay ... okay. Really? Okay. I will. Yes, mom. Yes, mom. Yes, they're here with me right now. Yes, mom. Yes, mom. Mom, jeez. Yes, I'll call you back as soon as I can." She sighed and ended the call. "Sorry. That was Mercedes, Queen of the Barrio. Her royal highness bideth her subjects cometh before the Royal Presence for dinner at the castle tonight at six p.m., and she apologizes for the short notice. Shane, you have a Very Special Royal Invitation--"

"You're shitting me," Shane said, surprised. The last she knew, Mercedes wanted her dead and her head on a pike for jilting Mercedes' beloved youngest child at the altar.

"I shitteth not," Carmen said. "I'm as shocked as you are. She never told me she wanted to bury the hatchet with you, so I suppose it could be a clever trap to have you assassinated in the street in front of her house, while she watches from the balcony."

"I can't," Shane said. "I already told you, Chase and I are doing a commercial for the Sugar Shacks tonight."

"Yes, you did tell me. You are therefore pardoned. Go in peace, my child. Lauren, got dinner plans?"

"Apparently not. She knows I carry a gun, right?"

"Yes. She knows. Anyway, she has no plans to have you executed, unlike Shane, and you've had dinner at her house before."

"I know. Yes, Count me in, if I can take home leftovers. I ate her leftovers for three days last time I came to your house."

Shane said nothing, but inside her head she said to herself, Lauren had dinner at Carmen's mom's house before? And she's going again? Marybeth was on the same page, and also said and showed nothing.

"I think that leftovers can be arranged," Carmen said. She couldn't possibly mention to any of these women that Mercedes was measuring Lauren for the role of future daughter-in-law. "Marybeth, she specifically asked me to invite you and your husband. She wants to make sure you're the kind of police lieutenant she's comfortable having her beloved baby daughter hang around with."

"I see," Marybeth said with a straight face. "In case I might be one of those evil, crooked cops you see in the movies and on TV."

"Exactly. She needs to be assured you aren't a female Dudley Smith or that bad guy from Person of Interest."

"She watches that show?" Marybeth asked. "I bet she thinks you look a little like Shaw."

"Yes, she does," Carmen said, "but I don't see it myself."

"Unfortunately, George and I have dinner plans, so please give her my regrets."

"I will."

"Make sure I get a rain check, though. Lauren says she's a fabulous cook."

"She is. I'll tell her."

"All right, let's wrap it up for the day. We have a ton of stuff from Niki to go over and follow up on. Lauren, I'm going to put a rush on getting a transcript of today's discussion so we'll both have something to work off of. Carmen, Shane, you guys want copies?"

"Yes, please," Carmen said.

"I'll work off of Carmen's or Lauren's," Shane said.

"Usual house rules, the transcript can't leave the building, wink wink," Marybeth said.

"Absolutely, chief, wink wink," Lauren said.

Marybeth looked at her watch. "Christ, where did the day go? Anybody got a question? No? All right, Angels, go home, and on your way out send Bosley in."

***

"Oh, mom, no, I can't. Please, I'm serious. No."

"Are you sure?" Mercedes asked. "You hardly ate anything. Didn't you like it?"

"Mom, I had two helpings, and you know I love love love your cooking. And yes, it was great, as always."

"Lauren? Please eat some more. There's plenty. And you look like you've lost a little weight."

"Oh, I can't, Mrs. Morales," Lauren said. "And last time I ate here I gained two pounds, and I just gained another two in the last hour. But it was fabulous."

Carmen looked at her sister, Patty, and they both rolled their eyes. Patty, her husband, and their two-year-old daughter had also come to the dinner, and with Abuela that made seven of them, or six and a third. Accordingly, Mercedes made enough food for twelve and two-thirds, as was her custom, and because it made her happy.

"What should I do with the leftovers?" Mercedes asked, as though it was a total mystery, a completely unexpected occurrence.

"Uh, mom, there's Lauren and me, and Patty, and Shane wants some, and even Marybeth. So I don't think getting rid of the food is going to be a significant problem."

"Well, okay, I guess," Mercedes said. "Don't forget, there's desert. I hope you saved room."

"Oh, dear God," Carmen whispered, and Lauren grinned. "Please don't tell me you made flan. We had that two night ago."

"Flan? No, of course not," Mercedes said. "It's my tres leches cake with strawberries."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," Lauren murmured, and everyone laughed.

"We can wait a little while, and let our dinner settle," Mercedes said. "Why don't you go sit on the porch and watch the sunset, and I'll call you when the coffee's ready."

"Okay, but I'll help you clear the table and clean up," Carmen said.

"Me, too," Lauren said.

"No, you guys, go sit on the porch," Patty said. "I'll help mom. Go, go!"

***

"I think I'm gonna explode," Lauren said, sitting in a rocker on the Morales homestead front porch.

"Me, too."

"Assault with a deadly enchilada. Homicide by chimichanga."

"Yeah, but if you tried to put her on trial the jury would post her bail."

"I know. So she gets a pass," Lauren said. They were quiet for a moment. "I can hear you thinking, and it's not your stomach digesting. The noise is coming from between your ears."

"I've been thinking about why Jenny never hired that detective she told Niki about, when Niki talked her out of it."

"Okay, I'll bite. Why?"

"Because she lied. Jenny liked to do that. And she's stubborn. She doesn't -- didn't -- abandon ideas easily. Maybe she did hire that private eye after all, but told Niki she wouldn't."

"Because?"

"Because maybe one of Niki's posse was the blackmailer. So to prevent Niki from tipping anybody off, Jenny hired the private eye on the sly. And she got a clue who the blackmailer was. Maybe more than a clue."

"And the blackmailer found out he was identified, and had to kill Jenny."

"Maybe. But there's another half to it."

"Which is?"

"Jenny never told Shane she was being blackmailed, she never whispered so much as one word, one hint, to her best friend of six years. She never told me, either, her other best friend for five or six years. Remember how Shane was shocked to discover Jenny seemed to not trust her? I don't think Jenny didn't trust Shane. I think it was because she suspected somebody close to Shane, maybe inside the group. We know for a fact that Jenny and Niki never once told anybody else in the group. Jenny played it really, really close to the chest."

"Because she suspected somebody inside the group."

"Or connected to somebody inside the group. Just to pull a name out of the hat, suppose she suspected Tina, or Helena or Alice. Would she have told that to Shane? No fucking way. Another thing. Why did the blackmailer specify Niki be the one to deliver the payoffs to the observatory and the Hollywood Bowl?"

"Because the blackmailer was worried that Jenny might see him at the drop site," Lauren answered. "Jenny came up with the insight that the blackmailer was afraid Jenny would recognize him, but Niki wouldn't. That pointed away from Niki's crowd, and directly at Jenny's group."

"Bingo. He had to observe the drop, so he'd know it was made, and make sure Niki wasn't followed by the police."

"And that's why he mixed up the delivery locations, to make it harder to set a trap, and also make sure Jenny stayed away," Lauren said.

"Bingo bingo."

"And Niki could run right into him and never know who he was. He could be sitting on a bench and she'd walk right by him. So the blackmailer is someone Jenny knew, but Niki didn't."

"Half bingo."

"Half? I didn't know you could do half a bingo."

"We just did bingo bingo, so indulge me. It's only a half bingo because Jenny had two different sets of suspects, and didn't know which one it might be. One side was somebody inside the group, or somebody connected to Shane, so she couldn't tell Shane. The other side was the Niki side, if the recognition theory turned out to be wrong. So she couldn't tell Shane she was being blackmailed, and she couldn't tell Niki she was hiring a private detective."

"Let's look at the drop-off. He could set up at the observatory or Hollywood Bowl before six o'clock. At six, he'd text Jenny and Niki and tell them where the drop was going to be. Then he had several hours to watch and wait to see if any police or anyone else suspicious got there ahead of time to set up something. That's how he'd know it was safe. He could roam around freely and openly all around the area, looking for cops or surveillance vans, anything."

Carmen sighed.

"What?" Lauren asked.

"I was just thinking ... it must have been lonely for Jenny. In deep trouble like that, and no one to talk to. Suspecting her friends."

"Yes, I guess so. And I know what else you're thinking."

"Yes. Why didn't she trust me? Why not tell me?"

"Carmen, that's the easiest question you've asked in three weeks."

"Yeah? Then what's the answer, because it's been bugging me for a while."

"I know. But you don't know the answer, because it's easy and obvious and right in front of your nose."

"Okay, Sherlock Holmes. Tell me."

"Because she knew how you'd react. She knew what you'd do."

"Which is?"

"Shit, Carmen, come on. You'd come running. Wherever you were, Hawaii or Australia or Key West, or just some quiet carpet-munching in the Castro, you'd drop everything, pull your finger out of the dyke, jump ship, hop on a plane. And you'd start making trouble. Spoiling for a fight on her behalf. You'd want her to call the cops. Report the blackmail. And the whole gang would ask why you were in town and acting like Emma Peel, running around, asking questions."

Carmen said nothing.

"True?" Lauren asked.

Sill nothing.

"Car, it wasn't because she didn't trust you. It was because she did."

***

When the phone rang Lauren was in the bathroom brushing her teeth. She looked at her phone and saw on the caller ID that it was Carmen, It was nearly midnight.

"Mmmmf mfff emphmmm," Lauren said.

"What?" Carmen said.

"Brushing teeth. Wait," Lauren said. She filled a glass with water and washed the foam out of her mouth. "Okay, what?"

"Remember how Marybeth said these people are like sharks, they come back to a popular feeding ground over and over again?"

"Yes? So?"

"Suppose this particular shark had been in these waters before. Suppose Jenny and Niki weren't the shark's first victims. Maybe Jenny was the third, and Niki the fourth victim?"

"What are you saying?"

"There was a shark who came prowling around our group twice before. I'm thinking maybe this shark came back again, to this fertile feeding ground. That's what Marybeth said. I'm thinking we already know who this shark is."

"Spell it out for me."

"Shane's father. He's responsible for ruining our wedding ... but that was because Shane found out he'd scammed Helena out of $10,000, and was skipping out with it before the wedding. A few weeks later he comes circling back, and takes Shay back away from Shane. There was no money involved, but that's not the point. Suppose he came back yet again a few years later, and took a bite out of Jenny. Niki, too."

"Then he'd be the one who killed Jenny? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes. I guess so."

"Let me process this. Somehow Shane's father -- what's his name?"

"Gabriel. They call him Gabe."

"Okay. So Gabe McCutcheon somehow gets his hooks on Jenny, and starts blackmailing or extorting her. Then he does the same thing to Niki. So why does he suddenly murder Jenny? What has it got to do with Shane? What does Shane know about this? She and Jenny were lovers at that point, right? You and Shane were lovers the first time around. Has it got something to do with his daughter's lovers?"