Page 33 of One Final Target

“I don’t know about you, but I’m old-school. I saw Collins once; he didn’t really seem to be police officer material. He was kind of small.”

“We’re an equal opportunity employer.”

She left for her car, not checking the address until she sat behind the wheel. When she did read it, she froze. She reread the address three times. One year ago, Dennis Collins had moved from Lakewood to Long Beach and now lived three doors down from Gus Perkins’s house.

Jodie didn’t need directions to his new neighborhood. Before she’d lost her team, she’d visited Gus’s house often. In her mind, Dennis Collins became a more viable suspect.

If Gus knew the guy, Jodie couldn’t remember him ever saying the name. At a stop sign she stayed motionless, racking her memory for every conversation she had with Gus before his death. His favorite topic of conversation was his impending retirement. He and Estella, his wife, were planning on selling and moving to Arizona.

A honk sounded behind her and Jodie shoved the envelope into her backpack and hit the gas.

Gus had raised his family in East Long Beach, on the other side of Carson Street. Besides being friends with Gus and visiting his house often, Jodie had worked patrol in East Long Beach both as an officer and a sergeant. Collins’s and Gus’s addresses were on Chatwin Avenue, another quiet residential street. In truth, it was difficult on the surface to tell where Lakewood ended and Long Beach began. The residential streets were much the same.

As she cruised toward the Perkins house, she passed the Collins place. She’d never noticed it before, and she’d been to Gus’s house often. It was unremarkable, even plain, appearing vacant. There were no cars in the driveway and the blinds were closed. The yard was neatly maintained. A year ago, according to his background paperwork, Collins was single and lived alone.

Jodie decided she’d talk to Estella first and continued down to Gus’s house. Estella’s car was in the driveway, along with a second car. Jodie groaned. It belonged to Gus’s son, Levi. She was loath to face the whole family, loath to stand before them guilty of killing Gus. But she had no choice. Estella certainly knew her neighbors. She would bring welcome gifts, food if you were sick, and she paid attention to what went on in the neighborhood. Estella’s read on Collins would tell Jodie a lot. If Collins was their man, she wanted to know ASAP.

She parked and got out of the car. Estella had a very strong faith, much stronger than Jodie’s. Gus had been the same way. Jodie stopped and looked up. She’d been praying and hearing nothing. Right now she needed help and there was only one place she could go, even with the silence.

Please help me to get through this, to not see Gus at every corner.

She continued to the front door.

Levi answered and surprise showed in his face. “Hi, uh, Jodie.”He used to look a lot like Gus, but when Levi developed a receding hairline, he’d opted to shave his head and grow a beard, covering up the resemblance. She could still see Gus in Levi’s eyes.

Jodie swallowed, willing her voice to stay level. “Hey, Levi, how are you doing?”

“Okay, I guess. Helping my mom pack.” He kept the door partly closed, seemingly eyeing Jodie warily. Jodie knew there were dogs in the house, so she tried not to take it personally.

From inside the house Jodie heard Estella call out, “Who’s at the door, Levi?”

He turned. “It’s Jodie, Ma.”

The door jerked from Levi’s hand and opened wide. Estella appeared. She held a small dog in her arms, and at her feet were three more. They were stray dogs Gus had brought home. He always had a heart for strays.

“Jodie!” Estella stepped out, and before Jodie could protest, the older woman pulled her into a tight hug, the dog off to the side. “It’s good to see you. I’ve missed you,” she whispered in Jodie’s ear.

Throat thick, Jodie had no choice but to return the hug, realizing she had missed Estella. How she wished Gus were here as well.

When Estella let go, she sniffled and looked Jodie in the eye. “I haven’t seen you at church in so long. I saw what happened over the weekend on the news. Jodie, what is going on?”

She swallowed a lump. “I don’t know. I wish I did, but I don’t.”

For a minute Estella just looked at Jodie. Jodie felt tight in the chest, claustrophobic almost, but stayed still.

“I’m glad you stopped by,” Estella said finally. “I’ve wanted to call you for days. We haven’t talked since the celebration of life. It’s just been crazy.” She looped her arm in Jodie’s. “Come on in. I’ve got some coffee on.”

The tension in her body left and Jodie almost smiled. Gus and Estella always liked their afternoon cup. It never kept either of them awake, or so Gus always claimed. Estella put the dog down and walked Jodie into the house, the dogs at their heels. One mutt caught her eye. Gus had acquired him a couple of searches ago, a stray in a drug house. He’d wanted Jodie to take the dog, but pets weren’t allowed in her apartment complex. She remembered his name: Macnut. Gus said the dog was the color of a macadamia nut, hence the name. The little guy looked up at her with the sweetest brown eyes. Jodie wanted to scoop him up and cuddle him. There was something calming in petting a dog.

All around the house Jodie saw evidence of Estella’s upcoming move. There were boxes everywhere, but it didn’t appear as if they’d started packing in the kitchen yet.

“I just brewed this pot,” Estella said as Levi followed them into the kitchen.

He put two cups on the counter, then left the room.

“Still black?” Estella asked.

Jodie nodded and took the cup, glad for something to steady her nerves. “Thanks, but I didn’t want to put you to any trouble.” When she sat, Macnut put his head on her thigh, and she scratched between his ears.

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