Reckoning - 22. Chapter 22

AJ considered sitting in Adam’s chair but he didn’t want to make Patrick feel anymore intimidated then he already was. He sat in one of the two chairs in front of the desk instead. He held out his palm to the empty chair while looking at Patrick.

“Mr. Valdez, can you please join me?”

“I rather stand.”

“Suit yourself.” AJ Sat back, removing his notepad and pen from his jacket. “Can you tell me what you did this morning?”

“I woke up.”

“Was Adam with you?”

“No, he gets up early to go to work. I slept in.”

“Tell me your routine.”

“Well, as always,” Patrick stepped to AJ with a smirk leaning on the back of the empty chair. “I had to wear one of Adam’s tee shirts because he likes to keep the apartment cold.”

AJ knew he was bantering him.

“Adam had programed the coffee maker to go off when I got up and had a delicious parfait waiting for me in the fridge.”

“It seems your relationship is going well?”

“It is. We’re moving in together. We celebrated by going out to dinner last night. I stayed the night. But you know that already.”

AJ would not let Patrick bate him into an argument. He was aware of Adam’s bedside care. “You mentioned you saw something,” he said, hoping to change the subject.

“I did. And it was someone.” Patrick glanced back at the window, lost in thought.

“Where did you see this person?”

Patrick turned back with his eyes down and his conceit gone. “From the window in Adam’s bathroom.”

“Tell me, what did you see?”

“I saw someone staring back at me wearing the same mask Jay wore when he killed Gavin.”

“And stabbed you.”

Patrick fell quiet as his hand rose to the spot where Jay thrusted the knife through, stopping just before his heart. A plastic surgeon removed the scar. He never told Adam he could still feel the sensation of where the knife entered.

AJ observed Patrick’s movement. He also saw a necklace with two hearts entwined around Patrick’s neck. A gift from Adam, he assumed as a ping of jealousy startled him. He blinked it away as he continued with his questioning.

“Was it, Jay, Patrick?”

He brought Patrick’s attention back who turned to AJ. “No, it can’t be. You killed him.”

“That’s right, Detective Cutter, and I did shot Jay Marcel. Can you describe anything else on that mask person?”

“No. When I saw him, I ran and called Adam.”

“Nothing else happened?”

Patrick pause in thought when he did remembered something. “A call.”

“A call. You want to call someone?”

“No. Someone called me.”

“Who.”

“Gavin.”

“Gavin? Gavin Martin?”

“The text came from his phone. Here I’ll show you his caller ID.”

AJ saw Gavin Martin’s name at the top of Patrick’s recent call list and marked the time. He stood and removed his business card, handing it to Patrick. “If you receive any more calls, I need you to call me.”

Patrick took the card but said nothing.

“Why did you go next door?”

“Adam said he would check the place to see if anyone was there.”

“So, why didn’t you stay put?”

“I received another call from Gavin. This time a voice talked to me.”

“What did they say?”

“The person pretended to be Gavin telling me not to forget the tacos.”

“Tacos?”

“Gavin loved these tacos from a stand near the city park.”

“Anything else?”

“He told me Adam was waiting for me.”

“He knew Adam?”

“No. Then he sent me this.” Patrick showed the detective the photo of the headless body under a sheet.

“I need to take your cell phone for evidences.”

“What else is new?”

“Did you go into any other room in the apartment?”

“I looked in the kitchen and spare bedroom but didn’t enter.”

“So, the bedroom was the only room you entered?”

“Yes.”

“All right, that’s all for now I might need to talk to you later.”

“I’ll be here.”

“I want to suggest you not go out alone until we reach a conclusion.”

“All right.”

“Goodbye for now Mr. Valdez.”

“Goodbye Detective Chance.”