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“You called the cops on us?” Max demanded.
“No, he didn’t,” Calvin said calmly as he came inside. “I’m not here in an official capacity. I’m Calvin Standingbear, Selena’s husband. It sounded like she needed some moral support.”
The Speroses went quiet then, clearly unsure as to how they should proceed. True, my husband had just said he wasn’t here in his role as chief of the tribal police, but still, he was such an imposing figure in his uniform, six and a half feet tall and with waist-length black hair pulled back into its usual Navajo silver clasp, that his mere presence had clearly cowed them a bit.
“I did need some moral support,” I said, going over to him so I could slip my hand in his. Then I looked at the Speroses. More than anything, I wished I could see their auras, but it didn’t seem as if those shimmers of telltale color intended to make an appearance any time soon.
So I’d just have to rely on gut instinct. I honestly didn’t think they were bad people but were trying to find a scapegoat, trying to find an easy solution to their son’s death when they didn’t know what else to do. And since Chloe had already been arrested for Jack’s murder, it felt as though they’d latched on to her as the obvious suspect because that was easier than sitting back and waiting for the police to produce another possible killer.
“This is a tragedy all around,” I said, still trying my best to sound calm and soothing, doing whatever I could to cool the temperature in the room. “You’ve suffered a terrible loss. But I know Chloe had nothing to do with Jack’s death.”
Leslie Speros sniffed. “Of course you’d say that — you don’t want your little sister to go to prison.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Calvin said. “Because Chloe’s not guilty. I think the best thing for everyone involved is to take a step back and allow each other some space. That means going on back to your own hotel or wherever you’re staying.”
“It’s an Airbnb,” Max Speros said. His voice still had that hard note in it, but I could tell he’d already taken Calvin’s measure and knew there was no way he’d emerge the victor in a physical confrontation with my husband.
And that didn’t even take into account the obvious problems involved in assaulting an officer of the law.
“Your Airbnb, then,” Calvin replied, still sounding completely unruffled.
Max Speros looked at his wife. Her mouth tightened a little, but otherwise, she didn’t reply.
However, even that small response seemed to be enough for him, because he gave her a brusque nod, and then the two of them walked out of the hotel room.
The door slam as they left was enough to make me wince.
“Thank you,” Jordan said. “I tried to tell them that confronting us here wasn’t a good idea, but they wouldn’t listen to reason.”
“I’ve never seen them like that before,” Chloe added. Her voice wasn’t much more than a whisper, and she cleared her throat before she went on, “They were always so nice to me.”
“Well, people often show their true faces when they’re under a lot of stress,” I told her. “And I can understand why they’re not acting completely rational right now. But at least it seems they’ve come to their senses enough to realize they need to respect your boundaries.”
“A guy in a uniform can have that effect,” Jordan observed, his tone now dry. With the Speroses gone, he seemed much more relaxed.
Not all the way, though. I had a feeling the tension in his shoulders and the taut look to his jaw wouldn’t disappear completely until his daughter had been exonerated.
“Glad I could help,” Calvin said, although a frown pulled at his brows. “What I can’t figure out is how they knew to find you here.”
“That’s my fault,” Heather replied. She pressed her lips together, guilt clearly tugging at her. “I thought it would help Leslie to know where we were staying so we could meet after they got to Globe. I never in a million years thought they might actually believe Chloe was responsible for Jack’s death.”
On the surface, it seemed a strange conclusion to leap to, especially when Chloe had been in their son’s life for several years and would have had ample reason to off him if she truly did have murder on her mind.
But people often liked to latch onto the closest target, and if Jack truly had lied to them and said that he was the one to initiate the breakup and not vice versa, I could see why they might have viewed her as a woman scorned, someone who wanted to get rid of the person who’d caused her so much pain.
Of course, that didn’t explain why Jack had come to Globe if he was the one who’d walked away from Chloe. However, I had a feeling his parents would find some way to justify his actions, even if they didn’t make much sense at first glance.
“I’ll let Henry Lewis know what happened here,” Calvin said. “Things didn’t get too out of hand, but still, he should be aware that the Speroses are openly hostile to your family and may do something rash. I have a feeling that if they know the local police are keeping an eye on them, they’ll behave themselves a little better.”
Thank the Goddess for Calvin. I knew he’d present the situation factually, with zero embellishments, but at the same time, he’d also make Henry aware the Speroses were something of a wild card.
Or loose cannons.
“We appreciate that,” Jordan said. He reached up to push a hand through his gray-flecked hair, hair that was probably almost as thick as it had been back when he’d met my mother in that club in Reseda. “But I’m also sorry for dragging you into all this. Heather called because we didn’t know what else to do.”
“It’s fine,” I replied, then looked over at Calvin. He didn’t appear too worried by the situation, which told me he knew the Speroses were going to be on their best behavior for at least the next little while. “Honestly, I was just sitting at home, trying to figure out what to defrost for dinner. This was much more interesting.”
Both of Chloe’s parents chuckled then, and she got up from the bed so she could come over and give me a quick hug. “You are seriously the best big sister in the world,” she declared.
