Promises in the Dark (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“But you can’t—” The receptionist shot up from her seat.

“Oh, but we can.” Jo followed Jenna into the foyer.

Having been raised to be polite, Jenna knocked on the door before walking inside the dim office. The blinds had been closed and a tall slim man lay stretched out on a sofa with one arm flung over his eyes. Soft snoring filled the room. She moved close and raised her voice. “Mr. Phelps, wakey, wakey. The FBI are here to speak to you.”

“W-what!” Phelps sat up and glared at them. “How did you get in here?”

“FBI, Mr. Phelps.” Jo went over to the blinds and twisted the rod to allow the sunshine to filter into the room. “I’m Special Agent Jo Wells and this is Jenna Alton.”

“FBI?” Phelps dropped his feet to the floor and stared at them as if they were apparitions. “What could you possibly want with me?”

Jenna dropped into a chair in front of his desk. “Answers, Mr. Phelps. Please join us, we don’t have all day.”

“Okay.” Phelps pushed both hands through a head of thick black hair and stood. “What is this all about?”

Jenna pulled out her notebook and pen. “What can you tell me about Isaac and Connie Wood?”

“In what respect?” Phelps looked from one to the other.

“What were they working on?” Jo sat beside Jenna and smiled. “Any cases that could’ve had repercussions, made enemies, bad blood or whatever?”

“No, not that I recall.” Phelps went to his computer and tapped away at the keyboard. “No, in fact, Connie’s on leave to complete her studies. I thought it best for her to get away for a time. She worked in child safety for some years and became very upset when one of the children she placed in foster care was killed.”

Jenna blinked. She hadn’t been made aware of any child murders lately. “Murdered?”

“Oh heavens, no.” Phelps looked shocked. “An accident.”

“And Mr. Wood, anyone on his case files who might have had an ax to grind?” Jo crossed her legs. “I am fully aware the job of a social worker can be very difficult but if one of his clients was responsible for murdering the Woods family, we need to know.”

“The Woods are dead—murdered?” The color had drained from Phelps’ face. He gripped the sides of his chair and swayed. “Dear God, I can’t believe it.”

Jenna exchanged a meaningful look with Jo. This man was either distraught or a very good actor. “Well, do you recall anyone who might have had a beef against Mr. Wood?”

“I don’t usually divulge the names of people who come to this center for our help but I do remember two individuals who, as you say, had a beef with Isaac. I’ll get you their details.” He scanned his screen and after a few minutes, his printer burst into life and spat out a page. “Here you go.”

Jenna scanned the document and then looked at him. “What exactly caused a problem between these men and Mr. Wood? They obviously lodged a complaint or you wouldn’t have it on file.”

“Roger Suffolk is out of Buffalo Ridge. He came here with his wife for counseling and when things didn’t work out, his wife left him. Soon after, he came to Wood’s office and made threats. Our sheriff let him off with a warning but Wood was convinced the man was following him.”

“Was he violent toward Mr. Wood?” Jo leaned forward in her chair. “And did he ever hit his wife?”

“He yelled some and threatened to complain to the board about Wood’s unsound advice and yes, according to Wood’s case notes, Suffolk disciplined his wife on numerous occasions but to no avail.” Phelps continued to scroll through documents. “After his wife left him, he went through a period of violent behavior but settled after the sheriff gave him a few days in the cells to straighten himself out.”

Shocked by Phelps’ attitude toward women, Jenna raised a brow. “He wasn’t charged for spousal abuse?”

“There’s no need to ruin a man’s life for a domestic, Agent Alton.” Phelps gave her a slow smile. “Some women step over the line with their husbands and it’s the husband’s duty to show them the error of their ways.” He met her eyes. “She did after all promise to obey when they made their vows. It is a contract only broken by a court.”

Outraged by his comments, Jenna leaned forward to give him a piece of her mind, when Jo touched her arm. After seeing firsthand, the damage spousal abuse caused to families and the amount of deaths of both men and women due to their partner’s aggressive behavior, she had a no-tolerance rule in her town. She had founded the Her Broken Wings Foundation with Kane to support battered women and had made consideration for men caught in similar circumstances. She cleared her throat. “I assume Sheriff Crenshaw agrees with your decisions on this matter?”

“He does indeed.” Phelps looked pleased with himself. “He is very supportive of the CFSD.”

“This man on your list, Peter Huntley, what problems did he cause the Woods?” Jo sat up straight and gave him a direct stare, her face emotionless.

“That was some time ago. Connie took the children away from them because they were dependent on welfare.” Phelps towered his fingers and leaned back in his chair. “There is no excuse not to work in Louan, Agent Wells, we have work for everyone here. The children were placed in care and offered up for adoption. Connie arranged it all and found them caring homes but Huntley went over to Black Rock Falls and spoke to a lawyer over there. He represented Huntley in court and took the case not to the local magistrate but insisted on a judge presiding over the case. The children were returned to the parents. I do believe they moved to Black Rock Falls.”

Jenna wanted to smile but swallowed the urge. There was one Black Rock Falls lawyer she’d butted horns with many a time. He was the best defense lawyer she’d met. “Ah, I see. Would the lawyer have been Sam

Cross by any chance?”