Justice for Hire (7 page)

The boy turned his eyes briefly toward the scene, and then looked away. “The guy with the cap. He was pumping gas for me, and the other guy came up and started shooting at him. I drove away as fast as I could. That’s all I saw.”

“And then, you decided to come back?” Hank asked.

Butler shrugged. “It seemed like the right thing to do.”

“Yeah, it was,” Hank said, and then asked, “There were only the two of them?”

Butler nodded.

“What happened to the shooter?” Hank asked.

“I don’t know. He was still there when I left. I don’t know what happened to him.” He frowned. “What did happen to him?”

“It’s too early to tell,” Hank said, and then continued, “I need you to go to the station to make a full statement. Is that ok?”

Butler nodded. “Ok.”

“Is now a good time?”

“Yes.”

Hank beckoned to a uniformed officer and arranged for Butler to follow the cop to the station. He watched them drive away before walking over to Rod Jameson.

“Anything else I should know?” Hank asked.

Jameson shook his head. “Not right now. That’s all we got.”

Hank took a quick look towards the booth, and then scanned the area around the pumps. “Any security cameras here?”

“Nothing. We checked for that first thing.”

Hank dialed Jake’s number. “Jake, I’m at the scene of what looks like a murder/suicide. I just have a niggling feeling it may be related to the Cheryl Waters case. You might want to drop by.” Hank gave him the address, and Jake said he’d be right over.

Hank thought he had a pretty good picture of what happened here. What he didn’t know, was why.

Chapter 12

Tuesday, August 23rd, 10:25 AM

LISA KRUNK considered herself to be the best TV news reporter this crappy little town had ever seen. She knew she was destined for bigger and better things, but for now she had to endure, and eventually, she would win that Pulitzer she deserved.

The local newspapers and TV stations monitored the police bands, usually quick to respond to anything sensational to boost their ratings. But today, Lisa cursed when she realized she’d missed hearing about a big story. She was starving for news, and had been on the other side of the city trying to corner the mayor in regards to a scandal she had manufactured for the occasion.

When the news broke about a double homicide, she forgot about this filler story, and grabbing her faithful cameraman, Don, they jumped in the Channel 7 Action News van and hurried through the city.

It took about fifteen minutes to reach their destination, but as they spun onto Main Street, she could see the flashing lights, crowds of onlookers, and yellow tape flapping in the breeze.

“There. Pull up there.” Lisa motioned impatiently toward the side of the street. “Hurry.”

Don tucked the van halfway into a small space, shut it down and jumped out. He went around the vehicle, opened the side door and retrieved the camera. Lisa was already striding across the sidewalk toward the yellow line of demarcation, her wireless microphone gripped in her hand. She cursed again when she saw what seemed to be a body covered by a white sheet, already being loaded into a waiting ambulance. She saw another ambulance nearby.

Don hurried up behind her and dropped the camera onto his shoulder. It hummed, and a red light glowed as it zoomed in toward the action.

Another body, also covered, was lying on the pavement by a gas pump. “Over there. Get a shot of the other one.”

The camera spun around and continued to hum. Lisa scanned the area. She saw Detective Corning chatting with a couple of uniformed cops. Too far away to get to him. Maybe she can catch him later if he comes a little closer. She needed to get something juicy. Something she can sink her teeth into. Her viewers wanted that.

A siren screeched as the ambulance pulled out and was guided from the station. The second ambulance backed in a little closer to the pumps and the camera watched the body being loaded inside. The vehicle drove away behind the first, delivering their load to the city morgue.

Lisa turned as she heard the roar of a vehicle pull up to the curb a dozen yards away. She smiled as she recognized the car. It’s Jake Lincoln. She’d had a few run-ins with him and his ditzy wife in the past.

Time to find out what he’s doing here.

She tugged at Don’s arm. “Come on,” she said. “This way.”

She hurried down the sidewalk, Don following, and intercepted Jake as he stepped off the asphalt roadway.

“Mr. Lincoln, you and your wife, as private detectives, have been involved in a couple of high profile cases lately. Is this incident related to something you’re working on now?” She shoved the mike in Jake’s frowning face. The camera followed, humming. The red light glowed.

“As far as I know, this is not related to anything we’re involved in right now.”

Lisa’s extra wide mouth flapped, “Then, why are you here?”

Jake hesitated. “I really don’t know anything about this incident. I just got here.”

“Do you know either of the victims?”

He seemed to be getting impatient. “No. Like I said, I just got here and I have no idea what this is all about.”

Lisa persisted, looking down her thin sharp nose. “Can you tell the viewers whether or not you’ll be involved in this?”

Jake frowned, stepped around Lisa and strode down the sidewalk. Don spun the camera and followed Lisa as she ran after Jake.

“Just one more question, Mr. Lincoln,” she called.

Detective Corning had come over. He lifted the tape, allowing Jake to duck under, and then dropped it and held up a hand when Lisa tried to follow. She stopped short and raised the mike. “Detective Corning,” she puffed, trying to catch her breath.

Hank smiled. “Good morning, Lisa,” he said.

The camera moved toward Hank, the mike ready. “Detective Corning, can you tell the viewers a little bit about what happened here today?”

“At this point, we know very little. There has been a double homicide, and the investigation has just begun.”

“Do you know who the killer is?”

Hank hesitated before saying, “It appears there were no others involved.”

That sounded to Lisa like an interesting turn of events. “Are you saying this may be a murder/suicide?” she asked.

“It appears that way, however we have nothing conclusive yet.”

“Were there any witnesses?”

“No. We believe there were no witnesses to the actual shooting.”

“Can you tell us who the victims are?” she asked, knowing it was a futile question. They wouldn’t release that information until the next of kin was notified, but she was running out of ideas.

“Not at this point,” Hank replied.

Lisa needed something juicy for her viewers, but she was at a loss. She asked, “Detective Corning, is Lincoln Investigations involved in this case?”

Hank looked at Jake, who seemed to be a bit peeved. He turned back to Lisa. “I called him. I thought he might be interested, but as far as we know, this case has no relation to anything Lincoln Investigations may be working on at the moment.”

“And, what are you working on at the moment, Mr. Lincoln?” she asked, as she swung the mike toward Jake. She frowned, disappointed, as he turned and walked away.

“That’s all we have for now. We’ll let the press know when we have more to go on. Thank you, Lisa,” Hank said with a smile, as he turned and followed Jake.

Don turned the camera toward Lisa. She said, “We will bring you breaking news as it happens. In an exclusive report, I’m Lisa Krunk, for Channel 7 Action News.”

She was disappointed. She could edit what she had, of course, but it didn’t amount to much. She hoped somehow she could put an interesting spin on the story.

Chapter 13

Tuesday, August 23rd, 11:13 AM

ANNIE WAS IN THE office going over the notes she had taken regarding Cheryl Waters and the murder of Charles Robinson. There wasn’t much to go on, and she was trying to figure out if there was any place to start.

Jake had been delivering some legal papers for a downtown law firm that morning, and he called her some time ago and said he might be a while longer. Hank had called him, and Jake wanted to drop by the scene of a double homicide that had just taken place.

She tossed the papers she’d been studying onto the desk, pushed back her chair, and wandered into the kitchen. She expected Jake would be home any minute, and he would want a fresh cup of coffee. She started a pot and sat at the kitchen table, still thinking about the case.

She’d caught the news a little earlier. The reporter stated Cheryl Waters had been arraigned that morning, charged with first-degree murder in the death of Charles Robinson. She’d pled not guilty, a date for a preliminary hearing was set, and she’d been remanded to the women’s detention center. Because of Cheryl’s unstable living arrangements in the past, she’d been considered a flight risk, and the judge had set the bail at one million dollars. Well out of reach of any funds Cheryl’s parents could raise.

Unless the Lincolns could accomplish the impossible, and find some exculpatory evidence, the future looked grim for Cheryl and her parents.

Annie was broken from her thoughts by the sound of a familiar rumble in the driveway. A car door slammed, and in a moment she heard a key in the front door, and then the sound of footsteps in the foyer.

“I’m in the kitchen,” she called.

Jake came into the kitchen, followed by Hank.

“Good morning, Annie,” Hank said, as he took a seat at the table. Jake gave Annie a quick peck on the cheek, and then dropped down across from Hank and slouched back in his seat, resting his feet on an unused chair.

“I just made a fresh pot of coffee,” Annie said to Hank. “I assume you want some?”

“Sounds good,” Hank replied.

“What’s this about a double homicide?” Annie asked, as she stood and went to the counter.

“Two guys at a gas station,” Hank replied. “It looks like a murder/suicide. It appears, at this point, someone shot the attendant, and then himself.” He explained what the M.E. had told him regarding the gunshot wound.

Annie finished pouring the coffee and set the cups on the table along with some cream and sugar. She sat and leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. “Two murders in two days. That’s rather unusual. Who are the victims?”

“The name of the gas station attendant is Bobby Sullivan.” Hank leaned forward. “But here’s the most unusual part. The killer had no ID on him.”

“Just like Cheryl Waters,” Jake added.

Hank continued, “And the gun used was a 9 mm Glock, the same type of gun Cheryl used. Not an uncommon weapon, but both murders add up to being eerily similar. And that’s why I called Jake.” He shrugged. “It may be a stretch, but I’m wondering if the two cases may be related in some way.”

Annie frowned. “If they’re not related, it rather unusual.”

Hank was pouring some cream into his coffee, along with a stream of sugar. He stirred it thoughtfully and said, “You know what I think about coincidences. I don’t like them.”

“But the difference is, Cheryl didn’t shoot herself,” Annie said. She finished fixing her coffee and took a sip before asking, “What do you know about Bobby Sullivan?”

“Nothing yet. My guys are working on it.”

“Were there any witnesses?” Annie asked.

Hank explained about the driver of the red Viper. “He got out of there as quickly as he could once the shooting started, so he didn’t see much. We took his statement, but it’s rather sketchy.”

“And no security cameras?”

Hank shook his head. “None.”

Annie sat back, holding her cup in both hands. She wondered if there were a connection to the two cases. She had a nagging feeling there was.

Jake finished stirring his coffee and dropped the spoon on the table. “We ran into our good friend Lisa Krunk today.” He laughed and took a sip. “She was as annoying as always.”

Annie chuckled. She’d had a few uncomfortable occasions to meet Lisa Krunk, and knew Lisa would do just about anything for a story. “I hope you were careful of what you said. She has a way of twisting everything she hears.”

“I kept as quiet as possible,” Jake replied, as he took another gulp of coffee and set the cup down. “Hank did most of the talking.”

Hank grinned. “I had to be pleasant with her in front of the camera. Can’t give her any chance to make the cops look bad.” He glanced down as his cell phone buzzed at his hip. He slipped it from its holder and looked at the caller ID. “It’s Callaway. I hope he has something for me.” He stood and stabbed at the phone with a finger. “This is Detective Corning.”

Annie watched him pace as he listened on his cell. She knew Callaway was a whiz with all things technical. Whether it was computer related, or installing a wire or other recording device, Callaway was the expert who got the job done.

Hank held the phone between his shoulder and ear and dug a notepad and pen from his pocket. He scribbled in the pad, finally saying, “Thanks Callaway.” He sat back down at the table and studied the pad, frowning and thoughtful. Finally he looked up.

“It appears our gas station attendant was an ex-con,” he said. “I remember this. It happened a few years ago. A rather high profile case and surrounded by a bit of controversy. Bobby Sullivan was convicted of raping Manfred Frost’s daughter and served five years in Kingston before he was finally paroled. Apparently he’s stayed out of trouble since his release a few months ago.”

“Manfred Frost. The Banker?” Annie asked.

Hank nodded. “One and the same.”

“Maybe Sullivan rubbed somebody the wrong way while he was in prison,” Jake suggested.

Hank shrugged. “Maybe. It may have been a revenge killing, but if so, why wait until he’s out? It would be as easy to get him while he was still inside.”

“Perhaps he was in protective custody,” Annie said.

“Yeah, I’ll have to check on that. But, if it was revenge, why’d the perpetrator kill himself as well, if it was indeed a suicide?”