Major Crimes (9 page)

Frank motioned at me with his monstrous hands. “C’mere Bryce. I want to show you something.”

Saved by Frank from death by gluttony, I nodded and followed him out of the garage door. The garage was stockpiled with enough gear to survive a nuclear attack. First aid kits, blankets, tents, cases of water, rope and ammunition. Lots of ammunition. There were also three toilet seats. Pink, black, and powder blue. I stifled a laugh as I wondered what the colorful array was for. I guessed that one could never have enough seats to sit their ass on and wipe.

Frank opened another door. One that was painted black. He led me down a dark staircase. The stairs, walls, and ceiling were also painted black. I knew which room the black toilet seat must’ve come from.

Frank flicked on a switch at the bottom of the stairs, which lit the room up like fireworks.

I stepped into the cellar. “Whoa.”

“I know, right? I amaze myself sometimes.” Frank held his head high, proud of his high-tech jungle.

The integrated surveillance system in Frank’s basement put the county government where I worked to shame. Not only couldn’t the government afford such a system, they were typically stuck with the low bidder on the equipment we did have, and let’s just say that sometimes, you get what you pay for.

I pointed to a bank of television monitors. “CCTV?”

“Not only is this the most powerful closed-circuit system out there, it can tap into any public camera in the tri-state area.”

“How about a residential camera?”

“Depends. Sometimes those aren’t hooked to Wi-Fi. If they are, then the probability is good. I created my own computer program that can solve a password protection issue.”

“Did you say you were in the service?”

“Semper Fi.”

“Does the military have a setup like this?”

“Better than this.”

“I’m jealous.” I’ve played the role of undercover cop. I’ve listened to countless hours of wiretaps. I’ve lost many a night’s sleep on surveillance detail. If I had a quarter of the equipment I was looking at, I’d be much better at my job. Antiquated wasn’t quite the right word to describe my agency’s equipment. From the Roman Empire was more on target.

Glancing to my right, I located the case of hunting rifles Frank referred to earlier in the evening. Those matched my agency’s equipment, circa nineteen forty-four. I hoped we didn’t need to break those out of their case. They’d probably backfire. Given the amount of ammunition in the garage, there had to be another stockpile of guns around. And given the equipment in the basement, I refused to believe there weren’t state-of-the-art weapons lurking nearby.

Chapter 11

Chelsey

I wasn’t one to binge and purge, but I was so uncomfortable after eating more than I ever should have. Two fingers down the throat was a necessary discomfort to relieve the pain I was feeling.

My butt found the floor after praying to the porcelain gods. I stared at the pink tiles, reminiscent of a sad seventies décor.
Why am I here?
I wondered if going home alone would subject me to questioning so uncomfortable that I’d spill my guts to police investigators. Unlike how I’d just spilled my guts, I’d be putting Bryce in danger if I couldn’t keep up a realistic façade.

I also wondered if the police would go to my parents’ house looking for me or if I could sleep there for a few days. I reached for the prepaid phone and saw a text message from Freddy with Randy’s cell phone number. With all the hubbub at dinner, I must not have heard it beep.

Through a text message, I told Randy I had a new phone number. I typed
looking forward to hearing from you tomorrow
as a reminder that he was supposed to call me daily with updates on Mandy. Knowing Randy, he’d conveniently forget.

A tear trickled down my cheek. I missed Mandy so much. Standing up, I splashed my face with cold water, dried off, and reentered the Land of Plenty before I had a complete meltdown.

When I got to the kitchen, Bryce was nowhere in sight. The kids were filling their mouths with chocolate delights and no one seemed to notice how long I’d been missing. Perhaps long bathroom visits were common in homes where one was forced to eat like a blue whale.

“Let me make up the spare room, honey.” Geri was kind in her own unique way. She led me to a bedroom in the back right corner of the ranch. It was decorated in neutral colors, had a double-sized bed that took up most of the room, and a television.

“The sheets are clean, I put them on today. I left a towel and washcloth for you as well.”

I nodded. “Thanks for your hospitality.”

“No problem. No problem at all.”

Linda’s voice bellowed, “We’re leaving!”

Geri hurried out of the room to say goodbye to her grandchildren. She sent each home with a treat, as if they needed more food after the smorgasbord.

Once I found myself alone, I called my parents to ask if they would go to my house and get Snickers. I told them that Freddy had a top secret, undercover assignment out of town for me. I reassured them that all was fine and that Freddy had everything under control. I gave them the new cell number and asked them not to give it out to anyone, especially the police.

In an effort to change the subject before they asked any questions, I told them how Randy begged me to keep Mandy for a few more days.

“It’s not a bad thing that Randy wants to get to know his daughter.”

“Mom!”

“I know, I know, you don’t agree with me. But you know, Chelsey, you aren’t getting any younger, there’s no man in your life, and Mandy needs a father figure.”

“There
is
a man in my life. I’m dating Kris!”

“What are you doing? Dating a ghost? Honestly, Chelsey. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I’m your mother and I don’t want to see you hurt. He certainly seems like a nice enough guy, but I would’ve thought you’d want more.”

I did want more, but as my mother would say in one of her favorite clichés, beggars couldn’t be choosers. “He just works a lot, he’s an entrepreneur.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I sensed it was time to hang up. “So you’ll go get the dog for me?”

“I’ll send your father over there now.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Just come get him when you’re back home.”

My mother baffled me. She didn’t seem concerned that I was working “undercover,” that I didn’t have my own phone, that I wouldn’t be home for days, or that the police may come looking for me. Yet she was worried about whether or not I was allowing Randy into Mandy’s life. I totally disagreed with her, if you couldn’t tell. I guessed they hadn’t seen me on television, which was a relief.

The time on the phone showed nine at night. I was bushed from an early start. I lay down on the bed and fell fast asleep with the light still on.

* * *

The cell phone chirped at six in the morning. I answered with a yawn.

“Mommy!”

“Mandy! I miss you so much!”

“Me too, Mommy. Mommy. Mommy.”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“You want to come to New Ork wit me?”

“Oh, sweetie, I’d love to, but I really can’t.”

“Puh-lese?” Mandy knew how to pull at the heartstrings.

Randy grabbed the phone. “Why don’t you take off from work and come to New York for the day? Mandy misses you. My parents said they would love to see you again.”

“Your parents would love to see me?” His parents, who never seemed to like me…yeah, they missed me, all right.

“Yes, they want to see you.”

“Why? They didn’t like me before, why do they want to see me now? They haven’t come to see Mandy in three years. I guess the apple didn’t fall far from that tree.”

“Now Chelsey, c’mon. I’m trying here. I know I made some mistakes, but I
am
trying. Come on up to New York, just for the day. We’ll do something fun.”

“Can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not home. I’m working.”

“Call out sick. Where are you?”

“Hamilton.”

“Perfect. There’s a train station there. Hop on a train. We’ll pick you up in Penn Station. We’ll meet you at the Krispy Kreme.”

“Thanks Randy, but I can’t. I’ll see you both on Sunday.”

“Maybe next time.”

We disconnected and I called Freddy.

“It’s a little early in the morning, Chelsey, isn’t it?”

“Who are you kidding, Freddy? If only I didn’t know you so well…I bet that you didn’t sleep all night thinking about this case with Bryce.”

“I didn’t.”

I filled Freddy in on all the facts that I hadn’t mentioned the last time we spoke. I gave him my list of suspects, thanked him for finding Randy’s phone number, and told him I appreciated him sending us to Frank’s house.

“I put every investigator I have on this. I’ve ordered a copy of Archie’s autopsy report and I began creating my own list of suspects.”

“Who’s on your list?” I was curious to see if Freddy agreed with my theory, Bryce’s theory, or had his own.

“I’m liking these Drew and Solar characters as suspects. They both had opportunity. But it’s really too early for me to tell.”

I told him about our encounter with Drew the previous day.

“Well then, you can thank your buddy, Drew, for ending up on the most wanted list.”

“What? Me or Bryce?”

“Both of you.”

“Oh brother.”

“You need to watch your step. I have a few contacts at the local PD. I’ll talk to them. Tell them you’re working for me and that you’re investigating the case. I’ll tell them you were following my instructions to tail Bryce without engaging and that he took you by surprise, so you went along trying to convince him to turn himself in. I’ll apologize for not contacting them to report Bryce’s whereabouts. I’ll tell them we’ve lost contact to buy us more time and to get you off the hook.”

“Thanks. I owe you.”

“You don’t owe me. But your buddy Bryce will. This is going to be a big payday for me. Even bigger if I solve this one.”

Freddy was fair and reasonable with his prices, but this case was going to take countless man-hours. I wasn’t sure how Bryce would pay. Especially since he was probably unemployed. I sighed. Maybe this case would make Freddy famous and send him such a windfall of cases that he would agree to work pro bono.

“What can I do from my end?”

“Find out more about Drew for me. Also, go to the nightclub, interview witnesses there.”

“Will do. Anything else?”

“Yeah. Keep yourself out of trouble. Don’t be seen with Bryce. It will negate everything I tell the police today.”

“Gotcha. Thanks, Freddy.”

“Ten-four.”

I quickly dressed, not bothering with a shower, then tiptoed out of the house. A car or a ride would’ve been helpful. I walked two blocks to a shopping center and found a deli that was open. Once inside, I ordered a mocha latte and an egg on an English muffin.

I sat in a booth and dialed Bonnie.

“It’s six-thirty in the morning, this had better be good!”

“I know you’re up and getting ready for work.”

“Why are you calling so early and where are you? Are you on my boat?”

“No, your Uncle Freddy sent us to his brother’s house.”

“Ah, Uncle Frankie and Aunt Geri. They are characters. Did they feed you well?”

“Geez, Bonnie. They serve more food than you. I didn’t think that was possible.”

“I know, they are ridiculous.” Bonnie was ridiculous with the food too. It was nearly a tie.

“I need a favor. I need a ride.”

“A ride? How did you get there?”

“Bryce drove, but I left the house without him knowing. Freddy wants me to investigate some leads, so I can’t stay at Geri’s and Frank’s house. Bryce would’ve wanted to go with me, and I can’t let him do that. Freddy said I can’t be seen with him. The cops already have me nailed as an accomplice. Freddy’s making some calls to fix that, but…”

“Hey, I tried to tell you to remove yourself from that situation. But you didn’t listen. At least Uncle Freddy talked some sense into you.”

I hung my head low. Bonnie was right. I didn’t listen. I never listened. And what did it get me? Stuck an hour away without a ride. “Hey, what do you know about Drew Pavlica?”

“He’s the municipal clerk in Garfield. He was at Archie’s retirement party…what about him? You don’t suspect him do you?”

“Don’t know, Freddy asked me to find out more about him.”

“I don’t know him all that well. I know he likes baseball. At the last clerk’s conference in Chicago, a bunch of us took the L to a White Sox game. He kept close track of all the stats. I figured he was some sort of a mathematician or something.”

“You don’t have to be a mathematician to enjoy taking stats. Maybe he once played baseball.”

“Whatever, smarty pants.”

“What else do you know about him? Is he married? Kids? Where does he live?”

“Not a clue. I don’t go around prying into other people’s lives.”

“Yes, you do, Bonnie. That’s exactly what you do.”

“Well, I didn’t with him. Where are you? I’ll make some phone calls and get you a ride.”

I explained where I was and hung tight like Bonnie directed. I sipped my coffee, nibbled at my egg sandwich, and thought about how to get more information about Drew.

The bell on the deli’s door rang. I looked up. There was a man dangling a set of keys in his right hand. “Anyone order a rental car?”

Mental head slap. Why didn’t I think of something so simple as to order a rental car? I raised a finger to indicate I was the one who needed a car and asked the man how much I owed him. He said the bill had already been paid. Bonnie was generous with her money. She had more money burning a hole in her pocket than anyone else I knew. I made a mental note to thank her and I took the keys from the man’s hand.

A red Kia was parked out front. I hopped in and drove to Garfield. There was something I missed with Drew, I knew it. I just didn’t know what “it” was. Besides, it was too early in the morning to check out Savoy’s. Drew was my only other assignment, so I didn’t have much of a choice.

Before arriving in Garfield, I made a few phone calls to other municipal clerks I knew, who also knew Drew. It was still early in the morning, but I wasn’t surprised to find them all at work. If nothing else, municipal clerks were dedicated to their jobs, frequently putting in extra hours.

All of the clerks said they liked Drew and thought he was a good guy. I needed to find out what he was hiding. Why lie about a baseball game? There was only one reason I could think of. And that reason had to do with Archie’s death.

* * *

The municipal building in Garfield was less active than the previous day. I stood in front of the secretary at the clerk’s office window and asked for Drew. She raised an eyebrow at me. I suspected she knew all about Bryce and me being fugitives. I was worried she would dial the police department instead of Drew’s office. I was also worried that Drew wouldn’t agree to see me. I searched the walls for the exit signs in case I needed to make a quick departure.

Drew appeared from his office and sighed. “I’m not in the mood for your shenanigans.”

“No shenanigans. Just a couple of questions.”

I assumed Drew didn’t want to be alone with me, because he chose to speak to me in the hallway instead of inviting me to have a seat in his office.