New York Chief of Detectives (15 page)

Pat shaved and then stepped into the shower. The warm water felt good. He could not help but think about how many times Maggie had been in this shower. He enjoyed the thought. After drying off, he slipped into the t-shirt and shorts and walked into the living room.

“I see Rip Van Winkle has finished his nap.”

“I didn’t mean to sleep so long, but I sure feel better. I appreciate the clothes and stuff in the bathroom.”

“We have a dry cleaner in the building, and he had the suit and shirt back in two hours. I already had the t-shirt, and I just guessed at the sizes on the shorts and boxers. It was kind of fun buying men’s stuff.”

“It’s kind of fun being together, isn’t it?”

“It’s more than fun, Pat. It’s wonderful.” She replied with her eyes twinkling.

They embraced and kissed. Pat heard his cell phone ringing in the bedroom.

“Pat O’Connor.”

“Hi Chief.”

“Good evening, Bryan. I trust you’ve had some sleep.”

“Between the kids playing and my wife shouting at them to be quiet so daddy can sleep, I’ve probably slept a few hours.”

“What’s happening? Have there been any developments?”

“The kid at Belleview regained consciousness for a few minutes. We sent Mary McDonald and Mike Logan over to talk to him about an hour ago, but he was out again before they got there. Mary is going to stay at the hospital in case he comes around. At least, we know he’s not brain dead.”

“That’s good news. Has anything else developed?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“Let me know if the kid says anything, Bryan.”

“You’ve got it, Chief. See you in the morning.”

Pat put the cell phone down, and Maggie pointed to her home office study.

“There’s a universal cell phone charger in there, if you need to charge your phone.”

“Thanks. That’s probably a good idea.”

“Pat, would you like some bacon and eggs? I have the thick cut bacon you like.”

“Wow, that sounds delicious!” 

“I’ll also make a pot of that Jamaican coffee you love.”

“I can already taste it!”

Pat devoured the food and enjoyed his second cup of the expensive Jamaican coffee.

“Maggie, this has been a much needed day. Sometimes, my mind feels overloaded as I’m trying to make sense of this case and survive all the political power struggles that I refuse to be part of.”

“You know, Pat, people handle power differently. Some people become intoxicated with it and simply can’t handle the authority. It’s not that different with the people we protect in the service. They’re vulnerable, just like the rest of us. They have family squabbles, annoying relatives and personal secrets that could tarnish their image. They have their grumpy days and moments of compassion. It’s very much like what we deal with, but just on a grander scale. A person of principles and integrity survives all of this, but unfortunately with bloggers and out and out liars, the public often misses the real truth. That’s why we must be able to look ourselves in the mirror and be completely satisfied that we’ve done our best.”

“That’s true, Maggie. Everyone aspires to be something more than what they are now. It’s a little like the Peter Principle, in that people rise to their level of incompetence. The first clue that someone can’t handle the power is that they talk about it. They verbally remind everyone around them that they have the power and authority to fire them or change their careers with the stroke of a pen.”

“I don’t see you that way at all, Pat.”

“No, because I know I have the best job in the NYPD and maybe the world!”

“But, it’s also an important and demanding one.”

“True, when I get a case like Tony’s murder, I can’t let go of it, even though I have thousands of detectives working for me. It’s because I trust my instincts, I know that I have the horsepower to cut through a lot of red tape, and to keep the pressure off the detectives actually working the case. But in the meantime, the rest of my job suffers, and I struggle to get through the hundreds of items that cross my desk every day. Angie Wilson, however, does a great job of organizing what I receive and of making sure I don’t miss any important deadlines. It is sort of a balancing act.”

“I have the same issue. The Secret Service has a duel mission of protection and investigation. We could have the largest white-collar case in the country going, but if a person we protect comes to New York, that’ll always take the priority. I’ve accepted it as the nature of the beast, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. Sometimes, I’ll take a stand, but I’m careful about picking my battles.”

“So do I, but they come all too frequently in an organization with over 40,000 people.”

Maggie shook her head.

“That still boggles my mind.”

“It boggles my mind too, but it’s definitely not boring. I’ve always loved the adrenalin rush and I still get plenty of it. I have to dodge some daggers from my peers fairly often. I manage to survive by staying focused on the police work and insisting that my bosses do the same.”

“How well does that work for you?”

“They hate it, but I’m rarely overruled, because deep down inside, they know I’m right.”

“I’m certain that’s almost always true. Pat, since I was out of the office this afternoon, I need to check some emails and do a little work in the study. Just make yourself at home.”

“Actually, it is almost 11:00. I should probably catch the news.”

Pat went back into Maggie’s bedroom and turned on the television. There was a brief reference to the Times Square shootout, but there was little else said. The story was already fading, thanks to telling the truth.     

Pat’s cell phone was vibrating on the night stand. As he grabbed it, he noticed it was 0530 hours.

“Pat O’Connor.”

“Good morning, Chief, it’s Bryan.”

“Tell me something good.”

“The Sturdivant kid at Belleview has regained consciousness, and Mary McDonald has gotten an interesting statement from him. He claims he stole the tags off Tony’s car behind a garage in Corona. He thinks it’s called Newman Brothers Garage. He says the car is still behind the garage. They saw it there for several days, swiped the tags and then covered the car up with a blue tarp. He says they stole the Escort nearby and put Tony’s tags on it. Sturdivant and his partner ran from the police because they are three time losers and were afraid of going to prison if they got caught.”

“Have we checked out the garage?”

“No, I thought we’d wait until the task force meeting and let the guys get a little more sleep.”

“I guess I can live with that. Tell Mary I appreciate the good work. I’ll see you at 1000 hours.”

Pat put the phone back on the nightstand. With the light from the cell phone, he could see Maggie’s perfect back beside him. He put his arm around her touching her smooth skin and tried to go back to sleep. With this new information, his mind was running wide open, as he considered how all of this fit into the case. As much as he hated to leave that bed, he knew that he had to go. He called Dickie Davis to pick him up in an hour at Maggie’s apartment.

CHAPTER 31

Saturday, April 10-Day 9

Newman Brothers Garage

Borough of Queens, New York

0645 Hours

Dickie
arrived right on time. Pat tried to be as quiet as possible as he left Maggie’s apartment. He left a note on the counter, letting her know he had gone to work. He thanked her for the rest, for all she did for him and their special time together. Pat walked out onto the sidewalk and crawled into the passenger side of the Chrysler.

“Good morning, Chief.”

“Good morning to you. I’m sorry I rolled you out so early.”

“I just cut my ride on the exercise bike a little short. Where are we headed?”

“Corona, Queens. There’s a shop called Newman Brothers Garage. Our perp at Belleview told Mary that they swiped the tags off of Tony’s silver Impala from behind this garage and covered it up with a blue tarp. I told the Captain that we would wait and send a team out after the 1000 briefing, but I must admit that I’m impatient and just want to know if it’s really there.”

“Wow, we’re actually engaging in real police work.”

“You know that I’ve never enjoyed being a voyeur and watching everyone else chase leads, but I do love it when the leads come together and we close the case with an arrest.”

“I’m starting to see some momentum in this one, Chief.”

“I hope so.”

As they entered the Corona neighborhood, Pat remembered the history of this community. “Louis Armstrong used to live in this neighborhood. His house is a museum now, just a couple of blocks away. A lot of Hispanics have moved into the area, but his old barber shop is still here. When I was a detective here, I would stop in and check out the old pictures of Louis in the barber chair. The first time I walked into his house, I almost cried. I loved that man, but never got to meet him. I was just too young. I listen to his music almost every week, and I still love it.”

“I find it amazing how much you know about jazz, Chief, as busy as you are with the job.”

“It’s a part of my life that I can’t let go. While all my buddies were out playing sports and chasing skirts, I was listening to records and practicing my horn. There it is: Newman Brothers Garage.”

Dickie parked the Chrysler and walked up to the office door. He knocked, but there was no answer. He walked around the side of the building and saw about ten cars in the lot. Five of them were covered with blue tarps.

“We have five choices, Chief. Which one do you think it is?”

“Let’s see, the first one is too long for an Impala. The third and fourth ones seem too far in and are blocked by other cars. Therefore I’d say that it is the second one or the fifth one. If Tony parked it here, it would be the closest one to the entrance. I’d say the answer is under tarp number two.”

Pat and Dickie walked over to the car and took a peek. It was Tony’s car minus the tags.

“Looks like you’re correct, Chief.”

Pat grinned.

“It’s purely deductive reasoning, my dear Watson. Let’s get some uniforms out here to lock this down. I’ll call CSU.”

Pat dialed George Sergeant McBain’s cell phone direct, hoping he would answer.

“CSU, Sergeant McBain.”

“Good morning, George. It’s Pat O’Connor.”

“Yes sir, Chief, I recognize your voice. How can I help you?”

“We’ve located Tony Rodriguez’s police car behind a place called the Newman Brother’s Garage in Corona, Queens. We’re getting the uniforms to lock it down, and we need CSU.”

“My recommendation is to photograph it there, and then put it on a flatbed and bring it to the lab.”

“That works for me.”

“Please make certain that the car’s not touched, Chief, only photographed. I’ll send someone out from the lab. We’ll give it a thorough examination in the lab.”

“Thanks, George.”

In about ten minutes, two marked NYPD cruisers pulled behind the garage. One of the cars was a sergeant.

“Good morning, Chief, you’re on the job early this morning.”

“Good morning, Sarge. We’ve located Detective Rodriguez’s police car. CSU is on the way. I need you to make sure that the car isn’t touched. They’ll take some pictures and then put it on a flatbed and take it to the lab. Make sure someone stays with the car until it’s signed over to the lab for chain-of-custody purposes.”

“Yes sir, we’ll take care of it for you. I hope you catch the guy who did this.”

“So do I. Thanks, Sarge.”

CHAPTER 32

Saturday, April 10-Day 9

Chief of Detectives’ Office-One Police Plaza

Borough of Manhattan, New York

0900 Hours

Pat
and Dickie arrived at One PP at about 0900 hours. Pat spent some time knocking out emails and cleaning out part of his in-tray from Friday. It had been over one week since Tony Rodriguez’s body had been found and detectives still had not made an arrest or identified a suspect. The case had turned deadly, and Pat knew that if this killer was not caught, there would be more bodies. At least, Pat had found the car. Maybe there would be something in Tony’s car that would help with this investigation.

By 0930, most of the task force members were already in the conference room. Bryan Flannery came into Pat’s office.

“I heard on the radio, Chief, that Tony’s car had been located. They were canceling the BOLO. I guess the uniforms must have found it.”

“Actually, Bryan, I had Dickie drive me out there, and we recovered it this morning.”

“You should’ve told me that you wanted us to move immediately on Mary’s information. I would have handled it.”