by Jim Riley
That's when solid information about Slocum disappeared. But the rumors did not. Depending on which versions were popular at the time, Slocum was involved with insurance scams, loansharking, selling protection to local businesses, and a sundry of other activities.
The rumor that most believed was that Slocum had become a mechanic, a solitary hitman who would kill anyone if the price was right. With renewed revenue, Slocum paid cash for a house on Fenwood Drive in Zachary. He also bought a new F250 pickup truck with four-wheel-drive and a diesel engine.
Although the cops listed Slocum as a prime suspect in almost every unsolved homicide, they could never find any evidence linking him to the killings. Forensics discovered that six of his murders were committed with the same gun, a nine millimeter Glock.
They served a search warrant on Slocum for his home and vehicles and came up empty. The task force now in place increased surveillance on Slocum. But he easily gave them the slip, and many times they had no idea where he was.
Two more murders were committed with the same gun. The tax force was pressed to focus their investigation on other suspects.
The only rumored weakness Slocum had was a penchant for young girls, hence he was tagged with the nickname, Sleazy. But again, nothing could be proven.
Drexel Robinson was now a witness to Slocum's elusive capabilities. He sat in the lobby of the posh hotel until well past midnight. He stretched his legs and walked back to the parking garage.
When he glanced at the space where Slocum parked, he froze. The F250 was gone. Robinson stared at the empty space until a sedan honked at him to get out of the middle of the ramp. The detective staggered over to the middle of the empty space, his mind unable to accept what his eyes saw.
20
Central High School
LaDonne Elgin was nervous. Beyond nervous. Niki stared across the library table at the attractive teenager with the curvaceous body. She imagined those dark brown eyes had drawn the attention of several Central High School male students.
"Why—Why am I here?" LaDonne's voice unsteady.
"One charge against Coach Bailey is that he inappropriately touched you. It's my job to find out exactly what happened." Niki’s tone was calm, as though explaining the job description of a nurse or teacher. She did not want to frighten the timid young lady.
"What do you want to know?" LaDonne asked.
"Tell me what happened after the game last Friday night."
LaDonne looked out the window, then at the door. The private investigator was concerned the teen might bolt at any second.
"Whatever they said happened. That's what happened." LaDonne could not look at Niki.
"I'm afraid you will have to be more specific. I need to know exactly what happened."
"I told you. Whatever they said, it all happened." A tear rolled down LaDonne's brown cheek.
"Who is they? Who are you talking about?"
LaDonne's countenance clouded in confusion. "Everybody, I guess. The whole school is talking about it."
Niki sighed.
"There are a lot of rumors floating around. I know some of them are not true. Why don't you tell me what really occurred?"
LaDonne hesitated. Her voice carried a completely different tone when she answered, as though she was reciting a speech from memory.
"We won the game. Coach Bailey lifted me off my feet. His hands were under my skirt. That's what happened."
Niki nodded, even though the girl displayed obvious signs of deception. Inwardly, she smiled, knowing that specific details often revealed rehearsed stories.
"Did he grab you before or after the horn sounded?"
"After," LaDonne replied after pausing.
"How long after?"
"Not long," LaDonne responded.
"Ten seconds? One minute? Three minutes? It's important that we know if Coach Bailey touched you or Flavia first."
"Uh—I can't remember."
"Think about when the game ended. Where were you standing?"
"I guess where we always stand. We have a section in the running track right behind the players' bench. Between the stands and the players."
"I'm familiar with it. I was a cheerleader at Central high not that many years ago. Were all the cheerleaders in that fenced off section when the game ended?"
"Yes, Ma'am. We aren't allowed to leave it except during halftime or when we have to take a bathroom break."
"If I remember, there are twelve girls on the squad."
LaDonne nodded.
"Where did you go right after the game ended? What is the first thing you did?"
"I guess we all jumped around and hugged each other. We were excited."
Niki now knew she was making progress.
"And after that?"
"I guess we all ran onto the field. Everybody else did. At least, all the kids."
"Is the student section still in the east end zone? Is that where the kids came from?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Were the other kids already on the field by the time the cheerleaders got there?"
More hesitation from the cheerleader. LaDonne could not decide what the right answer should be.
"I guess so. I don't remember."
"Did you climb the fence or go through the gate?"
"Uh—I don't remember."
Niki gave her a stern look. "Come on. You would remember climbing over the fence."
"I guess we went through the gate. What did Flavia say?"
"It doesn't matter what she said. I want you to tell me what you remember, not what she remembers."
"We—We went through the gate."
"Wasn't it crowded? That's the only gate on that side of the field. I would imagine a lot of fans were trying to get through the same gate."
Niki saw panic in the teen's eyes. She was not prepared for precise questions.
"I told you I don't remember. Maybe we climbed the fence. It was confusing."
"Let's assume you got through the gate. The field must have been crowded by then."
"Yes, Ma'am. Everybody was there."
"Okay. That means students, players, band members, the dance squad, parents, other cheerleaders, the coaching staff. Everybody was on the field."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Who did you hug first?"
"Gosh. I don't know. I think it was a couple of the players."
"Do you remember which ones? Which players did you hug first?"
"I don't know. I ended up hugging all of them. I'm not sure what order I did it."
"When did you hug the coaches?"
"I didn't—I mean, I don't remember exactly."
"How many of the coaches did you hug?"
"I don't remember. Two or three, I guess."
"Was Coach Bailey the first coach or the last one? When did you celebrate with him?"
LaDonne put both hands together. "He lifted me off my feet. His hands were under my skirt. I was shocked. I didn't know what to do."
"That wasn't the question. Was Coach Bailey the first coach or the last coach?"
"I don't know. He could have been in the middle."
"You don't remember when an adult man reached under your skirt?"
"He lifted me—"
Niki interrupted her. "I've already heard that. What did you do right after Coach Bailey touched you?"
"Uh—I guess I kept on celebrating. I mean, we won the game."
"Did you tell anyone about what happened to you?"
"No, Ma'am. Except Flavia. I told Flavia."
"When did you tell her?"
"Right after it happened. I couldn't believe it."
"What did she tell you?"
"Ma'am?"
"When you told Flavia that Coach Bailey groped you, what did she tell you?"
"I don't remember."
"Where were you on the field when you told her?"
LaDonne squeezed her hands together. "I think we were walking off the field. We were walking together back toward the gym."
<
br /> "So it was after most of the celebration was over?"
"Yes, Ma'am. We were walking off the field. I remember now." LaDonne's tone was more confident.
"Do you also remember what she said when you told her?"
"She called him a name. I don't want to repeat it. I don't use that kind of language."
"And she never told you what Coach Bailey did to her?"
"Not then. Just called him a name."
"And the two of you went where?"
"We walked to her car. We had to go home and change. We were going to a party at a player's house."
Niki nodded.
"Did you talk about the incident in the car?"
"Just a little. She told me I should report him to the authorities."
"Nothing else? Think hard."
"No, Ma'am. That was it."
"LaDonne, that makes no sense."
"But it's true. Every word of it. I swear I'm telling you the truth."
"That's isn't consistent with what Flavia told me."
"What did she say? Maybe I don't remember exactly right. I might be confused."
"Maybe so. You're telling me that Flavia never mentioned to you that Coach Bailey also groped her?"
"Uh—She did. I forgot."
"You forgot to mention something that supposedly traumatized your best friend. You remembered the name she called him, but you don't remember that."
LaDonne exploded into tears. Then she rose and raced out of the library before Niki could ask her any more questions.
21
Niki's townhome
Back at the townhome that doubled as an office for Wildcat Investigations, the three detectives compared notes with each other. Niki found that it always helped to get a fresh set of eyes on difficult cases.
"I'm telling you," Drexel Robinson said, "that man disappeared like he was a ghost. One minute he was there in the human form, and the next minute he was invisible. I've never seen anything like it."
“Could he have gotten by you while you were in the restroom?” Niki asked.
"I didn't go to the men's room. A good surveillance man learns how to control those sorts of things," he replied.
Niki laughed.
"I'm glad you said surveillance man. When I've got to go, I've got to go. Surveillance or dry pants, I'm choosing dry pants."
Donna asked, "Did you go back to the garage after you went to the restaurant? If he made a quick trip to one of the rooms, he may have left why you were flirting with the girl in the restaurant."
Robinson feigned indignity. "Madame, Pierre Randolph is much more of a gentleman than to participate in such barbaric behavior."
Niki laughed again. "But Drexel Robinson isn't past putting his best move on an attractive lady, even if he is using the name Pierre Randolph at the time."
"Ah, Madame. You have exposed a foil in my character. I fear that although I have failed to improve, that trait is beyond my control. I can control my bladder, but not the urge to impress an attractive cherie." Then he cleared the tone of his voice. "To answer your question, Donna, that is the only time that I know that he had any chance to leave. Just dumb luck on his part."
Niki did not totally agree.
"He may have spotted you on his tail. He's been shadowed by the task force, the FBI, and lots of undercover detectives. Somehow, he still manages to do this over and over again without being seen."
Robinson ran a hand through his hair. "If he caught me, then he is the best in the business. Either that, or I'm getting too old and slipping up."
Donna piped up. "Did that attractive girl think you are too old?"
"Not if she was comparing me to her sugar daddy. He had a wad of cash that would choke a horse, because he didn't have any other alluring qualities." Drexel sighed.
Niki tapped a pen on her desk. "The only thing we can do is wait until he gets on the move again. Maybe he won't be so lucky next time."
"What did you find out from the interview with Flavia and LaDonne?" Donna asked.
"Unfortunately, Flavia is very believable. If she tells the jury the same things she told me in the same way, then Coach Bailey is in for a world of hurt."
"That bad?" Donna inquired.
"Worse than bad. She covered every piece of physical evidence and made it sound like her story is the only way it could have taken place. She covered her blood, his blood, the photographs, the motivation, the opportunity. She is a prosecutor's dream."
"But is she believable?" Drexel asked.
"I hate to say this, but I was beginning to believe her myself. She can be a very sympathetic victim. She’ll have the judge and the jury eating out of her hand when she testifies."
"If you believed her, then we are in trouble. You're not easy to fool. Is Coach Bailey really guilty?" The junior partner asked.
"I was thinking the same thing last night. After I had time to think about it, I was a bit distracted by your ordeal."
Donna blushed. "Ordeal? It was more like a nightmare. I've never been handcuffed and accused of killing a man before."
"That's not exactly correct. If I remember—"
"You don't have to go there. I remember that. Hey, he was a stockbroker, too." Donna exclaimed.
"Maybe you should stay away from stockbrokers," Niki laughed.
"Or maybe stockbrokers should stay away from you. They don't seem to have much of a future when you show up," Drexel added.
Donna did not see as much humor in this conversation as the other two. She tried to get the subject back to the Bailey case.
"Miss Niki, you said you believed her. Did you change your mind?"
"After I thought about it, I did. She manipulated me like a puppet. She took the conversation where she wanted it to go. Then, when she made her key points, she made sure the conversation was over. I don't see how she did it, but she outfoxed me."
Drexel grunted. "At least I have company. It was getting lonesome being the only one outsmarted last night."
Donna cleared her throat.
"That makes three of us. I walked right into a trap without a clue."
"We all had a bad night, no doubt about it. But if my interview with LaDonne is any indication, we'll have better days ahead." Niki said.
Donna grinned. "Did she spill her guts? Did she tell you they made everything up?"
"Not directly," Niki replied. "But she may as well have. She is not nearly as glib as Flavia. She had one line rehearsed about Coach Bailey groping her. But she was at a loss when I asked her for details. She tried to remember what someone told her to say, but they forgot to cover all the bases."
"So the young ladies made up the story. Why?" Drexel asked.
"That's the sixty-four thousand dollar question."
Donna frowned, a confused expression showing.
Niki answered the un-asked question. "An old game on TV. That's where the sixty-four thousand dollar question comes from."
Drexel laughed. "Not really, but I'm sure that's what you young people think."
“It doesn't matter,” Niki said. “But the question was why. We need to find the answer to that before we can prove they’re lying.”
“Okay, what do you want us to do to help you out?” Drexel asked.
"You both have your hands full with your own cases. I can't take you off those."
Both detectives nodded.
Donna spoke first. "I may need some help on mine. I don't have a clue where to begin."
Niki’s cell rang. The other two detectives heard very little of the conversation. Niki listened a lot more than she talked, her face growing more grim as the minutes passed.
"Okay, Samson. Thanks for calling."
She turned to the other investigators. "Samson. At least we now have a clue."
Robinson shook his head. "I don't like the sound of that. You don't look like you're pleased."
"You're right. They found some evidence. It won't help us defend Coach Bailey."
"What did they find?" Donna asked.
>
"He found a photo in Washington's desk. It's Billy Bailey being serviced by a young girl. He didn't recognize the girl, but that really doesn't matter. It will go to his character and his propensity to abuse underage girls."
"Wow," Drexel said. "So the theory goes that Coach Bailey went there to get the picture back one way or the other and finds out that Washington has an appointment later. Bingo. A new, better plan. Kill Washington and blame it on Donna."
Niki nodded. "That's what they're thinking."
"But isn't that a stretch?" Donna asked. "That's theory requires a lot of supposition and coincidences. How would Coach Bailey know that I would be carrying a gun?"
"That's what I was thinking until he told me they had more evidence. They found a weightlifting glove, the leather kind. It had the initials B B marked on it in permanent ink."
"Somebody could have put those initials on it and dropped it there. That doesn't prove anything," Donna said.
"But it will when they run the DNA test on it. I've got a feeling they will find Coach Bailey's DNA on the glove."
Donna hesitated. "That means the two cases are linked to each other. At least we can work together. If we can figure out one, we can solve both."
"They are definitely linked. But now we’ll have to prove Bailey is innocent in two cases instead of one."
Robinson smiled. "Looks like I hit the jackpot. I've got the easy case, and it isn’t linked to child abuse or murder."
Niki shook her strawberry blonde mane. "I wouldn't bet on that."
22
Wildcat Investigations
Niki sent Donna to track down the film of the game. Huddle, the firm that produced and edited all the films in the area, had an office not far from her own. She sent Drexel home to get some rest. She wasn't sure when Slocum would be on the move again, but wanted Drexel ready to go on short notice.
The long–legged private investigator wanted to interview Ricky Delrie. He was the most demonstrative of all the coaches, and she felt like he had more to say than he did in the restaurant.
She walked outside the townhome, and toward the door of her Ford Explorer. That's when the egg splattered against the window of the vehicle. Without realizing immediately what the projectile was, the investigator dropped and rolled, coming up on one knee with the thirty-eight Daniel & Wesson in her hand.
