by BJ Bourg
I decided to change gears a little.
“Since we’re speaking of the law,” I said, “were you aware that Ralph was about to be suspended from practicing because of his third offense DWI?”
“That’s not true!”
I thought Kim would throw her new mug right at me, but she somehow refrained and continued talking.
“He was negotiating a plea agreement with the DA’s office, so he was not gonna be suspended.” Her tone was defensive, and I realized she must’ve been too embarrassed to bring it up earlier. “Whoever started that rumor is a liar. He’s a fine lawyer and he would never be suspended. He never did anything wrong at his job. He just liked to drink and he sometimes didn’t realize how much he drank when he got behind the wheel of a car. It was all a simple mistake.”
I wanted to tell her that third offense DWI was a felony, not a simple mistake, but the woman had been beat up enough over the loss of her husband. I made one last attempt to look inside that safe, but she turned me down.
“Mrs. Plant, can I just have a quick look inside the safe to see if the iPad is there?” I had asked. “If it’s not, I’ll leave and never bother you about it again.”
“I’m sorry, but if you don’t have a warrant, I can’t let you in the safe.” She shook her head to emphasize her position. “Ralph would be angry if he knew I let a police officer violate his Fourth Amendment Rights.”
“I understand and respect your position.” I suddenly had another idea. “Can you take a quick look and see if it’s there? If it’s not, then I’ll know I’m barking up the wrong tree and I can focus my efforts elsewhere.”
“I’m sorry, Detective Wolf, but it would still seem wrong.” She frowned and gently placed her coffee mug on the island that separated us. “I’m the victim, but I’m really starting to feel like a criminal. I mean, you’re asking to search my husband’s safe and you’re talking about his DWIs. I don’t know—it just seems wrong.”
“I’m sorry to make you feel that way,” I said sincerely. “I just don’t know if the iPad is related to your husband’s murder. The opening hours of a homicide investigation are crucial to solving it, so I’m just trying to run down as much information as quickly as possible. Everything I’m doing is in furtherance of solving his murder—nothing more. I don’t care what your husband did before he was murdered. He’s my victim, as are you, and I work for y’all.”
Kim thanked me, but she didn’t offer to let me look in the safe, so I gave her a business card with my cell number. Susan and I then left.
I followed Susan to her Tahoe and stopped before she got in.
“She slipped up,” I said. “She knows the combination to that safe.”
Susan nodded her agreement. “You can get a search warrant for the safe, but what if she refuses to give you the combination?”
I glanced up at the Plants’ beautiful home. “I don’t have time to wait for the company to send a technician out here, so I might have to bring an acetylene torch along. I really need the contents of that iPad, and I need them now.”
“Are you sure the torch would work?” she asked with a frown. “Aren’t Liberty safes designed to defeat that type of attack?”
“I’m sure she doesn’t know that,” I said with a smile. “When she sees us start to wheel that thing into her mansion, I’m sure she’ll crack and give up the code.”
Susan again agreed with me and then checked her watch. “I’ve got to go.”
I kissed her and climbed into my own Tahoe. I let her leave first and then made my way up the driveway. I called Mallory as I cruised along.
When she answered, I told her I needed a warrant to search Ralph Plant’s gun safe. There was a long pause on the other end.
“The Ralph Plant who’s an attorney?” she asked. “That Ralph Plant?”
“Is there another?”
“I trust you, Clint, I really do, but I hope you know what you’re doing. I don’t know what you’ve got on him, but he’s a high-powered attorney. If you’re wrong about this, he’ll sue the—”
“He’s dead, so he won’t be suing anyone.”
She gasped, and I realized word of our victim’s identity hadn’t traveled throughout the parish yet. I filled her in on everything we knew so far, especially the fact that the iPhone had been stolen during the murder and we now knew he had a backup device.
“I knew y’all were working a murder this morning,” she said, “but I hadn’t heard who the victim was. I thought Plant was your suspect.”
“No, I just need his iPad.”
“Do you really think the killer took his cell phone because he had incriminating information on the device? What if it was simply a robbery?”
“You don’t murder someone for their cell phone and then stage it to look like a suicide.”
“I guess you’re right.” She paused for a second. “So, you think this information was copied to his iPad?”
“I sure hope it was.”
“Do you have any idea what that information might be?” she asked. “Even a hint?”
“Nope,” I admitted. “We’ll be looking for the proverbial needle in the barn full of hay.”
She sighed. “Okay, I’ll type up the affidavit and see if I can find a judge to sign the warrant. The probable cause is flimsy, but we might get lucky.”
Mallory was right about the flimsy PC, and I wondered what we would do if a judge wouldn’t sign the warrant. I could get a warrant for his phone records and at least get the coordinates on the phone’s last location, but that would also take time.
“Oh, and Clint,” Mallory said. “If the judge grants the warrant and you get your hands on that iPad, I can supply some people to help dig through the files. It’ll still be a long process, but the more eyes we put on this, the better.”
“I agree, and I appreciate the offer. I could certainly use the help.” I started to end the call, but stopped. “Oh, and do you know anyone with an acetylene torch?”
CHAPTER 15
It was a little after three when I left Attakapas and headed south. Gina had told me that her boyfriend worked at a tire shop in Central Chateau, so that’s where I decided to go next. Amy would be attending the autopsy by then, and I would be able to meet up with her to divvy up Ralph’s list of friends and family to interview. We needed to know who wanted Ralph dead, and the best place to start—next to his wife—would be his friends and family.
I found Orrin Cheramie on a creeper under a jacked-up Yukon with thirty-five-inch tires. Once I’d shown the manager my badge, she had led me to the bay where he worked and pointed him out.
“Orrin Cheramie,” I said loud enough to be heard over the noise of a nearby compressor. “I’m Clint Wolf. I’m a detective with Mechant Loup PD.”
The creeper slid out from under the truck and a round face smudged with grease looked up at me.
“Is this about Ralph Plant?” he asked as he pulled himself to his feet. “If so, I don’t know nothing about that creep.”
I didn’t ask how he knew my reason for the visit. His girlfriend had no doubt told him what had happened, so it was obvious how he’d found out.
“You called him a creep,” I said. “Is there a reason for that?”
“Yeah, he’s a creep,” Orrin said in his flat Cajun accent. “He was always hitting on Gina, even though he had a wife of his own. He thought that just because he had money every woman around here would want him, but not Gina. She didn’t play his games.”
Go on and tell yourself that if it makes you feel better, I thought to myself.
To Orrin, I said, “Yeah, Ralph had a bit of a reputation as a womanizer.”
“He was more than a womanizer, he was a predator.” Orrin snatched a rag from a workbench and wiped his hands. “I hated Gina working for that bastard. If you think I’m gonna pretend I liked him, well I won’t. If that makes me a suspect, then so be it. To be honest, I’m glad he’s dead.”
I nodded as I studied the young man. He wasn’t a b
ig fellow, but he appeared strong.
“Well, I certainly appreciate the honesty so far.”
He raised an eyebrow when I said so far.
“Can you tell me what you did yesterday, beginning at noon and ending with this morning when you visited Gina at the police department?”
“Sure.” He was thoughtful, seemingly trying to remember—or attempting to come up with a story. “Let’s see, yesterday Gina and I went to the Tanger Outlet Mall in Gonzales. We got there earlier than noon, so I’m a little earlier than your timeline.”
“That’s fine,” I said.
“She bought some new clothes for work. Do you need the names of every shop we went into? Because I don’t remember half of them. I just know they were boring.”
“Nah, that’s fine.”
He nodded and continued. “We ate at Cracker Barrel for lunch and then we went to Cabela’s. I was looking for a new gun, but they didn’t have what I wanted.”
“What were you looking for?” I asked, wondering if he needed to replace a missing .9 mm semi-automatic pistol.
“I was trying to buy an over and under for skeet shooting,” he explained. “I’m shooting in a tournament at the end of the month and I wanted something new to use. I’ve got a pump-action and it’s a pain in the ass to feed two shells into the tube at every station.”
I nodded my understanding and waited for him to go on.
“After we left Cabela’s we went back home.” He shrugged. “We just pretty much stayed home after that. We leave for work at the same time, but we only live five minutes from here, so I get to work first.”
“Once you got home from Cabela’s, did you leave the house again?” I asked, noticing how he had said they’d pretty much stayed home. It left some wiggle room in case he was later proven to be wrong.
“I mean, I might’ve left for a little bit to get some beer for the week.”
“Did Gina go with you?”
“No, I went by myself.”
“And how long were you gone?”
“I don’t remember exactly.”
“Do you remember what time it was when you left?”
He scowled. “No, not really.”
“Was it dark?”
“Oh, yeah, it was nighttime.”
“Was Gina awake when you got home?”
“I believe so,” he said slowly, and then nodded. “Yeah, she was definitely awake.”
“If I told you I have evidence that you left your house at eight o’clock and didn’t return until eleven, would you be able to refute that?” I watched the color slowly drain from his face.
“I…I guess not. I mean, I didn’t look at my watch.”
“It doesn’t take three hours to buy beer, so where were you?”
Orrin fixed me with a hard stare. “Am I under arrest?”
“Of course not.” I waved a hand around. “We’re only standing here having a friendly chat.”
“Well, I feel like you’re accusing me of something.”
“I’m sorry you got that impression,” I said. “I’m just asking some routine questions—the same questions I’d ask anyone in your shoes. And since I’m asking questions, what’s your buddy’s name?”
His expression turned confused. “What buddy?”
“The buddy you were talking to last night.”
“I didn’t talk to—” He suddenly clamped his mouth shut. “Look, if I’m not under arrest, I’d like to get back to work.”
“I’ve just got a few more questions, if you don’t mind.”
“As you can see, I’ve got a lot to do.” He folded his arms across his chest to let me know the interview was over. “I need to get started on it.”
I nodded and extended my hand. He hesitated, but then unfolded his arms and reached out to shake it. When our hands locked, I gripped his tight and stepped close to him.
“If you ever lay a hand on Gina again, I’ll have you locked up so fast your head will spin,” I hissed. “Do I make myself clear?”
Orrin tried to jerk his hand back like he’d been bitten by a snake, but I held firm. He began working his mouth open and shut, but no words came out.
“Do you understand me?” I asked, stepping so close now that our noses were almost touching. “I hate assholes who hit on women, but lucky for you I’m a cop, so all I can do is put you in jail. Oh, but if I weren’t a cop...” I gritted my teeth and let my voice trail off. “Now answer me.”
Orrin finally managed a nod.
“I want to hear you say it,” I said.
“I…I won’t hit her again.” He swallowed hard. “I swear to you.”
I released my grip on his hand and turned to walk away.
“Have a good day, Mr. Cheramie,” I called over my shoulder. “I’ll be back in touch real soon.”
CHAPTER 16
When I left the tire shop, I headed straight for Kim Plant’s residence. I parked near the mailbox and waited, anticipating a phone call from Mallory telling me she’d obtained a search warrant for the safe.
As I waited, I called Amy.
“Hey, Clint,” she said when she answered. “How’d it go at the Plants?”
I brought her up to speed and asked about the autopsy.
“No surprises here. Doc thinks she can safely say the murder happened between nine and midnight.”
Although estimating time of death was not an exact science and we never knew the exact time our victim’s died unless there were witnesses or some other form of concrete evidence, it was nice to have a narrower window within which to work.
“Any other injuries to the body?”
“No, none at all. It looks like his killer simply walked up to him and shot him in the head.”
I pondered this for a long moment, staring toward the Plant residence as I did so. I couldn’t see the house from my vantage point, and I wondered if Kim was home or if she had headed for the funeral home. If she wasn’t home, she might see me when she returned, so I began to think about moving.
“Ames,” I finally said, “do you think it’s possible Ralph was asleep at his desk when the killer came in and shot him? If he left the front door unlocked, then the killer could’ve slipped in quietly, shot him, moved the furniture around, and then escaped through the back door without anyone being the wiser.”
“That is a good theory,” she said. “Why didn’t we think of that earlier?”
“I only thought of it because Kim said Ralph has been known to fall asleep at his desk.” I nodded as I stared toward the house. “That would be a valuable piece of information for a killer to possess.”
“And maybe that’s why she’s not letting you have a look at that iPad.” Amy took a breath and blew it out. “She might’ve finally had enough of his crap and put herself out of her misery.”
“Exactly what I was thinking.”
My phone beeped to indicate I was getting another call. I pulled it from my head and saw that it was Mallory.
“Hey, Ames, this is Mallory calling with the search warrant.”
“Want me to meet you there when we’re done here?” Amy asked.
I told her I did, and swiped my thumb across the screen to accept the incoming call.
“Tell me the good news, Mallory.”
“The judge rejected the search warrant.”
I blinked, not at all expecting that news. “What?”
“He said the PC is too flimsy and the Plants are too well-respected for him to authorize a fishing expedition.” She sighed. “I knew it was weak, but for God’s sake, we’re trying to solve the man’s murder. Oh, and get this—he warned me not to go judge shopping. He said there would be real consequences for me if I tried to get another judge to override his decision.”
I sank in my seat. “Damn, we really need that iPad. Without it…”
I allowed my voice to trail off. I didn’t want to externalize my fears of not solving the case. With every murder case I worked I felt more and more pressure to solve it. I’d managed t
o solve every murder case I’d worked so far, and that, in and of itself, scared me. At some point, I was gonna run out of real estate. I couldn’t solve them all, and I would eventually come across the one case that would stump me. Could this be it?
I shuddered and shook my head, determined to do whatever it took to bring Ralph’s killer to justice.
“Thanks for trying,” I said.
“Is there anything else I can do?”
“You can cancel the acetylene torch.”
She laughed. “How’re Susan and Gracie?”
“They’re doing great,” I said briefly, not wanting to talk about anything other than the case. “Hey, do you know anything about a guy named Orrin Cheramie? He’s dating Ralph’s secretary, and he seems to really hate Ralph. He supposedly left home at eight last night to get some beer, but he didn’t come home until almost eleven. When his girlfriend confronted him, he told her he ran into a buddy at the gas station and they talked for a couple of hours.”
“That name doesn’t sound familiar.”
I gave her Orrin’s address and asked if she knew how many gas stations were in proximity to his house.
She rattled off the names and addresses of three of them, and she said people often congregated in the parking lots of two of them. I thanked her and then called Amy to tell her the bad news.
“Want me to meet you at the police department?” she asked.
I nodded, my mind still churning.
“Clint?”
“Oh, sorry,” I mumbled. “I nodded in response to your question, but I guess you couldn’t see that.”
“I’m awesome, but I’m not that awesome,” Amy said with a chuckle. “See you in a bit.”
I nodded and idly placed my phone on the console. I continued watching the Plant home, wondering how I could convince Kim to let me see the iPad without a warrant. I could only think of one reason she wouldn’t want to help us find Ralph’s killer, and that was if she killed him.
