by Cindy Bell
Chapter 8
Eddy drove home, faster than he should have. He was eager to see what was on the flash drive, and also to look up information on Orin. If he was as dangerous as Rex indicated, then Eddy was sure that he would have a record. Another ding from his phone drew his attention. As he pulled into his driveway he noticed that it was from Samantha. He’d already ignored two texts and a call from her. He knew she was worried, and didn’t want her to be concerned a moment longer. As he typed out a text, he wondered what the flash drive would reveal. He was apprehensive as he walked up to the door. He was tempted to invite Samantha to come over and view the drive with him, but what Rex said made him hesitate. It seemed as if once he saw what was on the drive, he would be a target. He didn’t want to make Samantha one, too.
As soon as he was inside he turned on his computer and slid the flash drive into it. He rarely used the computer and it took him a few minutes to figure out how to actually access the information. Walt had explained it to him a few times, but when it came to computers, he tended to zone out. It was hard for him to recall exactly what to do. As he finally got the files open, his heart dropped. He saw documents, and photographs, and videos, of a few different police officers appearing to be taking bribes. It wasn’t just one or two officers, it was a few. Which meant, the corruption had been going on for some time. To his surprise he found a document labeled ‘Eddy’. When he opened it, he found a letter from Colin.
Eddy,
I’m sorry to leave this on your plate. I never intended to get myself killed, but if you’re reading this, I did. It’s not your fault. You were great to work with, and I never forgot how much you taught me. Not long after you retired Hank Greer took me under his wing. I thought it was great, until recently when I suspected that he was bending and breaking the rules. When I was going to arrest Orin Banks, he told me he had information on a crooked cop. I agreed to release him, if he told me the information. We’ve been working together ever since. I don’t have enough proof yet, to implicate Hank Greer. I don’t want to take down those involved without taking the head out. I hope you can do a better job than I did. You can’t trust anyone, Eddy. Good luck.
Eddy read back over the letter. Part of him wanted to believe that it was a joke, but he knew that it wasn’t. Colin was caught up in a web of corruption, and Orin was his informant. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door. There would be time to sort through everything later, but he had something he wanted to do first.
Samantha paced back and forth inside her villa. She realized her mistake of letting Eddy go off on his own far too late. He had just lost his friend, and she let him be alone? What was she thinking. She checked her phone again. After three texts and a phone call, he still hadn’t responded. She’d walked down to his villa only to discover that he wasn’t there, and neither was his car. Despite it being close to midnight, she followed the wide, well-lit path along the lake towards the main parking lot at the front of Sage Gardens. This was guest parking, and also overflow parking for people that had more than one vehicle, or just decided to park there for the night. She scanned the cars in the parking lot, but saw no sign of Eddy’s car.
Now, back in her villa, she was certain that he’d gotten himself into some kind of trouble, already. What if he’d decided to hunt down Colin’s killer all alone? As the time ticked by, her imagination ran wild with what could have happened to him. It was too late to call Walt or Jo. She knew they were both early risers, and she wasn’t sure how they would react if she woke them without any valid reason. Eddy was a retired detective after all, he knew how to handle himself. He had the right to go anywhere he pleased, with anyone he chose, or alone. She knew she was overreacting just a little bit, but she still wanted to know where he was and what he might be doing. If only he would text her back, she could be put at ease.
Samantha sat down on the arm of her couch and closed her eyes. After a few deep breaths, she checked her phone again. There was still no call from Eddy. When her phone buzzed, she nearly dropped it on the floor. She sighed with relief when she saw it was a text from Eddy.
I’m fine. I’ll update you in the morning. Get some sleep.
Samantha stared at the short text and pursed her lips. She wanted to find out more, but didn’t want to bother him so headed to bed. One thing she was sure of, was that Eddy would need help to find out what happened to Colin. If she wasn’t well-rested, then she wouldn’t be much help. She crawled into bed, with many concerns still on her mind, not the least of which was just what Eddy might be getting himself into.
The next morning when Samantha woke up, she checked her phone first thing. There were no new texts or calls from Eddy. She sat up in bed and tried to decide what to do. She could call him, but if he was out late, she didn’t want to wake him. After she had a cup of coffee and dressed, she decided to go for a walk. If she just happened to go by Eddy’s villa, well that wouldn’t surprise her, as he lived nearby. What if his car wasn’t there? What would she do then? For all she knew he could have broken into Hank Greer’s house and demanded answers from him.
As she approached his villa, her heart fluttered. It wasn’t too farfetched for her to think that something terrible could happen to him, since just the night before, his friend had been killed at the same event they were attending. Someone was after Colin, and if they saw Eddy there with Colin, then they were probably after him now, too, and maybe even her. She wasn’t too concerned for her safety, but Eddy was the type that wouldn’t back down from a challenge. She didn’t want to find out that he’d gotten into a fight with the wrong person. Luckily, as she rounded the bend to Eddy’s villa, she spotted his car right away. A wave of relief washed over her, as she approached his front door. She had promised herself she wouldn’t bother him, but now she needed to see his face. As she knocked on the door, she expected that he might not answer. If he was sleeping, he might not hear her knock, and she wouldn’t knock any harder than she was. However, an instant after her knuckles left the wood, the door swung open, and Eddy gazed out at her.
“Eddy, you look horrible.” Samantha frowned as she studied the bags under his eyes, and the weary way his lips drooped at the edges.
“Sorry.” Eddy shrugged. “Should I put something pretty on?”
“No jokes, I want to know what happened last night. Where were you?”
“Well, I want to tell you all about that. But first, there’s something I need to show you. Come in.” He stepped back from the door to allow her inside.
As she followed him she felt a rush of fear. She could tell from Eddy’s demeanor that it was something big. Not much frightened him, but he appeared shaken. Perhaps that was just the lack of sleep.
“You didn’t sleep at all last night, did you?” She frowned as she trailed after him to his computer.
“No, I didn’t. Take a look at this.” Eddy gestured to an assortment of files on his computer. There were photographs, open documents, and in particular a letter addressed to Eddy from Colin. As she read it over, her eyes widened.
“Oh no, Eddy, Colin really was into something serious.”
“Yes, and now we both are, too. I wasn’t sure if I should show you, but I knew you would never forgive me if I didn’t. Samantha, I think Hank Greer was the head of all of this, but Colin didn’t have the evidence to prove it, yet.”
“Do you think he found out that Colin was investigating him, and killed him?”
“At his own birthday party?” Eddy shook his head. “I’m not so sure about that. It seems like a huge risk to take.”
“Yes, it does.” She narrowed her eyes as she recalled Colin’s reaction to Mitch and Riley. “Maybe, someone did it for him.”
“Maybe.” Eddy straightened up. “I went to Greer’s house last night. I wanted to see what he was up to. But there was nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Eddy, you have to be more careful than that.” She frowned. “We need to let Jo and Walt help us with all of this. The more hands helping with the investi
gation, the more likely we can solve this.”
“I don’t know, do we really want to put them at risk?” He looked into her eyes. “I don’t want you all getting involved.”
“I think we should let them decide.” Samantha pulled out her phone and sent a text to Jo and Walt asking them to meet up for an early lunch. She and Eddy spent the next two hours poring over the information on the flash drive. Although there was a lot of it, none pointed specifically to Hank, and none indicated who might have killed Colin.
Chapter 9
When Eddy and Samantha headed to Samantha’s house to meet the others for an early lunch, they found Walt and Jo already waiting there for them.
“Sorry we’re late.” Samantha unlocked the door. “I’ll get something simple and delicious together in no time.” Samantha wasn’t exactly a whiz in the kitchen, but she could make a delicious sandwich.
“Great.” Jo patted her stomach. “I’m a bit hungry. I’ll help you.”
The two women stepped into the kitchen while Walt and Eddy settled at the dining room table. Samantha glanced at Eddy. She knew he hadn’t decided whether to involve his friends yet or not.
Walt seemed to sense that something was up. He kept prodding Eddy for information.
“Walt, enough,” Eddy snapped at him. “I had a rough night, okay? I didn’t sleep.”
“Sleep is vitally important for the health of the human body, not to mention what sleep deprivation can do to your mental health.” Walt frowned. “There’s no excuse for missing out on a good night’s sleep.”
“Walt, please.” Eddy locked eyes with him. “Enough.”
“What’s going on with Eddy?” Jo leaned over the counter, closer to Samantha as they made sandwiches. “I’ve never seen him like this.”
“His friend, the one who invited him to that party last night was killed. At the party.” Samantha sighed.
“Oh, that’s terrible. From the way he spoke about Colin I know he cared for him. I can’t believe this happened.” Jo shook her head. “Well, of course we’ll have to figure out who did this to him. We can’t take the chance that the police won’t figure it out.”
“Thanks.” Eddy glanced up at them, he had caught Jo’s last few words. “I really appreciate that, Jo. But this situation is a bit more dangerous than I expected. I want you both to really think about this before you decide whether you want to help or not.”
“Hey, we have to look out for each other. Right?” Jo sat down at the table with him.
For a few minutes they exchanged information about what happened at the party, then Eddy rested his hands on the table and looked at each of them in turn.
“Look, I really do appreciate all of you wanting to help me out with this, but it’s important that you understand what you’re getting into here. This isn’t just a death, it was a murder, and whoever Colin was investigating probably had something to do with it. If we investigate this, we could all be at risk, and I don’t even know who to watch out for.”
“But if we don’t investigate it, then Colin’s killer might never be found.” Samantha rested her hand on top of Eddy’s. “I’m going to help you in any way that I can.”
“So am I.” Jo nodded as she smiled at Eddy. “I’m up for anything anybody tries to throw at me. I’ve got your back, buddy.”
“Thanks.” Eddy met her eyes and smiled in return.
“Let’s try and think about this logically.” Walt’s brows knitted as he looked at Eddy. “Your friend was trying to tell you about something, something that likely got him killed, and now you want to investigate what that was, making yourself a target?”
“Eh, that’s about right.” Eddy frowned.
“It doesn’t seem like a wise thing to do.” He shrugged. “But I’ve learned that friendship isn’t very logical. I’m willing to help however I can.”
“That means a lot to me, Walt. Honestly, I’m not sure what we can do. I have a lot of information but very little direction. And there’s one other thing.” He looked around the table, then specifically at Samantha. “I met Colin’s informant last night. From what I can tell he is a very dangerous man. His name is Orin Banks, and I’m not sure that I’ll be able to keep him out of this investigation.”
“Orin Banks, I’ll see what I can find out about him from my contacts.” Samantha pulled out her phone, walked out of the room and placed a few calls. After a few minutes she walked back in. “Oh, this doesn’t look good at all. He has a long criminal history.”
“I know.” Eddy frowned. “He might have the information that we need, but I’m not willing to overlook the idea that he might have also been the one to kill Colin.”
“Stabbed in the back by a snitch?” Jo scrunched up her nose. “I could see that happening.”
Eddy opened his mouth to speak, but he was silenced by the sound of his phone ringing. He checked the screen, then frowned as he looked up at the others.
“It’s Detective Brunner. I’m sure he wants his interview.” He placed the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
“Eddy, I need to speak with you. Can you come into the station?”
“Sure, what time do you want me there?” He pushed down the uneasy feeling in his stomach. Why did they have to meet at the station? What had Detective Brunner found?
“As soon as you can get here. I’ve got a lot to get accomplished today, and I’d like to start with you. Please come alone, I want to speak to Samantha separately.”
“Okay. I’ll be there soon.” Eddy hung up the phone, and stared at the screen for a moment.
“He wants you to come in now, doesn’t he?” Samantha reached for her purse. “I’ll go with you, we can get both of our interviews done at the same time.”
“No.” Eddy narrowed his eyes. “He wants to speak to us at separate times. He asked me to come alone, as soon as I can.”
“What do you think he’s up to?” Samantha frowned, then glanced at the others. “Anyone?”
“He’s conducting normal interviews, that’s all.” Eddy cleared his throat. “It’s normal procedure. It’s easier for him to separate our accounts if he takes them on separate occasions. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“You don’t sound sure.” Walt narrowed his eyes. “You only clear your throat when you’re not sure of what you’re saying, or you’re trying to avoid something.”
“Walt!” Eddy shot him a frustrated look. “Stop watching me so closely, it’s creepy.”
“Don’t take it out on Walt.” Jo rested her hand on Walt’s shoulder. “He’s only trying to help, Eddy, we all are.” She met his eyes.
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Eddy frowned as he looked at Walt. “Your observations are correct. I am worried that he might have a strong reason to want to meet with me at the station alone. I have no idea what he might have turned up, and that makes me nervous.”
“Then let me go with you.” Samantha stood up from the table. “You don’t have to follow his directions, it was just a suggestion, right?”
“I’ll be fine.” Eddy smiled. “There’s one more thing.” He hesitated as he looked at Samantha. “The note wasn’t the only thing that I kept.” He pulled a plastic bag out of his pocket and placed it on the table. Inside was the hundred-dollar bill with the symbols on it. “I kept this from one of the stacks of money. It was on the top and it has small symbols written on it. I think they might be connected to the investigation. Maybe you three can take a look and see what you think?”
“You kept this?” Samantha looked from the bill, to Eddy. “Do you know how much trouble—”
“Yes.” He stared straight into her eyes. “I didn’t do it lightly. I just don’t know who to trust. I’m not sure if Detective Brunner is impacted by all of this. You saw the files, there are police officers involved.”
“He’s been trustworthy so far.” Samantha frowned.
“I know. It’s just one bill, out of a few big stacks.”
“Are you going to take it back to him now?” Samantha glanc
ed at the bill on the table.
“No.” Eddy straightened his shoulders as he looked into her eyes. “Not until we figure out what those symbols mean. Colin left me that for a reason, maybe it’s because he thought I’d be the only one that could figure it out. If I hand it over to Brunner, we might never figure it out.”
“Understood.” Samantha looked back at the bill. “We’ll keep searching to see if we can find out anything more about it. All right?”
“Thanks.” Eddy swept his gaze over each of his friends. “Thank you all for your help, I mean that. I know, I don’t exactly show it well, but I do appreciate it.”
“We know you do, Eddy.” Jo smiled at him.
Eddy gazed at them for one more long moment, then turned and headed out of the villa. As he walked back to his villa to get his car, the weight of the sleepless night struck him. He wished he had gotten some rest as he had no idea how he would hold up to Brunner’s likely interrogation.
After Eddy left there was a heaviness in the room. It seemed as if no one wanted to be the first one to speak. Jo snatched up the bill to take a closer look.
“He’s right, our best lead are these symbols. They were put here for a reason.”
“I can do an image search and see what I can come up with.” Samantha grabbed her computer and brought it to the table. “Some businesses use symbols in their names, the money could be related to one.”
“Good thought.” Walt frowned. “I’d like to take a look into Orin a little bit further. Was there anyone else at the party that you thought might be involved in this. If Greer is part of this, I imagine some of his crooked friends were there as well.”
“I’d agree with that.” Jo narrowed her eyes. “The trouble is it’s quite difficult to tell a good cop from a crooked one. It would be nice if they wore different types of badges, wouldn’t it?”
