“That’s just wonderful,” I ground out. Rodriguez. Of course, the cheating, good-for-nothing asshat.
“I can show you to his office,” the rookie said, getting up from his seat.
“That’s okay,” I replied. “I know where it is.” I turned and led the way over to his office. I hoped we didn’t catch a disease from his chairs.
“Rodriguez,” I said standing at his office door. “I guess congratulations are in order. I didn’t know you made detective.”
“Malone,” he said, standing and moved to shake my hand. “Thanks. I heard you were the PI on the Mennon case. I was filled in on the case this morning. It’s good to see you.”
Rodriguez was dressed in slacks and a button up shirt. As a detective, he could wear plainclothes. He always looked good in his uniform, but he filled out a dress shirt even better. His dark hair was trimmed cleanly and the light blue of the dress shirt contrasted nicely with his slightly tan skin, thanks to his Mexican-American heritage. He was pretty young to make detective, being 34. I wondered what he had done to pull that off.
“I’ll bet,” I murmured, wiping my hand on my jeans and gestured the Mennons in. “This is Suzy and Sam Mennon. We’re here to file official charges against Jeremy Jones for kidnapping. Suzy has evidence and is willing to testify against him.”
“Great,” replied Rodriguez, coming around his desk to shake the Mennon’s hands. “Thanks for bringing them in, Malone.” He gestured for us to sit.
“We put out an APB on Jones after last night’s rescue, but no word yet,” Rodriguez continued. “I’m sure we’ll hear something soon, though. The VW is fairly easy to ID. Mrs. Mennon, can you please start at the beginning?”
I listened as Suzy rehashed the events of the past 14 days, amazed again at how well she had kept her cool. Suzy nervously played with the ends of her long, straight hair as she told the story.
Rodriguez sat back and listened attentively, intelligent eyes taking in all of the details. He only stopped her once or twice to ask for additional details. It was a real shame he was such a dick. I sat with my hands on my legs, careful not to touch the armrests of the chairs. Who knew what he did with them in private.
Rodriguez already had the books Suzy took from the betting parlor. She pointed out which books they kept for the legal tax records and which books held the true, fully detailed records. She explained how she coached Jeremy on the books and notes.
“We have Fabian Dessi coming in later today,” Rodriguez explained. “But unless we have anything solid on him, he’s going to claim he had no idea this was going on. Without Jeremy Jones, we have nothing to charge Dessi with. Did you ever overhear Dessi himself on the phone giving orders to Jeremy or see any notes written from him?”
“Well, no,” Suzy replied. “Jeremy was on the phone with him a few times, but I never heard the other side of the conversation. Jeremy said he met with Dessi when he handed over the revenue and went over the books with Dessi, but I never actually saw the exchange. I was supposed to have already been out of the picture, per Dessi’s orders.”
“Yes, but unless you actually heard Dessi’s voice, he can claim that Jeremy was passing off the blame to someone else. We don’t actually have anything to charge Dessi with,” Rodriguez explained.
I had been afraid of that, but hopeful that we could find a way to nail Dessi for his part in Suzy’s kidnapping.
“Back to the bank deposit box at Heward Bank,” the Detective reflected. “Tell me more about that. Are you sure it was Pietro Marchi?”
“Not exactly,” Suzy answered. “Jeremy told me that Dessi wanted him to take care of me because I had seen the “Big Boss”, as he called him, with compromising information.”
“Well, we can take care of the identification part pretty easily,” Rodriguez swiveled his computer monitor to the room, so we could see as he pulled up photos. I recognized Pietro Marchi from the news and Fabian Dessi’s photos along with others I assumed were in the Marchi business.
“Do you recognize any of these people?” Rodriguez asked.
“Yes,” Suzy replied, pointing at the pictures. “That’s the two guys that came into the bank. He’s Mr. Waters, Frank Waters. I don’t know the other guy with him, but he’s the one that was going through the box.”
“I’m not sure who Frank Waters is, but that man is Andreas Marchi and the other one is Pietro Marchi,” Rodriguez pointed at the pictures as Suzy had. He glanced at me, “Supposedly, Andreas has nothing to do with the family business. He meets with Pietro and the other family a few times a year, but otherwise does his own thing. He’s a lawyer, but specializes in patent law. I have no idea what he’d be doing with Pietro at the bank, or why he’s going under the alias of Frank Waters.”
“But Frank Waters has been coming to the bank for years,” Suzy offered. “He’s a long-standing client.”
“That may be, but Andreas likely used false identification with this alias. We’ve never looked into Andreas much, as he didn’t really have any ties with the family. Or so we thought,” Rodriguez looked thoughtful.
“George,” Rodriguez called out his door. “Get a hold of Heward Bank. We need access to Frank Waters’ safety deposit box. I’ll work on getting a warrant.” He looked back to us, “If he hasn’t pulled out of Heward Bank yet, we may be able to nail Andreas and Pietro Marchi with this. Suzy, we should get you to a safe house in the meantime.”
I studied the scumbag across from me. Yes, I wanted Dessi and the Marchis to go down as badly as he did, but I knew Rodriguez was thinking how good this would look for his career.
“Actually,” Sam spoke up for the first time since we sat down. “My house is outfitted with the best security system available. It’s pretty much impervious to anything next to a grenade launcher. I’ve already got physical security on standby. I can have them ready to pick us up when we’re done here.”
“And how do you know it’s the best?” Rodriguez asked.
“Well, because I created tech for the system.” Sam had the grace to look humble. “I also tested it myself. From a technical standpoint, I can’t get in. Physically, the house has been reinforced with steel plates. It’ll stand.”
I looked over at Sam, respect growing in my chest. I could tell Rodriguez wasn’t thrilled by not being in charge of Suzy’s security, but he couldn’t force her to go into hiding.
“Suzy?” he asked her, still trying to gain the upper hand. “It’s your safety and your call.”
I wasn’t surprised when Suzy slid her hand into Sam’s and said she would be safe with him. I didn’t even bother to hide my grin. “Well, that settles it, then,” I said. “Detective, did you have any other questions, or can we get these two home now?”
Rodriguez had Suzy sign a statement documenting the last couple of weeks. Sam and I signed one for last night. Finally, we were free to go. Sam said the security team was waiting for them outside to take them home, so I waved goodbye to him and Suzy and told them to be careful.
As I was walking out of his office, Rodriguez stopped me short.
“I meant what I said. It’s good to see you.”
He actually said it looking at my face. I was impressed.
“Riiight,” I said, stepping around him.
“Seriously, Mal,” he said frustrated. “Do you really hate me so much? Still?”
“No. I don’t hate you, Alex,” I said grudgingly. “But I can’t say I like you.”
“Fair enough,” he replied. “You did a good job on the case. It would have been a cold case had you not picked it up.”
“Don’t look so surprised. Just because I’m not on the Force, doesn’t mean I’m not a good investigator.”
“You always were,” He said, leaning in. “You should have stayed at the academy. You would have been an asset to our team.”
“Please. As if I would want to answer to someone else,” I replied frowning. “I’m quite happy where I’m at. I get to call the shots. I only work cases I want. No one looks ove
r my shoulder. Why on earth would I give that up?”
“Stability,” Rodriguez answered, eyebrow raised.
“Definitely not from you,” I tossed back, stalking out the door. I was done here.
When I stepped out the precinct door, I saw the black unmarked van pulling away with the Mennons. I waved and walked back out to my Jeep, heading back to the office. I had a 1 o’clock meeting with Petite Pete to wrap his case.
I was going to have a little more free time soon with both cases wrapping up. As far as my contract was concerned, the Mennon case was closed, but I would follow through with it and help to gather any evidence I could to put those responsible behind bars.
I wasn’t too worried about the lack of work coming up. Something always ended up coming my way. And if not, I would take advantage of the time and get up to date on my bookkeeping.
It had taken longer than anticipated at the precinct, so I swung through a drive through for lunch. The mocha latte did a lot to soothe my Detective-Rodriguez-frayed nerves.
Chapter 10
I didn’t have to wait long. I heard Pete coming in the lobby door and rose to greet him. He already knew his way in. Pete must have been curious about my request to follow up in person, because he was right on time.
“Do you have some news for me?” Pete jumped right to it.
“I believe so,” I replied, gesturing for him to sit.
“Did you catch him? Do you have proof?” Pete asked, leaning in.
“Well, you were right. Someone is taking money,” I responded.
“Oh, man!” Pete sat down in the chair and put his head in his hands. “I really wanted to be wrong. I really like the kid!”
“Hold on there, Pete,” I said, holding my hands up. “I said you were right that someone was taking money. But I didn’t say it was Marco.”
Pete stilled, then lifted his head. “It’s not?” He looked confused. “Well, was it Marion or Carl?”
“No,” I replied. “Not them either.”
Pete stood up, “Well, dammit, tell me! Who’s stealing from me?”
I cocked my head, “Not really sure it can be called stealing when it’s the owner.”
“I’m not stealing from me,” Pete exclaimed, throwing his hands up.
“I didn’t say you were,” I said, looking pointedly at him.
“Oh!” then, “Oh…” Pete said as realization dawned on him. He slowly sat back down, a dazed look coming over him.
“Are you sure?” He asked, looking sad.
“I’m pretty sure,” I said nodding. “I’ve been paying attention to the patterns and it became fairly clear. Shelly runs the deposit most days. She’s the only other person with access to the safe. I made a timeline on the days that you run the deposit. Those days coincide with days the till came up short. She took it from the cash register instead of the deposit when you run the deposit. Marion and Phil confirmed those days because they were worried they would be blamed.”
I was pretty sure Sally had seen her take money from the cash register, but wasn’t about to rat her out. Sally wouldn’t speak ill of the owners.
“But last night was the biggest evidence. Shelly was going to get her nails done and was heading out, but came back to get the deposit. Normally the deposit is made every two to three days, but according to your records you just took the deposit on Friday,” I explained. “That’s only one night’s worth of cash. But you can confirm it yourself. Call the bank and compare it to last night’s cash income.”
Pete just sat in his chair, shaking his head. “But why would she do this?” he asked.
“It’s hard to say,” I replied, feeling sorry for the guy. “She may not realize how much money she’s taking over time. I don’t get the indication that your business has been suffering lately. Have you been bringing less income home lately, or changed your capital withdrawals?”
“No,” Pete said. “I take a normal management salary each pay period. Shelly has a small one she takes. She wanted a small allowance of her own. She did ask me about increasing it, but she doesn’t do that much with the business. I told her that we couldn’t afford an increase unless we expanded. We do good business, but we have a small building. There’s only so much room for tables.”
“Well that explains her attitude to Lou and Tom,” I rolled my eyes. “Shelly yells at them every day to use less ingredients.”
“Really?” Pete said surprised. “I didn’t know about that. But it explains some of the tension in the restaurant.”
“So, what about Marco,” Pete asked after he let the information sink in a bit. “He has been acting strange.”
“Well, Marco threw me off,” I replied, nodding my head. “He was acting suspicious and sneaking around.” I grinned, “that’s because he’s getting busy with Marion in the back room.”
“Really?” Pete said surprised. “Marion?”
“Yep.”
“That’s why she’s been taking long bathroom breaks,” Pete said, the light clicking.
“Yep.”
“Oh, man. Marco probably didn’t want his dad to find out about it” Pete said, rolling his eyes. “Wow, Phil is gonna have a heyday with that one!”
“Are you going to expose him?” I asked. It was out of my hands now.
“No, but I will talk to Marco,” Pete replied, a serious look on his face. “He can’t keep doing that at work, on work hours. I won’t tell on him, but it’s likely going to come out sooner or later. It always does.”
I nodded. “So, what are you going to do now?” I asked.
“Well, I guess I’m going to go home and have a talk with Shelly,” Peter said grimly. He looked me in the eye. “You really don’t know how much I appreciate this.”
“I just told you that your wife is skimming from the family business,” I replied with a surprised look on my face. “And you’re appreciative? That’s new.”
“Oh, it’s not good news for sure,” Pete leveled. “But it’s better than dealing with Dom about Marco skimming from me. I’m not sure how I would have handled that one. That sort of thing would have been bad for Marco’s future and bad for Dom’s reputation. Not to mention bad for my health if Dom didn’t believe me.”
“Well, then. You’re welcome,” I said smiling. “Always glad to have a happy customer.”
I handed him the final billing on the case. He only owed me a bit more than the original deposit. Petite Pete settled up and headed out to deal with Shelly.
I swivelled in my chair, thinking about the case a bit more. It always felt good to close out another one. The embezzlement case ended up simpler than originally anticipated, but that’s why going undercover is so helpful. I was able to find out more about Shelly’s habits and the information on Marco as well, just to close the loop. I packed up the notes on the case and filed it.
I grabbed my jacket and keys to lock up and headed over to Grounds for a cup of coffee. It was warmer today, so I left my jacket unzipped and enjoyed the breeze. There was only a slight chill left in the air from the morning.
“Mo! How about a mocha cappuccino, extra foam,” I called out when I walked into Grounds.
“Good to see you, Mal!” Maurice replied. “I had begun to think you broke up with me and started a love affair with another coffee shop. My heart was broken.” Maurice put a hand to his chest dramatically.
“Never,” I replied, crossing my heart and smiling. “I have been busy wrapping up some cases. Two, at the same time.”
“Ah, that explains it,” Maurice smiled. “Two, huh? Did they end well?”
“Well, one, definitely. The other one, sorta? It ended up good, but my client still has a few things to work out. Trouble with family. It’s nice that my job ends when I figure out what’s going on. I don’t have to sort out the mess. Not so good with that part.”
“Do you have another case already?” Maurice asked, tamping the coffee grounds. “You still look like you’re trying to figure something out.”
“Well, not
really,” I replied toying with the sugar packets. “I still have a few issues to clear out on the happy-ending case. I’m also working through a few other things unrelated to a case. Have you heard what started the fire a couple of weeks ago?”
“Well, I did hear that wasn’t an accident. Looked like someone had used an accelerant,” Maurice replied. “Some of the employees came in here last week and were talking about it. Do you know someone who worked there? Or are you considering taking a case regarding it?”
“Not exactly. No relation, no client, no official case. I guess I’m just curious. There’s a lot of strange coincidences related to the fires,” I replied. “Let me know if you hear anything.”
“Sure,” Maurice nodded, then chucked. “Always curious.”
I shrugged as he slid my cappuccino across the counter.
“Enjoy!”
“Oh, definitely,” I smiled, taking a sip. I closed my eyes to savor the taste and practically melted. “Oh, Mo! Delicious! See, I could never leave you.”
“Remember that when you’re out on town and looking at other coffee shops,” he playfully warned. “I have spies around this town. I know what goes on.”
I winked at Mo as I walked out of the shop. He did always seem to have the scoop around town. I guess being a barista was akin to being a bartender. People talked.
I wandered a bit while I sipped the rich and slightly sweet concoction. I had only walked a couple of blocks when my phone rang.
“Malone,” I answered.
“It’s Alex,” Rodriguez replied. “They picked up Jeremy Jones’ VW on the side of the highway. It’s empty, and we’ve had no sign of Jones himself.”
“Ugh,” I grunted, not terribly surprised. “Any word from the bank?”
“Yep, the box has been emptied and Frank Waters’ money has been moved, accounts closed out,” Alex responded. “I can’t say I’m surprised. I had hoped with the belief that Suzy was gone, they would be lax and leave their cover in place.”
“They didn’t get to where they were by acting retroactively,” I replied, crossing a street.
Bad Company Page 8
