Crooked River (Jack Francis Novel)

by MP Murphy

  “Either way, do you see now why I have no one to trust but you?” Alex pleaded.

  “If you trust me, then you need to give me something to work with.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Who hired you?”

  “My direct employer is a man named Lee Kershaw.”

  “What about the person who hired him in the first place?”

  “I don’t know for sure who it is. I could take a good guess but I won’t until I can find out for sure.”

  “Not even to point me in the right direction?”

  “Sorry Jack. Kershaw is what I can give you and he will be plenty to get you started. Are you starting to believe in my innocence a little bit more yet?”

  “Maybe, but what now?”

  “You look into Kershaw. What kind of investigator are you with a silly question like that?”

  I smiled at her with my own mischievous grin. “No Alex, I meant what now, tonight?”

  “Oh, well in that case it’s bedtime.” Alex got up and walked towards my bedroom shaking her hips softly as she moved. She looked back over her shoulder and with an inviting glance asked, “Aren’t you coming with me?” Without hesitation I followed her in.

  Chapter 32

  By morning the weather had changed, waking me earlier than I would have liked. My windows were alive with noise as the rain danced across the glass, and the howling wind from the lake caused each pane to vibrate with the sounds of a mistuned orchestra. The only nice thing about waking up was Alex asleep next to me. I was a little surprised she had stayed the whole night, as I glanced across her soft skin, traveling along her shoulders and down to her thigh barely covered by my sheets. In the end she must have thought it better to stay than to run off again in the middle of the night. Last time it had gotten her into nothing but trouble. I left her there to sleep as I slid out of bed and tiptoed my way into the kitchen to make some coffee. The weather had really turned to shit overnight and as I glanced out my kitchen window, I hoped it was not a reflection of how my day was going to turn out.

  With the coffee made I began to fry some eggs and thought about my conversation with Alex the night before. I had let her back in my bed so I must have believed in her innocence or I was just the dumbest man in the world. No, I was almost positive she had nothing to do with Charles Beard being shot. Her theory on being set up had too many holes for me though. If the plan had been to make it look like she murdered Beard then why go through all the trouble of cleaning up the body. Something told me that Alex being on Beard’s porch at the wrong time was a simple coincidence. Either that or my instincts were way off and I had gone to bed with a killer last night. It would be my luck.

  Every event, every scenario we discussed, every little thing led back to one thing and that was the first shooting. The first shooting was the single event which started the landslide. Whatever the motive was for the first killing it was the single thing I needed to solve. The problem was, I was nowhere near figuring it out. I had to assume— bad idea —that Chelsea’s and Beard’s involvement were an accident. Their involvement had sent everything into a tailspin and the rest was nothing more than a massive attempt at a coverup. It also meant that whoever had the motive for the first killing was powerful enough to move the rest of the chess pieces while being able to protect their own identity. There was one person at the top controlling all the players, or at least most of them.

  The key to solving the riddle was to look closely at it from the very beginning, and that’s what I was going to do. The problem was I really had no idea how I was going to do such a thing. There was a complete lack of physical evidence, Beard was dead, and the only person left to talk to was Chelsea. It was a shame Captain Gilmore had ruled her off limits from the very moment he hired me. Maybe Madeline could ask her a few questions. That might tell me something but only after I sorted through the answers she brought back to me. Then again, I really doubted Chelsea’s intoxicated mind would be able to remember much about that night. There was another link to the first murder, and she was sleeping in my bed. Alex was a pawn on the chess board being manipulated in order to cover up a killer’s identity.

  My eggs had finished and I was stacking bacon on a plate, when Alex came out of the bedroom in the shirt I had worn last night to dinner. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes told me she was still only half-awake. She looked innocent and fragile at the moment, the opposite of the face she normally wore. A half attempt at a morning smile only added to the appearance. God, I hoped I was right about her.

  “Good morning. Did you sleep alright?” I asked.

  “I slept really well actually, and with the rain coming down this morning, I just wanted to stay in bed all day.”

  “You could have.”

  “Not with the smell of bacon and coffee floating through the house.”

  I quickly poured her a cup and made her a plate of food. “Here you go.”

  “Oh it’s just like the Ritz.”

  “Not quite but I try.”

  “You’ve done wonderful,” and she reached over and gave me a peck on the cheek.

  “Alex, I’ve been thinking.”

  “We are going to start off the morning like this, right back to business.”

  “Sorry but some things have been running through my head all morning. It seems as much as you needed me last night…”

  “You bet I did. I’m still sore.”

  “Come on Alex, quit joking and listen for a second.”

  “I’ll behave now go on.” She played with her eggs and looked like a scolded school girl.

  “I’ve come to the conclusion that you may be the only lead I have to whoever is behind the first killing.”

  “What about the rich girl?”

  “Chelsea is off limits as ordered by her old man. I’m going to need your help.”

  “I think I have helped enough for now. I gave you Kershaw and if anyone finds out I did, my life will be in jeopardy. Look into him before you go jumping into anything else. You may just find what you need.”

  “What does Kershaw have to do with the first shooting?”

  “Jack, just look into him and stop asking me questions I can’t answer.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  “It’s really the same thing,” Alex got up and put her empty plate in the sink and poured herself some more coffee.

  “Alright I get it. I’ll go looking for this Kershaw character. At least now I have an excuse to go out in the rain.”

  “Not just yet,” Alex said pulling me back toward the bedroom. I barely resisted.

  Chapter 33

  Madeline was shaken and in fear, constantly looking over her shoulder as she drove home. The man appearing in her backseat had made her realize how vulnerable she was. Chelsea was already in enough trouble, the last thing Madeline needed was to become an easy target for someone with a mind to hurt her or her family. All through the night she barely slept as her anxiety levels reached new heights, but when morning came, so did a sudden sense of relief. The weight of the night before had been lifted with the morning sun and the realization that her sister was now in the clear once her father called off Jack Francis.

  Telling her father would be difficult because her involvement would most definitely set the old man off, but in the end it would be worth it. Jack Francis needed to be pulled off the case before he found himself in too deep. The man could cause problems and the faster her father and Jack could conclude their business the better Madeline would feel about her sister’s safety. Madeline threw on her robe and raced downstairs from her room to find her father. Today everything would be over. Today her life could start down its path back to normalcy.

  Nothing surprised her father and his reactions very rarely surprised Madeline anymore. In his younger years, his temper was explosive and borderline violent, but not today. His age had become a drain on his strength and his tirades aimed at his children were no longer worth the toll they would take on his body. Instead Madeline’s
news brought a mellow anger with a firm response, echoed with a tone of disappointment. Either the relief from the recovery of Chelsea’s blackmail evidence superseded any anger over her involvement, or the Captain’s energy levels were getting worse than she had thought. She would need to spend more time with him. To Madeline’s surprise, she was being sent to call Jack Francis off of the hunt. Her father had Douglas draw up a check for her to give to him, and either Jack charged an enormous fee, or her father was supplying the man with plenty of incentive to back off.

  With all the excitement of the morning, Madeline had almost forgotten to tell her sister the good news. She raced up the stairs leaving her father and Douglas in the study and bounded into Chelsea’s room like she was eight years old. Madeline found her sister buried beneath a temple of covers. The room smelled of stale booze and clothes were thrown in disarray all over the floor. A bra hung from the end of Chelsea’s bed and shoes were scattered around the room.

  “Chelsea!” Madeline screamed attempting to wake up her sister. “Wake up, will you? I’ve got good news!” The girl did not stir and Madeline began to shake her sister to get her moving again.

  “What do you want,” came a worn and tired voice from somewhere below the covers.

  “Chelsea wake up and listen to me. It’s over. It’s all over.”

  She was coming to now. “What do you mean it’s over?”

  “We’ve got the pictures back and even the memory disk he had them saved on,” Madeline was skipping details and going straight to the point. Good news first, there was plenty of time for the details later. Chelsea sat up in her bed now. Her face appeared confused instead of joyful. Madeline wondered why for a moment and then assumed the girl was simply hung over and a little foggy still.

  “But how,” Chelsea asked. “Beard is dead and I thought everything else was lost.”

  “A man surprised me last night in my car. Scared the crap out of me but he gave me everything and told me it was over.” The man did scare her and she was still frightened by the thought of him, but Madeline was not about to tell Chelsea that. What her sister needed right now was comfort and to not be sent back into a world of worry.

  “How can this be?” Chelsea began to sob as she spoke. She tucked her head into her knees and began to mumble to herself. It took Madeline a moment to realize those were not tears of joy.

  “Chelsea what’s wrong? Aren’t you relieved it’s over?”

  Her sister lifted her head to look at Madeline. The tears were streaming down her face causing last night’s make up to smear. “Who was the man, Maddie? The man in your car, was it the man Daddy hired?”

  “No it wasn’t. I’m really not sure who he was Chelsea.” Madeline was beginning to think her sister was putting together what she had left out. “It doesn’t matter anyways, it’s over now.”

  “It’s not over. Can’t you see it will never be over?” Chelsea burst into tears again throwing her head back down between her knees.

  “But it is over Chelsea. We have the evidence and Beard is dead. What more is there?” Madeline knew of other possibilities but the man had promised it would be over and she wanted to believe him.

  “No, no, no,” Chelsea said rocking back and forth on her bed looking like a little girl woken from a nightmare. “It is all wrong. It’s so wrong.”

  “What are you saying? I don’t understand what is it that’s wrong?” Chelsea continued to cry and Madeline stood in silence for a few minutes and watched her sister break down. Finally Madeline had enough, “Chelsea, are you still drunk because you’re acting really weird?”

  Chelsea stopped crying and slowly lifted her head to look at her sister. She was suddenly calm but still looked a mess from all the tears. Her eyes looked into Madeline’s and she simply stared at her sister. “Maddie,” she said to her sister, “I need to tell you something.”

  Chapter 34

  The man had taken care of the problem with the Gilmore girl for Kershaw or at least that’s what he had been told. It was a little unnerving to not have the evidence in hand, but Kershaw had confidence in him to do the job. Besides, Captain Gilmore would never leak the pictures and damage the image of his precious family. When the man called Kershaw late the night before, the sound of his voice sent chills through his bones, and not even the news of the job being finished comforted him until he had hung up the phone. Now it was time for another unpleasant phone call. At least this one would get Daniel Shaw off of his back for awhile.

  He was put on hold trying to get through to the casino and became frustrated as the elevator music piped out of the receiver. The least Shaw could have done was give him the number to his direct line. No, instead he waited on hold like every other idiot in the city. Finally Kershaw heard a subtle click as the line came alive on the other end.

  “This better be good,” were the first words out of Daniel Shaw’s mouth.

  Kershaw would loved to kill the obnoxious bastard but the man paid too well and had dangerous friends. “It is good, so why don’t you try to be a little cheerful for once.”

  “I have no reason to be cheerful with you Kershaw. You’ve given me nothing but headaches lately. What a mess you made by sending out that worthless piece of shit Jimmy DeLuca. Next time I send you a job to do, you either do it yourself or at least send a real man to do it.”

  “It was a mistake and I’m sorry, but at least everything is cleaned up now. Got it all wrapped up last night.”

  “Where’s the evidence?”

  “Destroyed,” Kershaw lied.

  “And the antique dealer?”

  “Permanently, not a problem.”

  “How,” Shaw asked.

  “I have no idea and I’d rather not know.”

  “And who else knows about this?”

  “Nobody important , why?” Kershaw asked, truly curious.

  “Well you see I have been sent a gift, a coffee mug in fact.”

  “I’m sure it is nice.”

  “Shut up you smart ass,” Shaw screamed into the phone. “Someone wrote a message on it, a threatening one, and I’m not a man who likes to be threatened!”

  “I don’t see how this is related.”

  “It was a Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame mug. Are you connecting the dots now?”

  “It still could be something else,” Kershaw said trying to find an escape. “You’ve made lots of enemies in the past.”

  “I’d say this message was pretty damn specific. Now tell me who else knows.”

  “Jimmy and Alex are the only two and I never told them directly. Well, I told Jimmy directly when I hired him for the first job and Alex figured it out by herself.”

  “That kid is a thorn in my side with his loose mouth and sloppy work ethic.” Shaw fumed in silence on the line for a few seconds. “I don’t think Jimmy has the gall to send me threats but he still is a liability. Find a permanent solution for the kid, will you?”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive, and no screw ups.”

  “Alright,” Kershaw felt a little bad for the kid but he had brought it on himself. “I’ll take care of it right away for you.”

  “Watch that Alex woman too. There is a leak somewhere that needs to be plugged and she is smart and motivated. Also keep your ears open about anyone one sending me this mug. I don’t care if they’re rumors I want to hear everything that’s out on the street.”

  “Fine, but I want more money for this extra work.”

  “You’re on thin ice already Kershaw. I’ll get you your money even though I shouldn’t. None of this would be necessary if you hadn’t botched up the first job.”

  “You don’t have to keep using me for your little tasks.”

  “Be glad I do,” Shaw said with a sneer. “If I didn’t have any use for you then where would that leave us?”

  “I see your point. I’ll take care of everything you asked and you take care of my money.” By the time Kershaw finished his sentence he realized he was talking to a dead line. Da
niel Shaw found new ways to irritate him every time they talked. Too bad the man was untouchable.

  Chapter 35

  Down the block from my condo is a great little coffee shop. It’s not one of the overpriced chains you see occupying every other block, churning out calorie-ridden lattes. The coffee shop was a family run place where you were greeted with a smile by the owner, while his wife put out freshly baked goods. Nothing fancy here and yet every morning the place was packed with the same faces.

  I had battled the wind and the rain to get there, only to wait under the awning outside for a chance to get in. The place was always busy but today the weather was sending everyone for coffee. When I did make it inside, I noticed Colin sitting at a small café table in his stereotypical FBI suit with extra starch, just like the Bureau wants it. He had a copy of the morning paper spread out in front of him and a tall coffee in hand. I had called Colin to meet me here for a little chat about Lee Kershaw. I figured it would be a problem tracking down any information on him and I thought some Bureau help might be useful. Alex had refused more of my attempts to pry her of information by burying herself in my bed and faking sleep. I finally raised a white flag and left her alone.

  After standing in line for my black coffee and croissant, I finally joined Colin at his table. The man had the nerve to ignore me and continued to finish the article he was reading.

  “Ah, I see you made it,” he said, putting down the paper.

  “Anything interesting?” I asked nodding towards the article.

  “Quarterback controversy in Cleveland. Nothing like the start of a brand new season with the same old problems. What’s going on with you?”

  “I’ve got a name that I need you to check out.”

  “Got it from where?” he asked.

  “Alex,” I said burying my face in my coffee knowing damn well what was coming.

  “The woman is trouble. I hope you’re not about to tell me that you are still talking to her after the other night. Shit Jack, you are liable to end up the next person she shoots. I would be worried sick if she had stalked me to the museum.”