Crooked River (Jack Francis Novel)

by MP Murphy

  Chapter 63

  “Hold on a second, Madeline.” I had thought the case had run out of surprises, but to think little Chelsea Gilmore had pulled the trigger on Charles Beard was really something. “Why don’t you back up a little bit and tell me everything.” Another normally tight lipped woman was suddenly about to spill her guts to me and it was a little hard to believe my luck. Maybe my stars were finally in line.

  “I had no idea Chelsea had it in her,” Madeline began calmly. “She has always been a little unstable though.”

  “Your father mentioned that.”

  “Maybe it was because Mother died giving birth to her, but I don’t really know. Anyways Father must have realized how unstable she had become because he was having her followed all the time.”

  “Who was it?”

  “Probably one of his hired thugs, but I’m not sure who. The only reason I found out about it was because I overheard him and Douglas discussing it. It really is amazing how much I have learned from my bedroom porch.”

  “Tell me about it. I seem to remember you using the same technique on me,” I said thinking about my first meeting with Captain Gilmore.

  “What can I say? Old habits die hard. Still, I had no idea Father was worried about Chelsea killing someone. I assumed he simply wanted her watched.”

  “You were with me in the car the night Beard was shot, so how did you find out Chelsea had pulled the trigger?”

  “When I got home that night I poked my head into Chelsea’s room to check on her, since she had been so upset over the blackmail. When I looked in she was asleep and seemed fine. There was only one thing that worried me, a bottle of sleeping pills next to her bed. Normally, I would not have thought too much about it but my sister’s stress levels were at an all-time high and I was afraid she might take too many.”

  “Hold on, you’re telling me you believed Chelsea was unstable enough to overdose on sleeping pills, but not to shoot someone?”

  “Pills were more Chelsea’s style,” Madeline said. “The next day my sister spent the afternoon in her room crying, talking to herself, and pacing the floor. Not an uncommon habit of late. Finally I had enough and went to try to calm her down, but her room suddenly became quiet as I approached her door. I turned back towards my room assuming she had cried herself to sleep like a small child, but I was wrong. A few minutes later I found her on my bed waiting for me as I came out of the shower.”

  “And that’s when she told you,” I asked wanting to keep the story moving.

  “Yes. The poor thing was a wreck. Either father noticed Chelsea’s condition or his man filled him in on everything, because the next day he shipped her off to a clinic in New York.”

  “So that’s why you said Chelsea had said everything she was going to, because your father sent her off to a psych ward.”

  Madeline gave her head a little shake. “I’m not sure what the place is. Maybe it’s a psych ward but probably some type of rehab clinic if I know father.”

  “What I can’t seem to figure out is why you are so willing to tell me all of this now. Beard’s body is still missing and your father has the blackmail pictures of Chelsea, so why would you tell anyone at all?”

  “Jack, I told you from the very beginning that I would do anything to protect my sister.”

  “I’m still not following.”

  “The man hired to follow Chelsea bothers me. He is a loose end.”

  “Why does everyone need to tie up loose ends? I’m pretty sure that is how this whole mess started.”

  “Appearances are everything in my world Jack. It’s important that the Gilmore family appears perfect even though we are far from it. Besides, there’s more if you are willing to listen.”

  I sure did, because a week ago nobody was talking to me, and now Madeline was setting up her sister for murder.

  Chapter 64

  When Madeline began again she started to think outside of the box and into a realm I should have been exploring. She was certainly focused on protecting her sister, but she was seeing the bigger picture.

  “I began to think back and retrace events,” Madeline said. “Chelsea’s confession should have screwed me all up, but instead it made me more determined to protect her. I had no choice but to try to keep my head clear.”

  I sat there silent for a moment not wanting to interrupt her, but she got lost in her own thoughts. “Explain it to me.”

  “Here is the thing, the night we had dinner at the club I was approached in my car by a man.”

  “Do you know who it was?”

  “Not really. He was in my backseat, and it was dark, so I couldn’t get a good look at him from my mirror. On the other hand, he did have the blackmailer’s photos of Chelsea and gave them to me willingly, before disappearing back into the night. It finally dawned on me that the man in my backseat had to have been the one father hired to follow Chelsea.”

  “Why do you think that?” I asked, coming to the same conclusion.

  “Why else would he have the photos and give them up so easily?”

  “It makes sense, except I ran into the house only a moment after we heard the shots. How did he get a hold of the evidence when it was missing before I got there?”

  Madeline smiled, “The evidence left the house mere seconds before you arrived.”

  “Chelsea,” I said a little confused.

  “Yep, even in her frantic state she was able to still find what she had been after.”

  “But then how did this other guy happen to get them?”

  “I’m still working on that part,” Madeline said.

  I wasn’t because I already had figured that part out. “How do you know Chelsea got what she wanted from Beard?”

  “After father sent her away I did what any good sister would do and I went through her stuff.”

  “Why?”

  “I was looking for the gun. It was the only thing connecting her with Beard’s death if he ever turns up.”

  “So did you find it?”

  “No,” Madeline said frustrated, “but I did come across a memory card.”

  “Alright some of this is coming together and parts are still a little confusing, but this is what I know. Today I received a note at my condo. I’m now going to bet the house that whoever sent me that note was also the same person in the backseat of your car.” Even though Alex said no name was on the note I had a hunch it was Colin’s buddy who called in the DeLuca murder. “The note told me how to get my hands on copies of Chelsea’s photos. I will almost guarantee it is how your guy ended up with them that night after you left the club.”

  “How?” Madeline asked curiously.

  “Beard’s computer, but it’s hard to explain how.” It would have been easier to tell her but the last thing I needed was Madeline heading over to Beard’s home. “I have one more question for you.”

  “Go on.”

  “You said your father cleaned up Beard’s death, how?”

  “I’m sorry, but it was nothing more than an assumption, but I have to assume father’s hired help watched the house until you left and then came in and cleaned up. It’s the only reasonable answer since he was hired to look after Chelsea.”

  “It was a pretty impressive clean up in such a short period of time. I think your father’s hired help is a little too skilled for someone hired to simply watch over your sister.”

  Chapter 65

  What little patience Alex had was quickly disappearing, between Jack’s middle of the night escapades, and her feeling like a caged bird inside his condo. There was only so much she could take before something would have to be done about her present situation. Even the threat on her life wasn’t enough for her to ignore the potential opportunity in finding those files on Beard’s computer, and having a little leverage with Daniel Shaw. They could even be used to play Captain Gilmore if she wanted. Two of the city’s most powerful men connected by a simple photograph brought with it a lot of possibilities to whoever was willing to take a lit
tle risk. With Alex’s life already on the line it took most of the risk out of the equation.

  While she was lying on the couch in one of Jack’s dress shirts, she realized it was time for her to do something. Sitting around and waiting on the help of other people was simply not her style. Moving quickly she went to the bedroom, pulled off Jack’s shirt and tossed it on the bed. The shower was cold and revitalized her body from the lethargic day of doing nothing. Once she was ready, she called a cab and headed down to the street, a woman on a mission.

  A debate had been raging through her mind when she showered. Part of her knew that going straight to Charles Beard’s house to retrieve the files from his computer might be the safest bet, but if someone was there waiting, for Jack or whoever else might show up, then Alex would be going in blind and unarmed. She already felt helpless enough over the past few days, so she directed the cabby to head towards her apartment. It was a risk but she needed some protection, and until Jack returned, all she had was her gun.

  Grabbing the Bersa Thunder from her closet lock box, Alex realized that she had forgotten a way to save the files found on Beard’s computer. Stowing the pistol, she made her way back down to the street, and walked a few blocks to a small electronics store where she bought a small flash drive for her key chain, and a second one to hide as a backup. Paying the man behind the counter in cash, Alex was finally ready to make her way across town to the antique dealer’s house.

  The streets seemed suddenly deserted, and she had to go a couple blocks before she was able to hail a cab. The drive across the bridge spanning the crooked waters of the Cuyahoga was painless and congestion free. Alex had the cab driver drop her off in the market district of Ohio City, not wanting anyone to know where she was going. It might have been a little walk to Beard’s home, but it was certainly better than a nosy cab driver.

  Leaving the driver a healthy tip, Alex pretended to window shop as she watched him drive off. The moment the cab was out of view, she began her walk into the Ohio City neighborhood unaware of a new cab pulling onto the street behind her.

  Chapter 66

  “I can’t believe that little spoiled brat had it in her,” Colin said from the bar at the Greenhouse Tavern. Madeline and I had raced back to Cleveland almost immediately after our conversation. “Do you believe her?” he asked me.

  “There is no reason not to. Madeline has been hard to pin down in the past, but I doubt she would call her sister a killer if it wasn’t true.”

  “The rich play different games than we do. What did you think about those phone records?” Colin asked knowing full well our conclusions would be the same.

  We had gone over them the moment I got to the bar and I continued to pour over each page as we talked. “I’m pretty sure Levi’s cell phones are telling us a good story here, and probably offering us a motive if my assumptions are right.”

  “So what are you planning on doing with the information?” He asked as he shoveled a fork full of gravy covered fries into his mouth.

  “Nothing. The phone records prove to me that Alex was correct about Daniel Shaw being behind the shooting, but it is not enough to hold up legally, especially when we got a hold of them illegally.”

  “Maybe you should talk to Willow Shaw. I’m sure she is overcome with emotion by the loss of her young lover.”

  “And probably scared to death she’ll be next. I’ll talk to her in the morning. What I need to do is get Lee Kershaw to talk. He took the orders from Shaw and passed them on for execution. Kershaw would also know who was sent to kill Jimmy, which I assume is your caller and the author of my recent note.”

  Colin smiled at me with a look that said good luck buddy.

  “Kershaw has no reason to talk to you.”

  “No, but I think he’ll start to open up if he thinks his life is in jeopardy. It worked with Alex didn’t it?”

  “Sure, get the man to see his maker in the near future and we will have this thing all wrapped up.”

  “I think we can keep the maker out of it. We do want him alive to testify someday.” I reached over and stole one of Colin’s fries.

  “What’s your plan then?” he asked with a look that told me I would lose my hand if I attempted a stunt like that again.

  “I’m working on it. There has been a lot to process in the past twenty-four hours.”

  “You’ve still got your little note to deal with too.”

  “Thanks for the reminder Colin. You know you can be so helpful on occasion.”

  “I’m here for you buddy.”

  I was tired from the past day’s excursion and needed to check on Alex. I had been sitting at the bar with Colin for a couple of hours now and my ass was numb from the stool. “I need to get home, it has been a sleepless couple of days.”

  “By all means don’t let me keep you.” Colin gestured towards the door sarcastically. “Go check in with the missus and tell her I said hi.”

  “You are real cute, you know that.”

  “Sure do. One more thing before you go, Jack.”

  “Make it quick, I’m tired.”

  “If Kershaw is the lynchpin to any case against Daniel Shaw then he is being watched closely, so you better be careful when you make your move on him.”

  “Now Colin, for once that is some good advice.”

  Chapter 67

  All I wanted was a good night’s sleep. If I could somehow get one restful night, I would be re-energized to deal with everything tomorrow and have a clear head to do it. On my walk home from my meeting with Colin I decided my long day entitled me to a small snack before bed. I had two choices according to my stomach and I was having trouble choosing between sushi and a sandwich. With Alex at the condo I figured the appropriate thing to do was to see if she was hungry as well. My home phone rang and rang until the sound of my own voice answered on the voicemail. I was not surprised Alex didn’t pick up the phone. It was getting late and she had probably already retreated to the bedroom. My first instinct was to leave her alone if she had already gone to bed, but I had yet to call her since returning to town, and figured it was probably a good time to start apologizing for the night before. She had become accustomed to leaving her cell phone on a charger next to my bed, so I knew there was a good chance she would answer it.

  It rang for a little longer than I would have liked before she answered with a whispered, “Hello?”

  “Were you asleep?”

  “No.”

  “I’m on my way home. I was thinking about picking up some food, are you hungry?”

  “Jack, I’m not at your place at the moment.” There was hesitation in her voice. “I’m on my way over to Beard’s house.”

  “Alex, are you nuts?”

  “I’m sorry, but I told you I felt like a helpless caged bird. Besides, someone needed to get to Beard’s computer. What if someone else thought to retrieve the deleted files?”

  “Someone did. Aren’t you forgetting the note? What if you are walking straight into a trap?”

  “If it’s a trap, then it was set for you Jack and not me. That note had your name on it.”

  “Alex you should know better than I do that it might not matter who walks into that house. Where are you now?” I was already scanning the streets for a cab.

  “About a block and a half from the house.”

  “Walking?” I was stunned she would leave herself out in the open like that.

  “Yeah I’m walking. I had no desire to take a cab to Beard’s place after what happened last time.”

  It might actually be one smart move within a much larger mistake. “I’m hailing a taxi and coming for you right now.”

  “But Jack, what if it’s a trap for you?”

  “It really doesn’t matter at this point.”

  “Be careful,” Alex said sincerely. “I’ll be at the house waiting for you.” Without another word she hung up.

  Chapter 68

  The murder of Charles Beard had not garnered any attention from the local au
thorities or the news. The fact of the matter was there was no murder to investigate. No one reported the initial shooting and Beard’s body was still missing. Jack Francis had stumbled across the murder scene but it had quickly disappeared like a figment of his imagination. There was not a single angle to pursue for a murder investigation, and there was yet to be a missing persons report filed. Beard’s life spent searching for rare antiques across the world had left him isolated and alone. The neighbors could go months without seeing him and it was no different now. As Alex entered Beard’s home, she found the back door unlocked, as Jack had, and everything else almost as Charles Beard had left it.

  She was aware that a few people had been through the house before her. Jack, whoever cleaned up the murder, and probably some of Colin’s buddies all had a chance to snoop around the place. It was Alex’s turn now and she was not about to wait for Jack to show up.

  Walking through the house Alex, passed the office where Beard kept his computer and headed up the stairs. Part of her wanted to start working on those deleted files right away, but there was something else she wanted to look for before Jack arrived…something her gut told her she would find. The antique dealer’s bedroom was bare, cold, and lacked any resemblance to comfort. Alex thought a more plush accommodation could be found in the old Eastern Bloc. The layout was functional with a bed, a small dresser, and an old, broken desk facing a window to the street below. There were not a lot of hiding places in a room so sparsely decorated, so Alex had high hopes her search would be quick.