Justice in Mystic Grove

by S F Bose

  As I stood to leave his office, he was still watching Flip on his computer. Sam had a slight smile on his lips. He had become a doggy daddy and I could have hugged him.

  I returned to my office and realized there was nothing more I could do on the Meagher case. So I surfed the web for a while.

  Later, Neville asked if we could talk. I waved him into my office and he sat on one of the guest chairs.

  “I was thinking about what Sam said about working here part-time after I start classes,” he said.

  “Would you want to do that?” I asked.

  “I would. I like the work more than I thought I would. And the details of doing an investigations will help me with my future mysteries,” Neville replied.

  “What about the time commitment?” I asked.

  “That’s where I might have a problem. A part of my program includes teaching a class. It’s great experience and they’ll pay me. Between teaching, attending classes, and writing, I don’t know how much free time I’ll have,” Neville replied. “I might only be able to swing ten hours a week.” He looked at me hopefully.

  “Tell you what. Why don’t we wait until you have your schedule and see what we can do? How does that sound?” I asked.

  Neville smiled and his face transformed. He was a handsome man when he was relaxed and happy. “That sounds great, Liz. Thanks.”

  “Thank you. You made a great contribution in the short time you’ve been here,” I replied and rolled my chair back. “Oh nuts!”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I have too much stuff behind my desk. I keep rolling into this old briefcase” I replied. I stood and lifted it to the top of my desk. “I need to find a better spot for this.”

  “Did you figure out the lock?” Neville asked. He stood and took a closer look at the bag.

  “Sam opened it. There are two envelopes filled with sheets of paper that have printed designs on them,” I replied. I eyed the evidence box that also sat near my chair.

  “Can I look?” he asked.

  “Sure, it’s unlocked,” I replied. I bent down and moved the evidence box farther back against the wall.

  “Oh wow!” Neville exclaimed.

  I turned back to my desk. Neville stood looking at some of the pages. “Do you know what those are?” I asked.

  “Sure. These are bitcoin paper wallets. There are some nice designs here,” Neville replied, flipping through the sheets.

  “They’re artwork?” I asked, sitting down.

  He looked up and smiled. “You know what bitcoin is, right?” he asked. He held a packet of twenty or so sheets in his hands.

  “Sure, it’s a cryptocurrency,” I replied.

  Neville nodded and sat down. “Right. Most of these paper wallets have a ‘B’ that’s stylized to look like a dollar sign. That’s why I think these are bitcoin paper wallets.”

  “What exactly is a paper wallet? The bitcoin wallets I’m familiar with are applications on computers, the web, or cell phones,” I said.

  “Exactly right. But some people like to transfer their bitcoin to a paper wallet like this,” Neville said and held one sheet up. “It’s like cold storage. It reduces the chances of someone hacking into their digital wallet since it’s offline. Of course, you have to protect the paper wallets. Sometimes people will make two copies and store them in separate locations.”

  I rubbed my eyes and tried to focus. “So that one page is like a bitcoin wallet I could have on a cell phone or the internet?” I asked.

  “Right.”

  I looked at the pages in Neville’s hands and was confused. “But how do you use a paper wallet to send and receive bitcoin?”

  “Excellent question. Someone would first create and print a paper wallet like this sheet,” Neville said and held up one of the pieces of paper. “The paper wallet has a public key and a private key printed on it. Then the person would send bitcoin to the paper wallet’s public key from a digital wallet or an exchange. The transaction would be stored permanently on the blockchain, which is like an electronic ledger.”

  Neville jumped up and put a paper wallet sheet on the desk.

  “This is the public key that you’d use to receive bitcoin,” he said pointing to a long string of numbers and letters. “If you wanted to spend the bitcoin in your paper wallet, it’s a little more complicated. You’d have to sweep all of the bitcoin in the paper wallet into a PC wallet, web-based wallet, cell phone wallet, or exchange using the private key. But not all digital wallets support sweeping bitcoin,” Neville explained. “This is the private key for this wallet,” he added, pointing to another long string of numbers and letters on the paper wallet in front of me.

  “I understand,” I replied. “What are the square blocks by the public and private keys?”

  “Those are QR codes that you can use to scan the key instead of typing it in,” Neville replied. “It’s a lot easier.”

  “Scanning would definitely make it easier,” I agreed. “But paper wallets don’t seem as fast or efficient as other types of bitcoin wallets.”

  “You’re right. Paper wallets are really used more for offline storage. Sometimes people will even password protect their paper wallets. If you don’t have the password, then you can’t sweep the bitcoin to another wallet and spend it. It’s another level of protection. Have I bored you to tears?” Neville asked with a smile.”

  “No, not at all,” I replied and looked at the stack of sheets in his hands. “Neville, how would you know if any of those wallets contained bitcoin, especially if they’re password protected?”

  Neville shook his head. “Frankly, I’d be surprised if there are any bitcoin in these wallets. There are so many of them. But it’s easy to use the public key to check the balance. I can look at the wallets I have here and see what we’ve got.”

  I nodded and handed him the paper wallet that was on my desk. “That would be great, Neville. Let me know what you find.”

  “Liz, who owns these bitcoin wallets?” he asked.

  I thought for a moment. “Steven Meagher owned them originally. So everything in the briefcase would go to Larissa Meagher.”

  “If there’s any bitcoin here, she’ll be a happy woman,” Neville replied.

  I nodded. “We won’t say anything to her until we know for sure what we have.”

  “Agreed,” he replied.

  I looked at the stack of bitcoin wallets that Neville held in his hand. “You know, Steven Meagher told Doc Marsden he could store illegal gambling winnings by using bitcoin. I wonder if this is Meagher’s stash of gambling profits.”

  Neville was about to reply when Sam suddenly shouted from his office, “Showtime! Let’s roll!”

  I jumped up. “Here we go,” Neville said and dashed out of my office with the packet of sheets. I closed the briefcase and tossed it back under my desk. Grabbing my jacket and messenger bag, I ran after Neville. He stopped at his desk to grab his backpack. Then we met Sam at the front door and hurried downstairs to his Jeep. It was a quiet ride over to the police station.

  Chapter 36

  We met Newmont in his office. He looked relaxed as he listened to someone on the phone.

  “Okay, if you find anything bring it back to the station right away,” he said and hung up.

  “They started the searches?” Sam asked.

  “They have. Four teams are searching the homes and business locations. Two more officers are prepared to search Fontana and Vann’s cars in our parking lot. I haven’t served those warrants yet.”

  “Are they both here?” I asked.

  “Yeah, we have Dom in the large interrogation room and Tommy in one of the smaller rooms. We’ll move Tommy in with Dom shortly.”

  Sam nodded. “They haven’t seen each other?”

  “No,” Newmont replied. “I scheduled Fontana fifteen minutes earlier than Vann.”

  “They’re both cooperating?” I asked.

  Newmont nodded. “They are. I told them separately that they were here for
additional questioning but weren’t under arrest and could leave at any time.”

  “Is Larissa here?” Sam asked.

  “Yeah, she's in a conference room on the other side of the building with an officer. I’ll take you to the observation room first. We can watch what happens when they put Tommy Vann in with Dom Fontana. Then the three of us will join them,” Newmont said, looking at Sam and me. He turned to Neville. “Neville, you’ll stay in the observation room.”

  Neville shifted his backpack to his other shoulder. “Yes sir. Do you record the interviews?”

  “We do,” Newmont replied. All of our interrogation rooms have multiple HD IP digital video cameras and microphones. The interview data ends up on a central server. After we’re done here today, I can review the interview at my desk using our interview software. It’s state of the art. You’ll get a feel for it in the observation room.”

  “Wish we had a system like that,” I said glancing at Sam.

  “We can’t afford it yet,” he replied and laughed.

  Newmont picked up a notebook and file folder. “Okay, let’s go,” he said.

  We followed him out of the office and toward the interrogation rooms. After walking down several corridors, Newmont stopped and entered an office.

  “This is the observation room for the larger interrogation room we’re using today,” Newmont said over his shoulder.

  We followed him into the room. There was a desk and computer on the left. A very large, color display screen hung on the wall to the right of the desk. The screen was divided into six windows, each with a different view of the interrogation room.

  We all looked up at the screen. In one display window, Dom Fontana sat at the long table. He looked calm, almost bored.

  “The audio is on?” Neville asked quietly.

  Newmont nodded. “Yes. You’ll hear anything that’s said in the interrogation room.”

  Neville grabbed a chair and sat down, eyes riveted on Fontana.

  Newmont made a cell phone call and said quietly, “Bring him in.”

  After a few minutes, in another video window, we saw the interrogation room door open. Tommy Vann walked in followed by a police officer. When he saw Dom, Tommy stopped. My eyes flicked to the other window. Dom’s eyebrows drew down into a frown but he didn’t say anything.

  “What is this?” Tommy asked, turning toward the officer.

  “Sit on that side of the table, please,” the officer replied, pointing toward Dom.

  Tommy sat two chairs away from Dom, closer to the door. Both watched as the officer left the room. Now we could watch Dom and Tommy in one window on the video display.

  Tommy looked at Dom and started to say something, but Dom interrupted. “You here for the Meagher investigation?” he asked.

  Tommy frowned and stared at Dom. Finally, he said, “Yeah, I am.”

  “So what’s going on here?” asked Tommy.

  Dom shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  After that, they sat in silence. Dom resumed his look of boredom. Tommy shifted positions in his chair, drummed his fingers on the table, and swallowed frequently.

  “Tommy’s nervous,” I whispered.

  “Time to rock and roll,” Newmont replied.

  Chapter 37

  Sam and I followed Newmont into the interrogation room. It was a brightly lit and sparsely furnished room with a long wooden table and padded chairs. Aside from recessed cameras and microphones, the walls were bare.

  Newmont smiled and slapped the notepad and file folder on the long table. He sat down in the chair across from Tommy.

  “Gentlemen, thank you for waiting. I think you both know Sam Nolan and Liz Bean?”

  Dom and Tommy both looked at us. I sat two chairs to the left of Newmont, across from Dom Fontana. Sam sat two chairs to his right, closer to the door.

  “I thought I was coming in to talk to you one on one, deputy. What’s with the big group?” Tommy asked.

  “Well, Tommy, we’re at a critical point in our investigation. Something has come up and I’m hoping you can both help us,” Newmont replied. “I figured talking to you together would save time. As I mentioned earlier, you’re not in custody and can leave at any time.”

  Both Dom and Tommy nodded.

  “But why are they here?” Tommy asked, looking at Sam and then me.

  “Sam and Liz are here because they’re investigating Meagher’s murder for a client,” Newmont replied. “We’ve shared some information about the case.”

  Tommy sat back in his chair and eyed us. Dom just stared at Newmont.

  “Do you two know each other?” Newmont asked, looking at Dom and Tommy. His voice was friendly and conversational.

  Dom shook his head and Tommy replied, “No.”

  Newmont smiled. “Well let me handle the introductions, then. Dom Fontana, this is Tommy Vann. Tommy this is Dom.”

  Dom and Tommy looked at each other and barely nodded.

  “So what’s come up that you think we can help with?” Dom asked Newmont.

  “Bear with me for a moment,” Newmont replied. He made a call on his cell phone and after a pause said, “Yes.” Then he hung up.

  A few minutes later, Larissa Meagher entered the room trailed by an officer. She was pale and looked nervous. After glancing at Dom and Tommy, she quickly looked away.

  “Hello Larissa. Please be seated there,” Newmont said and pointed to the chair across from Sam. Larissa took the chair and the officer stood by the door. He was tall and muscular. His nametag said “E. Williams.”

  Tommy sat back and cut a quick look at Dom. Dom had turned his chair toward the door. His eyes were locked onto Larissa.

  “Larissa, you know Dom and Tommy?” Newmont asked.

  “Yes,” she replied.

  “Okay, I want to review some things you mentioned in an interview with Liz and Sam. These are things you also shared with me. Is that okay?” Newmont asked.

  Larissa looked surprised to be asked. “Sure.”

  “All right, good. You said that Dom called you in Chicago the day your husband was murdered. Can you tell us about that call?” Newmont asked.

  Larissa took a deep breath and exhaled.

  “Dom called me in the afternoon to see if I was having a good time. When I said I was, he said I’d be even happier because we’d be together forever soon. He said it was our destiny.”

  Dom interrupted. “I already told you I called Larissa that day.”

  Newmont raised his left palm toward Dom. “Don’t interrupt, Dom.” Fontana glared at Newmont.

  Newmont turned back to Larissa. “Go on, please.”

  Larissa nodded. “Dom told he was driving my car. He’d been with Moose Crotty for hours and said Moose was in a bad way. So Dom decided to take a break and go for a ride in the Caddy to clear his head. He was on his way back to Moose’s place and planned to stay there late. I warned him that he’d better put my car back in the same lot and he said he would. Then he told me if anyone asked that I should say he called me from Moose Crotty’s place.”

  “What are you talking about, Larissa?” Dom demanded. When Newmont gave him a hard look, Dom shook his head.

  “So Dom said he was driving your car on the day of the murder?” Newmont asked.

  “He did,” Larissa replied.

  Newmont opened the file folder in front of him. “Okay, we did check your cell phone, Larissa, and you had an incoming call from Dom at 2:04 p.m. on the day of the murder.”

  “That was the call from Dom,” she said.

  “Did anything else happen during your conversation?” Newmont asked.

  Larissa narrowed her eyes. “It did. There was another person in the car with Dom. I heard a different voice in the background. It was a man’s voice and he was angry. I recognized him and asked Dom what he was doing with Tommy Vann.”

  Tommy sat up straight. “What? That’s a lie!”

  Dom shook his head. “That never happened.”

  “Settle down!” Newmont
said loudly and they both looked angry.

  Newmont looked back at Larissa. “Go on.”

  “Dom got angry and said he wasn’t with anybody named Tommy. He told me he’ picked up a hitchhiker. But I’ve known Tommy Vann for years and he’s got that distinctive nasally voice,” Larissa replied.

  Tommy shook his head.

  “Could you understand anything that Tommy Vann was saying?” Newmont asked.

  Larissa nodded. “He swore a few times. He told Dom to hang up. And he said they could track cell phones.”

  Tommy closed his eyes and muttered something.

  “Who could track cell phones?” Newmont asked.

  Larissa shrugged. “Tommy just said ‘they.’ And when I asked, Dom laughed it off. ”

  “Okay, what happened after that?” asked Newmont.

  “Dom reminded me to tell anyone who asked that he had called me from Moose’s place. Then he hung up.”

  “Deputy, that is a fairy tale. None of that happened,” Dom said in a tight voice.

  Newmont looked at Dom. “After Larissa is done, you can talk,” he said.

  He turned back to Larissa. “Did you talk to Dom about that call later?”

  Larissa nodded. I watched her face closely as she repeated what she had told Sam, Neville, and me earlier.

  “Yes. Dom came to my house about a week after the murder. Like I told Liz and Sam, his face was all bruised. He said he and Moose Crotty had gotten into a fistfight over something stupid Dom had said. I told him that didn’t sound like Moose at all and Dom got angry.”

  “Did you believe him about the fight?” Newmont asked.

  “Not really, but I said I did so we wouldn’t keep arguing about it. I was tired and dealing with the loss of my husband,” Larissa replied. “Then I asked him why he drove my car that day. Dom told me I could never talk about that to anyone. He said I should forget he ever mentioned it and I agreed. So I asked about Tommy Vann being in the car with him and Dom got very angry again. He told me he’d picked up a hitchhiker and wanted to know why I kept asking about Tommy Vann. We argued about that for a while. That was when I first thought he was lying to me.”

  “When do I get to talk?” Dom asked loudly. His face was red.