by David Keith
Back in his SUV, the morning sun made it uncomfortably warm. Chuck rolled down the window, toyed with the cell phone and considered pulling the plug on his little surveillance operation. Police work, he thought, wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
Chuck felt the grip on his jacket before his mind could process the sight of the arm coming through the open window. The grip was tight and the speed of it all took the wind out of him.
Jack Keller.
“Wanna tell me why the hell you’ve been following me, Old Man?”
The investigator was far stronger than Chuck had imagined. His heart raced and he uttered a few incoherent sounds as his mind tried to catch up.
“I’m waiting for an answer,” Keller demanded. He loosened his grip. “Talk to me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Keller let go and leaned into the window, resting his arm on the door. To a passerby, it appeared as though two friends were having a conversation.
“Well, that’s one hell of a coincidence. St. Joseph’s Church, the bank, and now SaveCo? What’s your name, Old Man?”
“This is some kind of mistake. I don’t…”
“Don’t screw with me. Give me your wallet.”
Chuck hesitated.
“Your wallet, Old Man! Let’s see some ID.”
Reluctantly, Chuck pulled the wallet from his back pocket and opened it for Keller. The investigator studied it closely.
“Well, Charles, you wanna tell me why you’ve been following me around? You got an axe to grind with me? Did I arrest you for something? Pop your grandson? What’s your problem?”
Chuck saw an opening. “You arrested my son a few years back. It was a bogus charge, but it stuck, in no small thanks to you, and he went to prison for three years. You ruined his life. You trumped up those charges against him. You’re a dirty cop, and I wanted to catch you doing something illegal so I could turn you in. Payback.”
“What was his name, and what did I pop him for?”
“Ruben, Ruben Serrano. You accused him of robbery. He did three years because of you. He had a wife and son, but he lost them and it’s your fault.”
“I don’t remember ever arresting any Ruben Serrano, and I’ve got a pretty good memory.”
“Well, he sure as hell remembers you.” Chuck was gaining confidence in his story. Keller at least was listening to what he was saying.
“Reuben Serrano, huh? Where did he do his time?”
Chuck and Mia talked about a lot of cases handled by the RCSO. He knew nothing about the state prison system, so he tried the only name he could remember.
“La Vista. He was in La Vista.”
“Okay, Old Man, give me your ID again.”
Chuck complied.
“You live here in Castle Springs, Mr. Serrano?”
“Yes, I do. I live with my daughter,” he told him, instantly regretting it.
“Here’s what we’re gonna do,” Keller told him. “You’re going to give me your keys. I’m going to step over there and make a call. If you come back clean, you can go.”
Chuck handed over the keys and Keller stepped away from the SUV. Chuck struggled to listen but couldn’t make out the words. He could only see Keller’s silhouette in the rear view mirror looking at his license and talking on the phone.
“Hey, Nikki, it’s Jack Keller. Look, I need a favor. I’m supposed to meet up with Mia Serrano this morning on a case. I’ve misplaced her home address and she’s not answering her cell. Can you look it up for me? Sure, thanks, I’ll hold.”
Keller returned to the SUV and handed Chuck his ID. “Okay Old Man, you’re clean.”
A wave of relief washed over Chuck. “Listen, I’m sorry, I made a mistake.”
“You any relation to Mia Serrano of the Rocklin County Sheriff’s Office?”
“Mia Serrano? No, I don’t know anyone by that name. There are a lot of Serranos. No relation to anyone named Mia.”
“That’s funny,” Keller said, snatching Chuck by the jacket again. “Since you fucking live with her.”
TWENTY-FIVE
Chuck stood helplessly beside the SUV as Keller pulled out the laptop and cell and set them on the hood. The investigator tinkered with the electronics, chuckled and shook his head in disbelief.
“Gee, Charles, pretty high tech for a guy your age.”
Keller locked up the SUV and slammed the door. He poked Chuck in the chest with his index finger. “Listen, Charles, and understand me. I’m a law enforcement officer, and I don’t appreciate being stalked. There are laws against this sort of thing.”
Chuck never seriously considered the consequences of getting caught. He was suddenly terrified of what this could mean for Mia, and possibly Mick.
“I’m hoping there’s a damn good explanation for this, so you and I are going make a little run over to your house so I can hear it. And make no mistake—if you want to play games or think you’re going to fuck with me, you can sit your ass in a holding cell until we sort it out in front of a judge. Got it?”
Terrified, Chuck reluctantly agreed.
“We’ll take my truck,” Keller added.
It took the veteran investigator only a few seconds to find the GPS tracker Chuck had mounted under the vehicle.
“Listen, I didn’t…,” Chuck pleaded.
“Shut up, Charles,” Keller barked. “Get in the damn truck.”
Mia woke with her head on Mick’s chest. The night had been wonderful. They made love and fell asleep together in a warm embrace.
Mick began to rustle. “Hey, good looking,” he whispered.
“Good morning,” she said, squeezing him tightly. “I wish we could stay right here all day.”
“I’m good with that,” Mick said, smiling. “Although, I could go for a cup of coffee. Think your dad is downstairs?”
“No, I heard him go out awhile ago. He likes to take hikes on Sunday mornings. Why, you worried about the walk of shame?”
“Ha,” Mick scoffed.
“Dad loves you. He’ll be thrilled you’re here.”
As they approached the house, Chuck was filled with dread. How could he possibly explain himself to Mia? His stupidity could damage not only her career but her relationship with Mick.
Keller saw Serrano’s unmarked RCSO car in the driveway.
“Does Mia keep her personal car in the garage? Keller asked.
“Yes, most of the time.”
“Any idea if she’s home right now?”
“Not really. On Sundays she sometimes does the shopping or runs errands. She didn’t tell me anything about her plans for today.”
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
Keller parked the truck fifty yards or so from the house, around a little bend in the street. If Mia was out running errands, Keller didn’t want her seeing his truck when she got back.
At the door, Sasha was there instantly to greet Chuck, but her wagging tail turned quickly into an angry bark once she saw Keller.
“It’s okay, Sasha, it’s okay.” Chuck picked up the dog and Sasha relented. But she didn’t take her eyes off the stranger.
“I hear water running,” Keller observed.
“That must be Mia,” Chuck said.
“Okay, then we wait. Got a comfortable place to sit in this place?”
Chuck led Keller into the living room. They each took a seat, with Keller on the sofa and Chuck on the recliner across from him.
“So, why were you following me, Charles? Can you at least tell me that?”
Chuck didn’t respond.
“I take it Reuben isn’t here. Too bad, I would have liked to hear about the hard time he did at La Vista for the robbery conviction. You made a mistake on that one, Charles. La Vista houses women and transgendered inmates. So your imaginary son is a tranny, Charles?”
More silence.
“You gotta have a plan, Charles, and amateurs never do. I’ve been a cop for over thirty-five years, and I always have a plan.
I’ve had lots of threats, so I’m always watching my back and I don’t miss much. I didn’t miss you at St. Joseph’s the other morning or at the bank. Hell, you almost knocked me over. Then this morning at the SaveCo, you pop up again—and I’d had enough, so I gave you a little surprise. I wish I had a picture of the look on your face when I reached in through your window. Priceless. Never take your eye off your mark, Charles. That was your big mistake… allowing me to get the drop on you.”
“I’ll remember that,” Chuck said, giving Keller an icy stare.
Keller chuckled. “Well, good. Then this whole episode hasn’t been a waste for you, Charles. See, you learned something.”
There was movement upstairs.
“Okay, Charles, it’s show time. Sounds like Mia’s coming down,” whispered Keller.
Chuck fidgeted in his seat, dreading Mia’s reaction.
Fresh from the shower, Mick was dying for a cup of coffee. Mia had told him Chuck was gone, so he didn’t bother to get dressed just to run to the kitchen.
Had the sunlight reflecting through the front window not caught his eye, Mick probably wouldn’t have even noticed the two men in the living room. But it did. Mick stood before his lead investigator and his girlfriend’s father wearing only a towel.
“Mia!” Mick called out loudly. “You might want to come down here.”
No one spoke.
“Coming!” Mia said as she came down the stairs. “Mick, your phone was just buzz—”
She stopped cold in her bathrobe holding her boss’s cell phone. Mia was utterly confused.
“C’mon in, everybody,” Keller bellowed, sarcastically. “This is turning into quite a busy Sunday morning for all of us! Mia, I had the unexpected pleasure of meeting your father this morning at the supermarket. And apparently that was just the first surprise of the day. May I suggest we all take a seat?”
“What the hell is going on here?” Mia asked.
“I think your dad has been watching a few too many cop shows. I caught him following me today, and earlier this week, for that matter. His skills are a bit unpolished, but he’s got potential. Just before you two made your appearance, I was asking Charles why he was so interested in an old investigator like me. Perhaps you can shed some light on this?” Keller asked, his gaze locked on Mia.
Just as Mia started to respond, Mick’s phone rang loudly and began vibrating. He glanced down at the caller ID, “I’ve gotta take this; it’s Brett Rainey from ESU.”
Mick turned away, his free hand holding the towel in place.
“Hey, Brett, what’s up? When, and what was said? So the article did the trick, huh? That’s terrific!”
Keller’s focus shifted immediately. The call was probably trouble for Lisa. As he contemplated the consequences, his burner phone began vibrating. He quickly reached into his pocket and hit the mute button. Jack knew who was calling.
“When are they supposed to meet?” Mick asked Rainey.
Mia and Keller could only watch and imagine what exactly was going down. Chuck just wanted to sneak down to the basement and escape.
“Well, they want to keep their stories straight. But look, the timing couldn’t be better. The wiretap was set to expire tomorrow. We’re gonna need arrest warrants, fast.”
Keller’s phone vibrated again, this time signaling a text message. Lisa needed help. He wanted out of there, fast.
“If you could send the transcript of the warrant to the DA’s office and the warrant team, that would be a big help. Arresting officers will be Keller and Serrano. No, that’s okay,” Mick said, looking around the room, “I’ll brief them myself.”
It was awkward for all.
“Thanks again for all the hard work on this, Brett, and thank your ESU guys for me. Right, see ya,” Mick said as he switched off the call.
“What gives, Captain?” Keller asked.
“Jack, I’m sorry I didn’t have you up to speed on this, but I had Archer run a story in this morning’s paper in hopes of rattling Lennox and Sullivan. Looks like it worked. Lennox left a message on Sullivan’s voicemail a few minutes ago. He set up a meeting for them to get their story straight. They are meeting today at noon at the Bean Crazy on Petal Highway.”
“I thought I was the lead investigator on this case, Captain,” Keller said angrily.
“Look, Jack, now is not the time,” Mick shot back.
“Clearly,” Keller snapped.
“Look, Investigator, I need you and Investigator Serrano to coordinate the takedown team on this. We’ve only got a few hours to make this happen. Present evidence notwithstanding, we’re professionals. So here’s what we’re going to do: we’ll stage at the department’s storage warehouse in the industrial center around the corner from the Bean Crazy coffee shop. We all know the location; we’ve used it for training. I’ll get Archer on board, and I need both of you ready to do the interrogation after the bust.”
Mick glanced at his phone.
“It’s just past 8:30. We can discuss what happened here another time. Right now it’s time to go to work. Any questions?”
“No,” said Mia.
“On it,” said Keller. “May I be excused then?” he added.
“Yes, Investigator, you may be excused,” Mick responded, annoyed. Sometimes Keller’s snide attitude really pissed him off.
“Thank you, Captain. Good morning, all,” Keller shot back as he headed out, closing the door firmly behind him.
Mia turned to Chuck, “Damn it, Dad! What—”
Mick interrupted, “Mia. Not now.”
Chuck seized the opportunity, “Yeah, Mia, you guys go to work. I’ll be here with Sasha.”
TWENTY-SIX
Keller had very little time to make things happen. Unless he moved quickly, Lisa might be arrested and held to answer for her role in the murder of George Lombard. But he was only able to pick up bits and pieces from McCallister’s call.
Lisa’s text read, “Scott called, I didn’t answer, but he left a message. What do I do? Pls call.”
Keller was dialing his burner phone even before he made it to the truck.
“Hello?” Lisa said, shaken.
“What did he say on the message?”
“He said there was an article in the paper this morning and that the cops were reopening the investigation. He said we needed to meet to get our stories straight. He wants me to meet him at noon. I’m so scared.”
“Where are you right now?”
“I’m at home.”
“Okay, Lisa, I need you to listen carefully. One way or another you can’t stay there. I need you to pack. One bag only. Meet me at Tamale Jack’s near your house, you know the place, right?”
“Yes.”
“Meet me there in thirty minutes.”
“Uh, okay.”
“Lisa, everything’s going to be all right. We’ll work it out. I’ll take care of you.”
“I’ll be there in half an hour,” she said.
Jack stewed with each passing mile as he headed south on I-25. An old man had followed him, his captain was apparently screwing his partner, and somebody planted an article about his case without consulting him.
The article pissed him off the most. It was a clear sign he wasn’t trusted at RCSO. Where did that come from? Serrano? McCallister? Were they conspiring against him? Could they know more about Lisa than they let on? And why the hell was Serrano’s father following him?
McCallister was back in his office twenty minutes after dispatching Keller and Mia. He had begun planning on the way to the office. Keller and Mia would take the lead. He’d need another four undercover cars with eight undercover deputies. The captain doubted Lennox and Sullivan had the potential to become violent when confronted, but it was a public place on a Sunday afternoon and he wasn’t going to take any chances. The UC cars would be strategically placed—two in the parking lot of Bean Crazy and the other two parked out on Petal Highway, pointing in opposite directions and ready to initiate a pursuit in the unlikel
y event Lennox and Sullivan decided to run. Uniformed deputies working the beat would be alerted and be ready to assist if it turned into an actual pursuit. McCallister was confident there was no way Lennox and Sullivan would elude capture.
Mick called Mark Archer so he could alert Anita Sanchez at the News-Press to the takedown. It was payback for the article that put things in motion. She wouldn’t get the story before anyone else, but the tip would allow her to prepare and be first online with details. Most media outlets only had inexperienced, skeleton crews on weekends, giving Sanchez an even bigger advantage.
Next, McCallister dialed Sheriff Connelly. He hoped the boss hadn’t decided to sleep late. Mick never liked waking him up, but he was confident this was a call the sheriff wouldn’t mind taking.
“Sheriff, it’s Captain McCallister. We got a break in the Lombard case…”
When she got to the office, Mia began reviewing the murder book. She knew the case inside and out, but by refreshing her memory of every detail, she’d be ready for the interrogations. Any suspect can refuse to answer questions, but most choose to talk. It’s often the best opportunity for investigators to catch a perp in a lie, so every detail mattered.
Mia had trouble concentrating after the bizarre scene that had played out in her living room. Why would her dad follow Keller after she’d specifically told him not to?
Keller wasn’t likely to let it go. Mia thought it might be best just to come clean and tell him why she had him followed and why she was suspicious. No cop is above the law.
It was a little before ten, less than two hours before the takedown. There was enough time to talk with Keller before the bust. She picked up the phone to set a meeting. After all, he probably had a few things to say to her, too.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Tamale Jack’s in Rosebud was a hot spot during the week, but on weekends the place was mostly deserted. It was far from fancy; food was ordered and picked up from the same counter. The morning special was a chorizo and egg burrito.
“What can I get you?”
“Iced tea and a Diet Coke,” he replied.
