Evolution of a Killer

by Robert Ullrich

  Two weeks later Rashid tracked down a two-million-dollar transfer to the Deutsche Bank SA in Buenos Aires. The transfer originated in Switzerland. The FBI sent a team to Argentina to work with the locals. The agents found it quite odd that the money had yet to be touched. They surmised Garza was waiting for the heat to die down, but it made no sense. If he’d gone to the bank within a few days of arriving, he’d have the money and they’d have zip.

  *****

  Government agencies rarely share information with each other, always fighting for a bigger slice of the budget pie. If it hadn’t been for Grimsrud leaking information to the Argentineans, the case would have died there. The NSA Intel he provided got the investigation moving again. Dan sent an anonymous report to a local Buenos Aries investigator by the name of Drogo Cristofaro. The information he supplied to Cristofaro contained tracking data from the NSA. It showed they had tracked Ramon Torano, head of the Zapatos Cartel, to Argentina. Torano had arrived in Buenos Aires the same day as Garza. There was no indication the drug lord ever departed. The report included chatter between various cartel members. There was a lot of speculation that Torano may have been assassinated while in Argentina.

  The FBI, working with Detective Cristofaro, found a report in the police files. It was the investigation of an explosion, 8 kilometers south of the city, the day after Garza arrived. FBI forensic specialists were able to recover DNA from a few of the charred human remains located in the rubble.

  They identified five individuals, two being Enrique Garza and Ramon Torano. The results also showed the familial connection between the two men, adding another layer to the FBI’s investigation. The DNA confirmation of the remains effectively ended the search for the rest of the money. With Garza and Torano both dead, the FBI saw little chance of recovering the missing 14.7 million. Rashid and the IT teams had been at it for almost 6 months. Other than the two million in Buenos Aeries, they had nothing else to show for their efforts. The Director ordered the case closed. He officially made the call to write the murders off to a rival cartel, taking out the competition. The two million recovered in Argentina, was very little icing on a very nasty cake.

  *****

  Officer Mason visited Angelique to inform her of the news regarding her husband’s death.

  Angelique broke into tears, truly saddened to hear that Enrique was dead. The fact the dead drug lord had been his brother somewhat tempered the feeling of loss.

  Regardless, Enrique was officially declared dead. The majority of his assets, as designated in his will, went to Angelique. The only exception was five hundred thousand dollars Enrique bequeathed to his long-time mistress. Angelique didn’t contest the half million, much to the relief of the mistress. The bottom line: minus the half million, Angelique was left with over 3.5 million in cash, stocks and bonds after taxes. She also had the house in Rockport and the condo in Corpus Christi, both owned outright.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Two months into the investigation, Angelique hired a divorce attorney. No one, not even the FBI took exception to it. They’d cleared her early in the investigation and Angelique was well within her rights to initiate proceedings. By all appearances, Garza had abandoned the marriage. Added to that, the discovery of the long-time mistress gave additional grounds to Angelique’s petition. The district court judge that caught the case was sympathetic to her position and ordered an expeditious resolution of the petition. It would be a divorce with cause, rather than the typical no-fault that was more common in Texas. The finalization of the divorce was scheduled for November 7th. The confirmation of Garza’s death on the 18th of October made it a moot point. The judge dismissed the divorce decree and assigned himself to handle the probate, which ended very well for Angelique.

  *****

  As the months of the investigation passed, Angelique became less concerned with public opinion and Lazarus agreed. They began to go out together, by all appearances good friends whose relationship was growing into something more romantic.

  Soon they were the talk of the town in Rockport, particularly after it became known Angelique was dating Lazarus Solaris, the well-known philanthropist from Florida. (Lazarus’ foundation had been very active in South Texas.)

  Once his photo hit the local papers, there was no longer a need to hide. The media readily accepted Lazarus’ story why he was spending time in Rockport: preparing for interviews with potential scholarship recipients. He began scheduling meetings with area high school principals, going from school to school looking for worthy recipients. Lazarus eventually selected two from Ray, three from Flour Bluff, another two from Rockport and one each from Calallen, Sinton, Mathis and Portland for follow up interviews with the foundation’s board of directors.

  No longer needing to keep a low profile enabled him to include Angelique in his life in a much more public fashion. She accompanied Lazarus to several of the interviews, marveling at the way he dealt with teenagers. Lazarus treated them like adults, never patronizing or dampening their ambitions. He told them they could achieve their dreams with hard work and diligence, as he had. He often told the story of his childhood: the death of his parents at an early age and growing up in France. Lazarus shared how he overcome all of it to secure not just one, but three degrees by the time he was 30. It gave them hope; many of the students selected came from broken or single parent homes.

  *****

  One of the highlights for Angelique was an overnight trip in late August. Lazarus never told her why they were going, keeping completely in the dark.

  On Friday the 19th, Lazarus took her to Austin, seemingly on a whim. As dusk approached, he took Angelique to the north side of Lady Bird Lake, one of the many reservoirs on the Colorado River. The lake, named after Texas’ beloved Lady Bird Johnson, was in the heart of downtown Austin. Lazarus brought a picnic dinner for them and spread out a blanket near the water. Angelique was shocked and amazed when the colony of Mexican free-tail bats started coming out from under the bridge at dusk. It was breathtaking. Millions of bats moving like a serpentine cloud as they flew south for their nightly hunt.

  Lazarus capped off the evening with a trip down 5th Avenue, taking in the local music scene, before spending the night in the penthouse suite at the Radisson.

  *****

  By the time Angelique received notification of Enrique’s death in October, preparations had already begun for the move to Duck Key. Lazarus owned both lots at the end of Bermuda Drive. The main house, which was circular in design, was located on the northwest corner of what was essentially a man-made peninsula. Katsumi’s residence was located to the east of the main house. Her apartment over the garage was joined to the main house by an elevated covered walkway.

  The house on the Northeast corner Lazarus kept as a guest residence. Referring to it as a guest house was an understatement by almost anyone’s standards. It was almost as large as the main house, with its own pool and fishing pier. The entrance to the compound was protected by an iron fence with a security-card-controlled access gate. Lazarus acquired the first property at a Sheriff’s auction in 2008, paying almost half a million dollars below market. Two years later, he bought out his neighbors, paying them full market value to secure the entire north end of Bermuda Drive.

  Lazarus loved life in the Middle Keys. He was an hour and change from Key West and two from Miami. It gave him numerous options for travel, including by sea in his 60’ Rapido Ocean cruising Trimaran. With a length of over 59’ and a 38’ plus beam, it was extremely stable, even in rougher seas. It featured a large forward cabin with a king-sized bed, and a separate head and shower compartment. There was also plenty of storage space. The aft cabin had a double bed and its own head and shower as well. With a well stocked galley, the Rapido could cruise the seas for weeks. The Kevlar E Glass hybrid hull and carbon fiber beams were built to handle rough conditions. The end result was all the features of a bridge deck catamaran, while retaining the trimaran’s unbeatable seaworthiness, stability and ultra fast speed. La
zarus often took the “Ziva” out for weeks at a time between jobs, sailing the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico with Langston, and the occasional young lady for companionship. That would change with Angelique. Not the sailing - the companionship.

  Lazarus understood he wasn’t meant to understand, but that he only needed to accept the dramatic changes in his life. He’d always planned on living life unattached. Angelique changed all that and him, too. If you were to ask, he would say for the better, though he would always be the Chameleon.

  Dr. Helen told him early in their friendship, “Lazarus, I believe the only reason you didn’t become a classic psychopath is you are able, by conscious choice, to build connections with specific people. That’s something a true psychopath is virtually incapable of doing.”

  Whatever the reason, Lazarus credited it to his Aunt Ziva, naming the Rapido after her. Ziva passed away in 2012, at the age of 102 - one of the last surviving members of the Holocaust. Lazarus knew she would have approved. Ziva loved the sea as much as he did.

  *****

  Lazarus had concerns how Katsumi would integrate with the changes. She had been with Lazarus for so long, never sharing his time. She quickly put his mind at ease.

  “Sir,” she said when told of his plans. “It’s about dang time you found someone to share your life with. I love you like a father and I’m looking forward to having a mother-figure in my life. Angelique is perfect for you. Besides, I LOVE Rebecca! She has to be one of the funniest people I’ve ever talked to, AND she calls you LAZ!” Katsumi laughed until she came to tears. “Laz,” she repeated. “I only wish I’d thought of that one…” and went back to laughing so hard Lazarus hung up on her, smiling about Katsumi all the same.

  *****

  November 10th was the day selected for the Florida move. Lazarus had wrapped up his visits with the local schools and the condo in Corpus had sold to a Dallas bank executive, looking for a second home. Angelique wanted to sell the house on Barbados, but Lazarus encouraged her to keep it. Rockport was where they met, and it would be a place they could return to any time they wanted.

  Angelique contracted Kepford Lake, a local Realtor, to manage the property and make it available as a short-term vacation rental. The price was set at $500 a night or $10,000 a month. Much to her surprise, three clients were scheduled to rent the house by the end of October. Kepford would handle everything, including upkeep, cleaning and maintenance, taking 20% of the rental as his fee. The house was owned free and clear. The income from three months rentals would cover the taxes and HOA dues for the year. Lazarus and Angelique left the Hunter sail boat behind, making it available for an additional $175 a day.

  The furniture was staying. Lazarus hired a moving company to pack up their personal belongings: clothing and memorabilia important to Angelique and Rebecca. He had it shipped to Duck Key. The moving truck left Rockport on the 5th. The three of them, and the dogs, were going to drive to Florida in a caravan, spending 4 days on the road. They’d spend the nights in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Tallahassee and Palm City, Florida, arriving in the Keys on Sunday the 13th after over 1500 miles on the road.

  Lazarus wanted to fly out but was quickly voted down by the ladies. Neither of them had traveled to Florida by car and both were excited about seeing new places along the way. Lazarus realized he would always be outnumbered with those two in collusion.

  *****

  The morning of the 10th everyone was ready to go. Lazarus would be driving the Land Rover, Langston riding shotgun. Angelique had the hard-top on her Rubicon, traveling with Cheyenne. Rebecca would be bringing up the rear in the Expedition Lazarus had used for the contract. He signed the title over to Rebecca, putting the Patriot in storage for future visits to Rockport.

  The trip got off to a rocky start. Cheyenne had never been on a long trip in a car. By the time they reached Tivoli, she was throwing up. Motion sickness in canines isn’t all that rare, and Dramamine worked wonders on them. Unfortunately, there was none to be had in Tivoli. By the time they reached Port Lavaca, Cheyenne had thrown up three more times. As Angelique put it, “She’s a sneaky puker. I swear, you’ll never hear a sound out of her, and then the smell hits you.”

  Rebecca thought it was hilarious, but then again, she had a very sick sense of humor. They picked up some Dramamine at Walgreen’s, waiting an hour for it to take effect before getting back on the road. Cheyenne spent the majority of the trip asleep - one of the side effects of Dramamine. The fortunate part for Angelique was the Jeep’s removable mats. Clean up wasn’t that difficult. Once they were back on the road things went well from that point. They made fairly good time, even passing through Houston.

  Lazarus thought about Randall Edwards as they drove through the city, wondering how far the investigation had gotten. He might have been surprised to know the police had actually tracked the van as far as The Sam Houston Parkway, using traffic cams. They lost sight of it when the truck exited onto Red Bluff Road. There was a reason Lazarus didn’t have video surveillance at his storage facilities.

  Sam Bacon, the detective handling the missing person’s case, gave it three months before moving it to the bottom of the pile. He’d planned on getting back to it in a month or so.

  Murders in Houston weren’t exactly rare and looking for a missing person was putting him behind on what he considered, more important cases. These were cases Sam had a shot at solving. He felt he was wasting his time looking for a missing person no one really missed. The file never made it back to the top of his desk.

  *****

  The final leg of the journey from Palm City to Duck Key took a little over 4 hours, arriving at the compound just before noon. They were greeted with a banner, stretched across the gate: “Welcome Home Lazarus, Angelique, Rebecca, Langston and Cheyenne!”

  Katsumi must have been watching for them. She opened the gate as they pulled up to it. Baxter was sitting at her side, if you could call it that. He was so excited at the sight of Lazarus that his tail was a blur. Leonard stood on the other side of the golden retriever with his hands behind his back, smiling. They pulled the vehicles into the compound and the gate closed behind them.

  Langston wasn’t one for formalities. He jumped over Lazarus and shot out the driver’s side, heading straight to Katsumi and Baxter. Langston accepted a hug from Kat, sniffed hellos with Baxter, tolerating a couple of licks along the way. The shepherd gave Leonard a cursory once over, stopping long enough for a quick ear scratch, before heading back to Lazarus.

  Lazarus and Angelique had decided to bring Cheyenne out last, not sure how she would react to Baxter, Katsumi and Leonard. Angelique kept her in the Jeep when she got out, rolling the windows down to keep the Jeep cool. It was still warm in the Keys and the sun was shining.

  When they were all out of the vehicles, much to Lazarus’ surprise, Katsumi approached Angelique first. She gave Angelique a soft hug and handed her a little box, wrapped in purple paper. Rebecca was next, receiving a bigger hug and a box that matched the one given Angelique. The gifts turned out to be white gold sand dollars on white gold chains. The ladies loved them.

  Angelique fetched Cheyenne from the Jeep, hooking her leash. Cheyenne was tentative with Baxter, watching him like a hawk. But Golden Retrievers have a way about them; anyone who owns one knows what I mean. Cheyenne sniffed Baxter from head to toe and front to back. Baxter didn’t move. He wagged his tail slowly, waiting. What happened next surprised everyone, not the least of which was Baxter. Cheyenne barked and began bouncing up and down in front of the retriever. Before anyone could blink, they were off like rockets towards the back of the property. Cheyenne jerked the leash out of Angelique’s hand and bolted. Baxter was desperately trying to keep up with the obviously much faster dog. To say the least, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

  Katsumi commented with pride, “I wasn’t worried about Baxter and Cheyenne, my big red-headed handsome man can handle anything that comes his way.”

  Now that the dog situation was taken care of, Kat
sumi approached Lazarus. Unlike the hugs she gave Angelique and Rebecca, she bowed deeply before him, her hands folded as in prayer. She stayed that way for almost two minutes. Lazarus smiled with pride, waiting patiently. The image wasn’t wasted on the women. They were beginning to understand Lazarus meant far more to Katsumi than merely being her boss, or even her guardian. He was her world in a way they couldn’t understand. That was what Katsumi wanted them to see. When she straightened up Lazarus wrapped her in his arms. With rare tears in his eyes, he kissed Katsumi on the forehead tenderly. “Thank you, baby girl, for the amazing welcome you’ve given us. You’ve made me even prouder to call you mine.”

  “Thank you, Sir,” said Katsumi formally, tears of her own trailing down her cheeks. “It is my honor to serve and call you Master.” They stood there for a few moments before Lazarus released her, kissing her once more on the forehead.

  Lazarus approached LJ. “Leonard, my man, you’ve done well, very well indeed.” He took the hand Leonard offered as he approached, pulling him close for a quick hug.

  Lazarus smiled as he surveyed the group around him, realizing that all these people were important to him now. His world had grown exponentially in the last 8 months. Lazarus knew life would never be the same. He was intrigued by what the future might bring, but also very aware that they were all now his responsibility to protect. He literally beamed at the realization that he now had a family. It lit up his countenance like nothing in his life ever had. They began walking towards the main house, watching Cheyenne and Baxter racing around the compound. Each of them, in their own way, understanding their lives would never be the same here in their own little slice of Paradise, tucked away in the Florida Keys.

  Lazarus’ phone rang as they reached the door. He glanced at the number and excused himself, answering as he walked towards the water.