“So, I heard the lieutenant sent you and Diaz out together. Kinda like old times, huh?”
Menendez was caught off guard. “Huh? Oh, yeah.”
“Interesting case?”
He clearly didn’t want to talk about it. “What?”
“You and Diaz. Interesting case?”
“Oh, no. Some punk got himself shot at a dumpsite off of Rigsby.”
The lieutenant came back over and stopped by the two detectives. “I’m going for coffee. You want some?”
Menendez jumped up. “Yeah. I’ll go with you.”
Jason shook his head, and watched them go. Frank Menendez had just moved directly to the top of the suspect list.
Jason couldn’t imagine the fallout if one of San Antonio’s finest killed one of their own.
*******
Jason looked at his watch. One in the morning.
Nina had been in surgery for over six hours. Vanessa was dozing in the corner. John Patton sat talking to Nate.
Jason had been going over things in his head, both things he knew and things he suspected. It was still a very fuzzy picture, but maybe that was the exhaustion.
Nobody noticed the man in scrubs come into the room. “Jefferson?” Nate bolted upright, as did everyone else. “I’m Nate Jefferson.”
The doctor went over to Nate as everyone gathered around. He shook Nate’s hand. “I’m Dr. Carmichael. Your sister is out of surgery.”
“How is she?”
“Well, considering what she’s been through, she’s about as good as could be expected.” He hesitated before continuing. “Your sister’s heart stopped twice while she was on the table. We were able to get her stabilized, but it’s going to be touch and go for several days.”
“Where is she? Can I see her?”
“They’re putting her in Intensive Care, and you can see her in a few hours, but she won’t be able to communicate. We’ve put her in an induced coma to give her body a chance to fight off any further infection.” Dr. Carmichael shook Nate’s hand once more. “Try to get some sleep. You can’t do any more here tonight.”
The doctor left as Nate slumped back in his chair, tears filling his eyes again. Jason patted his shoulder.
“He’s right, Nate. Would you like to come back to my place for some shut-eye?”
Nate shook his head. “No, but thanks. I’ll see if there’s some place here I can lie down. I don’t want to be far from Nina.”
Jason understood. He wouldn’t leave if it were Sandy in the hospital. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jason left with Vanessa, both detectives needing sleep. John Patton wasn’t going anywhere.
Chapter 13
Jason managed to sleep through until nine in the morning. With Nina found, and no call from the lieutenant, he tried to catch up on some missing rest. While he didn’t exactly feel refreshed, at least he was able to think straight.
After having breakfast with Sandy, Jason arrived at the station just before ten. He didn’t see Vanessa, who had apparently slept in as well. He’d called the lieutenant on the way in, and there was no change on Nina.
Getting on the elevator, he rode to the basement and went into Doc Josie’s lab. She was sitting in front of a microscope.
“Hey!” he said too loud.
She didn’t move. “Nice try, Jason. Saw you coming.”
“Darn. Did you find anything at the river yesterday?”
“Nope. It’d been too long, even if something was left behind.”
Jason looked over his shoulder toward the medical examiner’s office across the hall.
“Do you know if Doc Davis has done the autopsy on the Rigsby Road body?”
“Yeah, this morning. He sent the bullet over a little while ago.”
“What kind of shape was it in?”
“The body or the bullet?”
“Oh, I see. We’re a comedian this morning! The bullet.”
The doc’s smile revealed she was having fun at Jason’s expense. “Pretty good. I can see the striations under the scope. What’s your interest? Isn’t that one of Frank’s cases?”
“Yeah. Don’t say anything to him. I don’t want him to think I’m snooping around his turf.”
“Okay, but I repeat my question. What’s your interest in the case?”
“Oh, just curious.” Jason smiled, trying to look matter-of-fact, but he could tell Doc Josie wasn’t buying it. “What caliber was it?”
“Nine-millimeter. Markings indicate it’s a ninety-two series.”
“Like the ones we carried until last year?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Oh, like I said, just curious. Did you get an ID on the John Doe?”
“I think Doc Davis did. He ran the prints.”
“What about the casing?”
“What casing?”
Jason stopped. Didn’t Diaz say they found a bullet casing?
He bluffed. “I wondered if a casing was found that matched.”
The doc shook her head. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“Really? I just assumed.” He turned to go. “Thanks, Doc.”
Jason could feel her eyes watching him as he left. He didn’t turn around. Going out the door, he crossed the hall to Doc Davis’s morgue. The doc was in the tiny cubicle that passed as his office.
“Hi, Doc.”
“Hey, Jason. What brings you down to the dungeon?”
Jason laughed. “Just wondered if you got an ID on that Rigsby Road body?”
“Sure, but isn’t that Frank’s case?”
“Yeah it is, but I’m curious.”
“Oh.” He looked down at his desk, then back at Jason. “I was going to call you anyway. The prints match to Stan Magnus, the same guy whose prints were found at Nina’s.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
Jason’s mind was spinning. Doc Davis had just confirmed what Diaz had told him, but now he had to find the connection between Magnus and Nina. “I wonder what a guy like him would be doing in Nina’s house.”
“That’s a question for you smart detective types.”
Jason couldn’t help but laugh. “Thanks, Doc.”
*******
Jason took the elevator from the basement to the second floor. When the doors opened, Jason was about to step off, when he saw Michael Diaz coming toward him. “Are you going down?”
Diaz gave Jason a smile. “Yeah. Are you the new elevator boy?”
Jason laughed. “They told me it’s a promotion. What do you think?”
“Definitely, but where’s your monkey suit?”
“Don’t know, but I’ve already complained to Human Resources.”
Diaz changed the subject. “How’s Nina? Any word?”
“Nothing new, I’m afraid.” the doors closed and Jason pushed the button for the ground floor, making it glow. “I was coming to see you.”
“Oh? Why?”
Jason reached over and hit the red stop button. The elevator halted between floors. “Do you remember when the department issued our new guns, the forty-caliber Smith & Wessons?”
“Sure, last summer. Why?”
“Did Frank take the new weapon, or did he exercise the option to keep his old Beretta 92?”
Diaz didn’t hesitate. “He kept his old gun.”
“Why are you so certain?”
“Easy. He chided me for a month, telling me I’d regret trading in the reliable 92. What are you driving at?”
Jason knew Michael had trusted him when he came with his concerns about Menendez. It was Jason’s turn to repay the trust, at least partially.
“This is between us. I haven’t even gone to Patton yet.”
“Absolutely, Jason.”
“Stan Magnus was shot with a 92.”
Diaz looked shocked. “Really?”
“Yes, but there’s more than one Beretta 92 still on the force, not counting numerous public-owned models. Still, with what you’ve already told me, I don’t l
ike the coincidence.”
“No kidding!”
Jason looked his fellow detective in the eyes. “There’s more.”
“More? Like what?”
“Didn’t you tell me a shell casing was found at the scene?”
Diaz nodded. “Yeah, Frank bagged it himself.”
“Doc Josie told me she didn’t know anything about a shell casing.”
Diaz just stared at him. Jason could tell he was running through his head the ramifications of a missing piece of evidence. Diaz shook his head. “Not good. What are you gonna do next?”
“I’m going to the hospital. The lieutenant is still there, and I want to check on Nina anyway.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
Jason decided he would keep the fingerprint evidence to himself. He pushed the stop button again, and they resumed their descent. “Yeah. For the time being, forget we had this conversation.”
*******
Out in the station parking lot, Jason spotted Vanessa’s car. He dialed her phone.
“Hello?”
“Good morning, Vanessa. I’m in the parking lot about to go over to the hospital.”
“Okay. Do you know where the lieutenant is?”
“He’s at the hospital. At least, he was the last time I talked with him.”
“Okay, I’ll call him there. I’m going to stay here and do some paperwork.”
“Sounds good. I’ll let you know if anything changes with Nina.”
*******
Patton remained slumped in the same chair he’d slept in. He’d stayed with Nate Jefferson through the night. While he knew no one would hold him responsible for what had happened to Nina, it still ate at him.
He’d brought Nina over to Homicide, stealing her away from Sarah Banks in Missing Persons. He couldn’t shake the feeling her time in Homicide had put Nina where she is now, fighting for her life.
It wasn’t in him to shirk the burden of caring for his people, and thus he’d stayed all night. He wouldn’t abandon one of his charges, just in case there was anything she needed.
His phone rang. “Hello?”
“Lieutenant?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s Vanessa. How’s Nina?”
“About the same, I guess. Nate is in with her now.”
“Okay. I just wanted to check. Call if you need anything.”
“Thanks, I will. Bye.”
John had just hung up when Nate came around the corner. The young man was obviously distraught, the blood having drained from his face. Patton stood quickly, going over to steady him.
“Nate, you okay? What is it?”
“They made me leave the room. Things started beeping. . .and. . .she. . .stopped breathing.”
John moved Nate over by a chair, helping him to sit down.
“What’s going on now?”
“They’re working on her. The nurse told me to wait in here.”
Patton sat down next to the Nate and began to pray.
Chapter 14
When Jason arrived at the waiting room on the third floor, he found the lieutenant and Nate Jefferson talking to a doctor. He gestured for the lieutenant to come outside.
When the lieutenant caught up with Jason in the hallway, Jason nodded toward Nate and the doctor. “Is there any news?”
John Patton sighed. “Yes and no.”
Normally, Jason would smile at an answer like that, but the lieutenant wasn’t being funny this time. “What do you mean?”
“About twenty-five minutes ago, Nina stopped breathing. The doctor over there is the one who brought her back.” Patton nodded toward Nate and the man in scrubs across the room.
“Is she stable?”
“Yes, but he said things look bad.”
Jason steadied himself. Even though the doctor told them it was touch and go, once she’d been found, Jason felt she’d be okay. “What does he mean when he says ‘bad’?”
“The doctor thinks her organs are beginning to shut down. If her kidneys give out, the infection will kill her.”
“Aren’t they giving her antibiotics?”
“Sure, but I guess most of the damage was already done.”
Jason didn’t want to deal with police issues right now, but it couldn’t be avoided. “Listen John, I’ve got something else to discuss with you. Can we take a walk?”
The lieutenant gave Jason a suspicious look, as if he thought his detective was going to take an already bad day and make it worse. Jason knew he was about to do just that.
John Patton held up one finger. “Okay. Just give me a minute to make sure Nate’s okay.”
Jason watched as the lieutenant walked over to Nate and the doctor. He said a few words, Nate nodded, and Patton walked back over. When the lieutenant came out of the waiting room, Jason fell in step, and they moved down the hallway.
Jason spotted an empty consultation room, motioned for the lieutenant to follow him in, and closed the door. When he turned around, Patton was giving him a wary look. “What’s with all the mystery?”
“You remember the conversation relating to Internal Affairs?”
“Of course. Why?”
“Something was brought to my attention, so I did a little discreet checking.”
The lieutenant decided he needed to sit down. He pulled up a chair, dropping into it with a sigh. “Discreet? I thought I was clear about this?”
“I had no choice. The information was brought to me in confidence.”
Patton looked skeptical. “What was this information?”
“Michael Diaz came to me yesterday with a story. He said Menendez acted out of character on the scene of the body you assigned them.”
“What did he mean by out of character?”
Jason was still standing, but now he pulled up a seat across from the lieutenant. “Do you know the name ‘Slimy Stan’?”
Lieutenant Patton scrunched his eyebrows together. “Yeah, isn’t he a source for Frank?”
“That’s him. He was the stiff at the crime scene, but Frank pretended not recognize the man.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, and there’s more. I asked at forensics what caliber the murder weapon was and Doc Josie told me it came from a Beretta 92.”
“Our old service weapon.”
“Yes.”
“There’s a lot of those guns out there, Jason.”
“Yes, Sir. Nevertheless, I spoke with Diaz again, and he’s certain Menendez still carries the 92. He kept it rather than switch to the new S & W.”
Jason watched the lieutenant mull things over, rolling them around until he had things organized. “It’s still just a bunch of coincidences.”
“I felt the same way, John. Then I found out a bullet casing from the crime scene had disappeared. Menendez was the last one to have it.”
Patton got up and started pacing around the room. Jason watched his boss for several minutes until finally the lieutenant stopped and looked at him.
“You realize you have no case, don’t you? Even if you’re right, you can’t prove any of it.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“So I can tell you’re here to propose something, what is it?”
“I’d like the phone records for Stan Magnus and Frank Menendez.”
The lieutenant snorted. “Oh, is that all?”
Jason sat quietly while the lieutenant considered his request. Eventually, Patton came back to the table and sat down across from Jason. He leaned in, his voice reduced to slightly above a whisper.
“Okay, here’s the deal. I’ll get your subpoena for Stan Magnus, but not for Frank. If you can provide me with proof of a connection between the two, outside of the normal snitch business, I’ll go to the captain. My hunch is he’ll have to get approval from I.A. for a subpoena of Frank’s phone records.”
“Fair enough.”
“And Jason, nobody outside those who already know can be included. Not just because of the sensitivity of investigating a fellow officer,
but because if he is behind this, I want him nailed.”
Jason nodded his head. “Me too.”
*******
True to his word, the lieutenant delivered the subpoena right after lunch. Jason had the records by three o’clock, and took them to a conference room on the second floor. He didn’t want anyone in Homicide, especially Menendez, asking what he was doing.
He locked the door behind him and spread the records out on the large wooden table. Pulling a yellow highlighter from his pocket, he started looking for one phone number. It didn’t take long to find it.
Jason highlighted each call. Just an occasional one in the beginning, but then the calls became more numerous, grouping together. What started out as a once-a-week call became two calls on one day, two calls the next day, and four calls the day after that.
Then the calls abruptly stopped.
Jason looked at the dates. The last of the concentrated calls came the day before Nina disappeared. One call was made on the night she went missing. And one call took place two nights later. That was the night Stan Magnus was murdered.
To Jason, it was clear as day. To a lawyer, or even to his lieutenant, it was coincidence. There was one thing that could put this all in perspective. Jason needed to locate the tower each call bounced off when it was made.
Using a map he’d used on other cases, he compared the tower numbers to their locations. Most of Stan’s calls pinged from the towers around central downtown. The locations of the call on the night Nina disappeared and the one from the night Stan died were different.
The call to Menendez’s phone on the night Nina disappeared, bounced off a tower next to the Medina River Conservation Area. Magnus had called Menendez from near where Nina was found.
The call on the night Stan died bounced off a tower right next to the dump where his body was found.
Jason’s pulse quickened, along with his anger. The pieces, despite Menendez’s best efforts, were beginning to fall into place. Frank thought he could get away with this, and he still might, but his big mistake might be thinking he was above suspicion.
ONE OF THEIR OWN (Det. Jason Strong(CLEAN SUSPENSE Book 6) Page 6
