Her tears were flowing freely. Harvey passed her a box of tissues. She pulled one out and stopped with it halfway to her eyes.
“I should have a lawyer in here, shouldn’t I? Am I going to prison?”
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “Do you want to call someone?”
“I wouldn’t know who to call.” She wiped her eyes and looked at him again. “You’re not letting me go home, are you?”
“No.”
“Are you arresting me?”
“No. We’ll keep you here for a while, though.” He looked toward Nate. “Officer Miller here will get you some lunch.”
Nate stood up. “You want me to take her to the diner?”
All they needed was for Thomas Nadeau to drive by and see her eating on the sidewalk with a policeman. “No, I think we’ll keep her out of sight. We’ll order in for the two of you.”
Nate nodded.
“If you want to call your husband, you can,” Harvey told her. “Tell him you may need to stay in Portland overnight. And if you want to have a lawyer come in and see you here, you can do that.”
“If I stay over, where will I stay? In a cell?” Her face was white.
“No,” Harvey said. “We’ll put you up somewhere safe, if that’s necessary. But you need to stay in this building until we execute warrants this afternoon. I’ll try to get a female officer to come up here and stay with you. When the suspects are in custody, we’ll talk again.”
Harvey left the room. Arnie was coming from the stairway.
“Alison Murphy called me,” he said. “Tony got her reunion pictures yesterday.”
“Yeah?” Harvey asked.
“She wanted to know if they helped. Then she asked if we were behind this trouble her husband’s in for financial irregularities, and I assured her we’re not. Harv, he’d apparently said something to her over breakfast about the old burglary, because of all our questions.”
“Oh, great.”
Arnie nodded. “She was trying to convince me David wasn’t in on it. She said he swore to her from Day One that he wasn’t there, and she believed him. She never would have married him if she thought he could do something like that.”
“Of course not,” Harvey said.
“Of course not.”
“You didn’t tip her off, I hope?”
“Oh, no. Alison and I are still friends. But they’re both aware we’re poking into that.”
“Harvey, the lab report is in,” said Eddie, getting up from his chair. “The DNA on the cigarettes is a match for Marlboro Man.”
“The ubiquitous Nadeau. Okay, Arnie and Pete, go get a quick lunch. Check with Nate and bring something back for him and Mrs. Wagner. When Mike gets back here, we all need to be ready to roll.”
Harvey called Jennifer on her cell phone. “Where are you, gorgeous?”
“Records. Just ready to go to lunch.”
“I need to wait here for Mike. We’re close to breaking this thing.”
“Want me to bring you a sandwich?”
“Just bring yourself up here for a few minutes. That’s all I need.”
“That’s an illusion. I’ll bring you some food.”
Tony was standing beside his desk when he hung up.
“Sir, do we need armor?”
“Yes. We’re going after a killer. You and Eddie get yours now. Tell Pete and Arnie when they get back.”
He called Terry and asked for a female officer. Eddie came out of the locker room wearing his vest and handed Harvey his.
“I hate these things,” Harvey said, taking his holster off.
Eddie made a face at him. “It saved your life not so long ago.”
“That’s why I’m putting it on.” Harvey fastened the vest and put his holster back on over it.
Jennifer came in with lunch, and her eyes widened. He should have waited and put it on after she’d left.
He said, “Don’t be that way, gorgeous. We’re just being cautious. And God is in control here.”
“I didn’t say anything.” But her eyes said plenty. He pulled a chair over for her, and they sat down. Uncomfortable. He pulled open the right side of his vest. Eddie went back to his desk and sat down. Sarah came in from the stairway.
“Hey, Sarah, how you doing?” Harvey said.
“Fine.” She didn’t sound fine. “Where’s the witness?”
“In the interview room.”
Eddie stood up. “Hi, Sarah.”
She cast him a baleful glance and turned away, heading for the room where Mrs. Wagner waited. Eddie frowned.
“Do we want to know what that was about?” Harvey asked him as he sat down again.
“I tried to tell her how I’ve been finding out about God, and how we’re all sinners and we need Jesus. She didn’t like it.”
“Oh, Eddie, I’m sorry,” said Jennifer.
Harvey nodded. “Me, too. You can’t expect everybody to accept things like that the first time they hear them.”
“I know. I thought you were nuts at first,” Eddie admitted. “I need to learn a lot more, though, so I can tell it better. I’ve been staying away from my mother’s because I don’t know how to tell her.”
Jennifer gave him a sad smile. “We’d better pray about that.”
Pete and Arnie came in and distributed sandwiches, and Harvey sent them to the locker room for their vests. A few minutes later, Mike came up the stairs waving the warrants.
“Hi, Jennifer.”
“Hello, Chief.”
He looked around at them and grinned. “Oh, boy, body armor.”
Harvey stood up. “You think it’s unnecessary?”
“No, not considering what you’re dealing with.”
Harvey lowered his voice. “Should I make Nate and Pete call their wives?”
“What for?”
“Well, you know, Mike, the widows cry all over the captain and say, ‘I never got a chance to say good-bye.’”
Jennifer put down her sandwich with a stricken look.
“Come on, Harvey,” Mike said. “That’s a little melodramatic.”
It wasn’t. Marcia Towne had said it the night Chris was shot, and Mike had tried to comfort her.
“I’ve never been in this position before. I could lose somebody today.”
“You gotta quit thinking like that.” Mike glanced at Jennifer. “You never got the jitters like this before. If it will make you feel better, take Eddie and Jennifer in the break room and have a prayer meeting, but you’ve got to show some confidence here, Harv.”
“Are you coming with us?”
“What’s your plan?”
“Half of us go for Murphy, the other half for Nadeau. Pick them up at the same time. I really don’t expect any trouble.”
“You’ll do fine. Just go get them and bring them in. I’ll be upstairs.” Mike went to the stairway and disappeared.
Harvey started closing his vest. Jennifer stood up. She gazed at him with a look he didn’t ever want to see.
Eddie came over and said quietly, “What about that prayer meeting?”
Arnie and Pete were still in the locker room. Tony was wolfing his lunch. Nate had turned Mrs. Wagner over to Sarah and was adjusting his vest. The door to the interview room was closed. Harvey drew Jennifer into the tiny break room, and Eddie followed and closed the door.
Harvey prayed, just a short prayer. Jennifer’s arm crept around his belt at the bottom of the bulletproof vest while he had his eyes closed. When he said amen, she launched herself at him.
“Don’t cry, Jenny. It’s nothing. We’ll be back in half an hour.”
“I’m not,” she choked.
“I’ll take care of him,” Eddie said. He went out and shut the door. Harvey tipped Jennifer’s chin up and kissed her.
“You didn’t eat again,” she said.
He’d only taken a bite or two, it was true. He tried to say something, and just shook his head. This was why Mike didn’t want the wives to know. It was too hard on th
e men.
*****
When he’d put Jennifer into the elevator, all of his men were ready. Harvey tried to follow Mike’s advice about showing confidence. Tony was his rookie, and he had to keep him close. But he wanted Eddie at his back.
“Arnie, you, Pete, and Nate go for Nadeau. Eddie, Tony, and I will visit Representative Murphy.” Maybe they should switch it around. He hesitated with the warrants in his hand. Nadeau might be more likely to resist. Harvey knew he had to quit second guessing himself. He huffed out a breath and handed Arnie the warrant for Nadeau.
He stopped at the secretary’s desk. “Paula, please ask Com to track all of us.”
“Of course.” She picked up her phone.
“Thanks.”
They all went down the stairs. Terry Lemieux looked after them a little wistfully as they passed his desk.
“Call me as soon as you’ve got him,” Harvey told Arnie.
“Right.”
Eddie, Tony and Harvey got into Tony’s car, a new Mustang convertible.
“Nice car, Winfield.”
“Thanks. I figured it was my turn to drive.” Tony seemed a little embarrassed. The car probably cost nearly what Harvey made in a year. He drove to Murphy’s office and parked beside the white Lincoln with congressional license plates.
Harvey went in first. He had his sport coat over the vest and holster, and he was hot. Eddie and Tony were in their shirtsleeves, but they were sweating, too.
Two men in suits were waiting in the outer office. Harvey walked up to the receptionist’s desk. “I need to see Mr. Murphy, please.”
“He’s in a meeting.”
He held up his badge. “Portland P.D. I think he’ll see me.”
The door to the inner office opened, and Alison came out. Her brow furrowed when she saw Harvey, and she stopped.
“Mrs. Murphy.” He tried to be as suave as Arnie. “How delightful to see you again. I just came by to have a chat with your husband.”
She looked beyond him at Eddie and Tony, taking in the body armor and holstered weapons. “Not a social call, I think.”
“Will you just step back inside with us, ma’am?” Harvey put his hand on her arm, and she turned around and walked back to the door of the inner office and opened it.
She said, “David, Captain Larson is here.”
Murphy was halfway up out of his chair, but froze when he saw the officers.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Murphy.” Harvey stepped forward.
He sank back into the chair.
“Sir, you are under arrest.”
Murphy didn’t move.
“Please stand up and put your hands behind you.”
Very slowly, he obeyed. Alison stared, glassy-eyed.
“What’s the charge?” Murphy asked in a hoarse tone.
“Manslaughter, in the death of Richard Fairley.”
Alison gasped.
Harvey started the Miranda, “Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law…”
“No, he didn’t do it. He swore he didn’t do it!” Alison began to sob. Harvey kept on through the rule Murphy had learned years ago in law school, cuffed him, and patted him down.
Eddie said, “Mrs. Murphy, if you want to come over to the police station and wait, you can.”
“Call Ned Baxter and have him come there,” David said to her. Lawyers always had lawyers.
“It’s my fault, isn’t it?” Alison’s voice rose higher. “They asked me for pictures of the reunion and things about that burglary. I thought I was being helpful, David!”
They went out through the waiting room, and the two men in suits stared, open-mouthed. Alison went to the receptionist and screamed, “Call Mr. Baxter. Quickly.” Harvey was glad he hadn’t sent Arnie there.
He radioed the marked unit he had arranged to have waiting nearby. When it arrived, he put Murphy in the back seat and buckled his seat belt. From Tony’s car, he called the office and instructed Paula to move Sarah and Cathy Wagner to the break room, so Murphy wouldn’t see them when they came in.
They took Murphy in the back door of the police station. Ryan Toothaker was leaning on Terry’s desk in the foyer. He straightened up when they came in, and his jaw dropped. Harvey punched the security code for the elevator. They didn’t have prisoners climb the stairs in handcuffs. Ryan was beside him before the door opened.
“Captain Larson—”
“One hour,” Harvey said.
“My story?”
“This is big Ryan. We have to tell everyone. Have Terry let you upstairs in an hour, and I’ll see you first.”
“What are the charges?”
The elevator door opened, and Eddie moved Murphy inside. Tony and Harvey followed. As the door closed, Harvey said, “So far, manslaughter.”
Ryan whipped out his phone.
They stepped into the office a moment later. Harvey caught Eddie’s eye and nodded toward the interview room. Eddie and Tony took Murphy, and Harvey stopped at his desk and called Records.
“Jenny, Eddie and Tony and I are back. Everything’s okay. Just didn’t want you to worry.”
“Thank you! Thank you! I love you!”
“Ditto.” He hung up and peeled off his jacket and vest and dropped them on his chair. His cell phone rang, and he scrambled to get it out of the jacket pocket.
“Harv, it’s Arnie. Nadeau’s skipped on us.”
“He isn’t just out for lunch?”
“No, he ate early. The secretary says he got a phone call and went rushing out. He didn’t say where he was headed.”
“Great. We’ve got to find him. Come on in.”
He called upstairs to Mike. “I’ve got Murphy, but Nadeau ran. He was tipped off.”
“Get what you can out of Murphy, and start a manhunt,” Mike advised. “That guy’s four up on you already. And protect your witness.”
“Put her in the Motel 6?”
“Too obvious. What about one of those little bed-and-breakfasts? If she wants to call home, have her do it from here, and don’t tell her where she’s staying tonight. I can activate the manhunt on Nadeau if it will help you.”
“It would. I’ve got my hands full with Murphy, and the other team’s not back yet.”
Harvey went into Observation and looked through the glass. David Murphy sat stoically at the table in the interview room, and Tony and Eddie stood at opposite ends of the table. They had their vests off. He went to the break room and said, “Sarah, we’re going to move you and Mrs. Wagner to a more comfortable place. You’ll stay with her until the end of your shift, then another officer will relieve you.”
Sarah nodded.
“May I call my husband?” Cathy Wagner asked.
“Yes, you can tell him you’re staying up here overnight. If you need anything, we’ll send someone to the store, then Officer Benoit will drive you to your room for the night. Sarah, she can use the phone on my desk.”
Finally he opened the door to Interview.
“Eddie,” he said.
Eddie came out. “Could you please arrange lodging for Mrs. Wagner and a female officer for tonight at a little B&B within the city limits? Don’t tell anyone but me where they’re going. Not even Mrs. Wagner, or Tony, or anybody. Don’t tell the B&B it’s a police matter, either. They might spill it.”
He raised his eyebrows, and Harvey leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Nadeau’s loose.” Eddie scowled at the ceiling. Harvey said, “Tell Terry we’ll need another female officer for the next shift, but don’t say where. Tell him to have her come up here when she comes on duty.”
Paula came over to him. “Captain, the patrol sergeant says Mrs. Murphy is downstairs.”
“Have her wait down there, please.”
Finally he went in and faced Murphy. The video cam was rolling, and Tony started the tape recorder and reeled off the interview data.
Harvey faced David Murphy. “Are we ready to talk?”
Murphy sighed. “Can you take the handcuffs off,
please? I won’t do anything.”
“That depends. Are we talking?”
“I know my rights. Better to surrender to you than the federal agents, I guess.” He was thinking about the kickbacks, expecting to be arrested for that, Harvey realized. The manslaughter charge was a surprise.
He was handsome, but starting to show his age. A little gray. A smile too perfect to be natural. Caps in front, at least. Dark smears of fatigue under his eyes.
“What do you want to know?” he asked.
Harvey walked behind him and unlocked the handcuffs. Murphy shook his arms and rubbed his wrists while Harvey put the cuffs in the case on his belt.
“Let’s begin thirty-five years ago,” Harvey said. “Your senior year of high school. A burglary at the home of Richard Fairley.”
“Philip Whitney was arrested for that.”
“Let’s not play games. Philip Whitney was there. Thomas Nadeau was there. You were there. Luke Frederick was out in the car waiting.”
Murphy slumped a little. “Maybe I should wait for Baxter.”
“Up to you,” Harvey said.
“My wife—”
“She’s downstairs.”
“Can I see her?”
“Not now.”
Murphy sighed. “She came to the office this noon and told me she gave your man photos from the reunion yesterday. She also said she’d asked someone about that old burglary.”
“That’s right. But you’re wandering from the point, Mr. Murphy. I asked you about the burglary. We know you were in on it. No shadow of a doubt.”
“Then you’ve got Tom or Cathy.”
Harvey kept quiet, but Murphy was ready to talk once they got past that.
“We didn’t intend to kill that man. He walked in on us in his house. Tom got behind him and hit him. We were scared he’d identify us, but we had ski masks. It was the end of snow season, and we thought we were pretty smart. Gloves and everything. Oh, we were smart. Top ten percent of the class. Even Luke Frederick. He was what they’d call a nerd nowadays. He didn’t do anything. We made him go along, just for the car. He had no idea what he was getting into. But then, none of us did. When I heard the next day the man was dead, I was just sick. My whole future was going down the drain. College and law school and Alison.” Murphy looked up quickly. “She never knew. I told her I was nowhere near that house, and she … she trusted me.” He laughed bitterly. “She trusted me so much it didn’t bother her when your detective started asking questions about it. She thought there was nothing to hide.”
Fort Point (Maine Justice Book 2) Page 31
