Exposed

by C. M. Sutter

  “Come on. Let’s check the back,” Jack said. He led, and I followed down the railroad tie steps and around to the back of the house. Voices sounded as we turned the corner. We looked up to see an enormous upper deck that faced nothing but wilderness. In the distance, I was sure I spotted a beautiful blue lake nestled among the fir trees.

  “Judge Gardino, is that you?” I shielded my eyes and looked upward toward the noontime sun.

  “Who’s down there?” The judge came to the railing and peered down. “What the—” He caught himself before he finished the sentence. Two young children came and stood by his side. “Jade Monroe and Jack Steele?”

  “Yes, sir, it’s us. We knocked, but I guess you couldn’t hear it from back here.”

  “Come on up. The stairs are over there.” He pointed beyond his shoulder.

  Jack and I climbed the two full sets of stairs to get up to his deck. He shook our hands with a confused expression.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “We’re on our way to Boscobel, sir, to see Darryl Sims.”

  “Ah, yes, the infamous Darryl Sims. It was my father that sentenced that lunatic to prison. I remember the stories well.”

  “That’s right. I forgot your father was a judge back then.” I gave Jack a concerned look.

  “The last I heard, Max was causing problems with vacating the homestead.”

  “That’s correct, Judge, but that’s the least of his problems.”

  “What has he done now? I’ve been out of town for a week, you know.”

  “The property is littered with human bones, sir, and some of them are recent.”

  “You think he’s responsible?”

  “It sure looks that way, but we didn’t find out about this until he left the property. We have no idea where he went.”

  “Wow”—the judge pressed his temples—“what a nightmare.”

  I glanced at the kids sitting on several lounge chairs. They looked to be preoccupied with their devices. “Do they know anything?”

  He whispered his response. “No. I don’t have the heart to tell them their mom is missing. I said she left for a few days. We don’t know if that caller was a quack or if he actually has her. Where are my manners? Let’s go inside where we can talk privately. How about some coffee?”

  “That would be nice.” Jack and I followed as he slid the large glass door to the side and entered the great room.

  Judge Gardino turned back before closing the slider. “Kids, my guests and I are going to talk inside for a while. Stay on the deck where I can see you.”

  They mumbled an okay without looking up.

  “Have a seat, and I’ll tell you what I know.” The judge placed the coffee carafe and three cups on the coffee table. “I imagine you want full disclosure?”

  I smiled. “It would be helpful.”

  He took a deep breath. “First off, Theresa has been seeing somebody for the last six months. I’m not sure if this threat is real or a sick joke at my expense. It doesn’t seem like something she would do, though—at least not to the kids. We haven’t slept together in months.” He looked around. “I’m thankful for our large homes. We can keep our distance and stay out of each other’s hair. The kids don’t notice anything unusual.”

  “Sir, what about the man that called?”

  “Well, the Green River Falls Police Department is doing everything they can, but they’re a small unit. Yet—” He paused.

  Jack spoke up. “You were about to say?”

  The judge shook his head, and his eyes clouded with tears. “First off, they told me to stay put. You know, the whole ‘husband did it’ theory. I told them everything I know personally, which isn’t much. All I know is the situation before Theresa left here. I can’t tell them anything beyond that. I wasn’t with her.”

  “Why don’t we start there, before she left?” I said.

  He nodded and took a sip of coffee. “We were arguing, as usual. She wants to move to Madison—I don’t. I have a good career in North Bend—hell, we both do. I don’t want to uproot the kids, either. They have a lot of friends and after-school activities. I know it’s because her boyfriend lives somewhere near Madison. They met at a medical convention, but that’s all I know.”

  I wrote as he talked. “Why doesn’t she just get a divorce?”

  “A public figure in the community like a doctor? She doesn’t have the nerve, and she wouldn’t want the kids to know about her affair. I hate to admit it, but I’m just not sure if this abduction actually happened or not.”

  “Do you have any idea what the PD has done yet? Have they looked over surveillance cameras near that bar?”

  “The only thing I know for sure is that they interviewed me and the bartender. They haven’t updated me since.”

  “Well, in my opinion, surveillance cameras would be the fastest way to rule out, or confirm, foul play. Theresa has to be on video somewhere in town. Main Street isn’t that big. Would you mind if we looked into it?”

  “I don’t mind, but good luck getting the Green River Falls PD to share their spotlight with you.” He smirked and got up to look out the patio door. The kids were in the same spots as before. Judge Gardino turned back toward us. “They haven’t had a situation like this in forever.”

  “Wouldn’t this news hurt tourism?” Jack asked.

  “Not necessarily. Most of the tourists are longtime cabin owners that spend their summers here, or weekenders that play blackjack at the casino.”

  I nodded and wrote that down. “Where exactly is that bar Theresa went to?”

  “It’s called the Last Stop, and it’s right downtown.”

  We stood and thanked him for the coffee. “We’ll update you before we leave town. May I have your cell phone number?” I handed him my notepad.

  “Sure, here you go. The phone reception and Internet service out here are sketchy. I usually go into town when I need to make calls or use the Internet. There’s a cute espresso bar downtown called the Black Elixir. Their Wi-Fi is strong, and so is their coffee.”

  “Thanks, we just might stop in and check it out.”

  I nonchalantly glanced in each room as we made our way to the front door. The home was rustic and beautiful. I sighed with envy. After we were back in the cruiser and alone, I asked Jack’s opinion.

  “Well, at least he’s being as transparent as possible. We have to assume the threat is real, though. It seems too farfetched to be a ploy to run off with a boyfriend.”

  “I agree. So how are we going to find out if the PD has checked surveillance tapes? We don’t have the authority to override them, and this isn’t our jurisdiction.”

  “We’ll talk to the store owners directly. We have every right to ask that much. Let’s do a walk through the downtown area and check to see who actually has cameras outside their establishments. We’ll go in, tell them who we are, and ask if the police checked out the tapes. That’s all we have to do. We’ll go over our information with the PD and see what they intend to do about it.”

  I nodded. “Okay, and we have to keep good notes.”

  Jack parked the cruiser in the first open spot he saw on Main Street.

  “We’ll walk the length on this side”—he pointed—“then turn back and hit the other side of the street.”

  “Yep, sounds good. Remind me to call Clayton again later. Maybe after we hit the stores on this side we can go to that espresso bar and have lunch. I’ll call from there and check emails too.”

  Jack and I began the process of walking Main Street with our heads looking upward. We checked every door, rooftop, and corners of buildings for mounted cameras.

  “Here we go,” Jack said. “Store number one is Andrew’s Resale. Write it down.”

  “Got it.”

  We walked into the old-time, odd-smelling secondhand store. Shelves and counters were filled with trinkets, knickknacks, and junk. Racks of “gently” used clothing lined the walls at the back of the store.

  A woman, leaning
toward the heavy side and with short gray hair, came out from another room. “Hello there, folks. Have a look around and let me know if you have any questions.”

  I smiled. “Actually, ma’am, we do have questions.” I showed her my badge, introduced Jack and myself, and told her what we wanted.

  “Well, I did hear about the abduction. Everyone in town is talking about it, but nobody came in and asked to see our camera footage.”

  “May I have your name, please?”

  “It’s Betty Lou Jones.”

  “Thank you, Betty. How long do you save the video feed?” Jack asked.

  “It saves a week’s worth of tape, then it deletes that footage and starts over.”

  “When does the tape begin?”

  “It starts over with a clean slate at 12:01 a.m. every Monday morning.”

  I mentally calculated how much time was left before the footage was deleted. We only had a few days left. “Okay, I think that’s all we need to know. Thank you, ma’am.”

  Jack and I left, and I wrote down what Betty had told us.

  “Okay, next.”

  Chapter 30

  He parked at the front of the building and walked inside. Max turned to the left where the post office boxes were located. He scanned left to right and looked for box number fourteen.

  “There you are.”

  Max knelt down. Box fourteen was on the second row from the bottom, the fifth box in. He pulled the key from his pocket, stuck it in the keyhole, and turned it. The door opened, and Max peered in. One lone envelope sat inside. He reached in, pulled it out, and checked the return address—WSPF, Boscobel, Wisconsin. Max stuffed it in his pocket, locked the box, and left. Fillmore Street, where the post office was located, was only a block off Main Street. He glanced at the sunny sky and decided to walk. When he reached Main Street, he turned left. An unmarked black cruiser sat in a parking space directly ahead of him. The tall antennas, side-mounted spotlights, and municipal plates gave it away. Max’s eyes darted from one side of the street to the other, then he saw them. Black Elixir was just ahead on his side of the street. He stepped up his pace and ducked inside, hopefully unseen. Max grabbed a newspaper off the coffee counter as he passed and kept going. He found a small table for two at the back of the café and sat. He had an unobstructed view of the window from his location. The waitress took his order for a tall black coffee and a ham sandwich then walked away. He kept his eyes on the window as he pulled the envelope out of his pocket and tore it open. Inside was the letter he expected from Darryl. Every communication between them in letter form was identified with codes. Phone conversations would be kept to a minimum with only yes or no responses to what Darryl had written down. Each statement had a number written next to it. If Darryl said ‘three,’ that would be the statement Max would look at. His responses would be yes or no. Darryl reminded Max that he’d call on Friday at four o’clock and to keep the sheet of paper with him at all times.

  The waitress brought the sandwich and coffee to Max’s table. He thanked her and watched out the window as he ate. There they were again, walking out of Pete’s Appliances.

  What the hell are they doing in Green River Falls? How would they know I’m here? I’ve got to get back to the van and leave the area. They’re getting too close.

  Max watched and waited. As soon as they walked into another store, he’d make his move and sneak out.

  Shit, they’re heading this way.

  The newspaper sat on the table for a reason. Max didn’t care what the latest headline said unless it had something to do with the abducted doctor. It was a good prop in case he needed one, and right now, as they walked toward Black Elixir, it looked as though he did.

  The bell clanked above the door as Jade and Jack walked in. Max sank back in the chair so he wouldn’t seem so tall and hid his face behind the newspaper. He listened as they approached the counter to order. He heard that bitch sergeant place an order for two coffees and two banana nut muffins. He perked up when their conversation went to Jade’s father, Tom Monroe.

  “Well, this door-to-door thing is telling us a lot.”

  “Yeah, like you know who isn’t checking camera feeds along Main Street. We need to get this case figured out with or without the support of the Green River Falls PD. I have to be at the airport to pick up my dad at ten o’clock Sunday morning, and I’d like to spend some quality time with him before he goes under the knife on Tuesday. That doesn’t give us a lot of time to find Theresa and wrap up things at the farm. That reminds me, I have to call Clayton.”

  Max heard the counter person tell Sergeant Monroe their order would be ready in a minute.

  “Let’s grab a table.”

  Max recognized the male detective’s voice, but he didn’t remember his name.

  “I’ll call Clayton now while I have a minute.”

  Max listened to Sergeant Monroe talk on her cell phone while he remained well hidden behind the newspaper.

  “Hey, Chad, what’s the word? Uh-huh, okay, that’s good news. Really? I guess it’s doing its intended job. Thanks, we’ll keep you posted, and tell Clark I’ll update him later on Judge Gardino and his missing wife.”

  “What did Clayton say?” Jack asked after she hung up.

  Her voice lowered to a whisper, but Max could still make out the words.

  “The canine unit didn’t find anything else, so I guess it was only Amy and Deborah in the woods. Now they can focus on finishing up in the field. He also said five more people came in to give DNA samples. Are you ready to continue on?”

  “Yep, let’s do it.”

  Max heard the chairs being pushed back and cautiously peered around the newspaper. The two detectives were heading toward the exit. When the door closed behind them, Max stood and moved to a stool near the front window. He saw them enter another building.

  Good—time to get out of here and plan my next move.

  Chapter 31

  “Damn it.” I jammed my hands into each pocket and dug through my purse.

  “What’s wrong?” Jack asked.

  “I think I left my cell phone on the table at Black Elixir. I’ll be right back.”

  I walked out of Katie’s Closet and looked both ways before crossing the street. Someone caught my eye near the corner of Fillmore and Main Street. I stopped dead in my tracks and shaded my eyes. His height and gait looked right.

  There’s no way. His hair is different, but how many people are that tall?

  Instinctively, I reached into my pocket to grab my phone and call Jack then remembered I didn’t have it. “Crap!” I looked back at Katie’s Closet, then down the block at Black Elixir. If I went to either place, I’d lose him for sure.

  Just before he rounded the corner, the man glanced back. There was no mistaking it. Max Sims looked me dead in the eyes.

  “Son of a bitch.” I quickly looked up and down the street. I had to make a split-second assessment. Luckily at this time of day, most people were indoors enjoying lunch. I yelled out, “Max Sims, stop right now.”

  He disappeared around the corner without looking back.

  “Shit.” I ran across the street while trying to secure the strap of my purse over my head and under my arm. I reached inside my blazer and pulled out my service weapon. With my back pressed against the side of the last building before Fillmore Street, I peeked around the corner—nobody there. I hoped he hadn’t found a house to duck into. Dealing with a hostage situation wasn’t high on my bucket list. The sound of an engine turning over caught my attention. I scanned the street and looked at every parked vehicle. There he was—a block up. Max backed his van away from the curb and headed toward me.

  “Gotcha.” I ran into the street and took my stance. My grip was steady, and my weapon was pointed at his windshield, ready to fire. I yelled out, “Stop your vehicle right now, or I’ll shoot!”

  He stepped on the gas and floored it. I got off two rounds, and his windshield exploded with a spray of glass before he swerved and hit me with
the side mirror of the van and sped away. The force threw me to the pavement. I braced myself and cradled my head when I hit the curb with a hard thud. Everything spun around me. A voice got louder and louder until it was right above me.

  “Jade, Jade, can you hear me? Somebody call an ambulance! Jade, it’s Jack. Open your eyes. Tell me you can hear me. Where does it hurt?”

  I groaned and squinted.

  “Jade, what happened? I thought I heard gunfire.”

  “What? Jack?”

  “Your jacket is ripped, and your shoulder and head are bleeding. Lie still, the ambulance is on its way. What can you tell me? Do you remember what happened? Your service weapon is on the curb. What were you doing?”

  I reached up and touched my forehead. It was wet and sticky.

  “Yeah, partner, that’s blood. What happened?”

  I heard sirens getting closer. “Jack,” I moaned, “Max Sims is here. Put my gun back in my holster—hurry.”

  “What?” Jack did as I asked then looked around. People began to gather. He leaned over me. “Jade, are you sure it was him?”

  “I’m positive. Don’t say a word to anyone and go get my cell phone.”

  The ambulance and a squad car arrived at the same time. The patrol officer got out of his cruiser and approached Jack. “What happened here?”

  “I don’t have a clue. She said something about tripping over the curb when a car sped by too close to her. We’re detectives from North Bend and just in town for the day.” Jack flashed his badge.

  I added my two cents as I lay looking upward at the officer. “I’m fine, just banged up a bit. It was my own clumsiness.”

  “You don’t look fine, ma’am. The EMTs will assess your injuries.”

  The officer pulled Jack aside. “Somebody reported gunshots.”

  Jack nodded. “Yeah, the sound fooled me too. Sergeant Monroe told me the old clunker that sped past her backfired twice and startled her. That’s probably why she tripped and fell.”