Exposed

by C. M. Sutter

  “You’re done, and I need ice.”

  “For what?”

  “For my broken nose. If you put that ball gag back on me, I’ll suffocate. My nose is swelling closed, and so are my eyes. I can feel how puffy they are.”

  “Yeah, you do look like shit.” Max rose and pulled a handful of ice cubes out of the cooler. He put them in a bowl and handed it to her. “You have an hour to do what you need to do. I’ll get you some food, but after that, you’re getting tied up again.”

  “No ball gag, right?”

  He shrugged and walked away.

  Chapter 35

  “Don’t beat yourself up, Antonio. You didn’t really think Theresa was abducted.”

  “I know—but that phone call. Why didn’t I take it as a serious threat?”

  Jack shook his head without answering that question. “What I do know is the timing is critical. There hasn’t been a ransom demand or any other call since the first one?”

  “No, Jack, nothing.”

  “Okay, we have to make the police tell us what they know so far. Do you know who the chief is?”

  “There isn’t one in Green River Falls, just the lieutenant.”

  “That’s right. A Lieutenant Connors and six officers at this location, correct?”

  “Yes, but we’ll insist on talking to him.”

  Jack drove to the police station on Second Street and pulled into the lot. He and Antonio walked in together. The same two women were behind the counter as earlier that day. Jack addressed Barb because he didn’t know the other woman’s name.

  “Barb, we have to speak with the lieutenant. It’s urgent, and please don’t send Officer Duke in his place—no offense, but we need to speak to the top dog.”

  “Certainly. Please have a seat.” Barb got up and disappeared around the same door as before.

  Jack and Antonio waited on the guest chairs for five minutes. They looked up when the door opened. A portly older man, likely in his fifties, approached them.

  Antonio whispered, “It’s him, Lieutenant Connors.”

  He nodded at Antonio and looked at Jack. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.” He stuck out his hand, and Jack shook it.

  Jack stood. “I’m Detective Jack Steele from Washburn County Sheriff’s Department. Judge Gardino and I are personal friends.”

  Antonio spoke up. “Lieutenant Connors, I have to know what progress you’ve made on this case.”

  “Please, gentlemen, let’s go in my office.”

  Jack and Antonio followed the lieutenant to a decent-sized office. Two green guest chairs faced the large oak desk. The lieutenant’s name was engraved on a nameplate facing the guest chairs. Family photos in matching silver frames lined the walls on shelves to their right, and the American flag stood on a flagpole behind the lieutenant’s desk.

  “Have a seat.” The lieutenant seated himself behind the desk in an oversized roller chair. “I’m sure you understand our position.” He stared at Antonio as if he were waiting for a confirmation.

  “Actually, I don’t. I want to know what you’ve done so far to find my wife.”

  “Mr. Gardino, to be honest, you’re our only suspect. We’ve spoken with the bartender from the Last Stop and a few other people that were at the bar that night. They said your wife was whooping it up with everyone in the bar.”

  “I don’t like your tone, Lieutenant.” Antonio pushed back his chair, but Jack grabbed him by the arm.

  “Sit down and relax.” Jack gave Antonio a stern look. “Lieutenant Connors, I’d like to talk to a few people myself if you don’t mind. I have Judge Gardino’s permission to act on his behalf.”

  Lieutenant Connors raised his eyebrow and tugged on his earlobe. “Oh yeah? What is it you want to do?”

  “I want to check all the businesses downtown that have surveillance cameras. That should narrow things down immediately. If somebody is seen on tape abducting Theresa Gardino, and it wasn’t her husband—well, you see where I’m going with this, right?”

  The lieutenant rubbed his chin, as if in thought. He looked at Antonio. “There hasn’t been any ransom call. You understand why we’d suspect you.”

  “I don’t have time to hash this out with you right now. We have to find my wife.”

  “All right. Go ahead, but don’t step on any of my officers’ toes. They’re still interviewing other people around town.”

  Jack and Antonio rose and thanked the lieutenant. They walked the back hallway that led to the municipal offices, the Clerk of Courts office being among them.

  “We have to take care of this first. The municipal offices are going to close soon.”

  Antonio shook his head. “I swear that lieutenant was getting under my skin.”

  Jack patted him on the back. “I understand, but cockiness isn’t going to get you anywhere with these boys. Let’s see what the Clerk of Courts has on file for property tax payments. With any luck, they’ll find the last name Sims in the record books somewhere.”

  They entered through the glass door and approached the counter.

  “May I help you?” a competent looking young woman asked.

  “Yes, you can. I’m Detective Jack Steele from the Washburn County Sheriff’s Department. This fine gentleman next to me is Judge Antonio Gardino.”

  Her expression saddened. “I’m sorry to hear about your wife, sir.”

  “Thank you. We really need your help.”

  “Sure, what can I do?”

  “We need to know if there’s a property tax bill in Jackson County for anyone with the last name Sims.”

  “No first name?”

  Jack spoke up. “I don’t think it matters. Any Sims will do.”

  “Okay, hang on.” She tapped the computer keys and waited. “Nothing comes up.”

  “In the entire county?”

  “No, sir.”

  “How far can you go back?” Antonio asked.

  “Our system saves files for seven years. Would you like me to go back that far?”

  “Please,” Antonio said.

  She tapped again. “Sorry, still nothing.”

  Jack sighed. “I was sure I was on the right track. Do you have a plat book of the county?”

  “Yes we do.”

  Antonio drummed his fingertips on the counter as he leaned in.

  She gave him a sour look.

  “Sorry.” He crossed his arms in front of him. “How far back do you have?”

  “Downstairs in our archives file we have back to 1851, but up here we have books back to 1920.”

  “May we see them?” Jack asked.

  “Sure, follow me to our information data room. They’re on a bookshelf in there. Would either of you like coffee?”

  “That would be wonderful,” Jack said. “Thank you, miss.”

  She smiled. “The name is Tara.”

  Jack and Antonio sat at a long table in the data room and began going through the plat books for Jackson County. Tara entered a few minutes later with a carafe of coffee and two cups. They thanked her, and she left them to themselves to continue their search through the property records.

  “How far do you want to look back, Jack?”

  “I’d say thirty years. Darryl was locked up twenty years ago. There wouldn’t be a reason to buy property here after he was locked up. I doubt if Max would have bothered.”

  They searched the county properties book by book. They began eight years back since the computer stored information for seven years. At the twelve-year mark, Antonio stood and stretched. He rolled his neck and popped the kinks out. Jack glanced at the clock.

  “They’re going to be closing in fifteen minutes. We’re going to have to pick this up tomorrow. How are you on time?”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “How about a quick bite, then we’ll hit the stores with camera surveillance.”

  “Yeah, let me call my neighbor first and see if she can watch the kids a little longer.”

  After Anton
io got the green light, he and Jack grabbed a couple of sandwiches and ate them as they walked Main Street.

  “There are a few stores that Jade and I checked out already. Let’s go there first. After that, since the bar will be open later than any stores, I want to see if they have video from that night. Oh, never mind—I forgot their video system tapes over itself every day. They won’t have anything that can help us.”

  Antonio nodded and entered Andrew’s Resale Shop with Jack. Betty Lou Jones sat behind the counter and smiled.

  “I remember you. Where’s your partner?”

  Jack responded, “She’s preoccupied right now. How about letting us look at your tapes from two nights ago?”

  “Who is your friend? Is he a cop too?”

  “Hello, ma’am, I’m Judge Gardino. It’s my wife that went missing. Please, can you let us take a look?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Come on back.”

  Jack and Antonio followed Betty to a room the size of a broom closet. The computer, camera equipment, and the safe were well hidden behind a heavy curtain near the back wall.

  “Here you go, gentlemen. I hope you know how to use this stuff because I can’t help you. As far as I know, it’s automated, and nobody has ever asked to view anything.”

  “Yeah, we can figure it out. Thank you, Betty.”

  Jack looked over his shoulder to see Betty disappear when the door chime sounded.

  “What time did Theresa leave the house the other night?”

  Antonio rubbed his temples. “I’d say it was close to ten o’clock. I remember the kids were already asleep.”

  “Okay, let’s go back to nine thirty. Which car in your driveway was hers?”

  “The white Mercedes.”

  “Good. The light color will make it easier to notice.”

  They started the video feed from Wednesday night at nine thirty. Andrew’s Resale was across the street and four stores down from the Last Stop. The bar was out of camera view, but if Theresa had happened to drive by, they’d see the car. She’d be difficult to identify if she were walking. The nearest street lamp was two stores away, and other than ambient light from advertising signs, the sidewalk was dark.

  “Do you remember what she wore that night?”

  “No. She took off for the bedroom, where I thought she went to sulk. I grabbed a drink and sat down in front of the TV. Next thing I knew, the front door slammed. I went to the window and saw her drive away. I’m guessing she went upstairs to change clothes or pack a bag.”

  “Okay, let’s focus on the video. If you see anything questionable, I’ll rewind the tape.”

  They watched the footage from nine thirty until three in the morning. They didn’t see Theresa anywhere. Jack thanked Betty Lou, and they left.

  “Now where?”

  “Let’s try Katie’s Closet,” Jack said.

  They arrived at the door and stepped over the threshold.

  A voice from the back called out, “We’re closed, come back tomorrow.” A young woman with a broom in hand popped her head around the corner. “Hi, Detective Steele.”

  “Hi, Katie. Any chance you’ll give us thirty minutes to look at your video feed from Wednesday night?”

  Her eyebrows furrowed. “I was ready to shut things down.”

  Antonio spoke up. “Don’t you have to close out the till and sweep the floors?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Then can’t we stay until you lock the doors and leave? My wife is the missing woman everyone in town is talking about.”

  “Wow, that sucks. All right, go ahead. Do you know how to use the equipment?”

  “We sure do,” Antonio said. “Just lead the way.”

  Katie showed them into her office. “I’ll be here at my desk, but I won’t bother you. I have to count out today’s receipts.”

  “Sure, no problem.” Jack prompted the camera feed to roll in reverse. They watched the time stamp in the lower right corner as the minutes, hours, and days went backward. “Here we go, nine thirty on Wednesday night.” He set the footage to run at normal speed.

  They both leaned in closely and watched as activity on the sidewalk slowed as the evening progressed. Stores closed and lights went off as proprietors left for the night.

  “There! Back it up. I recognize that jacket—it’s Theresa.”

  Jack backed up the feed just a smidge and played it again. The woman walked past the camera, crossed the street, passed by a few buildings, and disappeared out of the frame.

  “She must have parked on Water Street, which makes sense. She would have been coming from the north—from our house. She crossed at the four-way stop and turned right. She’s heading in the direction of the Last Stop.”

  “Okay, that means we should see her pass by the camera again at a little after two in the morning if the bartender’s recollection is correct.”

  Antonio’s face wrinkled with distress. “Unless she was abducted between the bar and this camera.”

  Jack checked the time and nudged Antonio. “We’re going to get kicked out pretty soon. I’ll fast forward to one fifty-five.”

  The feed slowed at one fifty-three, then one fifty-four, and at one fifty-five, Jack set it to normal speed. They stared at the screen closely and watched for that leopard-print jacket.

  “Okay, guys, I’m closing up.” Katie stood and watched over their shoulders.

  Antonio glanced back at her. “Just five more minutes, please.”

  She let out a sigh. “Five minutes. I’m beat.”

  They watched until ten after two. Theresa never appeared on film again.

  Jack shut the system down. “Come on. Let’s go. We’ll look at this tape in more detail tomorrow. Maybe the bartender got the timing wrong. Katie, we’ll be back tomorrow, and I promise it will be earlier.”

  “Now what?” Antonio asked. His voice had become frantic.

  “Let’s stop at the police station one more time before we call it a night. I want to hear what those officers that were conducting the interviews have to say.”

  It was closing in on eight o’clock when Jack and Antonio walked through the doors of the Green River Falls Police Department. Barb and the other woman that were behind the counter had been replaced with two night shift officers in uniform.

  The man wearing a name patch with Reynolds embroidered on the breast pocket spoke up. “How can I help you gentlemen?”

  Jack pulled out his badge and responded, “Are there any officers around that conducted interviews in the Theresa Gardino case?”

  “Give me a second.”

  He checked the board at his back. “Looks like Officer Miller is still here. Our night shift guys are out on patrol.”

  “May we speak to him?”

  “Yep, give me a minute.” Officer Reynolds stood and left the area.

  Antonio paced. “What are the odds of Theresa being alive?”

  “It depends on who has her and what they want. We’re going to do our best to get her back safely.”

  Officer Miller walked out to greet Jack and Antonio.

  Jack whispered, “Let me do the talking.”

  “Gentlemen, what can I do for you?”

  “We’d like an update on the case of Judge Gardino’s missing wife. We know there have been interviews with some of the people in town. What can you tell us?”

  “You’re correct, Mr.—”

  “It’s Detective Jack Steele. I’m from North Bend, the judge’s hometown.”

  “I see, but there isn’t a lot to report.” He turned toward Antonio. “People from the bar said they saw your wife and spoke to her, but nobody noticed her leave with anyone. The bartender said she looked to be having a good time and drinking quite a bit. I’m sure you’ve already heard that by your expression, Judge Gardino.”

  “Yes and it’s disturbing. Why would anyone let her leave alone if she was drunk?”

  “Seriously? A bar isn’t a church social. Everyone drinks at bars, and it isn’t anyone’s responsibi
lity to watch your wife. Where were you, sir?”

  “Okay, that’s enough,” Jack said when tempers began to flare. “Was anyone else interviewed?”

  “Maybe, but not by me. At that time of night, most people are in bed asleep or at the bar. That’s all I can tell you.”

  Antonio stormed out the door with Jack on his heels. “This is getting us nowhere,” he said.

  “Pick up your kids, go home, and get some rest. Have a stiff drink before bed. I want to get back at that video feed and the plat books first thing in the morning. Jade will be able to help us. They’re going to release her right after breakfast.”

  Chapter 36

  “How’s your shoulder?” Theresa asked when the sound of Max walking through the cabin woke her. She squinted through her puffy eyes and saw daylight between the cracks in the shutters.

  “I’ll live.” He did a double take when he looked at her. “Nice face. See what happens when you try to pull shit. Hanging around like this isn’t working for me—I feel like a sitting duck. I’ve got to steal a car so we can get the hell out of here. I’m going into town.”

  “How?”

  “I’ll walk. It’s only a few miles.” He regretted making that statement once the words left his mouth. He cringed but couldn’t take back what was said. Max hadn’t told Theresa where they were. She was out cold when he drove back to the cabin that night. For all she knew, they could have been twenty miles from civilization.

  “Can I have some water and use the bathroom before you leave?”

  “Yeah, let’s go.” Max led her outside and helped her down the steps. She walked slowly and craned her neck in every direction. “Don’t get any ideas. You don’t think I can read your mind?”

  “I’m just enjoying a few minutes of fresh air, that’s all.”

  “Right—make it fast.”

  Theresa stumbled, her legs tied together with just enough rope for her to shuffle awkwardly through the brush. Her hands remained tied behind her back. She came out of the woods a few minutes later and returned to the cabin. Max helped her up the steps.

  “May I have some water now?”

  “Yeah, I’ll get you something to eat too. I may be gone for a while.”