LIES OF THE PHOENIX (A Lieutenant Cassidy Mystery Book 1)

by Jeanne Tosti

  They entered the station and Sarah took the lead. She walked up to the desk and informed the clerk that Lieutenant Cassidy was expecting them. After a short wait the clerk motioned to them and she was on her feet immediately. Ben had to hurry to keep up with her brisk pace.

  They were shown upstairs to an interview room and told Lieutenant Cassidy would be in shortly. Ben noticed that Sarah’s demeanor had changed. She seemed more in control and determined, maybe even angry.

  After a short wait, Lieutenant Cassidy walked into the interview room carrying a folder filled with papers. He greeted them and sat down at the table across from them. Cassidy opened his file, and was just about ready to get started when Sarah broke in.

  “I have some things I want to tell you before we get started,” she said.

  Cassidy smiled to himself. Sarah had called earlier to say she had some additional information to share. He did not act surprised. He had been at this game a long time. It was important to allow a witness to feel comfortable and talk freely. They may be intimidated by a stiffly structured interview and choose not to volunteer information because they think it might be off topic or too insignificant to mention. When a witness indicated a readiness to speak, it was best to let the conversation flow.

  He had told his young protégés many times that an investigator hates to stumble upon a piece of evidence late in the case and then ask a witness, Why didn’t you tell me that before? Only to be told, You never asked, or, I didn’t think it was important. He imagined Sarah remembered some detail from the night of the break-in that might be helpful so he was ready to give her the floor

  “O.K., I’m listening. Go ahead.” He leaned back in his chair and gave her his full attention.

  “My husband, Jordan, is missing. I think he packed a bag and left Saturday night without so much as a word or a note. He just walked out when I wasn’t home.”

  Cassidy sat forward in his chair. He had to admit he wasn’t anticipating that piece of information. He listened as Sarah went through everything that had happened regarding Jordan’s disappearance. Cassidy asked several questions to clarify the details, and then questioned Ben as to his observations when he dropped Sarah at the house on Saturday.

  When Ben finished he said, “Sarah has a couple of other things she wants to tell you about the night of the break-in as well.”

  Cassidy looked in Sarah’s direction, but didn’t say anything. Sarah took the cue and told Cassidy about the gun clip. She glanced at Ben and then continued.

  “I didn’t hear any voices downstairs that night and I never heard any sounds of a fight—just the two gunshots and the lamp breaking. I should have heard something. Our bedroom is right at the top of the stairs.”

  Cassidy sat back in his chair assimilating what he had just heard. “Is there a reason why you are just telling me these things now?” He already knew the answer to his question.

  “After I said I heard the gunshots and the lamp breaking, no one asked me about anything else that I heard.”

  Cassidy nodded with a resigned look on his face and motioned for her to continue.

  “Your police officers and detectives talked to us separately. I never heard Jordan’s version of what happened until you were talking with us at the dining room table that night. Everything was so chaotic and I felt confused. I talked to Jordan about it later. He convinced me that I was upset and distracted with the 911 operator and couldn’t be sure about what I heard.”

  “And how about the ammo clip?”

  “Jordan said the gun belonged to the burglar. I had no reason to question what he said. I didn’t think the ammunition clip had anything to do with what happened.”

  As Cassidy assimilated this information he asked, “Do you think your husband’s absence has something to do with the two break-ins at your townhouse?”

  “I kept thinking he would be back, that he had a work emergency or something. I didn’t think his leaving had anything to do with your investigation.”

  “Has something changed your mind about that?” Cassidy sensed that there was more to come.

  “Yes.” Sarah took a deep breath, hesitated, and then continued. “I called his employer, Reston Global Securities. I was hoping they could tell me where he was. They said they never heard of him, that he never worked for them.” She looked over at Ben and then back at Cassidy. “Ben thought I should tell you.”

  After hearing of Jordan’s disappearance, this latest piece of information about his fictitious employment was not as big a surprise to Cassidy. It fit with the failure of the L.A. police to find any trace of a Jordan Lawrence in the California system.

  “Anything else you want to tell me?” Cassidy said.

  “I think that’s everything.” Sarah leaned back in her chair and felt a small measure of relief after sharing the information with Cassidy.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Lawrence. What you’ve told me is very helpful to our investigation. Some of it fits with information we have uncovered in our investigation. I have some information I want to share with you now. It may not be very pleasant.”

  Cassidy looked at Ben and Ben knew bad news was coming.

  Somewhere between the destruction at her townhouse and the precinct station Sarah had found her feet and they were now firmly planted in reality. Jordan was gone; his life with her had been filled with lies. Like a curtain lifting, she was seeing things clearly now. Jordan and his past were at the bottom of all this. She was ready for whatever Lieutenant Cassidy had to say.

  Cassidy started, “We have identified the intruder that your husband killed. His name is Vladimir Zykov. He was from the West coast. A highly skilled thief and murderer who hired himself out to various crime organizations out there.

  “You’re thinking then that he broke into Sarah’s house to do a job?” Ben asked.

  “Yes. We are working on the theory that Zykov was hired by a West coast crime organization to find and retrieve something specific. That something was likely the reason for the initial break-in at your townhouse and the ransacking that you found today.”

  “Do you know what they were looking for?” Sarah asked.

  “No, not yet. We believe it has a connection to your husband’s activities in Los Angeles.” Cassidy stopped for a second before he burdened her with additional bad news. She seemed to be holding it together so he continued, “After we found Zykov’s connection to the West coast, the L.A. police offered to do a background check on your husband. They came up with nothing, not even a California driver’s license. According to them, Jordan Lawrence does not exist.”

  Sarah sat forward with a start, “Are you saying my husband isn’t Jordan Lawrence?”

  “We think that it is likely your husband assumed a new identity when he relocated to Chicago. Maybe to throw off people who were looking for him. The fact that he is now missing of his own volition may mean that he is on the run from them.”

  “But why?” Sarah asked.

  “Your husband worked in international finance and investment. He had access to a lot of sensitive information. Information that people would pay a lot of money for.” Cassidy was interrupted by a tap on the door.

  The door cracked open and a clerk popped his head in. “Phone call for you, Lieutenant. Detective Russo said you would probably want to take it.”

  “O.K., thank you, Mark.” Cassidy stood up and excused himself saying he would be back in a few minutes.

  Ben’s mind was trying to order and assimilate all the information he was hearing. His police senses were in high gear. Sarah does not realize just how bad this is, he thought. Jordan, or whoever he is, was involved up to his neck with organized crime. They were after him and something that he had. Ben looked at Sarah who was lost in her own thoughts. They may come after her next! he thought.

  Cassidy returned a short while later with a grim look on his face. “That was the L.A. police. They found a facial recognition match for your husband in their Bureau of Motor Vehicles driver license data base. He was
using the name Lloyd Nash out there.” Cassidy stopped, reluctant to tell Sarah the rest of the information he had.

  Sarah sensed his hesitancy and braced herself for more bad news. “Go ahead, tell me. I need to know what is going on.” After what she had already heard, she didn’t think it could get any worse.

  Cassidy sat down across from Sarah and they locked eyes, “The L.A. police did a background check on the Lloyd Nash identity.” He stopped again, and then continued. “They found that Lloyd Nash has a wife in L.A. They were married four years ago. Her name is Amanda. She filed a missing persons report on him after he disappeared without a trace a few months ago—just before Jordan Lawrence surfaced here in Chicago.”

  Sarah’s body posture stiffened, and she gripped the table until her knuckles turned white. Then in a calm and determined voice she said, “Jordan has a friend, Kyle Mason. He said they worked together in Los Angeles. Kyle keeps asking me if Jordan left me anything or sent me anything.” She pulled out her cell phone and scrolled through the call list. “I don’t know where he lives, but here is the last number that he called me from.”

  “We will check him out,” Cassidy said. “The investigation team will be done collecting evidence at your townhouse tomorrow. You’ll have access, but given the two recent break-ins, I don’t think it would be wise for you stay there. Do you have someplace else?”

  “I am staying at a friend’s house for now. That will be O.K. for a while.”

  “Just let us know where you will be.” Cassidy’s voice took on a serious tone. “I also have to caution you to be on your guard. If these people haven’t found what they are looking for, they may think you know something. If you are contacted or you come across anything suspicious, I mean anything, I want to know immediately.”

  Cassidy had nothing else to share and the meeting came to an end. He admonished her again to stay vigilant. She and Ben left.

  After they were outside the building, away from the commotion of the station, Ben asked, “Are you alright? That was a lot to take in all at once.”

  “I have been such a fool. I was worried sick about Jordan and what may have happened to him. I even thought maybe I did something to make him leave. Turns out, our marriage and everything else was just part of some diabolical scheme he concocted to escape his criminal cronies. It was all a sham!” The anger in her voice escalated as she spoke.

  There was nothing Ben could say to make things better. He just allowed her to vent while he listened with a sympathetic ear, nodding agreement at appropriate intervals. She was mad, which was better than her being devastated and unable to function.

  As they drove back to Ruth’s house, Ben listened as Sarah let her anger out. When she had finally exhausted the turmoil of emotions swirling inside her, Ben turned the conversation to something that was bothering him.

  “Sarah, I don’t think it is a good idea for you to stay at Ruth’s house. The people that Cassidy told you about are a bad lot. Ruth has kids. You wouldn’t want to put them in danger.” Sarah was listening, but made no comment. Ben continued, “My apartment is ready. My furniture is arriving tomorrow. You could stay at my place. I have a guest room with a private bath so you’d have your privacy.”

  Sarah sat there contemplating what Ben had just said. He was right. The last thing that she would ever want to do is put Ruth’s family in any danger. She didn’t want to place Ben in any danger either.

  “I think you’re right, but I don’t want to be a burden to you either. My company keeps a furnished apartment downtown for visiting clients. No one’s scheduled to use it for the next month. That may be a better option for me.”

  Ben hid his concern. He was worried about her safety and didn’t think she understood the seriousness of the threat. He wanted his trained eyes keeping watch, but he had to accept her decision—at least for tonight. “O.K., but my offer still stands.”

  Chapter 15

  BEN PULLED THE car into Ruth’s driveway and parked. He collected Sarah’s bag from the trunk and they went into the house. Ruth was in the kitchen already bustling about preparing dinner. Brandon and Kaye heard them arrive and the two children came running from the family room squealing in excitement. Ruth allowed them to say hello, and then shooed them off to play.

  Sarah looked at the homey family scene. It confirmed in her mind that Ben was right. This is my problem. I couldn’t live with myself if any of it touched Ruth’s family.

  “Hi, you two. Everything go O.K. with Lieutenant Cassidy?” Ruth knew nothing about the destruction at the townhouse or Lieutenant Cassidy’s revelations about Jordan.

  “Well, about that. . .” Ben started. “There have been some developments.”

  “O.K., just a second. Let me put a lid on this and turn the heat down.” She quickly set her pots to simmer, poured three cups of coffee, and carried them to the table. As she sat down she saw the strange look on Sarah’s face. She knew immediately things were not good. “What’s going on?”

  Sarah took a deep breath and proceeded to tell Ruth everything that had happened at the townhouse and their meeting with Lieutenant Cassidy. When she was done, Sarah could see that Ruth was stunned by the enormity of the situation.

  “Wow! I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that! After she said it, she realized that she should be focusing on how this was affecting Sarah. “Sarah, there is no way you could have known this. He fooled us all. What’s important now is to keep you safe. No arguments, you are going to stay here with us until this is resolved,” Ruth said with authority.

  Ben started to speak, but Sarah immediately took over in a calm determined voice. “No, Ruth, I won’t expose you and your family to any of this. I don’t know how bad these people are that Jordan, or Lloyd, or whatever his name is, is mixed up with.

  After an hour of discussing every conceivable alternative, it was settled. Sarah would stay at her company’s downtown apartment for now. It was a safe building with a doorman and only a few people even knew that her company leased the apartment.

  Ben knew that Sarah was not going to like what he had to say next. “You should take some time off from work. Regular scheduled activities like going to work make you too easy to find and track.”

  “What? No! I am not going to hide out like a fugitive. I have a job and a life. The townhouse is unlivable right now, so I understand that. And I agree that Ruth and her family should be kept as far away from all this as possible, but I’m not going to just disappear. I don’t have anything to do with what Jordan did. No one will be interested in me,” Sarah countered.

  “Sarah, if these people didn’t find what they were looking for, they’re going to start to look at everything and everyone associated with Jordan to find it. It’s not safe—”

  Sarah cut him off, “Your police background is making you paranoid. I have nothing to do with this. I’ll be just fine. Ruth, do you want to help me pack up the rest of my things?”

  Ruth nodded silently. She was torn between concern for Sarah and the sudden realization that if Sarah stayed, it might pose a threat to her family. They went to the guest room and Ruth busied herself uselessly straightening things up as Sarah packed the few clothes and personal items she had originally brought from the townhouse.

  “Ruth, I just wanted to talk to you in private.” She placed the last items in her overnight bag and zipped it closed. Then she sat Ruth down on the bed and took a seat next to her. “Don’t worry about me. I was a fool about Jordan and I know that now. I’ll get through this.”

  “I am always the one with a plan and advice, but this time I don’t know what to tell you,” An uncharacteristic note of uncertainty entered Ruth’s voice. “I want to help, but I don’t know what to do.”

  “All I need you to do is be yourself. You’re my moral support and I need that now more than anything.”

  Ruth smiled unconvinced.

  “The police are on top of things. I’m confident they’ll sort all this out,” Sarah said trying to reassure
her.

  Ruth nodded dejectedly.

  “And there’s Ben too,” Sarah added. “He understands all this police stuff and has been a big help already.” She said it to make Ruth feel more comfortable, but afterwards realized how thankful she was that he had been with her today.

  Ruth’s troubled expression lightened. Ben’s background in law enforcement would certainly provide Sarah with the guidance that Ruth was at a loss to give. She sighed, “O.K. You know I am always here for you. I’ll do anything I can to help.”

  “I know.” She gave Ruth a hug and the two of them returned to the kitchen where Ben was still sitting.

  “Ben, could you drive me to my townhouse so I can pick up my car?”

  “Uh, it might be good to wait on that for a while. The police are still all over your house collecting evidence.” What he really wanted to say was, Are you crazy! You can’t go driving around by yourself ! Instead he said, “Why don’t you let me drive you to your company’s apartment tonight after dinner?”

  Ruth smiled in satisfaction. A plan was materializing. Not her plan, but a plan none the less. “I’ll have dinner ready in about a half hour. Why don’t you two go into the family room and relax. Send those two hoodlums of mine in here. They can help me make muffins.”

  Sarah and Ben went into the family room. Brandon and Kaye were playing on the floor crashing toy cars into the leg of the coffee table. In one motion, Ben scooped them both into his arms and said, “Come on you two. Your mom wants some help cooking in the kitchen.” The children squealed with delight as Ben disappeared into the kitchen with his rowdy captives.

  He reappeared a minute later and took a seat on the sofa next to Sarah, perhaps a little closer than a mere acquaintance should. He noticed, however, that Sarah did not move away. He had to admit, he found her attractive. It wasn’t just her looks, which were more than attractive. She was grounded and knew who she was. Considering all that she had been through the last couple of days, she was holding it together surprisingly well. In fact, he could see a determination emerging in her attitude. Revelations that would have devastated a lesser person were solidifying her resolve. Knowledge was control, and Sarah was in control.