“See, I told you. He has already talked to Michael Campbell. That’s why he knows that Shawn isn’t going to get any support from Michael,” Jake murmured as Kiara pushed the door.
“Shut up,” she said as they entered the interrogation room.
“When the NYPD first came to my house, they suspected that I was behind Cynthia’s kidnapping. After questioning me, they understood that their assessment was wrong. They worked hard to take the case in a direction that gave me some hope for Cynthia’s release,” Shawn said angrily. “Now you suspect me too. Tomorrow, you’ll hand over this case to some other agency, and they will again start the investigation by interrogating me. This see-sawing is only going to waste time. I hope you understand that every minute that I spend here is making Cynthia’s chances of survival slimmer.”
“I understand, Mr. Hansen, but we’ve got some incriminating proof against you this time,” Kiara said.
“And it’s not Cynthia, but you, whose chances of survival are tanking by the minute,” Jake added, making Carlson shake his head in frustration.
“What proof?” Shawn asked with a quavering voice.
The confidence that he exuded a few minutes ago had all but gone now. Carlson moved closer to the mirror. Jake was after all, up to something.
“Do you know someone named Rafael Marconi?” Jake asked, looking into Shawn’s eyes.
“Who?” Shawn asked.
“He’s the one who was given the assignment to kidnap Cynthia,” Jake said firmly and pushed Rafael’s photograph across the table. “There’s no point in feigning ignorance. We already know that he met you in Rome.”
“You found Cynthia’s kidnapper?” Shawn asked immediately while looking at the photograph. “Is she safe?”
“That, you need to tell us. Rafael has been dead for four days,” Jake said and leaned forward “Mr. Hansen, where is Cynthia?”
“You think … I hired this guy to get her kidnapped? Are you out of your mind?” Shawn retorted.
“Then why did you meet him thrice in Rome?” Jake asked and punched the table, making Shawn move back slightly.
“I don’t know who this guy is,” Shawn said, looking again at the photograph. “And … what makes you think I met him in Rome?”
“We tracked his phone to check for the places where he went during his Rome visit, and we found three records that were traced to your hotel suite,” Kiara replied. “And, before you tell us that someone might have planted the phone in your room, we’ve already spoken to the hotel staff. On your part, booking the entire hotel floor was not a good idea at all. It drew attention and the hotel staff who might have overlooked it normally remember Rafael vividly. I believe the lobby camera footage will concur with it too.”
Shawn didn’t know what to say. He kept looking at them for a moment.
“I … I don’t know why he came there, but I swear I’ve never met this guy,” he said while wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Suddenly, the door opened. Carlson entered with another man.
“He’s Mr. Hansen’s lawyer,” Carlson said with visible disappointment. “I’m afraid we have to let him go.”
“But, sir,” Kiara tried to say something, but Carlson gestured her to stop.
“James, thank God you’re here,” Shawn said with relief. “They’re framing me for the kidnapping.”
“How could you question him without me?” James asked sternly and turned to Shawn. “Shawn, I hope you haven’t answered any of their questions.”
“I haven’t,” Shawn said while getting up. “I don’t even know what they’re talking about.”
“You have no right to harass anyone without having substantial proof,” James retorted while looking alternately between the two of them.
“Oh, we have enough proof. That’s why your client is sweating,” Jake smirked.
“Carlson told me about your so-called proof. It’s all circumstantial. So what if you saw a criminal roaming around the hotel lobby. That doesn’t make my client a part of any crime,” James said while removing his glasses. “Next time, get something concrete or else I’ll sue you.”
James’s words angered Carlson. He walked to Shawn. “This is just one end of a long chain. You better spend the night with your lawyer and get your defense ready,” he said and stormed out of the room. Kiara and Jake followed him.
“We were this close to getting his confession,” Kiara said ruefully.
Carlson turned around and looked at her. “He’s right. Whatever we have is not enough to get an arrest warrant. I need something concrete by tomorrow morning. I don’t want the same situation again.”
With that, he left for his office. Jake and Kiara looked at each other and then at Shawn and James stepping out of the main entrance.
“I told you that we don’t have enough proof against him. I bet Michael has given Carlson a deadline that he’s trying to pass on to us,” Jake said, and looked at Kiara, who by now had stopped reacting to his rants.
While Shawn was being questioned, Karl Bennett was going through Amy Brook’s bank statement. He had to bribe the security guard, who in turn bribed the office boy to get him a copy. Shirley Campbell had texted all of Shawn’s known accounts to Karl, and as he went through the last month’s statement, his eyes lit up at what he saw. Shawn had transferred a six-figure sum to Amy’s account.
More than the exhilaration, it was the thought of getting away from Shirley’s clutches that gave him relief. He just hoped that she would be satisfied with his findings, and there won’t be anything else needed from him.
He walked to the living room and with trembling hands, dialed Shirley’s number.
“You found something? Or, are you going to disappoint one more time?” Shirley asked as soon as she picked the call.
By now Karl had become immune to her barbs. He didn’t get nervous this time. “He transferred a big amount to her account a few days back,” he replied.
“That …” Shirley said and paused. “That should be enough to bring him down.”
A momentary silence ensued. Karl was hoping that his ordeal was about to end, but the silence scared him.
“Shall I bring the account statement to your place tomorrow?” he asked with all the strength that he could muster.
“What? No … no,” Shirley said. “I want you to do one last thing for me.”
“No … no, we had a deal,” Karl said in a frail voice.
“First listen to me completely,” Shirley said firmly, making him squirm. “It’s one last thing, and that too a small one. You do this for me, and I’ll never bother you. In fact, no one will ever bother you.”
Karl knew there was no way out. He just hoped that Shirley was truthful this time.
“What … what do you want me to do?” he asked with great difficulty.
“It’s time we send a small message to Shawn,” Shirley said.
“It’s blackmailing. I … I can’t do that,” Karl couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “And it will be traced back to me in a moment. I can’t take such a huge risk.”
“It’s just a small handwritten note. No one knows you. Even if they try to match the handwriting, they’ll look for family members or friends,” Shirley said coldly. “Besides, if you get caught, that would mean I’ll be in trouble too. You think I’ll take that risk?”
Karl didn’t know what to say. Shirley had planned every step, and she was right: why would she put herself in the line of fire?
“What do you want me to write?” he finally conceded.
“You have a pen and paper?” she asked.
“Yes, I have my journal in front of me.”
“Tear one of the pages,” Shirley said.
Karl did as ordered.
“Write down,” she said before a long pause, “I KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE. I AM COMING FOR YOU UNLESS…”
“What? That sounds like a threat…” Karl said in a trembling voice.
“Just write it down. You don’t have to worry about t
he content!” Shirley roared from the other end.
Karl wrote it down with shaking hands.
“When … when do I deliver this?” he asked.
“Don’t worry about that. Just keep it with you. We’ll deliver it at the right moment,” she said calmly. “Karl Bennett, you are a free man now. You’ll get your payment by tomorrow.”
With that, she disconnected. Karl threw the phone on the couch and started pacing across the hall. Shirley had planned everything from the beginning to the end. She found a detective who was not competent enough and made him believe how she was pining for her daughter. She had done a background check on him and knew how desperately he needed the money. She even knew the exact amount he needed. Once he was trapped, she started using him for anything she wanted.
With that, he looked at the handwritten note one more time. He was going to be free, but Shawn Hansen was definitely counting his last days as a free man.
After failing to get a confession from Shawn, Kiara and Jake were now trying to find Shawn’s connection to the kidnapping. Carlson left around ten, with explicit instructions that he wanted something on Shawn Hansen before morning. It miffed Jake, but Kiara was determined to find something whether he liked it or not. She knew Shawn Hansen had something to do with the kidnapping and being the husband; he also knew that he would be the prime suspect. Both interrogation parties—the NYPD and the FBI—had started the investigation keeping this in mind. But, no one could find any proof of his direct involvement in the kidnapping. And, the ransom demand was made at the same time when the suspicion of his connection to the crime had reached its highpoint. Suddenly, he became the victim – the one who was getting blackmailed.
But, Rafael’s sudden appearance had brought a new twist to the theory of Shawn being the victim. The whole scenario – whether Shawn was a victim or a criminal – was changing on a daily basis. Jake was right, there were questions that needed to be answered before making any move in Shawn’s direction. Maybe, the answers to these questions held the key, she thought.
“Let’s have coffee,” Kiara suggested.
Jake too was completely exhausted by now. He nodded and got up at once.
“You were right. There are many unanswered questions,” Kiara said as they entered the cafeteria. The cafeteria had long been closed, with only the coffee machine working at this hour. Jake hated the coffee, but it was their only option at this time.
“We need to establish the motive first,” he said while filling the cup.
“He said something about his financial troubles, right?” Kiara asked as Jake gave the cup to her.
“Yes … and that’s why he reached out to his father for arranging the ransom money,” Jake said.
“This financial trouble—is it a regular occurrence in this line of business or is there something he’s hiding from us?” Kiara asked as they walked to the corner table.
“That’s difficult to tell, but for the sake of argument, let’s say that it’s not common to have such troubles. It would mean that he created all this drama just to get the money, and maybe the client list demand is just a guise to make us think that he’s a victim.”
“We should ask him for the client names, then. Maybe, he doesn’t have any list,” Kiara said thoughtfully.
“Yeah, we should,” Jake said, “Another thing is that why did Rafael meet Shawn in Rome. Why would he travel all the way to Europe for just a meeting that could’ve been conducted here in New York?”
“Maybe, he arranged for a meeting between Shawn and Lorenzo,” Kiara replied.
“You’re right… that seems to be the only apt explanation. Besides, we know that the kidnappers scouted Shawn’s apartment as soon as they came back from the trip. So possibly, this entire plan was hatched in Rome,” Jake said while trying to put all the pieces together.
“Then why was Rafael murdered?” Kiara countered his point of view.
Jake shrugged. “That’s just an assumption. Maybe, he actually overdosed, and finding his number was just a coincidence.”
“There are no coincidences. I’ve asked Bob to dig deeper into Rafael’s history.”
“Why?” Jake asked with surprise.
“Need to cover all bases,” Kiara replied and got up. “Let’s go.”
“So, what’s the plan for tonight? Carlson needs something by morning,” Jake asked as they stepped out of the cafeteria.
“We have…..” Before Kiara could’ve finished her sentence, she heard a message beep from her laptop. She rushed to it at once.
“What’s that?” Jake asked while looking at his watch.
Kiara didn’t respond. She kept looking at the screen. Her eyes got bigger with each word that she read.
“Mail from Bob?” Jake asked while looking at Kiara’s inbox. “You’re the only person in the whole department who knows how to make him work after office hours.”
“And, only I know what I have to do in return.” Kiara cringed while closing the browser window.
With that, she switched off her laptop.
“I thought we were going to work on the case tonight,” Jake asked, knowing beforehand that he wasn’t going to get an exact answer.
“We may get a better idea if we think about it separately. Let’s work on this from our homes,” Kiara said and got up.
“This is about Bob’s report, isn’t it?” You already have something for Carlson, and you want me to look like a fool in front of him tomorrow,” Jake said while shaking his head.
“Don’t jump the gun. You’ve already finished your quota of behaving like an idiot for today,” Kiara said and looked at him. “Bob sent me the details about Rafael’s criminal background. He was caught for several crimes ranging from burglary to kidnapping to even murder. The evidence found at the crime scene pointed to his involvement, but he always had an alibi. He was always questioned but never got arrested for any of the crimes. Every time, he was in some other location—far from the crime scene. Also, they could never establish any link between him and the victims. All of this happened during the late eighties to mid-nineties. None of the cases were solved. Finally, the law enforcement agencies started keeping a track of all of his movements. It was the same time that he started his bakery. After ten years of wasting money and time, law enforcement agencies stopped following him.”
“So, he was a fall guy; someone whose expertise was in taking the investigation into a wrong direction that would guarantee a safe passage to the real culprits,” Jake said thoughtfully. “That would mean he was there to distract us too. They knew that we would check his background, and we would come to know about the case, but no one checks the details of the older cases during a criminal background check. So, they felt their ploy would work even this time. We’ll think he had the credentials of a kidnapper, and he would become the prime suspect.”
“Exactly. But if we had caught him alive, we would’ve come to know about why he was questioned earlier, and we would’ve known that he was a decoy,” Kiara added.
“So, they killed him to safeguard themselves,” Jake said with surprise.
“But, they made a very fundamental mistake. I got his autopsy report this evening. Before you get angry again, I didn’t tell you about it because I was waiting for Bob’s report,” Kiara said defensively.
Jake nodded. “Yeah…I get it. What was in the report?”
“He died of a drug overdose, but a day before the kidnapping,” Kiara said with a smile. “Meaning…”
“Meaning he was not working for Lorenzo Oldani. He was planted by someone else to frame Shawn Hansen.” Jake’s eyes widened. “Which means someone knew beforehand that there was a plan to kidnap Cynthia and wanted to take advantage of this information. If we hadn’t come to know about Rafael’s background, we would’ve assumed that Lorenzo hired him to kidnap her, and Lorenzo was in turn hired by Shawn, because to us Rafael helped Shawn meet Lorenzo in Italy and they hatched the plan there.”
“Yes … There are two parties to it. Loren
zo Oldani, who did it for the ransom, and someone who hates Shawn and knew beforehand that Cynthia was going to be kidnapped,” Kiara said, trying to put all the pieces together.
“Shawn may be innocent after all,” Jake mused. “That means we’re back to square one.”
“Not exactly. We now know that two parties are benefitting from this kidnapping: Lorenzo Oldani and someone who wants to frame Shawn. We need to find who that is.”
“But, that’s not our case. Our case is to ensure Cynthia’s safe release. We’re now clear that Cynthia has been kidnapped for ransom, but we still don’t have a clue about her whereabouts,” Jake said.
Kiara shook her head. “There was a considerable time lag between her kidnapping and when Shawn noticed that she was gone—maybe six to eight hours. That time is enough to take her out of the state. Besides, we don’t even know how exactly the kidnapping happened. We have only one thread to follow - someone who wants to frame Shawn, and maybe this someone hired Lorenzo too.”
“What about the ransom demands, then?” Jake asked.
A momentary silence ensued as Kiara made some calculations. “You’re right. If Lorenzo orchestrated it, he would’ve asked only for the money. Why such a specific demand for the client list?”
“To make it look more authentic from Shawn’s point of view?”
“But, even a simple money demand would have looked authentic. It’s not about framing him for the kidnap. It’s about bringing Shawn to his knees by destroying his career. Whosoever is behind this knows that Shawn loves Cynthia more than anything and will give up his career for her. That’s why this particular demand of the client list.”
“You’re right,” Jake agreed. “Whoever planned this knew Shawn and Cynthia well. We have to start questioning the families and close friends.”
“Before that, we need to inform Carlson about this development,” Kiara suggested and then looked at her watch. “Or, shall we wait until morning?”
“No … no, he is so much invested in this case and is hell bent on proving that Shawn’s behind it. He needs to know about this right now.”
Davenport Mysteries 03-Perfect Crime Page 6
