The Runaway Reporter (A Police Procedural Mystery Series of Crime and Suspense, Hyder Ali #3)

by Thomas Fincham

“We would love to come. You know how much I love your mom’s cooking.”

  “Maybe after Ramadan we could set up a date.”

  “Sounds good. Now, what’s going on, Hyder?”

  “It’s about the murders on Riverfield Street. We know the names of the victims.”

  “We?” Nolan asked.

  “Someone is helping me out.”

  “Is it Echo Rose?”

  Hyder laughed. “No, I wish. I haven’t had contact with her since the Monkey Murders. We’ve actually got a new intern at the Daily Times. I’m teaching him the ropes.”

  Nolan nodded. “And you want to print the names?”

  “Yes, but one of them is your captain’s son, isn’t it?”

  Nolan looked away. He hoped Hyder didn’t know that Rudy Jr. was also a suspect. He didn’t want to be put in a position to confirm or deny it. “Hyder, the department is being pretty tight lipped about it, but I won’t stop you from doing your job.”

  “Thanks,” Hyder replied. “Also, what about the fact that all three victims were part of a drug study by Devon Pharma?”

  “How did you know about that?” Nolan asked, surprised.

  “We received an anonymous tip.”

  “I thought I was the only one working that angle,” Nolan said. “So far, I’ve found no direct proof that the victims’ involvement in the study had anything to with what happened to them, but I would appreciate if you don’t mention the study in your column yet. It might be pertinent to the investigation down the road. But again, it’s your call. You don’t tell me how to do my job, and I won’t tell you how to do yours.”

  Suddenly, Nolan’s phone buzzed. He checked it and then said, “I gotta go.” He got up. “Nice seeing you again, Hyder.”

  “You too, Tom.”

  TWENTY-SIX

  When Nolan reached the department, he found Lopez by the elevators. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “You’ll see. Follow me.”

  They went to the briefing room. There was already a large group gathered inside.

  Ross and Halton were standing by the front, with everyone else either seated or standing by the walls.

  Once he saw Lopez and Nolan, Captain Ross quickly got down to business. “I would like to thank you all for coming to this impromptu meeting. As you already know, my family has suffered a great tragedy, and I thank you all for your condolences and support at this difficult time. Three young people have died, including my son, and the department is doing an exemplary job in finding out what exactly happened. I would like to thank Sergeant Halton and his unit for understanding the sensitivity of this case. They have been put in a difficult situation and they are doing their best work with it. Having said that, I feel it is in the best interest of the force that I take some time off to spend with my wife and our remaining children.”

  Ross choked up, quickly controlled himself.

  “Therefore, after seeking approval from the board, I have decided to appoint Sergeant Doug Halton as Interim Captain until my return.”

  Nolan looked around the room, saw no signs of disapproval on anyone’s faces. Halton was second in command. The opportunity should rightly be given to him. Nolan wondered what would happen to him once Ross wasn’t there to watch his back. Halton would surely enjoy making his life miserable from this point on.

  “I now hand it over to Doug,” Ross finished.

  Halton shook Ross’s hand and said, “Thank you, Captain. I am only occupying this position until your return, sir.”

  Nolan wanted to scoff. It was a known fact that Halton had been eyeing that position from the moment he had made sergeant. Now that he was Interim Captain, he would do everything in his power to make a mark for himself. This way the board would never forget his accomplishments, in case a permanent position opened up in the future.

  Halton turned to address the room. “In my place, I have decided to appoint someone who is both respected and admired and who will fully dedicate themselves to the position. I call on Detective Angelo Pascale to come forward.”

  Moans and groans greeted his announcement.

  Pascale walked up to the front, grinning from ear to ear.

  Nolan couldn’t say he was surprised. Pascale got along well with Halton, but Nolan knew that Lopez should have been given the position. She was respected and admired. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind about her dedication. She lived and breathed her job.

  Nolan knew Halton had nothing against Lopez, but he was punishing her for being with him.

  Nolan looked over at her. Her face didn’t betray what she was feeling.

  “I expect everyone to give their full support to Detective Pascale.” Halton continued. We have a lot of work to do and we need to continue to work together in order to do it. You are all dismissed.”

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  The moment Hyder returned to the Daily Times, Felix quickly asked, “So what do we do?”

  “We’ll print the victims’ names, but right now let’s not mention the link to Devon Pharma.”

  “Are you sure?” Felix replied. “What about the anonymous tip? I thought we were supposed to follow up on that.”

  “I did, and it might be a dead end.”

  “Ok, you’re the boss.”

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  Nolan was at his desk, staring out the window when Halton said, “Nolan, my office, now.”

  “I’m busy,” Nolan replied, picking up the telephone receiver.

  Halton’s face turned red. “I don’t give a damn. Get your ass in here now.”

  Nolan shrugged and spoke into the phone. “I’m sorry, I have to go. I understand you have some vital information regarding a very important case, but my boss needs to see me. Thank you for calling the Franklin Police Department and have yourself a nice day.” He hung up on the imaginary caller.

  Halton looked like his head would explode.

  Nolan walked casually into the office.

  “Sit down,” Halton growled.

  Nolan sat.

  “Now, listen here,” Halton said. “I’m now in charge, which means you have to do exactly what I say, got it?”

  “Yes, sir. You said come to your office and I left everything and came.”

  Halton clenched his jaw. “Remember this and remember it well: Ross is no longer here to protect you.”

  “You’re right, in this room, at this moment, he’s not here to protect anyone.”

  Halton’s eyes widened. “Are you threatening me?”

  “Absolutely not, sir,” Nolan replied. “But I would like you to remember this and remember it well: I have not had a drink in many days, even weeks. Alcoholism is a disease, and if I were to snap and do something erratic, my plea would either be insanity by virtue of having withdrawal symptoms, or it would be due to alcohol dependency, which would explain my impaired judgement. Either way, I’ll get off with a slap on the wrist, but God help the person who is at the other end of my outburst.” Nolan grinned, revealing his gums.

  Halton coughed. He didn’t know what to say. “Ok… I’m glad we had this conversation… you are dismissed.”

  “I’m glad too. Have yourself a nice day.”

  TWENTY-NINE

  Nolan was heading back to his desk when he passed Pascale’s and he suddenly stopped. In Pascale’s in-tray was a large envelope. Nolan knew where it had come from by looking at the emblem on the upper corner.

  Nolan looked around and then picked it up. Inside were several files. Nolan quickly scanned through them until he found one with a case number he recognized. Nolan pulled it out and then scanned the contents inside. The forensics report confirmed the prints found on the knife were that of Rudy Ross Jr. This meant, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was the one who had killed his neighbors.

  Nolan took the file. He needed time to find out what exactly had happened. If Halton and Pascale got a hold of this file, they would break the news immediately.

  THIRTY

  The next day, Hyder was getting ready
to leave for work when he received a call. It was from Lester.

  “Bro, something happened,” he said. “You better get here fast.”

  “What?” Hyder was worried.

  “I don’t know, but Veronica’s been looking for you all morning. She’s asked me a half a dozen times when you are coming in.”

  “She has my number. Why didn’t she just call me?”

  “Again, I don’t know. As your friend, it’s my duty to let you know if something’s up.”

  “Thanks, Lester.”

  Hyder ended the call. He suddenly had a bad feeling.

  He quickly left for the Daily Times.

  The bus ride wasn’t long, but it felt like an eternity. He quickly raced up the stairs and headed for his cubicle.

  He saw a note on his laptop.

  Come see me when you get here.

  Veronica

  Hyder rushed to her office.

  She was at her desk, a serious look on her face. Felix sat across from her.

  “What’s going on?” Hyder asked, looking from one person to the other.

  Veronica pushed a newspaper before him. Hyder leaned over and saw it was the latest edition of the Franklin Herald.

  The headline read: Victims of the Riverfield Massacre were involved in a major drug study.

  “How come we didn’t print this when we were the first to know about it?” Veronica asked.

  Hyder looked over at Felix. He refused to make eye contact.

  “Don’t look at him,” Veronica said. “He doesn’t work for you, he works for me. Also, it seems strange that you visited the Franklin Herald and the next thing you know they print this before us.”

  Again, Hyder couldn’t help but look at Felix. No one knew of his visit except for him.

  “I went to the Franklin Herald to pay my respects regarding Francine’s death; and as for the story, I was asked not to mention the drug link as it could interfere with an investigation.”

  “Who asked you?” Veronica asked.

  Hyder hesitated.

  Veronica looked at Felix. “Do you mind giving us a minute?”

  Felix quickly left the office.

  When they were alone, Veronica said, “I know you have been through a lot with Detective Nolan, and I know you are loyal to a fault, which is something I highly admire in you. If it were not for this trait, I probably wouldn’t be where I am now.”

  Hyder knew what she was referring to. After the TriGate Scandal, when Hyder was offered the position of lead city reporter, which was occupied by Veronica at that time, his first question was, “What happens to her?” He knew if it had led to her losing her job, then he wouldn’t have taken it. Fortunately, the editor position had become available and she was offered that instead.

  Veronica leaned closer. In a soft voice, she said, “Hyder, our job has not changed since the day we started. We still have to write stories that will pique people’s interest. This helps our sales. If our competitors do it better than us, then why would people want to read our paper? Just remember, we still have a job to do.”

  Hyder wasn’t happy with being questioned about his loyalty to the Daily Times, but he understood where she was coming from. He was accountable to her, and she was accountable to her superiors. In the end, however, they were all accountable to the readers. If they failed to do that, then they were being negligent in their duties.

  “It won’t happen again,” he promised.

  “I know,” she said. “Thanks for coming, Hyder.”

  Outside the office, Felix rushed over.

  “I’m so sorry, Hyder. Veronica wanted to know about the headline in the Franklin Herald and I didn’t know what else to tell her.”

  “You did what was right, you told the truth,” Hyder said. “It was my decision not to print it, and I shouldn’t have put you in a difficult situation.”

  Hyder walked away.

  THIRTY-ONE

  “Are you okay?” Lopez asked. “You haven’t touched anything.”

  Nolan and Lopez were in a fast food restaurant. Lopez had already finished her cheeseburger. She was now working through her fries. Nolan, on the other hand, had barely touched his chicken burger, and more than half his fries were still on his plate.

  Nolan shrugged. “I feel bad about what happened earlier,” he said.

  “You mean, Pascale getting the position?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

  “I just…” he paused.

  “What, Tom?”

  “I just don’t want to see your career affected by me.”

  Lopez placed her hand over his.

  “Whatever happens to my career has no bearing on our relationship.”

  “You know my reputation,” he said. “I’m a walking, talking time bomb.”

  “You’re being silly.”

  “No, I really could explode.”

  “How so?”

  “You see those kids making all that noise over there?” Lopez turned and saw a mother with three young children having lunch.

  “What about them?”

  “I want to go over there and give them a piece of my mind.”

  “They’re just kids, Tom.”

  “I know, but I’m really edgy.”

  “Does it have anything to do with your sobriety?”

  Nolan shrugged.

  “Tom, you don’t have to do it for me.”

  “I’m not. I’m doing it for us.”

  “At least have your lunch,” she said, nodding toward his food. “I’d feel better.”

  “It’s cold,” Nolan said, pushing the fries aside.

  “And the burger?”

  “Probably cold too. I feel thirsty.” He gulped down his large soda.

  Lopez’s mouth nearly dropped. “You’re falling apart.”

  “I’m fine,” he said. He turned his attention back to the kids. They were shouting and screaming and throwing things. One was having a full-blown tantrum.

  “Can we arrest children?”

  “Is that a question? Or are you asking for my permission?”

  “Damn annoying,” he continued, still looking at the kids.

  Lopez crossed her arms and made a face.

  “I’m sorry,” Nolan said, and then sighed. “It’s far more difficult than I had imagined.”

  “It’s supposed to be hard,” Lopez said. “Since your wife’s death, all you’ve done is drink, day and night, and night and day.”

  Nolan looked at her. “Can we talk about something else?”

  “Sure, what would you like to talk about?”

  “What do regular couples talk about?”

  “I don’t know,” Lopez shrugged. “How about, how was your day, Tom?”

  “Shitty!” Nolan spat. “Because I can’t drink!”

  Lopez threw up her arms. “I give up.”

  Just then something caught Nolan’s eye. On the television screen, the news anchor was talking about the morning’s headline in the Franklin Herald. The Herald had received an anonymous tip linking the murders on Riverfield Street to a drug trial by Devon Pharma. Devon Pharma has issued a statement denying their drug had anything to do with the recent deaths.

  “Shit!” Nolan spat again. He quickly pulled out his cell phone. He speed dialed Hyder’s number. He waited, but after several rings, it went to his voicemail.

  “Who’re you calling?” Lopez said.

  “Hyder, but he’s not picking up”

  “What’s going on?”

  Nolan told her about his meeting with Hyder. “Hyder told me not to tell anyone about this yet,” Nolan finished. L

  Lopez suddenly stood up. “I’ve got work to do,” she said.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “It seems my boyfriend isn’t willing to share information with me either.”

  Before he could say something, she was gone.

  Nolan looked around the restaurant and shook his head. He had not only put his fr
iend in a difficult position by stopping him from doing his job, he also had somehow upset his girlfriend by not keeping her in the loop.

  Inside the restaurant, the kids were getting louder and louder. His head began to pound and he could barely think straight.

  He turned to them and growled, “Shut up!”

  They quieted down in a heartbeat. Their mother looked at Nolan with wide eyes as if unsure to thank or scold him.

  He dropped a few bills on the table and stormed out of the restaurant.

  THIRTY-TWO

  Irma Ronston’s parents were devastated over the loss of their daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Ronston had split when Irma was a toddler, but they had managed to put their differences aside for the sake of their only child.

  Mr. Ronston sold insurance. Mrs. Ronston worked as a paralegal. They prided themselves in raising a smart, good-natured, down-to-earth child.

  They couldn’t believe anyone would want to hurt Irma. They showed Lopez Irma’s photos from the moment she was born all the way to her graduating from high school.

  Lopez knew why the Ronston’s were going out of their way to show her their child. They wanted her to know Irma like they did. They wanted her to care enough about her so that she would do everything in her power to locate her killer.

  As far as Lopez was concerned, this was not necessary. She cared more than they would ever know. In an ideal world, she hoped to find every victim’s killer; but in the real world, she understood that it was not possible.

  Most crimes were never solved. It was the nature of the business. It was either the killer was too clever to leave any clues, or they didn’t have the resources to catch him. It was one or the other. She had known cases, especially ones that were high profile, where the department had thrown every available resource in the case only to come out empty handed in the end. There were other cases where the clues were staring them right in their faces but they just didn’t have enough manpower to put two-and-two together.