“This morning when we met with Mr. Newcomb, we asked him for a list of all nonemployees that they could come up with who may have been in the vicinity of the key cabinet. That would mostly be those who came in as customers.”
Winters leaned over his desk at her. “Do you think any of them might turn out to be leads?”
Sonia had been afraid he would ask that question. She wasn’t about to make any speculations at this point. “I don’t know if I would say that just yet, sir, but you probably need to know some of the names on that list.”
She paused and he nodded for her to continue.
Okay, remember these are simply people who were customers during the last week or so. “Mayor Bradley, Randy Travers, Hamilton Baar, Jerry Blakeley, Tom Wilkins, and Tasha Tilton.”
Sonia could tell that the chief was overwhelmed by the names she had just given them. She couldn’t read any reaction at all on Pennington’s face.
Chief Winters groaned and shook his head. “The mayor, city manager, Hogan’s rival developer, two councilmembers, and two prominent lawyers. That’s some list Sonia. I suggest that it goes no farther than this room right now.”
Sonia didn’t want to say this, but she knew it had to be said. “I’m sorry chief, Grant and Stan saw the list which Wayne Newcomb gave to them and his three managers compiled it.”
He turned to Pennington. “Nancy, make sure none of this hits the media. We’ll have a circus for sure if it does.”
Pennington rose and said, “I’ll get started on the press release, and I should have it for you to look at in about an hour.”
Sonia started to follow the commander out the door, but Chief Winters called out, “Sonia, could you stay for a minute, please?”
She turned around and closed the door when he motioned for her to do so.
He looked at her for so long she wasn’t sure if she was in trouble or not.
“Sonia, I think I can trust you as well or better than anybody on this force.” He paused and she was baffled as to where he was going with this. “I don’t want to explain that statement just now. Also, I don’t have the time to interview all these people.” He pointed at the list in her hand.
“I want you to do it . . . alone, at least the city people. I don’t want anyone else doing it or even with you when you do. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
She nodded and he continued, “I want you to handle these people with extreme care so you don’t offend any of them.” He leaned back in his chair and stared at her. “Do you think you can do that?”
Sonia was thrilled at the trust he was obviously giving her. “Yes, sir, I fully understand what you want and I’ll do my best to comply.”
“Thank you. Now get at it. Let Thompson and Becker continue interviewing the people at Newcomb Motors. You need to get started on those.” Again, he gestured to the list.
She left the chief’s office almost floating. She had known he had to believe in her to have promoted her to lieutenant, but this was much more than that. He was trusting the relationship of the department with prominent citizens and political leaders of the city to her. She was excited. She was also nervous.
She rushed to her new office to prepare to do as the chief had ordered.
* * *
Sonia had finished her interview with the mayor and was walking down the hall toward the city manager’s office. She didn’t think there was anything to follow up on with the mayor. He had been at Newcomb Motors with his wife and three kids. That sounded innocent enough.
She turned a corner and noticed Randy Travers, the city manager a short distance away, coming toward her.
He greeted her and she said, “Good morning sir, I wonder if you could spare me a few minutes of your time right now?”
She could tell by the sour expression on his face that he didn’t want to talk to her. He could simply be busy, or it could be something else. She would sure like to know what caused it though.
He looked at his watch and scowled. “I have a meeting in ten minutes. Do you think you can keep it down to that?”
She was surprised he didn’t just give her a flat no.
She wasn’t about to commit herself on time. “I don’t think it’ll take long.”
“Okay.”
He turned around and went back into his outer office. His assistant gave him a puzzled look when she saw him. He ignored her, went into his private office, and held the door open for Sonia, closing it behind her.
Once he settled himself behind his desk with Sonia in a chair in front of the desk, he turned back to her. “What can I do for you lieutenant?”
Sonia was surprised that he had called her lieutenant. She was having trouble getting used to it herself.
She decided not to mention his name being on Wayne’s list. So she took a different approach.
“I’m sure you heard about the accident last night.”
He nodded and said, “Hogan was a good man and his developments have always been of great benefit to the city.”
“This information is not out yet, but will be released to the media shortly. We have reason to suspect that Mr. Hogan was run down intentionally.”
After dropping that bomb, she watched him closely for his reaction. She wasn’t disappointed. He paled and avoided her eyes.
“Surely not?”
“Yes, sir, that’s where we are right now. So, with that in mind, we’re talking to anyone who knew him personally or had business dealings with him to see if we can come up with anyone who might have wanted him dead.”
Again, she wasn’t disappointed in his reaction. He kept his eyes directed away from her. “I barely knew the man. We only met a few times.”
“Yes, sir, but as city manager, you must have been involved in a number of decisions that the city made which resulted in developments that Mr. Hogan’s company built.”
He seemed to be in thought for a moment. “Yes, we worked on a few projects together, but so did other developers.” He seemed to have a revelation. “If I were you, I’d go talk to Hamilton Baar. Those two were always at each other’s throats. In fact they were fighting over this latest development.”
Remembering what the chief had said about being careful not to offend anyone at this point, she decided she needed to stop before she did. Travers looked as if he might get upset if she went any further with him right now.
“Yes sir, we will be talking to Mr. Baar. Thank you for your time.”
Sonia walked out of Travers’ office with a strange feeling about that interview. She almost laughed. The guys called it a gut feeling, but she liked to call it woman’s intuition. Whatever it was, she had an uneasy feeling about Travers. Something just didn’t seem right.
Both of the councilmembers she needed to see were out of their offices, so she went out to her car. She sat there for a few minutes thinking through her conversation with Travers. She would need to talk to him again. As she thought about it, she would need to have a reason he wouldn’t be able to deny.
Hamilton Baar, the developer/general contractor wasn’t in either so she decided to end her day with Hogan’s lawyer, Tasha Tilton.
Ms. Tilton was in but when the receptionist called her on the intercom, she turned back to Sonia and said, “Ms. Tilton does not want to see anyone today. Mr. Hogan’s death has upset her a great deal.”
Sonia knew that Chief Darrel Winters shared her opinion of lawyers in general, so she figured she had a little leeway here.
“Tell her that I have some information for her that might change her mind.”
When the receptionist replaced the phone, she pointed at an open door across the room, where a tall brunette in a beige power suit was now standing.
Sonia almost smiled as she passed Ms. Tilton in the doorway. She was sure that the other woman was used to intimidating people with her height, but she was still two inches shorter than Sonia was.
Once they were seated on opposite sides of the desk, Sonia said, “I’m sure you may not know yet, but
we suspect that Mr. Hogan was run down intentionally.”
Again, she wasn’t disappointed with the lawyer’s reaction. Ms. Tilton grew pale but the difference was that she kept her eyes on Sonia and there was anger in those eyes.
The woman closed both hands into fists on her desktop. “Then I suggest that you quit wasting your time and mine and go talk to Baar or his attorney. I would say that would be the best place to start.”
“Why?” Sonia was fishing now.
“Why? Because Baar hated Mr. Hogan and so did Tom Wilkins. We beat them out of so many big projects that I think Baar’s company is in financial trouble.”
They talked for a few more minutes with Tilton giving Sonia few facts but several more speculations.
When Sonia left that office, she knew she couldn’t stop for the day. She still had time for one more interview and still be able to get ready for her dinner with Wayne. She was wishing she hadn’t agreed to meet him now. It couldn’t go anywhere. The guy was not going to change enough for her.
Tom Wilkins flatly refused to see her so she smiled at the receptionist and said, “Tell him that I have to see him on official police business. I think he knows what that means.”
Shortly after the receptionist relayed that information to the lawyer, his closed door was yanked open and he stood there glaring at Sonia.
She put on her best smile as she closed the distance between them keeping her hands clasped in front of her, thus exposing to his view not only her belt badge but also her handgun on her right hip.
Wilkins deflated some when she passed him in the doorway and purposely looked down at him. He had to be at least three inches shorter than her. She continued into the room to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk without him giving her permission. She wiped the smile off her face before he came around the desk to face her.
When she didn’t speak right away, he glared at her and said, “What is so important that you had to bully your way into my office, lieutenant?”
He said the last word as if it were a rather repulsive word.
She tried to smile innocently. “I need to talk to anyone who knew W. C. Hogan personally or had business dealings with him.”
She was determined to wait for him to respond.
Finally, he snorted. “I certainly didn’t know him personally. But in business, he was a cutthroat who cheated my client out of some rather lucrative business deals.”
She kept her eyes focused on his. “Mr. Wilkins, we have determined that Mr. Hogan was run down intentionally.” When he showed no reaction, she added, “Murdered!”
She decided the guy had to be good in court for he still showed no reaction to anything she had just said.
“Do you know of anyone who may have wanted Mr. Hogan dead?”
He snorted again. “I would say that list would be quite long.”
She continued staring at him until he added, “I would think that anyone who ever did business with him would have to be on that list.” He paused. “Probably anyone who ever worked for him too.”
Sonia felt a little guilty. She was enjoying this a little too much. “Then by your own declaration, your name would be on that list too, Mr. Wilkins . . . and your client, Mr. Baar.”
Finally, something caused him to show a reaction. He glared at her and she could see hatred in his eyes.
“I do not have to sit here in my own office and take accusations from you, lieutenant. I think this meeting is over.”
Sonia couldn’t help throwing over her shoulder as she left the room, “I’ll be in touch with you Mr. Wilkins.”
Then she stopped in the doorway and turned back. “I also suggest that you advise your client, Hamilton Baar, that he needs to be in the next time I go to see him.”
With that she exited with a smile on her face.
* * *
Wayne was so nervous that he was glad his car not only had keyless entry but keyless ignition as well. He didn’t think he would have been able to get a key into the slot to get the car started otherwise.
When he parked at the restaurant, he saw Sonia sitting in her Camaro. He paused to admire her in that car that seemed to fit her so well. When she stepped out of the car, her white blond hair was highlighted beautifully against the red car. The black pantsuit she was wearing added even more contrast to the picture.
He rushed over to meet her at the restaurant door to open it for her. He was determined to show her that he was a different person than he had been when they first met two years earlier.
Once they were seated in a booth, he couldn’t stop staring at her beautiful face, which was framed perfectly by her spectacular hair.
“Stop it!”
Sonia’s sharp tone of voice brought him out of his trance. He focused on her eyes and marveled at how stormy they looked. Then he realized they were stormy because she was angry with him.
He knew he had to say something quick, or she might just get up and leave him sitting there. “I’m sorry, Sonia. I’ll try not to stare at you. I just can’t help it.”
Some of the anger left her face as she looked away from him. “I don’t know why I agreed to meet you here. You haven’t changed.”
Their drinks came and Wayne used the interruption to gather his thoughts. Whatever he said right now could mean the difference between him having any kind of a relationship with Sonia and her telling him where to go.
“I’ve only seen you with your beautiful hair down a few times and those times were from a distance. Being so close to you like this literally took my breath away.” He watched her eyes began to cloud up again. “I’m truly sorry if that bothers you, but you do want me to be honest with you don’t you?”
She only nodded and he figured he’d better keep digging. He wasn’t out of his hole yet.
He didn’t know what to say next. But what did come out wasn’t planned or he might not have said it.
“You know, it’s not quite fair. You’ve met all of my family, and I haven’t met any of yours.”
He wasn’t sure where that came from, but from the way her face softened into a little bit of a smile, he knew he must have said something right.
She shook her head and laughed. “You mean that after the way I described my brothers and my dad, you would still want to meet them?”
“Yes, Sonia. What do I need to do to convince you that I want to get to know you better? And if that means having to face the scrutiny of your brothers and dad, then that’s what I want to do.”
The smile was all the way back now and he thought he might drown in it.
“You don’t know what you’re asking. If I take you to meet them, they won’t be scrutinizing you, they will put you through the most thorough interrogation that you’ve ever heard of.” She laughed again. “I would hope they would stop short of the water torture or fingernail pulling. But I can’t guarantee anything.”
Now she had him worried. Did he really want to meet those giants? He didn’t even have to think about it. Yes! He wanted to get close to Sonia and he knew that to do so he would have to meet them sooner or later. And the sooner he did, the better.
Sonia looked around the restaurant for a moment before turning back to him. “You asked me what it would take for me to allow you to get to know me better.”
He nodded and she continued. “I may be a police detective, but I do not drink any alcoholic beverages and I won’t have anything to do with a man who does.”
She stopped and stared at him. He knew she was waiting for an answer and she was also watching his reaction. He knew that if he answered wrong or without sincerity, she would probably get up and walk out of his life right then.
What could he say? He didn’t drink much, but he did like to have an occasional beer in the evenings or even a brandy on special occasions. Shouldn’t that be enough for her? He was about to tell her that when he looked closer into her eyes. He could see that his hesitation had placed disappointment in those beautiful eyes and that bothered him. He suddenly knew
that he didn’t ever want this wonderful woman to be disappointed in him.
He held his breath as he started talking. “If I haven’t said it before, I’ll say it right now. Sonia, I will do anything to have a chance with you.”
Her eyes didn’t change. That told him that he hadn’t said enough or the right thing yet.
“Okay, Sonia, as of right now, I will not drink any more alcoholic beverages. I want to prove to you that I’m serious in wanting to change for you.”
She still didn’t say anything. She kept staring at him with no change in her expression.
* * *
Sonia continued looking closely into Wayne’s eyes. She needed to know if he was sincere. She needed to know how to proceed from here. She needed to know how much of herself she could reveal to this man who was beginning to get to her.
“Okay, you can meet my family.”
She had to smile when she saw the shock on his face. “Hey, don’t make an offer you’re not ready to back up.”
He shook his head vigorously. “No, it’s not that. I’m just surprised that you agreed so easily.”
She had to laugh at that. “Can you get off early tomorrow afternoon?”
“Sure, after all, I am the boss.”
“Okay. I would assume you would like to drive.” She was setting him up and almost felt bad about it. Almost. She knew what would happen when her brothers saw Wayne’s car.
When he nodded, she pulled one of her cards out of her purse and wrote her address on it. “Okay, pick me up there tomorrow at three o’clock. We’re celebrating my oldest brother Sven’s daughter, Susan’s eleventh birthday.”
He pocketed the card. “I’ll be there and I look forward to it.”
She almost laughed at his eagerness. How eager would he be when faced with all of her brothers? She’d called them the wrecking crew when she was younger, still did sometimes.
They had just finished their meals when Wayne’s cell phone rang.
When he answered, Wayne’s face grew pale and the air gushed out of his lungs. He gripped the phone so tightly she was afraid he might break it.
Resolved Memories (Sycamore P.D. Series Book 3) Page 6
