Jack Taggart Mysteries 7-Book Bundle

by Easton, Don

  “Bring me another Glennfiddich on the rocks,” commanded Wigmore. “This time, bring the Scotch on the side.” He gestured toward Danny and said, “Nothing for him; he won’t be staying.”

  Wigmore waited until the waiter left, then said, “Tell me, O’Reilly, why do men pay prostitutes money?”

  “Sir?”

  “A simple question.” Wigmore’s voice became sarcastic. “Surely you’ve been a policeman long enough to have heard about prostitutes.”

  “Men pay prostitutes money in exchange for sex,” said Danny.

  “Any other reasons?”

  “Not that I can think of.”

  “Do you think it conceivable that a man who has engaged a prostitute would murder her if she was perhaps going to spill the beans on him, so to speak?”

  “Yes, sir. I guess that is conceivable.”

  Wigmore stared smugly at Danny while the waiter returned with his order.

  “Ice in your glass, with the Scotch on the side,” said the waiter, somewhat contemptuously.

  Wigmore waited until the waiter left before continuing. “So, O’Reilly, you’ve answered why you paid a prostitute — Miss Doyle — money.”

  Danny was shocked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! I don’t know any Miss Doyle!”

  “Come come now, O’Reilly. You paid Miss Christine Doyle’s bill for her at a garage. With the tow bill it came to over $800.”

  “Crystal! I didn’t know her real —”

  “Oh, of course. You would have known her by the name she uses for customers.”

  “I wasn’t a customer!” The edge to Danny’s voice revealed his anger.

  “We’ve got your credit card receipt! An auto mechanic identified your photo as being the man who paid her bill! He also saw you and a woman hugging her in the garage parking lot.”

  “That woman was my wife.”

  “I see. You and your wife are into … group activities, are you?”

  Danny seethed with anger. He opened and closed his fists under the table to control his rage. “We were simply helping her out! Her car broke down. She needed help!”

  “Forget the charade, O’Reilly! Homicide traced the cell number! You just told me you couldn’t think of any reason a man would pay a prostitute except for sex. She was talking to you on the phone the next day when she was murdered! What have you got to say about that? It appears to me that you may have been involved in her murder!”

  Danny fought to keep his composure. This son of bitch wouldn’t have called me here if he really believed what he was saying. Danny glared at Wigmore and said, “Right! Let’s forget the charade! What do you really want?”

  “Don’t get snarky with me, O’Reilly! I know Taggart is involved! I warned you before about him! People dying around him is nothing new. Think about it! Since you’ve been his partner, there was this Leonard character in the back alley. Now a hooker is murdered while talking to you, and you not only don’t inform me, you also don’t report it to Homicide!”

  Danny started to protest, but Wigmore held up his hand to silence him, then continued, “Just for argument’s sake, even if you did help this hooker with her car and happened to introduce her to your wife, it’s against policy. However, as a police officer, not reporting what you know to Homicide is obstruction of justice! And that’s a criminal matter! You’re already in trouble for neglect of duty in regards to the PM. Now this!”

  “I — I didn’t report it because I just thought the phone went dead. She just phoned to say goodbye. I thought she was moving back east.”

  Wigmore shook his head. “Get it through your skull, O’Reilly. I warned you not to get sucked into Taggart’s world. I even understand that you’re scared and that’s why you just lied to me. It’s Taggart I want, but if you continue to act dumb and not cooperate, then you’ll both end up in the same cell.”

  “It’s not that I’m not cooperating, it’s just that he isn’t doing anything wrong.”

  Wigmore chuckled, shaking his head, then said, “So there would be no problem with me scheduling you to take the polygraph? Start off with about a dozen questions concerning policy matters, then look at criminal matters. Questions like: did you intentionally hinder the investigation into Christine Doyle’s murder?”

  Wigmore picked up on the look of fear on Danny’s face. Or is it guilt? It triggered a response like a shark to blood. He leaned across the table until his breath was in Danny’s face. “Perhaps question if your actions contributed to her murder?”

  Danny stared back at Wigmore. He didn’t know how to respond. He wondered what he would say to Susan.

  Wigmore leaned back in his chair. He had made his point. “I’ll be out of town for the next two days. I expect to hear from you on Monday. With the weekend, that gives you four days to think about it. By then, if you decide not to spill the beans, I’ll demand a full Internal. Starting with slapping you on the polygraph!”

  It was noon when Danny walked into the office. Jack was already there, and by the amount of paper piled up, he had been at work for a while. Danny plunked himself down.

  Jack looked at him and asked, “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve been up all night.”

  “Nothing’s wrong.”

  “If you’re that upset about these searches, I told you, I’ll do them myself!”

  “I’m just tired. A lot happened last night for me to think about.”

  “It was a good night. I’ve got more good news. I found a report from Vancouver City on Asian gangs. Two Vietnamese brothers who were controlling speed distribution in Chinatown, as well the west side, disappeared last year around the May long weekend, leaving their cars, money, and homes untouched.”

  “It looks like our friend is telling the truth.”

  “I think we can chalk them up as crab bait. I also wandered into Popeye’s this morning. No sign of an alarm system. We’ll do it tonight and Rolly and Wizard’s places tomorrow night. Go in a couple hours after midnight. Shouldn’t be anyone around.”

  Danny silently nodded his head. Three break-ins. Wigmore would be happy with that. Or would he still wait for Jack to get caught with the ultimate crime? As Jack said, it’s just a matter of time…. Wigmore’s words lit up the closets of his mind like neon lights. Don’t get sucked into his world! Breaking the law … murders … Jack’s world. He saw Jack studying his face and turned away. He had to make a decision.

  “Jack, if we’re going to be that late, then I’ve got some personal business to take care of this afternoon. Do you mind?”

  “No, go ahead. I’m going to meet Natasha for dinner. Let’s meet back here at midnight.”

  “What is it, honey?” Susan asked. “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

  “I have to talk to you.”

  “Sounds serious.”

  “It is.”

  Danny sat at the kitchen table with Susan. The words suddenly spilled out of him. He confessed about his meetings with Wigmore and that he had been ordered to spy on Jack.

  If Danny was looking for sympathy, he didn’t find it. “And you waited until now to tell me?” Susan shouted.

  “I was following orders. I couldn’t tell anyone.”

  “You’re my husband! You call this a marriage? We’re supposed to talk with each other!”

  “I am! Telling you and defying orders!”

  “So, why now?” she yelled. “Are you hoping to unload your bundle of guilt on me? Are you hoping I’ll say that you’re doing the right thing? What?”

  “I’ll carry the guilt for this all my life. It’s my load to carry, but what I do now could affect our future. Not just mine. Yours, mine, and Tiffany’s.”

  “And Jack’s.”

  “And Jack’s.”

  “So why now? What’s going on that you decided to tell me?”

  “Jack and I have a new informant. We just found out who killed Crystal. It might not be long before we find out who killed Jack’s niece and nephew.”

  Susan’s f
ace brightened. “Well, that’s good!” She paused and added, “Isn’t it? This Wigmore fellow will be pleased with that!”

  “I don’t think so. Jack’s not supposed to be involved with the investigation. Besides, as far as Crystal goes, we could never prove it legally.”

  “So what will you do?”

  Danny shrugged. “I don’t think there’s anything I can do. It’s just … I’m worried about what Jack might do. Especially if we find out who killed his niece and nephew.”

  “What do you mean? You think he’ll…” Susan stared at Danny, waiting for an answer.

  Danny didn’t reply.

  “You better not do anything you shouldn’t!”

  “That’s why I’m talking to you! I want to do what’s right, I just don’t know what that is.”

  The concern in Susan’s voice was evident. “Danny, what has happened to you? This isn’t like you. We used to talk, remember? You’ve really changed since we moved here. I look into your eyes and you’re not the same person.”

  Danny took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “You’re right about that. When I shave in the morning … I don’t see my own eyes looking back at me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I see Crystal’s eyes. I see them all the time. Now I’m being haunted by your eyes and Jack’s eyes as well.”

  Susan sat quietly. Moments later, Danny caught the frightened look on her face as she stood up. “I’m going upstairs to vacuum. You do what you think is right.”

  Her voice sounded tired and empty. Danny sighed. What is right?

  Susan started to walk away, then stopped and asked, “Will you ever be haunted by Wigmore’s eyes?”

  “No, not that asshole. Why?”

  “You’re the policeman, you figure it out.”

  Danny stared after Susan when she left. He realized he loved her very much.

  Jack stood in the doorway, shivering in the darkness as a moist, cool breeze blew up from the ocean. His fingers worked the pick and he felt the lock start to turn as the tumblers slid into position. The building had been painted green, but most of the paint had peeled, exposing the wooden structure to the elements.

  Above his head, a sign hanging from a wrought-iron pole squeaked as it waved slightly back and forth. The word POPEYE’S was hand-painted in red ink on the sign, over a faded emblem of a ship’s anchor.

  Danny stood behind him, staring out at the empty street before risking a glance back at Jack. “Do you want me to hold a flashlight for you?”

  “No, it’s okay,” whispered Jack. “I go more by feel than I do by sight.”

  “You’re sure it’s not alarmed?”

  “Not from what I could tell this morning. I wouldn’t think there’d be much for someone to steal, but we’re about to find out.”

  Jack opened the door and they stepped inside.

  The front office was small, and Jack quickly searched for business records but didn’t find any. He made his way to a room at the rear, which was only slightly larger. The beam from his flashlight revealed another open door leading into a washroom. He fanned the beam around the room. There wasn’t much to see. A table, couple of chairs, a barstool, a cot, and a shelf with tattooing supplies.

  He pulled out a book from under the cot, along with two other dust-covered books he found further back. They contained pictures and sketches of various types of tattoos. The Dirty Dog tattoo was not among them, nor was it on any of the walls.

  He shone his light across the calendars on the wall. “Danny! I found it.”

  Danny came up beside him, and Jack turned and smiled with satisfaction. “Take a look,” he whispered. “These are his appointment books!”

  Danny shone his light on the block numbers below the pictures. Names and times were lightly penciled in on a couple of the dates.

  “Look!” said Jack excitedly, pointing to one entry. “Look at the date here, it’s got 1 p.m. and the names Sheila, Rose.”

  “Two women getting tattoos!”

  “Or someone by the name of Sheila was getting a tattoo of a rose,” whispered Jack. He flipped through the calendar to August. He could feel the tension grip his heart and lungs. His eyes met Danny’s and he slowly shook his head. He turned the page to September.

  “It’s here!” shouted Jack, jabbing at an entry with his finger. “Only two weeks after Maggie and Ben Junior were murdered! Take a look!”

  Danny looked down at the notation on the calendar. The words Rolly-DD were printed above a brief narrative in brackets, conf Wiz.

  “This is it!” Jack said. “Dirty Dog, confirmed by Wizard!” He grabbed Danny by the shoulder. “Remember? Our friend said a hit had to be verified and sanctioned!”

  The intensity of Jack’s voice made Danny feel uneasy. He cleared his throat. “The timing seems right, but with the number of murders these guys do, we can’t be positive.”

  Jack’s voice was laced with anger. “It’s them, all right. Explains why Rolly isn’t bragging about it. Not much respect for killing children. I bet Wizard was with him.”

  “So what do you plan to do? We can’t use any of this as evidence. We’ve got no grounds to get a search warrant.”

  “It’s evidence for me!” Jack paused for a moment, then said, “But you’re right, we can’t be positive. We’ll keep digging until we are.”

  “Then what?”

  Jack let the pages fall back to their original position and walked out the door.

  Once inside the car, Jack looked intensely into Danny’s eyes and said, “I know it’s Wizard and Rolly. The timing is right. Rolly got his tattoo … it all falls into place. Our friend said a murder had to be confirmed and sanctioned. Maggie was shot through the door. Until then, they wouldn’t have known that Maggie and Ben Junior were there. Rolly would have never risked phoning anyone to sanction the hit. Wizard had to have been with him.”

  “Or someone else who was executive. That’s if it was Rolly who did it.”

  “Wizard arranged the original shipment and Rolly handled the delivery. The two of them killed Lenny and tried to kill me. I know it’s them. We’ll do their places tomorrow night.”

  Jack hadn’t raised his voice, but there was no mistaking the cold look in his eyes and the venom in his voice.

  Danny wondered if Jack would wait until tomorrow night to look for more evidence. He cleared his throat and said, “If it was Wizard and Rolly who were there, it’s still possible that they were with another dope dealer. Someone else might have murdered them as well.”

  “When I get my hands on them, I’ll find out!”

  Danny knew that the time had come. “Jack, let’s go to the seawall. We need to talk.”

  “I don’t feel like drinking right now.”

  “You might when you hear what I have to say.”

  Jack jumped down from where he was sitting on the seawall and took a couple of angry steps in the sand before turning to confront Danny. “I should have known from the first time I worked with you! You stabbed someone in the back that night! Now you’re stabbing me!”

  “I’m not stabbing you in the back! I’ve never told Wigmore anything, except for that first night about you going in the Black Water, and I covered for that later.”

  “Well you sure as hell didn’t tell me anything, either! I thought we were partners! You’re supposed to talk with your partner! Why the hell are you telling me now? Do you expect me to forgive you? Tell you I’ll understand? What?”

  “Jesus. You sound like Susan,” muttered Danny. “That’s what she said.” He then looked up to the sky, holding his hands to the heavens, and yelled, “I’m not asking for forgiveness!”

  “Then what are you asking for?”

  “I’m just telling you so you know what’s going on. You do anything rash and Wigmore will be all over the both of us. I’m trying to protect your ass as much as mine! I told you because you are my partner and I’m not ratting you out!”

  “When did you tell Susan?”

 
; “This afternoon.”

  “You waited until now to tell her?”

  “Yes, and now she’s scared. I knew she would be.”

  “Worried about her family,” said Jack, his voice calming down.

  Danny nodded and said, “Yeah. That and she’s really pissed at me.”

  “So am I. You should have told me sooner.”

  Jack walked back to the car and got in as Danny reached for the passenger door. It was locked. Jack gestured at Danny with his middle finger and then drove away.

  Danny waved his fist and shouted, “You son of a bitch!”

  It took Danny an hour to walk out of the park and find a taxi to the office. It was another forty-five minutes before he arrived home.

  He was shocked to see Jack’s car blocking his garage door. He parked on the street and got out of his car as the front door to his house opened. He saw Jack putting on his coat. Susan, holding a glass of wine, laughed at something he said. She gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek. Jack walked toward his car.

  Danny stood in the driveway with his mouth hanging open. Susan looked at Danny and yelled, “Hi, honey! Glad you finally made it home!”

  Jack unlocked his car and glanced across the roof at Danny. “See you at the office at ten tomorrow night. Let me know if you’re bringing an arrest team so I can get a lawyer.” He then drove away.

  Danny went inside his house. “What’s going on? Do you know that the son of a bitch dumped me in a park tonight? I had to take a cab…”

  “I know,” snickered Susan. “Want some wine? Oops! Guess there’s none left.”

  “What’s going on? Why are you so happy all of a sudden?”

  Susan turned to face Danny. Her voice became serious and she said, “Jack told me that he would always protect you and our family — even if you are a bone-head. He said I had his word on that.”

  Danny didn’t respond.

  “Do you think Jack’s word is good?”

  “Jack’s word is good.”

  “I thought so. I respect him. Trust him, too, to do what he says.”