VANISHING ACT - Angie Bartoni Case File # 11: Angie Bartoni Case File # 11 (Angie Bartoni Case Files)

by Marshall Huffman

  “Got it. No one has told me what happened. The last thing I remember was holding on to the pole I had jabbed Donner’s hand with so he couldn’t reach the gun.”

  “When you didn’t show up for work McGregor and I knew something was wrong. He sent me to your house and I found your grocery bags and the milk on the ground. The keys to the Healey were there too. I tried the doors and they were locked. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that you had been abducted.”

  “How did you know where to look?”

  “We didn’t really. We took a wild guess. I went to Milliken’s and the captain checked with the captain at Donner’s precinct. Donner wasn’t there so McGregor and I headed to his place. We could hear someone screaming so we went in. When we went down the stairs you were sprawled out on the floor and Donner was trying to crawl over to pick up a gun.”

  “Boy, talk about cutting it close.”

  “You’re right. Two or three minutes and we would have been too late to save you. Damn Angie, I’m so sorry. I feel like crap,” Dan said.

  “Why? This isn’t your fault. He is just a sick-o and there is no way you could have known.”

  “Yes I could have. I should have said something the minute I got there and you weren’t at your desk. Like an idiot I just waited until the captain asked where you were. What the heck is wrong with me? I should have realized something was wrong a lot sooner,” Dan said, his voice quivering.

  “No harm, no foul. You got there in time and that’s all that matters,” I told him.

  “Still, I feel really stupid.”

  “I’ll let you buy me lunch in that case. I haven’t had any real food in over a week. One cannot survive on hospital food alone and enjoy life,” I told him.

  “I found a new place we should check out,” he suggested.

  “Don’t you dare,” I said.

  “Just kidding. How about a really good steak.”

  “Now you’re talking,” I told him.

  ***

  Dan had been right. McGregor was obviously worried about me and he was also determined that I wasn’t going to be taking any risks for a while. I was to work the desk and do nothing more strenuous than go to the vending machine and occasionally to the restroom.

  This was going to drive me totally up the wall. There was nothing I hated more than being tied to a desk. It is the main reason I had not taken the test to advance. I would be out of the field for good and I just wasn’t ready for that.

  I had to have one of the patrol cars drop me off at home. When I walked up the drive the groceries were still lying on the ground. Super. Ants were in everything. I picked them up and tossed most of them in the trash can along with the milk carton. I salvaged two cans of soup, a can of mushrooms and a box of crackers that were still sealed so the ants couldn’t get to them. Obviously I had soup and crackers for dinner.

  ***

  I spent the next two days finishing paperwork, reviewing files and even going over cold case files. I can’t remember when the last was time that I actually had my paperwork totally caught up. I actually felt kind of good about it.

  Going over cold case files is a lot like watching mold grow. You have to start with a fresh perspective if you are going to get anyplace. A file usually becomes a cold case because nothing has gone right. I usually go left and try to look at it from a totally different perspective. Sometimes you find something that grabs you; other times you are just spinning your wheels.

  “How are you doing Bartoni?” the captain asked.

  “Really well. I’m a hundred percent better,” I told him.

  “Swelling has gone down,” he said turning my chin with his big old finger.

  “Captain, I feel just fine.”

  “Of course you do. I like that shade of yellow around your eyes. It gives you that certain glow,” he replied.

  “Don’t be a smart butt. I know I still look like heck.”

  “Yes. Yes you do but all things considered, you look a lot better than if we had gotten there a few minutes later.”

  “And I thank you so very much for that,” I replied.

  “I wasn’t fishing for gratitude, just stating a fact. I should have just shot the bast…Detective Donner and saved the tax payers a lot of money. It would have been a clean shoot. He had the gun in his hand and was just starting to point it at your head when we came down the stairs. It was that close,” McGregor said.

  “Wow, I didn’t realize how close it was,” I replied.

  It was kind of sobering news. Just a few seconds later and I wouldn’t be here complaining about looking at cold case files. I need to thank the good Lord for looking after me.

  “I won’t complain any more. When you think I’m ready, I’ll hit it, I won’t bug you again, I promise.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep Bartoni,” he said and headed back to his office.

  ***

  I kept my word and didn’t ask once if I could go back to the streets. I was determined to keep my end of the bargain.

  “You look a little better,” Dan said when he finally came in.

  “Getting better every day.”

  “Mostly yellow now. Almost all the purple is gone except for on your cheeks,” he pointed out.

  “Tell me about the new guy you have been working with. Miller.”

  “Smart, but lazy.”

  “Lazy? In what way?” I asked.

  “Wants to do everything on the computer. Doesn’t want to be out looking for the bad guys. He would love it if we had ten times the cameras and a bunch of drones for tracking people every moment,” Dan told me.

  “Wow, that’s a bit frightening.”

  “Like I said, he is lazy.”

  “Think he will make it long term?’

  “Not as a traditional detective. He will work here for a while, then join the FBI, then the CIA, and eventually end up in NSA so he can spy on everyone and never have to leave the building.”

  “Holy smokes, I don’t think much of the guy already and I’ve never even met him.”

  “I know. You would dislike him within two minutes. That’s why I haven’t brought him around. Oh yeah, he is against women as police officers as well.”

  “Maybe you should bring him by after all,” I suggested.

  “I think I will pass on that. Besides, I gave the captain my initial report today. He was less than impressed.”

  “That figures. McGregor is an on the streets kind of guy. He won’t tolerate a slacker.”

  “Except for Farmington and LeRoy.”

  “There is that,” I replied.

  “By the way, have you gone to see the shrink yet?”

  “No.”

  “Come on Angie. You know McGregor will never let you back on full duty until you see her.”

  “I don’t need the shrink. I’m alive. Everything is fine. I have no self-esteem issues. He was stronger than me, I can except that. I sleep just fine at night. No PTSD,” I said, starting to rant.

  Dan was looking slightly past me while I was spouting off.

  “He is behind me isn’t he?” I asked.

  Dan nodded. I turned and looked at a frowning McGregor.

  “You listen to me, Bartoni. You might as well bring a saddle to work because you are going to be ridding that desk until you get signed off by Dr. Hamilton. No one goes back to work after having experienced a traumatic event until they are checked out,” he said.

  “Captain, it wasn’t a traumatic event. A bigger person beat me up. End of story. He jumped me when I wasn’t aware of what was happening. What is the big deal?” I said.

  “The big deal is that I make the call when you go back to work, not you. So, unless you are willing to do it my way, you will sit at that desk until you retire. Now go do it,” he replied.

  At this point, even as hardheaded as I am, I knew I couldn’t win. I was going to have to go waste my time talking to some shrink who would say ‘how do you feel about that’ just about every third sentence. Big he
lp that would be. In all the times I have been to see them, I have never once come away feeling like they have helped me with any issues I have. Don’t get me wrong, they may help some people but they just aren’t much help to me. I like Doctor Hamilton but I sure don’t need to talk to her to know how I am doing.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  I sat waiting for twenty-seven minutes after my scheduled appointment time. She was lucky that I stayed. I have this forty-five minute rule. If I have to wait longer than forty-five minutes for a scheduled appointment, I just walk out. I don’t say anything; I just get up and leave.

  I figure if they think their time is more important than mine, they are just full of it. Either don’t schedule so many people or get organized so you can handle it. I hate being taken advantage of and that’s what they are doing. I got news for them, my time is valuable too.

  “Detective Bartoni, it has been a long time,” Doctor Hamilton said.

  Hamilton was in her middle forties I figured, pretty nice looking but she had short hair that was cut too much like a man’s in my opinion, which I am sure she didn’t care one way or the other.

  “How have you been?”

  “Just great. Can we get this over with? I have a pressing case that I need to get back to,” I told her.

  “Let’s see, shall we?” she replied.

  “Let’s.”

  I could see her studying my face. Obviously she knew I had taken a pretty good beating.

  “You seem to be healing well.”

  “All in all, not bad at all. A few more days and it will be pretty well gone.”

  “How are you sleeping at night?”

  “Like a baby,”

  “Really? No nightmares?”

  “Heck no.”

  “How many pain pills do you take during the day?” she asked.

  “None. Zero. I’m fine. Look Doctor Hamilton, this was no big deal. I got beat up by a bigger man. I can handle that. He jumped me and whipped up on me. That’s what happens when a guy starts beating up on a woman. I accept that fact.”

  “Still, doesn’t it make you just a little more afraid of doing your job?” she asked.

  Careful Bartoni. She is on a fishing expedition. Don’t take the bait and let her reel you in.

  “Not a bit. I know when I can control a situation and when I can’t. That is why we have batons, tasers, and guns. If it looks like it is going to get out of hand, I’ll use whatever force is necessary to protect myself or my partner. No hesitancy.”

  “How do you feel about going back on the streets?”

  “More than ready. I am sick of sitting on my rear all day doing nothing. Look Doctor Hamilton, can we cut to the chase. There is nothing wrong with me. I’m not afraid of doing the job. I survived because I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. I did everything I could to stay alive and here I am. I feel pretty darn good about myself.”

  I would like to tell you that it ended there with her agreeing but the session dragged on for another hour. She just couldn’t seem to get it through her head that I wasn’t traumatized about the whole thing. Getting my poor little TR6 blown up was a lot more traumatic but no one made me go to a shrink about that. I still missed my Triumph.

  Finally, after an hour of probing, she decided I wasn’t scared for my life and if I was ready, I could return to fieldwork. I could have kissed her for that but she would have probably liked it too much. Instead, I just shook her hand and thanked her.

  I practically ran to see Captain McGregor. He was at lunch. What a bummer.

  ***

  “Okay Bartoni. I don’t know what line you fed her but she seems to think you are ready to return to your regular duties.”

  “I just told her the truth,” I said.

  “I’m sure. At least your version of it.”

  “Whatever. The point is I am cleared for duty,” I said.

  “I’ll pull Dan off training Miller. He sounds like he is a waste anyway. I don’t need another slacker. I have two as it is,” he said.

  I’m going to assume he meant Farmington and LeRoy.

  “So I am cleared for duty.”

  “I don’t see why not but you be darn careful. No risk. Understand?”

  “Got it boss,” I said and floated over to my desk.

  I was a happy camper. The only problem was I would have to wait for Dan to get back. I decided to leave him a note and let him know we would be back hitting it tomorrow.

  ***

  Dan came in, stopped by my desk and said welcome back partner before going to get his coffee. That was a first. When he got back he filled me in on his latest adventures with Miller. Most were funny. A lot of them just made you wonder what the world was coming to.

  “Where should we start?” he asked.

  “I know you think this is crazy but…”

  “I’ll chalk it up to your head trauma. Anyway, go on.”

  “I want to go back to Milliken’s neighbors.”

  “Angie, we have done that. We talked to them twice. What good is that going to do?”

  “Dan, we are missing something. I’ve had days to think about this and I know we have overlooked something. Asking the right question, we just need to dig deeper,” I told him.

  He sighed heavily. He was probably right but I just couldn’t drop it. Then it dawned on me. Was I being like Donner and just refusing to let it go?

  “Alright, if it will make you feel better,” he finally said.

  On the drive over to Mrs. Callahan’s house we just caught up on trivial things. Nothing heavy. Dan had found a girl he was kind of serious about. This was the first time I had ever heard him say something like that. Usually he didn’t get too involved. I was happy for him.

  “Okay, you’re turn. What about Link Wilson?” Dan asked out of the clear blue.

  “Link? Link Wilson?” I kind of stammered.

  “No, chain link, like the fence. Of course I mean Link Wilson.”

  “He’s a nice guy. Really good at what he does.”

  “Come on Angie, you know what I mean.”

  “Dan. You of all people should know my rules about that.”

  “He isn’t exactly a cop you know? He is a lab technician.”

  “Excuse me? He is an investigator the same as us. Maybe he uses different tools but he is a top notch investigator,” I said in his defense.

  “Oooh, I hit a nerve. So you are kind of sweet on him.”

  “Knock it off Dan. I think he is a fine person but he is still on the police force. Can you imagine the first time a lab result was called into question on one of our cases and I was involved with Link? The defense would eat him and me alive. Would I consider it? Yeah, I think so. Will I do it? Not on your life,” I told him.

  “That is a real shame,” was his reply.

  I was glad when we pulled into Mrs. Callahan’s driveway. I didn’t want to have this discussion any longer.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  I rang the doorbell and we waited until I finally heard Mrs. Callahan ask who was there.

  “Mrs. Callahan, it’s Detectives Bartoni and Roberts. We talked to you before.”

  “Just a second,” she said and I could hear a chain being withdrawn from the door.

  “Hi Mrs. Callahan. Do you remember us?” I asked.

  “I’m old dearie, not senile. Of course I remember you. You came asking about Melissa. I see he is still running around so I guess that means you didn’t get anything on him.”

  “It isn’t for lack of trying. I am pretty sure he is the culprit but he is pretty slick. He hasn’t stepped out of line enough to trip himself up.”

  “So he is going to get away with killing poor Melissa. The woman lived a tragic life and now he isn’t even going to have to pay for making her life hell.”

  “I haven’t given up yet. My boss wants me to drop it and move on to other cases but this one is stuck in my craw and I don’t like it one bit.

  “He is so smug. He sits on is back patio and smiles ov
er at me when he sees me in the back yard. It’s like he is telling me he got away with it and there is nothing that can be done about it,” she said bitterly.

  “Those kind always think they are smarter than everybody else. That’s what usually trips them up.”

  “I hope he does and you can get him locked up for a long, long time,” she said.

  “Does he say anything to you?” Dan asked.

  “No. Sometimes he raises his beer like a salute but no, he never says anything.”

  “Has there been any unusual activity at his house?”

  “The hussy that showed up a few times after his second wife disappeared and then after his third wife vanished, hasn’t been around anymore.”

  “She won’t be. She was found dead a few days ago,” I told her.

  “Oh dear. Oh my. I shouldn’t have called her that. I didn’t know she was dead.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “Did Milliken do that as well?”

  “We have nothing to make us believe that at this point. The association is certainly suspect but there is nothing that we can prove at this point.”

  “I’m telling you, he is a very bad man. He will wait a few months and then find another wife. That will last a few abusive years and then she will vanish like the others. You mark my words,” she said angrily.

  “I don’t doubt for a moment that you are right but the thing is, he is home free unless we find something to link him to all of this. Can you show us his backyard from yours” I asked.

  “Certainly. There is no fence other than a chain link one. I should have a big tall one put up but it always makes the property feel smaller.”

  We followed her as she shuffled along to the kitchen and down her back stairs. She was right; it looked directly into his backyard. If he was roughing up his wife, it would have certainly been in plain sight of several neighbors.

  “Nice backyard,” Dan commented.

  “Oh yes. He spends a considerable amount of time there,” Mrs. Callahan replied.

  “Does he drink a lot?”

  “Just beer usually. No, not a lot. A couple is the most I have seen him drink.”

  “It’s a heck of a patio,” I said as we started back up the stairs.