impossible to determine whether she wrote it herself or
if someone else did. His hands squeezed around the
steering wheel and he took one deep breath to steady
himself.
“Who pissed in your cereal this morning, Lackey? I
found Jack Little – I thought you’d be happy to hear.”
Tom’s attention was piqued. “You did? Where? His
sister told me he left town a couple of weeks ago.”
“Nope. He is in town, alright. He lives in a rented
efficiency near the hospital. The name on the agreement
is Joseph Bernardini.”
“How the hell did you find him?”
“Small world. I was actually driving behind him
yesterday, and his plate was expired, so I pulled him
over. The name on his driver’s license was Joseph
Bernardini, but the plate was registered under the name
of Jack Little. I didn’t want to scare him out of town, so
I didn’t say anything, and made a note of the address
listed on the license, which is different than the one used
for the vehicle registration. When I mentioned that his
plate was expired he said that he was driving a friend’s
car; I let him go.”
“Good work, Parker. Do you want to go see him
with me?”
“Sure thing. Are you coming to the station?”
“Yes. I will be there in five minutes, so meet me in
the parking lot and I will pick you up.”
He hung up from Parker and drove the two blocks
that separated him from the station, all the while
thinking about the different people involved in the case.
When he drove into the parking lot Parker was already
waiting outside by the main door, so he pulled up for
him to get in the car. Parker had a grin on his face,
something that in itself was quite unnerving.
“What are you grinning about, Parker? Something
funny?”
“Yeah, actually…I was just thinking about the face
Little is going to make when he sees me again today.”
Parker really had a strange sense of humor.
“Well, hopefully he won’t get spooked and flee. I
would love to be able to ask him a few questions.”
“I was just thinking that. What about if I wait in the
car and you call me if you need help?”
Along with the odd sense of humor, Parker also had
a well-configured mind when it came to strategies.
“Let’s do that. He doesn’t need to feel like we are
stalking him. Not yet, at least.”
‘So you mentioned that his sister told you he left
town. How the hell did you find his sister?”
“Mary Townsend is his sister. I wonder if he is as
big as she is – we might need reinforcements if he gets
despondent.”
“Son of a bitch! You’re for real? He’s her brother?”
“Yes. She dropped the bomb this morning when I
went by to see her.”
“Damn! This is getting more and more complicated
by the minute!”
“Oh wait. You don’t know the best part yet: Mary
Townsend said that Shannon Brinkley is possibly the
killer.”
“That little thing in the hospital?”
“Come on, Parker, you know that size doesn’t really
matter, and friends regularly fuck their buddies. It could
be; who knows?”
“Yeah, I guess so. It’s just easier to picture the
Townsend woman doing it, but I suppose anything could
have happened.”
They pulled into the parking lot and Parker pointed
at the maroon Buick sitting wounded in a spot toward
the end of the lot. “Here’s the car. He’s home.”
Tom pulled his car beside the Buick and Parker
remained inside. Tom got out and walked to the door of
the efficiency that was registered under Joseph
Bernardini.
The building was shabby, as was the whole area
around it. Across the street were a couple of houses that
had probably been fairly pleasant many years before but
had fallen victim to age and neglect; old couches
seemed to be the choice of outdoor furniture in this part
of town, since both houses – and a few others on each
side of them – had them on display on the rickety
porches. Two youths with sagged pants and fake gold
chains stood by the entrance of another home on which
the peeling mustard-yellow paint had faded to the shade
of spoiled mayonnaise.
Tom knocked on the door but nothing prepared him
for the surprise that awaited him the moment the door
opened and a short, dark man with a head of close-cut,
curly hair and beady black eyes materialized from
inside. He and Mary Townsend might have shared a
mother, but their fathers were probably night and day…
“Mr. Jack Little?”
The man looked at Tom suspiciously and his dark
eyes narrowed into charcoal slits. “Who wants him?”
“Lieutenant Tom Lackey, with the Raleigh police
department, Sir. Are you Jack Little?”
“I don’t go by that name any more. I decided to
change life and I am starting on a clean slate.”
“That’s honorable, Sir, but I was wondering if you
could answer a few questions for me.”
“What is this about?”
“It’s about Tracey Newman, Sir. I understand you
and Ms. Newman had a relationship.”
“That was a long time ago, Lieutenant. Tracey and I
had different goals in life, and I decided to move on.”
Tom nodded. “I see. May I come in?”
“Actually, I am on my way to work, Lieutenant.
Unless this is urgent, I really need to ask you if we can
arrange a phone meeting. Is Tracey okay? Is she in
trouble?”
Tom couldn’t read his expression – did he really not
know Tracey was no longer living?
“I’m afraid Ms. Newman is deceased, Mr. Little. I
am touching base with everyone who knew her, trying to
understand a bit more about whom she was.”
“Tracey is dead?” Tears filled his eyes and quickly
ran down Jack Little’s cheeks. His legs trembled and he
steadied himself against the door frame. “What
happened?”
“I was hoping you could tell me that, Mr. Little. Can
you think of anyone who would want Tracey Newman
dead?”
“Are you saying Tracey was killed by someone?”
Tom didn’t respond, but Jack Little found the
information he was seeking in Tom’s eyes.
“Oh my God…not Tracey…not my sweet girl…”
He burst into sobs so intense his whole small body
shook with them.
“Can I help you inside, Mr. Little? Maybe you
should sit down.”
“Tracey didn’t deserve this. Whoever did it should
die for this.”
“Can you think of anyone who might have a reason
to harm her?”
“The only two people I can think of are Shannon
and maybe that new guy Tracey was seeing.”
“Do you mean Shannon Brinkley, Sir?”
“Yes, her roommate. She didn’t like Tracey, you
“Why was that, Mr. Little?”
“Because she thought Tracey ruined her reputation,
and my sister believed that Shannon also had a thing for
this guy Tracey was seeing.”
Of course…Mary Townsend saw ghosts of lovers
lurking everywhere.
Tom arched his eyebrow. “Which guy? Are you
talking about Brad Johnson?”
“Yes, the junkie. They might have been on this
together.”
“Why would you think that, Mr. Little?”
“Because Tracey had a large insurance policy, and
when she was seeing Brad Johnson she made him her
beneficiary. After they broke up, she told Shannon she
was going to change the policy and make her little sister
her beneficiary. Tracey didn’t know Shannon liked her
boyfriend.”
Tom was utterly confused. Isn’t Shannon gay?!
“Pardon the forward question, Mr. Little, but I was
under the impression that Shannon Brinkley is in a
relationship with your sister.”
“She was – is. Shannon is bisexual.”
Tom didn’t expect this type of revelation, and he
couldn’t help noticing that Jack Little was at ease using
the past tense when he talked about Shannon, although
he just discovered she was no longer of this Earth. “Are
you in contact with Shannon Brinkley, Mr. Little?”
“No, I don’t like her. Never have.”
“So you aren’t aware that Shannon Brinkley is at
the hospital right now, fighting for her life?”
“No, I didn’t know.”
“I see. Well, here is my card, Mr. Little. If you can
think of anything that might help the investigation,
please call me.”
The small man took the card and stuffed it in his
trousers pocket. “I will, Lieutenant. You must excuse me
now, but I really need to go.”
“No problem, Mr. Little. Thank you for your time.”
Jack Little disappeared behind the chipped, faded
door, and Tom walked briskly toward his car. Parker was
on the phone when he got in, and he seemed excited
about something. He hung up a few seconds later. “I got
the records for Jack Little, a/k/a Joseph Bernardini. He
is clean, but I also ran records for Mary Townsend, since
they are kin. She is no angel -- lots of DUIs and a
revoked license.”
“Damn it, Parker…there is something missing here.
I feel like we are running in circles. Did you know
Tracey had a life insurance policy to which Brad
Johnson was initially the only beneficiary? According to
Little, she decided to amend the policy and nominate her
little sister in place of Brad after they broke up.”
“What? Seriously? I didn’t find any policies. Does
her family know?”
“They never mentioned, but I will ask when I go by
there a bit later to let them know about the baby.”
“Wow! These people can’t catch a break, can they?’
“No, I’m afraid not. And the saddest thing for them
to find out is that their little girl seemed to have more
bones hidden away than Jeffrey Dahmer.
#
It was a bit past six when Tom dropped Parker off at
the station, and although Mr. Russet was probably
already off work, he decided to go by the hospital
anyway. If he couldn’t talk to him today, he could at
least check on Shannon’s condition.
He parked his car and took his time walking to the
building, as he felt the need to be out in the sunshine for
a while, and gather his thoughts. Even after all these
years in law enforcement, Tom was still amazed at what
surfaced any time one started digging into someone’s
past. Apparently good people were still hated by some,
and most of them had something to hide. He wondered
about the mysterious man Tracey was having an affair
with, and he hoped Mr. Russet could shed some light on
this.
He walked through the sliding doors and went
directly to the information desk.
“Is Mr. Russet still here by any chance?”
The receptionist, a young woman in her mid-thirties
with bleached blond hair and a prematurely wrinkled
face smiled and picked up the phone. “Let me check for
you, Sir. One moment, please.”
Tom scanned the room as he waited and he noticed
a family of four people – father and three children –
sitting together in one corner of the waiting area. The
father held a little girl of no more than a couple of years
of age, her eyes heavy with sleep, and he kissed her
repeatedly on the forehead; two boys less than ten years
old were fidgeting in their seats, and Tom smiled as he
saw himself mirrored in one of them; when he was
about the same age, his own mother had been in a minor
automobile wreck, and Tom still remembered how he
felt sitting in the waiting room – although he was
apprehensive about his mother’s wellbeing, he wanted
to get up and play but his father wouldn’t have it.
“Sir, Mr. Russet is not answering his phone, but I
haven’t seen him come through yet, so you might want
to go by his office and see if he still there. Do you need
a map?”
“No, thank you. I know where it is.”
He left the desk and turned at the corner by the
elevators to get to administration. When he reached Mr.
Russet’s office he saw the door ajar, but when he peeked
inside the man was not at his desk. He was ready to
leave when Mr. Russet came down the hallway
accompanied by a tall blond clad in a powder blue
designer suit and heels that made her tower over Mr.
Russet dramatically. When Mr. Russet saw Tom
standing by the door, his face dropped one shade of
color. He walked resolutely toward the Lieutenant and
puffed his chest while the corners of his mouth went
automatically up to form a hint of a smile.
“Lieutenant…I was just getting ready to leave for
the day. May I help you?”
“Yes, Mr. Russet. I was wondering if I could have a
word with you. It won’t take long.”
“Certainly. Let’s go in my office. Thank you, Erin, I
will see you tomorrow.” He said as he walked toward
the door and quickly dismissed the young woman.
Tom followed him inside and sat on one of the two
chairs in front of the desk.
“I’m sure you understand it has been a long day,
Lieutenant, and I am quite tired and ready to go back
home to my family. I have commitments for the
evening.”
“I’ll be brief – it has come to light that Ms. Newman
was involved in a relationship with someone in
administration by the name of Don. Any idea who this
person might be?”
Mr. Russet’s face lost color again before exploding
into a shade of bright pink, made even shinier by tiny
droplets of perspiration that formed on his upper lip. It
was as if the word ‘guilty’ flashed in neon letters on his
&
nbsp; forehead. Was Mr. Russet the mysterious man Tracey
was seeing?
Donald Russet swallowed audibly and Tom watched
him shift uncomfortably in his seat. The man’s inner
conflict between coming clean and continuing to hide
his indiscretion was playing as a silent film on the black
screen of his dilated pupils. Tom shifted his approach to
a more personal level, and addressed the man by first
name, making a statement more than asking a question.
“Was it you, Don? Did you have an affair with Tracey?
Nobody is judging here, but I have to know who she
was seeing.”
Don appeared to be on the verge of tears, but he
took a deep breath and straightened his spine, though his
shoulders were still a bit droopy. “It’s not how it was,
Lieutenant.”
Bingo! Tracey was seeing Don Russet…
“Why don’t you explain it in your own words,
Don?”
Don Russet loosened his tie and undid the first
button on the collar of his immaculate shirt. “Tracey and
I were friends, more than anything. I think she saw me
as a father figure, and I guess she was the daughter I
always wanted – ambitious, driven and kind. Tracey was
a very sunny person.”
“Were you having a relationship with her, Don?
More than a father-daughter relationship, I mean…”
“Not in the beginning. I simply admired her resolve
and her unbridled enthusiasm. Tracey never complained
about being worked too hard, and she welcomed every
opportunity to learn something new. I wanted to see her
succeed and become the professional she had the
potential to become.”
“When did your relationship change to a more
intimate one?”
“It wasn’t long, I’m afraid. You see, I haven’t seen
many fireworks in my personal life the last few years,
and I was naturally attracted and intrigued by Tracey’s
passion for life.”
“And Tracey? Was she interested in pursuing a
relationship with you as well?”
“Believe me, Lieutenant, I was very surprised too in
the beginning. Tracey was so beautiful, and so bright,
that I found it hard to believe she was falling for
someone like me. We went out to dinner a few times,
and things quickly escalated.”
“Is your wife at all aware of this relationship?”
“No! Of course not…Helen wouldn’t take an extramarital relationship lightly, and I am afraid she would leave me.”
Killer in Sight (A Tom Lackey Mystery) Page 15
