“How old are you Mr. Flanders?”
“What? What has that got to do with what’s happening here?”
“Please just answer my question, sir. We need certain background information.”
“I’m 29. The same age as your partner.”
“Do you have any physical disabilities?” Mike looked at Max and wondered where this questioning was heading.
“No I don’t.” Mike noticed Dave’s confused look temporarily replacing his hostility.
“Do you have a drinking problem or use any drugs?”
“I have a drink or two at night to unwind. I don’t take drugs. Anyone who uses drugs is an idiot.”
Max nodded his head as he made notes in his book. “Okay. How about mental or psychological problems?”
Mike saw Dave losing any patience he had left with Max’s questioning. Dave’s voice held a tinge of arrogance as he replied, “I don’t have any mental problems and my only psychological problem is I don’t like being asked stupid questions. What does all this have to do with Sandy?”
Max scratched his head and looked at Dave. Mike suddenly realized Max reminded him of the 80’s television character, Detective Columbo. “Well, Mr. Flanders, I was just curious. You are a young man who doesn’t do drugs, doesn’t drink to excess, has no major physical or mental problems, yet you can’t remember where you stopped for a drink an hour ago. Why is that?”
“Well Officer Davis,” Dave said in his best jock to nerd voice, “I really wasn’t paying attention. I don’t take the same route home every night and I was preoccupied tonight, so I wasn’t paying attention to where I was driving. I saw a sign for a restaurant and bar and just pulled in the parking lot.” Dave looked like he wanted to punch this cop. He curled his hands into tight fists, but kept them on his legs. He stared at Detective Davis, began to stand up and practically growled, “I’ve had enough of your asinine questions.”
Dave’s demeanor had rapidly become confrontational. Glaring at both detectives and with barely controlled hysteria he demanded: “Now I want to know where my wife is and what’s wrong with her, Officer.”
Max looked at Dave. “First, Mr. Flanders, it is Detective Davis. Since Detective Campbell was here before me, he’ll answer your questions.”
Mike looked up from his notebook and even though he knew it was juvenile, he enjoyed having the upper hand with this bully. “Sandy called 911 between 5:00 and 5:30 because she had been stabbed. The ambulance took her to the hospital around 6:00 p.m. She was in pretty bad shape when the EMTs took her out of here. It doesn’t look like anyone broke in because the front door was unlocked, so it appears she let the assailant into the house.”
Mike noticed Dave was beginning to sweat a little and his demeanor was no longer as aggressive as it had been. His eyes darted between Max and Mike as he licked his lips. His voice had a tremor in it although he tried to overcome it with false bravado, “Well, I told you where I was. I resent the fact I’m being asked these questions. I want to see Sandy.”
Max was studying Dave’s reactions to the questioning. Max looked at Dave and said, “Well Mr. Flanders, we’re going to need you to come to the police station tomorrow morning. We realize you want to see your wife, so we will reserve the rest of our questioning until then. The crime scene technicians will be going over the house for the next couple of hours. Do you have somewhere you can stay tonight?”
Dave nodded his head.
“When the doctors give us the go-ahead to talk to Sandy, she might be able to tell us who attacked her.”
Dave went a few shades paler. Shakily he asked “Which hospital?”
Mike told him Sandy had been taken to General. He asked Dave if he wanted to ride with them because they were heading there to check on her condition. Dave couldn’t say no fast enough, but did let Mike and Max know he would see them tomorrow.
The two detectives watched Dave practically run out the front door. In his best Columbo manner, Max looked at Mike and asked “What do you think?”
Mike shook his head “He’s guilty as sin. Now all we have to do is prove it.”
CHAPTER 3
The two detectives quickly wrapped up inside the house and left the evidence techs to gather whatever forensic evidence they could find. As they were leaving, Sean Flynn called them over.
“Detectives, you need to talk to the lady next door. When they were taking the victim out, she was watching through her storm door. She asked me what happened and I told her the woman who lived here had been assaulted. When she heard that she mumbled something like, ‘I knew it was only a matter of time before he killed her’.”
“Thanks Flynn. We’ll talk to her before we go to the hospital.”
They walked the ten feet to the neighbor’s front door and knocked. The person who came to the door looked like most people’s idea of a grandmother. She stood about 5 foot six and was maybe ten pounds overweight. Her hair was salt and pepper and cut short. She appeared to be in her late fifties or early sixties. That’s where the grandmother image ended. She was dressed in jeans and sneakers and a Herman’s Hermits concert sweatshirt. After introducing themselves and showing her their badges, she agreed to answer some questions.
As they entered the house, Mike took a quick look around as he had done in Sandy’s. The insides of the two houses were quite different. This one felt homey and reflected its owner’s quirky style. It was neat, but the tables had a light covering of dust. Magazines were strewn on the coffee table next to a coffee mug with steam still rising. The furniture had not been purchased as a set, but the pieces blended well together and were well-maintained. It was a room where you could relax.
In contrast, Sandy’s living room had been almost sterile in its neatness. Glass topped tables sparkled in their cleanliness. The knickknacks were sparse but seemed to accentuate the lack of an owner’s personal touch. The throw pillows were fluffed and placed as if by an interior decorator. Colors were well coordinated, but the room did not seem to project a ‘come in and sit down’ vibe.
Max and Mike refused an offer of coffee. They sat on the sofa with the homeowner seated opposite them when Max started the questioning.
“May I have your name for the record?”
“Sure, it’s Mary Parker.”
“How long have you lived here Ms. Parker?”
“If you don’t mind, I really hate when people call me Ms. I’m a widow, so either call me Mary or Mrs. Parker.”
Max nodded and noted her preference. He repeated his question.
“My husband and I bought this place 35 years ago, right after our oldest was born.”
“How long have the Flanders lived next door?”
“They moved in about five years ago. Paul and I were really happy to see another young couple move in. They made the fourth under-30 family to move onto the block.”
“Do you know them well?”
“I know Sandy better than Dave. She was a big help to me when Paul passed away two years ago. She would make extra dinner and bring it over because she knew I was having a tough time. If Dave was going to be working late, she would have me over to her place for dinner and we would keep each other company.”
“Did the Flanders appear to be a happily married couple?”
Mary thought about this before answering. “When you saw them in public, he always had his arm around her, or held her hand and he was smiling at the things she said. I always got the feeling she was uncomfortable with the show of affection.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, they built these houses pretty well, but they are not soundproof, especially when the windows are open. I used to hear him screaming at her about the smallest things. His dinner wasn’t ready on time. There was dust on a table in the living room. His laundry wasn’t folded properly. I didn’t hear her replies because she wasn’t allowed to raise her voice to him.” Mary’s voice was starting to rise and her dislike for Dave became evident.
Mike was watching her closely
and was making notes as she answered each question. Max continued his questioning in his low-key way.
“Do you know if he ever got violent with her?”
“Not for the first couple of years they lived there. But then after Paul died, I started seeing her more often. I noticed she sometimes had a black and blue mark on one of her arms or legs. She sloughed it off saying she was getting klutzier as she got older. After a while I stopped asking her about the bruises because she got more and more defensive about them and I didn’t want to lose her as a friend.”
“Did she ever confide in you about her arguments with Dave?”
“Not at first. But last year, right before school let out, she had to take sick leave for about a week. I went over every day and took care of her. That’s when she opened up and told me Dave had beaten her. She had gone to the hospital because she had severe pain in her midsection. She was diagnosed with a bruised spleen and they told her to rest. Of course, she told them she had tripped over the carpet and landed on the edge of the coffee table. Since she didn’t tell them the truth there really wasn’t anything they could do but let her go home.”
Mike heard the anger in Mary’s voice as she recited her recollection of this event. He could tell she felt helpless about Sandy’s situation and frustrated there was nothing she could do to help her friend. It was a reaction he had had many times since becoming a police officer.
Max seemed to ponder his next question. He was giving Mary time to calm down. As she took a sip of her coffee he asked “Where was Mr. Flanders during this time?”
“He was going to work every day. When he saw me there the first day, he told me to stop being a busybody and stay out of his house. After that I made sure I was gone before he got home from work. I wasn’t personally afraid of him, but I didn’t want Sandy to suffer because he was angry with me.”
“Were there any other incidents you can recall?”
“No. Things seemed to be good for them until after the New Year. Then the arguments started again.”
“Did Sandy tell you why?”
“Dave was stopping for a couple drinks on his way home from work. She said he was nervous about getting laid off. His company was losing contracts because of the economy. They were also facing the real possibility Sandy could get laid off if the school district had to make more cuts in the budget. She told me she was getting scared again and was seriously thinking of leaving him.”
“When did she tell you that?”
“A couple of weeks ago. She said she had talked to her parents and told them she and Dave were having problems. She asked them if she could stay with them while she and Dave tried to work things out. She was just waiting for the right time to tell him.”
As Mike continued to watch Max question Mrs. Parker, he had to admire the finesse his partner used to elicit explanations after each question, rather than just a yes or no answer.
Mary Parker looked at Max and quietly asked “I can’t wait any longer to ask. Is Sandy going to die?”
Max was honest with her when he replied “I don’t know. She’s been taken to the hospital. One of the first responding officers is a former EMT. He was with her until the ambulance arrived.
“Why did you tell the officer you thought Mr. Flanders had finally killed his wife?”
“I talked to Sandy yesterday. She said Dave was drinking more and getting more argumentative. His company was going to begin layoffs in a couple of weeks, and that was making his behavior more unpredictable. She told me she was going to tell him tonight she was moving out. I guess he didn’t like her plans.”
Max leaned towards Mary Parker when he asked, “Did you hear anything tonight?”
“I volunteer at the library on Friday afternoons and got home about five minutes before the first officer arrived. I may not have seen him, but I know it was Dave Flanders who attacked that poor girl”, Mary stated firmly.
Max thanked Mrs. Parker for her time and asked if she would be available if they had any further questions. She gave them her cell number and said she would help in any way she could.
Out on the street again, Max looked at Mike and in the calm manner Mike was starting to know well said “Strike one against Mr. Flanders. Let’s go to the hospital and see how Mrs. Flanders is doing. Right now he looks good for assault with a deadly weapon. Let’s hope it doesn’t turn out to be a murder charge.”
CHAPTER 4
Mike met Max in the Emergency Room lobby at General Hospital because they had driven separately. It was a typical Friday night, with standing room only in the waiting room. They went up to the reception desk and told the harried nurse who they were and asked where they could find Sandy Flanders. After checking her computer, the nurse informed them Sandy was in surgery and would be moved to Intensive Care afterwards. No other update was available. She also told them Sandy’s husband had come in earlier and was in the waiting room on the second floor. They thanked her, and after getting directions to the waiting room, they went to talk to Dave.
They found him alone in the large room. Surgeries on a Friday night were emergencies only, so he was currently alone. When they walked over Dave looked up and was not happy to see them.
“What do you guys want?” he snarled.
Once again Max took the lead. “We told you we would be checking on your wife’s condition.”
“She’s in surgery. They’re not sure how long it will be. The doctor said he wouldn’t know how serious the wound was until he checked the x-rays and got her in surgery.”
Mike asked Dave if he had called Sandy’s parents.
Dave was once again on the defensive. “I’ve been so worried about Sandy that I didn’t think to call them.”
“Do they still live in the same place they did when we were in high school?” Mike asked.
“Yeah,” Dave answered, but with less belligerence.
“Give me their number and I’ll give them a call.”
Dave gave Mike the number and he walked across the room to make the call. Max stayed with Dave, although he did not ask him any questions.
When Mike returned he told Dave Sandy’s parents were on their way. Dave looked at the floor and didn’t say anything. Max took Mike aside and asked him who he talked to on the phone.
Mike lowered his voice and told Max he had spoken to Sandy’s father Richard. “He was shocked to hear she had been attacked”, Mike said.
Max asked if there was anything her father said that might indicate he knew who had stabbed his daughter.
“He didn’t. Either he doesn’t know how Dave has been treating his daughter, or he wants to confront him first. I think we should probably stick around until they get here.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me” Max agreed.
Half an hour later, Richard and Stephanie Powers burst into the waiting room and made a beeline for Dave.
They began peppering him with questions, both asking them at the same time.
“Where is she?”
“How is she?”
“What happened?”
Dave looked up and calmly recited the facts: Sandy had been attacked in their home; she was in surgery; she had sustained a knife wound to the left side of her midsection and the doctor would let them know her condition when he was finished with surgery.
During Dave’s bland recitation of the facts, Mike and Max quietly moved closer to the group. With each fact Dave gave, the color in Sandy’s father’s face rose. His hands balled into fists. His stance became threatening toward Dave. The two detectives wanted to make sure that nothing happened. They shouldn’t have worried. Stephanie Powers touched her husband’s arm as his face color reached an alarming shade of red. He looked at her and Mike observed the slight shake of her head. Richard Powers took several deep breaths and regained control of his emotions.
Mike went over to the Powers and introduced himself. Stephanie thanked him for calling. “You look familiar Detective. Have we met before?”
“I don’t think so Mrs
. Powers. You may have seen me at a football game or another school activity. I was in several of Sandy’s classes at Penn Manor.”
“Are you related to the math teacher, Mr. Campbell?”
“He’s my Dad.”
“You bear a striking resemblance to him. Do you know who attacked our daughter?”
“We’ve just started the investigation, Mrs. Powers. Detective Davis and I will be conducting interviews and going over the evidence from the house. Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt your daughter?”
Before she could stop herself, Stephanie’s eyes shifted to Dave. Mike caught the subtle move, but didn’t say anything.
“As far as we know, everyone liked her. There might have been a parent or two who didn’t like the marks she gave their children, but I doubt they would have gone so far as to try to kill her because she gave a D to a first grader.”
Max took this opportunity to introduce himself to the Powers. “I know you are both in shock right now, but we would appreciate it if you would both think about anyone who might have threatened her recently. Did she tell you about anyone who showed an interest in her she couldn’t discourage? Was she afraid of anyone?”
Mike noticed once again the quick look shared by Sandy’s parents. Stephanie told them as soon as they found out how Sandy was doing they would see if they could put a list together and get it to him. Mike gave them his card and told them if they thought of anything to give him a call.
During this exchange Dave remained in his seat with his head down, staring at the floor. His elbows were resting on his thighs and his hands were folded between his knees. He hardly acknowledged Mike and Max as they said their goodbyes and left.
The partners left the waiting room and headed for the parking garage. They agreed to meet at the ICU at 9:30 the next morning.
Before they went their separate ways, Mike remembered he was going to invite Max to his parents’ on Sunday.
“By the way Max, are you doing anything on Sunday afternoon?”
“My laundry” his partner deadpanned.
Splintered (Mike Campbell Series Book 1) Page 2
