CHAPTER 27
Mike looked at the clock and realized it was almost quitting time. Last night’s dinner with Max had been a fun time. Their conversation ranged from the job and their current case to why they became cops and the similarities between their two childhoods. Max was so excited about becoming a grandfather. Mike had to smile more than once because Max was starting his list of ‘things to do’ to get ready for the baby and his trip west. By the time they parted company, Mike realized he had more in common with Max than he initially thought.
Today was Friday. It had been another frustrating day with no new evidence in the Flanders case. They had no luck pursuing taser sales. They were waiting for a few replies, but neither detective held out much hope they would end up with the name of their killer.
He wanted to check out the Habitat for Humanity store on Saturday for kitchen cabinets. He would start the demolition this weekend knowing Joe was back to help him if he ran into anything he couldn’t handle. The Flanders’ case was stuck in neutral and he needed some good old-fashioned manual labor to restart his mental processes.
He was straightening up his desk when Lt. Harper motioned for him and Max to come into his office. Mike made his way across the room and knew the Lieutenant did not have good news.
“Close the door before you sit down”, Lt. Harper said as he took a seat behind his desk.
Mike had a feeling his weekend plans could be in jeopardy. He settled himself into one of the chairs in front of the desk, while Max got comfortable in the other.
Both detectives waited for what their lieutenant had to say. Lt. Harper was an unassuming man whose looks were deceiving. In his mid-forties, he had worked his way up from beat cop to heading the Major Crimes Division. His appearance was quite average except for his piercing blue eyes. Those eyes had been the undoing of many suspects who had sat across the interview table from him. Now those eyes were focused on Mike and Max.
Lt. Harper didn’t waste any time getting to the point. “It seems our victim’s father is very impatient. He didn’t wait the full week to start to stir the pot. I just got off the phone with the chief, who had just gotten off the phone with the mayor. When he was leaving his office last night Mr. Flanders arrived to speak to him. I won’t bore you with all the gory details, but Jason Flanders adamantly demanded you two be removed from the investigation into his son’s murder. He said you, Mike, are more interested in his daughter-in-law than finding who killed his son. Max, he claims you don’t care because you are just marking time until retirement. The mayor assured Mr. Flanders he would talk to the chief of police and get back to him.”
“What did Chief Anderson tell the mayor?” asked Max.
“He would talk to me and find out what was happening with the investigation. You know Chief Anderson. He doesn’t like it when politicians stick their noses into open cases, regardless of the reason. He calmed the mayor down and told him the detectives were vigorously pursuing all leads. Then he called me.
“Mr. Flanders also told the mayor if you two were not replaced, he would go to the paper and ‘give them the story of the decade’ as he put it.”
“What did he mean by that?” Mike asked.
“Vague inferences regarding your relationship with Sandy Flanders and the Bureau’s need to cover it up. He also inferred you moved here from Philadelphia because of problems you had in your previous job, Max.”
Shaking his head as if he found the whole thing ridiculous, Max looked at the lieutenant and chuckled. “I suppose someone like Jason Flanders would consider retirement from a major city police force must have something to do with job performance and not getting burned out.”
“Because you’ve only lived here about a year, you don’t know the kind of influence Flanders has on local politics. He’s a self-made millionaire who has gotten rich by supporting the campaigns of those he feels will best advance his future endeavors. His contact list is full of names of those who owe him favors. He knows quite a few people over at the paper and although they will do their due diligence before they print anything, the accusations are vague enough to have the hint of truth, especially the one about you and Mrs. Flanders, Campbell.”
“Lieutenant, until I answered the assault call and saw her on the kitchen floor, I hadn’t seen Sandy since graduation over ten years ago.”
“Did you have a relationship with her in high school?”
Mike did not like the way this questioning was going, but answered his boss candidly. “I asked her out once. I didn’t realize at the time she and Dave were a couple. She turned me down, but Dave didn’t let it go. He stopped me in the hall, backed up by his offensive line, and told me what my future would hold if I ever talked to Sandy again. I took the hint. I always liked Sandy, but I had plans for my future and broken limbs were nowhere in those plans.”
“Jason told the mayor you were the reason Sandy asked Dave for a divorce on the night he stabbed her.”
Although he shouldn’t have been, Mike was stunned by this revelation. “I told you I hadn’t seen Sandy in ten years. I didn’t even know she had married Dave until he showed up at the door after her attack. It sounds like Jason Flanders has manufactured an alternate version of events surrounding the assault. Since his son is dead, it has to be Sandy’s fault in some way.”
Lt. Harper had a legendary reputation in the Department for being able to sniff out BS in any form. Mike saw his boss mull over the facts and make his decision on the truthfulness of the story. “Okay Campbell. I know Jason Flanders’ ability to skew the facts for his own benefit. Are you currently in touch with Sandy Flanders.”
“I went to the funeral and she asked if I knew anyone who had a boat so she could spread Dave’s ashes on the Susquehanna. I talked to a friend of mine and Joe said he would have his boat in the water by Memorial Day. I talked to Sandy yesterday and asked her if that worked. She said yes and would find out from Sarah and Jason…” Mike stopped in mid-sentence as he realized why Jason had gone to the mayor yesterday. “I knew he was upset about not being included in the funeral arrangements, but why would he make up such a story?” Mike jumped up from his chair as he asked the question. Lt. Harper and Max watched as Mike tried to pace off his frustration. The size of Lt. Harper’s office did not allow Mike more than two paces before he hit the wall and had to retrace is steps. He ranted as he paced. “What is wrong with him? Why would he do this to Sandy? Obviously he’s trying to make his son look like he was a victim of a cheating wife. So, the boyfriend and cheating wife become the prime suspects because, after all, the boyfriend would want to avenge the attack on his girlfriend. And guess who found the body? Wow, he couldn’t have set it up any better.”
Mike stopped pacing and turned to face Lt. Harper who was sitting forward with his elbows resting on the desk and his hands folded on top of several memos. He watched as the ramifications of Jason’s threats dawned on Mike. “Now you understand why we need to keep Jason Flanders from going to the paper. Once the accusation is made, even if proven false, it will hang over both you and the Bureau for a very long time.”
Mike walked back to the desk and flopped in the vacant chair. In a voice fraught with anger and fear, Mike looked at his Lieutenant and almost shouted, “What are we going to do? It’s all a figment of his imagination. He can’t do this.”
Max reached over and placed his hand on Mike’s arm. “Calm down, partner. This isn’t the first time someone has tried to deflect guilt onto an innocent party.” He turned to Lt. Harper and asked, “Did you and the Chief discuss a way to defuse this before it blows up?”
“As a matter of fact Davis, we did. Chief Anderson is going to call a press conference first thing Monday morning and lay out everything we have in the murder investigation.”
“Wait a minute, Lieutenant. Everything? Even the note? It’s our ace in the hole.”
“We won’t disclose information about the note, Campbell. Chief Anderson thinks we should go public with all the information we have from Dave
’s attack on Sandy to his being found in his basement dead. He will ask people to get in touch with Crime Stoppers if they have any information at all. A reward will be offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Dave Flanders’ death. The Chief hopes to defuse the situation before Jason has a chance to say anything to the paper. He also wants both of you to be at the press conference to answer questions. Campbell, you’ve never attended a press conference, so defer to Davis as much as possible because he has experience dealing with the press in Philly. Get the pertinent facts to the Chief by 8:00 a.m. on Monday morning.”
Max agreed and he and Mike decided to get in early Monday to prepare the report and get ready for the press conference. Mike headed to his car and wondered if his career as a detective would be over before it ever got started.
CHAPTER 28
Mike was at his desk at 6:30 a.m. on Monday. None of the things he had planned to do over the weekend had panned out. Joe called early Saturday morning and told Mike he had to help his father finish a job and wouldn’t be able to come over to help with the demolition. Disappointed, Mike then took his list of cabinet sizes and headed over to the Habitat store. Unfortunately, their supply of kitchen cabinets was low and Mike didn’t see anything he liked.
He checked the two big building supply stores and found several styles he liked, but the prices were way above his budget. He went home discouraged and still brooding about the looming press conference on Monday.
It was still early in the afternoon, but Mike didn’t have the heart to begin ripping his kitchen apart. He gathered up his gardening tools and headed outside to wage war on the weeds invading the plant beds around his house. He was able to take out some of his frustration on the sturdy plants that insisted on growing where they weren’t wanted.
Sunday he decided he wasn’t going to be good company for anyone, so he just read the paper, did his laundry and watched the Phillies. After dinner, he sat down and made a timeline for the events leading up to Dave’s death. He and Max would use it to write their report for Chief Anderson.
So here he was, at his desk, trying to come to grips with the twists and turns this case had taken. Max came in just before 7:00 a.m. He took one look at Mike and said, “You look like you haven’t slept all weekend. What happened?”
Mike looked up and tried to smile. “You’re certainly full of compliments this morning. I might ask why you’re so happy, knowing we have this press conference to attend and our careers might be hanging in the balance.”
“Oh, that’s what’s wrong. Have you been brooding about Jason’s threats all weekend?”
“Brooding, no. Thinking about it, yes. Were you ever in a position like this when you were in Philly, Max?”
“Not this exact scenario. Mine involved a crooked cop who was going to try and implicate me in his illegal scheme. I had been a detective for about a year, and was approached to join this little group whose part time job was to shake down the pimps and drug dealers in North Philly. The cops offered protection and the criminals jumped at the chance to pay not to be hassled. I didn’t want any part of it. My partner was the leader of the group and was very candid about what my future would be in the Department if I refused. He gave me a week to make up my mind.”
Mike was really curious. “What did you do?”
“Well, I didn’t want to go down the road of taking payoffs, so I took a chance my lieutenant wasn’t involved and met with him away from the office. I explained how I had been approached and what was involved. He told me Internal Affairs knew about the scheme and had been working to try to get enough evidence to arrest and convict as many of the cops as possible. I agreed to be the inside guy and report all the illegal activities to IA.”
“You couldn’t have had any easy time of it”, Mike said as he leaned forward and watched as Max shuffled papers on his desk.
“Let’s just say the next year I felt like the guy on the TV show ‘I Led Three Lives’”.
“Never heard of it.”
“Didn’t think you had. It was a sixties show. Anyway, after a year of ratting on my partner and his crew, IA had enough to arrest them all. I had a bit of a tough time with the guys in the division for a while, but eventually they came to realize getting the bad guys out of the Department actually made their jobs easier. So, you see, every dark cloud has a silver lining.”
Mike was mesmerized by Max’s spontaneous revelations, but he couldn’t see the correlation between his problem and what Max had just told him. “It’s not the same thing, Max. Jason is insinuating I had an affair with Sandy. Then when Dave attacked her, I killed him for injuring her. You had control over your situation. My future is in the hands of a vengeful egomaniac.”
“We’re going to have to make sure his version never gets to the press or media.”
Mike shook his head. “We may be able to keep the lid on it for a while, but what about the internet? I know Jason has a smart phone, but I don’t know if he takes advantage of all it can do. Aside from Twitter and Facebook, there are other social media sites where an insinuation can be posted. He could ruin Sandy’s life in 144 characters. Not to mention what he could do to my career.”
“Back in the day we just had to worry about keeping a story out of the press or off TV. But now… You’re right about the internet. As much as I love it as a tool for solving crimes and finding suspects, I abhor the impact it can have on the innocent. We’ll have to keep it in mind in case Jason doesn’t like the way things are going.
“Let’s get started on the report for Chief Anderson. After the press conference we’ll have to make sure we check Crime Stoppers because initially there will be an influx of calls to try and claim the reward. We’ll have to follow up on the most viable ones, so it should keep us busy for a while.”
They got the report finished and walked it to Chief Anderson’s office. He read through it, asked a few questions and told them to meet him in the media room at noon because he wanted to make the news broadcasts at midday.
Chief Anderson began the press conference by listing the facts of the investigation as the reporters took notes. He asked them to remind people about the Crime Stoppers hotline and website. A $5,000 reward would be given to anyone whose tip resulted in the arrest and conviction of the guilty person. After his prepared remarks he introduced Mike and Max and asked the reporters if they had any questions.
“John Herr of ‘Lancaster Newspapers’. My question is for either of the detectives. Have you been able to determine a motive for the murder?”
Max stepped up and answered. “There was no indication of robbery. Mr. Flanders’ wallet was in his pocket with his credit cards, ID and cash still intact. Mrs. Flanders stated there was nothing missing from the house. So we’ve eliminated the possibility Mr. Flanders surprised a robber. Until we have a suspect, we can only eliminate the obvious.”
“Chad Monroe of Channel 8. Did Mr. Flanders’ death have anything to do with the attack on his wife the week before?”
Max once again answered. “At this time, we have no evidence to tie the two events together.”
“Is that why you’re asking for help from the public?” Chad asked.
“Yes”, replied Max. “Mr. Flanders was killed either late in the evening of April 22nd or early on the morning of the 23rd. We interviewed the neighbors, but we haven’t found anyone who remembers seeing anything unusual that night. We’re hoping maybe someone who was passing through the neighborhood might have seen something. We intend to check out every tip we receive and are asking people to come forward with any information they feel is relevant.”
“John Herr again. I have a question for Detective Campbell.” Mike replaced Max at the podium with a knot forming in his stomach. His mouth felt as dry as a desert, but he didn’t want to show his nervousness by taking a drink of water. He looked at the reporter and waited for the question he knew the reporter would ask.
“Detective Campbell, did you know eithe
r of the Flanders before Mrs. Flanders was attacked?”
“Yes. All three of us went to high school together.”
“When was the last time you saw either one of them?”
“June of 2002 at graduation.”
“And you haven’t had contact with either of them since?”
“No. When I was called to their house the night Mrs. Flanders was attacked, it was the first time I had seen her since graduation.”
“What about Mr. Flanders?”
“He came home after Mrs. Flanders was taken to the hospital. It was the first time I had seen him since graduation.”
Chief Anderson walked to the podium, gently nudged Mike to stand beside Max and addressed the reporters. “Thank you all for coming. The Department hopes by publicizing the pertinent facts of the case, we will be able to solve it in a timely manner. We will keep you advised of our progress.”
With those words the press conference came to an end. Everyone left the podium to the shouts of questions from the gathered reporters. Mike and Max returned to their office, but Mike felt more anxious about the way things were progressing than he had before the press conference. He really hoped Max was right and they had stopped Jason’s allegations from taking on a life of their own.
CHAPTER 29
Grinning, he turned off the TV after the local 6:00 o’clock news. He enjoyed the fact the cops had no clue about who ended the insignificant life of Dave Flanders. Although he enjoyed the frustration law enforcement was experiencing, he had really turned on the news to see if there was anything about his latest victim. No, he decided, victim was the wrong word. Like Dave Flanders, Craig McGinley was a bully, who created a living hell for the people he was supposed to love and protect.
Splintered (Mike Campbell Series Book 1) Page 12
