WHAT GOES AROUND - ANGIE BARTONI CASE FILE #4 (ANGIE BARTONI CASE FILES Book 1)

by Marshall Huffman

  “Why not just talk to us together?” Ross asked.

  “Why don’t we just do it my way?” I retorted.

  He didn’t say anything but it was easy to see that he didn’t like a woman telling him what to do.

  “Well, we can’t both be gone with Mr. Jameson being detained,” he said.

  “I see. Alright. Mr. Wilcox why don’t you come with me and Detective Roberts can stay here and talk to Mr. Ross. When we are finished I can bring Mr. Wilcox back and pick up Detective Roberts. That way everyone is happy,” I replied.

  “Not really,” he said.

  “Let me put it another way, I’ll be happy and you will be as happy as you are going to be unless you have something you would rather not tell us and need your attorney to protect you,” I said, knowing the receptionist was about ready to fall out of her chair she was leaning so close.

  I could see he was rolling that over in his mind but decided it would look bad if he refused.

  “Alright but I may have to leave if an emergency comes up,” Ross said at last.

  “You've gotta take care of business. I have no problem with that.”

  “Then Detective Roberts, if you will follow me, I’ll show you to the conference room.”

  “Mr. Wilcox, if you would come with me please,” I said.

  He looked from me to Ross and back to me. Obviously he had no desire to be with me in the car.

  Now here is the thing. I know some people are more intimidated by the police than others. People with absolutely nothing to hide can get a little uptight. It happens frequently and most good cops know this. They also know how to read people and can tell the difference between the two. Wilcox was hiding something so I didn’t have a lot of empathy for him.

  He followed me out to the car like a man on death row going of his last walk. We got in, strapped up and drove out of the lot. I intentionally didn’t talk to him as we drove along. I wanted him to sweat for a while.

  “How long have you been on the force?” he finally managed to get out.

  “Too long,” was all I replied.

  We drove in silence for a long time before he spoke again.

  “Is Mr. Jameson in big trouble.”

  “Probably.”

  “Did he kill his wife too?”

  “Maybe.”

  He was ready to jump out of his skin by the time we got to the station. He looked like he was almost ready to cry. I’m not heartless but I needed to set the tone so he would spill his guts. Okay, maybe I am a tad heartless but still I needed to find out what he was holding back.

  “Have a seat,” I said, “I’ll be back as soon as I check in with the captain”

  I closed the door knowing that it added to the physiological effect. I really did go tell the captain I was back but when I was done I went into the observation room and just watched.

  Like most of the people we bring in, he looked around at his environment first, taking it all in. He noticed the television camera within a few minutes. I just waited, letting him get nervous. After twenty minutes, which feels like twenty hours when you're waiting for someone, I walked in the room with a can of Diet Coke and bottle of water.

  “Care for a drink?”

  He reached for the water. I love people like that. It was just water out of the water cooler but he thought he was getting something special.

  “So. Let’s talk about your hunting trip to Montana. I was just going over the statement that you gave to the officer. I have some questions for you.”

  “Well, it was a while ago so I may not remember everything,” he said taking a big gulp of water.

  “We’ll go slow. Now according to you, the three of you left in Jameson’s Jeep Cherokee, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “What color was the Cherokee?”

  “What color?”

  “Yeah, the exterior and interior. The color?”

  “Uh, green and black.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I think so.”

  “Doesn’t sound like you’re very sure,” I said.

  “Green and black.”

  “And what route did you take? Interstate? Back roads? What?”

  “Interstate.”

  “All the way?” I asked, putting my elbows on the table and leaning forward. I wanted to be in his space.

  “All the way on I-80.”

  “Really? So you didn’t take I-25 at any time?”

  He sat there thinking. He was trying decide if I was tricking him or not.

  “I-80, and we got off at Laramie. Then we took some little road to the hunting lodge.”

  “You said in your statement the name of the lodge was White Tail Ranch. Does that sound right.”

  “White Tail. That’s the name of it.”

  “Humm. Well see that’s a little problem. The White Tail Ranch is in Laramie but not the Laramie of I-80. The White Tail is off I-25. You go to Cheyenne and then take I-25 north.”

  He just sat there trying to absorb what I had just told him.

  “There can’t be two Laramies,” he finally said.

  “Ah but you are wrong,” I said showing him a page from the Atlas.

  I pointed to the one off I-80 and then the one north of Cheyenne.

  He just looked at me like he had seen a ghost. It would be hard to change his story now.

  “By the way, the Jeep is burgundy with a tan interior. Why don’t you do yourself a big favor here and tell me what actually went on? I can guarantee you that Dan is getting the same thing from Ross. The one who gives it up first stands a better chance of avoiding a long jail term.”

  He was like a balloon that had just had the air let out of it. His shoulders sagged and he lowered his head.

  “I think I need a lawyer,” he said quietly.

  “No problem, but once he walks in that door, you are on your own. If Ross comes clean you will be the one that goes down,” I said and stood up.

  CHAPTER NINE

  I gathered my things, put the atlas in my briefcase and pushed the chair back. He waited until I got all the way to the door.

  “Wait. Look, it’s nothing really. I mean we didn’t really do anything wrong.

  “By we you mean Ross and you.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So what did you do?”

  “We lied about the Montana trip. I’ve never even been to Montana. I told Jameson that but he had us practice for the police. We didn’t know about the two Laramies. Who would name two cities the same? That’s retarded.”

  “Why, do you think there is only one Wilcox in the city?”

  “I’m just saying.”

  “I got it. So this cover up, what is it all about?”

  “I swear, this is the truth. We caught Jameson with a girl that was probably no more than sixteen. Maybe not that. We had gone to his house because he wasn’t answering his phone and we had a major problem. We rang the doorbell but no one answered so we walked around to the fence and went into the pool area. He was lying on a lounge chair and this girl was…”

  “Whoa. I don’t need a play by play. Having sex is good enough.”

  “Yeah. He freaked out. He threatened to fire us if we ever mentioned this to anyone. Ross pointed out that it would not be in his interest to do such a thing. He told him that he was thinking more along the lines of a promotion and double the salary.”

  “And he agreed.”

  “He didn’t have much choice did he?”

  “And this was the same day that Melody disappeared?”

  “Yes, as it turns out. We didn’t know that at the time.”

  “What else?”

  Usually when people tell me that ‘this is the truth’, or ‘I swear’ it means they are lying through their teeth. I wanted to believe him but it was the ‘I swear that was nagging at me.”

  “Alright Mr. Wilcox. I want you to write down just exactly what you just told me. Don’t leave anything out. When you are done, sign and date it.”

  “Then
I can go?”

  “After I talk to Dan.”

  “But this will help me, right?”

  “I’m almost certain it will,” I replied.

  **

  After I got outside of the interview room I called Dan.

  “How is it going?” I asked.

  “Like pulling teeth. He wanted all kinds of assurances that he will not be implicated in any way.”

  “Tell him to take a hike. We have everything we need without his help. Advise him of his rights and tell him he needs to call a lawyer,” I told Dan.

  “Wilcox gave it up?”

  “He did indeed. It would be better if we had both of their confessions. I’m thinking if you just play it like you don’t need anything from him he may decide that cooperating is good for him.”

  “Why don’t we do it together? They have a conference room with a speaker phone. We could put more pressure on him then.”

  “We can and will. The way I see it is they are complicit in this. They knew what he was doing and they used it for blackmail rather than turn him in. I don’t feel sorry for either one of them,” I replied.

  He gave me the number and I called it back. Dan put us on the speaker phone.

  “Mr. Ross. Dan tells me you are not being very forthcoming with information. Why is that?”

  “I’ve told him all I know. That’s all I can do.”

  “Really? So you told him you were blackmailing Jameson after finding him engaged in sexual activity with a teenager?”

  “I know nothing about that. I don’t know where you got that information.”

  “Would it shock you to find out that no one at the White Tail Ranch has ever heard of you?”

  “Maybe we got the name wrong,” he said.

  “Okay. Dan go ahead and Mirandize him. Then take him to booking for extortion, failure to report a crime, and impeding a murder investigation.”

  “Wait. You can’t do that.”

  “Mr. Ross, you are so wrong. Bring him in Dan.”

  “Got it. I take it you got what you needed from Wilcox?”

  “Sang like a canary. He was smart enough to take the deal I offered, unlike Mr. Ross.”

  “No. Hold on. I want to make a deal too,” Ross said.

  “Sorry. We don’t need to make a deal with you. We have everything we need. You on the other hand are going to do some pretty hard time I’m afraid,” I told him.

  “Come on. I can tell you more than what Wilcox knows. I’m the one who suggested we go to his house in the first place because I knew what he was doing. Where he was getting them. I can give you everything.”

  I didn’t say anything. I wanted him to think I was having to give it some serious thought.

  “Please. Just listen to me and then decide,” he begged.

  “What do you think Dan?”

  “Well, he is a slimeball but if he really has something I guess we could listen to what he has to say first.”

  “Okay. Just make sure to Mirandize him.”

  “Will do,” he said and hung up.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ADA Lawson and I were sitting in the captain’s office waiting for him to get off the phone. I gave her a quick rundown on Jameson.

  “Sorry about that,” the captain said as he hung up, “So where do we stand?”

  I told him about my conversation with Wilcox and what Ross had said on the phone. We were waiting for him to show up. Dan and I would question him and Lawson would be in the room with us. After we were done with Ross we were going to take another run at Wilcox just in case he was holding something back.

  “Can we get him on the minor thing?” the captain asked.

  “I feel confident we can put him a way for that. They will want a plea bargain at some point but I will not let him off with probation. Five years is the minimum I will come down to. That’s why it’s important to get Ross and Wilcox in our corner even if it does gall me,” Lawson told him.

  “And murder?”

  “Nothing has risen to the surface so far. He may have had someone do it for him but right now we have nothing we can present to a Grand Jury.”

  “Will he make bail on the sex charges?”

  “Maybe not. I’m going to paint him as a predator that cruises for young girls and then has sex with them. We know of three so far but I'm sure that is just the tip of the iceberg.”

  “Who is representing him?” the captain asked.

  “Collins.”

  “Ouch.”

  “He isn’t going to get too pushy right now. He knows he is going to have to come to me for a plea bargain at some point. Angie, have you got anything that can link him to the murders?”

  “We’re closer. His alibi just went south. Motive is easy, money. We have nothing to place him at the crime scene. We need more.”

  “The weapon in his hand would be nice,” Lawson said, only half kidding.

  “This could be a murder for hire. The problem is he is too smart to make a big deposit or move money around. He would have paid cash.”

  “Then you have your work cut out for you.”

  “You can say that again,” I replied.

  **

  When Dan came back with Ross, we put him in the holding cell. I wanted to go see what Sorenson had found out and if he had come up with the identities of the other two girls.

  “Angie,” Dan said as we were headed to the morgue, “I spent almost an hour with Ross and you get on the phone and in five minutes he is begging to tell you everything. What am I doing wrong?”

  “Honestly Dan, nothing. Look I have a lot more experience. I can tell a liar almost from the first words out of his mouth. It’s just something you will develop over time. Don’t get down on yourself. I was just like you the first couple of years. Just watch and learn. Look, it isn’t just what they are telling you it’s the way they are telling you that is just as important. You have to read between the lines and read the body language.”

  “Yeah, I get all of that but they still stump me.”

  “Give it time Dan. You’re doing a good job. You’re a good partner,” I told him.

  What was wrong with me? I hate having a partner. Getting old sucks. Now I’m starting to be nice. I had better shoot someone before my image changes. Just kidding. Sort of.

  We found Sorenson in this usual hovel. I have been there maybe three or four times when he wasn’t eating. He is as skinny as a rail and yet he eats nonstop. That is just so unfair. I swear I gain weight just watching him eat.

  “Well, well, well. Look what the cat drug in,” he said with his mouth stuffed full.

  “Nice to see you too. Gee you’re eating. What a surprise.”

  “You’re just jealous.”

  “Am not.”

  “Are too.”

  “Now children,” Dan said jumping in.

  “I suppose you want to know about the two Jane Does.”

  “If it isn’t too much trouble,” I retorted.

  “Anything for you Detective Bartoni,” he said hand handing over a file.

  Actually there were two files. The first girl's name was Andrea Oglethorpe. She was twenty-six, divorced and no one seemed to be looking for her. She was ID’d by fingerprints because of a recent DUI. Cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma.”

  “So she was dead when her throat was slit.” I said, handing the file to Dan to look over.

  “That would be correct.”

  I looked at the other folder. Mary Scott. Of England? That was a joke, Mary Scott of England, get it? She was divorced as well and no one had reported her missing either. Cause of death, blunt force trauma.

  All three of the women had been tortured. Bite marks covered their bodies. They had bruises from beatings head to even the bottoms of their feet. All three had been sexually assaulted repeatedly.

  Could a husband do something like to a woman he once loved? If you want her dead, why drag the other two into the picture?

  “We need to get the lab working on the bite
marks,” I said.

  “I took pictures but I doubt it will do much good. Too much time has passed. This isn’t like television where they find fibers from a q-tip and trace it back to the store. Teeth marks change given a certain amount of time,” he told me.

  Yeah, I knew that. He had given me the same lecture once before.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  When we got back from the morgue we went to talk to Ross. He was sufficiently worked up.

  “I’ve been here over an hour,” he said when we walked in.

  I didn’t reply, I just leaned against the wall and motioned for Dan to sit across from Ross.

  “I thought you wanted to talk to me?” he said, looking at me.

  “You’re taking to me,” Dan said evenly.

  “Fine. I really don’t care one way or the other. I want to know what kind of deal we can work out.”

  “Let me ask you something Ross. Is everything about what you want? Because guess what, I don’t care what you want. We have you by the short curlies so stop with ‘I want’. You’re going to tell us everything and then we will see what it is worth. The ADA is on the other side of the glass and she will determine what kind of deal. I suggest you impress her. She already doesn’t think much of you, Wilcox, or Jameson. Got it?”

  “I got it,” he sighed.

  “So, you never went to Montana.”

  “No.”

  “You went to Jameson’s house and found him with a teenage girl performing a sex act, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “How did you know that is what you would find?”

  “I didn’t. It just happened.”

  There was a tap on the window. Dan stood up and I opened the door.

  “Where are you going?” he said alarmed.

  “I told you the ADA wasn’t messing around. You’re lying and that won’t fly,” Dan told him.

  “I’m not lying. Well not really. I mean I didn’t know for sure but I suspected as much.”

  “Suspected as much? Why?” Dan said walking over to the chair but not sitting down.

  “A few months ago I had to run some documents out to his house that he forgot to sign. It was important and we couldn’t get him on the phone. When I got there I heard some girls playing in the pool. I peeked in and saw three really young girls. They had nothing on and neither did Jameson. I just got back in my car and went back to the office.”