“Yes.”
She got out of the car. She heard Terry’s steps behind her as they hit the pavement and he closed in on her.
She moved quickly, yet in a calm manner. She didn’t need Harvey making a run for it. Despite watching what she ate a little better than normal, the exercise routine hadn’t exactly made it into a permanent spot in her daily schedule. She didn’t need this to turn into a chase.
Harvey didn’t seem to notice them as he kept his pace consistent. There wasn’t anyone with him.
They followed him around the corner where he entered a sports memorabilia place. It had been there for decades and it didn’t seem to matter what transpired around it, it was a constant feature.
“We’re going to handle this calmly,” Madison directed Terry.
“You’re telling me to be calm. Normally it’s me giving you a variation of that speech.”
She narrowed her eyes. “We’re going in. Pretend to be interested in baseball cards or something.”
“I’d prefer hockey.”
“You would.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Doesn’t matter. Let’s go.”
“No, what did you mean by that?” Terry stopped on the sidewalk.
“Don’t worry about it.”
He stared at her.
“I’m just joking around, Terry. Let’s go.” She headed toward the store.
“You know hockey is a huge sport.”
“I know it’s popular with Canadians.”
“Oh, so it’s a bash about my having a Canadian mother now?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Maddy, if I didn’t like you—”
“What, Terry?”
“Never mind.”
“Good, let’s get to work.”
The door chimed when they entered. No one was behind the counter. In fact, no one was in the store. Madison was starting to understand why the business stayed despite the crumbling economics of the neighborhood. It was a front that catered to the drug crowd after hours.
The space was crammed with sports memorabilia. Jerseys tattooed with different sports teams hung from the ceiling, suspended over racks of baseball caps and novelty items such as license plates and hockey pucks. Pennant flags were tacked along the top of the displays. Clothing and posters were set out in an organized fashion. Each sport had a section of the store. Behind the long counter that was on the left, there was a shelving system with clear plastic trays full of collector cards.
A guy came from the back. There was no sign of Harvey.
“We’re closed.” His teeth were stained yellow from tobacco, but otherwise he was groomed nicely. He wore an NASCAR sweater, paired with blue jeans. He towered over Terry in height, about seven inches, placing him at six foot seven. He was all of six inches deep when he turned on the side. He fit the description of the second guy.
“We’re just looking,” Terry said.
“I said we’re closed.”
“Hubby here really likes hockey.” Madison passed Terry a smile.
“I’m not sure what part of closed you don’t understand.”
Madison rifled through some T-shirts on the rack.
“Go. Get out.”
Harvey had walked out of a back room. “Good doing business with you as al—” He stopped when he saw Madison and Terry. He knew they were cops. There was something in those eyes.
“Maybe I can make an exception,” the skinny guy said as Harvey headed to the door.
“Hold it there.” Madison directed Harvey to stop. He didn’t turn around but started into a run. “Ah, shit!”
“I got him.” Terry went after him. “Stiles PD! Stop!”
Madison turned to the clerk who had made a run for the back of the store. She did her best to maneuver through the sales displays. She nearly went headlong after her foot caught the base of a rack, but she came out ahead of him. She stuck a leg out and the guy fell flat on the floor.
“Holy shit! Bitch!” He moaned as he went to stand up. “Fuck.”
Madison put a foot on his lower back. “Don’t even think about it.” She bent over, wrenched his arms back, and secured cuffs on his wrists.
“What the—”
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against…” Madison listed off the Miranda rights as she lifted him to his feet. With her grip firmly on his cuffed hands, she said, “Things could have gone a lot differently.”
He exercised his right to keep quiet.
Madison directed him toward the door. It opened to a thrashing Harvey, who struggled against Terry’s grip.
“Let’s go downtown, boys.” Madison smiled at Terry.
If they got lucky, maybe they would shed light on the death of Kevin Thorne.
-
Chapter 45
“I’M NOT REALLY SURE WHAT you guys are up to with this.” Sergeant Winston had called them in as soon as they got both guys situated in an interrogation room.
“We’re doing our jobs. We’re following a lead.”
“On what case exactly?” Winston stretched out his arms across his desk. “Isn’t your case, officially, a dead girl pulled from a garden?”
Madison counted to ten in her mind, to slow back what she really wanted to say. “You put that nicely.”
As much as Terry often wondered about her desire to keep her job, she couldn’t imagine life without it.
She continued. “You had mentioned we could look into the death—suspicious may I add—of Kevin Thorne.”
“Yes, poke around, but not reopen it and take it over, Knight.”
“They are both one and the same to me. You should know that. If there’s something that can tie all of these incidents together—Lacy’s death, Thorne’s apparent suicide, and the overdose of a young girl—”
“You work in narcotics now?” Winston looked between the two of them.
Terry slowly shook his head.
“You’re in Major Crimes for a reason.”
“The same reason we’re following all the leads we can.” Madison slumped back into the chair. “We know Lacy and Thorne were connected. DNA has confirmed they were lovers the night he died. She was one of the last people to see him alive.”
“Ever think she may have been the killer in this apparent suicide?” His question wasn’t a sincere inquiry but enclosed mockery.
“Boss, I need you to give me a little air on this one.”
Seconds ticked off waiting for the man to acknowledge her statement.
“Don’t let me down,” he said.
“Wouldn’t think of it.” Madison pressed on a smile and left the room with Terry.
“One day things aren’t going to go your way,” Terry said.
“You think that went my way? I steered the direction of that conversation, Terry. And the sarge wouldn’t have let me if he didn’t see any merit in this.”
HARVEY’S LEGAL NAME WAS HARVARD Coleman. With the potential that came with being named after an Ivy League school, he had turned had destroyed any chance of a good life when he hit his teen years. His rap sheet was entries long, with everything from childhood bullying causing hospitalization to drug possession and B&E charges by the age of sixteen.
They obtained the identity on the slender sport-memorabilia clerk—Allan Burgess. His record was legally spotless but contained interesting information nonetheless.
Madison sat across from Burgess. “Shows here your father owns the store.”
“That’s right. Is that enough to arrest someone these days?”
“We didn’t bring you in about that.”
His eyelids fell slowly and opened as if to say, let’s get this the hell over with.
“You’re friends with Harvard Coleman.”
&
nbsp; “Who? Harvey? Is that a crime now?”
“We have reason to believe you’re business partners.” Madison didn’t refer to the store.
“Business partners? Yeah, we are.” Burgess laughed and laid a flattened palm on the table.
“I’m not talking about sports memorabilia.”
“You can’t put me away on a rumor. You would need to catch me in the act.”
Madison gestured between Terry and her. “We’re not narcotics.”
“What do you—”
“We’re Major Crimes.” Madison watched for a telltale expression, but his never changed. “Homicide.”
His eyes enlarged. “Oh no, I never killed anybody.”
“Your drugs do every day, even if it’s little by little.”
“You have no proof.”
“It’s a fact of life. Drugs kill.”
“No, you can’t prove it. You have to prove it if you’re going to charge me.”
Madison ignored his rant. “This is where you’re going to help us.” Madison pressed the tip of a finger onto the file folder on the table. “That is if you want to keep this clean.”
A slow nod.
“All right then, we need a sample.”
Burgess laughed. “You want me to sell you some coke?”
“Oz.” Madison held eye contact with him.
“Oh no. I don’t know—”
Madison rose from the table and addressed Terry. “Waste of our time. We should book him and finalize the search warrant on the store.”
“I might know where to get it.”
Madison ran her tongue over her teeth to stifle a smile. Too easy. She sat back down. “We’re listening.”
Burgess took a deep breath. “Can we deal?”
“You really don’t want to play this game with me.” She put a picture of Sahara Noel on the table. “Recognize her?”
Burgess extended his arm across the table, tapped once on the surface with an index finger and pulled it back. “I’m not saying.”
She put a photo of Lacy Rose beside Sahara. “What about her?”
“Ain’t never seen her.”
“Lie.”
“What? How the hell—”
“Your facial reaction. You never saw the first girl, but the second one, you know her. Why? Did you sell drugs to her?”
“Hell no. Are you kidding? She’s RH’s girl, isn’t she?”
Madison played the silent role.
Burgess shifted in his chair. “RH has his own people who back up him up. Suppliers. We try not to cross paths.”
“Like I said we need your help.”
“To get you some drugs?” Burgess laughed. “A little unethical for a cop, don’t you think?”
“You help us, we help you.”
“Uh, no, don’t think so. You find out my blend killed someone, my lily-white ass will be in a cell—for life.”
“So, you admit to dealing a special blend?”
“Fuck!” His face scrunched up and he pointed a finger at her. “You tricked me!”
“There are two ways we can go about this. You hand it over willingly or we seize it.” Madison turned to Terry. “Sound about right?”
“Sure does.” Terry slipped his hands into his pockets and jingled the change there.
Burgess leaned back in his chair and stretched out his legs. He crossed them at the ankles. “So, damned if I don’t, damned if I do.”
“Poor life choices, but it doesn’t have to be that way forever.”
Burgess stared at the wall behind them. Eventually, he nodded his head.
She didn’t disclose the fact that he was simply on borrowed time. As soon as Commons heard about their bringing in Burgess and Coleman, the place would be torn apart. She was surprised he wasn’t here yet.
-
Chapter 46
“YOUR FRIEND’S COOPERATING WITH US, Harvard.” Madison flipped open his file on the table.
“For what? We haven’t done anything.”
“At least you’re admitting to a relationship there.”
Harvard Coleman, known on the street as Harvey, took a deep breath.
She tossed a photo of Sahara Noel across the table. “You recognize her?”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“Waste of time.” Terry walked to the table and paced behind Harvard.
“What? No, man, I swear.”
“Playing stupid only hurts you. We know you do. You sold to her in the last few days.” Madison refrained from naming Oz specifically; she didn’t need him clamming up.
His eyes lifted and looked into hers. “I—”
“No point in denying it. Your friend told us.”
“That little fuck—”
“Now there’s no need for that kind of talk,” Terry said.
Harvard glanced at him, eyes narrowed, jaw tight. “He ratted me out. I can’t believe it.” He looked Terry in the eyes. “Fuck—”
Terry slammed his fist on the table beside Coleman.
He looked at Terry with eyes full of fire. It would take more than dramatics to break him. “Is she dead or something?”
“Or something.” Madison studied his reaction—nothing. “Did she come to you often?”
“Maybe.”
“Listen, kid, we know who you are, what you do,” Terry said.
“Whatever.”
Madison slapped a photo of Lacy on the table. “What about her? You recognize her?”
Coleman shifted in his seat and pressed fingers to his forehead for a second.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Madison smiled at Terry and rolled her eyes.
“I’ll deny that I do.”
“Why? Who are you afraid of?”
He looked in her eyes. “I ain’t afraid of no one.”
“You seem to be. When did you last see her?”
“Nuh-uh. No way.”
“Detective Grant, why don’t you go bring in RH? He can join us.” She used Ralph Hennessey’s handle from the street.
Terry moved toward the door.
“No, stop. Okay, I’ll talk.”
“Go ahead.”
“She’d come to me.” He pointed to the photograph of Lacy. “Hennessey can’t know. He’d kill me.”
“Because she was his customer?”
“Because she was his girl.”
“When did you see her last?”
“Three months ago, maybe more.”
“Three months or more?”
“Yeah.”
That didn’t fit with the timeline. In Madison’s theory, Lacy bought the drugs the night Thorne died. Three months ago, Lacy and Thorne wouldn’t even have known each other.
“Any time more recently? Say about one month ago.”
His eyes drifted about the room. “No.”
“What aren’t you telling us?”
“I’ll need protection.”
“Let’s hear what you have to say first.”
“RH came to me.”
Madison sat up straighter. “He went to you. Why?”
“He wanted in on a new product line.”
“Oz?”
His eyes snapped to hers. She had her answer—no words were necessary.
“Did he ever get any off you?”
A slow nod. “Please protect me. That guy will kill me.”
“That guy is behind bars and already facing charges for drug possession.” She didn’t mention that he was also a murder suspect. “When did he last buy from you?”
“About a month ago.”
-
Chapter 47
OUTSIDE OF THE INTERROGATION ROOM, Madison and Terry weighed the information they were given.
“About a month ago corresponds with
the night of Thorne’s death. If the drugs in his system come back a match, we have an idea how Thorne came into contact with them,” she said.
“Do you think that Hennessey killed Thorne?”
“Yeah, or the alternative is Lacy. But it doesn’t go with her turning her life around.”
“Maybe Hennessey gave her the drug? Thorne expressed he was stressed out and Lacy offered it to him without knowing the consequences?”
“It begs for an answer to the question of how he managed to slit his wrists. How could this be missed? Even Richards mentioned he had a lot of drugs in his system.”
“Doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be capable of cutting his wrists.”
“Suppose so. But what if Hennessey slit Thorne’s wrists? Maybe he even knew Lacy would give the drugs to Thorne.”
Terry rubbed the back of his neck. “Possible. But there were no prints found on the razor other than Thorne’s.”
“Easy enough. He wore gloves.”
Terry conceded with a nod. “Okay, possible. But he wasn’t smart enough not to wear gloves when he touched the gun? Let’s say he did kill Thorne because of jealousy, why not kill Lacy at the same time? Why leave her alive? She didn’t die until a week after that.”
“Well, that’s an estimated timeline, not an established fact. We’re definitely missing something, and either way she didn’t die in the motel room.” Madison paused. “I’ve mentioned it before, but what if Lacy killed—”
“But why? She loved him.”
“Did she? Or maybe she did, but he wasn’t too thrilled when he found out she was pregnant too.” Madison raised her brows. “Two women, two babies on the way. He could have sided with his fiancée and told Lacy to hit the road. She might not have taken that too well.”
“You’re saying the girl killed him?”
“Yeah. Hate to say it, but it’s a possibility. She was trying to put her dark past behind her, but further rejection could have caused her to snap.”
“So, they fool around, he shoots up, probably with a little help from Lacy. She tells him about the baby and he flips.”
“Okay, how did she get him from the bed to the bathtub?”
Found Innocent Page 18
