by Glenn Rogers
His eyes got big and Heidi's filled with tears.
“That would be great,” he said.
“Well, we'll work it out. But right now, Wilson is expecting a slice of pizza.”
“This is so cool,” Kyle said. “Thank you, Mr. Badger.”
“Sure,” I said.
He turned and went back into Heidi's apartment, a big smile on his face.
“Jake,” Heidi said, softly and appreciatively, “I don't know what to say.”
I smiled. “Nothing needs to be said. We'll work it out.”
*****
Wilson and I enjoyed our pizza. Just as we finished, McGarry called.
“You’re not going to arrest me for leaving two children unattended in the car, are you?”
“Couldn't if I wanted to,” McGarry said, “No evidence.”
“No evidence?” I said.
“There was no silver Tahoe on Moorpark anywhere near Papa's Pizza.”
“Hum.”
“They probably had cell phones,” McGarry said. “After you left, they made a call.”
“Depending on who they called, they may or may not be heard from again,” I said.
“I take it you talked to Hanson,” McGarry said.
“I did. Interesting guy.”
“Tell me.”
“Seems to be an educated man. Money, taste, and class. Calm and thoughtful. Cold. Not stupid. Deadly.”
“Any particular reason you said not stupid instead of smart?”
“He appeared to be thoughtful and cautious enough to be not stupid, but whether or not he's actually smart remains to be seen.”
“How'd you leave it?”
“Who am I talking to right now?” I asked.
“A concerned friend,” McGarry said.
“I told him if he sent anyone else after me, after I killed whoever he sent, I'd be coming after him.”
“How'd he take that?”
“He didn't seem concerned.”
McGarry was silent for a moment. Then he said, “You need anything, Jake, let me know.”
“Thanks, Frank.”
It was nearly six. I took Wilson for a walk. When we got back, I read for a while. Then Alex called.
He asked me how my day went, so I told him.
“So you just left them there?”
“I did,” I said. “But they weren't there for long.” I told him what McGarry had told me.
“If they've got half a brain,” Alex said, “and if they’re not already dead, they'll go somewhere far away.”
I told him about Hanson.
“And the LAPD's got nothing on him?”
“McGarry says he not in the system,” I said.
“Want me to see if we've got anything on him?”
“Sure. That would be helpful.”
“First rule of warfare,” Alex said.
“Know your enemy,” I replied.
We chatted for a while longer. He told me he was still looking for stuff on Lindell Industries. He'd call when he had something. There was a brief lull, so I asked him about how things were going at the agency.
“Williams got a nice appointment in New York so we're playing musical chairs.”
“Yeah? Gonna affect you?” I asked.
“Actually,” he said. “I just got a bump.”
“Yeah?... Well?”
“Special Agent in Charge,” he said.
“Alex, that's great! Congratulations, man. You deserve it.” I could almost hear him smiling through the phone. “A Special Agent in Charge in the Los Angeles office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. That’s great man.”
“Wouldn't be here at all if it wasn't for you,” he said.
“Awe, come on, Alex. That's not true.”
“Sure it is, and we both know it. If you hadn't taken me on as a project, I'd never have made it through the academy. I owe you.”
“If you ever owed me anything,” I said, “you paid it back a long time ago. I'm happy for you, man. I'll buy you dinner. We'll celebrate.”
“Only if I get to chose the restaurant,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because for my thirtieth birthday you said we'd go out and celebrate.
“Yeah.”
“You took me to Taco Bell.”
Chapter 31
At nine-thirty, Mildred called.
“He beat her up, Jake. She’s hurt bad.”
I didn’t need to ask who she meant. “Where is she and where are you?”
“I’m here with her at Valley Presbyterian Hospital. The police are here now. Her mother’s flying in from Denver. She’ll be here early tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
The young nurse at the nurses station told me visiting hours were over. I told her I was family and that my sister had requested to see me. I told her our aunt was with her now and she was expecting me. I was being as charming as I could be and still be a concerned brother. She told me I could go in for a few minutes.
When I walked into the room, the police were already gone. Shannon’s eyes were closed. Mildred sat in a chair next to her bed. There were stitches over Shannon’s left eye and along her left jawbone. Her right eye was swollen. Her right cheekbone was bruised and swollen. Her lip was cut and puffy. And that was just the damage I could see. Todd had done a real number on her. Probably body bruises, too.
Mildred stood and said, “Thank you for coming.”
“Of course.”
Shannon heard us and opened her puffy eyes. She rolled her head toward us and said, “It was Todd. He said to tell you that if you came around me or him again, he’d kill you.”
Heat began to radiate from my chest out to my shoulders and arms. I knew the feeling. It was rage. I’d felt it the night I’d nearly killed Gomez in the cage. He’d thrown illegal punches two different times when the ref was trying to separate us. The second one had landed and opened a cut above my right eye. The ref warned him, but that hadn’t seemed sufficient to me. Over the next three rounds, I beat him so badly that he had to be taken to the hospital. He lapsed into a coma that lasted six weeks.
I was feeling that same level of rage at Todd for his brutality against Shannon. It didn’t help any that he had also threatened my life. Having to deal with Todd wasn’t a concern. Having to deal with myself was. I was angry. I’d have to be careful. Hopefully, the police would find him quickly and take him into custody. If I had to deal with Todd, it would not end well for him.
“Don’t worry about Todd,” I said to Shannon. “The police will find him. He’ll be in jail for a long time. I’m sorry my warning didn’t work.”
She shook her head. “Not your fault. I think he’s a psycho.”
But I felt like it was my fault. I’d underestimated Todd and now a woman had been brutalized because of it.
Shifting her eyes to Mildred, Shannon said, “I’m sorry.”
“Honey,” Mildred said tenderly, “you have nothing to be sorry for.”
Shannon looked at me. “What if the police don’t find him?”
“You’ll be fine,” I said. “I think they’ll find him quickly. If they don’t, we’ll keep you safe. He won’t try anything while you’re here. If they haven’t arrested him by the time the doctor releases you, we’ll arrange for a guard until he’s found and put in jail…” or in the ground, I thought, but I didn’t say that.
The nurse came in. “She really needs her rest,” she said.
“I was just leaving,” I said.
“I’m staying,” Mildred said firmly, looking squarely at the nurse.
The nurse was trying to decide whether or not to challenge her.
“I’ll sit quietly and let her sleep,” Mildred said. “But I’m staying.”
The nurse nodded and left. Mildred and I stepped out into the hallway.
“If you need to take tomorrow off,” I said, “take it. Call me a little after seven and let me know.”
She nodded. “Thank you, Ja
ke.”
I smiled and put my hand on her shoulder. “Anything for my best girl.”
“Be careful, Jake,” she said. “This guy’s not normal. He’s sick. He may come after you.”
“I hope he doesn’t. If he does, it won’t end well for him.”
On my way out to my Jeep I decided to go to The Silk Rhino and see if Todd had been stupid enough to go to work after beating up Shannon. He had not. As I reached for the door handle, Todd came up behind me and put a knife to my throat. It was a very amateurish thing to do. I dropped my keys, and put my hands on the arm he had around my throat, my right hand near the middle of his forearm, my left hand on his right wrist. I pulled his arm down several inches onto my chest, bent slightly and turned to my left, coming out from under his intended choke hold. As I turned back toward him, I twisted his right arm and bent his wrist, pushing him down as I did. In three seconds he was on the ground. I snapped his elbow. He cried out and dropped the knife. I kicked it away and punched him in the face hard enough to knock him out. I retrieved a pair of handcuffs from the glove compartment of my Wrangler and cuffed his left wrist to his left ankle. That way I didn’t need to twist his broken arm, making the injury worse than it already was. Then I called 911, identified myself as a private investigator, and told them I had Todd Crestor in custody.
Chapter 32
I didn't know if Hanson would send anyone else or not, but I wasn't taking any chances. I continued to carry my small .357 on our morning runs. Wilson and I were about half way through our run when a woman and her dog came alongside us on the running path. She had a golden retriever running with her that was a little bigger than Wilson. The woman was in good shape and took long fluid strides, keeping pace with me.
After a moment, she said, “Hi.”
“Morning,” I said.
She was pretty, about five nine and weighed about one thirty. Her spandex shorts were very small. Her top was also small, barely containing an ample bosom. Her hair was brown and she was tan. The muscles in her arms and shoulders were well defined. She had a fanny pack on her right hip. She had come onto the running path on my right, so her right side was away from me. Her dog was to the right of her. Wilson was to the left of me.
“Nice morning for a run,” she said.
“It is,” I said.
Wilson and I had been running in this park every morning for a little over three years. Usually we are alone. Never once had an attractive woman come on the track alongside me, attempting to chat me up.
I shifted my eyes to the right so that she was constantly in my peripheral vision. She was watching the path and terrain ahead of us. She was trying to appear relaxed, casual. She was anything but. So, was she nervous about trying to meet a guy? Or was she another of Hanson's shooters?
For a while she kept pace with me, running strong. I was alert to her right hand. If she dropped it to her side I'd have to assume she was going her a weapon in her fanny pack. After all, that's where mine was. If she went for it, I'd stop her. After half a mile or so, it became a struggle for her to keep up. Her breathing was labored. She was having to push too hard.
I said, “You okay?” Either she was a very good actress or she really needed to stop.
She didn’t reply.
“Maybe you should stop,” I said.
She started to slow way down. Was she trying to get me to stop? I couldn't tell. And I wasn't going to stop to find out. As she began to slow, not wanting to turn my back on her, I spun around and continued running backward, so I could watch her as I moved away from her. I put my right hand into my fanny pack and gripped my .357.
“You okay?” I called out.
She stopped, hands on her knees, gasping for air, nodding that she was okay. Her retriever stopped beside her and sat down. Well trained.
I kept backpedaling, putting more distance between her and me. I was coming up on a bend in the path. I backpedaled around it until I could no longer see her, then turned around and picked up the pace as we continued on our run. Evidently, she wasn't trying to kill me, she just wanted to meet me. Shame. For someone who I thought might be trying to kill me, she seemed like a nice woman.
Mildred called at seven-twenty.
“She slept through the night,” Mildred said. “Dorothy took an overnight flight. She got here thirty minutes ago. She can take care of Shannon, so I’ll be in at nine.”
“Are you sure? Don’t you want to visit with your sister?”
“No. They need some alone time. Dorothy can manage. I’ll see them at dinnertime.”
“Okay, then, see you at the office.”
“Did the police catch him yet?”
I explained about my encounter with Todd in the hospital parking lot and his subsequent surrender to the authorities.
“Was he injured when he surrendered?”
“Yes.”
“Seriously?”
“Serious enough.”
“Good.”
Wilson and I got to the office at ten after eight. I fixed myself a mug of tea, got the coffee maker going for Mildred and spent the first hour opening mail and paying bills. That unpleasant but necessary task aside, I fixed myself another mug of tea and focused my attention on Jane Lindell and Lindell Industries. I had been assuming that someone was trying to kill me because I was asking questions that might reveal corporate dirty laundry. But what if that wasn't it? What if the attempts on my life had to do with Jane's pregnancy, with who the father was. What if the father was someone Jane had met at Harvard who was now a conservative politician getting ready to make a bid for the White House and did not want past indiscretions biting him in the butt during his campaign?
As I was considering the possibilities, Alex came by. As soon as Wilson heard his voice, he went to greet him and collect the treat Alex always had for him. Alex also spent a moment chatting with Mildred before he came over to my side of our side-by-side office suite. Most people liked Alex because he liked most people. He usually took a moment to ask the people he knew how things were going. I sometimes thought that I should try to be more like Alex in that regard.
When he came into my office, he said, “You're gonna love this. I found a section of a congressional record having to do with investigations into military screw ups. Lyell Lindell was summoned for a 1982 congressional hearing. A private, closed-door session. No public record. But it is only a portion of the record and is not specific enough to serve as evidence of participation or culpability on the part of Lindell Industries regarding any failed weapons systems.”
“So it was enough to suggest there was some kind of a concern, but not enough to serve as evidence of criminal negligence.”
“If,” Alex said, emphasizing the if, “this piece of the record was all I had.”
“You have more.”
“I have more,” he said with an air of self-satisfaction, smiling as he spoke.
“Do I have to guess what else it is?”
“I have an eye witness. A woman who was a congressional aide at the time. She had to deliver an urgent message to a Congressman Walters while he was in session. She was only in the room for about a minute, but it was a minute in which she heard Lindell incriminate himself regarding failed weapons systems.”
“And she told you what it is she heard?” I asked.
“That's the catch. She won't talk over the phone. She'll only talk in person, in a place where she feels she can't be recorded.”
“And she lives?”
“In Falls Church, Virginia.”
“Well then, I’ll be able to get two birds with one stone.”
“What does that mean?” Alex asked.
“Just before you got here I was wondering if I should go to Boston to interview some of Jane's acquaintances at Harvard.”
“So now you can make two stops on the East Coast instead of one.”
Chapter 33
Alex and I spent another hour talking strategy. He gave me the contact information he had for the former congressi
onal aide I was to meet with in Falls Church and I explained my theory: that the father of Jane's son may have been someone she met at Harvard, someone who is now too important to be associated with an illegitimate son. He agreed that it was possible. If he were investigating, he’d follow up on it. That was always the way he advised me. He never told me what he thought I should do, he always told me what he would do if he were the investigator. I liked that about him.
It was ten-thirty when he left. I wanted to visit with June to see what kind of progress she was making and to get her reaction to what Alex had discovered. I called to make sure she could see me. I told her I could be there by eleven. She said eleven would be fine.
Jane had tea ready and I explained to her my new theory about who might be behind the attempts on my life.
“And you really think that in today's world a candidate is going to be adversely effected by an indiscretion that occurred thirty years ago?” June asked.
“Depends on the candidate he’s running against,” I said, “and the constituency he's wooing. If he wants the support of the religious right and is up against someone who's squeaky clean, having fathered an illegitimate child could end his campaign.”
“And he'd be willing to murder someone to cover it up?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Not everyone who wants the vote of the religious right is morally upstanding.”
“So your plan,” she said, “is to spend a few days at Harvard questioning people who knew Jane thirty years ago to see if any of them knew of a secret lover she had.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, you know more about how to conduct an investigation than I do, so if you think this is the way to proceed, then I support you.”
“Thank you,” I said.
There was a brief pause and then she said. “On the phone you said there were a couple of matters you wished to discuss. I assume the other has to do with the scandal issue.”
I nodded.
She took a deep breath. “I have not discovered anything. But as I talk with people who have been with the company for many years, I have noticed a certain reluctance to talk. Obviously, that doesn't tell me anything specific, but it makes me wonder about the reason for their reluctance.”
