All the Hidden Sins

by Marian Lanouette

“But you’re not saying he’s clean?”

  “Same answer.”

  “What are you saying, Lieutenant?” Green made “Lieutenant” sound like a curse.

  “I’m saying Detective Stack’s death gets every consideration, as any other homicide does, and more, because he was one of us. If there’s an investigation into his practices, that wouldn’t play into the homicide investigation—unless his dealings with undesirables are the reason he’s dead.”

  Green nodded. “I’m in.”

  They shook hands across the desk. Jake ran through each interview with precision. He found out a lot about Stack and his personality from Green and the other detectives, but nothing about his actions. Not everyone was forthcoming because of the rumors of the potential IA investigation. Green had contemplated his words and came around after a bit, but the rest treated him like a traitor and were noncommittal. One even refused to answer questions without his union rep being present. Detective Carrusso deserves watching.

  The phone rang. He didn’t even get a chance to greet the caller. “Jake, Sergeant McDermott here. We’ve found a witness who saw Stack leaving a bar on Route 16.”

  “Excellent. Didn’t we conduct interviews at all the bars this afternoon?” Jake held up a hand as Detective Green walked into his office. Shit, I should learn to close my door. Jake listened to McDermott, took notes, then paused as he tapped his pencil on the desk.

  “I’ll be there in about fifty minutes depending on traffic.” Jake hung up and turned to Green. “What’s up?”

  “New leads on Stack?”

  “Yeah. Close the door.” After reading Detective Green’s jacket, Jake had decided to use him in the investigation.

  “I don’t want this to get around. Trooper Sergeant McDermott found a witness putting Stack at a bar around noon.”

  “You’re not going to tell the other guys?”

  “Nope. I’m sharing with you because I’m going to make you the lead detective with me on this. No one but you will be privy to this until I deem it necessary to share with the rest of the department. Understood?”

  “Yes…I mean no. You don’t believe someone in this department killed him, do you?”

  Green’s quick. “No, this is how we run a homicide investigation, Green. It’s on a need-to-know basis. Also, the witness doesn’t want to be identified. She’s scared.” He’d call Louie later to explain why he was using Green instead of him.

  Green nodded.

  “Grab your jacket. We’re heading out.”

  Traffic was light. Forty-five minutes later they approached the strip mall where the witness worked. Green had said little while they drove. Jake glanced over at Joe. Green’s face was a study in concentration. Had he made the right decision, using Green on this case, or was he too close to the victim? Jake hated when he second-guessed himself. As they pulled into the parking lot, Green spoke for the first time.

  “You never answered my question before. Was Stack dirty?”

  Jake looked over at Green, made direct eye contact, and decided to take a chance. “Yes.”

  “Jesus.” Green wiped his brow.

  “If you’re not comfortable working the investigation let me know, because you’ll take heat if he is, I mean was, and we expose it.”

  “I can take the heat. I hate dirty cops,” Green spit out. “I will tell you, he was weird.”

  “How so?”

  “He never wanted to work with a partner. Balked when ordered to on a case. On different occasions he’d get a phone call. He’d tell the caller he was busy and he’d hang up. After a few minutes he’d leave the squad room with his cell phone and step outside the building. It always made me curious.” Green scratched his head.

  A good cop with good instincts, glad I trusted him. “I might be wrong. His last case file isn’t jelling for me.”

  “How so?” Joe Green asked. His brown eyes inquisitive as he unbuttoned his jacket.

  Jake ran through the Church case with Green. Joe didn’t respond. After a long period of silence, Jake asked, “Well?”

  “He never followed procedure. That in and of itself doesn’t mean much, but I can’t fathom why he didn’t interview any of the neighbors or process the scene. He was a solid investigator. My gut says he didn’t want it solved. Right?” Green turned and faced Jake.

  “That’s my take.”

  Jake climbed out of the car, waited for Green to join him. Together they approached the Treasured Things shop. The bell overhead rang as they entered a shop cluttered with delicate items. A petite woman with jet-black hair stood behind the cash register. Jake put her at close to fifty. He looked around for McDermott. Not seeing him, he dialed McDermott’s cell. Cal answered on the second ring.

  “It’s Jake Carrington, we’re at the store. Do you want us to wait for you?”

  “No, I already interviewed her and emailed you my notes. I thought you’d want a shot at her alone. Her name’s Joyce Swisher.”

  Subtle. McDermott kept him in the loop, but delayed the information. Jake didn’t begrudge him. He would’ve played it the same way.

  “Thanks, Cal.”

  Jake interviewed the clerk, who turned out to be the owner of the store. She said Stack had parked toward the street at the end of the lot, although many spaces were available in front of the bar. After a few minutes, he pulled out of the parking lot. Minutes later, she walked out back to throw out some garbage and noticed his vehicle behind the building. He was casing the place—her words—and she planned to call the police. As she reached for her cell phone, he left. She went back inside. A customer distracted her when she re-entered her store. Stack was forgotten until she was interviewed by the state police and heard about the accident.

  “Lieutenant, that’s all I know. It’s horrible he had to die, but he wasn’t acting right. If I had just called he might be alive…”

  “Did you see him enter the bar?” Jake asked.

  “No, sir, I didn’t. I never saw him again,” Swisher said.

  “Were there any other cars out back you didn’t recognize?”

  “No.”

  “Thanks for your time, Mrs. Swisher.”

  “It’s Miss, Lieutenant.” She gave him a full smile while she patted her hair.

  The woman was flirting with him. It took all kinds. With a tight smile he walked out of the store with Green. “Not a word, Detective. Understood?”

  Jake detected a smile on Green’s face but let it go.

  “Yes, sir,” Green said.

  “What did you learn?”

  “That Stack was nervous about his meeting, and he didn’t trust whoever that was.”

  Jake nodded at him. Green was smart. He climbed in the car, waited for Green to do the same. “Why here?”

  “Excuse me, sir?”

  “Call me Jake. I said why here? What significance does this place hold? Green, sorry, Joe. Do you prefer Green or Joe?”

  “Either works, Lieu—Jake. You want me to run the place, see who owns it?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  Green pulled out his laptop and started the search. Jake drove out of the parking lot and headed back to Wilkesbury. He slowed down where Stack’s skid marks showed him crossing the road and pointed it out to Joe.

  By the time they reached Wilkesbury, Green had the data on his laptop that Jake had requested. Efficient.

  “It’s owned by a holding company, called Limited Holding, LLC,” Joe said, as they sat in Jake’s car in the police garage.

  “Run it deeper. I want all the names of all the principals involved in the business,” Jake said. “Also…” Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, he added, “Run all businesses that are held by that company. Let’s see how deep their pockets are.”

  * * * *

  In the lobby of the station, they broke off. He headed to Homicide. Gre
en headed over to Missing Persons. The low-grade headache he’d been fighting off all day intensified when he got a load of the pile of paperwork on the desk, waiting for his attention. The hours in the day didn’t triple, though his work load had. It was well after five when he checked his watch. He cursed and called Kyra.

  “Kyra, I need to push back our dinner to around eight thirty, is that good with you?”

  “If you need to cancel, I’m fine with it.” Not getting out of it this time, Kyra.

  “No, I’m going to be late. We need to talk.”

  Chapter 32

  She wished Jake had called to cancel their plans for tonight. He’d been trying to have this talk with her for a while now. You don’t have to talk to him, Kyra. Who died and left him boss? Oh, grow up.

  Imitating a television gangster in her head, she watched the whole scene play out. I don’t wanna talk—I don’t talk, it’s as simple as that. What’s the worst scenario? I don’t get my week’s worth of sex from him before he drops me for another woman?

  Damn it, she needed the connection. And wasn’t that pathetic? She wanted him even when he planned to dump her. The argument played out in her head—it was a no-win situation. The itch to be with Jake was much stronger than any itch she ever had for the casino.

  Jake arrived with dinner around eight thirty. He put the Chinese food on the counter. Kyra scanned the selection.

  “There’s enough here for ten people,” she said.

  “I didn’t know what you liked.” He flashed her the smile that always warmed her heart. “I got a little of everything.”

  Good, with Jake eating he’d be too busy to talk. Jake looked tired and discouraged. Is this what Mia did to him? Or was it the case or today’s incident? Kyra’s stomach jolted as it raced into her throat. She didn’t have a clue how she’d explain today’s episode. If she talked to him, took him into her confidence, would he keep it? Or worse, lock her up.

  She wanted to come clean and walk away. The one reason she hadn’t done it before was Trevor. She needed to think about him. Tom was not a stable parent. Trevor needed his mother. I’m not the best person in the world. But I’m a good mother. I love my son. She spooned some pork fried rice onto her dish along with boneless spareribs and an egg roll smeared with hot Chinese mustard before sitting down at the kitchen table.

  “That’s it?” Jake asked, eyeing her plate.

  “This is my idea of Chinese.” She watched him shake his head then pile the food onto his plate.

  She turned her attention back to her dinner. Tonight was supposed to be all about sex, not her life. She should cut him out and avoid the complication of his curiosity. Or was it more? Had he discovered something about the cremations? She paled not liking the turn her mind took.

  “You okay?” he asked, concern laced through his voice.

  “Yes—I’m—I’m fretting over the upcoming court date for custody.”

  He grabbed her hand. “I told you I’d testify as a character witness.”

  Tears streamed down her face as he repeated his offer. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Jake continued to hold her hand as he rubbed his thumb over the top of her knuckles to calm her. The simple gesture ignited her passion. She leaned forward and gave him a kiss. He took the kiss deeper. Excellent, he’s distracted. He broke the kiss. Placed her hand on the table.

  “I’m not hungry,” Kyra said.

  “Sorry, I am,” Jake said, wolfing down his food.

  She picked up her fork and started playing with her food. Throughout her whole life, she’d been able to predict if something bad was about to happen. Her stomach’s contents swirled as a warning. She got the same sensation every time she rode a rollercoaster as it hit the top of the track, that slow agonizing pull that built up the fear until it dropped you over the edge, defying gravity and logic. Since Jake’s call today in the middle of the encounter with Joe, her stomach had been churning.

  Jake continued to shovel food into his mouth as she stared at his lips. When had he last eaten? Plate clean, he put down his fork, wiped his mouth on the napkin. Kyra understood the time had come.

  * * * *

  Drunk, Tom Russell rolled out of O’Malley’s bar on East Main Street. He searched the parking lot. Most of the lights were broken or burned out. Once the location clicked into his mind, he made his way to his car. He fumbled for the key fob in his pocket as a man materialized from the shadows. Tom ignored him. His concentration focused on the lock.

  “Mister, you okay to drive?”

  “What’s it to you?” Tom cursed as he pushed on the key fob, missing the open button several times. Tom gripped the hood for balance when the man pounced on him. A fist landed hard in his kidneys.

  “What the freak?” he screamed as he started to fall to the ground.

  The man spun him around, yanked him up by his jacket, then started pounding his fist into Tom’s face and stomach. Drunk, disoriented, he was no match for his assailant. He hadn’t landed one punch. Tom tried to focus because the man was speaking to him, but pain exploded in his face and body, the words noise in his ears. Muddled, but Kyra’s name floated through the fog. He better not have attacked her. The man blurred in his vision as the blood dripped down his forehead into his eyes.

  “Take my money,” Tom murmured, slumping against the car. If the man hadn’t held him up with one hand as he beat him with the other, he would’ve been on the ground. Doesn’t anyone in the bar hear what’s going on out here?

  “Can you hear me, Tom?” the man asked as he stopped pounding on him and continued to hold him by both of his lapels.

  “Yes,” Tom said, praying the fight was over.

  “Good. Now listen and listen good. Kyra says to back off or there’ll be more of this. Understand?”

  “Kyra…” Kyra wouldn’t do this…was it her cop?

  “Yes, Kyra.”

  “Who are you?” Tom wiped off the blood that ran down his chin with the back of his hand.

  “Understand that Jake won’t put up with you messing with his woman. Got it? The next time the beating will be worse.”

  Tom hit the ground when the man let go of his jacket and walked away.

  * * * *

  “Let’s sit on the couch and talk,” Jake said.

  She led, he followed. On the couch, he turned his body to face her. She’s wound tight as a drum, he realized. Kyra put her feet up under her and sat on them. Jake stared at one of the candles and got lost in the flames as they danced with the movement of the air.

  Blue to yellow and then back to blue. More than anything, he wanted her to speak first.

  “About what, Jake?” She was playing dumb.

  “What went on today at the casino?”

  “I don’t know. The man snapped.”

  He locked his eyes with hers. “Why did this guy, your casino host, right?” She nodded. “Try to force you into the car?”

  “Before he did that he tried to talk to me inside the casino. I told him to blow off and that I didn’t ever want to be associated with him again.”

  “Why were you there to begin with? Didn’t you say you weren’t gambling anymore?”

  “I haven’t been, but today I wanted an escape from my life. I took the afternoon off. I was headed to the beach when an urge to gamble came over me. I turned the car toward the casino. What business is it of yours, Jake?”

  “You’re annoyed that I’m questioning you?”

  “As a matter of fact, I am. Why does it concern you? As of next Monday, I’m not in your life. Your choice, remember?”

  He’d wondered if she’d go on the defensive. It confirmed his suspicions. “I remember, Kyra. I’m concerned for you. You might’ve been hurt today, or worse, killed.”

  “I appreciate your help and your concern. The guy just blew a gasket. I’m sure he won’t try that aga
in. Besides, I wasn’t even there for an hour. I was bored and on my way out when he approached me. It’s the reason I was in the garage in the first place.”

  Jake lined up his next set of questions. Delicate, but he had to ask. Kyra wrapped her arms around her waist as she waited him out. Jake shifted into a more comfortable position. He unwrapped her arms and took her hand in his.

  “Kyra, I’ve been putting this off since I first met Phil Lucci. Are you aware that Phil is the head of the Connecticut mob?”

  “I knew something was off with him. It’s one of the reasons why I stopped seeing him after two dates.”

  No tics showed. Kyra was either a good liar or she was telling the truth. Truth, he decided, but she was holding something back. He needed to pull it from her without shutting her down. The headache from earlier intensified, drilling stakes through his eyes.

  “Since I met you, not everything has jelled for me. Something’s off. I can’t put my finger on it.”

  “You’re a piece of work. Now that you’ve decided not to date me anymore, you’re going to start playing games?” An excellent offensive player, he speculated.

  “This has nothing to do with anything. I’ve been asking to speak with you on this subject since the beginning.”

  “But you always got sidetracked with sex—isn’t that correct?” Kyra tilted her head to the side. He wanted to wipe the skeptical look right out of her eyes.

  “No.”

  “Yes, Jake, at the beach on that Sunday, you acted jealous when I introduced you to Phil. Ever since you’ve had him in your sights.”

  “That’s ridiculous. I deal with human garbage every day. Let me tell you, Phil Lucci’s at the top of the pile. His kind kills people because they look at him wrong or he got up on the wrong side of the bed. Women are a means to an end with men like him. He has no respect for them.”

  “Lower your voice, Jake, you’re shouting.”

  The front door bell rang.

  He stared at her back. How had she put him on the defensive? Kyra got up to answer the door without looking through the peephole. Two uniformed cops stood in the doorway. She turned to Jake.