Off the Record: An Avery Rich Mystery (Avery Rich Mysteries Book 1)

by Sara Gauldin

  “Of course,” I said. There was a click. I realized after a couple of seconds that the call had been disconnected, and not merely put on hold. I sighed and dialed again.

  “Hello, and thank you for calling First National Bank. How may I help you?” the voice was the same, but the tone more subdued.

  “May I please speak with Mr. Alan Morris?” I repeated myself.

  “Mr. Morris is out of the office at this time.” The verbal blonde had meant for this to be a statement, but the rise of her voice at the end of her statement made it sound more like a question.

  “Oh, I’m sorry that I missed him. Did he go home for the day?” I needed to know how much of Morris’s absence was common-knowledge.

  “Yes, ma'am, he left after lunch.”

  “Thank you for your help. I'll try to call Mr. Morris another time.”

  “Have a wonderful evening.” The perky tone was resurfacing in anticipation of ending our call.

  “You too,” I said, and the line went dead once again.

  Of course, Morris was not at home or at work, but the inconsistency in the wife’s story was pretty blatant. I quickly hung up and called the cell phone, and it went directly to voice mail. I left a quick message: “This message is for Mr. Alan Morris. I'm calling from the Alexandria Metro Police department. I plan to stop by and visit at your workplace sometime Friday, as I have been unable to contact you by phone. Thanks. Bye.” That should get someone’s attention if anyone was checking his messages.

  Kain returned to the kitchen. His hair curled slightly, now that it was wet. I noticed that he had shaved, and made a mental note to harass him about using my shaver a bit later.

  “Have you found anything new?” he asked.

  “Maybe, if nothing else I confirmed Calbert’s findings about Morris being off the radar, and I may have arranged a little meeting for us tomorrow.”

  Kain raised his eyebrows as his questioned formed. “A meeting? What exactly did you do?”

  “I just suggested to Morris’s wife, and his voice mail, that I planned a visit to his bank tomorrow.”

  “What will you accomplish by doing that?” Kain asked.

  “Well, the plan is two-pronged. Either it will keep those jerks busy waiting for us at the bank while we do some more digging, or it will give us a chance to meet them on our own terms, so we'll have a chance of finding out what they know.”

  “I like it, Avery. What's this you've been working on?” Kain picked up the pad of paper on which I had written my notes.

  “I was trying to write down what we knew so I would have a place to look next. It's just the process of elimination.”

  Kain picked up the pen and quickly wrote the phone number, 804-555-7930, next to the entry about the last number White had dialed. “This needs to be added.” His voice was cool and controlled. His writing looked small and tight next to my large scrawl.

  “I still need more information on these missing persons,” I said.

  “Have you entered their names into a search engine?” Kain suggested.

  I shook my head. “I can’t access the police database from home.”

  “Well, I suppose we could hack into it, but that would attract more unwanted attention,” Kain mumbled. “We'll have to use a regular search engine. You can find information about most people that way.”

  It seemed like a valid option. I brought out my laptop and powered it on. I began with Morris, since he was fresh on my mind. Sure enough, there was a picture of him on the local bank's website. There was also a link to his Facebook account. I noted that he hadn’t posted anything to his page in over two weeks, and I quickly printed a picture of him for reference.

  I searched for Lawrence Shultz next. There was less about him, but I did find a photo on the bank's website, and I quickly printed it as well.

  I searched for Jim Maple last. When I pulled up the first page I stopped in my tracks. I heard myself take in a deep breath.

  “Well, hello!” Kain said. His voice was awash in satire. My eyes widened in amazement. In my wildest dreams, this was not what I expected!

  Chapter 10

  I stared at the image on the screen and marveled at the new direction the case was taking. I knew this man. His face was indelibly etched in my mind’s eye. We shared the intimacy of the desire to eliminate one another from this planet for our own purposes. How could I forget the man who waited for me this morning at the shelter? I could vividly remember the balding hair line, the angry looking leer, and the same build and facial features as the armed man whom Kain had spotted lying in wait for me by my vehicle.

  I glanced up at Kain, who was gazing at the screen with rapt attention. His face betrayed a childlike sense of elation. This was just the break we needed to whittle away at this situation, and if all went well, to find the truth.

  “Jim Maple,” I said. “I think it's safe to assume that he has not been kidnapped or become the victim of any crime as of this afternoon.”

  “No,'” agreed Kain. “He's involved in whatever is going on. Of course, this begs the question: are all three bankers involved, or is Maple the inside man who knows what has become of the other two?"

  “The photos of the other two bankers didn't resemble the other gunman, but that doesn't rule out their involvement," I said.

  My mind was racing. I quickly recalled the conversation we had had with Douglas White, earlier today. White claimed to have met with Morris and Shultz. He never mentioned Maple. Could it be that he was covering for him by not involving his name in our investigation? Either way, his name was at the top of my suspect list at this point. I quickly printed the photo, and continued my browser search on Maple. Apparently, Jim Maple preferred to keep his digital footprint small, but that didn't keep me from locating a home address--450 Wellington Drive. I wrote it on my growing list.

  “I have to wonder about the person who reported him missing," Kain said. I noticed that he had been collecting a variety of items from my home while I was using the computer. He had already cleaned out the cabinets for food that was good on the go. He added the first aid kit and a few tools from my tool box that had been stored under the sink.

  “I didn't really think about that. Whoever reached out to Calbert had paid a price for it. I really wish we could have a lab report on that phone. The fingerprints and DNA would be a great bit of information to have.” Working a case off the record and on the run made life abnormally complicated. The nostalgic part of me longed for the regimented feel of a full team coordinating to put the pieces together. The practical side remembered the distinct probability that there was police involvement in whatever was going on here, and it could not be entirely on the level if I was being hunted outright for my efforts.

  Kain shook his head as he began to pack the items into a duffle bag. “That can’t be helped for now. I imagine that whoever made the call was trying to bring Maple’s name to Calbert’s attention. Either they paid dearly for the effort, or the bloody phone is a ruse to cover somebody’s trail...” His voice trailed off.

  I glanced in his direction to see why he had stopped speaking. His brow was furrowed with some sense of consternation.

  “What is it?” I stood as I spoke, my hand instinctively moving toward my holster. To say I was on edge after today’s events was an understatement.

  “I’m not sure I should mention it. It’s probably nothing.” Kain’s voice was quiet and smooth. As he spoke I felt an involuntary chill travel down my spine.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” I demanded. If Kain and I were going to work together he was going to have to be forthright, even if he turned out to be deluded.

  “Fine, this may be completely out of line, but Calbert’s name has been a big part of this investigation.” Kain’s face betrayed a flicker of concern as he spoke.

  “Calbert? Are you kidding me? He's the commander. Of course he's aware of what's been going on. If he was a part of this whole show, why would he ask me to investigate it?”

&nbs
p; “Wasn’t it Calbert, who received the call about Maple, and Calbert who was a close friend of the missing Mr. Morris? It was Calbert who surmised that Shultz was missing, and Calbert who knew about our day’s events.”

  I couldn’t believe I was hearing this. The man whom I believed to be reputable, whom even Kain himself had recently acknowledged as a trusted source, a man who could not be bought, was now being called into question.

  “Look, I see how you might see Calbert as involved in…whatever this is, but for now, as a cop, I need to believe he has my back. If evidence continues to point at him I won’t look away, but for now, let’s follow up on the leads we have and keep Calbert off of the table.”

  Kain audibly let out the breath he was holding. “I knew you would feel that way, and that's why I hesitated to mention it.” Kain was being sincere. “I just have to see things from every angle to get a feel for the whole picture. If you want to put the Calbert element to the side while we investigate, I can respect that. Please know that I'll continue to look at every angle of this, as it may be our only way to get out of this situation in a positive way.”

  I wasn't sure if Kain’s words were meant to be reassuring or not. I decided not to worry about it until the morning. This day had turned into a lifetime, and I was more than ready to curl up in my own bed, even if it was for the last time. I made my way to the linen closet where I located a pillow and linens for a make-shift bed. I returned to the living room and unceremoniously dumped my findings on the couch.

  “Make yourself at home.” I announced to Kain. He looked at me with a questioning expression that I could not read. I was beginning to wonder about his expectations. We had shared a kiss, but that was to keep up appearances. As far as I knew, any sense of intrigue had solely been on my side, and it ebbed and flowed with Kain’s degree of neurosis.

  “You're planning on us staying here?” Kain asked.

  “We came here to regroup. I assumed a good night’s sleep would be part of that process.” I looked at Kain’s expression, and I could see the odds of making it to my own bed dropping by the second.

  “I agree that a little rest would be a good thing, but I'm not sure how long we can be safe here,” Kain said.

  “It's been pretty quiet so far.” I was hoping for agreement, but I could see this was not going to be an easy win.

  “Yes, we've been lucky, but we have to be realistic. Those men who have been hunting for us know your name. They'll be able to find your address just as easily as you found Jim Maple's.” Kain’s voice seemed calm despite the sticky situation he was describing.

  I knew what Kain was saying was true. I knew it, but I wanted more than anything for it not to be. I wanted to wake up in my own warm bed to a new day, one that did not contain crazy conspiracies or being shot at or hunted.

  “Okay, I get your point. What would you suggest? We can sleep in the car, but that seems a bit risky as well.”

  “I suggest we drop in on Mr. Maple. If we're the ones doing the following, it may give us the upper hand. Besides, you may have given us a little leeway for tomorrow.

  “Fine, but we’ll take my personal car--yours is a bit recognizable at this point.” I resigned myself to continue this never-ending day, and then helped Kain finish packing what we would need in order to stay on the run. It was hard to tell if we'd be running toward or away from this situation.

  Chapter 11

  The engine of my Prius hummed along the highway like a giant wind-up toy. We probably wouldn't be winning any car chases in my robin's egg blue hybrid any time soon, but we could definitely make it a long way without refueling. I wished I could have refueled myself. My mind was racing with all the possible outcomes of our visit to Maple's residence and what it would uncover. It was not impossible that it would be as Calbert had suggested, that Mr. Maple would be missing from the scene, but what about his family, or his wife? I couldn't recall Calbert mentioning anything about Maple’s family, specifically. Could the frightened woman caller be Maple’s wife under duress because of the situation? If Maple was involved, could he have dealt with his wife directly? Most homicides are domestic.

  I turned onto the quiet residential block. The houses were intimidating and elaborate to the point that they bordered on the obscene. One thing was evident about Maple’s lifestyle: he was not living in poverty, by any means. I wondered what the normal income was for a bank president.

  We drove through the neighborhood to get a quick lay of the land. There was only one entrance to the area, followed by a series of cul-de-sacs leading off of the main roadway. If we positioned ourselves well we'd be able to get a good feel for who was coming and going. Once again, I yearned for the creature comforts of an actual surveillance van with functioning equipment, and the ability to call for backup.

  I positioned the car across the street and two houses up from Maple's house. I made sure I was facing the home and that I had a clear exit point, in case things became complicated.

  Kain was already in full observational mode. His piercing blue eyes were searching the poorly lit city block for any sign of motion. The thing about residential areas is that they are quite dull after eleven o’clock on a weeknight. I felt the day’s events weigh me down, and rubbed my eyes and stretched in an attempt to wake myself up.

  “You're worn out,'' Kain said. “Do you want me to take first watch so you can get some rest?”

  My initial inclination was to tell Kain no. After all, this was my case, my responsibility. If I could not go off duty, then I needed to keep my head in the case. After a moment of hesitation, however, I realized how very slow my reactions had become. I was no good to anybody, including myself, asleep on my feet.

  “You'll wake me at the first sign of anything?” I was not going to let Kain leave me out of the loop. I felt like there was so much to this story that I was already missing.

  “Yes, Avery, you won't miss a thing. Get some rest, you've more than earned some sleep.” Kain’s voice was gentle and I felt pacified, although I could not give a concrete reason as to why.

  “You must be tired, too,” I said. “Wake me up in an hour or so, so you can get some rest, too.” Clearly his day had been as odd as mine, yet Kain did not seem to be as worn-out as I felt.

  “Let’s just say I don't usually sleep as much as I would like. I can block out memories, but dreams have a way of coming, even when you would rather they didn’t.”

  I wondered exactly what Kain dreamt about. If his description of his childhood had any bearing, I couldn't blame him for being unwilling to let those images back into his thoughts. “I guess I don’t blame you.” I closed my eyes and allowed myself to drift off.

  Just as I was almost completely asleep I heard Kain whisper, “Sleep well, Avery.”

  I let the dreamless sleep overcome me.

  A sound caused me to jerk myself fully upright. Through the haze of sleep, I noticed Kain had started my engine, and it was the sound of the radio whirring to life that had disturbed my sleep. As my mind adjusted, I realized we were still in my car, parked near Maple's house. I squinted to focus my eyes at the clock on the console.

  “Three a.m.? Why did you let me sleep so long?” I was exasperated.

  “You seemed to need the rest. Besides, you're very peaceful when you're sleeping,” Kain said.

  “Are we leaving?” I asked.

  “We've had some action--an SUV left Maple’s garage just before you woke up.” Kain put the car into gear and slowly drove toward the exit.

  “Could you see who was driving? Did you get the plates?” My mind was racing. I'd missed the whole thing.

  “Don’t worry, I saw the plates,” Kain reassured me. "Right now we need to focus on where they're going.”

  “They? You think there was more than one person in the vehicle?” I asked.

  “I'm sure of it,” Kain said. "Of course, the street is dim, and they were in the vehicle before it left the garage, but as they pulled out, they passed directly under the street light
. The front seats were full, and based on the size and movement of the individuals, both seemed to be male.”

  “Could you ID Maple?” I asked.

  “No, it was just too dark to be sure, but we'll get a closer look.” Kain drove back onto the main street. In the distance I was able to make out the dark form of an Escalade, gliding toward the highway.

  “That’s our SUV?” I asked.

  “The very same.” Kain smiled as he spoke. It was a little out of place.

  “Where could they be headed this time of night?"

  “Well, I'm willing to bet they're not going for a night out on the town,” Kain said.

  “No, I guess not,” I said. “You really should've woke me up.” I was feeling guilty for not doing my part.

  “Avery, it's fine. You really didn't miss much. A raccoon ate the neighbor’s trash. I noticed that Maple’s house hadn't put out any trash cans, or I would have searched them already. That’s it. You needed the sleep more than I needed the company.”

  He seemed sincere enough. Even so, I couldn't help feeling a bit disoriented and out of my element--I was usually the one on top of things, yet here was Kain, taking care of me and of my business, while I slept.

  “Okay, but you're catching the next nap.” It would be my chance to restore the balance of power, metaphorically of course.

  “Sure, no worries.” Kain smiled at me in a way that sent a familiar shiver through my body.

  He slid my car into the slow lane, a couple of vehicles behind the Escalade. Thank goodness for late-night truck drivers for cover--who else would be out on the roads at three in the morning?

  We made smooth progress across town. Before long, we were nearing a part of town that I recognized from yesterday. We were back on the part of the map that had led us to Douglas White. I took in the landmarks as we approached the same street on which Mr. White’s office was located. I could make out the civic center up ahead. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as the Escalade turned into the same parking lot where I had dodged bullets so recently--498 Arlington Ridge Road. Kain drove by the SUV as though he was only passing through, then turned in behind the theater.