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

by Sara Gauldin

  Officer Henry swallowed hard, and then took off running for the door. Adams was right behind him. For a moment I thought they must both be guilty and trying to make a getaway. The sound of Adams’ muscular body landing flat on the wiry young man, was followed by the sound of him knocking over part of the row of metal waiting room chairs in the entryway with a clatter.

  The two uniformed officers jumped up from their desks in pursuit of the runners. Moments later, both Henry and Adams were in handcuffs.

  I stumbled for the nearest chair, trying to fight off the stubborn black spots that once again threatened to steal my consciousness. “Get them to the first available interview rooms, and get IA in here!”

  Lou Johnson glared at me in shock.

  Chapter 33

  I picked up Officer Adams’s’ statement off of the table and flipped through it.

  I cleared my throat. “Derick Adams, why should I believe you're not involved in the murder of Commander Calbert?”

  “Because I've been checked in as a visitor in lock up since before court this morning, trying to catch Lou Johnson going to visit Tom Parker.”

  “And did she?”

  “No, that’s partly why I thought she was involved in the bombing. It seemed strange she didn’t check on Tom, when it's been clear that she's worried about his safety.”

  “If you were at the jail, how did you end up stationed at the hospital as a guard?”

  “All off-duty officers were called in when the Commander was killed. I was off today, but I came in when I got the call.”

  I wrote down a few notes. “What were you discussing with Officer Henry when I arrived at the station?”

  Adams leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “I had reason to believe he'd planted the bomb that killed Commander Calbert.”

  “And what would cause you to suspect him?” I asked.

  “It was something you said, actually. I knew Lou Johnson was involved with Tom Parker. I had been keeping tabs on her for a while as I investigated Parker. When the Commander was killed, I arrived to see a burned-out shell of a vehicle. I thought it was Calbert's car, and when I realized she'd parked next to the Commander this morning, I just knew she had had an opportunity to tamper with his car. But when you told me it was Ryan Kain’s car that exploded, I knew Henry had to be involved.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because I review his tickets when he works the parking meters. He gave Ryan Kain a ticket this morning. He knew where the car was parked, and he knew who it belonged to. I'd seen him talking to Lou many times, but I thought he had a crush on her. Maybe he didn't, either way, they were friendly.”

  “And you didn’t suspect Officer Henry before then?”

  “Have you looked at the kid? He's a big batch of awkward. I just held my breath and hoped he didn’t do something stupid enough to get himself killed every time I saw him on the job.”

  “I understand. What changed your mind about him?”

  “Besides him following Lou around like a puppy? It was the fact that he was too interested in the case. When I thought back, that kid was blundering around at every crime scene since we worked that was associated with the Douglas White murder, but when I checked, he was never assigned to the cases.”

  I doubted Derick Adams was involved in the bombing. His partner had been dragged into this situation, but he had provided me with files from his investigation of his former partner. I had no reason to hold him responsible. “Thank you, officer. You may go, but stay at the station. I may need to ask a few more questions.”

  ***

  Lou Johnson’s mascara betrayed her emotions. I thumbed through her new statement while she waited.

  “Officer Johnson, let’s go back and revisit our last conversation in this interview room, when Ryan Kain was here to witness your statement."

  She nodded.

  I opened the file with her statement. “You have already acknowledged being in a relationship with Tom Parker, a former employee of this police department.”

  “Yes.”

  “You're aware that Parker has been indicted in the murder of Douglas White, and have expressed concern about his safety in jail.”

  She looked at her hands. “Yes.”

  "With this in mind, you used your position in this department to participate and possibly interfere in the proceedings and investigations following Parker’s arrest.”

  “I signed the paper already.”

  “So what I need to know is why you still chose to go to the hospital where you knew that Ryan Kain and myself, witnesses in your fiancé’s case, were being treated. I need to know if you were involved in a conspiracy to murder us before we could testify.”

  “I knew they were going to try. Luke Henry tried to bribe me with protection for Tom. He asked me to kill you and Mr. Kain.”

  “And you agreed to kill Mr. Kain by planting a bomb in his car and then finishing the job at the hospital as you posed as his well-meaning guard.”

  “I don’t know anything about bombs. I did go to the hospital, but to stop Luke Henry, not to help him.”

  I chewed my lower lip. “So you deny killing Mr. Kain?” I fought down the sob threatening to break my composure.

  I have officers checking the security footage as we speak. If you went into that recovery room, we'll know it.”

  “I didn't, I already told you. A lady showed up, and it was too late.”

  “And you claim that Officer Luke Henry was planning to kill the witnesses in the Douglas White case himself?”

  Lou nodded. “Yes, like I told you before, he has some kind of ties to that situation. I don’t know what he gets out of it, though.”

  “Where were you before you arrived at the hospital?” I winced as my ribs objected to my movement.

  “I had an appointment this morning. I came in to work, but I left around 9:30. I was at the doctor’s office most of the day.”

  “I'll need the location to verify your claim.” I wrinkled my brow. “Why were you at a doctor’s office most of the day?”

  She put her hands on her belly. “It was a new OB appointment.”

  “OB? You’re pregnant?” Suddenly, Lou’s desperation made sense. She had thought she and Tom were building a family, and a future with the extra money he was making in the private security business, but all of it was crashing down around her.

  “Baby Parker will be here in seven months.”

  “Congratulations,” I said. I walked slowly back out of the interview room and wondered what that child’s future held, with both parents headed for prison.

  ***

  I wheeled my desk chair to the door of interview room two. My ribs protested, along with the chair’s popping as I stood up. I would not let this punk kid, Luke Henry, see me as weak. I walked through the door and leaned forward on the table as I glared into Officer Henry’s eyes. Instead of adolescent awkwardness, he gazed back with a new display of cool confidence. I sat down without breaking my stare.

  “Why did you have me brought in for questioning?” he asked.

  “I thought you would want to tell your side of the story, otherwise I have to depend on Lou Johnson to tell it for you, and believe me, she is quite informative." I patted the notepad I carried with me, containing statements from the other two officers.

  “What did she say?” Henry asked.

  “I’ll ask the questions.” I slapped the notebook down and turned to Lou’s statement. “Why would you ask Lou Johnson to kill Ryan Kain or myself?”

  Henry smiled. “Never happened.”

  “What would you have to gain from our deaths?"

  He never broke his composure. "Nothing."

  “Were you aware that Mr. Kain and I were the next witnesses set to testify against William Collins?”

  “Yes.”

  “And did that motivate you to have us killed?”

  Henry laughed. The sound was disturbing in the somber, empty room with the buzzing light bulb. “Call this number,
Detective.”He pushed a business car across the table.

  I glanced at the card: Robert Henry, 251-534-9876. “A witness?” I asked holding up the card.

  “My father, who's also my attorney. Give him a call for me. I’ll wait right here.”

  “So you're requesting a lawyer?”

  “That’s my right.”

  I nodded. There was nothing else I could do. I stood up, careful not to flinch, and made my way, chair and all, back to my desk. I picked up the phone and prepared to dial. I held up the card for a better look. I dialed 251, but then stopped. The top of the card had a triangular symbol that suddenly made me think of Ryan Kain. Could it be one of those tiny clues that he found so easily? I squinted at the card. It looked familiar, either way. In fine print next to the symbol, the name of the law firm was printed: Solomon Group, Attorneys at Law. I read it twice before I realized where I'd heard it before. Troy Lenard was an associate at the same firm. I turned on the computer and started digging. Within minutes, I had found what I was looking for. Not only was Robert Henry a co-worker of the late, murdered Mr. Lenard, he was also married to Kathryn Ardale, Caroline George’s younger sister.

  “Gotcha,” I mumbled, as I dialed the number to invite Robert Henry to the interview room to help his son.

  Chapter 34

  “I’m on my way. Don't question my son any further, Detective.”

  “Don’t worry, Mr. Henry. I’ll wait for you to get here to clear things up for us,” I said. "I’m sure you are in this up to your eyeballs as well."

  As I ended my call to Robert Henry, I noticed my cell phone was vibrating on my desk. I picked it up.

  “Hello?”

  “Detective Rich?” a familiar voice asked.

  “This is she.” My phone beeped, warning of the end of the battery’s charge.

  “This is Dr. Cleary. I wasn’t sure that I would be able to reach you.”

  “I’m back on the case. Have you examined Commander Calbert’s remains?”

  “Yes, there's no doubt he was killed by the explosion. We're running a few more forensic tests to clear up some questions about the type of explosion.”

  I shivered. “That’s good. His family will want closure.”

  “That’s not why I called. There's an envelope here with your name on it.”

  “An envelope?”

  “It came in with Mr. Kain’s personal effects. I'm so sorry. I know you were close."

  The knot in my throat seemed to grow. "Yes." My voice sounded strange.

  "I had just checked the items in when a request for the body to be moved came through. I never examined his remains.”

  “The body's gone? How can that happen? It's part of a murder investigation.”

  “The order was signed by someone very high up in the FBI chain of command. They wanted the body released, so I let them take it.”

  “I’ll come by and get the envelope as soon as I can.” My body protested with a wave of pain, reminding me that the limited effectiveness of the Ibuprofen I had taken was wearing off. I wanted to go home. I wanted to curl up in my own bed and hide from the world. And I wanted to wake up and realize that this nightmare was just that. However, it was real, and there was nowhere I could go to that was safer than my desk at the station.

  “No, I already sent my receptionist over; you've had a rough day."

  The phone beeped again, ending our call as it abruptly shut itself down. I tossed it back into my purse and dug for more medication. What could Kain have had on him with my name on it? The fact that his body had been collected so quickly was strange.

  I tried calling the department contact for the FBI to ask about Kain’s remains, but he acted like he had no idea what I was talking about.

  “Detective Rich?”

  I glanced up to see Dr. Cleary’s receptionist standing at my desk.

  “Oh, hi.” I started to get up to greet her. The chair popped at the same moment that pain coursed through me, reminding me of all that was damaged.

  “Don’t get up, I know you're not feeling your best. Honestly, I can’t believe you're here at work. Why not go home and get some rest?”

  Something in the older woman’s tone reminded me of my mother. I smiled, but a moment later, the memory of Kain so soon after losing her made tears come to my eyes.

  She rushed to my side. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  I choked down the intruding emotion, and waved her away. “I’m all right. You brought me something?”

  She squinted at me for a moment, but the wrinkles around her eyes showed no malice. “Of course,” she reached inside her jacket pocket. “Here you go.” She handed me a small, folded, white envelope.

  I took the paper from her and felt something heavy inside. “Thank you for bringing me this.”

  “It’s no trouble. I was headed home for the day. You should do the same.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” I chewed my lip and hoped I could hold it together.

  “Feel better soon.” She forced a smile.

  “I will,” I lied, but she turned and made her way back to the elevator anyway.

  I slid the envelope into my pocket before I stood and slowly made my way to the restroom. I had no idea why Kain would have an envelope with my name on it in his possession, but whatever was inside was between us, and it was not something I wanted to reveal in public.

  Inside the stall, I carefully opened the envelope. Part of me expected some cryptic drawing leading me down the rabbit hole again, but instead, there was just a key. I held up the small, brass, door key, and I wondered why he'd sent it to me.

  The tears flowed despite my resistance. Why did you show me any of this? I don’t know how to get out from under any of this. And now you're gone, and this is what I have left. A key. What am I supposed to do with a key? A key won’t bring you back. A key won’t make them stop hunting me. Each sob intensified the pain in my ribs, but the tears would not be held back. I leaned against the stall until I knew my knees would betray me, just like the tears that had ambushed me.

  Finally, I staggered to the sink. I set the key on the edge while I splashed water onto my face in an attempt to try to wipe away any signs of the weakness I could not afford. I reached for a paper towel to dry my face, but my wrist bumped against the key. It slid into the sink and toward the drain. For a moment, I watched it slide, headed for nothingness, like my career, and my life.

  No, a key meant a door, and somehow a door meant hope. Kain had left me a key, and I would find out why. I snatched the key from the sink before it could disappear down the drain. I straightened my hair and my borrowed department clothing. I headed for my desk, but I only made it part way.

  Officer Evans met me in front of the break room. “Detective, there's a lawyer here named Robert Henry. He says you wanted to question his client?”

  “Yes, actually, I need to speak to him as well.”

  Officer Evans ran his hand along his receding hair line. “Are you sure you’re up for all of this?”

  “I have to be,” I said. “Show Mr. Henry into the interview room with Officer Henry, and turn on the recorders.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  ***

  I touched the key in my pocket as I walked back into the interview room. Officer Henry was doodling on a notepad. He looked like the innocent teenager he pretended to be, but I knew better: he was a trained killer.

  “Writing a confession?” I asked as I sat down.

  “Ah-a, Detective, no questions.”

  “I can ask. You're not obligated to answer. Besides, I came to let you know your attorney's here.” I waved at the mirror. "Turn on the recorder, and send in Mr. Henry, please.”

  “Recorder?”

  “Yes. You should know that recording interviews is normal practice,” I said.

  “I did nothing wrong.” Luke Henry showed no emotion.

  The door opened and Robert Henry walked in. Luke’s face lit up.

  “Wipe that smirk of
f your face. I shouldn't need to be here,” Robert said.

  Luke started to speak, saying, “I don't--"

  “Not another word,” Robert ordered.

  “No, that's just fine. I have a few questions that either of you can answer.” I pulled out the business card Luke had given me. “Officer Luke Henry was very helpful. He gave me this business card to call you, Mr. Henry.”

  His ruddy complexion turned even redder. “That much is clear, since you called me to come in.”

  “Right, but without this card, I may not have noticed that you worked for the Solomon Law Firm.”

  “What has that got to do with you holding my son for questioning?” Robert asked.

  “As it turns out, quite a lot.” I pulled out a printed copy of the law firm's web page, featuring Robert Henry. “Do you confirm that this is you featured on this website, Mr. Henry?”

  “Of course. I don’t need you to check my references. I am licensed to practice law. What does any of this have to do with Luke?”

  “I’m getting to that.” I pulled out the employee page for Troy Lenard. “Here I have another page from your company site, one for Troy Lenard. Are you aware that your coworker was found murdered in a clearing?”

  "What are you insinuating? He left the firm.”

  “Yes, because he's dead, chopped into pieces. You both knew that already.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Are you going to charge Luke with something?”

  “Yes, and possibly you as well,” I said. I was careful to keep my voice steady.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You're married to Katherine Ardale. She's Luke’s mother.”

  “Yes,” Luke said.

  “Say nothing,” Robert warned.

  “And Katherine has a sister, Caroline Ardale George, correct?”

  “What are you getting at?” Robert asked.