by Angela Ford
“I want you to read this too. Two investigative minds work faster.”
Kennedy took the papers. “What are we looking for?”
Riley mentioned how determined Adam was to have him read it.
“He said something about finding what we’ve missed.”
“Your gut still thinks it’s too good to be true?”
Kennedy had him figured out already.
“Yep, it was too easy of an arrest. Something isn’t sitting right with me.”
Kennedy knew that statement meant the day just became longer.
Riley hit the third chapter when the superintendent, whom he has pictured through the story so far as Adam, met this Polish gentleman with a proposition.
“Kennedy, I think I found something.”
There’d been only one Polish man on his mind lately. Darek Bernard.
Riley knew it was Darek who poisoned him, but the man is yet to be found. He knew he was still around. He wanted Basia dead.
“What did you find?”
Kennedy set the papers in his hand down and grabbed the piece of paper Riley handed him. “You’re going to like this, Kennedy.”
Riley grinned as though he’d just won the lottery. Kennedy scanned the page, and then smiled.
“I’d say you’re thinking what I am, this Polish character with a proposition must be the infamous, Darek Bernard.”
Kennedy chuckled, “You were right, Briggs. Adam Crawford was too easy of an arrest. When it’s too good to be true, keep investigating. If we could only find this son-of-a-bitch! How’s Basia?”
“She’s trying hard not to show she’s scared. The scare of the thallium at the hotel really shook her. Thank God she told 911 that she suspected thallium, or I wouldn’t be here. We have to find him, Kennedy, or she’s never going to rest. I didn’t want to leave her, but we both knew I needed to be here. The hotel incident doesn’t sit right with me either, Kennedy.”
“What? That he chose you over her?”
“If he’s here to kill her, why didn’t he do it last night and get the heck of the country? He must know we’re on to him.”
Riley sat back in his chair. His hand brushed through his hair. His thoughts continuously repeated those questions.
“It’s a game to him. He’s cocky enough to think he can do whatever he wants. He wants to torture her. If you’re dead and she’s alive then she hurts. It’s a control thing. He wants to play with her emotions. Maybe that’s the connection to the brownstone.”
Kennedy’s eyes met Riley’s.
Riley smiled. “That’s it, Kennedy. That’s the connection. He’s connected to the murders at the brownstone. Beth and the other two girlfriends of the dead tenants were Basia’s friends.”
“Basia knew the murdered victims?”
Kennedy’s surprised look reminded Riley that he hadn’t yet filled him in. He’d hoped to keep that secret of Basia’s safe, but now he knew he couldn’t.”
Riley quickly filled him in on the abuse group Basia formed for these women.
“One by one, Darek is eliminating any close connection to Basia to torture her.” Riley handed Kennedy more of Adam’s manuscript.
“Keep searching for more answers. Lynette told me that thallium is hard to come by, and that you must know how and where to get it. We both know Adam isn’t the smartest kid on the block and Darek is a mountain guide. I take it neither one of them would have access to thallium. So where did they get it? I’m going back to question Adam. Call me if you find anything else I can question him about.”
A knock on Riley’s door interrupted him.
“Yes?”
A detective popped his head in. “Briggs, there’s a call on line three for you. She says her name is Mrs. Clarke from the brownstone, and it’s urgent she speak with you.”
Riley thanked the detective and looked at Kennedy.
“Isn’t that the nice old lady we spoke to at the brownstone?”
“She offered us cookies.” Kennedy smiled and then added, “She’s also the only tenant that Adam liked and spoke highly of”.
“Put her on speaker, Kennedy.”
“Good morning. Mrs. Clarke, this is Detective Riley Briggs. How can I help you?”
“Are you the nice detective I spoke with the other evening?” The little old lady’s voice was gentle and soothing. Riley recalled Adam’s kind words of the woman.
“Yes, it is. We met at your building. I mentioned you could call if you thought of anything else about the deaths and missing women from your building.”
“At my age, I don’t remember everything, but I did and there’s also something out of the ordinary that happened last night.”
She’d grasped Riley’s attention and he had to chuckle with her next comment.
“You know some people think it’s easy to play an old lady, but I’ve learned many things over the years. I’m wiser than some may believe.”
“What exactly did you remember that may help the case, Mrs. Clarke?”
Riley waved his hands in the air as if it would speed up the conversation. Kennedy smiled and nodded in agreement. Riley would have loved to chat with the old lady. She seemed lonely but time was of the essence. He only hoped she had something to help him.
“You had asked if I was close to those three women and if we ever spoke? I told you only briefly, and the odd time we’d meet in the laundry room or in passing, but you know those young people keep different hours than an old gal like me,” she giggled.
“And you now remember something different?” Riley pried.
“Yes. I never really thought about it before, but after a visit from the distinguished Polish gentleman late last night, I remembered his request to Adam once.”
Riley raised an eyebrow to Kennedy and mouthed Polish man. Riley knew Kennedy thought the same as him. It had to be Darek.
“Do you know the name of this Polish man, Mrs. Clarke?”
Riley was now intrigued with her call.
“Yes, Detective; his name is Darek.” She paused and mentioned she couldn’t now recollect his last name and had only met him once or twice. He was a friend of Adam’s.
“And he came to see you last night, may I ask why?”
Riley wondered why Darek involved this poor little old lady in his murderous ways.
“He said he stopped by to check on me since he heard Adam had been arrested. He believes there must be a mistake too. Adam can’t be responsible for these deaths. He’s a kind gentle soul.”
Riley shook his head. Kennedy nodded. Riley felt sad that Mrs. Clarke was in the dark of Adam’s selfish acts.
“What else did Darek have to say?”
Riley wasn’t going to be the one to tell Mrs. Clarke about Adam’s confession and tear apart her heart.
“Not much. He didn’t stay long. I told him it was late, and I’d been on my way to bed. He brought me a specialty tea, but I had just taken my sleep medication and didn’t want caffeine mixed with it.”
Riley looked at Kennedy and knew he had the same thought that Darek seems to be making his rounds with nightcaps for anyone involved. He still didn’t know how Mrs. Clarke was involved and why he would want to kill the nice old lady.
“You didn’t drink the tea he brought you?” Riley enquired.
“No, I didn’t. I poured it in the sink when I excused myself to get the milk. I added milk to the cup. You know, I didn’t want to be rude. It was a sweet gesture by him.”
“So you drank milk from the cup that the tea came in?”
Riley’s concern grew. A trace of the poison could still be in her system.
“Mrs. Clarke, I don’t mean to alarm you but I believe you may have been poisoned. Since you poured out the tea, you may not have ingested as much as Darek expected, but still I’m going to send paramedics to your place. Don’t panic. There’s an antidote for the poison and you will be fine.”
“What? That nice young man poisoned me? Why?” Mrs. Clarke’s tone announced shock and despair.
“He’s not a nice young man, Mrs. Clarke. I’m going to send an officer to stay at the building to make sure he doesn’t return. For now, I need your help.”
Riley asked if she would keep this between them. He didn’t want Darek to find out she’d survived, for her own protection. He also wanted to make sure she didn’t contact Adam, for the time being, while he tracked down Darek.”
Mrs. Clarke agreed. She mentioned she would do anything to help Adam. Riley then asked what the other thing she’d remembered in regard to the murdered women.
“I brought cookies to Adam once and Darek was at his apartment. Adam mentioned that everyone in the building enjoyed my cookies. I always enjoy baking for the people I live with. It’s all I really have to offer.”
Adam was right about one thing. Mrs. Clark was a sweet little old lady. Riley wasn’t sure where her story was leading to until her next comment.
“I remember on my way out the door, I heard Darek tell Adam that it would be perfect to put it in Mrs. Clarke’s cookies. I thought perhaps I misunderstood, or my old ears didn’t quite hear what he’d said, so I continued down the hall with more cookies to deliver. I’m not sure if that means anything, Detective. I just remembered it odd and forgot about it until Darek came by last night. Of course I offered him my cookies with his coffee.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Clarke. Your information is most helpful. The paramedics should be there momentarily.”
Riley hoped nothing happened to Mrs. Clarke. She was indeed a sweet lady.
Kennedy had already called 911 when Riley ended his call. Riley asked him to send a uniform over to the building, in case Darek returned. Kennedy nodded. Riley grabbed his jacket.
“This news will devastate Adam. She’s the only tenant he liked. He always spoke highly of her. I hope this will get him to open up. Keep searching, Kennedy, and call me.”
Kennedy nodded. Riley walked out of the precinct and dialed Basia’s number. He was worried about her. He wanted to protect her and find Darek at the same time. But he knew he couldn’t be in two places.
“Are you home now?”
He checked in with Basia along the way and gave her a brief update. He wanted to explain that he had to mention her connection to the women to Kennedy, because now it seemed to be connected to Darek.
“No, I had to come to the hotel to collect my things. Then I’m going to the grocery store with my bodyguard,” she added and chuckled.
“This isn’t funny, Basia.”
Riley wondered if her laugh was more so of anxiety and worry and most likely a touch of fear. From what he’d read in her letter and her brief explanation—he’d scared the hell out of her before he knew she tried to kill him.
“I know it’s not a laughing matter, but I need to make light of it or it’s going to drive me crazy. You have to find him, Riley. I can’t live like this. I want my life back. I want to get back to work.”
Riley’s heart ached. Her words only confirmed to him what he needed to do.
“I’ll find him, Basia, and you’ll have your life back. Don’t take too long at the store. I don’t want you in public view for too long. Call me when you are home safe. There’s an officer waiting outside your door. I already spoke with Mark at the building.”
“You know my building security by name?” Basia surprisingly asked.
“Yes, and I like his concern to help keep you safe,” Riley confirmed.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Detective, you finally made it back.”
Riley called ahead to have them bring Adam into the interrogation room. Adam was seated at the table in cuffs and asked why Riley never came back to read his statement like he’d promised.
“Someone poisoned me.”
Riley took the chair across from Adam. His words seemed to grab his attention.
“You seem to be okay.”
There wasn’t much concern in Adam’s tone.
Riley laughed, “Luckily someone knew I was poisoned and told the paramedics I’d need the antidote.”
Riley told Adam he spent the night in the hospital instead of returning to read Adam’s statement, but he enjoyed the copy on his desk when he arrived at work. Adam grinned and sat up straight in his chair. He leaned forward with his elbows on the table and crossed his hands.
“I’m happy to get a good review from the detective.”
Riley looked down at the folder on the table and opened it. He wasn’t going to comment any further. He played Adam right where he wanted him. He could tell the man’s ego jumped up a notch. Riley knew he could now get the answers he needed. He started to read a fake report that another tenant had been poisoned at the brownstone late last night.
“That one wasn’t me. I was here, locked up.” Adam quickly and defensively responded. Riley looked up at him.
Adam squirmed in his chair. His mood changed to reflect the news annoyed him.
“Is someone attempting to steal my idea of the perfect poison?”
“Well, without you, Adam, we wouldn’t have guessed poison. You know, since it’s odorless, colorless, and basically untraceable unless it’s searched.”
He was not surprised Adam sat there with his usual cocky smile.
“So, Adam, how did you administer the thallium? Did you slip it in their coffee?” Adam laughed and told Riley he should have read the manuscript. Cocky bastard
“You and your damn so-called bestseller…is that all you are concerned about?”
“No, actually I’m concerned about Mrs. Clarke. I hope someone will watch out for her.”
Adam went quiet after the mention of her name again. Riley realized she’d been the only person in Adam’s life he cared about. Perfect timing. Riley sighed before he told Adam that Mrs. Clarke had been the one poisoned. Adam sat quietly. Riley noticed he squirmed a bit in his chair.
“Do you know who poisoned her, Adam?”
“How would I know? I’m locked up in here.”
“Oh, I wasn’t asking; I’m just wondering why your partner in crime wanted to kill that sweet little old lady.”
Riley could tell Adam wasn’t prepared to hear this news. Adam said nothing. Riley figured he wouldn’t bring Darek into this because he wanted the glory for it—the book.
“So how did you meet Darek?” Riley continued before Adam could interrupt him. Riley hadn’t let on that Mrs. Clarke was alive and informed him he knew Darek had been to the brownstone a few times. Adam remained quiet.
“Were the murders Darek’s idea? Did you even murder those people, Adam?” Riley spoke in a compassionate tone. Maybe Mrs. Clarke was right. Maybe he was a gentle soul and wouldn’t harm anyone. Adam sat speechless. Riley stood and paced. He stopped and turned to Adam.
“You know, Adam, whether or not you actually committed the murders. You conspired with Darek. That I will prove. You’re still guilty of a crime and will serve time for it. Either way, your book will still be a bestseller.”
Riley knew how to play Adam. He knew what Adam needed to hear to keep his ego a notch up there. He buzzed for the guard.
Adam spoke up when the door opened. “You’re right. Darek is the mastermind behind it all. It was his idea. He approached me. This better not screw up the book.”
Riley stood at the door. “Why, Adam? Why confess to murder if you hadn’t committed it? Don’t tell me you did this just to sell a book?”
Adam’s expression changed to reflect defeat and sadness. Riley closed the door and took his seat again and listened.
“I’m nobody. I’m not important. I never have been my whole life. When I was fourteen, the girl next door asked me to the junior prom. I thought it was because we’d grown up together and we were friends. I thought so anyway. She was the most beautiful, popular girl. I was a computer geek and not the most popular or attractive boy. I know I was referred to as a loner because I spent so much time on my computer. We had been friends since kindergarten. All that changed once we hit junior high. She practically ignored me. Then o
ne day she asked to walk to school with me. For the next week, we talked about good times and crazy things we did as kids. She asked me to the junior prom. I was over the moon. I had been in love with her since we were five years old. But it was only a dare to her from her friends. At the prom she kissed me on the dance floor and took me by the hand to the hallway outside the gym and kissed me again. She asked me to remove my pants. I thought I was going to get lucky with her. I was standing in my underwear when the popular group of kids arrived and laughed. The popular boys duct taped me to the hallway wall, where kids going to the bathroom would see me. If that wasn’t bad enough, when I finally got home, a police car was in my driveway. My mom had been killed in a car accident. I lost both the women I loved in one night. I was alone, lost, and with no one to talk to. My father took to the bottle and lost his job. Within months, the bank foreclosed on our home and we were forced to leave Manhattan. We moved to the dingy brownstone my grandfather left us. My father drank himself to death by my eighteenth birthday. I never returned to finish school. I know what people say about me. I’m that creepy guy everyone wants to stay away from. I’m quiet, but I have a lot to say. I just choose to put it in writing.”
Riley sighed when Adam paused. “I’m sorry, Adam. It sounds like you had it pretty rough. But why didn’t you just write? Why get hooked up with Darek Bernard?”
“I decided to write the perfect murder. Not long after I started, I met Darek. When he discovered I was writing a murder, he gave me a proposition to join him. He said I could take all the credit and it would make a bestseller. For once in my life, I had something to look forward to. Now that’s screwed up, too.”
Adam leaned back in his chair. Riley felt sorry for the guy. He hadn’t had a break his whole life. But Mrs. Clarke was right; he was a gentle soul and got caught up twice in his lifetime; being bullied into something that only ended up hurting him.
