The Key to Betrayal

by John Matthew Lee

  The tape is wrapped almost around the entire length of the objects. Liam moves the couch to the side and lays out the plastic bags. He suspects what's in the bag is the body of Jesus Hernandez's girlfriend, Irma. As Liam moves the bags, he can feel the physical shape of a human body. He removes one of the bags that covers the head of the body. He discovers it's indeed the body of Irma. Liam sees that Irma had white makeup applied to her face, along with bright red lipstick placed on her lips. This make-up has been put on postmortem, after death. As he looks closer, he sees white caulking compound to the left temple, and then again just above the right eye-socket. This appears to be the location the bullet entered and exited from the head. He looks closer and sees a small amount of blood seepage from both wounds. Liam thinks to himself, nice job on the caulking. The makeup and the color of the caulking matches perfectly. Liam realizes, I should stop processing. He calls the evidence technicians and the coroner's office. The evidence technicians and coroner's personnel will assist in processing the crime scene for additional evidence. He stops, calls Zimmer and lets him know what he has found. Zim tells Liam that he is about to start the taped interview with Hernandez.

  Four hours later, Liam finishes processing the apartment. Irma Negrette Soto was identified by coroner's personnel as the deceased. She was taken to the morgue for further examination. Liam is driven back to headquarters and meets up with Zim, back at their desks in the Homicide Unit.

  “I'm starved, kid. Let's gets some lunch... oh, that's right, lunch is on you today. Let's go, I know a good steak place in Brighton!” says Zim.

  Liam replies, “What happened, Zim? What did the guy say?”

  “Oh!, Chuy confessed to the whole thing,” replies Zim.

  Liam and Zim walk out of the police headquarters and get into their vehicle. Liam drives to Brighton as Zim explains what Chuy confessed to. Zim says,

  “That guy was primed to confess. I maybe asked him six or seven questions after I advised him of his rights. Chuy said he and his girlfriend, Irma Soto, had been listening to some music in his bedroom and were about ready to have sex. He said Irma didn't like the picture of Chuy's ex-wife and children above the headboard of the bed. She told Chuy to remove the photo from the wall because it 'killed' the moment for her. Chuy said he was taking the photo down when Irma said, 'How could you have ever been married to that fat bitch?' He said that made him angry because she was talking down to the mother of his children. He said he struck her with the picture over the head one time. Chuy said Irma just laughed at him, because the picture had broken when he hit her in the head. He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his 9 mm Ruger and shot Irma, one time, in the left side of her head. Her brains were blown all over the walls. He said, 'First I just sat there for a while thinking someone might have heard the shot, but because we had the music up loud, no one came to the door to check on the shot.' Chuy said, 'I got kind of got scared after I shot her! She started bleeding from her head, making a mess on the carpet. I thought I'd be able to stop the bleeding if I just put some caulking compound in the holes in her head. I mean, after I put the caulking compound in the holes, she stopped bleeding. Then I noticed her face had some burn marks on it, so I decided to put some makeup on her. My sister had some white stuff you put on your face in her bathroom. I decided to just put it on her face, along with some lipstick, too.'”

  Zim said Chuy slept with her that night in the same room. He said he got scared and didn't know what to do with the body, so he put her in some construction-grade plastic 50-gallon bags and stuffed her up under the couch in the morning. He was going to leave and go to Mexico when we came walking down the hallway. Zim asked Chuy why he didn't just leave her there the night before. Why did he sleep with her all night? He said he was aroused by her dead body! He said, 'She was much easier to deal with.' Zimmer said that Chuy had sex with Irma's corpse several times through the night, until he shoved her up underneath the couch in the morning.

  Liam and Zimmer arrive at the steakhouse, and Zim turns to Liam and says,

  “Let's eat, I'm starved.”

  The two enter the restaurant and have a late lunch before heading back to the office. Zimmer and Liam walk back into the Homicide office and start toward their desks. Zim looks down at his desk and sees a caulking gun with a note next to it that reads: “Presented to Detectives G. Zimmer and L. O'Connor for outstanding detective work on ‘The Night Caulker Case’.” Liam looks to his desk and sees a small jar of cherries with a note that reads: “You'll always remember your first homicide!”

  Liam sits at his desk writing reports for the next few hours, all the time listening to Zimmer strut around the detective division, talking about his latest solved homicide. Zimmer looks over at Liam and yells,

  “You see, I did get my own lucky charm!”

  Liam thinks to himself, we've come a long way for the first day.

  d

  Liam continues to drive northbound on Interstate 95, smiling as he remembers the first time he met Zim. I learned a lot from that old man, he thought. He continues to think back to the retirement party he threw Zim a year later, and how Kelley cooked dinner for him at their home every third Thursday of the month until his death two years later. At Zim's funeral, Liam learned that it was Gordon Zimmer who asked Lieutenant Mahoney to partner them up. The lieutenant never told either one of us the truth. Just why did he partner us up? On the face of it, we were the odd couple, yet the chemistry somehow worked.

  He glances down at the report while taking a bite of jerky, and continues to drive in the rain. He thinks back to the start of the investigation into the murder of Lonnie Theodore Jackson…

  d

  “O’Connor, Zim, get your sorry asses in my office,” yells Lt. Mahoney from his office.

  “What the fuck did you do now, Liam? It's four-thirty on Friday. We're not on call this week, we pulled the last homicide, so we should be good to go for the weekend.

  I know you fucked something up, Liam,” says Zim while looking at Liam.

  They continue to walk towards the lieutenant's office.

  “We've had more cases in the last six months than I had in the year and half prior to you being my partner,” says Zim.

  “That's because you were on the junior varsity team before. Now you're playing with the big boys, so shut the fuck up!” says Liam as they sit down in the lieutenant's office.

  “Liam,” says the lieutenant.

  “See, see what I mean?” asks Zim while shaking his head.

  The lieutenant continues, “Liam, do you know a detention officer by the name of Ed Ramirez?”

  “Yes, I coached him at Brighton High many years ago. I didn't know he worked for the department, though,” says Liam.

  “He has some information about a possible murder from one of his inmate laborers at the detention facility in South Boston. Apparently, Ramirez was told by a female I.L. about a murder that took place at an automobile dismantling business in the Jamaica Plains suburb,” says Lt. Mahoney.

  “I want the two of you to talk with Ramirez and see if there is anything to this, or not.”

  “Lieutenant,” says Zim, “the last time you sent us out to the jail to talk to someone about a murder, he told us that he and Charlie Manson killed and ate two Puerto Rican kids at Fenway Park. He went on to tell us that he distrusted all people and that he was currently having nightly sex with his German shepherd. Sir, these fuckers will say anything to get out of jail.”

  “You're right, Zim, they will. And sometimes they rat on others to save their own ass,” says Lieutenant Mahoney.

  “Okay, sir, we'll go check it out and let you know what's going on,” says Liam.

  The two detectives leave the lieutenant's office and drive to the detention facility.

  Once at the facility, they are led into the office of the facility commander, who meets them and explains that Detention Officer Ramirez is in route to his office from the kitchen area. A short time later, Ramirez arrives and meets the two
detectives.

  “Coach O, I haven't seen you in a long time,” says Ramirez. “I read that Brighton High won the city championship again,” he laughs.

  “We did all right this year, Pork Chop!” says Liam.

  Zim, the commander, and Liam all laugh.

  “You remembered,” says Ramirez.

  “I picked this guy up every Saturday morning during football season and drove him to school for film study. Every time I came to pick him up, he was eating a pork chop, so it kind of stuck with him,” says Liam as he reaches over and hugs Ramirez. “So, I hear you have some info for us.”

  “Maybe, Coach, I don't know. It sounds good to me, but I thought I would at least forward it on and let someone with a higher pay grade make the decision,” says Ramirez.

  “You did the right thing, Ed,” says the commander.

  “Sir, I'm assigned as the coordinator for the inmate laborers in the facility. Basically, I select who has earned the privilege to be an I.L. within the facility, and then I place them in work assignments as needed. I.L.s earn credits off their time served, and they get other compensation that other inmates don't,” says Ramirez.

  “Like what special compensation?” asks Zim.

  Ramirez responds, “Well, sir, if they're on the car wash crew, they get to be outside instead of being locked up, so it depends on what the assignment is as to the perks of the job. Earlier today, one of my female I.L.s assigned to the kitchen asked to speak with me. This happens all the time, because inmates want to be transferred to another position or just removed as an inmate laborer. So I met with inmate Rosemary Cantu. She told me her cellmate and girlfriend, Maria Rodriquez, told her she was in danger while in this facility. Cantu said before Rodriquez was busted for drugs and prostitution, she was with two white guys in the Jamaica Plains. Rodriquez told her they all partied at this compound for several days. Cantu told me that Rodriquez sells herself for money and/or drugs when she's on the outside, but this time when the drugs were gone after two days, those guys felt she used more drugs than she was worth. She went on to tell me that they kept Rodriquez against her will. Rodriquez was told the only way she would be allowed to leave was to call someone who would bring a hundred bucks she owed for the drugs she used.”

  Zim says, “So far this sounds like a civil problem. I mean, this chick is playing everybody and sniffing both sides of the bench, if you know what I mean.”

  “Go on, Ed,” laughs Liam, “don't mind him.”

  Ramirez continues, “Cantu said Rodriquez called a guy she knew from Charlestown to come and pick her up. Apparently when this guy arrived, they robbed and killed him. Cantu went on to say that Rodriquez is in fear for her life in this facility and didn't want to tell anyone.”

  “It sounds like we need to at least talk with this lady,” says Liam.

  “Lady,” says Zim. “I bet she's fucking a German shepherd too!”

  “Don't mind him,” says Liam.

  “I'll have Rodriquez brought to the interview room for you two,” says the commander.

  d

  Liam continues driving on I-95 and thinks, I need fuel and a bite to eat. Jacksonville is up the road twenty miles, and this looks like a good place to stop and shake the dew off the lily. Liam continues on to Jacksonville and stops. He fills the Cruiser and eats some jerky. He remembers how Kelley couldn't believe that he would eat jerky and drink Gatorade for a meal. Working crime scenes for many years had taught Liam what to pack in his war bag to get him through long periods where there was little food or drink available. A quick restroom break and the taking of his daily medication, and Liam is back on the road. Northbound Interstate 95—next stop, Florence, South Carolina.

  d

  Having gathered some personal belongings from her residence, Tina returns to the condo and has successfully checked every cabinet and drawer in Liam's place to learn more about him. She finds Liam's family photos, along with articles about various murder investigations conducted by Liam and his partners. Looking at the photos, she sees a tired-looking man toward the end of his career. Tina also discovers another bit of information she was wanting to know: his underwear of choice, boxers. That's what I thought, she thinks.

  She lies down on the couch and watches “Woman of the Year,” an older movie featuring Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. She falls asleep a short time into the movie while Sandy sits and watches from her favorite chair, expecting Liam to return home at any minute.

  Chapter 6

  SEVEN CIGS FOR SISTER MARIA

  LIAM DRIVES ON TOWARD FLORENCE, South Carolina, as he looks down at the murder book and remembers back.

  d

  Zim and Liam walk to the interview room and sit down behind a long table. Liam tells Zim,

  “Let me do most of the talking. You just sit there for now.” They wait for a few minutes when they both see through the glass door window that a woman is being escorted down the hallway toward them.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” says Zim. “I see why they wanted more money.”

  “That's one door-full of a woman,” says Liam. “Who knows, Zim, maybe she has skills. How much money you got on you?” laughs Liam.

  The door opens and the detention officer says, “Okay! Detectives, this is Maria Rodriquez,” as he sits her down at the table.

  “Detectives,” she says, “who are you guys?”

  Liam pushes a business card across the corner of the table. Rodriquez looks at the card that reads Liam O'Connor, Detective, Homicide Unit, Boston Police Department.

  Liam says, “This is my partner, Detective Gordon Zimmer.”

  Liam stops talking. They sit for a few seconds without saying a word. Rodriquez starts to fidget in her seat. She looks at Liam and Zim several times, and then down at the floor while taking a deep breath.

  Liam says, “I'm going to read you something, and as I do, you need to think real hard on whether you want to help yourself out or not. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney and to have that attorney present before and during questioning, if you desire. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to represent you. Do you understand these rights I've explained to you?” asks Liam.

  Rodriquez answers, “Yes I do.”

  Liam and Zim say nothing, but they continue to stare at Rodriquez for a few seconds. Rodriquez says, “I'll talk to you, but when we're done, you gotta see if you can transfer me outta here or I'm dead. I want one other thing.”

  “What?” asks Liam.

  “I want a pack of cigarettes to take back to my cell, for me and my baby girl.”

  “Tobacco products are a violation of the facility rules,” says Liam.

  “They'll never know I have them,” says Rodriquez.

  “We'll see,” says Liam.

  Again, there's an awkward few seconds of silence.

  “About six days ago, I was called by a girlfriend who told me there were some brothers staying in a small garage in the center of an auto dismantling yard in the Jamaica Plains area. She told me these guys had recently got out of prison and were holding lots of meth. She said they drove a tow truck and lived inside this compound in Jamaica Plains. I live in JP, so I got a ride over to this place,” says Rodriquez.

  “What was the name of the dismantling yard?” asks Liam.

  “Liberty Dismantling, off Rock Hill Road,” says Rodriquez.

  “I got there at about nine o'clock on Friday night. The place has a tall fence around the property and an office near the front entrance. I was told to walk back through the yard toward the center of the yard, where there would be a small house or shack with a shit-load of auto parts, tools, engine hoists, and car tires all around. When I got to the shack, I thought my friend Yvonne would be there, but she wasn't. Then this big peckerwood came from the house and asked if I was Maria. He brought me into the house, where I met his brother. Both guys were tatted up with all kinds of prison tatto
os.”

  Rodriquez said she'd seen the same tats before and thought they were from a white supremacist group known as the 'White Wolves of West Virginia.'

  The two brothers were bald, and both had tats on their necks that read WWWV with a circled cross. They both had a large wolf tattooed in the center of their backs.

  Liam asks, “Did they tell you they were brothers, or because they looked similar, you thought they were?”

  Rodriquez replies, “The first guy that brought me into the house, his name was Bobby Dale, and pointed to a second guy who was shooting up meth and said, ‘That's my brother, Randall Dale.’”

  “Was that their full name, or do you have a last name too?” asks Zimmer.

  “I'm not sure I got the last name right. They never told me their last names, but I think it was tattooed on their forearms. All the tattoos had others over the top of them, so it was hard to make out the name, but I think it read Pentacast, Pentecoss, Pente-something, I'm just not sure what. I asked where Yvonne was and one of them said, 'We kicked that stinky bitch out,'” says Rodriquez.

  “What happened then?” asks Liam.

  Rodriquez says she fucked them both for about an hour or so while stopping to do more meth from time to time.

  “I snort meth, but these guys were shooting it up,” she says. “We partied through the night until the next morning, when we all crashed for a few hours till the afternoon.”

  Rodriquez says she told the brothers that she had to leave, so she could go to work. She says that Bobby Dale told her she couldn't leave. “He said that I was 'a fat Puerto Rican cow that wasn't worth the fucking drugs I snorted.'” She says Bobby Dale told her she owed them at least a hundred for the drugs she used. She didn't have the money on her, but could get it and bring it back. Randall Dale told her to call someone that would bring money to her, because she wasn't leaving until they got what was owed them.

  “Who did you call?” asks Zim.