by R Weir
“Casey helped me. Her father is powerful and used his influence to get the toxicology tests changed.”
“Her father, the bank president?”
“No, her stepfather. Her parents are divorced and her mother remarried. He is some type of big shot.”
“And Flynn?”
“I don’t know anything about it. Yeah, I roughed him up some because I found out he was fucking Casey. But that is all.”
“Get dressed,” I said. “You have a story to tell the police.”
“No way. I can’t do it.”
“You have no choice.” I showed him the phone, hit stop, and played back part of what I recorded. Worry filled his face.
“I can pay you money.”
“Nope.”
I found his apartment phone and called Detective Frakes.
“Are you still in town?” he said.
“Yes. I’m cleaning up old business. I have a break in the death of Taylor Gaines,” I said to him. “I have a confession; he wasn’t drunk and it was a hit and run. I’m sitting with the person right now. You want to send someone to get him?”
“Give me the address and I’ll be right over.”
I did and then hung up the phone.
“Come on, I have lots of money I inherited from my parents.”
“I know. I’ve read the story of how they died. I’m sorry.”
“Ten grand and you erase the recording.”
“It’s not enough. Tell me a little more about your relationship with Casey, or I might beat on you some for resisting arrest.”
Out of my back pocket I pulled out the leather sap and snapped it against his kitchen counter, making a dent in the laminate surface. The thump startled him.
“Crap! You can’t use that on me!”
“Sure I can.”
I starting walking towards him, waving the sap. The sight of it had Carlos quivering more than ever.
“I don’t want to hurt you, but I will,” I said forcefully. “Do the right thing, for it may assist me in finding my brother’s killer.”
“Okay stop! I’ll talk.”
“Smart. Give me the lowdown on you and Casey. And don’t leave anything out.”
“If I do, then you’ll erase the recording?”
“No, but I’ll erase the part about her stepfather getting the evidence changed. It might be enough to save your life. If he is as powerful as you say he is, he’ll learn you blabbed and won’t be happy.”
“Shit.”
He did tell me all he could before Frakes arrived with some uniforms. And I lied about erasing the stepfather confession, which didn’t please him any. Of course, I could have cared less as they dragged him off in cuffs while I gave my statement.
Chapter 31
Now, I was standing at the FBI office parking lot, waiting for Agent Wilson to leave for the day. The weather was warm and humid, so I loitered around outside, watching for him to walk out. I studied the area so I knew where every camera in the parking lot was. He strolled out, so I pulled in behind with stealth and put my snub-nose revolver in his ribs as he reached the car door. I was tight against him so the video couldn’t easily tell who I was or what I was doing.
“Don’t say anything,” I said to him. “Your gun on the right hip, please pull it out slowly with two fingers and hand it to me.”
He did as he was told and I pocketed it.
“Give me your car keys and cell phone, and climb back behind the wheel and wait.”
I used the remote to make sure the doors were unlocked, climbed into the backseat and tossed him the keys while pocketing his Blackberry.
“Do anything stupid and I’ll shoot you. We are going for a drive to farm country so we can discuss some things privately.”
“You are making a mistake,” Wilson stated.
“I said to be quiet. Jump on I80 and head west until I tell you what exit to take.”
He did as he was told, always watching me in the rear view mirror. We drove a little while before having him exit. Off the ramp, we took a couple of back dirt roads and I told him to stop. He gave me the keys again. I stepped out, and he soon followed. I holstered my gun and punched him as hard as I could in the gut. He bent over and went to his knees. I stepped away, feeling a little less angry.
“That was for getting my brother killed,” I stated. “Now we can talk.”
Wilson put his hand on the fender to pull himself up, trying to get his wind back.
“You’re getting soft,” I said. “Been behind a desk for too long. I didn’t think one punch would put you down so easily.”
He coughed a few times before finding the air he needed to talk.
“You’re right,” he answered. “I’m glad I hadn’t eaten yet. I’m sorry about what happened to your brother. Do you feel better?”
“Only a little. Now, I need you to tell me everything. Flynn never gave me the whole story. And then I plan to finish what he started. If you are on board, you can still get the credit.”
“I’m not sure it will be fruitful to continue.”
“He had the evidence in his hands, got cocky and got killed. He was doing something he shouldn’t have been doing. Wasn’t trained for. I fault you partially for this. I, though, can put them away or bury them. Tell me everything, so I can complete what he started.”
“I can take some of the blame, but understand this was your brother’s plan all along. He came to us with the idea for taking them down. All in exchange for clearing his debts and a finder’s fee of ten percent.”
“You’re lying.”
“No, it was all his idea. He had been working on it for a while. Took his time seducing the woman, knowing who she was. He was extremely confident he could get her in the sack and win her trust. He then talked with the IRS agent he was working with, who then contacted us. It coincided with work we were already doing, so we were interested.”
“Helen called me when she became suspicious.”
“When you stuck your nose in his business, he was concerned you’d stop him, so we plotted to exaggerate his money situation to make you think he had no choice. We arranged the visits with Helen and took his daughter for the ride, all with his blessing. We were selling them and you on his grand plan.”
I wanted to slug Wilson again, but resisted.
“Flynn was pretty devious, but I find it hard to believe he would go to such lengths.”
“Believe it. He did love his wife and daughter, though in an odd way. He really didn’t want to lose them.”
“So, they weren’t going to be thrown out on the street?”
“Oh, he was in debt all right, but the IRS wants to collect money. Tossing them on the street and making them homeless wouldn’t have accomplished anything. They would have come up with a payment plan where he could work it off. He wanted to exact revenge on the people who swindled money from him and his clients. But then you showed up and screwed everything up for him. And he knew you wouldn’t leave it alone, so he leveraged you to assist him, or at least to think you were assisting him.”
Now I wanted to slug Flynn, but of course couldn’t. How could he have been so stupid and arrogant?
“So, was it Casey’s father who cheated him out of the money?”
“No, his brother. He is running a variation on several investment scams, using ever-changing methods. He has several high rollers who claim twenty percent returns, vouching for the validity of his business. Then he takes the money, runs it through several accounts, pays out a few dividends here and there, especially when you first invest, suckering you to use those earnings and more. Then boom! The money dries up, with claims the businesses failed; the money magically disappears in an ever-changing trail of accounts that are difficult to trace. Since you are warned up front you could lose all your money, it says so in the fine print, it makes it challenging to take any action. It’s an elaborate setup.”
“What does this have to do with the Hedge fund of Casey’s father?”
“Some
of the money runs through the Hedge fund, then back out again, laundering it. The fund seems to be legitimate. But others are laundering money through it as well, namely one important fish. Have you ever heard of Alexander Toro?”
I shook my head. The name had no meaning to me.
“He is the head crime boss for this part of the country. Running guns, drugs, gambling and adult entertainment for any perverted indulgence you desire.”
“Does he have the connections to tamper with evidence at a crime scene?”
“Most likely. Do you have information we can use?”
“Doubtful. Certainly nothing which will stand up in court.”
Pulling out my phone, I found the recording of what Carlos said and played it back for him.
“Who the hell was that?”
I told him the name.
“Last name is familiar. Not sure why I remember, though. He’s not from around here.”
I told him what I’d found on the web.
“Yeah, now I remember. So he is the only surviving family member.”
“Be my guess. Any connection between Toro and his family?”
“Nothing I’m aware of, but I’ll dig into it. Could be a coincidence.”
“Possible, but worth checking.”
Wilson pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow. He really had gone soft and spent too much time behind the desk in his air conditioned office.
“Toro is all kinds of connected.”
“So when someone gets close to bringing him down, something happens to screw things up?”
“Exactly right. SOP when attempting to indict him. The FBI and the IRS have been trying to shut him down for years. Money goes through the Hedge Fund and through the brother’s investment scam, they believe. We gather evidence, get some witnesses, and poof! It all blows up in our face. This would have been a key piece leading us to where the money has gone.”
“So really, even if Flynn had brought you evidence, it wouldn’t have been enough to bring them in.”
“No.”
“Did he understand this?”
Wilson looked away and remained silent.
“All he cared about was getting revenge against the brother, then?”
“Yes.”
“Even if it meant ruining Helen and Jolene’s lives?”
“We agreed to take care of them if something went wrong. All their debts to the IRS have been wiped clean.”
“And the money they lost and the finder’s fee?”
“Without results and someone ending up in jail, no, they won’t get their money back.”
I turned around and kicked the ground in frustration.
“How much did he lose?” I asked, facing him again.
“Over a hundred thousand.”
“He told me he lost twenty thousand. Where the hell did he get so much money?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you should ask his wife.”
If they’d had that type of money at any time, it was news to me. The event with the James Brothers, though, was a clue. Could there have been other investors?
“Give me all the details and don’t leave anything out,” I said.
Chapter 32
We headed back to the FBI office and this time I got to ride up front. Once we arrived, he certainly could have had me arrested, but didn’t, though he warned me the next time I wouldn’t be so lucky. He shared as much detail as possible with me and I soaked it all up. Some of what he told me and I read was new. He allowed me to take photos of a few pages so I could refer to them later. I left there feeling I’d made some progress.
I texted everyone I was arriving at Helen’s soon, so Rocky didn’t shoot me. I had missed dinner, so I grabbed a burger and brought it back with me. I sat at the kitchen table enjoying the bland, fatty food. Rocky retired upstairs to get some sleep, so Helen joined me.
“How do you like being babysat?” I asked.
“Reassuring, though annoying,” Helen answered. “When you are with him, he is not much of a talker. Likes to read on his digital device. Seems totally engrossed in his reading, but appears to see and hear everything going on around him. Are you two friends?”
“No. We worked together last year and certainly aren’t friendly, though not enemies either. He is quite good and we are lucky to have him.”
“Where did he get the scar under his eye from?”
“I have no idea. From what little I know about him, I could hazard a guess it was from something dangerous he was involved him. Who knows? He could have got it from walking into the edge of a door.”
Helen laughed, which was good to hear.
“How are you coping?” I asked.
“Good days and bad. I loved Flynn, even with his faults. I could be mad at him one moment and be lying in the throes of passion the next. I was certain we would be divorcing, until the final night I saw him and he charmed me again. Now, I’ll never know.”
A couple of tears ran down her cheek. I offered her some of my fries, as if this would make her feel better.
“How about Jolene?”
“Not sure. She has been mainly stoic about the whole thing. She had some tears, though nothing earth-shattering. Has been more upset about the breakup with her boyfriend. It will be worse once school is out. I was hoping you would talk with her. She’s always taken a shine to whatever you’ve said. You are the cool uncle.”
“I will do my best.”
“What about you?” Helen asked. “How are you holding up?”
“You saw me. I was in shock the whole week afterwards. Everything was a blur. Melissa helped all she could. Then, when getting back to work, another case presented itself and I knew I couldn’t go further without finishing what Flynn started. That will be the final stage of acceptance, when I can move on.”
“So you think you can find out who killed him?”
“I do. I’ve already learned a few things. One item was quite surprising. How much did you know about Flynn’s finances?”
“Not much. He handled most of it. I started looking into to it more and more when I became concerned about what he was doing. I was alarmed to see how little money we had.”
“What about before this, going back a year or so?”
“I thought we were doing fine. Certainly, we weren’t hurting for money and could buy pretty much what we needed. We paid cash for my car.”
“Any ideas on where Flynn could have gotten over a hundred thousand dollars to lose?”
“Oh my! You must be kidding. No, I don’t.”
“Did he have a financial advisor he worked with?”
“I’m certain he did. Not sure who it was. Most information like that is kept at his office. Best place to look. He didn’t like working at home, so he didn’t keep anything here. Probably worried I’d find out about what he was doing. Did he really lose all of it?”
“From what I’m told, yes. Could have contributed to his death.”
“Don’t you get dead too,” said Helen.
“Never going to happen,” I replied confidently.
She smiled widely, which made me feel good.
“I’m going to retire for the night. Thanks for being here.”
She leaned down and kissed me on the cheek and gave me a hug. I would keep from her the elaborate measures Flynn took in his mission to get back the money and to keep us all involved. No reason to hurt her and Jolene any more than what they already were going through. I finished my meal and, though I should have been exhausted, I wasn’t, so I went into the living room and read through my notes and read some more of the documents I’d photographed. I had a much better idea of what I was up against. All I needed was to form a plan to bring Flynn’s killer to justice. Even with all he had done, I still could not let this go unpunished.
All the evidence started with Casey and the men in her life – her father, uncle, stepfather and her lovers. Each of them played a part in this entire mystery. Love, sex and money were all factors. One lover was in j
ail, two others dead. But one former lover was still alive. I needed to talk to Samuel Rivera, who feared talking anymore about Casey. I had to get past his protection and convince him it was in his best interest to tell me. Threats would not work, and likely would get me hurt. I stayed awake until midnight, thoughts and ideas rolling through my head, before falling asleep on the sofa, my gun nearby. I was still without a plausible plan for my next move.
Chapter 33
I was up and moving around when Frakes called and wanted me down at his office. He didn’t seem real happy, and I really preferred to be doing other things, but didn’t want to lose my one police resource in town, on the chance I needed to fall back on him for information. He gave me the address of his office and I was there shortly after nine, sitting in a chair before him, trying not to show fear from his joyless expression.
“Carlos Depaolo claims his confession was coerced out of him,” said Frakes.
“I reasoned with him,” I replied.
“Says you put a pillow between your gun and his head and threatened to kill him if he didn’t talk.”
“His word against mine.”
“Found the door chain had been ripped off. He says you kicked it in.”
“It was already broken when he let me in.”
“Girlfriend says you had a gun and told her to get dressed and leave. Took the cell phone so she couldn’t call for help.”
“She was naked and had a nice body. I didn’t want her distracting him or me while we talked. I was courteous to her in my request.”
“Even with the recording you gave us the DA figures we have no case.”
“Still gives you something to dig into. Someone died who shouldn’t have. Evidence was tampered with.”
“True. We will dig deeper. You know how this goes, though. Neat and clean keeps the brass happy. Messy and dirty doesn’t.”
His office was large, with modern furniture and a view out the window. He even had his own coffee maker. He walked over to pour the black brew. He offered me some, but I declined. Coffee was one drink I’d never enjoyed.
“Are you still holding him?”
