Downfall

by V. B. Tenery

  “Danny has a girlfriend, Poppy,” Sara said. “Not gots.”

  Face flushed, Danny glared at his little sister. “I do not.”

  She giggled and leaned forward. “Yes, you do. Her name’s Holly and she told me.” A pixie grin spread across the little girl’s face. “She thinks you’re cute.”

  Danny scowled and pushed away from the table. “Poppy, you are such a girl!”

  Her cheeks turned pink and she shook her finger at him. “I am not.”

  Hands on her hips, Sara bit the inside of her jaw to hide a smile. “And exactly what’s wrong with being a girl?”

  Matt rose and placed his napkin on the table, leaned down, and whispered to Danny. “You just stepped in a hornet’s nest, Champ. Come help me put out the deer feed before you hurt yourself.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Twin Falls Country Club

  Twin Falls, Texas

  Matt and Sara greeted wave after wave of tuxedoed men and beautifully-gowned women there to attend the Annual Policeman’s Ball.

  The newlyweds were easily the most handsome couple in the room, and that was saying a lot. Matt was much too good looking for his own good, and in a tux he was devastating. Sara stood beautiful and elegant at his side, in a shimmering green gown that flowed over her curves like a liquid sea.

  Shannon Connelly made her way to the ballroom entrance and smiled at Matt. “Is anyone protecting our fair city tonight?”

  “This is half my crew.” Matt kept his face straight. “But if an emergency arises, I can always give you a gun and put you in a squad car.”

  In a theatrical whisper, Sara said, “I don’t think that would be a good idea, darling. You do know this woman, don’t you?”

  Shannon narrowed her eyes at Sara. “And you’re supposed to be my best friend.” She patted Matt’s chest. “That’s a great idea. It wouldn’t take me long to put this town right.”

  Colin joined the group. “Yes, my love, but would there be any citizens left?”

  Tonight wasn’t a sit-down affair, although a full course menu was provided on buffet tables. Matt would say a few brief words, as would the mayor and city manager. Matt had limited them to ten minutes each. These people weren’t here to listen to campaign speeches. They were here to enjoy themselves, since they could only attend every other year. The other half of the force would be here next year.

  When the crowd thinned at the entrance, the four friends moved deeper into the ballroom, just as a stir behind them drew their attention.

  Mayor Hall, Doug Anderson, and a man Shannon had never seen before merged into the sea of people, with handshakes, painted-on smiles, and insincere murmurs of, “Thank you for your service.”

  When the muscles in Matt’s jaw tightened, Shannon felt the undercurrent in the room. Everyone knew of Matt’s ongoing conflict with the Mayor, but this was something different.

  *****

  Matt immediately recognized the uninvited guest. He had never met Luther Donnell, but he’d seen the man’s photo on the resume personnel had forwarded to him. By rights, Donnell shouldn’t be here. He wouldn’t be on the force until April. However, since he’d arrived with Doug and Hall, Matt couldn’t toss him out.

  Bringing his brother-in-law to this purely police-department affair smacked of Hall flaunting his power. As the group made their way toward him, Matt whispered to Shannon, “As soon as the speeches end, get the band started.”

  She gave him a discreet thumbs-up and moved toward the bandstand.

  In his designer tuxedo, the mayor cut a dashing figure. Hall was barely five-six, and Matt often wondered how such a small man carried his enormous ego. The most frightening aspect about Hall was that his political ambitions went way beyond his current office.

  Hall greeted Matt and Sara with a weak handshake and introduced his relative. “I understand Luther will be working for you soon, Foley. You’re getting a good man.”

  Since he wouldn’t be there when Donnell joined the force, there didn’t seem to be an appropriate response, so Matt just nodded.

  His immediate impression of Luther Donnell was that of a crane. Slender with unnaturally long legs and a large head on a spindly neck, Donnell’s thinning brown hair was combed straight back off his brow, emphasizing his elongated nose. Gold wire-rim glasses magnified his heavy-lidded brown eyes, and he was greatly in need of Hall’s fashion advice.

  Donnell stuck out his hand. “I’m looking forward to working for you, Chief. I have some great ideas I installed in the Cincinnati CPD union. It saved the union budget fifty percent.”

  Matt had read the confidential report the Ohio police chief sent to the city’s human resources director. One of Donnell’s improvements included that cops under investigation pay their own attorney fees. When the CPD officer’s threatened to leave the union, the amendment was revoked and Donnell lost his job.

  The buffet lines opened, saving Matt from having to respond. Matt and Sara ate at a table with the beat cops and their wives.

  When the meal ended, Hall made his way to Matt’s table and asked, “Any suspects in the Davenport murders?”

  Determine to keep his cool, Matt shook his head. “Nothing I can talk about at present.” Then he added, “Excuse me, I need to say a few words and get this shindig rolling. You and Doug will speak after me.”

  He guided Sara to a table near the lectern. When he stepped on the dais, the crowd whooped, whistled, and applauded. He made a show of looking behind him. “From your reception, I thought my lovely wife had stepped on stage.”

  One of the guys called out, “Let her make your speech, Matt. We’d rather look at her than listen to you.”

  He turned and gave a slight bow to Sara. “I couldn’t agree with you more, so I’m going to make it short. Thank you all for your contributions to making Twin Falls a safer place for residents to live and raise their families. Because of your efforts, crimes of all types were down fifteen percent last year. You are the finest group of law enforcement officers it’s ever been my privilege to command. My final word is enjoy your evening and take it easy on the booze. There are not enough taxis in town to take you all home. Maybe I should have chartered a few buses.”

  Laughter followed his exit from the stage.

  Doug stood at the back of the room and gave an approving nod, before coming to the podium to take Matt’s place.

  Doug’s speech was short, and Hall’s too long. As Hall made his first step off the platform, the band hit the first refrains of Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are”

  Matt drew Sara onto the dance floor and whispered in her ear. “Have I told you how dazzling you look tonight?”

  “Yes, but it’s always nice to hear. May I tell you how proud I am of you? You struck just the right note of sincere praise, short and sweet, and they love you for it. I can see why Blain thinks you would make a good senator. Not just because people adore you, but you have ethics that are sorely needed in Washington.”

  He squeezed her waist. “You’re prejudice.”

  “Of course, I am, but I’m also right.”

  When the song ended, Miles Davis tapped Matt on the shoulder and smiled down at Sara. “I may not have your husband’s silver tongue, but I’m better-looking and a much better dancer.”

  “In your dreams, Davis.” Matt held out a hand to Sierra, Davis’ elegant date, and they danced away. Next, Ben Stein claimed a dance with Sara.

  Matt glanced down at Lucy Turner. “Shall we?” He asked her permission because their relationship had always been a little rocky.

  She inclined her head and stepped into his arms.

  “You look lovely, Turner. How are you doing after your recent episode?”

  “Almost good as new, Chief.”

  Silence ticked off the seconds. She’d always seemed nervous around him. “You and Davis doing okay?”

  She grinned and nodded. “I really hate to admit it, but you were right about making the change in partners.”

  He threw back his head
and laughed. “Well that’s a first. Are we friends yet, Turner?”

  “We’re getting there, Chief.”

  Indian Casino

  Durant, Oklahoma

  Rain met Davis and his partner as they neared the Oklahoma border, their second visit to the Indian casino. Vicious winds and rain pummeled the car’s roof, the wipers beating a steady rhythm, scarcely keeping up with the wall of water in front of them. Ten minutes later, the winds ceased and the rain slowed to a fine drizzle. Temperatures hovered a little above freezing. God help them if the precipitation turned into sleet. If so, they’d have to reserve two rooms at the casino for an overnight stay.

  He mumbled under his breath when he discovered there were no umbrellas in the car. When they pulled onto the gambling casino grounds, Davis did the gentlemanly thing and let Turner out at the entrance. He found a spot half a block away and dashed inside. Icy liquid had seeped down his coat collar and he shivered like a wet dog. Warm Bermuda beaches were calling his name about now.

  His partner waited for him just inside and they wended their way to the reception desk. He’d called ahead, and Waya Mann stood behind the counter, resplendent in another dark suit.

  “Welcome back. I have already had the security tapes you wanted set up. These are different dates and times than the ones you requested on your last visit, correct?”

  “That’s right. Thank you for your cooperation. We won’t tie up your people too long.”

  Mann smiled. “You are most welcome, and my people are at your disposal.” He led the way down the corridor into the casino’s security office. “You must come back and enjoy our facilities when you are off duty.”

  “I’ve been here many times,” Davis said. He inclined his head at Turner, “but my partner is not a gambler.”

  He laughed. “We can’t have that.” He slipped Turner a chit for twenty free chips. “In case you change your mind.”

  Turner didn’t accept the gift. She shook her head. “Thank you, but I can’t accept gratuities. It’s against company policy.”

  He shrugged and led them to the same room as their last visit, then left them alone with the tech who had helped them on their last visit. Same chairs. Same monitor.

  The scrolling images revealed twelve trucks fitting their description, but the drivers all left the casino during the designated timeframe and none of them were Bauer.

  “Is this the only outside area covered by security cameras?” Davis asked.

  “Except for employee parking; I didn’t think you would want to see those.”

  “Cue that up for me, if you would.” Davis cast a sideways glance at Turner. “He could have parked a second car there, figuring there were no cameras in that area.”

  The tech scrolled slowly through the digital file for ten minutes. The camera was dialed back to a wide angle to show the entire parking lot, for insurance purposes, no doubt. The field of view was wide enough to show all vehicles entering and leaving, with a fair image of the license plates.

  About ten minutes into the film, a five-year-old black Dodge Ram pulled into the lot, and a Hispanic man got out. Davis jerked up straight in the chair. The man exited the truck and hurried to the employee entrance then disappeared inside. It was the waiter, Antonio Perez, they’d interviewed previously. That could explain the man’s nervousness when they first met. “Keep the video rolling.”

  At twelve o’clock Saturday, the night before the Davenports were murdered, Bauer walked out the back door, climbed into the Ram, and drove away.

  “Bingo,” Davis said.

  The tape continued to roll, and Bauer returned Sunday morning at ten-thirty. Plenty of time to get to Twin Falls, murder Eden’s parents, and return to cement his alibi.

  They asked the tech to pull up the employee parking lot video for the weekend the Russells were killed. Exactly the same scenario occurred. Bauer had driven away in the black Ram.

  Davis rubbed his hands together. “I love to see the scales of justice balanced. Now we need to put some pressure on our waiter friend.”

  Twenty minutes later, the door to the tech room opened. Waya Mann stepped inside with the waiter. Davis waved a hand at a chair in front of the monitor. “Have a seat, Antonio. We have some digital film we want you to see.”

  Antonio grabbed the chair arms and lowered himself with shaking hands. “Why?”

  Davis pointed to the screen. “Just watch.”

  The tape paused at the point Bauer left the casino in Antonio’s truck. Davis leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. “Can you tell me why Mr. Bauer left the casino in your truck?” Davis asked.

  Antonio’s gaze darted between Davis and Turner, and then settled on his boss. “The man, he gave me five hundred dollars to use my truck for a few hours. He say he doesn’t want his friend to know he is leaving.”

  “And he used your truck the weekend we interviewed you?” Davis asked.

  Antonio swallowed hard before he responded. “Si.”

  “Why did you lie to us the last time we spoke?” Turner asked.

  “I was afraid but I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you everything. I didn’t want to get into trouble.”

  “It amounts to the same thing. And you are in trouble,” she said.

  Davis left the room with his partner and closed the door behind him.

  “What do you want to do?” Turner asked.

  “Get his statement on video. He’s probably illegal, and he’ll run when we let him go. I doubt the casino checks E-Verify before they hire waiters and housekeepers. The casino tapes and his statement will stand up in court.” Davis opened the door and held it for Turner to enter first. “Antonio, you’re going to be the star in a video we’re going to make.”

  *****

  The weather had cleared as they made the drive back to Twin Falls. Ten miles from their destination, Davis’ cell phone chimed. It was Matt.

  “Where are you?” he asked.

  “Ten miles out. What’s up?”

  “You might want to take a detour to Amy Bauer’s place. There’s a fire. Emergency equipment is on the scene. I just got here.”

  Davis switched on the emergency lights. “We’re headed your way.”

  Smoke was visible miles before they reached the Bauer property. Inside the cattle guard, blue and white lights flashed under the gray sky. One police cruiser and two fire trucks formed a line in front of the soot-stained red barn, while thick hoses from the fire engine blasted water onto the roaring flames.

  Davis parked on the grass near the fence. He and Turner joined Matt, standing with Amy Bauer a safe distance from the blaze. Matt made the introductions.

  “Was anyone inside?” Davis asked.

  The woman shook her head.

  “How did it start?” Davis directed the question at Amy Bauer.

  She raised a hand to her brow, a worried frown on her face. “I have no idea. I was putting up jars of green beans when I saw the flames from the kitchen window.”

  “Were you here alone?” Turner asked.

  Amy chewed her bottom lip and nodded, avoiding Lucy’s gaze.

  It was another thirty minutes before the blaze was extinguished. Firefighters lingered around the perimeter, jackets open, hats pushed back off their brows, making sure no hot spots remained. The fire crew began to roll up their hoses and store the equipment away.

  Turner stayed with Mrs. Bauer, while Matt and Davis looked for the fire marshal, Blake Dennis. They found him in the center of the burned-out shell. He was moving charred pieces of metal around in the smoldering ruins with his steel-toed boot.

  Matt said, “I was surprised to see you here, Blake. You don’t usually cover barn fires.”

  “The fire chief called me. His men thought there was something suspicious.”

  “Any idea how the fire started?” Matt asked.

  “Too early to say for sure. It started in this area, and it appears some kind of accelerant was used. Can’t tell what kind until we run the tests.”

&n
bsp; “So someone torched it?” Davis asked.

  “Looks that way.” He pointed at the metal pieces. “These are gun parts, but no sign of ammo.”

  Davis exchanged a glance with Matt. The fire had started in the room where Bauer kept his guns. “And, obviously, no sign of explosives.”

  “He probably moved them. That’s not good.” Matt turned to Blake. “Let me know as soon as you have the results.”

  The fire marshal gave a vague nod, making notes in his iPhone.

  They made their way back to the two women, and Matt laid his hand on Amy’s shoulder. “According to the fire marshal, the blaze started in the gun room. Were all Jim’s guns stored in that room?”

  “No,” she said, “he moved a lot of them last week. Perhaps he knocked something over that started the fire.”

  “That’s possible,” Matt said. He gave her shoulder a pat. “I’m going to head back to the station. I’m sorry about the loss of your property. The fire marshal will be in touch with you.”

  They walked out of ear-shot from the woman, towards Matt’s car. “You guys had lunch?”

  “We were going to stop in town before we returned to the station,” Davis said.

  Matt paused by the door of his Escalade. “Follow me. We’ll eat, and you can fill me in on what you discovered in Oklahoma.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Chick-fil-A

  Twin Falls, Texas

  The restaurant had a crowd for mid-afternoon, but Matt found a table for four in a corner. He gave their order at the cash register and returned with a packed tray, and passed out the meals.

  Davis placed the paper napkin on his lap and looked at the tray. “What, no cutlery?”

  “It’s finger food, Davis,” Turner said, shaking her head.

  “Maybe for you, Turner, but few foods in my estimation should be eaten with your fingers. This is not one of them.”

  Matt rose, went to the counter, and brought back a cellophane pack of plastic ware. “Now tell me what you found out in Oklahoma.”