by Rick Reed
“Vincent Sullis was never in private practice, according to a friend of mine,” Angelina said. “He’s a member of the Bar in Massachusetts like you said, but he works for Garp Investment, the same company that is paying Mindy. According to Sully’s tax records, he earns $100K a year.”
More connections.
“And get this, Samuel Knight was a reference, or sponsor if you like, on Sully’s application to enter law school,” she said.
“Did you run down Garp Investments?” Jack asked.
“Now you’re insulting me,” she answered. “Garp Investments is a man named Robert Touhey Sr. And before you ask if Garp is his alias, I’m saying he’s the owner, CEO and the board for Garp Investments. The business is like the mythological Hydra. He owns dozens of other businesses that then own other businesses and so on. I could send you a flow chart but you’d go bonkers.”
“Marty Crispino?” Jack asked.
“He’s interesting,” she said.
“Interesting how?” Jack asked.
“There’s almost no background on him, that’s how. I couldn’t even get a real address for him. I found him in IRS records.”
“Let me guess. He works for Garp Investments,” Jack said.
“You should be a detective,” Angelina said. “So, he shows a reported income of $100K a year, but there are no bank records to show where the money goes. If he’s hiding money, he’s very good at it. Even my friend that I can’t name on an open telephone line couldn’t find anything.”
“When I see Crispino again I’ll rattle his cage for you,” Jack said. “Can you check on Robert Touhey and see if you can make any other connections with the ones I gave you? Also, keep on Crispino. Check divorce records, lawsuits, and that kind of stuff.
“Already done that. There was nothing you’d be interested in.”
Jack thanked her and hung up. He said, “Bigfoot, will you call the captain and ask for a quick meeting? We need to update them. I’ll call Tunney back and see if he’ll come to the meeting too. Make it fifteen minutes.”
Liddell talked to Captain Franklin. Jack talked to Frank Tunney. They agreed to meet in the chief’s complex. Jack spoke to Sergeant Mattingly again before calling the morgue.
Chapter 25
Jack and Liddell made their way to the meeting with the brass. Liddell said, “The monkeys are interesting.”
Jack said nothing, so Liddell continued. “Johnny Hailman told me something about monkeys that I’ve never forgotten.” Johnny Hailman was a K-9 handler with a bomb-sniffing partner. He was also known for his extremely bad, and poor taste in, jokes.
Resistance was futile. Jack said, “Go for it.”
Liddell grinned. “Okay. Hailman said a guy takes his wife and pet monkey to his favorite bar. The monkey jumps down from the guy’s shoulder, runs up and down the bar, knocking over drinks, grabbing handfuls of peanuts, pissing on customers, screeching the entire time. The bartender hurries over to the guy and says, “I thought I told you to keep that animal out of here!” The guy turns to his wife and says, ‘Go wait in the car.’”
“Have you told that one to Marcie?” Jack asked.
“I’m going to be quiet now,” Liddell answered. He ducked his chin as they entered the chief’s complex.
The chief’s secretary mouthed the name “Double Dick.” She said out loud, “They’re waiting for you in the conference room. Go on in.”
Liddell said, “Oh boy. We’re going to get a spanking.”
His premonition was proved right. When they reached the conference room door Deputy Chief Richard Dick came storming out.
“You’re late,” Dick said, his Aryan-blue eyes blazing.
Jack thought, We’ve been kind of busy working a couple of high-profile murders, Dick- face. Jack said, “My apologies, Deputy Chief. It won’t happen again.”
Double Dick straightened the award ribbons on his starched white shirt. “See that it doesn’t, Detective.” He stalked back into the conference room. Jack and Liddell followed him in.
FBI Special Agent Frank Tunney was seated facing the door and stood at attention when Double Dick came back into the room. Liddell stifled a laugh and Double Dick turned to him.
“Is something wrong, Detective Blanchard?” the deputy chief asked.
“No sir. Nothing. My spit went the wrong way down my windpipe and kind of…” He coughed into his hand.
“That’s disgusting,” Dick said and turned away.
“Take your seats,” Chief Pope said. “Sergeant Walker won’t be here. He and all of his crew are busy at several crime scenes, as you know, and I don’t want to interrupt them. You can begin, Jack.”
Jack told them about the money found in Sonny’s abandoned truck.
Pope interjected, “We know about the money, Jack. It’s been counted. Forty thousand recovered from the teenagers who found the body. Sixty thousand found in Sonny’s truck.”
Double Dick was smirking. Enjoying himself at the expense of the police department’s reputation. Jack was sure in Dick’s mind were visions of his mug on a Channel 6 News Special revealing a dirty cop.
Jack told them the financial information Angelina had given him. When he was finished, the room was quiet.
“Definitely a corrupt cop,” Double Dick said to no one in particular. To Jack it sounded like he was rehearsing for the news cameras. “Someone should have seen this coming,” the Dickster added.
Chief Pope ignored the implied insult. “I guess we’re not jumping to conclusions anymore about Sonny. IA finished the audit of Task Force money. Nothing was missing, which makes me think he was skimming off the drug-raid seizures.”
Deputy Chief Dick said, “We should check everyone on the Task Force.”
Dirty cop, news media and drugs. Oh my! Jack thought.
Jack hurriedly said, “We’ve done that. Nothing there, Deputy Chief, and if nothing was missing from Task Force–seized money…?” Jack left the question open. “We collected some stuff of the judge’s for a DNA analysis,” Jack told the chief. He was sure Double Dick already knew all of this. Dick had almost as many snitches as the news media.
Double Dick was sitting on the edge of his chair. “Sam Knight’s murder is connected to Sergeant Caparelli’s?”
“I haven’t been able to make a solid connection yet,” Jack lied.
Jack hadn’t told them everything he’d learned in the last hour. For example, Sully’s call to Judge Knight. Sully’s suggestion there was a legal, possibly criminal, issue in Boston involving Knight. And he hadn’t told them Uncle Marty’s possible involvement in this circus of liars.
Chief Pope said, “Richard, we first of all need verification that the body is Judge Knight. I think it’s safe to assume there will be a connection, but first things first.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Double Dick said. “I’m just thinking out loud. Judge Knight handled mostly civil cases, didn’t he? And Sonny only worked drug cases.”
“Yes,” Jack said, knowing it wasn’t true because Jason, the law clerk, had told them so.
“I see,” Double Dick said. “We definitely have a murder. No one would get in a car trunk and set it on fire.”
Captain Franklin cleared his throat and said, “You’re right, Deputy Chief.”
Double Dick smiled. It was like when a baby farts or fills their diaper kind of smile.
“Stay on top of the judge’s autopsy,” Pope said. “I guess that’s all for now.”
Deputy Chief Dick started out of the room. Pope said, “Jack, Liddell, stay a moment. And can you stay as well, Agent Tunney?”
Deputy Chief Dick went back to his chair. “Should I stay too, Chief Pope?”
“That’s not necessary, Richard. I’ll be in touch as soon as we get any news,” Pope said.
Dick was disappointed but he left.
As J
ack and Liddell took their seats, Jack’s phone rang. It was Sergeant Mattingly reporting that no one appeared to be at Sonny’s house. The front desk of the Tropicana let Mattingly check the floor, and Crispino wasn’t in his room.
Jack said, “I appreciate you doing this, Sarge. One last thing and I’ll owe you. Can you check the Blue Star? Crispino told me his company is connected to the casino.”
“Will do, Jack,” Mattingly said, and Jack heard him say to the clerk “get me the security chief,” before the line went dead.
Jack stuck the phone back in his pocket and checked the hallway to be sure Double Dick wasn’t hanging back. Judy Mangold saw him and said, “All clear.”
“Okay. Now tell us everything,” Pope said.
Jack told them everything, the connections between Sonny, Sully and Knight. He told them Crispino’s revelation that he and Sully worked for a guy in Boston that owns a couple of casinos in Atlantic City, Missouri and even the Blue Star Casino in Evansville. He told them about Garp Investments and Robert Touhey Sr. He told them of Mindy’s possible financial connection as a source of hiding or laundering illegal funds. He told them about the monkey carving found in Sonny’s throat, holding back no scrap regardless of how insignificant it may seem. Most of this was for Tunney, who had helped with a case a few years back, successfully profiling a serial killer and ending his murderous spree.
Tunney leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, eyes closed as if he were going to sleep. Jack knew that he was absorbing every word, every inflection, hesitation, and tone of what was being said.
When Jack stopped speaking all eyes went to Tunney.
“Agent Tunney. Do you have questions?” Pope asked the FBI profiler.
Tunney opened his eyes. “I’d like to see this animal carving your forensic pathologist found.”
Jack said, “I’m sure Dr. John is still at the morgue. Judge Knight’s autopsy should be starting soon. Which reminds me, I haven’t heard from Little Casket or Walker.”
“I think I should attend the autopsy with you,” Tunney said.
Chief Pope stood. “Thanks for volunteering your time, Frank. If you want I’ll contact your office and make the request official?”
“I’ve already called them, Chief. I’m all yours.”
Captain Franklin and Chief Pope left the meeting.
“I like him. He’s not your typical Chief of Police,” Tunney said.
“Yeah boy! You can say that again,” Liddell said. “I’m surprised Double Dick showed up without his chauffeur and cameraman. He needs to record his every thought and action for his presidential library.”
“Let’s go check on the autopsy,” Jack said.
“Hey Frank. Want to hear a joke?” Liddell asked. “This guy takes his wife and his pet monkey…”
Jack tuned him out, stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him to call the morgue. “Hi Lilly. Ready for us?”
“They were having trouble extricating the corpse from the trunk. In one piece, anyway. Come on over.”
Chapter 26
Little Casket was waiting at the open garage door when the men drove up. She was already dressed for the autopsy in a mint-green Tyvek suit, latex gloves, and paper booties. A surgical mask was pulled into place covering her nose and mouth.
“’Bout time,” she said, the sarcasm in her voice muffled by the mask. “Dr. John already started. He said he’s not like us. He has a life.” She said over her shoulder as they followed her inside, “He’s dreaming.”
Judge Samuel Knight’s partially cremated body lay in a semi-fetal position, legs and arms drawn up, fingers of one hand curled into a fist, the fingers of the other hand missing, the feet and lower parts of the calves reduced to charred bone. Most of the scalp and face were crispy black, teeth bared, eye sockets empty. Three inches of a thick metal spike protruded from the right ear.
Dr. John said, “Frank. Good to see you again. I heard you were in town.”
Sergeant Walker said, “I heard you were teaching this morning. Sorry I had to miss it.”
“You’ve been busy,” Tunney said.
Dr. John said to Jack, “I’ve got something for you.”
“We saw the spike at the scene, Doc,” Jack said.
“Not the spike. This.” Dr. John clipped a set of X-rays on the light board. Both were taken of the neck and skull. A thumb-sized object appeared to be lodged deep inside the throats of each.
“The one on the left is Sergeant Caparelli. The one on the right is Sam Knight,” Dr. John said.
Walker reached in his top pocket and produced a sealed evidence bag. “This is the carving Dr. John took out of Sonny’s throat.”
“Can I see that?” Tunney asked. Walker handed him the evidence bag.
Jack’s heart raced the way it always did when his gut told him he was nearing the fulcrum of a case.
“Maybe the carvings can be identified,” Tunney said, turning the bag in his hands, examining the object.
Dr. John said, “I can send a picture of that to a friend at Indiana State University.”
“I think I can save you some time. If Sergeant Walker can send me some digital photos I’ll forward them to our people,” Tunney said.
“I can send them for you,” Walker offered.
“I think I can get a faster response if they come from me.”
“Of course,” Walker said, and Tunney gave him an email address.
They all went back to the table and Dr. John went to work. Little Casket and Walker helped Dr. John draw the legs down and roll the corpse onto its back. When the right leg was extended, the joint made a squishing sound and the femoral head separated from the pelvis.
“You found him on his left side?” Dr. John asked Walker.
Lilly answered, “Yeah. He was stuffed in that trunk in a fetal position.”
Dr. John said to Jack, “The left side rested against the floor of the car’s trunk. That protected some of the muscle and ligament on that side. See how the leg is more intact.” He pulled the leg down next to the other and this one extended without separating from the body.
“The arms will be the same,” Dr. John said.
He was right. The humeral head of the right arm separated from the joint when the right arm was manipulated. It reminded Jack of a baked chicken coming apart.
Most of the scalp and face were gone. Dr. John used an electric bone saw to remove the skullcap, revealing a railroad spike eight to nine inches long and three-quarters of an inch thick. The chisel end had been shoved—or hammered—into the victim’s ear, through the brain, and fractured the skull on the left side just behind the ear.
Sergeant Walker photographed everything, collected the spike and bagged it as evidence.
Dr. John said, “I think given the lack of evidence to the contrary, I’ll rule that spike as the cause of death.”
No one disagreed. Dr. John moved on and opened the trachea. The carved figurine was lodged just below the epiglottis, completely blocking the airway.
With a pair of plastic forceps Dr. John carefully removed the object and held it up. It was indeed a small carving of a monkey. This one was squatting with its hands covering its ears.
Tunney, who had been examining the bottom of the first figurine, said, “Can I see the bottom of that one?”
Dr. John adjusted his grip to turn the carved figurine upside down.
Tunney compared the bottoms of each figurine. He asked Lilly, “Do you have a magnifying glass?”
Lilly said, “I think we got a magnifying glass back in 1950. That was the last time we had money for equipment.” She rummaged in one of the cabinet drawers and came back with a magnifying glass.
Tunney took it and said, “Tony, can you shine a light here for me?”
Walker trained a light on the bottoms of the carvings while Tunney exami
ned them with the magnifying glass.
“Huh,” Tunney said. “What’s this?” He held the magnifying glass while the men took turns.
“It’s my magnifying glass,” Lilly groused.
“Sorry, Lilly,” Tunney said and held it lower for her.
She asked, “Is that Chinese?”
“I think this is ivory. Real ivory is very valuable. The symbols on the bottoms are Chinese or Japanese. The maker’s signature,” Tunney said.
“Will that help us identify who owned them?” Liddell asked.
“It would be a place to start,” Tunney said.
“What do you think they’re worth? I mean, if they’re ivory like you said?” Liddell asked.
“I really don’t know. One thing I can tell you.” Tunney handed the evidence bag to Walker. “This isn’t over money. This is revenge, or honor. Something personal.”
Dr. John promised to call when he heard something. Jack and Liddell walked with Tunney to their cars. Jack said, “Hold on. Let me call someone.”
“O’Toole,” Jerry answered.
“Jerry. You said you made a big bust a while back. How far back and how big of a bust are we talking?” Jack asked.
Jerry said, “No money is missing.”
“Humor me, Jerry,” Jack said.
“A week or so ago we did a multi-state bust. DEA, State Police, County Sheriff, you name it and they were involved. It was a big roundup on federal warrants. Our part was up north of here. Jasper, Indiana if you can believe that.”
“Was Sonny involved?” Jack asked. No answer. “Come on Jerry. Don’t make me call Bert and Ernie on you.”
“Yeah. Sonny was there. It was his tip that got us there. Arrests were made all over the place, but the big bust was in Jasper. All told, forty-something arrests with ten of those being in Jasper. We found guns and cocaine out the wazoo. Sonny said we personally seized close to two hundred thousand in cash.”
