Angry Betty

by Jamie Lee Scott

Kate looked at Zane, who raised his brows so high, deep wrinkles showed on his forehead.

  “What about them?” Zane asked.

  Before Boyd could answer, Kate asked, “Who has the limp?”

  Boyd perked up. He knew that answer. “Payaso. He got shot in the shin a few years ago. I think he can walk fine, but wants everyone to remember what a badass he is.”

  Kate thought it probably was a real limp, since no one was around when he walked away from Marco’s car, and was still limping. Or maybe it had become habit. She could still see the video in her mind of the guy in the jeans and hoodie walking away.

  “Did Marco say anything before he left the apartment?” Zane asked.

  “Nothin’. But he looked pissed.” Boyd sniffed and rubbed his nose. “Marco don’t usually mess around in Peculiar. He’s got his own territory. I don’t know much else about him, but he had some good shit he was passing around that night. Said he got a new supplier.”

  “What shit was he passing around? Heroin? Meth?” Kate asked.

  Boyd laughed. “No, man, Marco’s all about the ganja.”

  “What about Payaso?” Kate knew he pushed heroin, since he’d moved on from meth.

  “What about him?” Boyd asked.

  “What’s he selling?”

  Boyd shrugged.

  “Don’t start that shit, Boyd. You haven’t given me enough to get me to talk to the D.A. yet. Keep those lips flappin’ and I’ll tell you when you’re getting close.”

  Kate stifled a laugh at “lips flappin’”.

  “Was Newton at the apartment?” Zane asked.

  “Naw, man, I ain’t seen Newton around. Shit went down with him and Payaso, and Newton sorta went underground.” Boyd rolled his head around on his neck as if he was just getting warmed up.

  He never sat still, Kate noticed. Always moving his hands, body, and feet, like on a meth high. But he’d been in jail long enough to have come down off any high.

  “What about his girlfriend, Kim?” Kate asked.

  Zane shot her a glare. What? Was she not supposed to ask any questions?

  “That’s the bitch you got’s willing to talk. Good luck with that. Unless you’re offering her a fix, you ain’t getting nothing. Dumb cu—” Boyd looked at Kate, then swallowed the word, “bitch. And she ain’t Newton’s chick. No way. I only seen Newton with hot chicks. Don’t think he hangs with addicts. Prolly doesn’t even do drugs himself. Always seems too put together. I ain’t never seen him high.”

  “So, Geo Newton and Kim Vega aren’t a couple?” Zane didn’t sound like he believed Boyd.

  Boyd seemed to be pondering his answer. “Unless that’s the falling out with him and Payaso. But like I said, Kim ain’t classy enough for Newton. You think Lopez drove a nice car, Newton gots a Range Rover, man. He ain’t letting a skank like Kim in that thing.”

  “Who did the drugs in the M Street house belong to?” Zane asked.

  “Weren’t no drugs in that house. They all been moved.” Boyd sat back in his chair now, smug.

  “Yeah, there weren’t any the night of the raid, but if there were, who would they have belonged to?” Kate said.

  “If I was a bettin’ man, I’d say Payaso. Maybe. Or coulda been from Newton. Again, the bad blood coulda been a territory thing.” He shifted in his seat and looked at the door. “So what’s Kim told you?”

  “We’re talking to her next,” Zane said. “And if she gives us more information than you do, she’s gonna walk, and you’re gonna sit in here and rot.”

  “I ain’t no player. They don’t tell me nothing. I just do my job, which is delivery.” Boyd realized too late he’d implicated himself. “I mean, I deliver food to the house, like I’m GrubHub or something.”

  Kate coughed. “Kim’s already offered up information on the murders of Leon and Andy.”

  She could actually see Boyd stop breathing. She waited. For the first time, Boyd wasn’t moving. Not even the wheels in his pea-sized brain seemed to be turning. She waited for him to finally take a breath or pass out.

  Green in the face, Boyd said, “Leon is dead? Andy too? Oh shit, there might be a turf war going down.”

  “You didn’t know?” Zane asked.

  “Last time I seen Leon and Andy, they’d posted bail. I ain’t heard nothing since.” He took a deep breath to replenish the oxygen to his brain. “Does Kim know?”

  “She does. Like I said, she’s already given us information,” Zane said.

  “But you said you ain’t talked to her, so how?” Boyd looked terrified.

  “It came up in conversation when she was at her friend’s house,” Kate offered.

  Boyd leaned forward, hands gripping the edge of the table. “Bet she didn’t tell you she was fucking Andy, did she? I’m telling you, she’d blow anyone for a fix. But last I heard she was Payaso’s girl. Then I saw her with Andy the night of the raid. Like, her face in his lap kind of with him!”

  Kate’s mind went back to the forensic pathologist’s words. It looked like Foss had been lifted by his hair and shot through the back of the head. But he’d already been pretty much dead from the overdose. She knew the notes were in Zane’s hands by now, because Bryce had brought over a bottle of wine that night and said he’d typed up Glen’s notes and emailed them to Zane and the chief. Kate had been pissed off that Bryce hadn’t sent a copy to her, when he produced a hard copy of his notes, along with crusty French bread and tomato basil olive oil. They drank wine, ate bread dipped in olive oil, and Kate finally talked Bryce into moving in with her at the house. When he left, she went to bed with the report and read it over and over.

  “You’re saying Kim was really Payaso’s girl, but the night of the raid she was with Andy?” Zane asked, even though he knew the answer.

  “Wow, that bitch got Andy killed.” He shook his head. “But why kill Leon? I liked Leon.”

  “You didn’t like Andy?” Kate asked.

  The look on Boyd’s face spoke volumes.

  Zane pulled his phone from his pocket. He grimaced and put it back. “I’m not sure you gave us much. But I’ll see about getting you a new attorney, anyway. Not sure how much it will help you. You did commit a crime against another person, and you know we don’t usually drop charges for that sort of thing, unless you’re giving us hard evidence of a crime.”

  “Is it a crime to hide drugs when you know your crib is going to be raided?”

  “Nope. The real crime is in the fact that someone was warned, and I’m pretty sure you can’t give me a name there,” Zane said.

  Boyd looked at the floor. “But we knew. Leon got a call. They cleared out the house only an hour before you bashed in the door.”

  Zane stood. “And that’s another issue we’ll deal with.”

  “What if I could find out how they knew? Would that help me?” Boyd asked.

  “It might. But for now, I need to talk to Kim.”

  Boyd jumped up. “But I told you everything I know. And I told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, man. I should get the deal, not her.”

  Kate and Zane walked out together as Boyd continued to scream about how he’d been wronged.

  Chapter 24

  Kate liked the chief well enough, but didn’t like meetings in his office. He made her feel like a little girl being reprimanded, even when she wasn’t in trouble. But she knew they needed this sit down. Zane said he could do it, but she wanted the promotion, not him. His was pretty much guaranteed.

  Rambone’s door stood open, so Kate knocked and walked in without being invited. She knew if she waited, he’d want her to sit in the chair at the end of his desk, and that felt weird to her, so she helped herself to the chair on the other side from the chief. Somehow, having the full desk between them felt better.

  “Did you hear about the forensics on the murders of Foss and Campbell?” she asked as she sat.

  “I did. I sent a text message to Gwilly,” the chief said.

  “Oh, he didn’t say you sent the
text.” Now she felt stupid. “He wanted me to talk to you about what’s going on with the M Street murders, but apparently you already have all the information.”

  “I don’t know about that. Let me hear it from your perspective.” He leaned back and crossed his arms, which did nothing to make Kate more comfortable.

  Kate looked at her notes, which she brought in with her, because she didn’t want to miss anything that might later come back to haunt her. She told him all about Kim and what Zane had gleaned from her when he arrested her at Jake’s house, then about Boyd, and about her visit to the morgue. She ended with the revelation Boyd had said about them being tipped off, and that he somehow thought Kim may be the reason for Foss’ death.

  “But it’s the text that has me puzzled. Why would Foss be killed with one gun, and Campbell with another?” she said.

  “The hesitation marks you mentioned, they give me pause. Not something you’d see from a hardened criminal like Payaso or even Newton, though I do think Newton is more of a pussy than people think he is.”

  Kate smiled at his choice of words for Newton. She didn’t know Newton from the system, just to see his face or hear his name. She hadn’t had any run-ins with him. But she knew him to be tall, and his mugshot showed bright red hair cut in a short afro, and pale skin. She might have called him handsome if she didn’t know all about him.

  “I don’t know, but Boyd seemed to think he was a pretty boy, with his Range Rover and pretty girlfriends. Said a guy like Newton wouldn’t have anything to do with a girl like Kim Vega.”

  Kate noticed Rambone’s arms tightened. “I’m not so sure. Newton paid the bail for Vega.”

  Kate’s brows raised. “That I did not know.”

  “It’s something you should have known. Maybe they were hooking up. Maybe he got pissed off when he heard about her and Foss.”

  “That girl, Foss, Payaso, and now Newton. I don’t even know what to think.”

  “And don’t forget the number she did on Underwood.”

  Kate smirked.

  A uniform cop knocked on the door. “Excuse me, Kate, this just came for you. I thought you might want it.”

  Kate stood and accepted the envelope. “Thanks, Booger.”

  She tore open the envelope before sitting back down. Reading, her eyes went wide. “Well, well, maybe we have a suspect after all.” She handed the paper to Rambone. “Kim’s clothing tested positive for GSR.”

  Rambone tapped his fingers on the paper. “Interesting.” He looked up. “What is your next move?”

  “I guess I go have a talk with Kim. She seems to know more than anyone, if we can get her to tell the truth.” Kate turned to leave. “She’s too low on the food chain to have been the person who knew about the raid. Once we find out who the drugs belonged to, then we know who got tipped off.”

  “I’m not sure I get your logic,” Rambone said.

  “That house was a dealer house, but no one in that shithole had the money or smarts to be running the operation. They were the middle man, buying from a bigger fish. If the bigger fish was Newton, then he was somehow tipped off, and he let them know. If the drugs belonged to Payaso, then he was tipped off. Lopez could have been our guy, but he was dead before Zane had the warrant, if I remember correctly.”

  “Okay, and finding that person may also tell us who killed Lopez,” Rambone stood, as if he planned to follow Kate out of the office. Instead, he held the door, nearly pushing her out of the office. “Connect Newton or Payaso to the killing of Lopez. That’s the best explanation. They all seemed to be on the same level, and all seemed to be stepping on each other’s toes.” He closed the door behind her.

  Kate stood outside Rambone’s office, contemplating her next move. Then her stomach growled and she knew her next move was to get food.

  Kate sat in the parking lot of the convenience store, munching on a Butterfinger and drinking coffee. Her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID, but didn’t recognize the number. With all the robocalls these days, even a local cell phone number wasn’t really a person calling. Kate recognized the area code, and the prefix looked like a cell, but she let it go to voicemail. Plenty of times she answered, and it was a robocall, which was fine, because she didn’t care about hanging up on a recorded voice. Especially the one telling her that her Social Security number had been flagged and it was going to be suspended, or some such nonsense. Once she even pressed the number they said to press, and let the person on the other end know she was a cop. She asked for the real phone number of the company this man worked for, and somehow the line disconnected.

  She looked down. A voicemail. Robocalls rarely left a voicemail. She picked up her phone, swiping and tapping to get to the call.

  “Hi, Officer Darby, my name is Geo Newton. I really need to talk to you. Please call me back.”

  Kate’s heart skipped a beat in her chest. How had he gotten her phone number? She thought back to anyone who might have it. Should she call him back?

  Curiosity got the better of her. She hit redial.

  “This is Corporal Kate Darby. Did you just call me?” She tried to sound pleasant, but knew she failed.

  “Look, I know I shouldn’t be calling your private phone, but I need to talk to someone. My name is Geo Newton.”

  “How did you get my phone number?” Kate didn’t care about the rest until she knew how her privacy had been compromised.

  “Look, I don’t want to say, okay? Someone you know gave it to me, because they think I’m your cousin. I don’t want to rat the person out because I’m not calling to threaten or harm you in any way. I need help.” His voice had a smooth quality, like warm cognac.

  “I’m not sure I can help you, Mr. Newton. I’m in the middle of a murder investigation, which is taking up valuable time,” Kate said, then took another bite of her Butterfinger.

  “That’s just it. I can help you with that information. But I can’t do it over the phone. You could record it or tap the line. Can we meet?” The desperation in his voice made her even more curious.

  “In a public place? Because I’m not meeting you alone anywhere,” Kate said.

  “Sure, but it’s got to be just you. I’d appreciate if you don’t wear a recording device of any kind. But I can tell you who murdered Campbell and Foss.”

  Kate almost choked on her candy bar. “What about Lopez?”

  “Him, too.”

  “Was it you?” she asked.

  “Would I be calling you to implicate myself?”

  “No, but you’d call to throw suspicion in another direction.”

  “I’ll tell you this much, Campbell and Foss were killed because they stole from Payaso, but Payaso didn’t kill Foss.”

  “How do you know this?” Kate pressed.

  “I’ll tell you when we meet.”

  “Fine, but a public place.”

  “And don’t tell anyone. You have a mole in your department,” Newton said.

  His words hit Kate like a punch to the gut. Even the local drug dealers knew more about what was going on in the department than the brass. “Who?”

  “I might just tell you that when we meet, too. Madison’s on Main just after dark.”

  “Why not now?” Kate asked.

  “I’m not in Peculiar right now. I’m taking care of some business. I’ll see you around ten o’clock.”

  “How will I know you?” she asked.

  “For real, lady? I have bright red hair. You can’t miss me.” He hung up.

  Kate knew she shouldn’t go alone, and especially not without telling anyone. But she planned to meet with Newton anyway, to see if he could really solve her case. She started her car and drove back to the station. She’d tell the chief.

  * * *

  “So what do you think?” Kate asked after giving all the information to her boss.

  “I think you meet him. But you’re not going alone. And you’re going to arrive at least twenty minutes early. I want your backup to see him arrive after knowing y
ou’re in place.”

  “It’s very public, so I don’t see any problem with meeting him.”

  “Madison’s isn’t exactly in a good neighborhood. Make sure you’re in uniform and turn on your chest camera as soon as you see him approach.” Rambone shuffled through papers. “I need to make a call, get this situated. I’ll have someone there, watching your back.”

  “But who can we trust? You said we have someone tipping these guys off. Maybe Newton is one of them. Or he’s the one getting the tips?” Kate leaned against the doorframe.

  “We’ll have to trust someone. Or maybe I’ll just go myself. I’ll keep an eye on you myself. I’ll text you when I’m in place, so you know you have backup. Use your personal phone. No radios. We don’t want to spook this guy.”

  Chapter 25

  When Rambone said Madison’s wasn’t in a good area of town, he wasn’t kidding. Peculiar didn’t have many homeless people, but those who did sleep on the streets slept on the east side of Main Street, a few blocks from Madison’s. The alleys were lined with cargo doors, the kind that roll up to uncover the actual entrance to the building beneath. The doors and walls were covered in graffiti. The visual just before dark felt surreal, like walking into a painting of many colors. Into someone’s nightmare.

  In full uniform, with one hand on her service weapon, Kate felt as safe as possible for the situation. She didn’t expect anyone to come up to her panhandling, or to approach in anger. This side of town, the people kept to themselves. They didn’t want to draw attention because they wanted to be invisible to society. Their rules, their ways, keep out.

  Madison’s, a local bar, looked like the type of place you’d see in a movie. A long bar, with barstools pushed up close. A mirror behind the liquor on the wall. Only don’t ask for Stoli in this bar, because they carried only well drinks. Their patrons didn’t care what the label said, as long as the shit was strong and let them forget life for a little while.

  Kate looked around the street. Only a handful of cars, one on blocks with the wheels removed and windows broken out. She sent a text to Rambone, then walked over and looked inside the 1980-something Monte Carlo. In the backseat, covered with just a thin sheet, she saw a body. She leaned in closer to make sure the person was still alive.