Brigid nodded. “Maybe it was. Thank you so much, Jerry. You’ve been a big help.” They each shook his hand, and he went back into the break room.
“Well, Charlie didn’t move again, so I guess we can assume all of what he told us is correct,” Linc said as he joined Brigid on the bench.
“Yeah, I guess so,” she said, deep in thought. She tapped her pen against her teeth as she tried to connect the dots.
“What’s up?” Linc asked. “You look a little frustrated.”
“It’s just that it doesn’t feel right. Of course, we still have another person to talk to,” she said with a sigh, “but it’s starting to look like Celine did it.”
“Why do you say that?” Linc asked as he petted Charlie.
“Well, think about it. She admitted to finding out that Mark was seeing Zoey. Maybe that was after she gave him a promotion. What if she really had feelings for him, went out on a limb to give him that promotion despite there being better qualified people, only to find out he was seeing someone else?”
Brigid still didn’t think it felt like a reason for murder, and Celine didn’t seem to be lying, but she could just be good at it. After all, there were people who could pass lie detector tests. Maybe that’s why Charlie believed her.
“I don’t know, Brigid. Maybe there’s something we’re missing,” Linc said. “I think we should go talk to that bartender and see what he has to say. Although if he’s the muscle for some bookie who wants his money, we’re going to have to tread lightly. We don’t want some kingpin thinking we’re nosing around asking questions about his illegal gambling operation.”
Linc looked a little apprehensive and Brigid couldn’t help but feel the same way. She only hoped she hadn’t taken on more than she should have on their honeymoon.
“I know, but we really don’t have much choice at this point. Come on, it’s probably late enough that the place is open by now. We’ll walk over and pretend we’re locals” she suggested.
Linc pulled out his phone and typed in the name of the bar on the GPS. “Looks like it’s close by. Okay, let’s get it over with. Then we can hand the information over to the detective and get back to our honeymoon.”
CHAPTER 17
Brigid and Linc began following the GPS’s directions toward the bar called El Lobo. Charlie seemed happy to go for a walk along the busy street, trotting smartly along beside them. They hadn’t gotten far when Brigid’s phone began to ring. She answered it and was surprised to hear Detective Brewer on the other end.
“Brigid, where are you?” he asked.
“We’re heading over to El Lobo to speak to the bartender, why?” She stopped walking, and Linc looked at her with a questioning look.
“Scratch that for now. Is Charlie with you?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure if he’s still got his talent. He didn’t think Celine was lying,” she began.
“I want to test him out. Head back to the Alamo. I’m going to have an officer bring you to the station. I have the bartender here for questioning. To be honest, I could just hook him up to a poly, but I don’t trust them as much as I trust Charlie. I’ve seen him pick up lies that the machine didn’t detect. Can you do that for me?”
“Of course,” Brigid said as she looked at Linc. “We’ll see you in a little while.”
“Who was that?” Linc asked.
“That was Detective Brewer. He has the bartender down at the station. He wants us to go back to the Alamo and get a ride with one of his officers who will take us to the station. We’re to meet him there. He wants to run a test on Charlie,” she explained.
They turned around and walked back to the Alamo where they saw an officer leaning up against his squad car. When they approached him, he straightened up and smiled at them.
“Are you Brigid?” he asked after carefully looking at Brigid and the dog. Detective Brewer must have given the officer their description.
“Yes, I am. Are you the officer Detective Brewer sent to give us a ride to the station?” she asked.
“One and the same. Let’s get you loaded up, and we’ll head on down to the station. My name is Officer Shelby,” The young man said. He extended his hand toward Brigid.
“Brigid Olsen. This is my husband, Linc, and this is Charlie,” she said by way of an introduction.
Officer Shelby turned and opened the door to the squad car for them. “We better get going. Detective Brewer doesn’t like to wait.”
Brigid nodded and they climbed into the back of the car. Charlie sat between Brigid and Linc, panting happily. As the officer climbed behind the wheel, Brigid couldn’t help but look around at everything inside the squad car. Linc was leaning forward slightly, trying to see over the seat.
“You’ve got a lot of stuff up there,” he said to the officer. “A lot more than I would have expected.”
“That I do,” Officer Shelby said good-naturedly. “It was pretty overwhelming the first time I saw it all. I honestly didn’t know how I would remember everything, plus trying to manage it while I was driving.”
“I can only imagine how you must have felt,” Linc said. He looked like he’d just won the lottery. “I know it’s a long shot, but could you turn on the siren and go really fast?” he asked excitedly. Brigid gave him a dirty look. She didn’t care how well trained the officer was, she did not want to drive fast through these streets, siren or not.
Officer Shelby laughed. “I wish I could, but I could get in real trouble if someone reported me. Let alone if we happened to get in a collision or something like that. There are waivers and stuff that have to be signed for ride-alongs.”
“Well, that’s a bummer,” Linc said as he sat back in his seat. Then, his eyes grew wide. “Are you saying I could sign a waiver and do a ride-along?”
“If you got special permission,” the officer said. “But they don’t grant it very often.”
“Man, you’re killing my dreams here, Officer Shelby,” Linc muttered.
“Sorry,” Officer Shelby said apologetically. “I gotta’ follow protocol.”
“I understand,” Linc said sadly. Then he brightened. “When we get to the station do you think we could take a few pictures? It’ll be really quick. Maybe you can make it look like you’re arresting me?”
Brigid gaped at her husband in surprise. “Seriously?” she asked, shocked.
“Hey, why not? It’s not every day you get to ride in the back of a cop car,” he shrugged.
Brigid shook her head while Officer Shelby laughed. “Now that we can do. Are you two from around here?” he asked.
“No,” Brigid said. “We’re here on our honeymoon.”
“Oh, that’s even better. Where’s home?” he asked as they continued through the busy city streets.
“Cottonwood Springs, Colorado,” Brigid supplied.
“Well, congratulations. So Linc, you want to let people back home think you got into some trouble while you were on your honeymoon in San Antonio?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Why not?” Linc asked with a shrug as he looked over at Brigid. “Might as well make it as memorable as possible.”
Officer Shelby tossed his head back as he laughed loudly. “You know,” he said after he recovered himself. “I’m glad I was the one picked to escort you to the station. You guys are a great couple. We’re almost there, it’s just down the road here.” He pointed at a tall building that was much larger than Brigid had expected.
“That’s it?” she asked. “It’s much bigger than I expected, although I guess I should have known better.”
“This is just the PD for our county. There are eight counties that make up San Antonio,” he explained. “We divide the city and keep an eye on our little area. Of course, we help the others when needed, but we all try to do what we can in our own area.” Officer Shelby seemed proud of that fact and Brigid couldn’t blame him. San Antonio was a big place, so of course it would take more than one station to handle it all.
They pulled into the parking lo
t and Charlie seemed to recognize where they were. He began to whine and dance a little in the seat as if he was ready to jump out of the car and greet everyone.
“That’s right, Charlie’s an old police dog, isn’t he? Now I remember Detective Brewer saying something about him,” Officer Shelby said as they pulled into a parking spot.
“That’s right,” Brigid said. “He’s helping us with our suspects on this murder investigation.”
“Good, I know it’s an important case. Here, let me open the door for you.” He pulled open the door and they climbed out.
“About these pictures,” Officer Shelby said. “You want me to put you in handcuffs?” he asked Linc.
“That would be awesome!” Linc said, sounding like a teenage boy.
“Oh, Lord,” Brigid said, shaking her head. She couldn’t help but smile though. She could tell Linc was having the time of his life. She pulled out her phone as Officer Shelby quickly put Linc in handcuffs. When she looked up again, both the officer and Linc looked like two little boys playing cops and robbers.
She laughed and shook her head. She snapped a few photos, and even got one of Linc getting the handcuffs put on as well as one when he was leaning over against the squad car.
“Make it look like I did something really bad,” Linc said. He was doing his best to not look happy when she was taking the pictures, but he was having a time of it.
“I can take my baton out and make it look like I’m holding you down with it,” Officer Shelby suggested.
“Oh, yeah. You can kind of press my face into the back of the car, too. Good idea,” Linc said eagerly. They got into position and Brigid snapped the picture.
“Are you done now, Linc?” she asked trying to hide her amusement.
“Can I get one more where I’m sitting in the back with the handcuffs on?” he asked. Officer Shelby opened the car door and eased him in the back. Brigid snapped a few more photos. Lastly, Linc looked out the window as if he had really been arrested. When she gave him the thumbs up and Officer Shelby opened the door again, his smile returned.
“How did they look?” he asked. “Were they believable?”
“For the most part,” Brigid admitted. “Except for a few where you were grinning like you’d just won the lottery.”
“That’s because I pretty much did,” he said as Officer Shelby removed the handcuffs. “Thanks. That was like winning the lottery and getting a free trip to Disneyland, all in one.”
“It was pretty fun,” Officer Shelby said, “but we probably better go inside. Detective Brewer will be waiting for you. I don’t really need him telling my C.O. that I took too long.”
Brigid pulled the leash from her arm where she’d looped it while she was taking pictures. “You won’t get in trouble for it, will you?” she asked as they walked toward the building.
“No, it’s fine. They give you a little leeway for traffic and such. We should be fine. I’ll take you to where Detective Brewer is, and then I’ll have to head back out,” he said as they reached the front doors of the building.
“Well, if you do get in any trouble, just blame it on me. Tell them I got car sick or something. I can’t have you getting in trouble over a little harmless fun,” Linc said as they stepped inside the police station.
The ground floor of the police station was bustling with so much activity it almost overwhelmed them. Brigid saw there were more officers in uniform walking around in the room than there were in the entire sheriff's department in Cottonwood Springs, to say nothing of the ones out on patrol or at home with their family.
“Right this way,” Officer Shelby said as he led them through the crowd.
CHAPTER 18
After being given visitors badges letting everyone know they were allowed to go farther into the police station, Officer Shelby led them to a smaller area with fewer officers in uniform and more in plainclothes. There were desks and areas that looked like cubicles scattered around the room, surprising Brigid with how ordinary it all seemed.
For some reason she’d expected something a little more like what they showed on television. State-of-the-art technology and modern furniture. Instead, everything looked as though they could be anywhere. Not deep in the heart of a San Antonio police station.
Detective Brewer stood up from a desk in the back and waved them over.
“There he is. Good luck, folks,” Officer Shelby said.
“Thank you so much for everything,” Linc said as he shook his hand before the officer turned and headed back to where they had come from. Brigid and Linc walked to where Detective Brewer was waiting for them.
“I’m glad you’re here. So you aren’t sure if Charlie is still up to par, huh?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Have you heard anything back about Celine’s security camera footage?” Brigid asked as they followed him through a set of grey double doors.
“Not yet, but I should be hearing something any time now. I set up a fake interrogation to test Charlie,” Detective Brewer explained as they followed him down the hall. “I’ve left a few questions on the table for you to ask, and the officer has been instructed to lie when she answers a couple of them. We’ll see if Charlie picks up on it. Just make sure you ask all of them, and we’ll make sure he’s still up to snuff.”
“Good idea,” Linc commented.
“Linc, you and I are going to be behind a one-way glass mirror watching them. Brigid, you and Charlie go in here. They’re waiting for you,” Detective Brewer said.
Brigid pushed the door open and was impressed by how realistic the whole scene looked. There was an officer in uniform standing in the corner while a woman, roughly in her thirties, was handcuffed to a table in the middle of the room. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. What looked like a large mirror was at the far end of the room.
“Good afternoon,” Brigid said. “My name’s Brigid, and this is Charlie.”
The woman looked up at her, staying in character. “Just ask your questions. I don’t need any nicey-nice small talk,” she said sourly.
It gave Brigid pause, but she realized that it probably needed to look as realistic as possible. She pulled out the chair across from the table and took a seat. Giving a cursory glance at the questions, Brigid began. “I see your name is Britney Estevez,” she said.
“Yep, sure is,” the woman said.
“And you’ve been at your current job for five years?” Brigid asked.
“Actually six,” Britney corrected.
“I see,” Brigid commented. “So where were you yesterday around 8:00 p.m.?”
“I was out with my girls. We were partying, because it was my birthday,” she began. Just then, Brigid felt a cold wet nose nudge her hand that had been resting on her leg. She looked down at Charlie who was clearly trying to get her attention.
“And was that where you saw your boyfriend with another woman?” Brigid asked as she read the next question.
“Sure was,” Britney said as she jutted her chin in the air. Charlie began to really whine then. He obviously knew she was lying. Brigid felt relieved to know the dog still possessed his remarkable talents, but what did that mean?
The police arrested Celine because the murder weapon was in her car. Did someone plant it there? There were no other suspects besides the bartender and as far as Brigid knew, he didn’t know Celine. She shook herself back to the present, realizing she still had one more question to read.
“And what did you have for breakfast this morning?” Brigid asked.
“A bowl of apple cinnamon oatmeal with a glass of orange juice and a banana on the side,” she said. Brigid turned to look at Charlie who was sitting completely still and quiet. Obviously, she hadn’t lied about that one, either.
“Thank you for your time,” Brigid said as she stood up. The woman at the table gave her a small apologetic smile, and Brigid returned it with one of her own. She didn’t take the scene personally. The woman was just doing what needed to be done. As she stepped back out into t
he hall, Detective Brewer and Linc were waiting nearby.
“Well, it looks as though Charlie still has it in him,” the detective said. “He got each one right. I feel confident enough that I want to take him to speak with our next suspect.”
“But that means Celine wasn’t lying,” Linc offered before Brigid could say anything. “He didn’t move a muscle when we spoke to her.”
“You’re probably right, but I would have been remiss in my duties if I hadn’t arrested her when the possible murder weapon was found in her vehicle. It wasn’t enough to clear her based on the fact Charlie didn’t think she was lying. He may be excellent at his job, but we didn’t know at the time if he was still in practice,” he explained.
Brigid understood his logic. They had to go by the cold hard facts and not the hunches of a dog in a police investigation. Still, Charlie had proven himself.
“Let’s move on to Larry Barelli. He’s the bartender from El Lobo. With Charlie here, this shouldn’t take too long.” He turned to Linc. “You can watch through the mirror like we did in the other room,” he said as they walked towards the interrogation room. “It’ll be located in about the same place as the last one. I’m sure you’ll be able to find it.”
He turned to Brigid, “You’re going to go into the interrogation room with me. I’ll ask the questions, and you keep an eye on Charlie.” They stopped outside a room and Detective Brewer pushed the door open.
Inside was a similar set-up like the one Brigid had just left, but knowing this one was real made her a bit more nervous. She looked at the man sitting at the table. He wasn’t handcuffed, probably because he wasn’t under arrest. Still, the thought she might be sitting down across from a murderer made her nervous.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Barelli,” Detective Brewer began. “I’m Detective Brewer, and this is my associate, Brigid, as well as K-9 officer Charlie. Do you have anything to say before I ask you a few questions?”
Murder at the Alamo Page 11
