“I really like Officer Dekker.” She said quickly.
“I like him too.”
“He is a really good training officer. I have learned so much from him”
“How do you know he’s a good training officer. He’s your first one.”
Lizzies face burned with embarrassment. “What I meant was he doesn’t take any shortcuts and takes a lot of time to teach me the proper procedure in each detail.”
Sgt. O’Connell stared at Lizzie over the rim of his coffee cup. “I am glad to hear that. If anything seems off or you feel like you aren’t getting the training the way you want I want you to come to me directly.”
“Like you said, how will I know if he isn’t training me correctly?”
“You’re smart Ofc Noble. I think you know what I mean. If Dekker does anything out of school I want you to feel free to tell me.”
“Sarge, are you asking me to spy on him?”
Sgt. O’Connell said nothing. He just continued to look at Lizzie. Lizzie wanted desperately to fill the silence but she had no idea what to say. Should she keep defending Dekker? Did the sergeant know something she didn’t? Was this some kind of test? Before she could formulate any further coherent sentences, Sgt. O’Connell picked up his empty coffee cup and stood.
“Let’s go,” he said. Lizzie put her empty cup on the front counter and had to run to catch up with him as he strode out the front door towards their car.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Once they had returned to the station, O’Connell went straight back to his office without a word. Lizzie decided to go out to the car and wait for Dekker. She needed a little breather. She wondered to herself what the purpose behind her coffee date with the sergeant had been. He had seemed suspicious about Dekker. How was she going to handle this? She sat in the driver seat of the patrol car mulling it all over and so lost in thought she was startled when the passenger door opened and Dekker fell in.
“How’d coffee with the sergeant go? You didn’t make a fool out of me, I hope?”
“Not at all,” said Lizzie. “It was uneventful and I have nothing to report.” Lizzie looked at Dekker out of the corner of her eye. He seemed a little stressed out. “How did the briefing with the detectives go? Do they know anything about our dead body?”
“Nope. Not a thing.” He waved a yellow folder in the air before stuffing it between himself and the center console. “Crime scene investigators report. Nothing to get excited about.” Lizzie glanced down at the folder. It seemed awfully thin.
“Ugh, forgot my notebook. Check the computer for what’s holding in our beat and I’ll be right back.”
After Dekker got out of the car Lizzie looked at the folder once more. She waited until Dekker was inside the building before quickly dislodging the folder and opening it on her lap. The CSI report was several pages long and Lizzie perused it with interest. Dekker had been right, not much to report apparently.
Lizzie flipped to the last page and stopped cold. Wait a second. This was the fingerprint report from the car that had been burned. One partial print had been recovered from inside the trunk. Apparently it hadn’t had time to burn sufficiently. And the print had been matched to some guy named Frank Barnes. Why hadn’t Dekker told her about this? This could be the dead guys identity! What if he had been in the car trunk at some point? It could have gotten there when he stole the car. It sure didn’t match the registered owner.
Lizzie looked up to see Dekker approaching and she quickly stuffed the papers back in the folder and returned it to its spot between Dekker’s seat and the console. Lizzie waited until Dekker climbed back into the passenger seat and settled in. “Would it be ok if I looked at the CSI report?” she asked.
“You mean you didn’t look at it while I was gone?”
“Of course not,” she lied.
“Looks like you had your chance and blew it then.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing in it?” Lizzie pushed
“Nothing that will help us.”
“What do we need to do next in the investigation?”
“We? We do nothing. The detectives have it from here.”
“But…”
“NO!” He interrupted her gruffly. Dekker took a deep breath before continuing, “You’re a rookie and this is best left for the detectives. Let’s just focus on what you need to learn.”
“Copy that” Lizzie knew when it was time to shut up and listen. She shifted the patrol car into drive and exited the parking lot. Lizzie felt irritated and concerned. Dekker suddenly sounded like Jack. Something had changed since their field trip to the morgue. Just like a man, hogging all the info to himself so he can get all the credit. Well she couldn’t just un-see the name in the report. She had no idea what to do next but she wasn’t about to let this go and now she had a place to start; with Frank Barnes.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
It was well after midnight before Dekker made it home and he was a little surprised to see his wife still awake. He dropped his bag in the hallway and followed the delicious smells of fried chicken wafting from the kitchen. He stopped just inside the kitchen door and smiled at the sight of Robyn standing at the stove. She wore a red apron over her pajamas and her dark brown hair in a long braid down her back. “Well don’t just stand there gawking, grab us some plates,” she said without even turning around.
Dekker went to her and put his arms around her waist. He leaned over her shoulder to see what she was cooking. “Fried chicken? At this hour?”
“I knew you probably hadn’t eaten and for some reason I was starving!”
“It smells delicious,” he said taking the opportunity to kiss her on the neck.
“Stop that” Robyn laughed and playfully swatted him with the dishtowel she kept slung over her shoulder.
Dekker went to the cupboard and grabbed two plates and two coffee mugs. Robyn was right, today had been a long one and he was hungry. He smiled to himself. Even after twenty years of marriage, Robyn still knew exactly what he needed. Pouring himself a fresh cup of coffee, Dekker sat at the kitchen table and watched as Robyn finished cooking.
“How did today go?” Robyn asked.
“Fine.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“What makes you think something’s wrong?”
Robyn raised one eyebrow knowingly.
Dekker said, “You aren’t going to believe this. Remember that call where Lizzie followed the fire truck and there ended up being a body in a burned ou car?”
Robyn laughed. “Yep. Sounds like you have your hands full with her.”
“She’s interested in everything. I kind of like that about her. At least I don’t have to kick her in the pants to get her to do things.”
“Did she do something wrong?”
“No, nothing like that. We went to the autopsy today. The coroner tentatively ruled it as a homicide.”
“That doesn’t sound so out of the ordinary. What makes this one special?”
“The victim.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know for certain but…” he paused, looking up from his food.
“But what? What is it?”
“I got the CSI report back today and there was a print found inside the trunk. Only one useable print in the whole burned up mess.”
“That’s a good thing right? Now the detectives can go about figuring out who he is?”
“I already know who he his.” Dekker said with a lowered voice
Robyn put her fork down and stared at Dekker expectantly.
“It came back as a match to Frank Barnes.” Dekker spoke the words and once again felt the shock at the information.
“Frank Barnes. The informant?”
“The one and only.”
“I don’t suppose there was a bag of dope and money in that trunk?”
“No such luck.”
No longer hungry, Dekker took his plate to the garbage and scraped his uneaten dinner into it. He went to the sink an
d ran hot water over the plate before leaving it in the sink. He turned back to Robyn. “I’m not quite sure what to think. Let’s say this is Frank Barnes. How did he get there? What happened to the money and the drugs? He was just a kid, who would want to kill him?”
“You still think about that day don’t you?”
“Of course I do! I was blamed for the whole situation when Barnes couldn’t be found. He could’ve helped. He could’ve testified to whole setup.”
“What good would that have done, Tom?”
“What good would it have done? Maybe he could have told us what he saw when Jimmy was killed. We would certainly still have the money and the drugs wouldn’t be out there floating around. ” Dekker put his coffee cup in the sink with the plate and went to the cabinet for a glass. He poured himself a scotch from the decanter on the counter and took a large swallow. “I bet Werner had something to do with this.”
“Oh now really,” sighed Robyn. “Werner is a tool but do you really think he’d murder someone just to keep you looking bad?”
“He got my job didn’t he? He wouldn’t want anyone screwing that up. All I know is that Barnes has been off the grid for years and now suddenly he’s back”
“You’re talking about murder, Tom! I refuse to believe that any cop is capable of that type of evil.”
“That’s because you don’t know what really goes on in that place. You’d be surprised how many guys get away with dirty policing.”
“I think you’re getting carried away with this. If Barnes was involved in drugs he could’ve crossed the wrong guy and now he’s paying for it.”
“The wrong guy like Werner!”
“Oh good Lord, stop. How much does Lizzie know?”
“None of it. She doesn’t know about the old case and I lied this morning when she asked if the CSI officer had found anything.”
“Good. Keep her out of this. The last thing that sweet girl needs is to get caught up in all that sordid mess.”
“What do you think I should do with this?”
“Nothing. I say let sleeping dogs lie.”
“I’m not sure if I can do that, Robyn.”
“Come to bed. Maybe you will be able to think more clearly in the morning.” Robyn took the glass from Dekker’s hand and set it in the sink with the rest of the dinner dishes. She grabbed him by the hand and flicked off the kitchen light as she led him to their room.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Long after the lights were out and Robyn had started her gentle snoring, Dekker lay awake pondering the Barnes case. He could feel the old familiar acid building up in his stomach. He had developed an ulcer when all of that went down and he was a little afraid it was coming back with this new discovery.
Frank Barnes had been so close this whole time! The last two years had gone by and Dekker had been sure Barnes fled to Mexico or some other part of the country where he could move on without being recognized. But he had been close this whole time.
Dekker couldn’t just lie there with his head spinning the rest of the night. Moving softly so as not to wake Robyn, Dekker climbed out of bed and grabbed his bathrobe. He quietly closed the bedroom door behind him and made his way to the kitchen. A glass of warm milk might help. He spied the glass decanter of scotch. This. This is what he needed. He grabbed a clean glass from the cupboard. With the decanter and glass in hand he made his way to his home office.
Closing the office door behind him he sat down at his executive desk and flipped on the small lamp in the corner. The room was originally going to be a nursery but once they found out they couldn’t have kids he had turned it into a home office and it had suited him well. Maybe if he and Robyn had adopted, they could have spent the last two years enjoying family life instead of being in the midst of something so ferocious their marriage almost hadn’t survived.
Opening the center desk drawer Dekker removed a set of keys. He should do what Robyn said and just let sleeping dogs lie. Leave this alone and just move on. Keep training rookies until he retired and stay out of any further mess. But what if his suspicions were right? What if Werner knew where Barnes was and was using him to get further on other cases? Dekker knew Werner was slimy but could he really have murdered Barnes? What if Werner was trying to set Dekker up? Did Werner really hate him that much?
Dekker made up his mind with a quick set of his mouth. He got up and unlocked the top drawer of his file cabinet. He can’t let this go.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Dekker removed the stuffed file folders that held all of the documents from the original case. There were police reports, witness statements, coroner’s reports and depositions. Two years of his life stuffed into these files. He piled them up on the desk and paused to look at them. He wasn’t even sure what he was looking for. He thought he knew these documents backward and forward. Maybe something would jump out at him. Something he had missed. Something would help him decide what to do next. He took a deep breath and an even bigger swig of scotch. He opened the first file and started reading.
The sun was just peeking through the blinds when Robyn quietly knocked on the door and entered the office. She held a steaming cup of coffee in her hands and stared at all the papers and files strewn all over the desk and floor.
“I thought were going to leave this be?”
“I was but it just kept nagging me.”
“Did you even sleep last night?”
“Not really. I got wrapped up looking for that missing piece that would help me figure this out.”
“Did you find it?”
“Nope. Nothing yet.”
Robyn hugged him tightly and set the mug of coffee down on a pile of papers he still had to look through. “Can you put that aside and have something to eat before work? Can I make you breakfast?”
“You really are too good to me.” Dekker said, grabbing her hand and holding it to his face.
“And don’t you forget it!” Robyn quipped as she walked to the kitchen. “Now put that away!” she yelled from the kitchen.
Dekker left every file right where it was and went to his bedroom. He had time to take a quick shower before breakfast and then he would spend the rest of his morning with Robyn. She deserved that. If he was going to pursue this homicide investigation he had to make sure it didn’t swallow him. As the shower ran hot, filling the bathroom with steam. He spoke to his reflection in the bathroom mirror. “You will NOT let this affect your marriage. You will NOT sacrifice what you have for any reason. Don’t you dare.”
Chapter Forty
By the time Dekker had gotten to work, sat through briefing and gotten Lizzie and her stuff loaded into the patrol car, it was time for court. He earnestly hoped this would go quickly. He hated having to wait for the DA to call him but they didn’t appreciate it when he told them to “call me when you need me.”
Lizzie was a little quiet this morning but when they arrived at the courthouse Dekker told her to wait in the car.
Lizzie spoke up. “You said I could come in and watch.”
“You’re right I did say that. Come on then. Just sit in the audience and don’t talk.”
“What kind of case is it?”
“DUI case from four years ago”
“And it’s just now going to court?”
“It’s ridiculous really. This suspect has been in San Quentin for the last two years on a robbery conviction but the baby D.A.’s needed something to cut their trial teeth on. So they pull cases like this. Even if they lose this DUI trial, the guy just goes straight back to lockup.”
Lizzie nodded as if this made all the sense in the world. She followed Dekker into the assigned courtroom and took a seat in the back. Dekker walked down the aisle and tapped the DA on the shoulder to let her know he was present.
Lizzie watched the proceedings with fascination. She couldn’t keep her eyes off of the big burly man sitting at the defense table. The full-grown beard that hung past his shirt collar made a stark contrast to his gleaming, bald, head. A l
arge tattoo of a cross marred the left side of his face. This is what real criminals looked like. I’d hate to meet that guy in an alley on a dark night. As if reading her thoughts, the defendant turned his head and stared back at Lizzie. She shuddered involuntarily as he smiled, revealing a gap where his two top teeth should be. Whatever this man had done, prison was definitely where he belonged.
Chapter Forty-One
Lizzie jumped at a tap on her shoulder. She looked behind her and saw Ofc Camden holding his finger to his mouth warning her to keep quiet. She looked at him questioningly and shrugged her shoulders. He waved for her to follow him out into the hallway and Lizzie did so begrudgingly.
“I was learning something in there!” she scolded Camden
“Oh please. That case is snooze fest. Walk with me and I’ll show you around.”
Lizzie followed Camden down the hallway to a door marked Records Clerk. Camden knocked on the door and a pleasant looking woman opened it to them.
“Donna” Camden smiled sweetly.
“Officer Camden, what can I do for you?”
“I need to pull a case file, please.”
“Come in then. Just hurry up because I’m about to go to lunch and I don’t relish the idea of leaving you alone in here.”
Camden asked with a fake pout, “You don’t trust me?” He blinked his eyes innocently for good measure.
“Not a chance!”
“Smart girl,” he said and Donna laughed.
Lizzie followed Camden to a desk with a computer on it and watched as he typed in a name she didn’t recognize.
“So what exactly are you doing?”
“I have to write up a case for the detectives and I want to pull the old court documents on the suspects previous rap sheet.”
Lizzie watched over his shoulder as Camden located the case file number he needed and then walked with him to a large wall of file drawers. Camden flipped through case files until he found the one was looking for. “Be right back, I need to copy these.”
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