Across State Lines

by C. J. Johnson

  “Thomas.”

  “Hey kid. Miss me much?”

  Frankie smiled at the southern draw on the other end of the line.

  “Hey Jim, how’s your grand-dad?”

  “He’s doing much better. I’m actually on my way back to KC. What’s going on with you? Any good cases cookin’?”

  Frankie entertained Craven with stories of the cases he had missed out on. When she got to the Captain Morgan bottle, Frankie stopped and waited for his response.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinkin’?” Craven asked.

  “If you’re thinking we need to go by the Brooksider and try to talk to your girlfriend Candi, then yes.”

  Frankie and Craven met Candi while they were working on a rape involving two women from Stevenson’s Automotive. Candi was a receptionist who had taken a keen liking to Craven. He met her at the Brooksider to extract information on their case, and while they were there, Candi disclosed, what they believed to be, a drug-facilitated rape at a 4th of July party at Alexandre Kristoff’s house. Craven wanted to go after him then, but Candi didn’t identify herself as a victim so they could not pursue. This new evidence might be enough to compel Candi to make a report and ultimately hold Kristoff accountable.

  “When will you be back?”

  “I’ll be rolling in around 6. Want to try to catch up to her tonight?”

  “Are you sure you’ll feel up to it?”

  Craven laughed, “Darlin’, I’m always up for working with you.”

  Frankie smiled and disconnected the call. Forty-five minutes later, she was walking into police headquarters with Mia.

  “Sarge called and said he wasn’t going to come in unless we need him. Craven is on his way back, by the way. He is going to meet us at the Brooksider around 7.”

  “You think Candi will talk to us?” Mia asked.

  Frankie laughed and said, “Maybe not you and I, but I don’t see her turning down a chance to talk to Craven.”

  Chapter 49

  It was beginning to get dark when Mia whipped the unmarked police car into an empty parking space in the back lot at the Brooksider and waited. Craven told them he would be there by 7pm so they could all make entry together.

  “You think Kristof will make bail?” Mia asked.

  “Maybe, but I hope not. I’m surprised she didn’t ask for more. $50,000 isn’t very high. He appears to have the means to easily afford 10% of that.”

  “True. She only charged him on one count of invasion of privacy. We don’t have any other named victims…yet. I wonder what they will do with the child porn?”

  “Brad is working to secure federal charges, which will make it a bit harder for him to get out.”

  “How do you want to approach this interview with Candi?” Mia asked.

  “Honestly, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I guess we will let Jim start up a conversation with her, then we come in. I have no idea how this girl is going to react – hell, she still may not want to make a report.”

  “I wonder if we should have brought someone from MOCSA with us?”

  Frankie thought about what Mia said. It might have been a good idea to bring a victim advocate from the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault with them. Candi might be triggered by the realization of what happened to her.

  “Good call. Let’s introduce her to the idea that something is up and get her to come to HQ. We can have someone from MOCSA meet us there,” Frankie said.

  A black SUV pulled up next to their unmarked car and lowered its window.

  “Hey there, pretty ladies. How are you doing tonight?”

  Frankie smiled, noticing Jim’s accent was a bit thicker than it had been before he left for North Carolina.

  “You might want to save some of that charm for Candi,” Mia said.

  “There isn’t anything to save Mee,” Jim used Frankie’s abbreviated name for Mia and flashed a smile. “It’s all natural.”

  Mia couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Jim, did you call her, or are we just hoping she will be here?”

  “I didn’t call. I am pretty sure she will be here, though. I got the impression this is a regular place for her. If not, we will find her address and pay her a home visit. What kind of approach do you want me to take?”

  Mia spoke up, “Low key. Let her know Kristoff is in jail and see if she’d be willing to talk to us about the party on the 4th of July. We’d prefer not to talk about it in the bar if possible. We will be at a table waiting for a nod from you.”

  “Sounds good.”

  The trio made their way to the front entrance in perfect cadence. Jim opened the door, allowing Mia and Frankie to enter first. All three scanned the room, thankful the crowd was a light one. Jim glanced at Frankie and nodded at the bar. Sitting with her back to them was the slender figure of the person they were looking for.

  Frankie and Mia found a table close to the bar so they could hear what she told Craven. They watched as he walked up behind her and gently touched the middle of her back. A smile lifted the corners of Candi’s mouth in recognition.

  Chapter 50

  “How’ve you been, Candi?” Jim noticed a glint of water in her eyes.

  “I’m doing better now,” she said. “Want to join me?”

  “I’d love to. What’s new with you?”

  “Oh, you know, same ole stuff. Work. School. Parties. More work.”

  “You still working at Stevenson’s Automotive?”

  “Ha, it’s funny you should ask that. As of yesterday, I have two weeks left at Stevenson’s. They notified me today that they are making some changes at the dealership, and my services will no longer be needed as a receptionist. And, since apparently I don’t have any other skills they can use, I will be left without a job.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Candi. Do you have any idea what you are going to do next?”

  “Apply for other jobs, I guess. I tried to call Alexandre to see if he needed any help at his firm, but his phone went straight to voice mail.”

  “You really think you want to work for him?” Jim asked.

  Candi appeared to give his question some thought before saying, “Not really, but if I don’t, then I’ll have to pick up some extra shifts at the Shady Lady and maybe work a party or two. I’m already working there a couple of nights a week, but I’d rather not do any more if I can find something else.”

  Jim knew he had to pursue the issue of the party carefully in light of everything she just said. The sleeve of Candi’s sweater receded as she reached for her drink, revealing the bud of a rose on the inside of her wrist.

  “Candi, may I see your tattoo?”

  With a wink, Candi replied, “Which one?”

  Jim smiled, “Let’s start with this one. He took her hand in his and gently pushed the sleeve of her sweater up to reveal the rose tattoo.

  “Oh, this one.” A cloud shadowed her face. “That one’s nothing.”

  Jim’s tone took a serious note, “Candi, would you be willing to come talk to me and some of my colleagues? It’s really important.”

  “Tonight? I have to work in the morning. Can it wait?”

  “No, it really can’t. I think you may be able to help us with a couple homicide investigations.”

  “I don’t see how I can be of any help. I haven’t had anything to do with any homicides.”

  “I know you haven’t, but I think you may know who has. Will you come downtown tonight?”

  “Can I drive my own car?”

  “Of course. You aren’t in any trouble I just don’t want to talk about this stuff in here where people can overhear us.”

  Candi rubbed her covered forearm and bit her lower lip. She looked around the room, then back at Jim. Nodding at Frankie and Mia, she asked, “Are they going to want to talk to me too?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, I guess this wasn’t just a coincidence, huh?”

  Jim could hear the disappointment in her voice.

  “No
t entirely, but the tattoo is not what we initially wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Would you care to enlighten me before we drive downtown?” Candi asked with a bit of irritation.

  Jim took a deep breath then said, “Alexandre Kristoff is why we initially wanted to speak to you.”

  Chapter 51

  “Thank you for coming down here, Candi. Detective Boden and I appreciate you agreeing to speak with us. Special Agent Craven will be joining us in a minute, but we wanted to speak to you alone for a few minutes while he grabs his files on the homicides.” Frankie looked over at Alex and said, “This is Alex. She is a victim advocate with the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault. We asked her to join us to serve as a potential support person for you. If, at any time, you would like to speak to her privately, or if you would like her to leave, just say the word.”

  During the drive to Police Headquarters, Candi had determined what she believed to be the reason for the interview with the Sex Crimes Unit. She just had not decided how much she wanted to talk. Sitting in the interview room, she still was unsure, but she was grateful to have Alex there with her.

  Frankie and Mia had spent their drive to headquarters discussing how much they would put on the table. They ultimately decided to tell Candi about the videos but, at least initially, to leave out the information on the possible drug found.

  “Back when we were investigating the rape involving Stevenson’s Automotive, you met with Special Agent Craven at the Brooksider. During that meeting, you mentioned an incident that occurred at Alexandre Kristoff’s house. We recently received a report that he was videotaping people in his home without their consent. As a result, we obtained a search warrant. When we executed the warrant, we recovered hundreds of videos and a mound of physical evidence. We will be going through the videos and photographs while we wait for the lab results on the physical evidence. We also wanted to talk to you about the incident from the 4th of July and see if it may be related.”

  Frankie paused to let the information sink in.

  Candi’s face was ashen. The silence in the room was palpable as the realization drifted over her face.

  “There are videos?” she softly asked.

  “Yes. We haven’t had a chance to watch all of them yet, so I don’t know if there are any with you in them. If we find any, I promise I’ll let you know.”

  Candi nodded.

  “Did you go to a lot of parties at Alexandre’s?” Mia asked.

  Candi looked up, snapping out of her thoughts, and said, “Yeah. He was always throwing great parties. And if he wasn’t hosting the party, the after-party was at his house. It didn’t matter what day or what time we went over there it was like he was always ready. The bar was always stocked and there was plenty of food in the house. I think he liked having people around. Especially women.”

  “What kind of alcohol did he usually keep in the bar?” Frankie asked.

  “You name it and he had it. Wine, liquor, beer, mixers. Everything.”

  “Did people mix their own drinks?”

  Candi seemed to give the question some thought before answering.

  “I never really thought about it, but now that you ask, no. I mean, you could grab a beer on your own but he or one of his friends would pour the wine and mix any drinks that had liquor. He was always making a big deal about how he had a ‘special recipe’ no matter what the drink was.”

  “You said he or one of his friends poured the wine and mixed the drinks. Who was the friend or was there more than one?”

  “Luka.”

  “Do you know Luka’s last name or where he lives?”

  “I don’t know. I only met him a few times.”

  “Tell us about the 4th of July party.”

  Candi sighed.

  “It was one of Alexandre’s killer parties. He had pulled out all the stops. There was a live band playing, everyone was swimming and dancing, and of course, drinking. Even the general manager from Stevenson’s Automotive, Anthony Maggio, showed up. I saw Anthony walk in but didn’t really care. I was hanging out with one of the guys from the repair shop, Josh, so I waved hello and went back to doing shots with him.

  “Josh got hammered. I mean stupid hammered. Alexandre has a rule about not letting people drive home after drinking at his house, so when he saw how lit Josh was, he helped me take him to one of the guest rooms to sleep it off. When we laid him down Alexandre touched my ass and told me I could stay with Josh that night or if I wanted to, I could sleep with him. I just laughed it off and told him I’d be back down to the party after I used the bathroom.

  “I was coming out of the bathroom and almost ran into Anthony Maggio in the hall. I told him, ‘it’s all yours’ and gestured towards the bathroom. He reached over and grabbed my waist and said, ‘Really?’ I pushed on his chest and told him I was referring to the bathroom, but he kept a hold of my waist and tried to kiss my neck. I told him to knock it off. I was about to use the heel of my shoe to stomp on his foot when he let me go. I walked away and went back to the party. He waited upstairs for a couple of minutes and then came back to the pool.

  “After everyone left the party, I was trying to decide if I wanted to go back upstairs with Josh or catch a cab home. I knew I couldn’t drive but I wasn’t sure I wanted to stay at Alexandre’s. I’d never stayed there before and it kind of creeped me out. Anthony came up to me again and this time asked me if I liked my job and if I thought Josh liked his. I told him we both liked our jobs, why was he asking? He took his finger and traced it along my shoulder blade and told me I should think about how much we both like our jobs before I start running my mouth off about the ‘misunderstanding’ in the hallway. I told him there was no misunderstanding and I had no intention of saying anything as long as he left me alone. He smiled at me, offered me a glass of wine and said, ‘truce?’

  “Just as I accepted the glass of wine, Alexandre asked Anthony and me if we wanted to join him and his girlfriend in the hot tub. That’s really the last thing I remember about that night. When I woke up the next morning, I was in bed with Josh. Naked and sore.” Tears were trickling down Candi’s cheeks as she said the word naked. “I didn’t think I drank that much, but I guess that wine really pushed me over the edge.”

  “What happened when you woke up?”

  Candi brushed the tears from her cheeks and gave a half-hearted laugh, “What do you mean? I got dressed and went downstairs. Alexandre cooked me a gourmet breakfast, gave me a tall glass of water, a shot of tequila, and a couple of aspirin. When Josh woke up, we both left. Josh and I talked later and both of us are pretty sure nothing happened between us. He was out of it and, well, I was too. I probably took my own clothes off when I got back to the bedroom. I mean, after all, I was drunk. I never did figure out why I was sore though.”

  “Do you remember anyone else being at the house when you got into the hot tub?”

  Candi seemed to give the question some thought.

  “Now that you mention it, I think Luka was there.”

  “What was Alexandre’s girlfriend’s name?” Frankie asked.

  “Keeley.”

  “You mentioned you were sore. Describe where you were sore.”

  Candi lowered her head and said, “My whole body but especially down there.” Candi pointed to her lap.

  “Did it feel like someone had penetrated your vagina?”

  Tears fell from Candi’s eyes as she nodded.

  “Did you consent to having sex with anyone that night?”

  “No. I mean, I was drunk, but I don’t think I did.”

  “Is there anything else you remember about that night?” Frankie asked.

  “No,” Candi paused. “I remember the wine tasted different. When I asked Alexandre about it, he said it was a new blend he was trying. I don’t know a lot about wine, so I didn’t question it.”

  “How did you feel when you woke up? Besides sore.”

  Laughing, Candi said, “Like shit. My head was poundin
g, and I felt pretty nauseous. I’ve been hungover plenty of times, but this was different. It took me a couple of days to shake it.”

  Frankie was preparing to end the interview when Mia asked, “Can I speak to you in the hall?”

  Chapter 52

  “Let’s show her the guy from the computer. He looks familiar to us. Maybe she can tell us why.”

  “Good call,” Frankie said.

  “Do you want to talk to her about the tattoo, or shall I?” Craven asked.

  “You can join us. We probably should show her the photos of the girls too,” Frankie answered.

  “I think all of us in the room would be a bit overwhelming, so I’ll watch from here and start working on the report,” Mia said. “Why don’t you guys go talk to her.”

  Frankie grabbed the photographs, and she and Craven returned to the interview room.

  “Hi Jim,” Candi looked up and smiled sweetly.

  “Hey there. Feel like you can answer a few more questions for us?”

  “Whatever you need,” Candi said as she winked at Jim.

  “Candi, do you know this guy?” Frankie showed Candi the photograph of the man with the little girl.

  “That’s Luka.”

  “Is Luka related to Alexandre?”

  “Not that I know of. I don’t think they are family, but Alexandre mentioned they grew up together. I’m not really sure where.”

  “Great. Do you know how to get in touch with Luka or where he lives?”

  “No, I’ve only seen him at Alexandre’s house.”

  “Thank you. I have a couple of other photographs to show you.” Frankie flipped over the photograph of Katarina Schlovik. “Do you know her?”

  Candi touched the face of the woman in the photograph, “Yeah, that’s Kat.”

  Frankie flipped over the photograph of Andrea Tucker and Nicole Andrews.

  “Do you know these women?”

  Candi gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Frankie heard a groan escape through Candi’s fingers.