Tic Tac Toe (A Suspense Novel)

by Kel E. Mitchell

  “It’s about your dad.”

  “What about him?” Irene asked uneasily.

  Max took a deep breath as he started to explain, “Irene, your dad called me the week that he died. We were supposed to meet for dinner so that he could give me something, but he was killed two days before that.”

  “What did he need to give you?”

  “He wouldn’t tell me over the phone – so I have no idea. Listen to me, Irene – I don’t think your father’s death was a robbery gone wrong or a random act of violence. We’re all missing something, and I need your help to find out what. Together we may be able to figure out what really happened the night your father was murdered, and who did it.”

  Irene sat silently, thinking about his theory for a long time. She’d felt all along that the police were missing something, and it made her even more uncomfortable knowing that Max felt the same way. She looked at him, her face intent. “What’s your plan?”

  “I’m leaving in the morning, and I was hoping that you’d come back with me.”

  “You want me to go home?”

  “Boston’s where it happened. To figure things out, we have to go back to where it all started.” He looked at her pleadingly. “If I’m ever going to find out what happened that night, I need your help.” When she still hesitated, he continued, “Please, Irene, I can’t do this alone.”

  Irene knew how difficult it would be for her to return home. It meant that she would be digging into information concerning her father’s murder. She was afraid that she’d learn things that would be too painful for her to handle. It also meant that she would have to trust Max and let him help her. She would have to let him back into her life – and what would her aunt think about her sudden departure with Max to Boston? As hard as going home would be on her, Irene needed to know the truth. She’d made her decision. She only hoped that she wouldn’t live to regret it.

 

  Chapter 31

  Boston

  “Come in,” Sarah Jane called in response to the knock on the door to her office. The door opened and Luke walked in. She was alone in her office. Since their last encounter was just yesterday, she didn’t feel like talking to him again so soon. “Oh, it’s you. On second thought, don’t come in.” With that said, she glanced back down at her work.

  “Feisty are we?”

  “Only with you.”

  Luke said self-assuredly, “Lucky me!” He walked to her desk and stood opposite from where she was sitting. After a moment he spoke, his voice sincere. “Look Sarah, I’m not here to annoy you okay? I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. I’m sorry that I tried to corner you into telling me what you were doing outside of Bryson and Adam’s office. It’s none of my business.” She looked up from her work, her face surprised. “Don’t look so shocked. Believe it or not, I’m the type of guy who can admit when he’s been a jerk.” That admission merited him a smile from her. When she still didn’t say anything, he assumed that she was through with the conversation. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, then put his hands in his pockets. “Anyway . . . I’m sorry I bothered you.”

  He turned around to leave, but her voice stopped him. “Luke,” she said as she stood and moved from behind her desk.

  He turned to face her. “Yeah?”

  She hesitated for just a moment and then continued, “I’m sorry about yesterday too. I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you. It’s just that when you found me outside of Bryson and Adam’s office, you took me by surprise, and I overreacted.”

  “I understand.”

  “I should never have been eavesdropping on their conversation in the first place, but I couldn’t help it. I was just walking by, and I heard them yelling at each other.”

  “What were they talking about?” Luke questioned.

  “I’m not sure exactly. All I know was that I heard Bryson ask Adam if he’d been going through his stuff.”

  Luke was confused. “Why’s that such a big deal? They’re working on the same cases, so it’s not like they’d be keeping secrets from each other.”

  “I thought the same thing,” Sarah Jane agreed. “That’s why his question seemed so weird.”

  “What did Adam say when Bryson asked him that?”

  “I don’t know because that’s when someone nearly knocked me over.” She smiled meaningfully at Luke. “I never heard Adam’s response. I was more interested in making a James Bond getaway before getting caught!”

  He smiled and nodded. “Tell me about it. I thought we were dead for sure!” They laughed for a moment but then grew silent. He studied Sarah Jane’s face carefully and thought that she seemed pensive. “What’s the matter?”

  “It’s just that . . .”

  “What?”

  “It’s seems like Bryson and Adam have been acting strange ever since Judge Duncan’s death.” She shrugged her shoulders in an attempt to dismiss her uncertainty. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  He thought for a moment and then continued, “Not necessarily.”

  She was puzzled. “What do you mean?”

  “A buddy of mine basically grew up in Duncan’s home. He thinks that Duncan’s murder wasn’t a robbery like the police suspect.”

  “Are you serious?”

  He nodded. “We’re trying to find out what really happened that night. My friend has gone to Europe to find Duncan’s daughter to ask her to help him. He asked me to help him as well since I’m connected with Duncan’s work. He wants me to look for anything at work that seems suspicious, and Bryson and Adam’s conversation sounds plenty suspicious to me. It may turn out to be nothing, but it’s definitely worth looking into.”

  “Let me help you.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t want you involved if the situation gets messy. Duncan’s dead, and I’m not going to run the risk of your getting hurt.”

  “How chivalrous of you, Luke,” she responded jokingly. “Hate to break it to you, but I’m already involved.” When he still hesitated, she continued, “Oh, come on, let me see what I can find out. No one will ever suspect me.”

  “And why’s that?”

  “Because, I’m a woman, and no one ever suspects a woman.”

  She waited expectantly, and he let out a sigh. “Get your coat. We’re leaving.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “The airport. Max and Judge Duncan’s daughter Irene get back from Europe today, and we need to start planning.”

  “Planning what exactly?”

  “Our strategy. Duncan’s killer has eluded the police for weeks, and I’m willing to bet that the police are no closer to knowing what happened today than they were just after Duncan’s death. I’ll bet Duncan’s murderer thinks he’s in the clear by now – that he’s gotten away with murder. It’s time for us to make him uncomfortable – it’s time to uncover his mistakes.”

  Chapter 32

  Luke and Sarah Jane waited just outside of security at Boston’s Logan International Airport for Max and Irene to arrive. At last, Luke spotted them weaving toward them through the crowd of people. Just as they reached him, Luke snatched Irene swiftly by the shoulders and gave her a tight bear hug. “Rene, it is so good to see you!” He stood back, holding her by the shoulders. “Wow! The years have certainly been kind – you look fantastic!”

  Irene smiled broadly, delighted to see her old friend. “Thank you, Luke, so do you.” Just then, Max and Irene’s glance moved to the attractive girl standing behind Luke. Luke let go of Irene’s shoulders and gestured for Sarah Jane to come forward so that he could introduce her to his friends. He put his hand on Sarah Jane’s back as he said, “Sarah Jane, these are the friends I was telling you about. Max, Irene, this is Sarah Jane – she’s a . . .” Luke hesitated, not sure exactly how he should introduce her, and then choosing his words carefully
continued, “We know each other from work.”

  Max shook Sarah Jane’s hand as he said, “It’s nice to meet you.”

  She nodded and responded pleasantly, “You too.” It was then that Sarah Jane looked over at Irene. She liked Irene instantly, even though Irene was striking enough to make any other girl green with envy. She smiled at Irene and said enthusiastically, “It’s nice to meet you. Luke told me so much about you.”

  Irene smiled in response to the other girl’s friendliness. “Luke’s a sweetheart, but he exaggerates. I’m afraid there’s not much about me that’s terribly interesting.”

  “I don’t know about that. I found what he had to say about you more than fascinating!”

  Before Irene could ask exactly what he had told her, Luke chimed in hastily. “Well, enough small talk ladies. Shall we get going?” He looked at Max. “Let’s go get your bags.” Max smirked in response to Luke’s obvious discomfort. “What’s so funny?”

  “Why are you all of a sudden in such a hurry? Have you been sharing information again that you shouldn’t have?” Max joked.

  “I wouldn’t be acting so smug if I were you,” Luke countered. “Trust me – you were included in most of what Sarah Jane heard that she found so fascinating.” Max’s smile vanished, and he gave an exasperated sigh. “You never did know how to keep your mouth shut did you?”

  Luke grinned mischievously. “Guilty.”

  Max couldn’t help but laugh at his friend’s open admission. “Let’s just get the bags.”

  “Here, Rene, let me carry some of your stuff,” Luke said as he took Irene’s carry-ons from her hands. “You look tired.”

  “Thanks, Luke,” she responded. “I am tired. Now I’ve got jet-lag on top of everything else.”

  “Let’s get you home so that you can rest,” Max said.

  The four friends walked to baggage claim where Max and Luke left Irene and Sarah Jane for just a moment while they went on to get the rest of the luggage. When they were a distance away from the women, Luke inquired, “So, you actually got her to come back with you. I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that I’m a little shocked you were able to manage it. I didn’t think you had it in you!”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Max said sarcastically.

  Luke punched him in the arm and said jokingly, “Anytime.” The friends became serious as Luke questioned, “So, what now? Where do we start?”

  “We start by doing our homework. We’re going to look closely at the people with whom Duncan spent the most time. We’re going to socialize with everyone he knew, his colleagues, his country club friends, friends of his wife, old and new acquaintances. We’re going to look into past case rulings – especially controversial ones – ones where the individuals involved had a lot to lose. We’re going to find out everything and anything that Duncan was involved with.” Max paused for a moment deep in thought and then continued, “My only concern about digging for information in so many circles is that we may not be able to keep our intentions a secret for as long as I’d like.”

  Luke nodded his agreement as Max continued, “But that’s why we’re going to infiltrate as many of Duncan’s circles as possible at the same time. You can keep an eye on the courthouse while Irene and I look primarily into her father’s personal effects and social acquaintances.”

  “Got it.”

  “Just remember, Luke, that we have to be careful. We have to think before we act. Duncan’s killer obviously isn’t stupid – plus he’s had weeks to cover his tracks.”

  “We’ve got our work cut out for us. As of right now, we don’t have a whole lot to go on. How are we going to catch him?”

  “We just have to be patient. He’ll make a mistake. One thing I’ve learned about criminals from my line of work is that no matter how careful they thought they were when they committed a crime, in the end, they always made a mistake. All we have to do now is wait. Duncan’s killer made a mistake – he just doesn’t know it.”

  Chapter 33

  Duncan’s murderer sat on the living room couch and watched the late night news to see how the murder investigation was coming along. By now, the judge’s death had taken a back seat to other stories, especially since the police hadn’t identified any suspects. The report was the same that night as it had been in the previous weeks. The police still hadn’t reached any conclusions but continued to assure the public that they were confident that they would find the person responsible for this heinous crime. “It’s been weeks since Duncan’s death,” the killer contemplated.

  The killer knew that the police didn’t have a clue as to who the murderer was. “I did it!” the killer thought. “I got away with it! Obviously no one found out that I was blackmailing the judge or the police would have shown up to arrest me by now. I should have known that Duncan was bluffing. He never contacted a reporter about the blackmail.”

  The killer sighed, feeling at ease – it had been nearly a month since Duncan’s death. The murderer turned off the television and lounged comfortably on the couch. The killer picked up the recorder on the coffee table, the very one found in Duncan’s pocket just after his death. The murderer decided it was now time to destroy the only piece of evidence from the murder scene.

  Chapter 34

  Irene hadn’t been able to sleep the previous night since her home seemed far more quiet than usual. She also hadn’t been able to stop her mind from dwelling on the horror surrounding her father’s death. She acknowledged to herself how strange it was that the home where she’d grown up and had so many wonderful memories now had an eerie emptiness about it. Irene knew that she felt this way because her mother and father were both gone; and since it had been so long since she herself had lived there, she felt like a visitor in her own home. As a result of a turbulent night, she got up very early, danced for several hours, and was sitting in her father’s study dressed and ready for the day when the doorbell rang at nine o’clock in the morning. Mrs. Lewis had the weekend off – and since it was Saturday – Irene went downstairs to answer the door herself. She was surprised to open the door and find Max waiting there – with breakfast.

  He observed Irene’s immaculate appearance for such an early hour on a Saturday and said, “I thought you’d still be sleeping since you seemed so tired from the flight yesterday.”

  She stood aside so that he could enter as she responded pleasantly, “I couldn’t sleep. Too wired from everything, I guess.” He nodded his understanding. She then continued, her face somewhat confused, “Why didn’t you let yourself in? Did you lose your key?”

  “No, I still have it.”

  Irene waited for Max’s explanation to continue, and when it didn’t, her mouth broke into a smile as she joked, “Then why didn’t you use it. It could have saved me a trip down the stairs.”

  He smiled and then said somewhat flustered, “I didn’t know if you’d be okay with . . . I didn’t know exactly how you’d feel about . . . I didn’t want to startle you.” He seemed uncomfortable when he didn’t know how to go about explaining his actions.

  Despite his clumsy explanation, Irene understood his reasoning and said teasingly, “How considerate of you, Maxwell. However, let me assure you that in the future should you wish to let yourself in, it won’t startle me.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” He looked at her for a few seconds in silence and then continued, “I brought breakfast. Have you eaten?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Good.” They walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. “Luke and Sarah Jane should be here a little later. She’s going to help him look for stuff at the courthouse.” Irene nodded and Max continued, “I thought that after we ate we could start going over your father’s personal things and then decide where to go from there.”

  “Sounds good, but I don’t quite know where we should start. I mean we really have no idea what to look for since my father was involved in so many
things both in and outside of work.” She sighed tiredly and looked out the window in contemplative silence. When she finally spoke again, it was to herself as much as to Max. “You know, I’m beginning to wonder how well I really knew my father. Up until his death I felt like we were so close – but now . . . after all that’s happened – I’m not so sure.” She shrugged her shoulders and then looked at Max. “This is all so overwhelming.”

  Max nodded. He wanted to take Irene in his arms – as he had done so many times in years past – but knew she would probably feel far from comforted. Instead, he just smiled at her and put his hand on hers. Irene’s eyes moved to where his hand touched hers. His voice was confident yet concerned as he said, “This must be hard for you, Irene, but you don’t need to feel overwhelmed. You’ve been through a lot, but you don’t have to do any of this alone. This may not mean much to you, but I promise that I’ll be here with you every step of the way.”

  At last, Irene’s gaze moved from their hands to Max’s eyes, and she said determinedly, “Well then, I suppose that we had better get started. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

  Chapter 35

  Max and Irene were sitting in Duncan’s study with piles of papers scattered all across the room. They’d spent the entire morning looking over stacks and stacks of files, letters, and emails and had rummaged through countless photographs and other memorabilia of her father’s without much success. They opened Duncan’s safe in the office but found nothing that they believed was out of the ordinary. They determined that anything that could have helped them was no longer in the room – especially since many of his possessions had been confiscated by the police in an effort to assist them with the murder investigation. After several hours of searching without any leads, they tried to organize the mess they had made of the study.

  When there was a knock on the front door, Max said, “That’s probably Luke. When he called me this morning, he said that he’d be here in a few minutes . . . and now that it’s been a few hours, he’s pretty much right on schedule.” Irene laughed and nodded her agreement. “I’ll go let him in,” Max said from the doorway of the room.