"I'm still listening, but we need to move this along. This is not a trial," the judge stated.
"Yes, your Honor, Margret Wentworth forced Mr. Watson into the woods. My client was able to return to the truck and secure the gun in question. Margret had my client's husband at gun point intending to kill him when Detective Eberhart arrived on the scene. There was a discussion between Margret and Detective Eberhart, they knew each other. Margret lowered her gun, but did not drop it."
"I object, this is all hearsay, your Honor. There was no one there to corroborate that statement," the prosecutor said.
"The Marina Police report indicates the gun used by Detective Eberhart was not her service weapon, but an untraceable drop gun. It had been fired three times. Once, when she shot, Margret Wentworth at close range, a second and third time intending to kill my client's husband who was unarmed with his wrists bound. My client, Jennifer Watson shot Detective Eberhart after watching her kill Margret Wentworth as she was turning her gun on Charles Watson."
"Objection, your Honor. Detective Eberhart has had a spotless service record for over ten years as a detective and has been with the San Jose Police department for over a year."
"Overruled. Continue, Ms. Abbott."
"Your Honor, if it was the intent of my client to kill Detective Eberhart, clearly she could have and left the scene. Instead, she called the Marina Police Department with the intension of saving Detective Eberhart's life."
"With a police officer being shot, this will be held over for trial," the judge stated. "However, there is substantial evidence to support reasonable doubt and bail will be considered."
"Your Honor, we request that the accused be released without bail, pending trial," Susan requested.
"Request denied. Bail is set at $100,000."
"Bail will be posted, thank you, your Honor."
Charlie jumped up expecting Jenny to be freed but saw her being taken back through the side door.
"Susan turned to him and said, "The bail will be posted and Jenny will be released from the police station within a few hours. This is a good sign, the prosecutor didn't fight it. You can take her home, soon."
"Thank you, Susan."
Susan pulled the check out of her brief case and handed it to Charlie. "I guess I won't need your retainer after all. I'll call you in a few days. Go take Jenny home."
"We still need you?"
"Mr. Wentworth came by my office yesterday and insisted on covering Jenny's defense costs."
Charlie turned to face James. "I can't let you do that James." "If it hadn't been for you two, I wouldn't have had the opportunity. Thank you, Charlie," James said, hugging his daughter as they left the court room.
Charlie turned to the bail bondsman. "What do you need to get her out?"
"Nothing," he said, holding a business card from Wentworth Software. "You have some great friends, Mr. Watson."
Chapter 35
Charlie checked in with the front desk at the San Jose Police Department and told the officer he would be waiting outside for Jenny's release. She walked through the doors two hours later and rushed into his waiting arms.
"Charlie. I can't believe this is happening."
"Let's get out of here and get you home."
"I need that, I couldn't sleep in there," she said, getting into the truck.
Charlie closed her door and slid into the driver's side. When he drove through town he pulled into an auto repair shop.
"Why are we here?" she asked.
"That second tracking device, I don't want any of them following us."
"Them? They're all dead."
"Detective Eberhart used it also, she's not in jail," he said. He reached for his phone and called Susan Abbott asking her to meet them there. When she arrived, they put the truck on the lift and searched for the device. Charlie took some photos and the device was removed and placed in a plastic bag. Susan obtained a signed witness statement from the shop owner and took the device with her.
"I didn't know, if all this thoroughness was necessary," Charlie told Susan. "But I didn't want it on the truck for Eberhart to find us again. We may need to prove it was there later."
"I'm glad you thought to call me. You said Eberhart used it?" Susan asked.
"She didn't put it there. But when she realized it was there she used it to find us in Santa Clarita and then again that night in the woods."
"Jennifer, I'm sorry we couldn't get you released yesterday."
"Just Jenny, please. I may not be in Hawaii, but this beats the hell out of where I was."
"We'll get there," Charlie said.
"I talked with Mr. Wentworth after court," Susan informed them. "He'll be sending over anything he finds."
"We need someone in the police department, where the answers are, but who can you trust in a case like this; protecting their own," Charlie said.
"Who did you talk to?" Susan asked, looking at Jenny.
"Detective Nelson arrested me. I didn't get the feeling he was after the truth."
"Don't know him. Charlie?" Susan asked.
"Miller," he said. "He was the one that brought us in from the airport."
"Derrel Miller? I've worked with him. Always seemed a straight shooter, I'll give him a call."
"I need to get this lady home. Call us with anything," he said.
"I will." Susan walked away.
On the drive home Charlie said, "Looks like we have another case, detective."
"Too close to home for me. Will Eberhart come after us?"
"We're her only loose end. Her story to save herself forced their hand to file charges," Charlie said.
"She's on paid suspension, but I can't believe she'd chance going after us."
"Still, we need to keep alert," he said, checking his rear view mirror.
"I wonder if we have any allies in the Marina Police Department?" she asked.
"Chief Walker seemed to believe our side that night. Hope he still does."
"We know, Eberhart took the guy out of your truck in Santa Clarita, shot him and dumped him. Is anyone looking for his body?" she asked.
"Ellis, I think his name was. It would certainly help if they found him with one of her bullets in him."
"It wouldn't look good if we found him. I wonder if the Santa Clarita Police would take a look?"
"We spend way too much time in police stations," Charlie said.
"You don't need to tell me that."
"When we get home, I'll call them. You need some sleep."
"You're right, I do. I'm so wound up though; think you can help me relax a little?"
"At your service," he said, pulling up to their mobile home.
When Jenny had finally fallen asleep, he pulled the bedroom door closed and went into the front room. He called Susan to get her advice on contacting the Santa Clarita Police.
"Let me follow up on that. It's a long shot, but would help us," she said.
"Any word on the money trail from Wentworth?"
"They found payments to Summit Advertising, a company James Wentworth said don't use. They're having the D.A. get the bank records now. Maybe, some good news soon."
"Phone records?"
"So you're not a detective, right?"
"Let's just say that wasn't the plan."
"One phone number they couldn't account for. They called the number and it rang four times with no voice message option. Maybe a disposable phone."
"Maybe she still has it? She's too smart for that I guess. Unless she had it the night the Marina Police took her in."
"They should have an inventory of her personal effects, it's worth a shot."
"Any tie between them will help," Charlie said. "We'll talk to Marina P.D."
"How's Jenny holding up?"
"She's sleeping now."
"That's good, I'll be in touch." Susan disconnected the call.
When Charlie went in to check on Jenny at 6:30 that night, she didn't want dinner so he let her sleep.
Je
nny was up early the next morning and Charlie woke to the smell of breakfast cooking.
"Good morning," he said, greeting her in the kitchen.
"Didn't have any pineapple or coconut this morning, so this will have to do."
"We'll get there, Jenny. It smells wonderful." They ate breakfast, shared a shower and got dressed. He told her what he had learned from Susan last night and they decided to pay Chief Walker a visit.
When they walked into the station, Walker spotted them. "Come on back," he said, heading into his office. They sat down. "I knew I'd see you two after talking to Susan Abbott. I was very surprised they charged you Jenny."
"I was shocked when I saw Detective Eberhart wasn't behind bars," Charlie said.
"She was picked up by the San Jose P.D. the following day and left here a murder suspect as far as I was concerned," Walker said.
"So you didn't buy her story and release her?" Jenny asked.
"No, I didn't. Like I said, the evidence we found backed up your story."
"Speaking of evidence, when she was brought in, did she have a disposable cell phone on her?" Charlie asked.
Chief Walker hit the intercom on his phone, "Jacque, have Edwards come to my office." A minute later there was a knock at his door and it opened.
"Yes Chief, what do you need?"
"Bring me the file on Detective Eberhart anything on her personal property, thanks."
Chief Walker turned back to them when the door closed. "I didn't say anything, when you were here the last time, things were a little hectic," he said, while pulling open his lap drawer. He pulled out a newspaper and laid it on his desk in front of them. "I look at that every time I think there is nothing more I can do."
"That's the story about Cindy," Jenny said, surprised.
"That was a turning point in my attitude," Walker said. "Thank God, you didn't give up as quickly as I did. You found her, alive."
"We knew your hands were tied," Charlie offered, handing the paper back to him.
The door opened again after a brief knock and the file was given to Walker. He opened it and reviewed the information. "One cell phone on her and I think the one you're looking for was found in her car," he said handing a sheet to them. "Here's a photo of it."
"Not any chance you still have it?" Jenny asked.
"No, sorry. It was all sent with Detective Eberhart, when they picked her up."
"Chief, did she leave in cuffs? Charlie asked.
"No, we gave everything back to her, except her gun and badge. Those were given to one of the officers that picked her up."
"That phone could tie her to Margret and she'd want to get rid of it. Did she have a chance to dump it here, maybe in the bathroom?"
Walker got on the intercom again, "Jacque, I need you to look in the ladies room, in the trash, toilet tanks…we're looking for a cell phone. Have Edwards check the bushes outside."
"I'm amazed, Chief," Jenny said. "Thank you."
"We might get lucky," Walker said. "I called the Santa Clarita PD and asked them to look for John Ellis when I thought we were going to handle this investigation. Not a word yet."
Jacque knocked on the door and poked her head in, "Nothing in the ladies room, Chief. The trash was almost full so it hasn't been emptied for a while, sorry."
"Thanks Jacque."
Edwards poked his head in. "Went through the bushes outside, all the trash cans in the office and the bags on top of the dumpster; nothing, Chief," Edwards reported.
"We gave it a shot, thanks," Jenny said. "You didn't happen to get the phone number, did you?"
Chief Walker went through the papers in the file, stopped suddenly and looked up. "That was silly," he said. "Need a job, detective?"
He reached over and punched in the number on his phone. They all jumped out of their seats when they heard a faint ringing coming from the squad room. When they went into the room, Detective Edwards was moving the small refrigerator out from under the counter. He used one evidence bag to pick it up and put it into another one.
"Good idea, Chief," Edwards said, holding up the bagged cell phone.
"Yes, Chief," Jenny quickly said. "You found the easy way."
Walker gave her a smile and winked.
"Edwards, I need a full report; how we found it, the call log, text messages…the whole nine yards."
"Right on it, Chief. We were lucky," Edwards said, showing them the "Low Battery" warning flashing on the cell phone screen. "I think my charger will work."
"Thank you Lord and Chief Walker. I'll give the number to our attorney and see if it matches what they have," Jenny said, smiling.
The Chief wrote the number down and gave it to Jenny. She reached into her purse and handed him a business card from Susan Abbott.
"Please call her with anything you have and any word from the Santa Clarita Police."
"I have her number. I'll send the report to her as soon as Edwards is done. We'll have it here if you need it for trial," Walker said.
"We can't thank you enough, Chief," Charlie said, shaking his hand.
"You have my vote in the next election," Jenny said.
"Thanks, but that's the County Sheriff."
They walked to Charlie's truck and Jenny said, "I never got the number the D.A. originally found. I'm half afraid to call Susan and find out the number doesn't match."
"We know it was Eberhart's phone and that she wanted to get rid of it. If it isn't a connection to Margret it may lead us to something else she wanted to hide."
Jenny got in the truck and called Susan and gave her the phone number.
"It didn't match, Susan told me. They had Margret's cell phone and it had been in her home. The number didn't match the call log on that phone either," she said. "We don't have a link, damn it."
Charlie was backing the truck out and stopped suddenly. "Maybe the link is still in here," he said, as he pulled back in turning off the truck. Jenny joined him as he walked back into the station. Walker was looking over Edwards' shoulder as he pulled information off of the phone.
"Chief, do you have Margret Wentworth's personal items here?" Charlie asked.
"Yes, we do. I take it the number didn't match. Let's take a look," he said, unlocking a cabinet in the back of the room. He pulled a box down and they all looked inside. A cell phone matching Detective Eberhart's was inside. Walker slipped on some gloves and removed it from the box. He hit the power button and the screen lit up.
"We'll search the log on this phone also, but let's see if you two are really blessed."
He hit the redial button. They all held their breath. Nothing happened. Walker turned to Edwards and said, "Is that phone on to receive calls?"
"Not to ring, Chief, but I just got a missed call notice," he said.
"Turn it on to receive calls. I want to hear it ring."
"Yes Chief, go ahead." Walker hit the redial button and the office cheered when it rang in Edwards' hands.
"Want me to answer it, Chief?" Edwards asked, laughing.
Jenny turned and hugged Walker before crossing the room to hug Edwards also.
"We have our connection, thank you all." Jenny said.
"If I get another hug, I'll give you the really good news," Edwards said. She hugged him again to a laughing audience. "The call log gives you the history of that connection and we can find out locations and when calls were made." She kissed him on the cheek.
"This is really good news," she said.
"We'll forward everything we pull off of these phones to your attorney. If she feels we have enough, I'll call the DA myself," Walker said.
"Hopefully the money trail will be found," Charlie said. "Jenny let's let these fine people get back to what they were doing. Thank you all so much."
As they walked towards the door, Edwards said, "I'm just sorry, I didn't find something else to dazzle you, Jenny." The room erupted with laughter again.
"Charlie, Jenny, this is good," Walker said. "But there's one loose end, so this might not be en
ough by itself. This phone was taken from a pocket on Margret's security uniform but Eberhart's phone was in her car. We'll dust it for prints, and that should make the tie stronger."
Edwards dropped the phone on his desk and said, "We better do that, before I go any further."
"Call us with the results?" Jenny asked.
"I think it's safe to say that if Eberhart's prints are on that phone, Detective Edwards will drive out to our place to tell us," Charlie said with a hopeful smile.
On the way home Jenny was very quiet. Everything, seemed to be at their finger tips, but still slightly held out of reach.
"What we have is good, Jenny, don't give up hope. They'll find Ellis. We'll link the money to Eberhart," he said.
"I hope so. These women knew how to cover their tracks. Ellis could be in a thousand places from the coyotes and birds."
"We've quite a team fighting for us. Wentworth wants to tie Eberhart to the blackmailing and scheming to kill him, and that group we just left…no doubt we have their support."
"I know, let's go home and think about something else."
"The Christmas tree is still up and I know where the beach towels and lotion are," he said.
"That was fun…maybe tomorrow."
Chapter 36
The following morning Jenny found Charlie in the construction office writing a list of what they knew, or at least what Detective Eberhart had told them that night to follow up on.
"Good morning. Sorry, I wasn't any fun last night," she said.
"Don't be ridiculous honey. This whole thing is a horrible nightmare. A lot of money changed hands. How could Eberhart hide that?"
"Hidden bank account, cash in a storage unit…it's endless," she replied. "If she was paid in cash the trail would be impossible to find."
"I looked up Summit Advertising on-line this morning. No web-site or white pages listing locally."
"We need to check with James, see if he got the bank records on them," Jenny said, sitting beside him. She dialed her phone and heard James greeting.
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