Shadows of Deceit (A Series of Shadows)

by Mell Corcoran

  “That’s true too.” Her grin was directed at him now. “Please, call me Jane.”

  “Alright, here we go!” Vinny placed their cups in front of them. “I am sure Caroline will be here in a second so if you don’t mind, I’ll make her one too?”

  “I thought I saw her out there! Definitely make her some too. That’s usually the first place she hits when she visits.” Jane scooped a small spoonful of sugar from a bowl on the island and stirred it diligently into her coffee. “Help yourself now, Dillon. It’s raw sugar though, I’m on a weird kick with raw and organic this month. Vinny and Caroline will tell you I am always doing some weird fad thing.”

  “Last month it was no white foods, wasn’t it?” Caroline asked, startling them as she came in from the hall.

  “Put a bell on you! You scared the life out of me!” Jane swatted Caroline’s shoulder as she came to give her a kiss on her cheek. “Yes, last month was no white.”

  “Sorry! Kinda weird you getting spooked with Captain America and the Godfather in your kitchen.” Caroline winked at Dillon then hopped up on a stool at the other end of the island just as Vinny placed a cup in front of her. “Thank you Papa.”

  “You’re welcome.” Vinny smiled and tugged on her ponytail then sat down next to her with his own cup. “OK, we need to get serious here.”

  Dillon pulled his notebook from his jacket and set his pen to the ready. For a brief moment he had completely forgotten the purpose for their being at Jane Michaels’ home. He had been enjoying the casual, familiar banter and the warm atmosphere. It had been a long time since he had felt quite so comfortable.

  “Oh yeah, right!” Jane grimaced. “OK so tell me everything! What’s going on over there?”

  “Jane!” Vinny and Caroline blurted in unison, making Dillon grin.

  “Oh come on! It’s me! You know I am going to find out anyway!” She sipped her coffee with a sheepish grin.

  “Jane, you know damn well we cannot discuss an ongoing investigation.” Dillon wasn’t sure if Vinny was admonishing Jane or reminding himself. “Now, tell us what you can about your neighbor across the street.”

  “Fine, play it that way. We’ll see how long that lasts.” Jane looked at Vinny, then Caroline, with a knowing smile then sipped her coffee once more before she began.

  Approximately forty-five minutes later Dillon was certain he was on his last sheet of paper. Jane had relayed every detail she could think of about her neighbor across the street, Casius Arcano. It was quite remarkable to Dillon that she was so observant and her recollection of details was excellent. She was able to tell them that Arcano was the son of a very wealthy coffee baron from Colombia and that his father had recently passed away. Shoring up all the family’s business connections in the U.S. had been the reason for Arcano’s short term residency but that he had clearly stated to Jane he was planning to stay for at least the remainder of the year.

  Jane had also told them that he entertained frequently and she and her husband were always invited to Arcano’s parties. They had been at one last weekend and she was able to recall a good number of names for the guests in attendance. She also recalled him inviting them to a party he was planning for Memorial Day which lead them even further to the conclusion that Arcano hadn’t been planning to move. As for romantic interest, Jane had to admit that she was beginning to think Arcano was not interested in women since she had never seen him with a woman that she could recall. Further stoking her suspicion was the fact that he gushed and fawned over his West Highland Terrier, Luna. This and other little things made her suspect Arcano was gay.

  “Oh dear God! Where is Luna?” Jane shouted, realizing that the dog was missing just like everything else in that house. “If one of those bodies is Casius, then someone took Luna. He never ever let that dog out of his sight!”

  “We don’t know if he’s one of the bodies, Jane.” Caroline reassured her. “I am sure the dog is fine. They will find out, don’t worry.” Jane calmed a bit but Dillon could see her genuine concern. “I need to get back to work.” Caroline sighed. “I’ve given them enough time to get back to the shop and harvest all the bugs. Thank you for the hospitality Jane. This was a nice change of pace.” She hopped off her stool and put her cup in the dishwasher before she gave Jane a kiss goodbye. “See you boys later. Oh!” Caroline looked at her watch and grunted, then pulled two one hundred dollars from her pocket and slapped them into Dillon’s hand. “There, I know I lost already.” With that, she waved to them, then headed out.

  “Lost what?” Jane inquired and Dillon looked to Vinny for assistance. He couldn’t think of an answer that wouldn’t insult the woman.

  “Oh we had a pool going on how long things would take at the scene. Just silliness to pass the time.” Vinny gave Dillon a knowing glance. “We need to head out too.” Vinny followed Caroline’s example, picking up Dillon’s cup as well then putting their dishes into the dishwasher. “Thanks for all your help Jane. We’ll be in touch if we have any more questions.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek then headed for the door.

  “It was a pleasure Mrs. Michaels. I hope we meet again.” Dillon shook her hand gently and smiled.

  “I have a feeling we will. I have a good feeling about it.” She squeezed his hand before she let go and gave him a wink. “When you meet her, don’t take her shit. Hear me?”

  Dillon almost laughed out. “I’ll try not too, ma’am.”

  “Good luck with that.” Vinny shouted from down the hall. “Come on sport. It’s gonna be a long day.”

  The men left the Michaels’ home and ran into Rochelle and Barnes while crossing the street. Barnes gave them a five minute recap, bringing Vinny up to speed on things that Dillon suspected he already knew. So far they had found no trace of any sort other than what they expected to be cleaning products inside the home. The only footprints or traces within the house were from the deputies themselves from when they entered the premises. Everything else was going to take time to properly process. The forensics, the video, the security logs, all of it was going to take time.

  After Vinny dismissed Rochelle and Barnes, he directed Dillon to follow him to his car. As if on cue, Vinny’s cell phone rang and Dillon couldn’t resist looking at his watch. It was 8:16 a.m. on the dot. He grinned.

  “Don’t get happy yet. It could be the captain.” Vinny squinted at the screen on his phone then muttered something under his breath. “Beginner’s luck...” He scoffed at Dillon then answered the phone. “Good morning Shevaun. What can I do for you?”

  Dillon covered his mouth, trying not to laugh out loud. He gave Vinny space and walked to the driveway of their perplexing crime scene. It struck him all of the sudden that he had been there for less than two hours and other than taking more notes then he had taken since he left West Point, the morning had been more enjoyable than he had ever expected. He admired Vinny’s loyalty and work ethic. Caroline was far sassier than he was prepared for. Rochelle was going to be a problem for him if she got in his face. He was a gentleman always, the highest respect for women. However, if she got in his face, he had no problem getting in hers. He had now met Lou’s partner, her best friend and her mother’s best friend. It was not difficult to like them all very much and enjoy the rapport they all had with each other. Dillon expected that Lou would fall in with all those personalities but he really had no clue what to expect when and if he finally met her. He had read her file a dozen times preparing for this gig, just as he had read Vinny and Caroline’s. It was all just words on paper when you came down to it. What really mattered was how they got along and how they worked together as a team. Dillon reminded himself that he wasn’t interviewing to be Vinny or Caroline’s partner, they were essentially the gatekeepers. Lou was the target.

  “OK, so you won the first round.” Vinny suddenly appeared beside Dillon. “We still got time before the second. So tell me what you think we got here.”

  “Alright.” Dillon didn’t take out his notebook to review, he knew everything by
heart already. “None of the three victims are going to turn out to be Arcano. We will need to dig into his business but I am willing to bet that those three were a message. Not sure if that message is for Arcano or for someone else connected to him. They were most definitely killed where the killer or killers left them but there was one serious clean-up and I really am not sure why they went to such an extreme. I think it’s safe to assume that Arcano, his dog and all his stuff was removed from here before those boys in there showed up. Maybe they were part of the crew that cleared the place out? Loose ends that were tied up on the spot?” He paused to organize his thoughts a moment.

  “Jane says she saw Arcano in his doorway Friday morning when she walked her dogs. He waved, she saw a giant floral arrangement behind him on a table approximately where our John Does were laid out.” Vinny tossed some of the info they gleaned from Jane at him. “That means that house was being lived in like normal, with furniture and dog up until at least then.”

  “Right. I’m guessing the table was centered under the chandelier so that was taken out before the bodies were left. The blood pool is pristine. No voids or any smearing that I could see.” Dillon and Vinny were on the same page so far. “About the furniture being cleared out though...” Dillon was a little hesitant to give Vinny his theory but he figured he may as well start tossing it out in pieces. “How long of a helicopter flight would you say it is from here to the nearest military base?”

  “Helicopter flight?” Vinny hadn’t expected to hear that.

  “I know it’s out of left field, but humor me here.” Dillon requested.

  “Alright...” Vinny looked around to gauge his location. “Well, it would take about thirty to forty minutes to drive to Point Magu Naval Air Station, Port Hueneme. A Black Hawk has a cruising speed of what? 130 miles per hour? So that’s what a ten minutes trip? Fifteen tops?” Vinny wasn’t sure where Dillon was going with this.

  “I hope you don’t mind but I took the liberty of asking forensics to take samples of the lawn out back, and some of the plants too.” Dillon paused a moment. “I also asked for number of full spectrum camera shots to be taken of the back yard from the master suite balcony.”

  “What are you thinking here?” Vinny thought he was catching on but it seemed implausible.

  “Sir, I know this will sound far fetched but I am thinking a very well oiled, well funded machine flew in here and cleaned the place out. Did you notice the patio furniture on the main patio in the back was in disarray?”

  “Well I wouldn’t say disarray.” Vinny disagreed with Dillon’s description. “It looked more like someone had moved it, maybe to wash the patio or something.”

  “Perhaps, but I know for a fact that a helo can easily land on that pad.” Although it wasn’t in his public record and Vinny wouldn’t know, Dillon was former Army, intelligence no less. He knew a little bit about this subject.

  “A helicopter? Are you kidding me?” Vinny raked his fingers through his glossy black hair. “No way. They are way too loud to come in and out of here undetected. Even at night.”

  “Not a specific type of helicopter, sir.” Dillon waited for Vinny’s reaction. “You read about the MH-X, the Stealth Eagle or Silent Eagle? The specialized Black Hawk they used to get in and cap Bin Laden?”

  “You telling me those are real?” It was amazing how Vinny could whisper and yell at the same time.

  “While I am not at liberty to give specifics, I can tell you that I personally have flown such aircraft and they are so silent that one could land behind you right now and the only tip off would be the wind picking up.” Dillon got in real close to Vinny. “The payload is the issue. They would have to make a few trips, even with the exterior cargo hook. But with a big enough team and a couple hours, it could be done. I have contacts, I could make some calls.”

  It was extremely far fetched. Vinny’s first thought was to the old saying about when you hear hoofbeats, you think horse, not zebra. Dillon’s theory was definitely in the zebra category and the implication of such an operation made Vinny’s mind whirl with all sorts of conspiracy theories. He wasn’t sure he was ready to make such a leap. They needed to dig into this Casius Arcano and his family business first. They also needed to find out who the hell those bodies were.

  “Alright, you got your own car so meet me over at Lost Hills and you can start making your calls. I’ll see you there in ten.” Vinny turned without another word and got into his car.

  Dillon knew how it must have sounded but if he was right, forensics was going to find jet fuel residue on the plants out back and those full spectrum photographs were going to pull a signature from where that helo had landed. If neither of those things showed up, he knew it was going to be goodbye candidate number eight.

  Lou had no idea how long she had been asleep. Although she thought she had only just dozed off, she remembered it had still been dark when she parked herself in the chair, but now the sun was blindingly bright. When her eyes finally adjusted she could see the black ball of puff named Angus, her cat, staring at her as though she was annoying him yet again. Angus was strictly an indoor cat due to the coyotes, bobcats and occasional mountain lion that frequented the area. Lou had her terrace gated off tightly so that Angus couldn’t get out into the yard but could enjoy the fresh air and watch the birds. As a result, the chair Lou was currently sitting in had been claimed by Angus long ago and he was clearly not happy with her being in it.

  “Fine, I’m moving! So sorry your majesty.” Her butt barely left the seat before Angus hopped up and began kneading the cushion, as if Lou had ruined it. Once he felt it was sufficiently fluffed, he laid down and began licking his paws. “Technically it is my chair ya know.” She informed him in a scolding manner, complete with hands on her hips. Angus paused for a moment and looked at her as if to say ‘keep thinkin’ that lady.’ then resumed his morning grooming. Lou was a sucker for the feline no matter what mood he was in so she leaned down and gave him a kiss. “You are so lucky you’re cute.”

  In spite of himself he began to purr and gave her a nudge with his forehead before he got back to grooming in the morning sunshine.

  When Lou heard her mother calling her from inside, she realized it must have been much later then she thought. She walked into her room and looked at the clock to see that it was nearly 9 a.m.

  “I’m here.” Lou answered and her mother emerged from the hall looking a little frazzled. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ll get to that.” Her mother said, flapping her hand in a dismissive manner as she approached. “First of all, good morning.” She gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek.

  “Morning Momma. Now what’s wrong?” Lou sat down and prepared herself for the latest dilemma.

  “How are you feeling?” Shevaun had gotten into the routine of demanding a status report from her daughter first thing each morning.

  “I feel fine. Better, in fact. I need coffee though.” Lou started to get up. “I’ll get it. Where’s your mug? Where were you, anyway?” Shevaun glanced about, looking for Lou’s cup..

  “It’s out on the terrace, where I was before Angus evicted me from my chair.” Lou grinned as she watched her mother walk outside. She could hear her mutter something to Angus before returning with the mug. “Tell me what’s going on. You’re starting to freak me out.”

  “Well, I got a call from Jane a few minutes ago and you are not gonna believe what’s going on.” Shevaun stepped to the sideboard next to Lou’s entertainment center that Lou had set up as a coffee bar of sorts. She pulled a mug from the cupboard underneath and began making them both a cup.

  “I need that coffee before I speculate. Just tell me.” Lou scrubbed her hands over her face to try and clear the fog from her mind.

  “Alright, well, Jane called and said that she had been woken up before dawn this morning by some deputies. they had the house across the street totally taped off and there were uniforms everywhere.” Shevaun handed Lou her steamy mug and sat down in the chair next
to her before continuing. “Do you remember her neighbor? The nice fellow we met at her Labor Day party?”

  “Momma, I barely remember you right now.” Lou confessed, hoping caffeine would make her mother’s story easier to follow.

  “Hmm... fine. Anyway, Vinny wouldn’t...”

  “Vinny was there?” Lou cut her off and nearly spilled her coffee all over herself.

  “That is what I am trying to tell you!” Shevaun looked at her with disapproval. “Let me finish will you?”

  “Sorry. Go on.”

  “As I was saying, Vinny wouldn’t give her any of the details.” She took a quick sip from her mug before she continued. “He gave her the spiel about an ongoing investigation, la la. However, there are a couple interesting things here. Firstly, she knows there was more then one body found in the house but she doesn’t know who they are and the house is completely empty, like Casius had moved out.”

  “Casius? Is that the neighbor?” Lou didn’t recall ever meeting a man with that name.

  “Yes, that’s him. Casius Arcano. He was a really nice guy, handsome too. Jane wanted to fix you up with him.” Shevaun wasn’t thrilled with the idea at the time so she had never mentioned it to her daughter.

  “Oh lovely. And now there is a multiple homicide at his place. Thanks for skipping that fixer-upper.” Lou snorted at the circumstances. “OK so what’s secondly?”

  “Right! Secondly, she thinks she met your new partner!” Her mother grinned before taking another sip.

  “Oh? How does she figure that? Vinny has hated everyone he’s test-driven so far.” Lou was well aware that Vinny was interviewing replacements. She hated the whole idea that they were no longer going to be partners but given recent events, she knew it was best for both of them.

  “Jane says she just has a feeling. His name is Dillon Cole and he was with Vinny and Caroline when they were interviewing her. Some other deputies tried to get her statement but Jane wouldn’t talk to anyone but Vinny.”