Shadows of Deceit (A Series of Shadows)

by Mell Corcoran

  Vinny made his last call to update the captain, something he really was not looking forward to. As expected, the stealth helicopter theory was hard for him to swallow but the supporting evidence from forensics helped their cause. Captain Davidson ultimately gave them the go-ahead to contact local military bases and municipal air fields to see what they could turn up. Vinny was debating on putting Rochelle and Barnes on that assignment because he strongly doubted they would give the matter the diplomacy it required. The image of bulls in a china shop popped into his head when he thought about it, but he figured he had plenty of time to decide given they were knee deep in surveillance footage still. He would decide after they met with the Arcano executives whether he and Dillon would handle that end.

  By the time they pulled into the parking lot of the hot dog place Vinny had explained Lou’s Sleep Inertia problem in great detail. To his credit, Dillon had not even cracked a smile as Vinny explained that Lou often took upwards of an hour to get her bearings in the morning and it was not at all uncommon for Lou to physically wound herself during her disorientation. Vinny laid it all out and made it perfectly clear. Although the job description for an L.A. County Sheriff’s homicide detective did not include being Lou’s watchdog and voice of reason, it was mandatory for filling Vinny’s shoes. They were standing in line, waiting to place their order when Vinny finally finished going over his checklist. He stood waiting for Dillon to say something, or even walk away right then and there.

  “Alright, so let me get this straight...” Dillon finally spoke and Vinny braced for the worst. “There’s no beans in the chili here?” He looked at Vinny long and hard, waiting for what appeared to be a serious response.

  “No. No beans in the chili here.” When Dillon shrugged and stepped forward to take his turn ordering, Vinny realized that nothing he told Dillon had phased him one bit. He scanned his face for a hint of sweat or apprehension and there was none to be found. Dillon was all about ordering lunch.

  “Hey Boss, I know the ladies want chili and cheese only, two a piece, but what do you want?”

  “The works, but I’ll get ‘em.” Vinny was wondering if it could be this easy. If he could really have found someone he could trust to have Lou’s back.

  “No way. I cleaned up in the pool today! Beginner’s luck, remember?” Dillon winked at him. “The least I can do is buy lunch.”

  Vinny said a silent prayer that Lou liked the guy because so far, Vinny sure did.

  It was 11:32 a.m. when Lou heard the doorbell ring. She had only just finished going over Dillon Cole’s personnel file and as Vinny said, on paper he was squeaky clean. A little too clean for Lou’s liking. According to the file, Dillon was born and raised in coastal Washington State and graduated top of his class in everything since kindergarten. Dillon had a sterling record with the Aberdeen Sheriff’s Department where he made detective in record time and earned numerous commendations. He had never been married and had no living relatives so picking up and taking off from the only home he had have ever known didn’t seem so odd at Dillon’s age. He was young and ambitious enough that he could make his mark in any town in the nation but it just felt a little too convenient to Lou. She needed to eyeball the man herself to get a solid feel for him.

  Lou headed downstairs and found Vinny, her mother and the enormous stranger setting up lunch on the island in the kitchen. Lou noted immediately that her mother already had Dillon blushing and wondered what embarrassing story she was able to get out so quickly. When she made her presence known, Dillon stopped what he was doing and made his way towards her.

  “Detective Donovan...” He reached out his hand to her. “It’s such an honor to meet you, finally.”

  “Hello candidate number eight.” She shook his hand, ignoring her mother’s disapproving look and Vinny’s snicker. “Call me Lou. Park it, I’m starved.”

  “Thank you, Lou.” He pulled out a stool for her to sit then moved back to where Shevaun had laid out his food for him.

  “It seems Dillon is an animal lover.” Shevaun chimed in as she took her seat. “He saw our covey of quail running across the lawn as they drove up. Said it made him homesick.”

  “You hunt quail up in the backwoods?” Lou was laying it on thick to see how he handled the awkward pressure. She noticed immediately he had manners given he took a moment to swallow rather than talking with his mouth full like most guys she knew.

  “No ma’am. I’m not a hunter.” Dillon set his hot dog down and wiped his mouth before he continued. “I tend to like animals more than people, actually. They don’t lie or look for angles. No ulterior motives. They either like you or they don’t, plain and simple.”

  As if previously arranged in some contrived plot, Angus hopped up on the island and head-butted Dillon’s arm then proceeded to lick the chili off of his hot dog.

  “Angus!” Shevaun shrieked in horror. “Stop that! Oh my! I am so sorry Dillon!” She hopped up to retrieve the cat while Lou watched Dillon’s reaction like a hawk.

  “Oh no!” Dillon wrapped a protective arm around the cat. “He’s fine! Please leave him be, I have plenty to share.” Angus never batted an eyelash at the exchange, continuing to lick the chili from Dillon’s hot dog.

  “Oh I can’t, that is just bad manners!” Dillon reached across the island and placed his hand over Shevaun’s.

  “Really, he’s fine!” Dillon leaned back and scratched behind Angus’ ear. “Hey buddy, nice to meet you.”

  To Lou’s utter amazement, Angus began purring so loud that she could hear him across the table. She cocked her head to the side to be sure it was the cat and not her own stomach screaming for food, but sure enough, it was Angus. She tossed her mother and Vinny a look of astonishment and they simply shrugged. It was common knowledge that the cat really didn’t like people. He barely purred for Lou let alone a total stranger. That had only ever happened once, and only recently, with Max.

  Shevaun relented to Dillon and the cat with an uncomfortable sigh then moved on to the big subject. “Alright Vinny, spill the beans. What is going on with this case?”

  “Things are still pretty fresh and very sketchy. Not a ton to tell you right now.” As Lou expected, Vinny continued chomping his hot dogs as he filled them in on the case. Displaying none of the manners Dillon possessed. “We haven’t yet identified the victims but we have ruled out Arcano as being one of them. We got his prints from the security company since biometrics were integrated into the house security system. As of right now, Cassius Arcano is officially missing.”

  “But Jane said she saw him Friday, when she walked the dogs.” Lou’s mother was far more interested in what Vinny had to say than she was in eating her lunch.

  “Yes, and there is no record of him leaving the community after that either.” Vinny stabbed the air with his hot dog for dramatic effect.

  “There are absolutely no forensics?” Lou got up to get a pitcher of iced tea from the fridge. “Caroline said the house was vacant. Not even a piece of lint or dust.”

  “That’s correct ma’am.” Dillon spoke up. “Just residue from cleaning materials. They left the hard fixtures and appliances, like the refrigerator and such, but those were scrubbed clean.”

  “You call me ma’am again and I will stab you to death.” Lou stated matter-of-factly as she poured him a glass of iced tea.

  “Sorry.” Dillon would never understand why women outside of the south and the military were so opposed to being called ma’am. It was just good manners, after all. “There was trace found in the yard though.” He looked at Vinny for permission to continue but Vinny continued instead.

  “Hey, that friend of yours, that big wig security guy, Max?” Vinny got Shevaun and Lou’s undivided attention with the mention of Max’s name.

  “What about him?” Lou felt her guilt itching at the back of her throat.

  With what had happen to Lou, it was expected that for her parents would tighten security both in the community and at the house. They created a cover st
ory to tell Vinny and Seamus that explained the continued presence of Max and the others around the McAllister compound. Technically it wasn’t a lie. One of Max’s numerous business interests was his ownership in one of the most prestigious security firms in the world, Aegis International. They dealt in both corporate and personal security as well as government contracts world wide. Aegis had headquarters in New York, London and Dubai and were responsible for the recent recovery of four German citizens who’d been taken prisoner by the Iranian government. They had been accused of being spies when their only mistake had been hiking on the wrong side of the border. It had made international headlines and helped sell the security cover story. Max had originally intended on using his law firm as cover for relocation to the West Coast but setting up a Los Angeles office for Aegis International proved far more prudent.

  “Dillon has a theory and there is evidence to support it. We could use an expert opinion on it and Max might just be our guy.” Vinny liked Max well enough but he had let on to Lou that he believed Max was more than he let on. Vinny was convinced that Max was also C.I.A., N.S.A, or some sort of covert agent. Vinny would never know how close to the truth his instincts were. Lou would just grin and let Vinny believe what he wanted. It couldn’t hurt.

  “Who’s Max?” Dillon looked oblivious.

  “You ever heard of Aegis International?” Vinny polished off the last of his hot dog and started cleaning up his mess.

  “Who hasn’t?” Dillon still looked pretty oblivious.

  “He owns it.” Tossing all of his trash in the paper sack, Vinny leaned back and waggled his eyebrows at Dillon. “One hell of an expert consult on you’re stealth helo, don’t ya think?”

  “Stealth helo?” Now it was Lou who looked oblivious.

  “You are gonna love this, kiddo. Go ahead sport, fill her in.” Vinny got up from his stool. “Shevaun, you mind if I make us some coffee?”

  “Don’t ask stupid questions.” Shevaun swatted at him. “This is your house Vinny, help yourself. No foam on mine though, please.”

  By the time Vinny got back with a tray of coffees for everyone, Dillon had explained his stealth black hawk theory. As with their captain, if it hadn’t been for the supporting forensics, Lou and Shevaun would have thought he was insane.

  “Niko or Yuri would probably be better suited to consult on that.” Lou offered after considering a while. She knew those two were obsessed with weapons, gadgets and anything high tech.

  “Did I meet them?” Vinny didn’t find the names familiar.

  “Yes, last week when you came up. We were sparring out back.” Lou tried to time her training sessions so that they wouldn’t cross paths with Vinny any more then necessary. It meant having to lie less.

  “Ah right. The scary guys.” Vinny remembered now. “Yeah they looked like they know their stuff. Can you get us a meet?”

  “I’ll try. I’m training with them tonight so I’ll ask.” Lou knew damn well the guys would be happy to help. She was also sure she could come up with way more information on some stealth helicopter with all her new gadgets and toys than Vinny or Dillon ever could. Going through the cover of the security firm was just icing on the cake.

  “That would be awesome.” Dillon said as he got up from his stool and began clearing everything from the island. “I have some familiarity with the helo from my volunteer work with the Coast Guard up north but I don’t have any serious connections for intel.”

  “I’ll clean all that up Dillon.” Shevaun started to stop him.

  “Thank you Mrs. McAllister, but I got it.” He stuffed Vinny’s bag of trash and the rest of the remnants from lunch into the garbage pail. “I have a compulsive need to earn my keep.” He gave her a genuine smile.

  “Call me Shevaun, please.” By the way her mother was gushing, Lou could tell that she liked the guy.

  Dillon was likeable though and that struck Lou as odd. The man was immense and imposing, she barely came up to his armpit while bare footed. She should have been overwhelmed by his presence, but she wasn’t. He was very polite, articulate and to the point. He was sharp, just as Vinny had said. But what struck Lou as odd was how unimposing his presence really was. He melted into the scene despite her earlier attempt to rile him. He fit. She didn’t need to accommodate him, explain herself or alter her behavior because he was a stranger. Even the fact that he might be her new partner never entered her mind. He was just there, as if he had always been there. That is what struck Lou as really odd. She wasn’t sure if she liked that. She was going to keep that little revelation to herself for a while.

  “Alright kiddo, we gotta get outta here. Our meeting with Arcano’s people downtown is at 2 p.m. and I know I am gonna hit traffic.” Vinny gave Shevaun a kiss on her cheek then mussed Lou’s hair like she was a child. “I’ll check in with you after. Come on sport.”

  “It was really a pleasure meeting you both.” Dillon stood before Lou and her mother, slightly unaware what to do with himself. “You have a magnificent home and a really cool cat. I hope I get to see you again.” With that, Dillon turned and headed for the door, not waiting for any reply.

  Lou was legitimately struck by Dillon’s sincerity. She also appreciated him taking off and not leaving her to have to give him some sort of awkward reassurance that they would in fact be seeing each other again. She really had no idea if they would. Ultimately, it was up to Vinny who replaced him as her partner but she was sure that he would allow her to have some input in the matter. In that moment, however, as Vinny and Dillon walked out the front door, Lou actually hoped he would make the cut. That was a surprise.

  “Well, I like him.” Shevaun started with her two-cents right away. “Quite an interesting theory he’s got going, don’t you think?”

  “Definitely.” Lou turned on her heal and headed for the stairs.

  “Hello? Are we not talking? Where are you going?” Shevaun held her arms up in exasperation.

  “I want to put the Principate super computer to the test and see what I can pull up on that helicopter and Arcano.” Lou yelled as she flew up the stairs.

  “Tallulah Louelle Donovan!” Her mother yelled so loud that her words echoed through the entire house. “You are not working this case! You are on medical leave! Do you hear me young lady?!”

  “Yeah yeah, love you Momma!”

  Vinny let Dillon drive for a few reasons. First, he knew the guy was not familiar with the traffic in Los Angeles so he wanted to see how he handled it. Second, he wanted to see if Dillon could find his way around and in a hurry without killing anyone. Lastly, he needed to make sure Lou would be safe with him at the wheel. Vinny knew damn well it was a rare occasion that Lou drove in the morning. If Vinny couldn’t pick her up for some reason, she usually would catch a ride from Joe to the train station then take the metro in to Homicide Bureau. It was just so much safer for everyone that way. Vinny needed to vet Dillon in every way possible.

  “This is a good area for you to look for a house.” Vinny pointed out as they drove.

  “Oh yeah? Ya think?” Dillon looked around, careful not to lose sight of the road as he did. “Oh wow, there are horse properties here! I bet those are pricey though, huh?”

  Vinny frowned a bit. “I bet there are quite a few in foreclosure.” The state of the economy really upset him. He was grateful, in a morbid sort of way, that he had a solid degree of job security. The sad reality was that with an economy in crisis, crime rates always went up. “Vera’s sister is in real estate. I can talk to her if ya want.”

  “That would be outstanding, if you don’t mind that is.”

  “I don’t mind at all. I gotta check in with my wife anyway. I’ll have her give her the heads up.” Vinny actually liked his sister-in-law. She was good at her job which made referring her easy for him.

  “Maybe we should wait a little bit?” Dillon looked at Vinny sheepishly. “I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, ya know? Might be wise if I wait and see if get the job first.”

&
nbsp; “You not staying in L.A. if you don’t get the spot?” Vinny knew Dillon wasn’t fishing for reassurance and he didn’t plan on giving him any just yet. “You gonna quit being a detective and move to Montana or something?”

  “Well, no sir.” Dillon really hadn’t thought that far ahead.

  “Then ya can’t live in some pay-as-you-go dump of a motel forever.” Vinny pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed. He relayed the information to his wife and he was certain Dillon could hear her asking him for all the dirt on his prospective replacement. Vinny could barely get a word in edge-wise before she hung up on him abruptly after muttering something about her mother. Vinny grumbled and stuffed his phone back in his pocket.

  “Everything alright?” Dillon asked.

  Yeah, yeah. Her sister is on her way over to the house now so don’t be surprised if she hammers you with a bunch of stuff tomorrow.”