A Dead Nephew

by Anna Celeste Burke

  “Maybe Valerie wasn’t as shocked as I thought. She must have suspected something if she helped herself to information on John’s personal cellphone. You’re a brave woman, Jessica. Go get them and sooner rather than later. If you need me to back you up at some point, let me know. Right now, I’m going to check the locks, change the code on the alarm system, and open a bottle of wine.”

  “If you’re concerned about security, I can send a friend who runs an excellent service who can advise you. Any extra measures he suggests that you take can be charged to the account I’ve set up for the investigation.”

  “How soon can he get here?”

  26 Blame it on Anastasia

  I’m not sure when I fell asleep. I blame it on Anastasia, who decided she wanted to be a lap dog. It wasn’t easy to work with an almost full-grown standard poodle in my lap. I remember leaning back after I helped her settle in, then she snuggled up, putting her soft head on my shoulder. I must have shut my eyes for a second, and that’s all it took.

  When I heard voices, I awoke with a start. Anastasia was nowhere to be seen. Kim and Bernadette were standing in the doorway.

  “What time is it?” I asked as I stood and stretched my back. “I must be more exhausted than I realized. I never fall asleep like that in the daytime.”

  “Why wouldn’t you be tired?” Bernadette asked. “We’ve been goin’ nonstop, chasing bad guys and diggin’ up clues. After Frank left with Maria and Victor, I took a nap too. The dog party wore out Auntie Agnes, and she’s still sleeping.”

  “It won’t be light out much longer,” Kim remarked. “We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to do anything about this.”

  “Do anything about what?”

  “I printed this off the internet. The story mentions Randall Young and the death of his mother in the context of reporting about an arson incident that occurred a couple years ago. It destroyed the outbuilding that had housed the lab he’d develop. The fire was hot and fast because the current owners hadn’t cleared it well. Here’s what caught my eye. Look at what’s scattered around on the ground.” Kim handed me a couple printed pages. One had the written story on it with a picture of the husk of a building. There were papers scattered on the ground. All I could make out was a cartoonish-looking man’s face. “I enlarged my pictures to make it easier to see what’s on it. It’s blurry, but…”

  “The Cleaner Man! The name’s printed in bold letters right on it. Louie needs to see this. From the way he described it to me, this must be the picture he saw in the backpack the Cleaner Man had with him.”

  “That doesn’t have to wait until tomorrow,” Kim said in an excited tone.

  “You ought to do it right away. Louie tried to call you a while ago but couldn’t get through on your cellphone. Peggy, that nice nurse of his, got your home number and called you here. I told her you were working, and she said not to interrupt you because it wasn’t an emergency. He wants to see you as soon as possible.”

  “I’m taking everything Valerie Taylor sent us and dropping it off with my friend, Charles Dillon, who works for the regional District Attorney’s office in Indio. I spoke to him earlier, and he agreed to review the material rather than waiting until Monday if I get it to him today. He’ll expedite the process with the county if he finds this material as compelling as I do.”

  “You still have time to make your delivery and visit Louie,” Kim insisted. “Let’s go.”

  “I’m going with you,” Bernadette insisted. “Kim can drive since los matones that stopped us earlier haven’t seen her car yet.”

  “Why would the Cleaner Man leave those flyers lying around—if that’s what they are? Does he want them to know he’s the one who burned down the building?” I wondered aloud.

  “Why does he do anything?” Bernadette asked. “Where do we go first—the hospital or your friend’s house? I’m going to tell Rory where we’re going.”

  “If the Cleaner Man wasn’t still running around out there, I’d let the D.A. take over Louie’s case. Once whoever’s assigned to investigate the fraud reads all the evidence and interviews Timothy Ridgeway, the D.A. can get Louie’s conviction overturned easier than Paul or I can.” I yawned and stretched again. “That’s assuming they won’t ignore the tie-in with Louie’s wrongful conviction.”

  “This is not the time to make a decision about that. Keep moving before you sit down and fall asleep again,” Bernadette chided. As we headed toward the office door, Anastasia was standing there with her tail wagging. “Should we take her with us?”

  “She can’t go into the hospital with us,” I said as I gazed at Anastasia’s happy doggy grin. “Waiting outside with her doesn’t sound like such a good idea, does it?”

  “Not unless we get Rory to come along,” Bernadette replied. “I know! I’ll ask him to drive. That’ll be even better than taking Kim’s car. Anastasia can stay in the car with him, and he’ll be close if anyone is waiting for you at the hospital, Jessica.”

  “Come on, let’s see if Rory will drive us.”

  “Drive where?” Auntie Agnes asked.

  “Jessica needs to go to the hospital to see Louie,” Bernadette replied. “With all the trouble today, I’m going to ask our guard to take us.”

  “That’s a good idea. The Tanko man won’t bother you if we have a guard with us. May I come along to visit Nick?”

  “Sure,” I replied. “You can drop in on him while we see what Louie wants. Then we’ll meet up and say hello to Nick too.” I followed the group down the hallway. “Let’s drop off my package for Charles first. He lives in Rancho Mirage too, so it’s right on our way to the hospital.”

  *****

  Rory was happy to give us a lift. I felt less conspicuous and safer in the unmarked black SUV with its darkly tinted windows. Charles lives in a nice home in a gated community not far from Mission Hills. There wasn’t anything particularly conspicuous about that either.

  Paranoia is an occupational hazard among county prosecutors who spend their time putting people into prison. Most take extra security measures. Some, like Harry Connick, Jr.’s dad, carry a gun. I could tell Charles’ front door was made of reinforced steel. The screens on the windows were like the ones Peter had suggested we have installed on our windows after I’d become a calamity magnet.

  Charles had the door open before I knocked. His surveillance camera was well-hidden. When he opened the door, there were all sorts of noises going on in the background—kids squabbling, their mother telling them to knock it off, the TV blaring, and a dog barking. I hadn’t heard a sound until he opened the door.

  “It’s good to see you, Jessica. Do you want to come in?” Charles asked.

  “Not unless you need me to tell you more about what’s in this packet.” I held out the accordion file folder in which all the items from Valerie Taylor were stashed. Before he could answer, a shriek erupted behind him, and an adorable dog showed up at the door. The pooch and the toddler with him would have kept going out the door if Charles hadn’t grabbed them. He turned them both around, and like wind-up toys, they kept going in the new direction he’d set for them.

  “I’ll spare you the chaos. I wish I could tell you this was unusual, but this is a typical weekend around here.” He reached for the folder and took it from me.

  “I’m sorry to intrude on your private time, but I wanted your office involved ASAP since I have no idea what will happen next. Frank Fontana, with the County Sheriff’s Department, and George Hernandez, with the Cathedral City Police Department, are familiar with most of the moving parts, including the murder of Sacramento Lugo. Their contact information is in the folder, along with mine. As I told you on the phone, officially, there’s no open case investigating the fraud John Lugo and Leonard Morgan are alleged to have committed based on the evidence contained in this folder.”

  “I’ll open an official investigation if the evidence warrants it.” Then he looked over his shoulder and spoke in a hushed tone. “This will probably make you think
less of me as a father and husband, but it’ll be a vacation to hide in my office and read about murder, fraud, and conspiracy.”

  “I can believe that,” I said as another blood-curdling scream reached us.

  “I’d better go make sure everyone’s still alive. If they’re done eating, I’ll help dunk them in the tub and get them into their PJs. Things will quiet down then, so I won’t feel guilty hiding out.” He glanced at the SUV parked behind me. “That’s a steel-reinforced SUV with bulletproof windows, isn’t it? Good for you for being careful. I’ll get through as much as I can tonight. If I have questions, I’ll call you.”

  “Thanks, again,” I said, about to walk away. Charles stepped forward, checked out the street again, and spoke more quietly.

  “I probably shouldn’t tell you this. There’s another reason I agreed to review the materials tonight. You aren’t the only one who has raised concerns about Leonard Morgan. All he needs is more trouble. If what’s in here turns out to be as helpful as I expect it to be, events will move quickly.”

  “That’s good to hear. You won’t let Louie Jacobs get lost in this mess, will you?”

  “No, I won’t. Promise!”

  I almost bounded back to the car. I was buoyant as if there was suddenly less gravity or the oxygen level in the air had surged.

  “Mission accomplished!” I exclaimed. “Let’s see what Louie wants.”

  We were only a few minutes from the hospital, and I spent that time trying to imagine who else was investigating Lenny Morgan. It must not be anyone local, or Frank or George would have picked it up.

  What state or federal laws could he be suspected of breaking if the interest wasn’t local? I wondered.

  “Kim, when you checked out Leonard Morgan, did it say anything about what sort of interest he attracted from investigators?”

  “Several State Attorney General offices were after him for leaving a trail of failed developments behind him. That was after the real estate crash, so he couldn’t blame his problems on that. In fact, I believe at least one of his schemes involved buying a residential community that had been abandoned after the market collapsed in South Florida. Why?”

  “Nothing in particular,” I replied. “How can a guy with his track record be so dumb about electronic communications?”

  “If he hasn’t been charged with Wire Fraud, he might not know or care about being more cautious,” Kim replied.

  “Besides, you know what George says, Jessica,” Bernadette reminded me.

  “Yes,” I replied. “‘Crime is stupid. Criminals are stupid.’ That sure fits in this case.” Lenny was about to get a lesson in what it means to violate the laws about using email, cellphones, the Internet, and other electronic media to commit fraud. If this wasn’t the first time Lenny had been so dismissive of the laws, the FBI could already be investigating him.

  As soon as Rory pulled up in front of the hospital, we all hopped out. Of course, Anastasia thought she ought to go too.

  “I’m sorry, sweetie, but you have to stay here with Rory.” She is so smart. When I said his name, Anastasia turned her head in his direction. Rory shook his head.

  “She’s got me wrapped around her soft little paw.” Rory picked up her leash that I’d left in the front seat.

  “We’ll take a walk, okay, girl?”

  “Woof!” Anastasia responded. I released Anastasia from her harness, and she did a little happy dance. She jumped out of the car and into the front seat as soon as I had the door open.

  “Peter always picks the best guys to help us. Thanks, Rory!”

  “This gig beats being half-buried in the sand in some remote location, trying not to get shot or blown up.” He smiled a toothy smile, with a gold cap on one of his teeth. According to Peter, Rory had once removed the cap himself and used the gold to buy his way out of a fix he was in. “It’s probably a good idea to wander around a little anyway. She’ll be part of my cover.”

  He was still laughing as he drove off. The image of the huge guy with his clean-shaven bald head, dressed completely in black, walking my fluffy white poodle was funny. Peter must not have told him to keep a low profile.

  “Thank goodness you’re here!” Louie shouted when Kim and I shuffled into his room in our quarantine gear. Then he surprised us by bounding out of bed.

  “Someone’s feeling better,” Kim remarked.

  “I found it! Look!” Louie waved around the letter. Kim and I gasped. Louie did a little jig. “It was in one of the books you brought me. Sacramento must have decided to give me another chance after all.”

  “It’s addressed to a person at the California Environmental Protection Agency. I’d love to rip it open and read it, but we’d better hand it over as is.”

  “Call your friend, Charles, so he can meet you at the door like he did last time. You don’t want the tiny tot and dog to answer the door since you don’t have his skills keeping them from escaping,” Kim suggested.

  “Will you fill Louie in while I go see if I can use the phone on Peggy’s desk? I’m not supposed to use my cellphone in here.” I paused. “I’d better tell Rory we’ve got to go back the way we came and make another stop at Charles’ house.”

  “I’ll tell Louie about your adventure with Tango this morning and update him on other events. Do you want to show him that photo before you go?”

  “Shoot! I’m losing it, aren’t I?” Louie hadn’t said a word since I’d snatched the letter from him. He’d climbed back into his bed and sat there looking a little grim. Then he smiled.

  “Don’t lose it yet. You’ve got to get me out of here now that I’m feeling so much better,” Louie said. “The doctor put me on medicine to get rid of some of the toxins that are still in my system, but I don’t have to be in the hospital to take them. I gained two more pounds too, so I’m ready to go.”

  “We’re getting closer, Louie. What do you think of this photo?” I asked.

  “That’s it! It’s the one I told you about that was in the Cleaner Man’s backpack. Where did you get it?”

  “Kim downloaded it from a story on the Internet. It leads us farther down the trail we’ve been following toward discovering the Cleaner Man’s identity. You just helped us take another step, although we don’t understand its significance.”

  “The one I saw had more words at the bottom. Here, where those streaks are,” Louie said, showing us what he meant.

  “I’ll work on trying to get more detail. The original I had to work with was so small. Maybe a friend of ours can figure it out.”

  “You’ve made quite a contribution today, Louie,” I added.

  “Let’s talk while Jessica makes her phone calls,” Kim suggested.

  “Sure. What else is new?” Louie asked as I left the room.

  I had no trouble calling Charles, and he was thrilled to get the letter. Rory didn’t answer. When I called him a second time, and he didn’t answer, I left him a voice message. Then I began to worry about why a pro like Rory wouldn’t respond to my call. Something was wrong. What if Anastasia had gotten away from him or she’d been hurt? That was it! My crazy brain took over, and I was halfway out the door before I spoke to Peggy.

  “If Kim or Louie asks, will you tell them I’ll be back as soon as I can?”

  “Sure. Is everything okay?”

  “I hope so.” After I was in the elevator, I punched in the code we’d been given to get to and from the quarantine unit. I bolted from the elevator and dashed toward the lobby the moment the door opened. When I was close to the lobby, someone screamed, others shouted, and a dog barked.

  I raced into the lobby, and Tango spotted me. He was covered in blood, but when he saw me, he raged and appeared to be coming my way. Anastasia was on his heels and grabbed for him. She must have snagged him because Tango spun around and kicked at her. That brought him face-to-face with Rory, who slammed him to the floor. I winced at what sounded like Tango’s head hitting the tile.

  Mae waved at me. The woman I’d met when Sammy
Keanu had confronted Billy Castro in the lobby had been crouched down in the information booth until Tango hit the floor. Two security guards closed in on Rory and Tango. A man wearing scrubs appeared from somewhere and knelt to check on Tango. When Tango tried to kick the man that intended to help him, Rory pinned Tango to the floor.

  “The big guys in your life are at it again,” Mae said. I had a moment of déjà vu as I nodded. Tango squirmed as Rory held him, and a security guard handcuffed him. I heard a woof, and Anastasia stood, putting her paws on the counter next to me. I cuddled Anastasia as she practically danced, jumping up and down.

  “What happened this time?” I asked Mae.

  “Tango tangled with the wrong poodle when he tried to snatch her from me, that’s what happened,” Rory replied now that he’d joined us.

  “What a good girl!” Anastasia was ecstatic at the praise.

  “Hello, Jessica,” Trevor yelled as he and his partner hauled Tango off the floor and into a seat nearby. “I called your friend, Detective Hernandez. He’s sending someone to arrest Tango for assault and attempted dognapping.”

  “That ought to hold him until George can get here,” Rory said as the security guards bound Tango to a chair with hospital restraints strapped across his chest and around his legs. “The guy jumped me almost the minute I got out of the car. He landed the first punch, and I went down. Then Tango grabbed Anastasia’s leash.”

  “What did he plan to do with Anastasia?”

  “It wasn’t much of a plan since he couldn’t have known the dog would come with you. What the guy said was, ‘Tell Jessica Tango was a step ahead of her this time. If she ever wants to see her dog again, she needs to call John Lugo and make a trade—Timothy Ridgeway for the pooch.’”