Ted stared at the monitor.
“Terry, we can’t change what happened.” Freeman spoke with his back to Metcalf. “Our strategic goal remains the same. We still have to get Alison out of office. Now, more than ever, we have to have people that are loyal to us in positions of power.”
“Us? Loyal to us? When did we become an us?” Metcalf leaped from his chair and turned on Freeman. “I don’t remember making you an equal partner in this venture. Don’t forget, you still work for me.”
“I think you misunderstand the situation, Mister Metcalf.” Freeman’s voice suddenly dropped. Took on the gravely tone that Ted remembered. “When Mrs. Harrison unfortunately died, it upped the ante. We’re tied together now. Your fate is my fate and vice versa.”
“You impudent whelp. This is MY company. I make the decisions. You do what you are told.”
Freeman turned back to Metcalf. “We’re way beyond that. This is now a matter of survival. You’ll do what I tell you. I’ve been here before. I know how to clean these things up.”
“Like you did in the Marine Corps? You idiot.”
Ted could see the wave of red climb Freeman’s face.
“Yes, I know all about Kuwait. I know about the massacre, Captain Freeman. They may not have pressed charges, but they cashiered you. They knew what you did.”
Freeman’s face turned red, veins bulged in his neck.
“You son of a bitch. How dare you?”
“That’s right, Freeman. I know everything. I own you. You’ll do what I tell you, when I tell you to do it. Do we understand each other?”
Freeman didn’t respond. He stood for a moment, frozen, then broke into action.
In the blink of an eye, he had his arm around Metcalf’s neck. Metcalf struggled, but couldn’t break free from the younger, more powerful man. Freeman reached in his pocket and pulled out a syringe. He pulled off the plastic cover with his teeth.
The two men struggled. Metcalf’s chair was knocked over. Freeman pushed the needle behind Metcalf’s ear and pressed the plunger.
A look of shock filled Metcalf’s face. “What’re you doing?”
“Cleaning up a mess.” Freeman let Metcalf go.
Metcalf slumped to the floor, held himself up with his hands. He looked up at Freeman. “Dick. What did you do?”
“It’ll go fast. You’re having a heart attack. Coronary arrest. I hear it’s an easy way to go. The police won’t investigate. An old man with a bad ticker having a heart attack while working late. I doubt if they’ll even interview me.”
Metcalf’s hands went out from under him and he flopped around on the floor. When it was all over, Freeman sat Metcalf’s chair upright and lifted Metcalf into the chair. Freeman posed Metcalf at his desk and cleaned up the office, being careful to pick up the plastic cap from the syringe.
“This is the missing video.” Catrina’s voice was hushed. “I’ve got to get this to Tom.”
****
Catrina sat in her Explorer in the Kmart parking lot, drumming her painted fingernails on the steering wheel. Where was he? Tom was never this late.
People came and went. Cars pulled into the stalls next to her and left. People got out of their cars and stared at the woman sitting impatiently in the Burgundy Explorer.
Finally, the dark Crown Vic pulled in next to her.
“Where have you been?” she stormed.
“Nice to see you too, Cat.” Tom slid into the seat next to her. “This case has really exploded. The mayor and the governor want hourly reports. What you got for me?”
Cat tried to stifle her irritation. Why was she so mad at him anyway? This was just part of the business. “Only the solution to your case.” She pulled a DVD from her purse and waved it in the air.
“What’s that?”
“A video of Freeman and Metcalf, caught in the act. In flagrante dilecto. I have a video of Metcalf’s murder, and one of Metcalf ordering the hit on Harrison.”
“Jesus God, Cat. Where did you get those?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Chapter 32
The lineup room met Ted’s expectations. He stood on one side of a two-way mirror with Tom Bremen, his partner, Marty McGinnis, and Anthony Petrocelli, the DA that wanted him in jail. The lights on the other side of the mirror were turned down, but Ted could see several men being led into the room.
“Here, put this over your eyes.” Tom handed Ted a blindfold. “You have to identify his voice. You can’t see who’s talking.”
Ted took the blindfold and pulled it over his eyes. The room went black.
“Okay,” Tom said. “When I call your number, please step forward and read the card. Number one.”
“I am such a lucky man, Mister Higuera,” Contestant number one sounded like he read at fourth-grade level. “It’s not often a man gets to make a living doing what he truly loves. If I did this on my own, I’d be considered a criminal, a pervert. But instead, I get paid a lot of money for it. I’m so fortunate.”
“That’s not him.” Ted shook his head. “His voice was way deeper, kinda gravelly.”
“Number two,” Tom spoke again. “Please read the card.”
“I am such a lucky man, Mister Higuera,” Contestant number two sounded almost Ivy League. “It’s not often a man gets to make a living doing what he truly loves. If I did this on my own, I’d be considered a criminal, a pervert. But instead, I get paid a lot of money for it. I’m so fortunate.”
“That’s not him either.”
One by one, the six men read the card. Ted couldn’t identify the voice. “None of them sound right. His voice was lower, raspy. Almost like he was trying to sound weird.”
“Gentlemen, let’s try it again.” Tom’s voice brimmed with impatience. “Only this time, make your voices deeper, more raspy.”
Again the six men read the cards. Again Ted failed to identify the voice. “I just can’t say. The more I hear them, the more I think that Freeman disguised his voice when he tortured me. I never saw his face. I know it was him. He said stuff that only Freeman would have said, but I can’t pick out his voice.”
“Okay, Mister Higuera. That'll do it for today.” Anthony Petrocelli pulled the blindfold off of Ted’s head. “We’re not going to do any good here.” he stomped off.
"Don't worry, kid." Tom moved closer to Ted. "We've got all we need to put this bastard away.”
****
Tom Bremen stood outside the interview room, peering through the two-way mirror. “Has his attorney arrived yet?” he asked the younger detective at this side.
“He’s on his way. Petrocelli says we can’t ask Freeman the time of day 'til he gets here.”
Bremen looked at his protégé. McGinnis was a good cop. A little young, but then the whole world was a little young now a days.
Tom had his twenty years in. Maybe it was time to step aside. Maybe he and Cat could make something if he wasn’t on the Job.
“How did we catch Petrocelli on this one?” Tom asked. “We couldn’t have done worse if we tried.”
“Petrocelli must have compromising pictures of somebody.” McGinnis sipped on his coffee. “He couldn’t argue his way out of a paper bag. They call him ‘OPB, Old Plea Bargain’ in the break room”
A gray haired, bent backed man in an expensive suit got off of the elevator. He looked around for an instant, then walked confidently up to Tom.
“Elliot McKay, for the defense.” He handed Tom a business card. “I would like to confer with my client.”
“Right this way Mister McKay.” Tom opened the door to the interrogation room.
McKay walked in, but when Tom tried to follow, McKay barred his way. “I would like to confer with my client in private.”
Tom and McGinnis stood outside the two-way mirror and watched with the sound turned off. It was unconstitutional to violate attorney-client privilege. They could tell nothing from the conversation. Freeman and McKay looked like two old friends discussing a day’s round of go
lf.
After what seemed like forever, McKay came to the door. “Mr. Freeman is prepared to make a statement.”
Tom, followed by McGinnis entered the room. Tom switched on the camcorder. “This is detective sergeant Tom Bremen, with detective Marty McGinnis. We are interviewing Richard Freeman in the presence of his attorney, Elliot McKay.”
Tom made sure that the camcorder was pointed at Freeman.
“Okay, Mister Freeman. Let’s start with. . . “
“Let’s start with you don’t have a shred of evidence.” McKay butted in. “My client is highly offended that you even dragged him down here.”
“We’re really concerned with hurting your client’s feelings.” McGinnis’ voice dripped with sarcasm. “We have two homicides to solve. I think we’ve got our man.”
“Then please lay out your evidence detective.” McKay didn’t even turn to acknowledge McGinnis. He kept his eyes on Tom. “I would be interested to see what kind of fiction you’re preparing.”
“Let’s start with last things first.” Tom popped a DVD into the laptop on the table. “We have Mister Freeman on tape, struggling with Metcalf. Injecting him. Posing the body. That should be good for murder one.”
“You have nothing, detective. Your surrogates made an illegal search of my client’s home. A jury will never see that tape.” McKay looked a little bored. “What else do you have?”
Tom ejected the DVD and slipped in another. “Surveillance video. Your client was tracking Mrs. Harrison. Then she ends up dead.”
“I’m sorry, detective.” McKay got up and reached down for Freeman. “You’re wasting our time. If this is the best you can do, we’re leaving.” He started towards the door. “Call us when you find some real evidence.”
“Not so fast. Your client isn’t going anywhere.” Tom blocked the door.
“Are you charging him?”
“Murder one. Two counts.” The edges of Tom’s field of vision turned red.
“You amuse me.” McKay flicked an imaginary spec off of his sleeve. “This will never stand up in court. No jury will ever see it. No judge in his right mind will allow you to play those videos.”
Richard Freeman stopped in the door way and turned back to Tom. “Good day, Sergeant Bremen. It was a pleasure doing business with you. You did a good job here. Really you did. If you ever get tired of police work, give me a call. I can always find room for a man like you in my organization.” He flashed a smug smile at Tom, then turned his back and with erect military bearing, walked out of the squad room.
****
“McKay was right.” Tom sat on the edge of Catrina’s desk.
Ted studied the veteran cop. He looked like he had lost his last friend.
“The judge threw out our videos.” Tom slid out a deep breath.
“He what?” Ted jumped up from his chair. “We have a tape. We have visual evidence that Freeman murdered Metcalf. What more does he need?”
“Petrocelli folded like a cheap suit. McKay argued that the evidence was the fruit of the poisoned tree. He said that you guys were acting as surrogates for the police and that you entered Freeman’s home illegally. McKay is talking about pressing charges for breaking and entering. He says that any evidence gathered as a result of that search is tainted. Apparently the judge agreed.”
“Breaking and entering?” Ted moaned. “Can it get any worse?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Tom let out a deep breath. “They’re just posturing. They’ll take the dropped charges and be happy.”
"How would they know we were your surrogates?" Cat asked.
"The judge asked me directly. I had to tell him that I might have given you the impression that it was okay?"
"You what?" Catrina's eyes flashed fire. "You couldn't have lied just a little?"
"Not under oath. This is the kind of stuff that comes back and bites you in the ass. Besides, McGinnis was there. I couldn’t ask him to lie for me."
“Jesus Christ.” Ted paced to the window and back. “That’s all a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo. We have the tapes. They clearly showed Freeman doing it. What else do they need? What about the guys in the warehouse?”
“The two guys you shot in the warehouse, they worked for Freeman. Both former Marines, recruited by Freeman, but we haven’t been able to prove that they were working on his orders.” Tom continued his narrative. “McKay contents that they were acting on their own. That they had gone rogue. We don’t have any forensic evidence that can place Freeman at the scene. Nothing showing that Freeman ordered them to torture Ted. There’s no evidence that Mrs. Harrison was ever there. We don’t have anything that we can use in court to tie Freeman to Metcalf and Harrison.”
Ted turned to look towards Catrina. He was desperate. Surely, she could do something.
His employer sat in her chair, frozen. No emotion showed on her face. Her fingers were steepled in front of her face.
“Cat, what are you thinking?”
“NO!” Tom’s voice rose. “Don’t go there. Don’t even think it. Let us work the case. We know who did it, now we just need to find evidence.”
Cat slowly looked up at him. She had a feral look on her face. “You won’t find anything. Freeman’s too smart. He just got away with two murders.”
****
“You’ve done a great job.” Alison Clarke, wearing a bright red suit, took the coffee cups from her assistant’s tray and handed them to Ted, Catrina and Jeff.
Ted took the cup and sat on one of the loveseats in Alison’s office. Once again, he thought that the office was bigger than his apartment.
“We didn’t get Freeman.” Cat moved over slightly so Alison could sit beside her.
“I’ll take care of Freeman. We’ll offer him a severance package, but he’ll never work in security again. With Terry Metcalf’s unfortunate death, I’m putting one of my people on the board. We’ll hold a formal election next week. I’ll be named Chairman of the Board. I have a lot to thank you for.”
It didn’t feel like a celebration to Ted. Freeman had walked. The man was Teflon coated. The cops couldn’t find enough evidence to charge him with jay walking.
Four people were dead. Donna Harrison. Terry Metcalf. Freeman’s two henchmen. Who knew what other victims had fallen to the power struggle between Alison and Metcalf. How many careers had been ruined because someone had chosen the wrong side?
“I have some good news for you.” Alison was in a jovial mood. “I talked with Anthony Petrocelli. It wasn’t difficult to convince him that having Millennium Systems for an enemy would be bad for his political aspirations. He’s dropping the charges against you three.”
Ted looked to Catrina and Jeff. He expected to see jubilation in their faces. They didn’t even look relieved. They both had blank stares.
I guess that’s what power gets you. If you have enough money you can buy yourself a district attorney or two.
“So you’re free to roll out Delphi?” Catrina said in a trance-like voice.
“We still have a few problems there. The CPU still over heats and we’ve had the battery pack break out in flames. Our R&D guys are still working on it, but I’ve dropped it from our strategic plan for next year.”
“You mean all of this, it was for nothing?” Ted couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I don’t get it. Why did we do all of this?”
“Ted,” Alison said. “That’s just business. Sometimes you make a good bet, sometimes you don’t. We try to weigh outcomes, only take smart risks, but sometimes we roll craps. The important thing is that Terry Metcalf is out of Millennium Systems. I have total control of the company now. We're poised for the future.”
****
Ted sat on the stool at his breakfast bar and stared at this Blackberry. He knew he had to call. He dreaded what he would hear. Papa was not happy with him. How could he ever make him understand?
He took a sip of his coffee. Oscar jumped up on the counter and rubbed against Ted’s face.
“Hey, littl
e man.” Ted scratched his ears. “You always know when I need you, don’t you?”
He couldn’t put it off indefinitely. He called up his address book and dialed.
The phone rang twice, then he heard a perky female voice.
“El Chaparral, how may I help you?”
“Hi, this is Ted. Can I talk to Papa?” Everyone at the restaurant called his father Papa.
“Just a minute, Ted. He’s in the kitchen. I’ll go get him.”
The few minutes it took for Papa to come to the phone seemed like hours.
“¿Mijo, está tu?”
“Si, Papa. I have news for you.” Ted gulped. “We’re off the hook. The DA has dropped all the charges.”
There was a short silence on the other end of the line. “So that means you never did what they said, you never broke into someone’s computer.”
“Not exactly. We did hack into MS. They’re just not pressing charges. The Chairman of the Board died. The new Chairman is withdrawing the complaint.”
“So what you’re telling me is that what you did was illegal.” There was a harsh tone of judgment in Papa’s voice. “You broke the law?”
“We really didn’t break the law at MS.” How could he explain this? “We had the CEO’s permission to hack their network.” Papa was so old school. He always saw the world in blacks and whites. “Where we did sorta cross the line was hacking into First Washington Bank. We had to find motive for Donna’s killing. Cat says to follow the money; that it’s usually about money.”
“So you did break the law? You did enter someone else’s computers illegally?”
“Yes. But they aren’t pressing charges.” Ted breathed. He had to tell Papa the truth. “But they don’t know about it. They don’t know we were in their network.”
“So, Mijo, what you’re telling me is that you broke the law, you did a criminal act.” Papa stopped for an instant to let his words sink in. “You just didn’t get caught.”
“It’s not like that.” Ted knew that they did the right thing. “We were doing it for a good cause. A woman was killed. We had to find out who did it. Someone at MS was leaking privileged information. We had to stop them.”
Hacker For Hire (Ted Higuera Series Book 2) Page 28