The Face of Fear: A Powers and Johnson Novel

by Torbert, R. J. ;

  I’m not even counting the attempted murder of Officer Sherry Walker and the second attempt of Rachelle Robinson.”

  Albert Simmons was getting annoyed again and said, “So you get an A for history. What do you want from us?”

  As much as Cronin was agitated with Simmons, he was right; he hadn’t asked a question to her yet. Cronin said, “Ms. Saunders, I do have some questions for you, and if you cooperate, I will speak to the assistant district attorney about handing you over to the FBI on the kidnapping charge, which means we would consider not pursuing the murder charges against you. However, the offer only stands if we find out the rest of the story.”

  Simmons whispered in Patty’s ear, and she replied she would cooperate. The questions began.

  “Have you been in contact with anyone since your arrest?”

  “No.”

  “Have you been in contact with the outside world in any form?”

  “No.”

  “Were you involved with anyone else other than John Winters, Mason Winters, Phil Smith, Wayne Starfield, and Kyle Winters?”

  “No.”

  “Feel free to speak a bit. You are not in a courtroom; you don’t have to just answer yes or no. OK?” Bud said.

  “Yes.”

  “Who’s paying for Albert Simmons here?”

  “Don’t answer that,” Simmons said, putting his hand on her arm. “Do you know why Phil Smith is dressing up killing the rest of his ex-partners?”

  “You know why, Detective, and besides, do you know for sure that it’s Mr. Smith?” Simmons replied.

  “Do we, Patty Saunders?” Cronin asked.

  “No, I don’t know, but I think it is. I can’t think of anyone else who would be doing it,” Patty Saunders replied.

  “Someone who wants us to think it’s Phil Smith. Someone who wants to get away with killing the bad guys, but quite frankly, I don’t think he’s smart enough to pull this off. I don’t think Phil Smith has the courage to kill in hospitals, break into homes and abandoned buildings and kill. I think he was brought in to mastermind the kidnapping of Deborah Lance and get the ransom,” Cronin stated.

  “Yes, he was brought in for that specific reason,” Patty Saunders answered.

  “Did you know they were planning to kill Rachelle Robinson and kill Deborah Lance after the ransom was paid?” Cronin asked. “Don’t answer that,” Simmons growled.

  “Do you have any idea how Phil Smith or anyone knew where to find John Winters in the abandoned building to kill him?”

  “No, I really don’t,” Patty stated.

  Paul walked into the room and, with Cronin’s approving gaze, pulled up a chair across from Simmons as he looked at Patty.

  “Patty, if you have had no contact with anyone since you have been arrested, then why is Robert Simpson living in your apartment since he was kicked out of the Lances’ Pink Mansion?” Paul asked.

  “Well, I...” she began to stutter, looking at Simmons.

  “If you want consideration on the deal, answer the question and follow-ups or everything is off the table,” Cronin said.

  “He contacted a relative of mine in Connecticut to ask me to stay. I didn’t want the apartment to be unattended while I was here, so I said OK.”

  “Why did you not indicate that in the initial question regarding contacts being made?” Paul asked.

  “Because I didn’t want anyone bothering him. I got him involved in something he knew nothing about. He has lost everything because of me. Please don’t bother him.”

  “You have a Twitter account?” Paul asked. Bud’s eyes lit up at this statement, as he loved it when Paul got going with a suspect. “Yes,” Patty said.

  “When was the last time you used it?”

  “I’ve been locked up for almost a week. So about five days.”

  “Your last entry showed four hours ago. Who has your Twitter name and password?”

  Patty looked at Simmons, and he encouraged her to answer. “Phil has it,” she said.

  “Why would he have it?”

  “Because he wanted to follow Rachelle’s tweets. She has been sending out cryptic messages about all of this, and he wanted access without identification.”

  “Ms. Saunders, why would a kidnapper/murderer want to use your Twitter account?”

  “I just told you,” Patty exclaimed.

  “Who else?” Paul asked. “He would not use your account knowing you are in jail for murder unless he is a dumbass. Who else?”

  Patty looked at her attorney then back at Paul and said, “I don’t know, but there is someone else.”

  “How do you know?” Paul asked.

  “Phil told me someone else was in charge of things and the only way for us to get out of this was to follow his directions,” Patty said as her voice started cracking.

  “Did Phil say if the person was a he or a she?” Paul asked.

  The young woman was getting nervous but answered, “All he told me was it was a he. I didn’t care, I just wanted all of this to go away.” She covered her face with her hands.

  “Look at me, Ms. Saunders,” the Detective pushed harder.

  “Did Phil Smith indicate to you there would be more killing or just that people involved in the kidnapping would be eliminated?” Paul asked.

  “I don’t want to die,” Patty said.

  “Look at me,” Paul said, his voice getting stronger. “Other than the Winters brothers and Starfield, who else was scheduled to be taken out?”

  “Debbie Lance,” she said as she began to cry. “Rachelle Robinson and...and Bud Johnson.”

  “Did he tell you why Bud Johnson was on the list? We know why the girls were on the list.”

  Patty was crying a little more now, and Simmons wanted to take a break, but Paul insisted, saying, “Ms. Saunders, did he tell you why Detective Johnson was on the hit list?”

  “Whoever was calling the shots didn’t like him,” she answered. “So he met Detective Johnson?”

  “He didn’t say,” Patty said through her tears.

  “Listen carefully. When he talked about taking out Detective Johnson, did he only say he didn’t like him, or did he mention anything about Detective Johnson putting a bullet in Kyle Winters?”

  “No, no, no, nothing like that. He didn’t like him, he didn’t like his attitude.”

  Cronin was so impressed with Paul’s questioning that he hadn’t spoken a word in almost 15 minutes.

  “Ms. Saunders, who else in the group had Twitter accounts?” Paul asked.

  “Just myself.”

  “How did Phil follow what was going on, on Twitter, before you were arrested?”

  “You can follow someone by just signing up with a name. You go to their profile and read their tweets, but you don’t have to write anything yourself.”

  “Did you follow Rachelle?”

  “Yes.”

  “Deborah?”

  “Yes.”

  “Simpson?”

  “Yes.”

  “William Lance?”

  “No, he’s not on Twitter.”

  Paul asked firmly, “Who else?”

  “No one of importance.”

  “Were you communicating with Simpson after the affair was over?”

  “Yes, of course. I was best friends with Debbie.”

  “Did you communicate with him through direct message?”

  “On occasion.”

  “Who is 'Fun Mom’ and 'Stay Tuned’ on Twitter?”

  Her mouth opened, and she said, “What?”

  “Who are they?” Paul asked.

  “They are relatives of mine from Connecticut.”

  “Did any of your so-called group meet them, such as Phil?”

  “No one.”

  “Did they help you pull off the kidnapping by giving assistance for shelter or food during this period of time?”
>
  “No, no, no, and if they did, I would never give them up.”

  “Oh, I think you would, because if they were involved, I have a feeling a certain masked killer is making the rounds on all the bad guys. Someone doesn’t like that Deborah Lance and Rachelle Robinson have been through hell. If you want to keep them alive, tell us now about them.”

  Patty put her head down on the table and then lifted it. Her leg started trembling under the table as she said, “Fun Mom is my cousin

  Linda in Connecticut. She was worried about me and followed me.”

  “And Stay Tuned? Who is it?”

  “Listen, I don’t know if it means anything, but...”

  “Who is it?”

  “It’s Steven Anderson of the Port Jefferson Now paper.”

  Cronin looked over at Simmons, and they both had a look of surprise on their faces.

  “Did you ever meet Mr. Anderson?” Paul asked.

  “No.”

  “Did you ever communicate with him on a direct message on

  Twitter? And remember, everything is recorded on Twitter and documented.”

  “Yes.”

  “What were the direct messages about?”

  “Mostly questions about the Lance family. He said it was research for a story.”

  “How did he know about you, that you were in the middle of this?”

  “I don’t know,” Patty said, getting restless.

  “Have you heard from him since your arrest?”

  “No.”

  “Your Twitter name, 'BFFRSDL.’ Did anyone ask you what it meant?”

  “No.”

  “What does it mean?”

  “Oh, come on,” she answered.

  “How about, Best Friends Forever, Robert Simpson, Deborah Lance?” Paul said.

  Bud took a deep breath and couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  Paul continued, “You updated that Twitter nickname about a month ago. You changed it from Port Jeff Lady. Why did you change it?”

  “I just felt like changing it.”

  “Was the kidnapping only your idea, Ms. Saunders, or was Deborah Lance involved in her own kidnapping?”

  Bud’s mouth dropped at the question.

  “Wait! I would like to speak to my client alone and have some privacy before we continue this,” Simmons said.

  “OK,” Cronin said. “I could use a breath of fresh air right now. Guys, let’s take a break and get a cup of coffee.” They left the room and walked down the hallway.

  “Holy shit!” Bud was saying. “This can’t be.”

  “Wait!” Cronin said, “till we get out of the hallway. Get a coffee and get back to my office so we can discuss this in private.”

  Paul opened up his cell phone and called Joey Z for a table of four at Z Pita. He looked at Bud and asked, “You’re having dinner with me, Dad, and Allan tonight, right?”

  “Are you kidding?” Bud answered. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  They went into Cronin’s office and shut the door. As they sat down, Cronin spoke. He said, “Pretty impressive, Paul.”

  “Well,” the young detective answered, “I guess the sleep helped.” Bud sipped on his coffee and interjected, “We don’t really think Deborah is involved in this?”

  Cronin spoke, saying, “Bud, there’s a difference of not being involved and not wanting someone to be involved.”

  Detective Powers replied, “The truth is, I’m not sure yet, but it’s a definite possibility.”

  Bud answered, “This woman was thrown in a trunk, beaten, sexually assaulted, and almost killed.”

  “True,” Paul said.

  “But if all of this doesn’t go to plan, and Daddy’s money doesn’t happen because cops like us spoil the fun by changing the plans and even shooting one of them, you get yourself on the hit list as well.”

  “How did you find out about Twitter?” Cronin asked.

  Paul answered, “I’ve been on Twitter for a couple of years and have had fun with it communicating with Rachelle. I started poking around a bit yesterday after visiting the hospital.”

  “OK,” Cronin said. “We are working this case overtime ’til it’s over. Newsday is working on a story that Suffolk County homicides are the highest in the past 20 years, with more than half unsolved. In 2010 alone there were 50 murders, and only 22 were solved. This is not going to be one of the unsolved.”

  Bud, the trivia king, chimed in, saying, “Our department has a 74 percent solve rate.”

  “Yes,” Cronin said. “I said Suffolk County rate was below half.” Cronin picked up the phone and ordered a watch team to keep an eye on Steven Anderson.

  “Listen,” the detective lieutenant said as he looked at Paul, “I asked Newsday to stop the daily cryptic messages coming out from Rachelle’s name, but they refused. Can we get her to stop? I’m being told they have another five days of cryptic messages coming out, not to mention her tweets.”

  “I will speak to her,” Paul answered.

  “As a cop,” Cronin answered.

  “Yes,” Paul answered.

  “Just remember,” Cronin answered, “a personal connection gets in the way. It blurs your judgment.”

  “What is her Twitter name?” Bud asked.

  “BF_TJ_GW,” Paul replied. “Her heroes. Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington.”

  “I like it,” Bud answered.

  “OK,” Cronin said, “I think they have had enough time.” They reentered the room and were greeted with a half-smile from Simmons and a nod from Patty.

  “Now that you have had time with your attorney, we left off with the question about whether Deborah was involved with her own kidnapping,” Paul said.

  “Yes.”

  Cronin and Bud turned their heads to Paul, who said, “Yes to where we were at? Or yes that Deborah was involved in her own kidnapping? And if we find out your attorney encouraged you to lie and say she was so your sentence will be lighter, we will find out, and both of you will be in a jail cell next to each other for a long time.”

  “She wasn’t happy about her dad selling the business. She knew she had money coming to her, but she wanted a lump sum for her and Robert.”

  “What does that have to do with her being involved in her own kidnapping?”

  “I told her I had an idea and that she would have to trust me.”

  “And?” Paul asked.

  “I came up with the kidnapping plan, made my contacts, and made the arrangements. Once she was kidnapped, I was going to tell her to relax, but it got out of hand so fast,” Patty answered.

  “So she did not know about it?”

  “She knew something was going to happen, but I guess she didn’t know what or when.”

  “You’re reaching a bit, aren’t you, Ms. Saunders? Is there anyone else we haven’t talked about that we should be talking about?”

  “I guess not. What’s going to happen to me?”

  “Well, one thing is for sure, you are protected here, so you won’t have a knife go through your body like your friends. The odds are good that you will at least be alive. OK, last question, why did you inform Newsday of Deborah Lance’s relationship with Simpson?”

  Everyone in the room was stunned by the question.

  Patty began to stutter, “I...I was told to.”

  “By who?” Paul pressed on, repeating himself. “By who?”

  “I...I don’t know...it was over the phone.”

  “Give us a name,” Paul said, getting louder.

  Patty looked at her attorney for his blessing, then turned back to Paul, saying, “I only know of his voice, not his name.”

  Paul continued, “Was it someone other than the Winters brothers, Wayne Starfield, or Phil Smith?”

  Patty was starting to shake, and Simmons put his arm around her.

  She ans
wered, “I’m not sure. I think it was Phil Smith, but I’m not sure. The voice was disguised.”

  Paul looked over at Cronin before he spoke again, asking, “Ms. Saunders, did you know that Deborah Lance had a life insurance-policy on her for $5 million?”

  Simmons stood up with his hand on Patty Saunders and told her to be quiet. He said, “This interview is over for now, ’til I have a chance to be with her privately.”

  Paul looked over at Cronin, who spoke up, saying, “I guess we struck a raw nerve.”

  The attorney pulled Patty up and replied, “We can continue at another time. Thank you, gentlemen. Are there any other questions before we leave?” he asked just for formality.

  “Just one,” Bud answered. “Did you ever communicate with Rachelle Robinson on Twitter?”

  “I sent her a couple of tweets, but she never replied.”

  “What did the tweets say?”

  “They were questions about how she was feeling after the shooting.”

  “That’s all for now,” Cronin said.

  As Patty was taken away, Simmons looked at Cronin and said, “A productive day.”

  “Yes,” Cronin answered back. “Thank you, and I’m sure we will be seeing you soon.”

  Cronin then turned to Paul and Bud and said, “OK guys, it’s been a long 24 hours. Give me a call tomorrow and let me know what you’re working on.”

  When Paul and Bud got to Z Pita, Paul’s dad and Allan were catching up on old times. Before Paul could sit down, Joey Z came up to him and showed him the Twitter column from Rachelle that was in Newsday. The message of the day read, “You didn’t have your way, it may have been yesterday, not counting the cop there have been five, but I’m still alive.” Paul couldn’t believe what he was reading. Joey Z was clearly upset.

  “Listen, I don’t know what’s going on, but we can’t let her back here while she is antagonizing the crazies. Is she going to see someone for help?”

  Paul dropped the paper and said, “I will be speaking to her about this.” He sat down at the table and greeted his dad with a kiss on the top of his head. For one hour they were able to forget about the magnitude of the case. Brie cheese fondue at Z Pita with Joey’s famous Greek salad and eggplant skordalia had a way of helping you forget about world events for a while.

  The elder Powers mentioned that he noticed, on the way into the restaurant, a car completely in the design of the Yankees uniform. Paul explained to him it was owned by Barry Dubin and was a common sight in the Village. He rode around often in it with his father, George Dubin, who was well known in the Village for wearing his World War II Veteran hat.