Icy Betrayal: A Jack Keller Thriller

by David Keith

  “Well, now that you mention Keller,” replied Mick.

  “Oh God,” Mia muttered, dreading this conversation.

  “As I recall from the events of yesterday morning, Keller claimed your dad had been following him. Is that…”

  “Listen… what he… I thought…” Exasperated, she let out a long breath.

  “Is it true?”

  “Yes,” she confessed.

  “What in the hell was he…” Mick started, then stopped and asked a side question. “How old is Chuck?”

  “72.”

  “What was your 72-year-old father doing following Rocklin County’s most experienced investigator?”

  Mia took a deep breath.

  “I shared some of my concerns with him. You know, about Keller possibly being involved romantically with Sullivan.”

  “Which—” Mick tried to jump in.

  “Was a mistake,” Mia continued. “I shouldn’t be talking about cases with my father, but I did. So my dad, wanting to help me, decided to follow him.” Mia purposely left out the GPS tracking device. Mick was stressed enough.

  “Keller said Chuck followed him to a supermarket?”

  “And… a few other places. Keller was apparently onto him by the time they got to the market. That’s where Keller cornered him and started asking him questions. He quickly figured things out, got pissed, and made Dad take him to the house to confront me. And apparently that’s right about the time you came down in your… your…”

  “My towel? Look, you’re going to have to resolve this with Jack,” Mick said.

  “I already did. We talked before the Lennox takedown yesterday. We met, and he basically bitched me out.”

  “What about us? Did that come up?”

  “No. There wasn’t time.”

  “Well, he obviously knows. We’ll have to see how that plays out.”

  “He didn’t say anything to me about it, but again, we didn’t have a lot of time. He just swore up and down he wasn’t involved with Lisa Sullivan. He actually laughed at the suggestion.”

  “So, are you off the Keller/Sullivan love connection now?” he asked.

  “Uh. Not completely.”

  “Jesus, Mia.”

  “I’m an investigator, too, Captain. What—I can’t have a hunch?”

  Mick gazed at her. Even at the crack of dawn with no sleep, she was beautiful. “You know what my problem is?” he asked.

  “What?”

  “I’m in love with you.”

  “And that’s a problem?”

  “No, it’s great, but it does complicate things a bit.”

  “I love you too, Mick. And as soon as this case is closed, I will get a transfer back to patrol, and we can be together. And as far as your run for sheriff, like I said the other night, I think you should do it. Don’t pass on your dreams for me. You’ll make a great sheriff after the people of Rocklin County vote you into office.”

  “You’d do that for me?”

  “Of course, I would. If it means we can be together, then I’m happy to do it.”

  “Mia, I don’t know what to say.”

  “No need to say anything.”

  “Well, I’m hoping we can find a way to keep you where you are. But it’s early yet. Still, speaking of running for sheriff, I do need to start the process. Set up a campaign, raise money, set a strategy.”

  “What can I do to help?”

  “We need to put together a campaign team of people who would be interested in supporting me.”

  “Okay, I will give that some serious thought, Mr. Sheriff.”

  “I like the sound of that, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

  “You’re going to win, Mick. And I will do everything I can to help.”

  “Thanks, Mia. As far as Keller goes, there’s nothing we can do about it now, so we’ll play it as it comes.”

  “Dad feels awful. Just so you know.”

  “I’m sure he does.”

  Mia wanted to give him a hug, but thought better of it. It was still early, and it didn’t appear anyone was around, but she didn’t want to take any chances. Mick could sense what she was thinking.

  “I’d better get to work,” Mia replied as she walked towards the door.

  “Yeah, me too.”

  Once back in her office, Mia sent off a quick email to Keller asking what time he wanted to meet and have another go at Lennox.

  Keller snatched the burner phone as it vibrated on the kitchen table. “Hey,” he said.

  “Good morning.” Lisa sounded tired.

  “How’d you sleep?”

  “Not great, but I’m ready to hit the road and wanted to check in with you before I get going. I wouldn’t want to get a ticket for talking on my cell while driving.”

  Keller chuckled. “Well, it seems you are pretty good at charming New Mexico state troopers.”

  “Yeah, but I’m in Arizona now, so all bets are off,” she joked.

  “Somehow I don’t think that would matter much.”

  “How long do you think it will take me to get there?”

  “Probably about five hours, give or take. He’s going to meet you at three this afternoon, so you’ve got plenty of time. I’ll call him again to confirm. Once I do, I’ll get you the final details.”

  “So, is my picture on the news?”

  “Yep, you are officially a wanted woman.”

  “Is it at least a decent photo?” she asked with a tired, forced laugh.

  “Yeah, we got one from your hospital’s newsletter on the Internet. Great job on the United Way campaign, by the way,” he added.

  Lisa laughed. “Thank you.”

  “It’s all going to work out, Lisa. You just have to trust me.”

  “I do trust you. I just can’t believe how much my life has changed over the past couple of months. And I need to wrap my head around the fact that my life will never be the same. There’s no going back.”

  Keller didn’t know what to say. Lisa sensed that and said, “Talk to you in a little while, then.”

  “Okay,” he said. “Talk to you then.”

  The line went dead.

  “I love you,” he whispered into the phone.

  THIRTY-TWO

  “Hey, Lennox, wake up. You’ve got a visitor.”

  Waking up wasn’t much of a problem. Scott Lennox hadn’t really slept. It had been a rough night.

  The guard led him down a long corridor towards visitation. Inside, there was a row of seats separated by partitions, each with its own telephone.

  Laura Lennox couldn’t have looked more out of place. If the designer clothes, bag, sunglasses, heels, or fragrance didn’t give her away, the pricey jewelry and perfectly placed Botox did. Laura Lennox was the definition of “high-maintenance.” In social circles, they called her the “Ice Queen,” for both her revenue stream and lack of emotion. The visit was clearly a painful one for her. Not so much out of concern for her husband, but for the humiliation. She sat down gingerly, fearing she might stick to something.

  “Hello, Scott,” she seethed.

  “Hello, Laura.”

  She peered through the glass at her husband with utter disdain.

  Scott put his head down and wept.

  “You tell me you have to run some errand, then disappear all day. The police came to the house, Scott! I thought you were dead in some accident. They tell me you’re in jail and they have a search warrant. They went through our house, Scott. Strange people rifled through my things. They tossed everything onto the floor. Goddammit Scott, it was so humiliating! And our son, what do I tell him? Everyone we know saw the news. It’s on the front page of the fucking paper, people are calling the house. What in the name of Christ am I supposed to tell them?”

  “Laura, I am so sorry. This is a nightmare, and I feel like I’m drowning. My life is spinning out of control. I am so, so sorry.”

  “You’re sorry? That’s all you have to say to me?”

  “I can’t talk about it
here. I need an attorney, and I need one now. They questioned me last night, and I’m pretty sure they are coming back today to do it all again. I need help, Laura.”

  Laura stared at her husband through the glass. He was a pathetic figure, but was he guilty of murder? Did it really matter?

  “Who the fuck is Lisa Sullivan?”

  Scott hesitated.

  “Answer my question or I’m walking out of here, and they can fry your ass as far as I’m concerned.”

  It would all come out anyway. He took a deep breath, looked directly through the glass into Laura’s eyes.

  “I was having an affair with her. It was just sex, nothing more. It’s over; it’s been over for quite some time. I don’t know what made me do it. It’s just… after Sam left for college, I don’t know, things changed. I did something stupid, and for that I am truly, truly sorry. Please forgive me. I’m begging you. You have to help me.”

  Laura Lennox sat stoically across from her husband. She didn’t respond; she just let his words wash over her. At least he admitted the affair. She had known things weren’t right between her and her husband, but she chalked it up to the long hours he spent at the ice company. Now his business partner was dead, and the police were saying Scott and this woman did it.

  She had a decision to make. Throw in the towel on her husband of more than twenty years or do what she could to save him. Laura wondered if he could really be a killer. You never know what people are capable of, even ones you shared your life with for more than two decades.

  She thought of their son, Sam, away at college, in tears on the phone with her late last night after seeing the news reports on television. He was devastated.

  Laura could walk away or stand by her man. The choice came down to one factor: what was best for Laura Lennox—socially and financially.

  “You’re going to need a lawyer.”

  Scott’s head dropped down and the tears began again.

  “I’ll make some calls.”

  “Thank you, Laura, thank you.”

  Repulsed by the spineless man sitting before her, she hung up the phone and walked out, head held high.

  “You ready to roll?” Mia asked as she poked her head into the bullpen.

  “Yeah,” Keller said. “Let’s go pay Mr. Lennox a visit.”

  Keller and Mia walked across the Justice Center compound to the jail where Lennox had spent the night in lockup and took the stairs down to the interrogation section. They went through security and checked in with the sergeant on duty.

  “Okay, I’ll have him brought up. Busy morning for your boy.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Mia.

  “Some woman came in to see him. She was a piece of work, too. Don’t get many high-society types in here. You just missed her.”

  Mia looked at Keller, “You think he got a lawyer already?”

  The sergeant overheard the question, “She didn’t strike me as the lawyer type, but I’ll check the logs.” A minute later the sergeant had the answer.

  “Yep, the visitor was a Laura Lennox. Must be your boy’s better half, I’m guessing?”

  “That she is,” answered Keller.

  “Well, that might explain why she was so pissed. The guard said she was cold as ice and ripped your boy a new one. Hell hath no fury, huh?” the sergeant added with a chuckle.

  “Maybe we should just hand him over to her. Speedy justice,” Keller joked.

  “That’d save me a lot of trouble. We’ll bring him back down and let you know when he’s ready to go.”

  “You want to take the lead again, Jack?” Mia asked.

  “Yeah, maybe he’ll be a little more open with us after a night on the cot. And we might look pretty good in comparison to a visit from the missus this morning.”

  Lennox was escorted into Interview Room 2. He wore a standard issue RCSO jumpsuit and “belly cuffs” that kept his hands at his side on a chain wrapped around his waist. The sergeant notified Keller and Mia their perp was ready.

  The investigators eyed Lennox through the one-way glass in a dark hallway adjacent to the interview room. He looked beaten and despondent, head down, staring at his chains.

  “Good morning, Scott, hope you slept well,” Keller said as they entered. Keller was armed with a cup of coffee and a file folder.

  Lennox didn’t budge.

  “Investigator Serrano and I wanted to chat with you a little more this morning and see if we can clear this mess up.”

  “Don’t bother, I’m getting a lawyer.”

  The investigators eyed one another. They didn’t have much time, if any.

  Keller spoke, “Well, that’s certainly your right, Scott. You know, we’re just trying to help you clear this thing up, but when that lawyer comes in here, well it ain’t gonna be about helping you. He’s gonna see just how many hours he can bill. Next thing you know, he owns himself an ice company.”

  “I’m not talking until I see my attorney.”

  “Well, okay. But seems like a shame, I was really hoping we could work somethin’ out with the DA given the fact that your partner was about to croak anyway.”

  Lennox looked confused. He wanted to ignore Keller, but he was having trouble concentrating. Keller turned to Mia.

  Mia sat down close to Lennox and used the same tone she used when trying to help her troubled high school students at Columbine. “Look Scott, the autopsy showed Mr. Lombard had cancer. Pancreatic cancer that had metastasized throughout his body. So you see, you basically killed a dead man. We think if you can do the right thing here, we can get the DA to work with us and help you.”

  “You’re not gonna play me,” Lennox said weakly, fidgeting with the chains around his waist.

  “It’s the truth,” Keller said sympathetically.

  He opened his file and tossed down a picture from the autopsy. “See for yourself. That cancer shit was eating him up.”

  “He’s right, Scott,” Mia told him. “And look, we know your wife was in here earlier. If I were her, I’d get the best lawyer I could find and tell him to take apart Lennox Ice, get me every dime possible, and make sure you rot in a cell along with your girlfriend.”

  Lennox rocked slightly back and forth in his chair.

  “But there’s a way through this without losing everything. Don’t you think you should just take some time and see what we can do for you before some big shot lawyer comes in here and starts taking everything you’ve ever worked for ?”

  No response from Scott Lennox.

  “Listen to her, Scott,” Keller said. “She’s making a lot of sense.”

  Mia jumped back in, “After all, we know Lisa Sullivan is culpable in all this. You sure as hell don’t want her coming in here, cutting some deal that puts it all on you. Whose idea was it, anyway? Was it hers?”

  Jack realized he needed to take back control of the interrogation before Mia gave Lennox the idea of pinning the entire murder on Lisa. Lennox rolled his head back, looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath.

  “Scott,” Keller said. “We know—”

  “I have nothing to say without my attorney. So fuck off and leave me alone!”

  Keller and Mia looked at one another. Keller shrugged and nodded toward the door.

  “Okay, Scott, if that’s the way you want it. Too bad, we could have helped you,” Keller told him sadly. “Your buddy was close to checking out, that cancer is a bitch. All that money… two million big ones would have been in your bank account by spring. If you change your mind, give us a call, but the clock is running. Tick tock.”

  Keller grabbed the autopsy photo as they left. The inspectors stopped for a view through the two-way glass.

  “Shit, I was hoping he’d end up with a public defender, but I’m guessing Mrs. Lennox may spring for a real, honest-to-goodness defense attorney,” Jack said.

  “I thought I had a chance there,” replied Mia.

  “Don’t stress it. He wasn’t going to talk. But that angle with the wife, that was good. I�
�m impressed,” Keller said.

  “Thanks, Jack.”

  “No shit, Serrano. That was really good. I wanted to confess myself,” he told her. Keller had seen perps turn on less, and Serrano was very convincing. He was also grateful Lennox didn’t bite when she’d brought up Lisa. That could have turned everything on its head. Jack knew the high-priced attorney would try to blame Lisa but that would take time, and he could use that time to make sure she was far away and safe.

  Keller and Serrano were blinded by the sunlight as they emerged from the jail building. “I have a contact over in the courthouse that may know Lennox’s wife,” Keller offered. “I’m gonna run over there and see what I can find out. Sounds like she’ll be running the show. Might give us some insight.”

  “When do you want to brief the captain?” Mia asked.

  “Give me an hour.”

  THIRTY-THREE

  Jack headed across the quad toward the courthouse where he pulled out the burner phone. “I thought I’d check in. Where are you?”

  “At a Deal-Mart, just outside Flagstaff. I bought another phone like you told me. It was expensive but comes with 750 minutes. I’ll text you the new number after we finish.”

  “Great, and I’ll pick one up here and get you that new number as well. So, you’re getting close. Roberto will meet you at three o’clock at the gas station off Highway 85 at exit 39. He’ll handle everything from there, including taking you to the storage place. I’ve already called ahead and made the arrangements, so the manager knows you’re coming. It should be simple and quick.”

  “Okay, do you want me to call you when I meet Roberto? Or call when everything is done?”

  “Just call me when everything is done, unless there are any problems. But Roberto will take good care of you. You can trust him.”

  “Okay, I better get going. I’ll call you when I’m there.”

  “Talk to you then.”

  Captain McCallister was looking over the Denver area newspapers, checking the Lennox/Sullivan coverage. Pretty good coverage overall, but it went both ways. Big news coverage brought lots of attention and with it an expectation from the public that Lisa Sullivan would be captured. The pressure was on, and Mick was feeling very uneasy.