"It's urgent! I need her cell phone number."
The assistant gave him the number and he called it.
"Hello," she answered.
"Mayor Gayle, this is Chief Walker. Where are you right now?"
"In my car, just pulling into my driveway for lunch. What's happening?"
"This has escalated, Mayor. I need you in protective custody now. Can you drive to Marina PD?"
"I'm maybe fifteen minutes away. Did you find Sandra?" she asked.
"Sandra Jenkins died in the hospital last night. Steven Ashland was murdered and there was an attempt on Mitchell's life. Please go to the police station and wait until I get there!"
"Oh my God! I'll drive there now," she said.
Chief Walker disconnected the call and alerted Marina PD that Mayor Gayle was coming in and needed an armed patrolman beside her at all times. He sent a patrolman to her residence to escort her to the station. Then Walker turned to Captain Tucker still standing at his driver's window. "We'll compare notes later, Captain, I've got to run," Walker said starting the SUV.
Charlie and Jenny exchanged surprised glances. "Chief, Charlie and I'll go through these bags…Mayor Gayle, Assemblyman Mitchell? Looks like you have your hands full."
Walker hit the siren as he raced through Santa Cruz headed back to Marina. "That will be a big assist," Edwards said. "We'll drop you at Watson Manor."
"Chief, do we need to alert Rosie and … Eden?" Charlie asked.
"I think Rosie is OK, they must realize she has given us everything she knows, but a call to keep her eyes open is in order. Isn't Eden still at Watson Manor?"
Jenny replied, "She insisted on leaving today, was needed at work. I'll call with this new information that more hit men are out there." She grabbed her phone.
"Watson Manor, may I help you?" Julia answered.
"Julia, it's me. Is Eden still there?"
"No, she and Emily were sorry they missed you this morning. They left about an hour ago. You sound stressed?"
"I'll fill you in when we get back," Jenny said and closed her phone. "They left already." She turned to face Charlie. "I don't have a cell phone number for Eden."
Charlie pulled the business card Eden had given him out of his wallet and called her cell phone. "Damn it Eden, pick up," he said as the receiving end went to voice mail. "Eden, call me right away. There's been … just get back to me." He turned to face Jenny. "They have to be home by now. It’s just a twenty minute drive."
"Maybe they stopped to eat or something, Charlie. She'll call. I'll bring Rosie up to speed," she said and called her.
*****
They were in the home office when the call came in. "That’s for you darling," she said.
He hit the speaker button and said, "Tell me you got him."
"Joe was pretty messed up. That damn dog never barked once, caught him by complete surprise. Mitchell got away," Hank reported.
"Shit! Keep an eye on Mitchell's place. Take both him and his dog out if necessary. Where's Joe?"
"Easy come, easy go. We drove around until his need for medical help passed. Found a construction site ready to pour concrete foundations. Should I bring a new man in?"
"No, not yet. With the discovery of Ashland's body this is too hot. Stay close, but again, hold off on bringing someone in." he said.
"Wilson and Downey?" Hank asked.
"What they knew has been spilled, not worth the risk of taking them out, unless they're stupid enough to still be poking around. Mitchell is more of a concern to me."
"What about Watson Investigations?"
"They'll hit the same dead end as Marina PD. Stay on Mitchell," he said, and disconnected the call. He pressed the end call button, and walked around the office.
"I'm not pleased. We need to point their investigation to Ashland. Get working on some evidence that makes it clear that he is Sentinel and maybe his mob connections turned on him," she said. "We need to get working on another run for our Jensen press."
Chapter 20
Julia was waiting on the front porch of Watson Manor when they pulled into the circle drive. Charlie and Jenny pulled the two recovered trash bags from the back of the SUV and carried them to the porch, then Chief Walker drove away toward Marina PD.
"Jenny, judging by your expression, things went from bad to worse," Julia said.
"Quickly," Jenny said, as Charlie picked up both bags and headed toward their office. "Sentinel was stripped clean and their President, Ashland was murdered." Jenny said collapsing into one of the porch wicker chairs.
Julia sat down next to her, processing the new information as she watched Shadow pull Jenny's gaze back from the path leading to the beach. "Shadow is as worried as I am…Maybe this is the time to let this investigation fall into Walker and Stan's hands?"
Jenny was scratching Shadow behind his ears and slowly turned to face Julia. "It would be the first time we've backed away… But, the reason we started this is no longer there."
"Yes, that’s true. Rosalyne is alive and healing. I, no, Timmy and I owe you and Charlie everything and the thought of losing our family now… Jenny this is solving a crime, not saving lives like it was with Timmy and me." She reached out and took Jenny's hand. "Please let this go."
"I'm sorry that this has affected you like this, and love you for telling me. You're right, with all we've learned today… and of the high level people involved. This is not what Watson Investigations was intended to do. Thank you, Julia. We offered to go through the Sentinel trash bags for clues and that will end our involvement."
"Can I help with that?" Julia asked as she stood up.
"Thanks, but no. We'll be fine. Were you able to reach Eden?"
"I left a note in your office. She's in her office at the newspaper. She checked her cell phone and found it was accidently turned off."
Jenny stood and gave Julia a hug then turned and walked toward the office. She opened the door and saw a 3 by 6 foot folding table set up with half a bags of trash spread out across it. Charlie looked up from pulling the obvious trash, food containers, drink cups and throwaway ads out of the pile. "Figured these would be the easy part," he said working on a smile.
"You got Julia's note?" she asked closing the door.
"Yes, and talked to Eden. She promised me her eyes were open and she was done with anything related to Sentinel."
"Charlie, I want to pull anything from these bags that could help Chief Walker and Edwards, but this case has gone beyond what I am prepared to give."
"We're on the same page, Jenny," he told her and then walked over to hold her. "I'm relieved I didn't need to fight you on letting this go." Jenny's arms pulled him closer and he felt her shaking in his embrace. "We can do this later; take a break if you need it."
Jenny was silent a few minutes and when Charlie felt her relax a little she said, "No, we need to do this first." She released her hold on him and kissed him softly. She moved over to the table where the trash was spread out. "Their use of a shredder reduced any clues to packing material."
Charlie held up a few long quarter inch wide strips. "Very colorful and high quality paper packing material … these look like stock certificates or something. Is there a puzzle fanatic inside you?"
"I guess we'll find out. The colors and designs will help," she said clearing the end of the table to make a place to match the strips and pulled a chair over to sit down. "Bring me anything in these gray-green colors. Let's nail these bastards, Charlie!"
"She's back," Charlie said smiling and handed her a fist full of color matching strips.
"I finally feel some control here … what's this?" she said pulling a quarter inch wide by two and a half inch plastic strip from the pile. "It’s from a driver's license or ID card." She handed it to him and continued, "And putting these together, Mr. Puzzle, can be your magic."
"A promotion from food container removal. Thanks for the confidence."
"Baby steps, mister," she replied. He was pleased to see a smile f
inally brighten her face. He grabbed a filing tray off his desk and sorted through the pile for plastic strips. They were sorting through the second trash bag two hours later when a knock on the office door pulled their attention away.
Julia was holding Madison's hand in the doorway. "This little lady would like to share dinner with mom and dad."
Jenny swiveled around in her chair and extended her arms. "Thanks Julia, that sounds like a wonderful idea." She pulled Madison up into her lap. "Sorry Maddy, mommy and daddy lost track of time."
Charlie had been working at his desk and walked around to lift Madison out of Jenny's lap. "And after dinner it's just family time, pumpkin."
"I'm headed home," Julia said. "Even with the increased dinner traffic, Lisa insisted I let you know there is plenty of tonight's special for you as well."
"Goodnight Julia, give Stan and Timmy a hug for us," Jenny said. "It won't bother me at all to not cook tonight."
*****
Charlie pulled Jenny into a tighter embrace as their breathing and heart rates slowed to a point he could speak. "I have missed this … missed our closeness. I do so love us, Jenny."
She moved closer into his chest in response and remained silent for a few minutes. Slipping her arm around his waist, she whispered, "I'm sorry it's been awhile."
"We've agreed to get out of this killer's sights…"
She moved away from his embrace to look into his eyes. "I don't want to taint this long awaited moment, Charlie. I need tonight, right now for it to be about only you and me, just hold me." He rolled over on his back and pulled her to his side. She kissed him softly and her head found the warmth of home on his chest. She drifted off to sleep as Charlie realized in her words that the wedge in their intimacy was not the fear of a killer, but rather the destructive path of a silent invader. His mind raced with attempts to understand and contain his feelings toward Eden. He wasn't able to escape into sleep until Jenny's words, spoken so many times, flashed in his mind, "The only option is you and me together, mister." He needed this in the open between them, needed her beside him to resolve it, and needed her faith and love more than anything else.
Charlie woke to Jenny's nudging him awake and announced, "Breakfast in ten." The bedside clock was approaching 8:00 as he rolled out of bed and headed to the shower. He could smell the lure of breakfast cooking which was strange as they usually greeted their guests while sharing the meal downstairs. He dressed quickly and found Madison in her booster seat and Shadow wagging his tail inches from Jenny and her frying pan.
"My world's turned upside down. Dinner downstairs and breakfast upstairs," he said kissing Madison's cheek. She rewarded him with a squeal and reached for another handful of pancake.
"I thought that happened last night," she turned from the stove and smiled at him.
A sense of relief by her quip took him by surprise and he laughed. He slipped his arms around her waist, "Thanks, I needed that… and last night."
"Me too," she said turning to give him a quick kiss. "Now, if you need my world famous pancakes and sausage go find a chair."
"Works for me."
They made a quick pass through the downstairs dining room greeting the second wave of Watson Manor breakfast guests. Lisa pointed to an air pot full of coffee when she caught Charlie's gaze as Jenny took Madison on the slow walk to the office. He picked it up and followed Jenny into the office, filled two cups and took one to Jenny. "So what have you got so far?"
She had pieced four stock certificates together and had run clear tape across both ends to keep them intact. "I am thinking by the remaining mounds of similar color and style that they are all for stocks from a Union Electric. What's interesting is these three are issued to a Franklyn Tuttle, this one is a Richard Davenport."
Charlie looked them over and without a word walked to his desk. "I have probably ten licenses here and of the five I could put together one is for a Franklyn Tuttle, 6621 South Main Street, Dallas Texas." He looked closely at the photo on it and then at the license beside it. He picked them both up and walked back to show them to her. "Look at this."
"Looks like the same man, two different names and states. How about the other three you have?"
He left the two and went back to look closer at the remaining three. "Yeah, one is a definite match. This one is beat-up a bit but looks like it. The last is a Mary Hart from Phoenix, Arizona.
"They only list the number of shares. Union Electric is a major corporation and still around, maybe second only to General Electric." She went to her desk and turned the computer on. "I should have a value in a minute. At a dollar a share it's sixty thousand." Charlie went back to his desk and started pulling the strips from the tray to put the remaining licenses together. Jenny pushed back from her desk. "Charlie, you have to see this! Union Electric is at thirty eight dollars and fifty two cents a share! Franklyn Tuttle has a total of sixty thousand shares." She turned to her calculator and gasped. "Charlie! That’s over two million dollars sitting there!"
"That doesn’t make any sense at all. Nobody runs two mill through a shredder." He got up and walked over to study the stock certificates. "Ok, there is a serial number and name on these. We can assume Union Electric has a log or registration on these. Do they give the certificates back after cashing them?"
"You found me at a diner in Arkansas, not on your way down Wall Street," she replied and reached for her phone.
"Hello Jenny, how's my favorite innkeeper?" James Wentworth asked.
"Hello James, we're fine. Besides being our dear friend, I have a question for the founder and CEO of Wentworth Software about stocks."
"Doing that well and have a little extra investment capital?"
"I wish, but no. We're working a case and I have a general question about redeeming stocks for cash. Let's say, I want to redeem my stock certificates. Do I just walk in with the certificates and my driver's license and walk out with cash? Do they check off my certificate numbers from a list and let me keep them?"
"No, you have to surrender the certificates, which are ink stamped with the date and time across the face of the certificate. The proceeds are calculated against market valve at the time they were surrendered. Depending on your distribution request form, the proceeds can either be a check mailed to your address or wired to a bank account listed on the form."
"So it's just that simple?"
"Once they verify the name and registration numbers, your money is on the way."
"That helps a great deal, James. Thank you. Is Gracie home from college this summer?"
"You know better than that, she'd have stopped by. She is passing through in a couple weeks on her way to a summer session in Paris. I'll join her for a week there when she's done and bring her back for a few weeks before her senior year. Can you believe that, already her senior year?"
"Give her our best. And tell her if she doesn't come by and say hello that Charlie and I know where she is in San Diego!"
"I'll relay your message. Anything else I can help with?"
"That’s it, thanks again James." She set the phone down. "Ok, you steal some stock certificates then make a fake driver's license with the same name and address then redeem them and the money is wired into the bank account of your choosing."
"Jenny, I'm looking at over two million reasons why there is something we're missing. Maybe these were stolen and before the thieves could move on them, Franklyn Tuttle dies. His heir's file the death certificate and it puts a red flag on the Union Electric account…"
"That would certainly add a lot of risk to anyone trying to redeem them. Hand me his license, it's easy enough to check." Jenny entered the information from the license into their search program. "I have a phone number for Franklyn Tuttle, but what if he is our killer?"
Charlie took the number she had written down and the license to his desk and reached for his phone."
"No Charlie…" Jenny shouted.
"Chief, Jenny and I'll bring over what we have in a few hours and explain my
request when we do. We need you to call Franklyn Tuttle, first to see if he is living and secondly if he was robbed of stock certificates from Union Electric." Charlie relayed the phone number and address.
"OK," Walker said. "You promise me an explanation?"
"Of course, we're almost done here. Call us back right away." Then he put the phone down.
"I'm sorry, Charlie. I thought you…," Jenny said.
"It's killing me to find out, but not worth putting us at risk."
Chapter 21
Charlie's phone rang ten minutes later and he used the speaker phone option as Jenny moved closer to hear the conversation. "Hello, Chief?"
"Yes it's me. I don't know if what I have adds to or reduces the confusion. Franklyn Tuttle has no criminal record, is alive and well and after receiving the proceeds from his Union Electric stocks, is sending Junior to college and moving Mrs. Tuttle into their dream retirement home."
"When did he redeem the stocks?" Charlie asked.
"I got the feeling it was recent. He mentioned the realtor was just there listing the home they were in."
"Did he indicate he redeemed all his Union Electric stock? It's important. Jenny has three stock certificates reassembled from a shredder with his name on them."
"Are they photo copies?" Walker asked.
"No," Jenny leaned over and said. "We're not experts, but these look like the real deal. High quality paper and printed from engraved plates. Nothing you could get off a copy machine."
"Hold on, I'll call him back on the other line."
Jenny shared a puzzled look with Charlie as she sat down in the chair beside his desk. "James told me they time stamp these when they are redeemed, there's nothing like that on these. Not to mention they keep them when redeemed."
"Maybe Tuttle had these three somewhere else and doesn't realize they're missing yet," he offered.
"You there?" Walker asked.
"Yes chief, go ahead," Charlie said.
"He still has other stocks, but the Union Electric stocks were all redeemed to launch his retirement."
Watson Manor Investigations (Watson Manor Mystery Series Book 3) Page 12