Malicious Desires

by Maria Pease

  “Sam, I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you on the text message case. It turns out no activity was reported. Did you see anything?”

  “No. Actually, yes. We saw some guy park near the lake. He went to the edge and stared into the lake then got back into his car and drove away.”

  “Do you think he was checking out the place?”

  “It did look suspicious. What did Ted have to show you?”

  “Another message about stashing the body in a freezer.”

  “Why did he insist you see it?”

  “It was a photo of a body on ice.”

  “Could you see anything?”

  “A hand sticking out of the ice. It did have an unusual ring on it, though.”

  “Shit. So, now what do we do?”

  “I want you to stakeout Lake Harveston again tonight. The person you saw could be our guy checking it out. In the meantime, Ted is monitoring the phone and will let us know if anything else comes in.”

  Back at the office, Alana showed me her handiwork on the Facebook profile; I was impressed. She was already getting friend requests and said she’d keep adding posts and would let me know if anything interesting showed up. I was glad I’d made the decision to give her the project because I had more than enough on my plate as it was. I decided to head back down to the Rodeway Inn to see if I could get a glimpse of Wally and the teenagers. Something was nagging at me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  I parked in front of the Stampede, walked across the street into the parking lot of the Rodeway Inn, and watched the rooms to see if there was any activity. From my vantage point, I had a clear view of all three rooms but didn’t see any movement. After a half an hour, I was tired of standing pinned to the wall, so I went back to my car, but stopped when I heard activity behind me. I watched the teens walk up the sidewalk with Wally.

  I couldn’t help wondering what he was doing with these kids. Then, getting a closer look, I realized that not all the teens were there. Two boys and a girl talked as they walked back to the hotel. Wally handed them the keys, and they disappeared into their rooms. He made a call and paced back and forth on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, from where I was standing, I couldn’t hear what was going on, but his gestures told me all I needed to know.

  I dialed the office and Frank picked up on the first ring.

  “We were just wondering where you disappeared to.”

  “I’m staking out Wally down here at the Rodeway Inn. He’s with the teens and is staying very close to them.”

  “Any sign of our target, Michael Carson?”

  “No. I don’t understand it. We know he’s in Temecula and was at Wally’s house. Where the hell could he be?”

  “I wish I knew.”

  “I’m going to stay here for a while. What’s Alana doing?”

  “She’s fidgeting. I thought I’d drop her off so she can join you.”

  “I’m in the Stampede parking lot.”

  “We’re on our way.”

  After several minutes, Frank’s truck pulled in beside me and Alana jumped out and got in the Jeep.

  “Keep me in the loop.” Frank rolled up the window and pulled out of the lot.

  I caught sight of the maroon SUV coming down the street and watched as it pulled into the Rodeway Inn and parked. “Sit tight. I’ll be right back.” I crossed the street to watch as Wally went to the rooms knocking on the doors. Three boys and three girls emerged with their belongings. I waited for the fourth girl to appear, but they closed the doors and walked to the SUV. When Wally made his way to the office, I ran back to the Jeep and jumped in.

  “What’s going on?” Alana’s eyes were wide.

  “We’re on the move. Hold on.”

  I threw the Jeep into drive and moved out of the lot onto Front, heading south. I took a quick left, and went over the bridge, following at a safe distance. After a few more turns, we ended up on that familiar tree-lined street. The SUV stopped in front of the gated driveway, but I drove past them. I turned the Jeep around at the end of the street and parked a few houses down.

  “Damn. I can’t see anything.” I opened my door and slipped out.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I need to see what’s going on. I’ll be back.”

  I headed down the street and watched as they all exited the SUV and stood in a line outside the door. Wally stayed with them while the SUV pulled over to the parking area. The red door opened, and a woman walked out and stared at the teens. Wally approached her, and they talked as the teens took in their surroundings.

  The driver of the SUV joined them, kissed the woman, and disappeared inside. The woman moved down the steps to examine each of the teens, making them turn all the way around. Once she got a good look at each of them, she led them all over to a small guesthouse. They disappeared inside.

  I knew I’d need to get closer, but for now, it was too risky. I stayed behind the shrubs where I had a clear view of the small house and watched.

  About five minutes later, the woman and Wally moved from the guesthouse and moved to the main house.

  I crept back to the Jeep and got in.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “What do we do now?”

  “We’ll stay here and see if anyone leaves. I need to get closer to that little house, but I spotted some surveillance cameras, so I need to consult with Frank first.”

  Stakeouts can be long and boring, and after a while, Alana resorted to playing a game on her cell. It didn’t take long before the pings got on my nerves. I stared at her for a full minute before she noticed. “Can you at least turn off the sound?”

  “Sorry.”

  I turned my focus back to the property.

  “Sam.”

  “Uh, huh.”

  “Our… I mean, Katy’s Facebook account…There’s a request.”

  “What? From who?”

  “It’s Wally.”

  “What does he want?”

  “He’s asking to be her friend.”

  “Accept!”

  “Okay. Done.”

  “Let’s go over this Facebook stuff again. Give me the rundown.”

  “The first step is creating a profile, which we’ve done. Then, you can request to be friends with people, and they can request to be friends with you. That’s what Wally just did with Katy. Once you accept, they can see your wall, which means they can see everything you post, and you can see their stuff too. You can also communicate through private messages. That’s about it.”

  “That’s wild. How do you find people?”

  “You can search for them by name or other filters like schools or towns. It’s really cool. A lot of people look for old flames and stuff.”

  “Really? So, basically, you can stalk someone from afar?”

  Alana laughed. “Yes, I guess so.”

  “Good to know,” I said.

  “Should I post anything else on Katy’s page?”

  “No. I’ve already added her background information, and you posted all that stuff about her crappy family life. That should be all we need for now. Let’s see if he attempts to contact us again. I mean, contact Katy.”

  The front door to the main house opened, and Wally returned to the guesthouse. When he emerged, he had one of the girls by the hand. He led her to the main house, and they disappeared inside. Watching them, I couldn’t help but wonder about the fourth girl.

  Chapter 12

  After an hour, Wally and the girl emerged from the front door. I grabbed my binoculars to see her all dressed up in a short, brightly colored flowered dress and red high heels. A closer look told me she was wearing too much make-up. As she stood on the steps fidgeting, Wally disappeared into the garage. A moment later, he pulled up in a candy apple red Porsche Boxster and motioned for the girl to climb in. The gate opened, and they flew out of the driveway.

  We followed as Wally drove too fast on the small back roads then headed from Temecula Parkway to Pec
hanga Parkway, pulling into the parking garage at the casino. We could just barely keep up, but the bright red color kept them in view. We stayed out of sight as they walked toward the elevator.

  I reached into my glove box and pulled out a small device. When the elevator doors closed, I crawled under the Boxster, attached it and scooted back out, wiping myself off as Alana watched.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I can’t afford to lose them.”

  “What was that? You’re not going to blow up the car, are you?”

  “Of course not! It’s a tracking device.”

  “Is that legal?”

  “Let’s just say you probably shouldn’t mention it to anyone, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  We crept down the stairwell, keeping an eye out for Wally. I caught sight of the girl sitting on the edge of the fountain, alone. I looked at Alana. The grin on her face told me that she was enjoying all this, legal or not. Continuing down the stairs, I scanned the area and caught sight of Wally outside the casino doors. I kept my eyes on both Wally and the girl, waiting to see what happened.

  The girl sat nervously, her eyes darting in all directions. When Wally finally waved her over, she stumbled and almost fell. Wally helped her to her feet, and they moved to the entrance, stopping to talk with a heavyset balding man in a light blue seersucker suit.

  Alana and I moved to the fountain where the girl had been sitting. On the ground, I saw a white rabbit’s foot. I took a napkin from my jacket pocket and picked it up, stashing it in my bag. I watched the balding man shake hands with Wally, take the girl by the arm, and head inside. Wally turned on his heels and headed towards us.

  “Shit!” I darted out of sight.

  Wally disappeared behind the elevator doors and Alana and I rushed into the casino. “We need to find the girl,” I whispered.

  Alana was on my heels as we scanned the casino for that light blue suit. The smoke-filled room assaulted us with bells and whistles sounding and lights flashing as people moved about. Finally, we spotted them on the stairs. She appeared to be intoxicated as he practically carried her up to the second floor. I wondered if she’d been drugged.

  When they moved into the bingo room, we watched as he lowered her into a booth and propped her up against the wall. We sat near the booth, and when the man went to the bar, I got a closer look at the girl. She was slumped over, and her eyes were unable to focus. I reached into my bag, grabbed my cell, and quickly snapped a photo of her and sent it to Frank. Keeping an eye out for the man, I crept closer.

  “Hey, are you okay?”

  She didn’t say anything, but her head wobbled. She closed her eyes as she gripped the table top.

  I caught a glimpse of Alana over my shoulder. She looked concerned. “We need to stay calm,” I told her. “Just follow my lead.” My cell rang, and I snatched it up.

  “Who the hell is that? She looks like a kid playing dress up.”

  “She’s one of the teen girls with Wally. He handed her over to an older man in a bad seersucker suit.”

  “Where are you?”

  “You’ll never guess.”

  “The casino.”

  “Bingo.”

  “Stay with them. I’m going to get this photo to the precinct and check missing persons. I’ll call you back.”

  I saw the man heading back to the table. Quickly, I snapped a photo of him and forwarded it to Frank with the message, the escort.

  “What should we do?” Alana whispered.

  “Frank wants us to stay with them. Just try to relax and keep your eyes open.”

  The man moved into the booth next to the girl and nudged her. When she slid down, he casually tried to prop her back up. He placed her hand on his crotch and took a sip of his drink.

  When two security guards walked in and scanned the room, the man moved to conceal the girl behind him. They lingered for a minute then turned to leave.

  “Alana, follow them outside and tell them to come back. Quickly!”

  She rushed out the doors and a second later, the two security guards were back. This time, they walked around the room. I caught one of the guards’ attention and leaned my head toward the old man.

  They asked him to stand up and show his ID. When he did, they noticed the girl. They asked her to stand, too.

  She wobbled and tried to steady herself but collapsed on the floor.

  I dialed 911 as one of the guards did CPR. A crowd of people gathered around the girl, and the other guard tried to keep them back. Once the ambulance was on the way, I disconnected and scanned the room.

  “Where did he go?” I asked the guard.

  He glanced around the room. “Shit!”

  “With all the chaos he must have slipped out.”

  We quickly ran outside the bingo room and spotted Mr. Seersucker, walking briskly toward the stairs.

  “There he is!” I yelled. We broke into a run.

  In his haste to get away, he missed a step and went tumbling down the stairs. The guard and I hurried to the bottom and found him lying there, motionless. The guard felt for a pulse then started CPR.

  When the medics arrived, they took over attempting to revive him, without success.

  Detective Monique Collins arrived just as they put him on a gurney. “I need you all to get comfortable. We need to take statements from anyone present.” She turned toward me. “Is this something you’re working on?”

  “Yes.”

  “The missing teen case? You think the young girl could be involved?”

  “I don’t know yet. Any word on how she’s doing?”

  “Not yet. They’re taking her to Temecula Valley Hospital.”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  Monique took our statements right away so we could get out of there. As we walked to the parking garage, I checked to see if there was any movement from Wally; we found him right where we’d left him. We weaved through the parking garage to avoid being spotted then peeked out from behind a large truck to see him leaning back in the front seat of the car as music blared.

  “It looks like old Wally missed out on all the action.”

  “Yeah, but boy is he going to be surprised when the girl doesn’t come back.”

  I stopped for a moment. “Alana, I just thought of something. Let’s go.”

  I knew we could track Wally’s car from the device I’d installed, so we drove back to the office. Frank was on the phone, so we quietly went to my desk to check messages and email.

  Alana logged on to Facebook to see if there’d been any action.

  “What the hell went on over there?” Frank asked, hanging up the phone.

  I explained everything as it had happened and finished big with Mr. Seersucker falling down the stairs to his death.

  “Wally missed it all. I figure the man in the seersucker suit was supposed to contact him after he was done with the girl. Can we get our hands on his phone?”

  “You know the drill, Sam.”

  To get more information on the dead man, I’d need some help. We climbed back in the Jeep.

  Alana sent me a worried glance. “Sam, I…”

  “What is it? You okay?”

  “Um, I… when you were talking with the security guy, I took something from the dead guy.”

  “What?”

  “I took something. I thought it might be important.”

  “Something like…?” I was almost afraid of what her answer would be.

  She reached into her small backpack and pulled out a cell phone.

  “Is that…?”

  She nodded. “I thought we might need it.”

  I honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Yes, we needed it, but this wasn’t exactly the way to go about it. We were supposed to let the cops do their job and hope we’d still be able to find what we needed. “Oh, shit.”

  A tear slid down Alana’s cheek.

  “No, no. Please, don’t cry. Really. Everything’s going to be fine. Just let me think for a minute.
”

  In my head, I played the different possible scenarios. Under the circumstances and if we moved fast, we could get what we needed and still get the phone to the detectives. I pulled out my phone. “Frank? It’s me. We have a …situation.”

  “Oh, crap. What is it this time?”

  “You know when I asked about the phone? Well, there’s a chance the cops don’t actually have it.”

  “What the hell do you mean, the cops don’t have it? It could be evidence.”

  “I understand, but–”

  “Sam, I’m hanging up. We never had this conversation.”

  “Okay.”

  “Fix this.” He hung up.

  I looked at Alana, who was still uneasy. “It’s fine. I have an idea.” I put the Jeep into gear and pulled out of the lot.

  As we approached my house, I was on the lookout for Mrs. Bennett and was relieved that she wasn’t milling around. We went inside and got down to business. Wearing gloves so I didn’t leave prints, I checked all the contacts on the phone and had Alana make a list. “Bingo.” Wally Mason’s name was there, as clear as day.

  Alana wrote out his information, including the note by his name, pretty young things.

  “What a slimeball.”

  The text messages on his phone confirmed my suspicions; this man was a vile, disgusting old man with a nice-looking wife and some good-looking grown kids. An unfortunate situation, indeed. I put the phone in a small ziplock bag, and we headed out.

  “Where are we going now?”

  “We have to get the phone to the cops,” I said. “Don’t worry about this, but whatever you do, don’t say anything.”

  Chapter 13

  Anxiety built inside me as we pulled into the Justice Center, but I tried to stay calm. As Monique approached, I whispered to Alana. “Not a word.”

  “Hey, Sam.” She smiled at Alana.

  “Did you meet Alana? She’s interning with us.”

  “Yes. We met briefly when she was working here.” She turned to Alana. “You’re the captain’s niece, right?”

  Alana nodded.

  “That was crazy today!”