Twisted Reason (A Lucinda Pierce Mystery)

by Fanning, Diane

  “Yeah and in the ‘for’ line, she always wrote ‘home maintenance’ just like she did when we fixed the loose banister and everything else. Maybe she did that so her husband wouldn’t know.”

  That sounds just like her. Miserable shrew. “Thank you, Don. I’m going to have to check out a few things to get confirmation on all of what you said, but it shouldn’t take too long.”

  In the hallway, she explained the situation to Tara and told her what she intended to do to follow up on the accuracy of the story.

  “I don’t think this should hold up our plea deal. I can just drop that charge for now. We can add it later if necessary.”

  “Tell me, did Don hammer out this plea bargain with you or did he have a lawyer?”

  “I wish it had just been the two of us. I think I could have gotten a tougher deal. Gotta hand it to him, the guy’s got more remorse than a dozen defendants. But, yeah, he had an attorney with him this morning. But the lawyer left when we hit a standstill – apparently Don wouldn’t explain the problem to him either. According to the rules laid down before we began negotiations, you’re the only one who was allowed to talk to Don without his attorney. And the lawyer wasn’t happy about that, but Don insisted. So after I get the document revised, I’ll have to get him here before I can talk to Don. I’m still hoping I can get the deal done before the end of the day.”

  “What’s the offer?”

  “I can’t say I like it too much but the powers that be want to wrap up the father like a mummy. They think Don’s testimony will do that. They pushed, I yielded,” Tara said with a frown.

  “And?” Lucinda asked.

  “Ten years, five of them suspended. Damn, with good behavior, he’ll be out in three years or less.”

  “Even that might break him in pieces too small to heal,” Lucinda said. She saw a quizzical look forming on Tara’s face before she turned away. It made her smile. Always keep ’em guessing, she thought and her grin grew wider.

  Forty-Four

  On the way downtown to Eli Kendlesohn’s office building, Lucinda made two calls. The first was to Sergeant Robin Colter. Lucinda gave her the big picture in broad strokes and laid out the details directly related to the need for the Kendlesohn’s bank records. Robin agreed to do everything she could to get a search warrant from a judge and get the needed information to her as soon as possible.

  The second conversation was with Dispatch. After identifying herself, she asked, “I need a pair of uniforms to pick up Rachael Kendlesohn and bring her in for questioning.”

  “On what charge?”

  “Right now, abduction – the abduction of Adele Kendlesohn. I’m not sure if we can make it stick but if we can’t there’s a statute involving the abandonment of a vulnerable elderly person that’s a good back-up charge. Just stick her in a room when you get her to the Justice Center. I’ve got another stop to make but I’ll be there to question her just as soon as I can.”

  Lucinda pulled into a place clearly marked as a “no parking” zone in Eli Kendlesohn’s office car park. Riding up in the elevator, she thought about Eli. She didn’t think he was involved but she couldn’t eliminate it as a possibility just yet. She had to be as harsh and uncompromising with him as she would be with his wife a little later.

  She approached the front desk of Kendlesohn and Wiseman Engineering, flashed her badge and said, “I need to speak with Eli Kendlesohn right away, please.”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am,” a perky young woman said. “He’s in a partners meeting and we do not disturb the partners.”

  “Maybe you don’t, but I will. Go tell him Detective Pierce is here. It is important. And it’s about his mother.”

  “I could lose my job if I interrupted them. I’d rather be arrested,” she said standing up and holding out two bony wrists.

  “Oh good grief,” Lucinda said in one exhale. “Sit down. Put your hands over your eyes. Now, count to ten.”

  “One, two, three – hey wait a minute,” she said pulling her hands from her face.

  But Lucinda was already on her way down the hall, opening closed doors as she went. When she hit the right one, a roomful of suits grew silent and stared in her direction. Behind her the receptionist grabbed and pulled one of her arms while squeaking, “I’m sorry, sirs. I’m sorry sirs. I told her she couldn’t—”

  “That’s okay,” Eli said. “It’s Detective Pierce and I’m sure she’s here to see me. If you gentlemen will excuse me.”

  Eli joined Lucinda in the hall and walked her to his office. “Not a woman in the room, Eli? I expected more of you.”

  “Me, too, Detective. I’m just biding my time waiting for a couple of the old white dinosaurs to retire or die, then we can bring on new partners with an emphasis on women and minorities. We’ve actually lost some business because of our monochrome look. And sometimes an advantage in problem-solving. I’ll be glad when those old farts are gone. Enough of my rant, what can I do for you today, Lieutenant?” he asked, gesturing to a pair of chairs inside his office door. Lucinda sat in one of them and Eli settled into the chair behind his desk.

  “Tell me, Mr. Kendlesohn, who handles the finances in your marriage?”

  “Well, until I got tossed out of the house, we had it set up so that Rachael handled the day-to-day stuff: paying the bills, balancing accounts, transferring funds from checking to savings and vice versa. I took care of the long-term investments: our stock portfolio, bonds, mutual funds, that kind of thing. Why?”

  “Did you review the checking account statements or make yourself aware of the money going out of the checking account in any other way?”

  “Well, I have on rare occasions, but it’s been a really long time – I can’t remember when I last looked at a statement.”

  “Did you at any time look at your statement in paper form, in the bank or on-line since your mother’s disappearance?”

  “I don’t think so. What’s this all about?”

  “Did you conspire with your wife to rid yourself of your mother?”

  “What? What are you talking about? Are you saying my suspicions were right? Are you saying Rachael killed my mother?”

  “You became suspicious rather quickly, Mr. Kendlesohn. Is it because you were her accomplice?”

  “Accomplice? Accomplice to what?” he sputtered. “Do you think I helped Rachael kill my mother?”

  “If not, sir, why were you so quick to jump to the conclusion that Rachael killed your mother?”

  “I was angry and worked up when I first mentioned that to you. But I found it hard to believe that someone I once loved could have done something so loathsome. My thinking has been going back and forth about that possibility for days. I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to call you and discuss it seriously. I keep changing my mind—back and forth. I finally decided that I was going to talk to my Rabbi first and hope he can help me make the right decision. I’m supposed to see him tomorrow morning. How am I going to tell him that I stood in the synagogue and exchanged vows with the woman who became my mother’s killer?” the pitch of his voice rose with every word.

  “Mr. Kendlesohn, we have no reason to believe your mother was murdered.”

  “Well, dammit, what is this all about then?” he said shooting to his feet.

  “It is about the checks from your account to the man you hired.”

  “Once again, Lieutenant, I need to ask you, what the hell are you talking about?”

  “We should have a record of your banking transactions soon. The ledger will spell it all out clearly. It will show how you paid a nut job to take your mother and keep her out of sight.”

  “You have lost your mind. I filed a missing persons report. I’ve been calling at least once every single week to press the police to look for her.”

  “That would be a good cover-up, wouldn’t it?”

  “All I can tell you, Lieutenant, is that I don’t know what you’re talking about but if you think someone received payments to make my mother disa
ppear, then you need to be looking at Rachael. Not me. In fact, if she did that to my mother, I am more than willing to testify against her at trial.”

  Lucinda had seen enough. I can’t swear to his innocence but I believe in it. Unless the bank records tell another story, Eli is a victim. “Relax, Mr. Kendlesohn. Please, have a seat.”

  He settled back in his chair and swallowed hard. “I’m not sure if I’m ready to hear this or not. But I need to. What happened to my mother?”

  “I’ve got someone obtaining a subpoena for your bank records right now, Mr. Kendlesohn. So I don’t have proof to show you at this moment. But I do have the statement of an accomplice. We think we know what happened. Your wife abandoned your mother at the mall and paid her handyman to pick her up and take her out to a strange, unlicensed home for the elderly. She continued to pay every month for her care.”

  “She spent money on my mother? That doesn’t sound like Rachael.”

  “I believe she got a real discounted rate – don’t think it would come anything near to what would be needed for a reputable facility.”

  “That sounds like her. Did that handyman kill her?”

  “We don’t think so, sir. It appears she fell into a pond and, despite efforts to rescue her, she drowned.”

  “Efforts to rescue her? Do you really believe that?”

  “At this moment, sir, I do. The autopsy indicated that it was an accidental drowning and until proven otherwise, I tend to believe the corroborating statement from one of the sons of the man I think is responsible.”

  “I’m the responsible one,” Eli said, his shoulders slumping as he spoke. “I should have known. I should have gotten my mother away from Rachael before it was too late.”

  “Eli, I know the guilt you’re feeling is natural. But you did nothing wrong. Keep that appointment with your rabbi – you need him now as much as you did before. Your wife is being brought in for questioning – in fact, she may already be there. I’ll do everything I can to get her to admit what she did.”

  “I’ll see my rabbi and I’m sure he’ll agree with you about the guilt – not that it will make it go away. And it will also open me up to a lecture on hate. I really hate that woman I married. But I do have one immediate concern.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Will you be keeping Rachael overnight?”

  “I hope so, sir.”

  “The dogs. Someone has to let them out and feed them. And I can’t get into the house. She changed the locks.”

  “That she did. I’ll try to get the keys. If she refuses to allow me to give them to you, we will find a way to get inside. That I can promise.” Oh yeah, just add breaking and entering to the list of my sins – the captain’s gonna love me.

  On the way back to her car, she checked the voicemail on her cell: ten messages. Seven of them from Captain Holland. Two from Jumbo’s captain. And one from Robin Colter – she listened to that one. “The banking records are on your desk. I highlighted the checks to Gary Blankenship. And I have an interview with Captain Holland next week about an opening in Homicide. Thank you, Lieutenant.”

  Good news all around. But Captain Holland? Does his interview with Colter mean he’s not as mad at me as I thought? Nah, he’s going to be pissed. Lucinda sighed as she pulled from the curb.

  Forty-Five

  Lucinda held her breath as she walked past the captain’s open door. She hoped to get past him to her desk and then to the interview room.

  “Pierce!”

  Lucinda cringed. “Yes sir, I’ll be with you just as soon as—”

  “Now, Pierce!”

  “But sir, I have—”

  “I don’t care what you have. In here, now!”

  Lucinda walked through the doorway. “Sir, I—”

  “Sit!”

  She sat in the chair and struggled to keep her face expressionless.

  “Did I or did I not tell you to bring the FBI into your investigation yesterday?”

  “Yes sir, you did.”

  “Did you do that, Pierce?”

  “No sir. But the state took over the investigation and I would have been out of line to interfere—”

  “As if being out of line ever bothered you before. And save it, Pierce. I heard from a state police commander. They didn’t take over until very late in the day.”

  “Yes, sir. But the case is solved. The bad guys behind bars. And I didn’t shoot anyone.”

  “But we do have a wounded officer, Pierce, and I’ve gotten grief from his captain and the commander about that.”

  “I didn’t shoot him, sir.”

  “Well, thank the good Lord for miracles, Pierce. It certainly wouldn’t have surprised me if you had.”

  “Sir, that’s not fair. I’ve never shot a fellow officer.”

  “True, Pierce, but why do I think it’s only a matter of time?”

  Lucinda knew better than to respond to that provocation.

  “You disobeyed a direct order, Pierce.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I should suspend you.”

  “Yes sir, but could you make it effective tomorrow? I have a few loose ends to tie up here.”

  “You’ve got a lot of gall, Pierce. I can’t believe you said that. For hours, I’ve been sitting here deciding whether to fire you or suspend you without pay for a month.”

  “I’d prefer the suspension, sir.”

  “You’re not going to argue with me about a month-long suspension?”

  “No sir. I deserve it and I can put the time to good use – I need another surgical procedure.”

  “If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you just played the sympathy card, Pierce.”

  “God forbid, sir.”

  “God forbid indeed. I’ve muttered that a lot when thinking about you. But I can’t suspend you, Pierce.”

  Lucinda rose to her feet, her knees wobbling. “You’re firing me?”

  “Oh, sit down, Pierce. No. I’m not firing you. I am not suspending you. And I will authorize any leave you need for surgery.”

  Lucinda lowered down into the chair. Her eyes formed slits, suspicion sent zings of apprehension down her arms. She swallowed hard. “Thank you, sir.”

  “Don’t thank me, Pierce. The police chief saw your little operation on the news. So did the mayor. And I think about five councilmen. They all think you deserve a commendation. But then they don’t have to work with you like I do.”

  Lucinda sucked in her lips to prevent a grin from popping up on her face.

  “There’s just one thing that needs to end. And it needs to end now. At the very least, I expect an attitude transformation by the time you return from your medical leave. You have to get over this aversion to working with our local FBI office. I heard from the local SAC – he saw the news, too. He wanted to know why we hadn’t asked for his assistance since we had multiple abductions. I told him it was an oversight. I don’t think he believed me, Pierce. I do not want to be put in that position again. Is that clear?”

  “Yes sir, I will work on my attitude. And I can assure you that if you give me a month to make the transition, I will be more cooperative with the FBI.”

  Holland narrowed his eyes. “Why do I think there’s something you’re not telling me?”

  Lucinda opened her eyes wide. “I can’t say, sir.”

  Holland shook his head. “Why do I put up with you?”

  “Because I’m a good detective, sir?”

  “Get out of here, Pierce.”

  Lucinda didn’t hesitate for a second. She bolted out of his office and into her own. As Colter promised, the file was on her desk. She flipped it open and paged through the ledgers. Scattered throughout the first two pages were transactions payable to Gary Blankenship, most of them under $500 – but a few were bigger – the highest one was for $1200. Then, in the month of Adele Kendlesohn’s disappearance, there was a check for $5000 and additional payments on the first of every month after that for $1000. She picked up the file and heade
d down the hall.

  Opening the door to the interview room, Lucinda said, “Good afternoon, Mrs. Kendlesohn.”

  “Why am I here? I asked the officers and they deferred to you. So I expect an answer, now that you are finally here.”

  “You have no idea why we brought you into the Justice Center?”

  “One of the officers mentioned something about abduction, so I assume it is about my mother-in-law. Do you need me to press charges against those crazy people I saw on the news last night?”

  “No, no, we’ve filed charges already. We don’t need your help with that. In fact, right now, we’re charging you.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Why did you refer to the people we arrested as ‘those crazy people’?”

  “Is that against the law now? Calling people crazy? Has political correctness run that amok? You must be joking.”

  “Oh, no, Mrs. Kendlesohn, I am not joking. Not at all. I just thought it was odd that you didn’t refer to ‘those crazy people’ by name.”

  “I didn’t catch the names on the news.”

  “You didn’t need to, did you? You already knew their names.”

  “Oh my, Detective,” a wide-eyed Rachael said, one hand fluttering at her throat like a wounded bird. “Are you saying that the people who took my poor mother-in-law were actually people I knew?”

  Lucinda slammed the folder down on the table between them. She flipped it open to the page with the $5000 check and swung it around facing Rachael. Lucinda placed an index finger on the ledger entry. “Cut the crap, Kendlesohn. You not only knew them. You paid them.”

  “Oh my. Oh my, dear. That must have been my husband. You’ll have to ask him about that check.”

  Lucinda flipped through the file until she reached the copies of the actual checks. She hit the signature line with the tip of a finger. “You’re a liar, Rachael.”

  “How outrageous! I want an attorney. And I want one now.”

  “Can it, Rachael,” Lucinda said. She walked behind her, grabbed an arm and slapped on one side of the cuffs.

  Rachael struggled, trying to keep her other hand away from Lucinda. “How dare you? Do you know who I am? Do you know who I know? I’ll call the mayor. You’ll lose your job over this.”