by Paul Carr
I believe Sheffield also had a hand in murdering Blake Owen for William Chan. Blake was expected to testify in a case that could cost Chan millions. A witness near the crime scene saw two men walking from a vehicle toward Owen’s property. One of the men had a tattoo of a cross on his arm. Sheffield had such a tattoo. He also owned shoes that matched footprint impressions taken near the rear of Owen’s property. The second man involved in the murder is believed to be Charles Chan, William Chan’s nephew, who was gunned down outside the federal courthouse.
Last week, William Chan, a known drug kingpin, was murdered at the detention center. Otto Edwards, a guard at the center, said a man attacked him at his home and rendered him unconscious. He later identified Alan Sheffield as his attacker. Sheffield dressed in Edwards’s uniform and used his ID to gain access to the detention center where he administered a lethal dose of a drug to William Chan. He wanted Chan dead because Chan could finger him in the murder of Riley Gunn. Blood DNA accidently left on Otto Edwards’s wall matched that of Alan Sheffield.
We arrested Sheffield last week. His lawyer got him out on bond, and he came to my home and tried to kill me. He died as a result of an accidental, self-inflicted, gunshot wound from his own weapon, the same weapon used to murder Riley Gunn and Wilbur Hess. I have been cleared of any culpability in his killing.
As described above, the evidence indicates that Alan Sheffield murdered Riley Gunn, Wilbur Hess, and Blake Owen. He is now dead, and I am closing those murder cases. The files are online if you want more detail.
****
Dalton and Crook headed out for lunch at a seafood shack on North Roosevelt. They took their blackened fish tacos outside to a picnic table in the shade and ate. About half-way through the meal, Crook said, “I heard Springer might be leaving.”
“Oh, yeah? Where’d you hear that?”
“The sheriff’s secretary. She whispered it to me in the break room a little while ago. He went in to complain about you to the boss. After a minute or two of it, the sheriff cut him off and told him he was pleased with your work. The lieutenant said, ‘In that case, I want a transfer out of here.’” Crook grinned. “The sheriff told him to file the paperwork.”
****
Daniel Crown called the following morning. “I talked with the supervisor at the lab where your sample went missing. After doing some digging, I think it was intentionally misplaced.”
“Oh yeah?”
“There were three people who would’ve handled the sample. As you would expect, none of them said they remembered anything out of the ordinary about it and that they followed standard procedures. I looked at security video of the parking lot the day the sample arrived. At the end of the day one of the three met somebody right outside the gate. He got in the visitor’s car and stayed just a couple of minutes before getting back into his own vehicle. I suspect it was a payoff.”
“Could you identify the person driving the other car?”
“Yes. According to the Florida vehicles database, the license plate belongs to a police detective in Key West named Jack Ringo.”
Chapter 20
Daniel Crown called the next day with an update on Jack Ringo. “I showed him the video. At first he tried to say it wasn’t him, but he was really nervous. I knew he didn’t bribe the guy on his own, but he wouldn’t budge when I pushed for the person who put him up to it. I told him he was going away for a long time if he didn’t cooperate. He loosened up after that and gave me a name. I think you’re familiar with the guy: a lawyer named Douglas Vici.”
“Yes, I am,” Dalton said. “He defended the murderer I told you about, and probably had Ringo in his pocket. I believe he’s also the lawyer for a big drug operation in Florida.” He told Crown about Eon Harbor, William and Charles Chan, and how the organization had been involved with the murder cases. “You need to talk with the DEA. They should have more information on Vici.”
“Okay, great. Give me a contact, and I’ll see if they’re willing to play ball.”
“Ringo told me William Chan offered him a security job with his company but he turned it down. I guess Vici made him a sweeter offer, or blackmailed him into making the lab sample disappear.”
“Either way, he’ll go to prison, but he might minimize it if he provides more details on the lawyer.”
Dalton gave him Marilyn Coe’s name and number and they hung up. Word got around that Lieutenant Springer was leaving in a week for a supervisory job with the Key West PD. That came as welcome news, but Dalton thought the guy still might go out of his way in his new position to cause him some grief.
With the murders in the rear view, Dalton and Crook picked up a couple of robbery cases. They visited the places that got hit and got more details. Both were convenience stores that had security video. Though the robber wore a mask in each, the video captured his car outside the place. It appeared to be the same person in each. When they returned to the office, Crook got busy searching for the vehicle. It turned out to be stolen, so they tracked down the original owner. He had a suspect in mind: his brother-in-law. The guy had stayed with them for a few days and then disappeared. The car got taken two days later. The brother-in-law seemed to be missing, but Dalton knew they would find him.
Marilyn Coe called as Dalton prepared to leave for home. “That spreadsheet you gave us facilitated a number of arrests. We’ll get twenty-three indictments in all, and I’m closing down my part of the operation.”
“Hey, that’s great.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I have a new respect for bartenders.”
“Did you get a call from Daniel Crown?”
“Yeah. I think his angle might help us nail the lawyer.” She paused, then said, “I’ll be going home to Miami tomorrow. You said something about going out?”
****
When Dalton picked her up, she looked different, even more beautiful than before. The purple in her hair was gone, replaced with blonde, and the butterfly tattoo had faded. They went to the Pier House restaurant, ate excellent crab cakes and salad, and made small talk. Neither seemed interested in discussing their respective cases. Dalton thought it was nice, like meeting her for the first time. When they finished the meal, she asked where he lived.
“A marina on Little Torch Key.”
“That sounds nice,” she said.
“It is. Very pleasant.”
“I want to see it. Will you take me up there?”
At the marina they had drinks on the deck with Eric and a few guests. A gentle sea breeze filtered through the mangroves. Dalton savored the minutes: cold beer in hand, no case commandeering his thoughts, a beautiful woman nearby, the glow of tiki torches on her face. The guests discussed how nice it was to be far away from the rat race, and after a while they ambled off down the dock to their boats.
When they had gone, Eric said to Marilyn, “Did he tell you about his pet cat?”
“No, he didn’t mention a pet.”
Eric grinned. “His name is Cupcake.”
She gave Dalton a teasing smile. “I’d never guess you’d have a pet named Cupcake.”
Eric went inside and brought out the cougar. Marilyn’s eyes widened as the cat neared.
“Don’t worry,” Eric said, “he wouldn’t hurt a flea.” He glanced at Dalton. “Unless you attack my nephew.”
The big cat eased up to her, sniffed her hand, and gave her a big yawn. He lay down at her feet and purred. Dalton told her about rescuing the cougar in Miami after its owner had been killed.
“I remember that case. It was in the news. So you’re the one who stole him from Florida Wildlife.” She gave him a smile. “I like that.”
Eric wished them a good night and headed off with the big cat.
When they were alone, she said, “Well, you going to show me your cottage?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
He doused the tiki torches, and they went in and had another drink on the sofa. They kissed. It seemed to last a while, and then they headed for
the bedroom, losing clothing as they went.
****
The next morning, Dalton made coffee and took her a cup. Smiling, she pulled the sheet up to her neck, rose to the side of the bed, and took a sip. “I could get used to this, if I didn’t have to get back to the grind.”
“You can come back anytime.”
He drove her back to the mobile home where she retrieved her suitcase. She kissed him goodbye, promised to come back the following weekend, and headed north. He watched her drive away, wondering if she would return, or if her intentions might fade with the passage of days and pressures of work. One thing was certain: his attraction for her had gripped him from the moment they had met, and he wished their circumstances had been different.
On his way to the office he passed the turn for Riley Gunn’s house. The rock star had died young. An old story. Fame and fortune often go hand-in-hand with tragedy and death. Gunn’s story was more sinister than most. He had a drug-binged night in a Thailand hotel and it turned into something horrific; it appeared that a young woman had died at his hand. Maybe he thought he could put it behind him, but that night had sealed his fate. The dominoes tumbled, one after another, until that 9mm round slammed into his brain.
When he arrived at the office, he got a cup of coffee and sat at his desk, thinking about Marilyn: the magic of the night before, the radiance of the morning, the emptiness of her departure. Her aura played behind his eyes until Buddy Crook hurried to his desk and said they had a murder to investigate.
Note from the author: I hope you enjoyed Dead Man’s Game and will take a moment to leave a review on Amazon. Thanks for reading my books!
More books by Paul Carr:
Michael Dalton Mysteries
Dead Man’s Take
Sam Mackenzie Thrillers
Long Way Down
The Cayman Switch
The Black Palmetto
Bad Way Out