Exposed

by C. M. Sutter

  Amber huffed. “I’ll buy you a heavier coat for Christmas.”

  I exited the freeway at the North Bend ramp. Downtown was only a few minutes away. I pulled up in front of the Washington House and let Amber and my dad out of the car.

  “I’ll meet up with you in a second. I see a parking spot across the street.”

  A minute later, as I walked toward the restaurant, I saw Kate approaching the bench Dad and Amber waited on.

  Kate grinned when I caught up with her. “It’s pretty cool that it only takes me two minutes to walk here, right?” She stuck out her hand to shake my dad’s. “Good to see you again, Mr. Monroe.”

  “Kate, how have you been? You’re looking much happier than the first time I met you.”

  “I definitely am, and I can thank Jade for that. She’s amazing.”

  Kate squeezed my arm.

  “Mr. Monroe, did you know that Amber and I go to the police academy together?”

  “I sure did. You girls can tell me all about it over brunch.”

  I scanned the street and saw Jack pulling his Charger into a parking spot.

  “Jack’s here. I’ll wait for him if you guys want to go ahead and get seated.”

  I watched my family go inside then took a seat on the bench. I wanted a few minutes alone with Jack.

  “Hey, partner, any news?” I asked when he got closer.

  Jack sat down. “That tip from the bar last night was a false alarm.”

  “I figured as much. I doubt if Max is that reckless. Anything else?”

  “A few tips came in this morning that may be worth checking out. Somebody in Mequon thinks a new tenant in their building could be Max. Somebody else in Saint Francis called in. They swear they saw him in a Walmart on South 60th Street. I have the store pulling up their surveillance tapes. Saint Francis PD is going to check it out. I think after lunch, I’ll head in for a few hours and answer tip line calls.”

  “Maybe I should too.”

  Jack cocked his head and frowned at me. “Your dad just got here, Jade. Take a break for the day. We have this covered. Believe me, you’ll be busy enough between work and helping out after his surgery. Cut yourself some slack.”

  I groaned with frustration. “You know, we’re so limited with what we can do.”

  Jack gave me another odd glance. “What does that mean?”

  “I mean Max could be right over the county line, but then it isn’t our case anymore. He could have left the state, and it’s out of our hands. We’re stuck within our own boundaries.”

  “We always have been, Jade. So what’s really eating at you?”

  I looked out at the downtown area I loved, and had, my entire life. Farmers’ markets took place every Saturday between May and October. Settler’s Square often held live music performances. I loved my town, and other than the cold winters, something else was gnawing at me—pulling me to do more. I had to catch the bad guys no matter what, but I felt stuck.

  “Jade, we were able to help in Green River Falls. That’s far from our own county.”

  I smiled. “You know damn well we weren’t welcome there. It’s only because we know Judge Gardino and Clark asked us to check on him as a courtesy. No matter what, the outcome was horrific.”

  “You can’t save everyone, partner.”

  My eyes stung with tears, and I quickly brushed them away. “But I’d like to try.”

  Jack nudged me and jerked his head toward the door. “Come on. Let’s go inside. Your family is waiting for us. We’ll talk about this later. Right now, be in the moment. It’s all we have. Hell, your old man is here. What could be better than that?”

  “I know you’re right. I’m just having an early midlife crisis.”

  Jack laughed and gave me a hug. “You’ll feel a lot better once you’ve guzzled down a couple of those Scottish Ales.” He opened the door for me, and I passed through. “For now, I need to reconnect with your pop.”

  Gabi stood behind the hostess podium and reached for two menus. I could tell she recognized Jack and me.

  She smiled and nodded. “Detectives, right this way.”

  Once we were in the dining room, Amber saw us and lifted her hand to get our attention.

  I pointed. “We’re with them.”

  “Wonderful, and it looks like you have the best table in the house. Would you like me to light the fireplace?”

  Jack raised his brows. “What do you think?”

  “I think my dad would really like that. Sure, Gabi, go ahead.”

  We each ordered the brunch special, and the waitress went to fill our drink requests. Jack and my dad yucked it up, and Amber and Kate were as thick as thieves. I happily joined in on the conversations—work issues could wait. That afternoon, my friends and family took center stage.

  Chapter 51

  I pulled into the garage at two thirty. Brunch was fun, but by his tired eyes, I knew my dad was ready to wind down. He had been up since three a.m. California time.

  We entered the house, and I rolled the suitcase into the guest room for him.

  “Feel free to take a nap if you want to, Dad. Amber and I aren’t going anywhere. Knowing her, she’s probably already planning the dinner menu.”

  “You sure you don’t mind? A couple of hours would do me good.”

  “I don’t mind one bit. I’ll wake you up at four.” I closed the door at my back and joined Amber in the kitchen.

  “I started the coffee,” she said as she pulled out her favorite recipe book.

  I grinned as I leaned against the wall, my arms crossed. “What’s for dinner?”

  “I’m thinking a vegetable, cheese, and bacon quiche. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds delicious. I’m going to change into something relaxing now that Jack has me on house arrest.”

  Amber’s eyes twinkled when she laughed. “He’s right, you know.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I walked down the hallway and stopped just before my door and stared. I’d never left that door open. I wouldn’t take a chance of Polly and Porky being in the same room with Spaz. After all, cats eat birds. Luckily, they were fine.

  “Amber, come here a sec.”

  She walked down the hallway toward me. “What’s up?”

  “Did you have any reason to go in my bedroom before we left to pick up Dad? Was there laundry to put away or something like that?”

  “No, why?”

  “My bedroom door was standing wide open.” I walked in, and Amber followed. “Look at my bedspread, it’s all messed up. Spaz had to be in here.”

  “That’s never happened before. Thank God Polly and Porky are okay. Maybe the latch didn’t catch when you closed the door.”

  I eyed the room and door suspiciously. “Yeah, maybe.”

  After I changed my clothes, I shut the bedroom door tightly and gave it a slight push. The latch held just as it should. I went to the sliding door in the family room and jiggled the handle. The lock was secure.

  “Coffee is ready. Want a cup?”

  “Huh? Oh, yeah, coffee sounds good.” I sat next to Amber at the breakfast bar and scanned the room.

  “You’re freaking me out. I can tell you’re anxious about something. What gives?”

  “Nah—I’m fine. I think I’ll check into security systems and have something installed.”

  “You’ve been saying that since last summer, Jade. Aren’t they expensive? I thought your gun was our security system.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I’m not always home.”

  “I have a gun too, and this is North Bend you’re talking about. Last time I checked, this town didn’t make the top one hundred on the most dangerous cities list.”

  “True, but you can never be too careful. Maybe we should go to the range tomorrow evening when I get home from work. That would be fun, wouldn’t it? You can show Dad how good of a shot you are.”

  “Yeah, I’d like that a lot”

  That night, sleep eluded me. I couldn’t turn off Max Sims. I saw him
every time I closed my eyes. We had to catch this crazed killer. He was too dangerous to be out on the streets doing what he loved best—murdering anyone he wanted to. I rolled over and checked the time—11:12. I called Jack.

  His voice sounded groggy when he answered, and I immediately regretted making the call.

  “Jade, is something wrong?”

  “Damn it, I’m sorry, Jack. I wasn’t sure if you’d be asleep yet, but by the sound of—”

  He interrupted. “It’s okay, partner. What’s up?”

  “Is Clark going to continue running the news segments on Max?”

  “Yeah, he said he was. He wants to get as much publicity as he can on the case. We have to keep Max’s face on everyone’s mind. We need to see where we are with the identification of the bones too. I guess we’re going over that tomorrow. Some families have claimed the remains, yet there are plenty of bones that are still unidentified. We’re expecting Dr. White to release all the data tomorrow. After we hear what he has, we might need to think about running more ‘ID the Missing’ events.”

  “Okay, that sounds like a good plan. So the few leads we had for Max were duds?”

  Jack groaned. “Yeah, none of them have panned out yet. He’s either staying under the radar or has left the area. We’ll get him, Jade. At some point he’s going to slip up, and we’ll be waiting with our guns drawn.”

  “I hope so. Sorry I woke you. I’ll see you in the morning. Good night.”

  “Night, Jade.”

  I punched my pillow until the indention felt right under my head. With the blankets up to my neck, I tried to turn off the images of Max Sims and think about anything else.

  I woke to the happy voices of my dad and Amber. Even though I had a restless night, I was glad to start a new day and get to work. I slipped on my robe and joined my family in the kitchen.

  “Morning, guys. Coffee smells good.” I opened the cabinet to the left of the stove and pulled out a coffee cup. I filled it three quarters full and topped it off with half-and-half. Amber and my dad sat at the table. His cane was propped against the wall behind him. I pulled out my usual chair and took a seat. I noticed my dad studying my face.

  “You don’t look very refreshed for just getting up.”

  “I couldn’t get Max Sims out of my head enough to sleep peacefully, Dad. So far, the news bulletins haven’t produced any viable results.”

  “Unfortunately, catching criminals isn’t always a slam dunk, honey. Oftentimes, the worst of the worst slip between the cracks, and that’s reality. It isn’t always an easy pill to swallow.”

  “I know, but it still weighs on my mind. Anyway, do you want to go to the shooting range tonight?”

  “That sounds like fun. Once tomorrow comes, I’ll be gimping around on crutches for the next few weeks.”

  “Who wants French toast?” Amber pushed away from the table and went into the kitchen.

  “I think we both do,” I said. “I’m going to get showered before breakfast, though.” I rose and kissed my dad’s cheek. “It’s good to have you home, Dad.”

  “And it’s good to be here, honey.”

  I arrived at work at nine o’clock, later than usual, but I had left a message on Clark’s voicemail telling him in advance. I wanted to have a casual, peaceful breakfast as a family. Most mornings, Amber and I crossed paths as we filled our coffee cups and said a quick goodbye as we walked out the door. Tomorrow morning would be hectic with Dad’s surgery. We needed that quiet morning together, just the three of us.

  Once at work and back in the bull pen, I dug in. I listened to all of the tip line calls that had come in over the weekend and dismissed the ones that had already been checked out.

  “What about the sighting at the Milwaukee bus terminal earlier? Did anyone check into that?”

  Billings answered the question for everyone. “The downtown precinct said they’d take care of it.”

  “And?”

  “And we haven’t heard back from them yet.”

  “Did anyone check to see if an actual ticket was purchased in his name and where it was going?”

  “I called the Greybus terminal myself, Jade. They said no ticket was issued to anyone named Max Sims.”

  “Maybe he bought it a few days ago to throw us off. He could have used a false name or bought it online. Did anyone check his credit card statement? Weren’t you in charge of that, Clayton?”

  I saw Chad roll his eyes at everyone, then he chuckled. “Man, she’s like a dog with a bone.”

  I pushed back my chair and stood. “Hey, smart-ass, you weren’t there to see the carnage he did. Green River Falls is now one deputy short. Talk smart to that dead man’s widow. Or how about the decomposing girl half buried in the ground with her forehead smashed in? What about Theresa Gardino that had a ball gag jammed in her mouth while her dead body was splayed out across the room with blood everywhere, or Deborah French and Amy Patterson? Don’t tell me I’m like a dog with a bone! Max Sims needs to go down, and I’ll shoot that son of a bitch myself if I get the chance.”

  The room fell quiet. My hands shook, and everyone stared at me. Clark came out of his office and put his arm around my shoulder. He jerked his chin at Jack. “Get her a glass of water. Jade, come inside and sit down. The rest of you, get busy. Clayton, check out Max Sims’s latest credit card purchases.”

  Jack knocked on the closed office door, and Clark waved him in. He entered and placed the glass of water on the desk, then turned to leave.

  “Jack, have a seat,” Clark said. “I’m putting you two in charge of Max Sims, nobody else. You don’t need to worry about any other task or case—only Max. You’ll be in charge of following up with other law enforcement agencies when tips come in. Keep the news stations active on his case. Get flyers out, hold a press conference, and do whatever you need to do. We’re going to flush him out of his hole. I don’t care where he’s hiding. Got it?”

  I stared down at my folded hands in my lap. “Got it, sir, but I have to go apologize to Clayton first.”

  “He’s a big boy. No apology necessary. If he can dish it out, he can take it too. Drink your water, regroup, and dig in.”

  I was ashamed. I’d lost my cool, and to one of my own colleagues, no less. Jack and I exited Clark’s office, and everyone looked up. I sat at my desk and began a list of things I needed to do. Clayton rose and walked over. He took a seat in my guest chair.

  “Jade?”

  “Yeah, Chad?”

  “First off, I’m sorry.”

  I smiled sheepishly. “I am too. My outburst was uncalled for.”

  “And I was an insensitive jerk.”

  I chuckled. “Okay, we both were. So what have you got?”

  “You were right. Max Sims did use his credit card just yesterday. He purchased a one-way bus ticket under the passenger name Josh Manyard.”

  “Where was it going?”

  “To Denver.”

  “No kidding? Did you print out the information?”

  He handed me the sheet of paper that sat on his lap. “It’s right here. The bus left at seven this morning. It doesn’t stop until it gets to Burlington, Iowa, at five p.m. The passengers have dinner there, and then another driver takes over until they reach Denver. The bus pulls into the Denver station at four thirty tomorrow morning.”

  “Okay, thanks, Clayton. I’ll take it from here.”

  I called the Burlington, Iowa, police department and explained everything there was to know about Max Sims, then I faxed them a copy of the sketch Marie had drawn. The police would be waiting at the station for that bus to arrive, and they’d check every passenger that disembarked. I felt a sense of relief for now. I still wanted to see that video footage of Max actually boarding the bus. I called the bus station downtown and asked about their video surveillance. They told me two Milwaukee police officers had picked up the tape an hour earlier. They said they’d have their tech department clean up the grainy image of the passengers the best they could. I called the
downtown precinct and asked for the tech department. I explained who I was, wrote down the names of the officers that picked up the tape, and thanked them. I’d go through the proper channels and have the officers get in touch with me. I left my contact information with them. They would either confirm or refute the identity of the individual in question. Once again, my hands were tied. I couldn’t pursue Max Sims on my own.

  Chapter 52

  That should keep North Bend’s finest busy for a while.

  Max climbed off the bus when it made an unscheduled stop. A pregnant woman on board felt ill and needed to use the ladies’ room. The bus pulled into a truck stop to wait, and the driver called out that this would be only a ten-minute stop. The scheduled fuel stop would be in Naperville, Illinois. If anyone needed to disembark, they should do it quickly. Inside the diner and gift shop, passengers quickly used the lavatories and bought snacks before returning to the bus. One seat remained empty when the bus took to the freeway again.

  Max stared out the window at the bus until its taillights disappeared. Once he was satisfied it was gone, he approached the counter attendant and asked if any bus lines that went to Milwaukee stopped at their location. She explained that the Kenosha to Milwaukee bus line did, and she would be happy to look up the time for him.

  “The next bus going north picks up passengers here at ten o’clock, sir. You have about an hour and a half before it arrives.”

  Max pulled off the cap and rubbed his bald head with the back of his forearm. “Yeah, that’s good. I’ll enjoy a leisurely breakfast while I wait. I’ll take a ticket for one.”

  With his grand-slam breakfast and two cups of coffee finished, Max paid his tab and browsed the gift shop. He had twenty minutes to kill before the bus was scheduled to arrive. A book on the shelf caught his eye. The title, Murderous Intentions, almost made him laugh, so he bought it. The book would provide an hour of reading entertainment while he rode the bus back to Milwaukee.

  Max heard the air brakes engage as the northbound bus slowed to a stop. He looked out the window. Several passengers exited the bus while others waited their turn to climb aboard. Max went outside and stood in line. Once inside and seated, Max watched as the driver closed the door, walked the aisle, and collected the tickets from the new passengers. Max handed his to the man, got comfortable, and opened the book. He’d probably get through ten chapters if he was lucky. He caught himself a few times when his head bobbed and hit his chest. Next thing he knew, he woke to the sound of the brakes hiss as the bus pulled into the Milwaukee station. He rolled his neck and yawned—the book had fallen into his lap. He remembered reading through chapter four. Tonight he’d pick up where he left off.