“Max Sinclair. Take a seat.” The man gestured toward the two ratty chairs across from his own as he introduced himself. He sat before they did, his large belly sitting on his lap. The floor creaked especially loud when he moved.
“Thanks for seeing us,” Leo started. “I understand you employed Blake Turner for three years until six months ago?”
“That’s right. I saw what he did on the news. Is this about his confession? Because I don’t know anything about that,” Max added quickly. Amelia knew he was telling the truth, he genuinely didn’t know anything about Turner’s involvement with the five year old’s death. That was good to know.
“We’re just doing some background on him for court.” We’re just investigating his innocence. “Was Turner a good worker?”
Max started nodding. “He was, it was a pity I had to let him go. Redundancy, you know, it’s a headache. You have to make tough decisions in this economy.”
“I understand. What job did he do here?”
“He filled orders, worked the forklift, and did inventory when it needed doing.”
“And you had to fire him because of redundancy?”
Max fiddled with the pen in his hands. “Yes. I had to make him redundant, we were downsizing.” Amelia sat up, hearing No, he wasn’t redundant and we didn’t downsize.
Leo went on, oblivious. “Did his work start to deteriorate towards the end?”
“No more than usual.” Yes, it did.
“Do you know of his illness?”
“What illness?” Yes, I did.
Amelia couldn’t stay silent any longer, clearly Max was having no difficultly in lying to the police. He didn’t know the investigation wasn’t exactly authorized. “It can be tough to fire someone because of an illness. I think it’s also illegal. Right, Detective?”
“It’s discrimination, yes,” Leo replied, confused about where she was going.
Max knew, he dropped the pen as his hands waved about in defense. “We had to downsize, his illness had nothing to do with it.” It would have been believable if she didn’t hear We didn’t have to downsize, his illness was the reason.
“I thought you said you didn’t know about his illness,” Leo pointed out. Max opened his mouth to speak but decided against it. He stared at them both agape. “Look, Mr. Sinclair, I’m not interested in an unfair dismissal or discrimination charge. I just want to know the truth. Perhaps we should start from the beginning. And the truth, this time.”
The man seemed to consider his options. Finally, he sighed and picked up the pen again. “He started calling in sick a lot. At first, I felt sorry for him, told him to take all the time he needed. But then, my orders started backing up and customers were getting frustrated with the delays. I tried to wait it out but it was clear Turner wasn’t getting better any time soon. I had to let him go. It was him or my business. I chose to feed my family.”
Leo looked at Amelia for guidance, she nodded, satisfied with his honest answer. “What was wrong with him?”
“The big C: Cancer.”
“What kind?”
“Brain tumor.”
“Was he undergoing treatment?”
Max nodded, more enthusiastically than needed. “I gave him the time off for it. I swear I tried to do the right thing.”
“Was he getting better?” Leo persisted, trying to drain him of every piece of information he held.
“I don’t know. Last I heard he was still getting treatment.”
Finally, Leo was ready to let him off the hook. They both thanked Max and left him, relieved he wasn’t in any trouble. They made it back to the car before speaking again.
“Thoughts?” Leo asked as he sped down the road. He was driving with a purpose, he knew exactly who else he needed to talk with.
“He eventually told the truth,” Amelia replied. He wasn’t unlike any other person, everyone lied to cover themselves. It was just one of the reasons why she despised the human race so much.
“Do you think he had anything to do with this mess?”
“Nope.”
“Me either,” Leo sighed. “But I bet Mandy Parkes does.”
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up outside Turner’s house. It was in no better condition than when they had previously visited. The beat up car was still sitting in the driveway, seemingly unmoved from the other day.
It took a lot of convincing to get Mandy to allow them to enter. As they stood in the entranceway, Leo knew he was on borrowed time. He had nothing to compel Mandy to talk with him, he wasn’t even authorized to be speaking with her. If he ruffled her feathers too much, she could easily call the department to complain. One phone call and he would be a dead man against the commissioner. With that weighing heavily on his mind, he tried to be gentle.
“Mandy, you weren’t entirely honest with us last time we spoke,” he started. Already she was rolling her eyes and holding her arms firmly crossed over her chest. Her entire body language screamed hostility. And they hadn’t even started asking the difficult questions yet. “Now we know Blake didn’t kill that five year old boy and we know that you know. So how about telling us the truth?”
“I don’t know anything.” I do know something.
“Why don’t you start by telling us about Blake’s illness? It must have been difficult dealing with a cancerous brain tumor.”
Mandy’s demeanor instantly changed, but just for a second. For that tiny moment, she was surprised by how much they had learned. Another blink of an eye and she was back, her shield firmly in place again. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” I do know what you are talking about.
“It’s why he lost his job,” Leo continued. Amelia stood quietly, taking note of each and every lie she heard. “It’s why you needed money so badly. All those medications, doctor’s bills, and hospital fees, they add up. Blake must have been desperate.”
“He was made redundant, they didn’t need him anymore.” He was fired.
“I spoke with Max Sinclair, he told us everything. We know, Miss Parkes, we know everything.”
“No, you don’t.” Yes, you do.
“Blake was ill, terribly ill. He tried to keep his job but the cancer treatment and the side effects were too much. As his health declined, so did his strength,” Leo reeled off the facts, watching her for every reaction. “He couldn’t keep up with the demands of the physical job so he was laid off. Nobody else was hiring, or whoever was quickly discovered he was physically incapable and fired him too. With no money coming in, Blake was desperate. He accepted money to take the fall for the murder. How am I doing, Miss Parkes? Sound familiar?”
Mandy didn’t change her stance, her face may as well have been carved out of stone. “That’s a nice story, Detective. You should write for the telly.” That’s the truth, Detective.
“The only thing I don’t understand is why are you going along with it? Don’t you feel any guilt for what your boyfriend is going through?”
“He makes his own decisions.” The first honest thing that had escaped from Mandy’s lips.
Leo tried a different tactic, he obviously couldn’t rely on her guilt over the situation. “I could arrest you for conspiracy. I could take you down to the station and force you to write a statement. Blake could be home tomorrow. Of course, I’m sure whoever paid him for the confession wouldn’t be too happy about it.”
“You can’t do that,” Mandy finally reacted, her mouth dropping open. She started shaking her head from side to side. “I’d be dead before dawn.”
Leo smiled, knowing he had her. “So tell me what happened. I need everything or I’m going to leave. Perhaps I’ll place a squad car outside for a few hours. Just long enough for it to be noticed.”
“I don’t know anything.” I know pieces.
“You have to know something,” Amelia chimed in. She wasn’t going to let the woman get away. Not when she knew something, even if it was only a piece.
Leo made to leave, putting his notebook in his pock
et and clicking closed his pen. “I’ll call for the squad car, he should be here in ten minutes. Good luck Miss Parkes, you’re going to need it.”
Panic shot across her face. She stood in front of the door, covering their exit. “I’ll tell you, okay? I know Blake took twenty grand from someone. It was enough to cover some of our bills. After he’s put away, we get another twenty.”
“Who’s paying?”
“I don’t know.” He made to leave again. “I really don’t know. He said it was a guy he met at the pub. He knew about our… situation and said he could help.”
Amelia nodded, knowing she was telling the truth. It was funny what fear could elicit. If only it didn’t take scaring someone for them to do the right thing.
“Forty thousand for being locked up the rest of his life?” Leo said incredulously. “That’s not much money. It won’t even cover all your credit card bills.”
“We were desperate.” Mandy looked at the floor, not proud of what they had done.
Amelia still didn’t understand the decision. “You could have gone bankrupt or disappeared. Why rot in prison for another forty years?”
Mandy stayed silent, refusing to admit any more. While she said nothing, Amelia couldn’t catch her out. She wished she could read minds too, it would have come in handy at times.
Realization started to creep into Leo’s mind. “Blake doesn’t have forty years left, does he?”
Tears started to well in Mandy’s eyes, she finally cracked. “No.”
“The cancer isn’t in remission, is it?”
“No.”
“How long’s he got?”
Mandy almost whispered the answer. “A year at best.”
Amelia finally understood. Forty thousand dollars for a year was probably a good rate, especially when they were desperate for the cash. At least in jail Turner would get access to free medical care. It may not be the most outstanding in the country, but it was free and it would be adequate. The value of that alone was probably worth another forty grand.
“Are you going to arrest me?” Mandy asked, the same fear in her eyes again.
“No,” Leo answered. “But don’t leave town, I may have some more questions for you later.”
“What’s going to happen to Blake?”
“I don’t know yet,” he said honestly.
They thanked Mandy and left. As she closed the door on them, she locked each of the four different deadbolts attached to the door. The woman wasn’t just paranoid, she was afraid for her life.
Back in the car, Leo was trying to comprehend everything he had just heard. Amelia was doing the same. Neither could imagine what kind of desperation it would take to sell your life. Your last year on earth and you were prepared to spend it locked up behind bars. It wasn’t a nice prospect.
Yet it would help to get your girlfriend out of a terrible financial situation. Perhaps they had underestimated their relationship. Maybe Blake was doing it all for her, despite the fact he beat her up occasionally. Amelia thought she would never fully understand either of them.
“She was telling the truth, if that’s any help,” Amelia said in the silence. “I don’t think she knew anything else, Blake shielded her from the details.”
“Probably in case he got caught.”
“How chivalrous,” she muttered.
“Never underestimate the power of love,” Leo retorted. “It can make a person do crazy things.”
“I doubt love has anything to do with it.”
“You really are that cynical, aren’t you?” He looked at her, taking his eyes off the road for a moment.
“I’m realistic,” she pointed out. “You’re just fanciful.”
“Fanciful?”
“You believe what all the Hallmark cards try to tell us. The world is a wonderful place and we all love each other.”
Leo just shook his head, knowing it was impossible to make her believe otherwise. He had only known her for five days and already knew she was stuck in her beliefs. At least she was a challenge, and he really liked those. He let it rest, getting back to the case.
“Anyway… Turner must have spent some time in hospital as part of his treatment. And you know who else spends a lot of time at the hospital?” He grinned, waiting for the dots to be connected.
Amelia ran through the details, coming up with just one name. “Jordan’s mother Renee is a nurse.”
“At the same hospital. I saw charges on Turner’s credit card statements. He was targeted for this job, whoever approached him at the pub knew he was desperate enough to do it.”
“A nurse gets to know her patients.” Amelia’s excitement was growing, finally she felt like they were getting somewhere. Perhaps the two week deadline wasn’t going to be so impossible after all. “Turner might have told her how much trouble they were in.”
“Or she could have overheard Turner and Parkes talking about money,” Leo added. “I think it’s time we pay Renee a visit.”
“Won’t you get into trouble?”
“Maybe, but I’m willing to risk it. We need to talk to her.”
Amelia agreed. As she watched the houses pass by, she couldn’t help but feel unsettled by the revelation. “Do you really think Jordan’s own mother would try to cover for her son’s real murderer?”
“I don’t know. I hope not, but we have to follow the evidence. And right now it’s leading us back to her.”
“It’s a big hospital, perhaps they didn’t even cross paths.”
“That sounds like optimism,” Leo laughed, teasing.
“Don’t get used to it,” she mumbled.
They barreled down the highway toward the White’s house, Leo trying to plan his approach the whole way. He needed to get answers without accusing the woman. She would already be emotionally charged with the death of her son, he was going to have to tread extremely carefully. One wrong step and he would be in trouble.
A dozen blocks away, Leo’s phone rang. He put it on speaker, noticing the caller ID was the station.
“Michaels,” he answered, giving Amelia a ‘Shh’ sign.
“Leo, can you talk?” The voice was male, obviously familiar with the detective. “You are never going to believe what just got called in.”
“Go ahead, can’t wait to hear this.”
“Renee White is dead.”
Amelia and Leo could say nothing, they just stared at each other. Their mouths agape.
CHAPTER 9
“Dead?” Leo asked, managing to get his mouth to obey. “What happened?”
“She overdosed, her husband found her body when he woke up. There’s a note, it looks like a clear cut suicide.”
“Are the blues still on the scene?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m nearby, I’m going to check it out,” Leo said with no question in his voice.
“You sure that’s smart?” Unlike Leo, the voice on the phone was full of doubt. “If Pace finds out…”
“Leave him to me. Kale White knows me, I’m sure he’ll appreciate a friendly face in the investigation.”
“Sure, but be careful.”
“I will.”
He clicked off. Leo drove faster, feeling an urge to get to the White’s house as quickly as possible. His mind was racing with thoughts of Renee. He tried to remember every interaction he had with her. Was she depressed? Was she capable of killing herself? Could the death of a child cause her to give up on life? He hoped the note she left behind would answer his questions.
Blue and red flashing lights waited outside the house as they pulled up. Neighbors, including Violet Stream, were amongst them. She stood in front of her property, watching everyone come and go. She was probably there from the beginning. Hell, she probably found the body.
Leo parked outside the house next door and powered toward the White’s, not waiting for Amelia to follow. He was on a mission, his sole focus on finding out what had happened.
A uniformed cop was stationed at the front door, making sure no b
usybodies got close. He nodded at Leo when he approached.
“Detective,” he greeted him.
“Mind if I go in? The vic was involved in my case.”
“Sure, go ahead. I think they’re wrapping things up.”
“Thanks.” Leo stepped inside the house, one he knew quite well. He had been there dozens of times during the kidnapping and then the murder investigation. Every time he dreaded it, it was never good dealing with a crime involving a child. Especially when it was such a young kid.
Amelia caught up, making sure it was clear she was with the detective. She didn’t want to be left outside, denied access because she was just another ordinary citizen.
Leo found Constable Justin Cole in the living room, writing in his notebook as he jotted down details he would need later on. “Michaels, how ya doing? Enjoying your mandatory holiday?”
“Like it better if people stopped dying,” he joked, the usual way cops dealt with the death and tragedy they faced every day. “What have we got here?”
Constable Cole relayed the facts like he was discussing his shopping list. Kale White had awoken that morning, ready for another ordinary day, when he couldn’t find his wife. She wasn’t in the bedroom, nor was she in their en suite. He went looking, growing more concerned as the seconds ticked by. According to Kale, she was a woman of routine, it wasn’t like her to do something different.
After searching every room of the house, he eventually found his wife in the main bathroom. She was lying in the empty bath, unmoving. Attempts at CPR and a frantic call to emergency services were too late, Renee White was gone, passing away some time in the night.
The medical examiner was yet to inspect the body but her preliminary assessment was that she died between one a.m. and three a.m. according to lividity. Due to the amount of pills and empty bottles found in her vicinity, it looked like she died of an overdose. Without doing an exam, it was only guess work at that stage.
Renee had left a note, outlining her reasons for ending her life. According to the hastily scrawled letters, she couldn’t handle the loss of her son and didn’t want to go on without him. She also hinted at some kind of pressure at work that she was humiliated by. All up, life was too overwhelming and she couldn’t see a way to go on. She apologized to her husband for leaving him to deal with the fallout alone.
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