by Linda Warren
“Abby, it’s just routine. It’s nothing personal.”
“You knew this was going to happen on Tuesday when you called, didn’t you?”
“Abby...”
“And you told them what I shared about Gayle? For so long I wrestled with my feelings for you, but now I see them for what they really are. Gratitude. You were right, but I went with my heart. You’ve hurt me more than Doug ever did. Please stay away from me. And that is personal.”
Somewhere in her head, or maybe it was her heart, she’d thought Ethan would protect her at all costs. The thought shattered the rose-colored glasses she’d been looking through, and she saw Ethan for who he really was—a badass cop. He had never professed to be anything else. She’d put him on a pedestal, given him her heart and body and woven silly fairy tales once again. Did she never learn? There was no such thing as happy ever after. Not for her.
* * *
ETHAN STOOD WITH his cell in his hand, unable to move, unable to do anything except feel the hurt in her voice ripping through his chest.
“Ethan, are you okay?” Ross asked.
No, he’d never be the same again. He’d lost a part of himself and there was no way to get it back. He’d broken her trust, her love.
“Ethan?”
“What? Yeah. I’m fine.” He got into the unmarked squad car, ignoring his aching heart. The only thing left was to nail the bastard who’d caused all the heartache.
As Ross drove toward Estelle Campbell’s home, he tried to put everything else out of his mind, and it was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do.
Estelle lived in a downstairs apartment. Kids’ toys littered the small yard. Ethan pulled the torn screen aside and tapped on the door. A woman in her fifties wearing jeans and a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt opened the door.
“Mrs. Estelle Campbell?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Detective James and this is Detective Logan. Could we speak to you please?”
Her eyes narrowed. “What about?”
“Your son Rudy.”
“He’s in jail.”
“We’re aware of that. Could we come in, please?”
“I suppose.” She moved aside and the first thing Ethan noticed was the smell—cigarette smoke. Cigarette butts filled an ashtray on a littered coffee table. Newspapers and magazines were piled high. Coke cans and an opened bag of potato chips were on one end.
The place was sparsely furnished. He and Ross sat on a stained brown sofa. The vinyl-square flooring had worn through to the cement in places. Two kids, a boy and girl of maybe four and three years old, played on the floor with a toy truck. The boy ran to the table, took a sip of Coke and reached for a handful of chips. The little girl soon followed. A baby sat in a Pack ’n Play playpen, where a bottle lay on the mat in a pool of milk. The one thing that seemed out of place was a big-screen TV. This was definitely the other side of the American dream.
“Mrs. Campbell, I’ll get straight to the point. We have a witness who puts your car at the bank the same time Bryce Grundy was handed a large cash amount to represent your son and Devon.”
“So?” She picked up a cigarette and lighter from the table. “I’m sure I’m not the only one with a Ford Taurus.” She lit the cigarette, her hand shaking slightly. Blowing smoke through her nostrils, she placed the lighter back on the table.
“You’re the only one with a dented and rusted rear fender. We saw it outside.”
She plopped into a chair. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“We can arrest you on what we have.”
“Arrest?” She sat up straight and took a puff. “For what?”
“Your son committed armed bank robbery where a man died. He then kidnapped two people and left them in the heat to die. He’s going away for a long time and it doesn’t matter to us if you go down for aiding and abetting him.”
“Wait a damn minute. I had nothing to do with any of that.”
The little boy ran to get a drink of Coke. “Who do the kids belong to?” Ross asked.
“My youngest daughter. We were on the HUD waiting list forever and we finally got this three-bedroom about two years ago. Then she got mixed up with a loser, got pregnant again and he moved in here. The HUD lady said he had to go. He wasn’t on the lease.” She took a drag on the cigarette. “She up and left with him and now I have the kids until she comes to her senses and comes back.”
“When you go to jail, Child Protective Services will pick up the kids,” Ross continued.
“Jail?” she squealed. “I’m not going to jail. I don’t know anything.”
“Tell us what you know then,” Ethan pressed. “And you do know something, Mrs. Campbell. We’re not stupid. Your car was at that bank at the same time as Grundy’s.”
She kept puffing on the cigarette, not answering, as if she was weighing her options.
Ross reached for his phone on his belt and looked at Ethan. “Is it Violet or Carmen at CPS who works the day shift?”
Ethan glanced at his watch. “It’s after five. Try Carmen.”
As Ross tapped in a number, Estelle shouted, “No, wait.”
Ross slipped his phone back into its case. “Tell us what you know.”
Estelle snuffed out the cigarette in the ashtray, ashes spilling onto the table. “Okay. Rudy called me from jail and wanted to see me. I told him not to call me anymore when he gets into trouble, but I went anyway. He gave me a number and said to text Lawyer or else and sign it ‘Rudy.’ I asked him why he couldn’t call himself. He said the cops were watching his every move, so I did it and thought that was it. After work on Thursday morning, I was fixing breakfast for the kids when my cell buzzed. I had a text message from that number. It said money was at the front door and gave instructions what to do with it. I followed them and parked where the message said. That’s all I did.”
Ethan clasped his hands. “Let me get this straight. Someone left twenty-five grand on your doorstep?”
“Twenty-five grand?” Her eyes grew big. “That case had that much money in it?”
“You didn’t know?” Ross asked.
“Of course not.”
She was lying. Ethan had interviewed suspects for a long time and Estelle was lying out both sides of her mouth. “What was the phone number?”
“I don’t remember. Rudy told me to delete everything from my phone.”
Ethan held out his hand. “May I see your phone?”
She pulled it out of her jeans pocket and handed it to him.
“Our tech might be able to find something on it.”
“But I need my phone. I have to check on the kids from work.”
“You work nights, right?” Ross asked.
“Yes.”
“Who keeps them?”
“My neighbor’s sixteen-year-old daughter. She likes to sleep here and watch the TV.”
“Nice,” Ethan commented. “Is it new?”
“I’ve had it about two months. The whole neighborhood wants to watch TV here.”
Ethan wondered where she got the money to buy such an expensive item, but he’d save that question for later. Instead he asked, “Does the sixteen-year-old have a phone?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“And you work with someone who has a phone?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you can give the sixteen-year-old her number in case there’s an emergency with the kids.”
“I suppose.”
Ethan got to his feet, as did Ross. “You can pick up your phone about ten in the morning at the police station. “He reached into his shirt pocket and handed her his card. “Call me if you think of anything else.”
She looked at the card and then at his face. “Oh...you’re the man...”
“Your so
n left to die? Yes. And one way or another I’m going to nail him. And, Mrs. Campbell, if you’re lying to me, you’re going down with him.”
She shook her head. “I’m not. I told you everything.”
Ethan nodded and Ross followed him out. Ross took the wheel and they drove away.
“What do you think?” Ross turned onto North Loop.
“I think she’s in it up to her eyeballs.”
“That’s my feeling, too.”
“The money wasn’t left on her doorstep. She picked it up from someone.”
“Mmm.” Ross sped toward the station. “Now we have to take a really good look at that big ol’ elephant sitting smack-dab in the middle of this case.”
“Douglas Bauman?”
“Yes. If we could connect Mrs. Campbell to him, then maybe all the pieces would fall into place. Since tomorrow is Friday we’re running out of time to make that happen.”
Ethan moved restlessly, knowing he might not be able to make that connection. But in his gut he had that same feeling he had days ago—Abby had been the target on that Saturday morning.
CHAPTER TWENTY
BACK AT THE station, Ethan gave the cell to Jim, the tech who was a whiz at hacking a phone. Ethan told him what he wanted, and then he and Ross sat pouring over the files and evidence once again. “There has to be a connection between Rudy, his mom and Bauman.”
“Yeah, but how in the hell are we going to find it?”
“By searching ’til our eyes cross.” Ethan pulled out a file. “Beecher had something on that big ranch where we were left. Yeah, here it is. It’s been for sale for four years. The last foreman said he hired Rudy one summer to haul hay. That’s how Rudy knew about the ranch, and he probably noticed it was for sale and vacant.”
“But the ranch has nothing to do with Bauman.”
“Mmm. Damn, Beecher may be a pain in the ass, but he’s thorough. He contacted the owners and they’d never heard of Rudy.” Ethan closed the file. “So the ranch was a last-minute decision. That’s what Rudy meant by a change of plans. Hostages weren’t supposed to be taken.”
“It was just supposed to be a bank robbery,” Ross mused.
“They freaked when they heard the sirens.”
Ross ran a hand through his hair. “None of this makes sense. They freak and instead of getting the hell out they take hostages?”
“Rudy grabbed Abby first, supposedly because he thought she’d pushed an alarm, but he had his eye on her from the start.” Ethan slapped his hand on the desk. “What are we missing?”
Before Ross could answer, his cell buzzed. “Gotta go.” Ross got to his feet. “They found a body in a park off Congress Avenue.”
Detectives were on an on-call rotation to respond to a homicide at all hours—twenty-four hours a day, including weekends. Since Ethan was on medical leave, he hadn’t been put back in the rotation.
“Why don’t you go home and rest, Ethan. We’ll start fresh in the morning.”
Ethan grunted. “You’ll be dead on your feet in the morning.”
“I’ll get a couple of hours’ sleep and be good to go.”
They did that all the time, but they were getting older and Ethan now had a kid. As Ross left, he called home to talk to Kelsey. She chatted on and on about school. He wasn’t sure when he made the decision, but when he talked to his dad he told him he was staying at the station for the night.
“You better tell the chatterbox.”
Kelsey came on. “What’s up, Dad?”
“I’m staying at the station tonight to work on the case.”
“Oh. Where you gonna eat supper?”
“I’ll pick up something.”
“You have to eat, Dad.”
“Okay. Okay.”
“And, Dad, remember we have to get my dancing outfits this weekend. We can ask Abby to help us. She knows all about clothes.”
“I’ll see.” But in light of everything that had happened he was sure that door was firmly closed. He’d tell Kelsey later.
Jim buzzed him so he strolled to the lab to see what he’d found.
“Here’s a list.” Jim handed him several sheets of paper and the phone. “Times and dates of texts Mrs. Campbell sent and the people who texted her. There were no deleted texts that I could find.”
“She lied then?”
“Looks like it.”
Jim stretched his shoulders. “If there’s nothing else, I’m going home.”
“Sure. Thanks, Jim.”
Making his way back to his desk, Ethan mulled over the facts. Estelle was involved; he was sure. How did he prove it?
Before returning to all the paperwork, he went to his locker and got a protein bar. He kept them for when he didn’t have time to eat. In the small kitchen he made a fresh pot of coffee and headed back to work.
It took him a while to go through all the texts and calls on the list. They were from family, people at work and neighbors. Jim had highlighted the call from Rudy, but there was no text from Estelle to anyone after that. How did she contact the other person? Nothing stuck out so he moved on.
He studied everything in the evidence box, and went through the timeline once again and sorted through all the information collected. Nothing jumped out at him and he grew frustrated. At two he could no longer focus, so he made his way to the sleeping quarters to crash.
He awoke at four and noticed Ross was crashed out in the next bunk. Very quietly, Ethan tiptoed to his locker for clean clothes and then hit the showers before getting back to work. All the while he’d been showering and dressing something had been tugging at his mind.
For there to be a connection to Douglas Bauman, Mrs. Campbell and Rudy would have to encounter him in some way. They didn’t exactly move in the same circles. So how? Then it hit him. He quickly unlocked the drawer where he’d stored the files last night. He pulled out Mrs. Campbell’s and Rudy’s files and searched their work history.
In the past two years Rudy had worked as a roughneck on an oil rig, loaded feed at a feed store and mowed lawns for a lawn service. Ethan didn’t see a connection to Bauman at those jobs.
Mrs. Campbell cleaned houses with another woman for eight months and then she was hired by a commercial cleaning service, B&B Services. Commercial. Ethan jumped up. That was it. It had to be.
He hurried to the lieutenant’s office, but he wasn’t in yet. It would take time to get a warrant to see B&B’s customer list, but the lieutenant could use his clout to see if Bauman’s offices were cleaned by B&B. He made more coffee and waited. Only the night crew was on duty, so the station was quiet.
Finishing his second cup, he saw the lieutenant come in. He was always at work by six. The man wore a suit, but after about thirty minutes in his office, the jacket came off. By midmorning the tie was gone, and by lunch his shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows, which meant do not enter his office unless absolutely necessary.
Ethan gave him a few minutes then tapped on his door.
“What?” blasted through the door.
Ethan eased the door opened. “Can I ask a favor, sir?”
“No” came the sharp retort. “Not until I’ve had my coffee.”
“Coming right up. I just made a pot.” He dashed to the kitchen, filled a disposable cup and had it on the lieutenant’s desk in less than a minute.
Craig took a couple of sips. “Now remember I haven’t had any Tums yet so don’t give me indigestion at this time of the morning. What is it?”
Ethan told him about the visit with Estelle and the phone. “She’s the go-between for Rudy and this other person. The only viable suspect we have now is Douglas Bauman.”
Craig’s head jerked up. “Douglas Bauman? How much coffee have you had? The man’s family owns banks, Ethan. Why the hell would
be set up a robbery?”
“I haven’t figured out a motive yet.”
“Well, then you’re blowing smoke up my pant leg.”
“Sir, this is the first real lead we’ve had. Mrs. Campbell is involved and if we can tie her to Bauman, the motive will come out.”
“How do you propose to do that?”
Ethan laid the sheet of paper he’d been holding on the lieutenant’s desk. “Mrs. Campbell works for B&B Services. It does commercial cleaning.”
“And you think they clean Bauman’s office?”
“That’s what I’d like to find out, but it’s Friday and I’m running out of time, sir. Could you call and use your clout to get their customer list?”
The lieutenant shrugged out of his jacket. “You do realize that if he’s not on the list we’ll have the wrath of the powerful Richard Bauman coming down on this department.”
“Are you afraid of bad publicity, sir?”
“Get the hell out of my office and don’t come back until I buzz you. I’ll do my best to get the list. Go get breakfast or something and stay out of my hair.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Tell Ross to get his ass in here and fill Hal in before he comes in bitching about you ignoring his authority.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Ethan closed the door, he saw the lieutenant reaching for his bottle of Tums.
* * *
AFTER GIVING ROSS the lieutenant’s message, Ethan went to breakfast as ordered. He walked because he needed the exercise. The morning air was crisp and had an autumn feel to it. Dawn crept over Austin like a fluorescent light, getting brighter and brighter.
His thoughts turned to Abby, as they often did. He didn’t know how something good could go so wrong. One minute he was in love and the next he had to make choices that would put that love in jeopardy. He’d screwed up and made the wrong choice. In his mind he thought she would understand, that she’d trusted him, but when things got rough her faith in him wavered. Not that he could blame her. He had put his job over her.
As the dewy morning continued to brighten, he wished he was lying in Abby’s arms getting reacquainted with her body and those gorgeous breasts. He had to accept that wasn’t ever going to happen again. Two months ago he didn’t even know Abby Bauman, but now she was a part of him and always would be.