FIRST STEP MURDER

by H. R. Whidden

  “You gonna take first watch,” Faxon slurred.

  Harper laughed then leaned over and unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his jeans, pulled down his zipper, and then worked them down below his hips. She pulled them off from his ankles, pulled the coverers back on one side of the bed and rolled him over leaving his boxers on and then covered him up. She leaned down close to his face before turning off the bedside light.

  “I’m not worth a shit right now Harper,” he whispered.

  She kissed his cheek and with his eyes closed he smiled. She cut the light off and left the room.

  The next morning she let him sleep till 10:00. Harper was in the kitchen waiting to make him breakfast when he came downstairs holding his head. Faxon sat at the bar, Harper set a large glass of ice water, and several ibuprofens in front of him. He drank nearly all the water first, and then took the pills.

  “God I hope I didn’t embarrass myself last night?

  “You were funny,” she said.

  “Who undressed me?”

  “Faxon I can ride a twelve hundred pound horse over a six foot high fence, I think I’m capable of getting you out of your clothes and into bed.”

  Harper put a plate with bacon, eggs, and toast in front of him and laughed.

  “That’s not funny.” His cell phone rang. “Faxon Bennett Investigations,” he said.

  “Faxon, this is John Walker, I thought I’d give you a call, we had a double murder last night. It was at an upper scale condo building in the downtown area, a man and his wife both shot in the head with a twenty two caliber unregistered gun with no serial numbers. Lab says it looks like acid that removed the numbers, they did a professional job. The gun was left at the scene, no prints and nothing taken from the home, so it wasn’t a robbery. Here’s the rub, the man had a tattoo on his right upper arm.”

  “Was it the same as the others,” Faxon asked?

  “Yea, just the same, the difference here is this guy was an older man, at least older than the other guys we’ve found with the tattoos. Another difference is this guy had money, lots of money. I found information in the condo that has him listed as CEO of a company called the Tempest Manufacturing Company. His names Turin Holmes, wife’s name is Penton. You ever heard of him?”

  “Yea John, I have. Listen I’m in Littleton, but I’m coming back into the city today I’ll come by and explain.”

  “Looks like this guy is connected to the Marine Group, is that what you’re saying?”

  “Yea John, definitely,” he said.

  “You still with Harper Lewis, she’s a good looking girl Faxon, personally I’m surprised she want’s anything to do with you, I’m impressed.” He laughed, “Call me when you two come back.” He hung up.

  “That was Detective Walker? What’s going on,” Harper asked?

  “He was called to a condo building last night. Turin Holmes and his wife were murdered. It was a professional job, an unregister twenty two no serial numbers, gun left at the scene, nothing taken, and no finger prints.”

  “He was obviously a senior member, I’m guessing he’s not the one in charge, but why the hell do you think they killed him?”

  “I think he met with us on his own, without the groups approval, I thought from the time we left that the man was arrogant. He all but admitted he was involved flaunting that we couldn’t touch him, that we couldn’t link him to anything. He admitted to having government protection and connections, I think they killed him because he told us something or he did something that gave us too much information. I just need to think about it for a while, when my minds working better. One thing is for sure we need to go back to the city and talk to Detective Walker.”

  “They said goodbye to Rachel and Conner, Harper promising to meet them for dinner in the city soon. Faxon asked Harper to drive the minivan while he reclined the seat back and slept. They went back to the small apartment at Ned Devine’s. The adjoining wall between the apartment and the old storage room had been taken down. The new addition had been cleaned, and freshly painted. It doubled the size of the apartment. It made the living room bigger and added another bedroom and small closet.

  “Well you have your own closet now.” Faxon neglected to say your own bedroom.

  He got out a small bag from the bottom of the closet, before they went to see Detective Walker.

  “What’s up with the bag,” she asked?

  “It’s my work stuff. I thought we’d go by Turin Holmes house. This is essential investigators stuff, fake ID’s, a clip board, forms, cable TV, electric company, gas company, these things will get you into houses to plant, listening devises, cameras, I have GPS locators for vehicles. Then there’s entry devices, lock pics, bump keys, strong magnets for window alarms, tools of the trade.”

  “You gonna teach me how to use all that stuff, I’m your partner remember?”

  “You don’t have an investigators license. It would be against the law,” he teased with a crocked grin.

  The car rental company came to get the minivan. Harper played with the bag of investigators stuff, she put one of the cameras on her hat and walked around the apartment while it was being broadcast to Faxon’s laptop. They walked to the parking garage and drove the Jeep to the police station. Faxon called Lew and added Turin Holmes name to the list of individuals to investigate, Lew promised to have something for them tomorrow.

  When they got to the police station the Sargent at the desk smiled at Harper, she had a face not many men forgot.

  “This guy bothering you Miss,” asked the Sargent.

  “No sir, I know he looks suspicious but I can take care of him.”

  “He’s in his office Bennett, go on back, you know the way, awful nice to see you again Miss. Lewis.”

  “Damn you come here once and they remember your name,” Faxon said.

  “What can I say? I’ve just got that kind of personality.”

  “It’s not your personality their interested in, dirty old men.”

  “There’s that jealousy again, I think I like it.”

  “Hey come on in sit down,” Detective Walker said. “So tell me what do you know about Turin Holmes and his wife?”

  Faxon let Harper explain what had happened, from the Lewis Construction office call to expecting to meet with a potential client, to the rapidly confrontational evening, and discovery that this man had knowledge of the murders and he had made it clear he wanted the Lewis property in the city.

  John let them read what he had on the crime scene and research he’d done on Turin Holmes. The common link to the other dead men besides the tattoo was they were all in the same military company, Harper and Faxon left the detective promising to keep him informed.

  “Well there’s nothing more we can do on the Marine Group or Turin Holmes until we hear from Lew,” Faxon said. “Then we can start investigating some of the other servicemen in the same company.”

  “And by investigating you mean following,” Harper asked?

  “Following sometimes leads to breaking and entering their residence and businesses, we’ll be on the border of committing crimes ourselves, so if you want out now’s the time.”

  “I’m in, whatever it takes to find the people involved in the death of my parents.”

  “And have you thought about where this may lead Harper? What if we find out who’s responsible but can’t prove it? We may be able to ruin their business, attract a lot of attention that they don’t want, cost them hundreds of millions of dollars in deals with Islamic fundamentalist. But what would you call justice?”

  “I keep thinking about what my father would do if it was me that was murdered? I don’t think he’d be satisfied with just costing them some money. And I don’t think he’d give a shit about the consequences, so if you want out then there may be a time you have to back off and let me handle it. Plausible deniability, you may have to testify you had no idea what I’d do.”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when the time comes,” he said.

  “Ok, s
o what now?”

  “Let’s go see if we can find Anna Clark, we still have to check that out, you can get your first lesson in private investigating.”

  They sat along the curb down the street from the Clark house in the gated community. Faxon had showed Harper how to convince the entry electronics in the box to open the wrought iron gates automatically without authorization. He smiled at how excited she got at the simple procedure.

  It was nearly dark when they saw a black expensive sedan pull into the garage. With binoculars Harper recognized Pierce Clark get out, and she also noticed the sports car parked in the garage before it closed.

  “So they’re both at home,” Harper said. “In for the evening, all this waiting around for nothing, crap.”

  “Welcome to private investigating 101, sometimes it’s a lot of sitting around. However we do know where she’s going to be first thing in the morning. Let’s get out of here before the neighborhood patrol spots us.”

  As they were leaving the community his cell phone rang, Harper picked it up. “Faxon Bennett Investigations,” she said.

  “Hey girl, this is Sam, I was calling Faxon to get a hold of you. Are you keeping him straight Danger?”

  “Yea, what’s up Sam?”

  “I had a young man come into the office today. He heard we might be looking for an engineer. I told him we’d expect him to meet with prospective clients and get contracts and commitments signed. I’m not going to say anymore, I think you should interview the kid.”

  “He’s young,” Harper asked?

  “Just meet with him, I’m not going to say anymore.”

  “Send his contact information to Faxon’s phone,” she said. “I love you old man, tell Carol I said hello.”

  “What was that about,” Faxon asked?

  “Sam had a person come in about Robert’s job. I need to call him and meet with him. Would it be alright if I meet with him at Ned Devine’s?”

  “You’re asking my permission? This is Lewis Construction stuff it’s got nothing to do with me.”

  “We’re partners aren’t we?”

  “How did that get started? (Pause) Ya were partners. And no I don’t care if you meet with him at the bar.”

  They both smiled, at each other.

  When they got back Faxon parked the Jeep back in its place in the parking garage and they walked to the back steps and went up to the apartment. It had become the preferred entry for the couple. It was much more private, only if someone was in the back of the bar near the storage room or walk-in refrigerator would they see them come in.

  Faxon took a shower and Harper went and got him a beer then opened the bathroom door and handing it to him around the curtain.

  “Hey, there’s a naked man in here.”

  “I was just getting you a beer, calm down, it’s not like I haven’t seen you nearly naked, remember.”

  Harper shut the bathroom door and took a sip of her beer then moved her clothes into the other closet and took the cord down. She could hear him using her dryer for his hair. After he shaved Faxon came out with a towel wrapped around his waist, she couldn’t help but glance at his six pack abs and chiseled chest. He went straight to the bedroom and shut the door. She sat on the couch with a beer and half a bag of chips.

  “Hey there’s more room in here,” Faxon said from the bedroom.

  “Yea I thought I’d make room and use that new closet.”

  She picked up his cell phone and dialed the phone number Sam had sent her for a Jason Walter.

  “Can I speak to Jason Walter please,” Harper said.

  “This is Jason Walter.”

  “This is Harper Lewis, my general manager, Sam Shepard said you came into the office wanting to apply for the position we have open. The thing is Mr. Walter we haven’t advertised for my husband’s replacement, how is it you know about the position?”

  “First thing Mrs. Lewis I offer my condolences on your loss, but please call me Jason. I wouldn’t be worth hiring if I didn’t know what’s going on in our business, especially with the top five companies in our area. If we could just meet I think I could convince you I’m the right person for the job.”

  “Do you know where Ned Devine’s Irish Pub is?”

  “Yes, I do,” he said.

  “Well Jason, meet me upstairs, William the bartender will point me out. And Jason if you’re one minute late don’t show up. My father always said a man that’s late can’t be trusted.”

  “I was raised by a military man too, and I know what you look like Mrs. Lewis. Your images with your horses are everywhere.”

  Faxon wore a pair of khakis and a dark blue long sleeved, button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, a pair of loafers and his hair combed.

  “You look nice.” Harper said.

  She wore a white pleated sun dress, it came down to her knees, and it was snug around her narrow waist. It had a square top and two straps over the shoulders. Faxon, after instruction, had French braided her long hair, it hung down her back, and she wore a flat pair of white closed toe shoes.

  “Damn we look good together.”

  “Ah, you know just what to say to a girl, when people see a good looking couple you know it’s a compliment to the woman right.”

  “Shit you should have told me that before I got dressed,” Faxon said with a grin.

  In the bar he started to sit at his usual place. She put her arm through his and directed him with her to a table in the back. Lyn was their waitress, and she sat down and asked about their dinner at the Ritz. She commented on how good they looked that night, and she teased Faxon telling him he was becoming very domesticated. No one in the bar knew of Harper’s family or let-on who she was, to them she was a business partner of Faxon’s that happened to show up a few weeks ago and moved in with him. They knew the owner of the restaurant thought a lot of her, enough to expand Faxon’s small apartment, but they hadn’t figured out the relationship between the two. As much time as they spent together there was no intimacy, no special affection, they never saw them hug or kiss, or hold hands, and because of, stalker bitch, they all knew Faxon’s rule.

  * * *

  Jason Walter stood out front of the restaurant, he checked his watch he had ten minutes. He knew it would only take a couple of minutes to walk upstairs and another couple of minutes to order a beer and get the bartender to point out where Harper Lewis was sitting. He wanted his timing to be perfect.

  Almost every waitress in the bar at one time or another came over to the table and sat down with them for a quick hello and talk. They shared a bite or two of the appetizers along with a sip of beer when no one was looking. Harper had ordered several for the girls.

  “Funny they drink my beer, I guess they don’t respect me anymore,” Faxon said.

  “They do too they’re just more comfortable with me around is all. You should be flattered. They’re like sisters, they’re happy for you is that so bad?”

  “Depends on what they’re happy for me about?”

  Harper looked over at the bar.

  “Don’t tell me, that can’t be him, shit Faxon look how young he is. What the hell could that old man have seen in him?”

  They both saw Jason get William’s attention, he stood there for a moment until William handed him a beer, the same brand Faxon and Harper drank. Then William pointed to the table in the back.

  He wore black dress slacks, expensive shoes, not that Faxon could tell, but Harper knew they were Italian loafers. He wore a gray long sleeved shirt, no tie, and had dark black hair. He wore a military style haircut. That got Faxon’s attention.

  “Hi, I’m Jason Walter.” Faxon and Harper both stood, he shook her hand first and wasn’t surprised by her firm grip. Faxon was next and Jason thought whoever this guy is he didn’t look happy.

  “This is my business partner, Faxon Bennett,” Harper said.

  “I didn’t know there were any more partners in Lewis Construction,” Jason said. “Besides your deceased husband
that is, I presumed his shares in the company went to you.”

  “Faxon is a partner in another interest of mine,” Harper said. “You’ve mentioned my husband twice, once on the phone and again now, I’m going to presume since you knew Lewis Construction would need a new Engineer you know something of my situation.”

  “I do, but I don’t want to bring up any sensitive subjects.”

  “You look like you’ve been in the military?” Faxon interrupted, he knew too much, Harper knew where he was going and let him pursue the questioning.

  “I just graduated first in my class from Boston College,” he looked at Harper as if he was continuing an interview with her.

  “Was you’re father in the military,” Faxon asked a little more aggressively?

  Jason looked from Faxon back to Harper.

  “He was, he served twenty years, and he got out with a pension, and started his own business.”

  “Was he in the Marines,” Faxon asked?

  “He was sir, but that doesn’t have anything to do with my capabilities Miss. Lewis if I could just explain.”

  “No, you can’t,” Faxon said. “Does your father have a tattoo on his right upper arm? And what does it look like?”

  “He does have a tattoo, but not on his arm, the guys in his company all got the same tattoo, it’s on his chest, and it’s a simple Marine anchor insignia with USMC below it. I don’t know what this is about Mr. Bennett, but if you’ll just let me explain Miss. Lewis. My father served with your father, they were in the same company and you should know your father had that same tattoo. My Father was older, an officer, his first wife died and he remarried my mother several years his junior. I know about your company and your unfortunate situation with your husband because my father is in the business and I heard him, and everybody else talk about it. His company is Walter, Nash, and Prescott Contracting.”

  “Just a minute Faxon,” Harper said. “Walter, Nash, and Prescott they’re one of the largest high rise companies in the nation. I take it that’s not the whole story?”