Berlin cleared his throat and sat up in his chair. “We’ve finally had a development. We’ve been able to narrow down Scott’s whereabouts to just a few weeks before his murder.”
“Oh?” Ecker said, genuinely surprised.
Berlin unbuttoned his blazer, feeling a bit more relaxed and confident in himself. “Scott was working Port. Judging by his files, he was working on a number of things simultaneously. One of which was a man named Exodus Clay, who we’ve been hearing a lot about these past two days.”
Ecker seemed to think about this for a moment. “What was in these files?”
“There’s notes on dealers, slingers, street addresses, time stamps, all kinds of useful info.”
“Interesting,” Ecker said, rubbing at his chin. He stood and paced over to the window that faced out into the Squad Room. He peeked through the blinds to monitor the activity out there.
Berlin looked over his shoulder at him and said, “Do you know if Richardson and his team are planning on some kind of massive takedown? Is there a Project in play that no one’s bothered to mention?”
“Not that I’m aware of, Detective. And even if I was, I don’t know that I could tell you,” he said. “Protocol. Terry has his hands full and he will for quite some time. The war on drugs is not going to be easy. There’s a reason why the Chief has given them carte blanche.”
There were things that Berlin wanted to ask, but he didn’t know if he should utter them aloud. Why had Scott taken such detailed notes, for one. The other being, was Scott merely a fact gatherer? If so, for what purpose? There had to be something more that he was missing.
Ecker came back to his desk and sat down. “Anything else in these files?”
Berlin nearly answered, but Mitchell interjected before he got the chance. “There was a notebook, sir.”
Ecker’s eyes shifted over to Mitchell for the first time. “A notebook? What was in it?”
“More addresses, dates, and times, along with what we think is some sort of code.”
“Have you managed to crack it? I can—”
“We’ll work on it,” Berlin said, cutting him short.
“Anything else?”
Mitchell started again, but Berlin kicked at his foot under the table. “Sir, there—”
“Yes?”
“There’s nothing else at this time,” Berlin told him.
***
“Why didn’t you want to tell him about the notebook and thumb drive?”
Berlin walked back to their desks. “I’m just not uncomfortable with it. Not yet. Once we’ve had a chance to look at it ourselves, then we’ll re-evaluate. Cool?”
“All right.”
Berlin didn’t like to keep secrets from him. Especially after what had happened earlier with the files. “Remember what Leonard said, don’t bother looking at Clay because we should be looking at one of our own.” He made sure his voice was low and that nobody was watching. “I think we need to stop talking about this. Play it close to chest from here on out.”
Mitchell scanned the room. “Agreed.”
They sat down and Berlin unlocked his desk drawer to remove Scott’s files and the USB thumb drive. He had filed them away when they were summoned to Ecker’s office. He wasn’t going to leave them out in the open, even if cops surrounded him.
“Slide back over,” Berlin said.
“We’re still doin’ this?”
“Why not? Aren’t you the least bit curious?”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Mitchell said, beaming with anticipation.
Berlin repeated the same motions that he had performed earlier and double-clicked on the thumb drive’s icon on the desktop. A smaller new window opened, consisting of a list of folders. On the left-hand side were the folder names and on the right, a list of dates.
“Old or new first?” Berlin asked Mitchell.
“Let’s try old.”
Berlin moused down to the bottom folder and double-clicked it. The window refreshed, its contents changing, as new folders appeared and were followed by new file names. One folder stood out to Berlin more than the rest. It was labeled Lexi. Berlin and Mitchell shared a look.
“That’s odd,” Mitchell said. “Maybe family photos?”
Berlin didn’t know what to think. He couldn’t recall that he saw any family photos in the Scott residence. If anything, he thought that had been odd. Why would they be committed to Scott’s files?
Berlin opened the folder and several new files appeared again. Text files, a handful of pdfs, and numerous picture files began populating. He opened one of the picture files and a new program opened in the background. They waited for it to load until it appeared on the screen in front of them.
A photo of Alexandra Scott peered back at them. She was standing outside a building against a warm gray brick exterior. Above her head, on the left-hand side, was the tail end of some sort of metal design work. It resembled two ribbons, pushing away from one another.
Berlin leaned over, almost touching the screen, and inspected the metal design work more closely. He pointed a finger at the screen. “What’s this?”
Mitchell was quiet for a moment, but then said, “I think I recognize it. Looks like White Oaks.”
White Oaks was a large resort and spa, out on the fringes of the city, located off the highway. It was also a hotel. Berlin began to ponder.
He closed the window and opened the next file. This one was taken from farther away, showing the large complex in all its glory. The dome-shaped roof, the large facade of yellow-tinted windows, it was all there. It was definitely White Oaks. The metal design work had been the large “H” for the word, hotel.
“Why would he have photos of her here?” Mitchell asked.
“Let’s find out,” Berlin said, clicking on another file.
The next photo showed Lexi Scott, meeting someone outside the building. Berlin clicked ahead, advancing through the photos in quick succession. Lexi had met with a gentleman in his early 40s with dark hair, wearing a suit and tie. In one photo they greeted one another with a kiss on the cheek and in the other they held hands as they entered the building.
“Naughty girl,” Mitchell said in jest.
“Certainly looks that way, doesn’t it?”
“I’m assuming that she didn’t mention anything of the sort, right?”
“Not at all. I got the impression that things weren’t going so well between the two of them, though.”
“Why don’t you jump ahead?”
Berlin did as he was instructed. The file loaded up, showing Lexi and the man in a deep embrace. He was holding her head, pulling her close to him. She was on his lap. The intensity was more than evident. This wasn’t a one-off encounter. They had done this before, possibly many times. Berlin tried to put himself in Scott’s shoes, watching through the lens of the camera that exposed his wife’s infidelity. How would he react, upon learning about this tryst?
“Oh boy,” Mitchell said. “Maybe we were wrong to rule her out so easily.”
Was Mitch right? Had Scott found out and then, in turn, Lexi or Mr. Mystery Man found out that he knew? Did this now give her motive?
Berlin pulled up one of the earlier photos, one of the meet and greets, and sent it to the printer. He turned to face Mitchell and said, “I think it’s time that we had another chat with Mrs. Alexandra Scott.”
CHAPTER 30
“You really think that she could have pulled it off?”
“No,” Berlin said in an authoritative voice. “But she could have easily hired someone. Or rather, maybe Mystery Man could have—”
“Or maybe he did it,” Mitchell said. “Wanted Mrs. Scott all to himself.”
Berlin thought about his first meeting with Lexi Scott. How she had mentioned that she hadn’t seen nor heard from her husband in months. That Tim Scott had told her that sacrifices would have to be made and that, unfortunately, it included her as well. Then, there was the fact that Lexi wasn’t surprised to hear that her husband
was dead. No heartbreak, no tears shed, no moment of agony at all, unlike most next of kin notifications. Berlin played with these thoughts while they drove northbound up to her residence.
Once they had grabbed the printout of Alexandra Scott and the Mystery Man from the printer, they had headed straight down into the parking garage. Berlin’s Crown Vic had taken some bruises after their encounter with the SUV, so they needed reliable transportation. A loaner would only go so far and, despite his best intentions, the Garage Manager had found them out.
‘Try not to wreck this one, too,’ the lieutenant had told him, handing over a set of keys to their new ride.
The sound of sirens startled Berlin as he drove down the street. Mitchell swiveled around in his seat, arching up to look behind them through the rear window. “Behind us, partner.”
Berlin checked for himself in the rearview mirror. Cars began to pull off to the side and a hulking red fire truck came into view. “I see ’em.” He pulled to the side of the road quickly as the fire truck sailed by, lights glowing red and siren still wailing.
“Hold up, they ain’t done,” Mitchell confirmed.
Berlin remained at the side of the road. Soon a green and white EMS vehicle also flew past them.
Mitchell turned back around. “ ‘K, you’re good.”
Berlin pulled back onto the road along with the rest of traffic and they continued on their way. He rested his arm on the sill of the window. His elbow was propped up, anchoring his chin. He drove with one hand on the steering wheel, thinking. He scratched at his chin, his eyes scanning the street up ahead. “Check the scanner, will ya?”
Mitchell looked over at him. “What for?”
“Just do it.”
Mitchell turned the dial and the chatter hit them instantly.
“All available units please respond. Code Three. 72 Rolls Avenue,” the voice said.
“Fuck.”
“What?”
“That’s the Scott place,” Berlin said.
“Jesus,” Mitchell said in a whisper.
***
By the time they arrived on the scene it was pure chaos. One fire truck sat on the corner, half blocking the intersection, and the other truck sat across the street from the house. Yellow wooden barricades had been set up in behind the fire truck, blocking side street access as well as one at either end of Rolls Avenue. No traffic was allowed through and for good reason. Lexi Scott’s house was close to the end of the street.
Berlin’s jaw clenched taut as he came upon the scene.
“Looks like this is as close as we’re gonna get,” Mitchell said to no one in particular.
Berlin killed the ignition and put the car into park.
“Hey, you can’t be leavin’ that there!” a young patrolman told them.
Berlin got out of the car and took a look at the house, his hands resting on the barricade. The heat was acute and extraordinary. It had been a long time since he had last seen a fire, certainly one of this magnitude.
The patrolman rushed over to the them, wheezing and out of breath. “Hey, wise guy, what did I just say? You need to move this vehicle.”
Berlin ignored him, reached into his pocket, and flashed his Gardens PD badge.
The patrolman looked down at the badge and frowned. “My apologies, Detective. Carry on.”
“Mitch, find out who’s in charge here.”
“You got it,” Mitchell said, dashing off into the crowd.
The blaze was well under way. The heat, so overpowering that Berlin felt like his eyes were beginning to melt right out of his head. He could only imagine what it must be like closer, or inside for that matter. Dark black smoke billowed high into the sky. Closer to the source, glowing red and yellow clouds churned and spun back into one another. It was feeding and growing in size. Soon, Berlin realized, there wouldn’t be much house left to save.
The firefighters moved quickly. One group was working the right side of the house where a line of hedges had been. Another group entered the house through the garage. A remaining group was out front, dousing the neighboring house. If the winds picked up just right it would be next, with only a few feet standing between the Scott house and it.
Berlin left the barricade and began to walk amongst the crowd of onlookers, his head hanging low. He was sure that he could hear cries and wails of anguish nearby. It was probably the neighbors, wondering if their house was next.
Where was Lexi?
Was she safe?
Her car is still in the driveway.
In a flash Berlin was back inside her house after she had called him, crying over the phone.
God, was this my fault? Did I have something to do with this?
It’s not your fault, he told himself.
Then whose was it?
Clay?
Our mysterious man?
No. Why would he—
Wait.
Berlin stared straight ahead at the three individuals, standing at the edge of the street. They stood side by side in a straight line far away from the crowd. They were wearing white masks.
What the…
He brought a hand up over his eyes to look closer, blocking the heat and sun. It was them. Those were the ones that Lexi had talked about. He moved quickly, darting through the crowd, pushing and shoving anyone standing in his way—even if it did include members of law enforcement.
“Hey, watch it, buddy!” a woman yelled as she faltered in her steps.
Someone groped at him from behind. But he cast them aside, pushing and clawing his way through the mass of people.
“Asshole!”
A moment later, Berlin was clear of most of law enforcement and frantically ran to the masked trio. The firefighters continued to fight the blaze.
“Hey!”
The masked individuals began to move, turning away from watching the fire, and retreated back down the street.
“Stop! Police!” Berlin shouted to them between panting breaths.
A firefighter suddenly stopped Berlin in his tracks with an arm held out in front of him. “Buddy, you can’t be in here. You crazy?”
“I’m…” He tried to say, but his breath would not come. He gasped for air. “I’m Gardens PD…step aside.”
The firefighter crumpled his face. “I don’t care. This is an active scene in here, you can’t be here.”
Another firefighter came over to help his fellow comrade. The two men took hold of Berlin and began to pull him away from his intended targets.
“What’s with this guy?” The new firefighter asked.
“We need to get him out of here,” the other told him.
“I need to—” Berlin looked across where the masked group had been standing. Another second and they’d be around the corner. He was going to lose them. “Goddammit, lemme go.”
The firefighters struggled with Berlin, his arms flailing wildly like a stubborn child. Berlin pushed ahead and pulled the two men with him, their heels dragging on the pavement.
“What’s your problem, buddy?” a firefighter said through gritted teeth, his grip tightening on Berlin’s arm.
“Whoa, whoa, what the heck’s gonna on here?” Mitchell said as he rushed over to Berlin’s side.
“Mitch, get these guys off of me, ‘fore I knock both of them on their asses.”
“Let him go, guys.”
The two firefighters looked at Mitchell then to what Berlin presumed was their Chief, (or whatever they call him), who now stood behind them as well. The Chief nodded and they released him from their grips.
Berlin took off, jumping over the hoses on the pavement and zigzagging through other firefighters, as they made their way over to the house. He came up to the opposite barricade and pulled it open in one swift motion, throwing it aside, like it was nothing.
“Gardens PD! Step aside, please!” He called to the crowd behind the barricade. They did as instructed, but not fast enough for Berlin, as he barreled his way through the large group of onlookers and neighbo
rs. Finally free of the crowds and out into the open street, he skidded to a stop and looked left and right for them. He found nothing. He was too late. He bent over, panting, with sweat running down his forehead. The drops fell to the pavement in large wet circles.
Damn it.
Mitchell came up behind him. “What was all that about?”
“I…” he began. He swished saliva in his mouth and spit it down at the pavement. “They were here. Right here, Mitch.”
Mitchell looked down the street. He found nothing that drew attention more than the fire. More onlookers were parading down the street, to catch a glimpse of the fire. “What? Who?”
“The people…” He said between breaths. His lungs burned. There simply wasn’t enough air. He sucked, and sucked, his thoughts in a tizzy. “The people…in the white masks.”
CHAPTER 31
“You wanna tell me what is goin’ on?” Mitchell demanded.
Berlin sat on the back of the ambulance while a paramedic checked him out. Mitchell towered over him. “I’m fine. Really. Enough,” Berlin said to the paramedic shooing her away. “I said, enough.”
“Fine. Have it your way,” the medic said to him, pulling the blood pressure meter off his arm. “He’s your problem now,” she said, looking up at Mitchell. She stormed off, shaking her head.
Mitchell sat down next to Berlin. “Come on, man. You gotta tell me what’s goin’ on.”
Berlin looked over at him, beads of sweat and matted hair still intact. “You won’t believe it.”
“Try me.”
Berlin took a deep breath, and powered through the annoying pain in his chest. “Someone’s been watching me.”
Mitchell raised a brow at him. “Watching you? Watching you how?”
“Just like I said—watching me. I can’t be any clearer than that.”
“Okay,” Mitchell said, a little disturbed.
Berlin watched the street. The activity was beginning to die down, the fire finally extinguished and under control. If you can call a house burning down to its studs and rubble under control.
Eyes of the Dead: A Crime and Suspense Thriller (The Gardens Book 1) Page 16