Duncan looked at Ann. “You ought to go on home. No one will be allowed in these office until we finish our investigation and that could take a while.”
Ann nodded. “Inspector, there is one thing that you should know. I put a voice activated recorder in the vase by Roger’s desk. He ordered me to go out for lunch and it made me suspicious. I think that recorder, if it still works could be a vital piece of evidence.”
Duncan nodded to one of the crime scene techs who stepped through the hole where the door used to be. “The office has been trashed, but not because of the blast. It looks like the blast was targeted to fly outward.”
He walked across the dusty floor. The vase lay in pieces, the fake flowers scattered on the floor. The tech carefully lifted the flowers. When he didn’t see the recorder, he got down on his hands and knees and looked under the desk. He reached under and pulled out the black recorder.
“There’s a crack in the case, but I’ll bet our forensics computer techs can salvage the recordings.”
Chapter 27
Ruth’s apartment—same day
Ruth had changed into a red power suit with a silky black blouse for her visit with General Thomas.
“Is the suit okay?” She asked. “I don’t want to look like a blues singer going on stage.”
He grinned. “Trust me, you don’t. How’s your head feeling?”
“There are still a few feathers floating around, but it’s not feeling like a pillow anymore.”
The private line rang again. Ruth raised her eyebrows. “I’m beginning to feel like telemarketers got hold of my number.”
Martin hurried to pick up the phone. “Mrs. Arbuthnot’s residence.”
“Martin, it’s Max. Is Ruth there?” He reached down and pressed the speaker button.
“I’m here, Max.”
There was an undertone of excitement in his voice. “One of my operatives thinks she may have a clue to the girl’s whereabouts. She’s going over several other clues that she thinks might tie in.”
“What’s the clue?” Ruth gasped.
“You sent me a transcript of what that newspaper reporter told you, remember?”
“Yes. He was two girls being transferred from a blue van to—I think it was a grey van somewhere outside Whites City.”
“Yes. Well, Debbie is a second-tier operator. My first-tier operators take every tip and weed out the ones that obviously an attempt to get money. Some of them are super far-fetched. For example, we had someone e-mail us from South Africa to tell us that he saw the two girls being taken into a South African bordello three days before the kidnapping. Both girls were black. That’s a first-tier tip.”
“Debbie found something?” Martin asked.
“Yes. We’ve been following up on every tip that concerned a blue, grey or black van with two girls. The tip she is investigating stated that the informant saw two girls, one with dark brown hair and one with blond hair being escorted into a large mansion in the Juanita area of the city.”
“But that’s a gated community.”
“We know. That’s why she’s checking on who the informant is. She went back through all the tips that have come to the Tier Two’s. It seems that several people saw a grey van with two girls in it. I’ve got people interviewing these people. As soon as I know more, I’ll let you know.”
“That’s wonderful,” Ruth gasped.
“Did you get the tip I had couriered over?”
“We did,” Martin said. “It just did. We’ll look at it as soon as we’re off the phone with you.”
“Get back with me when you decide what you want done.”
“We will.” Ruth said, “We’ll be expecting to hear from you as soon as you find out anything.” She gasped. “Oh Max, I so hope that this is the break we need and that it happens before the ransom drop. I don’t care about the money, I just want the girls back safely and for some reason the ransom drop seems so final—like once it happens, I’ll never see them again.”
“We’ll save the girls if we possibly can. Just so you’ll know, I hired Debbie after her son was kidnapped. We got him back but he was badly hurt. Now she wants to help others in the same situation. It’s her passion to help others that makes her see what others don’t.”
As Martin hung up the phone, Ruth’s cell phone buzzed. Ruth groaned and pushed on.
“Ruth, it’s Ann. I need to talk to you.”
“Go ahead. I’m putting you on speaker so Martin can hear.”
“Roger is dead.”
Chapter 28
Bob’s office--Same day
When all the injured had been taken to the ambulances, Duncan turned to Ann saying, kindly, “You probably ought to go home. You won’t be able to get back into your office for several days and it may take over a week to figure out what happened.”
She looked through the hole where the door used to be. “I hope you can find the secret closet. It had a lot of money in it.”
“Lepley will probably kill me, but can you show me how to open it? We could take an axe to it, but it might destroy vital evidence.”
One of the crime scene techs handed her a pair of latex gloves and helped her slip booties over her shoes. Duncan did the same. With the help of the tech, she walked around the worst of the debris.
The filing cabinets had been knocked over, but she clambered over the closest one. Squatting carefully to make sure she didn’t touch anything, she felt around the baseboard for the lump she had pushed before.
She had to brush away some of the debris from the explosion but she finally found the right spot. She pushed, but nothing happened.
“I know this is the right place.” She said.
The tech stepped around her, placed both hands on the panel and said, “Which way did it slide when you opened it last time?”
“To the right.”
“Okay, press it again and I’ll help slide it. The explosion might have knocked something haywire.”
Ann pressed again. This time the panel slide about three inches and stopped. With Duncan and the tech’s help, the panel finally broke loose and slid back.
The tech whistled as he picked up a bundle of hundreds. “There must be half a million dollars in this little closet.” He flipped through them twice, frowning.
“What is it?” Duncan said.
He pulled one bill from the stack and held it up to the window. “It’s hard to tell in this light, but I think this is counterfeit.”
Duncan looked at him. “Bag it and get it down to forensics. If it is all counterfeit, we may have a lead on the Leavenson case.”
Duncan looked at her. “You actually saw Drake in this closet?”
“No, sir. I saw him standing by it. It was open a crack, but he was looking at a file folder while he was yelling at me. I think he was trying to draw my attention away from the crack because the next time I entered the room, I knocked before I entered and the panel was closed.”
“Can you testify to that in a court of law?”
“Of course. I’d be delighted to.”
He helped her climb over the filing cabinet. “You’ve been a huge help. Why don’t you take some time off and go home?”
She smiled. “That sounds like a good idea. I think I could use some dinner first though. I’m starving.”
He said, “Please don’t talk about any of this to anyone. It could ruin our case.”
“I won’t.” She turned and headed for Marian’s office.
“Are you okay?” Marian asked as Ann walked through the door.
“Yeah. Lepley covered my body with his when the bomb went off. He had to go to the hospital for stitches. The only injuries I got was having the breath knocked out of me.”
“So what happens now?” Marian said.
“I’m supposed to go home.”
“But, you’re not, right?”
“I’m thinking of getting some dinner and then going to the hospital. I have a real desire to keep an eye on Roger.”
�
��You think he’ll run away?”
“I don’t know. He was pretty badly injured.” Ann paused. “I have a feeling that I should be there. That bomb was an attempt on his life. Someone might want to finish the job.”
“If I were you, I’d change clothes and take a book. There always seem to be plenty of chairs or benches in the hall. If that cop that was injured is there, you could sit outside his room. That way no one would know who you were waiting for.”
“Good idea. I’ll let you know what happens. The offices won’t be available for several days if not longer.”
Ann hurried to her car, drove home and made herself some soup, crackers and hot chocolate. Then she changed into suede boots, skinny jeans and a burnt orange sweater. Pulling her long blond hair back into a pony tail, she grabbed her big fringed purse and headed for the hospital.
It didn’t take her long to find Roger’s room. She stopped at the nurses’ station. “I work for Roger Drake. Is he able to have visitors?”
“He’s slightly sedated, but I think the doctor will be bringing him out of the sedation so he can check him, but you can either wait in the room, or there is a bench outside his room.”
Ann smiled. “I’ll wait outside. I don’t want to disturb him until the doctor has seen him.”
The nurse pointed down the hall. “His room is 507.” She smiled. “It’s not often we get bomb victims. The policeman who was injured in that same explosion is just down the hall in 511. I think his wife is with him, if you want to say hello.”
“I’d like to do that. I’ll stop there first. Thanks for your help. Ann walked slowly down the hall looking, without appearing to look at the exit signs and the emergency plan hanging on the wall. It looked like business was booming for the hospital as nearly every room was occupied.
She paused at room 507 and looked in. Roger was wired to a monitor and hooked to an IV. His arm sported a cast that went from the shoulder to the fingers. A cast peeked out from under the blankets. It looks like Roger ended up with more than a concussion. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
She continued to room 511. Stepping into the room, she introduced herself to an older woman with skin the color of black coffee with just a hint of cream in it.
“Hi, I’m Ann Miles. I wanted to thank your husband for trying to save my life. He is incredibly brave. I’m sorry that he was injured.”
Ashley Cowan smiled. “He’s not too badly injured. They took a bunch of shrapnel out of him, but there weren’t any broken bones, thank heavens.”
“Have the doctors said when he’ll be released?”
“They will probably release him tomorrow, depending on how some of the cuts are doing.”
“I hope so,” Ann said. “I think hospitals are great when you’re sick, but if you’re not sick, you don’t want to be in the hospital—too many sick people.”
“At least in this hospital they keep the sick away from the injured as much as possible.” She paused then said, “Were you at the explosion?”
“Yes. Inspector Lepley dove on top of me. He ended up with a ruined coat and stitches in his back. I ended up with a minor headache. My boss was really injured. He’s in room 507. I’m going to wait until the doctor sees him. I need to file insurance papers for him.”
“I hope he’s okay.” She said.
Ann nodded as she left the room. There was a bench that was at right angles to the long hall she’d just walked down. She could see the door to Roger’s room, but she didn’t feel very noticeable.
After looking in on him, she pulled her book, some snacks and a thermos of hot chocolate from her huge squishy purse and settled in. Without thinking, she pulled her phone out and set it by her side. She began reading, but she made sure to look at his door every few minutes.
An hour later, she got up and walked up and down the hall for a few minutes. She stopped at Officer Cowan’s room for a few minutes, then walked on. She had just returned from the restroom when she saw a man walking down the hall. He was dressed in blue scrubs, but his hair was greasy looking and the stethoscope he sported looked like a child’s toy.
Ann pulled her phone from her pocket. Acting like she was taking a ‘selfe’ she snapped his picture. Something’s not right. She thought as she put her book and thermos back in her purse. She walked slowly toward him, but he ignored her. He walked into Roger’s room, looking like he belonged.
Ann hesitated a moment then hurried down the hall. When she entered the room, the man was withdrawing a needle from the IV in Roger’s arm.
As Ann watched Roger began to convulse. “Help,” Ann screamed. “Help.”
The man lowered his head and pushed past her. She latched on to his arm with both hands. “Help, someone. He killed Roger. Help.”
The man raised his fist and aimed from her face. She rode the punch but it hit hard enough that she lost her grip and her balance. He ran down the hall.
Staggering to her feet, she ran after him.
“What happened?” A nurse grabbed her, slowing her.
“He shot something in Roger’s IV and Roger went into convulsions. Call the police. I’m going after him.” Ann yanked her arm free and ran down the hall.
The elevator was already in motion. She ran for the stairs. As she half ran, half fell down the stairs, she reached for her phone. Pushing the screen, she gasped. “Inspector, someone just killed Roger. I’m following him. Track me.”
“Miss Miles, don’t do it. Wait for us.”
“Can’t. Haven’t seen him before. I won’t try to stop him. I’ll just try to follow him.” She panted. As she pushed through the door, she caught a flash of a man in blue scrubs pushing through the big front doors.
The door hadn’t slid shut when she rushed through it. He jumped in a black SUV with no license plates. No license plates—he’s a bad guy alright.
She had been lucky to find a parking space close to the door. She grabbed for her keys as she ran for her car. Sliding into the driver’s seat, she slid the key smoothly into the ignition. Once she was safely in traffic following him, she pushed the phone for Mrs. A’s number.
“Mrs. A, Roger’s dead. Some guy injected him with something that caused him to go into convulsions. I’m following him, but I could use some backup.”
“Where are you?” Martin asked.
Ann said, “I’m heading north west on Alameda Ave. I’ve never been out this way before. Doesn’t it lead to some expensive homes?”
Martin typed the street name into his phone while Ruth grabbed their coats, keys and a couple of pistols from hidden drawer. “It leads to a bunch of gated communities. Keep giving us directions. We’ll be on your tail in a couple of minutes. We’re a few minutes north and a bit west of you.”
“You’d better tell Lepley. I can’t dial and drive. This guy is really cruising.”
“Let someone pull between you.”
“I’m afraid I’m going to lose him. He doesn’t have a license plate, but his rear fender is crunched.”
Martin ran for the elevator that Ruth was holding open. When he saw that she was carrying two pistols and a couple of clips, he groaned. Pulling on his jacket, he hid the pistol in the back of his waistband under the jacket. She followed his example, slipping the pistol into the back of her jeans.
“I brought the address we got from the courier,” He said. “She’s heading in the same general direction.”
Ruth slid into the passenger seat as Martin pulled open the driver’s door. “I wonder if the case is breaking?”
Martin handed Ruth his phone. “Call Lepley. If Ann catches the guy, we’re not the backup she needs.”
As Martin squealed around corners, Ruth hit Lepley’s number. “Inspector, we’re on our way to intercept Ann. It’s in the same direction as a tip we got from Max’s people.”
“Did your tip give you an address?”
“Yes. It’s a gated community up by Franklin Mountains State Park. I don’t know how we’re going to get in.”
“I�
�ll make some calls. I’ll get back to you in a minute.”
“We’re almost to Alameda,” Martin said as he skidded to a stop.
“There they are,” Ruth said as an SUV flew through the yellow light followed by Ann’s cobalt blue Jetta.
Martin turned right cutting off another car that ran the red light. The car swerved to avoid Martin’s car.
“I’ll bet he’s cussing,” Ruth said as she grabbed the handle over the door.
“He shouldn’t have run the light.” Martin said virtuously. “It doesn’t pay to break the law.”
Ruth shook her head as Martin’s phone buzzed. “Martin?”
“No, it’s Ruth.”
“There will be a security guard at the gate. The code word is Snow. If you say that he’ll let you in, but don’t get too close. This is a dangerous situation.”
“Code word is Snow,” Ruth repeated. “I just hope that the few flakes I’m seeing aren’t the beginning of a blizzard. I’ll let Ann know.”
“We’re on our way. I’ll use the siren until we get closer then we’ll have to shut it off. I don’t want to alert the bad guys.”
“Right. We’re nearly to W. Palsano Dr.” Ruth said.
“I just left Texas. I just saw a sign that said Cielo Dorado Estates. It doesn’t look like a gated community.”
Ruth looked at Martin. “This is an expensive area. Why would a murderer be heading there?”
“He’s going to his boss.” Martin said. “Maybe he has orders to meet with his boss or Ann’s grabbing him shook his nerve and he’s heading for orders.”
Ann said, “He just drove through a wrought iron gate. Here’s the address. I’m going to park farther down the block. Hopefully, he won’t see me.”
Chapter 29
Cielo Dorado Estates—same night
Ann slammed on her breaks, then grabbing her phone, she slipped out of the car. Closing the door quietly, she ran back to the house. “There’s a “For Sale” sign out front.” She whispered in to her phone as she walked quickly through the open gate. Keeping to the bushes, she worked her way closer to the house.
A Christmas to Die For_Mrs. A 1 Page 19