The White Angel Murder
Page 24
“I have.”
“Retirement’s an odd thing. Actually decreases your lifespan. I’m dying to know something, Jon: what’d they find in his house? Any trophies?”
“They found Mike’s cash he’d been paying in blackmail. I take it you found out Mike was sleeping with Tami and had him follow them around for photos?”
“Mm, part of that money was mine. Such a shame. What else did they find?”
“His mother. She had her head bashed in with a hammer.”
He chuckled. “A little going away present. He was going to go away, you know. Right after he killed you and tortured that little woman of yours. He would’ve had fun with her; she’s a fighter.”
Stanton leaned in close to the glass. “I came here to tell you that you lost, Noah. I’m still here and you’re still in there. Have fun, I hear their retirement plan is a good one.”
He hung up and left without looking back.
*****
Stanton sat in the hot sand and let the sunshine warm his body. The beach was nearly empty as it was a Wednesday afternoon but there were a few people playing hooky from work that had gotten out their surf and boogie boards and were yelling and laughing in the water.
Melissa was farther down the beach, playing in the surf with the boys, the water foaming at her ankles. She looked beautiful, her hair wet and touching the tops of her shoulders. The smile on her face was genuine and the tan made her appear young.
Stanton looked out over the water and saw a seagull land near shore and dip underneath the water before coming back up and taking flight with something glistening in its mouth. He watched it a long time, effortlessly gliding through the air and landing on a secluded part of beach farther up near the parking lot.
“Helluva life you got.”
Stanton turned as Philip lumbered up to him and sat down on the sand. He still wore his suit coat and loafers and appeared uncomfortable, sweat glistening on his forehead.
“I love the ocean,” Stanton said. “It doesn’t care who you are or what you do. It treats everyone the same. Our bodies have the same percentage of salinity as the ocean. We have a deep link to it.”
Philip shrugged. “So, what’d you want to talk to me about?”
Stanton reached underneath a towel that lay next to him and pulled out a manila envelope. It contained a digital recorder and a CD. He handed it to Philip.
“I know why you left the FBI, Phil. And I know you don’t want to be on loan to the San Diego PD. This,” he said, pointing to the envelope, “is the biggest police corruption case of your career. Make it count.”
“What is it?”
“Listen to it in your car on the way back.”
Philip stood up and wiped the sand off his ass. “Guess you heard Noah tried to hang himself in his cell.”
“No, I hadn’t heard that.”
“He survived. Don’t know what’s worse, killing yourself or wanting to kill yourself and failing. Hey, by the way, the chief asked where you were at the press conference. He thanked you before he noticed you weren’t there. Made him look like a real asshole.”
“Tell him I quit.” He stood up. “I’ll see you later, Phil. Listen to that CD.”
Philip began walking away. “I will.”
“Hey, Phil?”
“Yeah?”
“Where’s Noah now?”
“At the hospital I think.”
“Not the prison infirmary?”
“No, I think he’s too fucked up for that. He’s in a coma.”
“They only assign one guard to escort to the hospital, don’t they?”
“I don’t know. I guess. Look I gotta run, I’ll see ya.”
Stanton watched as he walked back to his car. He waved once as he pulled out of the parking lot and Stanton waved back.
“Daddy, come on there’s a turtle!”
“Coming.”
He turned and watched his children as they ran to him to show him their find. He grinned and held open his arms. For the first time in his life, he couldn’t think of a single other place he would like to be.
END
AUTHOR’S BIO
Victor Methos began his writing career with short fiction in such varied genres as science fiction, crime fiction, fantasy and literary fiction. He has been published in numerous magazines in the United States and United Kingdom and is a former prosecutor specializing in narcotics and violent crime prosecutions. He is currently a trial lawyer in the United States and on a quest to climb the “Seven Summits,” the highest peaks on each continent. The White Angel Murder is his third novel. To contact the author or learn about upcoming releases, please visit the author’s blog at http://methosreview.blogspot.com/