Assassin's Redemption: Stolen Memories, #1

by Richard Allen Evans

  Beau merely nodded and thought, “I doubt it.”

  In just minutes they walked in the funeral home and saw the owner, Tom Goode, a tall, thin man with stooped shoulders, white hair, and black framed glasses. He was talking to a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Savanna Brooke.

  She was older than her sister but not much and her hair was several shades lighter, almost blonde. They shared the same cheek structure and eyes.

  Goode acknowledged them with a nod and Chet did likewise.

  “Ms. Brooke, I'm Chief Investigator Beau Fullbright and this is Sheriff Chet Thurman,” he said.

  “I need to talk to both of you privately,” she said with a nervous urgency.

  “You can use the counseling room for as long as you would like. It should provide you with all of the privacy you require,” Tom said as he led them down an unlit hall.

  He opened a door to a 10 x 10 room with a rectangle table with four chairs.

  “If you need me, I'll be in my office,” he said.

  “Thank you Tom,” Chet said.

  “Please,” Beau gestured to a chair for Laura to sit and she did.

  “I'm so sorry to have to ask you questions at a time like this but I'm hoping you can help fill in some gaps we have in our investigation,” he said.

  “Before we go any further, I have something to give you,” Laura said as she reached into her purse and pulled out a large brown envelope. It looked to be several inches thick. When Beau took it, he noticed it weighed at least three pounds.

  “I don't know what's inside - I never looked. Let me be clear, I don't want to know. Several months ago my sister gave that to me for safekeeping. She said if anything ever happened to her to turn it over to the police,” Laura said as Beau and Chet looked to each other.

  “Did your sister think her life was in danger?” Beau asked.

  “She never said directly but the day she gave me that envelope she was different. Savanna was never really serious about anything. She was that day. I begged her to tell me if she was involved in anything illegal. She swore she wasn't,” Laura said.

  “Did she say why she wanted us to have that envelope?” Chet asked.

  “No, but she was adamant in making me promise to do this,” she said.

  “Can you think of anyone or did your sister ever mention anyone that threatened her or was a threat to her?” Beau asked.

  “No one. Savanna got along with pretty much everyone. She usually avoided conflicts of any kind,” Laura said.

  “Was your sister dating anyone?” Beau asked.

  Laura smiled sadly.

  “Savanna was always dating someone. I loved my sister but she was flighty and was always attracted to the wrong kind of man,” she said.

  “And what was the wrong kind of man?” Chet asked.

  “The married kind,” Laura said.

  “Do you know who see might have been seeing most recently?” Beau asked.

  “All she said was it was a man who could make her dreams come true,” she said.

  “You mean someone who wanted to marry her?” Beau asked.

  Again Laura offered a sad smile as tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “No. Savanna wasn't the marrying kind. Her dream was to live a life of luxury without having to work, raise children, or answer to a husband,” she said.

  “Forgive me, I don't mean to be blunt, but it sounds like you're saying she aspired to be the mistress of a wealthy man,” Chet said.

  “That's exactly what I'm saying,” Laura said.

  “Did she ever talk about her job or her relationship with coworkers and supervisors?” Beau asked.

  Laura shook her head.

  “Rarely. She never mentioned any friends at work. She did mention one guy, an executive. She said he had a reputation for being tough but she knew his soft side and how to keep him that way,” she said.

  “Did she mention his name?” Beau asked.

  “No, I'm afraid not. The only friend she ever mentioned was a woman named Monique,” Laura said.

  “Did she give a last name?” Chet asked.

  “No, I'm sorry. The only thing she said about Monique was that she was from an affluent family,” Laura said.

  “Please try to remember. What exactly did your sister say about her? It could be important in finding a motive for, uh, what happened,” Beau said.

  “She said she had a new friend named Monique who came from a wealthy family and she was eager to see her more often,” Laura added, “But...I don't know. Something just didn't seem right.”

  “What do you mean?” Chet asked.

  “The way she giggled when she would talk about Monique. It was like when we were kids and she was hiding something and wanted you to guess - it was the same tone in her voice. I guess you had to know Savanna to know what I'm talking about,” she said.

  “Did you ever see this Monique?” Beau asked.

  “No, but if you're asking me if she exists, I believe she does. I just think Savanna invented a name to hide her identity for whatever reason,” Laura said.

  “You said your sister said you asked your sister if she was involved in anything illegal. Her record is clean of course, with the exception of a couple speeding tickets. Is there anything in her history that would give a reason to ask?” Chet asked.

  Laura looked down and exhaled softly.

  “I guess it doesn't matter now. Savanna and I didn't come from a wealthy background. In fact, we grew up very poor. When I started college in Knoxville, I was looking for work. It didn't look like I'd be able to stay in school. One of the girls I knew introduced me to a man who offered me a job. At first, it was just dancing in his club. Over time, it became more but the money was too good to turn down. I made enough to pay for school, buy a car, get a nice apartment, and even gave money to my family,” Laura said as tears started falling.

  “I did what I had to and I won't apologize for it but...Savanna saw the money, only the money,” she said.

  “And she got caught up in that world too,” Chet said as Laura nodded.

  “I got my degree and moved away. I started a new life. I tried to take Savanna with me but she wouldn't leave. She was making big money because she moved into what the girls called 'doing specials,' which was mostly fetish-type stuff,” she said.

  “How did she get out of it?” Beau asked.

  “There was a huge raid. Undercover officers arrested city councilmen, county commissioners, a congressional aide, and plenty of rich people. It wasn't just sex involved. I'm talking drugs - the heavy duty kind like cocaine and heroin. Savanna was arrested. The prostitution charges were the least of her worries. She was charged with multiple counts of possession, intent to deliver and sell, and money laundering. All told, she was looking at twenty years,” Laura said.

  “And how did she get out of the charges?” Chet asked.

  “One of her clients barely escaped being caught because Savanna hid him from the police. He had the money and the contacts to get the judge to dismiss the charges for insufficient evidence,” she said.

  “It must've been somebody big. I remember hearing about that when it happened. I was working in Lexington and that story went national. A lot of political careers ended that night,” Chet said.

  “Can you give us the name of the person who helped her out?” Beau asked.

  Laura stared ahead blankly.

  “Gene Raven,” she said.

  ***

  Haley got back to the CID Office about three minutes ahead of Marcus. She was clipping carpet pieces when he came in.

  “Any luck?” He asked.

  “I'm afraid not. The only woman Mrs. Hatmaker can remember going in and out of that house is his ex-wife. How did you do?” Haley said.

  “Not much better. No one remembered anything except one secretary that overheard the two of them joking about having a good time with a woman named 'Monique.' Who she was, the lady didn't know. It's the only tome anyone remembered any actual interaction between
the two,” Marcus said.

  “Hmmmm. Monique,” Haley said.

  “Maybe the monogrammed underwear was hers,” Marcus said.

  “Could be. If we could find her, we could ask her,” she said.

  “By the way,” he said as he held up a copy of the paper, “there's a real nice article on Beau in the paper today. I don't think there's anything in it you don't already know.”

  Haley was preparing slides for the microscope. She looked up and smiled

  “Maybe not but save it for me anyway. If it's left to him, he'll trash it,” she said.

  “See? You already know him well,” Marcus said.

  Haley chuckled as she worked on the slides.

  “Since he's not here, I want to tell you something. In the past couple of days I've seen more life in his eyes than I have in a long time. When I said you two are good for each other, I wasn't blowing smoke,” he said.

  “I know you weren't. But we're just figuring things out as we go along,” Haley said.

  “So you really don't mind if I mention it to Chelsea?” Marcus asked.

  “No, not at all,” she said.

  “She'll be thrilled. I don't know how many times she's tried to fix Beau up with someone she knew,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Did he date much in college?” Haley asked.

  “No, not a lot. We had a mentor on the football team, our middle linebacker, Richie Bradley. Great guy. Richie had a girlfriend named Rose and she tried to fix Beau up all the time. He dated a couple of them but nothing serious ever developed. They were nice girls, things just didn't click. Then, all on his own he met Terri and well, you know how that ended,” Marcus said.

  “Fate can be cruel,” Haley said.

  “Yeah, it can. But like I said, things are different now,” Marcus said.

  ***

  Adam filled up his vehicle before he left Clinton. He got a late lunch/ early supper at a fast food drive-thru and made his way back to Butcher County. He enjoyed the fall colors and the beautiful sunshine. He hated to admit it but he would miss it when he went to his home up north.

  Adam went over every possible escape route and contingency plan in his mind. He kept a mental flow chart in his mind for each assignment. It was a system that had served him well over the years and he had no intention of changing it.

  He thought about the news of the murders in Butcher County. Since no manhunt was taking place he felt more freedom to move without worry. He stopped at a convenience store shortly after he got into Butcher County. He bought a soft drink and a newspaper. He didn't bother with even reading the paper. Adam simply folded it in the front seat. There was an article he was curious to read but he decided to worry about that later. His focus was on the task at hand.

  There was no traffic on the highway when Adam whipped the Ford off of the paved road and disappeared over the little rise on the dirt road. He took the time to turn the vehicle so he wouldn't have to when he made his exit.

  After carefully getting his Steyr out of the case, he made short trek up the hill to the sniper's nest he built. Adam slipped on latex gloves and opened a box of .50 caliber ammo and loaded his weapon. Once the Steyr was loaded he propped the rifle on a log, pulled the gloves off, and put them in his pocket.

  He took out his spotting scope and surveyed the grounds and the house.

  And now, all he could was wait for the best shot.

  ***

  Beau and Chet walked into the CID Office.

  “Let's open that envelope,” Chet said after they got inside.

  “Find out anything useful?” Marcus asked.

  Chet gave them a thumbnail explanation of what they learned as Beau put on a pair of gloves and opened the envelope. Inside, he found a video tape, which he placed on the desk.

  “We need to dust that for prints — along with everything else in here,” he said

  An assortment of Polaroids and glossy 35 mm photos looked to be all that was left inside. He dumped them on the desk.

  “Whoa! Look at the dirty pictures!” Marcus exclaimed.

  If Haley was shocked or embarrassed she hid it well. Beau was clearly uncomfortable as he fought to focus on the task at hand.

  “Space them out so we can tell what we're looking at,” she said as Beau did exactly that.

  “Good Lord,” Chet said lowly.

  “Is that...it is! That's Bob Tackett,” Beau said.

  “That's him in all his naked glory,” Haley said.

  “I didn't need to see that,” Marcus said.

  “Uh, this is gonna sound really bad, but, uh, do you recognize any of these people?” Beau asked a red faced Chet as Haley turned her head to hide a laugh.

  “No, most of their faces are hidden or away from the camera,” Chet added, “And calm down Haley — it wasn't that funny.”

  “Guys, uh, I recognize one of them,” Marcus said.

  “Which one?” Beau asked.

  “That guy, the one in the panty hose,” Marcus said in disgust.

  “Those are actually called thigh high stockings,” Haley corrected.

  “Whatever. That's Clint Treadway. He's the head of quality control at Raven Manufacturing,” Marcus said.

  “You sure?” Chet asked.

  “I've questioned him twice in the past two days. Yeah, that's him. Of course, he was dressed a little differently when I talked to him,” Marcus said.

  “Look. There's an 'M' on that woman's underwear,” Haley said.

  “Monique?” Beau asked.

  “Ewww. I hope not. That's not a chick,” Marcus said as he pointed to another photo.

  “No, it's not a woman,” Chet agreed.

  “I don't see her, his...face in any picture,” Beau said.

  “Me either,” Haley said.

  “I'm loathe to suggest this, but we need to see what's on that tape,” Chet said.

  “That's the first time I've ever heard anyone use the phrase 'I'm loathe to suggest' in real life,” Marcus said.

  “But he's right. We need to see that tape,” Beau said.

  “Let's pop this in the VCR. I'll leave the popcorn to you guys,” Haley said.

  “Still not funny young lady,” Chet said.

  In a few seconds the screen flickered to life. Instead of the Roman orgy they all expected it was a shot of Savanna Brooke's bedroom. The view was from the foot of the bed. It was empty for a couple of seconds and then Savanna entered the room with a man whose back was to the camera. Chet leaned forward to study the scene. Beau held the remote waiting for the man to turn around. Savanna stepped out of clothes as she did little strip tease, the sound quality was poor but they could hear the man laugh in appreciation and anticipation.

  When she was nude, she crawled upon the bed and stretched. She beckoned the man to join her. He started taking his clothes off. Once he was nude he crawled upon the bed as well wasted no time on foreplay. The man mounted Savanna and started intercourse immediately. Haley found herself shifting uncomfortably.

  Beau leaned over and spoke softly to her.

  “This is beyond weird. If you want to step out, it's fine,” he said.

  “N-no, I'm okay,” Haley said.

  “I'm not,” Chet said.

  “Me either,” Marcus added but neither turned away from the screen.

  The figures on the screen rolled in the bed.

  Savanna cried, “Oh Jack!”

  The raised his head and Beau hit the pause button as his mouth dropped open.

  “That boys — and girl — is the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate,” Chet said.

  Beau hit the play button as the homemade sex tape continued.

  “Haley, would you please call Toby and ask him to acquire a search warrant for the residence of Jack Raven? And for crying out loud, tell him to be discreet. He can watch the tape and see the pictures later,” Chet said.

  “Oh man, like he'd want to,” Marcus said.

  “Want to? I'm surprised he's not made a cameo in this tape,” Chet s
aid.

  A couple of minutes later Haley spoke up.

  “He said we can pick up the warrant in a half hour. And he does want to review the photographic and electronic evidence as soon as can be arranged,” she said.

  “I figured,” Chet said as they continued to watch the tape.

  In less than fifteen minutes total, the tape ended.

  “I'm going to fast forward to make sure nothing else is on this tape,” Beau said.

  “Good idea. I'll go pick up the warrant and get a couple of deputies to go with us to serve it. I'm also going to send a unit out to Raven Manufacturing to bring this Treadway character in for questioning,” Chet said.

  “Look Chet, this could be politically dangerous. Are you don't want me to go and serve it? That way if something goes wrong you have some degree of plausible deniability,” Beau said.

  “I don't believe in plausible deniability and besides, I've been waiting a long time to serve a warrant - any warrant - on this bunch,” he said. “Marcus, you drive. I'll ride with you. And lock that stuff in the safe before you leave,” Chet said as he left.

  “Yeah, Toby might want to come up and take a look,” Marcus said.

  Soon the tape ended without anything else on it.

  The photos and tape were secured in the safe. The three of them made it outside and Chet met them.

  “Me and Marcus will go first. Beau, you and Haley follow us. Brandi and Joe will follow you. If Raven is cooperative, we'll send them and one of you back here to question Treadway,” Chet said.

  “And if he doesn't cooperate?” Beau asked.

  “I'll send for more deputies and leave an anonymous tip with the Courier-Independent,” Chet said.

  “Subtle,” Marcus said as Chet nodded.

  Beau followed Marcus' truck.

  “When I asked you to a movie, that wasn't what I meant,” Beau said.

  Haley laughed.

  “That was...extremely uncomfortable and very awkward,” she said.

  “I was embarrassed and it wasn't even my uncle,” Beau added, “Besides, you handled it well.”

  “I'm not sure about that. All I do know is, Marcus is right: This thing gets weirder and weirder,” Haley said.

  They were quiet for a couple of minutes.

  “Uh, you feel talking about it now?” Beau asked.