“Oh, it wasn’t always that big and nice. He has added on to it and of course the sidewalk is new.”
I stopped in mid stride.
“Say that again?”
“Well, there used to be a wooden deck when he first moved in. He had that torn down and then he added the concrete deck. Later he expanded it to the size it is now. The last thing he did was the walkway. I’m not sure what it is for. It goes from the patio to the back fence but there is no alley back there so I have no idea what it is used for,” she said.
I’m sure my mouth was hanging open.
“Did I say something?”
“Do you know when the expansions were made?”
“I don’t remember exactly.”
“Alright Mrs. Callahan. You have been a big help,” I said enthusiastically.
“My, I haven’t done much.”
“Maybe more than you know,” I assured her as we left.
***
“What are you thinking Bartoni?”
“I think I know where the bodies are,” I replied.
“You think they are under the patio and walkway?”
“I do.”
“So you are saying he kills them then buries them in the backyard and covers them with cement and makes it into a patio?” Dan asked.
“That is exactly what I think.”
“Well good luck getting a warrant with that,” Dan replied.
“I know. We are going to need more. We are going to have to find out who did the work. The patio is pretty large for one guy to do on his own.”
“So you think someone should have a record of the work.”
“Exactly.”
“It could have been some handyman; it didn’t have to be a major construction company. In fact I doubt that it was,” Dan insisted.
“It makes no difference. The concrete had to come from some place and that is where we need to start looking.”
“It would help if we had the dates.”
“We do,” I replied.
***
We went back to the station and I told the captain my latest theory. I have to give him credit; he listened without rolling his eyes.
“So you think that the work was done every time one of his wives went missing?”
“Why not? They never found Jimmy Hoffa either. He is the cornerstone of some building. It would be the perfect place. He could have a handyman come in and get the ground ready, removing the sod and forming it up. Then he waits a few days and digs a nice deep hole at night and shoves the body in. He covers it up, tamps it down and calls for someone to pour the concrete. Since the framing is up, they have no need to do anything but pour it and smooth it over. A few days later he is sitting on the patio knocking down a few brews,” I replied.
“It is a possibility I suppose but you are going to have to talk to the DA about this. We can’t just go in and start breaking up his patio without probable cause.”
“Man, I really don’t want to do that.’
“Bartoni, you have no choice if you want to do this. You need a warrant and that means you need to talk to the DA on this one. We have already had the guy under a microscope.”
“Alright. I hate it but you are right. I’ll go see him.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I went to get a root canal done. Well, it felt like it anyway. I was going to have to try to smooth talk the DA into going to bat for me to get the necessary warrant.
“Tell me what you are basing this supposition on?” Peters ask.
“Gut feeling along with the fact that the disappearances of his wives seem to coincide with the times the new patio and walkway were poured.”
“I get that part. What I don’t quite understand is how you know exactly when the patio was poured in relation to his wife turning up missing? Was it the same day? The day before? The day after? I’m not trying to be a killjoy but I need more than about the time. Do you have any specific dates?”
“All I have is the word of the next door neighbor. She didn’t know the exact dates but she said it was around the same time,” I explained.
“I want to help, really I do, but this isn’t going to fly. No judge is going to give me a warrant based on something that vague. You are going to have to find out the dates the patios were put down and then maybe I can get one to dig them up. Even then, it won’t be a walk in the park but we would stand a much better chance.”
“I understand. Dan and I will see what we can find out. I thought this might be the case so I have Dan already started on the process of trying to determine who poured the concrete.”
“That would help immensely,” Peters said.
I knew it was a long shot but it was worth a try. I went back and told Dan who had that ‘I told you so’, look on his face. At least he was smart enough not to say it.
***
If this had been the movies, we would have been able to find a work order within a few minutes. Unfortunately for us, we used the phone, calling every concrete place in the city. What we found out was that several had been absorbed by larger companies, others had gone under and some didn’t keep records that long.
It was time to try a new tactic. Time to tap into good old Eric.
“Hey big guy. I seriously need a favor,” I said plopping down beside him while his fingers were flying across the keyboard. He looked over but his fingers never stopped or slowed down.
“Of course you do. You only come to see me when you want something. I feel so used.’
“Right. You love it and you know it.”
“Probably. So what do you need?”
I told him about my problem of locating the company that had poured the concrete. He laughed.
“What?”
“You gumshoes. You always want to do things the hard way. Trying to track down a company by calling them up. How barbaric.”
“Well, master of the interstellar air waves, what should I be doing?”
“You should be going back to your desk and waiting for about twenty minutes. I’ll come and tell you not only what company but what dates the concrete was actually delivered.”
“Honestly.”
“I swear.”
“Twenty minutes,” I said patting him on the back.
That could possibly be considered sexual harassment in today’s world but what the heck, sue me.
I rushed out and got Eric a corned beef on rye, two pickles, and a Jones soda. I know how to float his boat. Keeping on the good side of Eric was as important as keeping on the good side of a secretary…oh, I mean office assistant. I love how we change a name and it is supposed to change what they really are. What a crock.
***
I had just gotten back when Eric strolled up to my desk and handed me a sheet of paper. I forked over the bag of food and his eyes lit up.
“Corned beef?”
“On rye with two pickles.”
“Man on man, I love doing stuff for you. I did some work for that jerk Farmington. He didn’t even thank me.”
I’m pretty sure my eyes lit up as I read down the list:
CoNoCo June 5, 2007
AmeriCrete August 14, 20011
AmeriCrete May 11, 2014
Beverly Mason-Milliken was reported missing June 1, 2007. Janet Lewis Milliken was reported to be missing by Ed Milliken on August 6, 2011. And Mellissa Milliken was reported missing on May 3rd of this year. Perfect.
Just to make sure we had all our ducks in a row, I looked to see who actually ordered the concrete. In 2007, a guy named Stan Wadsworth called the order in. In 2001, a man named Brad Wilkins was listed as the contact name. This year, Otis James was listed. Obviously he would be the easiest to locate.
“Dan, you start tracking down Otis James. I’ll see what I can find on Wilkins and Wadsworth. If I strike out, I’ll put Eric on to them.”
“Got it,” he said going to his computer.’
See? I would have started looking in the phonebook but today’s detectives are a lot more comp
uter savvy. Maybe it was time for me to take the captain’s test and move to a desk so I could have my minions do the work. Hey wait…that means I’m a minion and I resent that.
Rather than be embarrassed, I started searching for both Wilkins and Wadsworth in Google. I had barely started when Dan announced that Otis James was in business as a handyman and no project was too big or too small for good ol’ Otis. I had to hold my tongue. Whenever I hear the name Otis I always think of the town drunk in the Andy Griffith Show. Dan copied down his address and phone number and slid it over to me.
“Want me to look up the others while you call him.”
I started to protest but realized how silly that would be.
“Sure,” was all I replied.
I dialed and waited. An answering machine kicked on telling me that Mr. James was out of the office and would return shortly. If I would blah…blah…blah, he would call me back.
By the time I was done, Dan had the other two phone numbers. Wadsworth was evidently still in business but Wilkins was no longer listed as a concrete worker or any other kind. Still, two out of three was good enough for me at the moment.
Dan called Wadsworth and got the same kind of message.
“Want to take a run out to James place? We could wait for him to show up,” I suggested.
“Will you buy me a pizza to take with us?”
“Oh for heaven’s sake. Yes little boy, momma will buy you a pizza. Call it in and we can stop and pick it up on our way.”
“Medium or large?”
“Okay, a large…with extra cheese,” I added.
“Pepperoni of course.”
“Is there another kind of pizza?” I asked.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
At 5:45 p.m. a beat up pickup truck pulled into Mr. James’ driveway. He got out and was headed to the house when we intercepted him.
“Mr. James, Detectives Bartoni and Roberts. We would like to talk to you for a moment.”
He looked at us suspiciously.
“Relax. This is about a job you did for Mr. Milliken a couple of weeks ago.”
“Who?’
“Mr. Milliken. You poured a walkway in his backyard for him.”
“Milliken? On Turner Court?”
“That would be the very one.”
“Yeah, sure I did that job. Why, is he unhappy?”
“We are homicide detectives,Mr. James.”
“Hey, I didn’t kill anybody,” he said, his eyes getting wide.
“Easy. Can you tell us about the sidewalk you put in?”
“What’s to tell? I mean it was a bit of a chore because he didn’t want the cement truck on his driveway. We had to pump it in.”
“You did the entire job?” Dan asked.
“I sure did, from start to finish,” he told us.
“In one day?”
“Oh, heck no. I’m pretty fast, but not that fast. It took four…no five days before I was totally finished.”
“Okay, so how does that work exactly?” Dan asked.
“You mean from start to finish?”
“Yes. Please go through the steps for us.”
“Well, I lay it out with string first. It needs to be straight if that is what the customer wants. Then I dig down and start removing the sod and some of the top soil. I usually go down a few inches. Once the top soil is removed, I frame it in. I usually tamp it or roll it down depending on how big the job is. I rolled this one. Then I call in the cement and have it poured and work it until it’s ready,” he told us.
“So how long from the time the top soil is removed until you call for the cement?” Dan asked.
“Two or three days. Not long.”
“And it went from the patio to the back of the property?” I asked.
“It did,” he confirmed.
“Why?”
“Because that’s what he wanted. I never ask why. I just do the job and collect. What’s this all about?” he asked.
“It is just a theory at this point, nothing that concerns you, Mr. James,” I told him.
We thanked him and headed back to the station.
“What are you thinking? They are buried under the patio and walkway?” Dan asked.
“It seems about right. Come on, getting that work done at the same time his wives go missing is just too big a coincidence and you know how I feel about those,” I told him.
“Do you think we have enough to get a warrant?”
“I want to talk to Wadsworth first. If his story is essentially the same we will go back to the DA and see what he says,” I told him.
And there is another difference between the real world and television. The amount of leg work, checking, and cross checking, is mind boggling. You are always crossing and re-crossing your path to try to nail the details down so that when you do try to get a warrant you have as much information as possible.
***
Mr. Wadsworth was a hoot. A crusty old guy who answered the door by saying, ‘Sweetheart you’re a little old to be selling Girl Scout Cookies but what the heck, I’ll take three boxes of Thin Mints.”
After I explained who we were, he invited us in and offered us a beer. I could see Dan wet his lips but to his credit he held off.
“So, what can I do for you boys and girls?”
“I know this was a while ago but do you remember putting in a patio for a Mr. Edward Milliken?”
“Milliken. Sure. Kind of a big fancy place. Already had a patio but wanted to enlarge it.”
“Wow. You remember that?” Dan said.
“I can still use my brain. I don’t need one of those damn computers to think. Kids today are dumber than a box of rocks when it comes to real knowledge. They have to look up which hand is their right from their left.”
I liked this guy. He reminded me a little of Sorenson. Stoic, quick witted, and still sharp as a tack.
“Did he say why he wanted it enlarged?’
“I didn’t ask. I didn’t care. It was an easy job. Remove some sod, frame it up and pour the concrete. Took less than a week as I recall. Maybe even less. Seems like I started on a Thursday, was ready by Saturday but it was too late to get a cement truck so I had it poured on Monday. Like I said, no big deal.”
“Did you notice anything unusual at all?” I asked.
“Unusual like what?”
“Anything?” was all I said.
“Nope, can’t say as I did,”
We thanked him and I promised that if I really did see a Girl Scout I would guy him some cookies and send them to him.
***
“What do you think,” I asked the captain.
“Honestly?”
“Yeah.’
“I think it is thin. Neither guy said they saw anything unusual. The fact that he took that particular time to do the work is certainly suspicious but is it enough to get a warrant to dig up his back yard to look for bodies? I’m just not sure.”
“But it’s okay to go to the DA and see what he has to say?”
“Fine by me but if he says no, you hold your tongue and don’t go off on him. It will be his office that has to try the case and he is going to need assurances that you are not just leading him on a wild goose chase,” the captain said.
“I understand. I promise I’ll just walk him through it and whatever he decides I’ll abide by.”
“Then go with my blessing,” he said, doing his usual pointing at the door.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
I had taken Dan with me to see the DA just to make sure I was able to keep my promise to the captain. I know myself well enough to realize that I let my alligator mouth overrule my hummingbird brain. Dan was charged with making sure I just accepted whatever Peters decided.
“Bartoni, Roberts. So this is still about the Milliken case?”
“Yes it is,” I said.
I could sense that this was not a good start by the way he said it. He wanted this thing dropped and I wasn’t being a team player. It was upsetting to him.
/> “You have new evidence that points to Edward Milliken as the perpetrator in his wives’ disappearances?”
“I think it would be easier if I just told you what we have been working on and what we have discovered,” I said trying to make my voice sound calm and natural.
“Go ahead, I’m all ears.”
I wanted to say something about him looking like Dumbo with those big floppy ears but though better of it. They really did stick out. I had to be careful not to laugh.
“We have interviewed the contractors, actually handymen, that did the work on the patio and the sidewalk in Milliken’s back yard. The work was done in all three cases within the time frame that the wives went missing. Concrete was poured to make the patio and the sidewalk. At first I didn’t think much about it until I realized his front sidewalk and his driveway are brick, laid in a herringbone pattern. The patio and sidewalk are totally plain by comparison,” I told him.
He was sitting forward with his elbows on his desk and his hands clasped. His chin was resting on his hands. I could almost feel the ‘so what?’ coming.
“And this is what you want a warrant for? You want to dig up his patio and sidewalk?”
“Actually, just the sidewalk would be great. If my theory is true, we will find the body of Mellissa Milliken buried there. In both of the last two projects, the concrete wasn’t poured until Monday. That gave him Sunday to bury the bodies, cover them back up with dirt and then have the concrete poured on Monday.”
“That certainly is an interesting theory.”
“Mr. Peters, we have three women missing. No trace has ever been found of any of them. You can’t sit there and tell me that the women going missing at the same time the cement was being poured is just a big coincidence. It can’t be that simple,” I said, struggling to keep my temper in check.
Dan reached over and touched my arm.
“Detective Bartoni, I know you think I am too…cautious for your liking. You think I should just jump up and go tell a Judge we have it all wrapped up. Just give me a warrant and we can prove it. The reality is that it doesn’t work that way. Requests for warrants need to show positive results. If you ask too many times and they don’t pan out, the Judge starts demanding even more prior evidence. They have to trust that something positive will come out of issuing the warrant,” he said.
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