False Front (Lucinda Pierce)

by Diane Fanning

  ‘I certainly didn’t know that. I thought he was a private detective. If he’s a hired killer, why haven’t you arrested him long before this?’

  ‘I’d like to know that, too, Ms Middleton. But I suspect you knew exactly who you were hiring, because you wanted the people who possessed your secret to die.’

  Theismann interrupted. ‘Agent, that is inflammatory speech. Can you please keep the cop under control or ask her to leave?’

  Jake stared at him and then nodded to Lucinda.

  ‘Well, Ms Middleton?’

  ‘It’s absurd. I am the CEO of a major corporation and a candidate for the United States Senate. The very idea that I would be hiring killers is ridiculous. You have nothing but the word of this known criminal.’

  ‘You keep saying that, Ms Middleton. But you should know that we have someone who has made a corroborating statement.’

  ‘That bastard. It was his idea. And when I turned him down, he went behind my back and contacted Mr Trappatino and subverted my purpose in hiring him.’

  ‘What bastard, Ms Middleton?’

  ‘You know very well who I am talking about.’

  ‘Agent,’ Theismann interrupted again, ‘the cop is baiting my client.’

  ‘Really? Well, let’s nip that in the bud,’ Jake said, leaning forward on the table and starring at Tess. ‘What bastard, Ms Middleton?’

  She slapped a palm on the table. ‘That Frank Eagleton bastard.’

  A charge of electricity surged across Lucinda’s scalp and ran down her arms. The picture was now whole. ‘What did he ask you to do?’

  ‘I told you that I refused his request.’

  ‘What was his request?’

  ‘Ms Middleton, I think we ought to stop this right here,’ Theismann objected.

  ‘And have me delivered to that dingy cell again? If you could have gotten me out on bail, as you should have done, I wouldn’t be in a position where I needed to prove myself.’

  ‘We discussed this. The forged passport proved your intent and ability to flee.’

  ‘And I told you that I just wanted to get away from all those crazy people.’

  ‘Still, Ms Middleton, I am advising you of your right to remain silent.’

  ‘I do not believe that is in my best interests,’ she said, turning away from her attorney. ‘Lieutenant, I hate to – what is the word – rat out? Squeal? Whatever. I hate to do that to another human but you have left me no choice. Frank Eagleton approached me. He said that he knew his wife was attempting to blackmail me. He assured me that he thought that was wrong of her. He said that she had been causing problems for him, too. She was holding some tax issue over his head, using it as leverage to get more from him in a divorce settlement. He said we could be partners because we both would benefit if Candace was dead.’

  ‘And you sent him away?’

  ‘Of course. Killing is wrong. There’s always a better solution. Certainly, my life would be easier if Candace just disappeared. But wanting her dead, that was another story.’

  ‘What did Frank Eagleton have against the other two victims?’

  ‘I have no earthly idea. I don’t think he even knew them. You know what I think?’

  ‘No, what is that?’ Lucinda asked.

  ‘Well, for starters, that Trappatino man enjoys killing people – I’m sure you’ve met others like him. And Frank Eagleton wanted to get rid of his wife. The two got together and found a way they could both get satisfaction and frame me for these murders at the same time.’

  ‘Really? How diabolical!’ Lucinda said as she thought about the ludicrousness of Tess’s conspiracy story.

  ‘And you know what else? I am certain that my political enemies helped them. Those operatives have no scruples. They’ll do anything to get a win for their candidate. They don’t care if they destroy me. They don’t care that I’m the best candidate for the Senate or that I could do a world of good for the Commonwealth of Virginia and this great nation or ours.’

  Middleton’s arrogance curdled in Lucinda’s stomach but she was grateful for it – it was that characteristic that drove the woman to talk when she should remain silent. Lucinda hid her visceral reaction and spoke in a reassuring voice. ‘For now, we’ll have to send you back to your cell, Ms Middleton, at least until we talk to Mr Eagleton.’

  ‘He’s going to lie,’ she sputtered.

  ‘I don’t doubt that. But trust me, we will find the truth – the whole truth.’

  Tess Middleton blanched, recovered and said, ‘Well, see that you do.’

  SIXTY-TWO

  ‘You knew it, Lucinda!’ Jake crowed when they were alone.

  ‘That does not make proving it any easier.’

  ‘But you knew someone had inside information on Candace – someone had to tell him about the Promethazine. You nailed it.’

  ‘Yes, but Eagleton has already lawyered up. Another round of his I-told-you-so bragging that he knew his wife did not commit suicide. Another tiresome blather about how that proves his innocence. We need to talk to Trappatino before we talk to Eagleton again. In fact, I’d rather not speak to Eagleton until we have him under arrest.’

  ‘I’ll call the Trenton field office and get someone over there right away.’

  ‘No, Jake, we need to do this.’

  ‘But Lucinda, they got the original statement without a hitch. Surely they are capable of the follow-up questions.’

  ‘Jake, look at me.’

  ‘What?’ he said, glancing in her direction.

  ‘Look at me. Really look at me.’

  Jake stared at her, scanning her features in search of meaning. ‘What, Lucy?’

  ‘I,’ she said, patting on her chest with the flat of her palm, ‘need to be there, Jake. I need to look into his face when he tells me what I want to hear about Frank Eagleton. I need to do this, Jake.’

  Jake nodded.

  ‘Can you make this happen? Now?’

  ‘I’ll do what I can – but I can’t make any promises.’

  ‘Do it,’ Lucinda said.

  An hour and a half later, they were up in the air northward bound. Although they both were exhausted neither could get any sleep. Somewhere over the Washington DC area, the pilot turned around and tapped on his ear piece. Lucinda shrugged, not understanding what he wanted. He mimed pulling the headset over his head. Lucinda nodded and smiled and reached for her phones by her seat.

  Once she had them in place he said, ‘Received an urgent message from the forensics lab. Lab Tech Coynes wants you to know that Sergeant Colter turned in an abundant DNA sample for Frank Eagleton. Coynes is running the profile now.’

  Lucinda said, ‘Thank you,’ and threw a victory fist in the air. She leaned over and spoke loudly into Jake’s ear, explaining the message to him.

  Down on the ground, a car with lights flashing delivered them to the jail in record time. Entering the interrogation room, a lawyer who, judging by the obvious expense of the cut and fabric of his suit, was far beyond the economic feasibility of your average criminal, sat next to Julius Trappatino, who was now wearing that hideous orange prisoner jumpsuit.

  ‘Well, if it isn’t the Beauty Boy and the Beast.’

  The attorney laid a cautioning hand on his client’s forearm. ‘Agent, Lieutenant, I must inform you that I have advised my client that he does not – and should not – speak with you at this time. We have struck a deal with federal and local prosecutors. You have his full statement.’

  ‘Really?’ Lucinda said. ‘Trap is afraid to speak to us?’

  ‘No,’ Trappatino’s voice boomed. ‘You flatter yourself.’

  The attorney placed a hand on his arm again. ‘My client has expressed a curiosity about the reason for your visit. I have advised him that satisfying that curiosity is not in his best interests. Nonetheless, he has insisted. But I warn you, I will terminate this interview if you do anything to compromise his plea bargain.’

  ‘Yes, I am sure you will,’ Jake said. ‘Trap, do you know
a man named Frank Eagleton?’

  ‘Why would I?’

  ‘I don’t have the answer to that, Trap. Do you?’

  ‘I suppose by his name, he is related to Candace Eagleton?’

  ‘You know that, don’t you, Trap?’ Lucinda said.

  ‘I might. What about him?’

  ‘Your employer Tess Middleton has indicated that it was Frank Eagleton who plotted with you to frame her.’

  Trappatino smiled. ‘She did, did she? Convenient way to wiggle out of her own guilt, don’t you think?’

  ‘Perhaps,’ Jake said. ‘But unless you contradict her and provide additional information about the death of Candace Eagleton, our hands are tied. And without a trial for her complicity in these crimes, you will not have the opportunity to testify. And there goes your deal.’

  Trappatino turned to his attorney, who said, ‘There is a measure of optimism in their outlook; nonetheless it is a fairly accurate and unfortunate assessment of the situation.’

  Trappatino looked across the table. ‘I don’t like this.’

  ‘I can’t say that we do either,’ Jake said. ‘We’d rather leave you to face lethal injection alone.’

  ‘You are asking me to roll on someone who has never done me any harm.’

  ‘Only because he hasn’t given his statement yet,’ Lucinda said.

  Trappatino spread his hands flat on the surface of the table and stared at them. When he raised his head, he said, ‘What do you want to know?’

  ‘How does Frank Eagleton fit into this picture?’

  Trappatino sighed. ‘He did not make the arrangements with me. He did not pay me. However, he did talk to me. He told me he could help me by injecting his wife with a few doses of her allergy medicine to make her compliant.’

  ‘And you did that?’

  ‘No, I did not inject her. When I arrived at the Eagletons’ home, Frank let me in the front door. He had a syringe in his hand. He said that he’d given her four times her normal dosage and she could no longer lift her head off of the pillow. I looked at his arms and saw scratch marks. I told him to keep his arms covered until they healed.’

  ‘Was that the extent of your conversation?’

  ‘No. I recommended Neosporin to accelerate the healing,’ he said with a smile.

  A flash of anger raced through Lucinda, making her clench her jaw. ‘And then?’

  ‘He said that he wanted to remove what remained of the drug from the home and we argued. I thought that since she had a prescription, it needed to stay where it was. But he was insistent. Knowing that pointed to him, rather than me, I let it go.’

  ‘And then the two of you hung her from the railing.’

  ‘Hah. You must be kidding. When I suggested that we go get her, he protested. He said he would have no part in the murder of his wife. I told him he already did when he stuck that needle in her arm. But he was not willing to witness the result of his desire to eliminate her. By that time, he disgusted me. I just wanted him gone. He told me to wait while he retrieved the medication. I asked him about a suicide note. He said that he’d found a note she had written that would suffice nicely. I watched him leave and go to work.’

  ‘Details, Trap. We need details,’ Lucinda said.

  Trappatino’s chest expanded and he forced out a long exhale. ‘I grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her from the bed. She didn’t resist when she hit the floor. She moaned a bit but made no attempt to stop me. Then, when we reached the threshold of the door, she jerked and grabbed onto the wooden trim on the inside of the door. For a moment, I regretted not insisting on keeping a dose of the prescription as a precaution. I tugged on her, forcing her to lose her grip. Then she went limp again. She had no more struggle left. I throttled her with the rope a few times hoping to get some useful information. When that failed, I hung her and walked out of the home.’

  ‘You will sign a statement to that effect?’

  ‘Yes,’ Trappatino said with a nod.

  ‘We’ll be back in a moment then,’ Lucinda said.

  She located a computer she could use and sat down at the keyboard. Jake hung over her shoulder, offering editing suggestions as she worked. When she finished the summary of the interview and hit print, she said, ‘I want a transcript of the complete interview and I want him to sign it.’

  ‘You think that’s necessary?’ Jake asked.

  ‘I do not want to take any chances.’

  ‘OK, then, you’ve got it.’

  ‘I want him to initial every page.’

  ‘No problem.’

  ‘OK, let’s go.’

  Trappatino read over the statement and wrote his name on the bottom of the page. He looked up and said, ‘I suppose this means I’ll have to testify against him, too.’

  His lawyer interrupted. ‘That is not part of our agreement with the prosecution.’

  ‘In light of this new evidence – previously withheld by your client – I am certain that the prosecutors will demand a revision.’

  ‘That does not mean we will have to accept it,’ the lawyer said.

  ‘Oh, no, not at all,’ Jake said. ‘If your client prefers the death penalty, you can ignore the new offer.’

  ‘With that cheery thought,’ Lucinda said, ‘we’ll bid you adieu for now.’

  SIXTY-THREE

  Out in the hallway, Lucinda and Jake high-fived and grinned uncontrollably.

  ‘We nailed that bastard,’ Lucinda crowed.

  ‘A few husbands might get away with the murder of their wives,’ Jake said. ‘But we get most of them – most of the time. They’re such likely suspects; I don’t know how they think they’ll get away with it.’

  ‘But they do – over and over. Unfortunately, putting them in jail does not resurrect their wives. Now, that would be justice,’ Lucinda said with a sigh.

  ‘Shall we have someone pick up Frank Eagleton?’

  ‘Oh, no. We’ll get them busy on the arrest warrant – I’ll fax this new signed statement, but I want the pleasure of arresting Frank Eagleton myself. I want to hear those cufflinks click shut as I wish him well in his new cell.’

  ‘I sure won’t be the one to deprive you of going in for the kill. But maybe we ought to put him under surveillance. I’d hate to find out he fled before we could effect the arrest.’

  ‘Good idea. I’ll take care of it – and the preparation of the arrest warrant. You take care of getting a copy of the tape and having the transcription made.’

  They handled the details, got a ride back to the airport and set off for home. As they touched down in Virginia, Lucinda activated her cell. A voice message from Beth Ann Coynes waited for her. She pressed the playback button and listened.

  ‘Lieutenant, Beth Ann Coynes here. The preliminary test results indicate that Frank Eagleton’s DNA is consistent with the second male profile found beneath Candace Eagleton’s fingernails. I am proceeding with confirmatory testing.’

  Jake, too, had a message waiting. He listened and disconnected with a sour look on his face. ‘Hope you had good news,’ he said.

  She told him about the DNA testing and asked, ‘Your news was bad?’

  ‘The wicked witch is demanding my presence in her office in DC.’

  ‘That’s bad news?’

  ‘I’m sure she wants me there for a personal shin-kicking or worse – that’s how she operates.’

  ‘But Jake, you stopped a man attempting to blow up a city block, you apprehended a paid assassin that the FBI has wanted to arrest for years and your contribution to two murder cases was invaluable. How could she call you on the carpet?’

  ‘Because that’s what she does best.’

  ‘Maybe this time, it’s in her political self-interest to embrace your accomplishments and bask in the glory of your work.’

  ‘I can only hope. You’ll have to handle Frank Eagleton on your own. Sure you don’t want to call his attorney and give him the opportunity to turn himself in at the station?’

  ‘Are you trying to kill
all my fun? No, I want to go in with a sea of blue behind me. That way when we arrive at the station, there’s bound to be a lot of media cameras laying in wait for his perp walk. I certainly wouldn’t want to deprive Eagleton of that moment in the spotlight.’

  They separated as they reached the security exit – Lucinda going out of the airport, Jake headed to the gate as instructed by the regional director’s administrative assistant.

  Lucinda felt a sense of jubilation tempered by sadness at the tragic turn of events that turned Candace into a victim of her husband. What compelled him? Greed? Anger that she was leaving? Some unknown factor? Or a combination of the three?

  Candace was not totally blameless. She should have never tried to extort money from Tess Middleton. She should never have informed her husband she was leaving – she should have just left and concealed her new location. It’s a sad fact that the most dangerous time in a woman’s life begins when she announces her departure and continues for two years.

  But even though Candace was involved in a blackmail scheme, she’d committed no capital crime. She did not deserve the death penalty. Certainly, she had set herself up to be in this vulnerable situation but still, she did not deserve to die because of it.

  Now she was going to hold Frank Eagleton accountable for his role in his wife’s death. And she was going to enjoy it because she hated when someone lied to her – despised it when someone tried to manipulate her and play her like a fool.

  Back at the justice center, Lucinda added the finishing touches to the arrest warrant request and appeared before a judge for approval. Once the document was signed, she gathered up the uniforms and asked Sergeant Robin Colter to accompany her on the arrest. Colter deserved to share the moment, Lucinda thought. She had gotten the DNA that provided the last bit of evidence needed to make the murder charge stick.

  Jake paced in the vestibule of Sandra Goodman’s office. She kept him waiting over ten minutes before telling her secretary to send him in to see her. When he entered she stood in front of her desk, her arms akimbo, venom in her eyes.

  ‘Once I learned that your flight left on time, I arranged for a press conference. It begins in five minutes. When it does, I will tell the media about the wonderful job you have done – saving lives, capturing a dangerous criminal, solving a murder case. I am doing this not because I think you deserve accolades for your performance – you and I both know you forced your way back into active duty. I do it for one reason only: it is in my best interest. It will make me choke. But I will do it.