“What are you looking for?”
“Automobile accidents that concern DUI’s three years ago. Specifically I’m looking for the one that put Miller in the condition he is in,” I told him.
“Why?”
“Well, I was just thinking, what if he wasn’t really hurt as bad as he presented to us. I mean anyone can be shoved out in a wheelchair and you can buy the neck braces anyplace. Suppose that he knew that we were going to come talk to him. Having his son wheel him out as a cripple takes him out of the equation immediately. That could have well have been him that night rather than Brandon.”
“Honestly, that seems like a stretch.”
“Yes it does but then we have been doing that since this whole thing began.”
“You think he may be hiding in plain sight.”
“Something like that,” I agreed.
“Alright. You can take Vickers and Cline but just for this afternoon. If you haven’t hit pay dirt by then you and Dan are on your own.”
“Fair enough. Thanks,” I said and grabbed Dan and went to find Vickers and Cline.
Neither was happy to get stuck with grunt work but they didn’t have much choice.
We spent the next three hours digging through DMV records until Dan found what we were looking for.
“September 6th at 1:15 A.M. Kenny Miller was coming home from a bar when he went across the center lane and hit another car. Both drivers were treated and released. Kenny’s BAC was 1.2, almost twice the legal limit.”
“That bastard. He lied about every bit of it. He wasn’t hurt, he was the drunk and he caused the accident. I can’t believe I fell for it,” I said disgustedly tossing the file on the desk.
“He certainly got one over on us.”
“Well maybe he did for a while but it’s time to pay the piper. Let’s go. I want to bring this creep in.”
**
We had parked down the street and walked up to his house. Dan took the back and I stood to the side so he couldn’t see out the front door window. I rang the bell and a few minutes later the door opened.
“Hello Kenny,” I said as he stood there with his mouth open.
“I...”
“I know. Pretty miraculous recovery. Who would have thought you could recuperate so quickly? Four days ago you were in a wheelchair and look at you now. It’s a miracle no doubt about it.”
“Well shit. I didn’t think you would be back.”
“Sorry to burst your bubble but here I am.”
He took a quick glance over his shoulder. I could see he was giving some thought to running.
“I wouldn’t do it if I were you. Dan is back there and he is just as mad as I am for falling for this cheap trick.”
“So what happens now?”
“You are going down town with me.”
“What are the charges?”
“Oh, for now hindering the investigation of a murder, lying to the police and a few others that I will think of when the time comes.”
“It’s not against the law to sit in a wheel chair,” he said smugly.
“Well Kenny, let’s just see how this all plays out.”
**
“What are you saying exactly?” I asked the ADA.
“I’m saying you have nothing. You have no physical proof that he did this. You have no DNA. You have no eye witnesses that put him at the scene of the crime. In fact, you have nothing. That’s what I’m saying.”
“So what I need is a confession? He has to tell us he did it?”
“Well that would certainly be a good start. What I can do is get you a warrant to search his house and premises.”
“That would help. Maybe we will get lucky and find something that will tie him to the murders.”
“Anything is possible,” she said and walked off.
“That didn’t go so well,” the captain said stating the obvious.
“Captain, he did these murders.”
“Hey, you are singing to the choir. I can tell you that you will certainly never get a Grand Jury indict him with what you have now.”
“I know,” was all I could say.
**
Brandon stood there with a small smile on his face as we went through the place inch by inch. The crime scene team looked into the yard, garage and out building. They came up empty.
Almost five hours later we had found zilch.
“Happy?” Brandon said when I sat down on the couch.
“Brandon you may think this is a joke but we are talking about murder. Six people have been brutally killed and this is no game.”
“Really? Let’s see. They killed fourteen women that we are aware of. Six of them are dead and you think that isn’t justice? The way I look at it, they are still ahead by eight.”
“It’s not a game about points Brandon.”
“No it isn’t. It’s about what has happened to my father as he gave up on everything. It’s about me growing up without a mother. It’s about thinking about what happened to her every day of my life. No Detective Bartoni, it isn’t a game. It is what I like to call justice. They reaped what they sowed and my only regret is that one of them got a way. I wish whoever did this would have gotten to him as well. Hell maybe they will still get him one day,” he said with a look of pure hatred on his face.
“Brandon you are going to have a miserable life if you go on hating like this.”
“You’re wrong,” he said and walked off.
**
I went into the interview room to talk to Kenny knowing full well it was probably futile.
“Kenny, I know you think what you did was justified but vigilante justice is never the answer?”
“What I did? You have evidence that I did this?”
“I’m saying it was wrong, whoever did it. If it was you, you made your point. You need to come clean and put this all to rest.”
“Is that your best shot Bartoni? Do you think you can shame into saying I did this? You are dead wrong.”
“I’m saying that you will not be able to live with yourself at some point. You have a chance to make a good deal with the DA right now. There are enough extenuating circumstances that can influence the outcome of this case.”
“What case? Bartoni I like you, I really do. Hell I even respect you but you have nothing. You tore up my house and found nothing. You want me to confess to something I didn't do and that is just not going to happen. I haven’t done a single thing wrong. You can speculate all you want but you have nothing.”
“Oh cut the crap Kenny. We both know what you did. Just man up and say it.”
“Right. That's certainly a strong argument. Man up. Do you even know what that means? It means to step up and do what has to be done. The manning up has already been done,” he said.
“Meaning?”
“Whatever you want it to mean.”
I was going to get nothing out of Kenny and I knew it. He was right, we had nothing. We probably couldn’t even prove he interfered with the investigation. Getting him for lying was a chicken shit thing to do and I wasn’t about to pursue that.
“Alright Kenny. But at some point you are going to want to get this off your conscience.”
“I have nothing on my conscience Detective Bartoni. So I’m free to go?”
“You’re free to go.”
I sat there as he stood and walked over to me and leaned down and whispered in my ear very quietly.
“We’ll get the last one at some point,” and he walked out.
I knew he was the one.
**
“The tape didn’t pick it up and you can’t see his lips in the video. All we have is your word. It won’t fly,” the ADA said.
“So he gets away with it?”
“At this point, yes.”
“Well this really sucks pond scum.”
“It happens,” she said.
“What about the son?” I asked.
“His words; ‘we’ll get the last one’, doesn’t point to a specific i
ndividual. It could be his son or anyone. Bartoni this is one you just aren’t going to be able to resolve,” the ADA said.
CHAPTER TWENTY- SIX
I spent the next three weeks watching the Miller house on my own but never once saw him set foot outside except to get the mail and occasionally the paper. Either he knew I would be watching or he had lost James' trail and was waiting for him to surface again.
Finally it wore me down and I had to give up. As much as I hate cold cases I was forced to turn this one over. If it had been Kenny Miller or his son Brandon they had done a hell of a job of covering it up. In fact few criminals could have done it better. For now I could be glad the killings had stopped.
Since no one was indicted I assumed that Tom James was smart enough to either stay hidden or have left the state. I know one thing for sure, if he showed his face there was a good chance he would turn up dead a few days later.
**
I had on a black dress that was just knee length and a set of pearl necklace and earrings that had been my grandmother’s. It was all I could do to get my feet into high heels and not wobble. I’m not big into makeup but I did have on a small amount of lip stain, some blush and my hair down for a change.
“Wow,” Ben said when he walked up.
“Wow what?”
“You look terrific. I’ve never seen you with your hair down in all the time I’ve know you,” he said touching the side of my face.
“I have to say, you look pretty darned handsome in that tux yourself Doctor Warman.”
“So, I don’t mean to be pretentious but have you been to a ballet before?”
“Of course. I used to go in Russia all the time,” I replied.
“Russia? You have been to Russia?”
“Hasn’t everyone?”
“Ah, you are putting me on.”
“Maybe,” was all I said as he took my arm and we headed for the entrance.
Ballet? Is that where they use a ball and mallet?
- CASE FILE CLOSED –
About the author:
Marshall W. Huffman did not begin writing until after he retired from teaching. He decided to start with a trilogy based on a cataclysmic event. Marshall’s first trilogy is THE EVENT and consists of THE END, THE BEGINNING, and THE REVELATION. With THE EVENTS success he decided to write a second trilogy that is a frightening look at the events that could lead to THE SECOND CIVIL WAR. It is made up of: Book I – A NATION DIVIDED; BOOK II – A NATION AT WAR; BOOK III – A NATION HEALING.
Marshall was born in Bainbridge, Georgia and grew up in Indiana. After spending eight years in the Navy, he attended Ball State University, earning a B.S. degree in Business.
During and after college, he was involved in the restaurant business and spent the next twenty-five years in all types of venues, eventually owing his own fine dining restaurant. After years of long hours, he decided on a career change. He attended Eastern Illinois University earning a MBA. Because of his business background, Eastern Illinois University asked him to teach in the hospitality management program. He was recruited from Eastern to Parkland College and soon took over as the Program Director for the Hospitality Program. During his tenure there, he became a chef and had a television show called Cooking around the World with Chef Marshall and taught a series of Gourmet cooking classes for Continuing Education as well.
Professor Huffman retired from teaching along with his wife, Dr. Susan Huffman, to the Tampa Bay Florida area.
You can find his e-books or in paperback under: MARSHALL HUFFMAN at Amazon.com
SHADOW MAN - Angie Bartoni Case File #6 (ANGIE BARTONI CASE FILES Book 1) Page 10