1929 Book 4 - Drifter

by ML Gardner

  Aryl held his hands out.

  “Tell me about when you met her.”

  “I will. After I go get us something to drink and you tell me how you found Helga.”

  “Why are you so interested in that?”

  “I don’t know,” Aryl said as he stood. “It’s really sad. Tragic.”

  “It was,” Sloan agreed.

  He returned a bit later with three half empty wine bottles. “Hope this’ll do. The kitchen staff was already starting to move about getting ready for breakfast.”

  “Good Lord, what time is it?” After squinting at the clock, Sloan sighed, rubbing his hand over his face.

  “It’s five a.m.”

  “Where’d you get these?”

  “Off room service carts in the hallway of first class.” He did a double take at Sloan’s incredulous look. “Well, you don’t want it to go to waste, do you? They weren’t going to finish it.”

  “I suppose not.”

  “Look at it this way. It’s plenty aired out,” Aryl said as he filled Sloan’s water glass. Slowly his smile fell and his eyes went to some distant place.

  “What’s wrong?” Sloan asked.

  “I was just remembering something. It’s still a novelty, you know…the memories. Some things come back after something triggers them. It’s like I’m remembering everything for the first time. The memories are fresh, like it just happened.” He gave his eyes a rough swipe.

  “What was it that you remembered?”

  “It wasn’t about here. It was the first Thanksgiving after the crash. We didn’t feel like we had much to be thankful for living in that dirty tenement and we were drinking wine from water glasses. That’s what this reminded me of. Jon had just tried to—” He sat down and as he did, all his breath left at once. “No,” he breathed. “He tried to kill himself after that. Just before Christmas. I remember now,” he whispered.

  “What stopped him?”

  Aryl stared off for several moments, his eyes vacant and far gone as he relived those moments. Finally he looked up with a sad smile. “I did.”

  Sloan held up his glass. “Well, there’s a career highlight.” He could see that Aryl was growing more agitated, flooded with emotion. Sloan was prepared with a distraction.

  “Just like everything else, the obvious came knocking on my door. I didn’t figure out what happened to Helga alone. I had some help from her boyfriend.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Gone Wrong

  I stayed out of the office all morning walking the south side looking for Kimberly and tracing the supposed steps of Helga, the vanished sixteen year old. I didn’t talk to anyone, I just walked and thought. I was biding my time. If Helga was just angry and had run away, these two days would most likely see her home.

  I went into the school and asked to speak to the Principal, Mr. Phillips.

  He sat me down and offered me a smoke. I declined.

  “I’m here to talk to you about Helga Werner. She never made it to school last Friday.”

  “Well, she never made it home. She attended the first half of the day’s classes.”

  My eyebrows went up. “I was told she never made it at all.”

  “Oh, she did. She was absent to her fifth period class and the rest of the day.”

  “Did anyone see her leave?”

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “Can I have a list of her closest friends? So I can talk to them?”

  “She didn’t have a lot of friends. There are a few names I could give you. Her boyfriend’s name is Alex Krouse.”

  “She had a boyfriend?” Typical for kids her age, but her parents failed to mention it. “Do you have his address?”

  “I do.” He dug in his file cabinet and wrote down Alex’s address as well as the names and addresses of two girls who knew Helga.

  “Appreciate it. Say, if you hear anything, be sure and let me know. Here’s how you can reach me.” I scribbled down the number to the station and handed it to him.

  “I will. Tell me, do you think you’ll find her alive?”

  “Why would she be dead?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, just asking.”

  “If you have any suspicions, now is the time to tell me, Mr. Phillips. Was Helga in some kind of trouble? Did she get in with some bad seeds?”

  “No, not that I’m aware. She was a straight A student. She had a few friends, other German girls. They’ve never caused any trouble. Even her boyfriend is squeaky clean.”

  I tucked the paper in my breast pocket and left.

  ***

  I got back to my office and transferred all the names and addresses to Helga’s file. I’d stop by the boyfriend’s house on my way home. I had learned early on always start with the boyfriend.

  I pulled out the sandwich Maggie made me and took a large bite. It was a good sign, the sandwich. In fact, for Maggie it meant a lot.

  I glanced at the sandwich warily. Unless she poisoned it. Nah. You’re being ridiculous, Sloan. She was brokenhearted, despondent, hell, maybe even destroyed, but she’d never try to kill me.

  Still, I peeked between the slices of Rye. Everything looked normal.

  With my free hand I felt for the morning paper. I liked to read it while I ate lunch. There was nothing but my stack of silent files to my right and the brown grain of my desk to my left.

  “Hey, Helen,” I poked my head around the door. “Where’s the paper.”

  “Didn’t come today.”

  “Bull. Paper comes every day.” I walked out with my sandwich in my hand and glanced around her cluttered desk. Rolled up and wedged in the Outgoing box was today’s news.

  “Captain told us to get rid of all the—”

  I didn’t hear her. The headline screamed at me.

  Security Guard killed in the early morning hours. He is suspected to be the fourth victim of Boston’s Cop Killer. Though he wasn’t an officer, he was found like all the others, in his bed with a gunshot wound to the forehead and his badge placed over his left eye.

  I dropped the paper as if it were dirty. So the guy they drug in on Monday, the guy sitting in jail that everyone assumed was the cop killer, was innocent. The real deal was still out there.

  “He isn’t waiting and he’s getting less picky. Why would Cap not want us to see this?” Not like we wouldn’t read about it over dinner or hear about it on the way home.

  “Captain says it might shake morale. He says he’s putting together a special unit to look for this guy. Pulling the best from all around the state.”

  I puffed up like a pissed off peacock. “We don’t need a special unit. We can handle this.”

  I marched off to the Captain’s office and walked in uninvited.

  “What can I do for you, Sloan, I’m awful busy right now.”

  “Why did you tell Helen to hide all the papers? It’s not like we wouldn’t have found out about that security guard sooner or later.”

  He groaned and rubbed his eyes. “Sloan, look. This thing has gotten big. It’s bigger than us and I need to call in help.”

  “Yeah, that, too. Helen said you were arranging a special unit just for this.”

  “I am.”

  “Why aren’t we good enough to work it? You could have every one of us out there finding this guy.”

  “And I’m sure that whether I order it or not, all of you will. It’s gonna distract everyone from their jobs. That’s why I want a dedicated team on this.”

  “What the hell do you mean, it’s bigger than us.”

  “You don’t miss much, do you, Sloan?”

  Lately, yeah, I did. I was missing leads on every one of my cases.

  “They found something this time, Sloan. And it’s gonna shake the nerves of a lot of people if it gets out. The officer that went out and found the security guard, I’ve sworn him to secrecy. Threatened his job, even. And I’m doing the same to you. You tell a soul about this and I’ll have your ass on a platter and your office will belong to Felix, und
erstand?”

  I nodded. Why did that last part not surprise me? I could just picture Felix with his greasy hair and his squirrelly ass ways coming in here and puckering up for Cap, showing off his finds and trying to work his way into my office.

  “He left a list, Sloan. He wanted us to find it.”

  “What kind of list?”

  Captain sighed. His eyes looked bruised and sunken. Today was one of those days he hated his job. Wished he’d been born a street sweeper or a carpenter. Or not at all.

  “A list of hits. Random cops and detectives from different departments. The security guard was on the list. There’s no rhyme or reason. But there were names and addresses. Side notes of spouses, working hours, routes they took home, the whole nine yards. The first three names were all the officers that were killed in the last three months, in order. And they were scratched out, along with the latest one.”

  I was speechless. When I found my voice, I asked the obvious. “Can I see it?”

  Captain shook his head. “It’s down in evidence under lock and key. I’ve left instructions not to show it to anyone.”

  A part of me hated him like I hated Felix. I could tell he was hogging all the clues so he could figure it out with his special team and then take all the credit when the big bust came. Goddamn show off.

  “I have reasons for doing what I do, Sloan.”

  Oh, I’m sure you do. You and Felix both.

  “Any chance it’s a copycat since he broke routine?”

  “No.”

  “Well, since he took out a security guard—”

  “Not with the list.”

  “Maybe losing his list will slow him down?” I knew I was throwing out bullshit and rainbows, but I said it anyway.

  “It’s too well researched. I’m sure he has a copy. This guy knows what he’s doing. He left it on purpose.”

  I stood to leave. Captain growled and slammed his fist on his desk. “I wasn’t going to say anything, Sloan. But you have a right to know.”

  “What’s that, Cap?” I turned around, somewhat amused. I expected him to tell me what I feared the most. I wasn’t cutting it and Felix was moving into my office. Like I didn’t already know.

  “You’re on the list, Sloan.”

  I froze.

  “The last one. Number ten.”

  It got real cold in his office and my heart took a minute to start again.

  “I’m putting a man outside the house of the next two on the list. They know. I’m gonna end up having to tell everyone that’s on it, eventually.”

  “Maybe he’ll quit now that he knows we have his list?”

  And maybe pink pigs will fly out of my ass, land in a pan and fry up into some nice bacon, too.

  He didn’t even dignify that with an answer.

  I looked down at my half eaten sandwich. I’d lost my appetite and tossed it in his garbage can.

  “Not a word, Sloan!” Cap yelled at me as I left.

  I sat back down in my chair with a thud.

  Well, if that last tidbit of information didn’t bump my day, the next bit sure as hell did.

  Felix knocked on my door, let himself in and plopped down in a chair across from my desk with a big smile.

  “Hey, good news.”

  “I could use some.”

  “I found one of your missings.”

  I stared at him. Little egg sucking son of a whore.

  “Really,” I said flatly.

  “Yeah. I was busting this guy I had been tailing for weeks. Cold case from three years ago. Triple homicide. So, when I go to arrest this guy, I hear this noise in the back of the house. I go check it out and there’s this kid stuffed in a closet. I brought him in and we finally got him to tell us his name. I grabbed the file—”

  He pointed to my file cabinet with a grin. “I hope you don’t mind. Anyway, so this kid has been missing for over a year. All the time he was being kept at this house on the south side. They had him trained to run drugs all over the city. It’s brilliant.”

  He smiled and twirled his pen. It caught the sun’s reflection and had a strobe like effect on my eyes. “Nobody’s gonna suspect a kid.”

  I was about to tell him to take his brilliant pen and shove it up his ass, but it got worse.

  “I couldn’t get much out of him. He’s pretty confused right now. But he has names and can ID half the big dealers in this city. It’s a hell of a score. Jail’s about to get real crowded.”

  I looked over my desk and wondered if I should pack my stuff now or later.

  The dark side of my mind laughed. Later. You’re last on the list.

  “Well, gimme the file back. I’ll contact the parents.”

  “All done. The kid is at the hospital being checked out. I met his parents there. You should have seen them, they were so happy. It was incredible.”

  He was right. I should have been the one to see them. It was my sleep that was robbed for the last year over this kid.

  Felix rubbed his stomach. “Geez, I’m hungry. I’ve been busy and haven’t eaten anything all day. I better get to lunch.”

  “Well, wait, Felix. You probably don’t want to take the time to go order at the diner. You have a lot to do. Stay here.”

  I walked out to the main room and into the Captain’s office. He stared at me as I fished my rye sandwich out of the garbage. I brushed off some dirt and a few pencil shavings.

  Back in my office, I handed it to Felix. “Here ya go. I couldn’t finish it. Plumb stuffed.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it. You’re an okay fella.” He smiled and took a large bite as he left.

  ***

  I was glad the kid found his way home, even if Felix got to bask in the glory. I was even more glad for the end of the day. Gathering my things I had the urge to check my file cabinet.

  I pulled open the drawer and could see that Felix had indeed rifled through them and wasn’t neat about it.

  I took a few minutes to straighten them, put them all back in their proper order, when I spotted the wallet again.

  With my case load down one, and the nagging I felt whenever I thought of the wallet and the old nut that brought it in, I slipped it into my pocket.

  Sometimes keeping things close gave me ideas. I laughed at myself for believing that. I put on my hat and left the office without a word to Helen.

  Damn. I forgot to get her chocolates.

  ***

  I stopped off at Helga’s boyfriends’ house on my way home.

  His mother answered the door suspiciously. She called for her husband. In a white t-shirt and suspenders, he asked me what my business was. I told him a friend of his son had gone missing and I had some questions for him.

  They led me into the dining room and called Alex in. Mrs. Krouse offered me coffee and I accepted.

  I didn’t want to tip my hand completely, so I started slow.

  “Alex, do you have a classmate by the name of Helga Werner?”

  He swallowed hard and nodded. His fine brown hair danced on his forehead.

  “When is the last time you saw her?”

  “Last Friday. At school.”

  “Was she there the whole day?”

  “No, Sir. Just until lunch.”

  “Do you know where she went?”

  “No.”

  I studied the kid, he might not have known where she went, but he knew something.

  “Do you know if she left with anyone?”

  “I have no idea, Sir. She was there for lunch and then she was just gone.”

  His father hovered over him. “Is my boy in trouble, Officer? Is he a suspect or something?”

  “I’m a detective, and no, Sir. He’s not in trouble and he’s not a suspect.”

  His shoulders dropped and he seemed to relax a little.

  “Do you know the names of Helga’s friends? So maybe I could talk to them?”

  He nodded and I handed him a pen. He scratched down the same names the principal had. No new leads there.


  I took it and stood. “Thank you for the coffee, Mrs. Krouse. If you hear or see anything about Helga, Alex, please get in touch with me.”

  “I will, Sir. And will you…if you find her…when you find her…will you let me know? All of her…friends?” He had genuine worry in his eyes but his coded words told me his parents had no clue they were an item.

  “I will, Alex.”

  ***

  I took my time walking home, thoughts and facts rolling around my mind like a rock tumbler. Someone from the school, or someone that came to the school, had taken Helga after lunch. Why? I wanted to talk to Alex alone. It would scare the hell out of his parents, but I might be able to send a car out to bring him in to the precinct. I had a feeling there was more he could have said.

  ***

  The next day I didn’t know where I wanted to be least. At home stuck in long awkward silences with Maggie, or at work where good news was never the order of the day.

  On the way to the precinct I picked up a box of chocolates for Helen.

  I placed it on her desk with a wink and a “Thanks for all your hard work, doll.”

  I closed the door to my office and glanced at the paper on my desk. Typical depressing headlines, but the cop killer wasn’t front page news. Everyone was accounted for, I reassured myself as I had Maggie, for so many years.

  I turned to my most recent files and poured over every line, every note, looking for a place to start.

  I didn’t have to look long. It came knocking on my door about ten, just when I was getting ready to refill my coffee.

  It was Alex Krouse, Helga’s boyfriend. He looked scared.

  “Can I help you, Alex?”

  Too nervous to sit, he stood by the door.

  “I need to talk to you. About Helga. My parents don’t know I’m here.”

  “And I won’t tell them. What do you need to talk to me about?”

  I gestured for him to sit again and he shook his head, shifted his weight and crossed his arms.

  “See, I’m worried that Mr. Werner made her leave the state.”

  I sat forward. “Why would you think that?”

  “Well, because...” He flushed a deep crimson and looked down.