DEAD ON ARRIVAL: Angie Bartoni Case File # 14 (Angie Bartoni Case Files)

by Marshall Huffman

  “Alright. Who is next in line for the CEO position?” Garrett asked.

  “According to the board of directors, they will have to start the process all over again.”

  “Why? They had to have ranked them at one point.”

  “According to the chairman of the board they are going to open up the field a little more. Add a couple of new names. They want to make sure they have done their due diligence,” I told him.

  “They are conservative,” he said.

  “Over the top. Anyway, we have asked them to hold off naming a new CEO until after we wrap up the investigation.”

  He was about to say something when our food arrived. The plate was huge and looked absolutely delicious. I dug in immediately. It was unbelievably good. The chicken filling was as tender as any that I have ever eaten. Everything had a slightly different taste from the other Mexican restaurants I had eaten in.

  When I looked up Garrett was watching me with an amused look on his face.

  “What?”

  “A little hungry were you?”

  “Yeah, I guess so. Sorry. I didn’t mean to be a pig,” I stammered.

  “No, it’s okay. Rico will be happy to see how much you like his food. He prides himself on it.”

  “I can see why. This is the best Mexican I have ever had. Even the tortilla shells are more flavorful. Everything is fantastic,” I said.

  “Rico will be pleased,” Garrett said and started eating.

  This had to be one of the few times I have eaten every single morsel on my plate. If I had been with Dan and he reached for something on my plate like he usually does I would have stabbed him with my fork.

  If it wasn’t considered rude, I probably would have licked the plate. That didn’t seem very ladylike under the circumstances. I could see Rico smiling as I sat back and just sighed.

  “Not bad huh?” Garrett asked.

  “Absolutely the best I have ever had. I don’t see why this place isn’t busting at the seams with customers,” I said.

  “He has his regulars but it’s not in the best part of town as you noticed and people who do stop in and aren’t known don’t always feel welcome.”

  “Man, if he ever decided to clean this place up and re-do the interior he would make a killing,” I told Garrett.

  “That isn’t his priority. He is happy doing what he does. We talked about that once. He said when he had a family in Mexico he worked hard to make a go of this place but his wife and child were murdered while he was here in the states. Since then, money doesn’t matter as much as it once did,’ Garrett replied.

  “Man, that is really tough,” I said.

  “He did manage to get his nephews out of Mexico. Legally, by the way, and they help with the place. They all live upstairs above the restaurant.”

  “Hard life,” I replied.

  “Rico is a good guy. He helps others whenever he can. He is pretty free with the food and handouts.”

  “Is it okay if I bring Dan here sometime?” I asked.

  “Sure. Rico knows you now. You will be welcomed with open arms,” Garrett assured me.

  Garrett paid and left a more than generous tip. Rico protested but Garrett held firm. Rico was still shaking his head when we left to get back in the Healey.

  We said goodbye as we were getting out of the car. He grabbed a quick kiss and went off to do whatever he does. I went back upstairs to read through the files once more.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  We were at Nemein’s when Walter Pike walked in the building.

  “Pardon me, are you Walter Pike?” I asked.

  “Yes. And you are?”

  “Detective Bartoni and this is my partner Detective Roberts. We need to ask you a few questions.”

  “Oh dear. This is most inconvenient. I have been gone for three days and I am sure my work has piled up.”

  “I understand that but I’m afraid a murder investigation takes precedence over your other duties.”

  “Do I really have a choice?” he asked.

  “Just regarding whether we do it here or down at the station.”

  He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

  “Alright. Why don’t we go to my office? I would like to get this over with as soon as possible.”

  Pike was maybe two inches shorter than Dan, making him right at six feet tall and a trim two hundred pounds give or take ten pounds. He walked on the balls of his feet which told me that he had probably been an athlete at one time. He had a very nice tan for a guy who lived in the corporate world, especially in the Mid-West.

  His office was like all the others we had been in, opulent. His had a definite masculine feel to it. A picture of him in uniform standing next to a jet on the deck of some aircraft carrier was hanging on one wall. He placed his briefcase on the desk and went around and sat down. He briefly picked up the stack of pink ‘While you were gone’ messages and then put them back down.

  “How can I help you?” he asked.

  “How well did you get along with Doctor Wittman?” I asked.

  “Fine. We didn’t really socialize if that’s what you mean. We were work associates.”

  “You didn’t like him much, did you?” Dan asked.

  “I didn’t dislike him. We simply didn’t agree very often. He had his way of doing things and I had mine.”

  “You think he was too easy on employees?”

  “Among other things. Employees are paid to perform. To me that seems rather simple, do the work you are being paid to do or out you go. He coddled them a lot more than I would have ever stood for,” Pike replied.

  “You had some pretty heated arguments, isn’t that so?”

  “Yes. So what?”

  “You once told him you would get even for something he did that you didn’t like,” Dan said, reading from a note book.

  “It was in the heat of the moment. If you think that means I intended to kill him you have another think coming,” Pike replied.

  “Why did you suddenly decide to go to Dallas?” Dan asked.

  “I didn’t just suddenly go. Dallas had a cash flow problem where they shouldn’t have had. I flew out to straighten things out. It’s no big mystery. I came back so what’s the big deal?” he challenged.

  “You weren’t even here for Tanya Meyers’ funeral.”

  “Well I can’t very well be in two places at once, now can I?” he replied.

  “You were pretty upset when you didn’t get named to the CEO position,” Dan said.

  “Disappointed is more like it. No one likes to be passed over for a promotion, especially one like this. I have been here for seventeen years and I felt I knew the company better than anyone else. I was discouraged that they gave the position to someone less qualified,” he replied.

  “Do you have access to the nuclear materials room?” Dan asked him.

  “I would imagine. My badge allows me to go anyplace in the building. I’ve never been there but I would imagine I could if I had a good enough reason. Actually there is a protocol for accessing that level and the materials inside. I have never tried to access them.”

  “What about Tanya Meyers?”

  “What about her?”

  “How was your relationship with her?” Dan said.

  “We didn’t have a relationship. I know who she is and have attended staff meetings with her but frankly I didn’t even understand why she was being considered for the CEO position. She is certainly not on the level with the rest of us.”

  “She must have been pretty good at something. She was the Senior Vice President of Operations for a huge company.”

  “That’s true but she had no vision. She was fine with the details but she couldn’t see beyond her little world.”

  “But you could,” Dan goaded.

  “A lot better than the others, that’s for sure,” he insisted.

  “And yet the board didn’t see it that way.”

  “A bunch of company hotshots sitting around patting each other on the back and hel
ping each other get rich with insider tips. They don’t know anything about the pharmaceutical business.”

  “Where were you the night before you left for Dallas? The night Meyers was murdered?”

  “I had dinner at my sister’s and we sat around talking until around midnight. I went home and went to bed.”

  “So you aren’t married?”

  “Of course not. She managed to get her hooks into me for a hefty sum of money. I hope she chokes on it,” he said like it was leaving a bad taste in his mouth to even talk about it.

  Gee, such a sweet guy. I can’t imagine why she would want to flee such a warm marriage.

  “I need to tell you that you are a person of interest at this point. You are also a concern in case someone is trying to eliminate all of the potential CEO candidates.”

  “Are you saying that Wittman’s and Meyers’ deaths are related?”

  “That is my belief. It is possible that you, Stewart, and King could be targets as well.”

  He frowned and sat there. I could almost hear the wheels turning.

  “But how would they know who the board would choose?”

  “That is a good question and one that we don’t have an answer to yet.”

  “You mean to tell me that someone could be going around killing us not even knowing if we would actually be appointed to that position?” he asked.

  “It is a possibility,” I replied.

  “Ludicrous,” he responded.

  “Stranger things have happened,” I told him.

  We spent another thirty minutes asking questions and re-asking a few just to check his story. It all seemed pretty legitimate. In other words, it was another dead end. This was getting old fast.

  ***

  The rest of the day was pretty much spent spinning our wheels. We re-read the interview files but got nothing further from them. When the captain came out of his office he stopped by.

  “I take it you got nothing from that other guy.”

  “Roland Lancaster,” I replied.

  “Roland? Who names their kid Roland?”

  “Apparently his parents,” I responded.

  “Oh, very good. That’s a real knee slapper. So what are you going to do next?”

  “Honestly?”

  “No, dishonestly. Of course honestly, Bartoni.”

  “I don’t know. I think I want to talk to the board members and see if they can give me any insight as to the character of the candidates.”

  “Do you think they will be straight forward? You know how those guys are. They like to beat around the bush to CYA.”

  “I think in this case they might be a little more willing to go out on a limb. Right now they are being forced to postpone naming the next CEO while we investigate. I know they want to get that resolved as quickly as possible,” I said.

  “Well the last thing we need is for one of the others to get wacked. The media would go insane.”

  “Yeah, and it wouldn’t be too good for the person who got killed either, ya know?”

  “There is that,” he said, “Don’t hang around here too much longer. It isn’t going to help. Go home, drink some wine, and start fresh tomorrow,” McGregor said encouragingly.

  “You know captain, that’s the best idea I have heard all day. A brisk ride in the Healey and then a hot bath and a little wine couldn’t hurt.”

  “Good. Go home,” he said and headed down the stairs.

  I like Captain McGregor. He works us hard but he cares and he is pretty wise when it comes to having us back off and regroup. He takes good care of his people.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  I was having a dream that Dan and I were drugged and someone had set the house on fire. We were trying to understand what was happening but it was all so confusing. I could see Dan talking but he wasn’t making any sense. Suddenly we were flying through a window and the ground was rushing up.

  I woke up drenched in sweat and clutching my chest. I swear I could almost smell the smoke, it was so realistic. Then I remembered we had gone through that very experience on an earlier case. Someone had actually tried to kill us buy drugging us and setting the place on fire. We had to jump out of the second floor window.

  I got up and went to the bathroom. I was hesitant to go back to sleep because sometimes the dream just picks right back up. I sat on the stool for a few minutes and then got a wash cloth and wiped my face and neck. I thought about taking a shower but then I would be really awake and it was far too early for that.

  Unfortunately, my cell phone began buzzing on the night stand. That was never a good thing. I looked at my watch. It was only 3:25 a.m. I stumbled my way across the room, tripping over my shoes and answered the phone.

  “Yeah?”

  “McGregor.”

  “What’s up boss?”

  “You need to get over to Lancaster’s place. Someone broke in but the alarm scared them off. We need to check it out.”

  “We? Are you going to be there too?” I asked.

  “Get your rear over there now. Good night,” he said and hung up.

  My, how rude. I dressed, grabbed my badge and weapon, and locked the house up before climbing into the Healey. It was a little on the nippy side this morning. Maybe it always was this early. I sure wouldn’t know.

  The drive took only twenty-five minutes due to the traffic. Only jerks and the police are out this early. Several patrol cars were parked in the driveway with their lights flashing. For once there were no rubberneckers standing around. I guess his neighbors didn’t care for early mornings either.

  “Hey Bartoni,” Sargent Wilcox said as I came up the drive.

  “Hi Ken. What’s the story?”

  “Looks like someone tried to break into the house through the back door. The door has been pried open. The motion sensors must have detected them and the alarm sounded. Mr. Lancaster called 911 and here we all are.

  “Have you talked to Lancaster yet?”

  “Just to get his statement.”

  “Alright Ken. You guys can take off. I’ll have CSI take a look but I doubt that they find anything.”

  “I think the guy bolted pretty fast,” Ken replied.

  “Probably. Thanks,” I said as he walked back to his patrol car.

  I walked around to the back door. I used my trusty LED flashlight to shine on the door frame. You could see where a pry bar had been inserted into the wood and used to leverage the door open. Even though I could clearly see the marks it seemed odd to me. They had to know the place had an alarm system. Anyone who owns a place like this is going to have one.

  I went on through the house to the front room and found Lancaster sitting, talking to a pretty patrol officer. She saw me and immediately disengaged from the conversation.

  “Mr. Lancaster, Detective Bartoni,” I said.

  “Yes, I know who you are. I’m not senile,” he said rather sharply.

  I decided to let it go. He was upset so I chose to cut him some slack.

  “Can you tell me what happened?”

  “What happened? Someone tried to break in, that’s what happened.”

  “I got that part. Did you hear or see anyone?”

  “Good heavens no. When the alarm went off I jumped out of bed, grabbed my phone and dialed 911. Almost as soon as I hung up the alarm company called to see if I was alright. I told them what had happened and they said they would follow up with the police,” he told me.

  That helped explain why so many cars responded. It was more than usual for a break in.

  “Your bedroom is on the second floor?”

  “That’s right.”

  “You didn’t hear anything before the alarm went off?”

  “I said I didn’t,” he snapped.

  “Did you go downstairs at any point?”

  “Obviously to answer the door when the police came.”

  “I mean before that,” I asked.

  “I did not. I wasn’t about to go investigate and get my head bashed in,” he answered. />
  “Would you mind looking around the house to see if anything is missing?”

  “I don’t see what good that would do. I’m sure he fled as soon as the alarm sounded.”

  “We need to be sure,” I insisted.

  “It’s a waste of time, but if you insist,” Lancaster said.

  “I do,” I replied.

  He spent the next few minutes going from room to room downstairs but found nothing missing.

  “Everything seems to be in order.”

  “Has anyone ever tried to break in before?” I asked.

  “No, never. I’ve tripped the alarm a time or two when I forgot to turn it off when I came in but no, no one has ever tried to break in before,” he told me.

  “I am having CSI come out and look at the door. I doubt it will do any good but you never can tell. He may have left a footprint or something,” I said.

  “How much longer will this take. I do have to work in the morning.”

  “We will make it as fast as possible. You need better locks on the rear door. It didn’t take much to force it open. Get your security people out here and have them beef that up,” I told him.

  “Alright,” he said and wandered off to the kitchen.

  I guess he was going to make coffee or whatever he drank. I waited until CSI arrived and then turned everything over to them. It was going on 5:40 a.m. when I was finally done.

  Now I had a dilemma on my hands. If I went back home I could get maybe another hour and a half sleep in. If I went to the station I would just be cooling my jets. Well, I could get the paperwork caught up but who wants to do that?

  I decided to head for home and try to grab a few winks. It took longer to get home. Traffic was starting to pick up from those poor souls who have to be at work early. When I got home I just dropped down on the couch and closed my eyes. A few minutes later I was dead to the world.

  ***

  My internal alarm went off and I managed to drag myself into the bathroom and put a little effort into looking like I was alive. When I looked in the mirror it was touch and go. I ran cold water on my face and put the washcloth on the back of my neck.

  I wished I had taken the time to take my bra off before I crashed. My boobs felt like they had been in a vice all night. They were screaming ‘get me out of here’. Sorry girls, I have work to do.