by John Misak
“Ron was an extremely emotional person. He had been acting strange lately, depressed. Lord knows he shouldn’t have been. The money he would get from the buyout would have been more than enough to live comfortably on. He would have been able to fund his own campaign, if he wanted to, and the Governor was about to announce that he supported Ron for the Senate position. Everything he wanted was coming together, but he wasn’t happy with it. I think he felt he was betraying his father by getting out of the business.”
That would explain Mullins’ comment on the answer machine tape about his father. At least, it could explain that. I thought about mentioning the tape to Sondra, but that would have to wait for when we officially took her down to the station and questioned her. I didn’t want her lawyer finding out about that. I needed to cover my bases.
“Do you know what his mother thought about the whole thing?”
“Jackie? She could have cared less about Techdata. She hated the company from its inception. From what I know, she never wanted Ron to get involved. She liked the idea that he wanted to get into politics when he was in high school, and I think his father’s urging to get him into computers led to their divorce.”
So, that’s why the mother kept her maiden name.
“Speaking of divorce,” I said, knowing I was treading dangerous ground, “there have been rumors about marital trouble with you and your husband. Were they true?”
“I don’t see how that is pertinent.”
“Everything is pertinent.”
“Are you considering me a suspect?”
“With a rock solid alibi? Don’t think so.”
She looked around the room again, then met my eyes in a way women do at a bar when they want to talk to you. Sort of seductive, and very inquisitive. I knew the look, even if I didn’t get it all that often.
“We had our troubles. All married couples do, I suppose. Especially when you are in the public eye the way we were. It just goes along with the territory.”
“I guess it does. How would you describe your relationship up until now?”
“We were getting along fine. I was happy to see him get away from the company. It was bringing him down. He really had nothing else to contribute. He was done with it, had been for a few years. If you know the business, then you know that Techdata really hasn’t come up with anything groundbreaking in a long time. They have just been rehashing old technology. I guess that’s what most companies are doing now. I can’t say I was really happy about him getting into politics, but at least that would be more exciting than software. I knew he was good for it. I knew he would succeed.”
All throughout this, I watched Sondra closely. Partly because I wanted to try and see what she was feeling, and whether or not she was hiding. I also watched her because, when in her presence, you have to watch her. You really have no choice. The woman had charisma, a certain chemistry.
“Back to your husband’s state, can you think of anything that could be interpreted as suicidal behavior?”
“Like what?”
“Well, suicidal people tend to give things away, things that at one time were important to them. They also can be angry, apologetic. Can you think of anything?”
“Well, in a sense, he was giving away his company, if that counts. As far as the other stuff, I just don’t know. He seemed to want more time to spend with his kids. He seemed upset that he couldn’t go with us to the Bahamas.”
“Did you press him for why he wasn’t going?”
“I never pressed him on things like that. That was his business; he had to do what he had to do. No sense in making him more miserable. He had enough on his hands.”
“So,” Rick said, “you’re saying that your husband could have conceivably killed himself. You think he was capable.”
This statement drew a look of discomfort from Sondra.
“Oh my God, I don’t know.” Her eyes began to water. I watched closely, to see if she was acting. She was so damn good it was tough to tell.
“I’m sorry if this is difficult, ma’am, we just need to know.”
“I understand,” she said. “This is just so difficult. And it has been very hard on his children.”
“Of course,” Rick said. “Do you know of anyone who might want to kill your husband?”
“Kill him? Everyone liked him.”
“Could there have been someone who had something to gain from his death?”
“What do you mean?”
“Was there anyone who would have benefited from his passing?”
“Well, his insurance policy obviously won’t pay if his death is deemed a suicide.”
“I know,” Rick said. “What about his will?”
“To be honest, I am not that familiar with it. I am sure that his half of the company went to the kids and me. He probably gave something to charity; he was a very charitable person. Other than that, I don’t know.”
“What about the sale? Will it go through even though he has passed away?”
She shook her head. “I haven’t even thought about that. I want to see what his children think. If either of them would be interested in working there. I think his son might.”
That struck me, the part about the sale. It made me doubt that the partner had any ulterior motives. He obviously would have benefited more if Mullins would have sold him the company outright, instead of having the wife and the heirs to deal with. If what Sondra was saying was true, then she had the power to stop the sale. No reason why Chapman would want to deal with that on purpose. At least, there was no reason I could think of. And I had my mind in the most suspicious mode possible. That’s what I thought.
“Well, if you could, I would like you to try and think over the next day or two, who might want your husband dead,” I said.
“You think he was murdered?” she said, her voice raising in tone.
“We don’t know, Mrs. Mullins. We have to consider every possibility.”
She nodded. She was done. Maybe it was because she couldn’t handle anymore, or maybe her pre-made script was finished. Either way, she stood up.
“If you don’t mind, I have many things to handle.”
“Of course,” I said, standing up. Rick looked like he wanted to stay, ask more questions. It would have been of no use. I handed Sondra a business card. “Please contact us if you think of anything else.”
She looked up at me, that seductive look coming back. I figured she just couldn’t turn that off, ever. No wonder they had some problems in the past. The woman was a five-alarm fire. “I will.”
We got up and left the sitting room. Sondra made her way up the stairs to the left of the room. Standing in the foyer was the security guard. I really wondered why the Mullins’ needed so much security. I decided to ask the guy a few questions. Partly because I wanted to break his balls, and partly because it might help the investigation. In that order.
“Thanks for the help, um,” I said.
“Steve.”
“Yes, Steve. And being that you’ve been such a big help today, I figured you wouldn’t mind answering a few questions.”
Stevie wasn’t too happy about it, but I think he realized it was best to give me what I wanted, to get rid of me. Maybe he was porking the missus, and wanted to get back to business. I couldn’t blame him for that. As a matter of fact, I developed a new respect for him because it was possible.
“What do you want to know?” he asked.
“Well, did you see Mr. Mullins leave yesterday?”
“I did.”
“Did he say where he was going?”
“He had to meet someone.”
“Who?”
“Don’t know.”
“Of course you don’t.”
“I don’t.”
I raised my hands. “Okay, okay. What time did he leave?” “Around 3pm.”
“Cameras pick him up as he was leaving?”
He hesitated. “Yes.”
“Might we see those tapes?”
&nbs
p; “No. I mean, I am not in charge of that.”
“You are in charge of security, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but it’s up to the Mullins’ as far as those tapes are concerned.”
“I guess we’ll need a warrant, then.”
“I guess so. Sorry.” He didn’t sound sincere. Something was up with the tapes, I thought. Either he didn’t have the tape, he never recorded it, or something was on it. All of those possibilities led to different scenarios. If he didn’t have it, then someone else did. If he didn’t record it, that was either a decision he or someone above him made, and I would have loved to know why. If there was something on the tape, something that hinted toward foul play, well, then, that’s self-explanatory. Or, perhaps it was nothing. Perhaps I was getting ahead of myself again.
I didn’t think so either.
“How long you been working here?”
“Four years.”
“As head of security.”
“It’s not really called that.”
“How many men they have?”
“Two.”
“Where’s the other guy?”
“Been sick for a week now.”
“Interesting.”
“You think so.”
“Yes, I do. Got his phone number?”
“Yes.”
“Convenient that he got sick, don’t you think? That might have something to do with the tapes, huh? Couldn’t record that day?”
“I never said that. What the hell is your problem?”
“No problem,” Rick said, interjecting. He saw what I was up to. I wouldn’t say that he disagreed with what I was doing, just how I was going about it. I shouldn’t have brought so much attention to the tape. If gave him too much warning. I realized that right when I looked at Rick’s face. Dipshit I am. “Anything strange happen yesterday?”
“Other than my boss killing himself?”
“You know what I mean,” Rick said, holding back a bit of anger. I really wanted to see Rick go off. He needed it, and I knew it would be nothing short of hilarious. I needed a good laugh. “Nothing that I can think of.”
“What was Mr. Mullins’ mood like?”
“He seemed distracted.”
“Just distracted?”
“Yeah.”
“He didn’t seem suicidal?”
“What does suicidal seem like?”
This guy was a real wiseass.
“Did he seem different?”
“He’d been different for weeks. Always bitching about one thing or another, if you want to know the truth. I think the stress was finally getting to him. He seemed like he was cracking. I’ve seen guys in positions like his do that all the time. It’s a shame to see it, too.”
“I’m sure it is,” Rick said.
“He had a lot of pressure on him. He was getting out of the only business he knew, that was weighing heavily on his mind. He told me about it a few times, when I drove him places. On top of that, he had the Senate thing. He wanted to do that, but was unsure of his chances. I thought he would have been great at it. Not that I know much about politics. Hell, I don’t even vote.”
Man, this guy got chatty fast. Very chatty. Was there something going on here. Should I have been worried? I kept thinking about it. I kept paying attention to everything he said. I watched every facial expression he made. Just in case. I preferred to watch Roseanna, or Sondra, but hey, not all of my job was glamorous.
“Okay. So he spoke to you often.”
“Not often. But he did speak to me.”
“And you think he was suicidal. You think it was possible.”
He thought about that. “Possible. I’m not sure about it, but definitely possible. Unbelievable.”
“What?”
“That a man who had all he did would kill himself. It really doesn’t make sense, when you think about it.”
“Money isn’t everything,” I said.
“Obviously not.”
“Thank you for the help,” Rick said. “We’ll see you soon.” Nice one, Rick. Let him think about that one for a while. Actually, I didn’t know what to think of Steve. He might have been alright. Then again, he might not have been. Too soon to tell. I decided to go with my initial impression, one which I made of just about everyone I met. I didn’t like him.
“Nice going,” Rick said, getting back into the car.
“Relax. We’ll get the tape.” I hoped we would, because if we didn’t, I knew for damn sure that my pal Rick would throw me right under the bus, and tell Geiger it was my fault. No question about that. It felt nice to be able to trust a partner so superficially. Real nice.
“You gave the whole thing away. If we do get a hold of the tape which I don’t think we will, they’ll have done something to it.”
“You really need to work on your Conspiracy Theory problems. First off, we’re still working on a suicide case, if you look at the evidence. We have two people who were close to the victim who say he was capable of suicide. I just think I ruffled that guy’s feathers a little bit. And you should be happy I did, because if I didn’t, we might not have gotten anything that made us suspicious of him. I helped him point his own finger at himself. At least it gives us something to work on.”
“Okay, you’re right. But you could have been a little slicker when it came to the tape. All I have heard is how good you are when it comes to questioning, and so far I have seen nothing.” “Maybe you just aren’t looking in the right places.”
“I’d have to be looking at a woman’s tits or ass to see what you are seeing.”
“Again with that. Maybe you should get a good look at an ass or two. Might make you feel like a man again.”
Rick’s face turned red. Target hit.
He opened the passenger door, and sat in the seat. Unusual tactic, to not respond at all. Maybe I destroyed the target. I never could tell. I got into the car myself, started the engine, and looked at Rick, who seemed to be seething.
“You really have a one track mind.”
“No, my mind has several tracks. They all do lead to the same destination, however.”
This produced a chuckle.
“Piece of work, you are.”
“So I have been told.”
“How many of your partners have you sent to the department psychiatrist?”
“You partnered with me a few times. Haven’t seen you in his office.”
“Doesn’t mean I didn’t go.”
We had to go to the police station in Valley Stream, which was a good distance away, and I was hungry. Being that the Mullins’ lived only a few blocks away from All American Burger, I figured it was a perfect late afternoon destination. Not the ideal place for a guy like Rick to eat, but I was sure he had a protein bar on him somewhere.
I pulled into the parking lot, which for 3pm was pretty busy. “What are you doing?”
“Eating, what does it look like?”
“Here?”
“Yes.” I turned off the engine. “What do you want? They have hot dogs, and the best double cheeseburgers you’ll ever eat in your life.”
“They have anything that won’t clog your arteries? You know, something that doesn’t have more fat than an entire cow?”
“I believe the old-fashioned cardboard containers are low in fat, and high in fiber. On top of that, I think they finally succumbed to the pressures of the 20th Century, and got diet soda.” Rick made a face.
“You don’t want anything?”
“Do I have to get a double?”
There was hope. “No, they have singles, too.”
“Get me one. Without cheese.”
What a tightass, but he was learning. I walked inside the building, which looked a lot like a Carvel, if you are familiar with that structure. If not, picture a building about half the size of a McDonald’s. The counter and the kitchen were the same size, but eliminate the seating area. All of it. There were tables and chairs outside. As soon as I entered the place, my nose was bombarded by one o
f the best smells known to man, grilled onions. All good burger joints did something special with the onions. All American was no exception. Their onions were comparable to White Castle’s in flavor, but they were not diced, add more flavor. You certainly didn’t order All American before a big date, but I mentally checked my calendar and saw that I was free for the indefinite future, plenty of time to clean the smell from my breath.
A middle-aged man wearing a stained apron stood behind the counter. Despite the cars in the lot, I was the only one in the place.
“What do ya need?” he asked. He looked like a burger cooker. He had meaty arms, and thick gray hair, and eyes that looked like they could cook the burgers themselves.
“Let me get two doubles, fries, and a single with no cheese.”
He raised his eyebrows to that one. “Drinks?”
“Large coke, and a…” I didn’t know what to order nature boy. Water or diet soda? I remembered something I had read on the Internet about how NutraSweet might be bad for you, and figured I’d play it safe. “And a water, please.”
Another raise of the eyebrows. Rick had a way of making you popular. The term “high maintenance,” made popular by the movie When Harry Met Sally, intended to be applied to woman, certainly applied to Rick. He most definitely ordered a salad with dressing on the side. I wondered if he fantasized about putting on pumps and wearing miniskirts. I decided, right there, that I didn’t want to know.
The man behind the counter, whose name was Joe; I noticed that he had a name tag when he turned back around, placed my food on the counter.
“6.25,” he said. That was the thing about All American. It was cheap. So, you had to consider risking the big date. Hell, you had to consider taking the big date with you. Talk about saving cash. Remember, I didn’t date too often.
I handed him a twenty, and he gave me the change.
“Thank you, Joe,” I said.
“Take care.”
I brought the bag into the car. Man it smelled good.
“That stuff smells like shit,” Rick said.
“That means it’s good for you,” I said.
“Yeah, right.”
“Just eat it, and stop bitching. Please.”
I doled out the food, and we ate it the way fast food should be eaten, in your car. Sure, it leaves a foul stench that gets worse over the course of a few days, but that was just part of the experience.