Vote Then Read: Volume III

by Aleatha Romig

  She nodded, numb and cold to her bones, simply thanking him before shutting the door after he left. Flipping the flimsy lock, she turned around and faced her son. The renewed look of fear on his face gutted her once more.

  7

  Mace met with Walker as soon as he returned to the compound, taking notes on his recently finished mission. From all accounts, it sounded as though everything had been completed satisfactorily and he sent the finalized report to Babs.

  “Sounds good, man,” he said. “Make sure you get your travel vouchers to Babs, as well.”

  “Thanks boss. What’s up next for me?”

  “I don’t want to send you back out on another flight right away. If you and Cobb want to drive to the capital, we’ve got some more security work lined up.”

  He watched as Walker gave a chin lift in response before walking over to his computer and settling in. Turning back to his desk to scroll through reports, he was curious to see if there was anything else on the child who’d seen the assault.

  Finding another notification, he quickly clicked on the link. Reading through the new report of the home invasion, he could no longer ignore his gut. Shaking his head, he became frustrated with the detective on the case, who clearly had little imagination. Everyone at LSI knew that things rarely fit into neat little boxes when investigating.

  Beginning to slide through the possibilities, grateful the media had not gotten hold of the story, he began to analyze. One theory was whoever had been in the other office, had looked over and seen the child watching them. If the child was there with a parent, it would not be difficult to find out whose office that was. If indeed there had been an assault, then it would be in their best interest to find and silence the child.

  Another possibility, one that made him even more nervous, was that someone dirty in the police force had seen the report and was suppressing the investigation. Leaning back in his chair, he tapped his fingers on the desk, trying to decide what to do. If that person had truly intruded into the home of the witness, then they were escalating.

  So far, there had been no mention of a father. Clicking on Sylvie Gardner, he jolted as her driver’s license photograph appeared. The woman I spilled coffee on! Suddenly he realized where he had seen her before. Ed Gardner’s wife. He remembered seeing her occasionally at a few of the Army events, before he was accepted into the Special Forces. He had met Ed in boot camp and, like everyone who knew Ed, knew he was a royal fuck-up. So sure of his own abilities, the man had dragged the platoon down. Once out of boot camp, Ed had been certain that he would be selected for Special Forces, but never made the cut. Never came fuckin’ close.

  With a few more taps on the keyboard, he quickly discovered they were divorced. Court documents showed abandonment, no steady employment, no alimony payments, and no child support payments…Once an asshole, always an asshole. He clicked more and discovered she lived in a small house in an old neighborhood, probably with no security. Steady job. Son in elementary school. Checking out her social media, he was pleased to see that she posted little and only had one photo of her and her son.

  That picture, much more flattering than her driver’s license, showed a beautiful, dark-haired woman and a cute little boy that appeared to take more after his mother than father.

  Before he had a chance to look at anything else, Babs called out. “Mace, the Governor is on the line. Highest priority.”

  Immediately picking up on their secure line, he said, “Governor Sanders. What can LSI do for you?”

  “I like a man who can get down to business immediately. We’ve got a situation that the media will get hold of very soon. I’d like to have you handle as much as you can outside of the media circus that will be following the State Police.” He hesitated, for only a second, before blurting, “Charles Jefferson, the new State Attorney, is missing.”

  “For how long, sir?”

  “Since last Thursday. He left the office, told his assistant that he had some official business to attend to and would not be back into the office until the next day. His wife is out of town…actually, she’s in Hawaii, for a real estate agents’ conference. He did not report into work on Friday morning, nor did he call. His assistant tried calling his cell phone numerous times and finally got hold of his wife who had not heard from him. She flew back in yesterday and reported that it appears as though he has not been in the house for at least a few days.”

  “We can start investigating immediately but, with the State Police working the case, I’m assuming you want us to go through the back door.”

  “Yes. I’ve already informed Detective Martinez that you’ll be working the case with him.”

  “I’ve worked with Roberto before. He’s an excellent detective and won’t get his nose out of joint if we work with him.”

  “Good, good. Charles is an asset, a good State Attorney. But, I’ve got to tell you, what he was starting to work on was going to bring some heat down on him.”

  “I had read in the news that he was going after organized hate groups…ones that had big money backing them.”

  There was a long sigh before the Governor said, “Yes. I tried to tell him that to start off with something so monumental was going to be difficult. But, he was elected on a platform of being hard on hate groups.”

  “We’ll begin immediately, sir,” he confirmed.

  “Thank you. We’ll be in touch.”

  He disconnected and called the Keepers together.

  “Whatcha got, boss?” Blake asked.

  “We have a new mission, priority one.” He quickly explained his conversation with the Governor. “I’ll take the lead and I’ll need three or four others with me on this to begin with. Walker, Rank, Tate.” He looked over at Babs taking notes, and said, “Everyone else, continue on with your assignments and we’ll call you in as we need to.”

  As the group disbursed, the ones working with him moved over to the conference table. “I’ll be with you guys in just a minute.”

  Heading over to Josh, he said, “I’d like you to do something for me, please.” Typing in a few things on his tablet, he pulled up the police report that Sylvie Gardner had filed. “Can’t explain this, other than I have a gut feeling. Would you just check into this and see if the police follow up?”

  “You got it, boss. No worries.”

  Silently appreciating his dedication, no questions asked, he headed over to the main conference table where he and the others began the investigation into the missing State Attorney. Showing them the information the Governor had given to him, he added, “I want to know who Jefferson was looking into, see if we can follow a trail of where he went after he left work on Thursday.”

  Tate immediately moved to one of the computers, where he was able to follow the traffic cameras. Within thirty minutes, he called out, “It looks like he took his car from the state capital building, drove downtown and parked in one of the parking garages. There are cameras in the garages and I see him at 2:43 PM exiting his car. He goes out of camera range and does not come back. I can fast-forward the time and see that no one else has been in or around his car.”

  “Forward that on to Detective Martinez.”

  A couple of the men grinned, having worked with the lead detective before. “Thank God Roberto likes working with us.”

  “He’d be an idiot not to,” Rank said. “We’ve got better toys in our sandbox.”

  Cutting in, he said, “Get into Charles’ computer. I want to find out if he was trying to meet with anyone.”

  As the LSI team began working, Josh motioned to him with a head jerk. Walking over, he asked, “Whatcha got?”

  “I set an alert on Sylvie Gardner and it appears she used her credit card to purchase several deadbolt locks.”

  He leaned over Josh’s shoulder and checked out the transaction. Sighing, he said, “She bought some shitty-ass locks.”

  “You got a special interest in this? Something you want me to keep looking into?”

  By now, sev
eral of the other men had turned their attention toward them. He stood up, rolled his shoulders back and stretched his neck, shaking his head slowly.

  “Hard to explain. Couldn’t sleep the other night so, I just started looking at some statewide police chatter. Came across a report where a young boy told his mom that he witnessed an assault in the building across from where he was hanging out. His mom believed him, absolutely. Police were more doubtful, but they checked into it. Didn’t seem like it was anything.”

  “Not really the typical thing that LSI looks into, boss,” Clay said. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Just wondering, I suppose.”

  He looked around the room at each of the men, all the top of their fields. “Every one of us has developed a sixth sense for when something just doesn’t feel right. I know that sense has saved my ass more than once. Probably yours, too.” He watched the flashes of understanding move through the eyes of the men as they looked at him, most nodding.

  “Something about the story struck a nerve with me. Granted, I’ll be honest and say it reminded me of a time when I was a kid and my dad didn’t believe something that I had seen. My grampa did, but it was too late to find out anything.” Shrugging, he added, “Hell, maybe it’s just me being sentimental. I’ve got no fucking clue but, it caught my eye so, I flagged it. Now two other reports have come in from the mom and I get the feeling that the police are going to shove this under the rug and file it under the not to be believed file.”

  Drew looked up, and volunteered, “Right now, I’m finishing up the last of my identity changes for a client. You want me to start looking into this?”

  Mace hesitated and Drew stared at him carefully. “Or, maybe boss, you want to check into it yourself. Don’t take offense but, if it’s striking a personal chord with you, then maybe you should be the one to check it out.”

  He rubbed his chin, staring at his boots. The other men watched him carefully, not used to seeing him struggle with an inner decision. He finally looked up and nodded slowly. “Got to admit, when I looked the mother up, I recognized her from my past. Her ex-husband was in the Army the same time I joined. An asshole who was dishonorably discharged about the time she divorced his ass for abandonment. The Governor’s request takes precedence over everything, but yeah, I’m going to take a look into this.”

  “Where did this happen?”

  “Downtown Augusta…near the capitol. She lives on this side of the city.”

  Tate offered, “You could go today. We’re all going to be finishing our missions or starting the intel on the missing State Attorney. Nothing much you could do here anyway.”

  “Boss, I’ve got the address sent to your phone and you should be there in less than an hour,” Babs piped up, her sharp eyes on him.

  Shaking his head at the high-handedness of his crew, he met their eyes. “Then I guess I’ll see you later today or tomorrow morning.” With goodbyes and good lucks called out, he headed to the elevator.

  8

  Walking toward the house, Mace noticed there were no outdoor security lights. The front of the small house held a porch, allowing easy access for someone to look in or break into the front windows. Approaching the front door, he spied an old lock, but no security deadbolt. Sighing, he pressed the doorbell, then stepped back several feet.

  “I’ll get it!” a child’s voice could be heard.

  “No! Wait on me!” a woman’s strident voice called out.

  He was glad to hear that she was going to stop the child from opening the door, but was unprepared for the wide, blue eyes that peered up at him when the door swung open. He remembered them from the other day, but had been so distracted by their collision that he had not appreciated them fully.

  Sylvie kept one hand on the doorknob and with her other hand, held David back. Glad that she had locked the screen door, she looked up in surprise at the large man standing on her porch. Dark, black hair. Heavy five o’clock shadow. Khaki cargo pants that did little to hide his thick thighs. And a tight, black T-shirt, that did nothing to hide his muscular torso. The man from our coffee disaster!

  “You? What are you doing here?”

  Mace reached into his back pocket, pulling out his identification. He held it open and leaned forward just enough for her to be able to read it. “I’m Mason Hanover. I was wondering if we could talk.”

  Sylvie’s eyes jumped between the ID badge held in front of her and Mason’s face. She felt David lean around her hip, but kept her hand firmly on his shoulder.

  “Oh, cool! Are you like a special agent?” David asked.

  Mace’s eyes moved from Sylvie’s face down to the boy at her side, seeing excitement written on his features. “I’m a private investigator,” he said, before looking back to her.

  “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” she said. “Is this about your shirt?”

  “No, no. I’m here in conjunction with the police reports.” She bit her lip, indecision written on her face and he was momentarily distracted by the sight of her plump lips. Forcing his eyes to stay on hers, he said, “I know of the trouble you’ve been having,” he gently nodded toward David. “I’d like to help, if I can.”

  “I’m sorry, I still don’t understand. Did someone send you?”

  Lifting his hands to the side, he said, “You’re right to be suspicious. I’ll tell you what…how about if I sit out here on the porch and we can talk through the screen door. This way your son can play safely inside, you’ll still be behind your locked screen door, and I’ll be out here in plain sight.”

  “Wouldn’t that seem rather odd?”

  “I suppose—”

  “Sylvie! Is that man bothering you?”

  He glanced to the side and saw an elderly, snowy-haired man standing by the fence, a rake held high in his hands. He stepped back away from the door, allowing the neighbor to see him clearly.

  “No, Mr. Curtis,” Sylvie called out through the screen door, watching as Mason stepped down from the porch and walked toward the fence. Curious, she leaned as close as she could, with her nose smushed against the screen, hoping to hear what was being said.

  Mace approached the man, stopping about ten feet away, his hands clearly visible. “I’m glad to see Ms. Gardner has a neighbor so watchful. I’d like to show you my ID if you don’t mind.”

  The older man pulled his head back, narrowing his eyes. “What kind of ID?”

  “My name is Mason Hanover and I’m a private investigator.” He pulled out his ID, held it in his hand and walked toward Mr. Curtis, who scrutinized it carefully.

  “What do you want with Ms. Sylvie? She doesn’t need any trouble.”

  “I absolutely agree and that’s why I’m here. I’d like to help look into who might be bothering her. I’m gonna sit on the outside of her door with her screen locked, and she and I are going to chat. I feel better knowing that she’s got a neighbor keeping an eye on her.”

  Mr. Curtis nodded and looked past him, toward the house. “Looks okay to me, Ms. Sylvie. But I’m going to be here in the yard to keep an eye on things.”

  With a nod, Mace turned and walked back up to the house, pulling a porch chair next to the door. He noticed that Sylvie had moved a chair as well and was now sitting on the other side of the screen.

  Looking down at David, she said, “I need you to go play, sweetie. You can either play in your room or watch TV in the den. I’m going to be sitting here at the door, having a chat with this man.”

  Scrunching his nose, David looked up at her. “You’re going to talk to each other through the door?”

  Before she had a chance to answer, he spoke up. “I want to make sure that your mom is comfortable talking to me. I’m a stranger to you guys right now. This way, I’ll be in plain sight of the neighbors and she can be on the inside of a locked door.”

  David’s lifted eyebrows continued to show surprise but, lured by the idea of watching any show he wanted on TV, he nodded and bounded down the hall.

  Sylvie watched her
son before turning around, observing as Mason settled into the chair.

  “I’m going to be completely honest with you, Ms. Gardner,” he said. “I am a private investigator, but I also do a lot of individual security work. I monitor police reports at times, to see if I can be of service. The police report that was filed last Thursday caught my eye.”

  Cocking her head to the side, she asked, “Did you recognize me from our little…um…encounter that morning?”

  “No, no…not at first. Then, I saw your driver’s license and realized who you were.”

  She nodded, uncertain what to say, but curiosity filling her.

  “I felt a desire to look into the reports that you had filed with the police here.”

  “What is it that you’re looking for?”

  “After seeing the third report that you filed, where you reported someone had been in your house, I wanted to offer you any security advice that I can.” Doubts still lingered in her eyes, so Mason continued, “For example, I see that you have no deadbolt on your front door and I assume the back door is the same. I also notice that you do not have any outdoor security lights. And, while Mr. Curtis is certainly the kind of neighbor who would call the police if he thought something was happening, I would hate for you to only have him to rely on.”

  “Mr. Hanover, everything you say is right, but I’ve talked to the police. I don’t know what else I can do,” she said, dropping her eyes, wiping her palms on her jeans. “I bought a deadbolt lock, but after I got home, I realized I need a special drill bit to make a large hole in the door to install it.” Her voice lower, she admitted, “I can’t afford any fancy security.”

  “Ms. Gardner, do you believe that your son witnessed a crime?”

  Her head jerked up, her clear eyes meeting his, and she declared, “Absolutely. He may be young, but he doesn’t lie. And while he certainly has a child’s normal imagination, the level of detail was too descriptive for him to be incorrect in what he saw.” She glanced over her shoulder, presumably listening for the sound of the television, before she looked toward him again. “I’m the one that had to hold him that night because he was shaking in fright.”