“Hey Max, why don’t we hit the road and re-interview some of our witnesses. Maybe we can jog their memories.”
“Who did you have in mind?”
“Let’s start with Mary Parker. After that, let’s visit the Powers and talk to Sandy again.”
“Do you think that’s wise, Mike?”
“You’ll be with me. How much trouble can I get into with a chaperone?”
“All right, we’re not accomplishing anything here. We’ll have to be back by two for our meeting with Hank.”
Both men got up, checked out and headed back to First Street where this nightmare began.
*****
Mary Parker was glad to see the two detectives. She invited them in and as was her habit, asked if they would like coffee. Mike declined and asked for water. Max said he would like his coffee black.
“I remember Detective.” She returned with the coffee and water and settled in a chair facing the two men. “What can I do for you gentlemen today?”
“We’re just doing follow-up, Mrs. Parker”, Max said. “Trying to see if you remembered anything about either the night Sandy was attacked or the night Dave was killed.”
“I’ve gone over both nights many times and I think I’ve told you everything I remembered.”
Mike jokingly asked, “No sinister shadow lurking beside the steps when you got home the night Dave was killed?”
“If that was the case, I would have been on the phone immediately.” Mary took a sip of her coffee and then told the detectives, “I did have an interesting visitor yesterday though.”
“Something to do with this case, Mrs. Parker?” Max asked.
“Yes and no. A freelance writer wanted to ask me some questions about Sandy and Dave.”
“Why?”
“He told me he was doing a story on the wife-abusing husband killer and wanted to get some background information. He indicated he hadn’t sold the story yet, but wanted to have it fleshed out by the time you caught the killer.”
“What kind of questions did he ask?”
“He wanted to know if either Sandy or Dave was having an affair.”
All Mike’s nerve endings started to tingle. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him Sandy loved her husband and didn’t have time to play around and Dave was with her every minute he wasn’t at work. He also asked if I had ever seen any strange men enter their house while Dave was at work. I didn’t like what he was inferring and told him if he printed anything implying Sandy had been unfaithful to Dave I would urge Sandy to sue him, and whatever publication printed his story, for libel. He left shortly after that.”
Max was curious and asked, “Did he give you his name?”
“Of course. He left his card with me, too. His name is Chuck Boyd.”
Mike flinched when he heard the name. Max had no idea who Chuck Boyd was, but Mike did. “Thanks for letting us know about this, Mary”, Mike said. He signaled Max they needed to go. He did not want to upset Mary, but he had to let Max know who this freelance writer really was.
“Why the big rush?” Max asked as they climbed into their car.
“Do you know who Chuck Boyd is, Max?”
“A freelance writer.”
“Uh-uh. He’s a PI. He retired from the Bureau about two years ago and found retirement wasn’t for him, so he started his own PI firm. He works for a couple of lawyers in the city. In fact, I think one of his clients is Jason Flanders’ attorney.”
“Well, well, well. Looks like our friend Mr. Flanders is trying to dig up some dirt on his daughter-in-law to back up his fantasies.”
“I think it might be a good idea to stop by Mr. Boyd’s office today and see how his story is coming.”
Max nodded his head and they set off to check in with Sandy Flanders.
*****
When they got to the Powers’ house, they found Sandy at home alone. She told them her father was at work and her mom had gone shopping. Mike was the first one to ask Sandy how she was doing.
“I seem to run out of energy in the afternoon, so I’ve decided not to go back to school until September. That will give me the whole summer to get the house ready to sell and look for an apartment, get settled in.”
“If you need any help, just let me know”, Mike said.
“I appreciate that. Don’t be surprised if I take you up on that.”
“Has Jason been in touch with you, Sandy?” asked Max.
“I haven’t seen or talked to him since shortly after the funeral. He was not happy when I told him I intended to spread Dave’s ashes on the Susquehanna. Sarah has stopped by several times. She hasn’t seen him either. He told me he was not happy about being shut out of the arrangements. He wanted Dave buried in the family plot. When I told him I was following Dave’s wishes he hung up on me. I doubt he will be with us when we take Dave’s ashes to the Susquehanna. By the way, have you heard anything from Joe about when his boat will be ready, Mike?”
“He told me he’ll be ready the week after Memorial Day. He’d prefer a Saturday or Sunday because he’s pretty booked up with work.”
“Will you ask him if the Sunday after Memorial Day would be okay with him?”
“I’ll be seeing him this week, so I’ll set it up.”
Max let this play out and then he asked Sandy, “Have you thought of anyone who might have wanted Dave dead?”
“Detective, he didn’t know that many people. He wasn’t friendly with anyone where he worked and the only people we saw socially were people I knew from work. I can’t picture anyone being vicious enough to do what happened to Dave. Besides, I never heard of the second victim and I know Dave didn’t know him either.”
“Officer Hank Simonson has been working with Carol McGinley, the widow of the second victim. I gave him Dr. Wells’ name and thought she might be able to help Carol through this.”
“If she wants to, I wouldn’t have a problem meeting with Carol. It’s difficult to come to terms with what happened, but we do have it in common and might be able to help each other.”
Mike was not surprised Sandy would make the offer. “I’ll let Officer Simonson know and give him your phone number.”
“I’m glad you came today, Mike. I was beginning to think you were mad at me for some reason.”
“Why?”
“I haven’t talked to you since shortly after the funeral and the last time the police contacted me it was just Detective Davis.”
“Something came up, Sandy, and we felt it would be better if he took the lead in contacting you.”
“Is Jason to blame?”
“What makes you say that?” Max asked.
“A couple of times during our marriage Jason tried to make Dave think I was playing around. Jason always seemed to time these accusations when Dave was unhappy with work. Each time, Dave believed his father and made my life a living hell. It would take me months to convince him his father was wrong. We’d settle down to a ‘normal’ life for a while and then Jason would start things all over again.”
Mike was confused by this. “I thought Jason wanted Dave to marry you?”
“He did. What he wanted was an heir and we weren’t cooperating. I guess he thought I wouldn’t or couldn’t provide the heir apparent, so he wanted Dave to divorce me and marry someone who could. What he didn’t know, was Dave was the one who didn’t want children.”
Mike was surprised by this information. “Why didn’t Dave want kids?”
“He was afraid his father would exert too much influence on any children we might have. He was afraid of Jason, Mike. He didn’t want to be the same kind of father to his kids that Jason had been to him. It was also the only thing Dave had control of when it came to his father, denying him an heir to the Flanders fortune. Unfortunately, I did want kids. Major impasse that usually led to arguments.”
“Did Jason know that?”
Sandy was adamant when we stated, “No. It was something between my husband and me and was none of Jason’
s business.”
Mike nodded his head, smiled and thanked Sandy for the new information. Then he and Max said their goodbyes and left, heading back to the office for their two o’clock meeting with Officer Simonson. The final meeting of the day would be with Chuck Boyd. Both of them wanted to know why Chuck changed careers from PI to freelance writer.
CHAPTER 48
Today’s meeting was the shortest yet. With no new information to share, the officers went their separate ways. Mike and Max cleared up their desks, gave an update to Lt. Harper, and headed out.
At 4:00 p.m., they walked through the door of Boyd Investigations. It was a storefront office with a desk and chair in the small front room. A sign on the desk propped in front of a bell, stated “Ring for Service.” So they did.
A door to the right side of the desk opened and Chuck Boyd came into the room. “Can I help you gentlemen?” he asked with a smile.
Mike caught Chuck’s brief look of recognition before he covered it with the smile and greeting.
“You may not remember me, Mr. Boyd. My name is Mike Campbell and I’m a detective with the Lancaster Police Bureau. This is my partner Detective Max Davis.”
Chuck shook the hands of both men and said, “You’re right, Detective. Should I know you?”
“I was at your retirement party a couple of years ago. I was a patrol cop at the time.”
“Well, thanks for seeing me off. There were quite a few cops there that night and I’m sorry to say I don’t remember everyone who attended. What can I do for you?”
Mike and Max had talked about their approach on the way over. They knew Chuck Boyd would take a hard line and invoke “client privilege” whenever a question was posed he didn’t want to answer. Max, because he was closer to Boyd’s age, would be the one to ask the questions and steer the interview.
“We were wondering when you changed occupations, Chuck?” Max asked using Boyd’s nickname instead of addressing him as Mr. Boyd.
“When I retired two years ago. Retirement was boring so I started this one-man shop to keep out of my wife’s hair and make a couple of bucks to supplement my retirement.”
“Good one, Chuck. I’m talking about changing occupations from PI to freelance writer.”
Mike had to admire the fact Chuck barely reacted to Max’s statement. Mike was betting Chuck was rapidly going through the pros and cons of bluffing his way through this and was glad when Chuck decided truth was the easiest way to go.
“Freelance writer is one of my alter egos when I’m investigating a case. Some people are nervous around an investigator. I’ve found if I introduce myself as a writer it relaxes people and they’re more open with me.”
“Why do you use your real name?”
“Easier that way. I have a one-man operation. I would need multiple phone numbers if I used aliases. It’s just easier and cheaper this way.”
“Why were you questioning neighbors of Sandy and Dave Flanders?” Mike asked.
“I had a request from a client.”
“And who might the client be?” asked Max.
“Now, Detective Davis, you know that’s privileged information.”
“You were questioning people who knew the Flanders. The murder of Dave Flanders is still an open investigation, so I ask you again, why were you questioning their neighbors?”
“My client wanted to have certain facts verified, facts he felt the police were overlooking.”
“Since we are the police who are responsible for finding Dave’s attacker, what facts were so important for your client to know?”
“Privileged information. You know I can’t share anything with you unless my client authorizes it.”
Max looked at Chuck and nodded his head like he was in full agreement with him. “I know you’re in a tough spot, Chuck. Would you voluntarily give us any information that might be pertinent to this investigation, or do we need to get a court order?”
“You need probable cause and you don’t have it. Just because I asked a few people a couple of questions, doesn’t mean I’m interfering with your investigation. This may be an open investigation, but that doesn’t mean an interested party can’t look into areas the police are not pursuing.”
Max smiled. “Okay, Chuck. I’m going to tell you a story and you jump in any time I don’t get it right. Tom Wyatt, Mr. Jason Flanders’ attorney, asked you to prove Sandy Flanders was having an affair and that’s why her husband stabbed her during an argument. Am I right so far?”
“Privileged” Chuck deadpanned.
“In addition, Mr. Flanders believes Sandy’s paramour killed her husband in retaliation.”
No comment from Boyd.
“Finally, and this is the most farfetched idea yet. Mr. Flanders believes his daughter-in-law was having the affair with one of the police officers who is currently conducting the investigation into his son’s death. Oh, it’s not me.”
“You have a good imagination, Detective.”
“The imagination is all Mr. Flanders’. I think you found that out. When he fires you for not proving his fantasies, give us a call.”
“This has been an interesting conversation, Detectives. Don’t hold your breath waiting to hear from me. Have a good day.” Chuck Boyd turned and walked back through the door to his office.
Mike and Max looked at each other and smiled. Without saying it, Chuck Boyd had just confirmed the fact Jason Flanders had hired a PI to try and prove Sandy and Mike were having an affair. What they didn’t know: What was Flanders’ end game?
CHAPTER 49
Max did not accompany Mike to Craig McGinley’s funeral. There was no need since he hadn’t attended Dave Flanders’ funeral.
Mike met Hank at the door to the funeral home and they found a spot in the back of the room where they could see everyone who made an appearance. It went pretty much like Dave’s, several hundred people filed past the casket to give their condolences to the grieving widow, took seats for the service, or left immediately.
Carol was caught up in the what ifs, Hank shared with Mike. What if she hadn’t gone to Philly that weekend? What if she had come home on Sunday instead of Monday? What if? What if? What if? Mike said Sandy had gone through some of the same questioning after Dave’s death. Another reason why they needed to find this guy who was meting out a form of frontier justice, acting as judge, jury and executioner.
They talked in hushed tones as they watched the procession of mourners pass by. “What I can’t put my finger on is how this guy is identifying his victims”, said Mike.
“It does seem farfetched to think these two events were random because there are too many similarities between the two cases”, Hank agreed.
“The families didn’t know each other. They lived in different townships. They had no friends, relatives, neighbors or fellow workers in common. They were two totally disconnected people who happened to be wife abusers. How can someone know that unless they happened to be passing by a house when a husband decides to haul off and start beating on his wife with the windows open so the world can hear?”
“You might have hit on something, Mike.”
“Be serious, Hank. I was only kidding.”
“Think about it. What do both of these cases have in common?”
“Both husbands abused their wives before the husband was killed.”
“Right. In your case, Sandy called 911 and was taken to the hospital while the police investigated to find her attacker. In my case, about two weeks ago, one of the neighbors called 911 to report a domestic disturbance at the McGinley house. Both times, a police report was made.”
“Can we get the 911 call from the McGinley case, Hank?”
“Sure. I’ll find out who was on duty the night the call came in. How about your 911 call?”
“We have the call in evidence. I’ll look into who was on duty the night Sandy was attacked. At least this gives us another avenue to pursue. Everything we’ve tried so far has led to a dead end – no pun intended.”
“The only person who was at both services was me”, Mike said.
“And we know you’re not the person we’re after. Is there any footage from the local TV station of the crowd around the murder scenes?”
“Were there many people at the McGinley house?”
“Most people were at work. Couldn’t have been more than half a dozen curious people standing across the street and there were no news crews there until the people had dispersed.”
“All right, let’s start with the 911 calls. Can we meet in the office around 2:30 to compare notes?”
“I’ll be there”, Hank said. Both headed to their respective offices to pursue this new lead.
CHAPTER 50
The Avenger waited in his car as Peter Baker pulled into his driveway. He had researched Peter Baker and regarded him as the worst wife abuser he had run into so far. Before they separated six months earlier, Arlene Baker had called the police on four separate occasions. Each time the police arrived, they found physical evidence she had been assaulted. Peter admitted they had argued, but each time he adamantly denied hitting her, claiming the bruises she had were self-inflicted.
He couldn’t tell by the information he found if the police believed him. Arlene declined to press charges each time, so the police had their hands tied. They gave him the usual warnings and left.
The last six months had been no different. Twice, Arlene called the police. Twice they came and sent Peter back to his new residence, which happened to be down the street. His claims that she was the aggressor didn’t hold water for the Avenger. Peter Baker was a man who wanted to control everything around him, including his wife – estranged or not.
Splintered (Mike Campbell Series Book 1) Page 19