And it was a good thing he was.
Because down on the lake, a huge cruiser was approaching the dock near Jim’s boathouse.
Crap, crap, crap. But at least Jim wasn’t in the house. How was it that no one here in town had noticed all the money Jim must’ve been spending? A car, a truck and a huge boat, not to mention a house that looked like a mansion.
As he slunk along the edge of the property and up toward the road, Dylan thought with relief at least he’d finally be rid of a huge annoyance now that they had the goods on Jim.
CHAPTER
NINE
“Something wrong, Dylan?” Murphy asked.
After failing to reach Kate on the phone the next morning, Dylan walked into the Crystal Rock Tap where Murphy and Kate’s father had just finished eating breakfast. “Hi, Murphy. Cal–thank God you’re here. I couldn’t find Kate anywhere.”
Seated in the booth across from Murphy, Cal glanced up from his breakfast. “You just missed her, Dylan. She went to pick up a few things from the office, and then she was going home to work from there today.”
Dylan hesitated. “I meant to discuss this with Kate first. But Cal, since I’m here, there’s something that I should probably tell you.”
Murphy motioned with his hand. “Sit down. Have some coffee.”
Dylan slid into the booth next to Murphy. Flipping over a cup and reaching for the carafe, he poured himself some coffee. “Even though I’ve doing everything in my power to avoid it, I’m thinking I might have to drive into the regional office this week to file a report of misconduct.”
Cal frowned. “That’s too bad. Who’s in trouble?”
“Jim Dupree.”
Cal slammed down his coffee cup. “What’s going on Dylan?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe I should be talking about this with Sam Danielson first, since he’s the chief of police?”
Murphy frowned. “Obviously, you discovered something big when you followed Jim around?”
Cal sighed, turning his gaze from Dylan to Murphy. “What have the two of you been up to, Murph?”
Dylan immediately responded, “This was totally my doing, Cal. I’ve been having a lot of trouble working with Jim. His behavior’s been growing increasingly erratic, and he’s been resentful of me ever since I became his deputy.”
“Yeah.” Cal grimaced. “He’s always been a hard one to get along with, I’ll grant you that. He’s never been very sociable either—even back in high school.”
“Well, keep it under your hat, you two. But he’s got a big-time gambling problem.”
Cal became thoughtful. “Yeah, that might explain it.”
“Well, at first I assumed that that was all there was to it too.” Dylan hesitated, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “But...”
“But, what?” Murphy asked impatiently.
“Look, I was already there, and Jim was off in his speedboat.”
Cal was obviously curious. “Spit it out, Dylan.”
“He’s just built a new house on the lake, he has two brand new vehicles and a top-quality cruiser he takes out regularly on the lake—it’s gotta be a gas guzzler too.”
Cal sat considering. “In other words, how in the hell can he afford it all? Especially if he has a gambling problem? I didn’t realize he had a second vehicle. I’ve only seen him driving around in the truck. As far as the cruiser, I didn’t even know about it. I figured he built the house because he’s always been single and he finally managed to save up for it. Besides, Jim inherited a bunch of money from his father after he died, so who would question how he spent it?”
Dylan remained ominously silent.
Murphy must’ve suddenly suspected the truth since he was studying Dylan keenly. “Is there something else you needed to tell us? Like maybe why this concerns Callahan Construction?”
Hesitantly, Dylan turned to Cal, shrugging his shoulders. “I know that legally, I was trespassing. But he’s got a huge combination storage shed and garage on his property.”
Cal gave him an encouraging nod as he sipped his coffee.
“The door was unlocked. He must’ve forgotten about it when he left. Something’s really had him flustered during these past few weeks, which is why I decided to follow him in the first place.”
“Keep talking, Dylan. No one needs to know you went inside that shed.” Cal was calm, his voice reassuring.
Dylan inhaled sharply. “That’s just the thing, sir. I’m not exactly sure how to handle this. I’m probably going to have to admit to Sam that I trespassed.”
“Why? What was inside?” Murphy’s voice was impatient as he eyed Dylan speculatively.
“I’m pretty sure that what I saw in there was some of your missing construction materials, Cal. I think that Jim’s your thief.”
Cal’s coffee cup crashed into the saucer.
* * *
After Dylan told his story to the chief of police, Sam Danielson stared at him long and hard before he responded. “Why am I not surprised? I learned a long time ago that people aren’t always who you think they are.”
Sam sighed heavily. Standing up and crossing his arms, he leaned against the edge of the desk. “You realize we need more evidence, Dylan? Just because you thought you saw the Callahan Construction tags still stapled to the lumber, doesn’t mean we have just cause to search Jim Dupree’s property. Even though you were trespassing, I think I can manage to keep that fact quiet as long as we have something else to go on.”
“I was going to file a complaint of misconduct at the regional office. Wouldn’t that be enough to open up an investigation?”
Sam sat on the edge of his desk. “I’m afraid not. That would probably only involve an investigation into Jim’s work performance.” He hesitated, obviously thinking quickly. “And I’d actually prefer you hold off on filing that complaint.”
Dylan was secretly relieved to hear these words. After he’d contacted Jake earlier that morning on the phone, he and Jake had concluded there probably wasn’t a way to get around it. Even though Dylan knew he would risk blowing his cover, he’d been the one to suggest he should talk to Sam after letting the Callahans in on his discovery first.
“We might have to put surveillance on Jim. He might change his routine and get rid of those materials before we have a chance to come up with a plan of action.”
Dylan nodded his acceptance.
Murphy met Cal’s gaze, and they shared a moment of silent contemplation before Murphy shrugged, turning back to Sam. “So what do you suggest we do for now, Sam?”
Sam grimaced. “The problem is, we need some other kind of evidence to base a warrant on. Since you’re around Jim on a daily basis at the office, I need you to consider his routine, Dylan.”
Dylan nodded.
“If he’s selling those materials, our best chance at proving it could be discovering records or receipts of the sales.”
“But wouldn’t he keep those at his house?” Dylan questioned.
Sam sighed. “Maybe. But, he’s had an awful lot of people in and out of that house. I’ve been watching him build it, and it’s only been finished for about six months.”
Cal nodded. “When he began building, I remember how surprised I was that he’d never even asked us to make a bid.”
Sam nodded. “Me too, Cal. But the guy’s always been weird—secretive, actually, so I just dismissed it. Now I’m thinking that he might’ve had something to hide from you.”
Dylan hesitated. “Maybe I should try to search the office sometime when Jim isn’t around? Jim won’t let me touch anything otherwise. Everything’s completely disorganized. But every time I mention getting the filing system and records whipped into shape, Jim has a fit.”
Sam shrugged. “It might be worth a try. Maybe he’s got something hidden inside the office?”
Murphy snorted. “Or the guy’s just paranoid and doesn’t like sharing his office with Dylan.”
Dylan grimaced, nodding his agreement.
Sam loo
ked at Dylan. “Where’s Jim now?”
“Supposedly, out on patrol. The problem is, he has a habit of popping back into the office when I least expect it.”
“So why don’t we go try and search the office right now?” Sam stared at his watch. “It’s ten a.m. When’s he due back?”
“About noon,” Dylan answered.
“The three of us can hang around outside while you’re searching. We’ll try to delay him if he shows up early.”
* * *
The game warden’s office was situated in an isolated location along the edge of Crystal Rock Lake, a few miles south of town, and glancing at the wall clock in frustration, Dylan realized he’d been inside the office for almost an hour now.
He’d searched as carefully as he could through every unlocked drawer in the office, thumbing through files and reports that were stuffed inside in barely any semblance of order. When Jim caught Dylan attempting to sort out the paperwork last year, he’d exploded, so Dylan had laid off from doing anything similar since.
Despite going through every possible hiding place he could think of, including Jim’s desk since fortunately he’d seen where Jim had been hiding the keys, Dylan hadn’t been able to find any kind of personal records or information.
Mostly, he avoided any conversation with Jim when they were in the office together, barely even glancing his way except to discuss work related topics or the schedule. Taking in a deep breath, Dylan closed his eyes trying to envision Jim and what he usually did while he was sitting in the office.
Dylan’s eyes sprung open, staring at Jim’s desk.
“The bottom drawer,” he muttered, dropping back into the seat behind Jim’s desk. He seemed to always have it pulled out. Why?
Dylan reached for the desk key; hidden in a small plastic box attached with a magnet underneath the middle drawer.
Unlocking and opening the bottom desk drawer, Dylan studied the files inside. The top of the file rack appeared to be level with the edge of the drawer.
Wait a second. That left a few extra inches underneath the rack. Sliding his hand beneath the files, Dylan suddenly realized the bottom of the metal drawer had an insert that was made from wood.
The roar of a motor resounded from outside and Dylan heard Murphy yell, “Jim’s back.” When he’d first arrived, Dylan had left open a window expressly for the purpose of hearing their warning.
Damn it. He needed to hurry.
How in the heck did this false bottom open up? He finally found a plastic handle stapled to the wood at the very front edge and pulled it upward. Since there were only a few files in the drawer, they slipped neatly back, enabling Dylan to lift the insert lining the bottom of the drawer. There was a load of paperwork under there. Rather than taking anything from the top, Dylan shuffled down about a half an inch, pulling out a handful of letters and receipts from the middle of the pile.
Quickly untucking his shirt from his jeans, he slipped the papers underneath. Dropping the insert and spreading out the files in the drawer, Dylan closed it, locking up the desk. Putting the key where it belonged, he made sure Jim’s chair was beneath the desk before running over to his seat. After poking his shirt tails back into his jeans, he slammed down into the chair.
Dylan took in a deep breath and began going over his on-duty paperwork from the day before, listening to the conversation outside through the window.
“Something I can do for you, Sam?” Jim was asking.
“Oh, just the usual, Jim.” Dylan heard Sam say. “Just wanting to know if you’ve seen anything suspicious around the lake?”
“Not really.” Jim answered. “Nothing much different than usual, I’m afraid.”
Sam asked, “Would you like to join us today for lunch?”
Obviously, Jim wasn’t normally at the receiving end of Sam’s invitations. He was quiet for a very long time. “Uhh...thanks, but I’ve got some paperwork to catch up on inside the office. Maybe some other time?”
“Sounds good.” Sam said, sounding like he was moving further away. They must’ve been heading back towards Sam’s truck.
“We’ll see you later then Jim. Thanks for keeping an eye on the lake’s traffic for me.”
If there was one thing Dylan was good at, it was acting. He’d had many roles working undercover. Without bothering to look up at Jim when he walked through the door, Dylan leaned back in his chair with his clipboard in his hand studying his timesheet.
Hearing Jim hesitate, Dylan lazily glanced up and nodded.
Damn it. Jim did look suspicious.
Jim growled. “What are you doing here already?”
“Finishing yesterday’s paperwork,” Dylan answered. “I didn’t sleep well last night, so I thought I’d come in and get this done so I don’t have to do it when I come back later.”
Jim seemed satisfied with the explanation as he walked through the office toward the coffeemaker.
Dylan watched him for a few more minutes. When Jim sat at his desk and didn’t seem to find anything awry, Dylan breathed out a sigh of relief. He’d had to move away from Jim’s desk in a hurry, and Jim was the kind of person who was nitpicky about everything personal, even though he was exactly the opposite when it came to work-related details.
When Jim stood up and made his way through the office to pour some coffee, Dylan figured it was safe to take off. Slipping his report from the clipboard, he laid it into the tray on his desk. Standing up, he hung the clipboard in place on the wall and strolled across the office. “See you,” he said, with a careless wave.
Hearing Jim’s usual grunt as he walked outside through the doorway, Dylan strolled around the building to where he was parked and climbed onto his bike.
* * *
Thirty minutes later, Dylan walked into the Crystal Rock Tap, and as Dylan began unbuttoning his shirt, Murphy watched him in disbelief.
Dylan grimaced, pulling out the notebook and flat sheaf of papers that he’d tucked under his shirt. “Jim would’ve known something was up right away if I’d tried to take a notebook or clipboard with me—especially since I wasn’t even on duty.” After laying the notebook and paperwork on the table and buttoning his shirt up, Dylan tucked the tails of his shirt back into his pants.
Sam began thumbing through the paperwork. “So, what do you think you’ve found?”
“I haven’t a clue. But I remembered that Jim always spends a lot of time opening and closing his lower desk drawer. Even though he keeps his desk locked, I saw him hiding his keys one day when I slipped into the office.” Dylan sat down at the table and continued, “I didn’t find anything in the file drawer except Jim’s copies of his weekly reports. I’m not really sure what made me decide to look under the bottom of the drawer. There was a false bottom inside. This wasn’t even half of what was there.” Dylan grimaced. “I’m worried Jim’s suspicious though. Usually I don’t come into the office on my days off, so I pretended I’d forgotten to finish Thursday’s report and I was sitting at my desk with the paperwork.”
Sam sighed. “Yeah. I’ve never invited him out for lunch either. I might’ve been stretching it a bit too far, trying to give you a little more time in case you didn’t hear him pulling into the landing.” He frowned, studying the paperwork. “Cal, maybe you’d better take a look at this. It appears to be a ledger.” Sam slid the notebook across the table.
Thumbing through the first few pages, Cal stared at Sam in astonishment. “I can’t believe this. This is an exact record of his transactions. He’s even made notations of the dates when he’d stolen our building materials. There’re even invoices here, listing who he’s sold the materials to.”
Murphy finally spoke. “But why would he do that—leave records laying around that’d lead back to himself?”
Cal answered, grimly, “Because apparently, Jim’s been selling all of these materials to Masterson Construction, our biggest competitor.”
“Jim’s been getting away with pilfering your materials for years, Cal. So he’s obviously
not too worried about getting caught anymore.” Sam nodded thoughtfully. “I have a feeling that these records are his insurance against Masterson. If Jim’s desperate for money, he might’ve turned to blackmail. And maybe Jim thought that if he left these receipts at home, there was more of a chance of Masterson discovering them since Masterson’s construction company built Jim’s house. More than likely, the two of them cooked up this scheme years ago. But the good news is guys, I think that there’s enough here to ask for a search warrant.”
CHAPTER
TEN
Sam had left for his office to begin the tedious process of requesting a search warrant while Murphy and Cal had gone their separate ways, and a few hours later, after Dylan had showered and changed into his uniform, he got a frantic call at home from Cal.
“Dylan? Sam wants us all over at Jim Dupree’s place right away. Kate too. He wouldn’t tell me why. I have a really bad feeling about all of this. Murphy can’t find Kate anywhere. Her truck’s in the garage, he says, and her purse is still there. He’d going to call Julie to see if she’s with her. But she didn’t leave a note behind and the house alarm wasn’t set.”
“What do you need me to do, Cal?”
“Could you pick up Murphy and bring him over to Jim’s? He doesn’t know where the house is. Where in the hell is Kate? I haven’t heard from her all morning either. She was supposed to call me back earlier about some projections she was going to come up with.”
That definitely wasn’t like Kate. But maybe she got sidetracked by a customer? A lot of times Kate travelled lightly. And if she wasn’t driving, why take her purse?
“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Maybe she’s visiting one of the neighbors or just took a walk over to Crystal Visions. She probably just forgot to set the alarm. It’s not like she’s used to having one.”
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