Devon was walking away, “Probably.”
Roger just shook his head. Cold. Set the guy up and throw him under the bus without blinking an eye. Roger waited until Devon left the building and went into the interrogation room where Jack was waiting. Jack looked apprehensive, “How did I do?” Roger clapped his hands, and Paul came in clapping his hands. Before Jack knew it there were about ten people standing there clapping their hands. Jack was beaming. Roger said, “Let’s take off these cuffs.”
Jack was saying, “Did you hear him? He wants me to plead guilty! I told him I didn’t do it!”
Roger said, “I heard Jack. Not much of a lawyer is he?”
Jack just kept saying “I don’t believe the nerve of that guy. This could have been real! You guys might have really thought I did this!” Then Jack said, “Don’t get rid of that cat because of this. They know how to read people.”
Roger laughed, “That cat got us our DNA sample.”
Jack’s eyes got real big, “Yes it did!” He left the office obviously looking for Ellen.
Paul came around the corner and said, “You better get in here.” Roger went into his office. Devon was on the TV news, in the police center parking lot, giving an interview to the reporters.
Paul turned up the volume on the TV, “All I can tell you is that I will mount an aggressive defense for my client, Jack Simpson, regardless of how much forensic evidence the FBI claims to have.”
Roger and Paul looked at each other. Roger slammed his fist on his desk, “Damn it. Damn it!” Paul was clenching his fists and said he would go tell Jack. They needed to get someone assigned to Joy for security. Roger stood at the window in his office glaring at Devon surrounded by reporters, microphones pushed to his face, smiling for the cameras. “If it’s the last thing I do,” Roger whispered.
Roger got a call from CSI. They had a fingerprint hit from the house where the woman at Memorial Hospital had been held prisoner. The hit came from the Financial Institutions Bureau. The FIB reported the print was that of Mr. William Patterson, Sr., Vice President of Commons National Bank and Trust. Trust Officers that were responsible for large sums of money were required by the Insurance Bonding Companies, the Banks Risk Management policies, and the FIB to have fingerprints on file with the Regulator.
Roger wrote down the information and went into the ‘room’. He wasn’t surprised by the chaos. People were huddled in small groups, dashed in and out of the doorways. Papers were being passed about, voices shouted. There was so much happening in such a short period of time that the stress was palatable. He asked the Senior Agent Phillips, from St. Joseph, if he could talk to him a minute, and then took him to the far side of the room.
Roger started, “Agent Phillips, I understand you have about as much seniority as I do with the Bureau?”
Agent Phillips answered, “Yes, I think I do. I tried to retire last year, and they wouldn’t let me go. What’s up?”
Roger smiled at him, “I just got confirmation of a print match from the house of our survivor who is in the hospital. Did you hear about her?”
Agent Phillips nodded, “I heard that if we hadn’t found her today, she would have died. Starved.”
Roger continued, “The print is that of a Sr. Trust Officer at Commons National Bank, who I believe we will discover he is in charge of a fifteen million dollar trust for Devon’s wife, Sandy. When she hits her thirty-fourth birthday on January 13th, she will inherit it all.”
Agent Phillips raised an eyebrow and whistled. Roger continued, “I bet if someone takes a DMV pic lineup sheet to the hospital, we will get a positive identification that he is the second guy in this Devon mess. The one letting the women starve. Then of course we will serve warrants for arrest and seizure of documents immediately.”
Agent Phillips was looking at him, “Are you telling me you are looking to give this career creampuff away?”
Roger smiled, “I was thinking about your boy Nelson, seems to be a kid on the rise. If you would like it yourself, it is almost all laid out.”
Agent Phillips was stroking his chin, “I don’t want even a piece of it! I’m bloody sick of all this shit. Good choice. Let’s give it to the kid, but you do it. I have to keep working with the other one.” He had nodded his head toward a desk in the corner where the other agent looked totally overwhelmed.
Agent Phillips was back at his spot at the table and heard Agent Nelson saying, “Yes Sir. Yes SIR!” Roger was smiling to himself. Fairly early in Roger’s career an almost identical thing happened to him, and really boosted his status within the Agency. He was still smiling when Agent Nelson stood up, “I won’t disappoint you Sir.”
Agent Phillips just smiled and said, “If Agent Dance gave you any details to follow up on he expects them ASAP!”
Agent Nelson said, “Yes Sir!” as he spun around and started making calls.
Agent Todd Nelson poked his head into Roger’s door as he was leaving for the hospital. Roger looked up as Nelson said, “I am going to the hospital now, Sir. I have the six DMV photos one of which is William Patterson.”
Roger looked at him, “Take two patrolmen with you. Call me from the hospital if she ID’s this guy. I will have the arrest warrant and seizure papers ready for you to go immediately to the bank.” Then Roger said, “Confirm… quietly that he is working today… his auto is in the lot… that you are at the right branch… I do not want him to have any warning that you are coming… okay? I do not want him afforded any courtesy. Cuffs and leg irons. He’s earned this.”
Roger’s phone rang, “Dance”
It was Agent Thor, “I’m not screaming “uncle” yet, but I am thinking about it.”
Roger prepared himself, “What’s up Dan?”
“We started on those properties that Devon owns. Three visits… three bodies! This is one sick bastard. If this guy isn’t gone yet, you can bet he’s getting ready. This crap will be all over the news tonight! There won’t be any getting out of this for him! Are any of the St. Joe guys available?” He sounded spent. Death can really take its toll.
Roger answered, “The St. Joe guys are down to two, one just left on an assignment. The Director did give me authority to call in three Chicago boys if you want them?”
Agent Thor said, “They can be here in a couple of hours! Your damn right I want them!” Roger asked if he needed any patrol to help and Thor said “Anybody! Not to mention I am killing off the CSI, and don’t even talk about the M.E. The EMT guys said they have filled the halls of the morgue and put the last two in the break room!”
Roger cringed, “I’ll see what I can do about the Chicago Medical Examiner. Maybe we can send some of these bodies there and borrow their CSI.”
Thor said, “Thanks. Just let me know,” and hung up. Roger thought Thor was right. Devon and Patterson have no choice but to leave after tonight’s news. They were out of time. So were Sandy and Ashley.
Roger placed a couple of calls and found out three agents from Chicago were actually just finished with an assignment in Merrillville and should be able to be here within the hour. Roger also called the Chicago Medical Examiner, got permission to bring no more than twenty bodies to them, and a CSI team would be dispatched immediately. Chief Doyle said he would pull available patrol to at least help with traffic issues and reporters, maybe get a couple more State boys. Roger called Thor back with the news.
Paul came in and said, “He has to have them somewhere near his house. I can’t figure out how he is doing this. All the bodies, all the cars. He answered the phone way too fast when you called.”
“I know.”
Paul started pacing, “I just talked to the guys watching his house, and the Buick is right there outside his office door. We followed GPS, he went straight to this office from here.”
Roger asked, “Are any of the houses he owns on that list within walking distance of his house?”
“None. I mapped them out earlier and they are scattered all over South Bend, but none by his place.”
Just then Roger’s phone rang, “Dance.” It was Stan at the forensics lab, “We have your boy Devon’s fingerprints matching prints found on the outside driver’s window of Karen Smith’s car. I got the lawyer’s prints from the court records. Also, lawyer prints on that little piece of duct tape you found by Ginger Hall’s accident site.”
Roger said, “Thanks,” and hung up.
He repeated to Paul what Stan had said and they both agreed that it was nice to have direct evidence to Devon other than Sandy’s testimony. The unspoken fear was that Sandy and Ashley Tait might not live to testify. Paul gave Roger an update of what the “Talking Heads” of the news were saying about Jack, comparing him to Bundy and others. “I wouldn’t be surprised if a lynch mob doesn’t show up at Joy’s house. We have security there, but I am worried. We may need to bring her here too. The public wants blood!”
The officer watching Devon’s house called Paul, “He’s on the move! I’ll follow him. Do you want more eyes on this if he goes into traffic?”
Paul answered, “No, the GPS is still working. We’ll watch him from here and keep you posted.” Roger entered a few keystrokes into his computer. Paul and he were watching Devon’s car move toward the highway in real time.
Roger said, “You know its four o’clock and this shit hits the news at six if not sooner. Two hours. It’s going to get harder to keep eyes on him, and he has to run. Maybe he is going to where he has Sandy and Ashley. Could we get so lucky?”
Paul shrugged and realized the cat was on his lap. He knew that meant Jack wasn’t far behind. Jack was trying to make claim to Ellen, and she wasn’t buying it. Sure enough Jack showed up in the doorway. He knocked on the open door even though they both were already looking at him. Paul spoke, “Hey, I have your little friend here if you are looking for her.”
Jack frowned, “I don’t think she likes me anymore. I tried to give her a bath.” Roger and Paul looked at each other and cracked up. Ellen wasn’t winking, and she did look a little wet around the ears. Jack continued, “It’s not like a dog. They get mean!” He showed them the fresh scratches up and down both arms and on his neck. Paul was wiping his eyes thinking how bad that could have been. He looked at Ellen, and she winked. They had needed the tension relief of Jack’s visit.
Roger stretched his neck and asked, “How you holding up Jack?”
Jack answered “Okay. I feel useless. I wish I was doing something. And I’m mad! I can’t believe my own lawyer gave the press my name and everything! You know I have been thinking, he might have them women in some house by his office. You said he got to the office awful fast after your guys lost him, right in his own neighborhood!”
Roger realized that Jack had been doing a little eavesdropping of his own. He really didn’t blame him. Roger answered, “We are thinking that too Jack. We just can’t start barging in a lot of private homes, and we don’t want to alert him. We’ll figure this out.” Roger smiled, trying to ease some of the tension.
Jack nodded his head and said, “Just sayin’.” He left the room. Ellen did not follow him.
Paul asked Roger, “How are you staying so calm?”
“I’m not.”
* * *
Linda, Mary, Teresa, and I were sitting in chairs near the ceiling at the county clerk’s office. Linda said, “Right there! That lady has her elbow on the stack of files that I need.” They were looking at a fairly chubby woman who was taking a snack break at her desk. Linda said, “She better not spill that pop on those files. Look over there! I had those all organized and now look! No wonder they are three months behind!”
Teresa said, “Maybe we should feel sorry for them. This is a lot of work, and there are only two of them to do it!”
The other office gal was trying to politely explain to a young man that everyone has to pay property taxes if they own a home. He was shouting, “Well, nobody ever told me! My grandma gave me this house free and clear, and now you want two thousand dollars! Suppose I just don’t pay it?”
The lady said to him, “Then the County will seize it for nonpayment of taxes!”
He looked at her, “What does that mean?”
She was exasperated, “We will take the house and sell it to pay the taxes!” He went nuts! She called for security and the chubby lady finally moved over by them when she heard the security officer arrive.
Teresa flew into action and exchanged a pile of files from the table with the pile the lady had used as an elbow rest. She took the ‘elbow rest files’ into a storage closet. Mary guarded the door, and Linda told Teresa and me what to look for as we sorted. We finally had four files that were property transfers to Devon that we hadn’t seen on our previous trip. Teresa looked at Linda and asked, “Now what?” Linda said the last time the IT guy Ray, got the property addresses from the tax record legal description. She didn’t know if we could do it that way or not. I had the brilliant idea of checking where the bill had been sent before the transfer. We had the names of the people who deeded the properties. They paid the last bills.
Mary spoke through the crack in the door, “How do we find the billing records?”
Teresa was looking around the office, “How about these filing cabinets that say “Billing?” Smarty pants. Now the problem was how to open the filing cabinet and sort through files without being seen.
The cabinets were smack dab in between these two ladies. I had another idea. Teresa must have heard it because we were both studying the ceiling when Mary asked, “What are you guys thinking.” Just as I pulled the fire alarm switch. WOW was that LOUD!
Our little chubby lady could really move! It looked like she was going to run over anything or anyone that got in her way!
In three minutes we had the room to ourselves, but the noise was deafening. We were shouting at each other things like, “Hurry!” “Look in the bottom one!” “We need the M’s” “Got one!” “Here’s one!” We found three of the four, and the sirens stopped. We heard people in the hall starting to come back. Linda shouted, “We have to fax them to Roger yet! You have to stall them!”
Mary ran out of the room and spread herself across the hallway. People just walked through her. “That was weird,” she said. Teresa ran down the hall knocking over the indoor potted trees. Dirt and broken pots were everywhere. It did cause people to stop and wonder what had happened long enough for our fax to go through. Teresa was better at controlling mass than the rest of us were. She reminded us to concentrate our ‘will’, and we had greater force than mass. Whatever.
We went outside of the courthouse, and I said, “That might be considered manipulation of mortal environment.”
Teresa looked at me, “Uh Oh.”
Linda said she was going to let Ellen know we had finished at the clerk’s office and find out what she wanted us to do next. We were all sitting in the back of some guy’s pickup truck playing with a big German shepherd dog when Ellen told us to get to the Commons National Bank and stop William Patterson from leaving!
We all looked at each other, “Who the heck is William Patterson?”
Ellen explained that he was a “friend” of Devon’s who had been bribed into helping Devon. His job was to kill the women. Devon would call him with an address, and he was supposed to get rid of them. Patterson decided to keep them alive long enough for he and Devon to get out of the country with Sandy’s money. Now the women were being found, dead. Patterson had been watching the news. The cops were finding bodies all over the city. It was all over. He decided to “advance” himself a little of Sandy’s money… three million. Patterson decided he would take her records and leave now. He was sure the FBI would find his prints, and he wasn’t going to stick around.
Ellen told us the FBI was going to show up to arrest him, but probably not for another half hour or so. Teresa asked what we could do to stop him. We knew the real question was how far can we go? Ellen was thinking and then said, “I can’t be with you. I am going to have to trust whatever you do could be explained by
mortals, other than him. We don’t care about him.”
Teresa was rubbing her hands together, “NINJA ANGEL!” Ellen was in Roger’s office shaking her head.
* * *
CHAPTER 23
* * *
Roger and Paul were still watching the GPS screen and saw Devon’s car had stopped. They quickly searched the address and discovered it was a funeral home in town. Roger called and found out that the services for Ginger Hall were going to start in fifteen minutes. Roger almost choked when he said, “He’s at Ginger Hall’s funeral.”
Paul shouted, “No way! Jesus! Is there no bottom to this guy?”
Roger noticed the fax message on his computer and printed it. The fax was from Kim, right, it said, “There are four more properties. Here are four legal descriptions, but we only found three street addresses to match.” Paul dashed from the room.
Roger called Ray in IT, “I have one legal description that I need a street address for. Can you get it for me?” Ray said he would call him back. Paul had seen the list and already left to get a map.
Roger felt it was entirely possible Devon was planning on leaving the country, tonight. Surely once he saw the news of today’s discoveries of bodies in the houses he owned, he would know the jig was up. That meant Sandy and Ashley would not live to see tomorrow, if they weren’t already dead. Roger knew that Paul was having the same thought. They were out of time.
Paul returned with the map. All three street addresses were within walking distance of Devon’s office. Paul declared, “We should go now… while he’s at the funeral.” Roger knew Paul was making an emotional decision, and this had to be done right.
“Let’s give Ray a minute to get us that fourth address, and I want to make sure Nelson can handle this Patterson guy. That is going down right now too.”
“She could be…”
Roger looked at him, “Paul, he just talked to Jack. If he is comfortable enough to go to a funeral, he isn’t feeling pressured by us at the moment. I just want all of the information. We have men ready, she could be in the one address we don’t have. Fifteen minutes, okay?”
Alcohol Was Not Involved : A Shallow End Gals Trilogy Page 22