Cassandra (Fells Point Private Investigator Series)

by Denise Irwin

  Leona told her, “Liz, I have to tell you the dinner he made for us last night was outstanding.”

  “Come sit with me on the balcony, while those boys catch up on the day. Glen shared a little of what’s going on. He’s just been beside himself about Agent Henson. Did you see her today?”

  “Yes and she might get released from the hospital tomorrow.”

  “That’s wonderful, I’m so glad to hear that. If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear how you and Sam met. I’m always fascinated how two people come together. I often wonder if it’s destiny or chance.”

  Leona giggled, “I’m not sure what ours was, but The Assistant District Attorney in Baltimore hired him to investigate a case.” Leona stopped for a moment to take a sip of wine.

  “Okay, were you asked to work with him?”

  “Oh no, I wasn’t. I’d been taken into custody as the prime suspect for a murder.” Leona watched Liz’s face as she absorbed this news.

  Liz leaned forward in her chair, “My dear, did you murder someone?”

  Leona chuckled, “No I didn’t. I was out having a drink with a good friend when some guy dropped a drug in my drink. I think they called it a roofie or something like that. Anyway, I don’t remember leaving the bar. When I woke the next morning, I was in someone else’s apartment with a dead guy lying in bed beside me.”

  “Oh, my word, and they thought you did it?”

  “They did. A detective took me to the hospital where a doctor examined me to determine if that man had raped me. He then took me to Baltimore’s City Jail. Sam was working for the ADA, so to my way of thinking, that made him the enemy.”

  “Had this person raped you?”

  “Luckily, he had not.”

  “Let me back up for a moment. After the hospital, this detective drove you to the jail. Were you charged once you arrived at the jail?”

  “Yes I was. We went through the whole arraignment thing.”

  “Did you go to trial?”

  “No, thank God. When the coroner turned his report in to the ADA, Al Green, the report indicated I could not have killed the man. The upshot of it all is that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. At the probable cause hearing, Al Green recommended dropping the charge.”

  “So, who killed that man?”

  “They never solved the case, but I was told that it might have been some psycho had left treatment in California. Apparently, the FBI was investigating a number of murders that spanned from California to Maryland. I read in the newspaper that a couple of tourists found a man dead on the steps outside of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. His name was John Weatherby. The article went on to say that, he’d stabbed himself in the chest. I guess my heart went out to him when I read that article. He must have been a very troubled man.”

  “Leona, that’s a horrible story.”

  “Luckily, it had a good ending. After the media coverage died down, I'd meet a friend in a café in Fells Point, on Sunday mornings. Sam showed up most Sundays.”

  Leona paused to that a sip of wine. “At that time, I didn’t know he owned a sailboat in Fells Point where he and his dog lived. One morning he asked me to go sailing with him. I’d never been sailing before and to this day, I can’t tell you why I said yes, but I did and I had a marvelous time. I don’t if that constitutes destiny, but sure am glad I said yes to that sail.”

  “That’s a great story. We have time for another glass of wine; may I fill your glass? I’d like to hear more about your relationship.”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  When Liz returned to the patio, she handed Leona a full wine glass, “Here you go, Leona. The boys are deep in conversation about this case. Sam must be very attached to Agent Henson.”

  “He is. She was his wife in an investigation in Vegas, so they’re very attached to one another.”

  “I was under the understanding that he is single.”

  Leona giggled, “He is single, but not for long.”

  “I’m confused.”

  “Sam was hired by the FBI to work with Cassie on a money laundering case. Since they would be working undercover, they were given new identities and lived together as a married couple.”

  “Didn’t that upset you? I’m not so sure I’d be comfortable with that. I don’t know what I would think if Glen went off to live with another woman that far from home.”

  “There were a few times I wondered. Cassie is stunningly beautiful. We couldn’t talk while they worked on the case. I sent him letters through the US Marshal’s Office. If you’re question is, did I trust him? I did. He was prepared to back out of the job if I wanted him to, but I couldn't, it’s his job. If we get married I can’t take him away from the work he loves.”

  “Leona, you are an incredible young woman. Did Glen tell me correctly that the two of you were to be married today?”

  “Yes, we were. We were going to get married on his boat since sailing was our first date. We postponed it when Glen called Sam. I drove with him because he was so upset about Cassie.”

  The telephone rang. “Leona, please excuse me for a moment. This is probably Juan telling me dinner is ready.”

  When she returned from the call she told Leona, “Our dinner will arrive shortly. Well, after hearing that story, I think that your relationship with Sam was destined to happen.”

  “Maybe, or it could have just been dumb luck. Now, it’s your turn, how did you and Glen meet?”

  “It’s not nearly as exciting as your story. Glen and I attended the same elementary school when we were children, back in the day when we walked to school in three feet of snow.” Leona sniggered. “He was a year ahead of me. I remember that I thought he was a mean little boy. I wore my hair in braided pigtails as a child and Glen cut one off in Art class.”

  Leona hooted so loudly that the boys looked up from their conversation. “He only cut off one?”

  “I think he intended to cut both off, but the teacher caught him before he cut the second one off and sent him to the principal’s office with my pigtail in hand.”

  Leona was enjoying Liz’s tale. “So what happened? Did the principal punish him?”

  “Oh yes, he did. Glen had to walk me home from school that day and tell my mother what he’d done, which of course led to my mother calling his mother. His mother punished him, so he held me responsible for the punishment. He wouldn’t even look at me in school.”

  “Something had to change for you to marry him.”

  “Leona, life can be a mystery. After the pigtail incident, his mother and my mother became friends. Glen and I went to college in different states. When he graduated, his mother invited my family to his graduation party. I didn’t want to go, but my mother insisted. When we arrived, I was shocked to see that Glen was not only handsome, but he was respectful as well. He’d kept that pigtail since grade school. He walked up to me at the party and handed it to me. The fool had had the damn thing bronzed.”

  “Is it safe to assume that won your heart?”

  “It is, my dear. I didn’t graduate college. I married Glen instead.”

  “Liz, that’s an incredibly romantic tale. You and Glen were destined to be together if he held onto your pigtail for all those years.”

  She laughed, “I hear the doorbell, let me go answer the door, since it’s probably our dinner.”

  When two porters brought dinner in, Leona could not believe her eyes. There was steak and lobster along with a variety of side dishes. Liz asked that Leona and Sam take their seats on either side of her dining room table. She and Glen sat at the ends. “This way we can all be a part of the conversation.”

  During dinner, Liz asked Sam, “How did you come to be a private investigator?”

  Leona smiled as she had heard this story many times. “I was an FBI agent and decided they were a bunch of stiff shirts. So, I quit and went out on my own.”

  “Sam Marksman, tell her about how you sold your condo…”

  “Leona, she’s probably not int
erested in that.”

  “Oh Sam, I really am. I find the two of you very intriguing.”

  “I sold my condo in Baltimore City and bought a 45 foot sailboat. Before I named my boat, I took in a stray Golden Retriever. His name is Bailey, which meant of course, that the boat’s name had to be Irish Cream.”

  Liz laughed, “So, that means if refer to it as your dog’s boat, it sounds like Bailey’s Irish Cream.” She was still chuckling when she asked, “Where is your office located?”

  “Right now it’s on Leona’s kitchen table, but before that I worked from the boat.”

  “Leona told me you took her sailing as a first date.”

  “Yes, that’s very true.”

  “She also shared how you met. If you don’t think about how horrible the situation was, it’s really quite romantic. You’re the private investigator who rescued his maiden.”

  “Liz, when we first met, I can’t say it was romantic in any way whatsoever. Leona would have been overjoyed to watch a train run me over.”

  “I’m having a hard time believing what you said. Leona was also telling me that Agent Henson may be released from the hospital tomorrow.”

  “That’s what she told us today.”

  “That’s wonderful. Isn’t she from Boston, or did I hear that wrong?”

  “She is, but she’s not going there for quite a while.”

  Glen told his wife, “Sam shared that there have been some extenuating circumstances in the case. He’s going to take her to a place he referred to as a safehouse.”

  Liz looked at Sam, “She may still be in danger?”

  “Unfortunately she may.”

  “That’s just awful. What’s a safehouse?”

  “It’s a secure location for witnesses.”

  “Where is this safehouse?”

  “I can’t tell you. I withheld that information from the FBI as well. If I were to disclose its location, I could put your life on the line, as well as Cassie’s and the safehouse owners.”

  The foursome sat around the table talking about politics, favorite movies, and a little about the casino business over dessert and after dinner drinks.

  As midnight approached, it was time to take their leave. Leona and Sam thanked their hosts for a delightful evening.

  At the apartment door, Glen asked, “Sam, are you planning to come back for the arraignments scheduled for Tuesday?”

  “Yes sir, I’ll be there.”

  “I take it Agent Henson will not be with you.”

  “No, she won’t. Neither will Leona. I’m flying solo.”

  “Plan to stay in the casino.”

  “Thanks Glen, I appreciate the offer.”

  Back in their room, Leona told Sam, “They were wonderful dinner hosts. I really enjoyed their company.”

  “Yes, they were. They’re good people.”

  Chapter Eight

  October 2001

  When the morning alarm rang, Leona stretched her arm out to shut it off. “No ma’am, don’t you shut that thing off. I want to get on the road early.” Leona moaned, “I’m still asleep.”

  “Don’t make me ask Bailey to wake you.”

  “I’m up.” Leona jumped from the bed and ran into the bathroom. “At least let me take a shower.”

  “Make it a quick one.”

  Cassie was dressed and waiting when Sam and Leona drove to the hospital to pick her up. Leona had to ask, “Cassie where did you get clothes?”

  She winked at Leona, “One of the Officers posted outside my door felt sorry for me when I told him I’d have to wear a hospital gown when the doc discharged me. The nice officer went to Grossman’s house and brought me my bag of clothes.”

  Sam asked, “Weren’t those clothes taken into custody by the as evidence?”

  “Nope, the only clothing taken into custody were the clothes I was wearing in the basement. So, I asked that nice officer to bring me my bag, I’d have clean clothes to wear.”

  Sam chuckled, “You beguiled him didn’t you?”

  Looking appalled, Cassie responded with, “Inspector Marksman, how can you say such a thing?”

  “I lived with you, remember? Cassie before we leave, have you been officially discharged or are you leaving against doctor’s orders?”

  Laughing she responded to Sam’s question, “What the fuck, did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? First you accuse me of flirting with a law enforcement official to go collect my clothes and now you’re interrogating me about my discharge approval.”

  “I know you. Show me the discharge paperwork.”

  She defiantly looked up at him, “And what if I don’t?”

  Sam wasn’t sure what to threaten her with so, he said, “If you don’t show me that paperwork, I’ll… I’ll…I’ll think of something.”

  Cassie laughed as she handed over her discharge papers, “Leona, I have to ask, do you really intend to marry this guy?”

  “Sometimes I ask myself that question, but answer always turns out to be yes.”

  “Cassie, you’re going to leave in one of the FBI’s cars. The FBI is going to drive you to Philadelphia. Leona and I will take a different route. I will drop Leona off in Philly. The Bureau has a car ready; she’ll then drive the two of you to the Wilmington Federal Courthouse and I’ll pick you both up there.”

  “Isn’t that crazy?”

  “No ma’am it’s not. It seems to me that someone wants you very dead. That just ain’t gonna happen on my watch. They now know who I am, so I will take a different route to Wilmington. When we get to Philly, you’re going to cut that long hair of yours. You have your firearm right?”

  For the first time Cassie cringed at the seriousness of the situation. “No, I don’t Sam, Grossman took it.”

  “I’ll bet the fucker was going to shoot you with your own gun. The agents in Philly will sign one out for you. I need you to be ready for anything.”

  “Okay, Investigator Marksman, I’ll behave. Let’s get the fuck on the road before I change my mind and go home.”

  “Before we leave I want to tell you the agents transporting you to Philadelphia are from the Philly office, but they were handpicked by my old partner in the Baltimore office. Black trusts every one of them, so I trust them as well. He’s the agent who told me about Schuman’s investigation.”

  “Thanks Sam, I really do appreciate your concern for my safety even if I think you’re over doing it a bit. I’m ready to go, so I guess I’ll see you in Wilmington?”

  He smiled at her, “Yes ma’am, you will.”

  Sam and Leona watched as four agents surrounded Cassie and escorted her swiftly to the car waiting in front of the hospital.

  “We’ll wait twenty minutes to leave, and then we’ll take a different route to Philly.”

  “Sam, what if these bastards see us on the road?”

  “I think we’ll be getting out of Dodge at the right time.”

  “I sure hope so.”

  When Sam dropped Leona off in front of the courthouse he told her, “You be careful. Make sure you have Cassie cut her hair and get some sort of hat. Are you okay with this? Take Bailey with the two of you. He’s not much of a guard dog, but two women traveling with a Goldie looks natural. I’ll see you at the Federal Courthouse in Wilmington. Leona, are you okay with this?”

  “I hope so. I promise to take good care of your other wife.”

  There were tears welling up in her eyes as she watched him pull away.

  A team of FBI agents surrounded her as they escorted her and Bailey into the Federal Building.

  “Ms. Parker?”

  Leona put her hand up, “That would be me.”

  “I’m Agent Jergen. We have your car ready in the garage. Would you like to use the facilities before you leave?”

  “Yes, please. Where’s Cassie? I’d like to see her first.”

  Jergen led Leona into his office where an impatient Cassie waited. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

  Cassie spok
e first, “I certainly would, and I’d like two carry out cups as well.”

  Jergen laughed, “Agent Henson, it is my pleasure to get you anything you need. I didn’t mean to make you feel left out, but I got some very specific orders from the Baltimore office. While the two of you go to the restroom, I’ll get those coffees.”

  When he handed them the coffees, he outlined that he had already put a team together to follow them to the Delaware state line. “Is there anything else you need before we leave?”

  “Yes there is. Sam told me that we needed to cut off Goldie Locks’ blonde hair and get her a hat.”

  “We can’t risk stopping at a hairdresser. Agent Henson, you’ve got to cut that hair before we go.”

  “Give Leona a pair of scissors. I don’t need a mirror to watch. Leona, just hack it off. I don’t give a shit what it looks like at this point.”

  “Are you sure? I haven’t cut anyone’s hair before except for the time in elementary school when we cut each other’s hair to make bangs. What if I make a mess of it?”

  “Just whack it off. It’s not a big deal.”

  Leona took the scissors and as she made the first cuts thought to herself, I’d just about die before I let someone I don’t know, take a pair of scissors to my hair. Locks of Cassie’s long blonde hair fell to the floor. Once Leona shortened Cassie’s hair to just above the shoulders, Leona assessed her work. It was a terrible hack job. Hair stuck out going in different directions, but they were losing time. It would have to do for now.

  Agent Jergen brought in a cap he found on another agent’s desk. Leona laughed when she saw it. Jergen had lifted some poor kid’s Boy Scout hat. “Agent Jergen, that hat just won’t do.”

  “Why, it covers her head? It fits, so what’s wrong with it?”

  “That hat belongs to some kid in the Boy Scouts. Don’t you have anything else lying around?”

  “Everything else has “FBI” in large white letters on the cap.”

  “Then, we’re giving you back the Scout hat at the Delaware state border.”