****
Another call came in around three on Friday morning about a man seen in the vicinity of BJ’s Restaurant. It turned out to be a prank. No one knew who made the call since it couldn’t be traced. As far as the feds were concerned, the call could have been made from anywhere. Boon was furious and frustrated. David was playing with them while he made his getaway.
Boon returned to his post at the Cupertino police station and tried to get a nap in before his seven a.m. meeting with Steve Dunmore. The man had made it sound urgent and wanted to meet with him first thing.
He was almost late getting to the Dunmore house having overslept. A nap was not enough for Boon, who had lost a lot of sleep over the last week of working this case, which at every turn was becoming more complicated.
It was a larger meeting than he expected. In addition to Steve, Zoe was there, a man Steve introduced as Mason, and an accountant from the company, Aiden. Boon was offered breakfast which he graciously accepted. They ushered him to the terrace out back near the swimming pool and he was promptly served steaming piles of scrambled eggs, English muffins, bacon, and fruit.
The night before, Steve got the call from his PI friend around seven thirty asking him for a brief meeting. The man arrived around nine and told Steve he’d found something and would love for a forensic team to go in and do a thorough check of the boat.
Robert gave him a cuff link, which he instantly recognized as David’.
“I found it in the engine room. You said he was never on the boat?” Robert asked.
“He wasn’t a very close friend of mine then. As far as I knew, Charles hadn’t invited him along. It was just meant to be our two families.”
“He was on that boat at some point.”
After Robert left, Steve decided to call the meeting where he would tell what he knew to the FBI. He was leaving on Saturday morning for New York so he wanted everyone involved to be there. It was important that Aiden be there as well because he too held a piece of key evidence that would need to be handed over to the authorities.
The morning was fair, and by seven, the sun had already risen over the city. There was a slight breeze that rustled the leaves on the trees near the house. In all it looked like any other morning except there was a grim silence at the breakfast table as everyone nervously awaited what Steve had to say.
Breakfast completed and the table cleared, Steve said, “I’m glad you’re all here. It will save me the trouble of having to say this more than once.”
He looked at his daughter, reached across the table and squeezed her hand. He was nervous and his hand shook a little. Zoe could feel the tremor. She placed her other hand on top of his and patted it reassuringly.
“You all know that David… Er… David was my friend – or at least he was supposed to be. When my wife and best friend died, he was there for me. I treated him like a brother,” a tear formed in the old man’s eye and he sniffed. With trebling lips he continued. “I knew he was stealing from me. I felt it in my gut, but never in a million years did I ever think he was capable of murder.” He slammed his fist on the glass table, which threatened to topple over. Everyone jumped at the impact.
“Daddy, are you alright?” Zoe was concerned for her father. He looked aged and broken. She had never stopped to wonder what the whole situation might be doing to him. He had trusted someone, brought him into his life, and that man had betrayed him. The impact of it all only just hit her and anger bubbled in the pit of her stomach.
“I’m okay,” he patted her hand. Reaching into his pocket he brought out the cuff link after which he asked Aiden to place the bracelet on the table. At first Aiden didn’t comprehend then it dawned on him that he’d been carrying around evidence. He had even worn it, thinking it was once his father’s.
Zoe looked at Aiden sharply and then back at her father. “What’s this?” she picked up the gold and diamond men’s bracelet.
“It belonged to David. I had it made as a birthday gift,” Steve said.
“I thought you said you didn’t know him well?” Agent Boon asked. Everyone’s eyes turned to Steve.
“I didn’t. When I met him he said he was starting fresh in Cupertino after losing his business. We had some accounting issues at the time from our rapid expansion and he offered to sort them out, which he did. When I sent him a check for his services he sent the check back, telling me he would rather call it a favor,” he sighed.
“He played you, Daddy. So, how does the bracelet fit into all of this?”
“I felt bad when he wouldn’t accept payment. So for his birthday I had this made. It cost about the same as the fees he was entitled to for the accounting job he did. I lost my head accountant shortly after and when I offered him the position he accepted.”
“Do you think he targeted you specifically Mr. Dunmore?” Boon asked.
“It’s obvious he did, isn’t it?” Zoe stated. “I don’t understand, how did Aiden get the bracelet?”
“I found it on the boat after my parents died. I thought it was my dad’s,” his voice had a crack in it from holding his emotions in check.
For the first time in three months, Zoe was realizing how selfish and self-centered she had been. Her focus had been on the business and finding the culprit who stole from her father’s company. As the story unfolded she never stopped to think about how everyone around her was being affected by it all. Her father was clearly in pain from betrayal and now Aiden… What could she say? He’d spent years holding onto a memento of his father only to find out it belonged to the man who may have murdered his parents.
He was sitting next to her and without thinking she reached over and twined her fingers with his. A surprised look crossed his face but she didn’t let go.
Agent Boon bagged the evidence and called his team to meet him where the boat was housed. He also made a call to headquarters requesting a special forensic team join them. He had to explain to his boss why he needed forensics, a task that took nearly fifteen minutes of convincing. By eight o’clock the air strip was swarming with FBI personnel and a few officers from the Cupertino police department.
Boon left the Dunmores and headed to the airstrip. He wanted to be there to see what the investigators found first. It was a long shot, but he hoped there might be other clues would be inside the boat. The bracelet was good as evidence but it had been improperly collected; the lone cuff link may not stand up in court either. David could easily deny it belonged to him, unless they were some unique kind. He would have to look into that. His team would have to find the manufacturer and the year they were made.
Zoe and Aiden left at the same time, leaving Steve and Mason at home. She insisted her father rest and not head into work that day. He was flying to New York in the morning after all, and she didn’t want him falling apart during his meetings. She urged him to cancel the meeting in New York but he refused, stating that they had been waiting on to work on the deal in person for a long time and he wasn’t about to mess it up. At least she’d gotten him to agree to stay home and rest.
Chapter 16
Friday morning was busy for Robert Styles the private investigator. Working with the Cupertino PD brought back memories. Some of his old buddies were still there behind desks while others had long since retired. For him, he liked the action and this was one case he was happy to work on.
The forensics team was there when he arrived. Some were taking pictures while others were taking prints. Still more were searching the boat thoroughly.
“Get everything. This could be murder… a fifteen-year-old triple murder.”
Boon showed up as Robert expected to assist with the investigation.
“I’m Special Agent Boon,” he introduced himself to Robert Styles.
“Styles,” the men shook hands.
“Found anything of interest?” Boon was anxious for answers, as was Robert. The agent was tired of chasing a man while the PI wanted justice for his friend. The men might have di
fferent motives but they both strongly desired the same outcome.
“Not yet. Just the cuff link Steve gave you. Did you get the bracelet from the son?”
“Yep,” Boon answered.
They didn’t find much more of interest on the boat. They could only rely on the prints if they were still intact. Because the boat had been secured from rain, wind, and general atmospheric changes, the prints came out looking pretty clean. It took all day to gather everything and at the end, there was good news at last.
Allan Peters’ prints had been found in the engine room and on the exhaust outlet. That was enough to add the three murder charges to the already lengthy list.
“Do you think they even knew he was on the boat?” Styles asked Boon.
“None of his prints were in the saloon, so I doubt it. If he entered the boat from the front deck he would have touched something.”
They were standing in the storage hangar beside the boat discussing the possibility of how the tragic events might have transpired.
“I wonder what his motive was.” Styles wondered out loud.
“It couldn’t have been that he wanted to kill all three. Maybe he only meant to kill one and the others were collateral damage.”
The men discussed the possibility of someone, likely Charles, finding out David wasn’t who he said he was. They also argued that perhaps his wife, Lucas’s mother knew the truth. So far, the police had had no luck tracking her down either, though she could have gone back to whatever her original identity had been; she wasn’t originally a Peters or Warner that was certain. There was a lot of speculation but they’d never find the whole truth until they caught him.
By the end of the day Allan Peters became the most wanted man in California and had cracked the top ten for the FBI’s nationwide list as well.
****
Zoe’s father had asked that she prepare a few documents for his trip to New York the following day. She was hungry and needed sleep but wanted to finish the files before leaving for the weekend. She paused and got up from the computer to stretch her back and neck. A rumble sounded from her stomach and she decided to get some food.
She was about to order from the Chinese restaurant in the shopping village when a knock sounded at her door. She instantly knew who it was and straightened her shirt and smoothed her hair.
“Yes?”
“I thought you’d be hungry,” he stated. He was toting two takeout parcels.
“Aiden, what are you doing here?”
“Bringing you dinner.” The food smelled good and her stomach ached.
“Thanks,” she said.
“It’s nothing, just food.”
“For the flowers,” she added.
For a moment they looked at each other. Her eyes traveled to his mouth and she licked her lips, which had suddenly become dry.
“I’m hungry,” she said, taking one of the containers.
They ate in silence, stealing glances at each other.
****
He stood by one of the boarding gates looking around nervously. He knew the feds were there but couldn’t pick them out. They must be wearing civilian clothes. There was an old lady in a wheel chair tended by a young woman.
“Grandma, I’m going to the bathroom.”
“Hurry back,” the old woman replied, her voice a little shaky.
The woman closed her eyes and waited. She could see the man reflected in the corner of her glasses. He was nervous, as if he was up to something.
The young woman returned and wheeled her to the counter where she handed two passports to the customs agent who quickly sent them through. Passengers were already boarding.
The girl quickly wheeled the woman through the departure gate and disappeared down the corridor. They could hear a commotion behind them but they didn’t stop until they were safely seated on the plane.
Both women breathed a sigh of relief and looked through the window down at the building. There were a few men running towards the departure gate they had just come from. They looked at each other and smiled.
****
The man started to sweat profusely and his hand shook as he handed the passport to the woman at the counter. She looked at him and at the passport, then asked him to wait a moment. At that point he tried to run away but was accosted by a janitor who turned out to be an FBI agent. Several other ‘airport staff’ gathered, brandishing weapons and telling him to freeze. He held his hands up and was immediately cuffed.
Agent Boon called for the chopper to transport the prisoner to the county jail. Allan Peters didn’t seem surprised he’d been caught. It seemed way too easy for Boon who had gotten in the habit of waiting for the other shoe to drop, but the face was the same and the man had tried to leave the country as David Warner. There should be nothing more to question; he should just glad he caught him before he got away.
Meanwhile on the plane, grandma ordered a scotch and downed it in one gulp. This surprised the flight attendant who was amused by her. As the plane took off the old woman relaxed her achy muscles, closed her eyes and dreamed of Rio.
Meanwhile Boon wasn’t having such a great time. When he got to the lockup and placed the prisoner in the interrogation room, he took a few minutes to observe him from the CCTV. That’s when he noticed the man scratching his neck and pulling on something under his collar.
“Fuck!” Boon exclaimed. “It’s not him! Fuck, fuck, fuck!” each time he said the ‘f’ word he kicked the chair.
The tech guy looked closely before remarking, “It’s a mask. Wow, he’s good. It’s flawless.” Boon gave him a scathing look before leaving to question the prisoner.
As he entered the room he walked up behind the nervous man and yanked the latex mold from the man’s head.
“Start talking. Where is Peters?”
“I don’t know,” the man answered. He was much younger than David, with brown eyes and brown hair. He was sweating; no wonder the rubber felt uncomfortable.
Agent Boon slammed his palm down on the wooden table. “You can do better than that!”
The prisoner cringed. “I don’t know. I swear,” he responded.
The FBI agent grabbed him by the collar. “If you don’t tell me where Peters is I’ll just have to charge you as Peters. After all look like him.”
“You can’t do that… sir,” the man said with hesitant defiance. “There’s no way you can charge me as someone else.”
“Well, what about David Warner? That’s what your passport said. David is wanted for embezzlement and three counts of murder.”
The man’s eyes widened in fear and he cringed once again. “No way!”
“Yes way. You were caught trying to leave the country with a passport belonging to the most wanted man in the state. Even if we can’t charge you as Peters or Warner, it won’t be long till we figure out who you actually are and then we’ll just charge you with obstruction… accessory to commit murder… accessory after the fact… Whatever we can make stick. Now are you ready to cooperate?”
“I don’t know where he’s gone but he got on the plane. I swear, he just paid me to pretend to board the flight wearing this.” He indicated the mask.
Boon paced the floor. He wasn’t sure he should believe what he heard but he didn’t have much choice. He had his men check all the flights that left during that time and where they were headed. He also arranged for those flights to be checked upon arriving at their various destinations.
Meanwhile flight 102 disembarked some of it passengers at the airport in Sacramento. An old woman in a wheel chair and a young woman were among the lot. The pretty young woman quickly wheeled the chair to the parking lot, searching for the car that was supposed to have been driven there by a car transport service.
She bundled grandma into the car and turned on the air-conditioning. With the young woman behind the wheel, grandma directed her using a map. They would make a stop in Oregon for a change of clothes, a good meal and
to fill up the tank. Then their plan was to get to Canada and an international airport outside of US jurisdiction.
****
Nothing! He’d vanished into thin air. That was the sentiment of Special Agent Boon. The man almost certainly wasn’t hiding in Cupertino anymore. But where had he gone? Was he one of the ones who’d transferred flights in Sacramento or had he stayed on the plane headed for the mid-west?
He sent some officers to check at Warner’s house but found nothing out of the ordinary. There was only one occupant, drinking himself into oblivion. Lucas seemed to have reached his breaking point. They didn’t bother asking if he had heard from his father. It wasn’t likely he remembered anything after reaching the bottom of the first bottle.
He thought of calling Miss Dunmore but it was late, she was probably at home, hopefully catching up on sleep. He knew he’d have to tell her something on Saturday because he’d promised to call her with an update.
He was taken back twenty years to when he had first caught the case. It was a case of identity theft and fraud to start. One of the man’s main plays was getting unsuspecting females to fall for him then defrauding them of their insurance money, after persuading them to take out the policy, of course.
The man was hard to pin down because he kept changing his identity. Now he was God Knows Where and Boon had no clues. Boon leaned back in the seat of the SUV. He felt his chest tighten a little. It had been happening for a while. He reached inside the glove compartment and retrieved a bottle Tums, popping a couple in his mouth before throwing the sealed bottle aside and pounding his fists on the steering wheel, causing the horn to blare.
****
Aiden watched her concentrate on the computer screen and noticed the way her brows knit together when she was fully focused. Occasionally she bit her lips while thinking about something, then her expression would change as she came up with a solution. It went on for at least twenty minutes like that.
Promised Box Set Page 21