Bob Moats - Jim Richards 01-03- 3 for Murder Box Set

by Bob Moats

  After what seemed like an hour, the car felt like it went off the road onto gravel. We drove for a while then the car stopped. The trunk opened, and I was pulled out and dumped on the ground. My sixty-year-old body doesn’t take abuse very well anymore, and I was already sore from the ride. They stood me up, pulled the bag off my head and cut my restraints. My eyes focused, and took in the bright light. I looked into a face I didn’t know then looked over to the other person standing next to him. It was Wallace.

  “Well, Kris, you sure do get around,” I said.

  “Screw you, Richards, you have fucked up my plans, and I don’t appreciate it. Sue called me from jail and told me you were in on it. I figured you knew too much from working for Nicky. I knew about the convention center from Aaron, so we waited for you. You stuck your nose in my business, and I’m going to rectify that.” He pointed a gun at me and smiled.

  “Hey, don’t I get a last request?” I yelled. “I’d just like to know how you managed to pull off this little operation.”

  “Little, hell. I engineered a great operation, at least till you stuck your nose in it,” he hissed.

  “I was just trying to find out who killed Lori and Lisa. That’s all I cared about.”

  “Yeah, about them, they both were thorns in my side. Nick was playing too loose with Lisa last year when I started this operation. She was starting to shoot her mouth off about being the big drug lord’s girl. I had to shut her up before she told anyone out of our group. We brought her out here and did to her the same thing I’m going to do to you but with a bullet instead of a nice quiet knife. Lori pulled the same shit, so I went to her house and did her in, too.”

  “I was told that Fritz killed her,” I said, stalling for time.

  “You idiot, I am Fritz! I made him up when I started gathering the last of the Sixth Street gang together. I told them I was sent by Fritz and created a back-story for him. That way if we got caught, I could get away with being just an underling in the organization, not tried as the leader.”

  “Where’s Nicky fit into this? Isn’t he the leader?”

  “That’s the nice thing about not admitting I’m Fritz. I could blame the fat fuck, and he’d take the heat.” He laughed evilly. “Nick knows what’s going on, and Sue started to get strung out on drugs while she was his mule for his drugs from Arizona. He was tired of her and tried to send her away. When she kept calling him, I found out she got involved with some nasty people in Kingman. That’s when I found the Arizona connection. Nick at first provided money to buy the drugs, but now he’s paid to look away while I run the operation. I’m using him as a front. Everyone loves a comedian.”

  “You’re being awful loose with the info now, Wallace.” I was out of questions.

  “Well, it’s only fair to know why you’re going to die.” He smiled, brought the gun back up and fired.

  I died at that moment. I felt my body fall to the ground. Everything was going black. I could hear laughing and a car driving away. I’ve always heard about the bright light that near death people described. I never believed it, but I saw a light. Or maybe it was my brain’s electricity shorting out and causing fireworks in my head. I didn’t know. I do know that I saw myself floating above my body, looking down at myself on the desert sand. I floated up and over the desert back to Las Vegas, flew around all the tall hotel towers and then I came to a rest sitting on the point of the Luxor pyramid just as the beam of light shot up from its pinnacle and lifted me towards the heavens. That’s when I heard a scream. I heard it again, but the second time it was more like a cackling sound mixed with gobbles.

  I opened my eyes and looked into the beak of a buzzard staring at me. I screamed. The bird backed away but didn’t leave. It just kept eyeing me like I was a Thanksgiving feast. I waved my arm. It hurt and the bird kept hopping around me. Then I saw a couple more of the foul beasts swooping down. I figured I better look lively or I’d be a one-course dinner. I tried to sit up and felt a horrendous pain in my chest.

  I looked at my chest and didn’t see any blood. Wallace shot from about five feet away; I didn’t see how he could have missed. The throbbing in my chest started again. I reached up to rub it and found a big lump. I looked at my pocket and took out my poor little Palm Treo cell phone. The screen and circuit boards had been crushed by a bullet. I must have tried to turn when he shot, and the bullet caught my phone.

  Luckily, Wallace was vain enough to think he could kill with just one bullet, lucky for me. I kept waving at the vultures, but they just stood their ground and waited for me to die. I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction.

  It was starting to get a little darker out now. I managed to get to my feet, my chest hurting less now. I looked around and had no idea where I was or how long I was unconscious. Wallace mentioned bringing me to the same desert he brought Lisa, but I didn’t know where that was. I listened for any car or traffic sounds but heard none.

  I looked down and realized there were still tire tracks in the sand from his car, so I started to follow them back the way they went. The buzzards followed me, waiting for me to give in. I walked for what seemed like hours. It was getting so dark I could hardly see the tracks. I stopped and looked around and saw it, the lights of Las Vegas brightening up the sky. I started heading in that direction, hoping I could hold out.

  Back at the convention center, Penny was starting to fret about my being away so long. She tried to call my cell but got the voice mail. She asked Maria if she would call Deacon and find out if I was still with him. Maria dialed, got Deacon and asked if I was with them. He said I left over two hours ago. Penny was in a panic by that time and asked Deacon if he could do something. Deacon told Lynn what was going on, and Lynn feared the worst. She put out a BOLO for me and said they should go to the convention center and wait with the others.

  I was still walking, thinking the whole time about being with Penny in the whirlpool spa then rolling around cool satin bed sheets with her, wanting so badly to find the damn road. It’s dark in the desert, but the sky was full of millions of stars, all trying to tell me the way to go. I found the North Star but had no idea how to use it. After a bit, I stumbled on the edge of something firm. I reached down and felt smooth roughness. It was concrete! I was on a road.

  I sat down to rest my aching body, and I think I may have fallen asleep sitting up. I suddenly was being awakened by a honking noise and looked up into car headlights. I was sitting in the middle of the lane. The driver stuck his head out the window and yelled, “Are you all right?”

  “I am now. Can you help me?” I asked wearily. He got out of his car and came over to help me up. I was dusty and worn but thankful for his help. I asked if he had a cell phone. He said his batteries had died about noon, but he could take me to a phone. I thanked him and got in his car after he cleaned the seat of all the junk there. He apologized and said he was a salesman for fishing tackle and sporting equipment so he was in his car traveling a lot.

  I told him my name was Jim and he said he was Ray. I shook his hand. He took me to the first party store we could find along I-15 heading into Vegas. I got out and thanked him. He asked if I would be all right. I said I would now. He handed me his card and drove off. I knew I had to send him a case of beer for picking me up. I got to the phone, dialed 911, and asked to be put in contact with Detective Sergeant Lynn Carter, Metro Homicide. I told them it was an emergency so they put me on hold. I had to laugh, thinking of the old joke about calling the suicide help line and being put on hold. Suddenly a voice was yelling in my ear, “Jim, is this you?”

  “Yes, it’s me. I think I need a ride home.” I smiled and told her where I was. She said to hang there. I said I was too tired from walking across the desert to go anywhere. About twenty minutes later I heard a siren, and a patrol car came screaming up to the building. Lynn got out along with Deacon, Buck and Penny, and the four of them came running over to me.

  Penny jumped all over me, hurting the last of the areas that didn’t hurt alread
y. They helped me up, and I asked where Maria was. They said she had to work. We got into the car and I said I would explain when we got to the room. I put my head on Penny’s shoulder and closed my eyes, finally able to rest.

  We arrived at the MGM Grand. Lynn said she would park, and then would come up. Deacon and Buck took me to the suite, and I told Penny I wanted to get into the spa really badly. She laughed and went to turn it on. I stripped down to my shorts, being modest in front of the guys, and slipped in.

  Penny sat next to me on the edge of the spa and stroked my head. Lynn arrived, and they all sat as I related what had happened. Lynn was amazed that Wallace was Fritz, and said, one less person we’d have to find. I laughed at the joke and pulled Penny into the water, clothes and all. She screamed and fought but not very hard. I pointed to my shirt on the couch and asked Lynn to bring it to me.

  I carefully took out my Palm Treo and showed everyone the power of a PDA. Lynn took out the bullet with a tissue from the table and wrapped it for examination. I said I wanted it back if possible. She said she would see. I said that I was going to mount the Palm Treo cell phone and bullet on a plaque and hang it in my P.I. office as a lucky charm.

  Lynn went to the suite phone and called her precinct, got hold of Warren and told him to put out a warrant on Kris Wallace for attempted murder, two counts of murder, trafficking in illegal drugs and she threw in jaywalking for the hell of it. She turned to Penny and me and said that Deacon, Buck and she should leave us alone. They said their good-byes and left. Penny was pulling at my shorts and smooching me. I started to undress her in the water and said I might just sleep there.

  The next morning I woke feeling the pain of the desert incident. The rolling around in the bed didn’t help matters, either. We dressed slowly. I was concerned that Wallace might try something with Penny, but since he thought I was dead, he might not bother. I took the SIM card out of my poor dead little Palm Treo and put it in the old Motorola cell phone I carried as a spare, just in case. I turned on the phone, checked the thing, and it worked. I called Buck and asked if he was going to watch Penny for me. He said he would.

  We had breakfast and went to the center. Buck and Maria were there. I got out of the car to get Penny’s stuff from the back seat. Maria jumped on me and hugged tightly, yelling she was so glad I was not dead. I said I was, too. I gave Buck an envelope and told him it was thanks for watching Penny that week. I said to open it later.

  I got in the car and headed to Metro. The officer on the desk looked at me and said he was glad to see me alive, that he had heard through the pipeline about my desert adventure. I thanked him, and he let me find my way to Lynn’s office. I knocked at her door and heard some mumbling, then she said, come in. I opened the door, figured they were necking, and said so. They both blushed.

  “Damn, can’t you guys get a room for the day and get it out of your systems?” I laughed. Lynn asked how I was feeling. I said, like I was shot in the chest. She said she knew how that felt. She was shot once while wearing a Kevlar vest. She said it hurts like hell but saves your life. Deacon said he knew the feeling of a bullet hitting the body, smacking his hip.

  “Deacon, since we’ve been out here you haven’t limped as much. You feeling better now?” I asked.

  “I’ll let you in on a little secret. I just limped back home for sympathy. My hip is doing great now,” he said.

  “If I tell Trapper that, he’ll break the other one.” I laughed then asked, “So is Sue coming in or is it anti-climatic to even listen to her?”

  “Well, we may get some more info on the drug route and names. Can’t hurt to have extra ammo for court,” she answered. “Besides, she’ll roll over on Nick to get back at him. I’ve sent a car to pick Nick up for further questioning. I may put them in the same room with Sue to see what happens.” She grinned.

  *

  Chapter Seventeen

  Nick was yelling bloody murder when they brought him in. Lynn said to put him in interrogation room one and went off to call Kline again. He said they were on their way and would need to be picked up at the airport. She dispatched a car to the same hanger we went out from yesterday. She told us she wanted to talk to Sue first, then Nick since she wanted some ammo when she talked to Nick.

  We went into the squad room. Lynn called Warren over and told him she wanted a full force hunt for Wallace. She gave Warren a picture of Wallace that she had blown up from his driver’s license. It wasn’t the best, but it was close enough to identify him. He said the squad was taking bets on when he would be brought in. Lynn said, that’s not fair, Warren could pad the arrest time and win. He smiled and walked away.

  About a half hour later two LVMPD officers escorted Sue Barkley in, followed by Dave Kline. We went to greet our guests. Sue gave me a dirty look. I said I was still alive. Lynn took Sue down the hall and stopped our group at interrogation room one. She opened the door and started to take Sue in, held the door long enough for Sue to see Nick, then apologized, said she hadn’t realized the room was already in use and took Sue back out. She herded Sue down the hall, giving us a smile behind the woman’s back. Now that Nick knew Sue was in custody, that should make for an interesting interview. Deacon, Kline and I went into observation and waited for Lynn to take command.

  “Sue, I’m not interested in you. Kingman police have you for drug possession and sales. My main concern is a few people here in Vegas that come under my jurisdiction. You’re here as a material witness to crimes committed in Las Vegas by way of Kingman. To save you a lot of trouble, Kris Wallace AKA Fritz has confessed to an investigator here in Clark County. Although he’s still at large, we will find him. He admitted to murdering Lisa James last year and to the murder of Lori Davis earlier this week. He freely admitted to organizing a drug cartel here and allowing drug trade and passage through Vegas to Reno and beyond. I’m not interested in you or your business in Kingman, but I would like to know a little more about Nick North.” She paused to let that sink in. Sue’s knowledge that Nick was being questioned in the other room would probably factor in to her being open with the details.

  “I don’t know any Nick North,” she said.

  Lynn looked like she wanted to punch her, but she kept her cool. She turned to the mirror and said, “Jimmy, can I see you a minute?”

  I walked around to the door and entered. I went over and sat next to Lynn.

  “Hello, Sue,” I said.

  “Fuck you, Richards,” she said.

  I leaned on the table towards her. “That’s not a nice way to treat an old friend, one who got you all the nice plane rides from L.A. to Vegas so you could visit with Nick. I don’t care what your problem is. I just want to see some retribution for Lisa and Lori. Two girls Nick dazzled with his glamor and bullshit, and then got tired of them. Just like he did to you, Sue. I’m sure you knew he was screwing Lisa while you were lounging in California. Or didn’t you care?”

  “Bullshit, I did care. I did. That asshole took me for his ride and then when he had me strung out on his drugs, he cut me loose, that son of a bitch!” she said hotly. “I gave him a good part of me, and he corrupted it.” She was tearing up now. Lynn handed her a tissue from a box behind her. “I told Wallace to get rid of Lisa, hoping Nick would forget her. She was becoming a pain in his ass anyway. But, no, when she was gone Nick still had me doing his drug pickups, and I got so involved with the Kingman gang that I decided to join them after Nick tossed me aside. At least I was still getting my fix from them. Wallace was the only person who was nice to me. I got him set up with Kingman for his drugs.”

  “Sue, I’m sorry for the way things were back then. I didn’t know what to do about Lisa and you. Nick was a prick about everything, and I bit my tongue way too many times to keep my job. I wanted to tell you, but it wasn’t my place. I quit because I hated everything he stood for and all his demands. I wish I had known you better,” I said.

  Sue looked at me with red eyes and said, “You weren’t so bad, as I recall.” She smiled. �
�I kinda liked you. You were nice to me. I’m sorry, too.”

  “OK, Sue, will you sign a statement about your relationship to Nick and his dealings in drugs?” Lynn asked quietly.

  She looked at me, and said, “Yes.”

  I reached out, took her hand, held it, and said, “You’re doing the right thing, and I’ll testify to it, if it helps.”

  She put her head in her arms on the table and sobbed quietly. Lynn took my shoulder and led me out. “Thanks, it helped,” she said.

  Deacon and Kline came out of the room and joined us. Lynn said, now to skin the whale.

  We went to observation room one. I said to Deacon that we should get combat pay for enduring these sessions. He grinned. Lynn went in, and Nick somehow already had his lawyer there. Lynn looked at the lawyer and said, “Mr. Potter, that is your name. I don’t have patience for you. I have enough testimony on Nick for drug distribution, murder after the fact, and income fraud. Well, that last is one for the IRS to handle. Do you want to add anything to that?”