The Key to Betrayal

by John Matthew Lee

  Chapter 13

  YOU CAN'T TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS!

  AS HE WALKS SANDY AROUND HIS CONDO complex, he comes to the conclusion he wants to talk to his mother and daughter about the proposal brought to him by Chief Green. He finishes walking Sandy and calls his mama, Mrs. Maggie O'Hara O'Connor.

  “Mama, it's Liam...good, I was wondering if Molley was still there. Would it be okay if I came over in a few minutes to talk with the two of you? Okay...I'll be there around noon. We can have some of your special coffee and lunch. I love you too... I'll see you then, goodbye.”

  He hangs the phone up and just shakes his head, laughing to himself. She's been having her daily special coffee for over fifty years, and she still doesn't think she drinks hard liquor. He cleans his condo up, gets into the old Land Cruiser and drives to his mother's residence at the Carriage House assisted living facility. As he arrives he looks at the lakes surrounding the property, the fine-cut manicured grass, and the beautiful scenery of the Wanamaker Golf Course, he feels his mother is in a place where she's safe, comfortable, and most of all, happy.

  He knocks on the front door of his mother's apartment. The door opens up, and it's Molley. She opens the door, steps forward and gives him a hug. He looks at Molley and tells her,

  “You're so beautiful. You were blessed with your mother's beauty.”

  He walks into his mother's apartment and sees her in the kitchen preparing food. He says,

  “What's for lunch, Mama?”

  She says, “Fried Spam!”

  He looks at his mother and Molley, and they both start laughing. Since Liam was a young boy, he has disliked Spam, but his father loved it.

  “Liam, you know your father loved that stuff. He liked it fried or just spread from the can, placed onto crackers or as a Spam-loaf. He learned to like Spam while he was in the Army serving in Korea,” says Mama.

  “Mama, James and I hated Spam days. All I can say is our dog never went hungry those days, because we gave all of the Spam to the dog,” laughs Liam.

  Maggie, Molley and Liam sit and have a nice lunch—one of Liam's favorites, chicken primavera with marinara sauce and a cold Guinness. After lunch they all move to the living room, where Mama asks if anyone would like a coffee. Molley looks at her dad and smiles, and Liam tells his mother,

  “We're fine, Mama. Besides, if I have one of your coffees, I probably couldn't drive home.”

  Once Mama returns to the living room with her special Irish coffee, she and Molley ask Liam how he is feeling, and how the stitches in his chest are doing. He tells them he feels fine and his chest is healing.

  “I plan on getting the stitches taken out in about a week,” says Liam.

  “So, Liam, the chief asked if you would help out on a murder investigation, didn't he?”

  Liam, surprised, looks at Molley and his mother and says nothing. He just lowers his head.

  “Liam, Tina called and spoke with Molley and me about the investigation. She told us that she's been reassigned to a small group of investigators that will be working to find the person or persons responsible for the murders. She told us Chief Green had asked for your help, and is expecting an answer in the morning. She thought you might be at a crossroads about going back to investigating murders, given all that has recently happened. She thought you would need help with your decision. That girl has good instincts. She is truly worried about you, Liam.”

  “Have you made up your mind about whether you'll help out or not, Dad?” asks Molley.

  “Liam, are you looking for some type of absolution from Molley and I? Because you need none of that, son. You can't turn your back on these people and not give them the help they need. Your help could stop more deaths, son,” says Mama.

  “Dad, I know Mom always understood that, but I didn't. I was kind of a selfish kid. I wanted you to myself,” says Molley.

  “Molley, that's not your cross to bear. I could have made more of an effort too,” says Liam. “You just never saw how I'm wired. I mean, your mother always knew when I was investigating murders. My mind was always thinking about the case at hand. If I was at home, my mind was thinking about the case, reviewing photos, statements, over and over in my head. So even when I was at home with you and your mother, most of the time, my mind was other places. Molley, you never understood why I had to have everything organized at home. Everything in its proper place, neat, clean, straight nothing undone. It's classified now as obsessive compulsive disorder. That affliction helped me in the type of work I did, because I was driven to succeed, driven to be organized with every detail covered. Which helped my work, but it doesn't always fare well in your personal life.”

  “I know. I have a touch of that, too. It's taken me a while to understand this about you,” says Molley.

  Liam replies,

  “Even now I have insomnia. My mind sometimes works all the time and keeps me from sleeping. When I was in the middle of a murder investigation, it was common for me to only sleep a few hours a night.”

  “You see, Molley, your mother took Liam for who he was and still is. Sometimes she never got all of his attention when he was with her, and sometimes she did, but she always loved him. She was proud to say, I'm Mrs. Liam O'Connor,” says Mama.

  “Liam, what are you going to tell the chief?”

  “I don't know, Mama. I want to talk with Tina first,” says Liam.

  “Oh, don't be mad at her, Dad. She really is concerned about you,” says Molley.

  “I've got so many thoughts when I'm with Tina...like I'm being unfaithful. I have feelings for Tina. I mean, we haven't done anything. You know what I mean,” says Liam, looking toward Molley and his mother.

  “Liam, you listen to your heart,” says Mama.

  “I've got a lot of ghosts in my mind that I need to set free,” says Liam.

  “Dad, we know how you feel toward Mom. You will always love her. When you're ready for a relationship again, we are one hundred percent behind you. We want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy,” says Molley.

  “Everyone needs to be happy, Molley, or we'd have a world of people like Uncle Henry, the grouch!” laughs Liam.

  “Liam, I like Tina. I just wanted you to know that,” says Mama.

  “Okay, ladies, I need to go and take care of some things. I enjoyed having lunch with my two favorite women. Molley, how long will you be staying with us?”

  “I'm staying with Grandma for the next few days, before I have to go back home.”

  “I'll call you guys later tonight,” says Liam.

  “Liam, don't you forget, you have a date with Tina tonight,” says Mama.

  Liam says, looking surprised,

  “You guys seem to know everything about my P's and Q's.”

  He starts to open the door to leave when his mother says,

  “You’d better take that girl someplace nice tonight.”

  He walks out of the Carriage House, shaking his head in amazement at how the three amigas have begun to work together. Liam mumbles to himself, “I'll take her someplace nice, someplace fun, something low stress for us both. I'll just see if she and I see eye to eye on things. I don't care if she is beautiful, dark-haired, big-busted. There are other, deeper issues than just physical attraction... well, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!” Liam gets into the old Cruiser in the parking lot of the Carriage House and calls Tina on his cell phone.

  “Hello, Tina, it's Liam... I'm fine... it's nice to hear your voice too. Okay, you plan on being at my place at six tonight. Yes, we're going out... no, you can dress casual... I look forward to seeing you then as well. Bye.”

  Liam ends the phone call and thinks to himself, that went just like I thought it would. She played me like a fine-tuned violin. My friend, you could be in trouble! Those ladies might be too much for me.

  Liam returns home and prepares for his date with Tina, when he receives a phone call from T.J.

  “Hello T.J. How are you? I'm doing good...yeah, my chest is healing f
ine. How's the bar business coming along? Molley called you and told you! I don't know what I'm going to do yet. Right now, I'm getting nervous about a date I have with Tina tonight. How is your lovely wife Rhonda and your kids doing? Good... I'm glad they like the bar, too. I don't know, T.J., every time I investigate a homicide it takes something out of me. This one looks bad. It's going to be a long hunt, unless we get lucky somehow. Yeah, three ladies butchered and hung, dressed out like deer. I know... I know, T.J. That's what Mama said. Thanks, I'll need it. I'm taking her to my favorite place in Port Saint Lucie in March. Why not? Well, we'll just see if we're compatible, then. There's nothing wrong with that place! Okay, I'll be good. Goodbye.”

  Sandy growls and looks at the front door just before the doorbell rings. Liam makes his way from his bathroom. He opens the door and sees it's Tina.

  “Come in. Let me get my keys and turn some lights on before we go.”

  She walks inside. He looks at what she's wearing and how her clothes accentuate the curves of her body as she walks past him. He smells the perfume that has haunted him the last few days. He looks at Tina, stares into her eyes and smiles. Tina looks at him and says,

  “I was just trying to help you... I hope you're not mad. I called your mom and told her about Chief Green's proposal.”

  “I know, Tina. It's fine, I understand.”

  He just stares at Tina for a few seconds before he turns a few lights on and escorts her back out the front door. He walks her to the parking lot and opens the door to the Land Cruiser. She looks at his car and says,

  “We can take my car instead.”

  Liam stops at the front passenger door, opens the door and puts his arm around her waist.

  “Now, Tina, never judge a book by its cover. This... old truck has a lot of life left in it.”

  She smiles and steps up into the Cruiser. He makes his way around to the driver's side and enters. He takes a deep breath and smells Tina's perfume, and once again looks at her long brown hair that harbors the natural beauty of her face. He recalls what his father once told him. “Don't be fooled with garb and glamour, the proof is in the pudding. Take the makeup off and remove the clothes. If she makes you quiver where you stand, you've got a keeper.”

  He drives from his place and starts to his destination for dinner. During the drive, she says,

  “I heard about what Chief Green asked you. There's been a small group of detectives assigned to this case, and I've been reassigned to this case as well. Do you know what you're going to tell the Chief?”

  Liam replies,

  “I don't know, Tina. I've got to get a few things straight in my head first.”

  He stops the car and says to Tina,

  “Okay, we're here.”

  She looks around and sees they're in the parking lot of the Port Saint Lucie Mets baseball stadium.

  “This is it?” asks Tina.

  “Yeah, it's Thirsty Thursday. You get two beers and two dogs for five bucks,” says Liam.

  “It's spring training, so we're likely to see anyone play tonight.”

  Tina, looking surprised, gets out of the vehicle and walks with Liam through the turnstiles. They go over to the concession stands.

  “How many would you like, ma'am?” asks Liam.

  “Is it a foot-long?” she asks.

  He looks at Tina, smiles, and just shakes his head. Tina, realizing the double meaning of her question, looks at him and says,

  “I've got high standards.”

  “I don't think you'll be disappointed,” says Liam.

  He orders two dogs and two beers for the two of them. He gets the food and they walk to their seats behind third base, several rows up. They settle into their seats.

  “Do you come to the Mets games often?” she asks.

  “I like spring training baseball. You see lots of players from different levels. Some players working themselves up the organization, and some working themselves down. For me, I like to come here and think about things, drink some beers and watch the kids run the bases between innings.”

  Tina and Liam continue to eat their hot dogs, drink beer and watch baseball for the next hour.

  “Liam, you're right. I like watching the young kids run the bases, trying to beat the mascot. They're so cute!” says Tina.

  Chapter 14

  TWO BURGER SAM

  “LIAM, DID YOU EVER HAVE A WOMAN PARTNER when you worked homicide in Boston?” asks Tina.

  “Yes I did. One woman partner. Detective Samantha Masters—Sam. Sam and I worked together for a little less than a year before she was transferred to Internal Affairs. She was a hard worker, always trying to prove herself around us. Prove that she belonged in the homicide unit. Finally, we had 'the talk,' and things got straightened out.”

  “What did you mean, 'the talk?'” asks Tina.

  “Well, almost every partner I've had, there was a period of adjustment we both went through, man or woman. I would usually sit down and explain how I think, how I work, what my pet peeves were, like you would do with any relationship that's just getting started. My partners would let me know what to expect from them, and we just worked from there. Some of my 'talks' with partners were more confrontational than others, but it always worked out. Sam and I had fun for the brief period of time we worked together. I gave her the nickname 'Two Burger Sam.'”

  “Why'd you call her that?” asks Tina.

  “She earned it, after a homicide case we worked.”

  As Liam and Tina sit and watch the Saint Lucie Mets play, he tells Tina about the case.

  d

  “Liam, Sam, get your sorry asses in my office,” yells Lieutenant Mahoney.

  Sam looks at Liam and asks,

  “Does he always yell at everyone like that?”

  Liam and Sam get up from their desks and start walking toward the lieutenant's office.

  “He treats everybody like that. He speaks like that to everyone. He's a human resource manager's nightmare, but I think he's a good and fair supervisor, Sam,” says Liam. “I was a little thrown off at first, too, when I was just starting out here.”

  Liam and Sam walk into the lieutenant's office.

  “Shut the damn door, Liam,” says the lieutenant.

  Liam reaches back, shuts the door and smiles at Sam.

  “We've got a homicide in a motel in the Jamaica Plains neighborhood. I need you and Sam to handle it. What I know from the on-scene supervisor is that one person is dead at The Beacon Motel. Liam, you take the lead and keep me posted on what the hell is going on. You know the brass will be on me like flies on shit,” says Lieutenant Mahoney.

  They walk out of the lieutenant's office, and Liam just smiles.

  “Sam, I've been in this unit for five years. That's his normal, loving self.”

  They leave headquarters and drive to The Beacon Motel. Just as the two step away from their unmarked detective vehicle, Sam asks,

  “Liam, why is it you always drive?”

  “Just an old habit, I guess. Do you drink whiskey, Sam?” asks Liam.

  “No, why do you ask?”

  He just smiles and walks toward the motel with Sam. The yellow crime scene tape is stretched across the front door of room 12, on the ground floor of The Beacon Motel. Sam and Liam are met near the front door by Sergeant Patrick, who tells them a woman called 911 at about three that morning. She stated someone had broken into their motel room, shot her friend and took his wallet. Sgt. Patrick said the woman was with an officer at the front office. Liam asks if a crime scene log has been started, and how many individuals have been into the room since the start of the log. Two officers entered since the ambulance personnel declared the individual dead, says Sergeant Patrick. Liam and Sam put disposable gloves on and paper booties on their feet, prior to going into room 12.

  Both detectives enter the room. Liam immediately sees there's no other doors leading into the room, other than the front door. The motel doesn't have adjoining doors from one room to another. He notices there
is only a single large window near the front door. Lying on the bed is a white male, in his sixties, with a single gunshot wound to the chest. Sam looks at the body and sees that his hands are dirty, and his fingernails are full of black grease. She sees pants on the floor that are dirty and stained, and what appears to her as tobacco stains on his fingernails.

  “Looks like our victim liked to smoke a lot,” says Sam.

  Liam looks over at Sam and the body, and says,

  “Did you see a ring on his finger?”

  “No, nothing on his fingers and nothing on the nightstand,” says Sam.

  She notices Liam looking at the door, and the lock and its striker plate.

  “Sam, there's no sign of forced entry. I mean, you have to manually lock the door yourself by turning the deadbolt closed. This is not the type of door that self-locks once you enter the room,” says Liam.

  “So someone opens an unlocked door, comes in and shoots, one time, leaves the woman alone, and takes the man's wallet and flees. Sergeant Patrick said a 911 call came in stating the woman's 'friend' had been shot. There's only one bed in this small room. Who is she to him?” asks Liam.

  “I'm going to get the crime scene technicians started here. I'll notify the coroner's office for a body pickup. How about you talk with the lady who was in the room when this went down? I'll work the scene here,” says Liam.

  He continues to look around the room. He notices there's no luggage, no additional clothing other than what the victim had placed on the floor near his side of the bed. Liam looks into the bathroom and finds nothing, no personal items from either the victim or the surviving witness. He knocks on several doors adjacent to room 12. He speaks to Fred Tollson from Newark, New Jersey.

  “Mr. Tollson, did you hear anything last night coming from room 12?”