The Key to Betrayal

by John Matthew Lee

  “Yeah, I heard a loud shot, and then a male voice say something like, 'You stay here,' and something about seven hundred dollars,” says Tollson.

  “Did you see anyone leave the room?” asks Liam.

  “No, only the woman stepping out and screaming that he's been shot.”

  “You said it was a few minutes until the police, fire, and ambulance got to the room. Mr. Tollson, have you stayed at this motel before?” asks Liam.

  “No. This is my first, and last time, staying here. Too many single ladies walking around the front of the motel and in the parking lots. You understand what I mean?” asks Tollson.

  “Did you get propositioned by a prostitute earlier tonight?” asks Liam.

  “No, not me, I'm a married man. I've been married for more than thirty years. That's more time than most people do for murder these days!”

  Liam walks up to the front office and speaks with Sam privately. He tells her that this woman might be a prostitute, and she may know more about this murder than she's told the first responders. Sam says,

  “I ran her name, Crystal Navarro, through the local database and got a hit for an outstanding warrant for drug sales and prostitution charges. I'm going to put her in the car and talk to her more about the shooting.”

  “Sam, this looks like a john who got killed for his money, and she's trying to say she had no idea about what happened,” says Liam. “Okay, Sam I'll continue working the scene while you work on her. I'll be just a few feet away if you need me.”

  “Liam, can I have the keys to the car?”

  “Okay, just don't leave me here.” says Liam.

  Sam places Crystal in the backseat of the unmarked detective vehicle and advises her of her Miranda rights. Sam tells her she is under arrest for her outstanding warrants for drugs and prostitution charges. She tells Crystal the tall detective processing the room had located lots of evidence, including the video surveillance tape of the parking lot that shows the front door of room 12. She tells Crystal that once he sees the tape, if she was involved, she is going down for murder.

  “I'm hungry,” says Crystal. “I'll tell you everything if I can get some food!”

  Sam calls a uniformed officer over to her vehicle. A short time later, Liam sees Sam, the uniformed officer, and Crystal drive out of the parking lot. He shakes his head, but is met at the scene by crime scene technicians. He briefs the technicians and they start the processing of the motel room for all evidence. Liam continues to assist the crime scene technicians over the next hour or so, before a coroner investigator arrives along with the body removal team. The coroner investigator uses a portable fingerprint identifier and processes the victim's prints at the scene. Liam hopes to identify the victim before he's taken to the morgue.

  “I got a hit, O'Connor,” says the coroner investigator. “Richard Kaufman, from Boston, a person who has been arrested for public intoxication many times. He's 64 years old, with a last known address of the South Boston Detention Facility. Sir, he appears to be a transient.”

  “A transient with money... seven hundred dollars,” says Liam. “It's the second day of the month today, right?” asks Liam.

  “Yes,” says the coroner investigator.

  The crime scene personnel are wrapping up their processing of the scene, and the body is loaded onto a gurney and removed from the room, when Detective Sam Masters returns with a patrol officer and Navarro. Liam looks over at Sam as they stay seated in the car, while Liam finishes up processing the motel room.

  Sam gets out of the vehicle, walks over to Liam and says,

  “She confessed to the whole thing.”

  Liam looks at Sam, smiles and says,

  “Please tell me you have this all on tape?”

  “Oh, that was the first thing I did. I turned the digital recorder on as soon as I put her in the back seat of our car. I told her you had the motel surveillance tape that was going to show what happened. She said she was hungry, and if I got her a couple of burgers she'd tell me everything. That's when I got the uniformed officer. I took her to McDonald’s and bought her two quarter-pounders with cheese, fries, and a large Coke. She ate for awhile, and then told me what she and her boyfriend did.”

  Liam looks at Sam and listens, but thinks to himself how proud of Sam he is.

  “What did she say happened, Sam?” asks Liam.

  “Crystal's a prostitute who frequently uses this motel and others up the street for her business. She told me the dead guy's name is Fred. She said he's a regular customer of hers. He lives on his Social Security check. He usually sees her at least twice a month. Once just after the first of the month, and usually a second time toward the middle. She told me it was her boyfriend's idea to rob Fred of his money. She said he needed money for drugs. She said they use meth a lot.”

  Sam tells Liam that Crystal stayed the whole night with Fred. The plan was that she was to service Fred, wait until he went to sleep, then Crystal would unlock the door and her boyfriend would come in and rough Fred up and steal his money. This way it would look like she had nothing to do with the robbery. “She told me she wanted to keep Fred as a trick, because he paid good. Liam, she said everything was going to plan. She got up around two-thirty in the morning, while Fred was asleep, and unlocked the front door. She said the next thing she knew, her boyfriend came busting in the room pointing a gun at Fred and her. He shot Fred once in the chest, and then took his money from his pants on the floor. She said she got scared and wanted to leave with her boyfriend, but he told her to stick with the plan and act like it was some stranger that just broke in,” says Sam.

  “Did she tell you where her boyfriend could be found?” asks Liam.

  “She said they stay in a small trailer, in a trailer park two streets up,” says Sam.

  Liam, Sam, and members of the Boston Police Department arrested Luis Aguilar from a small trailer at the Lighthouse Trailer Park. Both Crystal and Luis were charged with first-degree murder. A year later, they were found guilty of all charges and sent to prison for life.

  d

  “So, I gave Samantha the nickname 'Two Burger Sam' after that case. Sam earned some dues with that arrest and was accepted as a homicide detective. And besides, 'Two Burger Sam' was sure a lot better than what the lieutenant and other detectives wanted to call her.”

  “What was that?” asks Tina.

  “Well, the lieutenant just wanted to call her 'S&M.' The nickname I gave her stuck, and she thanked me later when she learned what the lieutenant had come up with.”

  Tina and Liam finish watching the Mets game. He drives Tina back to his home. He walks her to the door and says,

  “Tina, all this time you've been so nice to come over to my place. I would very much like to see where you live.”

  “Liam, I live in a small pool house behind a large estate. I'm fortunate the owner likes the fact I'm a cop. They're gone a lot, and I look out for the place. They don't charge much rent, but it's pretty small. I'll bring you over sometime and introduce you to my landlord,” says Tina.

  Liam asks Tina if she'd like to come in for a while.

  “Sure, but I can't stay too long. I've got to report early in the morning to Chief Green.”

  He asks if she would like some coffee or something else to drink. She asks for coffee, so Liam makes a pot. Tina is impressed with his ability to navigate his way around a kitchen. The two go back to the living room and drink their coffee.

  “I'm sorry it's not like my mother's, but I don't want to get you drunk,” laughs Liam. “Tina, I know your chief wants me to help with the murder investigation, and I know you want to know what I'm going to do, too. I just don't know if I'm ready to go all in yet. When I work murder investigations, one hundred percent of my time and energy is devoted to solving that case. It works well for solving crimes, but it can be hard on the personal life. I care for you. I just don't want to screw things up between me and you.”

  “Well, Mr. Liam Matthew O'Connor, I'm a big girl. I like what
I see. I've liked what I've seen since I first saw you. I'm for whatever you want.”

  She then reaches over and kisses Liam. She hugs him and says,

  “I always feel safe with you.”

  Tina says she must go, even though she wants to stay longer. The timing is wrong. He walks her to the door, looks deep into her eyes and kisses her. Liam watches as Tina walks away.

  After looking at four digital photos in his mind for most of the night, Liam realizes he's working the murder case already. It's 5 o'clock in the morning. Just time to shit, shower, and shave before I see Chief Green, thinks Liam. He drives to the Port Saint Lucie Police Department. It's Friday, seven in the morning. Liam talks to the on-duty officer at the front counter and asks to speak to Chief Green. He expects the chief has not arrived to work yet, and he will be unable to see him.

  “Are you O'Connor, sir?” asks the desk officer.

  “Yes, sir, I am,” replies Liam.

  “Please come this way. He was hoping you would be here early today,” says the officer.

  He's escorted to the chief's office and is met at the door by Chief Green.

  “Good to see you, Liam,” says Chief Green as he reaches out to shake his hand.

  “Have a seat. Have you come to a decision, Liam?”