“That’s pretty condemning. But what was Clay doing behind the hotel? It doesn’t make sense. He told Lexis he’d been called into work. And how did his body end up in the empty river bed next to the parking lot?”
Paul chuckled. “Same old Jillian. You still have a suspicious mind.”
I reached across his desk and poked him with a finger. “Watch the old!”
Walter closed the file. “You can talk to Mr. Garcia when he’s more coherent. At the moment you and Paul have an appointment you need to get to.”
Paul and I stood to leave, but I still needed to make a report to Walter. “By the way, Lexis and I went to see Clay’s father. I don’t think he and Clay were close. We didn’t get any information from him other than Clay and his brother, Ben, had a lonely childhood.”
“Thanks for trying, anyway. Maybe Ben could shed some light on Clay’s life. We should talk to him.”
“It would be helpful to take a dog treat when we do. His dog, Brutus, was not friendly.”
Walter raised his brow. “Thanks for the warning.”
Paul took my elbow. “We’re out of here. Let’s go, Jillian.”
~*~
I looked forward to catching up with Paul on the way to his appointment. It had been fifteen years since I’d seen him last. We headed east on the freeway to the location of the supply depot, past the Altamont Pass with its windmills dotting the hillsides, and into the valley below.
“What’s your title now?” I asked.
“I’m still Agent Paul Youngblood only I work with Cyber Security for the FBI now. We track the bad guys on the internet who try to get away with all sorts of schemes.”
“Sounds interesting. No more terrorists?” He and I worked together on just such a case.
“Oh, we catch terrorists. And other threats to our government. That’s what brought me to Clover Hills. When Clay Scott’s case came up, I was already working on something at the supply depot.”
“Are you at liberty to discuss it?”
He smiled. “Depends on the circumstance. If Clay Scott was involved, then I could relate a few points.”
“Good. I hope you don’t mind my asking, but I was wondering if you ever got married.”
Now he laughed out loud. “Did I ever! You remember Celeste Osborne?”
“The Golden Girl?”
“One and the same. She did look ravishing in that ball gown, didn’t she?”
“Oh, yes. Quite unforgettable. Do you live on that property with those fabulous gardens?”
“No. I talked her into making it a historic trust so we could live a close-to-normal life with our boys.”
“You have children, how wonderful! I’m happy for you.”
“We have two. Paul Jr. is twelve, and Ryan is nine. Ryan looks like his mom.”
The trip had gone by quickly. Paul approached the defense supply depot, checked in with the MP, and handed me a guest badge. The guard directed us to the main building where we were to meet with Clay Scott’s boss, Captain Neil Warner.
A receptionist smiled and welcomed us before alerting the captain we had arrived. She led us down a long hall to a small office and rapped on a door with a glass window. Captain Warner sat at his desk with his feet up. He motioned for us to enter.
When he saw me, he stood. Then his attention shifted to Paul. “Agent Youngblood?”
Paul extended his hand. “Yes. This is Jillian Bradley, a friend and special colleague of mine.”
The men shook hands, but Captain Warner only gave me a perfunctory nod in acknowledgement. I studied the room and noticed a family picture sitting on top of a file cabinet. The captain was in civilian clothes like the rest of the family. The casual dress and the presence of his loved ones didn’t seem to make any difference in his demeanor. In the photo, as in real life, the man wasn’t smiling.
“Have a seat.” He returned to his desk and opened a file. “I was told that you’re here about Clay Scott. What do you wish to know?”
Paul deferred to me.
I sensed Captain Warner was the type of no-nonsense man who would appreciate my being direct. “Thank you for seeing us. My niece was the last known person to have seen Clay alive. She said he received a call from his boss and had to leave. We need to know when you made that call.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Bradley, but I didn’t make any call to Clay last night.”
Paul crossed his legs and settled in his chair. “Captain, were there any signs of suspicious activity in the accounts he worked on?”
“Suspicious activity? Such as?” Captain Warner cleverly tossed the ball back into Paul’s court.
Paul looked directly at him. “Mismanagement of funds related to the redirection of certain supplies.”
I thought I saw a flicker of recognition in Captain Warner’s face.
He shook his head, and reshuffled the file. “I’m sorry, but nothing has come to my attention. As far as Clay Scott was concerned, he was a capable employee and never gave us any reason to suspect him of any wrongdoing. I think you folks are barking up the wrong tree.” He rose from his desk. “Now, is there anything else I can help you with?”
Was he trying to get rid of us because we made him uncomfortable?
I nodded to the photo of his family. “That’s a nice family you have. Four children? Some of them look high school age.”
Captain Warner relaxed his shoulders. “Randy is a senior. Beth is in her junior year. The other two are in middle school. All excellent students.” A look of worry crossed his face.
“They’ll be starting college soon, won’t they?” I watched his expression.
A brief nod answered my question.
Paul smiled and rose from his chair. I did the same. “Thank you for your time,” I said.
Paul didn’t offer his hand this time.
Captain Warner smiled weakly and escorted us to the door. “I’m sure you can find your way out.”
Without a word, Paul led the way to the exit.
On the way home, I waited for him to speak first.
“Well, what’s your opinion of Captain Warner?”
“I think you penetrated his armor just a bit,” I said. “He didn’t like you asking about suspicious activities. Nothing like the direct approach.”
“That’s exactly what I intended to do. Now we can monitor what he does and compare notes to find out if he’s involved.”
“Smart. Just a thought, but if our captain is on the take, it may be due to having to fund college educations for four children.”
“An excellent observation, Jillian.”
“How soon will you know about the phone call to Clay?”
“It’s already in the works. That was the first thing I did.”
~*~
Walter sent Paul a text message that Robert Garcia was ready to be questioned. Without hesitation, Paul headed to the station. The desk sergeant directed us to the interrogation viewing room where we could watch Walter conduct the interview.
Walter began the questioning. “Mr. Garcia, I want you to tell me exactly what happened behind the hotel last night, before you were arrested. Remember what you say may incriminate you, so make sure you tell me the truth.”
Robert Garcia was in his mid-twenties with jet black hair and a face lined with hardship far beyond his age. “May I please have a glass of water?” He stared at the two-way mirror, as if he’d had prior experience dealing with the law.
Walter went to the door and poked his head out. “Would someone please get Mr. Garcia some water?”
A metal pitcher and plastic cup arrived almost immediately. “Please help yourself,” Walter said.
“Okay.” He spoke in a whisper. “I will tell you the truth even though it may not be what you want to hear.”
“We’ll decide that after you tell us what happened.” Walter leaned in as the suspect drank a full glass of water.
“I lost my job the day before all this happened. I do odd jobs for a construction com
pany. Or did. My boss said there wasn’t enough work for two maintenance people. Since I was the last one hired, they let me go first.”
Walter wrote a note on a tablet in front of him. “We’ll need the name of the company you worked for as verification for your story.”
The man nodded. “Anyway, being let go left me depressed. I’ve been barely able to pay my rent. Now, I’ll be evicted for sure. I cashed my severance check and took a bus to downtown.”
“Clover Hills?” Walter asked.
Robert nodded. “There was a car show going on. I thought, why not enjoy myself since I’m going to be on the streets again? I bought a few drinks, ordered some food, and watched people dance and have fun.”
“Do you remember what time this was?” Walter continued to make notes.
“It was getting dark. That’s all I remember. I started feeling drunk and went to find somewhere to sleep it off. I wasn’t thinking clearly enough to catch a bus for home.”
“So up until this time, you had never come in contact with the victim, Clay Scott?” Walter asked.
“No, sir. I never saw him before.”
Walter honed in. “But you did see him?”
The suspect closed his eyes. “I’m not sure. I think I remember an argument, but there were a lot of people on the streets that night.”
“Okay.” Walter took a deep breath. “What happened after you think you remember an argument?”
Robert poured another glass of water and drank half. “I passed out. Wait. I do remember something.”
Walter waited. “Take your time. Remember to be truthful.”
“I was in the back of some restaurant. I could tell because the smell of food was close by. Someone was bending over me. A man, I think, because he was sweating as if he’d been exercising or something.”
“Can you describe him?” Walter asked.
He shook his head. “No. I don’t know what he was doing, but I do remember a necklace close to my face. It scared me.”
Walter put his pencil next to the notepad. “You were scared by a necklace?”
Robert nodded. “Yes, sir. I thought he might be a demon.”
Walter sat back and studied Robert. The detective opened a manila envelope and laid the contents on the table. “We found these on you when we brought you in.” Walter pointed to a cell phone and wallet. “They belonged to the victim, Clay Scott.”
Robert’s eyes grew wide. “I’ve never seen those before! I don’t know how they wound up on me!”
Walter nodded to the deputy standing against the wall. “Take Mr. Garcia back into custody.” He turned to Robert. “When you’re ready to tell the truth, we’ll talk again.”
~*~
It was getting late. Walter asked Paul and me to meet with him in his office for a brief moment. “How did the appointment with Captain Warner go?” he asked.
Paul checked his phone and clicked on a message. “Looks like he was telling the truth about the call to Clay not being his. He’s not going to get off that easy, though. Too much evidence indicating graft is coming from his network.”
“I agree,” I said. “My instinct says the captain may be needing funds to put his kids through college. Educating four children can be a real financial hardship.”
“Tell me about it.” Walter paced. “Paul, maybe Lexis will have more information for you, now that she’s had time to recover from the shock of Clay’s death.”
“I plan on talking with her as soon as possible.” Paul looked my way. “Can you and Lexis join me for dinner tonight?”
“You won’t have to ask me twice. Let me give her a text.”
“I’ll watch Teddy for you, Jillian. I’ve missed the little mutt sitting in my lap.” Walter and Teddy were old buddies.
“That’s an offer I can’t refuse.”
Walter put both hands on the back of his desk chair. “Before you two take off, I’d like your take on Robert Garcia. Do you think he was telling the truth?”
Paul spoke first. “I’ve seen many men like Garcia who’ve been down and out. What I’ve found is they get confused about what is real and what isn’t. What’s his background?”
Walter picked up a file laying open on his desk. “He was incarcerated on a petty theft charge. Model prisoner, seemed to have been rehabilitated. No problems reported by his parole officer.”
I chimed in. “I believed him.”
Walter raised his brow. “Why? Or is it your intuition speaking?”
I shrugged. “There’d be one way to find out if he’s telling the truth or not. I could speak with him privately and get him to tell his story again. If it remains unchanged, he’s probably telling the truth.”
Paul nodded. “I agree. If you want, I’ll contact his former employer and see what he says about him. After I talk with Lexis, of course.”
“Of course. Okay, you guys. I think we have our work cut out for now. We’ll start tomorrow. I’m ready to call it a day and enjoy the evening with my family. Jillian, I’ll text you when you can interview Mr. Garcia. I have to set it up carefully since some of my colleagues have trouble understanding our working relationship.”
“Sounds like a plan. Paul, shall we head for my house?”
“I’m with you. Walter, we’ll talk tomorrow. Thanks for your cooperation in this case.”
“My pleasure, Agent Youngblood. See you soon, Jillian.”
~*~
Paul waited in the car while I went inside to take care of Teddy’s supper. Lexis was ready to go so I hurried. I prepared Teddy’s dinner of ground turkey, mixed veggies, and wild rice, adding a little butter and salt and a teeny sprinkle of pepper for flavor. I covered the dish with plastic wrap, attached his collar and leash, and locked the cottage behind us.
Walter was waiting in the kitchen when I knocked on the back door. Lexis was there at my elbow.
“Hey, boy!”
Teddy fairly leaped out of my arms and into Walter’s. Yorkies can jump high when they want to.
“Okay,” Walter said as Teddy licked his cheek. “You ladies go on and have a nice dinner. What time are you coming back?”
I smiled at Lexis and looked at the time on my phone. “Let’s say 7:30 pm. Is that too late?”
Walter shook his head. “No, that’s fine. I just want to help Cecilia bathe the kids.”
With Teddy taken care of, Lexis and I joined Paul. He drove us into Clover Hills for dinner. There are so many fine restaurants downtown that I found it hard to choose. Finally, we settled on Arnie’s Steakhouse.
The atmosphere was upscale with an old school vibe. Paul requested a private table in the back where we wouldn’t be disturbed. The server handed us menus, and we looked them over.
“Order anything you like,” Paul said. “My treat.”
Everything looked good. I settled on a wedge salad and a house combination of strip steak and scampi prawns. After Lexis and Paul ordered, he added New England Crab Cakes as an appetizer.
“We won’t go hungry tonight!” I said. “Thanks, Paul.”
“My pleasure. We can begin anytime you like, Lexis. I want to hear your side of what happened the night Clay died.”
Lexis smile vanished, but she rose to the request. “It’s quite simple. Right before we were going to eat, Clay received a call that he said was from his boss because of it, he had to leave right away. He apologized that he wouldn’t be able to take me home. From the look on his face, it sounded like an emergency.”
“An emergency?” Paul repeated. “Interesting. Go on. What happened next?”
“Well, right after my dad made the toast, Teddy got loose from his tote and raced out the door. He ran fast like he was on a mission. When Jillian chased him, I followed, along with my dad, and most of the family.”
“And where did Teddy lead everyone?”
“Down to the empty river bed beside the hotel’s parking lot. There was just enough light from the security lamps at the hotel that we could see. The river bed is dry this time of year so
I didn’t worry that Teddy would drown. Anyway, Jillian got there first and found Clay’s body. Teddy seemed to be guarding it.”
The server brought our appetizer and set it on the table. We waited for him to leave before Lexis continued her story.
“Aunt Jillian called the police, and Dad took me to the hotel porch to wait. Walter—Detective Montoya—arrived within a few minutes and held everyone back until he could check things out. When I offered to call an ambulance, Aunt Jillian said one wouldn’t be necessary. That’s when I knew Clay was dead.”
“Thank you, Lexis. And I am sorry for your loss. I must ask you if Clay ever said anything about any suspicious activity going on at the supply depot.”
She sat back. “Funny you should mention it. He did say he thought something illegal was going on. It was something to do with stealing supplies, or supplies not going where they should. Clay thought someone must be juggling the accounts, because he couldn’t get a few of them to ever balance.”
“Hmm.” Paul took a bite of his crab cake. “Just what I thought.”
I put my fork down. “Paul, do you believe Clay was killed because of what he suspected?”
“It’s a possibility. But it will be difficult to prove. Don’t worry, though. Our department knows how to handle cases like this.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Lexis said. “It gives me hope
I patted her hand. “The best possible men are on the case, Lexis.”
She smiled. “And woman.”
“Agreed,” Paul said. “Here is our food. Let’s eat and enjoy.”
~*~
It was not only an excellent meal, but with Lexis adding what she knew, it felt like real teamwork. Paul returned us home by 7:25 p.m. with five minutes to spare. As I got out of the car, he handed me his card. “Just in case.” He smiled and drove away.
Walter was more than ready to hand Teddy back. He answered the door before I knocked twice.
“How was he?” I asked as if I was a mother returning for her child. “I hope he didn’t wear you out wanting to play.”
Walter just laughed. “It’s good exercise. Besides, the kids enjoyed him.”
Happy Homicides 4: Fall Into Crime: Includes Happy Homicides 3: Summertime Crimes Page 69