She hesitated as she looked around the room. “Um, yeah, but…”
“But it wouldn’t be legal, right?”
She sat back and sighed. “Right.”
“Did you use the same methods to find out what is in Daren’s sealed juvenile file?”
“I don’t think I should answer that. Michaels told me to never mention where that information came from.”
Jake smiled. “Grab your laptop and let’s go.”
“Where?” She pulled the power cord out and closed her laptop.
“I’m hoping you went off site to get that other information. We should probably do that again to find Dr. Oberman.”
He walked to Dani’s office and opened the door. She had her head down as she read through the pages Katie had handed her. She threw her pen down when she heard the door open. “Damn it, Jake. Learn how to knock.”
He knocked three times and entered. “Katie and I are heading over to the café. Do you want anything?”
“Why? We probably should keep her indoors as much as we can.”
“You said you wanted to know where Oberman is. While I can get the information through legal channels, I get the feeling Katie can get it a lot faster.”
Dani smiled. “Do you think that’s something we should be encouraging?”
Jake shrugged. “Probably not, but you want the info and I want to win the bet.”
She waved that comment off. “Go, I don’t want to know about any of this.”
Jake laughed and closed the door behind him.
A little less then an hour later Jake and Katie were back. They went straight to Dani’s office. Jake dropped a turkey wrap on Dani’s desk. Katie dropped a zip drive next to it.
Dani picked up the zip drive. “Can I assume that you found out where Oberman is?”
Katie smiled. “That drive has his whereabouts on each weekend of the last two months.”
She put the drive into her computer. “Where is he now?”
“Stamford, Connecticut. He has a house on the water.”
Dani scanned the pages quickly and printed out the information. She stuck the printouts in the folder on her desk. She grabbed her sandwich and stood up. “Stamford is less then an hour away. Let’s go.”
Before she took a step, Michaels knocked and entered the office.
“See, Jake, knocking is not that difficult.”
He grinned as Michaels handed Dani a flier. “We found Drums. Real name is Hugh Vogel. His band is playing tonight at the Back Alley Bar.”
She looked at it before handing it to Jake. “Heavy metal band. They go on at ten.”
Jake looked at the flier and just to keep Katie in the loop he handed it to her. “It looks like a six-person band. I’d say they have to start setting up by eight. Eight-thirty the latest.”
“It’s eight now. Grab Wilson, Martin, and Fleming. We’ll head over now and stake it out.”
She threw the turkey sandwich in her small refrigerator in the corner of her office.
“What should I do?” Katie asked.
“It seems Keith Oberman moves around a lot. Try to pin him down. And we still need to get us the ID on them.”
She pointed to the pictures on her case board of the three teenagers. She had switched the morgue pictures with ones from the yearbooks. Even though they are not of the teens that are in the morgue, they were almost exact. It was damn sure better then looking at the pictures of dead teenagers.
“With any luck we’ll be back by nine,” she said.
They all headed for the door. Jake turned back. “If you get hungry there’s a turkey wrap in Dani’s refrigerator. Do not leave this office,” he yelled back as he closed the door.
Dani pulled another detective aside. “Ormrod, do you know Katie’s story?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“She doesn’t go to the bathroom without you, understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
They headed out in three cars. Twenty minutes later they pulled into the garage across the street from the bar. Dani addressed her team as they headed over to the bar.
“Are you up to date on why this guy is important to us?”
“Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison.
“So I don’t need to tell you that heads will roll if he gets away.”
“No, ma’am,” they said with a laugh.
“Okay, let’s get this guy. Michaels, pull the manager aside. Tell him the band will not be playing tonight. Tell him everything. I don’t want a scene. Fleming and Wilson find out where the band loads in from and stake it out. I want to know as soon as he’s spotted. Jake and I will take him, but I want whatever he arrives in surrounded within ten seconds.”
“On it,” Fleming said, nodded to Wilson and they both headed for the door.
Michaels and Martin split off to find the manager. Dani headed to the stage area. She wanted an idea of the layout of the bar. She had no doubt Drums was going to run. She needed to make sure there was no way to escape.
Ten minutes later a black van pulled into the alley. Wilson called Dani. “Two guys just got out of a black van at the back door. It’s Drums. Not sure who the other guy is.”
“Any chance it’s Tim?”
“Can’t see him clearly yet.”
“Doesn’t matter. We take them both.”
She hung up and nodded to Jake. Jake hit the text message that he had set up while they waited. Everyone was on alert. Taking him down in the alley was best, so they all worked their way outside. Michaels and Martin through the front door to circle around. Dani and Jake out the back load-in door.
Dani and Jake pulled their guns as they exited into the alley. Holding their guns down and slightly behind them, Dani stepped up to the pair of guys pulling equipment out of the back of the van.
“Hugh Vogel?”
He pulled the base drum out of the van as he slowly turned to the voice. “Who wants to know?”
“Police. We’d like to ask you some questions.”
Tim slowly started to back away from the group. Jake stood in his path to block him. “Are you Tim?”
“Ah, no. I have to go.” He tried to get by Jake, but Jake grabbed his arm.
“You wouldn’t be lying to a police officer, would you?”
Tim looked at Drums. Drums looked at Tim, Dani, and Jake. Then he dropped the equipment that was in his hand and took off. Since he’s a big guy he plowed right through Wilson and Fleming.
Jake threw Tim to the ground at their feet. “Take care of him,” he yelled and followed Drums.
As Drums was about five steps away from the end of the alley, Michaels and Martin stepped in front of him with their guns drawn. He stopped dead before taking two steps back. Dani and Jake came up behind him with their guns drawn.
Drums reached inside his jacket as he took a backwards step toward the wall. Dani raised her gun, aiming it at Drums’ chest.
“Please have a gun under that jacket. I would love to blow a hole in your chest.” Slowly she walked closer to him. Jake moved just as slow coming at him at a slightly different angle. Michaels came at him from the other side. Martin held where he was so no one would enter the alley.
“What do you want? I didn’t do anything?”
“They why did you run?” She took another step toward him.
“Ah, Lieutenant, do you think we can have this conversation after he removes his hand from inside his jacket?” Jake asked as he took another step forward.
“Oh, sure. We can do that. Drums, as you can see you are not getting out of this alley. So I’m only going to tell you this once. Slowly show me your hands.”
He looked around the alley before slowly pulling his hand out and holding them up. “I didn’t do anything?”
“That’s lie number one. You just ran away from police officers. That’s resisting arrest.” Dani nodded to Jake.
Jake holstered his gun and took out his cuffs. “That better be your only lie tonight.” He leaned closer to Drums ear. “
I would like nothing better than for you to give me a reason to tear you apart.” When the cuffs were on he patted him down, pulling a knife from his inside pocket, before pushing him toward Michaels and Martin.
“We’ll meet you back at the precinct. Put them in separate rooms. Don’t let them say a word to each other.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Less than an hour later, the van was impounded. Dani and Jake were watching Drums and Tim pace their respective interview rooms.
“It’s not them,” Dani said.
“I know. But they were there. They have to know something.”
“Who first?”
“You’re asking me?” Jake lifted an eyebrow in disbelief.
“I’m tired. I must be slipping.”
“Yeah, that must be it.” Jake opened the door to Drums room. Dani walked past him to stand toe-to-toe with Drums.”
“Why did you kill him?”
He stumbled back. “Kill who? I didn’t kill anyone.”
Jake put his hand on Dani’s shoulder. He felt that spark again and immediately removed it. “Lieutenant, we should back up a step.”
She looked at him and smiled. “You’re right. Please have a seat, Mr. Vogel.”
When he hesitated Jake grabbed his arm and helped him into a chair. Dani continued.
“Have you been read your rights, Mr. Vogel?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I also have to inform you that this interview is being recorded. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Do you waive your right to have a lawyer present during this interview?”
“What do I need a lawyer for? I didn’t do anything. I definitely didn’t kill anyone.”
Dani sighed as if she was bored with the formalities. “Mr. Vogel, do you waive your right to having a lawyer present during this questioning?”
“I don’t…”
“Yes or no, Mr. Vogel?” Dani interrupted.
“Yes.”
Dani looked at Jake. “Can I continue now, Detective?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Mr. Vogel, I’m Lieutenant Castello and that is Detective Santos. We would like to know why you killed a fellow detective.”
Drums jumped up. “I didn’t kill anyone, let alone a cop.”
Dani leaned forward, taking another tact. “Where were you on the night of February 16th?”
“I don’t know. That was, like, two weeks ago.”
“Think hard. I’m sure it will come to you.”
“Was that a Tuesday?”
“It was a Friday,” Dani calmly corrected him.
“A Friday night two weeks ago.” He made a show of thinking about it before saying, “Hmmm. Nope, can’t remember.”
“Let me refresh your memory. We have a witness that puts you in a warehouse on East 88th Street, between the hours of nine and midnight on the 16th.”
He smiled. “I guess if you have a witness, then that’s where I was.”
Jake slammed his hand down in front of Drums. “I’m not thinking your attitude is going to make us tell the DA that you were cooperative when we arrest you for murder.”
Drums slammed his hand down. “I didn’t kill anyone. You got the wrong guy.”
“Then stop with the attitude and tell us what happened that night or we will arrest you for the murder of a New York City detective. That charge carries a life sentence.”
Drums looked at Jake, then back to Dani. He got up and paced the small room twice before he turned back to them. “I didn’t kill him. And before you ask, I don’t know who did. I wasn’t there when it happened.”
“Sure you weren’t,” Dani stated sarcastically as she got up. “Jake, take him to booking. Let him call his lawyer.”
“I don’t need a lawyer. I wasn’t there. I didn’t see what happened.”
“We have a witness that puts you at the time and place of his murder.”
He sat down and put his head in his hands. Speaking down at the table he mumbled, “I was on the second floor. I didn’t see what went down.”
Dani took it down a notch. “Mr. Vogel, look at me.” Slowly he raised his head. “Tell us what you do know.”
“Don’t leave a thing out,” Jake added. “No matter how small you think it is, tell us everything you know.”
He thought for a long moment. “I’ll tell you what I know, but I think maybe I should have a lawyer here when I do.”
Dani and Jake both sighed. She headed for the door. “Make that happen, Jake. Let me know when he’s ready. I’ll start on his friend.”
“Tim was with me. He didn’t see what happened either.”
“Great. Just great.”
She left the room, slamming the door behind her.
It turned out that Tim was smarter than Drums. Dani wasn’t in the room two seconds when Tim asked for a lawyer. She didn’t even bother trying to talk to him. She left, closing the door behind her. After telling Jake that Tim also wanted a lawyer, she headed to her office to wait.
She stopped at the desk Katie was working at long enough to stick out her hand for any information that Katie came up with. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to come up with much. Keith Oberman does move around a lot. She found where he was four weeks ago, but couldn’t come up with anything more recent.
Dani entered her office, closed the door and sat at her desk. She took out the ring box and opened it. “We’re closing in on him, Zach. I promise you I won’t rest until he’s behind bars or preferably six feet under.”
She closed the box, wiped the tears from her eyes, sat back, and put her feet up on her desk. She quickly scanned the papers Katie gave her on Keith Oberman, but at the moment her mind wasn’t on it. Her mind kept going back to Zach and his murder. She put the stack of papers in the teen murder file before taking out Zach’s murder file. She was still going over it an hour later when her phone rang.
“Castello,” she answered.
“Lieutenant, I thought you’d like to know that we found four kilo’s of marijuana and over a thousand assorted prescription drugs in the spare tire compartment of the van.”
“Thanks, that makes my night. Write it up and get it to me ASAP.”
“Look for it in ten.”
He hung up.
Jake was about to walk into Dani’s office without knocking, purely for the fun of watching her get mad, but stopped when he saw her with her feet on her desk and her eyes closed. He hoped she was catching a quick nap, but doubted she was. He quickly learned that she thinks best with her feet up and her eyes closed.
He tapped lightly three times before entering. “We’re ready when you are. They both have a lawyer and have had time to talk with them. Drums seems to have some money. His lawyer is high priced, according to Michaels. Tim has a public defender. Not a happy one for being called away from, and these are his words, a very promising date.”
Slowly she lowered her legs and stood up. “I’m sorry to hear that. Too bad he’s going to have to wait. I want to go at Drums first.”
They headed toward the interview rooms. “You don’t sound like you’re sorry,” Jake commented.
She gave him a sideways look. “Sure I am. I’m all for someone getting it when they can. That doesn’t mean I have to make it easier for him.”
“Or her,” Jake chuckled.
Dani smiled. “Or her.”
When they walked into the interview room, Dani hit the record button, stating the required information for the record. Jake stood off to the side while Dani took a seat across from Drums and laid the case folder on the table.
“Tell me everything that happened on the night of February 16th. I don’t need to tell you how bad it will be for you if you leave anything out.”
“There’s not much to tell. I was on the second floor with Tim.”
“What time was that and what were you doing?”
“I guess we were down there from about eleven. We were taking care of some business with a few other people.”
Dani smiled. “What business was that?”
His nervous energy was being spent as his leg went a mile a minute bouncing up and down. “It’s not important.”
Dani moved her eyes to the lawyer and back to Drums. Without looking at the folder, she opened it, took out a piece of paper and slowly slid it over to him. “We found your stash, Mr. Vogel.”
Jake walked over to read the piece of paper over his shoulder. “Wow. That’s a lot of drugs,” he commented. “You’re looking at a bunch of jail time for that.”
Dani nodded. “Or you could start from the beginning and Detective Santos and I might not see the need to tell the DA where those drugs were found.”
He looked at his lawyer and got the nod. “We were selling drugs on the second floor all night.”
“Who’s ‘we’?”
“Me and Tim. We got half the nights profits.”
“How much did you get for kidnapping the girl?”
He shook his head. “What are you talking about? We didn’t kidnap anyone.”
“Really? What were you doing around nine?”
When he stared without answering, Dani added, “Keep in mind that we already know what your answer should be. If your account doesn’t match what we know, we take that piece of paper to the DA and you to lockup.”
Jake pulled out a chair across from Drums. “Why don’t we rewind. Let’s start your account from nine p.m. on the 16th of February.”
Again, he looked at his lawyer and got the nod.
“A few days before the party one of my friends asked me to find this girl he had a crush on. He’d been looking for her, but she was never in the places he thought she would be. He gave us a few pictures that he had of her and told us to bring her to him.”
“So you kidnapped her?”
“We asked her to come with us, but she told us to drop dead.”
“So to get back at her you threw a hood over her head, tied her hands and kidnapped her?”
He slammed his hand down. “I didn’t kidnap anyone.”
Dani and Jake both sat back. “I would advise your client that outburst like that will not be tolerated and that it’s a short walk to the DA’s office.”
Drums wiped his face with his hands. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t kidnap her. My friend wanted to see her. Since he’s not the type of guy you tell no, I brought her to him. That’s it.”
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