Crow Wing Dead

by Midge Bubany

  “It wasn’t the money.”

  He shook his head and tapped the desk with his finger. “And I wasn’t too concerned about that Mickey-Mouse nuisance shit she pulled at Adriana’s house—until she dumped paint on her BMW convertible and torched her house. If I’d have known she was going to come back to pull that, I would have taken the former more seriously. That bitch is a whacko.”

  “Don’t forget she painted Spanky’s and my front steps silver as a threat, like we were next.”

  “Not going there. But Austin will testify about the silver paint cans she dumped in his garbage, her smelling like gasoline after the fire, and how she used Sadie Jones’s identity. The real Sadie will be a believable witness. If we can just get Victoria for the arson, she’ll be out of commission for a few years.”

  “Let’s hope.”

  “Hey, do you know the one-eyed guy who brought Ms. Lewis in?”

  “Bobby Lopez. He rents Chester Brooks’s house out by Rodgers Lake.”

  “I wanted to go up and kiss him.”

  “I didn’t know he was your type.”

  “You dickhead, you know what I mean.”

  It amused me when I rattled him.

  “I do. The dude definitely has skills, but I can’t quite figure why he got involved.”

  His eyes narrowed, and he gave his desk a knock with his knuckles. “Well, it was a wonderful surprise to see Victoria enter the courtroom with a bang.” He grinned. “Gotta go.”

  That afternoon the gallery was packed with spectators. Judge Patterson wouldn’t allow television cameras in her courtroom, and it was clear most of the people assembled were reporters as they were taking copious notes. I also spotted an artist at the end of a row sketching me. Terrific.

  When Oliver asked me a few questions about the fire that destroyed Adriana’s house, his voice cracked and his hands trembled. He was feeling the effects of the large media presence.

  After I was dismissed, to avoid the press, I used the security tunnel between the courthouse and department. Back in my office, I checked my messages, then left for the day. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I couldn’t help but notice the many news station vans lining the streets along the courthouse. Not only Minnesota stations, but CNN and CNBC as well. An heiress on trial made for juicy headlines. No wonder Oliver was nervous. In the next few days, Troy, Adriana, Tamika, and Austin Spanney would have their turns testifying, and ordinarily our testimonies would seal the conviction, but the sexual relationships involved muddied this trial. I worried a little about Spanky’s ability to handle the defense lawyers’ questions.

  Clara and I had just walked downstairs after putting Henry and Lucy to bed that evening, when the landline phone rang.

  I didn’t recognize the number. Hoping it was about Hawk, I picked up.

  “It’s me.”

  Adriana.

  “Oh, hi.”

  “Is it too late to call?”

  “Nope. What’s up?”

  “I just wanted to know how court went.”

  “Okay, I guess. I’m more worried about tomorrow when the defense gets its turn.”

  “You’ll do fine. I heard Victoria actually showed up. Was Adam there?”

  “Lewis? No, come to think of it.”

  “He’ll probably come for my testimony just to intimidate me.”

  “Don’t let him.”

  “Hard not to. I’ll be arriving in town tomorrow, and I thought we could go out for dinner one night.”

  I was speechless.

  “Or lunch, if you’re more comfortable with that.”

  “That’s a bad idea.”

  There was a pause before she said, “Tamika told me you and Shannon separated.”

  “What does that matter?”

  “Why are you being so crabby with me? I don’t want to reconcile. I just miss talking to you.”

  I didn’t respond.

  “Cal?”

  “It’s not a good idea. One of the kids is crying. Gotta go.”

  When I hung up, I realized Clara had been watching me. “Who was that? You acted so secretive.”

  “I wasn’t being secretive.”

  “You turned your back and spoke softly—that’s secretive if you ask me.”

  I gave her a long stare.

  She sighed. “All right. I get it. You have a right to privacy.”

  “Yes… I do.”

  When I took Bullet out for his last pee, I walked the entire perimeter of the house looking for Victoria lurking in the shadows. Knowing the vindictive sicko Victoria was, made me uneasy. Her behavior had escalated from annoying to criminal in two years. I hoped her lawyers were keeping her in check. Hopefully, the jury would realize how evil she was and convict her before she killed someone.

  Later, while I lay in bed tossing and turning, my mind spun with everything going on in my life: the divorce, my kids having to deal with split custody, Hawk, the cross-examination, and Adriana. I didn’t need or want any more complications in my life. Argh! No wonder I couldn’t sleep with all this shit bouncing around in my brain.

  Chapter 15

  May 29

  Seventeen days missing.

  Most often in the cross examination, the defense attorneys ask law enforcement officers to clarify points and/or admit they didn’t actually witness the crime. Because of my personal history with other witnesses and the victim in this particular trial, it was a given Victoria’s attorneys would attempt to negate my testimony and turn things around, so that Victoria was the so-called victim of poor police work. Yeah, the nausea I was feeling was justified.

  Before I walked over to the courthouse, I stopped at the department to sign in. Patrice and I bumped into one another in the squad room.

  She took a sip of coffee then said, “You should know Ginty’s back in St. Cloud Detention Center, but Nevada Wynn’s out on bail.”

  “Wynn’s out? What about Hayes?”

  “Still with us. Oh, I meant to tell you Troy called me a few days ago to ask if I had any openings.”

  “And you said?”

  “That I didn’t have any.”

  “That’s it? Did you ask him what was going on?”

  “I did not.”

  “I want you to know since he’s been with Adriana, he looks at me like I’m the fox in a chicken coop, and he’s the farmer with a shotgun.”

  “You country boys have such a way with words.”

  I put my hand up. “I’m just saying, if I end up dead, look at Troy… or Victoria, for that matter.”

  “You’re exaggerating.” She left it at that and walked out.

  I found Spanky at his desk in our investigations office. “Hey, how ya doing?” he asked.

  “Just dandy. And you?”

  “I couldn’t sleep at all last night. I’m up to testify after they finish with you.”

  “All we can do is tell the truth.”

  “I know, I know, but still.”

  “You did nothing wrong.”

  “Besides being a fool?”

  “A fool is someone who knows the truth and behaves as if he doesn’t. Victoria was very convincing—she uses her feminine charms.”

  “I’ll say. Whew. She knows stuff.” He wiggled his eyebrows, which made me laugh—I recalled the hooker moves she used on me.

  Victoria was a badge bunny—she liked cops. When she went after Spanky, she deceived him by using her roommate Saddie Jone’s identity (not for financial reasons because her father was loaded), but because it was a game to her. When Victoria bleached her hair blond, she and Sadie looked like twins. Sadie would testify they had fun switching identities when she and Victoria had been college roommates.

  In hindsight, it was a mistake to let Spanky make t
he arrest. Victoria’s attorneys would try to prove it was personal, and I could understand why a jury would buy it. I pulled up my case notes on the computer. Together Spanky and I reviewed the slides Oliver had chosen to use.

  When I left for the courthouse, Spanky wished me luck.

  “You too, brother.”

  Today Victoria wore her Lois Lane outfit, including the cosmetic eyeglasses. I turned my attention to the packed gallery. No Bobby Lopez—and that was a relief. Or Adam Lewis, Victoria’s father.

  After Judge Patterson reminded me I was still under oath, the female attorney stood. Having a woman cross examine me was strategic. She was forty-something with an I-eat-small-town-cops-for-lunch look in her eyes. She ran her hand down the front of her white blouse then gave a quick tug on the lapels of her black suit jacket. She came around the table and pivoted toward the jury to introduce herself as Elizabeth McCall. She moved midway between the jury and me.

  “Good morning, Detective Sheehan,” she said, smiling slyly at her prey before the pounce.

  “Good morning.” I gave her an I’m-not-afraid-of-you smile.

  “Yesterday, you testified you met Ms. Lewis when she worked as a reporter for The Birch County Register.”

  “Yes.”

  “And shortly after you’d met her, you began a sexual relationship with her?”

  Getting right to it. “Yes.”

  “And no one forced you to fly all expenses paid to Las Vegas. Is that correct?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  “While there, you dined, danced, played golf, and gambled all courtesy of the Lewis family. Is that correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “After this all-expenses-paid weekend, you stopped seeing Ms. Lewis. Correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Deputy, was it because you were very, very angry at seeing Adriana Valero marry Miss Lewis’s father?”

  “No. And I wouldn’t characterize my feelings as very, very angry.”

  “But you were angry with Miss Lewis, were you not? Yes or no?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you remained angry with Ms. Lewis for some time, although you continued to sleep with her. Correct?”

  “I object, your honor!” Oliver cried.

  Finally! Thank you.

  “Sustained. Ms. McCall, keep to the facts and testimony before you.”

  “And, Deputy Sheehan, to clarify what you said earlier. You also had a sexual relationship with Adriana Valero, the victim of the crime Ms. Lewis is accused of committing?”

  Sexual relationship? Oh, for godsake, why wasn’t Oliver objecting?

  “We were together for over two years, yes.”

  “And how long after you ended your relationship did she remarry?”

  Oliver! Are you awake?

  “Objection! Irrelevant!” Oliver shouted. Finally.

  “Sustained.”

  “You testified this morning that skeletal remains were found on Ms. Valero’s property, where upon random acts of trespassing and vandalism occurred. Yes or no?”

  “Yes.”

  “You testified you had suspicions Ms. Lewis was involved.”

  “Not in the beginning…”

  “Please answer yes or no.”

  “Yes.” When the acts turned more destructive and vindictive.

  “Did you find Ms. Lewis’s fingerprints or DNA anywhere on Ms. Valero’s property?”

  “No.”

  She faced the jury. “In other words, you had no physical evidence.”

  I didn’t respond.

  “Detective?”

  “Was there a question?”

  Someone in the jury snickered.

  “You had no physical evidence? Is that accurate?”

  “No, it’s not.”

  She narrowed her eyes but moved on.

  “You testified your fellow investigator at the time was Deputy Troy Kern?”

  “Yes.”

  “And Deputy Kern also became sexually involved with Ms. Valero. They had a child together, did they not?”

  “Objection! Irrelevant!” Oliver shouted.

  “Sustained. Ms. McCall, questions regarding Deputy Sheehan’s testimony only please. ”

  McCall turned to face the jury. “You did state you considered Victoria, Ms. Valero’s ex-stepdaughter, to be your only suspect in the acts of vandalism and the more serious arson case. Yes or no?”

  “We looked at all possibilities.”

  “But you had no other real suspects on your list, did you?”

  “Objection, your honor,” Oliver said with irritation.

  The judge said calmly, “Overruled. You may answer the question, Deputy.”

  “Yes or no, did you have other suspects?” Ms. McCall asked.

  “No, because the evidence pointed…”

  “No further questions of this witness at this time,” Ms. McCall said. “I reserve the right to recall Detective Sheehan at a later time.”

  “So noted.”

  Oliver rose and said, “No further questions of this witness your honor.”

  Really?

  He wasn’t going to try to correct the impression we were going after Victoria for some kind of personal vendetta, and that the male deputies in the department were of a bunch of horny bastards trading women like baseball cards?

  I passed Spanky on the way out.

  “How’d it go?”

  “Piece of cake,” I said. “You’ll do great. Just answer yes or no.” No need to alarm him.

  When I returned to my desk, I checked texts, email and phone messages. I had a few more from my mother. I called her back hoping she’d stop once I heard her excuses for allowing a deranged individual near my babies.

  “Mom, what is it?” I asked, not disguising my annoyance.

  “I wanted you to know I was seeing someone.”

  “You’ve had many boyfriends, many of whom I never met.”

  “He thought you should know.”

  “Okay, don’t keep me in suspense. Who is he?”

  “Cisco, I mean Bobby Lopez.”

  “I’ll be right over.”

  My heart pounded as I flew down the stairs and across the lot to my Ford F-150, then sped to my mom’s condo on Fox Drive. I pulled up to the blue vinyl-sided, three-story, eighteen-unit seniors only condos on the eastern edge of Prairie Falls.

  It was a security building, so you had to use the phone in the entryway to call up to have the resident let you in. The buzzer continued sounding for at least thirty seconds. Some security—anyone could slip in behind me. I chose to take the stairs to the third floor then fast-walked down to the left corner unit. I rang the doorbell. I could hear music blasting—Rolling Stones’s “Wild Horses.”

  When she let me in, I said, “What the hell do you think you’re doing with Bobby Lopez?”

  She giggled. It was noon, and she was holding a margarita. Tequila. Great. She almost burned our house down once drinking Tequila with one of her boyfriends.

  “Bobby’s going to make me a genuine Mexican lunch. He says you should stay and eat with us. He’s made plenty.”

  Bobby rounded the corner out of her kitchen area. He was holding a mug and as he took a sip, he smiled.

  I marched over to him and said, “What the hell are you doing, Bobby, Cisco, or whatever the hell your name is?”

  “Turns out your mother and I knew each other from before.”

  “From before?”

  “When we were kids.” He laughed. “We spent a weekend together.”

  “Jesus H. Christ.”

  “She was in LA with her friend, Dinah. You know her?”

  “Dinah? Yeah, I’ve met her.”

 
“Well, that night Dinah and Hope were the hottest chicks in Ledbetter’s on Westwood Boulevard. They were sitting at the next table, and we kept exchanging glances through John Denver’s performance. When he took a break, Steve Martin went up on stage and was doing his tongue through a napkin routine, and your mother leaned over and said to me, ‘Is he stupid or what?’ And I said, ‘He’s stupid. Want to go to my place?’ I shared an apartment in Manhattan Beach at the time.” He sighed wistfully. “Anyway, the girls said yes and off we went. They stayed the whole weekend. It was a wild and crazy time.”

  “Oh, that’s just great.” I took a deep breath, so I wouldn’t puke.

  My mother took the break in the conversation as an opportunity to chime in, “So, when I saw him at your place he looked so familiar. We both said so.”

  “Later, I figured it out and called her. Asked her over for dinner that night.”

  “You have got to be kidding me.”

  “Nope. All true. It’s such a small world… after all. You ever been to Disneyland?” he asked with a smirk plastered on his face.

  “Shut the hell up,” I said.

  I took my hand and ran it through my hair, and glaring at Bobby, I said, “I need to speak with my mother privately. I would like you to leave.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You stay, Bobby.”

  “I’ll go for a walk,” Bobby said.

  When he closed the door behind him I said, “Do you know what you’re doing?”

  “Having fun?”

  “You have no idea who that man is.”

  “He’s told me all about himself.”

  “Want to share?”

  She began to give me some sugar-coated version so I just said, “I don’t think you get it. He’s a dangerous man.”

  “Don’t be silly.”

  There really was no reasoning with her when she got something in her head. She’d have to find out the hard way. I just hoped she didn’t end up dead like Hawk.

  “Tell you what, you just go at it. Just keep him the hell away from my house and my kids. And don’t say I didn’t warn you.”