“Hey, Mickey!” he cried out loudly enough for Alison to hear.
She watched from the kitchen door.
“This,” Connor responded, no longer numb but in some pain now, “is a medical miracle.”
“What kind? Are they morphing you into a mouse?”
“Nope, it may look funny, but it supports the bruised tissues and bones and releases pain relievers throughout the day.”
“Does it work?”
“Actually, it does.”
“Makes you feel like Mickey, though, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, so what’s new?”
“Well, I heard that guy who nearly killed you yesterday originally planned to take the bank for millions and by moving it around accounts under his employees’ logins, but there’s more to it than that. He got an even better idea to get more money by blackmailing the woman whom he framed to look like she’d been the one who actually set up the fake accounts. Grand larceny and blackmail, and two counts of murder—including the attempted murder of a cop and a civilian, or rather, a police consultant.”
Connor was suddenly and acutely aware his mother was hanging on Eric’s every word.
“Yeah, you better button up whatever gossip you heard on your selling rounds because you know this is an ongoing investigation. All the theories that go around can clutter up the field of genuine clues and evidence.”
“Yeah, you’re right. You’ve warned me about that enough and believing everything I read in Charlie’s newspaper. I just hear so much selling insurance everywhere, it’s hard to keep quiet,” Williams said, getting the point and lowering his voice. “He spent all the money on drugs. Just one thing I want to know. How does Laura know how to shoot so well?”
Connor tried to shrug, but it hurt too much, so it came across as a twist, a grimace and a groan.
After Eric left, Alison asked her son about it.
“How come Eric knows so much about the case?”
“He thinks he does. Selling insurance, he talks to a lot of people and noses around everywhere. Asks too many questions, picks up gossip and shares it. Recklessly.”
“Well, it sure sounded like a terrible thing happened with those two unfortunate people. And now both of them are dead. All so sad. I didn’t know them, but I have run into that bank manager a couple of places. He seemed nice, but I guess you never know and now he’s in the hospital with…how many gunshot wounds? You’re awfully lucky Laura found your gun and stopped that man from killing you.”
Connor looked thoughtful and it wasn’t the first time since yesterday.
“I know.”
“You have some pretty bad injuries, son.”
“It’s nothing compared to the paperwork and Internal Affairs investigation—that will be a nightmare,” Connor mumbled, then took another tiny pill and almost instantly fell back asleep.
forty-two
The SPDP&G committee held their final meeting for the year.
Laura walked into the middle of another hot discussion, totally unrelated to the year’s festivities.
“I would never have thought it was Aaron. Who’s going to run the committee next year?” It was Rina, fussing and worrying about Aaron’s empty chair, and of course the odd number on the committee now.
Laura took her seat and decided that she would not be on this committee next year, no matter how much they begged her. That should solve Rina’s problem. Too bad she couldn’t tell them until the parade and gala were over.
“Rina,” Laura said, “I’m sure everything will work out.” She left off the “don’t worry” part as her mother had always assured her that telling someone who worried not to worry only made them worry more.
“I don’t like my costume,” Jade complained. “It makes me look fat.”
“It makes you look cute,” Erica offered.
“I don’t want to look cute. I want to look sexy.”
“I’ve never heard of a sexy female leprechaun. Do such things exist?” Miles asked.
Laura’s thought was, Yes! They hate the costumes and don’t want me back!
Until Rina spoke up that the costumes were the best they’d ever had and they were lucky to have Laura on the team.
I’ll plan to be in Paris next spring.
“Laura, tell us all. How did he do it? Did he really murder two people? And how do we get the Girl Scouts’ float replaced?”
“I just think it’s too bad it wasn’t the Boy Scouts’ float that’s tainted. Like Erica said before, the boys would love to be on a float where something gross happened. The girls won’t go near their float,” Kelly said.
“I think,” Laura began, “that we have to dismantle and destroy the girls’ float and rebuild them a clean, new one next year. Most of our floats look like they’re falling apart anyway. We can hold car-washings and other kinds of fundraisers over the summer and build it in the early spring in time for next year’s parade. Maybe we can rebuild one or two floats every year. What do you think?”
“I like your idea,” Erica agreed. “We’ll all pitch in. Guys? What do you think?”
“It’s a good idea, Laura, but what will the Girl Scouts do this year? There’s no time left,” Rina said, wringing her hands, a non-stop activity since they’d found out about Aaron Nilsson’s shooting and arrest, his murder of Jessica Wright and Paul Dotson. Laura considered it a miracle that the woman was still upright and talking coherently.
“I’m thinking about it. Does anyone know anyone who works at the Air National Guard or the Minnesota National Guard in Duluth? I bet when they hear what happened, they might be able to provide us with a vehicle that will beat the boys!”
Miles agreed.
“I’ll follow up with my friend in the military. He knows people in one of the National Guards. Good idea.”
“So tell us what really happened at the bank, Laura.”
“I can’t. It’s still an open case, and even I don’t know all the details.”
“But you’re a consultant with the police now, right?”
Her eyes grew big.
“Does everybody know that?”
They nodded in unison, even Rina.
“Well, they don’t tell me everything. Just some things. I don’t have all the details yet.”
They all growled.
On the way home, Kelly said, “You can tell us when you find out, though, right?”
forty-three
Connor showed up the next day while the shop was closed at lunch and Laura was wondering what to do with her day. The contest was closed, she’d sold nearly all Irish-themed products, and there was no further need to make green-colored, buttery-caramel-coated popcorn. Business was really slow. She was delighted to see Connor.
“I came over to show off my almost-a-scar and to tell you that if you ever need anything picked up from a warehouse or an estate sale again, I will personally pay for the packing, shipping, delivery, and set up in your shop.” He left off any other involvement or commitment he might have made in the past.
“I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault, Laura, just my new plan. And that means you can’t go pick up stuff, either, if the pickup spot is off the beaten track where you can’t get cell phone reception.”
She frowned a bit. Some of the best stuff she got was at someone’s rural estate. She’d have to think that through. Then she noticed he wasn’t wearing the Mickey Mouse glove.
“You’re not wearing the pain glove.”
“Had to drop it off at the hospital to get a new one with more painkillers in it. I like this local pain-killing stuff. Better than taking a pill that makes you goofy-feeling. I need to be clear-headed at all times. Hand’s a lot better, anyway. Do you know what Dr. Foulger tried to do? Turns out the glove isn’t covered by my insurance, so he tried to have it billed to me in care of him at his address
.”
Her eyebrows rose.
“He is a unique doctor who knows how to make children happy with root beer lollies and grownups happy with not too many bills. How did you find out?”
“My insurance company called to verify the address.”
“What did you tell them?”
“I said to follow the instructions on the invoice.”
“Was that after you saw the amount of the invoice?”
“It was a matter of allowing Dr. Foulger to do what he wanted to do for whatever reason he wanted to do it. I’ll talk to him privately about it. We’ll find a way to settle it so everything turns out kosher.”
“Can you afford it? I can help.”
Connor smiled at her, took off his cowboy hat and set it on the work table.
“You’ve done enough.”
“It’s hot in here; maybe you better take that jacket off, too.”
He unzipped and the jacket joined the hat on the work table.
“Why is it so hot? What have you got the heat turned up to?”
“About seventy-eight degrees. I’m working on a project that requires warm air while I’m cleaning the cut glass pieces we just tried to pick up at the estate auction. Remember them? But let me take a look at that wound.”
He pulled her close.
“How did the paperwork and IA investigation go?” she asked.
“They were okay, once I explained that you did what you had to do and didn’t put anyone else in danger, that you appropriately fired two warning shots into a tree, which, by the way, they verified for themselves, and most importantly, that you didn’t fire the weapon at the guy’s heart or head because I was on the ground behind him in the line of fire.”
“You knew I did that?”
He nodded.
“Everyone did once they reviewed the video. They want to recruit you, but I told them I thought you had other plans.”
“I do have other plans, and they don’t include being a peace officer. You’re a good cop, Connor, but you’re the only one of the two of us who should be.”
When their faces met, Connor kissed her on the forehead and each cheek before going for her lips.
She held her head back.
“Testing your ability?”
“Um-hmm.”
“How are the ribs?”
“Somewhat better.”
•••
When they heard the front door jangle open and bold steps coming toward the back room, they jumped apart and Connor grabbed his jacket. As he put an arm into a sleeve, the door to the work room opened and in walked Harry Kovacs.
Laura wasted no time in showing her dismay.
“Harry! I put a time clock on the front door! You didn’t even knock.”
“Yes, I saw the clock and waited for the time to be up. You said the disposal wasn’t working again. I’m thinking it’s time for a new one, but I had a break between customers and came to see if I could get it working one more time. Wow, it’s sure hot in here.”
She looked exasperated.
“I’m working on an etched glass project. But you came in without knocking. Connor and I were making out!”
Harry hesitated.
“I’d believe that more if you were pulling your clothes back together instead of Connor.”
He considered their joint glare at him and continued. “Next time put a couple of hours on the clock.”
“No, next time, I’ll hang a sock on the doorknob!”
Connor struggled to keep a straight face, zipped his jacket and pulled his hat from the work table.
Harry checked out the younger man’s face.
“You got your stitches out.”
They were silent again.
“Oh, you were celebrating.”
“Actually, we were testing to see if his mouth still worked.”
This time, Connor shook his head and grinned. “See you, Harry.”
“Connor,” Kovacs returned, nodding and returning to the disposal.
Connor and Laura headed for the back door.
“Did I pass?” he asked, kissing her again.
“Inconclusive. I need to conduct more testing,” she responded, her arms around him.
forty-four
Jack Flynn was not a police officer, but a decision was made higher up to honor him at his wedding. Every police officer present, therefore, wore police formal dress, including Connor. No tux this time. The U.S. Army gave the couple crossed sabers on their exit from the church to honor the wounded veteran. No tux for Jack this time, either. Full military dress.
At the reception, Connor held a chair for Laura.
“Shouldn’t I be holding a chair for you? You’re the one with a damaged lip, one hand and half a rib cage.”
“Sit down,” he said.
She tugged at his arm.
“Nobody will even notice your glove. Everybody looks like Mickey Mouse today.”
“Be quiet and behave yourself,” he directed her as he joined the others in the photography line-up.
Later, after they were all fed, had toasted the happy couple, and dancing began, Connor and Laura took the opportunity to practice some of their steps for the prom.
“Okay, out with it,” she whispered in his ear. “I want all the details from the FBI.”
Connor steered her toward the edge of the dance floor where other dancers were sparse.
“Jessica’s brother died recently in a car accident. It was just the two of them, so his personal effects went to her. Nilsson found out, made a clay copy of both sides of her apartment key when she wasn’t around, and went to her apartment while she was at work. He took her brother’s driver’s license and other personal items so that he could open up an account in his name and begin creating pretend funds. It saved him the effort of finding someone else who died. His original plan was to withdraw the money which would have given him enough to get out of the country and live it up somewhere in a warmer climate. He put back the driver’s license and other paperwork he’d stolen, and everything would have worked out except for a couple of things that happened.”
He swung her around, and she wondered why they would need practice. They were amazing on the dance floor together.
“So what happened?”
“He was bicycling one day and got hit by a car. He put out his left hand to break the fall but broke a lot of bones in the wrist. The doctors did what they could, but he was in a lot of pain. He went the route that a lot of people do, which is illegal drugs. His dealer got him hooked on crystal meth—”
“Which was why he had that super-strength and was feeling no pain.”
“Exactly. He was also using up his own money and needed more. He planned to mess with the logs and accounts so it would look as if Jessica Wright had created her own bogus account for her dead brother. He was going to blackmail her anonymously. Paul Dotson suddenly leaving was a gift. Nilsson’s computer skills were so beyond what he pretended, it wasn’t funny. There was nothing he couldn’t do. He routinely intercepted his staff’s emails and deleted the one where Paul sent Sabina the message that he needed some time away. He even answered it, pretending he was Sabina and told him it was all okay. He worked it so it looked as if Paul was the one blackmailing Jessica, and he collected close to half a million from her—all of her retirement funds.”
“He told you all this?”
“He couldn’t remember half of it at first, but once he was sober, he did tell us what he thought he had done. Most of it is backed up by the IT forensic evidence the FBI traced to his IP address at home. He didn’t count on Jessica meeting up with Paul. At that point, he ran into Jessica, he could see she was a nervous wreck plus she had no more money to give him, and that made her a liability. So he had to kill her. He doesn’t recall why he hid her body in the parade float,
but he admits he did do that.
“Then out of the blue, he got a call from Paul, asking for help to clear Jessica’s name. Another gift. He killed Paul, pushing him over the barrier at the mine. He tried to tell us at first that he hadn’t done that, but we found some of his footprints at the overlook, and three cell phones with Paul’s fingerprints on them stashed on a tree limb nearby. They’re burners, but we were able to determine that two of them were used to call each other, and one call was made on the day we believe Jessica was killed. We think that was how Jessica and Paul communicated with each other. The third phone showed a call directly to Nilsson’s personal cell phone the evening Dotson was killed.”
“So there you have it.”
“Almost. You were right about his setting up accounts in Dotson’s name at the tailor’s and in Wright’s name at Gems by Jem. He did that to support the theory that Dotson and Wright were in the fraud together. He admitted buying expensive clothes in their names and sneaking the jacket and dress into Wright’s closet. What clinched it was the DNA evidence they found on the golden dress and the golden threads. When he was snipping the dress and threads, he cut himself in several places, a hangnail, skin, a little blood. DNA was Nilsson’s. Probably high and didn’t notice. That and his fingerprints were all over Dotson’s bike.”
“Wow. Scary that someone would do all that for money. But remember what I told you my father said?”
He nodded.
“Where there’s greed, there is never enough of what you want.”
“It never ends.”
“Oh, and the FBI IT forensics team found some other things that were going on at the bank with two other employees. One was creating his own backdoor into the system for his own personal gain, and the other one had a whole network of plans to join the first one when the backdoor was finished. For her own personal gain. The backdoor guy didn’t know about that. They’re both under arrest and awaiting trial in federal prison.”
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