“Most of these are drug busts, but some of these criminals could make the jump to homicide,” Rebecca observed. “Adam’s worked on a lot of cases. He moves a lot of criminals through our courts, that’s for sure.”
Luke blinked. “Cheeto, if we work seven days a week, fifteen hours a day, I swear it could take us a month to get through all of these interviews.” Luke looked up at the ceiling and groaned. “Number one, that’ll give this asshole a chance to get away. Number two, we’re going to have to endure the daily verbal abuse from our dearly beloved captain.”
“Agreed. Let’s hope Belinda will assign more manpower to us since Adam is a prosecuting attorney. We know Belinda will feel extra pressure to solve this. So, the faster this case is solved, the better she looks. Her number one priority.”
Luke rolled his eyes as Don dialed his phone and put it on speaker. Belinda picked up after the first ring. “What do you want?” she hissed.
“Belinda, we narrowed it down to about a thousand former inmates. If Luke and I do this on our own, it’ll take us a month to get through them all. We’re hoping you could assign some additional manpower. We want to get this solved. Get this guy behind bars.”
“Of course, Don. Of course. Why don’t I assign ten more people to this case? Hmm, let me see. Oh, now I remember. There are other cases in this city too. Plus, we have the mayor and taxpayers to answer to.” She sniffed. “Darn. I guess it’s just you and Luke. You’ll just have to figure it out. Call me when you do.”
Don exhaled as he ended the call. Luke’s head dropped. Rebecca’s eyes flashed. “Exactly who was that?” she demanded.
Don looked at her. “Belinda Mann, our Captain.”
Luke gave her his own version. “Actually, I refer to her by the title that I believe suits her better: Queen BM.”
Rebecca smiled at Luke’s play on Belinda’s initials. “Yes, she certainly isn’t very professional. I just hate that kind of sarcasm. I think that title suits her very well. How long has she been there?”
“Three very long years,” Luke answered. “Rumor has it she got the job because she had a rich father who contributed to the mayor’s campaign.”
Don interjected, “Problem is, she’s gained tons of recognition due to running the department so inexpensively.” Don felt the heat rising in his face as he spoke. “The mayor’s held press conferences and given her awards to show the citizens of Denver how fastidious he is with their tax dollars. Belinda told us that our mayor promotes how our department runs nationally as a model for others to follow. She said she actually gets a bonus based on the reduced manpower cost of her department.”
Rebecca winced. “She told you that?”
“Yes. And because of all of that, the police commissioner gives her a long leash.” Don sighed. “It’s a real struggle to get through the work. So far, we manage to cover for each other without her knowing. But one of these days, a case will come up that we can’t cover, and Denver’s citizens will suffer. I hope this is not that case.” Don paused. “Belinda shines upward really well. Her superiors think she’s great.”
Luke added, “But around us, she hops on her broomstick and flies around in circles over our heads.”
Rebecca folded her arms and grunted. “Let me tell you, I wouldn’t mind casting some kind of a nasty spell on her. It sounds like all she cares about is herself and her own upward mobility.”
“You just hit the nail on the head,” Luke growled.
Rebecca tapped a pencil on a folder for a minute and stood up to move over to Luke. “I don’t mean to be rude, but before you go, you just have to tell me how you got that scar above your left eye. I’ve been trying to imagine what happened all day. It’s been driving me crazy.” She put her hand over her heart and became dramatic. “Were you apprehending a psychotic bank robber in the middle of his crime? Were you in a bar fight with some gang?”
Luke considered the older woman for a moment. “No, I was trying to save my little brother’s life. I failed.”
Rebecca gasped and took a step back. “Oh, I’m so sorry!”
“That’s all right.” Luke shrugged. “I get asked from time to time. I think of it as a good reminder of why I got into law enforcement: to honor my brother.” Luke’s voice softened. “It’s important to me.”
“Luke, I’m sure your brother sees what you are doing and appreciates it.” Rebecca smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder. Then she looked at Don and tilted her head. “While we’re on the subject, how about you? What brought you into this line of work Don?”
“My father was a detective. He was killed in the line of duty when I was twelve. Hundreds of police officers were at his funeral. Many of them told me that he was a hero.” Don stared at the wall for a minute as images of his father’s funeral ran through his mind. “I have always been very proud of my dad. I guess I want to be like him.”
Rebecca blinked and swallowed. “Denver is certainly lucky to have you two working for us, I can tell you that.” She took a deep breath and smiled at them both, “Is there anything else you need?”
Don looked around at the room. Pizza boxes and empty cans from the food and drinks she bought them were scattered everywhere, and there was a huge pile of files that had to be refiled. “No, but let’s help you clean this up.”
She waved them away and insisted that they go work the case. The files that they needed were placed in a box. Luke picked it up while Don signed for them. As they shook hands, Rebecca said, “You have my number. Call me any time, night or day, if there is anything else that I can do to help. I’ll be praying for you.”
The detectives thanked her and left. As they rode the elevator down to the street, Don looked at Luke. “That is one organized woman. Huge help.”
“Yeah, she’s a great lady, although I could have done without having the prayers bestowed upon us, or whatever that was.”
Don frowned at his partner. “She’s just a religious person offering us help in the best way she knows. My mom was just like that. I can’t believe you have a problem with it.” He rubbed his chin. “Maybe I should pray for you too.”
“I don’t need prayers. I got me and my family covered.”
“To each his own,” Don observed as they trudged to the car. After they got settled, Don turned on the ignition and took a deep breath. “Okay, time to start digging.”
Chapter Seven
Hours of interviews later in a Denver neighborhood, Luke stood by the car and put some files back into the box. He stretched. “Okay, Cheeto, we just got a lot of nothin’. We did a lot of driving and talking for zero results.”
Don rubbed his jaw. “You know, I’m thinkin’ we’re on the wrong track. This murder took place about five thirty in the morning.” He waved at the box. “These defendants aren’t the type to even be awake that early, let alone stand in somebody’s yard with an axe.” Don squinted at Luke. “I don’t know, might be too soon to tell, but the puzzle pieces just aren’t fitting together.”
“Yeah, I hear you, but don’t forget we barely got started, Cheeto. There’s still lots of work to do.” Then he tapped his watch. “But now, in spite of what Queen BM says, we have to get to that game that was rescheduled for tonight. We have a football team that needs our sage guidance.”
Don blinked. “I don’t know. Maybe you should go. I can keep working the case.”
Luke looked at his partner. “It’s just a couple of hours. Don’t forget, we keep young boys out of trouble by doing this. I want to catch this guy as much as you do, but these kids need us. Their dads walked out on them.” Luke pointed to his heart. “I know what that feels like.” He grabbed his partner’s shoulders. “We both have to be there.”
“You’re right.” Don’s eyes crinkled. “I stand corrected.”
Don drove back to the Kendrick’s home to drop Luke off at his car. T
hen he followed Luke to the center where the game was to be played.
Don got out of his car and the corners of his mouth turned up as he gazed at the old, empty warehouse that had been converted into an inexpensive indoor recreation center. There were no bleachers, but the turf worked just fine and the league kept the boys busy. As they walked into the building, Don commented, “No doubt this rec center reduces crime. Big bang for the buck.”
“Agreed.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was ten by the time Don got home after the game. Looking at the huge box of files he’d taken from Adam’s office sapped his energy. But he had to find out as much information as he could on these former inmates while working on his computer tonight. That way, he and Luke had a better chance of getting some useful information as they worked though the cases Adam had prosecuted. He sighed as he lifted the heavy box out of the car.
A cheerful little chirp greeted him when he opened the door. In spite of how tired he was, the sound made him smile. He whistled, and Belle chirped again. It felt good to be missed.
Don put down the box and took the bird out of her cage with care. “Hello there, pretty girl. How was your day? Hopefully better than mine.”
He held her on his index finger as he walked into his bedroom. “I have to find a very bad man. And Belinda isn’t giving Luke and me any help.” He chatted on as he changed clothes and then cleaned her cage.
With Belle perched on his shoulder, he picked up the box of files and walked into his office putting them down with a thud next to the desk. Stretching his arms behind his back, he looked around the room, lined on three sides with rich mahogany bookshelves filled with books from floor to ceiling. Don walked over to a window that displayed a glittering blanket of lights outside stretching almost as far as the eye could see. “All right, I’ll turn on a little jazz music for us while we work, eh?” He took a seat at the desk, which was situated in a corner so he could look out at the city as he worked.
“Belle, I don’t know why, but I’m thinkin’ Luke and I are on the wrong track. The first thing I have to do tonight is start the murder book. Got to make sure all the interviews and crime shots are in one spot. Then it’s the files. ‘Cuz right now these files are about all we have. I’m thinking that if I do as much digging as I can now, maybe I’ll find something that will help Luke and me get lucky. I have to do whatever I can think of to speed up this investigation. There is a killer loose in Denver, and I want him behind bars.” Don searched into the early hours of the morning.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
On the outskirts of Denver, the killer watched a war movie in his living room. His eyes kept drifting to the medieval weapons that were displayed above the fireplace. He got up and fondled the weapons, then walked into his garage. He turned on a heater, took an axe out of a closet, went to his workbench, and polished the axe blade, rubbing it so hard that his head moved in the same rhythm as his hands. He rubbed until the glint of steel shone beneath the cloth.
After a time he examined the axe, turning it this way and that. He brought it up over his head and swept it down, repeating the motion several times. He held it up and peered at his reflection in the blade. “You and I make a good team. Let’s do it again sometime, shall we?”
He continued to stare at the shiny axe for a long time.
Chapter Eight
“Daddy, Daddy it snowed last night! Get up and look at the snow, Daddy! Let’s build a snowman today, can we Daddy?” Luke’s four-year-old daughter jumped on him as he lay in bed, now wide awake.
He held her in his arms and shushed her, hoping his wife had been able to sleep through all of that. She was seven months pregnant, and Luke knew she was having trouble getting enough sleep. Her job as a physical therapist could be tiring at times and Luke worried about her.
“Lucy, I have to work today. I don’t know if we have time to make a snowman before I go to work,” he whispered as he hugged his daughter tightly. He glanced at the clock and stifled a groan. It was four thirty in the morning. There was plenty of time to build a snowman. His head sank back into the pillow longingly, but his daughter’s big pleading fudge-colored brown eyes burrowed into his heart like they always did, and he suddenly decided it was a perfect time of day to make a snowman. Besides, he knew this case was going to take him away from his family, so he wanted to grab moments with them when he could.
Luke smiled as he got up and tossed his daughter into the air, catching her with ease and giving her a big kiss. He put his mouth near her ear and whispered, “Okay Lucy, you go find a hat and a scarf for our snowman and I’ll find some things to make his face.” He gently put his daughter down and she scampered off with a delighted giggle.
“Luke Malone, you are spoiling that girl.” Luke looked over at his wife and saw that her eyes were still closed but there was a smile on her pretty face.
Luke went over and kissed her on her forehead. “Honey, now you just go on back to sleep and let me complete this important mission.” He lowered his voice playfully when he said the words ‘important mission’.
“Okay, superhero, I expect to see a perfect snowman when I get up.” Sabrina rolled over and snuggled deeper into the covers.
Luke threw on a sweat suit, walked into the kitchen, and started rummaging around for stuff to make the snowman’s face. Lucy scurried in, holding up the bright orange wool hat and red scarf that she found. Luke inspected them, scrutinizing each one by turning it over several times and holding it up to the light before giving her a thumbs up. Lucy’s eyes sparkled. Then he showed her what he found. “Okay, young lady, we have here a perfect carrot nose…” He put the carrot up to his own nose and Lucy grinned. “And we have here a mouth of red grapes…” He placed the grapes over his own lips and Lucy giggled. “And we have here two cherry tomato eyes!” He put the cherry tomatoes over his own eyes and Lucy chortled with laughter and clapped her hands.
“That’s perfect, Daddy! We’re going to make the best snowman in the whole wide world!” While Lucy ran to the closet to get her boots, Luke rummaged around for something in a bottom drawer. He found what he was looking for and then helped Lucy with her snow gear. After they were both bundled up, he held out his trophies from the drawer.
“These are head lamps. They are flashlights that you wear on your head. This will help us see since the sun isn’t up yet.”
Lucy’s eyes gleamed as he put the contraption over her blue wool hat. Before long, they were rolling big snowballs and stacking them on top of each other.
An hour later, Luke held Lucy up and helped her put the hat and scarf on their masterpiece. Their snowman was four balls high, not the usual three. He was probably about six feet tall, and his big grape smile showed that he approved of their work. Then with Lucy still in his arms, Luke took a couple steps back so they could both absorb the full effect of their achievement. “Lucy, I do believe that’s the best snowman that I ever saw,” Luke declared.
“Me too, Daddy, I think that he is the best snowman ever made ever!” Lucy’s grin stretched from ear to ear and she hugged her father as hard as she could.
Luke hugged her back and gave her a big kiss. “All right, young lady, your daddy has to get some exercise in before Uncle Don comes over to pick him up for work.” Luke carried her into the house and took off her snowy clothes, hanging them up to dry.
Sabrina walked out in her fuzzy robe and slippers and peered outside. Her huge caramel eyes and full lips were even more accentuated due to her close-cropped hair that crowned her head in soft, shiny jet-black curls. Tall and thin, she hid her pregnancy well.
“My heavens! Luke and Lucy Malone, I do believe that is the biggest snowman that I ever saw. He is a prizewinning snowman, and that’s a fact!” She bent over and hugged her daughter who was jumping up and down. Luke kissed his wife, picked up Lucy, and encircled them both with his big arms. He sighed with contentment.
The three of them stayed like that for a few minutes as they admired the morning’s work.
An hour later, Luke came upstairs from his workout, wearing a towel around his neck and dripping sweat. He spotted Sabrina making pancakes and he puckered up his lips as though he was going to kiss her. She held up a spatula in warning. “Don’t you even think about kissing me, you sweaty man. Don’t even come near me until you take a shower.” She punctuated each of the last three words with three matching shakes of her spatula.
Luke grinned and swatted her bottom softly with his towel before heading to the bathroom.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As he looked in the mirror, Don eyed the black circles under his eyes while he shaved. Last night had been long. He kept going back and forth about the investigation. It made sense that a recently released inmate had it out for Adam and killed Alicia. That intent was the only logical motive they’d been able to come up with, at least so far.
But the majority of Adam’s cases were drug cases so most of the files had to do with gangs and drugs. Those kids just weren’t the type to get up at five in the morning and go out and kill someone with an axe. His night spent searching for more information hadn’t yielded much more than what Rebecca had already given them. He wished he would have just gone to bed and gotten a little shut-eye.
Don put on a navy blue suit along with a maize yellow tie and went out to visit with Belle before getting something to eat. He reached into her cage and held her on his index finger, looking into her eyes. Belle tilted her head back and forth. “Happy anniversary, Belle. You’ve been here for two years.”
Don’s thoughts made his heart sink. He put Belle on his shoulder and walked over to the fireplace mantel and picked up a photo. He gazed at it, seeing his wife Uelle on her thirtieth birthday, the day he brought Belle home for her.
His memory drifted as he recalled that Luke and Sabrina were over that night, and the photo was taken before they’d all gone out to dinner. Luke, Sabrina, and a very happy and beautiful Uelle with Belle on her finger were all smiling at the camera without a care in the world.
Deadly Gratitude Page 4