Death Blow

by Emma Rose Watts

  “A history teacher at FSU.”

  “Ah, both parents working under the same roof. Must be tricky at times,” Harvey said. Skylar remained tight-lipped. Of course she wouldn’t stay silent but she wanted to give Harvey first kick at the can.

  “Oh they make it work.”

  She led them into a large living room with white walls, and a cream-colored fireplace. The place was immaculate. The floors were a dark hardwood, and there was an area rug in the center of the room. Thin white drapes blew gently in the breeze, and the windows let in lots of daylight. In various places on the tables and the mantelpiece above the fireplace were white flowers. It looked like a home straight out of a home and décor magazine. As they stepped inside Skylar could smell polish.

  “You have any brothers or sisters?” Skylar asked. Harvey glanced at her and she raised her eyes as if to indicate What? I’m just asking a question.

  “No, it’s just me.”

  “Big place for just you and your parents.”

  She shrugged. “I guess.”

  “So you must be your father’s world.”

  “He’s very protective.”

  “He must be if he thought you should carry a gun.”

  “It wasn’t always that way. I had issues with my last boyfriend. He knocked me around a few times, that’s why my father wanted me to carry.”

  She took a seat on the couch and made a gesture for them to sit in the two chairs. Skylar sat while Harvey paced.

  “I heard you dated Gabriel for a while?” he asked.

  “Off and on for two years.”

  “What does your father think of Gabriel?” Skylar asked.

  “He’s president of the fraternity. You could say he’s fond of him.”

  Skylar nodded. “So when you two broke up, that must have been hard.”

  “No, Gabriel got over it.”

  “I meant for your father.”

  She shrugged. “He didn’t agree with it but what can he do?”

  “So how did he take it when you hooked up with Matt?”

  “Matt wasn’t part of the fraternity. It was something that was important to my father. So he introduced him to Gabriel and they made arrangements for him to join the fraternity.”

  “And did Matt like it?”

  She paused, looking down into her hands. “He loved me.”

  “That doesn’t answer the question,” Harvey said.

  “He had issues with it, let’s put it that way and a few times he thought of quitting but that was mostly due to the pressure he was under.”

  Harvey nodded. “Okay, well the reason we are here is because it’s come to our attention that on the night of the murder, one of the Latin Syndicate received a text message from you. You of course were also seen driving off with someone on a stolen bike. Now I know you say you can’t remember much about that night but do you recall sending that message?”

  “You already looked at my phone.”

  He nodded, and pulled back his jacket placing his hand on his service weapon. “That we did, however, we didn’t ask if that was your only phone.”

  “I…” She trailed off as if searching for words. “Look, I really think I should have my father here or at least a lawyer.”

  “It’s a simple question, Iris. Do you have another phone and did you use it to contact Diego?”

  She shifted uncomfortably on the sofa.

  “Yeah, I do. It’s a burner phone that Matt got for me.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “Because you already were looking at me as if I’d killed him.”

  “So why the phone?” Harvey asked.

  “I think I can answer that,” Skylar piped up. “Your father didn’t approve, did he?”

  “That’s not the case.”

  “Then what was it?”

  She hesitated for a few seconds. “Gabriel. It was because of Gabriel. In the month leading up to Matt’s death he was acting all jealous and he kept looking at my phone. That’s why I stepped out that night.”

  She had suddenly blurted out something that she hadn’t said before.

  “So you do remember?” Skylar asked.

  All the blood in Iris’s face seemed to wash out. “I… I remember a few things. It’s coming back to me in dribs and drabs.”

  “So what do you remember?” Harvey asked getting real curious and sitting down beside Skylar in a chair off to her left.

  Iris picked at her left fingers. “I remember Gabriel coming on to me. I remember having a lot to drink and getting a text from Matt to say that he was in a bad state and he needed to talk to me about the fraternity and that it was urgent.”

  “And you responded?” Harvey asked.

  “Yes. He asked to meet out at the Point.”

  “Why there?”

  “It was a place we used to go when we wanted to be alone.”

  “You mean, where Gabriel wouldn’t look?”

  She sighed. “Look, Matt wasn’t an angel. Okay? Neither am I. But he was smart and trying to make a life for himself. We had goals. You know, once we finished university we were going to get engaged and move down to Fort Lauderdale to live.”

  “And was your father for this?”

  “He didn’t know.”

  “But he spoke to Matt about the drugs, right?”

  “It wasn’t just the drugs. He wanted Matt to stop seeing me. He was trying to control my life. Yet he won’t say that. He said that he was trying to protect me. And I guess he had a point if you consider the unsavory company Matt got caught up in but… it still felt like he was trying to control my life.”

  “So the burner phone wasn’t just because of Gabriel?”

  “No, it was. My father had asked Gabriel to keep an eye on me.”

  Her confession matched up with what Gabriel had said. Slowly things were starting to fall into place and a picture was forming in Skylar’s mind.

  “So he knew about the drugs?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, at first it was just meant to be a small project. It was more about whether Matt could do it or not. You know… could he recreate something like Flakka but without all the bad side effects and could he use chemicals that were legal. He had no plans of selling it to anyone. Gabriel got wind of it and wanted to distribute it out to folks at parties. It was big money. Also I think it was him who tipped my father off to it. Anyway for a while things were going real good. No one was getting hurt. People felt happy. And as far as I knew it was aboveboard and legal. But then this Latino gang who wanted him to start making it for them approached Matt, saying they would pay him half of what he was already getting. He refused and had a few heated confrontations with them. He said he didn’t want to make it for people in the first place but by then it was too late. They threatened his life unless he agreed to deliver what they’d paid for by a certain date.”

  “Paid for? A certain date?”

  “The day he died,” she replied.

  “So why did you contact Diego if you knew they were a threat?”

  “Matt was my boyfriend. I wanted what was best for him as I knew he was going to run. The day before we had talked it through. I told him just to make the batch and give it to them along with the recipe and be done with it, but they said Matt had the perfect cover at the university. The university buys in bulk different chemicals for classes and cops wouldn’t go busting into a university lab.”

  “Then how was he able to make it?”

  “He did it at night. They had a deal going with one of the security guards who let them into the lab for a cut of the profits.”

  “They?” Skylar asked.

  “Gabriel.”

  “So he was getting a cut of the profits?”

  Iris frowned and then stifled a laugh. “Of course. Why else would he have wanted him to keep making it? It was good money. The university isn’t cheap, detectives.”

  “You’re telling me,” Harvey said.

  Skylar breathed in deeply and looked around the room before
continuing. “Okay, so you got a message from Matt that night asking to meet you at the Point?”

  “Yeah, he was scared out of his mind. He wanted us to get away together. Just leave it all behind. I know it was because of the Latinos.”

  “Maybe it wasn’t,” Skylar said. Iris frowned as she couldn’t understand what she meant. “Please continue.”

  “Matt had already created enough product. I finished the deal with this Diego fella. I said I would provide them with what they asked, and give them the recipe if they would leave him alone. He wanted out and I told them that the university was catching on. I made it sound like Matt wouldn’t be able to use the place.”

  “And they bought it?” Harvey asked.

  “Well let’s see,” Skylar reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone and accessed her inbox to get the messages that had been forwarded on to her. She read them and turned it around and showed Harvey then Iris. She dipped her chin ever so slightly as if coming to the realization that a person could only contain secrets for so long. Eventually their lies would catch up with them. That’s how it always worked with investigations. It was like hacking away at a piece of stone. At first it was a mess, but eventually an image would begin to form and in this case it looked as if it was one of legal highs and fraternity secrets.

  “Do you still have your burner phone?” Harvey asked. “We’re going to need that for evidence.”

  “Yeah, I can get it for you.” She stood up to go get it. “This isn’t going to work against me, is it?”

  “That’s for the judge to decide,” Skylar said. “Anyway, before you get it. What happened next? Where did you go? Where was this stash of drugs he’d made?”

  “Here at the house. I had them take me here.”

  “No wonder we couldn’t find any at the beach house or on the boat,” Harvey said.

  “Then what?” Skylar asked.

  “Well they waited outside while I came into get the bag and…” She gripped her head as if a migraine was coming on.

  “You okay?” Skylar asked.

  “No, I’m just having a real hard time remembering. It’s like a blur.”

  “Maybe she needs more time,” Harvey said.

  “If Santiago is still on the loose, maybe we don’t have more time,” Skylar said.

  Harvey looked at Skylar. “But if he got the drugs and the recipe why go to all the trouble to kill Matt or take Gabriel?”

  “Santiago took Gabriel?” Iris asked.

  Harvey nodded. Iris squeezed the bridge of her nose with her eyes shut.

  “What is it, Iris?” Skylar asked.

  “I don’t know. It’s so hard to remember but… I think Gabriel was here.”

  “At the house? That night?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. My memory is so fragmented.”

  “Okay, what do you remember?”

  “Um. I came in the door and headed upstairs to get the bag and…” She squeezed her eyes closed tightly and shook her head. “He was here. I’m sure of it.”

  “Who?”

  “Gabriel.”

  “Then what?”

  “Yeah he...” She trailed off as if trying to gather her thoughts. “He wanted to talk. He said my dad was worried about me, and then we got into this argument about Matt and the drugs and…” She nodded. “But it was definitely him.”

  “Then what?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t remember.”

  Chapter 18

  “Does your father have surveillance here?” Skylar asked looking around for cameras. She couldn’t see any and there were none showing outside unless they were hidden. A home on a remote stretch of road, of this size and perceived value, would have made for quite the target for anyone interested in robbing it, except that wasn’t why she wanted to see the footage.

  “Yeah, come this way.”

  Iris led them down a long corridor and then into a room which she said doubled as her father’s office if he had to work from home. At the center of the room was a large mahogany desk and on the walls were shelves for books. She went around to the desk and pressed a button underneath it and a section of the shelving parted to reveal six different screens, a console and a doorway.

  “It’s a panic room. Just in case anyone breaks in.”

  “You weren’t lying when you said your father was paranoid.”

  Iris stepped forward and tapped on the keyboard in front of her. The screens showed each of the rooms in the house, except for one screen which offered exterior views of the front and back of the home.

  “Just give me a second to go through the archives and bring it up. He usually keeps several months’ worth.”

  “Where are the cameras?” Skylar asked.

  “Oh they’re out there but you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking around.”

  They were hidden, just as she thought.

  It took a good five minutes for her to locate the footage from that part of the day, but when she did they all noticed that prior to her arrival, Gabriel’s car pulled up to the gate, he punched in a number and it opened. He brought the car around the back and entered through the French doors. They watched as he went from room to room, calling out, then he wandered into Iris’s room and laid down on her bed before staring at his phone. Ten minutes later, just as she said, Iris arrived with the Latin Syndicate.

  “Hold on a second, stop it right there,” Skylar said. She looked at Harvey. “Gabriel left Harry’s Bar after Iris was seen getting on the back of a motorbike. So how did he arrive here before you?”

  “I was taken to meet someone else. Not far from Harry’s Bar. Santiago. I told him what I could deliver and he seemed more than happy to accept it, although he was disappointed that Matt wouldn’t be able to create it for him on an ongoing basis. They were hoping to avoid attracting any heat and I guess making this stuff outside of the university and with their reputations they would have to find a new place to make it.”

  Understanding, Skylar told her to continue. The video played out and Skylar watched with keen interest. As the recording of Iris’s arrival displayed on the monitor, Harvey’s phone rang and he walked a short distance away to answer it.

  In the video Iris staggered into the home and that’s when Gabriel met her at the top of the stairs and followed her into her room. While they didn’t have audio, it was clear he was talking to her and she was having trouble staying upright. In the video Iris took a duffel bag out of her closet from the very top, and then Gabriel grabbed it out of her hands and tossed it on the bed. He unzipped it and looked pissed. He walked over to the window and looked out and pointed at her as if he was discussing the Latinos outside. Iris looked as if she was getting heated in her conversation with him but at the same time she was struggling to stay on her feet. She staggered to the left and then over to the right, bracing herself against the wall.

  Then she collapsed.

  Gabriel watched, walked over and scooped her up and placed her on the bed. He loomed over her and gazed up and down her frame, running his hand up her leg and below her skirt. Then his head jerked up and he twisted around. On the other monitor, one of the Latinos had come to the door and appeared to have yelled. Gabriel stood up and grabbed the bag but not before removing a scrap of paper from it. He glanced at it and then stuffed it in his pocket before hurrying out of the room and making his way down. He exited the front door, handed over the bag, and jerked with his thumb over his shoulder. The Latinos looked in the bag and nodded then returned to their bikes and got out of there.

  Gabriel remained on the front porch watching them leave before he went back inside and headed up to where Iris was out cold. He lingered over her running his hand over her face and touching her on the outside of her clothes and even took off his coat as if he planned on staying a while, but then he fished into his pocket and retrieved his phone. He looked as if he was texting someone. After finishing he put his jacket back on, tucked the cell into his back pocket and scooped up Iris, carrying her bac
k down the stairs and out the back door.

  Skylar glanced at Iris as she watched it. It was obvious she hadn’t seen it. How could she have? She had only been released from custody that day. She probably didn’t even think to go over the footage.

  The video concluded with Gabriel placing her into the back of his vehicle and tearing away from the home at a high rate of speed.

  Iris switched it off and stared at the keys on the keyboard.

  Before Skylar said anything, Harvey came back into the room.

  “That was the hospital. Seems they got back the results from the bloodwork they did on Iris on the day of Matt’s murder. Because of the way she was acting, and the memory loss, they ran a few tests on her. There was GHB in her system.”

  “The date rape drug?” Iris asked.

  Skylar nodded. “Now the video is beginning to make more sense. Gabriel had been considering raping Iris — that’s why he took off his jacket, that’s why he headed out after she left the bar. He must have figured you got a ride home and headed back here. Unless he knew you were heading back here? But how would he know?” She paused pacing the room. “The drug usually takes about fifteen to thirty minutes for it to really kick in. That’s why you looked with it on the surveillance when you were outside the club but when you arrived home you were staggering.”

  “Then why didn’t he do it?” Iris asked, turning in her seat.

  “He got a phone message. Someone interrupted him. The question is who? And why did Gabriel take you with him?” She put a hand on her chin and tapped her cheek with her finger.

  Harvey jerked his head to the door. “Let’s go ask him.”

  Chapter 19

  It didn’t take them long to track down Gabriel. According to his parents he’d headed to the beach house to assist with cleaning up because the fraternity had thrown a party there last night and practically trashed the place. When Harvey pulled into a spot outside the home, they were surprised to see no vehicles outside, no one in the pool around back and one of the windows was smashed.

  “Those frat boys certainly go wild with their parties. I wonder who’s going to be hit with the bill for that window.” He shook his head as he pushed out of the truck. “I can’t believe Tom Bowman would let them use the place. He must have known nothing good comes from handing over the keys to a property and telling them to enjoy themselves.”