Mystery: Double Cross - The Davenport Mysteries (Suspense novel series of adventure mystery books and Crime mystery thrillers)

by V. S. VASHIST

  “Will do that,” Robert replied.

  “Any luck with the murder case? Any leads?” she asked. “I know you don’t want to share intel with me, but still.”

  “After today’s meeting, I think I should share everything with you. You may see it from another perspective,” he said while stopping at a red light. “The house is clean. There is nothing that could point at anyone.”

  “Can you take me there?” Kiara asked.

  “As I said, there is nothing,” he insisted.

  “I know. Just wanted to be sure from my end,” Kiara said hoping for a positive reply.

  “Okay, let’s go there,” Robert said and took a right turn after the signal. Kiara was glad that she met Burt in front of Robert. At least now he was cooperating. More than her, it was he who wanted the case to get solved. He knew Kiara was not going to take any credit. So, taking her to Brendon’s apartment looked like a safe choice for him.

  Kiara’s mind was running as they drove towards the other end of the city. There was something about the meeting with Burt Lehmann that bothered her. Why was his office empty? They never informed him why they wanted to meet him. Then why he was taking measures as if they were going to question him for something that he thought would land him in trouble. Also, he got scared as soon as she had shown him the pictures of the ring. Were there more illegal transactions that the police did not know about?

  “How long will it take to get the Burt’s phone records?”

  “You want to get it checked now? I thought you wanted to trace his calls for the whole day?” Robert asked with surprise.

  “I do. But, I suspect he may go underground. The way he reacted to our questions about his illegal deals makes me feel that his first reaction would be to remove any tracks that could lead us to him.”

  “Let me put someone on his watch,” Robert said and parked the car on the roadside. He got off and called the station.

  While he was making the call, Kiara called Jake.

  “Hey, partner,” she said in a low voice. “I miss working with you.”

  “Hm … I miss that too,” Jake replied. “What are you up to?”

  “We met Burt Lehmann. I believe he will lead us somewhere.”

  “That’s great. I have also prepared a list of the people living in those mansions and done some background check on them. There are around fifteen farmhouses on the road leading to Gary’s. Most of them visit here occasionally. That helped me track down three of them who were here the day I went to meet Gary.”

  “Any link to our case?” Kiara asked.

  “It’s difficult to say. All are businessmen, but none of them has any businesses in New York. I’m trying to get more information about any expensive antiques they may possess.”

  “Hm … maybe that can help. How are you getting the information anyway?”

  “By bribing the watchmen,” he said sheepishly. “They are very cooperative.”

  Kiara gave a chuckle. “Antique theft, bribing people. You have come a long way.”

  “I’m just vacationing. I don’t know what you’re saying,” Jake said with a smile.

  “OK … Gotta go. Going to Rebecca’s apartment,” Kiara said as Robert walked towards the car.

  “He’s letting you see the apartment? I thought he had declined your request,” Jake asked with surprise.

  “He saw my performance today and now he feels I could help with new clues if I see the crime scene,” she replied. “Will tell you in detail later. He’s here.”

  “Best of luck,” Jake said.

  “Bye,” Kiara said and disconnected.

  “Two of my men are on his trail,” Robert said as he got inside.

  “Thanks.”

  Robert nodded. “You think he is going to do something.”

  “Let’s hope he does,” Kiara heaved a sigh.

  Kiara looked around the hall as they crossed the barricade tape. Robert gave her a pair of gloves.

  “The house is completely clean,” Robert said. “No signs of any struggle.”

  “That’s what’s bothering me,” Kiara said as she sat down near the chalk mark. “The murder happened at three in the morning. What was Brendon doing in the hall at that hour?”

  “Rebecca said that they dragged him here from the bedroom,” Robert replied.

  “But, it feels like he didn’t resist. Even the bedroom looks as if it was untouched.” Kiara pointed at the bed that did not even have a single crease disturbed.

  “She says that they were so worried that night that they were not able to sleep. The whole time, Brendon was walking across the hall. Around 2:45, they decided to go to the bedroom and then all of this happened.”

  “She has answers to everything,” Kiara said and walked across the hall towards the window. “When the glass was broken, they should have come out of the bedroom to check. Why were they still in bedroom?”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “Well, it is possible that the glass was broken after the murder.”

  “You mean she did it?” Robert asked with surprise.

  “Well, we have no lead on the murderers. All we know is that there were two of them wearing masks. There are no fingerprints anywhere in the house. It looks really convenient on her part,” Kiara said. “She said that they married after three months of courtship. That is an awfully short time you get married to a criminal.”

  “Well, she says that it was love at first sight,” Robert replied.

  “Hm … where does a straight-A girl meet a smuggler?” Kiara smirked.

  “They met in a bar downtown. We checked with the bartender. They used to frequent that place,” Robert replied.

  “Where did you find the jewelry box?” Kiara asked.

  “Near the bed, in a chest. You think she did it for the jewelry?” Robert asked.

  “Well, as far as I know, this girl can do anything. She said that she did not know what Brendon did until the day of the marriage and she was okay with it, as she was in love. That’s a pretty weak argument. Don’t you think so?” Kiara said.

  “So, you’re saying she knew it throughout,” Robert said with surprise.

  “I would have called off the marriage if my fiancé turned out to be a fugitive,” Kiara said. “But, she not only got married; she also became his partner in crime. There’s something fishy here.”

  “Sounds fishy to me too,” Robert said thoughtfully.

  “Did you scan Brendon’s phone for other calls?”

  “He had calls from only two numbers: hers and the Chief’s.”

  “What about her phone?”

  “What about that?”

  “Did you scan her phone?”

  “No … we did not feel a need to do so.”

  “You should do that immediately. This girl definitely did not marry Brendon for love. Someone who has slogged all her life to be a straight-A student doesn’t intend to land up with a fugitive,” Kiara said and walked towards the bathroom.

  She checked the cupboards thoroughly. Robert kept following her like a student himself. Once assured she came out and walked to the bedroom. She opened the chest and looked at it.

  “Did you find something else other than the jewelry box?”

  “No, that was it,” Robert replied.

  “So, they had a chest just in case they steal some jewelry?” Kiara sneered. “I believe they had kept something else; also, that she removed after the murder.”

  By now, Robert had started taking notes. Kiara looked at him. “I think we should leave. I’ve seen what I wanted to see.”

  “Don’t you want to see the other rooms?” Robert asked. “Did you find something that I don’t know? Don’t hide things from me.”

  “I am not hiding anything.” Kiara was getting tired of his rants.

  “Well, you better not,” he said. “So, what have you planned next?”

  “I would like to ask her some questions,” Kiara said and looked at her watch. “Maybe tomorrow morning.”
r />   “We will also have her phone records by then,” Robert replied. Kiara nodded. Robert was getting smarter in her company.

  With that, they came out. The case that looked stagnant a few days back had come to life suddenly. There were multiple threads and Kiara was trying to figure out how all of them were tied together.

  Robert on the other hand was thinking how Kiara was able to find so many things in one day that he could not see in a week’s time. He was sure there was something that was known to her, but was not willing to divulge.

  “Drop me off near my car,” Kiara said as they entered the station gate.

  “Sure,” Robert said and stopped at her car. As Kiara was about to get down, he looked at her. “I wanted to ask you something.”

  “Yeah, sure,” she said.

  “Why did the girl want to talk to your partner that day? Do they have some history?” he asked and looked for her reaction.

  Kiara was startled a bit, but controlled her emotions. “Nothing like that. What makes you think so?”

  “The way she was waiting for him to come to call and the way she changed her tone while speaking to him … I mean, it has to be something.”

  Kiara knew he was not going to let go so easily. She knew the best way to come out of such situations was to tell the true story sans the important part.

  “He’s in Lake Sivan right now. The woman whose jewelry box Rebecca stole lives opposite to his house. Jake met Rebecca before she escaped with the jewelry. He even used her dock for swimming and had coffee with her a couple of times. She must have thought that he’ll be more understanding than all of us, as he knows her more than us.”

  “Small world, huh,” Robert exclaimed. “He must be shattered, not able to detect her intentions. Must be itching to settle scores?”

  “You bet he is,” Kiara murmured.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Thanks for the ride,” she said. “Let me know if you find something.”

  “It was nice working with you today,” Robert said and drove past her.

  “I hope I could return the compliment,” Kiara mumbled as she opened the door of her car.

  As Kiara drove through the city, Robert’s words kept reverberating in her mind. Jake’s time was indeed getting wasted at Lake Sivan. Had he been here, they would have made more progress.

  With that thought she called Carlson.

  “Hello, sir,” she said as softly as she could.

  “Kiara, so late?” he said looking at his watch. “I hope everything is all right.”

  “Everything is fine, sir. But it could be better.”

  “What happened now?” he asked in exasperation.

  “Sir, I need Jake here. I got some leads in this case. I need his help,” she pleaded.

  “I told you: it’s beyond my powers,” Carlson replied.

  “But he can be here as an advisor,” she said hoping for a different answer.

  “It’s another way of saying the same thing.” Carlson was not going to agree so soon.

  “Sir, the woman who’s in custody knows Jake personally. If he questions her, we can get more information,” Kiara tried one more time.

  “I heard about it. His flirty nature helped us one time at least,” Carlson replied and paused for a moment. “See, the department never told him to go out of New York. If he’s here no one can question his presence. And he can visit her in his personal capacity as a friend. No one can question that either.”

  “I got your point, sir. Thanks a lot.” Kiara beamed as she understood what Carlson meant.

  “You’ve finished up your quota of favors for this year now,” Carlson said with a hint of smile.

  “I indeed have, sir,” Kiara replied with a smile. “Good night.”

  “You also take some rest,” Carlson said and disconnected.

  Kiara was so happy that she almost jumped the signal. It took her some time to become normal. She knew Jake’s presence will make a lot of difference. She had several doubts about Rebecca. Everything that she had told looked fabricated to Kiara. With Jake’s help she could get to the end of it.

  “Hey, partner.” She called Jake as soon as she entered her apartment.

  “Hm … Did you find something in her apartment?”

  “Well, nothing much, but I believe your girlfriend is hiding something,” she said. “Only you can make her speak.”

  “I could but my hands are tied,” Jake said ruefully.

  “Not anymore. You can join me in the investigation. I have taken Carlson’s permission.”

  “Did he reinstate me?” Jake asked at once.

  “No … He can’t do that even if he wanted to,” Kiara said with a little disappointment. “But you can help me offline.”

  “He’s fine with it?” Jake asked with surprise.

  “Yes, he thinks you have learnt your lesson,” she explained. “Besides, I told him that I need your help in interrogating Rebecca.”

  “But I can’t interrogate her till I am reinstated,” Jake asked.

  “You can meet her as a friend. It’s already been established that you know her personally. Even Robert would vouch for that,” Kiara said with a faint smile.

  “You told him?”

  “He knew the moment she asked for you.”

  Jake nodded his head. “I will be there by ten.”

  “Aren’t you happy?” she asked.

  “I am,” Jake said. “Would have been great if I was given my powers back.”

  “Carlson wants us to feel bad about our behavior and I guess it is working,” she said ruefully. “We can discuss that some other time. Right now, we need to concentrate on the case.”

  “You are right,” he said. “Let’s discuss it tomorrow.”

  “That would be great. I think we have few leads in the case. If we think them over together, we may reach somewhere,” she said.

  “We sure will,” Jake responded.

  “OK, then. See you tomorrow,” she said. “I am so excited that you will be back. It is as if half of my tension is gone.”

  “Because you’ve transferred it to me? Because of that, I may not get much sleep tonight,” Jake said with a smile.

  “I am going to have the best sleep in days,” Kiara said cheekily. “Good night.”

  As soon as Kiara hung up, Jake pumped his fist. He was back in the game and he knew the coming days were going to be exciting.

  Chapter 9

  The morning looked much beautiful than Kiara remembered. Maybe it was the thrill of the case or maybe working again with Jake that made her feel like that. She poured a nice cup of coffee and sat on the balcony looking at the orange hue of the morning Sun. Everything looked so peaceful and serene. Why is it so peaceful?

  She left the coffee at once and checked her phone; the battery had drained off. She shook her head and as she plugged it in and turned it on, she saw five missed calls from Robert.

  She called him immediately and her face lit up as she came to know why he had wanted to speak to her. Burt Lehmann had tried to leave the country and had been detained from JFK. He insisted that he was on a business trip, but could not furnish any documents.

  Kiara knew that Burt may take a wrong step after their discussion, but he will commit such a big blunder that will literally make him the prime suspect was beyond her wildest dreams. She ran towards the bathroom. She did not want to miss a single moment of the interrogation. Jake was right: they had to find the weakest link and the whole chain would crumble after that without any effort.

  Burt was getting interrogated by Detective Robert and Captain George as Kiara entered the station. They were even more excited than Kiara and their demeanor reflected that. They were moving towards the biggest success of their career and it had been served to them on a platter.

  Kiara waited outside the observation mirror, expecting Burt to break bit by bit. His lawyer was sitting beside him.

  “Who do you work for?” George asked.

  “I am not working for anyone
,” Burt replied while looking at his lawyer, who gave his consent on his answer.

  “Why were you trying to flee the country?” Robert asked this time.

  “You don’t have to answer that.” His lawyer pressed Robert’s hand as he was about to say something.

  “OK … What is your connection with the murder of Brendon Jones?” Robert asked a straight question this time.

  “Never heard of the name,” he replied nonchalantly. He was not as scared as he was in his office the previous day. Maybe he was ready for such a question, or maybe his lawyer’s presence had given him some confidence.

  Robert shook his head in frustration. “Mr. Lehmann, Brendon Jones had stolen the two idols that we found last month in a car crash. He was getting instructions from someone who we believe is known to you. When we questioned you yesterday, even then you pleaded innocence. But, the first reaction you had after the meeting was to leave the country. It’s very difficult to believe that the two are not connected.”

  “I am not going to answer that. Do I have to?” He looked at his lawyer, who nodded.

  “My client is being mentally harassed. He will tell his side of story in court. Can you excuse us now?”

  Kiara was getting impatient by the moment. She texted Robert, who in turn showed it to George. George came out immediately.

  “You have ten minutes. He’s a tough nut to crack,” he said while shaking his head.

  “Let me try once,” Kiara said and pushed the door. George looked at her one more time and replaced her outside the observation mirror.

  As soon as Burt saw her, his face turned pale. “You are behind all of this. I knew it the moment you left my office.”

  “Relax, we can’t do anything against your will. At least not without any proof,” she said while looking at the lawyer, who too looked at her with anger. “But what if we have the proof? Would you cooperate then?” She dragged a chair near Burt.

  “What … what do you mean?” Burt said in a frail voice.

  Kiara turned towards Robert. “Detective, now that he is a suspect, can we have the search warrant?”