Beguiled, p.12
Beguiled, page 12
“He should be here in less than ten minutes.” Jack walked to the bay window that faced the front yard. He turned the blind’s wand just enough that he would be able to see a vehicle pulling into the driveway, but that person wouldn’t have a view of him standing at the window. “Get inside the pantry and tell me how it feels once the doors are closed. You don’t get claustrophobic, do you?”
I chuckled. “Apparently, you forgot that my apartment above the hardware store was barely larger than this pantry.” I climbed inside. “Go ahead and close the doors.”
“How does it feel in there?”
I scooted canned goods to the side so I could take a seat on the shelf. “Not bad if I’m sitting. Less chance of me squirming and hitting something with my elbows too.”
“So it’ll do?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” I opened the door and stepped out. “I could see the laundry room, but I don’t know if I’d actually be able to see him in there.”
Jack nodded. “That isn’t a problem. As long as we have something recorded, even if it’s just our voices, it’ll be okay.” Then his cell phone rang. Jack fished it out of his pocket and checked the screen. He looked up at me. “It’s Amber.” With his index finger, he swiped the green phone icon to the right and answered the call. “What have you got, Amber?”
“A white van with door logos just passed me a block up. It’s headed toward the Ormond house.”
“Okay, good. Let the others know to stand by until I confirm that a van actually pulled into the driveway. I’ll give you a heads-up in a minute or two.” Jack clicked off the call and told me to take my position. He turned the TV to a news station and made sure I was settled in the pantry and the doors were closed. “Comfortable?”
“Yep, I’m good.”
“Okay, I’ll watch the window and let you know when he pulls in.”
I heard Jack cross the room as I sat in my spot and waited.
“He’s here, Kate. Time to put our plan into motion.”
“I’m ready, Boss.”
Next, I heard Jack make the return call to Amber.
“Hey, Amber, let everyone know the van just arrived. Remember, the signal to move in is when I ask how the inspection is going. Make sure your radios are turned up.”
I sat silently and waited with my ears perked. Within a minute, the doorbell rang, and Jack answered it. I heard the back-and-forth conversation as Jack introduced himself as William Ormond. He asked to see the employee’s credentials then offered to show the man where the brainbox and monitor were located.
“Our system isn’t extremely high-tech, but it makes my mom feel secure. We have a camera at the back entrance, one at the side door to the garage, and one at the front door. The monitor and equipment are back here in the laundry room.”
I held my breath as they crossed the kitchen right in front of me. Both men’s feet passed by as I looked at the floor through the louvers.
“Here it is. Not a lot to do, I’m sure.” Jack chuckled. “But who’s going to refuse a free system inspection?”
I heard the man’s voice respond. “That’s the beauty of the free six-month inspection. Nobody refuses it.”
I held in a silent snicker. What a shame this will be your last inspection, jerk.
Jack spoke up again. “Okay, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll be around the corner watching TV if you need anything.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Ormond, and I should be done in less than a half hour.”
“Yep, no problem. I’ll check on your progress in a few minutes.”
Jack’s shoes clacked against the tile floor as he passed the pantry doors, but the sound disappeared when he reached the carpeted living room. I heard the creak of the recliner as he took a seat fifteen feet to my right. Twenty feet in front of me, I could hear the imposter tap computer keys then pop the locks on a case of some sort. I imagined the tools that he used to disarm the system were inside.
I watched the timer on my phone count down the minutes as the man pretended to check the system. He had already been in the laundry room for ten minutes. At any moment, Jack should walk by to check on him. I heard the recliner’s footrest being lowered, meaning the takedown was about to happen. My muscles tensed. Jack passed by the pantry door, and his clacking shoes stopped at the laundry room, where his voice took over.
“How’s the inspection going?”
That was the signal. Within a few minutes, three cars would be blocking the van, and Chad, Amber, and Adam would burst through the front door and help with the arrest.
“I didn’t see any problems, Mr. Ormond. A few tweaks and I’ll have the system up and running again. I’ll be out of your hair in less than ten minutes.”
I waited for Jack to utter the words that were about to change the man’s life.
“Sorry, pal, but when you leave, it’ll be in the back seat of a deputy’s squad car.”
“Excuse me? What are you talking about?”
“I’m Lieutenant Steele from the sheriff’s office, and you’re coming with me.”
“The hell I am.”
The man’s voice was loud and threatening, but it was the sudden crash that sent me leaping out of the pantry. The table had been flipped on its side, and chairs were scattered across the kitchen floor. With fists flying, Jack and the imposter were fighting for their lives. The black object in the man’s hand caught my eye. He had pulled out a pistol.
Jack yelled out, “Kate, he has a gun! Get out of the line of fire!”
I ducked behind the overturned table and pulled my Glock 22 from my shoulder holster. Jack tried to pry the man’s weapon from his hand as they rolled across the floor, but they appeared to be an equal match. Elbows caught faces, and knees caught ribs. They grunted and yelled as they fought for possession of the gun.
“Shoot him, Kate!”
With them rolling back and forth in front of me, I didn’t have a clean shot. “I can’t! I’ll hit you!”
An ear-piercing blast rattled the kitchen windows and ended the battle for the gun. Jack was beneath the assailant, and I had no idea who was hit. I yelled out Jack’s name just as our detectives burst through the door.
“Help me, guys! I don’t know who was hit.”
Clayton and Billings skirted the living room in two strides while I pointed my gun at Jack’s attacker. Clayton grabbed the man’s shirt, pulled him backward, and flipped him over. Blood saturated the front of both his and Jack’s shirts.
I knelt at Jack’s side. “Jack, have you been hit?”
He let out a long groan. “I’m pretty sure that’s his blood since I’m wearing a vest.”
Clayton shook his head. “He’s dead.”
I sighed in relief as I stared at Jack. “Thank God it wasn’t you.”
Jack looked at his blood-soaked shirt and cursed. He rolled over, pushed off his knees, and stood. “Son of a bitch. I didn’t see that coming. The guy pulled that gun out of nowhere.” Jack looked over his shoulder at the dead man splayed out on the floor. “There goes our chance of getting any information from him. Our interrogation is a bust.”
Adam spoke up. “But you’re alive, and that’s something to be thankful for. There has to be some information on his person or in the van.”
Jack looked at the bloodstained floor and the broken table. “Kate and Amber?”
I gave him a nod. “We got this, Boss. We’ll make some calls and get this mess taken care of and order a new table while you guys search his pockets and the van.”
Jack rubbed his shoulder. “Damn, that guy was strong. Adam, call Forensics. I need them out here now.” He tossed his keys to Clayton. “I have a box of gloves in my trunk. It looks like we’re going to need them before we touch anything.”
Chapter 30
With a pair of blue gloves stretched over his hands, Jack slipped his fingers into the back pants pocket of the dead man, lifted out the bifold wallet, and flipped it open.
He exhaled a deep breath and looked at each of us gathered at his side. “At least there’s an ID in here. He pinched the plastic card between his fingers and pulled it from the wallet. “Says his name is Samuel Cooke, and he lives at 207 Little Court in Grafton.”
“There’s the Ozaukee County connection we wondered about,” I said. “We should focus our attention there.”
Jack continued looking through the wallet. “I’ll contact the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office, but I want to go through the van first. We might find more information that could help locate the rest of the group.” He pulled every card and slip of paper out of the wallet. “Hmm… that’s odd.”
Clayton raised his left brow. “What?”
“How many criminals carry family pictures in their wallet?” He turned it over. “Says 1983 on the back.” He handed it to me. “Maybe you can get something from it, Kate.”
“Thanks, Boss.” I gave the faded photograph a long look and frowned before slipping it into my pocket.
Jack appeared to notice. “Something wrong?”
“Not sure yet. I’ll study the picture later, but right now, we need to focus on what’s in front of us.” I stepped to the side. “I’ll call the cleaning service.”
“Yeah, do that. Clayton, get in touch with Lena.”
“Already did. She’s on her way with Dan and Kyle.”
Jack headed for the door. “All right, then. Let’s see what’s in that van.”
Chapter 31
Jordan looked at the clock for the fifth time.
That’s it. I need to know what the holdup is. Pete should have called an hour ago.
After marching across the driveway to the pole shed, Jordan swung open the door to find the three men watching TV and drinking beer.
“Let’s go. Pete isn’t back, and he hasn’t checked in.”
Don spoke up. “Did you call him?”
“No, asshole. You never call the person who’s away from the group. They call you. If he’s been apprehended, do you think I’d call the phone that the police probably have in their possession?”
“Nah, I guess not. So, now what?”
“Rex, pull the sedan out of the garage. We need to drive by the Ormond house and see if the van is still there. My gut says something is wrong.”
With Rex behind the wheel, Jordan in the passenger seat, and John and Don in the back, the group made the twenty-minute drive to the eastern outskirts of North Bend. Jordan called out the directions while watching the phone map.
“Turn right on North Oak Road about a half mile up. That’ll take us to Curtis Lane, which ends at Linda Drive. Wait. Better yet, keep going until you hit Terry Dale Drive, and then we can cruise down the entire length of Linda Drive. Passing the house won’t look so obvious if we do it that way.”
“Yep, you’re the boss.” Rex followed the directions Jordan called out and continued until he saw Terry Dale Drive. He made a left there then another one at Linda Drive.
“Okay, the house is about halfway down the street on the right, according to the map.” Jordan turned to the men in the back seat. “Stay low and don’t look obvious, just in case.”
Don frowned. “In case of what?”
Jordan scowled at the man who didn’t have long to live. “It’s a figure of speech, Don, so for now, just shut up.”
Rex turned the wheel slightly left as he followed the curve on Linda Drive. The scene that unfolded ahead on the right side of the street nearly made him slam on the brakes.
“Don’t stop!” Jordan yelled out. “It’ll look suspicious if you clamp on the brakes right now. Just keep going so you don’t attract attention.” Jordan peered out under the lowered passenger-side visor as they passed. “Son of a bitch! Pete got nabbed.”
What they’d seen couldn’t be good and likely meant Pete had either killed somebody or they’d killed him. Yellow police tape wrapped the property on either side of the driveway. Several squad cars and three personal vehicles sat along the curb. Their own white van with the security company door magnets sat in the driveway, and the coroner and forensic vehicles were parked behind it.
“Somebody died in there, Jordan, and you said Pete hasn’t called in.”
Jordan pounded the dash. “How the hell am I going to find out what happened? He could be in custody for all we know, and the police may have his phone.”
Rex spoke up. “And the van doors are standing wide open, meaning it’s already been searched. Was there anything inside that could lead back to us?”
Jordan turned in the seat and looked toward the house one more time before it was out of sight.
“Do you want me to go around the block again, Boss?”
“No, we can’t risk it. Damn it! How am I going to find out if Pete is alive or not? He can’t be dead. He’s too smart for that.”
Rex turned out of the subdivision and pulled to the curb. “We have to think this through. The van is stolen, so it can’t be traced to us. Pete took one of the throwaway wallets with a fake ID, didn’t he?”
“Always,” Jordan said.
John added his opinion. “I can block my number, call his burner phone with my own, and see who answers.”
Jordan nodded. “And you’re sure the phone is untraceable?”
“Yep, and if somebody other than Pete answers his, I’ll hang up. My question is, if he got busted, would he rat us out?”
Jordan swiped the air. “Of course he wouldn’t. He’s loyal to a fault. Something must have sent up a red flag with the homeowner, and a fight broke out between them.”
“Is it okay if I speak?” Don asked.
Jordan sneered. “If you have to.”
“Pete had lost some of his trust due to the caretaker thing. He told me that himself. He also told me he was taking a gun along today.”
Jordan spun in the passenger seat. “What! He took a gun to a security inspection? What the hell for?”
Now it was Don’s turn to sneer. “Can you blame him? You’ve led all of us into some sketchy situations with your bad intel.”
Jordan reached around the seat and punched Don in the face. “Don’t say another word, or I swear I’ll kill you myself. Rex, head back to the farm, and John, call Pete’s phone right now. I have to know who answers on the other end.”
John blocked his number and made the call. “It’s ringing.” Seconds later, his eyes bulged, and he abruptly hung up.
“What was that about?”
“The person who answered wasn’t Pete.”
“Then who was it for God’s sake?” Jordan demanded.
“The man who answered Pete’s phone said, ‘This is Lieutenant Steele from the Washburn County Sheriff’s Office. Who’s calling?’ That’s when I hung up.”
Jordan pounded the dash again, this time with both fists. “Maybe we can find out more from the police scanner when we get back to the farm. Whoever Lieutenant Steele is better pray he didn’t kill Pete. If he did, there’s going to be hell to pay.” Jordan turned to Rex. “Step on it.”
Chapter 32
Jack clicked off the call and placed the phone back into the evidence bag. “Hmm… that’s interesting. As soon as I said who I was, the caller on the other end hung up.”
“Likely the person in charge checking to see why their ‘security inspector’ hasn’t returned to the lair.” I made air quotes around the words security inspector.
Clayton approached Jack as we stood next to the body in the kitchen. Lena checked out the man’s mortal wound, documented its description, and noted the time of death in her notebook.
“The plates on the van come back to a 2016 Ford Fiesta,” Clayton said.
Jack smirked. “That figures. Run the VIN, but I bet the van is stolen too. Those crooks cover their tracks well, I’ll give them that.”
“I’m ready to take the body back to my office, Jack,” Lena said. “He sustained a fatal shot to the midchest with his own .45. Dan just printed him and is running the image through the IAFIS database of known offenders.”
Jack thanked Lena with a nod as we gave her room to load the body. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
We walked outside and stood in the driveway. Jack jerked his chin at Billings. “Anything at all we can glean from the van?”
Billings ran his hand over his freshly shaved head. He looked doubtful. “Hard to say. Kyle printed the entire vehicle, and we’ll have to see if any of those prints are on file. Other than that, it’s pretty clean. No notes, receipts, or anything else that will give us names or addresses of people who are involved in their gang of thieves.”
“Damn it! We’ve got a dead crook who isn’t talking and no clues to go on. Get Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office on the horn. It’s time to tear apart that house in Grafton.”
Billings walked away and made the call but was back a few seconds later.
Jack raised a curious brow. “That was fast. What’s the word from Ozaukee? Are they sending units to that address?”
Adam kicked a rock as he stared at the pavement. “They said a house was there a couple years ago, but it burned down. Now it’s a vacant lot.”
Jack cursed through his teeth. “Can’t we ever catch a break? Find out the names of every person who has owned that property for the last twenty years.”
“On it, Boss.”
We turned at the sound of a vehicle door opening. The cleaning company had arrived, and the crew began unloading their equipment.
Jack growled. “At least there’s one thing we can count on. Amber, show them inside.” He yelled out to Clayton. “What did you get on the VIN?”
“The van is stolen too, sir.”
Jack ground his fist into his eyes. “This shitstorm keeps getting bigger and bigger.” He turned to Clayton. “Call Kent Bradley and Patrick Rolmer. Find out if either of them worked with a specific agent at American Property Insurance Group. If they did, we’re hauling that person in for questioning. Let’s head back to the sheriff’s office, where we can regroup.” Jack looked at Amber. “What’s going on with the new table?”
“I found one on Fields Furniture Store’s website. They’re delivering it before five.”
