Granite county, p.25
Granite County, page 25
Fleming departed and headed to Richard Robinson’s apartment. He was there with his mother watching The Price Is Right. After the requisite greetings and the how are you feeling, Fleming said, “I have some news.”
“I know. Buster got stiffed last night,” Richard said as he slowly sat upright on the sofa.
“I guess word travels fast around here,” Fleming smiled.
“It does. Good damn riddance!”
“Thank you, Jesus!” Mrs. Robinson blurted out.
“But we may have an issue,” Fleming warned.
“I don’t!” Richard shot back.
Fleming began explaining. “All along we thought Buster killed your brother. That may not be the case. Someone may be targeting drug dealers. First your brother, then Buster, and now perhaps someone else.”
Richard shifted on the sofa. “I got some friends that deal, and I don’t wanna see them get hurt, and Detective Fleming, I know you gonna do what you have to do to protect 'em. But I sorry. In my mind, Buster killed Reggie, and he damn near killed me. That’s all I need to know. I don’t give a crap 'bout who killed Buster. I just know I’d like to shake their hand.”
Fleming did not try to change Richard’s thinking. “Understood, but I want you to know that I’m still on the case. Because a local man was one of the three killed last night, my boss has made this case my top priority. I’ll keep you posted, and if I do learn that someone other than Buster killed your brother, well, I’ll have to tell you.”
“You and I cool, Detective Fleming. But whatever you find out, ain’t gonna make me feel any different toward Buster.”
Fleming nodded. “I want you to know that I am still working on getting you and your mother out of these apartments. Just give me a little more time.”
Mrs. Robinson’s face lit up. “Thank you, Detective. You a woman of your word. I trust you, not like some of 'em other cops we had to deal with.”
Fleming waved good-bye and left. Suddenly she realized her energy was running low and she was hungry. She called Dan with an invitation for a late breakfast/early lunch at Waffle House. He quickly agreed, and they reviewed the status of their investigations. They had far more on their plates than scattered, covered and smothered hashbrowns.
Chapter 39
TWO days after Deep Voice’s last call, Kris had made his way to the strip shopping center on Seashell Road. He parked two blocks away and walked to the back of the shuttered restaurant and located the trash bin where he was supposed to deposit the money which was in two backpacks. Kris suspected he was being watched, either in person or through remote cameras, so he was careful with his actions and movements.
As directed, at noon he carefully placed the money in the trash bin, which smelled even though it had not been used in months. Along with the backpacks, Kris stealthily placed a tiny wireless camera on the inside of the bin which he could monitor with his phone. He walked away to Marilyn’s car, tapped into the app on his phone and began monitoring the trash bin. He had no idea when the pickup would be made, and how many individuals might come. No matter, he was prepared to wait.
Kris was nervous and he prayed he didn’t have to use the small caliber pistol that was lounging in the front passenger seat. He had brought neither snacks nor drink. The last thing he needed was to have to find a restroom and allow Deep Voice to make the pickup while he was relieving himself. He continually texted updates to Marilyn who was on the verge of hysteria. She had tried to talk Kris out of this plan, but he wouldn’t listen. Her urge was to call Chief Underwood and let him know what was transpiring, but that could prove lethal for Kris and Carter.
Four p.m. was approaching, and Kris was beginning to believe no one was going to show when activity popped up on his phone. A figure dressed in black, the face mostly obscured by a hoodie, reached into the trash bin, and grabbed for the backpacks.
Kris cranked the car, floored it and was at the back of the restaurant in seconds as the person was crawling into an older model Ford pickup with the backpacks. Kris slammed into the back of the truck causing the person to lurch forward and crash into the steering wheel.
Rushing to the truck, Kris grabbed the person by the collar, jerked him out of the seat and pulled down the hoodie. Kris did not recognize the man who was young with a headful of black hair and a full beard. He suddenly realized how muscular the man was. “Where’s my son, you bastard?” Kris screamed.
With ease, the man slapped Kris’ hands away from his collar and smacked him on the jaw with a fast fist. Stunned, Kris dropped to the ground and had to fight to keep from passing out.
Placing the hoodie back over his head, the man pulled a gun from his belt, cocked it and pointed it at Kris. “It’s tempting to blow your fucking head off,” the man growled. Instead, he kicked Kris in the stomach, put away the gun and drove off in the truck which now had damage to its tailgate. With his jaw and stomach throbbing, Kris stayed on the ground for a full two minutes while trying to keep from vomiting. Kris finally managed to wobblily get to his feet and propped against Marilyn’s car. “Shit!” he mumbled as he inspected the crumpled front of her Lexus. Defeated, he crawled into the injured car, and with his vision slightly blurred, drove home.
Marilyn rushed outside to greet him as soon as he pulled into the driveway. She saw the big welt on his jaw and loudly asked, “Oh my God Kris!” Without speaking, he went inside where Marilyn got ice from the kitchen for Kris to press against his jaw. “I screwed up,” he said with embarrassment. “Everything was working according to plan. The guy showed up and took the money and I confronted him. The only problem was, he was a bruiser, and took me down with a single punch. I was no match for him.”
Marilyn was in tears. “But he got the money, so that means we should be getting Carter back, right?”
“Not exactly. He took the money, but there was only ten thousand and it was all in ones and fives so it would feel heavy, like the full amount. He didn’t take time to look in the backpacks or count the money. I guess lucky for me he didn’t. He had a gun. He might have killed me if he realized I had double-crossed him. I don’t know what happens from this point.”
With tears streaming down her cheeks, Marilyn began pacing. Her emotions were all over the place. She has thankful that Kris was all right, but furious at him for hatching this insane plan that had little chance of being successful. They still didn’t have Carter, and now she was horrified that they might never get him back. “We have to call Chief Underwood,” she finally demanded.
“I think you’re right,” Kris admitted with contrition. Before he could say anything else, his cell rang.
“You are an idiot, Mr. Keller,” Deep Voice bellowed. “Your action was so stupid. I promised your son would not be harmed but I am losing my patience. You have one more opportunity and if it fails, well, you know, three strikes and you’re out! I will call with additional instructions. For now, I am going to enjoy a nice meal with your money that I do have. You want your son back and I want the money. You have something I want, and I have something you want. Let’s end this game, Mr. Keller.”
“I agree. Let’s get this over with. No more funny business,” Kris said, completely deflated.
“I’ll be in touch. Enjoy your evening.”
Kris ended the call, lowered his head and bit his lip. Marilyn had calmed down and saw how Kris was hurting emotionally. “We’ll get through this,” she said in a reassuring voice. “But promise me one thing.”
Through misting eyes, Kris asked, “What’s that?”
“That you won’t try to play hero again.”
Chapter 40
AS quickly as he had disappeared, Tommy Carson reappeared. His roommate Kent Thomas gave Tommy a heads-up that Dan was looking for him, and rather than try to avoid Dan, Tommy bit the bullet and contacted him. Tommy had seen enough of Dan to know that he would not relent until he had the opportunity to grill him again. Responding to Tommy’s invitation, Dan arrived at his residence at 2:30 p.m. and expected to see him scruffy and unkempt as during previous visits. Instead, Tommy was quite presentable, as if he was headed to work or an important appointment.
Unlike previous visits, Tommy showed no reluctance in inviting Dan inside. Tommy provided bottles of water as they sat in the living area. “You clean up nicely,” Dan kidded. “Where have you been? I was beginning to think you had skipped town on me.”
Tommy took a sip of water before answering. “Nothing like that. Had to take a quick trip. I’ve been out looking for that get rich quick scheme.”
“Did you have any luck?”
“Things are looking better.”
“Does needing this get rich quick idea have anything to do with the person who roughed you up because you owe them money?”
“We came to an agreement. An installment plan, just like when you buy furniture.”
Dan was fingering his bottle of water but not drinking. He set the bottle down on an end table. “You know making payments on time can help your credit rating,” Dan said teasingly.
Tommy shifted in his chair and finished his water with a couple of long gulps. “I know you’re not here to talk about my finances, Mr. McKenzie. It has to be about Adam. Honestly, I have told you all I know to tell you.”
Dan arched his back to a straight as an arrow posture. “Are you certain about that, Tommy, honestly?”
“What do you mean?” Tommy asked with a puzzled look.
“Two things. First, Detective Fleming was reviewing footage from security cameras at several locations in the county, and she noticed you pumping gas here in Granite County the day Adam went missing. Didn’t you tell us you left for Florida the day before?”
Tommy thought for a moment before saying, “Yeah, that could have been me. I get my days and dates messed up.”
“I will cut you some slack on that. I’m not good with days and dates either. I have trouble remembering the days my bills come due. O.K., so we have that out of the way. Here’s something else. Recently I returned to the river to make sure I didn’t miss something on the day I took your parents there. This time I went north of the bridge. Close to Touchdown Rock, I found yarn that had been pulled from a sweater. A red sweater. I bet it was from the red sweater you were wearing the first time Detective Fleming and I came to see you. So, using my brilliant deductive skills, I put two and two together to conclude that you had been to the river, probably with Adam.”
“There’s only one problem with that conclusion,” Tommy responded cockily. “That is Adam’s sweater and I have been wearing it, but Allison did have it. A couple of days after Adam was reported missing, she brought some of Adam’s things back. The sweater, one of his old football jerseys, photos of the two of them. She said she didn’t need them, didn’t want them. I’ve been wearing the sweater, sort of in honor of Adam. Truthfully, I haven’t paid much attention to any missing yarn.”
Tommy’s response caught Dan off guard, and he had to pause a moment. “So, Allison had the sweater up until a couple of days after Adam went missing. You wouldn’t be bullshitting me now, would you Tommy?”
“Why would I do that? It’s the truth. Allison brought the stuff to my parents’ house. Ask them if you don’t believe me.”
“O.K. I believe you. Let me ask you a favor. May I take the sweater with me? I promise I will bring it back.”
“Sure.” Tommy left the room and returned with the sweater. Dan inspected it. The missing yarn on the sleeve was obvious. He pulled the yarn he had located on the river and held it up against the sweater. It was a match.
“Thanks. I’ll take good care of it. I need to go. Good luck with your get rich scheme, and by the way, the cleaned-up look fits you well. Try it more often.” Dan returned to his car and punched Fleming’s number. “I have an interesting development. Are you free to see Allison Smith with me?” he asked.
“Sure. All I am doing now is pouring through old files and photos, trying to get a lead on the killer of our drug dealers, but I’m getting nowhere fast. Do you want me to meet you at Allison’s?”
“No. Stay put. I’ll come get you. Bring Henderson along. I will explain what’s going on during the drive to her house.”
It didn’t take long for Dan to pick up Fleming and Henderson and he explained what Tommy had said about the sweater. Approaching four p.m., Allison should be home from school.
Mrs. Smith answered the door and abruptly said, “Can’t you leave us alone? And who are your buddies?” she asked, giving Dan and Henderson quick, not-so-friendly glances.
Fleming responded in a kind tone, “This won’t take long, Mrs. Smith. It’s almost over. And these gentlemen are Deputy Mark Henderson and my friend Dan McKenzie.”
Reluctantly, the mother invited them in and called for Allison. Dan had placed the sweater in a black plastic bag and had it with him. When Allison entered the room and saw Dan and Fleming along with Henderson in his uniform, she stopped and gasped for breath.
Fleming immediately went to Allison, hugged her, and sat next to her on the sofa. “We need to ask you a few questions,” Fleming said tenderly. Allison was biting her lower lip. Irritation was across her mother’s face.
“Allison,” Fleming started, “Mr. McKenzie found some yarn from a red sweater on a thorny bush at the river. Tommy Carson said the sweater was Adam’s, but you had been wearing it until you brought it back a couple of days after Adam went missing. Had you been to the river with Adam?”
Allison’s lips began quivering and her body was shaking. Frightened and concerned, Mrs. Smith rushed to her daughter and put her arms around her.
“Yes,” Allison replied, just above a whisper.
“Tell us what happened,” Fleming encouraged. Dan was looking at the three women intently. Henderson was admiring the sensitivity with which Fleming was conducting the questioning.
“Did Tommy tell you why Adam was at the river?” Allison asked as she wiped away a tear. She was still trembling but not as much.
“No,” Fleming said, looking at Dan.
“Tommy wanted to talk to Adam about something, and for some reason, Tommy drove them to the river. They got into a really bad argument. I think Adam was giving Tommy all sorts of grief about his laziness and how he was disappointing their parents. Tommy got on to Adam about not being able to help with some problem he was having. Adam said it almost got physical and so bad he told Tommy to leave, and that he would get someone to come pick him up.”
Mrs. Smith interrupted. “Sweetie, do you need some water, a Diet Coke or something?” She handed Allison a tissue.
“No Mom. I’m O.K.” She dabbed at her eye before continuing. “Adam called me to pick him up. He said he couldn’t contact any of his other friends. So, I borrowed Mom’s car and went to the river. He was at Touchdown Rock. We had been there before, and well…”
“You don’t have to go into that,” Fleming quickly told her. “So, earlier you were not truthful with me about why Adam called you. He didn’t call to ask you to get back together. He called for you to pick him up at the river.”
“Yes ma’am,” Allison said shyly.
“Why did you not tell me the real reason for the call?”
“Because I did not want anyone to know I had been to the river…considering what happened.”
Fleming sighed and looked compassionately at Allison as if she understood the reason for the fabricated story about the phone call. “It’s all right, Allison. Tell us what happened.”
“I guess I picked the sweater on a thorn bush. I wasn’t paying attention because I was so upset. Anyway, I asked Adam if this meant we were getting back together. He said he was sorry, that he didn’t have any choice because his parents had given him an ultimatum.” Allison began crying and everyone paused. Minutes later, the crying had subsided and with red eyes and runny nose, Allison continued.
“I got really, really mad and started screaming that if he cared for me, loved me like I thought he did, he would stand up to his parents. He didn’t say anything, and I got madder and madder. I started pounding him with my fists and he just stood there and took it with a blank expression. With both hands, I pushed him backwards and he stumbled. He tried to turn to break his fall, but hit his head on a rock, and before I could do anything, he had rolled into the river. God, it was awful!” Both Allison and her mother were crying, and Fleming was about to. Dan and Henderson sat silent, not knowing what to say or do.
Regaining a bit of her composure, Allison said, “I just stood there screaming. I didn’t know what to do. I killed Adam! I was finally able to move. I went to the car and drove home. I didn’t tell anyone. Mom, you probably remember, that afternoon after I had used the car, I came home and went to my room and didn’t come out until the next morning.”
“I remember,” her mother whimpered.
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Dan asked.
“Because I was afraid they would arrest me for murder. I caused Adam to fall and hit his head. I murdered him.” She began crying again. Fleming took her hand. Henderson continued to sit, speechless and immobile, in awe of how Fleming was managing the situation.
“No, you didn’t murder Adam,” Fleming said. She wiped a tear from her own eye. “It was a horrible accident but that’s all it was. An accident. I am so sorry that you felt like you had to carry this burden alone. You should have told me.”
“I didn’t want to tell anyone. I was so afraid.”
“You don’t have to be afraid any longer. Mr. McKenzie, Deputy Henderson and I are here for you.”
Wiping tears from her eyes with a tissue, Mrs. Smith asked, “What do we do now?”
“We need to talk to the Sheriff and the District Attorney. Allison, you will need to tell them exactly what you have told us. It was an accident, pure and simple, an accident. There may be an issue with you not having told anyone. They could charge you with concealing a death, but we’ll work through that. Do you trust me, Allison?”
