Dark secrets, p.24
Dark Secrets, page 24
“Police!” He shouted. “Julie, it’s Michael. Are you ok?”
“I’m ok. Did you catch him?”
“We’re searching the area. Did you see where he went?”
“No. Sorry.”
Michael pushed the door with his foot, but the chain held it back.
“Julie?”
“Let me take the chain off.” Julie removed it.
Michael pushed the door open wide with his foot and entered the apartment. Officer Sam Palazzo followed.
“You sure you’re ok?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” She stood, wringing her hands. “He said he had a flower delivery. I couldn’t find the florist he named. I knew something wasn’t right.”
“Flower delivery?”
Julie nodded. “He said they were from a Mike Nolan. Then I knew I was in trouble.”
“Come on. Sit down.” He led her to the sofa and sat down beside her. He reached out to take her hand, but she pulled away.
“Julie, you shouldn’t be alone. You have to realize you’re in danger.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“What would have happened if the cops didn’t show up when they did? Would you have been able to take care of yourself? You don’t even have a gun.”
Julie looked at him with watery eyes.
“Let me stay with you.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I said I’m fine.” She stammered.
“You should listen to him.” Sam Palazzo stood before them. “Julie, you’re not safe.”
She exhaled loudly.
“You know you can call me anytime, day or night.” Michael stood up.
Sam wrote his private number on a notepad and handed it to Julie.
“Same goes for me.”
Julie took the note. “Thanks, guys.”
Michael got up. “After the lab guys are done, I’ll send over a man to replace the door. I’ll call you with his name.”
“Thank you.”
The lab men gathered the bullet fragments, the broken glass vase, and dusted the area for fingerprints, but found none.
Chapter 54
The next day Mack Mackenzie, Julie’s foster dad, arrived in Chandler Falls.
“Mack? What are you doing here?” She hugged him.
“Michael called me. He’s worried about you. He thought it best if I came to stay with you for a while.”
Julie put her head down.
“Julie, what happened?” He looked at her face.
She sighed. “I told him to leave.”
“Why?” Mack raised his eyebrows. “I don’t understand. What happened?”
“I made a big mistake. Now, I don’t know what to do. I love him.”
“Julie, mistakes can always be fixed.”
“I don’t know, Mack. Please, I can’t talk about it now.”
“Ok, then. You can begin by telling me what happened to your door.” He pointed to her door. “It was pretty ratty when you moved in. Why was it replaced? What happened?”
Julie told Mack about the delivery man trying to shoot his way into the apartment.
Mack settled in at Julie’s apartment. Together he and Julie met with the public defender, Elliot Treadwell, to discuss the investigation.
“The only evidence they have is the money that was found in your apartment. It’s all circumstantial. But, the money was in your possession. That’s circumstantial evidence. That in itself makes you guilty.” Treadwell said. “Is there anyone you can think of that would want to set you up? Any ideas?”
Julie frowned. “It’s got to be Driscoll and his people. He’s the only one that wanted me out of the picture.”
Treadwell shook his head. “We can’t pin this on Driscoll. There’s no evidence.”
“What about the kidnapping and torture that Julie went through in Las Vegas at the hand of Wilcox? Can’t that be used?” Mack asked.
Treadwell bit his lip. “I don’t see that having any bearing on the money. And, I think the judge will probably agree with me.”
"What about the forged signature on the evidence sign-out sheet?"
"It appears that the original sheet cannot be located. The copy has no credibility."
Back at the Hopewell Victorian, Mack helped Julie upstairs.
“Just why does Driscoll want you out of the picture?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“What does he have to gain if you’re gone?” Mack wondered. “You said he and Chief Pulaski are close friends. Golfing buddies? Isn’t that right?”
“Yes.”
“And you said Commander Maher owed the Chief a big favor.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Do you know what that favor was?” He looked at Julie.
“I can’t say.”
“Did it have something to do with Driscoll?”
Julie eyed him. “Mack….”
“Did Driscoll get arrested in Pittsburgh? For something like, say, attempting to snatch a kid?”
Julie frowned.
“So Driscoll was arrested. The Chief and your old Commander were college roommates or something like that. So Pulaski asked the Commander to throw the charges out against Driscoll. Am I right?”
She pressed her lips tightly.
Mack looked at Julie. “How much do you trust the Chief?”
“He’s always been tough on me. I thought it was because I was a rookie or maybe a female thing. I confronted him about this once. He seemed a little off.” She paused. “Now that you brought it up, it could have something to do with me knowing about this favor.”
Mack sighed. “So that brings Pulaski into the picture. Do you think he might have set you up?”
“I don’t know.” Julie thought a moment. “But there is something, Mack. He went right to the closet and pulled down that box. Like he knew where it was.”
“I think we should take a closer look at the Chief.”
Chapter 55
The next evening, Julie got a phone call from Officer Sam Palazzo.
“What’s up, Sam?”
“Julie, Michael’s in the hospital.”
“What? Is he hurt? What happened?”
“Someone tried to run him down. He’s ok though. He’s got a bump on his head and some bruises and scratches. He’s asking for you.”
“I’m on my way.”
She turned to Mack and told him about Michael.
“You’re upset. Let me drive you.”
The two sped to the hospital and Julie rushed to Michael’s room. He was sitting up in the bed. He had bruises on his left cheek, as well as bruises on his forearms.
“Michael,” Julie rushed to him. “You’re hurt.” She touched his face.
“It’s ok. Just some scratches and bruises. And, a lump on my head.”
“What happened?”
The young man sighed. “I was driving past the old abandoned grocery store and thought I saw movement in the alleyway. I took a closer look and this big SUV came out of nowhere, blinding me with his high beams. I could hear the tires squeal as he came at me. I yelled police, but it kept coming. I jumped to the side, but it turned around and came back at me. Again, I jumped out of the way, landing on top of a dumpster. But the SUV hit it, knocking me off it and to the ground. Once again, it turned around. This time I fired my weapon. The driver was hit, but the car kept coming at me. I was sideswiped by the fender and was thrown against the wall. The SUV crashed into the side of the building and stopped.”
“Michael, thank God you’re ok. What about the driver?”
“I shot him. He’s dead. The cops are trying to identify him. But so far, no luck.”
“The vehicle?”
“No plates. The VIN number’s been removed.”
She frowned. “Michael, you shouldn’t be alone. You’re a target.”
“We’re both targets.”
They looked at each other.
“We’ve got to do something to stop this.” She held her head.
He nodded. “We could hide out at a safe house.”
“Hide? A safe house?”
“The FBI has one near the north end of town.”
Julie took a deep breath. “You contacted the FBI?”
“No. It was the County District Attorney that called them.”
Julie sat, wringing her hands. “Michael, we’re in a shitload of trouble.”
“I know.” He touched her hand. “We can get through this.”
She looked up.
“Together.” He smiled at her.
“I don’t like the idea of hiding out. Is there some other way we can find evidence?”
“I don’t like it any better.”
“We need to expose Driscoll and this Crowe program.” She sighed. “That’s the only way we can stop this.”
“I agree with you. But we need evidence.”
Chapter 56
“Julie, Julie.” Mack gently shook her shoulder.
Julie rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “What is it?” She looked around the darkened room.
“There’s someone outside, in the parking lot.” Mack was looking out into the darkness of the night. Elvis was sitting on the window sill, flicking his tail from side to side.
Julie went to the window and looked down. It took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.
“See.” He pointed. “Over there. There’s a guy. He’s looking at your car.”
“I see him.”
“I’m gonna phone it in.” Mack grabbed the phone.
“It’s too late, Mack.” She pointed. “Michael’s already down there.”
They silently moved out onto the balcony to watch. The man was shining a flashlight over the license plate on the Accord.
“Police! Get down on the ground.” Michael shouted, his gun drawn.
The man turned.
“Get down! Now!”
The man lay down on the ground. “It’s ok. I’m a cop.”
Michael came over and shined the flashlight on his face. “You have some ID?”
“In my back pocket. I’m a Pittsburgh cop.”
“Just stay down.” Michael pressed his knee into the man’s back and reached down to pulled out the guy’s wallet. He flipped it open. “Officer Simon Albright. You’re pretty far from home. What are you doing here?” Michael helped him up.
The man dusted himself off. “I’m looking for someone.”
“Who would that be?”
“Julie McNally.”
“What do you want with her?”
“She’s my old partner. I need to talk to her.”
“Uh, huh. What wrong with phoning her?”
“It’s not the kind of thing to discuss on a phone.”
Michael looked up at the balcony. “He says he’s your old partner, Simon Albright. Do you want to talk to him?”
“Simon?” Julie nodded. “It’s alright, Michael. He can come up.”
The two men climbed the stairs and into Julie’s apartment. Michael and Julie exchanged tense looks. They all sat down at the kitchen table as she introduced the men. Michael and Simon eyed each other sizing the other up. Mack sat back to watch.
“What the hell happened to you?” He touched Julie’s face.
She brushed his hand away. “What are you doing here?”
“What happened? Who did this to you? Was it Nick?”
Julie frowned. “What do you want, Simon?
“I need to talk with you. I was informed by a reliable source that there’s a contract out on you.” He watched her face closely.
Julie looked at Michael. “Has to be Driscoll.”
Michael nodded. “Ok. We need a plan.”
Chapter 57
The next night everything was in place. The radio squawked with Joe Novak’s voice.
“Unidentified SUV just passed Hopewell Street. Could be our man.”
“Heads up, everyone,” Michael said.
Simon and Mack scanned the monitors that had been set up in Michael’s apartment. A few cars passed by, but otherwise, the block was quiet.
“Julie, you ready?” Michael spoke into the radio.
“Ready, Michael,” Julie answered.
“Suspect just pulled into the parking lot.” Jensen’s voice said.
A tall, bald, muscular figure moved in the shadows. He glanced around and waited for a few minutes. Then he slowly mounted the porch steps. Again, he stopped and looked around. He climbed the fire escape to the second floor. He was on the balcony outside Julie’s bedroom.
“Suspect’s on the balcony. Everyone, be ready to move on my order.” Michael said.
The man picked the lock and pulled the sliding glass door open. He peered into the darkened room. He waited until his eyes became accustomed to the dark. He moved closer to the bed, grabbed the sheets, and yanked them down. Pillows had been arranged to look like a body.
“You bitch!” the man said. “So you want to play games. Ok, let’s play.”
“Move in. Now!” Michael barked out the order.
He and Simon rushed in the front door of the apartment. Jensen and Novak ran up the fire escape and in through the sliding glass door. They had their guns drawn on the bald man.
“Police!” Michael yelled. “Get down on the floor! Now!’
The bald man smiled. “Whatever you say, boys.” He got down on the floor.
“Piazza?” Simon raised his eyebrows. “I thought you were in prison.” He looked at Michael. “I know this guy. He’s Antonio Piazza. He’s known felon, jailed about five years ago. I didn’t know he was out.”
Michael searched the bald man for weapons and took a revolver from the man’s holster and handcuffed him.
“Julie?” Michael looked around the room. “Julie?”
“Looks like Goldilocks disappeared.” Piazza chuckled.
Michael stared at him. “Get him out of here.”
Novak and Jensen took him away.
Michael sat down on the bed. “What the hell? When did she slip away?”
Simon sighed. “Right before our eyes.” He picked up Julie’s cell phone from the nightstand and sat down next to Michael. “Her cell phone. Now what?”
“Well, Piazza will make bail in a few hours. When he’s released, I say we follow him.” Michael said. “Maybe he’ll lead us to her.”
“She ran because of us.” Simon looked at Michael. “She’s trying to protect us.”
“Yeah.” Michael nodded, “I just wish she would have included us in her plans.”
At the Chandler Falls P.D., Piazza had been placed in the interrogation room. Jensen and Novak were also in the room, sitting opposite Piazza. Michael and Simon entered the room and the other detectives left.
“Mr. Piazza, why did you break into Detective McNally’s apartment?” Michael asked.
“We had a rendezvous planned.” Piazza snickered. He looked up with a slight smile on his face. “You have no idea where she is, do you?”
“You’re still being charged for B&E.”
Michael eyed the Italian. “According to your rap sheet, you’ve been incarcerated for attempted murder, armed robbery, and a slew of other crimes. You’re really tallying up the crimes.” He looked at the file folder. “Says here the cops have charges on you. Sexual assault and attempted rape. You’ve been a busy fella.”
Piazza’s eyes narrowed. “Those are trumped up charges.”
“Yeah. Trumped up charges.” Simon glared.
Piazza glared at Simon. “You should know. You were her fuckin’ partner.” He leaned forward. “And I mean fuckin’.”
Michael glanced at Simon. He turned to Piazza. “We’ve got you on camera. The charges will stand. For now, you’re gonna spend the night in the cooler.”
Michael and Simon returned to the Hopewell Street Victorian.
“So, were you and Julie together?”
Simon looked up. “We were uniform patrol partners. Nothing else.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” He answered. “Don’t let Piazza throw you a line. We were partners, nothing else.”
“What about the new guy? She said something about a new guy.”
Simon frowned. “I’m guessing that would be Maddox.”
“Maddox? Her partner?
“Look. I could be wrong about this.” Simon’s lips tightened.
Michael sighed and turned to replay the recorded tape footage.
“Am I missing something?” Michael sighed. “I don’t see her leaving anywhere. How could she have slipped through the cameras?”
“Maybe she left before we started recording. The camera in her apartment was the last one we set up.” Simon said.
“But we should have caught her on one of the other cameras, the parking lot, the street, the alley. But she’s not on any of them. How could she slip through?” He paced back and forth.
“Michael? You got your ears on?” Julie’s voice on the radio.
Michael grabbed his radio. “Julie? Are you ok?”
“I’m fine.”
“Where are you?”
“Can’t say for sure. A few miles north of Chandler Falls.”
“Tell me where. I’ll come to get you.”
“I can’t do that, Michael.”
“Julie,” Michael spoke. “Listen to me. Tell me where you are.”
“Sorry, Michael. I can’t take that chance. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“I can help.” Michael pleaded. “Tell me what you’re planning.”
“I’m going to turn off the radio now.”
“Listen, Julie. You remember the rules. Don’t ya?”
“Michael.”
“The rules? You remember?” He raised his voice.
“I remember.”
“Tell me the rules, Julie.”
She sighed. “Michael, I really don’t think we have time for this.”
“Goddammit, McNally! Tell me!” He shouted.
“Alright.” She spoke softly. “Always follow orders,” she began. “Always have a Plan B, never stop until you get to the truth, and always, always, always back up your partner.”
“That’s right.” He said. “You have to follow orders. I order you to tell me where you are? What are you planning?”
