The partners in crime co.., p.26
The Partners in Crime Collection, page 26
“Well, she wasn’t willing, so she was fine. Dibiasi had been threatening her with hurting her kids or shooting Liam if she didn’t put out. I can’t say I blame Leahy for blowing a hole in the bastard. I probably would’ve done the same,” Mike replied.
“If Leahy was the injured party, why did you say he deserved worse?”
“Because he took payoffs and buried cases so many times, there was a saying that a missing file might’ve ‘pulled a Leahy’. He left so many families without answers, without closure, that I hope he’s having to face them in the afterlife as part of his punishment.” Mike paused, looked over his shoulder, gave a nod, then turned back to Jamie. “Sarge is here.”
“How do you know?”
“One of my merry band just told me he pulled into your driveway,” Mike said. “I’ll head out and patrol. Yell when you’re ready for me to come back.”
“Thanks, Mike,” Jamie said and got to his feet. “Sarge is here, Jack.”
“Okay,” Jack said, gaze locked on her screen as her fingers danced across the keyboard.
Jamie decided to leave her be and let her follow whatever trail she was on. He got to the living room as Sarge stepped over the threshold. “Hey, Sarge.”
“Kennedy. Looks like your windows will be done in a few minutes,” Sarge said.
“Yes, sir. We’re just making sure the sealant is dry before we clean things up,” one of the workmen said.
“Appreciate you coming out so fast,” Jamie told the workers. “Call out when you’re done, please.”
“Will do, sir,” another one answered.
Jamie gestured toward the hallway and followed Sarge into the office. “Want something to eat? Coffee?”
“Coffee for now. Let me fill you two in on what I’ve learned this morning,” Sarge said as he sank down into one of the leather wing chairs.
Jack looked up and blinked. “Oh, hey Sarge. Sorry, I got lost down a rabbit hole.”
Jamie handed Sarge a coffee and a cruller in a napkin.
“My gods, Mike did teach you something,” Sarge teased Jamie and took a bite, then a sip. A sigh of contentment and he closed his eyes in appreciation, then opened them and looked from Jamie to Jack. “So, Haviland had been trying to get someone to realize that Cohen was dirty, but because Cohen had seniority and awards, they didn’t listen to him. Now? Now they’re listening. An off-shore bank account with deposits from German and Russian banks - which could mean anything since many shady politicians use German banks for transactions. Haviland thinks Sean Donnegan has been paying Cohen to trip up his opponents or anyone against his run for Senate. They’ve met at Donnegan’s compound on the Cape and at the Governor’s mansion a few times. It also seems that Cohen has a taste for underage girls, shared by Donnegan and supplied by Jimmy D, Sean’s brother. I asked Haviland if he had heard of Glen Harvey – and he said that Jimmy D and Harvey were close friends and Harvey helped supply Jimmy with the boys and girls he peddled to the rich pedos.”
“The article Noah wrote about the foster kids going missing. I bet that’s because they’re being sold to Jimmy Donnegan and his clients,” Jack said.
“I’d say that’s a good bet,” Sarge replied. “But since the article was deleted, we don’t know for sure what the kid said.”
“We do know,” Jack said. “My son, Avery, works for the paper part time. He found the paper archives and pulled the issue that had the story in it – and took a picture with his phone. I skimmed it, but it was pretty generic. It hinted at more, but never said names or pointed fingers. More a case of ‘there’s smoke over here, someone should look for the fire’ kind of article.”
“Okay, so that’s not likely what caused Noah Rigg’s death,” Sarge said. “You said you had a handful of possible reasons. Hate crime being one of them?”
“We can dig into Soraya’s friends and see if anything comes up. I don’t think we’ll find much there, though. Every time we turn around, something else is tied to the Governor’s office, and now with Cohen? I think Sean Donnegan or one of his lackeys is behind Noah’s death,” Jamie said.
“Great. Just when you think the politics is handled, something like this shows up,” Sarge said. “Okay, pour me more coffee and hand me one of those sandwiches? I’ll set my laptop up here and see if the DNA or any other forensic evidence has come back. We’ll get to the bottom of this, one way or another.”
Dead Wrong: Chapter Fourteen
It took the three of them two solid days of digging through data, files, test results, and cold cases before they had at least a framework for the case. When Sarge would leave in the evening, Mike would come in and help Jamie while Jack would head home, have dinner with Avery, then retreat to her bedroom to work and talk to Ellis.
Since Cohen had been arrested, there had been no issues with people hanging around the house that didn’t belong there. Ellis made it exceedingly clear that she didn’t like a couple of Avery’s friends. She had commentary on Carlisle Shanahan, one of the newer members of the dorm and frat group, and on Remy, the one that Jack hadn’t liked from the first time she met him. Remington Farraday was a rich, spoiled brat with a hearty dose of misogyny. Jack made a silent bet that Remy would end up being arrested for rape or domestic assault before his college career was over. Of course, his parents would buy him out of any lasting damage, but he was that kind of asshole. Carlisle was the one member Jack had not yet met. He didn’t start hanging out with the group until finals week and had managed to avoid a face to face with Jack ever since. Ellis seemed to think Carlisle’s avoidance of Jack was intentional.
“The minute Avery would mention you were on the way home, Carl was packing up his shit and headed for the door,” Ellis said. “He’s also a snoop. I caught him in the bathroom, going through the medicine cabinet, and he tried to poke around your desk in the office, but Avery caught him before he’d done more than move a couple of pages around.”
“I’ll talk to Avery about him. With the weirdness of this case, I don’t want to automatically assume the guy is bad news, but I also don’t want to ignore the fact that he showed up late to the party and is snooping around,” Jack said. “Anything else?”
“Well, the back yard is looking great and the concrete slab is ready for Avery’s tiny house. I guess he’s waiting for the electrician to come set up the outdoor RV power connection, but he had a friend whose father is a plumber come help him run the piping for cold water to the slab,” Ellis said.
“Crap, I’ve not even been home early enough the past few days to see the back yard before it’s too dark. I’ll have to take a look in the morning before I head out.”
“You’ve raised a good man, Jack. He’s smart, aware, considerate, and he’s got a huge heart. Don’t worry so much about him, and don’t leave him in the dark about what’s going on and what you do,” Ellis said.
“You mean, tell him about you?”
“You probably should. I mean, I’m learning stuff from Mike – and I figured out a few things on my own. Watch.” Ellis reached out her hand, clenched her jaw, and swiped her whole hand down over the light switch – and it turned off.
“Oh, wow. You can influence physical things now?” Jack said. “Can you turn it back on?”
“Not yet. That takes a lot out of me still. In fact, I need to go rest and recharge. Stay out of trouble for a couple of hours, would ya?” Ellis asked, her voice a lot softer than before.
“I’ll do my best,” Jack replied as Ellis faded away.
Jack got up and turned the light back on, then went out to double check that the house was locked up and the alarm had been set. Ellis being around when Jack couldn’t be, gave Jack a sense of comfort that the ghost’s sudden need to recharge had shattered.
She noticed the light was off in Avery’s room, so she poured herself a glass of juice and headed to bed. Jack had no idea that this was the last peaceful evening she’d have for a while.
Jack and Jamie were seated in the office when a knock sounded. Jamie got up to answer it and Jack opened the app to access the front door camera so she could see who it was. Jamie had installed the added security after Cohen’s assault on the house and gave Jack access from the house network so she could back him up if needed.
When Jack saw who was at the door, she grabbed her gun and dashed across the hall, then crept up into the kitchen where she had a clear shot to the door. Jamie looked back, saw her in place, then opened the door, his own weapon in hand, behind his back.
“Agent Haviland. What can I do for you?” Jamie asked.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but Sergeant Tremont said you and Detective Forbes were working here. He said he would call and let you know, but there was an officer down call that came in while I was leaving his office, so maybe he forgot? I’ll wait while you reach out to him if you prefer,” said Haviland.
“Yeah, let me call him,” Jamie said. “Wait right here. Sorry if it seems rude, but after what your partner did, I’m being cautious.”
Haviland sighed. “I know, and I’m sorry for not being able to stop him. I’ll just sit right here and wait. Take your time.”
Jamie shut the door and Jack joined him in the living room as he called Sarge. The phone rang a few times before it was answered.
“Sarge, it’s Kennedy and Forbes here…” Jamie started, the phone set on speaker.
“Haviland checks out. I sent him to you. I’ll call you back. Someone took out two officers in a radio car about twenty minutes ago.”
“Oh hell, Sarge. Who were they?” Jack asked.
“Whittier and Carlson. I’ll call later,” Sarge said and disconnected the call.
“Shit. Whittier was slated to retire in six months and Carlson has only been in uniform a little over a year,” Jamie said.
“Damn, that sucks. We’ll have to see who’s doing the collections and make sure we contribute.” Jack took a breath and sighed. “Well, Sarge did say Haviland was okay. Do we let him in?”
“Yeah, but keep your gun handy,” Jamie replied.
Jack tucked hers into the back holster and pulled her shirt down over it, then went into the kitchen to get a clean mug.
“Come on in,” Jamie said as he opened the door once more.
Haviland got to his feet and stepped inside. “Thanks.”
“Want coffee?” Jack asked from the kitchen.
“That’d be great, thank you. Black, please,” Haviland said as Jamie led him over to the kitchen table. “Also, please call me Rick?”
Jack set a mug down in front of him and went into the office to get hers and Jamie’s mugs and the carafe of coffee. Once she returned, she filled all three mugs and sat on Haviland’s other side so he was pinned between them.
Once Rick had filled his mug, he took a sip, then set the cup down. “I know I wasn’t responsible for my partner’s actions, but I still feel like I should apologize. I came here to try and give you both information that might help your case. Am I supposed to share this? Probably not, but the agency can go fuck itself for all the support they’ve given me the past few days.”
“Are you leaving the agency, Rick?” Jack asked.
“Maybe. I’m undecided. The way they handled my concerns about Cohen, and then nearly crucified me after he went completely off the rails doesn’t lend itself to warm, fuzzy feelings or relationships built on trust.”
“What’s your status with the agency now?” Jamie asked.
“Health suspension until cleared by psych and med. I’m still getting paid, but I have to be cleared mentally and physically before I can go back on the clock,” Rick said.
“So, standard operating procedure for most law enforcement or first responder situations. Okay, here’s what I think we need. Can you fill us in on what you and Cohen were doing in Harbor?” Jamie said.
“I’ll share as much as I can. Some details, you’ll have to figure out for yourself, but I can make it easy for you to do so. Understand?” Rick said.
“Got it,” Jack said.
“We were sent here because Cohen and the Governor were friends in college. One of those Ivy League frat buddy things. They’d always make me wait outside the office while they had their ‘meetings’. Afterwards, Cohen would take us to different places to question people or stake-out and watch them.”
“Anyone in particular?” Jack asked.
“That kid Noah that died. We followed him around for almost three weeks. Cohen followed him even when I wasn’t with him. That kid? He worked his ass off, took care of the younger kids in the group home. He’d help them with their homework, bring them treats if they worked hard. He loved that Halston girl and treated her like gold. I hope you find out who killed him. It’s not okay that he’s dead,” Rick said.
“Did you ever hear them mention any Op Ed articles?” Jamie asked.
“Not Cohen and the Governor, no. The only weird thing I remember Cohen saying was something about how there are times that people don’t even know the truth of who they are. It was like he was thinking out loud because when I asked him what he’d said, he said it was nothing,” Rick said. “Once the kid died, we started trying to track the two of you. That’s when things got really weird.”
Jack arched a brow and looked over at Jamie, who just shrugged and turned back to Rick.
“Weird, how?” Jamie asked.
“You’ll think I really do need the psych eval if I tell you. It was just weird shit. Seeing things that weren’t there, doors closing on their own – one stake out, the car kept turning on like someone was pushing the starter button. It went from just randomly starting, to starting up with the lights on high and the radio blaring – it got so bad we had to call it and drive off because the whole damned neighborhood was waking up.”
Jack covered her mouth with her hand, but it didn’t hide the snort of laughter that slipped free.
“Oh, I’d think it was funny, too – but it scared the piss out of me,” Rick said.
Jack’s laughter got louder, joined by Jamie’s chuckles. Soon, her head was on her arm on the table and she was laughing so hard she was hiccupping.
“I didn’t think it was that funny, guys,” Rick grumbled into his mug as he sipped his coffee.
“I’m sorry,” Jack gasped, “but I can sympathize. Just visualizing Cohen’s face as he tries to deal with it, is really hysterical.”
Rick chuckled and shrugged. “It was pretty funny to watch him come completely unglued. He swore he saw the dead kid sitting on the hood of the car, making faces at him.”
“What’s that Shakespeare quote from Hamlet? ‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy’? I think that fits the world at large, Rick. I’ve seen and experienced things that just have no rational explanation. Maybe he did see the kid’s ghost, who knows?” Jamie said.
As the laughter quieted, Jack leaned in and put her elbows on the table, her hands wrapped around her mug. She looked into Rick’s eyes as she spoke. “I know this is a hard question to answer, but I’m going to ask it. Do you think Cohen killed Noah?”
Rick didn’t answer right away. He took another swallow of coffee and looked down into the mug. “Once, I would’ve said no way, not my partner. I can’t say that now. I don’t know if he did or not, but it would not surprise me. The only reason I haven’t laid that death on the table along with his other crimes is because Donnegan was raging when he heard about the kid’s death. I don’t think Cohen would’ve risked pissing off his friend like that. Not with the kinds of power Donnegan controls.”
“But you can’t say he did or didn’t with any real surety, right?” Jamie asked.
“Not with any real surety, no. My gut says he didn’t do it, but he might be involved with, or know something about who did do it. I mean, he bound and gagged me, shoved me in a trunk, and then when he got arrested, didn’t tell anyone where he left me. If it weren’t for them hunting me down, I’d be dead. So, could he kill? Yes. Do I think he killed the kid? Not sure, but I don’t think so.”
“Where do you think we should be looking, then? What’s your best guess?” Jack refilled his cup as she spoke, then slid the carafe over to Jamie so he could fill his own.
“All roads lead to Sean Donnegan or those close to him. I have no idea why Donnegan would want some foster kid watched, or why he’d care if the kid was killed, but that’s where I’d be looking,” Rick said.
“What about Weatherby?” Jack asked. “We know there was something between Donnegan and Weatherby – the kid was friends with Soraya Halston so her father could finance Donnegan through Weatherby’s connection.”
“No, that’s not right,” Rick said. “Weatherby wanted to be Donnegan’s chosen replacement for Governor, to keep Aidan Flynn from getting the mansion. If he could get Halston to fund the Senate run and put his PAC behind Donnegan, then Donnegan would give him the nod. Halston was being coy, though. He didn’t like Weatherby, but he didn’t want to piss off Donnegan, so he kept dodging the final moment. Now that Soraya is out of play, Weatherby doesn’t have a hook and I heard that Halston has publicly backed Flynn as of yesterday.”
“Well, that takes that thread out of play,” Jamie said. “We figured out the Halston’s weren’t involved, but we weren’t sure about the Weatherby kid and his family.”
“You mean Montgomery, aka Monty Weatherby?” Rick asked.
“Yeah,” Jamie replied.
“That kid is a real piece of work. He’s the one that told the Halston girl that Noah blew her off because he didn’t really care about her. He wanted in her pants and was pissed she was with a poor kid.”
“How do you know so much about Monty?” Jack asked.
“He hung around Sean’s kid, Carlisle. Like, all the time,” Rick said.
“Sean’s kid’s name is Carlisle? Does he go to college in town?”
“He goes to Yale but came home a couple of weeks ago and started hanging out at the local branch of the frat he belongs to down there. Why are you asking, Jack?” Rick said.
“A kid named Carlisle Shanahan has been hanging around with my son Avery and his friends. He’s new to their group and just started showing up during exam week at Harbor.”
